A Few Headlines:

"Whistle-Blower: Feds Have a High-Speed Backdoor Into Wireless Carrier. A U.S. government office in Quantico, Virginia, has direct, high-speed access to a major wireless carrier's systems, exposing customers' voice calls, data packets and physical movements to uncontrolled surveillance, according to [Babak Pasdar,] a computer security consultant who says he worked for the carrier in late 2003. . . . [Pasdar's] claims are nearly identical to unsourced allegations made in a federal lawsuit filed in 2006 against four phone companies and the U.S. government for alleged privacy violations." More here. Oddly, the article fails to also note former AT&T technician Mark Klein's allegations, even though he testified before Congress and won an award for it -- see here and here.

"This Thursday, the House of Representatives is expected to hand phone companies a get-out-of-jail-free card for illegally turning over your private phone records to the government. . . . Tell your U.S. representative [NOW] that you oppose any effort to cover-up illegal spying on Americans." You can take action here, or find your rep's contact info here. More on the story here and in my previous posts; and don't miss this (AT&T could already owe each of YOU $146,000 -- that's how seriously a previous Congress took this kind of violation).

"Many [Diebold voting machines] are 'black box' electronic machines that do not produce paper records, so voters have to accept the results they report on faith. . . . Now, there’s a new reason to worry that Diebold plays such a large role in presidential elections. United Technologies has made an unsolicited $3 billion bid to take over Diebold. . . . United Technologies is one of the nation’s leading defense contractors, which means it has an enormous corporate interest in who gets elected President." More here.

"[T]he International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East." Others are encouraged to join in the strike. More here.

UPDATE: Per the Seattle Times, in a signing statement re- postal regulation legislation, Bush has now claimed the power to open your mail without a warrant. “'The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming,' said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington. . . . 'You have to be concerned,” a senior U.S. official agreed. “It takes executive-branch authority beyond anything we’ve ever known.'” Via cryptogon.com.