Obama Fail - Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss.

Given I'm 36, 2008 may mark the point at which my political optimism died. Because, you know, the fact an African American was elected President is, really, HUGE. But I'd really prefer it if we could elect somebody who actually gave a shit about changing the eminently dysfunctional status quo.

A kinder, gentler rendition under Obama - Boing Boing:

"This week, we learned that the Obama administration will continue the Bush administration's practice of relocating war-on-terror detainees to other countries for offshore imprisonment and interrogation"

Lawless Surveillance, Warrantless Rationales (a critique of Obama continuation of Bush policies) - Boing Boing:

"Over at The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy website, Electronic Frontier Foundation Legal Director Cindy Cohn writes about the so-called Presidential Surveillance Program, the "still-shadowy set of programs that spy on Americans in America without any probable cause or warrant." The EFF, as regular BB readers know, has fought this program for several years now -- in 2006, it filed suit against AT&T for providing the NSA with direct access to its database of communications records."

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Another Letdown from Team Obama:

"I’m tired of keeping track of what hasn’t changed:

The Obama administration will largely preserve Bush-era procedures allowing the government to search—without suspicion of wrongdoing—the contents of a traveler’s laptop computer, cellphone or other electronic device, although officials said new policies would expand oversight of such inspections...

I’m not sure how anyone can defend a policy that your personal electronic equipment can be seized and searched for no reason whatsoever. “Shut up, that’s why” might work for right-wing blogs, but as a policy for the government, it is inexcusable."

Hit & Run; DEA Arrests Medical Marijuana Grower in California - Reason Magazine:

"Last week, the Drug War Chronicle reports, the Drug Enforcement Administration made its first arrests related to medical marijuana since Attorney General Eric Holder promised not to prosecute people who are complying with state law. "

Hit & Run; Securing the Border Against Creepy Pictures on Some Guy's Laptop - Reason Magazine:

"The Department of Homeland Security plans to retain the Bush administration policy of seizing and searching international travelers' laptop computers and other electronic devices at will. "...under the policy, government officials are free to search people's laptops and cellphones for any reason whatsoever." Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says such wide discretion is essential to national security:

Keeping Americans safe in an increasingly digital world depends on our ability to lawfully screen materials entering the United States. The new directives announced today strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders.

What a crock. As I noted in a column last year, DHS is not looking for bombs in those laptops; it is looking for incriminating files, and the charges that flow from the searches typically have nothing to do with terrorism..."