Ashevillein's blog

Roy, who?

There have been lots and lots of reduction in our rights as photographers to make images in the past 7 years. I am amazed at some of the stories I read and hear about these days.
As American citizens, we have THE RIGHT to make any photograph at any time in public. We have the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure those who work for us (police especially) are doing their jobs, and there is a long-standing, historical interest in documenting our society.
Recently, there have been a number of camera confiscations, photographer detentions, arrests, and outright harassment cases in NYC and elsewhere.

Publish PostThat was the percentage of voters in the general election for city council here in Asheville.
They say people get the government they deserve, perhaps this is so.
Maybe things are lots better than I believe.
Maybe pigs will fly tomorrow.
Who knows?

Yes, apparently that is what our great pResident believes, at least today. His veto of the very bi-partisanly passed childrens insurance program increase on the very same day the US agreed to assume the cost of N. Korea's (most likely failed) nuclear program reaches new lows even for this administration.

That and removing North Korea from the State-Sponsored Terror list. Wow. Did they stop? Or did the US just admit that list is only a club to beat people the administration does not like?

I ponder things like this while I drive all over Western North Carolina, now you can too!

1. While I know that health care costs have gone up a lot, it seems that all the money GM made from the efforts of workers over the years should still be around. I bet retired GM executives are not worried about their health care. Where did the money go?

2. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has decided to send a "fact finding mission" to Iraq. While that is funny enough in a war based on lies, it seems to me a casual Google search on American military contractors and atrocities should do just fine. I mean, I don't have to go to Iraq to see videos of Blackwater thugs shooting at random cars and pedestrians. If I know this, how come Mr. Gates does not?

Anbar province is safe, as long as you are not in it.

Tell the families of dead soldiers, airmen, Marines, and sailors the surge is working.

or, at least I would be if I were living in China.

See, I think the Chinese government is one of the most repressive in history. I think their censorship policies suck. Their turn-the-other-way attitude with big business sucks. Their crackdown on freedom of speech and expression sucks.

There.

Of course I feel the same way about much of our government too.

I said it.

Here, no one cares. They yawn and go on their merry way. Not so in China. See, over there, Yahoo and other ISP's/tech companies are very, very much in bed with the government. So much so, a lawsuit was filed today against Yahoo for aiding in the identification of bloggers which led to their arrest and TORTURE.

Let me repeat that. TORTURE.

So, as you read this and go ho-hummm, think about that.

She and Bob showed up at the Citizen-Times for "a tour" on Friday.

The developer claims this is not his fault, because, hey, water runs downhill.