"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger."
Hermann Goering, Nazi leader,
at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II
First, image update later today.
Second, the other side of the story. Whatever one believes and decides, it is essential to know your enemy.
Third, since it's looking like the draft may well be instituted and America's boys might start getting murdered again… anyone who needs to escape that can move north.
No state has an inherent right to survive through conscript troops and in the long run no state ever has. Roman matrons used to say to their sons: "Come back with your shield or on it." Later on, this custom declined. So did Rome.
- Robert Heinlein
A few people messaged me to say “who cares how they prosecute criminites, I'm not a criminal”, and “oh, well they'll only use this against terrorists.”
Those are not valid arguments. The reason that we have client-lawyer confidentiality is to encourage frank communication between lawyers and clients, thereby serving the public good. By removing this right, clients will not be able to discuss their case fully with their lawyers, stopping them from getting fair trials.
As far as the “I'm not a criminal” argument, think about it for a minute. It may come as a shock to you, but sometimes the wrong people get arrested. If lawyers know their conversations are monitored, it means that they can not effectively discuss your case or defense with you, because literally everything they say to you can be used against you. Even if it's as simple as the fact that when the prosecution has intimate knowledge of your case, it makes it MUCH easier to undermine and put an innocent person in prison.
As far as the “I'm no terrorist” argument, that's not valid either. First of all, legislating a situation where certain kinds of criminals get less right to a fair trial is ludicrous. Second, there is nothing written that this will only be used sometimes… Which means that it will be used always.
I've left out a million arguments why this is a bad idea, including the obvious fact that this is a stepping stone.
In addition, the arguments above could be used in Afghanistan. “I'm not an infidel, why does it matter to me that the Taliban will execute me if I use the Internet?”
Links worth checking:
Wuh-hoo, I just used the experience bot to write my first experience in years — although by the time I post this, I suspect it will have already been done moderation. People seem to like the experience, nobody has voted no yet, and seem to be saying nice things (hopefully it's not just because they know it's from me).
I got an email from an old friend today that maybe some of you know — Angie/sKwirl… She's the editor of an online BMX zine and that's what the email was sent to tell me about. Anyway, I'm flipping through the site and I come across a page with photos that I took! That also reminded me that I should post an update about Dennis and DMT — DMT no longer exists as a custom jewelry company and is now focusing on bike parts and advanced tooling. All DMT orders are now being filled by Steelwerks in Montreal (so contact them if you want a kooky Prince's Wand).
And now, the bad news.
If you are in the US, let me recommend that you get out. A few of you have passed me this information, and it definitely needs to be repeated. Lawyer/client confidentiality no longer applies in the US. It wasn't enough to erode civil liberties, now they are destroying the legal system so even people with lawyers can't get fair trials any more. Seriously, that's fucked. I can't believe that Americans haven't revolted against the government yet? Is the average American such a trembling coward that they'll give away all their rights because they think it'll keep them safe from terrorists? How far will this go on?
Let me recommend something to everyone: buy a gun. The revolution is coming, and you don't want to be unarmed. When you buy the gun, do it with no paperwork if possible — you don't want to be made a target over it.
First of all, the Style III shirts are in stock and selling, so if you want one, best to grab them now before they disappear. I just got back from checking out the Rosco Kid's Club design — it looks good, and we're just fiddling with the screens a bit to get it perfect. I saw the Team BME silver print (which is being shipped today, so it will be in stock on Monday or Tuesday)… WOW! It got hit three times, so the silver front looks like a sheet of metal…!
