Poor, poor deluded sods. When Palin or Beck talk about freedom, they mean freedom for business and corporations to exploit at will, it does not mean freedom for you. When they talk about free speech, it means freedom for them to lie, cheat and blast their propaganda, it does not mean that you will be allowed to protest under their regime . When they talk about less taxes they mean less taxes for business and corporations, not less taxes for you. Somebody has to pay for their wars, and its not going to be Palin, Beck or their cronies.

And speaking of freedom for corporations…

Secret files on protesters given to desal consortium

Well, maybe it IS illegal for police to be corporate spies:

Overland backtracks in files row

PAUL AUSTIN
December 11, 2009

VICTORIA’S police chief has backed down on a commitment to reveal the list of projects where police have struck deals to pass on sensitive information about protesters.

Simon Overland confirmed yesterday that Victoria Police had struck deals with the managers of numerous projects, and said he was happy to release the full list because police always acted within the the state’s privacy laws and had nothing to hide.

But within hours of making the promise, his office issued a statement saying he could not make the list public after receiving ”subsequent legal advice relating to privacy issues and other sensitivities”.

The decision came as the Government called in the police files watchdog to investigate a security deal between police and the private consortium building Victoria’s $3.5 billion desalination plant.

The Age last Saturday revealed the Government had signed a deal under which police ”will release law enforcement data” to the consortium AquaSure to help it ”manage” protests and potential security threats. The memorandum says law enforcement data includes images, video recordings and ”data related to individuals”.

Mr Overland, Premier John Brumby and Police Minister Bob Cameron insist the deal does not breach Victoria’s privacy laws, but Mr Cameron has asked the Commissioner for Law Enforcement Data Security to examine the deal and advise on whether ”appropriate compliance, controls and arrangements have been put in place”.

The Age believes there are police memorandums covering the grand prix at Albert Park, the laying of the pipeline to bring water from northern Victoria to Melbourne, logging operations in forests in eastern Victoria and several other Government-backed projects.

Mr Overland told a media conference at noon yesterday that police had not and would not give ”private information” to AquaSure.

The Chief Commissioner said the memorandum made it clear that ”we can only provide information in accordance with the law and in accordance with privacy principles”.

Police had struck ”a whole range” of similar deals relating to other projects ”as a matter of course”.

”There is a list,” Mr Overland said. ”I’m happy to make that available to you.”

But in response to a request from The Age for the list, Mr Overland’s office said in a statement issued just before 2pm: ”Chief Commissioner Overland would have been happy to release the list as we have nothing to hide. However, he has received subsequent legal advice relating to privacy issues and other sensitivities within the document which mean that we will not be in a position to release it after all.”

A police spokeswoman said the Government had played no role in Mr Overland’s decision.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu called on the Government to release all the agreements.

”If there is no problem with these deals between Victoria Police and private companies, then release those deals,” Mr Baillieu said.

Police Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe and senior bureaucrats yesterday assured the police files watchdog, the Office of Police Integrity, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and Privacy Commissioner Helen Versey that no information had been given to AquaSure under the deal. All parties intended to ensure that any ”information sharing should be in accordance with privacy laws”.