If he thinks that this will get him out of the fact that the CPA "elected to omit substantially all of the disclosures required"...
We don't have the letter, but Judge Herndon noted that it wasn't the CPA who made that choice:
In these letters, the CPA indicates a departure from generally accepted accounting principles. He further notes that plaintiff’s counsel elected to omit substantially all of the disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles.
I might be wrong, but I'd say those two sentences are about as close as the CPA could get (within the bounds of professionalism) to saying, "The financial statements provided by my client are complete BS."
As long as someone on TWC's end can put a check in the "resolved" box at the end of the conversation (and keep technicians from leaving the building), the complaint is off the record.
Actually, it's even worse. The policy says the complaint does not have to be recorded if it's handled "to the customer's satisfaction" or doesn't require a visit from a technician.
So... it doesn't matter if the customer isn't satisfied. The customer could be screaming in frustration, but as long as TW doesn't send a technician to deal with it, they can continue to say they have no complaints.
Doesn't Techdirt make its money consulting? So are you cynical about Techdirt too?
Oh, yes. Terribly so. (OK, OK, to be specific, it's management consulting I dread. Best case I've seen: Consultants come in, make the time and effort to understand the organization and its issues, prepare a detailed report and step-by-step plan to makes things work better, and... they leave, the report is filed away forever, and management makes a tick in the "paradigm shifted" box.)
I can easily envision some consultant-happy boss deciding it's time to do something managery and decreeing that all employees stand at their desks, because he's heard it's the Next Big Thing. Not that I'm cynical about managers. (Definitely cynical about consultants, though.)
I would argue that there's a third factor, which in some cases might even be more powerful than money, the "This is awful and something needs to be done" factor. (and yes, this is awful)
So, I would say you're only partly right with the laziness and money explanation, but since you've invoked Bloom County, I find it impossible to disagree. Bloom County logic is unassailable.
Reading that... every single on of those people other than the victim is rotten all the way through.
Well.... the kid's mom sounds OK. (Yes, I know that's not what you meant.) They're appealing the conviction and planning a civil suit against the school district. Good. Or, at least, a good start.
They seriously need to look at removing this judge from the bench. In this parade of horrible authority figures, a judge who makes rulings on the basis of "Well, if they're in court, they must have done something" really manages to stand out. (We're used to idiotic behavior from principals, after all.)
“The single best thing that ever happened to Germany were the war crimes tribunals, because it forced Germany to come to its milk about what in fact has happened.”
I blame Joe Biden for Godwinizing this discussion before it even got started. When did he say that anyway? (I'm curious about context.) Also curious: "come to its milk"? Is that a Bidenism, or should I know what it means?
Solution: The Bookapult. All libraries will be equipped with giant catapults that can fling bubble wrap-encased iPads loaded with the proper ebooks to any adjacent library.
If ever there was a good candidate for Kickstarter funding...
So, according to this moron, the land I bought isn't really mine or my descendants? I thought that property ownership was one of the things this country was based on.
Not to derail the thread (This Representative is, if not a moron, still a bad representative for the people and his statements are ridiculous), but...
Taking land from some people and giving it to others is also one of the things this country was based on. Just ask the descendants of the people who once lived on your land.
There's a particularly telling section on Page 15 of Judge Wright's ruling:
An exchange between the undercover agent and Defendants on January 30, 2013, compellingly demonstrates the economic pressures Defendants faced, exacerbated by the Government:
[Agent]: Yep, what do you always say, you ain’t afraid of no money, right? [CI]: Yeah, I ain’t afraid of no money. [Agent]: You ain’t afraid of no cocaina are you? . . . Male: Hell yeah, it will change my life. . . . [Whitfield]: Sure, I’ll never be broke again. My kid’s gonna be straight. . . . [Whitfield]: I’m gonna buy property and everything, probably like five or ten years down the line, but it will be right. (Opp’n Ex. 2 at 45.)
With the Government dangling over $600,000 in front of clearly impoverished individuals, it is no surprise that they took the bait.
First, whether or not Senator Feinstein used the "torture" is a superficial detail not worth two paragraphs. She already said it was horrible.
It is not superficial. It matters. It matters because Senator Feinstein, like those who instituted and carried out this program, knew full well that calling this abuse by its true name could lead to public recrimination as well as, possibly (and certainly justifiably), to prosecution. It matters because they used twisted language like "enhance interrogation techniques" to cover up an illegal and immoral policy of systematic and deliberate brutality. And it matters because allowing them to get away with this makes us all complicit.
And as to your point about torture as a crime: The U.S. is a party to the Convention Against Torture. So, yes. It's a crime.
On the post: Weasel Language In Proposal For FCC's New 'Open Internet' Rules Actually Opens The Door To An End To Net Neutrality
Now what?
On the post: Police Chief: Not Wanting To Talk To Police Officers Is 'Odd'
Re:
Predictive policing: I predict that you will resist arrest, which is a crime; therefore, I am arresting you.
On the post: Chutzpah: John Steele To Court: What, You Think I Would Lie, Cheat And Break The Law? Come On!
