Somewhat natural that all data, once collected, induces greediness in areas that have nothing to do with the originally mentioned and intended cause – here protection from terror –, no matter if they are useful for that in the first place:
The legal committee of the German Bundesrat (federal council) apparently wants to use this retained data for civil-law information requests from rights owners like the music or movie industry… what will be next?
More at golem.de and heise.de (German).
I found via JuliaL49’s here (in German) the report of the US Congress’ Democrates – sources: BBC News and Tagesschau, also CNN – which states that the war in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost the USA from 2002 to 2008 thanks to “hidden costs” 1.6 trillion dollars – $20,900 per US family (or $5,300 per person), possibly increasing to $46,400 by 2017 (that’s $3.5 trillion total).
Numbers that make you go dizzy… it’s just not clear how fast they could withdraw in a sensible manner (assuming they want), and I agree with Julia that a fast withdrawal doesn’t seem to be an optimal solution.
For the class action suit against data retention (in Germany), organized by the Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung here, you have to register and mail your power of attorney by 19 Nov 2007 – so don’t hesitate too long!
Important: To participate, you must register AND mail the downloadable standard power of attorney form signed by you. Except for this postage (and maybe your internet access), there will be no costs.
The taz quotes our dear minister of the interior, Wolfgang Schäuble, in front of journalists and judges in Karlsruhe (which is the location of the German Constitutional Court):
“Wir hatten den ‚größten Feldherrn aller Zeiten‘, den GröFaZ, und jetzt kommt die größte Verfassungsbeschwerde aller Zeiten.”
(My translation: “We had the ‘greatest commander of all times’, the GröFaZ, and now we get the greatest constitutional complaint of all times.”)
Assuming the quote is correct, we see again how much the constitution and its institutions mean to him…
For other (always) inappropriate Hitler comparisons and quotes, others have been made to leave talkshows and their offices. Wouldn’t be bad here, too, in my opinion.
(via StoiBär (German))
Even though the following is just copied from Wikipedia I wanted to mention it, just like other bloggers (and probably many news sites)… isn’t of no importance, y’see:
Schicksalstag (literally day of fate) is a label often used for 9 November due to the special importance of this day in German history. The term was occasionally used by historians and journalists since shortly after World War II, but its current widespread use started with the events of 1989 when virtually all German media picked up the term.
There are 5 major events in German history that are connected to Schicksalstag:
- 1848: After being arrested in the Vienna revolts, liberal leader Robert Blum is executed. The execution is often seen as a symbolic event for the ultimate failure of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states.
- 1918: Monarchy in Germany ends when Emperor Wilhelm II is dethroned in the November Revolution. Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the Weimar Republic
- 1923: The Beer Hall Putsch (November 8th and 9th) marks the emergence of the Nazi Party as an important player on Germany‘s political landscape.
- 1938: In the Kristallnacht, synagogues and Jewish property are burned and destroyed on a large scale. For many observers, it is the first hint of Nazi Germany‘s radical antisemitic policies.
- 1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall ends German separation and starts a series of events that ultimately lead to the German reunification.
The establishment of the SS in 1925 is sometimes mentioned as having taken place on the Schicksalstag as well.
And in the German Wikipedia, someone already added an item about this year: Telecommunications data retention. (At least temporarily.)
PS.: Want to join the class-action suit against data retention?
