Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
from the the-comment-is-mightier-than-the-sword dept
This week we, like most other websites, had to re-register with the Copyright Office for DMCA safe harbor protection. Our most insightful comment of the week came in response to our post about this, where aerinai suggested this system should work both ways:
So I have to register every 3 years for safe harbor protections... lets do the same thing for copyright!
... just saying...
Next, we head to our post about the Internet Archive's plans to back itself up in Canada just in case Trump messes with it. A lengthy argument broke out over accusations that the fears around a Trump presidency are "so crazy it is becoming comical", and Roger Strong won second place for insightful by providing some context:
a) It would have been "so crazy it is becoming comical" to suggest that President-elect Bush II would turn the country into a mass torture state. Or kidnap people by the hundreds from around the world - over 100 from EU soil alone - and hold them for years - some now halfway through their second decade - without trial. Or launch a pre-emptive war. That would last over a decade and only make things worse. Or that he'd do away with habeas corpus.
b) It would have been "so crazy it is becoming comical" to suggest that many of the very people responsible for a), would be telling people that the NEXT winning candidate from their own party was an unstable loose cannon.
c) It would have been "so crazy it is becoming comical" to imagine a winning candidate having openly bragged how he would punish the media for "negative" - meaning accurate - reporting. Openly and regularly pointing at the media during his rallies and declaring them the enemy and worse.
d) It would have been "so crazy it is becoming comical" to imagine a winning candidate choosing the leader of a white supremacist fake news site to be his new Karl Rove.
Nevertheless, here we are. With c) especially in mind, you're saying that it's "so crazy it is becoming comical" to take Trump at his word and based on his actions.
For editor's choice on the insightful side, we start out with a comment from nasch that digs into some constitutional nuance to explain why non-citizens still have rights:
The Constitution doesn't grant rights to the citizens of the US. To an extent it recognizes rights all people are considered to have (insert caveats about the time of the founding fathers), but primarily it specifies and limits the powers of the federal government. For example, the 1st doesn't say that US citizens have the right to freedom of religion, speech and assembly, it says the government may not make any laws abridging such rights.
Next, after we noted that the ongoing election recount fight is making everyone involved look bad, Michael wasn't especially surprised:
If you think the recounts make Clinton and Trump look terrible, you should have watched their campaigns.
Over on the funny side, we start out on our post about border patrol's aggressive handling of a Canadian journalist, where one commenter suggested that it's probably best to avoid travelling to the US at all right now, leading Jeremy Lyman to win first place for funny by shooting down that solution:
I dunno, not entering the US is suspicious behavior. CPB should probably investigate...
In second place on the funny side, we've got another more flippant response to the accusations of "crazy" Trump worries, this time specifically to the question of whether we "sleep under your beds in fear now". One anonymous commenter had an answer:
No, we're in our closets waiting for Obama to come take our guns...
For editor's choice on the funny side, we start out on our story about some rightsholders brazenly referring to their trademark as a "lottery ticket", where crade found it hard to judge them too harshly:
People get rich using patents this way left right and center.. So it's understandable they got confused.
Finally, in response to a post raising concerns about the future of telecom megamergers under a Trump presidency, That One Guy defended the coming monopolies:
Having to decide between being ripped off by Company A or being ripped off by Company B is hard, a totally unnecessary hassle for customers. Mergers between already massive companies are therefor absolutely pro-customer as they remove yet another road-block between US customers and their 'Best In The World' internet service, and as such should absolutely be allowed.
It's all about how best to serve the public after all.
That's all for this week, folks!
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
This isn't funny
This is a shame. The position that our services are 'Best In The World" is sarcastic, at best. Look at the actual numbers. That these monopolies continue is a less than sarcastic monument that corporate sovereignty is a priority, as well as a right.
Where is the providence that corporate sovereignty is a right, exist? The constitution only represents those rights that the government are not allowed to limit. But where in natural, if you will, law exist the right for corporate sovereignty exit? People are not corporations, therefore, why are corporations people? Just because the constitution does not exclude them, that does not make them persons, even though for limited (what is the definition of limited) purposes they might be seen as 'persons' for the express limit of taxes, or other legal distinctions such as fraud or other crimes? Where does greater rights exist in the nomenclature of law that allows corporations more rights than individuals?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This isn't funny
That'd be where unlike consumers, corporations can hold $2,700 per plate fundraising dinners for politicians, have hundreds of their friends buy plates, and claim that it's not lobbying "by the definition of the legal term." Setting aside that it's called bribery when individuals try it.
Wait.... was that another one of those "rhetorical questions" people keep telling me about?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This isn't funny
Don't give up hope yet, as Iceland may have a pirate leader soon, and the Italian prime ministers power grab failed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: This isn't funny
Since they've not got much experience in Parliament I suppose that is reasonable. Perhaps, when they're more on board with how governING works we will see some governANCE. I would love to see the Pirates taking the lead but I'm not sure they actually will. What I am sure of is that they won't just sit this one out. This is their chance to shine and I hope they make the most of it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This isn't funny
I do wait the day when company admins and owners are criminally judged for the company misdeeds. You'll see how fast they'll start auditing their companies and questionable behavior will see significant reductions.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
this isn't funny..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This post really doubles down on #fakenews
The other "context" is equally absurd, for example there are too "white supremacists" or "black lives matter" bigots for either to justify a news site. Is this about a new generic insult replacing "nazi"?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
I suppose you wouldn't mind volunteering for a little water boarding then, would you?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Calling the US a "mass torture state"
Calling the US a mass torture state may feel odd, but it is accurate what with the CIA extrajudicial detention and interrogation program. (That is still going on, mind you.)
