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Letter from Edward Snowden

Dear Supporter of Digital Freedom,

Seven years ago I did something that would change my life and alter the world’s relationship to surveillance forever.

When journalists revealed the truth about state deception and illegal conduct against citizens, it was human rights and civil liberties groups like EFF — backed by people around the world just like you — that seized the opportunity to hold authority to account.

Surveillance quiets resistance and takes away our choices. It robs us of private space, eroding our dignity and the things that make us human.

When you’re secure from the spectre of judgement, you have room to think, to feel, and to make mistakes as your authentic self. That’s where you test your notions of what’s right. That’s when you question the things that are wrong.

By sounding the alarm and shining a light on mass surveillance, we force governments around the world to confront their wrongdoing.

Slowly, but surely, grassroots work is changing the future. Laws like the USA Freedom Act have just begun to rein in excesses of government surveillance. Network operators and engineers are triumphantly “encrypting all the things” to harden the Internet against spying. Policymakers began holding digital privacy up to the light of human rights law. And we’re all beginning to understand the power of our voices online.

This is how we can fix a broken system. But it only works with your help.

For 30 years, EFF members have joined forces to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people. It takes unique expertise in the courts, with policymakers, and on technology to fight digital authoritarianism, and thankfully EFF brings all of those skills to the fight. EFF relies on participation from you to keep pushing the digital rights movement forward .

Each of us plays a crucial role in advancing democracy for ourselves, our neighbors, and our children. I hope you’ll answer the call by joining EFF to build a better digital future together.

Sincerely,

Edward Snowden

EFF appreciates your support and respects your privacy.

815 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94109-7701
United States

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Another Letter from A.X. Perez

At least let the screen door close

I’ve noticed that the Washington Establishment has passed spending defense and covid aid bills (not worthy of capitalization in my humble opinion) loaded with pork and Christmas tree ornaments. You know, the kind of stuff that got people fed up with them and convinced the American people to vote for him in 2016.

They couldn’t even wait for him to get out the door before going back to business as usual. to paraphrase the Who, “Meet the new boss, Aw shit, it’s the old boss.”

A.X. Perez
[email protected]

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Another Letter from A.X. Perez

End of Year Thoughts

My biggest personal gripe about 2020 is the ammo shortage created by the other problems. I need at least 100 rounds of ammo a week to slowly improve my shooting skills to where they really should be, 200 would be better. Right now I'm lucky to find 50 rounds a month at prices I can afford.

I will gladly accept correction on the following comments. You should be able to hit center of mass with a double tap at 21 feet (range at which a man with a knife can overrun and kill an inexperienced shooter) and a failure to stop drill (2 to the chest, 1 to the head ) at between 9 and 15 feet. The reason is because if someone keeps coming at you after you hit him twice in the chest you want to stop him with a head shot before he gets closer than nine feet. The alternative is to keep blasting away until your attacker goes down. Either one will be used as evidence of evil intent, pick and practice for the one you expect to be able to better defend in court.

Which brings us back to the matter of practice. Blasting away, even using double taps, requires less practice than being able to put 2 in the chest then shift aim and put the third in the head. So do you shoot a lot in practice or pray you have enough ammo when you are firing in anger? Remember, for FTS drills it's shoot shoot, observe, then shoot again if attacker is still attacking, not shoot shoot shoot.

The bureaucratic mind continues to amaze. Item: the FDA was going to charge distilleries that switched to producing sanitizer a $14,000 fee for making the switch until the boss at HHS stopped them. Apparently the FDA was thinking like bureaucrats and their boss was applying reason and compassion. Consider it a delayed Christmas miracle. Item: at least one clinic accepted several thousand doses of Covid-19 virus on December 22nd, put it in proper shortage, then closed until January 4th. If enough clinics did this that would explain part of the delay in vaccinating people for Covid.

If Joe Biden gets sworn in as President, as he probably will, I intend to be part of the loyal opposition. That means I intend to speak out against policies he pushes that I find obnoxious and propose or promote alternative policies I opine are better for the nation. I have no delusions that I am some big shot, just another "'Murican'"exercising my rights of freedom of speech and press, just like the rest of those who contribute to TLE ( to include our British friends). I will not consider myself part of a resistance until Mr. Biden and his congressional cohorts act to harm my rights and the wellbeing of my nation. Again, nothing special, just another American being an American.

A.X. Perez
[email protected]

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