The Freedom Bulletin

What happens to all the security cameras that are installed in host cities for the Olympics? According to a must-read blog post by Bob Sullivan at the Red Tape Chronicles, the answer is that for the most part, they stay there. This was posted a month ago, but I just saw it today:

“Host cities tolerate massive shows of security that would otherwise be unimaginable. In London, which already has more CCTV security cameras than any other city in the world, 2,000 new cameras were installed in the Olympic Village, while nearly 2,000 more were installed around the city, according to Big Brother Watch. License plate recognition systems have been installed throughout London. There are even surface-to-air missiles atop apartment buildings and more military troops on the ground than Britain has in Afghanistan. An $877 million effort, it’s been called the largest peacetime deployment of security forces in history, but the question remains: Will there be mission creep? How much of that infrastructure and the public’s newfound tolerance for being watched will remain after the Games are finished?”

The article paints a disturbing picture of the numerous ways in which everyone’s privacy is gradually shrinking, and how governments use the Olympics as just another excuse to accelerate this trend.

Read the rest here.

Let’s take a break from law and politics this morning to wish a very happy (belated) 100th birthday to the home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park. Watch part of the ceremony, featuring Red Sox legends from past and present, above.

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno passed away today of lung cancer, just two months after his reputation was irreparably tarnished by his alleged failure to respond forcefully enough to allegations of child abuse. It is, first of all, very sad that such a successful and celebrated coach had to spend the last months of his life not only fighting a painful disease but also knowing that his standing would be forever diminished in the eyes of many people. Second of all, Paterno is another example of our society’s tendency to punish people who are merely accused of wrongdoing, not found guilty. As Judge H. Lee Sarokin pointed out, Paterno was fired before the facts of the case could be determined, similarly to how Dominique Strauss-Kahn was pressured into resigning from the IMF after being accused of sexual assault, and how Herman Cain ended up quitting his presidential campaign after allegations of sexual harassment and an affair. Although Paterno faced no charges and spent no time in jail, for his career to end so abruptly and on such a bad note is undoubtedly a punishment. Yes, sexual abuse is a crime that should be punished severely, but considering the fact that Paterno is not accused of abusing anyone, that he actually reported the abuse allegations to his immediate supervisor, and that his only arguable mistake was not reporting the allegations personally to police, I think it is sad that his career and life ended the way that they did.

I am taking a break from politics and liberty tonight to give a shout out to the Stanley Cup winners, the Boston Bruins! Congratulations to all of them, especially MVP Tim Thomas. The Boston cops are making it look like a police state, but hopefully everyone will be able to truly celebrate in the streets of our great city!

Figure skating is not something I usually write about on this blog. But when I was watching and reading about this past week’s World Championships, I noticed a lot of people were criticizing (unjustly, in my opinion) the choice of the three American skaters in the men’s competition.

Back in January, Ryan Bradley, Ricky Dornbush, and Ross Miner won the gold, silver, and bronze medals in the U.S. National Championships. All of them were considered underdogs, who ended up skating extremely well while the favorites messed up. Dornbush and Miner are newbies to senior-level skating, and Bradley, who is known for his showmanship and quad jumps but often accused of lacking transitions and artistry, was almost going to retire but decided at the last minute to compete at the urging of his fans.

As one would expect since they were the top finishers, the U.S. Figure Skating Association decided to send them as its three representatives at Worlds. Technically, they could have sent anyone they wanted. There is no rule requiring countries to send their top finishers, and many bloggers and commentators said that they shouldn’t have, primarily because the number of slots each country gets is determined by how well its skaters place in the previous year’s Worlds. Bradley, Dornbush, and Miner ended up finishing 9th, 11th, and 13th, which means that we will only have two spots next year.

But I believe the U.S. did the right thing. Our three representatives deserved their spots. Although their records and reputations over the course of their entire careers may not be the most impressive of all of America’s skaters, they did the best in the event that counted, and it would be unfair to give their spots to someone else. I am a deontologist; I believe that the right decision is the one that respects what people deserve, not the one with the best consequences. Sending the skaters that most people consider “better” to Worlds might have been better for U.S. figure skating as a whole, but Ryan, Ricky, and Ross earned the right to go, and I am glad that they got to.

