Free Capitalist 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (681)

• On the post: Full Homeland Security Affidavit To Seize Domains Riddled With Technical & Legal Errors

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2010 @ 09:14am

  Should he really be using a live IP address with an associated name and whois record as an example in a public document? The owners aren't named witches...

• On the post: Why Are US Publications Downplaying The Significance Of Some Of Wikileaks' Leaks?

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2010 @ 08:21am

  Re:

  Ad hominem works.

• On the post: Why Are US Publications Downplaying The Significance Of Some Of Wikileaks' Leaks?

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2010 @ 08:10am

  Re: Re:

  I wouldn't say that the press controls the people. But it should inform them. Control is a scary word, and it's more akin to what the government is doing to the press by scaring it into silence.

  
  I agree that the press informing the people is the ideal.
  
  However, control of information is in this era equatable with control of politics. Discuss politics with the average person on the street and 9/10 times you will be listening to the same emotional 'talking points' you read about in the news.
  
  These days, it seems like for those common people who either only have the time to read news from one source or only follow 'TV news' and commentary, objectivity itself is a pariah.
  
  Being an objective human, in my mind, is at least 80% impulse control. The emotional political "conversation" as dictated by the modern press has devolved discussion of government to pre-Stone Age grunting.

• On the post: Will The Journalists Who Outed CIA's Pakistan Chief Be Treated Like Julian Assange?

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 10:13am

  Re:

  but it's not nearly the same level of harm

  
  True, the scope of the Wikileaks documents, as hum-drum and devoid of anything surprising as they may be, was far more embarrassing.
  
  Lives, bah! We have face at stake here people!

• On the post: Feel Like Being A Neighborhood Snitch? There's An App For That!

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 09:54am

  Re: Re: Learning something new every day...

  Used to be, I might pay $1.50 for a full 550 mL of freedom, but now my $0.99 only gets me a 225 mL

  
  Frak, I need to read the labels on this stuff. Yet another reason to avoid Chinese made generic medications...

• On the post: Feel Like Being A Neighborhood Snitch? There's An App For That!

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 09:40am

  Learning something new every day...

  FTA
  

  
  The $0.99 app, named after the controversial Patriot Act brought in by the U.S. government after 9/11, is designed to ?encourage active citizen participation in the War on Terror and in protecting their families and surrounding communities?, its makers Citizen Concepts claim.
  

  
  
  Huh, $0.99? I always thought freedom costs a buck-o-five...
  
  Who said the dollar is de-valuing!

• On the post: Bank Of America — Thought To Be Wikileaks Next Target — Suddenly Tries To Block Payments To Wikileaks

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 09:34am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  Yes he said it.
  
  Yes, the reporter was being a tabloid schmuck.

• On the post: How Long Until A Feature Length Movie Is Filmed Entirely With Smartphones?

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 09:10am

  Re:

  As long as everyone is willing to accept the old shaky cam on the big screen, they are good to go. The current pixel resolution for higher end phone cameras / video recorders is good enough to pass the stink test.

  
  These days are simultaneously the best and the most frustrating for videophiles.
  

  Just don't shoot another Cloverfield.

  
  Dear filmmakers and potentials: please, please PLEASE take this advice.

• On the post: Homeland Security Presents 'Evidence' For Domain Seizures; Proves It Knows Little About The Internet – Or The Law

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 11:45am

  Re: Re:

  Contributing to infringement hell, imdb is a pirate haven from which they set sail to rape, pillage and murder along the entire coastline by the wide Accountan Sea.

• On the post: Judge In Limewire Case Wants To Explore How Much File Sharing Really Costs Record Labels

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 11:08am

  They'll get back to them with a crayon scribbled construction paper bearing the proof of losses:
  
  1 song @ $1 x 1 billeeon pirates = 1 Billeeeonon per song!
  
  'Proof of losses has been duly noted and requested damages increased accordingly'.

• On the post: Homeland Security Presents 'Evidence' For Domain Seizures; Proves It Knows Little About The Internet – Or The Law

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 11:03am

  Re:

  Maybe Agent Reynolds, like Jim the corrupt cop Keyzer before him, can now get a nice job with the MPAA.

