MatBastardson 's BestNetTech Comments

Latest Comments (28) comment rss

  • On the post: DOJ Report Details The Massive Amount Of Violence Committed By Rikers Island Staff Against Adolescent Inmates

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2014 @ 11:15am

    Cruel and unusual.

    This is not news. Everybody knows prisons are horrible places with corrupt and sadistic corrections officers. It has always been so for decades, and the fix is in, so there is no way to change it.

    I don't know what jail was like when they wrote that 'cruel and unusual punishment' clause, but there is no doubt now that putting a man in jail is cruel and unusual punishment. Does a guy who swipes you iPhone on the street deserve one to three years of regular beatings and daily psychological torture? That's why I propose a radical new three tiered penal system.

    For simple theft, conversion, or destruction of property - full restitution plus a punitive fine.

    For violent crimes such as assault or armed robbery - public flogging. Better one beating in the public square than years of daily beatings and the psychological torture inherent in the prison system. Besides, the public nature of the beating will act as a deterrent to other would-be ne'er-do-wells.

    For murder, kidnapping, or rape - execution.

    Prison should be done away with altogether.

  • On the post: Blogger Defends Outing Politician Trolling His Comments

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2014 @ 12:10pm

    Re: Is anyone truly surprised at this?

    Maybe, but if a blog allows the option to comment anonymously, it should either honor the poster's wish to remain anonymous, or publish a disclaimer over the comments section in huge red letters: "WARNING! COMMENTS POSTED ANONYMOUSLY MAY NOT REMAIN ANONYMOUS IF WE DETERMINE THE CONTENT TO BE OFFENSIVE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF COMMENTERS TO GUESS OUR CRITERIA REGARDING OFFENSIVENESS."

    I presume BestNetTech shares this person's policy on anonymity, as you so prominently feature his justification for violating it. Might be useful to your many anonymous commenters if you posted a clear policy regarding the matter.

    And before anyone jumps on me, I hate Nazis too.

  • On the post: DC Comics Refuses To Let Superman Logo Adorn The Headstone Of A Young Child Who Was Starved To Death [Updated]

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2014 @ 11:10am

    unintended consequences

    So, little Billy is dragged off to the funeral of some relative he barely knows, sees the Superman logo on a tombstone, and breaks into tears, asking mommy and daddy when Superman died? Then as they try to bundle him away from the gravesite, he sees dozens of other tombstones with the Superman logo, and his little mind is shattered, like if the contractors putting in a pool in his backyard uncovered a mass grave of Santa Clauses murdered by some psycho mall-santa killer. DC gets sued out of existance, and Superman dies for real this time, taking Batman with him.

    Won't somebody think of the children?

  • On the post: Keurig Begins Demonstrating Its Coffee DRM System; As Expected, It Has Nothing To Do With 'Safety'

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 10 Jul, 2014 @ 10:55am

    Much ado about nothing.

    Keurig machine sales will plummet, and they'll be forced to come out with 'Keurig Classic'.

  • On the post: Tom Wheeler: 'I'm Not A Dingo.' John Oliver: 'Prove It!'

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2014 @ 07:56am

    I am not a dingo

    Never believe anything until it is officially denied.

  • On the post: High School Principal Cancels Entire Reading Program To Stop Students From Reading Cory Doctorow's 'Little Brother'

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 08 Jun, 2014 @ 11:23pm

    Clever Marketing Scheme

    Maybe he made a deal with Doctorow: 'I will ban your book at my school. When this news goes viral, sales of your book will skyrocket worldwide, and you pay me a modest percentage of your spike in royalties from these sales."

    For the guy who leaps and bounds to the conclusion that this principal must be a Christian, like all those rednecks down south, that it's Christians who want to ban books, that no one stops kids from reading the bible, here's this story which also recently happened in Florida: http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/05/07/florida-public-school-bans-student-reading-bible/ . In fact I see stories like this one at least as often as I've seen the ones about schools banning 'Huckleberry Finn' or 'Brave New World'.

    You don't have to be religious to be a control freak. I think tyranny of the mind is pretty evenly represented among all types of people. One difference though, is that if you don't send your kid to church, or he refuses to go, nobody gives a shit. If you don't send him to school, however, the law can take him away from you if deemed necessary to ensure that little fucker's regular attendance at the child indoctrination center.

    Another difference is that no kid ever shot up his church, but lots of kids have shot up their schools.

  • On the post: High School Principal Cancels Entire Reading Program To Stop Students From Reading Cory Doctorow's 'Little Brother'

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2014 @ 09:28am

    When I was a kid...

    'Civil Disobedience' and '1984' were required reading in school. They were ostensibly raising citizens back then, although it must be admitted that if you backsassed a teacher with a quote from Orwell or Thoreau, it was off to the Vice Principle with you. Seriously, it wasn't that long ago. Maybe they didn't really want us to question authority, but they sure paid lots of lip service to those historical figures who did, and we got to read their books.

