Tag Archives: Glenn Greenwald

Greenwald and the problem of legitimate political violence

Posted on November 4, 2014 by lawrence serewicz

In his essay for The Intercept, Glenn Greenwald comments on the terrorist attack in Canada in which two soldiers were struck by a car driven by an Islamic convert.[1] He makes a particular point about the use of the word … Continue reading →

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How does a bureaucracy protect your freedom?

Posted on June 10, 2014 by lawrence serewicz

In a liberal democracy, the law restrains the government. The people consent to the law that creates the government, which in turn, enforces the law and protects the people. In the basic social contract, protection and obedience are linked by … Continue reading →

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If the NSA suppresses political dissent, why are they so bad at it?

Posted on May 31, 2014 by lawrence serewicz

I came across Barry Eisler’s post Motive, Means, and Opportunity: Why NSA Secrecy Should Worry Us All and I thought he would explain why secrecy was bad for a liberal democracy. Although he never discussed this issue, he did make … Continue reading →

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Does the NSA want to collect everything? Let’s check the facts and then decide.

Posted on August 31, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

Over the past several months, we have read headlines and stories about the new surveillance state. We have been told that the United States government, in particular the NSA, intends to “collect, monitor, and store every telephone and internet communication … Continue reading →

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Did the Police take it easy on Mr. Miranda because of a respect for a free press?

Posted on August 22, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

On 18 August, the police stopped Mr. Miranda, the husband of Mr. Glenn Greenwald, under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2006. The debate has focused on whether the United Kingdom government over reacted and used the law inappropriately against … Continue reading →

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Why Mr. Miranda may have been held

Posted on August 19, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

Update: Since I published this blog at 220am on Monday,  the story has changed. It has been reported that Mr. Miranda was stopped by the British Government on their decision.  Here is how the BBC has reported the story in … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, privacy, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Why do we have the NSA and why do we need surveillance: A response to Greenwald and others.

Posted on July 17, 2013 by lawrence serewicz

The recent revelations about the NSA surveillance programme have cause concern and outrage by citizens and politicians across the world. What has been missing, though, is any extended discussion of why the government wants the surveillance and on what basis … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments