Slashdot Mirror
Lessig Predicts Cyber 9/11 Event, Restrictive Laws
A number of readers are sending in links to a video from the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference last month, in which Lawrence Lessig recounts a conversation over dinner with Richard Clarke, the former government counter-terrorism czar. Remembering that the Patriot Act was dropped on Congress just 20 days after 9/11 — the Department of Justice had had it sitting in a drawer for years — Lessig asked Clarke if DoJ had a similar proposed law, an "i-Patriot Act," to drop in the event of a "cyber-9/11." Clarke responded, "Of course they do. And Vint Cerf won't like it." Lessig's anecdote begins at about 4:30 in the video.
Well I wouldn't exactly haev a lot of confidence in anything Richard Clarke says. Besides being dimwitted enough to be supporting Obambi (says a lot about how serious he considers the threat of Islamic terrorism doesn't it....) he didn't exactly cover himself in glory in the portmortems of 9/11.
Democrat delenda est
Just like that? "Build a better network"? And how are you going to wire that "last mile" for everyone?
Really, Net Neutrality aside, there's no way to protect ourselves from another authoritarian administration using ISPs to take away our internet. EXCEPT if we don't elect them.
You want to tell me that John McCain, with his hawkish militaristic background, will even blink at listening to the NSA guys when they tell him they have to shut down the internet, or more likely, turn it into network television?
No, if you want to avoid the kind of post-9/11 hysteria that has destroyed our economy and the airline industry, raised the price of oil 300 percent and destroyed our civil rights by giving the government unchecked surveillance and arrest powers, the best bet is to JUST NOT ELECT ANOTHER AUTHORITARIAN REPUBLICAN ASSHOLE. This isn't all that sophisticated. Even if you're one of those Fox News wingnuts who just hates the idea of a black man being president, and believes ol' Rushbo when he tells you that liberals are the antichrist, just ask yourself if you want to lose your internet and all the free porn. You don't want that, do you? And for everyone else, now is not the time to worry about poor Miz Hilary getting disrespected. Just suck it up and vote for Barack Obama, goddamn it. At least then we stand a fighting chance of not losing the rest of what once made this country great.
I'm sorry, all of you slashdot readers who don't live in the US. We've got a lot of knuckleheads who still need it spelled out for them, thanks to our corporate media and Republican party that likes to manipulate the weakest minds with ugly racism and sexism. I swear that most of us really didn't want George Bush, but when you've got the company that makes the computer voting machines AND the Supreme Court working against you, there's not a lot you can do. Don't hold it against us, because we're under attack from an authoritarian corporate class that has long given up on the principles upon which America was founded.
For those of us that DO live in the US, remember, nothing short of a landslide victory for Obama is going to keep the tin-pot dictators of the GOP out of the White House this time. Don't fuck around, folks. We have to win or this time, there really won't be anyplace to run.
You are welcome on my lawn.
> There are only a handful of people in this country who know the
> Constitution better than he does...
The man is an illiterate fool. He can't even parse simple English phrases like "Congress shall make no law..." or "...shall not be infringed."
Seriously. Either he is a total illiterate and is thus excused for being a gun banner and free speech infringer (but also unfit for elective office) or he does know and doesn't care, thus is evil. Not that McCain (of McCain/Fielgold) is much of an improvement on the 1st Amendment. Grr.
Democrat delenda est
Ironically, then, none of the justices on the Supreme Court since... oh, ever, could parse simple English phrases either.
Either every single Supreme Court justice since ever is illiterate or they're all evil.
The answer is, no, they're neither. They just realize the reality of the situation, which is that the Bill of Rights is simply wrong in that respect and you need to ignore it and get onto more pressing matters.
"It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
Cyber 9/11? Give me a break....
On the real 9/11 thousands of innocent people lost their lives.
Nothing on the internet could amount to what happened that day. No amount of terrorism will ever stack up to a "Cyber 9/11"
Sorry it just pisses me off that people use that day so lightly...
The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
> I can't believe how low we have fallen. Why is the current threat any different from the old threat from the IRA that we faced. (that our friends in the USA funded)
The IRA had "Republican" in their name, so they had to be good! The Americans who funded them probably thought they were blowing up Democrats or fighting the Liberal party.
You can't expect Americans to know piddling things that happen in the insignificant countries outside their borders. My Grandma always says, "I was born a Republican, I'll die a Republican, and don't confuse me with the facts!"
And she said that for many, many years before FOX News was complaining about Obama saying that some Republicans are proud of their ignorance.
Rubbish. I doubt you even read either of the decisions you refer to- because neither of them can be interpreted in the way you believe. In fact, in the latest Supreme Court case regarding the DC gun ban, every single justice went ahead and said that gun laws are not necessarily unconstitutional, despite the black-letter law.
Again, rubbish. I can indeed ignore the Bill of Rights and remain a nation of laws, because it's not law. The Bill of Rights is a set of handy suggestions, but as law it fails miserably- and as I've said, every single Supreme Court justice since, well, practically forever, agrees.
Of course they don't. The constitution is a black and white document, but we don't live in a black and white world. Necessarily, the constitution is overrated and must be ignored. Rational, reasonable people accept this. Many of them even made it to the Supreme Court.
Anyway, what the hell does this have to do with socialism? Are you unable to separate economic theory from political, or are you just trolling?
I don't need to repeal it. Doing so requires far too much effort. The 2nd Amendment isn't worth the paper it's printed on; why would I attempt to have it overturned? All I need to do is curb its interpretation, and that is perfectly sufficient. It also requires only five people.
"It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance