[Noisebridge-discuss] Deep Crack

[madhatter]

If you had a "no government employees" clause, you would have had to
exclude me as a member. I was a federal gov't employee for six years
as a wildland firefighter, and if I had continued fire investigation
training, I would have had law enforcement authority. This has changed
recently, so it's not directly relevant. Just sayin'.

On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 15:04, Al Billings <albill at openbuddha.com> wrote:
> All this makes me wonder what would happen if someone who was an employee of
> either the SFPD or the FBI attempted to join the space as a member? Would
> people run away screaming to find torches and pitchforks?
>
> Do we have a "no government employees" clause in our membership rules? Is
> this like the "no religion" clause that some people seem to favor?
>
> On Oct 8, 2009, at 2:57 PM, madhatter wrote:
>
>> As has been said, there will be much discussion around this, and there
>> will undoubtedly be much fear about having it in the space. I think
>> that fear is unfounded. There is a tremendous amount of paranoia in
>> security circles, and from my interactions with the FBI, that paranoia
>> is largely unfounded. Law enforcement have a very complex and
>> time-consuming job, and they are horribly understaffed. Unless you're
>> doing something seriously illegal, to think that they care about what
>> you're doing is to take yourself way too seriously. I am pretty sure
>> this is probably going to incite several to recount their stories of
>> horrible interactions with law enforcement. And yes, I am well aware
>> of the ridiculous overreactions of local law enforcement to innocuous
>> events, e.g., Boston PD to the Mooninites. My statements are not
>> intended to deny they exist or denigrate anyone's experiences. I
>> simply think folks should temper their paranoia with some reality.
>>
>> However, just because you're not paranoid, doesn't mean they're not
>> out to get you. :-)
>>
>> It's a sad state of affairs that law enforcement has been allowed the
>> power grab they have. This discussion should remind us all that we've
>> permitted law enforcement to go too far. We need to reclaim our civil
>> rights and re-instate the Constitution. Being paranoid and flailing
>> about on a mailing list isn't the way to do that.
>
>



-- 
Christopher Nielsen
"They who can give up essential liberty for temporary
safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin