Oblate 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (464)

• On the post: Oklahoma Looks To Clamp Down On Uninsured Driving With Traffic Cams And Perverse Incentives

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 29 Nov, 2017 @ 06:21am

  There's a market opportunity here

  ...detect uninsured vehicles and mailing their owners a citation with a fine of $184...

  Cue some cheap insurance company offering car insurance for $183...

• On the post: Sheriff Says He Won't Deploy Body Cameras Because He Doesn't Want His Deputies Criticized

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2017 @ 06:30am

  No need for exonerating evidence

  And it's not as though the footage can't be exonerating as often as it is damning.

  This might be persuasive to a Sheriff who ran a department where people were held accountable for their actions.

• On the post: Sheriff's Office To Pay $3 Million For Invasive Searches Of 850 High School Students

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 20 Nov, 2017 @ 02:19pm

  The obvious next step (for someone who has learned nothing)

  After the students receive the payouts, can we expect the sheriff to initiate a lengthy series of civil asset forfeitures from the students and their families? I would almost be disappointed in the sheriff if he didn't try to reclaim that $3M (plus expenses), or do something equally stupid.

• On the post: City Of Portland Still Jerking Around Local Businesses Over Trademark Of Famous City Sign

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2017 @ 07:54am

  City hall seems dirty...

  So is Old Town Brewing's liquor license going to mysteriously disappear? Will they have a fire of unknown origin? Surprise audits? Rezoning? I'm sure they have a fun time ahead of them...

• On the post: Deputy Shoots Family's Terrier; Complains About Cost Of The Bullet

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2017 @ 06:22am

  Blame his illiteracy

  Obviously this is not the brightest cop. He must have mistaken "Terrier" for "Terrorist" and thought that not only his life, but the lives of the people around him (not their pets, screw their pets) were in danger and start shooting like his hero, Yosemite Sam, would do.

• On the post: DOJ Finally Drops Case Against Protester Who Laughed During Jeff Sessions' Confirmation Hearing

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2017 @ 06:34am

  Re:

  There is the opportunity cost in that those people could have (theoretically) been doing something useful with the time instead wasted on this case.

• On the post: Cop Loses Immunity After Shooting, Headstomping Gravely-Injured Suspect

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2017 @ 06:33am

  Re:

  I would guess that most of those nine shots subdued non-compliant shrubbery instead of the primary target. 15 feet can be a pretty challenging distance for some shooters. Obviously the 2-3 shots that did hit Zion, according to his Mom's attorney, were more than sufficient to incapacitate him.

• On the post: Don't Cheer For The Twitter Employee Who Deleted Donald Trump's Account

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2017 @ 11:23am

  Was it even anti-Trump?

  Were I a Trump supporter, I would be thrilled to see his Twitter account voluntarily disabled in the hopes that he would use a more dignified method of communications (as he seemingly can't use Twitter in a dignified manner). As it is, I appreciate (but don't follow) his Twitter account for the combination of humor and horror that it unintentionally provides. Either way, Trump, as a U.S. citizen, has the right to express himself however he wants to and supporters and detractors should condemn moves like this. Anyone who supports this can't complain when the same thing happens to their preferred politician.

• On the post: Man Gets $37,500 Payout After Field Drug Test Says Donut Crumbs Are Methamphetamines

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2017 @ 10:37am

  Re: Re:

  I always liked the taste test, as seen on TV. That cops have sufficient experience to taste an unknown substance and then tell the audience what kind of drug it is, is at the least humorous.

  Most popular Google search after this is enacted as policy: "How to disguise dog poop as illegal drugs".

• On the post: Man Gets $37,500 Payout After Field Drug Test Says Donut Crumbs Are Methamphetamines

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2017 @ 10:13am

  Simple solution: either people without a criminal record are not held pending results from a real drug test by competent personnel, or people cleared by such a test are reimbursed for their salary and expenses for the duration held. The arresting officer should also have to explain, in person, to the family and employer of the person held, that they were the ones who mistook a piece of donut for an illegal substance. The officer should also be forced to wear a 'Keystone Cops' badge for the same amount of time that the person was held.
  
