BLOGDIAL : We are the best

Drop this costly ID scheme

Leader Sunday January 15, 2006 The Observer

The government's decision to push on with its plans for ID cards in the face of overwhelming opposition becomes increasingly perplexing. Tomorrow peers will attempt to amend the bill to ensure that the phenomenal costs of the scheme are independently audited and understood. True, this is a government which takes pride in being stubborn, but its undiminished appetite for a national register is curious. At a time when all departments are tightening their belts, an unpopular project which, by the government's admission, will cost at least £5.8bn over its first 10 years seems a candidate for the chop. Factor in concerns from the London School of Economics, that costs will run much higher - and an egregious history of public-sector IT projects running vastly over budget - and the determination to go ahead is unfathomable.

The government claims that imminent changes to the passport system, foisted on the UK by Europe, make the case for ID cards convincing. This is not so. Yes, there is a need to make the new generation of passports incorporate biometric technology such as fingerprints or iris scans. But this does not justify making it mandatory for everyone to possess a piece of plastic with so many other biometric components. As for ID cards being needed to combat social ills, from terrorism to identity fraud, there is a stronger case that directly targeting resources at al-Qaeda or internet hackers would yield better results.

The inescapable conclusion is that the government has been seduced into championing ID cards by the hundreds of companies now bidding for a slice of the lucrative pie. It is we who will ultimately pay. For whenever a company accesses the register to check someone's details, the costs will inevitably be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. Sceptics in Westminster are right to fear that the scheme could become Labour's poll tax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/idcards/story/0,,1686798,00.html

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My emphasis.

Dear oh dear; "internet hackers". "Internet hackers" - how EXACTLY do these people blow up people and builings? Honestly, the illiteracy of these people is breathtaking. And need we say yet again that THERE IS NO ALQAEDA.

Lets see how it SHOULD have read.

... perhaps this 5.8 billion could be spent on the train system, hospitals and other infrastructure; we all know that far more than this is being allocated to instruments of war and the stationing of troops that are the cause of terrorism. Perhaps we should permanently exclude ourselvs from international shenanigans so that the blowtorch of the hatred of innocent and honourable people will no longer lick us and these shores. The solution to 'terrorism' is to stay out of the affairs of other people. The solution to document fraud does not include the creation of a huge database that collects information on everyone in the UK....

Something like that.

And notice too, that there is no mention of the rights of the British people not to be numbered and monitored like animals. In other words, no mention of the database, which is the true evil behind the façade of the card. Really, the Observer in this and anything to do with technology is blind, and the Guardian is asleep at the gate.

None of that matters however. If you want to be free you have to take charge of your data and your communications, and make it your personal responsibility not to silently and compliantly go along with every Soviet style machination that these venal monsters come up with.

Writing leaders that amount to widely distgributed begging letters will do nothing. The Independent is the chief criminal in this respect, with its endless articles about how the way of life is being eroded but never making a call to action to stop the rot. Either lay down the gauntlet and champion real and total civil dosobedience or shut up and act like a sheep. Writing trash like this is pointless...its part of civil obedience, that sheeple think which allows your money to fuel war unimpeded.

And this brings us directly to Iran.

Everyone should now be up in arms (!) about the call to bring Iran to the Security Council. This is precisely how Iraq was illegally annexed; don't wait untill the troops are removed from Iraq, rested and ready to depoly in Iran, the time to act is right now. Iran should not, under any circumstances, be brought to the UN. It is a prelude to unjustified war...another unjustified war. The time to stop a giant snowball from smashing your village is when it is a pea at the top of the mountain. Hmmmm lets see what Stop War has to say about it....

TONY BENN LETTER TO THE UN AND ATTORNEY GENERAL

TONY BENN leads a campaign to investigate breaches of The Nuremberg Charter and Geneva and Hague Conventions during the Iraq War and occupation

Read reply from UN Secretary-General's office: "your letter raises matters which are of extremely serious concern"

ADD YOUR NAME IN SUPPORT OF THE LETTER ....

"I think the politicians should be held to account ... my view is that Blair should be impeached." General Sir Michael Rose, who led the UN forces in Bosnia.

quoted on "Iraq: the failure of War" to be shown on Channel 4 TV, Frid 13 January 2006, 19.30

Support the Parliament Square Protestors

From Monday 9th January
Bow St Magistrates Court
(Covent Garden Tube)

On 1st August 2005 the government brought in the "exclusion zone" around Parliament and Whitehall under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. The act criminalises unauthorised protests within the area.

The Stop the War Coalition called a protest for that day. 5 people were arrested for taking part.

At least 21 people have now been arrested under the act. On 7th December, anti-war activist Maya Evans was the first person to be convicted of this new offence.

Four of the activists arrested on 1st August go on trial from Monday 9th January. People are encouraged to come and show their support outside the court from 9.30 and/or to attend the hearings. These are currently scheduled to last 3 days or more.
Mobilise for international demonstrations on March 18-19 2006, the third anniversary of the war and invasion, calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops and an end to the occupation.

CENTRAL LONDON

SATURDAY 18 MARCH

Details to follow soon
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http://www.stopwar.org.uk/

Just as I thought; the same nonsense on a different day, while the pea has been set rolling at the top of the Matterhorn.

Punishing Bu$h and or Bliar is irrelevant. All concentration, all effort, all power should be placed on the permanent removal of USUK's ability to create false war. If this were achieved, and part of the price was to let these two mass murdering war criminals free, well, its worth that for sure. Iraq is a lost cause. It should be the final lost cause. The mechanisms to permanently de fang the war machine should be everyone' total priority.

Its obvious!

BEFORE

AFTER

To me a scientist is a man who works hard in his lab examining liquid and chemicals. He has a long white coat open. He is fixing his glasses so he can see better. He has pockets full of pens and pencils.

Some people think that (scientists) are just some genius nerds in white coats, but they are actually people who are trying to live up to their dreams and learn more. No two scientists are exactly alike. So, if you want to be a scientist, be like these wonderful people and live up to your dreams.

Jesse

BEFORE

AFTER

My picture of a scientist is completely different than what it used to be! The scientist I saw doesn¹t wear a lab coat. . . . The scientists used good vocabulary and spoke like they knew what they were talking about.