[Vision2020] More school laptop spy cam stupidity

Tue Feb 23 13:42:23 PST 2010

Ted,

Voting is not about wisdom, maturity, or intelligence. People don't have to have any of those things to vote, or even to serve in office as is evidenced by some current and former office holders.

Our political system is based on representation. To make people wait until they are fully mature to be represented in the Legislature would not make us a representative government; further, woman would be voting long before men because it takes longer for men to mature, if they ever do. :P

The decision not to allow persons under 21 to drink is based on voluminous scientific research which shows, in the United States, it significantly reduces the chance of death and injury. 

For those few men and woman that are in uniform between 18 and 21, they can drink beer at any military base in which they are on. 

If you take the time to explain to a teenager (if you find one that will listen :P) that their insurance would be higher than they could afford to pay and they would not be allowed to drive without it, most would rather drive legally and drink illegally, then the other way around. 

Your Friend,

Donovan Arnold

--- On Tue, 2/23/10, Darrell Keim <keim153 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Darrell Keim <keim153 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] More school laptop spy cam stupidity
To: "Ted Moffett" <starbliss at gmail.com>
Cc: "vision 2020" <Vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 4:01 AM

To quote former Montana governor Ted Schwinden:  Logic and common sense have nothing to do with it!  We're talking politics here.

On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 7:50 PM, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:

Students in K-12 public schools do not have full adult civil rights, in their lockers, for example, given what I have read on this issue regarding current law on constitutional rights   A student's locker may be searched by school authorities, with no legal protections.  And cameras for surveillance are common and legal in public and private institutions in many cases, for adults and minors.  We are on camera with video footage stored, often in public on the streets, the bank, the grocery store, etc.  Smile!

But the surveillance in this case occurred in the homes of adults, students parent's homes, homes ostensibly with full guarantee of civil rights under the Bill of Rights of our constitution (or what's left of these rights, after the Patriot "Unpatriotic" Act, justified by the "War on Terror," and other erosion of civil rights to pursue the "War on Drugs").  

The constitutional rights of the adult parents were thus violated if the surveillance occurred in their homes, if not the students (who may be minors) rights, it seems to me... Assuming we have any rights left...

Those under the age of 18 have limited legal rights in some cases.  Even those over the age of 18 sometimes have legal limitations... Old enough to die in war for your country, and vote, yet not old enough to legally purchase a beer?  What is the logic?  If someone has the wisdom to make a responsible decision in voting, perhaps the most important act of a citizen in a "democracy," then does it not follow they have the wisdom to make a responsible decision whether or not to purchase a beer?  

Perhaps this illogical legal situation reveals an unconscious lack of respect for the wisdom required to cast a responsible vote, given we regard voting as requiring less maturity in age than the decision to purchase a beer.
------------------------------------------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

On 2/22/10, Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com> wrote: 
Here is an article that was posted on a news site I read:

http://techdirt.com/articles/20100221/2118128243.shtml

Apparently, the student is claiming that the "inappropriate behavior" he was allegedly engaged in was eating Mike & Ike candies.  The administrators presumably thought they were drugs, and hilarity ensued.

Also, here is a blog that talks about the software allegedly on these laptops, some of the people involved, and so forth:

http://strydehax.blogspot.com/2010/02/spy-at-harrington-high.html

Some highlights:

Students were complaining problems with the machines because the green light that indicated the camera was on would flash at odd times.  They were told it was a glitch and the student would be offered a replacement laptop.

Students were forbidden to jailbreak their laptops, and could face serious trouble if they did so, including expulsion.

Laptop use was mandatory for classes.

Students using their personal laptops would get them confiscated if they were found.

Laptop cameras could not be disabled (except by physically covering them over with tape).

The software, if it thought it the laptop was stolen (which it would if it was outside of the "home" network), would take screenshots and pictures and upload them to their servers at regular intervals along with some other technical information like IP address.

The computers, when used at student's home, would be outside of the "home" network, and would thus presumably send regular snapshots to their server.

Unbelievable.  Nobody but Donovan would allow this in a sane world.

It's my understanding that children (and we're talking high school students here) do actually have one or two basic rights.  Perhaps I'm wrong about that.

Paul

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