Apparently, they were using the webcam-equipped laptops for constant surveillance. The Lower Merion, Pa. School District, currently facing a class-action lawsuit for its role in a webcam surveillance scheme, reportedly took photos of plaintiff Blake Robbins while he was sleeping, chatting, and so on – as many as 400 images of Blake alone over a two-week period. (Just imagine how that worked for all the other kids with school-issued laptops.) Administrators reportedly loved the service, which has now been disabled, and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has introduced legislation to block usage of surveillance software for this purpose (smart idea, dude). source
42number of times the school turned on the webcams to check on behavior (they did)
onestudent was nailed by the school for reportedly selling drugs in his home (he didn’t)
oneclass-action lawsuit was filed as a result of the privacy-infringing app (oh boy) source
The result? Students are totally up in arms about the violation in privacy, with some students noting the laptop is open in their bedrooms even when changing. Dear Lower Merion School District of Rosemont, Pa.: You guys are idiots. We don’t live in a nanny state.
Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend.
Wisconsin Rep. David Obey • On the death of Rep. John Murtha. Murtha, one of Congress’ most-hard-nosed members, had served Pennsylvania’s 12th district since 1974. He was best-known for his stance on military issues, mainly because he had been there – he was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress. Notably, Murtha was an early critic of the Iraq War, at a time when the war was still popular with the American public. He also had some notable weaknesses, such as being notorious for pushing pork into his own district. Even so, his death was unexpected – doctors accidentally hit his intestine during routine gall bladder surgery, which means a malpractice lawsuit is possibly in the doctors’ future. source
Her husband pulled the trigger, then killed himself. In 2008 Meleanie Hain of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, became a hero to Second Amendment types for choosing to carry a gun at her daughter’s soccer game and fighting for her right to do so. Last night, she became a victim of painful irony, as her husband shot her and then killed himself. There are no words for how bizarre that is. source
Protip: Black bears are not pets. Kelly Ann Walz was killed last night when attempting to feed her pet black bear. Walz, a 37-year-old Pennsylvania resident, had a 15-foot-by-15-foot enclosure for the bear. And it wasn’t the only bizarre animal chilling in Walz’ personal zoo: She also had a Bengal tiger and an African lion. While she routinely passed safety tests for the animals, giant bears are probably not the kind of thing one should have as a personal pet. source
A lot of people are going to take a look and see what they can do to confront this presidency, which many of us believe is injurious to America.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum • Describing the fight he plans to take to win the presidency in 2012. It was just a few years ago that Santorum, who made George W. Bush look moderate, was laughed out of his seat by a wide margin. (We’re not kidding; Google his last name. He’s a freaking joke.) It was the kind of defeat that could straight-up kill a political future. But Rick Santorum is planting the seeds for a 2012 phoenix-like rise from the ashes. We can’t wait. It’s gonna be awesome when people look up his last name on Google and get that first result. He’s feeling lucky. • source