Senator Robert Byrd (D – WV) is to be applauded for today’s speech on the Senate floor in response to the Bush Administration’s insane rush to war. “We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events,” said Byrd. “On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq — a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 — this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare — this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.” [Kuro5hin.org]
News and Politics
Morons in the News: Not Thermal Problems, but God Caused Shuttle Breakup
There’s a sad, pathetic trend toward once again explaining the yet-unexplained by saying “God did it” rather than looking to science for answers about scientific problems… [Morons Dot Org]
These days we don’t know where the next terrorist strike will be or when the next equipment failure might take down an airplane or spacecraft, but one thing is certain: somebody’s going to blame it on the ACLU or declare that God him/herself was responsible. After the recent incident with the space shuttle, not only were we treated to Fred Phelps and his warped agenda, we also heard from two other morons in a most predictable fashion.
Chuck Hagel and voting machines — the plot thickens
The Chuck Hagel voting machine ownership story gets even scarier. In today’s Best of the Blogs, Jerry Bowles reveals more bizarre details about the Chuck Hagel/voting machine story, including the fact that the majority ownership stake in the voting machine company that counted Senator Hagel’s upset victory in 1996 (and his reelection in 2002) is held by a man long associated with the radical organization Christian Reconstruction, which believes in overturning democracy and replacing it with a Christian theocracy. This is really weird and frightening stuff, if it checks out. [metafilter.com]
Big technology firms take on Hollywood over piracy
Big US tech firms joined Thursday with consumer groups and others to fight Hollywood’s demands for mandatory technology to prevent piracy of films and other digital entertainment.
The new coalition, the Alliance for Digital Progress (ADP), includes Microsoft, Cisco, Intel and Apple, as well as several consumer groups, think tanks, taxpayer organisations and other organisations.
The alliance will lobby to dissuade Congress from passing laws requiring anti-piracy technology in computers, DVD players and other electronic devices.
Alliance members say that they do not advocate distributing illegal copies, but that mandatory technology aimed at stopping piracy would be a solution worse than the problem.
“Piracy of digital content is a serious, complex problem that concerns all of us,” said Fred McClure, president of the alliance.
“But government-designed and mandated technology that swaps the diversity of marketplace solutions for a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not the answer. Mandates are a mistake. A mandate will raise the price of everything from CD players and DVD players to personal computers. It will make the devices consumers own today obsolete. And it will stifle the innovation at the heart of digital progress.”
Consumers and technology groups have been concerned about possible legislation that could require technology that makes it hard to copy films or music or make it impossible to play DVDs on more than one device.
“We are greatly concerned that Hollywood is trying to pressure Congress into forcing technology mandates onto American consumers,” McClure said.
“Hollywood should be working with others in the private sector to develop solutions to the piracy problem that will succeed in the marketplace and benefit consumers.”
Although the music industry said recently it would stop lobbying efforts for such mandates, Hollywood’s main lobby group, the Motion Picture Association of America, has maintained its policy.
“Hollywood leaders like Jack Valenti (of the MPAA) would have organised the monks to burn down Gutenberg’s printing press if they were alive during that period of rapid change and innovation,” said Harris Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, a high-tech group that is part of the alliance.
“Legislators have heard Hollywood’s pleas to stifle innovation, but more education will help them make informed decisions. We look forward to working with ADP to make sure all sides are heard when it comes to digital rights management.”
The MPAA had no comment on the new alliance, but last week Valenti argued that Hollywood may split with the music industry on the issue. even though they have been united against swapping services like Napster.
“The film and music industries are separate, unique enterprises with different strategies for addressing the outstanding issues concerning digital copy protection,” Valenti said last week.
“We are not prepared to abandon the option of seeking technical protection measures via the Congress or appropriate regulatory agency, when necessary.”
Valenti and other Hollywood executives have claimed piracy is one of the biggest threats to the industry, potentially costing billions of dollars and depriving creative artists of royalties.
Digital rights advocates say Hollywood has cried wolf before, having sought special protection against videotapes when VHS technology arrived, but noted that the industry’s 2002 revenues set a record for the third year running.
The alliance includes several other tech firms including IBM, Dell Computer, Motorola and Hewlett Packard; and a hodgepodge of organizations including Americans for Tax Reform, Citizens Against Government Waste, Citizens for a Sound Economy, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the National Association of Manufacturers. [Utusan Online]
George Bush, US President, often says how…
George Bush, US President, often says how serious going to war is, but I’m not sure he really gets it. Sure we’re sending our young boys to die. That’s relatively easy. But we still live in a nuclear age, and every time we go to war, that ups the odds that today is the last day for the human race (and everything else on earth). Ooops. Old people die too. Makes you stop and think. Either Bush thinks a war with Iraq isn’t likely to lead to a nuclear exchange (why?) or he welcomes the idea (oh geez). [Scripting News]
Copyright Laws
Justice for Consumers “The owners of the KaZaA file-sharing network are suing the movie and recording industries, claiming that they don’t understand the digital age and are monopolizing entertainment.” Quote from article by Associated Press. I don’t about you but I’m sick and tired of big businesses writing all the new laws in this country. Now maybe the people can get some justice for a change. [metafilter.com]
The First State of the Union Address
The First State of the Union Address – Here is President George Washington’s State of the Union Address from January 8, 1790. Have things really changed that much in 213 years? [metafilter.com]
Current Editorials: Bush Administration Wants Tax Dollars to Build Churches
I’m really not making this up. Bush is calling for using your hard-earned tax dollars to fund the construction of churches to “end discrimination” against religion… the first amendment be damned… [Morons Dot Org]
WE ARE NOT AT WAR
The US Constitution, Section I, Article 8:
“The Congress shall have the power…To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water”
We are not at war unless and until Congress declares War. No matter what scale of military action happens otherwise, including Vietnam, we are not at war. George W. Bush is not a “wartime President,” and neither was Lyndon Johnson. The citizens of the US do not have to give up their civil liberties because “We are at war,” because we are not at war.
It would be different, perhaps, if the Constitution didn’t spell out clearly how War is declared, but it does: only Congress can declare war. That’s so your elected representatives have the great deliberation on the use of the nation’s armed forces, not the whims of a single man. The framers intended it that way, too, as this fellow from the Cato Institute points out.
I’m still slammed and incommunicado (and have an appointment tonight), but this “we’re building up to war” and “we’re at war” crap has bothered me for too long. We are not at war and will not be unless Congress actually declares war. Not “authorizes military action,” not “confirms the President’s foreign policy,” but declares war. Until then, the President is simply using the army to advance his global aims, be they good or evil, and almost certainly against the direct intentions of the Constitution’s writers.
Where are the “strict constructionists” on this issue? [Life and Deatherage]
Support for Bush Declining
A brief analysis of a Washington Post/ABC News Poll conducted on January 20th shows interesting trends concerning support for President Bush’s handling of the economy, the war on terrorism, and the situation regarding Iraq. It also shows that views on abortion in the US are more nuanced than the simple yes/no that is often presented in the news. Note that the poll has a 5% margin of error. [Kuro5hin.org]