High Court Limits Whistleblower Lawsuits - Forbes.com

~~~ This ruling disappoints me.
A close loss at 5-4 too.

Last year it could been 5-4 the other way.
( Or even 6-3 -- as Rehnquist was a bit of a maverick on free speech ) .

Welcome to the Roberts & Alito court . ~~~ tp

===================

High Court Limits Whistleblower Lawsuits - Forbes.com: "
Associated Press
"High Court Limits Whistleblower Lawsuits"
By GINA HOLLAND , 05.30.2006, 11:12 AM

"The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it harder for government employees to file lawsuits claiming they were retaliated against for going public with allegations of official misconduct.

By a 5-4 vote, justices said the nation's 20 million public employees do not have carte blanche free speech rights to disclose government's inner-workings. New Justice Samuel Alito cast the tie-breaking vote"

"Judge Says Time Magazine Reporters Must Turn Over Some Documents to Former White House Aide"

~~ Seems reasonable to me , as Libby is the source ,, so there no "source" for the reporter to protect in this case. A fine line ,as the reporter has rights too.

But in this case I do not see the reporter 's note protected.

Anyone-- even Libby --must be given wide latitude in obtaining
ANY information that could prove they are innocent.~~` TP
===========================
=================

Time Ordered to Give Documents to Libby,
Judge Says Time Magazine Reporters Must Turn Over Some
Documents to Former White House Aide - CBS News:

"Judge says Time magazine reporters must turn over some documents to former White House aide"

WASHINGTON, May. 27, 2006
By TONI LOCY Associated Press Writer"

"U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton limited the scope of subpoenas that Libby's lawyers had aimed at Time, NBC News and The New York Times for e-mails, notes, drafts of articles and other information.

But in a 40-page ruling, Walton rejected the news organizations' argument that they have a broad right to refuse to provide such information in criminal cases."

Apple Loses Bid to Unmask Bloggers' Sources :The Sixth District Court of Appeals on Friday

~~ This makes me happy.!! ~~ TP
---------------------------------------------

"Apple Loses Bid to Unmask Bloggers' Sources"
by Ryan Singel and Kevin Poulsen
Friday, 26 May 2006

"A California appeals court has smacked down Apple's legal assault on bloggers and their sources, finding that the company's efforts to subpoena e-mail received by the publishers of Apple Insider and PowerPage.org runs contrary to federal law, California's reporter's shield law, and the state Constitution.

The Sixth District Court of Appeals on Friday roundly rejected (.pdf) Apple's argument that the bloggers weren't acting as journalists when they posted internal document about future Apple products. 'We decline the implicit invitation to embroil ourselves in questions of what constitutes 'legitimate journalis(m).' The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what petitioners did here,' the court wrote.

'Beyond casting aspersions on the legitimacy of petitioners’ enterprise, Apple offers no cogent reason to conclude that they fall outside the shield law’s protection".

Source:
© Copyright 2006, Lycos, Inc.
Lycos is a registered trademark of Lycos, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Your use.... constitutes acceptance of the Lycos
Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions !!! "

=============================

: Supreme Court Developments on Yahoo! News

Print Story: Supreme Court Developments on Yahoo! News: -- Yahoo! News

Supreme Court Developments
By The Associated PressMon May 22, 4:24 PM ET

Highlights of actions taken Monday by the Supreme Court. The justices:

_Ruled unanimously that police do not need a warrant to go into a home to break up a bloody fight, in a case involving a 'melee' that Brigham City, Utah, police officers saw through a window.

_Rejected an appeal from Tennessee death row inmate Abu-Ali Abdur'Rahman, who wanted the court to declare that the drug protocol used in most executions amounts to cruel punishment.

_Refused to hear an appeal in the case of a mentally ill man, Andrew Goldstein, whose conviction was overturned in the death of a woman pushed into the path of a subway train in New York.

_Said they would not consider the case of convicted murderer James Hamm, who graduated from law school and is being thwarted in his efforts to become a practicing attorney in Arizona.

_Delayed a decision on whether to take up a fight over reporters' confidential sources, apparently because a former government scientist's lawsuit that prompted journalist subpoenas may be settled.

_Declined for the second time to get involved in a child custody fight between a San Diego woman and and her former [female] partner."

============

When the law chases the Internet | csmonitor.com

