Rosen Floats ISP Fee Idea -- Charge Everybody! 701
iconian writes "Hillary Rosen of RIAA wants to impose a type of fee to ISPs which in turn will be passed to all their customers indiscriminately to recoup supposed damages done by file-sharing. The RIAA considers downloading music illegally over the Internet to be the moral equivalence of stealing. I wonder then what is the moral equivalence of the RIAA taking realized cash from people who do not download music?"
I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they... (Score:4, Insightful)
Nothing new (Score:5, Insightful)
We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:5, Insightful)
It happened before, and was just as stupid then (Score:5, Insightful)
But, put that aside, one can argue this Piracy Tax with logic.
If the RIAA wants to impose a levy on ISPs because of possible file sharing, then shouldn't software companies be allowed to impose a similar levy? And if the RIAA can impose it, what about indie labels? Their music gets stolen too. What about artists who put their graphics online? What about font designers whose fonts get ripped off on alt.binaries.fonts? Surely they should all get a cut?
Logic shows this whole idea is stupid. But will logic be enough to stop the courts? I doubt it. Aristotle said 'The law is reason from my passion'. Not in 2002 it ain't.
Damages? (Score:1, Insightful)
Maybe the weather reporters from the news should charge the internet for giving it out for free too.... just a though.
What aobut all that free pr0n? I think Playboy has a case too.
And don't forget about the Postal Service!
Taking. (Score:5, Insightful)
Government, Inc. (Score:5, Insightful)
Just when you thought that the corporate-owned government couldn't screw us in a more blatant, shameless and imaginative way, along comes Hillary...
Let's See If I Understand Correctly... (Score:3, Insightful)
Hilary Rosen, congratulations. You will no doubt be the first against the wall. I sincerely and wholeheartedly extend this "Fuck you" into your general direction.
Sounds like Saddam... (Score:4, Insightful)
The RIAA needs to be killed off, it is bad for the people. It is no longer about music, not even in the least. Those of you who are allowed to vote in the states, make sure you vote for people who don't support the RIAA...
Just a minute... (Score:2, Insightful)
They're going to milk this whole "sales going to be down 6%" junk for all it's worth. I bet we'll see it in every related article until 2004.
A few thoughts (Score:5, Insightful)
1) The name Hillary has serious connotations to it. I immediately think of annoying, overzealous, stuck-up bitches like Ms. Clinton and Ms. Rosen.
2) Every CD-R disc that you buy is taxed and portions of the money you pay are given to the RIAA and similar organizations. So don't tax my Internet bill as well, and don't take my portable MP3 player either. Some of us actually use our own bought music to listen to.
3) With every new inane law or result of a lawsuit that I hear, I get one step closer to leaving the United States. It's becoming a bloody corporate rape scene here in the States and I for one am just about at the end of my rope.
4) Corporations should not control the government. We need to run the country, it's supposed to be our government. Let's let the citizens reign free and make America the best country it's ever been but without excessive taxation for wanting to listen to music or chat on the Intranet.
Re:We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Nothing new (Score:5, Insightful)
Call me cynical, but IMHO the RIAA will collect their ISP Fee from those users who download, and those who do not, and they will still press to have the likes of Kazaa and Napster illegalised (sp?). My problem with big corporations and organisations is that they generally want their cake and eat it.
Maybe I'm wrong: maybe we'll have our Internet tax and the RIAA will be happy. For some reason, I think not.
Tim
Re:Nothing new (Score:3, Insightful)
You could consider that because the levy goes to pay for loss due to piracy, they can't claim that piracy is costing them as much as they say. Also, since I've paid the levy, I have, in a way, paid a licensing fee, and have tacit approval for any copying I may do.
OTOH, not for one second do I believe this will prevent the RIAA from trying the same antics in Canada as they are in the US, once they have built up a series of wins. Nor do I believe that the levy will protect Canadian's interests once RIAA approved (copy inhibited) CD players begin shipping into the US. Canada is a little market compared to the US, so we'll just get the same restricted hardware that they get, and everyone will ignore the fact that this hardware is supposed to prevent copying, which we are already paying a levy to compensate for copying.
elsilver.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
And consumer backlash about bad files, worms, etc? P2P is mainstream. Knowledge of what the **AAs are doing is not mainstream. I got some no-RIAA [thinkgeek.com] and no-MPAA [thinkgeek.com] stickers from ThinkGeek awhile back. Every single one of my friends (who all use P2P programs) had to ask what those 2 organizations stood for. Very few people who use P2P know about the **AAs and what they're doing, so how can they be pissed about it?
Re:What a silly argument (Score:3, Insightful)
Fuck that.
Re:A few thoughts (Score:1, Insightful)
Hillary Clinton as an "overzealous, stuck-up bitch" is only the image put forth by certain segments of the biasedrightwingmedia. It amazes me that people like Elizabeth Dole, Nancy Reagan, and Ann Coulter have largely escaped this characterization, when they so richly deserve it.
It's a logical extension. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:What a silly argument (Score:5, Insightful)
Brother, I think the question is, where has the music GONE?
There was a time when an artist expected to get paid for his performances of music, and there were many artists, and most of them played regionally. Some of them made a living, most of them didn't. The ones that didn't just enjoyed playing.
Well, these days, some artists make a living, and most of them don't. They tour internationally and expect to get paid for their performances. The only difference now is that the industry (not the artists) take such a large cut, that for an artist to hope for a profit, he must sell in the millions or be worthless.
Where has the music gone? It has gone from being of the people and by the people to being cut up and served from a few mega-stars to the masses who will never have any personal connection to the music they listen to.
In my opinion, therefore, they death of the RIAA *would* be the end of the music world as we know it, and I feel fine. Bring on the new and creative talent!
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
As for the markup, what would you argue? That people should pay the RIAA markup on CD-Rs and then pay again for the CDs at full cost, a price which is illegally fixed at an artificially high level as has been proven in a recent court case? You really think there's something wrong with downloading music for free when you already paid for it by purchasing blank CD-Rs which you need to backup your software?
In Canada, We Have A Fee... (Score:4, Insightful)
21 cents per blank cd, 29 cents per audio cassette, and 77 cents per minidisc.
And the Recording industry wants it increased (a 181% increase for CDs), and wants it added to additional media (flash memory cards and DVDs) as well as to MP3 players.
Ironically, none of the money has been paid out to any artists.
1) It's legal to have an mp3 if you've paid for the music
2) CDs are used for things other than music
3) Flash memory cards are used in dozens of things; I have a digital camera that uses them.
The last time the levy was raised (Jan, 2001 I believe) I wrote letters to various Members of Parliment hoping to get it shut down.
This time, even the retailers [londondrugs.com] are getting involved.
The music industry is a dinosaur. I believe artists should be paid for their work, but the cost of a CD is ridiculous; that money is disappearing into music executives pockets; the artist gets next to nothing [salon.com]. I would pay 30 cents per MP3 to download. No shipping, no retail costs, no packaging. That should be fair.
Re:We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:2, Insightful)
In the case of the RIAA, we are talking about a group of for-profit enterprises that feels they should be entitled to levy a tax against the whole of internet service providers in the U.S.
In this case, the RIAA is protecting its own interests by trying to implement a system which really has no true benefit for the end user, besides taking the money of people, regardless of whether they do download music or not. This, compared to the correctional system, which is designed (again in theory) to serve the need to incarcerate and possibly reintegrate people into society, which as a whole provides an invaluable service to the people of the US.
Re:We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:3, Insightful)
-Mark
Taxation without Representation (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
This is only true if you are only interested in mainstream acts (and even then, it doesn't need to be true). None of the music I listen to has anything to do with the RIAA. In fact, I don't think I've listened to an act on an RIAA-backed label in years. I don't need the RIAA to tell me what to listen to; especially considering that they and their lackey labels are complete morons and wouldn't know interesting and artistic music if it came up and bit them on the ass.
Ultimately, that's what the RIAA cares about much more than people copying CDs. They've enjoyed decades of dictating what people get to listen to. Now, their uselessness is becoming clear. There are plenty of ways to find music that you like (All Music, Ptichfork, mp3.com, etc.) and you don't need the RIAA for any of them. In fact, you just might find that your musical interests are invigorated by getting away from all that mind-numbing, mainstream crack.
