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Laptop family is no stranger to legal disputes (Webcamgate Lower Merion)
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | 02/25/2010 | Larry King and Bonnie L. Cook

Posted on 02/25/2010 5:18:17 AM PST by Kid Shelleen

The vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission could scarcely contain his scorn.

Before the commission was yet another appeal from a Philadelphia-area family, again seeking a break on unpaid electric and gas bills that by last year were closing in on $30,000.

This family lived in a $986,000 house on the Main Line. The breadwinner, until recently, had earned well more than $100,000 per year. Yet he and his wife were in hock to creditors, ranging from Uncle Sam to their former synagogue - and had regularly been stiffing Peco Energy for five years, breaking payment plan after payment plan

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: arth; laptop; lowermerion; webcam
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To: Dead Corpse

“Is there an expectation of privacy on a PUBLIC resource? “

Are you seriously asking that question in regards to someones home? If the school is stupid enough to provide laptops to students they should expect to write every single one of them off.


121 posted on 03/13/2010 4:32:49 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: metmom
They had a choice about using them at home. They KNEW about the webcams.

How about you police your kids better? Or is that too much to ask?

122 posted on 03/13/2010 10:54:59 AM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: driftdiver
I give you a government spycam. You bring it into the bathroom with you. Who's to blame?

How about a little personal responsibility here? Or has that fallen out of vogue with the RINO's as well?

123 posted on 03/13/2010 10:59:12 AM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: Kid Shelleen

Yup, they’re deadbeats. But, does that mean they should be spied on by big brother?

The gist of this story, which does not come across in the excerpt, is that non of these unpaid bill problems would have been made into a public spectacle had these people not chosen to exercise their privacy rights in court.

The family in question were warned that they could have all this information come out in public if they went ahead with plans to sue the PA school district for spying into their homes via laptop computer. Should they be blackmailed into silence about the intrusion?


124 posted on 03/13/2010 11:03:51 AM PST by Cyber Liberty (I'm Ellie Light!)
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To: Dead Corpse

“I give you a government spycam. You bring it into the bathroom with you. Who’s to blame?”

Ahh but you didn’t give me a spycam. Regardless, the govt does not have legal authority without a warrant whatever they ‘give’ me.

“How about a little personal responsibility here?”

Personal responsibility? How the heck does that apply to a govt official illegally monitoring children in their homes?

The only people that want to monitor people in their homes are the communists.


125 posted on 03/13/2010 11:17:20 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver
Give or loan? These laptops were loaned. They were government property.

The kids were warned. Heck, the kids in our school District were using them to spy on each other until we shut off the student level access to the iSight.

They KNEW about the iSights as hey were told not to cover them.

Use your brain. It's not just there to keep your ears from touching.

126 posted on 03/13/2010 11:20:58 AM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: Dead Corpse

Yep, just like a communist. Enjoy your police state comrade.


127 posted on 03/13/2010 11:38:17 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: metmom

I kinda have an issue with peoples background becoming public fodder when the govt is seeking to defend itself.


128 posted on 03/13/2010 11:41:49 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: Dead Corpse

You might also suggest that illegal monitoring of children in locations where the kids are frequently not dressed can get the school board strung up.


129 posted on 03/13/2010 11:43:37 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: driftdiver; Dead Corpse; bamahead; 2Jedismom; 6amgelsmama; AAABEST; aberaussie; Aggie Mama; ...
Yep, just like a communist. Enjoy your police state comrade.

The blame shifting continues. It's the kid's fault for not being more careful. It's the parent's fault for not being more careful.

But it's NOT the fault of the school for activating the webcams when they had no business doing so or reason to do so.

In typical educratthink, the school not only did not do anything wrong, but will not and can not.

He will enjoy the police state, because he's on the police end of it.

Here's a link to a forum more suited for that kind of thinking.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/

130 posted on 03/13/2010 4:53:22 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Dead Corpse

How about the school police itself better and mind its own business?

Is that too much to ask?


131 posted on 03/13/2010 4:54:20 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: driftdiver
Yeah... One of FR's most notorious libertarians is now a communist.

How astute of you...

132 posted on 03/13/2010 7:57:31 PM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: driftdiver

Apples and oranges. Not that I think you have the wit to understand it.


133 posted on 03/13/2010 7:58:08 PM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: metmom
I'm sorry you still don't seem to be grasping the nature of contractual relationships.

I loan you something with strings attached. Now LIBERALS like you are pissed off one of those strings was pulled.

Cry me a river...

134 posted on 03/13/2010 8:00:54 PM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: metmom

The schools only fault is that they handed out these computers for kids to take home.


135 posted on 03/13/2010 8:01:23 PM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: metmom
He will enjoy the police state, because he's on the police end of it.

We will see more and more of these trojan horses given to those who sacrifice their children to the state.

136 posted on 03/13/2010 9:07:51 PM PST by Theophilus (Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?)
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To: metmom
I don't want anything to do with public schools. I don't want their lap tops, their condoms, their support of the gay agenda etc. I've had my full of the public school system. Once that so called school nurse didn't call when Sassy got hit in the mouth with the hockey stick that was the final straw. I have never regretted home schooling & will continue without nosy teachers teaching my child their bs.
137 posted on 03/13/2010 9:17:04 PM PST by pandoraou812 (timendi causa est nescire)
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To: Theophilus
Not at all. My kids wouldn't except a "gift" like this from the State. Nor are they allowed to have TV's/Computers in their rooms.

Try being a good parent first. Or is that too much to ask?

138 posted on 03/13/2010 9:20:13 PM PST by Dead Corpse (III, Oathkeeper)
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To: Dead Corpse; metmom; driftdiver
If you're truly a libertarian, you'll agree with us. This case should be a slam-dunk for the plaintiffs.

(1) The school district requires every student to take a school laptop. They aren't permitted to use any other laptop for their classes.

(2) The students are required to carry their laptops from class to class.

(3) Each student is required to pay an insurance fee for his or her laptop. If he fails to pay the insurance fee, he cannot take the laptop off-campus. However, the insurance fee is waived for lower-income students.

(4) School administrators admitted they never informed students or parents that the school could activate the webcams remotely to look in on the students at home.

My husband works in IT, and he said the IT people at the school should've known they could NEVER do something like this. This security consultant explains more.

139 posted on 03/13/2010 11:08:22 PM PST by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: Dead Corpse

Notorious is right, thats not a good label ya know.


140 posted on 03/14/2010 1:16:06 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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