mcherm’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: The FAA’s “Temporary” Flight Restriction For Drones Is A Blatant Attempt To Criminalize Filming ICE

mcherm ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2026 @ 06:18am

I want to comply with this law.

I would like to comply with this regulation. In order to do so, I insist that the government provide me with the locations of all permanent ICE facilities and an up-to-date schedule of the locations of all ICE mobile assets. Without this information it would be impossible for me to comply with the law.

On the post: Black Man Shot By Cops Dies After White Cop Suffering An ‘Anxiety Attack’ Snags Ambulance

mcherm ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2026 @ 10:04am

Whose fault?

Isn't this the ambulance crew's fault? Wouldn't they be the ones to perform medical triage?

On the post: ICE Director Says Officers Are Now Allowed To Make Arrests Without Warrants

mcherm ( profile ), 03 Feb, 2026 @ 01:52pm

Appropriately Strident

Normally, Tim, I would read a piece of yours written like this and grumble quietly that your tone was overly strident. But not this time. I am as furious as you sound and while I would like to believe that you are exaggerating the danger, but it really doesn't seem overstated.

On the post: AZ State Senator Proposes Law To Spend State Resources Studying ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

mcherm ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2026 @ 06:37am

"Trump Derangement Syndrome" Definition

I have already re-defined "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as you suggest: to refer to the irrational, almost worshipful attitude among some supporters of that particular game-show-host-turned-politician. Whenever I use the term that is the meaning I give it.

On the post: USPTO Wants To Make Bad Patents Unchallengeable. You Have Until December 2nd To Tell Them No.

mcherm ( profile ), 26 Nov, 2025 @ 05:44am

Thank you for bringing this up.

I submitted a comment (mig-213r-v4k3). I would encourage other TechDirt readers to do the same!

On the post: Mamdani’s Win Shows That Believing In Something Beats Performative Hatred

mcherm ( profile ), 06 Nov, 2025 @ 12:40pm

Thank you for writing this

Someone had to say it, and you said it very well. I cling to hope that people will listen and TRY a politics of genuine beliefs and hope.

On the post: Trump Administration Sends Marines To Site Of Anti-ICE Protests

mcherm ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2025 @ 05:26am

Simple Solution to Housing

There's a simple solution to the problem of housing (beds, toilets, etc) for these soldiers: they can be quartered in people's houses. There is no particular need to get consent of the owners of the houses. We're violating most of the rest of the Constitution, why not hit up the 3rd amendment also?

On the post: Disney Deletes Months Old Film From Disney Plus, Ostensibly For More Tax Benefits

mcherm ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2023 @ 07:34am

I don't think that "remedy" would help

I think that's the exact opposite of what would make sense. For tax loss purposes, it is to Disney's advantage to maximize the value of the property. For keeping-it purposes it is to Disney's advantage to maximize it also. So they would just set an unreasonably high valuation and win on both fronts.

On the post: FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Still Doesn’t Understand That Banning TikTok Doesn’t Fix The Actual Problem

mcherm ( profile ), 02 Nov, 2022 @ 08:16am

Unnecessary Politicization

This article would have been stronger with the ommission of a single word: "Trumpland". Commissioner Carr's failure to understand what he regulates is equally repugnant regardless of which party or President appointed him, and calling that out just encourages a substantial percentage of those who might read the article to dismiss the otherwise quite valid points you are making.

On the post: Techdirt Has Been Released From A Gag Order Regarding A Federal Investigation Into A Silly Comment

mcherm ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2021 @ 02:33pm

Would You Explain More About the "Gag Order"?

I completely understand about receiving the demand to preserve evidence. That's perfectly normal in legal cases of all stripes and is applicable before any case is filed or any judge rules.

I am, however, not so familiar with gag orders -- especially gag orders that can be triggered by sending a letter, without having filed any case or obtained any judicial order.

Would you be willing to share a little more about the advice you got from Ken White about keeping the information confidential? I am curious to know whether the letter you received compelled you to keep the information from being revealed to the subject of the investigation (and if so, under what authority), or if you were simply advised to do so as a best practice (and if so, why).

In my mind, there is an enormous difference between the government compelling someone not to destroy information and the government compelling someone (particularly a journalist) to remain silent.

On the post: Provision Added To Defense Bill That Would Make Federal Officers Policing Protests Identify Themselves

mcherm ( profile ), 07 Dec, 2020 @ 05:14pm

Re: Sorry, can't approve of this

I agree, and I am disappointed with Tim Cushing for not pointing this out. In the same article, he manages to decry the attempt to insert changes to section 230 of the copyright act into this unrelated defense bill, yet fails to even point out the connection when he discusses an attempt to include this rider about policing (which is also unrelated to defense). I agree that the proposed changes to section 230 are undesirable and the proposed changes to policing are desirable. But that doesn't justify complaining about the procedure for one and not the other.

On the post: The Senate Snowflake Grievance Committee Quizzes Tech CEOs On Tweets & Employee Viewpoints

mcherm ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2020 @ 08:11am

Re:

ask themselves if they want to associate themselves and their political ideology with that speech

Many of them do. We have had recent demonstrations of this at literally the highest level of US government.

