This is not news. Everybody knows prisons are horrible places with corrupt and sadistic corrections officers. It has always been so for decades, and the fix is in, so there is no way to change it.
I don't know what jail was like when they wrote that 'cruel and unusual punishment' clause, but there is no doubt now that putting a man in jail is cruel and unusual punishment. Does a guy who swipes you iPhone on the street deserve one to three years of regular beatings and daily psychological torture? That's why I propose a radical new three tiered penal system.
For simple theft, conversion, or destruction of property - full restitution plus a punitive fine.
For violent crimes such as assault or armed robbery - public flogging. Better one beating in the public square than years of daily beatings and the psychological torture inherent in the prison system. Besides, the public nature of the beating will act as a deterrent to other would-be ne'er-do-wells.
Maybe, but if a blog allows the option to comment anonymously, it should either honor the poster's wish to remain anonymous, or publish a disclaimer over the comments section in huge red letters: "WARNING! COMMENTS POSTED ANONYMOUSLY MAY NOT REMAIN ANONYMOUS IF WE DETERMINE THE CONTENT TO BE OFFENSIVE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF COMMENTERS TO GUESS OUR CRITERIA REGARDING OFFENSIVENESS."
I presume TechDirt shares this person's policy on anonymity, as you so prominently feature his justification for violating it. Might be useful to your many anonymous commenters if you posted a clear policy regarding the matter.
So, little Billy is dragged off to the funeral of some relative he barely knows, sees the Superman logo on a tombstone, and breaks into tears, asking mommy and daddy when Superman died? Then as they try to bundle him away from the gravesite, he sees dozens of other tombstones with the Superman logo, and his little mind is shattered, like if the contractors putting in a pool in his backyard uncovered a mass grave of Santa Clauses murdered by some psycho mall-santa killer. DC gets sued out of existance, and Superman dies for real this time, taking Batman with him.
Maybe he made a deal with Doctorow: 'I will ban your book at my school. When this news goes viral, sales of your book will skyrocket worldwide, and you pay me a modest percentage of your spike in royalties from these sales."
For the guy who leaps and bounds to the conclusion that this principal must be a Christian, like all those rednecks down south, that it's Christians who want to ban books, that no one stops kids from reading the bible, here's this story which also recently happened in Florida: http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/05/07/florida-public-school-bans-student-reading-bible/ . In fact I see stories like this one at least as often as I've seen the ones about schools banning 'Huckleberry Finn' or 'Brave New World'.
You don't have to be religious to be a control freak. I think tyranny of the mind is pretty evenly represented among all types of people. One difference though, is that if you don't send your kid to church, or he refuses to go, nobody gives a shit. If you don't send him to school, however, the law can take him away from you if deemed necessary to ensure that little fucker's regular attendance at the child indoctrination center.
Another difference is that no kid ever shot up his church, but lots of kids have shot up their schools.
'Civil Disobedience' and '1984' were required reading in school. They were ostensibly raising citizens back then, although it must be admitted that if you backsassed a teacher with a quote from Orwell or Thoreau, it was off to the Vice Principle with you. Seriously, it wasn't that long ago. Maybe they didn't really want us to question authority, but they sure paid lots of lip service to those historical figures who did, and we got to read their books.
I think public education has always been about indoctrinating drones, it's just that now they are making no pretense otherwise.
Leahy is a stalking horse. Early EFF poster boy who subsequently co-sponsored anti-privacy bills, now putative patent reform advocate subsequently doing patent trolls bidding. Recently came out in favor of medical marijuana, and all the MM advocates were ecstatic. I warned friends of mine, getting Leahy on your side is a death knell. He's just trying to get ascendency on a trending issue so he can ultimately kill it. It's a pattern with him.
There are all sorts of redundant laws on the books. They get passed so legislators can appear to be 'doing something' to solve a problem, and it's cheaper than actually enforcing applicable laws already on the books.
Glad to know that lawyers had no part in creating the crazy, byzantine system we mere mortals can't navigate without them. I guess that's why they are so widely loved and revered that the accepted way to stop one from drowning is to shoot him.
if the punishment for possessing an actual firearm is the same as chewing your pop tart into the shape of a gun? I think the take-away here for kids packing a lunch for school is "take the gun; leave the cannoli"
No, that's no good. Washington is a place; obnoxious is a character trait. If his team was called the Bloodthirsty Redskins, you could have the Obnoxious Jewboys. Since he's got the Washington Redskins, you would have to have, say, the New York Jewboys. Only thing is, thousands of New York Jews would proudly buy and wear a cap or jersey from this team, which would sort of defeat your purpose.
> "Re: "I have seen no reports and know of no one who blames the workers at the NSA for any of this."
Yes, this is one of the big distortions the NSA defenders trot out regularly -- pretending that criticism of the agency's actions is really criticism of the rank-and-file workers."
Um, did I just imagine the stories about how rank and file workers abused their positions at NSA to access data on people who were under no sort of gov't investigation whatever, like ex-girlfriends, friends, and neighbors, just for the hell of it and because they can?
When you're 8, a year is an eighth of the total time you've been alive. When you're 80, a year is only one 80th of your of the time you've lived. That's why years seem to fly by when you're old, and when you're a kid you're like, "Next Summer?! That's a whole year away!"
Cruel and unusual.
I don't know what jail was like when they wrote that 'cruel and unusual punishment' clause, but there is no doubt now that putting a man in jail is cruel and unusual punishment. Does a guy who swipes you iPhone on the street deserve one to three years of regular beatings and daily psychological torture? That's why I propose a radical new three tiered penal system.
For simple theft, conversion, or destruction of property - full restitution plus a punitive fine.
For violent crimes such as assault or armed robbery - public flogging. Better one beating in the public square than years of daily beatings and the psychological torture inherent in the prison system. Besides, the public nature of the beating will act as a deterrent to other would-be ne'er-do-wells.
For murder, kidnapping, or rape - execution.
Prison should be done away with altogether.
Re: Is anyone truly surprised at this?
I presume TechDirt shares this person's policy on anonymity, as you so prominently feature his justification for violating it. Might be useful to your many anonymous commenters if you posted a clear policy regarding the matter.
And before anyone jumps on me, I hate Nazis too.
unintended consequences
Won't somebody think of the children?
Much ado about nothing.
I am not a dingo
Clever Marketing Scheme
For the guy who leaps and bounds to the conclusion that this principal must be a Christian, like all those rednecks down south, that it's Christians who want to ban books, that no one stops kids from reading the bible, here's this story which also recently happened in Florida: http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/05/07/florida-public-school-bans-student-reading-bible/ . In fact I see stories like this one at least as often as I've seen the ones about schools banning 'Huckleberry Finn' or 'Brave New World'.
You don't have to be religious to be a control freak. I think tyranny of the mind is pretty evenly represented among all types of people. One difference though, is that if you don't send your kid to church, or he refuses to go, nobody gives a shit. If you don't send him to school, however, the law can take him away from you if deemed necessary to ensure that little fucker's regular attendance at the child indoctrination center.
Another difference is that no kid ever shot up his church, but lots of kids have shot up their schools.
When I was a kid...
I think public education has always been about indoctrinating drones, it's just that now they are making no pretense otherwise.
Re: Senator Leahy needs to go
Re: Re: So...quick question
Re: Re: Re:
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: No, this is NOT Levison's fault
Re: How do we fix it?
Re: Re: hard place rock interface (as Mat Bastardson)
Is it really zero tolerance...
Re: Re:
Re: This makes me realize I am in the wrong line of work
Re: Re:
"I have seen no reports and know of no one who blames the workers at the NSA for any of this."
Yes, this is one of the big distortions the NSA defenders trot out regularly -- pretending that criticism of the agency's actions is really criticism of the rank-and-file workers."
Um, did I just imagine the stories about how rank and file workers abused their positions at NSA to access data on people who were under no sort of gov't investigation whatever, like ex-girlfriends, friends, and neighbors, just for the hell of it and because they can?
Re: Re:
A hundred years ago...
relatively speaking
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