tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1789413160935874740..comments2024-03-28T12:35:50.788-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: A Crisis in Transparency... and the finale on "Trends in Violence"David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45215759158364941372007-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:002007-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00This happened to me a year ago in Harrisburg. I wa...This happened to me a year ago in Harrisburg. I was slandered in the news due to false information provided by the police. I'm still barely holding up, I had to plea-bargain since I couldn't afford lawyer fees and the ACLU refused to get involved. I filed complaints regarding official misconduct to the mayor, governor, attorney general, Justice Department, etc., but all said it was out of their control.<BR/><BR/>http://coolgamerslair.blogspot.com/2006/06/living-in-police-state.html<BR/><BR/>There's my story. Please, don't let them continue to get away with this.Joseph G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15250612831515656012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14433271128484121442007-06-29T12:24:00.000-07:002007-06-29T12:24:00.000-07:00On transparency, for all those who think that poli...On transparency, for all those who think that politics can't trump tech:<BR/><BR/><I>Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.<BR/><BR/>New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.<BR/><BR/>The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.</I><BR/><BR/>(More from the <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/nyregion/29camera.html?ex=1340769600&en=71135caff6fefe6a&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss" REL="nofollow">NY Times</A>)Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82349879112569054502007-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:002007-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00"All forms of bullying, including by elites, shoul..."All forms of bullying, including by elites, should wither if light falls on the meanminded and the cruel."<BR/><BR/>A nice image, but it tastes a little like Socrates' argument that people only do evil because they don't know it's evil.<BR/><BR/>Many of the meanminded and cruel actively revel in what they do, and have (flawed, but passionate) ethical arguments to back themselves up.<BR/><BR/>Many of the extremist conservatives seem meanminded and cruel, especially when they espouse "survival of the fittest" in Economic or Societal issues. This neo-Nietzschean approach to social ills is widespread in America. It is very popular in Texas--we have almost no social programs worth mentioning, and even mentioning that fact will get you labeled as a "crazy liberal communist leftwinger". <BR/><BR/>Conservatism has become more of a religion than a political party here. If Jesus said something that contradicts the Conservative values, preachers and politicians both will conveniently ignore that part of the bible. <BR/><BR/>What I'm saying is that meanminded and cruel people are still everywhere, and still bullying -- and by strategic use of religion and politics, they mesmerize the masses into believing things that should be obviously wrong.<BR/><BR/>So I don't agree that merely "exposing" bullying will get rid of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-50457010960269412912007-06-24T17:53:00.000-07:002007-06-24T17:53:00.000-07:00Dr Brin, food for thought:http://www.armedforcesjo...Dr Brin, food for thought:<BR/>http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2007/05/2752865<BR/><BR/>It would be interesting to know whether the historical changes in rates of violance correlate societally, religiously, regionally, etc.<BR/><BR/>rwcrwchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02197021303656418287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23981262861266625212007-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:002007-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00>>All forms of bullying, including by elites, shou...>>All forms of bullying, including by elites, should wither if light falls on the meanminded and the cruel.<BR/><BR/>That presumes that a majority shares your (and my) ethical value that bullying should be condemned and actively discouraged. If we are hardwired to elevate and acquiesce to the strongest, meanest or loudest (so-called "alpha males"), then things may not be as simple as that. There are reasons that bullies have always existed and that they are as successful as they are, despite the triviality of quashing them when people act in concert against them.<BR/><BR/>I certainly agree that we should shine light on bullies (and authoritarians of all flavors)--but what do you do when light doesn't trigger a response? There are none so blind as they who will not see, and so on... When Bush/Cheney's breathtaking and blatant efforts to dismantle the ENTIRE COUNTRY and the very principles upon which it was founded fail to provoke a plurality of rational and ethical protest, what can we expect in response to lesser pricks?Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-11518649414682253672007-06-23T20:22:00.000-07:002007-06-23T20:22:00.000-07:00Without a doubt, the key tool of the enlightenment...Without a doubt, the key tool of the enlightenment has been accountability. <BR/><BR/> The LACK of it, in the online world, has to a certain extent been liberating, and I am glad the net had its wild west frontier era. Nor am I eager to have blugeon-thumbed law enforcement stomping around enforcing blunt and archaic laws regulating personal behavior.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, those who scream tyranny when others simply learn how to reciprocally hold them accountable miss the point.<BR/><BR/>All forms of bullying, including by elites, should wither if light falls on the meanminded and the cruel.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-73806307845951766032007-06-23T15:21:00.000-07:002007-06-23T15:21:00.000-07:00Dr. Brin,Maybe physical bullying is on the decline...Dr. Brin,<BR/><BR/>Maybe physical bullying is on the decline but a new more insidious type of bullying has e-merged. The anonymity of the electronic age has given rise to e-bullying.<BR/><BR/>http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/NEWS/705060346/0/ENTERTAIN12<BR/><BR/>The physical disconnect from fellow humans that the Internet provides has allowed a rise in anti-social behaviors to develop in children.<BR/><BR/>Imagine if we "evolve" to a virtual civilization....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63181363106862278382007-06-23T12:04:00.000-07:002007-06-23T12:04:00.000-07:00Regarding groups that empower people by giving the...Regarding groups that empower people by giving them a video camera:<BR/><BR/>Check out Peter Gabriel on Tedtalks: Video Power.<BR/><BR/>http://test.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=p_gabrielAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84941048318004473082007-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:002007-06-23T11:40:00.000-07:00reason said:"Why exactly would policemen aresting ...reason said:<BR/><BR/>"Why exactly would policemen aresting someone in public have 'a reasonable expectation of privacy'? It seems a pretty good provision to me."<BR/><BR/>Reason, I used a loaded string of words. In the Colorado statute, the reasonable expectation of privacy is not construed in the Fourth Amendment jurisprudence sense, but in a "if I can't see anybody I may assume no-one's listening" sense. <BR/><BR/>So, a hidden person using some kind of surveillance equipment from hiding to record two other people's conversation, civilian or police, has violated the Colorado eavesdropping law unless one of the conversationalists has previously consented. If that person is just standing on the street in plain view listening in, he's rude, but not committing a crime.<BR/><BR/>As to what cops can expect as reasonable, I dunno. It seems to me that two cops in a patrol car might talk about personal matters, and they'd have the same sense of privacy as any two co-workers in an office somewhere – which is usually less than they assume!CJ-in-Weldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15265850101631606783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-32198382902644337292007-06-23T09:33:00.000-07:002007-06-23T09:33:00.000-07:00Around 2000, a friend of mine who was the editor a...Around 2000, a friend of mine who was the editor and publisher of a San Diego homeless advocacy Newspaper titled "The Streetlight" was taking pictures of the line in front of the St. Vincent De Paul mens shelter during a major downpour. He was standing across the street, on a public sidewalk.<BR/><BR/>Five security guards employed by the shelter crossed the street, assualted him, tore his rotator cuff twisting his arm behind his back, broke his camera, and took the film.<BR/><BR/>The man they assualted was a sixty year old Quaker, and not someone any reasonable person would consider a threat.<BR/><BR/>SDPD refused to even take a written report, claiming that he had violated the rights of the men in line by photographing them, and saying that they couldn't interfere with the Security Guards because they were responsible for "securing the immediate area" according to St. Vincent De Pauls opperating permit.<BR/><BR/>Many of the men in that line sold The Streetlight as a means of making an honest buck (this was part of the concept behind the paper) and protested that they didn't mind the pictures. The guards brought out a person from inside the shelter, and he said that he had complained.<BR/><BR/>Well, when they don't file charges against the person doing the watching, and no one gets killed, it doesn't make news, but it still acts to quash accountability. Regardless of court orders or policies, this sort of violence and indtimidation is a massive threat to reciprocal accountability, and it is not rare.<BR/><BR/>The Supreme Court ruled in the early fifties that no child could be forced to recite the pledge of allegiance, but I was repeatedly sent to detention and even suspended for not saying it in the eighties.<BR/><BR/>What good are the courts, or statements of rights, when the punishment for violating them is just the loss of taxpayers money?<BR/><BR/>The officers who arrested this man need to be doing time for violating his civil rights.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52481127291521584042007-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:002007-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00Of course, the ACLU agrees that citizens using cam...Of course, the ACLU agrees that citizens using cameras to monitor police activity is a great idea. In fact, in St. Louis they're giving residents cameras and teaching them how to use them for exactly that purpose:<BR/><BR/>http://www.therolladailynews.com/articles/2007/06/21/state_news/state01.txt<BR/><BR/>Found via Slashdot.<BR/><BR/>rushmc-<BR/><BR/>I always copy everything I post to the clipboard before I click submit. Especially if it's <I>long</I>. I've seen thousand-word posts vanish into the nether-net and its' an agony that deserves a name all its' own.Proghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06143297817462764901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44907053971729620512007-06-22T23:56:00.000-07:002007-06-22T23:56:00.000-07:00Everyone here has probably already seen this one, ...Everyone here has probably already seen this one, but here's a link to Charles Stross' article about the probable future of surveillance technology:<BR/>http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/05/shaping_the_future.html<BR/><BR/>He's likely correct about how soon we're going to get universal recording of pretty much everything, pretty much all the time. So despite the best efforts of overzealous cops and fanatical vice presidents, universal transparency is inevitable. In fact, it won't be that many years down the road when, during a route traffic stop, a citizen is arrested for <I><B>turning off</I></B> his life recorder. <I>"Do you have something to hide, sir? Why is your life recorder turned off? Please step out of the car, sir, and place your hands behind your head..."</I>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994509912655287453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28193695018456352642007-06-22T23:50:00.000-07:002007-06-22T23:50:00.000-07:00Nicholas, my wife hits me with the same question! ...Nicholas, my wife hits me with the same question! Only now it’s “Whay can’t YOU be Greg Bear????” <BR/><BR/>Alas, you need to have a book to get on his show. Argh.<BR/><BR/>But at least Greg is my Bro. And a wise guy!David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36132675942185693462007-06-22T21:23:00.000-07:002007-06-22T21:23:00.000-07:00Another serious aspect to these attacks on one's a...Another serious aspect to these attacks on one's ability to take pics in public is the increasing number of commercial entities which are claiming the right to deny photography on municipal property. <A HREF="http://www.nowpublic.com/photography_banned_downtown_silver_spring_maryland" REL="nofollow">This</A> is a disturbing account, and only one of many I've seen reported over the past few months. And there was another report of Scientologists stopping a guy from taking photos on a public street during one of their public events there, and the cops backing them up. Disturbing, to say the least.Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65499440907564529002007-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:002007-06-22T16:53:00.000-07:00Oh, and I wanted to refer some eyes to The Dark Si...Oh, and I wanted to refer some eyes to The Dark Side of the Transparent Society.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://ballyblog.wordpress.com/2007/05/04/warning-uncensored-video-iraqis-stone-girl-to-death-over-loving-wrong-boy/" REL="nofollow">http://ballyblog.wordpress.com/2007/05/04/warning-uncensored-video-iraqis-stone-girl-to-death-over-loving-wrong-boy/</A><BR/><BR/>A girl in Iraq was stoned in an "honor killing". onlookers took video with their camera phones, not because they wanted to bring the attackers up on charges, but because "hey, action! cool, I'll record that"<BR/><BR/>As <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese" REL="nofollow">Kitty Genovese</A> showed us all, being visible and accountable only matters if people care. Otherwise it just makes things even more sick.<BR/><BR/>The video is viewable on the website I linked to. I couldn't watch the whole thing.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24816252925258671042007-06-22T16:37:00.000-07:002007-06-22T16:37:00.000-07:00I hope one of you will investigate whether the vic...