Even if you dont own a computer...

The RIAA just might sue you anyways.

Article highlights include:
A family in Rome, GA, (one of the 235 defendants) was very surprised when the local newspaper contacted them to ask about the file sharing lawsuit in which they were implicated: "I don't understand this," said James Walls. "How can they sue us when we don't even have a computer?"

Meet Brittany Chan, 15 now, but 13 when her mother was sued by the RIAA. The case against Brittany's mom was dropped after the RIAA was unable to produce any evidence, while the Chans refused to roll over and pay up. So a new suit was filed, this time against Brittany. While that may or may not be an appropriate thing to do, the RIAA then demanded that a Guardian Ad Litem be appointed and paid for by Brittany and her family. That's a lawyer assigned to represent children (and other persons unable to represent themselves in court) in legal proceedings, most often seen in divorce proceedings, child abuse cases, and other cases involving the child's welfare.

A perspective just too good to pass up...

If you believe that, where have you been the past seven years? This summer, Republican leaders and other key counterfeit conservatives will push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, attempt to outlaw flag burning and continue to clamp down on abortion. If building a stronger America means exploiting cultural rifts that have nothing to do with governance, the GOP has done admirable work.



The rest of the article can be found here: http://badgerherald.com/oped/2006/04/18/last_7_years_of_repu.php

I thought we as a society were past this...

Playboy loves Co-eds (and who doesnt, but thats beyond the scope of this entry). In my time here in madison, once during my freshman year and this spring Playboy has come to madison, selected madison students and published them in their magazine. Both times there was articles on various reactions to them coming here during the screenings, and then again when the issue came out later. This springs "Girls of the top party schools" edition just came out.

Playboy models meet fans, sign magazines at Capitol Centre Foods

They came, they signed a few magazines to nervous hs townies and older guys and who knows who else. Just skimming the article I would have sworn I thought this quote came from a stodgy old out of touch administration member...
“I think that symbols can lead to ideas and representations and if we show that UW-Madison is a school that parties by objectifying women, I think that has a powerful symbol that some people could use in a physical, very real and damaging way”

I mean, doesn't that sound typical of the crap people who confuse their job as a school administrator with "morality rule-maker." But in this case I was shocked to see it wasn't, it was Devon Heim, the Coordinator at the Campus Women’s Center, a UW senior. Unless Devon is getting finishing her undergrad degree she gave up on in 1965, that means she is likely no more than 24.

This baffles me to no end because I read quotes like that all the time and mentally react with "wow your out of touch with the modern young generation. But in this case all I can react with is "WHAT THE FUCK! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU! WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GROW UP? JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVEN THINK OF SAYING SOMETHING SO FUCKING IGNORANT IN A FUCKING NEWSPAPER. SWEET BUTTERED BUDHA I DIDNT THINK PEOPLE WERE SO BACKASSWARD ANYMORE."

Ok now that I got that out of my system... I can get down to a more civilized response... Devon, I know you probably have some sense of reason, so I'm going to appeal to that here... No one is going to think UW-madison got its #1 ranking by objectifying women and no one who's been here for a saturday night (or a friday or thursday for that matter) thinks this place is a fucking Mardi Gras party every night. Yes symbols can be powerful, but this is not going to translate to anything damaging. No female student is going to feel any more sexual objectified tomorrow than they did 2 weeks ago, and no male student is going to think their chances of finding a lose woman is better tomorrow than 3 weeks ago because Playboy said the same thing as the damn US News and Reports did months ago.

The problem with believing the same thing as a large group...

Pro-lifers desire responsibility....was a letter sent into the Badger Herald, its short enough to quote in its entirety...

I have heard many people — the latest being Adam Lichtenheld (“Sex, lies, and criminalizing abortion,” March 29, 2006) — question why those who are against abortion don’t promote contraception. While, as a legal matter, I and many other pro-lifers would not be in favor of banning all contraceptives or removing all mention of them from health class, I can perhaps understand those who are. Contraception and abortion are part of the same culture, a culture where personal autonomy and sexual gratification are the highest goods, while the human life that may result from sex is regarded as a mistake and a burden rather than as an astonishing gift.

Indeed, a child is a mistake and a burden in an uncommitted relationship, and that is exactly the problem. What pro-lifers want is a society where a human life carries more weight than a good time, and the casual sex that contraception makes possible is an enemy to that attitude.

Now perhaps that society is unrealistic (or a “living hell,” depending on your point of view). But as long as our culture tells us that we can’t help it, people are just going to have sex anyway, people will. And there will be mistakes and abandonment and abortion. But maybe if we start telling ourselves that we can help it, telling ourselves that we need to view others as persons and not as potential sex partners and to value the smallest of human lives, people might do that, too.