The internet, and particularly p2p, has irrevocably changed the way I listened to music and exponentially expanded my musical options. If the establishment wants to brand me a criminal for that, so be it. Just look out, cuz once I'm already a criminal, who knows what I might do. ;o)
One Solution (Score:1, Insightful)
One solution we never hear from Government or the RIAA et al. is dissolution of these corporate bodies.
Business are not meant to last an eternity. If your business model is going the way of the dodo because of technological change, etc. then you should act like all other businesses and disolve. The RIAA et al. keep on putting on a charade to Congress about the death of industry but that is not what is happening. The game is up for the RIAA et al. and instead of walking out they decide to tax us for their own personal benefit while those monies could go to something more useful for us or the U.S.A.
I think Congress should say to the RIAA like they said to United Airlines: deal with it and don't expect a bailout from us.
Re:We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:3, Insightful)
But they're hanging on... tough buggers. We're gonna have to think of something more effective to get rid of them.
Daniel
Re:Hey man, I'm all for it! (Score:5, Insightful)
The RIAA could be shooting themselves in the foot with this one
Re:Cover Charge (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
i agree with you... it's like saying "grocery prices are outrageous... to show my malcontent i'll go rob a grocery store". the legal way to show malcontent is to not purchase the product. if enough ppl do this, things change.
however, i don't think that'll work in this case. if, say, 25% of American music lovers stopped buying CDs published by companies in bed with the RIAA and everyone stopped pirating music... it is my guess the RIAA would still blame bad sales on piracy. it's an easy excuse that execs can use instead of sticking their necks out and going "maybe things need to change."
file swapping will continue to be the RIAA's excuse because it's easier than the truth.
Re:Hey man, I'm all for it! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Hey man, I'm all for it! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sounds like Saddam... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, this is exactly where we are going. Corporations will be our new governments; passing laws, collecting taxes, and running our lives (for their benefit). You can't vote, and you won't even be able to vote with your dollar. The marketplace will be ruled by cartels (-or industry associations, the name is your preference). It will be a sort of multi-feudalism, with many kings, each having control over a different aspect of your life. It's funny how at the extreme end capitalism and communism look quite similiar, at least in how they're implemented.
This could be good if we shoot the RIAA first (Score:5, Insightful)
You'd have something like the nielsens, which would figure out what people were downloading (by sniffing random packets or whatever - I'm sure the slashdot crowd can come up with a method that would work) and then reimburse whoever owned the copyright to a particular work preportionally out of the general fund.
The PROBLEM is that groups like the RIAA would see to it that the rules were stacked in their favor, so that they got all this money.
Does anyone know how much of the casette surcharge goes to artists? To artists who are not actually affiliated with the RIAA? I can't find an exact figure, but it's not frigging much!
I'd like to see a direct compensation scheme of the good sort in place, since it would allow people to make a living providing culture (which is good) and maximise the VALUE of that culture to society (since anyone could have as much culture as they wanted for a flat rate.)
Unfortunately, the blood suckers at the RIAA have both the power and position to suck such a scheme dry of blood.
While I was looking for a specific breakdown of how the 2%/$2 surcharge on blank CDs/CD burners is disbursed (I can't find it) I did find this interesting article which is worth a read. [whoarethepirates.com]
The author has very much my take on the economics of the affair, although I disagree that piracy is "basically wrong."
Re:A few thoughts (Score:3, Insightful)
Three words, Boston Tea Party. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said, "A government that is large enough to supply everything you need is large enough to take everything you have."
We are at that point. The people have lost their rights to our government. The United States are now a network of corporate states, that control a select few group of individuals.
With every new inane law or result of a lawsuit that I hear, I get one step closer to leaving the United States. It's becoming a bloody corporate rape scene here in the States and I for one am just about at the end of my rope.
It used to be that when someone was fed up, they rallied support and changed the system. Now, those who value an independant culture must choose exile. You said it, "Let the citizens reign free" but how can that happen when most citizens let go of the very reigns that made them free in the first place?
Education, this is the key. Inform those people of their lost rights. Unfortunately, I don't think many care because they're happy in their complacent white picket fence lives.
"The income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government." - Barry Goldwater, almost U.S. President
"It is not from top to bottom that societies die; it is from bottom to top." - Henry George
"When the President does it, that means it is not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon, U.S. President and attorney
Government is not reason. Government is not eloquence. It is force. And, like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." - George Washington, U.S. President
All the RIAA must do is (Score:3, Insightful)
Release their OWN ISP, which allows a user to connect to THEIR networks to download music based on a subscription model.
Say I am fans of certain musicians and I'm subcribed to AOL Time Warner RIAA ISP, well, I subscribe to the musicians and they get paid.
The reason I dont want the RIAA to do this accross the board however is it doesnt help musicians it only helps the RIAA.
Look, I wouldnt mind if musicians made me pay a $10 a year subscription fee and I get a song each month in the same way I get magazines.
I just want to be able to do this straight to the musician and not through the RIAA.
Also the RIAA can call it stealing all they want, they dont have a monopoly on morals. In my opinion stealing can only occur with physical objects, I dont believe someone can steal an idea, I do believe the right to profit off of that idea can be exclusive, I just dont believe anyone can strictly own an idea.
I dont care what your idea is, why should you be able to prevent people from freely exchanging it if no money is involved?
If your idea was worth a damn, people would be selling it, and then you should have the right to sue. With music, I think a musician should have the exclusive right to profit from their idea, but if people are sharing music this has nothing to do with capitalism or business, the demand goes down when the supply goes up, when the supply is infinite, well musicians and record companies just have to accept the fact that now we have the internet, we dont need record companies to provide supply, we have endless supply now, so our demands are different now.
Before they could release crap and charge $15, now they have to release stuff we the fans WANT.
I do buy music, I purchased the crydamoure CD waves, most americans dont listen to french house music, I didnt even know what it was until the internet, and its the only music that I'd pay money for each copy.
Why? Because they are released on vinyl, extremely high quality, perfect for mixing. I dont want a cheap low quality mp3 copy of my favorite songs, I want the highest quality that exists.
Just like people dont want a copied VHS tape of their favorite movie, they have to go to the theaters to see it.
This is how the music industry can survive, by providing what the fans want, in a much higher quality than Mp3 can handle. Mp3, or even Wav can never fully recreate vinyl in quality! So people will PAY MONEY for this.
People will also pay money if they have the right to mix or play with anything they buy, this means we should be able to remix any music we get and share it with others as long as its not sold.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
Brilliant example. If grocery prices were being artificially jacked up by a marketing cartel, farmers were being paid shit wages, and there was a 'tax' on gardening tools and fertiliser that went to the same cartel to cover loss of profits due to home gardening. even if you were only using the tools and fertiliser to grow roses and not vegetables. That's about where we're at.
Re:We had to burn the village to rape it... (Score:3, Insightful)
The difference is my taxes support a prison system which (theoretically) provides a safer society.
The proposed **AA tax would prop up a business model. Hardly a benefit to civil society.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:3, Insightful)
Enemy of the people... (Score:3, Insightful)
I hope so.
What they don't get is fighting fire with fire will only make more fire. They need to put on a more people friendly focus... And make it easier to buy music from them than to download it. (I don't know how they'd do that...) The thing is they need to realize americans are lazy. If they can get music by typing it in and clicking the mouse a few times, they will. Moral shmorals. Don't ask for capitalist morality in a world where everything is just pixels on a monitor... Hell, don't ask for morality on the internet at all! (especially when dealing with the RIAA!)
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure it does.
That money is going directly to the people the artists are allowing to represent them.
Its the artists fault for choosing thieving scum to represent them in the first place. If the artists would stop doing this, the whole situation would get better.
Economics (Score:2, Insightful)
One thing that I find to be a common truth. Liberalism always generates the exact opposite of its stated intent.
1. Let every see that they are paying $xx for sharing music and they will react as if it is a license to download, not as paying retrabution.
(Result: more downloading, not less)
2. "Tell you what. I'll give the RIAA and MPAA each five dollars a year if they'll simply stop trying to sue and get file sharing banned or whatever they're doing." by Renraku (518261)
- Any before you know it they will say $5 is not enough, it must be $10. There is another word for this...extortion. Don't give the RIAA/MPAA any ideas...they will become the "Jesse Jackson" of the music industry.
