Matt Lysiak, a frequent contributor to Serf City, wrote an article for amNew York about some new cellphone app that sends you targeted ads based on where your phone GPS says you are. Matt plays the Big Brother card, but quotes me in the last paragraph as saying it’s no invasion of privacy, since users voluntarily install and run the application.
The rabble-rousers at the Radical Homosexual Agenda are going to keep rubbing Christine Quinn’s nose in her own hypocrisy when they “Parade Without a Permit” this Saturday. Good for them!
In today’s Washington Times, former congressman and current Libertarian National Committee member Bob Barr calls out Mike Bloomberg for trying to turn New York City into the ultimate surveillance society:
Even though officials in other cities are embracing and installing surveillance cameras in huge numbers — Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., to name a few — the latest plan unveiled by Mr. Bloomberg and his equally surveillance-enamored police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, leaves these other American cities in the surveillance dust. Truly what we are witnessing being created here is a 21st-century Panopticon.
The Panopticon, according to Barr, was a theoretical society hypothesized by 18th century philosopher Jeremy Bentham. “Control was exercised not by being surveilled continuously but by each person knowing they might be under surveillance at any time, or all the time.” Sounds about Bloomberg’s speed.
I just received the following email, regarding a demonstration tomorrow in Union Square against the insane anti-photography legislation working its way through Silly Council:
COME TO AN NYC SHOOT-OUT FOR FREEDOM
AT UNION SQUARE
FORWARD THIS EMAILTHURS Aug 2nd 1130 AM till 2 PM
BRING A CAMERA - TAKE PHOTOS - FORWARD THIS EMAIL
Photographers, filmmakers, local residents, and tourists face
serious restrictions by the NYC Mayor’s Office proposed law.
The City plans to enact legislation THIS Friday. The NEW LAW will require
any group of two
or more people who want to use a CAMERA (still or moving) in any public
location
to have a permit and proof of a one million dollar liability insurance
policy.
FORWARD THIS EMAIL
THE SOUL OF NYC HAS ALWAYS BEEN ILLUMINATED BY STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
DON’T STAND IDLY BY AND WATCH “THE DYING OF THE LIGHT”
SEND A MESSAGE TO THE MAYOR.
Come on. Bring a camera and your lunch to UNION SQUARE Thurs Aug 2nd 1130
till 2 PM
Robert Frank William Klein Diane Arbus Garry Winogrand Joel Meyerowitz
Thomas Struth Roy Colmer William Gedney David Beckerman Jeff Spirer Weegee
Andre Kertesz Alfred Stieglitz . . . FORWARD THIS EMAIL COME ON
Organized by :
the Ad Hoc Task Force Against Really Bad Ideas Rules and Regulations
in association with
freedom loving people like you and me
to volunteer or get info 212 367 7701 adhoc@thenowcorporation.com
just show up with a camera and start shooting. thanks.PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL
I love the “Ad Hoc Task Force Against Really Bad Ideas Rules and Regulations.” Of course, the name is somewhat redundant, as I’ve yet to come across the Really Good Rules and Regulations, at least in the public sector.
Just in time for Gay Pride Week, the NYPD has backed down and reached a settlement with the Audrey Lorde Project, a transgender group, onNYTurf is reporting. The cops had denied the group a parade permit for a second year in a row, so the trannies dragged the cops into court. (I just got a funny visual image of some transgender folks literally dragging some cops by their ears.) Anyway, they’ve apparently reached a settlement, and despite the NYPD’s better judgment, the transgender group will be allowed to peacefully assemble tomorrow.
The lovely and talented Becky Akers, a frequent contributor to Serf City and all-around hardcore anarchocapitalist New Yawker, discusses the TSA’s latest outrages and abuses on Antiwar Radio. Becky is a prolific chronicler of the TSA for LewRockwell.com and is writing a book on the subject. The latest outrage that has Becky’s dander up is some TSA goon harrassing a mother and her toddler because the little punk had the temerity to try to bring his sippy cup through the DMZ. Becky’s article on the subject is here. Video of the terrorist tot and his water of mass destruction is here. (Amazingly, the goons at the TSA have such a twisted perspective that they apparently think the video exonerates rather than condemns their agents, as they posted it on their own “Mythbusters” website.)
