for the love of gawd
Feb. 1st, 2007 12:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
metaphorgeFree Peter Berdovsky!
The man who sent city and State Police rushing to defuse what they believed were explosive devices around the Boston region was arrested tonight.That's right guys, arrest someone because you were stupid and panicked....
Attorney General Martha Coakley scheduled a 9 p.m. press conference to announce the arrrest of Peter Berdovsky, an Arlington artist.
Edit: Recent developments have forced me to re-examine my stance on this matter.
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Date: 2007-02-01 10:01 am (UTC)eliazar }()+
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Date: 2007-02-01 10:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 10:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 01:19 pm (UTC)Bah. Pathetic and shameful. Him being arrested makes it all the more ridicuous. Way to waste taxpayer money!
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Date: 2007-02-01 02:54 pm (UTC)"America: Shiting our drawers over nothing since September 11th, 2001!"
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Date: 2007-02-01 07:32 pm (UTC)artwas a bit too knee-jerk, I must admit that I have almost no sympathy for this guy.no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 08:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 10:10 pm (UTC)The entire point of filling out permits is to actually inform and ensure that what you're doing is totally harmless. When you don't do that, your intentions aren't known. Did the authorities over-react? Maybe, but suspicious packages are destroyed every day, so I'd argue this is a non-story that seems like a story because Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Lite Brites are supposedly "cool". You can only play the "harmless" card now because you get the wonderful 20/20 hindsight that the news provides you. Besides that, this was advertisement. This isn't even the usual problematic artistic freedom line. This is supporting the corporate advertisement you generally hate.
I honestly can't believe you're calling this a free speech issue. It's so not.
I think the
artistsprobably don't deserve to have the book thrown at them, but what they did is definitely disruptive, especially in the face of the fact that they had non-disruptive options, so I have zero sympathy for their plight. I think the natural result will ultimately be their release with either a minor fine or a release and a lawsuit. I don't have much sympathy for the trouble they're going to go through during it.no subject
Date: 2007-02-01 10:27 pm (UTC)You have a lot more faith in bureaucracy than I do.
Besides that, this was advertisement. This isn't even the usual problematic artistic freedom line. This is supporting the corporate advertisement you generally hate.
I honestly can't believe you're calling this a free speech issue. It's so not.
Who says advertising isn't art? My usual objection to "corporate advertising" is that it's bad art.
Where this turns into a freedom of expression issue is when felony charges are filed for what is, essentially, graffiti, and easily removable and cleverly executed graffiti at that. Chilling effect.
You can only play the "harmless" card now because you get the wonderful 20/20 hindsight that the news provides you.
I can play the harmless card when this is what the device looks like:
Unrelated: you should look into Switzerland. I think you'd like it there. :)
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Date: 2007-02-01 10:40 pm (UTC)Yes, because I've seen people successfully file for permits to have a behooded Klan rally. I've seen people successfully file for permits to counter rally in the exact same location. I've met person upon person who's gotten permits to have their film crews barrelling down public spaces. Shit...the permit to hold my wedding is free and easy to get! That's an assembly of up to 75 people plus various structures that really do interrupt the public's use of part of the beach.
If a pack of advertisers can't get permits to put their stuff in places advertisements don't normally go, I won't bleed.
Who says advertising isn't art? My usual objection to "corporate advertising" is that it's bad art. Where this turns into a freedom of expression issue is when felony charges are filed for what is, essentially, graffiti, and easily removable and cleverly executed graffiti at that. Chilling effect.
Well, since you've read my comments, you know I don't think they need to be charged with laying potential bombs and whatnot. Public nuisance and graffiti are resonable charges, in my mind.
I can play the harmless card when this is what the device looks like:
...and when you're not entrusted with public safety. To a cop, that's a supicious package left there anonymously. I've seen large regions of Gainesville, FL cleared out over a mystery package left next to a FedEx box. But, since you've read my comments, you know that I'm willing to lay a little blame for overreaction. I'm just not willing to hold the advertisers blameless, and the amount of blame I'm comfortable laying on them is somewhere around the trouble they're going to go through before their charges are dropped/lightened.
Unrelated: you should look into Switzerland. I think you'd like it there.
What makes you say that?
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Date: 2007-02-01 07:34 pm (UTC)This is official American policy now, didn't you know that? Such behaviour is acceptable and encouraged by our current administration.
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Date: 2007-02-02 12:43 am (UTC)Uh, this whole thing is a Discordian joke to illustrate how stupid things can hypothetically get, right? Things didn't REALLY get this stupid.... Right....?