James Carmichael 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (114)

• On the post: Once Again, The Freedom Of Information Act Is Proving To Be Just That: An Act

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 13 Jun, 2011 @ 11:25am

  The actual reason why...

  There's actually a very valid reason why the FOIA is limited in such manner. You would understand and apologize immediately if you knew what it was, unfortunately we can't tell you because it's a matter of National Security. The government is also on its way to seizing your car and banging your wife. Why? Can't tell you; National Security. Why National Security? Fuck you, that's why.

• On the post: Miami Beach Police Tried To Destroy Video From Bystanders, Holding Them At Gunpoint

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2011 @ 11:17am

  You Americans and your guns are starting to seriously creep me out. Escalating violence and overcrowded jails? Maybe you need MORE GUNS. How long has it been since you declared war on something? Messed up... it's like you're turning into the countries you're attacking.

• On the post: Congress Folds: Extends Controversial & Likely Abused PATRIOT Act Provisions For 4 More Years

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 26 May, 2011 @ 08:37pm

  The what act?

  Can we at least rename it to something else? Maybe the War on People or the Weimar Act. That's right; Hitler reference.

• On the post: Congress Folds: Extends Controversial & Likely Abused PATRIOT Act Provisions For 4 More Years

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 26 May, 2011 @ 08:30pm

  Re:

  Some of these rats are smart.

• On the post: RIAA Calls 4th Amendment Passe: Pushes For Warrantless Searches

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 May, 2011 @ 01:35pm

  Wow Mike, you could start a totally separate blog populated only by stories which shows who violates or attempts to violate the Constitution. Of course, such a blog would get dismissed, because, you know, who cares about the Constitution.

• On the post: When Copyright And Contracts Can Get In The Way Of Art

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 07 May, 2011 @ 10:54am

  I'm a freelance web designer, and I never use contracts unless the client supplies one for me to sign. I can't stand unnecessary bureaucracy, and I prefer to make it clear that I trust my clients to pay me once the work is done, and that they can trust me to do the work as I stated I would do. It makes things so much simpler, and to know that you can trust people rather than relying on a piece of law-enforceable paper is just a huge weigh of my shoulders, and from what I hear, off of my client's shoulders as well. So far I haven't run into any problems, and so I'll keep the same approach unless I find a better one.
  
  Great artwork by the way! You're right to not accept revisions, at least in this case... people always want revisions, even only if it makes them feel better about the artwork. Art is art, nobody will ever perfectly agree on it, that's the whole point!

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 12:43pm

  Re: voted democrat for POTUS

  Even if they issue ID Cards, they can still add a few thousand votes on top, or find another way to cheat the system. Only way to make it bulletproof is to have votes not be secret, but I brought this up in another post last week and started a shitstorm about how people would be too scared to vote.
  
  But I mean, if you could go and look at the vote record, you could verify that:
  1) Your vote was counted
  2) Dead or 'fake' people didn't vote
  3) Nobody voted twice
  
  In other words, something this this would never happen. But hey, privacy trumps everything apparently. That and freedom, whatever it means.

• On the post: U2 Manager Still Blaming Everyone Else For Not Giving Him More Money… As U2 Sets Record For Highest Grossing Tour Ever

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 12:36pm

  Re: If Paul McGuinness wants more money...

  I think that really goes to the core of the issue here, namely, Paul McGuiness wants more money. It's not about Google, profit sharing, ISPs or whatever. It's about Paul McGuiness and how much money we must give him. I don't know what his salary is, but it ought to be doubled, and then doubled again once he gets used to his new salary. Then, once he spends THAT money, then we should double his salary again. YOU THIEVES ARE STEALING PAUL MCGUINESS' MONIES!

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 12:07pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Obvious sign of corruption?

  "Bush was elected fair and square" assuming this case of voting corruption is the only one in the country, which would be hard to believe.

