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"Super-DMCA" Outlaws Ph.D. Thesis
zenquest writes "SecurityFocus reports in this article that a recently-enacted Michigan law makes the graduate work of Niels Provos illegal. (His honeyd project was discussed here a few months back.) According to the article, "Among other things, residents of the Great Lakes State can no longer knowingly "assemble, develop, manufacture, possess, deliver, offer to deliver, or advertise" any device or software that conceals "the existence or place of origin or destination of any telecommunications service." It's also a crime to provide written instructions on creating such a device or program. Violators face up to four years in prison." Provos has had to move his website and research papers to a server in the Netherlands. Similar bills are under consideration in seven states, and have become law in six others. The EFF has more information about the individual states. So, does this mean that Caller-ID block now illegal, as well?"
And for Heaven's sake, don't have sex standing up. it might lead to dancing!!!!
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
That smells like short-term memory to me.
The economics that allowed for a decline in welfare and a budget surplus were created under a conservative administration and eroded away by the previous liberal administration. The U.S. economy began it's down-turn well before G.W.Bush took office, not after. Bush inherited the economic mess the previous administration left behind.
More pointedly, the economic model of corporations trying to appear profitable as opposed to actually being profitable also hurt America's economy. When stock values went down, all the big corporations resorted to improving their "operations cost" by cutting payroll, hence cutting jobs. Executives did this regardless of how profitable the corporation was at the time.
This is not a problem caused by the current administration, or even the previous one. Nor was Enron, or WorldCom. This was a problem caused by greed (IMHO).
This same problem of greed, both on the part of the MPAA and their cousins in the cable companies, and the lobbyists and politicians, produces rushed laws that do more harm than good. When the laws of the land were first developed, they were considered thoughtfully. Great care was taken to represent the interests of the people. Legislators felt a heavy moral responsibility to make good decisions and good laws on behalf of the people who elected them
The moral impetus to represent public interest has been one or two steps removed from public office for quite a while. The driving force is to get reelected, and so, to make money. Corporate interests form a copious source of money, and hence legislation is passed without thought about the consequences for individuals, or even for the "economic good." Bad motive begets bad law.
Writing law can be like writing code: undesirable coupling yields side effects.