Americans Must Have Criminal Checks Before Contacting Foreigners on Internet
April 5th, 2007(Several thousand people have read this and Reddit is only showing 2 up votes? Do you guys not use Reddit?)
HAHA! “They” may hate us for our freedom, but if you’re an American, don’t try chatting up any foreigners online without the seal of approval from Cheney’s Magic 8-Ball.
Do you notice what’s happening here?
As Americans go to interact with the outside world, what they’re finding more and more of is red tape.
Try getting a FOREX account that allows you to send your money out of the United States at will.
If you don’t have a U.S. passport already, try to get one, just don’t hold your breath.
Will you be allowed to board your flight out of the U.S.?
Have you paid your exit tax?
Want to renounce your U.S. citizenship? Again, don’t hold your breath.
Want to correspond with a foreign person, and possibly start a relationship with that person? Well, now that’s a matter for the Department of Justice.
How long will it take for the government ink pisser to approve your plans to correspond with someone over email?
Via: prweb:
On March 26, 2007, a new federal law restricting Americans from contacting foreigners through internet dating sites was upheld by a federal court after a Constitutional challenge by an internet dating company. In European Connections v. Alberto Gonzales, 1:06-CV-0426-CC, Judge Clarence Cooper of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia dismissed a lawsuit by European Connections which claimed that the law violated the right to freedom of speech contained in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The plaintiff had failed to challenge the law based on the First Amendment right to assemble.
According to Tristan Laurent, President of the advocacy group Online Dating Rights, “We will now have to take legal action from the point of view of the users of online dating sites. The whole idea that it is now a crime for American men to send emails to women in other countries is so preposterous it is beyond belief. The judge’s ruling that there is no Constitutional violation in forcing Americans to divulge all sorts of highly personal information to a complete stranger or scammer abroad before the American can even say hello or know to whom he is writing is only exceeded in foolishness by Congress in making the law.”
The law was originally called the International Matchmaker Regulation Act, but it did not pass Congress in previous years by that name and it was later named the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) before it passed on December 17th, 2005. The law, which was attached to the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was apparently not debated in public and Mr. Laurent says that no dating company or dating site user was invited to a closed-door Senate hearing in July 2004.
IMBRA makes it a felony for an internet dating company, that primarily focuses on introducing Americans to foreigners, to allow any American to communicate with any person of foreign nationality without first subjecting that American to a criminal background check, a sex offender check and without first having the American certify any previous convictions or arrests, any previous marriages or divorces any children and all states of residence since 18. Match.com is excluded from the law, and the judge found that this exception posed no challenge to the Fifth Amendment equal protection clause because American women are supposedly not abused by American men that they meet on the internet, and thus are not in need of protection.
puaahhahaha if this one wasn’t linked from you Kev, I would’ve taken it as a late April Fool’s Joke!
What a crock, as if they are really going to be able to enforce this nonsense!
Did I just hear someone in the back say “American Insularism”? 🙂
This article reminds me of something. I used to have my own wood floor refinishing business. A customer called me for an estimate, so I went over and did it for him. The guy was this geeky George Costanza looking dude. While doing the measurements I noticed a woman there, she was 30ish maybe and quite attactive. After completing the estimate I left him my card and told him to call if he wanted the work done. A few days later he called back and we scheduled the work for a couple weeks out. So the time comes to do the job and while I’m doing it I get to talking with him and he tells me that his girlfriend called the cops, moved out and got a restraining order against him. This was the woman that was there when I did the initial estimate. She was from St.Petersburg, Russia. He had gone over there and pretty much lured her over her with the promise of a green card in exchange for being his lover. He was an IDIOT! I won’t go into the details of the things he said but it was hard for me not to kick his fucking ass right there (guess I wanted to get paid for the work). So my point is, I think this law is well intentioned, but like most laws they often have some other unintended consequences. Does that make sense to you? I mean, this guy was a straight up loser, he treated this woman (who he said was a MD in Russia but couldn’t practice here) like dirt. Isn’t the purpose of the law to protect women from being mistreated by predators? I mean, if somebody is organizing these meetings for a fee, shouldn’t it be regulated? What do you think?
