The Original Anonymous Coward 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Should Young People Have Their Votes Count More?

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 18 May, 2011 @ 12:05pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Here's a novel idea

    1. Many people vote absentee when they are going to be out of town during election day, even those who are not in the military. My kids vote absentee because they are in university away from their home town.

    2. AFAIK, everyone in the US only gets to vote once in each election (except maybe Chicago) and they are supposed to vote in the place where they have their permanent residence. Musicians, especially the rich ones, may have more than one residence, but they are only supposed to vote at one of them. Elections don't pop up out of the blue. They are announced well ahead of time so that everyone who wants to vote via the absentee system should be able to do so.

    3. I'm not blaming anyone for anything. I'm attempting to explain to you that I don't believe the reasons you gave for not being able to vote are valid.

    4. Systems of government that involve citizen participation, call it a democracy, republic, or commune, rely on the citizens making informed decisions. Citizens have an obligation to inform themselves. Otherwise it would be less expensive and a lot less painful to just pull a name out of a hat. We wouldn't be subjected to daily political propaganda and the lobbyists wouldn't know who to pay off.

  • On the post: Should Young People Have Their Votes Count More?

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 17 May, 2011 @ 09:38am

    Consider the source

    I see from the guy's bio (bottom of the right hand column) that he is the "Director, Business Development, General Motors Corporation."

    Based on how that company has been doing lately, it explains everything.

  • On the post: Should Young People Have Their Votes Count More?

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 17 May, 2011 @ 09:32am

    Re: Re: Re: Here's a novel idea

    Here are some suggestions to relieve your concerns:

    1. Traveling: Absentee ballot
    2. Working: Most voting sites are open for 12 or more hours
    3. No time to look at the issues: Stop playing video games and browsing Facespace
    4. In college and working part time: See #3

  • On the post: Should Young People Have Their Votes Count More?

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 17 May, 2011 @ 09:24am

    Re: Re: Not quite complete

    So, since you appear to disagree with old geezers that subscribe to "Tea Party" ideas, that means that they shouldn't have the right to vote?

  • On the post: BMI Says A Single Person Listening To His Own Music Via The Cloud Is A Public Performance

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 10 May, 2011 @ 11:31am

    Moochers

    Who is John Galt?

  • On the post: Atlas Shrugged Movie Leaves Hollywood Scratching Its Head, Because It's Succeeding Without Them

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 22 Apr, 2011 @ 04:21pm

    Two topics to discuss here...

    1 - The marketing of a movie (good, bad, or mediocre)

    2 - The ideas behind the film (libertarian/free market vs. central planning/government-industrial complex)

    Here is a short Youtube video that shows why many people are interested in the movie. Maybe not a majority, maybe not even a plurality, but a lot. Whether you agree with them or not, this is what they think is going on. You may consider them idiots, moron, or just the uneducated masses, but that won't change the way they view things.

    Let the flame wars begin!!!

    :D

  • On the post: Why Do We Let Those Who Benefit Most From Monopolies Write The Laws That Grant Them?

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2011 @ 02:59pm

    And the cycle repeats itself...

    Check out the second half of Part I of Atlas Shrugged. (The book, not the movie.)

    This phenomenon was just part of a novel back in the 50's. Since then it's become reality. Very interesting.

    (waiting for political flame war to start...)

  • On the post: Over 250 Top US Legal Scholars Condemn The Treatment Of Bradley Manning

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 11 Apr, 2011 @ 05:39pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: A few more specifics would help

    I think that there are a good number of folks who originally supported then Senator Obama for the presidency, who now are not so happy with him, especially the very liberal types, like Prof. Tribe.

    They seem to not like his current stands on some of the things that he promised to do earlier, such as closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, putting the 9-11 guys on trial in civilian courts, and so on.

    This thing with PFC Manning is just one more irritant for them. If they would come out against similar pre-trial confinement treatment for all the other folks who can't make bail or who were denied bail, then I might believe that it's not a politically based move.

  • On the post: Over 250 Top US Legal Scholars Condemn The Treatment Of Bradley Manning

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 11 Apr, 2011 @ 02:45pm

    Re: Re: A few more specifics would help

    By that definition (anguish of body or mind) everyone is tortured during some portion of their life, especially by ex-spouses.

    ;-)

    The U.N. definition is a bit more specific but it is still so general that just about any sort of pre-trial confinement situation could be classified as torture.

    My second point was that since Mike had referred to more than one person in the administration having criticized PFC Manning's situation, I was wondering who the other people are. There's only been one that I seen mentioned in the press, and that's PJ Crowley, the former spokesman for the State Department.

    This still seems more like a politically motivated attack on the President.

  • On the post: Over 250 Top US Legal Scholars Condemn The Treatment Of Bradley Manning

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 11 Apr, 2011 @ 12:33pm

    A few more specifics would help

    Mike - Please give some references when you write "Under most standard definitions of torture" and also, who else besides the former state department spokesman was terminated because they didn't agree with how PFC Manning is being treated? You mention "Obama administration officials" but I only know of Mr. Crowley.

    I also wonder if the legal scholars who signed the letter are opposed to similar treatment in other US penal institutions, or just that of PFC Manning. Neither the letter nor the Guardian article say anything about other prisoners, military or civilian, who may be held under the same type of circumstances.

    Is the letter a true denunciation of such prison activities or is it a political attack on President Obama by some of the folks who are unhappy with some of his recent decisions?