  
  What and give up the cushy 'do what you will' job he has for them now?

• On the post: So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange 'Conspired' With Him

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 10:43am

  Re:

  Is anyone even the slightest bit concerned that he released raw, unvetted information to a foreign national in a foreign country?

  
  It makes no difference what content was released or in what form, if he released classified material to which he had privileged access, he broke the law.
  
  However some of us are concerned not only about what effect his treatment may have on a potential 'confession', but how the UCMJ basically allows it.
  
  The saddest part is that while it is quite distasteful, the treatment he's getting sounds like they're using 'the kid gloves' compared to what they could be doing.

• On the post: So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange 'Conspired' With Him

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 10:22am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: 'Torture' and the Never Known

  "pretty standard operating procedure" doesn't make it any less torturous.

  
  You'll get no disagreement from me there.
  
  However, using the standard for torture being discussed here, basic military training could be deemed torture.

• On the post: So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange 'Conspired' With Him

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 09:41am

  Re: Re: 'Torture' and the Never Known

  And only Americans would claim this is torture.

  
  I am an American, but I did not call this treatment torture as it is pretty standard operating procedure. I called it reprehensible, though implied permitted, treatment, especially for accused before trial.
  
  None of my representatives oversee third world countries where daily life carries more deprivations than solitary in a U.S. military prison, so the point is moot and ad hominem. However, I can wish that people serving my country are treated with fair justice by our own standards and appropriate to the military. This they do deserve, and it's not impossible to modify the UCMJ for the better.

• On the post: So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange 'Conspired' With Him

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 08:11am

  Re: Re: Let's suppose they get exactly what they want...

  Then they would just define what they did as "not torture" (after all, they did not cut or threaten to cut any part of his body) and it magically becomes admissible.

  
  I think you are correct, this will not be deemed 'torture' in court. On the flip side, I would hope a defense lawyer could point out that Manning was clearly would have made the 'confession' under duress.

• On the post: So After Torturing Bradley Manning For Months, US Officials Offer Him A Deal If He Says Assange 'Conspired' With Him

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2010 @ 07:56am

  'Torture' and the Never Known

  As an aside to this article, and follow up to my comments on the original 'torture' article I want to say:
  
  I feel the treatment Manning is going through is reprehensible. However this is far from uncommon in military prisons.
  
  If you feel compassion for Manning's situation, give a thought to the many thousands of military personnel who suffered similar, if not more severe deprivations - no doubt there are many entirely innocent people among them.

• On the post: Yet Another Court Explains To The Obama Administration That The 4th Amendment Means You Need To Get A Warrant

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2010 @ 12:53pm

  Re: Re: Ha.

  I gave Libertarianism a try for a couple of years. They are basically Republicans who don't believe in the war on drugs. Otherwise, just as moronic as the other two parties.

  
  No doubt Libertarians claim to be fiscal conservatives, but how do you equate that to today's Republicans?

• On the post: Shouldn't The Patent Office Be Able To Reject A Bad Patent Application For Real?

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2010 @ 12:37pm

  Re: Re: Re: I am not sure this would fix anything

  fees and all.

  
  Ding ding!
  
  And increase the fees relative to the sum of the all statutory awards granted to applicant.

• On the post: US Looking To Use Computer Hacking Law Against Assange

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2010 @ 10:52am

  What was hacked?

  
  I'm pretty sure it was the MCP, which will bring Disney down on his ass hard.
  
  Without a doubt, however, following the politics flailing around this story is a direct hack on reason. I want justice!

• On the post: Yet Another Court Explains To The Obama Administration That The 4th Amendment Means You Need To Get A Warrant

  

  Free Capitalist ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2010 @ 10:32am

  Re: bias showing

  It is this kind of partisan mindless crap that makes some of your readers wonder if you can be trusted at all.

  
  I might disagree with Mike sometimes, but I've seen a fairly consistent tone of indifference, or at least universal incrimination, when TD has mentioned politicians from either of the parties in power.

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