#1 2010-01-22 23:57:00
David Smith wrote:
...Also not clear is whether the goal of the audit was to see whether employees were violating policy or the law – or both. Going on eBay, checking personal e-mail accounts and even viewing pornography, assuming it’s of the over-18 kind, would violate the town’s computer use rules, but it would not be a criminal offense. Looking at child pornography or using the town’s computer network to sell off town equipment, whether a truck or office furniture, is another matter.
It does appear that at least one town employee was concerned that his or her civil rights had been violated, most likely through one of the Web sites focused on town issues and officials. From what the DA’s office had to say in its most recent finding of the board’s ongoing Open Meeting Law violations, whatever insult initiated the complaint did not rise to the level of a federal offense.
Perhaps the DA’s office has held on to the discs because there is something criminal on there. Wouldn’t that be interesting?
As I noted last week, the inspector general’s seizing of town records and questioning of town employees won’t yield much information until that agency is ready to talk, and that’s only if there is something to talk about. Not being beholden to any group or department, and not being bankrolled by any one “side” in town, we’re as eager as many of you are to get the juicy story – if there is a story. As with most “scandals” in Wareham, gossip, not fact, may have prompted the investigation, and gossip, not fact, may be all there is to the story.
I’ll admit I’m as quick to see drama behind almost every move at the municipal level as most of you, and I’m fairly certain there’s more to the decision by Acting Library Director Marcia Griswold to cancel the Friends of the Wareham Free Library’s January book sale than the notice sent to us shortly before deadline would suggest.
We will, of course, afford Griswold the opportunity to respond. The fact that the Friends group, which continues to be the subject of allegations (emphasis on “allegations”), suddenly finds one of its fundraisers cancelled is more than a little coincidental. In any other town, such a cancellation would be little more than a blurb in the paper, and the cancellation would probably have some reasonable explanation such as the library carpets are scheduled to be steam-cleaned that weekend...
Just drop already!
P-SPAN
TAKEBACKWAREHAM
April 6, 2010
Last edited by P-SPAN (2010-01-23 00:01:26)
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#2 2010-01-23 15:02:36
P-Span, before you get accused of violating any copyright laws (and this includes copying something that you have paid for yourself onto this blog, something that was given to you, or something from another newspaper):
Let me remind you all of the Doctrine of Fair Use. It is the part of the Copyright Act of 1976 that states that people have a right to use copyrighted materials freely WITHOUT PAYMENT OR PERMISSION for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
I do believe that anything that is posted on this blog fits within the guidelines of fair use.
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#3 2010-01-23 16:59:11
There is more information about fair use at:
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
and elsewhere on the Internet. In particular, the copying of entire articles from a paper, even for the purposes of a discussion on a blog may well NOT fall under fair use.
To avoid possible violations when you are discussing the entire article, it is simple enough to point a link to the article. In any case, if people continue to violate copyright laws, the effect will be to drive those sources of information out of business. That would certainly be an unwanted consequence, would it not?
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#4 2010-01-23 18:30:14
Let's see...keep posting the copyright materials and the source may decide to go away? Hmmmm....post away!!!
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#5 2010-01-23 20:14:56
Is that all it will take??
I spent so many years teaching the fair use principle to undergraduate and graduate students that I could explain it in my sleep. So, I agree with Dan here, post away! (especially if it is for purposes criticism and/or comment)
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#6 2010-01-23 20:35:20
And, of course, in your opinion, as you make comments about the posts.
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#7 2010-01-24 00:53:33
Thanks Nora, Dan and Mr. Onset.
Yes, the things I post are for the purposes of comment, criticism, information, education, interaction, etc..
I learn more by "listening" to all of you..and hope to add a few useful (or entertaining) tidbits as well.
I added a substantial portion of Mr. Smith's piece here, because I found it interesting and relevant..and maybe, just maybe..a few people who may not have been aware of the story would click over and read it, who would not have otherwise.
The other one that I've done this with is Bobo..with his Tin Foil Hatchats (and more recently Sweet Brucey's "whacked out" Mexico comments).
Sweet Brucey (unfortunately) is the Chairman of the BoS, and if Bobo is the only one Sweet Brucey wishes to report from Mexico to, then I think some of the good citizens who have vowed to ignore Bobo (because they've seen his act before) have a right to know the "unintelligent" ramblings of our Chairman South of the Border..who is (probably) running for re-election in a couple of months..and since 90% of what they discuss over there is about what goes on over here, then what's the problem with us discussing that over here?? Anonymous hatebloggers led by a liar. Dance minions, dance!
