6 ms·

I do not know if the facts presented here are true (although I expect that they are) this publication is heavily biased as it was founded by the creator of the

I do not know if the facts presented here are true (although I expect that they are) this publication is heavily biased as it was founded by the creator of the Swedish pirate party.

moilolita 14y ago
Hey, greetings to the US Embassy, how do you do ?
ruswick 14y ago
Yeah. I took one look the site, decided that it look illegitimate and/or suspicious, and closed the page.
- white_devil 14y ago
  Yeah, it's not like he might have been making a point. Let's just latch on to one word's literal meaning and use that to dismiss the whole article.
- jacquesm 14y ago
  Falkvinge is a polarizing figure. He says these things to wake you up and make you think. If a left-wing do-good society such as Sweden can have a court case this perverted then likely in other countries it is even worse. A charged headline will help in bringing the audience to the content, if 'one look' is all it takes for you to dismiss the data as illegitimate and/or suspicious then perhaps I can allay your worries by stating that he's 100% legit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickard_Falkvinge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickard_Falkvinge
- Falkvinge 14y ago
  Illegitimate - no. It's my site and I can confirm that. I've been working hard on it for quite some time. Suspicious - well, that depends on exactly what you are suspecting. Cheers, Rick
rgbrenner 14y ago
You needed to open the link to see that? The link called Sweden a banana republic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic A banana republic is a politically unstable country that economically depends upon the exports of a limited resource (fruits, minerals), and usually features a society composed of stratified social classes, such as a great, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy, composed of the elites of business, politics, and the military. Who in their right mind thinks that describes Sweden?
- lsdkhjfvgasn 14y ago
  Obviously it's a bit of a stretch. The term is being used here because it's another example of corporations becoming powerful enough to impose their will on the the justice system of a territorial state.
  - burntsushi 14y ago
    Corporations aren't the entities with a monopoly on the use of force. Governments are.
    - sesqu 14y ago
      Well, that depends on whether we're talking about banana republics or ideal republics.
      - burntsushi 14y ago
        No it doesn't. By definition, corporations are endowed with special privileges by governments.
- danieldk 14y ago
  I don't know about Sweden, but at least in Dutch the term is increasingly used in discussions about corruption in Western countries as well.
powertower 14y ago
I tried to follow the "fact" that the legal counsel was forcibly subjected to DNA registration, and the link went to the Wikipedia entry for the Pirate Bay raid. Which then linked out the reference for that specific "fact" to a blog that no longer exists. And this was the law student's (the referred-to "legal counsel") blog. Not exactly great. Also the notion that the Judge in this case somehow picked himself and was corrupt to the bone was completely disproven the last time that site made the front-page on HN on the subject (in the comments section of the article - probably deleted later on).
- Falkvinge 14y ago
  You're thinking of another judge, in the Netherlands. I haven't written in English about this subject before AFAIK.
  - powertower 14y ago
    Now that I think about it, you're right, it was the Netherlands judge story. My fault.
    - Falkvinge 14y ago
      Sorry if I sounded aggressive in my terse response. I frequently publish a story when I'm 98% sure - pretty much every single time, the details will fill in as people come to visit and add it to the comments field, frequently enough enriching the story beyond what I first thought. That one time, it didn't, and I'm still somewhat bitter over my misjudgement. Cheers, Rick
Falkvinge 14y ago
Of course I am biased, just like any other publication. The principal difference is that I openly declare my bias, and try to provide alternate sources for verification. Cheers, Rick
- mongol 14y ago
  Why do you write: "Sweden has a justice system unworthy of a banana republic.". Do you imply that Sweden should identify itself as a banana republic?
  - rdtsc 14y ago
    It is a hyperbolic comparison between justice system not that Sweden is a banana republic. It is like comparing tires on two cars. The tires on my car seem to be of the same crappy quality as the tires on this yellow, banana shaped truck.
  - Falkvinge 14y ago
    Because a justice system must consistently uphold rights of citizens. Its best-case scenario is not particularly interesting; it is the worst-case scenario that must be good enough, still guaranteeing citizens' rights and due process in every relevant stage. The case presented here is worse than what I would expect from typical banana republics, showing corruption at every step of the way. Cheers, Rick