(Result: The attitude "Fuck the industry, I'll just download it.")
3. "My mother, a standard consumer with nearly no knowledge of how to go about pirating music or burning CDs, pointed out something very simple to me. She said that the price of CDs was the big problem, not the economy so much, and not piracy.
She pointed out how when Wal-Mart or K-Mart or Target have sales on CDs where the price drops quite low, say $10/CD, they sell out of the popular CDs. She also pointed out that in order for everyone to get paid reasonably, the cost to produce a CD would be about $5." by bildstorm (129924)
Your mother has just pointed out a basic fundimental of economics(and marketing). If it costs $5 to make a cd...I sell for $10 and you sell for $15 not only do I sell out, but many people will buy two because the cost only ends up being $20. (To prove this theory just go to Best Buy on Sunday.)
Result: Selling more cds
Food for thought: Do stores make more or less during sales?
Spelling and grammer errors should be ignored..unfortunately my secretary won't type my Slashdot posts for me.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:4, Insightful)
DVDs are now cheaper than audio CDs! (Score:1, Insightful)
- as i was side-swiping a spawner with two demons from hell with my shopping cart, i peeked at prices of DVD movies and audio CDs...
THE DVDs WERE CHEAPER THAN THE AUDIO CDs!!!
- looks like the movie industry is headed in the right direction, but i thought it was more expensive/harder to rip DVDs than audio?
- btw, Jack 'Bone a Bimbo' Valenti and Hilary 'Miss Piggy' Rosen can kiss my ass regarding their whining about market downturns... those two turds are still sucking up Surf and Turf at high-end restaurants, while my version of Surf and Turf is fish sticks and hot dogs...
- i buy my music CDs (jazz, such as the Rippingtons) and DVDs (such as the entire series of The Prisoner) because i'll listen and watch over and over again...
Re:If a woman blabs and nobody's there to hear it. (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree with you -- but just one question. Is the blank CD tax a law? When did it pass? How? I would be concerned that this one can follow the same path.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:3, Insightful)
If I give them compensation then I obviously expect something in return.
So *THAT'S* It! (Score:2, Insightful)
And all this time, I thought it was because that most of the music that is pumped into the market these days sucked. What was I thinking? I mean, when you think about it, it couldn't be the product that's the problem! That's simply not possible!
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
Rationalizing theft. I probably won't win anyone over by arguing about that, so I won't bother.
A fail to see why it's theft to do what I've paid to do. If I pay admission to a theme park, it's not theft when I get on the rides. If I pay for cable, it's not theft if I watch it. So, if I pay for downloading mp3s...
By the same token, it IS theft if the theme park charges me admission and then won't let me ride, and it IS theft if the cable company charges me for cable and then won't give me a signal. So if the RIAA charges me to download mp3s and then tries to stop me...
8-track tapes (Score:1, Insightful)
A New Approach.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Their current business model pretty much rests on bribery, extortion, fraud, theft, computer network tampering, price gouging, and price fixing.
If there is no such movement, perhaps we need someone to organize a website where we can weigh in on this. Instead of debating the theoretical and philosophical aspects of the issues, let's start going on the offensive. Let's begin exposing the RIAA for what it is. Letter and email writing to congresscritters and media types would be a good beginning. If a single major media outlet were to give coverage to the necessary topics, it would be a great boost to the cause. For once in the 20 years of corrupt business practices within the major media companies, let's put them on the defensive and make them justify their own theft.
Re:A few thoughts (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow...let the anger go. Repeat after me. Strong women are NOT a threat to my manhood. Hillary's only fault in life was no being born a man. That way instead of being seen as an agresssive "bitch", she would have been seen as a man who "speaks his mind". Of course after all those years of conservitives bashing her relentlessly on the radio and T.V., I guess I'm not surprised the brainwashing still influences people.
