Free Republic

On a recent Thursday, a group of farmers from Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska hosted a remote agriculture happy hour. There were a few dozen attendees, and nearly everyone was wearing a cowboy hat. In total, they farm more than 30,000 acres of cropland, most of it planted in soy, corn, or cotton destined for the global commodity market. The happy hour started with presentations about integrating livestock into cropping systems, but then things took a surprising turn: farmers began to discuss how they are feeding their families and communities. “Normally, between me and the consumer there is a gigantic divide...

U.S. Expands Data Gleaning in Terror Hunt Friday May 28, 2004 2:46 AM By ADAM ASHTON Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Government agencies are using or planning nearly 200 computer projects that identify terrorists, analyze scientific information and detect fraud, a congressional survey said. Most of the programs, 122 out of 199, can access private documents such as student loan applications, bank account numbers and credit card information, said the report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. More than 50 of these projects relied on private databases for information while 77 collected data from other...