Hilary Rosen from RIAA will write Iraq's Copyrights? 775
sould writes "The Register is reporting that Hilary Rosen is to assist in writing Iraq's Intellectual Property laws. Can't have those Iraqi's pirating Eminem now can we?"
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It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.
Another cruel regime? (Score:5, Funny)
I wonder if the Republican Guard will instinctively rally around Ms. Rosen?
Re:Another cruel regime? (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, but they will truly fear Chemical Valenti.
Re:Another cruel regime? (Score:3, Insightful)
Wait until Ms. Rosen can cut loose in a country without the Bill of Rights, ACLU, etc. to slow her down. There will be tons of Iraqi citizens doing hard time if they are caught *humming* songs without the CD on them.
Re:Another cruel regime? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Another cruel regime? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Another cruel regime? (Score:5, Funny)
"There are no MP3s in Baghdad International Airport. They were burned with the infidels that tried to bring them in."
"RIAA Shock Troops have attacked file servers and found that they feared retribution for misbehavior so much that they never performed their intended IP peonism. All disk drives will be decently covered and are continually monitored with the finest Iraqi headphones."
"There never have been independent bands in Iraq and they were chased out of garages which were promptly filled with imported APC and other quality imported cars."
"This space for rent. Bids for sponsorship of next week are in the RIAA eBay store."
"Sneaky steak-eating snakes sneaking stolen songs stung stunned since submarine scuba shockers swung soulless soundless smash sticks Sunday."
"A giant eraser rubbed out music thieves and none were found in a survey of our offices today."
"The Iraqi Copyright Office thanks all those who donated the ownership of music to the good of the State by registering Iraq as holding the copyright last year."
"Rumors fly that a musician was using D-flat last month. Our investigators have not been able to find such a violation of international agreements, but we continue to monitor for violations of D-armament controls."
"There certainly could be no willingness to flagrantly endanger the public by placing uncontrolled music in residential areas. Some reckless individuals distributed rumors of a party two days ago, but careful inspection of the rubble after the artillery barrage has shown no proof that such a danger ever existed near the Euphrates. Our precision area bombardment guardsmen are ever vigilant."
"Disco ball spotted by sniper. Destroyed same."
Look at the bright side! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Look at the bright side! (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe someone will throw a jar of acid in her face, instead.
+1 Funny (Score:5, Insightful)
Republican. Barbaric. Whichever.
More seriously, WTF is up with worrying about IP laws in a country that collectively doesn't have running water? Are photocopiers and CD burners so much a problem in a nation where most "modern" technology has been embargo'd for the last 12 years?
I can see it now: "Whip the camels faster, Ali, we almost have 'Jagged Little Pill'"
OTOH, Ms. Rosen is free for the first time to establish her dream: The Elite P2P Death Squad.
Re:+1 Funny (Score:5, Interesting)
The reasons for that would fill a book. Specifically, "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" 2nd ed. I don't think it's available in the US as the author has won a prize as the most censored author in America but I'm sure Amazon.co.uk will sell you it. Remember to get the 2nd edition.
The short answer: Iraq is to be a "free trade zone" for the purpose of destabilising the region's economies. If it was as simple as that, of course, it wouldn't work since free trade would eat Iraq alive and spit out the ground down bones but this FTZ will be bankrolled by the US via the World Bank (51% owned by the US Treasury Dept.) so that it won't go the way of Argentina, South Africa, Thailand, Chile etc. It's all very complicated and boils down to a return to 19th century economics and all the great benefits they gave people (rich people, that is). Think "Robber Barons Take On The World": there are literally trillions of dollars at stake here.
That's why the religious parties in Iraq are not being invited to run the country despite having the majority of the population's support: they would throw the "liberators" out and tell them where to stick their free trade. And, wouldn't you? If I locked you in a room with Saddam Hussain for 25 years how grateful would you be when I let you out? Now replace me with Donald Rumsfeld and you with the Iraqi people; can you see why they are annoyed even after they've been freed?
TWW
Re:+1 Funny (Score:3, Insightful)
Seeing as the majority of Iraqis are, in fact, shiite muslims, should they not be allowed to democratically choose to install an Iranian-style theocrac
Re:+1 Funny (Score:3, Insightful)
Will this happen? I dont know.
Is this what the US leadership and the people on the ground are trying to create? Again I dont know, but hope that this is what they are trying to foster - a government c
History. (Score:5, Insightful)
In both places, the US had their wondeful little puppets (Ngo Den Diem and Shah Resa Pahlavi respectively) ruling in a 'democratic' state that very quickly degraded into totalitarianism that only stood because they were backed by the almighty military support of the United States.
What did the public want? In Vietnam, they wanted the Vietminh. They WANTED communism. They HATED Ngo Den Diem; buddhist monks lit themselves on fire in protest.
In Iran, they wanted the Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic state. The Shah had serious military backing, however, from the United States (It was Rummsfeld et all who did this, btw, along with war criminal Harry Kissenger).
So what happened? Eventually 'popular opinion' won, but not until long after many abuses of human rights and freedoms by the US-supported governments. Ngo Den Diem was assassinated, and the Shah was exiled. Both countries abhor the politics of the United States to this day for a VERY GOOD reason.
Want to take a bet on whether this is EXACTLY what will happen in Iraq? The US is already abusing their rights and freedoms, and this is BEFORE they've put in the puppet government.
Re:+1 Funny (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, having a feudal socitey wouldn't make my life any worse, so long as I still had my liberties. I'd be a bit worried about losing my freedom in the future, but that's a problem with human nature, not the system of government.
And when it comes to preserving civil liberties, an area in which no governmental excels, theocracies have a particularly bad record. I can't imagine why you believe we should allow such a system to be installed -- a secular government would still allow all these people to practice as the believed, and would not exclude all the minorities in the Iraqi population. You can't argue that the minorities wouldn't be oppressed -- the very nature of a theocracy excludes the practice of any other religion.
Heck even in Iran, a very anti-american place, they aren't so happy with their "democractic" theocracy. It might have something to do with elected officials being overruled by in-for-life religous leaders. Hardly seems like a democratic system.
Re:+1 Funny (Score:5, Informative)
Yeah, that's right: Iran's organising the shiites. I assume they're using messenger pidgeons since there's no telephone system, either land or mobile and the place is crawling with US troops.
Maybe we would like a country with less tolerance for terrorist organizations between Syria and Iran?
Probably best to stop prevoking them and making it easy for them to recruit supporters. While you're at it perhaps you'd like to ask Mr Bush why he blocked the investigations that would have prevented 9/11 (by accident, I admit. Bush was so worried about helping his business friends that he didn't consider that the FBI's warnings about a big immediate threat to the WTC might be more important).
Maybe we'd like to see a succesfull democracy between Syria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia?
If by "we" you mean the US government, then no that exactly what they don't want. What they want is a weak democracy that takes its orders from the likes of Hillary Rosen. When democracies don't make the right "free" choice then the current administration does what it did in Venezuela and gets its military attache to let the local rebels know that if the democractically elected (and popular) leader was to, say, drop down dead from having an extra hole in his head, that any new and non-elected government that lowered oil prices wouldn't have anything to worry about. He was only saved by a tip-off from his friends in OPEC.
You could also have a look at Pakistan for a model of the sort of "democracy" Bush supports: one man, one vote and the man is Gen Musharraf (holder of weapons of mass destruction, but these are nice weapons of mass destruction).
Isn't that what the Mid-East states fear the most?
Yes, but not in the way you mean. True democratic elections in almost all ME countries would lead to the current governments being toppled because of their pro-US policies.
Bush's idea of free elections is for people to decide which of his friends to vote for. The idea that an anti-US candidate will be allowed to run in Iraq is pure fantasy.
TWW
All Your Copyright Are Belong To U.S. (Score:3, Funny)
Aha! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Aha! (Score:4, Funny)
Perhaps she'll make it illegal to crack the Code of Hammurabi [wsu.edu]...