I do not know if the facts presented here are true (although I expect that they are) this publication is heavily biased as it was founded by the creator of the Swedish pirate party.

moilolita 14y ago

Hey, greetings to the US Embassy, how do you do ?

ruswick 14y ago

Yeah. I took one look the site, decided that it look illegitimate and/or suspicious, and closed the page.

white_devil 14y ago
Yeah, it's not like he might have been making a point. Let's just latch on to one word's literal meaning and use that to dismiss the whole article.
jacquesm 14y ago
Falkvinge is a polarizing figure. He says these things to wake you up and make you think. If a left-wing do-good society such as Sweden can have a court case this perverted then likely in other countries it is even worse. A charged headline will help in bringing the audience to the content, if 'one look' is all it takes for you to dismiss the data as illegitimate and/or suspicious then perhaps I can allay your worries by stating that he's 100% legit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickard_Falkvinge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickard_Falkvinge
Falkvinge 14y ago
Illegitimate - no. It's my site and I can confirm that. I've been working hard on it for quite some time. Suspicious - well, that depends on exactly what you are suspecting. Cheers, Rick

rgbrenner 14y ago

You needed to open the link to see that? The link called Sweden a banana republic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic A banana republic is a politically unstable country that economically depends upon the exports of a limited resource (fruits, minerals), and usually features a society composed of stratified social classes, such as a great, impoverished working class and a ruling plutocracy, composed of the elites of business, politics, and the military. Who in their right mind thinks that describes Sweden?

lsdkhjfvgasn 14y ago
Obviously it's a bit of a stretch. The term is being used here because it's another example of corporations becoming powerful enough to impose their will on the the justice system of a territorial state.
- burntsushi 14y ago
  Corporations aren't the entities with a monopoly on the use of force. Governments are.
  - sesqu 14y ago
    Well, that depends on whether we're talking about banana republics or ideal republics.
    - burntsushi 14y ago
      No it doesn't. By definition, corporations are endowed with special privileges by governments.
danieldk 14y ago
I don't know about Sweden, but at least in Dutch the term is increasingly used in discussions about corruption in Western countries as well.

powertower 14y ago

I tried to follow the "fact" that the legal counsel was forcibly subjected to DNA registration, and the link went to the Wikipedia entry for the Pirate Bay raid. Which then linked out the reference for that specific "fact" to a blog that no longer exists. And this was the law student's (the referred-to "legal counsel") blog. Not exactly great. Also the notion that the Judge in this case somehow picked himself and was corrupt to the bone was completely disproven the last time that site made the front-page on HN on the subject (in the comments section of the article - probably deleted later on).

Falkvinge 14y ago
You're thinking of another judge, in the Netherlands. I haven't written in English about this subject before AFAIK.
- powertower 14y ago
  Now that I think about it, you're right, it was the Netherlands judge story. My fault.
  - Falkvinge 14y ago
    Sorry if I sounded aggressive in my terse response. I frequently publish a story when I'm 98% sure - pretty much every single time, the details will fill in as people come to visit and add it to the comments field, frequently enough enriching the story beyond what I first thought. That one time, it didn't, and I'm still somewhat bitter over my misjudgement. Cheers, Rick

Falkvinge 14y ago

Of course I am biased, just like any other publication. The principal difference is that I openly declare my bias, and try to provide alternate sources for verification. Cheers, Rick

mongol 14y ago
Why do you write: "Sweden has a justice system unworthy of a banana republic.". Do you imply that Sweden should identify itself as a banana republic?
- rdtsc 14y ago
  It is a hyperbolic comparison between justice system not that Sweden is a banana republic. It is like comparing tires on two cars. The tires on my car seem to be of the same crappy quality as the tires on this yellow, banana shaped truck.
- Falkvinge 14y ago
  Because a justice system must consistently uphold rights of citizens. Its best-case scenario is not particularly interesting; it is the worst-case scenario that must be good enough, still guaranteeing citizens' rights and due process in every relevant stage. The case presented here is worse than what I would expect from typical banana republics, showing corruption at every step of the way. Cheers, Rick