Breaking down the Telegram arrest; Marveling at the very illiberal Donald Trump

Episode 36: Breaking down the Telegram arrest; Marveling at the very illiberal Donald Trump. ‘It's all just absolute nonsense’-Brian. Brian, Chris and Andy further reflect on the recent arrest of Telegram’s CEO in France and explore if this is an attack against encryption, a fight against crime, or something more. They then pivot to discussing recent remarks made by former and aspiring future President, Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania where, “Trump railed against the ‘fake news’ and ‘Comrade Kamala’ Harris and reiterated his arguments that drug dealers should get the death penalty and those who burn the American flag should get a mandatory one-year sentence in jail.” The irony of calling Kamala Harris comrade before assaulting the Constitution was not lost on our podcast team.    The CLPVA platform on Digital Privacy and the War on Drugs:   DIGITAL PRIVACY & FREE SPEECH Digital communication has supplanted the pen and paper as the primary channel by which individuals share their private ruminations and desires. While the Constitution was authored centuries before our modern technology could have even been imagined, the principles therein apply no less to our contemporary forms of communication and expression than to those in use during the founding of our nation. Encryption, being a tool to enable those private correspondences, is a human right critical to securing the freedoms we have under the Bill of Rights. As such, we: Support end-to-end encryption and oppose legislation and law enforcement action to break encryption. Oppose warrantless surveillance of individuals in the United States or Americans abroad. Oppose any measures by government authorities to censor digital speech   END THE DRUG WAR The Drug War has been a disaster for all communities and people within the Commonwealth, through the explosion of incarceration, police militarization, seizure and forfeiture laws, and other numerous ill effects, without stopping or even curbing the use of drugs and the social ills of addiction and overdose rates. We therefore call for the immediate end of the Commonwealth’s participation in the drug war, including: A full and unconditional legalization of the personal use and commercial sales of Marijuana and related products, with no special or additional burden of taxation or regulation. Decriminalization on a state level for all other “hard drugs”, and an official policy of non-cooperation with Federal Drug Enforcement operations. Pardons and clemency for state prisoners serving time for non-violent drug-related crimes, and official sealing/expungement of records of any drug-related convictions.   Relevant links from this episode include: Telegram, recommended references: Moderated Content podcast, from Stanford Law School: The Arrest of Telegram's CEO on Spotify and on Apple The UnPopulist: Platforms like Telegram Accused of Facilitating Child Sexual Abuse Can’t Invoke Free Speech Protections Washington Post Opinion - Let’s talk about free speech after Pavel Durov’s indictment Perspective: Keep Pavel Durov LOCKED UP EFF: The French Detention: Why We're Watching the Telegram Situation Closely   For more: Telegram Founder’s Indictment Thrusts Encryption Into the Spotlight Paris court explains why it’s arrested Telegram founder, Pavel Durov France formally charges Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, over organized crime on messaging app Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Charged Over Alleged Criminal Activity on the App France vs. Telegram: What Does it Mean for Cybercrime? Russian hacktivists target French websites in the wake of Telegram founder’s arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest Linked to Sweeping Criminal Investigation Durov’s Arrest Details Released, Leaving More Questions Than Answers Arrest Of Telegram’s Pavel Durov Raises Questions, But The Answers May Not Be Known For A While Explainer: The Dark Side Of Telegram The bewildering politics of Telegram   Trump vows death penalty for drug dealers, rails against Harris at Pennsylvania rally Commonwealth Classical Liberal Podcast: End The Drug War, with Special Guest, Elizabeth Nolan Brown, 06 Feb 2024   Other items in the news: Residents in Boston suburb raised $20K after town officials shut down boy’s ice cream stand Chicago PD Hid Nearly 200,000 Traffic Stops From City Oversight In 2023 Former cop accused of killing pregnant woman and staging her death to look like a suicide Virginia universities roll out new rules for campus demonstrations Updated policies place additional restrictions on protests at UVa Virginia Tech adds new language to student code of conduct that addresses unlawful behavior   Learn more! Classical Liberal Party of Virginia Open markets. Open minds. Free people. https://clpvirginia.org Liberal Party USA: ⁠https://www.liberalpartyusa.org⁠ Join Us: ⁠https://clpvirginia.org/join⁠ Facebook: Classical Liberal Party of Virginia Instagram: classicalliberalpartyva X, formerly Twitter: @clpvirginia Chris on Bluesky: @frashure.bsky.social Andy on Threads: @andy_jabbour