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Once again we drum up technical "solutions" to what ultimately is a policy issue. A better idea is to change our laws so that our constitutional rights are res

Once again we drum up technical "solutions" to what ultimately is a policy issue. A better idea is to change our laws so that our constitutional rights are respected. If that's not possible then the next solution is to change our elected officials.

christopheraden 9y ago
While it is a policy issue at its core, changing law and policy moves at a glacial pace, and it's not even a certainty that it'll get changed at all (the "nothing to hide" defense gets brought up a lot on these matters, and it's a pretty persuasive argument to those that can't recognize the fallacy). Technical solutions have the benefit of being much quicker to enact, albeit in a flawed way that is, if highly successful, a band-aid on a bullet wound.
greyfox 9y ago
genious idea though
JustSomeNobody 9y ago
Nothing wrong with using technical "solutions" to prove the point of needing policy changes.
djsumdog 9y ago
> change our elected officials In America, who you vote in has very little effect on public policy, and by very little I mean a near zero/statically insignificant amount (unless you're part of the top 10% of income earners): http://fightthefuture.org/videos/does-voting-make-a-difference/ http://fightthefuture.org/videos/does-voting-make-a-differen...
- specialist 9y ago
  Eeyore / South Park style cyncism actively forments apathy. Self-fulfiling prophesy. Counterpoint: My friends and associates do amazing things. Marriage equality, marijuana legalization, DREAM Act, etc, etc. I (a yeoman) also do what I can. Maybe think of politics, society, culture like thermodynamics: Organization requires continuous effort, to mitigate entropy.
  - djsumdog 9y ago
    Keep in mind Marriage Equality in America came via the supreme court, not legislation (unlike New Zealand, Canada, et. al.) I'm not saying people shouldn't be active. Groups like The Anti-Corruption Act (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe286ky-9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe286ky-9A) are doing a lot, not to mention the group that pushed Maine's ranked voting amendment. But the vote itself is not very useful. There are other forms of activism that are more worthwhile; those that seek to slowly and fundamentally change the system. Focusing on the left right paradigm will ultimately lead people to being angry at two parties that are essentially the same.
    - Udo_Schmitz 9y ago
      > Keep in mind Marriage Equality in America came via the supreme court, not legislation […] But the vote itself is not very useful. Liberal supreme court judges do not materialize out of thin air, do they?
DigitalJack 9y ago
It's a matter of practicality.
ryandrake 9y ago
> A better idea is to change our laws... Oooookay, sure. We'll get right on that one. In the mean time, I'll take a technical solution.
- matt_wulfeck 9y ago
  Have you called your congressional representatives and made it known to them how important these issues are? I find that many people who despair about our political climate can't even name their representative. Start there and work your way out.
haltingthoughts 9y ago
Blow up Sovereign Immunity ffs. If someone gets detained they have no recourse or compensation to mitigate it being used as a threat.

christopheraden 9y ago

While it is a policy issue at its core, changing law and policy moves at a glacial pace, and it's not even a certainty that it'll get changed at all (the "nothing to hide" defense gets brought up a lot on these matters, and it's a pretty persuasive argument to those that can't recognize the fallacy). Technical solutions have the benefit of being much quicker to enact, albeit in a flawed way that is, if highly successful, a band-aid on a bullet wound.

greyfox 9y ago

genious idea though

JustSomeNobody 9y ago

Nothing wrong with using technical "solutions" to prove the point of needing policy changes.

djsumdog 9y ago

> change our elected officials In America, who you vote in has very little effect on public policy, and by very little I mean a near zero/statically insignificant amount (unless you're part of the top 10% of income earners): http://fightthefuture.org/videos/does-voting-make-a-difference/ http://fightthefuture.org/videos/does-voting-make-a-differen...

specialist 9y ago
Eeyore / South Park style cyncism actively forments apathy. Self-fulfiling prophesy. Counterpoint: My friends and associates do amazing things. Marriage equality, marijuana legalization, DREAM Act, etc, etc. I (a yeoman) also do what I can. Maybe think of politics, society, culture like thermodynamics: Organization requires continuous effort, to mitigate entropy.
- djsumdog 9y ago
  Keep in mind Marriage Equality in America came via the supreme court, not legislation (unlike New Zealand, Canada, et. al.) I'm not saying people shouldn't be active. Groups like The Anti-Corruption Act (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe286ky-9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhe286ky-9A) are doing a lot, not to mention the group that pushed Maine's ranked voting amendment. But the vote itself is not very useful. There are other forms of activism that are more worthwhile; those that seek to slowly and fundamentally change the system. Focusing on the left right paradigm will ultimately lead people to being angry at two parties that are essentially the same.
  - Udo_Schmitz 9y ago
    > Keep in mind Marriage Equality in America came via the supreme court, not legislation […] But the vote itself is not very useful. Liberal supreme court judges do not materialize out of thin air, do they?

DigitalJack 9y ago

It's a matter of practicality.

ryandrake 9y ago

> A better idea is to change our laws... Oooookay, sure. We'll get right on that one. In the mean time, I'll take a technical solution.

matt_wulfeck 9y ago
Have you called your congressional representatives and made it known to them how important these issues are? I find that many people who despair about our political climate can't even name their representative. Start there and work your way out.

haltingthoughts 9y ago

Blow up Sovereign Immunity ffs. If someone gets detained they have no recourse or compensation to mitigate it being used as a threat.