Re:Aha! (Score:3, Insightful)
US priorities in Iraq (Score:5, Funny)
The RIAA makes campaign contributions. Result: US lawyers are sent to protect the latest Britney Spears and Eminem albums.
The Iraqi National Museum doesn't contribute to the campaign. Result: The museum gets looted, and priceless artifacts thousands of years old are stolen or destroyed.
Perhaps property owners in Damascus should take notice? Or is this just a wild conspiracy theory?
This is just plain absurd... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:5, Insightful)
Cause GWBush says it ain't.
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:5, Insightful)
So much for the self rule of Iraq.
Wait. It gets even better... (Score:5, Informative)
Besides, as somebody else mentioned here, Iraq already has copyright laws.
They are not cavemen you know.
...they just don't have copyright with a life + 75 year span. (They have life + 25 up to a maximum of 50 years) They also don't have 97.000.000.000$ fines for copyright violation.
<rant-mode>
One could reasonably argue that when it came to copyright, if nothing else, Iraq actually had more sane laws than both the US and the EU.
I'm, sure that will change real soon now though.
</rant-mode>
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:4, Funny)
Some perspective (Score:5, Informative)
* Palast, BBC journalist, says war is profit-maker for Bush allies [yaledailynews.com]
* Post-war carve-up to benefit CDMA standard, record industry [europemedia.net]
* Journalist says media is biased on war [zwire.com]
I encourage you to check out Greg Palast's site [gregpalast.com]. He is the BBC reporter that the original article mentions and the author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy [gregpalast.com]". Interesting read.
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:3, Insightful)
Funny you mention that. The last time I can remember the US was involved in a war where the federal government's stance was "We're not colonizing! Really!" was the Spanish American War. Part of the war vote in Congress revolved around a declaration that Cuba would not become US territory in any way, shape or form. Of course, no such clause prevented US posession of Puerto Rico...
After the Spanish American War, the US was very careful to establish so
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyone who though that this self servicing wench can do anything but creat massive harm to the IRAQI people and their image of the United States is a complete and utter moron.
Crips, why dont we put the Menendez brothers in charge of the family relations ministry? or how about Charles Manson as the head of the crime investigation division?
Both Rosen and Valenti are the most evil and nasty people on this planet willing to sacrifice everyone and everything to twist things for their own gain. I have more respect for an Ambulance chaser lawyer or a crack dealer than either of these people.. and we are going to put one of them in a place to influence a delicate rebuilding?
Whoever said yes to Rosen needs to be publically impaled.
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's the least colonial activity we could possibly do that wasn't irresponsibly abrupt.
As other posters have pointed out, surely getting IP laws up and running in Iraq is not really a priority when basic services are needed. And surely IP laws don't come under "least colonial activity".
Remember: we conquered Iraq.
I'm sorry, but hasn't your president and administration spent the last few months painstakingly pointing out that the coalition liberated Iraq
Re:This is just plain absurd... (Score:4, Insightful)
The fact that my own people are such fucking ignoramuses, willing to piss away the very concept of liberty just so they can convince themselves that they're superior to everyone else, is just plain sickening. If it were select individuals acting through the government via coup it would be one thing; but the fact of the matter is is that most of my fellow citizens are becoming more and more Orwellian with each passing day.
To be an American right now is shameful. And the worst thing about it is that the vast majority of Americans *like* how things are going and only wish to shred the Constitution, and the ideals upon which it's based, even more than they've already done. Iraq is just a result of the ever-burgeoning desire for dictatorship, a dictatorship which it appears they wish to impose world-wide.
It's enough to put any sane person off their feed.
Max
More important issues! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:More important issues! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:More important issues! (Score:5, Informative)
Copyright law is entirely separate from property law, and as such "intellectual property" as a term is an attempt to sell the concept of copyright as a property right to lessen the outcry over the continuous attack on fair use and the public domain.
Re:More important issues! (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, but the point that's being overlooked here is that copyrights don't have anything to do with "what's yours". Copyrights are a grant of exclusive use, for a limited time, by the Government. It is not really a property right.
