tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345275.post109106434786994914..comments2023-10-30T11:13:44.310-04:00Comments on The Ethical Werewolf ‡ by Neil Sinhababu : The Patriot Act and intentional contextsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345275.post-1091410736127466212004-08-01T21:38:00.000-04:002004-08-01T21:38:00.000-04:00I too am happy that there are laws against private...I too am happy that there are laws against private bioweapons labs in America. It's a different question whether the government had enough evidence in this case that their action was justified. <br /><br />The person in the cited article might be making the charge that's based on the intentional reading. But Tabarrok might not be. Maybe he thinks it's still bad if the government's goal was merely to figure out what was going on, but they launched too big an investigation on too little evidence and the artists got intimidated.Neil Sinhababuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15672033745772751532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7345275.post-1091134806487801552004-07-29T17:00:00.000-04:002004-07-29T17:00:00.000-04:00The article that Alex T. linked to includes this p...The article that Alex T. linked to includes this passage: <br /><br />"Ms. da Costa told the Times that the bacteria was produced legally in "cooperation with a microbiology lab in Pittsburgh to create a transgenic E. coli that was completely harmless." In an interview with newbrainframe.org, an Italian art website, she said she found the subpeona alarming. <br /><br />""I have no idea why they're continuing (to investigate)," said da Costa, one of those subpoenaed. "It was shocking that this investigation was ever launched. That it is continuing is positively frightening, and shows how vulnerable the PATRIOT Act has made freedom of speech in this country.""<br />_________________<br /><br />It seems clear what the charge is in this context: it's the intentional reading, not the nonintentional reading. Otherwise, what's the relevance of the vulnerability of freedom of speech? The suggestion is that the content of the artists' speech (a collective, in this case) led to the investigation. <br /><br />On the more important issue: I think it's a good thing that there are laws against private bioweapons labs, and that the FBI and local police departments believe that the unusual and private production of biological material in an apartment where a woman has died is worthy of further investigation, even if some feelings are hurt in the event.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com