Mulletproof's Journal: But it's OK as long as it's That Guy

Privacy is a hottly contested issue here on Slashdot and as such, a closely followed one. So what if I were to tell you that your medical records are now fair game for search and seizure, no warrent or subpoena required? What if, more over, I were to tell you that such an action specifically violated your state's constitutional right to privacy? Most of you, I suspect would be yelling "Burn the Patriot Act!" or something similar. And rightly you should...

...If it were the Patriot Act we were talking about. Unfortuantely, the invasion of privacy we're talking about here requires no special governmental powers apparently, only the will to abuse them. The person we are hypothetically referring to may or may not have commited a crime, but such is irrelevant at this moment. What is relevant is the impact it will have on the rest of us. Without a search warrent, subpoena or even consent, this persons medical records were opened, searched and used as evidence in order to bring charges against him. It might as well have been his house.

Again, this doesn't bode well for any of us if the action is upheld. At that point your medical records are fair game and anything therein can and will be used against you in a court of law without your knowledge, consent or due process. Nor is it a story you'll see here on Slashdot, despite the far reaching consequences it holds and the general fanatisim Slashdot holds for this specific topic in general. Why? Because of the high profile nature of the person being persecuted.

His name is Rush Limbaugh, and now it's OK to crucify him without due process because of what he represents to some people. It is no less than political terrorism, on the order of ransacking republican voting centers and burning swatsikas into the lawn of your opposition, only more insidious as it not only affects a controversial high profile figure such as Limbaugh, but you and I as well. He may very well be guilty. Or not. Justifying your case through illegal activities after the fact, however, is abuse of power of the highest order and should be smacked down hard, regardess of the figure in question.

Or you can sit back and laugh at your wonderful fortune as he gets taken down... At least until the Nazis come looking for you.