Fingerprints, Telecom Lawsuits and Al Gore’s Carbon Footprint

The Senate considers a bill creating a new federal fingerprint registry.

The House of Representatives votes to shield telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the federal government’s wiretapping program.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research finds that energy use at Al Gore’s home has increased more than 10% in the past year despite a “green” technology makeover.

1. PRIVACY

The Senate considers a bill creating a new federal fingerprint registry.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Center for Entrepreneurship Director John Berlau on the ostensible rationale for this invasion of privacy:

“…this week a measure creating a federal fingerprint registry totally unrelated to national security or violent crime may clear the Senate with little debate. The legislation would require thousands of individuals not suspected of any wrongdoing to send their prints to the feds. What issue is so important that it warrants creating a fingerprint database without public debate? Believe it or not, the housing slowdown. The database and fingerprint mandates are contained in the housing bailout bill that will likely come to a vote on Tuesday.”

 

2. LEGAL

The House of Representatives votes to shield telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the federal government’s wiretapping program.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on the uneven opposition to the legislation:

“Opposition by liberal Congressmen and activists to granting such protections owes more to ideology and the role of trial lawyers in bankrolling liberal political candidates than it does to genuine concern about privacy. That is illustrated by the deafening silence by liberal activists and self-proclaimed civil libertarians about pointless attacks on privacy by their political allies in Congress, like the sweepingly-broad fingerprinting provisions of the mortgage bailout bill pushed by Senator Chris Dodd, who has long been an apologist for left-wing Latin American dictators.”

 

3. ENVIRONMENT

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research finds that energy use at Al Gore’s home has increased more than 10% in the past year despite a “green” technology makeover.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Steven Milloyepic hypocrisy: on Gore’s

“…aside from increased energy use not being consistent with Gore’s preaching about downsizing our lifestyles, it’s worth noting that his personal energy use increased despite using energy saving devices and solar power. During a time of an alleged crisis, the profile of his personal power consumption is more akin to ‘greed’ than ‘green’; moreover, the environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s ‘green power’ program from which Gore buys high-priced energy are murky, if not downright trivial. Only 0.05 percent of TVA’s power is ‘green’ and TVA acknowledges its green power program still produces greenhouse gases. All Gore really knows about any alleged benefits is that he pays an extra $4 for every 150-kilowatt hours of ‘green power’ purchased.”