http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c733 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:49:43 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c733 abundantly clear that the concern is effectively dealing with sexual assault. A cursory web search reveals that sexual assault is a serious problem at this school. Neither the DoJ nor the DoE is trying to curtail students' rights of free speech. It is not particularly surprising that most commenters have not troubled to read the document, but it is disappointing and discouraging that Tim seems not to have read it.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c800 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:49:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c800 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c717 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:47:06 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c717
Apparently, the government is requiring, among other things, that the university STOP requiring clear and convincing evidence to punish students. I mean, who needs clear and convincing evidence as long as we think you did it?

And to make things worse, the government calls out the university for not changing its evidence standards IN THE MIDDLE OF A CASE. Can you imagine preparing a defense only to find that the other side's burden of proof has suddenly been lowered?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c707 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:47:04 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c707
Now you know one of the reasons for the obama takeover of student loans.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c200 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:47:03 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c200 It also seems to me that if a device has two SD cards then one of them is a clear decoy.

WTF?

Please explain further.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/12190223151/prendas-paul-hansmeier-asks-appeals-court-to-delay-sanctions-appeals-court-says-no-try-again.shtml#c437 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:43:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/12190223151/prendas-paul-hansmeier-asks-appeals-court-to-delay-sanctions-appeals-court-says-no-try-again.shtml#c437
Firstly Steele starts comparing Judge Wright to various genocidal lunatics (without naming any).

When the Judge asks if Steele is comparing him to Hitler, Steele then invokes Godwins Law which means any argument or discussion is effectively over and Judge Wright has lost........It's probably a better strategy than any Steele has tried so far.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c176 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:43:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c176
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTPzTG1Lx60

-Johnny Fever]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c798 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c798
The military's job is to break shit and kill. That's what they do. I suspect the good Lt. Col. never had to get out in it and find out just what his branch did do.

You can desk jockey your whole career or you can come in say a psychologist and start out as a Lt. Col., which means he never got promoted if that is the case.

On the whole it sounds like he's someone with enough rank to be stupid and dangerous to those around them. That is exactly what started fraggin' parties in Vietnam is the troops wanted to survive the experience and it was unlikely with leaders such as this bonehead would have been.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c702 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c702
First, Washington never considered this to be an issue until 2013? Now that the Obama Administration has been getting one beating after another and they are embroiled in one disaster after another, the administration is trying to score some points but they are doing so for the wrong reasons.

Sure, draft policy for campuses that forces every campus to take every complaint of sexual harassment as serious as they would any other crime but it seems there are harsher penalties for cheating on an exam then there are for sexual harassment and that is simply unacceptable.

Finally, I think that the policy needs to be scaled back so that it doesn't chill free speech. If some people are talking innocently, or cracking a joke, and a female student happens to be walking by, I think that punishment deeming it as sexual harassment should be taken in context of the conversation. if the students were talking in a manner because they first saw a female student walking by then they should be penalized for sexual harassment. But, there are just so many innocent discussions that now stand the chance of being seen as sexual harassment.

Are dumb blonde jokes now considered sexual harassment? What about sorority and fraternity parties or initiations that often involve sex?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c169 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:39:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c169
It also seems to me that if a device has two SD cards then one of them is a clear decoy. This is a nice addition to fight unlawful seizure but clearly this is a sign that she aimed to get arrested.

With all that said she did not do anything wrong when she did not interfere in their work. I am quite sure that upholding the law does not involve charging people with false crimes when they could have handled her in a more social way.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c777 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:39:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c777 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c678 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:39:05 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c678
I therefore want to complain about the following groups:
Men, Women, boys, girls, transgender pre-op boys, transgenger pre-op girls, transgender post-op boys, transgender post-op girls, "other", and asexuals (for flaunting their non-sexualness)
I also find trousers and skirts offensive because they draw a line between the acceptable (above the waist) and the naughty parts (below the waist).

I also find full body-bag style clothes offensive because by completely hiding every part of the body they FORCE me to use my imagination to think about whats going on underneath....

There that should do it....]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c147 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:39:03 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c147 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c124 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:38:40 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c124 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c108 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:38:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c108 accountable and to a higher standard than the public. because they are as much peacekeepers as they are upholders of the law.

Abuses should be called to account. But not in Stasi America.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c759 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:37:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c759
Which is rather the point.

When the US and it's tagalongs of the bullied and the credulous invaded;
Iraq did not have WMD or the capability of manufacturing them.
It was not engaged in any form of genocide.
It was not engaged in war with any other country and it was not harbouring terrorists despite much manipulation to play make believe with that.

The invasion of Iraq was a war of aggression, the very crime that Iraq committed and the people responsible for it and the subsequent deaths, maimings etc are at least as criminal as Hussein was.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c659 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:37:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c659
As long as a student is paid up and didn't do anything criminal, they have the right of any academic punishment to be acquitted by a jury of their peers.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c87 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:36:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c87
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130512/20494523050/bakersfield-ca-law-enforcement-follow-up-beating-possibly-intoxicated-man-to-death-seizing-witnesses-cell-phones.shtml

Supposedly it might be turned over to the FBI but the truth is, unless we put pressure for any cops responsible for doing anything wrong to be proportionally disciplined (proportional to how a normal citizen would be disciplined if they did the same thing, but a cop should, if anything, be more strictly disciplined) with jail time, fines, paying damages to the family, etc... chances are this thing will continue to stall and, after everyone forgets about it, nothing might be done.

But the fault lies with those making the recordings. One person calls the cops and tells them of the recording. The cops should have been notified of the footage only after it was available for all to see. People need to be smarter about this stuff and to be aware that, while you (should) have a right to record, reality doesn't always work that way.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c658 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:36:04 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c658
How can you tell it's unwelcome before you extend it? Your intended can't let you know it is unwelcome until after you ask.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c643 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:35:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c643