| — | Carl Sagan (via mymindseesaws) |
Awareness that the Government may be watching chills associational and expressive freedoms. And the Government’s unrestrained power to assemble data that reveal private aspects of identity is susceptible to abuse. …
More fundamentally, it may be necessary to reconsider the premise that an individual has no reasonable expectation of privacy in information voluntarily disclosed to third parties. This approach is ill suited to the digital age, in which people reveal a great deal of information about themselves to third parties in the course of carrying out mundane tasks. People disclose the phone numbers that they dial or text to their cellular providers; the URLs that they visit and the e-mail addresses with which they correspond to their Internet service providers; and the books, groceries, and medications they purchase to online retailers.
Perhaps, as Justice Alito notes, some people may find the “tradeoff” of privacy for convenience “worthwhile,” or come to accept this “diminution of privacy” as “inevitable,” post, at 10, and perhaps not. I for one doubt that people would accept without complaint the warrantless disclosure to the Government of a list of every Web site they had visited in the last week, or month, or year. But whatever the societal expectations, they can attain constitutionally protected status only if our Fourth Amendment jurisprudence ceases to treat secrecy as a prerequisite for privacy. I would not assume that all information voluntarily disclosed to some member of the public for a limited purpose is, for that reason alone, disentitled to Fourth Amendment protection.
| — | United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. ____ (2012) (Sotomayor, J. concurring) |
| — | Venus in Furs |
| — | Leopold von Sacher-Masoch |
The Frogs, grieved at having no established Ruler, sent ambassadors to Jupiter entreating for a King.
He, perceiving their simplicity, cast down a huge log into the lake. The Frogs, terrified at the splash occasioned by its fall, hid themselves in the depth of the pool. But no sooner did they see that the huge log continued motionless, than they swam again to the top of the water, dismissed their fears, and came so to despise it as to climb up, and to squat upon it.
After some time they began to think themselves ill-treated in the appointment of so inert a Ruler, and sent a second deputation to Jupiter to pray that he would set over them another sovereign.
He then gave them an Eel to govern them. When the Frogs discovered his easy good nature, they yet a third time sent to Jupiter to beg that he would once more choose for them another King.
Jupiter, displeased with all their complaints, sent a Heron, who preyed upon the Frogs day by day, till there were none left to complain.
- Aeosp
| — | Jean Paul Sartre, The End of War (via cocktailsfortwo) |
The Miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, “Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it.” - Aesop
A Wolf who had a bone stuck in his throat hired a Crane, for a large sum, to put her head into his mouth and draw out the bone. When the Crane had extracted the bone and demanded the promised payment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: “Why, you have surely already had a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf.” In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains. - Aesop
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “TAKE A BREAK” EXACTLY? JUST TAKE A LITTLE REST? BECAUSE DATING ME IS SO MUCH WORK AND YOU’RE TIRED?
JUST SAY YOU WANT TO BREAK UP YOU PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE PIECE OF SHIT. NOBODY “TAKES A BREAK”. YOU DON’T LOVE ME? FINE. YOU CAN’T KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS? FINE. BUT TAKE SOME PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE FEELINGS AND RESPECT ME ENOUGH NOT TO ASK ME TO AGREE TO LET YOU GO SLEEP AROUND WHILE I SIT AT HOME AND WATCH TV OR WHATEVER. WHAT ARE YOU, SIXTEEN? DID YOU THINK I’D JUST SAY “SURE”?
GET OFF MY BEACH, AND DON’T CALL ME IN A MONTH WITH SOME HALFASSED APOLOGY. AND PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR SHITTY DUBSTEP RECORDS WITH YOU.
series of tweets I impulsively posted in response to @EpicureanDeal’s tweet criticizing “women throughout history” for looking for a husband who could be a “provider” while men looked for a partner. rough thoughts, but I don’t want to forget about them and plan on expanding on the topic later.
* * *
Can’t believe I didn’t know that historically men have wanted wives to be equal partners. I guess that whole “property” thing was a joke.
women who couldn’t work, own property, inherit property, vote, go to court - all were just being lazy demanding benevolent husbands provide.
that is so selfish! you are sold as property to the highest bidder like cattle and then have the gall to demand to be fed?! how ungrateful!
denied of even a basic education and systemically excluded from the workforce, why the FUCK do you think women needed a “provider”???
and almost magically, once women are given an actual opportunity to pursue education and careers, many do!
it’s almost as if an oppressive society was forcing women into subservient positions both in life and at home, and it wasn’t freely chosen.
must be a huge coincidence, since us little women *by nature* prefer subjugation. all waiting for benevolent providers. /sarcasm. #endscene
