Filed under: News

SOPA and the Student

Wikipedia
Several sites went black today in protest of SOPA. The idea is to demonstrate what we could lose if the bill passes.

Tonight, my daughter was working on her art paper. She's writing about a current pop artist, and doing her research on the web. Unfortunately, her Google search pointed towards a page on Wikipedia, and was replaced by the black out page.

It was a perfect example of who will suffer if SOPA passes. The web changed the way people acquire information. When I was in school, if I wanted to write a paper about someone, I'd hit the library and try to find some books about that person. I was limited to what was physically present in the library. Now, a global library is available to anyone who knows how to Google. Granted, it requires a bit more fact checking, (What? You mean the Pacific Tree Octopus isn't real?!) but the information is out there.

Google

Occupy Portland in Jamison Square and, The First Amendment.


Occupy Portland protesters in Pioneer Square
Photo by Sarah Mirk of the Portland Mercury 

I'm watching the news coverage of Occupy Portland in Jamison Square. The media has been asked to leave the park, and the protesters remain.

I'm a huge fan of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment protects our right to peaceably assemble, protects our freedom of speech, etc. I have absolutely no issue with these "Occupy" groups expressing their opinions.

This is my issue: since when does the Bill of Rights give people the right to break laws intended to apply to everyone?

The Occupy Portland folks are already camping in two of Portland's downtown parks. As far as I know, camping in downtown parks is illegal. If it wasn't, I imagine our homeless population would be pitching tents down there regularly. Jamison Square closes at midnight, but from what I can see on TV, the protest persists in that park.

Maybe I'm being too logical here... The "Occupy" group should have the right to protest. During the day. They can protest all day, go home at night, and come back first thing the next morning to continue their protest. No laws would be broken, and no rights would be stepped on.

The Occupy Portland group in Jamison Square is also (in my opinion,) loud enough to disrupt those around them. So what about the rights of people living near Jamison Square? In my opinion, one person's rights extend to the point where they start infringing on the rights of others. Who decides if the protesters' right to protest trumps the residents' right to actually sleep at night?

I know I'm not the only one who thinks that local laws should apply to everyone. Can anyone tell me why they don't seem to apply to this group?

One more thing...

“We will be demonstrating in the Pearl District to bring awareness to the inequality of wealth within our very city and to be in solidarity with other occupations and people in Portland and nationally who have been the target of police brutality,” said march organizer Cameron Whitten. 

katu.com

It's the "inequality of wealth" part that troubles me. If someone chooses a lucrative career path, and works their ass off, why should they be punished when they amass more wealth than someone who made different choices? I know, I know... Life isn't always fair, and sometimes people work their ass off and don't seem to get anywhere. I sympathize with those folks, and will happily try to help anyone who has shown the initiative and drive to help themselves. My mom worked hard to create a better life for my sister and I, and she took help only when it was absolutely necessary. Even though there was an "inequality of wealth", she didn't expect handouts.

It's now 1am, the police are beginning to make arrests at Jamison Square. The protesters are getting louder.

The irony... "Inequality of Wealth" is being protested by expecting an "Inequality of Laws".

For those of you living in the Pearl, I hope you invested in some ear plugs earlier today. This doesn't look like it's going to get quiet any time soon.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments. I'd like to hear different opinions.

RIP Jani Lane

Warrant front-man Jani Lane was found dead in a hotel room on Thursday. He was 47.

My very first concert was Poison/Warrant in Missoula, MT. It was during midterm week my junior year in high school, and I had to sit in the principal's office and convince him that I had worked with all my teachers to schedule my tests around the trip to Missoula. He told me that taking time from school for a concert would detract from my education, but that it was up to me. I was to think long and hard about the consequences of going to a concert instead of taking midterms with the rest of my classmates.

I thought about it. For the entire five seconds it took me to walk out of his office. It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I went with my friend Amy, and the trip was "chaperoned" by her mom. If I remember correctly, Amy's boobs got her floor seats, while I stayed in the nosebleeds with a few of my Missoula friends. My buddy Dan W met up with us after the concert. Bel-Air Motel, room 222... Not sure how I remember that.

Rest in peace, Jani Lane, and thanks for the memories.

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More information on Reuters.

Slash and other industry folks share their thoughts...

And a few more videos:

Obituary for Daniel Hedrick

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I have a Google alert set for my name. It doesn't get hits very often--most recently when I signed up for Google+ and made my profile public.

Today, I got a hit on an obituary in the Denver Post for Daniel Hedrick. There were a couple of interesting similarities: His birthday was June 17th; mine is June 18th. His wife's name is Molly; my sister's name is Molly.

Just thought that was kind of interesting. Sad, but interesting. Rest in peace, Mr. Hedrick. You had a cool name.