If you decide to wear black and yellow, better not show up at any events that could be designated as “Latin.” This past weekend’s Puerto Rican Day Parade proved that cops will look for just about any excuse to make arrests. A high school senior was singled out for wearing black and yellow sneakers, which are the colors of the Latin Kings gang. According to NY1, the aforementioned student was only one of 208 people arrested; 198 of whom were classified as gang members.
The New York Times admits that the number of arrests have increased significantly since last year’s parade, and even included a 55-year-old New Jersey postal worker this time around.
“If Bush Can Blurt Curse, So Can Network TV.” What a line, from the New York Times today. Countering the wishes of the Bush administration and the FCC, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York struck down yesterday a government policy that allows the fining of networks and stations for obscene language, whether spontaneous or scripted.
If Bush can utter the “s” word to Blair (whether he realized his mic was on or not), and Cheney the “f” word to Leahy, I suppose us serfs can too.
*I could use the entire “f” word, but it is my choice not to. Thanks, Freedom of Speech!
According to the Great Firewall of China, the Serf City blog is among the many websites that are blocked in China. I don’t know what we said that could have possibly offended them. The Manhattan Libertarian Party website is also blocked. They even blocked my publishing company East River Press. You can test any URL at the Great Firewall website to see if you’ve been banned too. (The only URL I tested that wasn’t blocked, oddly enough, was the official New York City website. I guess commie regimes gotta stick together.)
The only trouble with Chinese censorship is that in a half hour I’ll want to be censored again.
Hat tip: Capitol Confidential
On Tuesday night Rudy Giuliani proved he is more willing to pander to fear, ignorance and nationalism than he is to seriously discuss the causes of terror and anti-Americanism. He played dumb about the voluminous evidence of the direct causes of 9/11 (the reasons given by Osama Bin Laden) and the indirect underlying causes of the terror problem in general. As a front runner and a moderate, he squandered an opportunity to display real leadership and debate Ron Paul about how to get us out of the crises his party has so badly bungled, much like he squandered opportunities to prepare New York City for foreseeable crises prior to 9/11.
Instead Giuliani puffed up his chest pretended America can do no wrong and never has. He had to say it – as if we didn’t know - that he was someone who lived through 9/11. God I hate that. My office is at 55 Broad Street. Not everyone who lived through 9/11 has to wear it like a badge.
It goes without saying that initiation of violence is always wrong whether it’s flying planes into the World Trade Center , pre-emptive attacks like Iraq or the overthrow of peaceful Democratic governments such as that of Iran in the early 1950’s . But it’s a whole lot easier for us to fix our own behavior than it is to forcibly subdue entire civilizations.
It’s hard for anyone to face up to serious mistakes, specially a powerful nation with whole political parties and whole industries whose fate depends on keeping the con running. The alcoholic may think another drink will relieve the hangover but it won’t help him quit drinking.
I know it’s tough for politicians to try to deal in fact, but can’t we get even a little real leadership from the leading candidates for the most powerful job in the world. Only long-shot Ron Paul faces any facts at all. The Nation’s John Nichols does a great job of framing the issue when he writes “Rudy Giuliani made clear in Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate that he is not ready to let the facts get in the way of his approach to foreign policy”.
But Rudy is not the only one refusing intelligent debate on a country’s biggest crisis.
Daily News columnist Michael Goodwin reveled in showing his complete lack of seriousness or knowledge of the subject calling a 10 term Congressman and two time presidential candidate Ron Paul an “old-timey Texas crank “
Michigan GOP leader Saul Anuzis wants Ron Paul banned from future GOP debates. What’s he so afraid of? Could it have anything to do with the tremendous positive reaction among conservatives to Paul’s performance in the first debate? Paul hit the GOP where it hurts, in their conservative base.
Shawn Hannity makes a complete fool of himself and shows his lack of professionalism (surprise, surprise) continually interrupting Ron Paul as Paul intelligently and calmly tries to answer his questions in this amazing video clip (about 2:45 into the video). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEZO7MPxJIs
One thing is certain Ron Paul must have it right or so many people with much to gain from the war wouldn’t be so angry with him.
