Life, Liberty and Free WiFi

On a footnote, San Jose Mercury News columnist Mike Langberg's most recent column offers a quite intelligent argument for why city politicians might want to think otherwise before offering WiFi service as a public utility.

Crass Clown

We usually pride ourselves at coming up with mini-headlines that allow our mordant wit the full run of the pasture. Nevertheless, today we give credit where it's due. "Crass Crown" was the headline that the New York Post came up with to tell the story of 16-year-old Christopher Spaide, who was suspended from the Dalton School on Manhattan's Upper East Side after he spiced up the schools' usually boring student government minutes.

Spaide "was disciplined by the Dalton School in March, after posting four weeks' worth of profanity-laden remarks on their site, including calling a fellow student a 'douchebag' and theorizing that President Lincoln had 'the biggest manhood' and abolished slavery because he 'wanted a black chick,'" the Post reported, adding that Spaide's parents filed a lawsuit to protest the suspension. "The trouble started after Spaide was selected to serve as student-government secretary, a job he won by pledging to liven up the government's minutes, which are posted on the school's site. He contended he would battle 'student apathy' by making the minutes 'enjoyable and humorous,' the suit says. His parents said their son's jokes became popular and were the first minutes to be published in the school paper. 'He was quite proud,' said his mom, Dr. Chang Spaide."

A Manhattan judge ruled that Spaide should be allowed to resume classes, at least for the time being, but that hasn't stopped his compatriots from designing Kevin Mitnick-style "Free Chris" T-shirts.

Non Grazie for Nazi Ratzi

Superimposing the head of the sitting Pope on the body of a man wearing a swastika armband and standing in front of a Nazi flag is not considered good manners, according to Rome judicial authorities, who tried to get a temporary injunction late last week against the Web site that carried the photo, Reuters reported: "Rome investigating magistrate Salavtore Vitello said in a statement that the pictures violated a national law prohibiting defamation of the Catholic Church. Vitello said he was also considering taking action against the owners of the site for insulting the authority and honor of the pope himself." Benedict XVI, as has been widely reported, was a member of the Hitler Youth during World War II, though he was released from the organization to study for the priesthood.

Also from Reuters: "Judicial sources in Rome said the Indymedia site was registered in Brazil and it was not immediately clear how the injunction, if granted, would be put into effect."

From Brazil? That makes us wonder whether the site is intended as satire or hero worship.

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