John P.

One Mans Blog

Specialization is for Insects.

Freedom of Speech

George Washington

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

- George Washington

10 Years in Jail for Chinese Blogger

Police TakedownImagine a knock on the door after you have been on the Internet, blogging, and the next moment you are under arrest. Amnesty International launched a campaign in defence of Internet bloggers in many countries - including China, Tunisia and Iran who have been arrested for expressing views which have upset their governments.

But how have they been tracked down? It turns out that they have been turned in by major Internet providers such as Yahoo and Microsoft, who have supplied foreign governments with the information they need to pursue them.
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Naked Security ScannerWow.This is not a joke! The US Transportation Security Agency has already installed a machine in the Phoenix airport that literally sees through 100% of your clothes down to your bare skin and can display high resolution images of you in all your naked glory.

Assuming that all goes well with the initial run of the backscatter at Sky Harbor, similar technologies will be introduced to a number of other major U.S. airports early in 2007.
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Torture: America’s Brutal Prisons

Video CameraDamn! This British news video demonstrates yet again evidence of police brutality. They claim that their investigation uncovered abuses at every level of the prison systems, and they present enough evidence in this video that I believe their claim.

This 50 minute program is NOT appropriate for children.
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The Importance of Net Neutrality

Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet’s First Amendment — a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you — based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn’t speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign.


Save the Net Now

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Police Taser UCLA Student

Tazer

WESTWOOD, CA (AP) — A student shocked with a Taser gun by a campus police officer after refusing requests to show his ID card thought he was being singled out because of his Middle Eastern appearance, his lawyer said.

Attorney Stephen Yagman said he plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the UCLA police of ”brutal excessive force,” as well as false arrest stemming from the Tuesday night incident at a campus library.
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Freedom

John F. Kennedy

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

- John F. Kennedy

1984Those who know me, know that I support the unrestricted development of all new technology. I don’t care if it’s medical, computational, military or any other. Almost all new technology can be used for good or evil, so it’s up to society to determine what is or is not acceptable, and what does or does not need to be regulated.

Take for example the Global Positioning System. This network of satellites encircling the globe has enabled the US military to carry out targeted operations, ensuring military dominance while also sparing civilian lives. GPS also enables civilians a previously unmatched freedom to navigate, measure, map and otherwise understand our surroundings.

The most recent technological innovation involves combining GPS with wireless networking (such as cellular connectivity) to allow businesses, governments and individuals to track goods being transported or even employees or family members.
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Injustice

Frederick Douglass

“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.”

- Frederick Douglass

Chen Guang-cheng Jailed in China for Speaking Out

Chen Guang ChengA couple of weeks ago I commented on the plight of blind activist Chen Guang-cheng who had been jailed prior to trial for basically speaking out against illegal activities of local government officials.

Well, now he’s been officially convicted after a two hour long trial to over 4 years in prison for “organizing a mob to disturb traffic.”
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There is No Freedom In China

Chen Guang-ChengIt seems like everything is made in China now, doesn’t it? But the one thing that still hasn’t been copied from the US is freedom.

Take for example the plight of Chen Guang-cheng, a blind peasant who was brave enough to expose illegal measures by local authorities when enforcing China’s one-child policy.
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