without a recording or transcript of proceedings the court cannot prove that it followed the correct procedures during the trial.
Wouldn't failing to maintain a record of the proceedings count as not following the correct procedure? How is this entire case not tainted by this? (Of course, the entire case is already tainted by secret proceedings but...) Is there precedent for such a "do-over" in a trial?
adopted an amendment to the FIRST Act (Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology -- which is supposed to be about increasing funding in science and technology)
Keyword there is "supposed". Do we really have to support this bad Act (bad for open access, bad for basic science research, bad for social science and economics research, etc.) in order to fix NIST?
All I want is nice quiet evening distracting myself with something mindless and uncomplicated, but while channel-surfing I happen upon PBS, and I can't stop watching, even though it's depressing and infuriating and I keep wanting to throw things at Hayden every time he's on screen.
Damn you, Frontline. And thank you, too, I guess. grr.
P.S. The Frontline website (linked in the article) has some good additional reading and links, including a guide to the major news stories revealing the NSA abuses as well as government reports going back to 2004.
police spokesman tried to deflect criticism from the department's actions... "We certainly don't go to people's houses and say: 'You can't tweet about this'. This is not 1930s Germany."
Time-traveling technology notwithstanding, it's worth noting that the spokesman preemptively Godwinized this discussion before we even had a chance to do so.
On a more serious note...
"the police must appear to remain neutral"
Is it too much to ask that the police, fairly concerned about appearing neutral, attempt (as a first step) actually to be neutral? People can't much enjoy their freedom of speech if exercising it results in a visit from the police.
Do you REALLY want to live in a country of 350 million Americans where there are 5 cops who have to race from East to West Coast once a week solving crimes?
I think we have a good start on a spinoff series for "The Amazing Race"...
Applying the authorities' logic to this: 1. This deputy's actions seem criminal. 2. This deputy is part of a larger operation. ... so, obviously, 3. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department is a criminal enterprise. ... which of course means 4. Their assets are the proceeds of a criminal enterprise. ... and so we can logically conclude 5. We can take all the Sheriff Department's money!
According to the HuffPo summary, the study apparently claims that "the average person has illegally downloaded approximately 2,900 music files and 90 movies."
New Jersey: Um, hey, Verizon, remember this deal we had, where we gave you everything you wanted and more, and you promised some things. We just noticed you never did those things you promised.
Verizon: Outrageous! How dare you question our commitment to innovation and market freedom?!!!? Look at all these emails from fictional people who love us and Verizon employees who will lose their jobs if they don't say they love us!
New Jersey: Oh, well, guess it's all OK then. Never mind. Sorry to have bothered you. -----------------------------
Seriously, that's some amazing deal they've got there. You or I break a contract, usually we'd expect some negative consequences. But these guys will probably get even more tax breaks and incentives to guarantee they'll continue to offer crappy and overpriced service to a public that has no viable options.
On the post: Texas Appeals Court Vacates Order Commanding Google To Hunt Down Third Party Content And Destroy It
I was thinking (wishfully) more along the lines of a "BTW, idiots..." about facts included along with the ruling on law.
On the post: Texas Appeals Court Vacates Order Commanding Google To Hunt Down Third Party Content And Destroy It
One point for Sanity
On an unrelated note...[knock] "Land Shark! I mean, Google!"
On the post: Best Reporters On The Supreme Court Forced To Grovel Before Competitors To Prove They're Worthy Of A Press Pass
Public pressure?
Given that the Standing Committee of Correspondents' web page ends in .gov, I have to ask:
What about a duty to act in the public interest?
On the post: Former NSA Lawyer Asks Google To 'Forget' All Of Techdirt's Posts About Him
Even attempting to rationalize this statement hurts my brain.
On the post: Court Calls A Do Over In Terror Hearings After Failure To Record
Re: Re: I blame the video games
Wouldn't failing to maintain a record of the proceedings count as not following the correct procedure? How is this entire case not tainted by this? (Of course, the entire case is already tainted by secret proceedings but...) Is there precedent for such a "do-over" in a trial?
On the post: Astoundingly Bad Reporting On Ed Snowden: Claims He Said The Exact Opposite Of What He Said
Re:
On the post: Europe On The Verge Of Destroying Online Comments And Free Speech
On the post: Small Victory Against NSA: Amendment Says NIST No Longer Has To Consult NSA On Standards
FIRST Act
Keyword there is "supposed". Do we really have to support this bad Act (bad for open access, bad for basic science research, bad for social science and economics research, etc.) in order to fix NIST?
On the post: Feinstein (Again) Says Metadata Program 'Is Not Surveillance'
Hmm...
On the post: The Three Big Lies: How The Federal Government Kept Its Post-9/11 Spying On Americans A Secret
"Frontline" does it again
Damn you, Frontline. And thank you, too, I guess. grr.
P.S. The Frontline website (linked in the article) has some good additional reading and links, including a guide to the major news stories revealing the NSA abuses as well as government reports going back to 2004.
On the post: Police Ask Blogger To Take Down Tweets Critical Of UK Political Party
Re: Re:
Ah, yes, it makes perfect sense. Thank you for setting me straight.
On the post: Police Ask Blogger To Take Down Tweets Critical Of UK Political Party
On a more serious note...
Is it too much to ask that the police, fairly concerned about appearing neutral, attempt (as a first step) actually to be neutral? People can't much enjoy their freedom of speech if exercising it results in a visit from the police.
On the post: Sheriff's Deputy With History Of Misconduct Attempts To Extort $50,000 From Pulled Over Motorist
Re: Re: Standards/sauce for the goose
I think we have a good start on a spinoff series for "The Amazing Race"...
On the post: Sheriff's Deputy With History Of Misconduct Attempts To Extort $50,000 From Pulled Over Motorist
Hmm...
1. This deputy's actions seem criminal.
2. This deputy is part of a larger operation.
... so, obviously,
3. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Department is a criminal enterprise.
... which of course means
4. Their assets are the proceeds of a criminal enterprise.
... and so we can logically conclude
5. We can take all the Sheriff Department's money!
(That's how it works, right?)
On the post: No, Every Person Does Not Owe The Movie & Music Industry $67 Million, But Copyright Is Still Broken
Copyright is broken?
It would appear that statistics is also broken.
On the post: Toronto Asked To Ban Dangerous Dr. Seuss Book For Promoting Violence
Re:
Give the Canadians some credit. Toronto Public Library did NOT ban the book.
I've got no explanation for Rob Ford, however. But then, I'm from California, and we elected the Governator. Twice.
On the post: Former FBI Agent: NYPD's Muslim-Spying Demographics Unit Was Almost Completely Useless
One correction
On the post: Verizon Knows You're A Sucker: Takes Taxpayer Subsidies For Broadband, Doesn't Deliver, Lobbies To Drop Requirements
"Settlement"????
Verizon: Outrageous! How dare you question our commitment to innovation and market freedom?!!!? Look at all these emails from fictional people who love us and Verizon employees who will lose their jobs if they don't say they love us!
New Jersey: Oh, well, guess it's all OK then. Never mind. Sorry to have bothered you.
-----------------------------
Seriously, that's some amazing deal they've got there. You or I break a contract, usually we'd expect some negative consequences. But these guys will probably get even more tax breaks and incentives to guarantee they'll continue to offer crappy and overpriced service to a public that has no viable options.
On the post: Verizon Knows You're A Sucker: Takes Taxpayer Subsidies For Broadband, Doesn't Deliver, Lobbies To Drop Requirements
Re: Re:
On the post: Weasel Language In Proposal For FCC's New 'Open Internet' Rules Actually Opens The Door To An End To Net Neutrality
Re: Re: Now what?
OK, to clarify, what can we do if we're not billionaires?
(Snarky as I may be usually, in this case I'm asking sincerely.)
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