What’s a Super Duper Injunction, or 祸从口出?

CNN just aired a story about injunctions. An injunction is a legal term that means you’re prohibited from doing something. A media injunction prohibits the media from mentioning some forbidden topic. A super injunction prohibits even talking about the injunction.

Remember the expression “Loose lips sink ships”?

This is the directive our military issued during WWII:

1. Don’t write military information of Army units — their location, strength, material, or equipment.

2. Don’t write of military installations.

3. Don’t write of transportation facilities.

4. Don’t write of convoys, their routes, ports (including ports of embarkation and disembarkation), time en route, naval protection, or war incidents occurring en route.

5. Don’t disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft.

6. Don’t mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess.

7. Don’t write about the effect of enemy operations.

8. Don’t tell of any casualty until released by proper authority (The Adjutant General) and then only by using the full name of the casualty.

9. Don’t attempt to formulate or use a code system, cipher, or shorthand, or any other means to conceal the true meaning of your letter. Violations of this regulation will result in severe punishment.

10. Don’t give your location in any way except as authorized by proper authority. Be sure nothing you write about discloses a more specific location than the one authorized.

The expression “loose lips sink ships” has a similar meaning to “the wall have ears”. Both are warning people to be cautious about what they say.

The Chinese say: 祸从口出” :
“祸” means major screw up
“口” means mouth
祸从口出 means something you say might come back to you…I’m paraphrasing. Correct me if I’m wrong!

Examples:  “Do not talk about proprietary information outside the company.  The walls have ears!  Loose lips sink ships!”

“Apple guards information about their internal projects very carefully.  They understand that loose lips sink ships.  Employees understand that loose lips can get them fired.”

What about the wikileaks drama? Julian Assange leaked info about government secrets that proved embarassing and even damaging in some cases. First Amendment gives us freedom of speech, but where are the limits? Was it mindful of Assange to leak the info?

The web gives us disintermediation, the ability to publish with no editors. What does that empower us to do that we couldn’t otherwise do?

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you…”

There’s a whole body of law surrounding libel and slander. Words are powerful!

Ever hear of an NDA? A Non-disclose agreement is a contract that says, since you’ve agreed, you won’t reveal secrets related to the subject in the contract. Words are powerful! There’s perjury, copyright, and even lawsuits stemming from trademark infringement like the ones from Oracle Corp, who often claim that the programming language name Java, which belongs to them, is used illegally. But, isn’t there an island called Java? If you read the trademark guidelines, Java island is in no jeopardy.

There’s the law and then “the letter of the law”. Did you know there are now underwater casinos?

How about Cuban tourism for Americans. Americans aren’t allowed to go to Cuba, unless it’s under certain circumstances, like education or medicine for example. There’s the letter of the law and the intent of the law.

What’s legal in one country may not be legal in another. Consider producer Polanski.

There are media blitz’s, psychological operations and conspiracy theories. What do you think about chem trails?

Humor is a powerful vehicle. PJ O’Rourke is the master of snide humor. He makes his point using the written word coupled with humor.

Symbols send messages. How is it that burkas are OK in some countries and not in others? What do you think?

Did you notice the Floating Flotilla some years ago that Greenpeace staged to provide abortions to Irish women who otherwise wouldn’t have had access. The problem was that the flotilla had inadequate supplies and wasn’t able to perform any procedures. Symbolically, though, it had a large impact. Words are powerful!

The Prince and Princess go to Seychelles for their honeymoon and CNN does a story – if the location had been meant a secret and CNN disclosed it in a scoop, would that be “mindful”?  Words are powerful!

Here are some colloquialisms regarding words:

• Zip your lip
• My lips are sealed
• Button your lip
• Talking out of turn
• Vicious lies

Even Bianchi is into super duper with their Bianchi Oltre Outre Super Duper Deluxe Record

So, what do you think?

Bonus: