-Caveat Lector- http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/6/25/195458.shtml Armey Exposes Traffic-Light Spying By Wes Vernon Tuesday, June 26, 2001 WASHINGTON - Gotcha! House Majority leader Dick Armey has turned the spotlight on legal documents showing that profit, not safety, is the guiding principle in yellow traffic lights of four seconds or less. A few weeks ago, Armey, R-Texas, blew the whistle on the whole idea of using machines instead of police officers to catch motorists who run red lights. Moreover, the yellow light time was suspiciously short in many cases, seemingly in an attempt to make it harder to stop in time before the light turns red. Now, says Armey, there is documented evidence in San Diego confirming that this is exactly what's happening. Attorneys with the "Red Light Defense Team" have obtained thousands of confidential documents from the city's red-light camera contractor during court proceedings. "The evidence is clear," says the congressman. "The concern for safety has given way to a concern for profit. It's all there in black and white." Here are the criteria used to determine where red-light cameras were to be placed in the city: 1. "High traffic volume." Heavy traffic ensures a steady stream of profits. 2. The document actually says cameras are to be used where the yellow signal time is "less than 4 seconds." Think about that. Is four seconds likely to be sufficient time for you to come to a complete stop without the risk of being rear-ended? And is that related to "safety"? One of the documents actually shows that at one intersection where yellow light time was increased from 3 to 4.7 seconds, there was a 90 percent decline in the violations reported. "The deck is stacked against the driving public," the congressman adds. San Diego officials recently suspended that city's red-light camera program after court action brought out the fact that camera sensors were being manipulated. Or, as Armey puts it, Orwell's cash machine is out of service in San Diego. If the cops are not on hand to issue the tickets, they have no way of determining whether the tickets were issued fairly or not. But the red-light camera is but one instance of machine-based privacy invasions of motorists. Here's another. Spying on Rental Cars Next time you rent a car, you may want to ask the rental agency folks if they plan on following your every move behind the wheel. C-Net.com has turned up a case that could determine whether you are entitled to privacy once you sign on the dotted line and then leave the rental agency's parking lot. A Connecticut man is suing the Acme Rent-a-Car after it used GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to track him and then fined him $450 for speeding three times. Most of us assumed handing out traffic tickets was the job of the police. When and where was a law passed entrusting that responsibility to private industry? Whether you know it or not, rental car companies have used the GPS devices since the mid-1990s, according to the C-Net report. And there's big money in this privacy-invading cottage industry. "Fleet management" companies such as AirQ and Fleetrack are selling newer tracking devices to help companies monitor their vehicles. The Connecticut case has pitted motorist James Turner against Acme Rent-a-Car and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Acme's attorney says this is not about penalizing customers, but about protecting its cars. "With this device, you can track within a city block anywhere in the world." The company itself, according to the story, promotes the GPS and AirQ ability to track a vehicle's location, when the car crosses into another country or state, and even disable the car by remote control. David Sobel, an attorney for the electronic Privacy Center here in Washington, says the challenge now is to nip this practice in the bud before it spreads. Acme plans to abide by the ruling of the state Department of Consumer Protection "If they say it's not fair, we'll give him his money back," says the company. The Privacy Center foundation worries that soon our cell phones will be tracking us. ======================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ======================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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