The problem is, justice isn't working nowadays. Not unless it is working for the people with the money. Remember "They are too big to jail"? Yeah, that is our current justice system.
Police officers like this need to be sent to various PD's across the country (I am Canadian) and teach others how to deal with cameras in public.
This is an officer who kept his cool throughout, and did his job properly. Like you, Tim, I tend to rail on bad police officers, and live in an area where we have had several incidents in the past few years. That said, most police officers are hard-working and good, honest people who (I hope) would react the same way this officer did.
Well done Officer Morelli. Keep up the good work, we appreciate officers like you. You are the kind of police officer that we want to keep us safe!!
I believe this is the very first admission from the NSA that they actually want to spy on EVERYONE. ALL THE TIME. Up till this leak, they keep saying they are not looking at everyone.
"No person covered by this order shall make any statement to members of any television, radio, newspaper, magazine, internet (including, but not limited to, bloggers), or other media organization about this case, other than matters of public record, that could interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice Defendant, the Government, or the administration of justice.... "
This is a court statement that Television, Radio, Newspaper, Magazine, AND Internet (including, but not limited to bloggers) are all media (by the words or other media, suggesting that all the previous are part of media). Maybe this will finally put to rest statements like "Bloggers are not journalists". Since this is an official court stance, it can be called into other court cases as being "on the record". Perhaps Senator Feinstein needs to expand her Shield law (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130807/13153224102/sen-feinstein-during-shield-law-debate-real-j ournalists-draw-salaries.shtml) to include all of the above. Otherwise, the courts need to drop Internet (including but not limited to bloggers) from their order.
You can't have it both ways. Either bloggers are journalists or they are not. You can't have them be journalists when it suits your purpose, but when it doesn't suit your purpose, suddenly they aren't.
"Today, there is the latest hearing in his case, in which the US government is asking the court to issue a gag order barring both Brown and his lawyer from "making any statement to members of any television, radio, newspaper, magazine, Internet (including, but not limited to, bloggers), or other media organization about this case, other than matters of public record.""
This is a very interesting statement. When the government want to decide if a person is a journalist, they include internet (including but not limited to bloggers) as media when it suits them, but say "you are only a journalist if you get a paycheck" other times.
If the government keeps speaking out of both sides of their mouth, it's going to choke.
Re: "Any such case will take years and millions of dollars."
Not sure why this was flagged as spam, aside from the fact that it posted by someone named "out_of_the_blue". That said, it doesn't have his usual "take a loopy tour of techdirt" signature.
The argument he posts here does have debatable merit. I would challenge the TechDirt community to not flag a comment that has debatable merit just because it comes from a regular troll.
My biggest issue with blue, from what I have seen, is that his comments seem to stem from a black-and-white view of the world. He sees things as either wholly right or wholly wrong, with no grey area. Corporations = bad, Copyright = good, etc.
While I disagree with that sort of view, there are many who share similar views. His statement here does have a certain validity, and his final line is very appropriate in today's legal system.
So the government is immune to copyright infringement? I can see torrent downloaders by the score sitting in front of the White House, gobbling up Wi-Fi to download movies, and be free of prosecution, because the Whitehouse IP address is immune to copyright infringement.
Remember, reasonable doubt. If he can prove the phones weren't there, it does cast SOME doubt that he was not there. And since guilty requires "beyond all reasonable doubt" it should be enough to set him free.
Umm, this is sort of funny. If he goes to court claiming infringement, and the courts find that the use of the image is not infringing, it will put a huge hole in the current copyright regime and set the MAFIAA against the government.
On the other hand, if the image IS found to be infringing, then specific organization that uses the image can be on the hook for a nice chunk of change (not that they couldn't afford the 150,000 dollar statuatory fee). Of course, he could go for ACTUAL damages, and get a percentage of all money made under the PRISM program, which would require discovery on the program, to find out how much money was made on it.
Honestly, I wish these multinational corporations would do this. Apple, Google, et. all could literally drive France back 30 years by saying "We are not going to pay your extortion fee, and so we are pulling out of your country until you eliminate it."
Faced with an angry public that can no longer enjoy what other countries have, the french government would have no choice but to concede. Sure, some companies may try to fill in the vacuum, but the public wants what the public wants, and if the French government is driving these businesses away, the people will let them know what they think. I hope those politicians have ALOT of money come election time, because they will literally have to pay people directly to vote for them.
My response to the politicians: There are still shoplifters, there are still people to break traffic laws (speeding, running red lights, rolling stop signs, et. all). I think that the politicians need to be more proactive in stopping these threats.
Perhaps a system where we just throw everyone in jail because they could potentially do something wrong.
Don't get me wrong, what happened here was horrible, but the fault is not Google's. It isn't even the police's or the politicians. All of us are responsible for the safety and well-being of ourselves and others. Part of this is making sure our children are safe, and reporting to police if we believe a crime is being committed.
On the post: NZ Customs Refuses To Answer Questions After Revelations Of Illegal Orders To Give FBI Info On Kim Dotcom For 'Brownie Points'
Re:
Fuagh!