Re:I can't believe the ideas the RIAA thinks they. (Score:5, Insightful)
That's right, and it's also why this is such an incredibly stupid idea. The biggest reason it's so stupid is that it a) penalizes people that have nothing to do with piracy, and b) creates a revenue stream that is based on nothing but speculation- it completely distorts important issues like market demand. If this is going to be the new game in town, then why don't banks ask for an special tax on cars, since they're often used as a means to escape after a robbery. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Why We Need Them To Win (Score:3, Insightful)
So I say good luck RIAA, I hope you win this one, 'cause it may well be your last if you do.
Since when is the linux kernel list a nightclub? (Score:1, Insightful)
Do nightclubs offer timely news from Slashdot, online newspapers, journals, tech sites, eh? No.
If I'm visiting the bookstore next to your night club, are you going to have your punk @ss bouncers demand money of me? Does your night club own the whole damn block? Even if pirated music is like alcohol in a club, who says the whole internet belongs to the RIAA's "night club?" That's a pretty narrow point of view, as if the only worth of the internet is to distribute Hollywood and RIAA "content."
You think you dislike this idea? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A few thoughts (Score:3, Insightful)
Careful to label this attitude as "Western" -- the corporatism that spreads has no place in the world aside from the countries that implement the same practices as the US. You don't see Canada working it's way towards removing citizens rights by way of tax levies, instead they get socialized health care.
As long as the vast majority of the population are comfy and view people who want to disrupt the current system as unpatriotic, dangerous oddballs (a characterzation that will be happily portrayed by big media), we have no hope of going back.
As long as they have their 2.3 kids, white picket fence, and a dog named spot, these people are the enemies of the American dream. Yes, they are living it but at what cost? They do not want anybody to disrupt their dream so that others may obtain it.
It's good that such a clown as George Bush is in office, lest resistence may actually be countered using the same pie-in-the-sky promises as made to North Korea. A deluge of education must flood the streets of the United States, uniting the people once more, and restoring to the states the power in which they slowly let slip away into the hands of those willing to pay campaign contributions.
Regardless of my opinion that it is futile, I will also continue to educate. I would very much like it to be proven that I was wrong about how things will go, and I will do what I can to help.
That had hundreds of thousands of people protesting today for the salvation of a country in the middle east that most Americans couldn't locate on a map. With the proper backing, that strength could be turned towards revitalizing the American ideology forgotten a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, it will not happen because the people who organize and are respected by the masses are also getting their paychecks in the same manner as the puppet politicians.
Tax all transport! (Score:3, Insightful)
Fuck them. (Score:3, Insightful)
It's a sorry reflection on the legal system today that such criminals can hide behind the laws whenever they're being hurt. D:
Laws of commerce? (Score:1, Insightful)
a) Lower prices (by cutting costs etc.)
b) Produce higher quality ("better music" or more other value to the customer)
Now it seems that record industry is doing neither. Instead they try to get money even from those who don't consume their products (to which there are great comments in this thread).
Sure there are people who think "why should I pay when I get it for free?", but we are talking about the whole world of music consumers here. If a CD (yes, a CD, I am not going to buy a single copy protected audio record: they are crippled and don't work) would cost 10 euros (today new records cost around 20 euros here) I'd have a much less harder time to buy them (financially and psychologically). And I sincerely believe that I would buy more music than now and spend MORE MONEY. I can't see why others wouldn't too.
Re:Sounds like Saddam... (Score:2, Insightful)
The kind of corporate ownership of our gov. and our lives that you talk about is precisely why the 2nd ammendment is so damned important. Everyone seems to think that since things are fairly OK (and even that is VERY debatable) right now, that we can just ditch all our nations privatly owned guns.
Now I certainly do not advocate running down to Hollywood and blowing anyone off the face of the planet. But think of this; when these corporations finally go too far in the eyes of Joe public, and they effectivly own 90% of our national government, our guns will be our last hope. When the RIAA/MPAA/M$/oil giant/whoever comes up with their 70% income tax because you damned well just owe them for your continued right to live, then the public can band together and say "You know what, come and get it, bitches. If you really want a dime out of my account you can come pry it from my cold, dead hands."
Just a thought. Because whether or not you want to belive it, that is the way things will be in the future if we don't stop the continued infiltration of the US gov. by corporate thugs.