While I applaud the move, it is about competitive advantage for Google.

Facebook takes your name, address, phone number and email address from your friends phones using the FB app. Your co-workers too -- you did give HR your 'emergency contact number' right? You can bet those are programmed into a phone contact list so HR can send a group message.

I'm sure you could be jobless and friendless living in a cave, but that's about the only way to avoid it now.

I suggest poisoning the database. Add false contacts to your phone, use one to sign up for store discount cards and fake Gmail/FB accounts. Just one per person is enough to screw up everything they're doing.

Semantics; Assuming it's not a baldfaced lie, they can 'partner' with the NSA then 'share resources' and they've got their hands on the results of domestic spying while only having encouraged and facilitated it themselves.

In the US, courts have ruled that corporate spying on individuals is legal so 'privatizing' the actual data gathering launders it into legality under this time honored principle: 'What are you gonna do about it, you're powerless'.

I've witnessed two that happened for other reasons.

80s Chrysler with an engine block made of such poor steel that the valve cover bolts (which are under very little stress) pulled from the block, dripping oil down the back of the block onto the exhaust manifold catching the car on fire. The hood release cable was carefully placed so that it's casing melted, the hood couldn't be opened to extinguish the flames and the car was totaled.

Autozone sold a hose fitting for fuel line use that actually melted in gasoline.

This is nice to, say, stop Comcast from spying on the details of what you view for resale to behavioral trackers and marketers. Given the compromise of the SSL cert authorities, governmental entities can transparently man-in-the-middle the SSL session anyway so we only get part of what we'd like to achieve.

Any Onstar like system tracks you too, as well as being a bug (the mike can be remotely turned on) and a remote car control. Modern cell phones are all remote tracking, logging, bug devices. Several states are moving to make vehicle registration require location tracking, with permanent warrant-less tracking. (You can trust us! Really! Not like every other time this time, we promise Charlie Brown!)

The plain language 'Secure against ... unreasonable searches ... no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause' is that a reasonable search requires a warrant. Period. There is not an exception in the Constitution anywhere. They've been invented by people who find the protections embodied in the Constitution inconvenient.

The framers of the Constitution were not distant figures we don't know much about. We have the minutes of the meeting and letters they wrote arguing over the wording of the Constitution. In this case, they thought that saying that (paraphrasing) "any power the federal government wishes that isn't listed here they cannot have" was quite clear and that those who choose to ignore that will do so no matter what words they write. They wrote that it's our duty to stop those people. Some of the other rights are there specifically to empower us to do so. (now discuss why -those- are under attack too)

It's like emailing an 'unsubscribe' message to spammers, and will work as well.

Also: This very high gas tax is to encourage people to buy more fuel efficient cars. Wait, people bought them? Our gas tax revenue is down??!?!? Extra tax to 'recover' the lost tax. (Why no, the original tax wasn't just about taking money. It was for the children. And the whales.)

Are you trolling for JFK conspiracy 'nuts', or trying to make them sound more credible?

If they want to use military tactics, they should fall under the military code of justice and be stripped of the BS qualified immunity.

If you want to militarize, you must accept the code of honor that goes with it.

You think that's all they have?

What is the back door for iLO, the HP remote admin for servers? You don't think they'd put one in the storage but leave out the servers do you?

The US military invested mightily in the current uranium/plutonium nuclear tech. Commercializing a thorium reactor would require another very large investment, one beyond a single utility company.

Even though we strongly suspect thorium would make a better power plant reactor, we won't know that until we complete a substantial part of the research and build a few generations of pilot plants. That's a risk whole governments can bear, but not a single utility.

Politically, the fusion folks have promised 'Clean limitless power real soon now (TM)' for decades, sucking up most power research funding without even producing a working pilot power plant. In 1960/1970 it was not fusion power time. We spent research money very inefficiently trying to force fusion far ahead of the tech curve. We could have had working thorium reactors for far less than we've spent on fusion, giving us much cheaper power. That cheap power would have grown our economy which would have accelerated tech advances and increased the amount of 'spare' economic power available for power research. With that, we'd have a better tech foundation for fusion and would be able to fund it at a higher level.

I think we should fund preliminary thorium power research right now, with plans to shift the majority of fusion funding to thorium if the current large fusion test doesn't work out or goes into 'real soon now stalling' - er I mean delays.

Acting as he did is exactly the right thing to do when the 'system' has been hacked to prevent it from working. While he should be given a medal (and asylum/witness protection), turning himself in to for the punishment the Hoover-like criminals think you deserve for exposing them is reasonable? That's a special breed of insanity you have.

This story already has violations of the 1st, 4th, 9th and 10th amendments. Are you this apathetic even now? Really?

It doesn't because there are so many more citizens than active duty military, the very reason military occupation isn't a cake walk.

Now, creating a non-military force designed to act against citizens instead of another military force is far more dangerous. Break up the tasks between multiple groups so each doesn't feel they are responsible for the flood. Domestic data gathering from one group, actual spying/snooping from a second (er data analysis), target designation from a third and contact with the enemy - er criminals by a fourth (we didn't do anything wrong, they're criminals we have the papers condemning them right here).

Create intrusive forces that interfere in the private matters of citizens regularly to desensitize them (boil the frog). The TSA would be an example, as it provides no actual security. (and T(odays)-SA right in the name - lol) Add stop and frisk on the street, roadblocks for the drivers, asset forfeiture for anyone with cash. Regularly send the armed non-military force against citizens to desensitize them and foster an 'us vs. them' mentality. Arm them with automatic weapons and grenades, dress them in anonomizing uniforms without name tags that hide their faces. Attack anyone trying to identify members. (photographers are terrorists! but somehow only out gov't abuses? hmm) Don't train them with the ethical and moral standards we instill in our military forces. While the military in the US would be a poor force for oppression current swat team training, practice, equipment and shear numbers seem to be tailor made for it.