November 21st, 2017 IRC Meeting

Review

Town Government Workshop

Decisions/Endorsements

Sec. 702 Update

Congress is debating whether to renew the law that allows the FBI and other agencies to conduct warrantless searches on Americans’ communications, Title VII of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which was renewed in 2012.

It is a given that we would oppose the:

FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act (S. 2012);
awful House-led USA Liberty Act and
inclusion of any 702 reauthorization provisions in an end-of-year omnibus spending bill.

The question is whether to support the USA RIGHTS Act (H.R. 4124 / S. 1997)

There's a longer explanation of the bills and what we should do at warrantless.org. Useful press coverage, a Reason summary and a useful reminder on the rhetoric from Marcy Wheeler.

Projects

Fundraiser

Planning for 2018 Elections & Organizing

Training schedule:

12/9, Holyoke
January: Boston
February: Worcester

Once we set dates for the trainings we will put up a poll asking about our 2018 conference and whether to change it into several regional conferences.

In 2018, towns decide when their elections are held, but most are held in the first half of the year. State & county elections are in November. What offices are up in 2018 is listed here. We have been asked to hold a town election training in Milford this year.

Nomination papers for federal/state/county elections are available in mid-February. State/county candidates have until the end of May to gather all of their signatures, while federal candidates have until the end of July. The number of signatures needed vary from 150 for State Rep. to 2000 for US House of Representatives.

The electronic election for our officers went well in 2017, and we should consider doing it again. Such a change would allow us to decentralize our yearly conference and hold multiple regional conferences in different parts of the state. We could schedule monthly conferences starting in March or April. We could limit them to about 4-5 hours long, with the first half being training and the second half being discussion. If we want to go this route, we should ask our members soon and see who wants to organize their regional conference.

Digital Right of Repair

Details. Making calls to volunteers and members.

Statements In Process

MA Bill H.3641: An Act relative to electronic tolling - Approved our opposition to it. Past position is to remove the tolls on the Pike since it has long been paid for.
US S.1241 - Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017 - Approved our opposition to S.1241. Need statement (Joe)

Other To Dos

FOSS Tutorials

Worcester farm group is interested in having some FOSS tutorials. Perhaps:

how to do basic labels in GIMP,
work through a few sample spreadsheets related to seed cost and
similarly applicable real-world situations, depending on the needs of the group

Basically how to do graph design & product management with open source tools. Malt will put together a one paragraph description of what we need and we can mail it out to ask pirates to help.

Tech/Outreach

Review regular IRC meeting day. Poll sent to email list - Sent (jokeefe)
email Loomio invite to supporters (jokeefe)
set up torrents for PirateCon videos (creynolds)
post remaining audio for PirateCon talks (srevilak)
finish setup of myBB (jokeefe)
install mattermost as slack alternative (jokeefe)

Mayfirst is looking at setting up a Discourse instance we could use.

Upcoming Events

11/26, 7-8pm?, Recording Monthly Video Magazine
11/29, 6-9pm, Somerville Cryptoparty, The Sprouts, 339R Summer Street, Somerville
12/3, 7-8pm, Monthly Video Magazine Meeting
12/10, 7-8pm, Monthly Video Magazine Meeting
12/17, Chelsea Manning's Birthday
12/17, 7-8pm, Monthly Video Magazine Meeting
12/26, 7-8pm?, Recording Monthly Video Magazine
12/27, 6-9pm, Somerville Cryptoparty, The Sprouts, 339R Summer Street, Somerville
1/3, 6-9pm, Cryptoparty at the Community WorcNight, Worcshop, 243 Stafford St, Worcester, MA 01603. registration

See: 2017 calendar

Participants

jokeefe: James O’Keefe, Somerville
Joe: Joseph Onoroski, Lowell
Malt: Sam Capradae, Worcester
hvxgr

Observers

igel

Summary

Minutes

 


