Constitution

Late Night Reading – 2

This entry was posted in Constitution Late Night Reads Law on by

Barton Aronson, Findlaw, argues that the Washington State Supreme Court was wrong in saying that the police needed a warrant to utilize a GPS system to track a suspect.
Gosh, Spiderman has used a tracker for years so it must be ok.
On the other hand I can see ashcroft insisting that everyone must be trackable, tracked and all the data linked to his database. If the current law is uncertain or leans in the direction of not requiring a warrant then, perhaps, it should be tightened up and made clear that a warrant should be required.
Good Night!

Damage Limits

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The Texas voters elected bush governor, twice, so it should not surprise anyone that they are willing to vote away their rights:

Other states have passed similar limits on medical malpractice awards, but Texas has now taken the process one giant step further. The initiative
extends the limits on malpractice awards across the board for lawsuits that could cover polluters, toxic dumpers, unsafe apartment buildings, hazardous workplaces or dangerous products.

Well, at least some of the Texas voters did this:

…Prop 12 passed with (last time I checked) 1% of the vote. The talking heads on the local news was very impressed with a 19% turn out (they had expected only 16%) for the vote. All I can say is if 19% voter turn out is a cause for excitement then our democracy is more threatened than I thought.

There is a lot of material and links in the Confined Space post and there is more over at A Skeptical Blog including here.
Via Nathan Newman.

Checking up on You

This entry was posted in bush Constitution Domestic Terrorism Law Libertarianism on by

This has the potential to put to make Hoover’s files and the FBI’s ’60s files look like childs play.

(12) The TTIC identities database, and the FBI’s database containing Purely Domestic Terrorism Information, will incorporate, to the extent permitted by law, available biometric dta, including data on persons who even if otherwise unidentified are known or appropriately suspected to be or have been involved in activities constituting, inpreparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism.

It was just a week ago that we were talking about rummie describing the opposition as “encouraging Washington’s enemies.” That certainly reads similar to ‘in aid of’ in the above paragraph.
The administration seems intent on getting its database on everyone up and running no matter the oppostion. And if you think it will not impact you because you haven’t done anything wrong, well, you are wrong.
1) To help them identify potential bad people they need an inclusive database. They need to have your data before you turn bad if they are going to quickly spot you before you do a bad thing.
2) Using the rummie rule I’m probably a candidate on the basis of this post alone let alone others. Think about how you fit into the bushies scheme of things.
Wake up and just say no! Now!
Via Talkleft.

Late Night Reading

This entry was posted in bush Constitution Economics Intellectual Property Late Night Reads on by

More D-Squared. This time on the microprobabily of micropayments. Which leads to:
Micropayments: First Clay Shirky and then Scott McCloud.
Reading Update (9/18): Kip, Longstory; shortpier, thinks micropayments for the right stuff will fly and suggests we also read Dirk Keppey’s supportive discussion at The Comics Journal.
Brian at Samizdata writes at leeennnnggth to suggest we all check out the new blog from the Adam Smith Institute. It may seem too free market for some but if they adhere to free market principles they will be an anathema to bush, et al.
Good Night!

ashcroft on NPR

This entry was posted in ashcroft Constitution Domestic Terrorism Patriot Act War on Terrorism on by

NPR did a segment today on ashcroft’s Patriot Act tour. He sounds just like Lis describes him:

Ashcroft came across so smug and smarmy that I had a fingernails across the blackboard reaction and may have yelled back at the radio.

You can find the audio links at NPR (down toward the bottom….and you might want to listen to the preceding music button after the ashcroft segment to relax a bit) or go directly to the recording: WM……RA.