~~~ Cybercrime in Cyberspace.
The Internet will never be a totally safe place.
Just be careful out there !! ~~ TP

When the law chases the Internet | csmonitor.com: "And yet cybercrime is now considered a greater worry than physical crime among US businesses, according to a new IBM survey. Nearly 9 out of 10 companies experienced a computer security incident in 2005, the FBI has found, with viruses, computer theft, and other such crimes costing US firms more than $67 billion a year. And the latest worry to individual PC owners is a type of 'spyware' that can remotely follow a person's keystrokes to steal a password or other vital information.

Google itself is quite aware of potential abuse by new software, and how much governments, from Washington to Beijing, want to control or snoop on Google users.

It is primarily up to Congress to pass new laws that can provide the tools to fight cybercrime while also balancing privacy concerns.

One pending bill would provide national standards for companies to notify customers if personal data on their computers has been breached. About half the states have such laws. Another bill would provide protection against spyware intrusion on PCs."

Techdirt:No Network Neutrality, No Internet... And That's Just What Telcos Want

~~ This concept of the "Internet highway with tolls" gives me the creeps, Also see here

and next few posts below . ~~ TP
---------------------------------------------

Techdirt:No Network Neutrality, No Internet... And That's Just What Telcos Want:

Contributed by Mike on Tuesday, February 7th, 2006 @ 10:39AM
from the killing-the-internet dept.
The network neutrality debate has been heating up as of late, and with hearings today, it's no surprise to be hearing more about it. The always interesting Daniel Berninger has written up a good analysis on Om Malik's site explaining why the internet doesn't exist without network neutrality, while suggesting that's exactly what the telcos want. It's not so much about squeezing more money out of the likes of Google and others, but in killing off what makes the internet useful... which allows them (they think) to go back their older business model which is clearly under attack from the internet. Of course, most people recognize that this will never happen -- but that won't stop the telcos from making a mess of things in the meantime.

Google : Communist sympathizer !!

Google is willing to bow to China on search censorship . but yet Google fights the American Government on releasing search data.
Seems clear to me . Google 's motto of " Do no evil", is easy to abide by when you have your own definitions of right and wrong. ~~ TP
-------------
--------

Google faces China challenges

By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter, BBC News website

Google has acknowledged that its decision to launch in China will be seen as inconsistent with its mission to make information universally accessible but believes it has little choice.

"We don't want to risk becoming irrelevant or useless due to the way that our content is blocked or filtered currently," Google's senior policy adviser Andrew McLaughlin told the BBC Radio Four's Today programme.

"We feel it is a step forward. Not a big step forward but a step forward. We understand that many people will find the decision either puzzling or objectionable," he said.

Answering Back to the News Media, Using the Internet - New York Times

~~ There is a bit of irony to me in the
New York Times reporting on the
Internet's rising power --
through personal blogs and
web pages -- as a growing check
and balance to the mainstream
media powers
{ Of which of course the Times is one.]
Yeah, there has been some
democratization of journalism
because of the Internet, but the blogsphere is still a small fish in the
Corporate Media Ocean.
And the business of actually
reporting the news – what is the
news story of the day --- is
dominated by the same mainstream
Wire & Broadcast services
that where in charge before the
rise of the Internet.

Internet based writers & bloggers,
have yet to become – for
the most -- the “reporters” of
news. The early promise of
Internet muckrackers – like Matt
Druge – becoming a powerful
force , really has yet to
emerge, and may never. As with
the mediums of print, radio
and then television , the power
of gathering and disseminating
original reporting on the web falls into
the hands of mega-media companies,
interested in circulations,
advertising revenues and
ratings, more than independent
reporting of the news that
really matters.
[See this link for a litte more backround]
~~ TP

Answering Back to the News Media, Using the Internet - New York Times

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: January 2, 2006

"Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel, or so goes the old saw. For decades, the famous and the infamous alike largely followed this advice. Even when subjects of news stories felt they had been misunderstood or badly treated, they were unlikely to take on reporters or publishers, believing that the power of the press gave the press the final word.
The Internet, and especially the amplifying power of blogs, is changing that."