This is sad news – Wonderland Greyhound Park, the 75-year-old racetrack in Revere, closed today. The voters of Massachusetts chose to ban greyhound racing in a 2008 ballot initiative, and Governor Deval Patrick and the state legislature recently failed to come to an agreement to allow casinos or slot machines at racetracks, something that Wonderland was hoping for.

In addition to 100 employees losing their jobs, Massachusetts is also deprived of a landmark that, although not the most upscale place to say the least, is a unique part of our state’s culture and character. The voters made the wrong decision to ban greyhound racing, which is not in itself harmful to dogs. The governor and the legislature failed to agree on a bill authorizing casinos or racetrack slots, which is kind of pathetic since they are both in favor of allowing some number of casinos.

The loss of Wonderland leaves Massachusetts a little bit worse off, and it is the decisions of our voters, governor, and legislature that caused this. Massachusetts needs some new leaders (and a change in the anti-liberty attitudes of many voters) who will make the state a better place instead of a worse one.

Photo courtesy of Zchangu @ Wikipedia, CCASA 2.5

Photo courtesy of David Carmichael via Wikipedia, CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics come to a close, I think it is fitting to make a tribute to my new favorite athlete, Evgeni Plushenko.

Plushenko, of course, is the Russian figure skater who narrowly lost out on the gold medal to American Evan Lysacek. He has faced lots of undeserved negative press coverage because of his criticism of the result. Although I am American, I agree with Plushenko that he deserved the gold. Even if I did not, however, I would still admire his self-confidence and courage to voice his true opinions.

Plushenko (now infamously) said, “Quad is quad. If the Olympic champion doesn’t know how to jump the quad, I don’t know…Now it’s not men’s figure skating, it’s dancing. That’s my point.”

During the medals ceremony, he playfully stepped onto the winner’s spot on the podium before going to the second place spot. For a few days, his website called his silver medal a “platinum medal.”

While Lysacek is undoubtedly an excellent skater and an extremely nice person, I think Plushenko has a point. His program, which unlike Lysacek’s had a quadruple jump, was more challenging, just as artistic, and just as well-choreographed, in my admittedly un-expert opinion. He had no mistakes, except for slightly shaky landings on a couple of jumps, which was comparable to what Lysacek did.

But even if you think that Lysacek’s gold was deserved (which you have every right to), you have no right to attack Plushenko or his comments.

Plushenko has been called “impudent,” “self-serving,” and “a contender for worst Olympics loser.” He has been accused of “trying to bully himself into a figure skating gold,” and of “tarnishing his reputation by acting like a spoiled sport.” And that’s just in the actual articles. Readers’ comments, naturally, are much worse.

I think all of this criticism is unjustified. What I like about Plushenko is that I can relate to him. If I lost a competition (especially if I lost unfairly), I would feel the same way that he does, as would many other people. I admire Plushenko for having the guts to actually express his anger and indignation. Too many athletes, actors, politicians, and other public figures seem to care so much about what other people think that they come across as phony.

For example, Lysacek said about his program, “Each step wasn’t planned to win this gold medal. It was to have a personal victory and to have the skate of my lifetime at the most important moment.”

With all due respect to Lysacek, it’s hard to believe that someone would compete in the Olympics but care more about achieving a personal victory than winning the gold medal.

Lysacek seems very polished and polite but I find Plushenko more charismatic because he is true to himself instead of trying to please everyone. Lysacek is your typical nice, humble, all-American guy; he doesn’t really stand out. Plushenko has his own style and his own persona. His choreography, skating abilities, mannerisms, and even his hairdo are more memorable than Lysacek’s. He is genuine, brave, and confident. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Before these Olympics, I didn’t follow figure skating too closely and didn’t have an opinion on who should win. But now I am definitely a fan of Plushenko, and I look forward to seeing him compete at the World Championships next month and hopefully the 2014 Olympics. Go Plushenko!