SOPA & NDAA

First off, in case you haven’t heard, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has passed both houses of congress with huge majorities and Obama has now said he will sign it. This is absolutely terrifying. Why? Because it codifies into #USA law indefinite detention, of anyone and everyone the president *accuses* of being a terrorist, or even merely supporting:

http://www.salon.com/2011/12/16/three_myths_about_the_detention_bill/

It simply cannot be any clearer within the confines of the English language that this bill codifies the power of indefinite detention. It expressly empowers the President — with regard to anyone accused of the acts in section (b) – to detain them “without trial until the end of the hostilities.” That is the very definition of “indefinite detention,” and the statute could not be clearer that it vests this power. Anyone claiming this bill does not codify indefinite detention should be forced to explain how they can claim that in light of this crystal clear provision.

So basically, assuming Obama truly does sign this in the coming days, anyone the president *accuses* of terrorism, can be held indefinitely. Accused. Not convicted of being, but merely *accused*. This bill passed the US Senate 93-7. Ninety-three to *seven*. So much for freedom in the USA.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/sopa-hollywood-finally-gets-chance-break-internet

Next up is SOPA – Stop Online Privacy Act. Sounds noble, doesn’t it? Its aim? Stop piracy Though of course there is absolutely no way to do this. If it passes though, we will end up with a corporate shell for the internet, at least in the USA. Companies will be able to (once again) merely accuse a website of infringing on their copyright, and thence force ad services (Google, Facebook, etc), and payment processors (PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, etc) to stop funding you. It will essentially force anyone who allows posting of content to constantly monitor & censor what is being posted. No more Youtube. No more Facebook. But we might stop a tiny bit of privacy.

Advertisement

First Aid & the YMCA

Tonight we had our First Aid & Oxygen Adminstration classes at the YMCA. They were both pretty darn basic and simplistic, though Kevin once again struggled with the test. I don’t understand whats happend with him and tests. I know he’s always been bad about second-guessing himself, but it just seems much much worse lately. In anycase though, we both passed just fine. He actually didn’t take the oxygen class as he had to watch Andros the last hour. I’m pretty excited about taking the life guarding class starting next week. It’ll be interesting and hopefully fun, though I’m questioning whether or not I’ll be making it to Tae Kwon Do unfortuantly. I might try and go once a week still and just go from their. We shall see.

I’m rather upset with the YMCA though regarding my right to breastfeed my son. On Monday after the babysitting room closed at 8:30 I went and got him and brought him back in to the class while we rapped up CPR and took the test. While we were reviewing some information I went ahead and nursed him, and didn’t think anything of it, just like always. But, then tonight, when I went in to the babysitting room and nursed him in their the lady said “do you want a blanket” and when I said “no thank you” she tried to make me use one. So, I informed her that I am legally allowed to nurse wherever I am otherwise allowed to be, and she just dropped it…

Then, later on during a separate break the instructor and another woman confronted me about it, and tried to say that in the future I must either: leave the room and go somewhere private, or use a cover of some sort. I informed them of the law as well and they just blew me off. So I blew them off and just walked away.

From now on though, I fully intend to bring a copy of the Ohio law on the subject, and if anyone ever tries to tell me to cover their again, I will inform them of the law and that I can sue them for civil rights discrimination if they continue to press me (which I forgot about tonight somehow)… It just boggles my mind that anyone cares if I nurse my son anywhere, and that they think they have the right to tell me to cover. Mind boggling.