<I>I hope one of you will investigate whether the victim has a legal defense fund or attorneys who would like to have perhaps an amicus brief from the likes of me.</I><BR/><BR/>I looked it up, but now it appears there is no need. <A HREF="http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnews/2007/06/197281-wiretap_charge_dropped_in_poli.html" REL="nofollow">All charges dropped.</A><BR/><I>"When police are audio- and video-recording traffic stops with notice to the subjects, similar actions by citizens, even if done in secret, will not result in criminal charges," Freed said yesterday. "I intend to communicate this decision to all police agencies within the county so that officers on the street are better-prepared to handle a similar situation should it arise again." </I><BR/>I might point out that this application of wiretapping law has been used for good in the past. I recall one story (might have been reported here) where a man was caught videotaping people in the mens locker room of a gym. The only law they could see to charge him with having broken was this one.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89935321783157757152007-06-22T13:58:00.000-07:002007-06-22T13:58:00.000-07:00**digressing from topic at hand**I watched Greg Be...**digressing from topic at hand**<BR/><BR/>I watched Greg Bear last night, and I half expected him to mention The Transparent Society toward the end of the interview when he mentioned everyone having cameras, etc. <BR/><BR/>When, David, will YOU be on Jon Stewart? ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4331009002559123502007-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:002007-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00You need to sit through an advert, but here is a l...You need to sit through an advert, but here is a link to <A HREF="http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=88999&ml_collection=&ml_gateway=&ml_gateway_id=&ml_comedian=&ml_runtime=&ml_context=show&ml_origin_url=%2Fshows%2Fthe_daily_show%2Fvideos%2Fmost_recent%2Findex.jhtml&ml_playlist=&lnk=&is_large=true" REL="nofollow">Greg Bear's Daily Show Appearance</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60330947811657495702007-06-22T12:38:00.000-07:002007-06-22T12:38:00.000-07:00I have noticed several things.1- Though two of my ...I have noticed several things.<BR/><BR/>1- Though two of my kids have black belts, they have never, ever been in fights. None of my boys have experienced or even seen what you and I would have called bullying, back when violence was something that just happened, at least once every few months, when I was a kid.<BR/><BR/>Oh, there's snarling and mean, degrading remarks. They don't like it when I sympathize, but cannot take it super-seriously.<BR/><BR/>2- I am glad of this for an added reason. Today, when violence DOES flare, it has a steeper potential escalation curve, including the possibility of guns getting involved. some of the fight-back tricks I used, as a kid, might be unwise, today.<BR/><BR/>3- My own sense of outrage at bullying is undiminished, even long after I learned to shrug or drive them offDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53879978419540159092007-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:002007-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:00The police/videocamera thing is very upsetting.---...The police/videocamera thing is very upsetting.<BR/>---<BR/><BR/>I'm afraid I can't be an effective Devil's Advocate here. I agree with most of what you say, and I can't think of a logical way to assail it.<BR/><BR/>All I have to offer is a vague anecdote, in regards to being bullied and teaching your children to protect themselves.<BR/><BR/>I was bullied as a child. You were as well. I don't know if I would have the same person if I hadn't had to learn how to fight or protect myself. If I hadn't learned, also, that there are people that bully just because they can.<BR/><BR/>I would protect my kids from it as well, as you have. In fact, I taught one of my friend's children to fight. He never really got bullied bullied after that.<BR/><BR/>But I also noticed that his ability to empathize with people-in-trouble (such as others being bullied) progressively faded as he got older. Eventually, he came to see anyone that couldn't help themselves as weak. He didn't victimize the helpless, but he did avoid them. And sneer at them.<BR/><BR/>This troubles me. I know this wasn't a failure on my part, but he started as a nice kid that cared about others. Somewhere along the way that caring went away, and I think he lost something very valuable. I believe, very strongly, that he mad a concious decision to stop caring.<BR/><BR/>So I wonder, sometimes, in our quest to protect our children--are we doing them more harm than good?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71205653168862681532007-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:002007-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:00The ACLU is giving the public video cameras to mon...