A legitimate American business that offered its customers email privacy has been destroyed by the government. It’s “crime”? Refusing to cooperate with the disgraceful and unconstitutional surveillance network which considers itself entitled to spy on all Americans.
And if you think that’s bad, get this: they are not allowed to talk about it!
That’s right. In the United States of America, the First Amendment does not include the right even to discuss the wholesale suppression of rights.
I’m pasting the entire text of the letter from the company’s website, because this is an outrage (and it is not the only company being treated this way):
My Fellow Users,
I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. I feel you deserve to know what’s going on–the first amendment is supposed to guarantee me the freedom to speak out in situations like this. Unfortunately, Congress has passed laws that say otherwise. As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I have twice made the appropriate requests.
What’s going to happen now? We’ve already started preparing the paperwork needed to continue to fight for the Constitution in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me resurrect Lavabit as an American company.
This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States.
Sincerely,
Ladar Levison
Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLCDefending the constitution is expensive! Help us by donating to the Lavabit Legal Defense Fund here.
Disgraceful. In my opinion, every member of Congress who voted for these measures violated his oath of office.
Comments
22 responses to “So it’s come to this”
Charles Payne, on Fox Business News, last week said what I’ve been thinking for a few years now:
Obama wants civil disturbances, he’s courting it. He’s instigating it.
Not sure what his endgame is, but it’s pretty obvious he’s trying to fuck with how America works to make it more palatable to Far-Left, Chicago-Machine, politicians.
And nobody is stopping him.
The GOP establishment likes it when the gov’t is very powerful, they just want to harness it for “conservative” ideals, the courts have decided that the Constitution does not say what it says while our fine, Federal, bureaucratic friends are busy garnering more and more power without any concomitant taking of responsibility.
I’m curious to see how Americans react. There’s going to come a time when no matter what our fine, Minitrue betters hide and dissemble about, people are going to realize we’re not in our father’s America anymore.
It should be interesting to say the least.
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“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Now, where have I seen those words before?
.
I thought it was the liberals that whine! by the way what dis the classics have to say about slavery and it wasn’t that sparticus was a great guy! dr.samuel johnson said it best when asked by boswell what he thought of the american revolution that was then going on. I observe those who scream the loudest about freedom and liberty are the slave holding southerners! NUFF SAID!
Glenn Reynolds just linked a Forbes interview with Levison. Final quote: “I’m taking a break from email,” said Levison. “If you knew what I know about email, you might not use it either.”
And I thought the only place where all communications were monitored by authorities was prison. It’s almost as though we are living in one, isn’t it?
Forbes article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/08/09/lavabits-ladar-levison-if-you-knew-what-i-know-about-email-you-might-not-use-it/
[…] big, the real, and the scary. A legitimate American business that offered its customers email privacy has been destroyed by the […]
@captain – NUFF SAID!
You have yet to say anything!
those who scream the loudest about freedom and liberty are the slave holding southerners!
That’s a bit off topic, but I’m fascinated to hear it. The next time I hear someone screaming about freedom and liberty, I’ll try to remember to ask him whether he is from The South — and how many slaves he owns.
the classics had their hippocracys too!
‘the classics had their hippocracys too!
the topic is ‘so it’s come to this’
if you say something on topic, maybe it will make sense
Well, hippos might do a better job than the government we’ve got!
you are the one who brings up classic values speaking of which which classic philosopher denounces slavery? only jesus did in roundabout way by saying the slave was as good as his master and you know what happened to him!
by the way wasn’t slavery a classic value or was sally hemmings just toms girl friend.
I often consider unpaid blogging to be a form of slavery.
And the percentage of income tax paid to Washington is the degree of slavery one is under and the IRS is the overseer.
So wait, when you say to end the culture war by accepting the “classical” culture you’re not being facetious?
Wow. I never knew you wanted to own slaves.
I’ll have to rethink my opinion of this site.
Or you know, not.
“I often consider unpaid blogging to be a form of slavery.”
I’m doing less of that these days.
http://www.ecnmag.com/tags/Blogs/M-Simon/
i am still waiting for the name and passage where classic philosopher said slavery was immoral! otherwise classics are not as moral as we are now!
captain – now listen up!
If you pay federal income tax you are enslaved and, on the other hand, if you don’t and instead accept federal largesse, you are a thief – pick your morality.
While I do not endorse slavery (either Roman or American), it is worth noting that Roman slaves were usually war captives who were later often manumitted by their owners, so that slavery was often a pathway to citizenship.
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/epf/journal_archive/volume_V,_1996/palmer_b.pdf
Unlike the case of American slavery, race had nothing to do with it.
Of course, many animal rights activists would maintain that my dog Coco is enslaved.
the point is the classics were just fine with slavery we are not that makes us better for it as we evolve! as kierkagaard said at the time to the optimists if you think the kings will be more evil then the common man think again see: adolf hitler stalin ;!but we slowly evolve