arvind’s posthaven

They [police] represent those who have ruled this country since 9/11 in the name of our safety and security, while they made themselves, and no one else, safe and secure.  It is an order that has based itself on kidnapping, torture, secret prisons, illegal surveillance, assassination, permanent war, militarized solutions to every problem under the sun, its own set of failed occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the closest of relations with a series of crony capitalist corporations intent on making money off anyone’s suffering as long as the going is good.

Wow, Rebecca Solnit's (correction) Tom Engelhardt's words leading into Rebecca Solnit's piece are haunting and powerful, but more than anything scary and sad. As someone who has attended/organized/participated in many dozens of protests and demonstrations, I'm aghast at the overwhelming use of force to silence people. Yes, I know that Occupy Wall Street folks were breaking park rules by camping, but I cannot believe that in civil society we cannot find a better tool than pepper spray and billy clubs to resolve conflict.

The rest of Rebecca's post in TomDispatch is worth reading.

I have been mentally preparing for the 2010 World Cup since the 2006 World Cup started winding down. Havianas, the flip flop emperor, has been too. They've got soccer-team-based flops (as you can see). I can't say I find them particularly attractive, but they're certainly with the game in mind!

Find your team on the full teams page.

Let me tell you what this is about," says Sohn. "This is all about Hollywood and the recording industry wanting telephone and cable companies to filter their networks for copyright infringement.

Via NPR article on new trade agreemetns via @alexragone: I am constantly amazed at how much power big business (in this case, Hollywood) has over the way our government operates. Currently the U.S. is in secret trade negotiations with major nations about how the Internet should/should not be filtered. The Recording Industry of America wants internet service providers (ISP - the company that provides your Internet connection) to be more responsible for blocking illegal file traders.

My best metaphor for ISP's in this case is your water company (or say, electric company). You might use water for cooking, bathing, cleaning, or you might use water as part of your illegal alcohol still. Either way, the water company is not responsible for checking up on your usage. Why then are ISP's supposed to give you a utility and monitor/block your usage. If the RIAA is so concerned about piracy, then they need to figure out a better solution. Don't mess up the Internet trying to deal with your own business problem.

Definitely read the NPR article for more on what is happening in these secret trade deals.