Oh. For a second I thought maybe we tried something clever or that maybe we were helping cover AQ web-hosting fees by mirroring some of their publications. I saw this mentioned on CNN but they didn't have anywhere near the detail your linked report has. Sad really, a co-worker rats out the foreign staffer because of a file on their computer... and everybody freaks out like terrified children. I hope killing more foreigners will help end this crippling fear we all have.

BTW I am SOOOO not clicking on that link!

I'm not sure what's worse: that I've heard people express that very view or that, in this political climate, I'm not at all surprised to hear it... Thanks Lobster, now you've got me depressed.

Its a little more worrisome when the people "researching" have ties to Algiers.
Britain has a totally different set of rules regarding terrorism, they have a much better trust of their government and allow a lot more clandestine stuff, and in turn, their government doesn't get caught doing stupid stuff, Guantamo Bay torture, Abu Gahrib

Be nice to the coffee grinder. *peers at Maverick's avatar* ...Just to be safe.

I do agree that it's a bit of a stretch to say that Middle Eastern-looking people have less of a right to research some things than whites.

Hmm. Point taken, Maverick. I guess even an America-hating liberal like me can occasionally be overly America-centric.

That's what I keep telling myself whenever a new freedom gets taken away. I can type just about anything I want on this board and I know people won't show up to haul me off to prison.

Why do you live with it? The UK citizens gave them that power, and this is what they do with it. I'd think it was about time to reconsider that grant.

Thats not really for US cits to chime in on. The UK has a much better track record of taking action thats necessary, and frankly, their more tired of attacks over there then we are. Were pretty complacent in the US, we've have one major attack. They've been dealing with terrorism and terror attacks for over 30 years now, and the people recognize steps need to be taken to deal with it.

You guys are having this horrifically tough time realizing the US is NOT the UK. US freedoms are NOT UK freedoms, their is no bill of rights there. Its both culturally and legally very different.

I forgot it was our place to install governments we find acceptable in other sovereign nations..

I was referring to our actual Bill of Rights, the UK's doesn't apply in this situation. Their freedom of speech is a whole different beast then in the US.

Our freedom of speech has been applied to academic pursuits and the ability to read/research anything without fear of repercussion. You can look up how to make a nuclear bomb in this country. In the UK, what they consider freedom of speech doesn't encompass the same stuff. They can get in trouble for looking up the wrong stuff.

Article Ten of the Human Rights Act says:

As far as I can tell, they were not arrested for doing any of this. They were arrested because there was a worry that they were attempting to violate national security. When that was found not to be true, no charges were placed. Note what the link above states:

This is a document that the UK security forces already view with suspicion, but they have not arrested everyone who has viewed it (obviously) nor have they outlawed it. The obvious conclusion is that they *thought* there were other circumstances that might indicate something was being planned, and when it became obvious that was not the case, the men were released.

Mistakes are ugly, but they don't indicate that basic rights are non-existant. If that were so, they'd still be locked up - or worse yet, charged secretly and held secretly, as we do in the US on these occasions.

Good. And so the system works.