Congressional Anti-Piracy Caucus Formed 631
questionlp writes "News.com reports that three members from the House of Reps has formed a caucus that aims to stop piracy and make for stronger IP laws. One of the members of the caucus: helped author a note last fall to 74 fellow Democrats assailing the Linux open-source operating system's GNU General Public License as a threat to America's 'innovation and security.'"
Nice Piece of flamebait there in the article (Score:0, Insightful)
Party of the people indeed..
oh, i get it... (Score:3, Insightful)
No, I am not being snarky (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh yeah, there is none.
sounds fishy to me (Score:2, Insightful)
smells fishy to me...
Send your congressman a letter. (Score:5, Insightful)
Fine.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well... (Score:4, Insightful)
Corporate Government (Score:0, Insightful)
Re:No, I am not being snarky (Score:5, Insightful)
Possibly it's a problem of the American democratic system? The parties need to get their money from somebody, and that "somebody" is definitely not: The People.
Money and your vote Count (Score:5, Insightful)
Be concise, polite, and specific. If we can
Contacting your Representative -- The Easy Way [congress.org]
Don't wait. Do it now or don't whine about it later.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Even more interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
I disagree - if you happen to be a constituent of said Congressmonkeys, you are paying their salaries, and you therefore should complain often & loudly when they do anything that you don't feel represents your interests.
American way and all.
"make for stronger IP laws"? (Score:5, Insightful)
I really wish that politicians would clairfy their positions more often. What exactly does "make for stronger IP laws" mean?
Harsher punishment maybe? Well, we don't need that for copyright law. At 5 years + $150,000 fine per violation, I would say the opposite given that rapists in America serve an average of 5 years.
Maybe they mean longer terms on copyright. Oh, wait, that's already at creators lifetime + 90 years. Effectively eternity in the computer industry. No need to increase that unless Eisner can come up with some more bribe money [opensecrets.org].
My guess... another round of overly broad, unenforceable laws that makes everyone a criminal which they will selectively enforce. That is supposed to be illegal, isn't it?
Hurrah! (Score:5, Insightful)
Hurrah!
Up to now the RIAA/MPAA/Microsoft/etc.-corrupted congresscritters have been pretty much anonymous. When they weren't actually introducing a bill you couldn't tell them from the general crowd of congressional dupes.
Now we will have an explicit way to track the congressional ringleaders and target them for defeat - in primaries and general elections.
Hot DAMN!
(Ask anybody who helped take out Roberti, Roos, or Foley how a grass-roots movement works.)
FEC in focus (Score:4, Insightful)
- AOL-Time-Warner
s oft Corporation
He's taken money from the very people that his legislative plans will benefit. Can any sane, rational person honestly believe that this is not a conflict of interest? This is not right, and it's symptomatic of the legalized bribery that is the core problem of the American political system.ASCAP
MediaOne
Micro
Fox
RIAA
Sony
Walt Disney
Furthermore, the contributions from the PACs listed above don't constitute anywhere near the majority of his campaign funding. He's a democrat, and most of the PAC contributions are from labor unions. The larger part of his campaign expenditures were thus paid by organizations that purport to represent workers - sometimes also known as consumers. Despite this, he is acting as the lapdog of the content industry. As Mark Twain said, an honest politician is one that stays bought.
Wexler thus fails both the idealistic and pragmatic tests for honesty. I submit that he needs to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail.
Re:Democrats... (Score:5, Insightful)
The basic rights apply to all -- not just the mainstream. Voodoo and animal sacrifices are just as protected as Baptists and televangilism.
A caucus for them, how nice. (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, protection from overbearing abuse, the rules that this country is based on... where's the caucus to protect people and their rights?
Since when did people only apply to people who were located in large office towers and made millions a year, scamming average people for all they are worth.
Re:Even more interesting (Score:5, Insightful)
Also it's one thing for Smith to represent MS's interests as the representative from that region, but it's another to act as their hired PR flak.
Time to Send More Money to the EFF (Score:5, Insightful)
Perhaps they'll decide to save on legislature time and just try to roll the DMCA and the Patriot Act into one and just go ahead and lock up anyone with any sort of recording device as a Terrorist Threat.
Ya ya ya... I have zero faith in our government to ever not have it's head so far up it's ass when dealing with anything that is even remotely related to the tech sector or individual rights as opposed to corporate self interests.
Somehow, I have a feeling I'm not alone there.
Anyway, time to toss some moolah to the EFF, because they're gonna need it.
Pass the hat.
Paranoia is getting to me (Score:4, Insightful)
Is M$ starting some sort of a campaign against Linux?
Or, is it just other's paranoia about U.S. security?Re:Turn It Off the Day Of Their First Meeting (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Even more interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
It isn't time to spam your Congressmonkey yet. They haven't DONE anything, or even proposed to do anything yet. When they actually start doing something, then it will be time to act.
ERROR, while I appreciate that you recognize the need to issue corrospondance, your perception of timing is dead wrong. By the time your congressman has "done something" he will have already picked sides, requiring a much LOUDER voice for any significant sway. Best to be the first heard on _any_ issue you care about.
Re:Turn It Off the Day Of Their First Meeting (Score:3, Insightful)
from Microsoft, and Microsoft knows how to be persuasive.
Open-source advocates know how to be persuasive too,
so the Congress needs to hear from us.
Everyone shutting off their Linux machine for a day won't
help. Everyone writing to their congressentity on the same
day would make quite a bit of difference, especially if those
letters are polite, concise, and well-thought-out.
yeah that will work (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't imagine Congress ever outlawing Linux, but if there was anything that could bring that day closer, this is probably it.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Insightful)
That said, the Supreme Court's decision in the matter is still a shameful mark on American history ('no precedent' indeed).
I'm happy to hear specific and credible evidence to the contrary. (seriously)
Re:Send your congressman a letter. (Score:4, Insightful)
I mean, once you accept that politics is bought and sold to the highest bidder, that's the bottom line isn't it? Ideology lost. Oppression had more money.
The trouble is, that's not really the whole story. The rest of the story is, people ARE writing, lawmakers ARE reading what they wrote. People ARE voting. Lawmakers ARE being legitimately elected. People are participating in the political process, and they are active in political parties.
The current government isn't simply bought by a few corporations in the absense of any other force. Rather, (and this is the hard part to swallow), the current government exists because it overwhelmingly represents the will of the people who suffer it. I choose to believe that it is also due largely to the abstinence vote, but I'm not so sure.
I'm afraid it's possible that the dissenting opinion really is a small minority, and that most people are not only satisfied, but adamantly in support of the status quo. I'm not talking about the President here, that's just one piece of a very large system. I'm talking about the overall status quo.
What if the government really does represent the will of the people? After all most people are pretty square...
Re:Send your congressman a letter. (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're in one of those states with the congressmen mentioned, send them a letter. Not that the bastards can or will read it, but maybe with enough letters saying that Open Source isn't the problem, they'll start to get a damn clue.
Better yet: Even if you don't live in one of those states, send the congresscritters a letter. You generate the impression that this is not a throw-away issue for which a stance can be sold to the highest contributor, but rather there are many people for which have a vested interest, which in turn has a relation to their own political interest regardless of state boundries. And you won't be lying
...though on that note, you don't _need_ to specify which state you're from... or country...
So does this mean... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:FEC in focus (Score:4, Insightful)
I have a slightly different view.
MS and Disney represent a large body of people. These people depend on Office and Mickey to provide them with a paycheck. These people then spend their money in Florida and Washington which creates jobs for other prople. MS and Disney hope these laws will boost their profit. That, in turn, will keep the economy in their areas firm.
You may or may not like IP for philosophical reasons. You may not like MS or Disney for philosophical reasons. You may belive that these laws will be ineffective and, therefore, a waste of time. But you cannot blame these companies for trying to keep their source of income strong.