[9:04pm] jokeefe: Agenda: https://masspirates.org/wiki/November_21st,_2017_IRC_Meeting
[9:04pm] jokeefe: ids
[9:04pm] jokeefe: James O’Keefe, Somerville
[9:04pm] Joe: Joseph Onoroski, Lowell
[9:04pm] Ross: Hi
[9:04pm] Joe: Hi
[9:05pm] Malt joined the chat room.
[9:05pm] Joe: Hi Malt
[9:05pm] Malt: Sam Capradae, Worcester
[9:05pm] Malt: I'm in the phone, on the car
[9:06pm] Malt: Err, one of those. Anyway. Likely to be spotty
[9:06pm] Malt: I'm not driving
[9:06pm] jokeefe: oh hey you made it
[9:06pm] Malt: I am shocked it finished early
[9:06pm] jokeefe: Anything to add to the agenda?
[9:07pm] Joe: Nay
[9:07pm] Malt: I'm gonna be flyering the worcshop event
[9:07pm] Malt: That's p much
[9:08pm] jokeefe: cool
[9:08pm] jokeefe: Review - Town Government Workshop
[9:09pm] jokeefe: It went very well. Lot’s of good perspectives. Bryan organized it well.
[9:10pm] jokeefe: Steve recorded it all, so hopefully we can get it up in the next two weeks
[9:10pm] jokeefe: Decisions/Endorsements
[9:10pm] Malt: Awesome!
[9:10pm] Joe: Should I reach out to Steve to work on it?
[9:11pm] jokeefe: Sec. 702 Update
[9:13pm] jokeefe: it is up for renewal - and allows some warrantless surveillance of Americans. Used for mass surveillance
[9:14pm] Malt: Send out a mailer asking for calls?
[9:14pm] Malt: Emailer
[9:14pm] Malt: I'm pretty opposed
[9:14pm] jokeefe: Sure, but should we say there is a bill we are for?  USA RIGHTS Act - here is the eff’s take on it https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/10/usa-rights-act-protects-us-nsa-spying
[9:15pm] jokeefe: It is by Sen. Ron Wyden. Here is a one page summary - https://www.wyden.senate.gov/download/usa-rights-act-one-pager
[9:15pm] Malt left the chat room. (Quit: https://webchat.pirateirc.net/)
[9:16pm] Malt joined the chat room.
[9:16pm] Joe: I abstain from making a choice until I can get more information on this.  This last week was particularly brutal for me.
[9:17pm] Malt: I trust the take that the bill is better
[9:18pm] jokeefe: We can wait a week. Doubt anything is going to change in a week
[9:19pm] Malt: Ok!
[9:19pm] jokeefe: How about saying we oppose a straight renewal and will decide on USA RIGHTS act next Tuesday and want input
[9:19pm] Moses joined the chat room.
[9:19pm] jokeefe: ahoy Moses
[9:19pm] Moses: ahoy
[9:19pm] Moses: !
[9:19pm] Joe: I am reading about it now and I'll have at least some idea on the topic by tonight
[9:19pm] Malt: Just checked the 1 pager, can we take the point that this will stop state employees stalking folk?
[9:19pm] jokeefe: discussing https://masspirates.org/wiki/November_21st,_2017_IRC_Meeting#Sec._702_Update
[9:20pm] jokeefe: well it would limit it domestically at least
[9:21pm] Joe: Ahh, so the current bill only continues until the end of the year
[9:21pm] jokeefe: yes, the current law expires at the end of the year
[9:21pm] Malt: Reauthorization is a forgone conclusion?
[9:21pm] jokeefe: figure they are focusing on tax cuts
[9:22pm] Malt: We can't fight to just leave it unreplaced?
[9:22pm] jokeefe: no
[9:22pm] jokeefe: We can say it should expire
[9:22pm] jokeefe: as it should
[9:23pm] Joe: Not to play devils advocate but their are some benefits to the law as well. Mainly the oppressive kind.
[9:23pm] jokeefe: not benefits we like 
[9:23pm] Malt: It's prolly the best we can expect from Democrats
[9:24pm] Joe: Or Repubs too
[9:24pm] jokeefe: so say we oppose renewal, but hold off on decision on USA RIGHTS act to next week?
[9:24pm] Malt: I don't think they'll endorse this
[9:24pm] Malt: Yeah
[9:24pm] Malt: FISA should be abolished
[9:25pm] Joe: Yeah, I always hated this act.
[9:25pm] Joe: I support that.
[9:25pm] jokeefe: ok
[9:26pm] jokeefe: Moving on to Projects
[9:28pm] Malt: No progress on FOSS tutorials
[9:28pm] Malt: Should get a 5 min audio Tomorrow
[9:28pm] Joe: No Fundraising
[9:28pm] Joe: Nor
[9:28pm] jokeefe: The only update I have is that I have made some progress on evaluating a hosted alternative to slack.
[9:28pm] jokeefe: thanks
[9:29pm] Malt: I will be flyering and talking cyber security at the worcshop potluck
[9:30pm] jokeefe: Don’t think we can record at SCATV this weekend. Class got moved to next Monday
[9:30pm] Malt: First Weds in December
[9:30pm] Malt: First Weds in December
[9:30pm] Malt: Check check
[9:30pm] Malt: Sorry
[9:30pm] jokeefe: Ok, will add it to email.
[9:30pm] Joe: ?
[9:30pm] Malt: Connection issues
[9:30pm] Joe: I guessed but figured I would ask anyways
[9:31pm] jokeefe: Malt will be tabling at worcshop event
[9:31pm] Malt: In Worcester
[9:31pm] Malt: I think I got this but it's a good chance to meet the folk who run the space
[9:32pm] hvxgr: jokeefe: What is name of self hosted slack alternative?  (id - Tom Rodman, Milwaukee )
[9:33pm] jokeefe: Riot
[9:33pm] jokeefe: Worcshop event will be Dec 6
[9:33pm] Malt: Yes ty
[9:34pm] jokeefe: Moses, do you have any updates?
[9:36pm] jokeefe: Anything else anyone wants to add?
[9:37pm] Malt: I'm set!
[9:37pm] Joe: Not tonight, I have a late night and an early morning.
[9:37pm] hvxgr: no.
[9:37pm] jokeefe: Shall we adjourn, then?
[9:37pm] Malt: 2nded!
[9:38pm] jokeefe: all in favor?
[9:38pm] Joe: Aye
[9:38pm] Malt: Aye
[9:38pm] hvxgr: aye
[9:38pm] jokeefe: aye
[9:38pm] Malt: Night folk!
[9:38pm] Ross: good night
[9:38pm] hvxgr: Good night all.
[9:38pm] jokeefe: have a wonderful night and thanksgiving
[9:39pm] Ross left the chat room. (Quit: https://webchat.pirateirc.net/)
[9:39pm] Joe: Happy Thanksgiving, hope you all have a wonderful time.