Definition of a Crime

In an earlier post I talked about the disjoint between rights and responsibilities that has occurred in our society today. Recently in the news there is an example of that very thing. The article found at www.cnet.com (link) talks about a recent case of what is called cyberbullying. If you don't know what it is look it up. It is a sad read, but it does have one highlight if you follow the cyberbully link (link). States are starting to enforce crimes perpetrated on the internet. In particular Missouri has passed a cyberbullying law. This is a step in the right direction. By having the government define and enforce punishments for crimes perpetrated on the internet it will help enforce the fact that with each right comes the responsibility to use that right appropriately. It is not a cure-all, but good news all the same.

Where's the Discrimination?

I am a white male who is from a middle class family. Until I declared myself independent from my father, I literally had no chance to receive any federal grants or subsidized loans. I have survived college, paid rent, tuition, and even paid(in part) for my own wedding by working year around at a job on my college campus. So where is the discrimination against women? I don't see the vast opportunities and financial aid that I am supposed to have because I was born with a Y chromosome. In fact, I tend to see the opposite. My wife has a long list of scholarships that are only available to her because she is a girl in a scientific field. The fact is that if we wish to eliminate discrimination in distributing financial aid and scholarships we need to base them more on genuine fiscal need than on race or gender.

The Copyright Police are Out to Get You

How does one stop one's copyrighted material from being illegally distributed and downloaded? As outlined in the Cnet article, found at the following URL: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10437176-93.html?tag=mncol;title, Verizon has implemented an interesting solution. They have started cutting off the offenders from the internet. This might seem like a breach in contract, but I feel that it is an amazing solution. It does not cause expensive drawn out legal battles and still stops the offenders from continuing to distribute or download the copyrighted material. I do not think that this is a cure all, but it is a step in the right direction.

My First Smallish Post

The internet, as a medium for communication, has fostered a culture of overextended rights and misinformation. Though the internet is good stage to share and debate opinions, the availability of the medium(such as this blog) allows anyone to post their views no matter how degrading or damaging on any subject matter whether or not they are knowledgeable. Under the guise of 'Freedom of Speech', they can do this without disclosing their identity eliminating any sense of accountability. This has led the common people to feel that their freedom of speech overrides any other freedom the affected actually has. Thus, not only is misinformation propagated by those who have no right or place to speak but others rights are trampled by their ever growing 'Freedom of Speech'. In other words the Internet has fostered a culture where rights and freedoms have been separated from their associated responsibility, and will continue to do so until users are held accountable for what they state on the internet.