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Hey everyone, author here. The petition to the White House still needs 40k more signatures to get a response. If you haven't done so, please sign it: https://

by sinak 14y ago

Hey everyone, author here. The petition to the White House still needs 40k more signatures to get a response. If you haven't done so, please sign it: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7 https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cel...

homosaur 14y ago
Great, only 40K more until they can ignore another petition! I'm guessing if 40 of Obama's corporate owners filed a petition the results would be slightly different.
- meaty 14y ago
  Yes we've had online petitions in the UK for years of this kind and absolutely nothing at all gets done. Its the equivalent of sitting down and doing fuck all and making you feel happy doing it. Its another form of quelling dissidence from the lazy portion of the population. Direct activism and martyrdom is about the only way to get a result unfortunately. And don't go on about a vote - the population is by majority moronic dross unfit for breathing let alone voting. Don't expect miracles from monkeys. Perhaps a natural disaster may redress the balance.
Hawkee 14y ago
Just registered and signed it. This is my first White House signature.
- sinak 14y ago
  Awesome - thank you Hawkee. I think the biggest barrier to signing is probably registering, thank you for taking the time to do that.
  - gknoy 14y ago
    The biggest barrier for me is that I am fearful of the executive branch of the government having my directly-given opinions about subjects which may be controversial. How long before some analyst starts saying, "I bet people that care deeply about closing Gitmo, legalizing X, and dismantling Y are more likely to be domestic terrorists!" -- and then I end up on a no-fly list or something.
    - georgemcbay 14y ago
      If it comes to that (and granted, it may), not being able to fly easily would be pretty low on my list of worries.
flyinRyan 14y ago
Have any examples of a single online petition of any kind producing any useful result of any kind? You know, in the history of online petitions?
- sareon 14y ago
  Didn't an author from Penny Arcade successfully get a visa or something like that to enter the US because of an online petition. IIRC he was trying to enter for business purposes but the US Gov't doesn't consider an online comic to be a viable business.
  - ceol 14y ago
    It was Dave from Cynanide & Happiness[0] who wanted to move from Northern Ireland to the US in order to work on their animated cartoons. He filed to get a work visa but the office didn't believe C&H worthy of it. [0]: http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?t=67947 http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?t=67947
kunai 14y ago
I signed it, and called my parents and asked them to, but unfortunately, they said, "It doesn't affect me, why should I sign it? Besides, if it's illegal, it should stay illegal." This kind of apathy is exactly what got us here in the first place. Ridiculous how everyone will simply bend over backwards to get their rights taken away from them. No wonder real reformers like Gary Johnson never get a chance.
- dublinben 14y ago
  >if it's illegal, it should stay illegal This is the worst kind of authoritarian-enabling apathy around. It's not even a justification for the law, just an excuse to never question it.
dhimes 14y ago
I signed, and for the first time ever clicked on a facebook icon embedded in a web page. Maybe it'll at least help the conversation along.

by sinak 14y ago

homosaur 14y ago

Great, only 40K more until they can ignore another petition! I'm guessing if 40 of Obama's corporate owners filed a petition the results would be slightly different.

meaty 14y ago
Yes we've had online petitions in the UK for years of this kind and absolutely nothing at all gets done. Its the equivalent of sitting down and doing fuck all and making you feel happy doing it. Its another form of quelling dissidence from the lazy portion of the population. Direct activism and martyrdom is about the only way to get a result unfortunately. And don't go on about a vote - the population is by majority moronic dross unfit for breathing let alone voting. Don't expect miracles from monkeys. Perhaps a natural disaster may redress the balance.

Hawkee 14y ago

Just registered and signed it. This is my first White House signature.

sinak 14y ago
Awesome - thank you Hawkee. I think the biggest barrier to signing is probably registering, thank you for taking the time to do that.
- gknoy 14y ago
  The biggest barrier for me is that I am fearful of the executive branch of the government having my directly-given opinions about subjects which may be controversial. How long before some analyst starts saying, "I bet people that care deeply about closing Gitmo, legalizing X, and dismantling Y are more likely to be domestic terrorists!" -- and then I end up on a no-fly list or something.
  - georgemcbay 14y ago
    If it comes to that (and granted, it may), not being able to fly easily would be pretty low on my list of worries.

flyinRyan 14y ago

Have any examples of a single online petition of any kind producing any useful result of any kind? You know, in the history of online petitions?

sareon 14y ago
Didn't an author from Penny Arcade successfully get a visa or something like that to enter the US because of an online petition. IIRC he was trying to enter for business purposes but the US Gov't doesn't consider an online comic to be a viable business.
- ceol 14y ago
  It was Dave from Cynanide & Happiness[0] who wanted to move from Northern Ireland to the US in order to work on their animated cartoons. He filed to get a work visa but the office didn't believe C&H worthy of it. [0]: http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?t=67947 http://forums.explosm.net/showthread.php?t=67947

kunai 14y ago

I signed it, and called my parents and asked them to, but unfortunately, they said, "It doesn't affect me, why should I sign it? Besides, if it's illegal, it should stay illegal." This kind of apathy is exactly what got us here in the first place. Ridiculous how everyone will simply bend over backwards to get their rights taken away from them. No wonder real reformers like Gary Johnson never get a chance.

dublinben 14y ago
>if it's illegal, it should stay illegal This is the worst kind of authoritarian-enabling apathy around. It's not even a justification for the law, just an excuse to never question it.

dhimes 14y ago

I signed, and for the first time ever clicked on a facebook icon embedded in a web page. Maybe it'll at least help the conversation along.