Archive by month: December 2010

On the FCC’s net neutrality rules

December 22, 2010

We haven't read the new FCC net neutrality rules, because you need a Freedom of Information Act request to see them, so we haven't decided our position on it, but here are a few perspectives: Dan Gilmore: But when it came to rules that might boost network neutrality -- the notion that end users (you and me) should decide what content and services we want without interference from the ISPs -- the FCC's order paid lip service to the concept while enshrining its eventual demise. In theory,...
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Draft Policy: Term of Copyright

December 6, 2010

The Massachusetts Pirate Party is debating the term of copyright in order to form a policy on it. The "term" of copyright refers to the length of time for which a copyright is in effect. Currently it can get up as high as centuries, and is tending towards infinity. We think it is spiraling out of control, and we want to limit the term of copyright. But for exactly how long? One proposal is 14 years, and another is 5 years. A compromise proposal would split the difference between these two ...
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Open Thread: Posting and commenting standards

December 5, 2010

So, we're just getting all of this started, and as example taken from a couple of my favorite blogs, I figured I'd try and start a tradition using "open threads" for general forum blather and commenting. I think we should all try and hold each other accountable for supporting any blog entries or comments that we make with evidence from sources, as reliable as possible, via links. What say you all?

Draft Position on the TSA and Travel Security

December 3, 2010

At our last general meeting, we decided to post a draft position a week to get feedback and refine the policies we want to implement once we are elected. Our first draft position is on the TSA, Travel Security and are the better alternatives to naked scanners or groping by TSA employees. Please add your comments so we can improve it. Thanks! Government should be about serving the people who have voted to create it, and to a limited extent this does happen. Unfortunately there are severa...
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Wikileaks’ Benefit to Democracy

December 3, 2010

With calls for the head of Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, and Amazon.com's government prompted censorship of Wikileaks, after the release of the latest State Department cables, it is worth reviewing some of the things Wikileaks has revealed that the US media has not (thanks to Greg Greenwald of Salon.com for the summary): "We viscerally saw the grotesque realities of our war in Iraq with the Apache attack video on innocent civilians and journalists in Baghdad -- and their small children -...
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Weekly chat will be this Sunday at 10pm

December 1, 2010

The Mass. Pirate Party weekly chat is every Sunday at 10pm. To get on: Go to www.mibbit.com Click the Launch Mibbit WebChat button Enter in a Nick of your choice and enter #mp-weekly in the Channel box next to it, then click the Go button Start typing and reading