@SB
>>>Isn’t the purpose of the law to protect women from being mistreated by predators? I mean, if somebody is organizing these meetings for a fee, shouldn’t it be regulated? What do you think?
What about the millions of potential American women victims who use online dating services? Shouldn’t all of their contacts be screened by the Homeland’s Magic 8 Ball? That would be a “well intentioned” law, wouldn’t it?
HA
Thanks, I needed a good laugh.
Kevin
a couple questions:
first, do you believe that there is a problem right now with east European women being exploited by ruthless criminals?
Second: If it turned out that women from eastern Europe who met American men online in the hope of somehow getting out of a desperate situation end up more often than not being exploited, what would your solution be?
Wasn’t there some tidbit floating around the web about some corporate death machine called Dyncorp that was implicated in white slavery in eastern Europe? Does anyone know anything about that? What’s your angle on that?
Check this out:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11117
I’m noticing similar incremental changes within the government itself, as well. It’s becoming more and more difficult to obtain the clearance required for our (non-sensitive) positions at NASA, there are increased regulations on how we’re allowed to communicate with the public, and increased surveillance of our computer activity. I don’t dare risk checking sites like Cryptogon at work, and I’m growing a little concerned about even checking sites that have any reference to Peak Oil.
As further evidence of the erosion of our rights as employees, our inspector general, who is supposed to be an advocate for whistleblowers, is currently under investigation for (among other things) retaliating against whistleblowers. It’s becoming pretty clear that all scientific (i.e. free thinking) organizations within the government (e.g. NASA, EPA, NOAA, etc.) our under slow attack…
fuck!!! fuck!!! fuck!!!
How am I going to get me a hot kiwi woman like Kev got himself?
THIS SUCKS!!!
you’re on the right track sb. i think everyone should have criminal background checks done before emailing anyone. these days, anyone can be victimized so easily.
in fact, i believe homeland security should vet anyone i come into contact with before and/or after, and they should do an analysis of every single decision i make on a daily basis to determine the risk factors.
i hear you brother sb. in this wacky terrostruck world, we innocent citizens need all the government help we can get.
keep up the good fight!
s
Scottc
reread my posts. I don’t advocate those things.
But since you’re so smart, why don’t you answer the questions I asked?
And for the record, I hate, loathe, fear, etc,ect,etc the gov’t just as much as everyone else who reads this site.
Hmmm….and the Republicans wonder why they got their butt kicked out of Congress last time!!! Stupid legislation like this might be one reason!! But don’t hold your breath…I doubt the democrats will be much better.
Big brother….1984
Also, isn’t it ironic that OUR GOVERNMENT is protecting foreigners from it’s OWN CITIZENS??? This is highly disturbing in the least. I know 3 men that married filipino women, and have been married for quite awhile…have great marriages.
As an american man, I am offended…and mad.
I get it – it’s a conspiracy to keep American guys sticking with the American female counterparts, not allowing them to taste the ‘sweeter’ fruits of other lands…
Matt, hon. Immigrate to NZ, stay with fellow Cryptogoners, and start dating Kiwi farm girls. Simple as that. I don’t know your age, but women considerably outnumber men in the 30 to 50 age bracket in Godzone.
Need any more? There’s plenty more where these came from.
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=303148&area=/insight/insight__international/
http://www.liberty.edu/academics/communications/champion/index.cfm?PID=10609&CAID=212
http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2007/03/29/texas_news/state11.txt
This article neatly describes why the government is going to lock-down mode on the internet.
Kevin, when does Cryptogon go IPO so we can buy shares in E-Gold?!
http://www.sovereignlife.com/files/freedomtool.pdf
Pookie,
Thanks for the tip! Unfortunately, I’m 28 chronologically, 23 physically, and 19 in terms of emotional maturity. Not sure if I could handle a woman in that age bracket.
Matt, my luv. You’re still in luck, as the 2006 Census shows that in the 25 to 29 age group, there are 9% more women.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10429484