Matthew Bayer
UW student


I bring this to your attention because this is the first time in my life I have ever seen a reasonable argument written for pro-life (ie. anti-abortion) that doesn't immediately set off violent impulses. Matthew here even makes a few good arguments and points but he only shows the sunny side of his position. The crux of the issue is in the larger group that support it. I'm all for lower taxes for everyone, small federal government. The problem is that when I take my pick up my head and look around me at who is saying those same things, I can't stand on those principals. I say less taxes, then I hear around me "the poor don't need any more programs paid for by my dollars!" I believe, "most public schools are in disarray and need improvements" and then I hear around me, "so I'll send my kids to a private school."

As much as I would like to be for tax reductions and other issues I fall on the conservative side about, I cannot stand with the majority of the people who also believe in those things. I would love to teach people to teach every person a child is a gift (maybe not directly from god) and that parents should be happy they have a kid on the way, I have no interest in telling people if accidents happen they should love and care for a child and tell them to toss out any plans they had ever made for themselves from that moment onward. A planned child has got to be the best thing a stable couple could hopeful (I assume,) however who the hell am I to say that a couple or single parent should look in the mirror and say "fuck your plans;" much less the sad childhood the kid might grow up with in a household like that.

.
"Indeed, a child is a mistake and a burden in an uncommitted relationship, and that is exactly the problem. What pro-lifers want is a society where a human life carries more weight than a good time, and the casual sex that contraception makes possible is an enemy to that attitude."

People like Matthew should remember a few things when they condemn "causal sex," and evil contraception. Sex causes pregnancies, not just casual sex. Committed adults in stable responsible relationships have unwanted children too. Contraceptives also helps prevent a laundry list of STDs along with babies. But most importantly, your preferences on life gives you no privileges to tell anyone else what to do. If you think using a condom is immoral, or sex outside of some idealized "committed relationship," then you don't have to. Its your choice. Its your right to make that choice. And its my right to make the exact opposite choices from yours if I choose to. Thats the double edged sword of freedom. You can make a large number of choices without say so from any one else. The problem for people like you Matthew, is that you dont get to tell other people what to do in a free society. Logically since you can't prevent people from having sex in manors you deem immoral, the best thing for everyone is to make those choices as safe as we can, as a society.

Yes there will be mistakes and accidents no matter what Matthew, just like you said, but in a better society those "potential sex partners" who do have accidents and who make mistakes wont be called whore, slut, sinner or baby killer by the people you stand with.

Zero tolerance? More like zero sense...

"Boy turns in knife but may still be expelled" reads the headlines in Indianapolis.

Elliot, 14, said he was walking to the school entrance in the brisk weather March 3 and had placed his hands in his coat pocket when he felt the Swiss army pocketknife in the pocket.
"I went straight to the office right inside (the front door)," he said.
He said he handed the knife to Teri Donahue, the school's treasurer, and told her he had brought it to school by mistake.
As a result of Elliot's actions, the school's principal, Jimmy Meadows, suspended Elliot for the maximum 10 school days as allowed by law and recommended Elliot be expelled. A confidential expulsion hearing is scheduled for April 10.


Zero tolerance makes zero sense; circumstance is everything in real life. This boy is going to school, to learn no doubt, probably without any intention of stabbing anyone or possibly trying to open a bottle of wine, and notices he has his pocket knife with him. At 14 years old, a pocket knife is pretty standard to have. All sorts of uses for a thing like that: boy scouts, any range of modeling hobbies, etc etc. And here in this case the boy goes "oh shit, I still have it in my coat pocket" and goes directly to the administration. Who promptly treat him slightly better than if the school janitor had to pry him off the still-warm corpse of the teacher who gave him a C on the last spelling quiz.

Though the administration did follow the exact policy set forth (Zero tolerance) it is was the exact wrong thing to do when the boy behaved in the exactly correct responsible adult manor. Most 14 year olds, I figure, would shove it back in their pocket and hope it doesn't fall out during the day. Hell, I wouldn't have even thought of turning it in when I was 14. Hopefully this article (the newspaper, not my blog, I'm humbler than that) and the children's parents and friends will be enough to overturn this completely unjust suspension and possible expulsion. I'm not really worried about the expulsion, they'll pull through that.

"The school's rules: Warren Township Schools' code of conduct addresses both the possession of a weapon as well as knowledge of possession of a weapon. Students are required to report knowledge of weapons or threats of violence to the school administration." In this case one might argue that the single student both followed and broke the code of conduct, and was punished for both. Hell even seems kinda like a 5th amendment issue to me in this particular case. But the point is, no matter how 'bad' it might sound, "special consideration will be taken in unique circumstances," NEEDS to be added. No one in their right mind would argue this kid deserved this punishment. So why would the administration punish him? Because they were just following policy? Unthinking rule following is not a characteristic I like in my teachers or school administration.

What I worry about is this kid's, and every student in that school's, faith in public administration. Some mild contempt for the common law-man seems fairly ubiquitous no matter what walk of life they come from. And its my believe that this situation occurs directly from situations like these. Unjust punishments, completely insane unwarranted reactions in elementary, middle and high schools cause kids to loose faith. In some cases it teaches them to think more independently and question authority when it needs to be questioned, but other's it just breeds apathy and contempt for authority.