Reposte
Chris,
I think the real issue is the hacking, not the governor's use of personal e-mail to conduct any state business. Subverting SOX (wife's an auditor, I'll quiz her about this in the morning to get more info) isn't going to get much traction regardless if it was found legally or not. Your analogy is sort of backwards because it would be more accurate to say that during the robbery the robber discovered that the home owner was stealing cable. Of course, if during the hacking it was discovered that Palin were engaged in a child pornography ring...that would probably lead to an end to her public service, but I would hesitate to say she would get prosecuted.
AC (green icon),
See above. Conducting state business on a private/personal e-mail account is a minor issue. Certainly there are government officials with greater skeletons in the closet than this (see any number of examples from both major parties). The point is that the hacker did something illegal, and anything that they discovered is so under the radar that no one will even care. I'm involved with network security, so I know that e-mail and password "rules" aren't followed even by the smartest people I know. Most people are too busy to be bothered by using strict security guidelines. So, I don't think its indicative of her intelligence or lack thereof.
Throatwobbler,
My comments about the Constitution were in response to those that were flinging it around without knowledge. And, contrary to your statement, the Constitution does apply. The Constitution not only states the rights of the citizens and limits the government, but it also prevents the government from enacting/enforcing laws that infringe upon those rights. Thus, my rights are protected against all infringement, not just the infringement of the government.
"...No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..."
As an example, recently, the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms was challenged in the state I live in. The case involved whether an employer could prevent its employees from having licensed weapons/guns in their vehicles because it was on the employer's property. And, to enforce that rule, the employer would be able to search any vehicle on its property to insure the rule was followed. The rule was struck down as unconstitutional. Therefore, my rights were protected from infringement from entities outside of the government. An employer could be an individual or a huge corporation, it matters not.
Both the 9th and the 14th apply in this case, which is why I was bringing them up. The 9th secures her privacy, while the 14th secures due process. I was thinking about due process in response to the whole "can't use evidence in the commission of a crime" line of thought. To obtain Palin's e-mail, a court order would have to be issued to an authorized agent of the government. I miswrote that the 14th secured her privacy, and corrected myself in a subsequent post (because I can't edit my previous post). Perhaps you don't make errors of this nature so you can't relate?
Again, circumventing SOX compliance is a minor matter. If you want to argue "right and wrong", that is different, but in reality, invading her privacy and breaking "Electronic" laws supercedes anything Palin did wrong.
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As much as people want to string up Palin because she's a; conservative, NRA member, Christian, whatever, taking her to task for this is as idiotic as the whole tanning bed issue. Ding her on her political ideology or something. So far, the dirt diggers that flew up to Alaska haven't found much, so its looking pretty pathetic to Americans that see the efforts that have been made since the day of her selection to besmirch her and her family. Americans have a tendency to circle the wagons around someone that is being hounded like this, so the smears will lead to more votes for McCain/Palin, not less. If you want to have an effect, counter her positions with *your* solutions and explain why McCain/Palin are wrong. Most of the posts I read here sound like a bunch of children calling each other names in the schoolyard and saying my dad can beat up your dad. No one will pay any attention to this crap if you don't elevate it to an adult level of discussion.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
