Question?

Hey folks how are you all doing? First, to the Rodent, Welcome back brother, sorry I didn't hold up my end as well as I should have. But as with you work conspired to keep me busy and unable to get a good rant or post going. This is just a stream of consciousness; I hope it makes a little sense.I was reading the paper last week, and looking at the picture of the hamas thugs in Palestine occupying the Presidents Office, and I was curious. Does it strike anyone else as a bit cowardly, that these PUNKS who call themselves freedom fighters, and are so proud of what they do, wear masks? If they are so proud why are they wearing the FREAKIN’ MASK? Are they afraid of something, or what, are they embarrassed, and don't want their mama to see them acting the fool? I have always thought the same about the klan, and those gang bangers one sees posturing on TV, and in the paper. They are so proud of being racists, crimanals, and terrorists, but yet, they wear hoods. Does anyone else see the dichotomy of this; proud of what they are but won't show their face, that doesn't make sense. Does it? As I thought more about this, and the fight that brought about this turn of events, the hamas thugs in the Presidents Office and them taking over the Gaza Strip, I knew I was going to be called a racist or islamaphobe or whatever. Well you know what, I don't care because this is America and I can have, and voice an opinion, be it wrong or not. Besides, I don't make things the way they are, I just calls 'em like I sees it. But, anyway, here are my thoughts, first the Palestinians can't have or aren't ready for self rule, not if it is a Democratic form of government. They need someone who can rule with an iron fist. If that were not true then why is their economy and infrastructure in such disarray? Why are the conditions so dire when the European Union and America gives the Palestinian Authority millions of dollars yearly? Answer, because the government is nothing but a bunch of corrupt, thieving bastards. Second, why since they haven't been able to get an honest government going, one that could control the terrorists from hamas and fatah, are they still saying it is Israel's fault? How can it be Israel’s fault if they can’t build a country with such largess from the world over? Further, I heard that thousands of Palestinians are fleeing to Israel to escape the fighting in the Gaza strip. Does anyone see the irony in this, I know the Palestinians don't. First they wanted to have their own home land and self rule; now that they have it they want back into Israel where it is safe. The next thing that came to mind was that Israel should tell them NO, You can't come in; they don’t want Israeli settlements in Gaza, then No, settlements in Israel. Another thing was why Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East that has any semblance of Democracy, even though it has very tenuous hold on it. What with Hezbollah being funded by Iran, and doing everything in its power at Iran’s behest to topple it. What is it about the Middle East that none of these people want to be free? Are they all masochist or what. Well, as I said back with my first post I will sometimes rant, sometimes make sense and others not. I hope I didn't sound like some wingnut, but sometime you just got the get things off your chest.

Permalink

Hide From The Secret Police

Does anybody remember Rodney King? If you forgot, click the link to see Rodney King getting brutally beaten after a high-speed chase, eventually leading to the 1992 race riots in LA. What most people don't know is that thirteen seconds of footage, edited out and not aired on television, showed Rodney King getting up and charging at a police officer. Perhaps that video, if aired, could have prevented the deaths of fifty-three people.

My point is this -- information is power, and video is the most powerful form of information. It influences in a way that the written word cannot. Seeing is believing, and controlling what people see is a sure why to control them. Which leads me to my big question of the day -- do the police control people, or do people control the police?

Brian Kelly, an eighteen year old in Carlisle, PA, was riding in the passenger seat of a friend's pickup when the truck was pulled over by police for speeding. When the officer began yelling at his friend, Brian started recording the incident on his camcorder. He was arrested, and is currently facing up to seven years for violating Pennsylvania's wiretapping statute. (more info)

Wiretapping? Pennsylvania has a law prohibiting the recording of any conversations of any persons without their knowledge. The video wasn't the problem, but recording the police officer speaking was against the law. Ironically, the law has an explicit exception to allow police officers to record traffic stops themselves.

So let's review. The police are allowed to film you, but you cannot film them. The police are the only ones who can have footage of an incident. Maybe Pennsylvania learned from Rodney King. If you control the video, you can control what to release. Right now, the police can show their side, but nobody can (legally) record video to show the other side of the story.

Any regular reader of the Rodent is going to agree with me here: A police officer is a public servant. Everything he does in the line of duty is, by definition, public information. Yes, there are undercover policemen who need to have information, including their identity, concealed temporarily. However, at the end of the day, all police must be accountable for their actions.

I've personally been the subject of illegal and unwarranted searches by overzealous police. The attitude is simple -- if you're innocent, you've got nothing to worry about. Let's turn that around. If you're acting properly, you have nothing to fear from being filmed.

Pennsylvanians -- PLEASE contact your state legislator and let them know this law must be changed to allow the recording of all state employees in the line of duty.

Permalink

RIAA Lapdogs

Sorry for being gone so long; sometimes things come up. I'm back!

I love our country. Every now and then I hear someone talking about how corrupt our government is, and how they wished they lived somewhere else. I've lived in a great many different countries, and I have to say America is unique in it's government's transparency. Sure, sometimes a politician is caught with ninety thousand dollars in a freezer, but that's the point, isn't it? He was caught.

I bring this up because America lets us watch over our politicians and see what they're up to, and who they're accepting money from. And I'm going to make the assumption that the majority of readers realize the RIAA is evil, whether for suing widows for their departed's prior downloads, support for DRM, or for extortion and computer fraud. Most recently I've been upset at their claims they must be paid royalties for all Internet radio transmissions, regardless if the artists played are members of RIAA.

So without further ado, click here for the names and addresses of politicians who accepted money from RIAA in the last election cycle. Write your local politician, change your vote, or just let Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both on the list, know exactly how you feel.

Permalink