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 11:40am

  Re:

  "A state or federal examination of what has been going on in Waukesha county is a no brainer."
  
  Fifty bucks there's not going to be any serious investigation. I'm starting to confuse the US with Nigeria...

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 11:38am

  Re: Obvious sign of corruption?

  Bush bought his presidency*
  
  *Not intended to be a factual statement. Or is it...

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 11:24am

  Re:

  Sorry, I didn't read the link until now. The Republicans got twice as many votes as the democrats, though that may just be because Wisconsin really likes Bush/Cheney.
  
  DEMOCRATIC (DEM) 30,322 votes (26.86%)
  REPUBLICAN (REP) 82,311 votes (72.92%)

• On the post: Wisconsin County That 'Found' Lost Votes Apparently Has Major Voting Irregularities For Years…

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2011 @ 11:20am

  I'm very curious as to whether there was a bias in the results towards one party rather than another? In other words, what were the *results* of the 97%-turnout vote? Was it leaning pro-Democrat or pro-Rebublican, or neutral, or maybe a hilariously named write-in got all the extra votes?
  
  I'm not accusing either party of cheating, but after finding out such numbers, you can't help but investigate further and find out if there was any obvious signs of corruption...

• On the post: AT&T Wheel Of Lobbying Astroturf Fortune Lands On 'Latinos'

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 15 Apr, 2011 @ 04:23pm

  So the problem here isn't that 'the government is broken' or 'corporations are sneaky', but rather 'humans are selfish, greedy hoarding machines'.
  
  Solution: geez, I dunno... kill all humans, Terminator style?
  
  It's a shame that these things happen. It's a shame that most people will brush this story off without really thinking about it. It's a shame that people who really need to read this story, won't.

• On the post: Record Labels Pressure Spotify Into Being Worse; Driving Users Back To Piracy

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2011 @ 01:47pm

  Record Labels

  It's like they don't even WANT to compete.

• On the post: TSA Gropes 6-Year Old Girl: Says It's Okay Since It Followed Standard Operating Procedure

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2011 @ 10:38am

  Re: Re:

  They're working on the assumption that she's a mule for a nuclear bomb. The odds are indeed very slim that she is actually a mule, but hey, you can never be too careful with all the terrorism going on. Wait, when was last time we had terrorism, other than on TV I mean? It's been a while... I think the last few years we've been fucked by our own people a lot more than from foreign terrorists... and we already took our revenge on a couple countries they may have been from... I think? I see WMDs everywhere, man.

• On the post: TSA Gropes 6-Year Old Girl: Says It's Okay Since It Followed Standard Operating Procedure

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2011 @ 10:30am

  Re: Re: Re:

  Leave where? You're already living in the best country ever, ever.

• On the post: TSA Gropes 6-Year Old Girl: Says It's Okay Since It Followed Standard Operating Procedure

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2011 @ 10:29am

  Re:

  You can do whatever you want if you have a uniform and a law backing you up. It doesn't really matter what the law is, or if it makes any sense, or how it was passed and how long ago.
  
  And yes I would have definitely asked for IDs and complained. Though the bloody pulp thing... maybe not at the airport. In my backyard, maybe :P

• On the post: TSA Gropes 6-Year Old Girl: Says It's Okay Since It Followed Standard Operating Procedure

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2011 @ 10:27am

  1984

  Did anyone mention Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four yet?
  
  Seriously though, that's messed up. Not just the TSA, but the agents themselves. What's their best moral defense, honestly?
  
  "If I don't touch your kid's private parts, I could lose my job."
  
  We'll look back at this footage in a hundred years and be like, "Wow, 2011 was messed up, good thing I wasn't alive then."

• On the post: New Privacy Law Introduced… But Government Is Exempted

  

  James Carmichael ( profile ), 13 Apr, 2011 @ 03:51pm

  The Constitution is just a suggestion, like speed limits; you don't HAVE to do everything it says.

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