Month: June 2016

Enforcing the Law Is Inherently Violent

Every law is violent. We try not to think about this, but we should. … This is by no means an argument against having laws. It is an argument for a degree of humility as we choose which of the many things we may not like to make illegal. Behind every exercise of law stands the sheriff – or the SWAT team – or if necessary the National Guard.

in recent decades, agencies in the federal bureaucracy that few members of the public would associate with law enforcement have assembled SWAT units that carry out paramilitary raids, often against unarmed citizens engaged in nonviolent transgressions.

Source: Enforcing the Law Is Inherently Violent

English robots will miss their big shot for a “bill of rights” when Brexit takes hold

John Danaher, law lecturer at NUI Galway university in Ireland, with a focus on emerging technologies, says that the proposed robot rights are similar to the legal personhood awarded to corporations.
…
As Britain makes plans to withdraw from the EU, MEPs will vote on the robot proposals within the next year. If passed, it will then take further time for the plans to be drawn up as laws and be implemented. By that time, the UK may well have left the union.

Source: English robots will miss their big shot for a “bill of rights” when Brexit takes hold

RE: Draft Report: with recommendations to the Commission on Civil Law Rules on Robotics

What happens if Trump quits now?

If Trump quits campaigning for president (because his campaign is insolvent/broke or for any other reason) weeks or months ahead of the election date in November, then what would that mean – for the country and for the presidency? Would it be like the later state primaries where voters could still tick a box for Rubio even though he wasn’t running anymore? What would it mean for the two-party system for one of the parties/choices to essentially have been seized and then squandered/demolished? Could Clinton even claim a proper victory/mandate if on election day she functionally/practically runs unopposed?

The billionaire’s political operation is running a record $45 million deficit.
…
however. He owes nearly all of it to himself.

Source: Will Trump’s Campaign Drown in Debt?

Peter Thiel staying on Facebook’s (FB) board is irrelevant, but let’s talk about Mark Zuckerberg — Quartz

There is something deeply disquieting about Zuckerberg’s incremental increase in control. It is the opposite of the direction that the world of investment and corporate governance is going in. The conversation around Facebook shouldn’t be about Peter Thiel, it should be about the role of the board as a whole. It should be about the implications of what it means to have one person, as gifted and well intentioned as Mark Zuckerberg may be, having so much control over a company that has so much impact on so many people’s lives.

Source: Peter Thiel staying on Facebook’s (FB) board is irrelevant, but let’s talk about Mark Zuckerberg — Quartz