    I think public education has always been about indoctrinating drones, it's just that now they are making no pretense otherwise.

  • On the post: Patent Reform Is Dead; Patent Trolls Win

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 22 May, 2014 @ 03:30pm

    Re: Senator Leahy needs to go

    Leahy is a stalking horse. Early EFF poster boy who subsequently co-sponsored anti-privacy bills, now putative patent reform advocate subsequently doing patent trolls bidding. Recently came out in favor of medical marijuana, and all the MM advocates were ecstatic. I warned friends of mine, getting Leahy on your side is a death knell. He's just trying to get ascendency on a trending issue so he can ultimately kill it. It's a pattern with him.

  • On the post: French KlearGear Rep Fires Off Email Defending Company's Actions, Claims Suit Against It Wasn't Served Properly

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 22 May, 2014 @ 02:58pm

    Re: Re: So...quick question

    There are all sorts of redundant laws on the books. They get passed so legislators can appear to be 'doing something' to solve a problem, and it's cheaper than actually enforcing applicable laws already on the books.

  • On the post: Ladar Levison Explains How The US Legal System Was Stacked Against Lavabit

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 21 May, 2014 @ 10:22pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    ...more words than the alphabet has letters.

  • On the post: Ladar Levison Explains How The US Legal System Was Stacked Against Lavabit

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 21 May, 2014 @ 09:36am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: No, this is NOT Levison's fault

    If Levinson hadn't been wearing such a short skirt, he wouldn't have gotten raped that way. He was asking for it.

  • On the post: Ladar Levison Explains How The US Legal System Was Stacked Against Lavabit

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 21 May, 2014 @ 09:25am

    Re: How do we fix it?

    Glad to know that lawyers had no part in creating the crazy, byzantine system we mere mortals can't navigate without them. I guess that's why they are so widely loved and revered that the accepted way to stop one from drowning is to shoot him.

  • On the post: Congressional Reps Signing Sympathy-For-The-Cable-Industry Letter Received More Than Twice As Much Funding From Cable Lobbyists

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 21 May, 2014 @ 08:47am

    Re: Re: hard place rock interface

    This must be some usage of the word 'easy' with which I am unacquainted.

  • On the post: Dan Snyder Sends C&D Letter To Former Redskins Player For Using A Picture Of Himself

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 15 May, 2014 @ 12:27pm

    Re: Re:

    No, that's no good. Washington is a place; obnoxious is a character trait. If his team was called the Bloodthirsty Redskins, you could have the Obnoxious Jewboys. Since he's got the Washington Redskins, you would have to have, say, the New York Jewboys. Only thing is, thousands of New York Jews would proudly buy and wear a cap or jersey from this team, which would sort of defeat your purpose.

  • On the post: Florida Lawmakers Aim To Restore Childrens' Rights To Openly Carry Pop Tart 'Guns' On Campus

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 15 May, 2014 @ 12:47pm

    Is it really zero tolerance...

    if the punishment for possessing an actual firearm is the same as chewing your pop tart into the shape of a gun? I think the take-away here for kids packing a lunch for school is "take the gun; leave the cannoli"

  • On the post: US Patent Office Grants 'Photography Against A White Background' Patent To Amazon

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 09 May, 2014 @ 02:14pm

    Re: This makes me realize I am in the wrong line of work

    Hey, it's how Einstein got his start.

  • On the post: New NSA Boss' Understatement Of The Year: NSA 'Has Lost A Measure Of Trust' From The Public

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 07 May, 2014 @ 04:08pm

    Re: Re:

    "Re:
    "I have seen no reports and know of no one who blames the workers at the NSA for any of this."

    Yes, this is one of the big distortions the NSA defenders trot out regularly -- pretending that criticism of the agency's actions is really criticism of the rank-and-file workers."

    Um, did I just imagine the stories about how rank and file workers abused their positions at NSA to access data on people who were under no sort of gov't investigation whatever, like ex-girlfriends, friends, and neighbors, just for the hell of it and because they can?

  • On the post: Biden, Goodlatte Preach To The IP Maximalist Choir, Vow To Make 'Second-Rate' Countries Bend To US IP Laws

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 07 May, 2014 @ 03:07pm

    Re: Re:

    Never let reality alter your agenda. PoliSci 101

  • On the post: UPDATED: NSA Denies Claims That It Knew About Heartbleed And Did Nothing

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 12 Apr, 2014 @ 11:04am

    A hundred years ago...

    "I never believe anything until it's officially denied." ~ Otto von Bismarke

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Time Flies When You're…

    MatBastardson ( profile ), 12 Apr, 2014 @ 09:34am

    relatively speaking

    When you're 8, a year is an eighth of the total time you've been alive. When you're 80, a year is only one 80th of your of the time you've lived. That's why years seem to fly by when you're old, and when you're a kid you're like, "Next Summer?! That's a whole year away!"

Next >>