ralph_the_bus_driver 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (115) comment rss

  • On the post: More Bad Facts Making More Bad Law, This Time In Wisconsin

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 13 Jun, 2018 @ 06:44pm

    Re:

    italic Yes, speech is involved, but this smacks of trying to simply punish the company for being the place where the legal loophole for private sale of guns does not allow for punishing anyone directly involved in the transaction. italic

    No, that is not speech. That is commerce.

    The Supreme Court in Heller admitted that States could regulate guns in their jurisdictions. That is what Wisconsin has done.

    A pimp directing customers to a hooker is not free speech. It is a crime.

    Someone who sells cars knowing, or not caring, if they are legal is still breaking the law. There is no speech issue involved.

    These are commercial activities, not free speech issues. The 11th Amendment reserves that for the States.

  • On the post: More Bad Facts Making More Bad Law, This Time In Wisconsin

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 13 Jun, 2018 @ 06:32pm

    Re: Just the tip

    A car has a useful purpose in society. Every year automobiles safely and efficiently transport people and goods. A gun has one purpose and that is to kill.

    If someone sold a car and it was used as intended then no problem. If someone sells a gun and uses it as intended, someone is getting hurt or, as here, killed.

    There is nothing new here. The Supreme Court in Heller said that States could regulate gun sales. This site tried to do an end run around Wisconsin law and claim immunity for their willful action. The Appeals Court saw through their argument.

    The site either knew, or should have known, that their actions violated local law. This has nothing to do with free speech any more than baking a cake is free speech. It has to do with the 11th Amendment that allows a State to regulate their own laws.

  • On the post: Dashcam Recording Instantly Undercuts Officers' Concocted Reason For A Traffic Stop

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 20 Jan, 2018 @ 06:02pm

    Re:

    Most likely there will be.

    Regardless of any internal discipline, any time they testify in court in the future, this will be part of their record. Their veracity will be continually challenged to the point that they will never lead an investigation into anything.

  • On the post: Former NSA Contractor Pleads Guilty To Taking His National Defense Work Home With Him

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2018 @ 08:11am

    Re: Re: Someone didn't get the memo.

    It was recently revealed that a Google engineer walked out with a ton of information. He went to work for Uber, helping them with their self driving car / trucks. While it is debatable if any of that information was used to help Uber's development, it does seem to have destroyed Uber's defense of copyright infringement by Google.

  • On the post: AT&T, Huawei Phone Partnership Killed At Last Second By More Unproven Accusations Of Huawei Spying

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2018 @ 08:00am

    Re: Re:

    Ya but, from here, I expect our government to be spying on the Chinese.

  • On the post: Jury Awards Couple No Damages For Bungled Marijuana Raid Predicated On Wet Tea Leaves

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2018 @ 07:57am

    Re:

    While true, this is even more a sign of how cops will go after the low hanging fruit instead of the top. Wracking up a lot of small busts look better than working hard to bust the top running the show.

  • On the post: Jury Awards Couple No Damages For Bungled Marijuana Raid Predicated On Wet Tea Leaves

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2018 @ 07:52am

    Re: Makes sense

    When a cop enforces the law, we expect them to know what the law is. A cop can not enforce drug laws unless he knows and is aware of what drugs are and how to determine that they are, in fact illegal.

    I understand your sarcasm; I'm just adding my own rant.

  • On the post: Indiana Legislator Wants To Force NFL Team To Hand Out Refunds To Fans 'Offended' By Kneeling Players

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2018 @ 09:48am

    Re: Re: Re: Sad thing is...

    What makes the anthem represent this nation? Dang, the one Dollar bill has more to do with America than the anthem.

  • On the post: Indiana Legislator Wants To Force NFL Team To Hand Out Refunds To Fans 'Offended' By Kneeling Players

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2018 @ 07:24am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: FTFY

    Trump has loudly claimed he repealed Obamacare. We now have Trumpcare. Whatever happens now belongs on his shoulders.

  • On the post: Daily Deal: Six Sigma Green & Black Belt Certification Training

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2018 @ 06:14am

    Re:

    The only ones still promoting this crap are the trainers selling the crap.

  • On the post: For Cops Handing Out Bogus Pedestrian Tickets, Ignorance Of The Law Is The Most Profitable Excuse

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2018 @ 06:07am

    Re: NAACP needs to sue the state

    There is only one way to do that and it is to have a class action suit against the County in Federal Court.

    We were lucky to have had Holder enact penalties against several towns around St. Louis that were robbing citizens blind. Finally the State enacted a law that municipalities could not raise more than 30% of their budget from traffic offenses.

    I miss the Obama Administration.

  • On the post: British Military Chief Warns Russia Could Cut NATO's Internet Connections, As Traffic For World's Top Sites Is Mysteriously Routed Via…Russia

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 26 Dec, 2017 @ 03:59am

    I am very sure that Russia has plans on doing exactly this. And, NATO has contingency plans and even retaliatory plans if something like this were to happen.