  I'm guessing most would go with the first option.

• On the post: Researcher Still Being Pursued By Russian Bank Over Last Year's Mistaken Trump Connection Story

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2017 @ 12:36pm

  They can always ask...

  FOIA Exemption 6:Information that, if disclosed, would invade another individual's personal privacy.

  Seems like any e-mails to or from Tea Leaves might be exempted. Any additional potentially responsive e-mails could be rejected using the rule the banks bought:

  FOIA Exemption 8: Information that concerns the supervision of financial institutions.

  Might not be entirely (or even very) fitting, but they would get points for irony. Most of the e-mail that remains would likely be campaign ads and other junk mail.

• On the post: Michigan Lawmaker Flees Twitter After Reports Highlight She Helped AT&T Push Anti-Competition Broadband Law

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2017 @ 05:40am

  Re:

  That money might be better spent on her opponent in the next election.

• On the post: FCC Likely To Use Thanksgiving Holiday To Hide Its Unpopular Plan To Kill Net Neutrality

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2017 @ 05:33am

  Seems appropriate actually...

  Thanksgiving is typically the holiday where we bring out some overstuffed turkey, which is then shoved down people's throats. Pai is just so used to hearing analogies between his policy and turkeys that he's forgotten there's an actual bird with that name.

• On the post: Fired Cop's Attorney Argues His Client Is Being Punished Unfairly Because The Public Got To See His Misconduct

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 18 Oct, 2017 @ 10:08am

  Surprising lack of action

  So has the person who took the video been arrested for 'something' yet? Or will they just be harassed once the spotlight is off the police?

• On the post: More Prisons Banning In-Person Visits, Adding To Securus Tech's Pile Of Cash

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 04 Oct, 2017 @ 06:46am

  Re: Re: Re:

  The question isn't 'if', but 'how quickly and to what extent'

  I imagine Mr. Pai is already loosening the belt on his trenchcoat and applying lube while still in the cab on the way to telecom HQ.

• On the post: Court Tosses Cop's Lawsuit Against Social Movement, Twitter Hashtag

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 02 Oct, 2017 @ 11:36am

  But he's not done yet...

  Later this week the unnamed cop will be filing a new round of lawsuits, this time suing the rock, the hashtag #flyingrock, the musical style of Rock'n'Roll, the towns of Rockford and Rockville (he believes the rock may have been raised in one of them), and the Mesozoic era.

• On the post: FBI Misconstrued Content Of Doc Leaker Reality Winner's Jailhouse Calls

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2017 @ 01:13pm

  Re: Re: "FBI Misconstrued" is much too mild

  In other words, the FBI can't be trusted.

  That's a matter of perspective. From the FBI's perspective, it's the prosecutor who can't be trusted. For everyone else, it's what you said.

• On the post: Is There A Single Online Service Not Put At Risk By SESTA?

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 19 Sep, 2017 @ 10:16am

  Re: Re:

  Don't you think that the poor people with that phone number have been harassed enough already?

  When I called them they said they had not, but for $9.99/minute I could harass them all I wanted. YMMV with area code.

• On the post: Dear Government Employees: Asking Questions – Even Dumb Ones – Is Not A Criminal Offense

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2017 @ 10:34am

  Re: Re: Re:

  Where this analogy fails is in the 'abduct' part:
  
  abduct
  verb
  1. take (someone) away illegally by force or deception;
  
  Kidnap is often used as a synonym, but this use fails the 'illegal' part. Using words incorrectly does not strengthen an argument.

• On the post: Monkey Selfie Case Reaches Settlement — But The Parties Want To Delete Ruling Saying Monkeys Can't Hold Copyright

  

  Oblate ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2017 @ 01:27pm

  Does this mean that PETA lawyers can't hold copyrights?

Next >>