meta-roj

under the interpretation of the current administration, australians apparentlydon’t get the protections of the sixth amendment of the united states constitution, but i thought i should refresh memories just in case.

sixth amendment to the united states constitition

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

i’m no constitutional scholar, but “the accused” doesn’t seem to be limited to “the accused citizens of the united states” – which leaves the only room open for interpretation the “speedy and public” nature of the accusations, which brings us to today…

U.S. Charges Australian Guantanamo Prisoner Hicks [reuters]

David Hicks, who was captured in Afghanistan in late 2001, will face trial before a U.S. military tribunal, although no date was set, the Pentagon said in a statement. Hicks became the third Guantanamo prisoner to be charged.

i suppose a few years could be “speedy” in some contexts – geological contexts, of course… maybe even climatological. life expectancy for a 28-year-old australian male is something approaching 70 years, so maybe 4-5% of this person’s life has been spent waiting for “due process.” and hicks is probably one of the luckier detainees – we’re on pretty good terms with australia, and they seem to have pushed pretty hard to move this thing along…

hicks is getting a better deal than most of the detainees – he apparently gets a lawyer, won’t face the death penalty, and even a couple family members will be allowed to attend the proceedings.

the official department of defense news release is available here for your review.

World military spent $956 billion [ap via the toronto star]

The $956 billion spent on defence costs worldwide represents 2.7 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product, according to the annual report.

the annual report is produced by the stockholm international peace research institute, and it’ll cost you 80GBP.

so, that works out to roughly 150 dollars per person… are you happy with how your 150 dollars were spent in 2003?

btw… world’s gross domestic product? do we have trade agreements with mars now? 🙂 another nit to pick is this in the ap article:

World military spent $956 billion [ap via the toronto star]

Military spending rose 11 per cent in 2003, up 18 per cent from 2001, the last year for which figures were available.

in contrast with this:

Highlights from the SIPRI YEARBOOK 2004

World military spending in 2003 increased by about 11 per cent in real terms. This is a remarkable rate of increase, even more so given that it was preceded by an increase of 6.5 per cent in 2002. Over two years world military spending increased by 18 per cent in real terms, to reach $956 billion (in current dollars) in 2003.

i mean… it is an annual publication….

update: it helps when you do the math right. geez. that’s 150 dollars, not 15 cents. i’m surprised nobody picked my nits.

reported by reuters, the beatles are apparently actually negotiating to put their catalog online in some legit form…

reuters credits cnet, and both remind us all about the whole apple vs. apple lawyer thing.

Philadelphia sculpture garden in danger [ap, via seattle post-intelligencer – philly papers are subscription-based]

More than a decade ago, Isaiah Zagar began transforming a vacant lot next to his art studio from a trash-strewn residence for rats and vagrants into a sculpture garden.

…

At a meeting Tuesday with attorneys for Zagar and the property’s Boston-based owner, someone offered $250,000 to buy the property and leave it as is. The offer, made by a benefactor who wants to remain anonymous, was rejected, Zagar said.

The landowner, Gaston Serge Realty Trust, wants $300,000 for the lot, which it purchased in 1988 for $130,000, according to city records.

[links are mine]

but that’s not the whole story… the same space was threatened in 1999, too, only back then, the asking price for the property was only $165,000…

Sidewalk Sale [philadelphia city paper]

Although the double lot has been on the market for many years, the prospect of Fresh Fields opening a store across the street has renewed the interest of speculators who predict this currently sleepy block of South Street will wake up.

(The property is listed for $165,000, says real estate broker Louis Orocofsky. It was sold to an entity called Gaston Serge Realty Trust back in June 1988, according to the property deed at City Hall.)

the city is rallying around the lot, this is going to be an interesting battle of wills…

long, long ago (it seems), a great thing was born on the net, instigated by a good person (akma) and evolved quickly into a complete audio book. this is an inspiring thing unto itself, and it got me thinking…

…i was sitting around, soaking in the quagmire that is modern american politics, i had a crazy idea. this isn’t anything new or particularly surprising – i have crazy ideas all the time – but this is a derivative crazy idea, so maybe it’s less crazy than some of my solo flights of fancy.

there are only 435 representatives and 100 senators in the united states congress… i wonder what might happen if people from each of the congressional districts created a remix of some or all of free culture for their individual congresspersons. as much as i like the idea of the 14 chapters (plus 4 or 5 other sections) each recorded by different people in each of 435 different districts and forwarded in plain old boring cd format to the offices of the appropriate representatives and senators, that’s a bit limited.

read it, copy it into your individual handwriting, interpret it as a painting, take a photo with the book, videotape a dramatic reading of the conclusion – the net is full of creative people, and we have the tools. make a remix that is related somehow to the district that the congresspersons represent. mix your local news or local companies or just your local voice into a little bit of free culture and make it relevant.

that means many thousands of people would have to play along, and that could be a powerful message… is it unrealistic to find 20 (or so) people in each congressional district that care enough about the future of culture to send a message to congress?

we have the license, we have the precedent – can we find enough people to make free culture into a valid, targetted, political message for each and every congressperson? can the builders of the grassroots political web coordinate an effort like this?

photographer

it’s good to be ahead of the curve…

probably the most disturbing example of the department of justice’s apparent policy to push the envelope of the law…

Memo Offered Justification for Use of Torture [washington post]

In August 2002, the Justice Department advised the White House that torturing al Qaeda terrorists in captivity abroad “may be justified, ” and that international laws against torture “may be unconstitutional if applied to interrogations” conducted in President Bush’s war on terrorism, according to a newly obtained memo.

….

“It’s really unprecedented. For almost 30 years we’ve taught the Geneva Convention one way,” said a senior military attorney. “Once you start telling people it’s okay to break the law, there’s no telling where they might stop.”

congratulations, misters ashcroft and bush, you have set the example for the world. generations to come will have to live with your flexible interpretation of principle.

[full text of the article below the cut. this is just too important to lock up behind a registration process. a nod from me to the washington post for doing the work.]
(more…)

jonas has been hoarding gmail invites, but you can have one and all you have to do is be worthy.

so, ditch wayne and garth, put your imagination in gear, and go something interesting.

update: 7 hours later, the effort has secured “…$600 in charity donations, someone who’ll adopt a child, three volunteers in bad areas, and someone who’ll work a free week in a hospital in Sao Paulo.”

see? you are worthy

update (2004.06.11): status report:
49 invites given away
9 invites open
$3234 in charitable donations
$5500 pledged without invite in our name
19 individuals went and offered their own invites
26 individuals will be doing good

emilie simon – flowers

[a little cute-gothy music video to get you through the spring… dig the awesome graveyard band. you will need quicktime]

update (2004.06.10): site officiel