One can no more own a work protected by copyright than a rancher who is grazing BLM lands owns the land his livestock are standing on.
I do think these important distinctions are being blurred. A lot of people seem to think they own ideas and others think that private property is a grant by the state. I'm not looking forward to the day when either of these beliefs become true.
Re:More important issues! (Score:5, Informative)
If you are thinking of article 17....;
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Of course Iraq needs proper legislation/laws on this subject, but if you think they (US administartion)are doing this to protect Iraqi copyright holders I think you SERIOUSLY need to rethink your opinion.
I thinks thinks [INSERT disclaimer that maybe the Reg. article aint correct] that this with other stories; for example USA protecting one Minstry in Bagdad; the Minestry of Oil, shows what the real motivation behind the Iraq-war was.
No, I'm not saying that the invasion came because of copyrights or oil alone, thats just a bonus. When someone invade acountry they get to decide the legislation/laws inside that country. But selecting, among others; Hillary Rosen to help doing this says a lot about the current administartion.
After the defeat/collapse of the Third Reich/Nazi-Germany it probably went over a year befor they though about copyrights. IMHO that probably was a good thing. Other needs are far more important than copyrights right now. People are dying inside Iraq and you are thinking on copyrights?
Shame on you.
Re:More important issues! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:More important issues! (Score:5, Interesting)
To your average Iraqi, who CARES if they have no concept of fair use.. after all they have no running water, much less a CD burner.
This is not without precedent. In the wake of WWII our media conglomerates also imposed similiar types of oppressive IP law in France and West Germany which basically shut down their film makers..
Actually I imagine a lot of Iraqis have CD burners (Score:5, Informative)
And no, I'm not trolling.
Please don't fall into the trap of believing that all Iraqis are necessarily tribal, tent-dwelling folk - Iraq has a sizeable, educated, (and often relatively westernised) middle class [cato.org].
Remember, they had running water until the US and UK bombed them.
Re:Actually I imagine a lot of Iraqis have CD burn (Score:3, Insightful)
--from HORRIFIC HUMAN SUFFERING IN THIS INSANE WAR [mirror.co.uk]
I know people will dismiss it because it was in the M
Nice tidbit (Score:5, Insightful)
Guess somebody has their priorities straight...
This might be worth it... (Score:4, Funny)
Garg
I just gave a speech on evil ways of the RIAA (Score:5, Interesting)
How about this - Bitter protest against copyrights (Score:5, Insightful)
The simple fact is, there is no equivalency relationship between copyrights and property rights - incentive does not a right make. The moral and historical foundation of property derives from the fact that property has physical limits, while the foundation of copyrights dervives from kings who granted publishers monopolies in return for not publishing bad things about the monarchy. The history of Copyrights is not one of rights, but controll of sharing and restricting the open use of knowledge.
That is why people who copy are not criminals, thiefs, or akin to pirates who board ships and murder people. No, infact they are really victims of a cruel deception. A deception that copyrights somehow financially benefit artists and creators. The simple fact is, that for every artist that makes it "big" there are litterally thousands who copyrights haven't helped a bit, even hindered, or destroyed.
However, this is not the only failure of copyrights - it is just one in many issues related to copyrighrts that are just blown off ignored, or glossed over. Like the failures of Hollywood culture, the failures of big media to provide quality material, the failures to provide reasonably priced books to college students while tabloids are dirt cheap, and massive anti-trust behavior in the software industry to name a few.
While the problems associated with copyrights might have been bearable 20 years ago when the biggist issue was Xerox machines, today we are entering into the information age where information is so easy to copy and manipulate that there can be no middle ground. Our society will either half to controll all of it or none of it. Our communications will either half to be monitored or free, our privacy to be either contunuiously probed or protected
In that sense, copyrights are like a vine that will never stop growing to choke off our freedoms until we cut it off at the root. The DMCA, infinite extensions, billion dollar lawsiuts, are all just symptoms of a poor belief system - not the cause. So the efforts to find a "middle ground" on copyrights are a failure because they do not address the core issue. That contrary to copyrights, the right to copy and distribute creative works and knowledge is a right!
Like freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, the right to copy things is a right that exists above government. It is a moral right, it is an inherent right, it defines the very nature of the human condition. It is beyond politics and the petition of leaders.
In fact, the entire foundation of politics rests on the notion that it's better to fight wars with words than wars with bloodshed. But to copy things does not require coercion or viloence at all, the rules are not the same. We will not change the copyright situation by petitioning our leaders, or voteing to change the system. No it can only be changed by defiance.
Defiance by holding the belief that people have rights, even if those rights appear contrary to the popular mob or to the system. Defiance, by shedding off the guilt and shame that those who try to impose copyrights impose on us and understanding that they are the ones who should be guilty and shamefull. Defiance by copying and sharing creative works whenever we have acess to them. Defiance by using technologies that make it harder and harder for copyrights to be imposed upon us. And defi
Re:How about this - Bitter protest against copyrig (Score:5, Insightful)
Copyright is supposed to benefit the whole of society by making sure that creative people get some recompense for being creative. Furthermore, the copyright laws of the US include a provision for fair use (like burning a disc for your friend); however, we currently have a copyright system that exists soley for the profit of CEO's. Copyrights now never expire, making them couterproductive to their original purpose, and the scope of what is considered fair use is being reduced everyday.
Simply ignoring copyright is not a solution. It gives the likes of Valenti and Rosen more amunition in their crusade for DRM and will lead to laws even worse than the DMCA.
If copyright really were a temporary thing, lasting, at most, 28 years, like it is supposed to, we would be able to freely trade almost everything ever recorded by The Beatles, The Doors, Buddy Holly, Elvis, etc. A great many novels would enter the public domain. Many films would be free to distribute. There would be a plentiful, rich, and significant public domain. As it is, books written by men long dead at the beginning of last century are still under copyright, a short cartoon of a rat is still locked up, and Michael Jackson owns the rights to Jahn Lennon's music. I agree that system is bad, but I think just ignoring will make it worse. The RIAA/MPAA/etc. will have even more fuel for their fires, and will be able to get laws passed that make the situation even worse than it is already. Fight for a return of reasonable copyrights, and artists and consumers will benefit.
Re:How about this - Bitter protest against copyrig (Score:3, Insightful)
Every copyright holder is a partial owner of my CD burner, my Xerox machine, my hard drive, my VCR, my CD-Rs, etc because they dictate what I can and cannot do with my own property.
We can turn your next sentence against you for this one:
Right (Score:5, Insightful)
Or maybe we're going to write the laws, and then if their elected representative doesn't enforce them, we'll get a new representative. Or even better, we could help enforce them ourselves. Joy.
Fight war, empower iraqi people (yeah, right) (Score:3)
This is ridiculous, yet shows how the Bush administration intends to administer Iraq: as a colony. Luckily, the administration isn't very good at hiding their evil intentions, so now we know about it.
Re:Fight war, empower iraqi people (yeah, right) (Score:3, Funny)
You were right the second time, when you called it redundant. You were right the second time, when you called it redundant.
Re:Fight war, empower iraqi people (yeah, right) (Score:4, Funny)
No, actually an oxymoron is two opposites. Like "Army Intelligence".
Or "Fox News".
I wonder if... (Score:5, Funny)
Cool! (Score:3, Funny)
This will most certainly help (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, the irony (Score:5, Funny)
Good to know (Score:5, Funny)
Interesting.. (Score:3, Funny)
Is this reputable? (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't know -- reading the article didn't fill me with lots of confidence in the accuracy of this story. The whole tone seemed awfully biased to be a 'reputable' source. Can anyone else confirm this information from an alternate news source?
GMD
No doubt they will hate us... (Score:4, Insightful)
Jalil Vaidya
Iraqi IP Minister? (Score:5, Funny)
Hillary "Heinous Hil" Rosen, Iraqi I.P. Minister
Excuse me but ... (Score:5, Funny)
Crazy (Score:3, Interesting)
While the quote is both a funny and insightful comment, it is truely a sad situation that we live in a world where this could happen under any circumstances.
That said, with the freedoms we have we choose to go for a clearly biased party to create other countries laws.
This is world is crazy.
__
cheap web site hosting and reseller packages [cheap-web-...ing.com.au]
Re:Crazy (Score:3, Funny)
Pirate a movie: Gouge out eyes
Pirate a CD: Chop off ears
Pirate software: Amputate soft tissue: goodbye buttocks
Steal cable service: Death by hanging with coax cable noose
Hack into system: Hacked to death with meat cleaver
Mod-chipping game box: Death by soldering iron
Sure, export american law.. (Score:3, Insightful)
I rather expect as soon as the minders are gone they'll do whatever they damn well please, and IP crap dumped on them from american special interests will chafe and be the first things to go or be utterly ignored.
Maybe Jack Valenti can be embedded next time, eh?
"That's right, Bob, we've found a stash of illegitimate Backstreet Boys CD's in An Nasaryah, so the president was certainly justified in this invasion!"
Constrasting sharply with this... (Score:5, Interesting)
"America has no intention of imposing our form of government or our culture," he said. "Yet we will ensure that all Iraqis have a voice in the new government and all citizens have their rights protected."
My emphasis added. That's what Bush said in a speech in Michigan on Monday to Iraqi-Americans. Guess we're tossing that one out the window...
Re:Constrasting sharply with this... (Score:3, Insightful)
If you consider copyright to be a basic right of the people, ie, any work a man creates should be copyrighted, then it falls under protecting their basic rights - "...all citizens have their rights protected."
Of course, I think that's absolute shite, but not a bad way wiggle out of it.
What?! (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't believe that. I'm sure that at least one of our proud 24-hour news stations would be all over that. Someone check the No-Spin Zone!
Face it, folks: This is an administration which plays the press perfectly and gets away with an astounding amount of this bullshit. We're just lucky it's not in the US this time -- he could be appointing more Enron lackies to head the army or obviously business-biased people to set policy. And he gets away with it 'cause the 24 hour "news" channels don't have the will or the stones to make, afraid that they'll lose interviews or access or credibility among people who made the WWE and NASCAR such powerhouses.
(sigh) Sorry, I guess my cynicism got out for a run again. I'm off to watch a few more hours of Fox News and MSNBC. Maybe I can hear another eloquent defense of that poor Senator from PA who's under attack by crazy lefties just because he hates homosexuals.
Rosen says... (Score:3, Funny)
"You have no chance for fair use, make your time"
"HA HA HA"
"There are no file sharing programs in Bagdad...NEVER I tell you. May her stomach roast in hell."
-MSS
I thought the bombing was bad (Score:5, Funny)
Exporting American Culture (Score:3, Interesting)
It is also interesting that the United States, it seems, has freed the Iraqi people from the oppression of Sadam not in order to install an Iraqi run government but to install a government run by corporate America. Is this democracy?
Aha! Now we know where Saddam is Hiding (Score:3, Funny)
In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
401(k) rules for Iraq will be written by former Enron and Worldcom executives
Is this liberation... (Score:3, Insightful)
This whole issue sickens me, personally.
Testbed (Score:5, Interesting)
It's a goddamn buffet for these people is what it is.
Further, this is a testbed of sorts. Set up IP and observe how people fight to maintain their right to do what they wish with that information. Then, when they have brought the U.S. legislature to bear, they know how to seal things up pre-emptively.
Watch what happens in Iraq, y'all. Because what Iraq turns into is precisely what megacorps would create -- and will, eventually -- if they had unfettered reign here.
Cultural Imperialism (Score:5, Interesting)
This news proves, in a weird way, that the recent war was about imposing "our" will (the will of a few well-connected insiders, actually) on Iraq, not on bringing it democracy.
I'm reminded of the lyrics of on old Phil Ochs tune (and may the ghost of Phil forgive me if my quoting violates any of his rights):
LetMeGetThisStraight ?!?!?!?! (Score:5, Insightful)
A US corporate figure is going to have a word about how future LAW will look like in Iraq ???
If there was any doubt that the USA is just acting in the interests of it's corporations, then that doubt is now dead.
Eminem -- it depends (Score:3, Funny)
Depends on whether it's the US or the Iraqis who want the real Saddam Hussein to please stand up.
I'd like to point out... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I'd like to point out... (Score:4, Informative)
If the name Gregory Palast [amazon.com] sounds familiar to anyone, it's probably because he wrote The Best Democracy Money Can Buy [amazon.com], which is definitely interesting reading. The first two chapters are even freely available from his own website:
1. The Unreported Story of How They Fixed the Vote in Florida [gregpalast.com]
2. The Bushes and the Billionaires Who Love Them [gregpalast.com]
Freedom (Score:5, Insightful)
However, recently the Bush Administration has stated that it is unacceptable if the Iraqi people attempt to build an Islamic government (like that in Iran). And, Rosen is "writing" Iraqi law?
Does anyone see the double-standard here?
"You're free, as long as you agree with what we think is best for you."
Re:Freedom (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, and it makes me sad. This same double-standard permeates the National Security Strategy of the United States of America [whitehouse.gov], the doctrine adopted by GW Bush.
The NSS talks in length about "freedom", but it's freedom as defined in the doctrine, which includes "free enterprise", "open trade" and the "right to own property".
The undertone of this, in my opinion, is that we will not accept any culture who CHOOSES something different. Suppose, for example, every single person in a country decided to be communist, or decided not to support the WTO [wto.org].
This doctrine suggests that they would be our enemy because they are not promoting our brand of "freedom." And this, I think, is why other countries think of us as "arrogant", because this doctrine suggests that we alone are capable of defining "freedom" and what is right for the rest of the world.
Arg. This stuff makes my blood boil.
Write your elected official, newspaper, etc (Score:4, Insightful)
This just in..... (Score:3, Funny)
Kenneth Lay will be spearheading the committee on democratic corporatism.
Ronald Reagan will come out of retirement to direct the operations of the new Iraqi dept of mental health.
Bush has assigned his brother, Jeb (who will be taking a paid leave of absence from his duties as Governor of Florida) to ensure the Iraqi people have free and full access to fair democratic elections.
Larry Flynt is coming out of seclusion to assist with writing laws regulating morality in print media.
Michael Jackson is relocating his 'Neverland' ranch to the outskirts of Baghdad so he can be on-hand to advise in the creation of child decency legislation.
OJ Simpson, who recently discounted rumors that he would be starring in a new reality series, was asked to provide input on the formation of a forensic unit in the new Republican Republican Guard.
Jeffrey Dahmer's memoirs were found to contain startling revelations that will help solve the problem of food shortages in no time.
Finally, further tests have shown that 55-gallon barrels once thought to contain chemical weapons actually only held 'special sauce' for former President Bill Clinton's big macs. When questioned about the news, one coalition soldier in charge of the search said "Nope, nossir, we haven't found any WMDs yet. But, we do think we might have located Jimmy Hoffa."
IP and Islam? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:IP and Islam? (Score:5, Interesting)
Ulterior motives? (Score:3, Interesting)
There are far worse things it could be. The personal fiefdom of a brutal dictator, for example. However, the idea that the US is going in there for strictly altruistic reasons is pure B.S. The case that the invasion of Iraq was for national security reasons is not much stronger.
It's not all about oil either, though oil plays a role. Iraq is an extremely large potential market for US goods and services.
Here's the scenario:
US Oil companies pump lots of oil out of Iraq. But at the same they pump money in to Iraq. This raises the standard of living for the Iraqi people causing them to demand more consumer goods and services.
The same thing happens with the infrastructure. U.S. companies make lots of money rebuilding Iraq, but they also create Iraqi jobs in the process.
