Sunday, July 15, 2012

The End of Privacy?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-privacy.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
An opionion piece brings valuable points across about Government surveillance of the digital world. The author begins by showing that law enforcements use of cell phone monitored has grown for crimes of varying degrees. With cellular companies reporting of more than a million requests from law enforcement to release information. The authors main claim is that while the use of  technology and information grows we should update our privacy laws accordingly to protect the average american from government intrusion.
There are laws protecting information and files on your desktop or laptop computers via required search warrant, but not for "cloud" based services. This is a valid point and That is why i chose this article.




Marijuana Legalization: 61 Percent Of Colorado Voters Favor The Legalization And Regulation Of Pot, New Rasmussen Poll Shows

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/marijuana-legalization-61_n_1587405.html
a new poll shows that 61% of Coloradans approve of the legalazation of marijuana like alchohol. The article quotes Betty aldwerth saying that coloradans are in favor of a more responsible system. She makes the arguement that the state could be receiving tax dollars for a drug objectively less harmful than alchohol.
the article also quotes Mason Tvert and in context implies that more and more people are realizing that marijuana is not as dangerous as they were origionally led to beleive. That there are quotes from law enforcement saying that it does not contribute to crime. These are all very strong claims. This article is controversal especially for us californian's who rejected 2011's Prop 19. That is why i chose this article
















3 comments:

Unknown said...

About the 2nd article, I think the shift of opinion has at least something to do with technology. For the first time infinite amounts of information are accessible in seconds through the internet, and with that much power its really hard to find a legitimate argument against the cannabis plant. Its a great alternative to cancer-causing tobacco and its about time people are given that option without having to fake an illness.

Unknown said...

I think prop 19 should've passed. We wouldn't be going through all these budget cuts if people decided to vote for it. At the same, the drug cartel in mexico could've gone worse than it already is.

Anonymous said...

I am surprised no one has commented about the first article. In our blinded comfort of day-to-day existence, a lot of Americans have failed to realize the danger and realities of invasions of privacy. It almost seems like a far removed alien concept: something constrained to movies like "Live Free, Die Hard". The truth remains, as the article discusses, our privacy laws should be updated along with technological advances. But the truth is, more people than not will continue to reveal personal information through Facebook and other mediums that they could potentially one day regret doing.