CPA
We don't have the letter, but Judge Herndon noted that it wasn't the CPA who made that choice:
I might be wrong, but I'd say those two sentences are about as close as the CPA could get (within the bounds of professionalism) to saying, "The financial statements provided by my client are complete BS."
On the post: Time Warner Cable's Contractual Loophole Allows It To Tell Local Politicians It Has Received Zero Complaints
"and" vs "or"
Actually, it's even worse. The policy says the complaint does not have to be recorded if it's handled "to the customer's satisfaction" or doesn't require a visit from a technician.
So... it doesn't matter if the customer isn't satisfied. The customer could be screaming in frustration, but as long as TW doesn't send a technician to deal with it, they can continue to say they have no complaints.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: Stand While You Work
Re: Re: Re: Re: If you want to stand all day...
Oh, yes. Terribly so.
(OK, OK, to be specific, it's management consulting I dread. Best case I've seen: Consultants come in, make the time and effort to understand the organization and its issues, prepare a detailed report and step-by-step plan to makes things work better, and... they leave, the report is filed away forever, and management makes a tick in the "paradigm shifted" box.)
On the post: Awesome Stuff: Stand While You Work
Re: Re: If you want to stand all day...
I can easily envision some consultant-happy boss deciding it's time to do something managery and decreeing that all employees stand at their desks, because he's heard it's the Next Big Thing. Not that I'm cynical about managers. (Definitely cynical about consultants, though.)
On the post: Court Rightly Finds That GoDaddy Isn't Liable For Revenge Porn Site
Re: Re:
So, I would say you're only partly right with the laziness and money explanation, but since you've invoked Bloom County, I find it impossible to disagree. Bloom County logic is unassailable.
On the post: Bullied Student Records Bullies, Gets Threatened With Felony Charges For Violating Wiretapping Law
Re: Re: Like swimming through sewage
Nicely done. Scary that this is so applicable to the U.S. today.
P.S. You forgot to apologize to the Cardassians.
On the post: Bullied Student Records Bullies, Gets Threatened With Felony Charges For Violating Wiretapping Law
Re: Like swimming through sewage
Well.... the kid's mom sounds OK. (Yes, I know that's not what you meant.)
They're appealing the conviction and planning a civil suit against the school district. Good. Or, at least, a good start.
They seriously need to look at removing this judge from the bench. In this parade of horrible authority figures, a judge who makes rulings on the basis of "Well, if they're in court, they must have done something" really manages to stand out. (We're used to idiotic behavior from principals, after all.)
On the post: State Department Official Freaks Out That Declassifying CIA Torture Report Might Make The World Angry
Re:
On the post: State Department Official Freaks Out That Declassifying CIA Torture Report Might Make The World Angry
Joe Biden
I blame Joe Biden for Godwinizing this discussion before it even got started. When did he say that anyway? (I'm curious about context.)
Also curious: "come to its milk"? Is that a Bidenism, or should I know what it means?
On the post: Everything Old Is Unavailable Again: How Copyright Has Ebooks Operating In The 1800s
Re:
If ever there was a good candidate for Kickstarter funding...
Although this could be promising too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6b0-fUYpQw
On the post: CIA Put In Charge Of Declassifying Senate's Report That Condemns The CIA's Torture Program
Re:
On the post: Hollywood Hires New Person To Make Same Old Mistakes In Fighting Against The Future
Education is the answer
On the post: Prenda Actually Wins A Round; Order To Pay Back Settlements Tossed In Minnesota
Re: Re: So what does count then?
On the post: Rep. Nadler Claims 'You Bought It, You Own It' Is An 'Extreme Digital View'
Re:
Not to derail the thread (This Representative is, if not a moron, still a bad representative for the people and his statements are ridiculous), but...
Taking land from some people and giving it to others is also one of the things this country was based on. Just ask the descendants of the people who once lived on your land.
On the post: Judge Otis Wright Slams 'Made Up' Government 'Plot' Designed To Ensnare Gullible Poor People
Re: Re:
But he's doing so much good where he is. I'm not sure the Judicial Branch can afford to lose him.
Cloning is clearly what's needed here. Or Ninja's proposal.
On the post: Judge Otis Wright Slams 'Made Up' Government 'Plot' Designed To Ensnare Gullible Poor People
Re:
On the post: NSA Denies Everything About Latest Intercept Leak, Including Denying Something That Was Never Claimed
Denial = Confirmation?
At this point, the mere fact that the NSA denies doing something is almost enough to convince me that they are doing it.
I'm trying not to be paranoid. They just make it so difficult.
On the post: Why Won't Senator Feinstein Call Torture Torture?
Re:
It is not superficial. It matters. It matters because Senator Feinstein, like those who instituted and carried out this program, knew full well that calling this abuse by its true name could lead to public recrimination as well as, possibly (and certainly justifiably), to prosecution. It matters because they used twisted language like "enhance interrogation techniques" to cover up an illegal and immoral policy of systematic and deliberate brutality. And it matters because allowing them to get away with this makes us all complicit.
And as to your point about torture as a crime: The U.S. is a party to the Convention Against Torture. So, yes. It's a crime.
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