Our selection of targets may be a bit less clear than specifically gays but we do make lists and they do disappear.
It'll be very special to see what happens when Trump gets to add whoever he wants to these lists.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
I mean, disliking Breitbart is one thing (that I agree with), but the baseless accusations of various *isms are a large part of why many folks will never vote Democrap again.
And yes, "Democrap" was intentional, because their bigotry is nothing but crap. When I get judged by the lack of melanin in my skin, or by too much genitalia dangling between my legs, the people judging me by such are bigots. (snarky bigoted responses about white male tears in 3... 2... 1...)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Baseless accusations
Would that be the baseless accusations against Islam, against Mexican Immigrants or Syrian refugees?
Regarding Bannon, would you rather we indict him with his own headlines?
The solution to online 'harassment' is simple: Women should log off
Bill Kristol: Republican spoiler, renegade Jew
Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy
Suck it up buttercups: Dangerous Faggot Tour returns to colleges in September
There's no hiring bias against women in tech, they just suck at interviews
Planned Parenthood's body count under Cecile Richards is up to half a holocaust
World Health Organization Report: Trannies 49 XS (sic) higher HIV rate
Silicon Valley's Startup Culture explains why mass Muslim immigration must stop
Climate Expert: Marxists, global warming extremists control Vatican
I'm pretty sure I don't want this guy anywhere near the White House.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Baseless accusations
Further, being provocative does not equal being white supremacist. In fact, not one of those headlines is white supremacist. So yes, a baseless accusation. "White supremacist" is simply a meaningless regressive-leftist codeword for "I don't like you", much like fascist, nazi, or *ism (Oddly, *ists actually do exist, but the biggest group, Islam, always gets a pass because democrap-racists think brown skin makes *ism ok, and that all muslims are brown. Islam is not a race, it's a religion, an ideology, and a system of government all wrapped up into one giant hate whole).
The really shitty thing is that when you overuse a word to falsely describe shit, you deprive it of meaning and do a disservice to actual victims of it. It's like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" on a giant social scale.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Baseless accusations
And....? Steve Bannon was the publisher. He was the one in charge, the one ultimately responsible for approving all their racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic material, let alone setting the tone.
Still, you highlight an important difference between Nazi apologists and Trump/Breitbart: "It's not their fault; they were just GIVING orders."
The same can be said with equal accuracy for Christianity. There's no shortage of American Christians demanding what could only be described as a theocracy. Ask Cruz, Huckabee or Santorum for details. And indeed the Catholic Church dictated policy to European leaders for over a thousand years. Nor has there been any shortage of hate on the Christian side. Not just hatred of non-Christians, but wars over different interpretations of Christianity. What's your point?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
"A champion of white supremacists."
Even the right is calling Steve Bannon a white supremacist. Reid isn't alone.
In Bannon's defence, despite his actions, his publishing history, occasionally his words say otherwise:
“I’m a Leninist,” Steve Bannon told a writer for The Daily Beast, in late 2013. “Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal, too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.”
America's enemies are stocking up on popcorn.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
Of course, I do still agree with it, and your attempts to defend Breitbart are flimsy at best -- but just not quite as flimsy as your attempt to pin a statement on me when I had nothing to do with it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
It's well documented that the US had multiple torture sites in Iraq. Multiple torture sites in Afghanistan including the Salt Pit. Black sites in Eastern Europe, Diego Garcia, Morocco and elsewhere. And of course there's Gitmo. AND STILL they had to farm out torture to places like Syria and Egypt.
It's well documented that the US kidnapped more than 100 people from EU soil alone - even a Canadian transferring planes in New York on his way home - and held them for months or years without trial. Many, having been kidnapped and tortured, were later released with an "er, never mind." The USA wasn't just torturing terrorists; they were torturing people just to test vague suspicions that they might have some connection to terrorists.
While you're denying it, even the minor involvement of countries like Canada, Britain and Poland has gone to court, and they're paying reparations.
So tell us: How many people do they have to torture before you'll call it "mass torture?" How many torture sites to they have to operate before you'll admit that maybe, just maybe, there were more than a couple victims involved?
Does it take.... How did British intelligence officers describe it in court? Oh, right; "Mr Mohamed's genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, "is very far down the list of things they did." (Binyam Mohamed was later released with an "er, never mind.") Of course, no doubt you'll label that court testimony "#fakenews" too.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: This post really doubles down on #fakenews
Solitary confinement is considered torture by virtually all experts on the subject, and by the UN. The US holds an estimated minimum of 20,000 citizens in solitary confinement at any given time, and possibly as many as 80,000. No other modern free state comes even close.
The only bizarre thing would be claiming that the US is *not* a mass torture state.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]