Comments on: It’s going to get worse, before it gets better

By: Reverend Loveshade

Reverend Loveshade — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:55:08 +0000

We have noted that your blog includes information on committing acts of terrorism and links to the same. Many blogs do this, which could be a threat to our way of life.

Therefore we are proposing a law that, in order to keep the citizens safe from possible terrorist attacks by people who gain their information from blogs, all blogs will be suspended.

This is for your safety, and for the safety of your children.

Thank you for listening, and have a day.

By: m1k3y

m1k3y — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:11:05 +0000

@taz – you’re right, i was. mea culpa

By: taz

taz — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:14:29 +0000

“You can bet there’s armed and angry right-wing militias in the States studying every single bit of data they can on the Mumbai attacks. And thinking they can do it one better. Have we forgotten who the first people to try to blow up the World Trade Center were. And when that was. The Clinton era. Those ‘evil Democrats’ who want to take peoples guns away.”

I think you’re confusing the 1993 WTC bombing with the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing). The earlier WTC attack was the work of al Qaeda, not US militants.

By: Seej 500

Seej 500 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:43:36 +0000

A quick note for all you Americans (google will give you further detail), but in the US police ARE NOT allowed to just confiscate your camera like that without a court order. Your First Ammdnement rights protect pictures and footage you take. SRSLY; look this stuff up.

Dunno about other countries but here in the UK section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 has been getting abused by police confiscating cameras, and the law is quite muddy on this issue unfotunately, but recent guidance from the NPIA says that you ARE allowed to take pictures where “an authority under section 44 is in place” unless other legislation forbids it. The police may confiscate cameras/memory cards, but may not destroy them, and only if it pertains to suspected involvement in terrorism.

By: Jared

Jared — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:56:42 +0000

@Cat

Yeah, I kinda equate “smart” and “fix the system” to basically be the same thing.

By: Cat Vincent

Cat Vincent — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:45:20 +0000

Hey Mikey – if you’ve not read this work on the subject of victimless crime, you might want a gander before you finish your next opus: http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/books/aint/
(It’s on the many reasons why removing all victimless – or as the writer terms them, ‘consensual’) crimes and only persuing those who break consent on people or property. Interesting, if US-centric.

@Jared – it doesn’t matter if those elected are competent if the system they inherit is broken and corrupt… unless they fix the system. Most, however smart, seccumb to the traps of corruption and pressure groups and money.
But I do concur that working with police etc as people rather than symbols of a monolithic ‘The Man’ is good policy. Works well on the Green action camps.

By: Jared

Jared — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:33:14 +0000

Ultimately, I think Leonard Ritter on the comments here has said what will probably help best in the long run.

The inherient problem I see in this is, like he mentioned that members of the police and corporations aren’t fully evil. They’re not singular, mustache-twirling villains. To the police, they are just doing their jobs, protecting the peace with what their superiors give them. To the big-wigs of corporations, they’re just trying to make their companies as successful as humanly possible, and doing what others have done to keep up. Of course, the problem is that when your whole system is full of these mentallities, that’s when it starts to become a overwealmingly bad force.

So, while taking arms and calling for revolution sounds inticing, I still think the best way to create positive change is to create nonviolent protest and create open dialogue to them in ways that they can understand. Tell the policeman that having limits on them and being open to question like any public servant will make people more trusting of them. Tell the businessman that their massive, risky endevors they do to keep up with the competition will only make things worse for them in the long-run. Hell, the recession is already showing them this, except our government thinks the best way to keep our financial system intact is to reward these poor bastards for their failures.

…You know what else will help change things? Elect competant fucking people into the government.

By: Spiraltwist

Spiraltwist — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:55:47 +0000

RE: media, Jonathan Hickman, the same guy that wrote TRANSHUMAN, also wrote THE NIGHTLY NEWS - it's an excellent read concerning the media.

By: VertigoJones

VertigoJones — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:44:36 +0000

The biggest concern here is not understanding that the nature of things has to change. Its the concern regarding how far the people in receipt of the greatest benefits of the current system of things will go to keep it in place, regardless of the fallout. As the tools of government become more aware of the erosion of power through documentary, the more will be done to stop it. The technology to stop recording, phoning, and other telecoms already exists. The real danger is if the powers that be start to use it.

By: m1k3y

m1k3y — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:32:38 +0000

So glad to see it’s not just me.

@pezmen – what I find interesting re: TV is that some many more people are bittorrenting their shows or watching it on DVD. Meaning their exposure to advertising and Govt propaganda is diminished. Steal your content, free your mind?

To All that pointed out the BART Cops _did_ in fact take as many mobile phones as they could. *Shit*. It’s worse than I thought..

@captain trips – widescale legal reform on victimless crimes is *long* overdue.. in fact, I have an unfinished rant on that kicking around.. stay tuned!