  • On the post: 8-Track Piracy Is Killing The Music Business…. In 1976

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2011 @ 07:21pm

    I still have my JVC 8 track recorder/player...


    ... and it still works!

    I'm just hoping my supply of 8 track cartridges will last a while. Anyone know where I can buy blank 8 tracks these days?

  • On the post: Administration Forces PJ Crowley Out Of The State Dept. After He Admits That Manning Is Being Mistreated

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 14 Mar, 2011 @ 07:23pm

    Re: Re: What did Crowley "admit"?

    I AM quibbling over the post's title because it distracts from the point of the article. From what I understand, Mike wanted to write about a guy who expressed his opinion on a topic and was fired for it. Because of the post's title a good number of people have gone off on tangents about all sorts of other things.

    It bothers me a bit that many writers these days use all sorts of "shocking" headlines to get people to read their articles. I wish that Mike wouldn't do that. I agree with his analysis about 75% of the time but I sometimes have to fight my way past some kind of tabloid headline to get the gist of the article.

    Concerning Mr. Crowley's knowledge of Manning's situation, I seriously doubt that he's been to the military brig and observed the suspect himself. If he had actual first person eyewitness knowledge, I would have thought that he would have stated that in the interview.

    Since I have not been to the brig either, I have no way of knowing if Manning's treatment is "ridiculous and counter-productive and stupid" and I would also be very surprised if anyone who has posted comments to this blog has been there.

  • On the post: Administration Forces PJ Crowley Out Of The State Dept. After He Admits That Manning Is Being Mistreated

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 14 Mar, 2011 @ 11:48am

    What did Crowley "admit"?

    Mike - Please don't turn your excellent blog into another grocery store checkout line newspaper by using outrageous headlines.

    P.J. Crowley didn't "admit" anything. He stated his opinion about Manning's situation and nothing that he said in that story should lead anyone to believe that he has first hand knowledge of how Manning is housed/confined/tortured/etc...

    I agree with you about how the current administration has not lived up to it's earlier promises concerning openness, transparency, diverse views, and so on, so please keep up the good reporting and analysis but don't screw it up with National Enquirer type headlines.

    ps. Check out the latest Charlie Sheen story at the Enquirer. It's a hoot.

  • On the post: State Department Spokesperson Says Bradley Manning Is Being Mistreated

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 13 Mar, 2011 @ 05:21pm

    Re: Re: This just in - PJ Crowley is out

    None of us plain old ordinary blog readers know the truth and I'm not certain that Mr. Crowley does either. He was just voicing his opinion.

    I would say that if a person has a job spinning the corporate line to the media and wishes to keep that job, it may be better to keep personal opinions personal.

    If Mr. Crowley sincerely disapproves of Manning's current situation, then maybe his resignation is a sign that he is sticking to his principles. If this indeed the case, good for him.

  • On the post: State Department Spokesperson Says Bradley Manning Is Being Mistreated

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 13 Mar, 2011 @ 10:33am

    This just in - PJ Crowley is out

    "Crowley is abruptly stepping down as State Department Spokesman under pressure from the White House." (CNN)

  • On the post: State Department Spokesperson Says Bradley Manning Is Being Mistreated

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2011 @ 07:21pm

    P.J. Crowley says "he believes" Manning is being mistreated

    It will be interesting to see if the State Department has another one of it's PR folks walk this one back. According to to TFA, Mr. Crowley says that "he believes" that Manning is being mistreated. It doesn't mention him giving any more information than just his opinion.

    Secretaries Clinton and Gates seem to normally be pretty much in sync so this would seem to be a departure from that situation if Mr. Crowley was indeed authorized to make that comment.

    We'll have to see how this turns out...

  • On the post: PayPal Cuts Off Account For Bradley Manning Support

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 24 Feb, 2011 @ 02:20pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Anybody ask Paypal about this?

    But these quotes are from just one side of the dispute. I'm not saying that Paypal wasn't quoted accurately, but there are too many cases of sound bites and interview snippets not telling the whole story.

    I'd just like to hear Paypal's version. If they give Mike the same treatment that they gave the Brad Manning support organization, then they've proved the point that they are evil, despicable, corrupt, vicious, back-stabbing, and unethical.

  • On the post: PayPal Cuts Off Account For Bradley Manning Support

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 24 Feb, 2011 @ 12:10pm

    Re: Re: Anybody ask Paypal about this?

    Having a bad day?

    ;)

    I really don't expect anyone to do anything. My question was a reasonable one. It has nothing to do with whether I believe the article or not.

    The vast majority of the folks who have posted comments to this article give the impression of not liking Paypal. I was just wondering if anyone knew if Paypal had been asked about this by anyone other than the folks who wrote the original blog article.

    Lighten up Francis...

  • On the post: PayPal Cuts Off Account For Bradley Manning Support

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 24 Feb, 2011 @ 11:30am

    Anybody ask Paypal about this?

    I see that the article only has quotes from the Brad Manning support organization. Has anyone thought to ask the evil, despicable, corrupt, vicious, back-stabbing, and unethical Paypal why they did this? (I mean, besides the person/group that wrote the blog article.)

  • On the post: Yet Another Company Says It Can Help You Sell Used MP3s

    The Original Anonymous Coward ( profile ), 18 Feb, 2011 @ 07:11pm

    How will I know if the mp3 is used?

    Will it be scratched?

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