    I am not going to worry that something along these lines may happen. There is no reason to get upset and lose sleep over something totally outside of my control. If things ever get to that point, we're all effed anyway.

  • On the post: Canadian Government Looking To Step Up Domestic Surveillance, Scale Back Intelligence Oversight

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 09:40am

    Re: Re: Re: "Interfere with the course of justice or democracy?"

    Uummm, police routinely charge politicians with various crimes. Just because we don't like it does not mean it is a crime. They aren't perfect by a long shot, but they do charge corrupt politicians.

    How many terrorists have been caught using current techniques? I don't know. If the terrorists know how they are being monitored then they will just change their ways of communicating. I fully expect the "secret" agencies to keep their methods and successes secret so they may continue to do their jobs. Knowing or not knowing their success rate does not make my life any better.

    Yes, the terrorists won. But, we don't need to let them continue to win. If knowing my porn habits and what radical sites I frequent helps stop one terrorist operation in Bumphuc Wyoming then so be it. The government isn't using that to harm me, or you.

  • On the post: Canadian Government Looking To Step Up Domestic Surveillance, Scale Back Intelligence Oversight

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 09:29am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Dispite the fact that repealing this was an election promise

    Judging things 50+ years after the fact usually results in knee jerk reactions. As much as everyone thought the Japanese (as well as the German and Italian) internment was wrong from today's perspectives, in 1942 it was seen as prudent.

    In 2001 the FBI's massive round up of Muslims on Witness Warrants was seen as prudent as well, even though none of them resulted in a conviction. I can only hope that in 20 years we'll look at Trump's Muslim's hate as just a foolish exercise by our Dotard in Chief.

  • On the post: The Original 'Fashion Santa' Gets His Trademark After Mall Decides To Settle

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 07:40am

    Re:

    ... to which some are pretty pissed.

  • On the post: The Original 'Fashion Santa' Gets His Trademark After Mall Decides To Settle

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 07:39am

    Re: Clowns

    McDonald's and Burger King own the copy rights to their respective clowns, Ronald and The King, Dos Equis owns the Most Interesting Man in the World, and Progressive Insurance owns Flo. Even though we associate specific actors to the last two, it is still the characters that are copyrighted.

  • On the post: Canadian Government Looking To Step Up Domestic Surveillance, Scale Back Intelligence Oversight

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 07:30am

    Re: "Interfere with the course of justice or democracy?"

    I am more worried that our free society and democracy will be undermined by those intent on destroying it through terrorism than I am by the government looking to see who the terrorists are.

    A true Utopian world is a figment. There will always be those who insist on taking more then their's at the expense of those who don't wish to part with it. So we will always need police.

    Terrorists shooting up a Christmas Party, school, or concert scares me far more than worrying that the government is reading my emails to my English relatives or even monitoring my porn usage. Would I prefer that they could catch terrorists some other way? Of course. Until they can perfect how to catch them better, they know my taste in porn.

  • On the post: Canadian Government Looking To Step Up Domestic Surveillance, Scale Back Intelligence Oversight

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2017 @ 07:16am

    Re: Re: Dispite the fact that repealing this was an election promise

    More than a couple of people were kidnapped. A terrorist group, The FLQ were setting off bombs across Montreal.

    There were negotiations between the Province of Quebec and an FLQ lawyer for the release of the two hostages, a British trade representative and a Provincial Cabinet Minister. These negotiations broke down when the FLQ kept increasing their demands.

    The Prime Minister and Cabinet invoked the War Measures Act at the request of the Province and City of Montreal. This was supported by a huge majority of Canadians.

    The military deployed to protect government institutions and buildings. All arrests were conducted by local police. Newspapers were still free to print what they liked and were often critical. TV and radio were even more critical in Quebec, but allowed to broadcast without restriction. Popular politicians (mostly leftist) were allowed to object in print and broadcast.

    ~500 people were arrested. 435 were released shortly. Not one person complained of being abused. ~65 were charged, of which 35 were denied bail. The charges ranged from advocating insurrection to kidnapping and murder (one hostage was killed).

    The WMA was rescinded by the end of February. The military had not fired a gun (nor had the police), had not arrested or even assisted in an arrest, not held or confined anyone, nor adjudicated any case. BUT, it helped to maintain civil procedure over violent rebellion.

    At no time did, or could, Trudeau invoke the WMA on his own. It had to be with the agreement of the Privy Council, which included the Cabinet and Leader of the Opposition. Much of the WMA was superseded by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982.

  • On the post: Good News: Trump Protestors Accused Of 'Hiding Behind The First Amendment' Acquitted

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2017 @ 12:51pm

    Re:

    Anyone that has to use youtube videos as evidence doesn't have any evidence.

  • On the post: Good News: Trump Protestors Accused Of 'Hiding Behind The First Amendment' Acquitted

    ralph_the_bus_driver ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2017 @ 12:49pm

    Re:

    The City of Washington has an elected Attorney General that prosecutes minor crimes and misdemeanors. The US Attorney of the District of Columbia handles felonies and Federal crimes.

    There is no way you can convince me that this case was not politically motivated.

Next >>