Should Curtains and Window Blinds Be Outlawed?
Posted by Thomas DiLorenzo on July 10, 2009 07:19 AMThat’s the apparent thinking of Florida politicians. The evening television news yesterday in South Florida featured a piece on cops pulling people over because their window tinting was too dark. “We can’t tell if they’re wearing their seatbelts,” said one coppper, as he fidgeted with some kind of tint-o-meter that supposedly measured the degree of darkness in window tinting.
As of July 1, Florida cops are permitted to impose about a $100 fine for each person in a vehicle who is not wearing a seat belt. So tinted windows, which are pervasive in Florida, are seen as a major obstruction to tax collection. Just in case the Booboisee might object, the news show put on the screen an A-K47 that was allegedly taken from a car with — you guessed it — tinted windows.
It just stands to reason, then, that the Florida legislature should outlaw curtains and all other forms of home window coverings. Who knows what heinous crimes might be committed behind those curtains! Why, there could be a poker game going on. Or a 20-year-old Iraq war veteran could be having a beer with his dad. A member of Congress from Massachusetts might be running a prostitution ring in his basement. Or a judge might be smoking a joint after a long day in court. If we are ever to achieve a vice-free society, curtains and window blinds must be outlawed, and thousands of Peeping Tom Police must be hired at once.
Thanks to Chris Bieber for sending this:
Council on Foreign RelationsThe United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
May 7 and 8, 2009 - New York, NY at Pratt House
http://www.cfr.org/project/1424/united_states_and_the_ future_of_global_governance_ symposium.html
Director:
From the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression to the dangers of nuclear proliferation, from the specter of global warming to the threat of mass atrocities, the United States and the world community confront an array of global challenges requiring robust cooperation. Yet many multilateral frameworks have failed to keep pace with tremendous changes in world politics. Shifts in the global distribution of power, the emergence of influential non-state actors, and the rise of new transnational issues to the top of the global agenda now cloud the utility and effectiveness of international institutions and structures that in some cases date back to the Second World War. On May 7-8, 2009, the Program on International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) hosted its first annual conference. Over the course of six sessions the symposium explored the efficacy and strucutre of international institutions and their role in helping U.S. policymakers confront the challenges of the day.
This event was supported by a grant from the Robina Foundation.
Symposium Summary Report (PDF, 137K)
Session 1: American Leadership and Global Governance in an Age of Nonpolarity
Introductory Speaker: Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations Speakers: R. Nicholas Burns, Former Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Ellen Laipson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Henry L. Stimson Center David F. Gordon, Head of Research, Eurasia Group Moderator: Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions, Council on Foreign Relations Full Video
Top Takeaway:
"I don't think it's sustainable for the United States to continue to think that we can essentially dominate the international landscape -- the way we certainly did during the unipolar moments that we had during the Cold War, say, 9/11. We need other countries to resolve nearly every issue on our top agenda. We just can't exist alone anymore.
So, it's a reflection of reality...it's smart politics for us, but also a reflection that we have to govern and lead in a more consensual way."
-R. Nicholas Burns
Session 2: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime
Speakers: Charles D. Ferguson, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations Christopher A. Ford, Director, Center for Technology and Global Security, Hudson Institute Paul Lettow, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Moderator: Henry Sokolski, Executive Director, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center Full Video
Top Takeaway:
We do have a very tremendous enforcement problem, and the international community has a miserable track record of late. The Iranian enrichment effort which began as part of a weapons program, continues. The North Korean program continues. Their defiance of the international community, in many respects, continues. The international community cannot afford to have a fifty percent track record in fighting nuclear weapons proliferation. That's not acceptable.
-Christopher Ford
Session 3: The Financial Crisis and Global Financial and Monetary Cooperation
Speakers: Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, and Deputy Director of Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Steven Dunaway, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations Daniel W. Drezner, Professor of International Politics, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Moderator: Michael J. Elliott, Editor, Time International
Full Video
Top Takeaway:
"If you're thinking about stimulus globally, stimulus works when you give it to people who need it and are going to spend the money, and poor people really need it. If you're giving money to poor countries, you're going to get more stimulus."
-Sebastian Mallaby
Session 4: Tackling Climate Change
Speakers: Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior International Affairs and Trade Advisor, Baker & Hostetler LLP and former Under Secretary, Democracy and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations William John Antholis, Managing Director, The Brookings Institution Moderator: Jessica T. Mathews, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Full Video
Top Takeaway:
"...we will move forward, we will act, but we also believe for the end result, having a treaty and agreement, that others have to move forward as well and make commitments. Because if you only have a certain percentage of countries globally, you're not going to be effectively reducing greenhouse gas"
-Paula J Dobriansky
Session 5: The Use of Force and Accountability in International Law - A U.S. Perspective
Speakers: Matthew C. Waxman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations John B. Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law, Council on Foreign Relations David J. Scheffer, Professor of Law, Northwestern University Moderator: Jeffrey Toobin, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Video Highlight
Full Video | Transcript | Audio
Top Takeaway:
"I think the focus should be more on how do we structure our policies within widely accepted traditional frameworks of international law, but develop an approach to it such that if we are in non-compliance with that law, rather than trying to change it so that the law says you are in compliance now for doing X, Y, and Z, we have enough political capital internationally to be able to say to the rest of the world: 'Today we actually understand that your perspective is that we're not in compliance with international law. We may even agree with you on that point. But you know what we've done to get to this point. We had to do this, we think, to save the lives of 30,000 people at risk in northern Sri Lanka, or wherever it might be. And we'll accept the risk politically of how you view our action today.'"
