Archive for the ‘internet/free speech’ Category

Clear on the concept

Posted: April 9, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, opinion/news
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Well I know nothing about SUU university but i do know one thing. At least one Senior by the name of Jeffrey Wilbur paid attention when reading the Constitution much closer than the administration of his college to wit:

In light of SUU officials plan to designate “Free Speech Zones” on campus, I thought I’d offer my assistance. Grab a map. OK, ready?

All right, you see that big area between Canada and Mexico, surrounded by lots of blue ink on the East and West? You see it?

There’s your bloody Free Speech Zone.

Jeffrey Wilbur

Senior communication major from Bountiful

This has gotten attention. No less than the great free speech crusader from the north Ezra Levent quotes him positively.

But think about it for a moment. Is this not a horrible thing that the public expression that the entire US is a free speech zone is so novel that we bloggers are celebrating it? It should go without saying. That fact condemns our politically correct and cowardly society more than anything else.

Murder

Posted: March 19, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech
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This is murder.

That’s all it is, imprison someone for speech you don’t like and let them die in prison.

But hey lets talk to these guys and let them develop the bomb.

Ok lets talk porn…

Posted: March 2, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech, oddities, opinion/news, tech
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Now that I have your attention…

I was thinking of this post concerning file sharing and how it has been a pain to persuade people off of these sites. Mostly due to free music and porn.

I can’t tell you how many systems I’ve worked on that were loaded with porn or with explicit icons on the desktop. I’ve actually had to tell explain the risk difference between stuff you will download with limewire or torrents and “good” porn sites that have subscription walls and do not want to infect you because they want you to be paying your $10 or $20 or whatever a month to keep looking.

These are tough economic times as my own job search has shown. With this in mind consider old but very relevant article:

“The contributors, or amateur porn models, they target are between the age of 18 and 24.

“Often struggling students, young single mothers, or just underpaid young women.

“So they come to a site that seemingly offers them an opportunity to make money while expressing themselves as sexual beings in an environment they are told is pro-female and that their creations will be viewed exclusively by members.

Now many of those sites do have subscription walls for their material just like many songs have copy protection and we all know how that works out. Once that file is downloaded by a member and put on a torrent or on a system with any file sharing poof the wall is gone.

Do you remember this exchange from the Magnificent Seven:

Chris: Harry tells me you faced bigger odds during the Travis County war.
O’Reilly: Well, they paid me six hundred dollars for that one.
Vin: He said you got that Selena thing cleared up in less than a month.
O’Reilly: Paid me eight hundred dollars for that one.
Vin: You cost a lot.
O’Reilly: Yeah. That’s right, I cost a lot.
Chris: The offer is twenty dollars.
[O’Reilly keeps chopping wood. Chris and Vin turn to leave.]
O’Reilly: Twenty dollars? Right now, that’s a lot.

Consider this for a moment (content warning):
(more…)

Hey the ACLU acting like…

Posted: February 26, 2009 by datechguy in internet/free speech
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…an actual civil liberties organization:

To help spruce up the building’s image, they hired artist Matt Evanson and gave him free rein to paint a giant mural of marine life, thus far depicting images of six local game fish: snook, redfish, tarpon, dolphin, grouper and sailfish. But Evanson has not been able to complete the artwork – which contains no words except for his signature – because the city on Florida’s Gulf Coast claims it violates the sign code.

He had an interesting counter:

His response? Proudly hang a giant banner with text of the First Amendment promoting free speech in front of the mural. Not amused, the city of Clearwater is now threatening to hook Quintero with fines of $500 a day for displaying the large version of America’s founding document.

Well they weren’t the only ones not amused:

The American Civil Liberties Union has been reeled in and is representing Quintero in court.

“Only in Florida could a business owner be targeted and fined for displaying artwork; and then in protest of the fine, display the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – and then be ticketed for that,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “Unfortunately, public officials disregard constitutional freedoms all the time, but punishing citizens for displaying the Constitution may be a first.”

Stop the ACLU is impressed:

This is a fight for a certain amount of free speech. All liberty minded Americans should hope for the ACLU to be victorious over this corrosive power of the city to impose itself on its citizens. Anyone interested in the rights of property owners should support Mr. Quintero in this fight. More of these thuggish city rules should be challenged throughout the country to put a check on the nanny state in which we increasingly live.

Hey lets see if this keeps up.

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