It’s Getting Harder and Harder To Get Away With Anything
It’s probably in the back of all of our minds. But how often do we really do anything about it? Hidden, undisclosed cameras are a thing in rental homes throughout the world. And renters have recourse…to a degree. Depends on a variety of factors and jurisdictions, but one thing is for sure: Best not to fuck around outside that rental home. Better yet, just get a hotel.
“States vary on whether and what degree of consent is required for surveillance, and there are different rules for audio and video recording. ‘U.S. privacy law is fragmented at best,’ wrote Doris DelTosto Brogan, a law professor and the Heller McGuinness Endowed Leadership Chair at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law, in Villanova, Penn., in an email. She noted that some federal privacy statutes apply to all states, but that each state can develop its own privacy laws.”
New York Times: Hidden Cameras: What Travelers Need to Know
Snitches Get Stitches…and a Gold Star!
This week in “there’s no difference between Democrats and Republicans” and “no one gives a shit about privacy anymore” comes a heartwarming story about preventing school shootings. Instead of doing something, anything, on gun control or ensuring that we have comprehensive mental health programs in this country, the Biden administration is promoting a Republican led effort to encourage kids to tell on one another.
From the article:
“Last year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the EAGLES Act to prevent acts of mass violence, a bill that would bolster the NTAC by creating a national program on targeted school violence prevention, while expanding the NTAC’s ‘research and training on school violence and its dissemination of information on school violence prevention initiatives.’
“‘Accurate behavioral threat assessments and early interventions are essential to maintaining a safe environment in our schools and communities and preventing another tragedy from taking place,’ Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said, in reintroducing the legislation. ‘The U.S. Secret Service is uniquely equipped to help evaluate these threats, and our bill would enable them to share their tools and expertise with school safety partners across the country.’”
The Intercept: Kamala Harris Touts Secret Service Program Encouraging High School Spying
Hypocrisy Thy Name Is Republican
GOP assnugget and election denier gets caught committing voter fraud and receives a slap on the wrist. Apart from this guy being exposed, there are two important pieces of information to glean from this article. The first is that it points to another situation in Texas where a Black woman received a five-year jail sentence for unwittingly voting while she was technically still a felon under supervision. Thankfully, this sentence was reversed. But the whole thing highlights the need to do away with voting restrictions. Personally, I believe everyone has a right to vote no matter how distasteful this may seem to some.
From the article:
“It’s easy to see the glaring hypocrisy of Brian Pritchard, the Republican official in Georgia and outspoken election denier, who was found guilty this week of voting illegally nine times. A judge apparently did not buy Pritchard’s claims that he had been unaware that his probation from felony forgery charges had not ended when he illegally cast his vote. All this is ironic considering voter fraud is an enduring conservative boogeyman despite scant evidence that such rampant fraud exists.”
Mother Jones: A GOP Official and Election Denier Voted Illegally 9 Times
People Are Starving to Death in Sudan, and No One Is Listening
While the world focuses on the unfolding horror in Gaza, another population is silently starving to death. One non-profit predicts that as many as 230,000 women and children could die of starvation in a matter of weeks. The warring factions in Sudan are both responsible for blocking aid and connectivity to several regions in Sudan, which has led to a new crisis amidst already skyrocketing food prices.
From the article:
“The ERRs are a lifeline for thousands across Sudan, but their access is limited at times and they rely on donations, most of which come via mobile banking apps, impossible to use since a near-total communication outage began in February. Without it, hundreds of kitchens were forced to close, and the queues got even longer at the few still functioning, people standing for hours for little more than a pot of fuul, a traditional dish of stewed fava beans.”
Al Jazeera: Sudan slips into famine as warring sides starve civilians