The U.S. controlled government makes mutually favorable trade agreements with the US, giving the US an untapped and open market.
US companies want laws favorable to their interests in Iraq, like they do in the US.
Since no one will notice copyright laws when they have no running water, now is the time to enact laws that favor the corporation over the consumer.
Don't get me wrong. I like capitalism. I like the free market. I supported the war in Iraq (to get rid of Saddam) Politically, I consider myself Conservative/Libertarian. I voted for Bush (or more accurately, against Gore)
However, to say the Government is being less than honest with the American people in Iraq is an understatement.
give them all the eminem they want (Score:3, Funny)
(note sarcasm)
Greg Palast (Score:4, Interesting)
He was the first to talk about the Ballot issues within florida in the 2000 election, but when he tried to get it on the air in the US, (I believe it was with CBS), the editors there told him that his facts did not check out. When asked who they contacted to fact check, the editorial staff replied that they contacted Jeb Bush's office.
I'm not one to believe what someone tells me is true, but, looking at the facts, and putting it all together leads to a certain way of thinking.
1. Most of the government offices in Iraq were either bombed or looted. The only one not bombed or looted? the Oil ministry (thanks to US military guards. Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/119505_oil
2. The US will install a government loyal to itself, IE a Secular Democracy. This at the same time that the shrub is tearing away the separation between church and state here.
3. People that oppose the bushes have a tendancy to get sued Source: http://www.utne.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printa
Bush administration priorities (Score:4, Insightful)
Remember the good ol' days when the worst thing a president did was bang an intern? Doesn't seem quite so bad in perspective, now, does it?
Just one thing (Score:3, Insightful)
Freedom, American style? (Score:3)
I don't know what's going to happen in Iraq in the long term but I know that it isn't going to be nice.
IP Theft Builds Nations (Score:4, Informative)
Most likely, enforcing US IP laws in Iraq will help USA but hurt Iraq.
Satire is dead (Score:3, Informative)
Zoellick is a former advisor to Enron.
Colin Powell is reported in a later PR [state.gov] to have said "that power usually comes responsibility and some level of respect and some level of resentment -- my three R's. Hey, write that down." (Laughter.)
Presumably the laughter was coming from Mr Joe "I wasn't responsible" Zoellick's end of the table.
TWW
Re:Enough!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Hillary Rosen doing what? (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Iraq (Score:5, Insightful)
Back in the day, the colonists "brought a new religion and civilization to the heathens in Africa"... and exploited the natural resources.
Now The United Corporations of America goes and "liberates the Iraqi from despotism in order to instore a democracy"... and exploit the natural resources.
Nothing changed, just the name and the countries doing it.
Re:Iraq (and Yet...) (Score:3, Interesting)
What cracks me up is the moral high-ground they all have; despite starting all of the holy wars, we still get told to view other religions as "barbaric" and "disrespectful".
The soon the bible is scientifically proven to be complete nonsence, the sooner we can get on with building that Eutopia it speaks of. Oh, and if the worlds oil runs out soon, that'll help as well.
Re:Iraq (Score:4, Interesting)
I honestly believe that Blair figured he could direct and rein-in George "Warmonger" Bush a bit, and would be seen as a hero. Now he's in it up to his neck, and there's nowhere to shovel but deeper.
Nonetheless, the US government has clearly stated that its goal is to implement regime change in the middle-east as a means of extending their sphere of influence. They aren't even pretending to "liberate" anyone, except when talking to the press (which in the US at least, seems to lap it up uncritically). The rest of the world sees just how hypocritical it all is, but until we get China and the UK to stand firmly against the US, there's not much chance to stop them.
Having Rosen rewrite the (fairly intelligent) copyright laws into a hideous mess of excessive cash-protection doesn't surprise me at all. It's perfectly in line with the stated policy of forcibly instituting US-style legislation throughout the world.
As expected (Score:3, Interesting)
The thing the invaders always seem to forget is that the locals are far faster at getting organized, even if they don't have the same resources. In particular, it's essentially impossible to eliminate or supress the religious authorities in those countries a