On the post: Appeals Court Judge: Supreme Court Needs To Unfuck The Public By Rolling Back The Qualified Immunity Doctrine

mcherm ( profile ), 22 Jun, 2020 @ 05:42am

Typo

Dismissals proceed determinations...

should read as

Dismissals precede determinations...

On the post: Copyright Blocks Interview Of Protesters Because Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' Was Playing In The Background

mcherm ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2020 @ 02:01pm

Unicorn Riot Is Right About Who Is To Blame

Unicorn Riot (understandably) is complaining that Facebook and YouTube have "algorithmically interfered" with their reporting, but the reality is that it's copyright to blame here. And we should not confuse the two.

Unicorn Riot is correct in this case.

Facebook and YouTube have not taken these videos down because a judge has found that they violate a music copyright. Even our copyright-happy courts could not find that an interview conducted on the street to report on an issue of pressing national importance was prohibited from distribution due to background music that was playing.

What has happened is that Facebook and YouTube have each formed their own set of policies which enable them to take down this video. Those policies are NOT law, and if the policies were different then Martin Gay (or rather those that control his music) would have to sue Unicorn Riot for infringement -- a lawsuit that wouldn't happen and would fail if it were tried. But Facebook and YouTube can use their own first-ammendment freedom to choose not to display these videos, and Unicorn Riot cannot defend against that choice in court.

The nuance is that Facebook and YouTube crafted such policies largely in response to copyright laws -- and also significantly in response to threats from the music industry to ratchet up their legal efforts and their lobbying to CHANGE the laws. But both policies go far beyond what copyright law itself requires.

On the post: Florida Government Decides To Fire Its Data Chief Rather Than Be Honest About Its COVID Numbers

mcherm ( profile ), 27 May, 2020 @ 11:56am

Inappropriate Attacks in the Article

Look, write article. It's an important topic. However, please just leave out lines like this:

Florida has lots of sunny beaches that are currently too empty to satisfy sun junkies who wish to take advantage of the lengthy shorelines contained in America's Penis.

I should think TechDirt would more respect than that for the subject, for the people of the state, and for basic principles of journalism. It also isn't an approach that will actually reach people. Tim, I expect better from you.

On the post: Content Moderation At Scale Is Impossible: Google Removes Podcast Addict From Play Store Because It Has COVID-19 Related Podcasts

mcherm ( profile ), 18 May, 2020 @ 12:15pm

At least there's an option

On these sorts of matters, it appears that the Apple AppStore does a slightly better job of providing moderation. But when they decide to kick something off their platform (perhaps because they now have their own competing product), there is no other choice. At least Android still allows side-loading.

Perhaps the real opportunity is for someone to make a competing app store with its own level of review ("none" doesn't seem to work). Competition can work wonders at forcing folks to up their game. However, because of network effects, this will only work if there is a simple, effective way for app publishers to submit to MULTIPLE AppStores simultaneously without additional effort.

In the meantime, I just added PodcastAddict to my Patreon list of monthly donations, right alongside some others that I regularly support.

On the post: After Seven Years And A US Supreme Court Victory, Tyson Timbs Is One Step Closer To Finally Getting His Car Back

mcherm ( profile ), 12 May, 2020 @ 05:47pm

The Value of the Car

Normally a Land Rover of that age which hadn't received proper mechanical care during the years it was impounded would be worth far less than the original $35,000. But hopefully for Tyson Timbs, this particular Land Rover will be worth more as a collector's item -- after all, it was famously the subject of an important Supreme Court case.

On the post: We're Saved! Company Claims It's Patented 'Containing the Spread of Disinformation' And Will Stop COVID-19 Disinfo

mcherm ( profile ), 01 May, 2020 @ 05:43am

Try to avoid references people may not recognize

In the article, you reference "CCIA" without specifying what organization that acronym refers to. From context, it could be some government agency, a consumer watchdog group, or any of a number of other things. If, indeed, you mean the Computer and Communication Industry Association <https://www.ccianet.org/>, then you should probably specify that.

On the post: The Supreme Court Needs To Reverse The Fifth Circuit's Awful Ruling In The DeRay McKesson Case

mcherm ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2020 @ 11:21am

I realize you are paraphrasing the decision, but nevertheless, this quote:

Since this protest of the killing of a black man by cops didn't agitate against racists[sic] laws

strikes me as being shocking inaccurate. Racist laws are PRECISELY what the protests were about.

On the post: Navy SEAL Leader Accused Of War Crimes Threatens Defamation Suit Against NY Times Reporter For Revealing Videos & Text Of Men Who Reported Him

mcherm ( profile ), 03 Jan, 2020 @ 05:53am

to sue the reporter for sharing the details seems incredibly cowardly

I disagree completely. To sue a party who might be unable to afford to mount a defense might well be the cowardly approach, but to sue someone who will be protected by the legal team at the New York Times may be foolhardy, even stupid, but cannot be called "cowardly".

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