-David J. Scheffer
Session 6: H1N1 - The Global Response to the Swine Influenza
Speaker: Laurie A. Garrett, Council on Foreign Relations Presider: James Traub, New York Times Magazine Full Video
Top Takeaway:
"...if we're really serious about protecting humanity we need to better integrate the sort of veterinary side, the animal and wildlife side, of our surveillance, our investigation, our monitoring and our response, with the public health side"
-Laurie A. Garrett
Meetings
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Speakers: Charles D. Ferguson, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations Christopher A. Ford, Director, Center for Technology and Global Security, Hudson Institute Paul Lettow, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Moderator: Henry Sokolski, Executive Director, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center What stake does the United States have in the global nonproliferation regime as it currently exists? What are the risks and rewards of bilateral arrangements with countries such as India? How can loopholes in the NPT be closed? Should the United States ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty? What are the lessons of voluntary initiatives, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative, for a coalition approach to nonproliferation?
Transcript: Strengthening The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime
Audio: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime (Audio)
Video: Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime (Video)This meeting is on the record.
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: The Financial Crisis and Global Financial and Monetary Cooperation
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Speakers: Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, and Deputy Director of Studies, Council on Foreign Relations Steven Dunaway, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International Economics, Council on Foreign Relations Daniel W. Drezner, Professor of International Politics, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Moderator: Michael J. Elliott, Editor, Time International What new forms of international financial and monetary coordination and regulation are required in light of the global economic crisis? How should the United States work to reform the Bretton Woods Institutions? Should the BRICs and other developing countries have an increased role at the IMF and World Bank? What are the preconditions for a U.S.-China bargain on global monetary and financial issues?
Transcript: The Financial Crisis And Global Financial And Monetary Cooperation
Audio: The Financial Crisis and Global Financial and Monetary Cooperation (Audio)
Video: The Financial Crisis and Global Financial and Monetary Cooperation (Video)This meeting is on the record.
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Speakers: Paula J. Dobriansky, Senior International Affairs and Trade Advisor, Baker & Hostetler LLP and former Under Secretary, Democracy and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations William John Antholis, Managing Director, The Brookings Institution Moderator: Jessica T. Mathews, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace What will be the most effective forums for international cooperation in regulating the global commons, and what leadership role should the United States play on these issues? What are the prospects for a climate change agreement at Copenhagen in 2009, and what role should the United States play? What are the prospects for "mini-lateral" cooperation-especially between the United States, European Union, China, and India-among major emitter countries?
Transcript: Tackling Climate Change
Audio: Tackling Climate Change (Audio)
Video: Tackling Climate Change (Video)This meeting is on the record.
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: The Use of Force and Accountability in International Law - A U.S. Perspective
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Speakers: Matthew C. Waxman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations John B. Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law, Council on Foreign Relations David J. Scheffer, Professor of Law, Northwestern University Moderator: Jeffrey Toobin, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Do current trends in international law threaten U.S. sovereignty? What international legal or normative restraints on the use of force should the United States accept and promote? What should be the place of international law in U.S. jurisprudence? What attitude should the United States take toward the International Criminal Court?
Transcript: The Use Of Force And Accountability In International Law: A U.S. Perspective
Audio: The Use of Force and Accountability in International Law: A U.S. Perspective (Audio)
Video: The Use of Force and Accountability in International Law: A U.S. Perspective (Video)This meeting is on the record.
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: H1N1 - The Global Response to the Swine Influenza
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Speaker: Laurie A. Garrett, Council on Foreign Relations Presider: James Traub, New York Times Magazine Transcript: The Global Response To The Swine Influenza
Audio: H1N1: The Global Response to the Swine Influenza (Audio)
Video: H1N1: The Global Response to the Swine Influenza (Video)
The United States and the Future of Global Governance: American Leadership and Global Governance in an Age of Nonpolarity
Conference Panel Session
May 7, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Related Project: The United States and the Future of Global Governance Symposium
Introductory Speaker: Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations Speakers: R. Nicholas Burns, Former Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Ellen Laipson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Henry L. Stimson Center David F. Gordon, Head of Research, Eurasia Group Moderator: Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions, Council on Foreign Relations What is the U.S. role in a world of shifting and competing power dynamics? Are U.S. interests best served through greater involvement in multilateral fora? Where should the United States take a leadership role in working to address global challenges through international institutions, and where should it cede such a role to others?
Transcript: American Leadership And Global Governance In An Age Of Nonpolarity
Audio: American Leadership and Global Governance in an Age of Nonpolarity (Audio)
Video: American Leadership and Global Governance in an Age of Nonpolarity (Video)This meeting is on the record.
You definitely want to keep your curtains and blinds closed. Go to Google maps and zoom in over any city. There is an orange figure of a spy at the top of the navigation tool. Drag him down to a street and he will let you peer into windows of houses and cars on the street as you pass by.
ReplyDeletehttp://maps.google.com/