NSA Web Site Places 'Cookies' On Computers |

~ I personally now will delete my cookies after visiting any Government website. ~` `TP

---------------

InformationWeek | Privacy | NSA Web Site Places 'Cookies' On Computers | December 29, 2005: " By Anick Jesdanun , NEW YORK (AP)--The National Security Agency's Internet site has been placing files on visitors' computers that can track their Web surfing activity despite strict federal rules banning most of them. These files, known as 'cookies,' disappeared after a privacy activist complained and The Associated Press made inquiries this week, and agency officials acknowledged Wednesday they had made a mistake. Nonetheless, the issue raises questions about privacy at a spy agency already on the defensive amid reports of a secretive eavesdropping program in the United States. 'Considering the surveillance power the NSA has, cookies are not exactly a major concern,' said Ari Schwartz, associate director at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a privacy advocacy group in Washington, D.C. 'But it does show a general lack of understanding about privacy rules when they are not even following the government's very basic rules for Web privacy.'"

Internet Fosters Local Political Movements, AP News

~~~ It appears from this article the Internet is finally causing some political activity , that otherwise would not happen. But I still feel for the most, the Internet has done little to change the balance of powers in elections , nor seriously impacted how legislation is passed & public policy formed. Even in the the headline here, note the choice of the word "fosters" as oppossed to "galvanizes" or "energizes" . [Click HERE for another recent post & article on this suject] ~~` TP
.

----------

"Internet Fosters Local Political Movements"
By RON FOURNIER
AP Political Writer
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1135653

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Frustrated by government and empowered by technology, Americans are filling needs and fighting causes through grass-roots organizations they built themselves -- some sophisticated, others quaintly ad hoc. This is the era of people-driven politics.

From a homemaker-turned-kingmaker in Pittsburgh to dog owners in New York to a 'gym rat' here in southwest Florida, people are using the Internet to do what politicians can't -- or won't -- do."

Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts - New York Times

~~~ The NY Times has an extensive article today on the Bush team again forgetting that a Democracy is a place where the Government does not spy on its citizens with out first getting a Court order. This is major news , but unless Congress raises a stink and starts hearings , it will pass under the radar of most voters.

I have to keep saying to myself -

-- "Just three more years,, Just three more years".

Anybody will be better than the Bushies in 2008. 

{ Assuming that Team Bush does not find 

some way to cancel the 2008 American elections.] ~~~ TP
-----------------------------------------

Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts
By JAMES RISEN and ERIC LICHTBLAU

"WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 - Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials"

~~ Big alarm bells here. If the internet becomes a place where the Internet Service Providers can favor some websites over others , the internet will simply be crippled and much less useful---especially as a political tool. Something tells me that common sense and the consumer market will not let this fragmentation occur. But who knows? ~~~ TP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Stake: The Net as We Know It

BusinessWeek

By Catherine Yang

"Google et al fear broadband carriers will tie up traffic with new tolls and controls. Ultimately, it could mean a world of Internet haves and have-nots

The Internet has always been a model of freedom. Today the Web is flourishing because anyone can click to any site or download any service they want on an open network. But now the phone and cable companies that operate broadband networks have a different vision. If they get their way, today's Information Highway could be laden with tollgates, express lanes, and traffic tie-ups -- all designed to make money for the network companies."

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2005/tc20051215_141991.htm

Questions on the Legality of Campaign Fund-Raising - New York Times

Questions on the Legality of Campaign Fund-Raising - New York Times: "'Contributions can only take you so far,' said former Senator John B. Breaux, a Louisiana Democrat who has relocated to a K Street law firm and is now advising clients on lobbying strategy. 'I tell them, 'Look, you can give to an elected official and take them to lunch, dinner and breakfast. "But if you are asking them to vote yes on an issue and they have 2,000 letters from home telling them to vote no, then you have a problem."