On the post: Canadian Cop Puts On An Impromptu Clinic On How To Deal With Critics And Cameras
This is an officer who kept his cool throughout, and did his job properly. Like you, Tim, I tend to rail on bad police officers, and live in an area where we have had several incidents in the past few years. That said, most police officers are hard-working and good, honest people who (I hope) would react the same way this officer did.
Well done Officer Morelli. Keep up the good work, we appreciate officers like you. You are the kind of police officer that we want to keep us safe!!
On the post: NSA Complained It Wasn't Able To Spy Enough; Sought To Broaden Its Power
On the post: Yelp Sues Law Firm For Posting Fake Reviews
On the post: Court Tells Journalist Barrett Brown He And His Lawyers Can't Talk To The Press Any More
Definition of Media
This is a court statement that Television, Radio, Newspaper, Magazine, AND Internet (including, but not limited to bloggers) are all media (by the words or other media, suggesting that all the previous are part of media). Maybe this will finally put to rest statements like "Bloggers are not journalists". Since this is an official court stance, it can be called into other court cases as being "on the record". Perhaps Senator Feinstein needs to expand her Shield law (http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130807/13153224102/sen-feinstein-during-shield-law-debate-real-j ournalists-draw-salaries.shtml) to include all of the above. Otherwise, the courts need to drop Internet (including but not limited to bloggers) from their order.
You can't have it both ways. Either bloggers are journalists or they are not. You can't have them be journalists when it suits your purpose, but when it doesn't suit your purpose, suddenly they aren't.
On the post: Feds Seeking To Silence The Media Over Barrett Brown, After They Locked Him Up For Posting A Link
Media
This is a very interesting statement. When the government want to decide if a person is a journalist, they include internet (including but not limited to bloggers) as media when it suits them, but say "you are only a journalist if you get a paycheck" other times.
If the government keeps speaking out of both sides of their mouth, it's going to choke.
On the post: State AG Says It's OK Ohio Implemented Facial Recognition Program Without Notifying Public Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
Typo
This should read "DeWine feels it's perfectly acceptable to make mistakes that could seriously affect members of the public."
On the post: Myriad Mocks Supreme Court's Ruling On Gene Patents; Sues New Competitors Doing Breast Cancer Tests
Re: Thanks for obfuscating
On the post: Myriad Mocks Supreme Court's Ruling On Gene Patents; Sues New Competitors Doing Breast Cancer Tests
Re: "Any such case will take years and millions of dollars."
The argument he posts here does have debatable merit. I would challenge the TechDirt community to not flag a comment that has debatable merit just because it comes from a regular troll.
My biggest issue with blue, from what I have seen, is that his comments seem to stem from a black-and-white view of the world. He sees things as either wholly right or wholly wrong, with no grey area. Corporations = bad, Copyright = good, etc.
While I disagree with that sort of view, there are many who share similar views. His statement here does have a certain validity, and his final line is very appropriate in today's legal system.
On the post: Pilots Want To Know Why The DHS/CBP Are Searching Their Planes Without Warrants
Re:
On the post: Irony Abounds: Snowden Charged For Spying When What He Really Did Was Reveal Massive Spying
Obligatory?
On the post: Candidate Obama Debating President Obama On Civil Liberties vs. Government Surveillance
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: NSA Infringed Adam Hart-Davis' Photograph For Its PRISM Logo
Re:
On the post: Feds May Have To Reveal FISA Phone Records In Murder Case
Re: Re: The Phones
On the post: NSA Infringed Adam Hart-Davis' Photograph For Its PRISM Logo
lol
On the other hand, if the image IS found to be infringing, then specific organization that uses the image can be on the hook for a nice chunk of change (not that they couldn't afford the 150,000 dollar statuatory fee). Of course, he could go for ACTUAL damages, and get a percentage of all money made under the PRISM program, which would require discovery on the program, to find out how much money was made on it.
Ahhh, irony....
On the post: NSA Whistleblower Ed Snowden: From My Desk I Could Wiretap Anyone: You, A Federal Judge Or The President Of The US
Re: Snowden
On the post: Yet Another Leak Shows NSA Lied About Not Being Able To Geolocate Data It Scoops Up
Re: wait
On the post: Senators: Why Is Everyone So Worked Up About Verizon Spying? We've All Known About It Since 2007
Welcome
On the post: France Tells Apple To Pay Giant 'You Must Be A Pirate' Tax On iPads
Re:
Faced with an angry public that can no longer enjoy what other countries have, the french government would have no choice but to concede. Sure, some companies may try to fill in the vacuum, but the public wants what the public wants, and if the French government is driving these businesses away, the people will let them know what they think. I hope those politicians have ALOT of money come election time, because they will literally have to pay people directly to vote for them.
On the post: British Politicians: There's Child Porn On The Internet And Google Needs To Do Something About It
The Internet is Special
Perhaps a system where we just throw everyone in jail because they could potentially do something wrong.
Don't get me wrong, what happened here was horrible, but the fault is not Google's. It isn't even the police's or the politicians. All of us are responsible for the safety and well-being of ourselves and others. Part of this is making sure our children are safe, and reporting to police if we believe a crime is being committed.
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