P-SPAN
TAKEBACKWAREHAM
April 6, 2010
Last edited by P-SPAN (2010-01-24 01:19:28)
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#8 2010-01-24 07:02:24
What was that old story in history about Nero fiddling while Rome was burning? Wareham is burning and Sweet Brucey is sunning himself on a Mexican beach sipping on mojitos and cervesas. The rest of the selectmen are such a bunch of incompetent Brucey puppets that they can't even meet or handle any town business while Sweet Brucey is away.
Brucey - pay your taxes!
Bobo - pay your rent!
Last edited by Hamatron5000 (2010-01-24 07:02:56)
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#9 2010-01-24 08:20:20
Keep posting, P-Span.
Those of us who have sworn off the other "site" like to be kept up to date.
It also helps not to have to be pissed by stupidity when it is presented with such humor and comment.
Keep up the good work, P-Span!
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#10 2010-01-24 09:50:53
P-SPAN wrote:
Thanks Nora, Dan and Mr. Onset.
The other one that I've done this with is Bobo..with his Tin Foil Hatchats (and more recently Sweet Brucey's "whacked out" Mexico comments).
[
I think it's spelled HATCHET
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#11 2010-01-24 10:57:38
Here's another scenario I have not seen noted. What if:
The DA's office does not have the disks any longer? It would not be the first time we were told the disks were somewhere only to find they were somewhere else.
Maybe the IG's office has the disks. They would not tell the.BOS,TA,or media that they did because they don't release that info to anyone.
And my follow-up question to our IT experts:
Why do we need the disks? We have the originals still in the computers. If our leadership BOS,TA and Department Directors really wanted to investigate this, as they have been asked to do,I know because I asked them.
Why don't they go look at the computers to get their answers???
They could do that next week and begin to put this story to rest.
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#12 2010-01-24 11:49:10
As you have seen in the news media, there is much speculation and very little true information. There is no doubt in mind that based on where the information was collected, it is very possible this information could violate the very strict laws of privacy in MA. it is also clear the entire operation was flawed. That might be due to the limited abilities of the ITA or the scope of investigation, or end the 7 minutes of Exec Session that we all know resulted in a violation of open meeting law. That probably had more to do with the confiscation of the media than anythign else. In simple terms, our Selectmen and ITA are not professionals and had no idea what they were doing, which resulted in another giant mistake. (money money money).
It simply appears to be another example of poor leadership. A seasoned TA might have spent less money to involve the Network Admin person and simply extracted the information. The problem here is , "what was the scope of the investigation?". It was never clearly defined and seems to change as often as the wind blows.
I don't anticipate the disks being returned. Possible violations of privacy laws, no clear scope, and poor execution sunk this process. That isn't the DA, that is the Admin of the town and the leadership.
All that said, I suspect we will know more when the State finishes their investigation.
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#13 2010-01-24 11:50:52
Just wanted to add that the above post was by a carpetbagger with very little tecnology ability. I based the post on my experience as an uneducated moonshine runner and member of the MBA (Moonshine Bottling Associaton)
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#14 2010-01-24 12:08:02
Whether the DA investigation is over or not.... I suspect that the "discs" would have been turned over if the Town had a SPECIFIC REASON and JUSTIFIABLE SCOPE to explain to the DA, rather than.... we know what we're looking for so give them back.
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#15 2010-01-24 12:17:59
On the day the library director's office door got a new lock, the hard drive in her computer was copied again. My sources tell me that the accountant's, the chief of police, and the head of MM's hard drives were also copied and sent to the same company for a forensic inspection that copied the original ones. That was some time now. Don't tell me they haven't been examined by now.
Funny, we haven't heard a peep about it. Could it be, that there is NOTHING to be found?? Just wondering.
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#16 2010-01-24 12:54:04
Again, the problem with that approach is that it only shows what is on the hard drive at the current time. In order to collect information that would erased, they would have to "unlock" the actual hard drive. A dump and go is not going to do that.
Let's face it, they are scrambling to find something...anything to justify their use of our tax dollars. April cannot come soon enough.
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