Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
from the plenty-to-talk-about dept
This week, both our winning comments on the insightful side came in response to the FBI's new "study" of the so-called Ferguson Effect, in which police become afraid to do their job when faced with supposedly undue criticism and scrutiny. A better definition comes from Uriel-238 in the first place winning comment:
When I think Ferguson Effect I think of the lines of officers which I got to see in real time from cameras on the ground during the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. To the last guy, and contrary to every firearms safety regimen I've known, they had their rifles and shotguns trained on the (unarmed) public, and I was turning blue in fear that someone was going to accidentally discharge his weapon and set off a massacre.
Later on, they'd climb in/on their bearcat mine-proof transports and go to town raining tear gas cannisters all over the neighborhood for no discernable tactical reason, except to show they can piss anywhere they want. Rebel yelling was involved.
For me, the Ferguson Effect is when I looked at all this and asked myself what the fuck happened to the police to turn them into this?
In second place, we've got That Anonymous Coward, who reacted with well-deserved fervor to the idea that this is all just because political and media narratives have "made it socially acceptable to challenge and discredit the actions of law enforcement":
Stood on a hood and emptied a weapon into innocent people - No Charges.
Peppersprayed unarmed detained women, later claiming magic ninjas had appeared threatening him & then vanished as he sprayed - No Charges.
Handcuffed suspect in a patrol car managed to bend the laws of physics producing a gun from another dimension & bending his arms to shoot himself in the head - No Charges.
Rolled up on a child with a toy weapon & shot him dead before issuing any commands - No Charges.
Asked for drivers ID after driver informed them he was permitted to carry a weapon, shot driver as he reached for his ID - No Charges.
Shot a suspect, left him on the ground bleeding while comforting the shooter & not rendering aid or calling for aid - No Charges.
Stole from a pot dispensary & cried rights violation because they missed 1 of the cameras which caught them abusing citizens & theft - Still waiting for charges.Often when they dare to bring charges, there is no justice. If an officer is punished, the Union demands arbitration and FORCES the force to take back an officer who was found guilty of breaking the law... with back pay.
Police are being trained to be terrified of citizens, that black citizens especially, have secret powers ala Dragon Ball Z where they can power themselves up & need to be shot before their power gets over 9000.
They claim everything is a plot to get them, that its just a narrative to discredit them... yet they often turn a blind eye to their brother officers breaking the law because their code requires them to protect the image over citizens.
Pulled over many women & demanded sexual favors - Only charged after he picked the wrong black woman who wasn't a hooker to abuse.
Molested children - Only charged when they went to an outside agency.
Trafficked in CP - Only busted when an outside agency catches them.
Locked someone in a room and left them to die - No charges.
Boiled a human being ALIVE for shitting on the floor - No Charges.
Cut off a prisoners water for over a week resulting in death - they MIGHT charge them.
Dash & Bodycam videos disappearing or the machinery not working or being activated - No Charges.
Cams being disabled on purpose - No Charges or repairs.Perhaps if they stopped acting like a gang more interested in playing the victim while raping, robbing, murdering & covering those events up people might have a different view of them.
They are not above the law, but you wouldn't know it from how things play out. Prosecutors warned to not bring charges or the gang will tank other cases. Prior bad acts locked from view of Juries, who might suspend the cop halo effect to know the officer testifying has been busted multiple times for lying on the stand.
But yes, there is no basis in reality for why people film police actions as offical recordings often vanish. There isn't a bodycount of citizens (notice they didn;t have those numbers to put in the report because they ignored the rules about finally reporting them) to go next to the officers because we matter less.
When the LE mentality is US vs THEM, why are they shocked that THEM are very worried at any interaction with them because they know US can kill, lie, destroy evidence, and walk with a repurposed military ribbon?
