"I don't think the report is true, but these crises work for those who want to make fights between people." Kulam Dastagir, 28, a bird seller in Afghanistan
YouTube - Bye bye
Topic: Humor
2:34 am EDT, Mar 24, 2007
This is only 17 seconds long and you will be laughing by the end of it. THAT is efficient Internet entertainment!
Your Saturday Morning music video is a seriously strange internet alternate video courtesy of JWZ that is the change that Weezer wished to see in the world but was too lawyered to do so.
A tribute to "Tender Satisfaction" and "Joy Division Jazz".
My National Security Letter Gag Order - washingtonpost.com
Topic: Surveillance
12:39 pm EDT, Mar 23, 2007
It is the policy of The Washington Post not to publish anonymous pieces. In this case, an exception has been made because the author -- who would have preferred to be named -- is legally prohibited from disclosing his or her identity in connection with receipt of a national security letter. ---
Without the gag orders issued on recipients of the letters, it is doubtful that the FBI would have been able to abuse the NSL power the way that it did. Some recipients would have spoken out about perceived abuses, and the FBI's actions would have been subject to some degree of public scrutiny.
I found it particularly difficult to be silent about my concerns while Congress was debating the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2005 and early 2006. If I hadn't been under a gag order, I would have contacted members of Congress to discuss my experiences and to advocate changes in the law.
I recognize that there may sometimes be a need for secrecy in certain national security investigations. But I've now been under a broad gag order for three years, and other NSL recipients have been silenced for even longer. At some point -- a point we passed long ago -- the secrecy itself becomes a threat to our democracy. In the wake of the recent revelations, I believe more strongly than ever that the secrecy surrounding the government's use of the national security letters power is unwarranted and dangerous. I hope that Congress will at last recognize the same thing.
The Volokh Conspiracy - George Will on Rent-Seeking:
Topic: Politics and Law
10:58 am EDT, Mar 23, 2007
In New Mexico, anyone can work as an interior designer. But it is a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year in prison, to list yourself on the Internet or in the Yellow Pages as, or to otherwise call yourself, an "interior designer" without being certified as such. Those who favor this censoring of truthful commercial speech are a private group that controls, using an exam administered by a private national organization, access to that title.
Who benefits? Creating artificial scarcity of services raises the prices of those entitled to perform the services.
This discussion and the linked editorial should resonate with people who are concerned about HB 504.
MoveOn, Brave New Films Sue Viacom For Illegal Takedown of YouTube Video
On slashdot today there was speculation that Google might have bought YouTube specifically because they didn't want YouTube's lawyers fighting the epic copyright battle that has begun. I am amazed that Viacom let this go to court. They are clearly going to loose. Perhaps they wish to distract EFF and drain their resources while they focus on Google. Currently listening to: "Duel of the Fates" by John Williams
Angry lawyers scuffled with police as protests erupted across Pakistan Wednesday over the removal of nation's top judge, intensifying a crisis that threatens President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's grip on power.
Lawyers, in suits, in the street, with rocks, "scuffling" with police. Seriously. They should have had a section about that in the book of revelations. YouTube link.
finethen wrote: Will a funnier case ever go before the Supreme Court than Morse v. Frederick? If you don't know the story already, a witty (and apparently litigious) high school student unrolled a large banner stating, simply: "Bong Hits for Jesus" in front of his school.
,,,with a few words changed it could have been a political or religous expression.
Do those few words make a difference?
All in all, I think speech rights are fairly safe for now.
Why did they grant cert? The appeals court ruled for the student. Wouldn't freedom of speech be safter if they decided the circuit was so obviously corrent that it wasn't worth reviewing? Why did they decide to review it? Is the student really interested in money? How much was he awarded?
The audience members watching them play the same game: media-weary, hunkered down behind thick irony, flinging verbal jabs at the screen — until they see something that moves them. Then they’ll come out and feel. But at the first hint of politics, they’ll jump back behind their shield-wall, just like the Spartans when millions of Persian arrows blot out the sun, and wait until the noise stops.
Neal Stephenson offers an interesting review of 300. Anyone seen it?
