I’ve been informed that these transcripts are theoretically
copyrighted, and that the State House usually charges money for copies.
Since it wouldn’t be all that hard to trace where these things came
from, I’d rather not put certain persons in a bad spot should this
become an issue.
Personally I think this is public information,
but it shows you that, just as the open source people have been saying,
“free speech” isn’t “free-as-in-beer” speech. ‘Course, I’m sure this
stuff is susceptible to a FOIA request. It’s about as bad as charging us to use the most public of public spaces. Guess what, taxpayers of Massachusetts? Free speech ain’t free. Don’t you think it’s worth paying for?
update: 2/17/2004
I received permission from State House News Service to publish the convention transcripts. Thanks!