For editor's choice on the insightful side, we've got a pair of comments on our post about the reporter who was arrested for asking questions of some Trump administration officials. Many people claimed that his insistent approach went beyond the rights of the press, and Roger Strong had a good response:
Nonsense. Media scrums are a standard part of reporting on government. It was a public building, not a private residence. Otherwise:
"How would you like it, sir," if government officials only answered to the public at press conferences where they could personally pick who got to ask a question, favoring those with little or no credibility who will ask softball questions?
Granted, it seems you'd like exactly that.
One commenter went even further, and decided that the reporter's actions must have been even more egregious than what people who were actually there have reported, because "I find it hard to believe any eyewitnesses, because I'm assuming they're on the media side of this war." PaulT was not exactly impressed:
A war between the government and a free press? I know partisanship is getting ridiculous, but they've managed to convince you that the fourth estate is an enemy combatant now?
Interesting that you assume that people who were actually there cannot be believed, so you have to believe the testimony of people who weren't...
Over on the funny side, the first place winner is an anonymous commenter who noticed the same line that many other people quickly latched onto in Trump's letter firing James Comey:
"While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation"
What a HyperNormal thing to say.
In second place, we've got a comment from Stephen T. Stone on our post about Cloudflare fighting back against patent trolls, though I admit I had to Google the reference, myself:
Important lesson: Do not taunt Happy Fun Cloud.
For editor's choice on the funny side, we start out with a comment from Danny B that took the form of a telephony script:
You have reached Comcast technical support.
Please press 1 if you are calling about your slower internet speeds since the new FCC chairman was appointed.
Please press 2 if you are calling about your higher prices since the new FCC chairman was appointed.
Please press 0 if you would like to be routed to a call center in a third world country.
Your call is important to us. Comcast wishes to apologize for any convenience you may have experienced.
And finally, we've got one more nod to Roger Strong for a solid knock-knock joke:
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Massachusetts State Police!
Don't be silly - the Massachusetts State Police doesn't knock.
That's all for this week, folks!
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the key here being... "undue criticism and scrutiny."
The criticism and scrutiny is in reality... LONG OVERDUE!
The truth of this matter has been long forgotten. Are the actions of an overbearing and tyrannical police force in societies best interest?
When you decide that it's okay for the police to be ignorant of the laws they enforce while simultaneously holding that "ignorance is no excuse" for the common man, then you have also decided that you no longer serve the people and instead serve something else.
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Its easy to ignore.
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Which were a result of the police activities.
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The anger of the public was a result of the police activities. The looting and firebombing is at best a result of the anger, and more likely "because we can get away with it while the police are distracted."
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As to any looting etc. that will often occur in a situation like that, as a few criminals take advantage of the police being occupied with staring down law abiding citizens, so stop taring the protesters with the same brush as the criminals that took advantage of the situation.
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looting rioting firebombs
Actually, there wasn't any shooting. There was a gun confiscated.
I'm sorry, there wasn't shooting by any of the civilians. The police were happy to put rubber bullets into people, and we got to see close up photos of what rubber bullets look like (hint: they're not rubber)
And yes, there was some looting, because that's what we learned in Katrina, that black people loot while white people forage for supplies. They took milk from the McDonalds to treat people blinded by tear gas. And the franchise owner was glad to provide it.
(That's the same McDonalds that was seized by the police as a staging area two days ago, where two journalists were arrested for taking too long to move. That's all recorded too. The state of Missouri is still pressing charges in one case.)
And yes, there were violent groups, including white supremacists and panthers from St. Louis. The community members were diligent about keeping resistance passive.
Of course, the massive riot force imported in by the State of Missouri were less considerate, and many of the locals were hospitalized.
So, no, regarding your looting rioting firebombs claim, even the imported extremists couldn't do the damage the State of Missouri authorities did.
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Maybe its cause I'm a DnD nerd... but I legitimately read that the first time as 'When the Lawful Evil mentality...'
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On the other hand, when Wendy Cockcroft pointed out a public complaint about her threatening to use Internet Defamation (just like TechDirt practices) to settle a business dispute about her cartoons, I got a pretty good chuckle out of that, too.
