Cops Need My SSN Why?
June 26, 2006 | Leave a Comment
I was recently awoken in the middle of the night to a huge crash. A drunken guy had driven full speed into a group of trees across the street from my house. I was the first on the scene, the first to interact with the driver. When it came time for me to give a report to the police, there was a short form for me to fill out.
On the form was a field for SSN. I opted to leave this blank. When I gave the completed for the the officer, he gave me trouble about omitting the SSN. I offered to provide my drivers license number, but refused to give my SSN.
When he pressured me further, I told him he had no legal right to require my SSN in this situation. He pleaded further getting increasingly annoyed with me. Luckily I was within my house, within my rights and confident with both. He eventually left, I maintained the security of this piece of information.
How many others would have? How often do these gestapo techniques work on the uninformed public? I fear they get most SSNs, store them insecurely, and never think much about it.
We need more education in the general public about privacy and identity theft. If Bush can use fear tactics to steal our personal freedoms and privacy, can’t we fear the public into standing up and protecting these things?
Tags: accident, cop, cops, identity, identity management, police, ssn
Truck Explodes on Highway in Utah
August 12, 2005 | 2 Comments
All over the news out here in Utah is this truck that overturned on Highway 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon. Apparently the truck was carrying 35,500 pounds of explosives called cast boosters that are used in mine exploration. The driver was going too fast, he lost control and the truck tipped over and skidded across the highway. The driver managed to get out of his truck, but by this time a crowd had started to form. He told them all to get back and managed to get most people away from the truck when it finally detonated.
The truck left a 30 foot deep and 70 foot wide hole in the highway. The truck flew 100 feet up the rock cliff andremains slid back down. Sharpnel was thrown up into the surrounding forest starting fires. The force of the blast was so intense it blew the windows out of cars in the area. Amazingly there were no deaths and injuries were limited to only ten or so. All the was left of the truck was the engine block and a mangled axl.
I wish they hadn’t closed the road, I wanted to drive up and see the destruction.
Other News about it:
Dallas News: Explosives-laden truck rolls, explodes in Utah
deseretnews.com: Blast closes canyon
Denver Post: Utah highway “gone” after explosion
Salt Lake Tribune: A canyone inferno
Tags: accident, explosion, explosives, highway, truck explodes, Utah