"But no. Sorry. For all our fetishizing of freedom and liberty, most Americans yearn to be subjects"

[phantom power]

Poll: Majority of respondents said BART did the right thing and did not violate anybody's rights:
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=5ddca3f2-0d76-4080-bfd9-70d5f53a9c12

You've undoubtedly heard that the authorities shut down cell phone service in order to disrupt a protest at the BART stations in northern California. One would think that people would be disturbed by such unilateral action without provocation, particularly when modern communications technology is now so necessary for everyday life --- and has had such a salutary effect on organizing democracy movements around the world. It would seem to be basic to freedom of speech in our brave new world.

But no. Sorry. For all our fetishizing of freedom and liberty, most Americans yearn to be subjects.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/free-speech-only-in-person.html

[Solly Mack]

1. How well-behaved of them.

[handmade34]

2. proof is the Tea party

the words say one thing, actions another

[KansDem]

3. TeaBaggers "hate" the government, but they must "love" being ruled by corporations.

They'll do what the corporations demand, evidenced by their support for "for-profit" healthcare, "privatized" education, Medicare and Social Security downgrade, and "no tax increases" for corporations (and the wealthy).

[Hydra]

5. Teabaggers are extremist Repuiblicans

Is it any wonder that they worship at the shrine of the "owners"?

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. They don't want government bureaucrats getting between them and their doctors -

that's what insurance company bureaucrats are for.

[calimary]

9. Yes they do. Especially if you're a female of child-bearing age.

They want the BIGGEST and MOST INTRUSIVE of big government (you know, the kind they all loudly claim that they hate).

AND the insurance companies also.

[Hydra]

4. I've been thinking about this a lot lately

People talk and talk about how they want "Freedom" and "Democracy," but more often than not what they really want is someone they "trust" tell them what to do.

Real freedom is MESSY. So is real Democracy. People seem to prefer a cushy cell and the reassurance that they have nothing to have to think about.

If this is the majority truth, then they're getting what they want and deserve with this recession/depression.

[Lex1775]

11. +1 n/t

[a la izquierda]

16. I think this is what occurs when adults' brains...

don't evolve past age 14.

[GliderGuider]

6. "Ihre papieren, bitte..."

[xchrom]

7. That does seem to be true. Nt

[saras]

10. It seems that none of those people have lives...

Have none of them ever needed their own phone while in the vicinity of some large event that didn't concern them? And certainly none of them work as EMTs, or in any other job where your EMPLOYER requires your availability by phone.

[Xithras]

12. Based on my own conversations with people around here, including BART riders...

For most people, it seems to come down to this: BART has no obligation to offer cellphone service to anyone. Because of the nature of their stations, cellphones naturally don't work in those stations, and BART has no legal, moral, or ethical reason to solve that problem.

BART installed the WiFi routers and cell repeaters as a convenience to their passengers. Not because they had to, but because the SF Bay Area is very tech-centric. BART's primary goal is to lure more riders and get cars off the road, and people aren't going to want to do that if BART trains are technological black holes. They offered it as a convenience to their riders, and as a way to market to technophiles.

Because BART was under no obligation to offer the service, they are free to turn it off again anytime they want. They could turn it off permanently tomorrow if they chose. Because they're under no obligation to offer it, it's not a problem if they turn it off from time to time in order to ensure quality train service.


----------------


I don't personally agree with all of this, but this is the gist of the opinions I'm getting from other Northern Californian's, BART riders, and hearing on the local radio. As one guy on the radio this morning put it, "If I offer you a free service for your convenience, and you turn around and use that service to try and hurt me, OF COURSE I'm going to turn that service off!"

Right or wrong, that seems to be a widely held opinion.

[Luminous Animal]

13. The BART board is an elected public institution. They didn't offer WiFi out of the

kindness of their hearts or because of a business decision, they offered WiFi due to citizen (commuter) pressure to do so. They are obligated to offer it as a obligation to their citizen/owners who foot the bills and vote the board into office. Thus, they cannot simply "take it away". It is a decision subject to public input and possibly public hearings.

Given that BART is a public government agency, they also should not be in the business of censorship.

[Xithras]

14. Good point.

I'll keep that in mind next time I hear someone say that.

From a legal standpoint, however, I think it would come down to the method used to install them in the first place.

If the WiFi and cell repeaters were installed by an administrative decision...some manager or administrator decided that it would be a "good idea", then they probably CAN legally just shut it off. Government agencies do things all the time without consulting their elected leaders, and continuing those activities isn't required. They wouldn't need public hearings or board input to terminate them.

If the WiFi and cell repeaters were approved by the board and installed at their direction, they can't be removed without the board signing off on it. The employees of a government agency can't violate an explicit order given by their board, and decisions made in a public hearing can't be altered without another public hearing.

Of course, if it was an administrative decision, the board can just tell them to NEVER turn them off again, and the matter would be settled.

I don't know the history of those repeaters (I just remember the cheerleading when they installed them), so I don't know which it is.

--

All of this is neither here nor there to my main point though. Most people I've heard from DON'T have a problem with it. They're looking at BART's "rights" like it's a private company or something.

[EFerrari]

15. The BART spin is exactly that: we provided an amenity

and we turned it off so it wouldn't be used against our customers. Looks like they are winning the PR war.