Eh? No... nothing on the same planet as that happened, troll. I use my own name here because I'm not a damn coward. TD doesn't "practice" internet defamation, it reports on news items. If that displeases you, too bad. Behave in a manner befitting the way you wish to be described by others. I'm a bit snarky but that's as far as I go and my reputation is just fine, despite the efforts of trolls like yourself.
It never before occurred to me that there was public third-party written documentation that the TechDirt gang (including Wendy) employ the threat of exactly the kind of damage they are accused of by the Email inventor. Funny it came right from her, no? Especially right at this time, when the issue is in front of a judge. Borders on hilarious.
Perhaps you'd like to point us to verifiable evidence of your claims, which include the "fact" that Shiva Ayyadurai is the "inventor of email." I'm still waiting for that list of other adopters of EMAIL besides his college when he was fourteen. I'll be waiting for a while, won't I? That being the case, it's not my fault Shiva looks bad, it's his own. He could have just jerked his thumb at his four degrees; that's four more than I have and is very impressive by any measure.
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You're not alone there, d00d. But Lawful Evil describes American LEOs anyway, right?
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Dear Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV,
I ask, anonymously, that you allow the case against TechDirt and Michael Masnick to continue. I am anonymous because I am scared for my personal and professional reputation should my identity be revealed. I am not alone in this fear. Please consider this public complaint against Wendy Cockcroft, a central figure in the TechDirt group.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/wendy-cockcroft-interservecom-helpdesk-manchester-united-k ingdom-techdirtcom-httpon-t-internetblogspotcouk/nationwide/wendy-cockcroft-interservecom-helpdesk-m anchester-united-kingdom-techdirtcom-on-t-1280195
I have no connection with Mr. Diaz, but I feel the same fear that he does, which is why I stay anonymous.
The entities that frequent this site the most are foul mouthed, personally insulting, and painful to engage. This is their purpose and their trade. When they conduct their Internet Defamation campaign against someone, it is very difficult to defend. Michael Masnick first pointed this out in the term "Streisand effect", and now he uses it to peddle defamation in the name of journalism.
If I am right, and Mr. Diaz is right, it would be a large waste of resources to dismiss this case now, and then revisit these issues when another is filed. If there is any reasonable and legal way to allow this case to continue, so that full discovery may settle these issues, I PRAY you might allow that to happen.
Amen
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Ms Cockcroft suddenly became very angry and threatened to ruin my business before it started. She said that she was in with a very influential group of people on a technical blog who would write about me and many other people would comment. She said this would mean that my reputation would be ruined and it would remain at the tip of Google. Wendy Cockcroft refused to refund my money, refused to re-do the work and threatened to destroy my business and personal reputation before it even started. I am so worried that she will carry out her threats.
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Perhaps this is because there is no substance to your allegations; nobody was threatened in this way by myself or anyone here. Prove it or shut up and go away.
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Well. Thank goodness that your posting as an Anonymous Coward has nothing, no sir, nothing at all, to do with having no moral courage whatsoever.
No moral courage to let your delusional claims be associated with your actual name.
No moral courage to acknowledge the hypocrisy in attacking Masnick by doing... exactly what you claim HE'S doing.
No moral courage to acknowledge to acknowledge that when Masnick criticizes someone - like for falsely claiming to have invented email - he does it using his real name. Accepting the risk and consequences. While you attack as an Anonymous Coward.
You don't have the moral courage to thank him for that either.
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Surely there is a better name for us than that.
Hmm…how about “The Techdirt Shovellers”? …wait, no, that could be used a whole different way. Phrasing!
How about “The Masnick-ifcents”? …nah, too clumsy.
Could “Mike and the Mechanics” work? …wait, shit, I’m being told that I need to leave that reference back in the 1980s.
Damn. Naming a commenter community is much harder than I thought it would be.
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Techduhs
Leighs male lovers.
Plenty of good choices.
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To suggest you are a bot is to grant you a greater modicum of cognitive ability than you have displayed on many occasions.
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