~~ The most powerful tool in any political lobby , is the handwritten letter from the home district . Even in this technopolitical world in which we now exist , the simple old ways of local storefront politics still prevails. ~~ TP

"Blogs for a Cause", by "Nicole Price Fasig ,- PC Magazine.

~~~ My cause is to inform you.

[And me too, as doing this blog encourages me to read a broader spectrum of the media.]

I hope to contribute to a world with less censorship, more reasoned & peaceful debate, less war , and a cleaner Earth.....

.... and maybe have a little fun doing it too. ~~~

~~ tp
---------------------------

by "Nicole Price Fasig
- PC Magazine
Mon Nov 7, 5:00 PM ET

"International bloggers are increasingly positioning themselves as watchdogs over governments.

In countries with oppressive regimes, weblogs are often the only way to communicate injustices to the international community,,,,

,,, but creating and maintaining an anonymous blog can pose nearly insurmountable challenges." { Tell me about it ! ~` tp }

link:
Blogs for a Cause - Yahoo! News:

- White House Staff Begins Ethics Classes

FOXNews.com - Politics - White House Staff Begins Ethics Classes: "ASHINGTON — Mandatory ethics classes began for White House staff on Tuesday, the direct result, according to White House aides, of the indictment and resignation of former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby.

Libby was indicted 10 days ago for perjury and obstruction of justice charges in the CIA leak case.

A directive memo went out last week to the more than 3,000 White House staffers announcing the sessions. The classes are being conducted by the White House counsel's office."

Job Posting - New York Times

Job Posting - New York Times: "So maybe it does make sense that the law should provide special protection for bloggers, because of the social benefits Weblogs provide. The simplest place to start would be to put the burden on employers to show actual harm, if they are firing someone because of her Weblog."

Save the Bloggers !!

Congratulations, It's a Theocracy! By David Sarno

~~` Cute headline this morning at Slate.com .

~~ TP

------------------------

Congratulations, It's a Theocracy! By David Sarno: "today's papers A summary of what's in the major U.S. newspapers.

Congratulations, It's a Theocracy!
By David Sarno
Posted Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005, at 4:50 AM PT "

As blogging grows, companies eye legal pitfalls - Yahoo! News

~~~ Soon there will also be a

"Cyber-Lawyer"

television show.

Watch them as they battle evil bloggers!!!

It can follow the "Cyber-Dectectives Gone Bad " on FOX ~` ~~`tp

--------------------------------
As blogging grows, companies eye legal pitfalls - Yahoo! News: "But lawyers see possible legal pitfalls for companies looking to join the blogging phenomenon. What, for instance, would happen if someone at a publicly traded company unwittingly divulged confidential financial information or a trademark secret on one of these Web diaries?

There already have been cases of people being fired for writing about life inside their companies on blogs not affiliated with their employers. Experts say the real test will come when courts must consider the legal ramifications of what employees say on corporate blogs.

'There's very, very little case law at this point , [ ~ ` `not for long ~ TP ~~ ` ]' said Paul Arne, co-chairman of the technology group at law firm Morris Manning & Martin LLP. He recently conducted a telephone seminar for other corporate lawyers to discuss blogging.

It's no surprise that big businesses are increasingly interested in blogs. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 new blogs are created each day, according to Intelliseek, a technology company that tracks developments in the medium."

Minn. Man Aims to Alter Judicial Campaigns - Yahoo! News

~~~ I like any legal campaign inovation that adds substance to the electoral discourse ~` TP

-----------------

Minn. Man Aims to Alter Judicial Campaigns - Yahoo! News: "By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 27, 6:42 AM ET

MINNETONKA, Minn. - When Greg Wersal last ran for Minnesota's Supreme Court, he toted plywood cows from town to town, dragged around an oversized ball and chain and adopted his wife's Scandinavian name for political advantage."

Notorious apartheid policeman in Biko case dies - Yahoo! News

Notorious apartheid policeman in Biko case dies - Yahoo! News

~~ Time to meet your Creator. ~~ tp