FC: Privacy as general-purpose bludgeon: Ditch the draft!

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Mon May 14 2001 - 15:27:18 PDT

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    [This is a fascinating trend: Groups using privacy as a general-purpose 
    bludgeon against government data collection. This is not a criticism of 
    Rep. Paul's bill -- he makes reasonable arguments -- but I doubt you'd see 
    privacy being used in "Dear Colleague" letters as the primary reason to 
    eliminate Selective Service, say, a decade ago. --Declan]
    
    ---
    
    From: "Singleton, Norman" <Norman.Singletonat_private>
    To: declanat_private
    Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 18:08:49 -0400
    
    It was good to see you today. here is the letter explaining why selective
    service is a privacy issue that Congressman Paul sent to Congressman who
    have supported his privacy legislation:
    
    Thank you for all your efforts to defend personal privacy from the
    intrusions of the federal government. I am writing today to request
    that you cosponsor HR 1597, which repeals the Selective Service
    System. Selective Service violates individual privacy by sharing
    information with other government agencies. Selective Service
    currently shares information with the IRS, the Department of
    Education, the Department of Defense, Department of Transportation,
    Department of Justice, FBI, INS, Department of State, Office of
    Veterans's Reemployment Program, the Department of Labor, and state
    and local governments. Certain Selective Service information is
    also available to the general public. Selective Service also shares
    data with the Health and Human Services' new hires database --
    including Social Security numbers!
    
    Selective Service is now encouraging state governments to pass laws
    authorizing the automatic transfer of information to the Selective
    Service System from applications for a driver's license, permit, or
    similar form of identification. This proposal is close to being
    implemented in almost thirty states. Sharing drivers' license
    information with the federal government for any reason sets a
    dangerous precedent for the future collection of personal
    information by the federal government from state governments and
    private parties to monitor citizens compliance with federal
    mandates.
    
    Selective Service is currently "upgrading and modernizing" their
    system and is increasingly relying using on-line registration and
    verification. This facilitates the sharing of information with
    other agencies and increase the vulnerability of Selective Service
    records to hackers and identity thieves!
    
    According to a Department of Defense report, Selective Service
    registration could be stopped "with no effect on military
    mobilization and no measurable effect on the time it would take to
    mobilize, and no measurable effect on military recruitment."
    Clearly, Selective Service serves no purpose except to expand the
    surveillance state and violate the constitutional rights of every
    young American male. Please help end this outdated and
    unconstitutional program; call Norm at 5-2831 and cosponsor HR
    1597.  Thank you in advance for your support.
    
    ---
    
     > May 14, 2001
     >
     >
     > Dear liberty activist,
     >
     > Congressman Ron Paul, the founder and honorary chairman of The Liberty
     > Committee, will be a guest on "Hannity & Colmes" tonight.  The subject
    will
     > be Dr. Paul's effort to repeal the 16th Amendment.  The program will begin
     > at 9:00 p.m. ET on the Fox News network.
     >
     > Millions of us protest the federal income tax either as individuals or
     > through one of the dozens of liberty-seeking organizations established to
     > explain one or another of the reasons why the illegitimate tax monster
    must
     > be slain.  Unfortunately, the bureaucrats and entrenched institutions that
     > feed off the federal income-tax scheme have been able to ignore our
     > complaints, because we have not been able to overwhelm them with our
     > demands.  They've been able to ignore us because, even though we number in
     > the millions, we have never spoken as one, with one voice in one place and
     > with one objective.
     >
     > We now have that opportunity with H.J. Res. 45 -- The Liberty Amendment
     > which, if we do our jobs, will repeal the 16th Amendment.
     >
     > It is vitally important that you join with us to petition the leaders of
    the
     > U.S. House to lead their members to pass H.J. Res. 45.  Please add your
    name
     > to the "Repeal 16 Petition" by going to
     > http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/repeal16petition.htm .
     >
     > But if that is all you do, we will fail.  You must turn to family, to
     > friends, to your organizations and persuade those who will listen to
    ignore
     > any petty differences and unite with you behind this single effort.  By
     > working together to pass H.J. Res. 45 we will have the strength to repeal
     > the 16th Amendment.
     >
     > H.J. Res. 45 -- The Liberty Amendment is not an academic exercise.  It is
     > not a political statement or an abstract ideal.  It is real legislation
     > before the U.S. House of Representatives today.  It can become law if
    every
     > liberty-minded American comes together.  Add your name to the "Repeal 16
     > Petition" by going to
     > http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/repeal16petition.htm .
     >
     > Please tell your family and friends about the program tonight and ask them
     > to add their names to the "Repeal 16 Petition."
     >
     >
     > Kent Snyder
     > The Liberty Committee
     > http://www.thelibertycommittee.org
     >
    
    
    
    
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