<A HREF="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/FE4B878C3661CEC6862572FA0008E0A8?OpenDocument" REL="nofollow">The ACLU is giving the public video cameras to monitor police.</A>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15030764857062052822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-64769306586066606092007-06-22T10:35:00.000-07:002007-06-22T10:35:00.000-07:00For a guy who's promoting the most garish paranoia...For a guy who's promoting the most garish paranoia theory of them all, I tend to be skeptical of theories that are overly ornate. <BR/><BR/>Especially things like an internal-US plot to stage the 9/11 attacks. Those theories assume that hundreds of US officers and professionals would act like drone-henchmen in cheap movies.<BR/><BR/>Yes, yes, the purchase of Dresser and the transfer of asbestos liabilities -- those are typical kleptocrat actions. The next level though...<BR/><BR/>we need nuance as we analyze the monsters.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-55797236282097976152007-06-22T08:28:00.000-07:002007-06-22T08:28:00.000-07:00OFF TOPICHow bad are Chaney and Bush? I saw this p...OFF TOPIC<BR/>How bad are Chaney and Bush? <BR/><BR/>I saw this posted on muckraker comment site<BR/><BR/>"No matter how you cut it, they've been stealing taxpayer money for years. I don't care if they're cooking their books to boost their stock price, their entire business is fraudulent anyway.<BR/><BR/>Dick Cheney's crowning achievement as CEO of Halliburton was engineering the acquisition of Dresser Industries. Dresser Industries happened to be the defense contractor George H.W. Bush worked for after Harvard Business School. It was also the repository of a significant portion of the Bush crime family's wealth.<BR/><BR/>At the time Dick Cheney orchastrated its' purchase, Dresser was saddled with 200,000 outstanding asbestos lawsuits which, had they come to fruition, would have effectively bankrupt the company, thus eradicating a substantial portion of the Bush family's wealth.<BR/><BR/>Cheney et al knew full well what they were doing when they made this purchase, and it goes a long way towards explaining the myriad no-bid contracts, the overbilling, and the downright fraud. It also helps to explain why the GOP was so adamant to pass legislation to transfer the risks associated with asbestos liability away from corporations and onto the government.<BR/><BR/>The World Trade Center was also a huge asbestos liability and realistically held very little value due to the overwhelming costs associated with the removal of said asbestos. It's funny how it all ties together, isn't it?<BR/><BR/>9/11 allowed the Bush junta to start its illegal war that in turn guarantees Halliburton the cash it needs to cover its portion of the liabilities. It also quickly solves the problem of cleaning up the asbestos in the WTC. It also enables the GOP to push through legislation effectively protecting Halliburton. Conveniently, it also consumed the lion's share of evidence the SEC had regarding ENRON, which was held in WTC7.<BR/><BR/>The criminal enterprise running our country must be stopped, even if it means taking the fight to their soft underbelly (you know what I mean). The Houston mafia must be stopped."<BR/>by malcontent<BR/><BR/>Can I get some CITOKATE on the statement above?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15452222991146795882007-06-22T08:25:00.000-07:002007-06-22T08:25:00.000-07:00Sigh. Just posted a lengthy comment and the net a...Sigh. Just posted a lengthy comment and the net ate it somehow.<BR/><BR/>Rather than trying to reconstitute it, I will simply give this link, which just came to my attention:<BR/><BR/>http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/05/541.asp<BR/><BR/>Looks like the good guys won one here, but as one of the articles I saw on the original arrest pointed out, this is not an isolated case but one of an increasing number of similar abuses, intended to cow dissent and oversight. The judicial branch of late always seems a step behind the executive and its enforcement arm, as they continually try to shift the "acceptable" in an authoritarian direction, and the delay--and their inability to speak firmly, with a single voice--seems to limit their effectiveness, but let's hope they continue to act as a check-and-balance on the power-gluttons.Michael C. Rushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11300622174153812004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77938649960012822092007-06-22T08:16:00.000-07:002007-06-22T08:16:00.000-07:00cj-in-weldWhy exactly would policemen aresting som...cj-in-weld<BR/>Why exactly would policemen aresting someone in public have "a reasonable expectation of privacy"? It seems a pretty good provision to me.reasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958786975015285323noreply@blogger.com