A while back, I tried to explain why the world was so screwed up. I explained that the ubiquitous societal problems we experience (bad transit infrastructure, dependence on fossil fuels, unnecessary wars, etc.) stem from a fundamental problems with governance: Laws imply the design of the systems that enact them Lawmakers don’t know sweet fuck [...]
Dear Prime Minister Harper, I have recently read over the Investigative Powers for the 21st Century (IP21C) Act. Giving the police the power to take down online criminals is a virtuous enterprise; however, allowing police to view any internet communication information without a warrant is unacceptable. Bypassing the cheques and balances of the courts in [...]
The law has, long ago, ceased to apply to the powerful. That is why a poor person who murders someone gets the chair, whereas a CEO who murders someone through the actions of his corporation gets a bonus (see, for example, TASER). That is also why Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld have not been prosecuted despite [...]
If you haven’t seen the Cairo speech, you can get the transcript here or the video here. As a political statement to assuage the so-called ‘muslim world,’ I suppose it’s not bad. Interpreted in the light of facts, history, and a rational, ethical perspective, however, and it’s overwhelmingly bullshit. Here are the 10 worst examples [...]
Well it looks like Canada and the United States of Torture are not the only countries with embarrassingly incompetent judges. Tomas Norström, the Swedish judge that recently found the Pirate Bay founders guilty of copyright infringement, is a member of the Swedish Copyright Association and the Swedish Association for Industrial Legal Protection. So let me [...]
As I watch the situation with AIG and Congress unfold, I can’t help but think about the nature of corporations, and what will happen to people like Edward Liddy – the CEO who authorized $4 million bonuses for the executives in charge of the insurance company despite the failure of the corporation. Is it really [...]
Check out this story about how the MPAA sponsored a study linking piracy to organized crime and terrorism. The mighty Motion Picture Association of America, you see, has a problem: prosecutors are reluctant to waste millions of dollars in public money going after millions of software, music and movie downloaders. Somehow, the MPAA has to [...]
Software companies are throwing a collective tantrum about unauthorized downloading and use of their products. They accuse downloaders of violating copyrights and stealing their work. Due to the systematic bias in favor of corporations of North American law, the opposite case is rarely made. Namely, software companies are robbing their customers blind. Here are six [...]
Recently, Illinois governor Rod “legohair” Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges for allegedly conspiring to sell a senate seat. Long story short, he was impeached. Enter the bullshit. Legohair went on a TV blitz claiming that his impeachment proceedings was a kangaroo court where he wasn’t allowed to defend himself. Rightfully, he claims that [...]
Now this gives me hope. You know how if your flight is cancelled due to weather, or if the airline overbooks your flight, you’re basically screwed? Well, maybe not for long. Canadian politician Jim Maloway is proposing to increase consumer protection for airline travelers. This is critically important in countries like Canada where air travel [...]