3 years?

cid Viscous 0wns the world

so, have you heard about the new law bush signed? if, i'm reading this right, it's now a felony to have a 'video recording device' on your person in a movie theatre, punishable by up to three years in prison.

off the hook mentioned it, and i'll bet the eff has something interesting to say, about it, but so far, nobody seems to care too much.

accept me.

i agree that bootlegs aren't a good thing, but i'm just not sure if the punishment fits the crime. three years in a federal-pound-me-in-the-ass prison for _possessing_ (not even using) a video recorder.

and before you get visions of big studio cameras on tripods, just think about all the cell phones and digital still cams that do video. granted, most have drastic limitations (and besides, who'd wanna watch a bootleg recorded on a flip phone anyway?) but so far, it hasn't been specified whether such devices would be exempt or not.

incidentally, nokia is releasing a new series of 'luxury phones' which sport nice lenses, as well as hard drives, so don't kid yourselves, folks--a movie recorded on a phone may seem far fetched, but it's not very far away.

i just think that making it a felony (3 yrs!) is a little over the top, but even if you think that kind of penalty is warranted, it should be more precisely targeted. open ended laws offer too many chances that someone innocent will get scrizzewed or someone in a position of authority will abuse their station.

making laws just for the sake of legislation is never a good thing, and each new act to come out (whether good or bad) sets a precedent. and for the most part, our freedoms (rights that our ancestors fought and died for--the foundation of our country) are slowly being taken away.

even if these infringements on our liberties don't affect you directly, or aren't 'bad enough' to wanna do something about, you should never just shrug your shoulders. each freedom we lose makes it that much easier for them to strip the next one from us. and if you think there's nothing you can do about it, you're wrong.

talk to people. tell your friends. write a letter to your congressmen. america needs your help.

--cid