Slog - Comments on Back Away From the Microphone... http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone Chris Leman is a longtime neighborhood and good-government activist who pushes relentlessly for more openness and transparency in government. So you'd assume Leman would consider proposed legislation requiring folks who lobby the city to register as lobbyists a good thing, right? Not so fast: Leman showed up to rail against the lobbying proposal at Tuesday's public safety committee meeting, calling it a "surveillance" program that would allow the council to illegally track citizen efforts to communicate with government officials. Well, not exactly. The legislation that put Leman into a paranoid freakout only applies to professional lobbyists and "grassroots lobby" groups... Copyright 2008 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:02:00 -0800 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:58:17 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Smarm So, what's your point?

]]> Smarm http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780716 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780716 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:39:21 -0800 Comment by Fnarf And you wonder why no one wants to run for City Council. These are the people who speak at the meetings.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780731 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780731 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:45:00 -0800 Comment by StrangerDanger Chris is a well meaning, earnest activist, but this being the first time you thought something he said didn't track is akin to acting shocked that Lindsey Lohan smokes crack.

]]> StrangerDanger http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780770 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780770 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:05:54 -0800 Comment by whatever Might there be any specifics as to what the law would require?

Paranoid freakout, on that ECB is an expert.

]]> whatever http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780785 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780785 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:47:13 -0800 Comment by blah Leman is one of the reasons local government is slow. Seriously. Sometimes he is the main reason. They say one person can't make a difference? Oh, yes they can! They can make everything slow down to a crawl.

]]> blah http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780795 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780795 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:56:43 -0800 Comment by Slip Mahoney ECB, why not quote a line or two from the actual testimony instead of running a snide paraphrase?

]]> Slip Mahoney http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780818 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780818 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:43:15 -0800 Comment by David Sucher Slip Mahoney's remark is well-made. I was reading this post and realized that while it knocks Chris Leman's conclusion, it doesn't give us a quote or a link to the legislation so that we can judge for ourselves.

Speaking generally, I'd generally trust Chris Leman's reading unless shown specifically where he is mis-reading the text. Of course I have no opinion in this case. But just because this is a slog doesn't mean it has to be sloppy and merely give us the conclusions as if this is FOX News (in your wildest dreams.)

]]> David Sucher http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780828 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/back_away_from_the_microphone#c780828 City Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:58:17 -0800