Blog tools and Liberty

I thought I'd just start blogging and that would be it. But as I investigated more, I found there are a number of products available that I did not know about. So, I've investigated the more arcane products in which I have to know perl, or have telnet access to my isp account. Perhaps one day I'll try those systems when I have a lot of time but for now, Blogger will do, and I'll investigate iBlog tonight which seems to be a nice balance. If I should decide to use it, I may keep both blogs going.

That person's a terrorist
In the news today, there is more of the same. You can find this article about the continued erosion of American liberties on the New York Times or practically any other real news website (and to prove a point, as of 8pm my time, that pretend news company doesn't even list it as a top story).

Given today's ruling, what is to prevent the federal government from accusing anyone of being a terrorist? The dissenting judge said,

"Citizens have a compelling interest in ensuring that their government does not, in discharging its duties, abuse one of its most awesome powers, the power to arrest and jail," Judge Tatel wrote in arguing that the government had overextended its use of an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act.

and judge Gladys Kessler, in the lower court said prior to this abysmal ruling:

"the first priority of the judicial branch must be to ensure that our government always operates within the statutory and constitutional constraints which distinguish a democracy from a dictatorship."