There is no way you can say that MS and Disney giving money to a politician in not in the best interests of the companies, it's employees, or the surronding economical region.
Re:Well... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Turn It Off the Day Of Their First Meeting (Score:5, Insightful)
What would, I think, make the most difference would be to write to Smith and tell him that if he persists in his unAmerican campaign against opensource software, you're going to send money to anyone who opposes him in the next election. And then follow through, if he doesn't change his position. A website devoted to taking donations for that purpose, and reporting unfavorably on Smith's activities would be a good thought-provoker for Smith. When next year rolls around, it would be a good time to remind slashdotters with a little fun money what Smith stands for. Could be a substantial source of anxiety for Smith.
Grow Up and Fight! (Score:5, Insightful)
Copyright protection laws (including Anti-Piracy) are great for Free Software!
Is copyright law was enforced 100%, 80 percent of the world's computer users would have been Free Software users by now.
$600 for MS Office? I don't think so.
If you don't like paying for music- don't support corporate artists.
Form a band of your own, for daemon's sake!
I've been generating my own music (i'm a techno freak) for years. And guess what, ambient music is easy easy easy to make on your own.
Breaking rules is for kids, Making rules of their own is for adults.
The more you rant about Freedom and Piracy, the more power to the establishment to link Free Software and Piracy.
I didn't go to see the Matrix. I haven't bought a Music CD in 5 years. Grow up and Fight!
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Reaganomics for '03 (Score:4, Insightful)
Trickle-down intellectual property law?
Trickle-down freedom?
[cough]
Re:Even more interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
Okay so let's put them on record...
I think one of the biggest problems with our present political system is that no real issues ever get discussed or debated. Even in the televised debates all the questions are preapproved by the campaigns. What if there was a list of questions, a bit longer than your three that every candidate had to answer if he/she wanted to actually get elected? What's really attractive about this is no matter what your politics are (as an individual voter) you'd most likely want to know the answers to these questions. With that in mind, wouldn't a publicity campaign called "ping them down" or something like that be pretty successful?
Candidate A Candidate B still hasn't answered the "pin them down" questions. Is he being evasive?
Candidate B Well, umm,...you see...
The campaign isn't for or against any particular ideal so it could be really popular with the individual voters.
The Questions. An Ask Slashdot maybe? Maybe better to get a few questions from existing political groups like the eff, aclu, and yes the *aa's. It has to be legit and unbiased to be popular
Please someone have the resources to get something like this started
Re:FEC in focus (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course we should. Bribing officials who make policy for all of us so that SOME of us get a better deal is just WRONG.
That you could possibly think it is acceptable says a lot about how completely fscked up America and our system of government is.
Re:Turn It Off the Day Of Their First Meeting (Score:5, Insightful)
Looks like someone just fell off the turnip truck.
In America, only two things really matter to a politician: power and money. Slashdotters don't have any of the first, but together they do have some of the second. Of course, there's no way these scumbags will buck their sugar daddies no matter what the provocation (skeletons, closets, connect the dots on your own), but you *could* use the money to back whoever is opposing the slimeballs in the next election.
That's your only real option. Sponsor someone less evil than the person currently in office and hope he doesn't bend over and invite MS/the RIAA/the MPAA to give him the shaft once he's in office and safe from your wrath.
Damn, it should be required that you boys and girls work for a congressman for a year, preferably while in high school. If the congress critter doesn't turn you off by trying to fuck you at every opportunity, his/her other activities will be more than enough to throw you off your feed for life. I *guarantee* you that.
Unless, of course, you want to be a sleazy criminal sell-out just like them. Or a drug-addict, alcoholic, deserter like our President....
Max
So get out and fix it, dangit! (Score:4, Insightful)
YOU do make a difference. The reason why the democrats are consistently coming out pro-big-business lately is because the grass-root democrats won't support them. Ask a democrat, "When is the last time you gave a buck to a candidate?" Then ask the same question to a republican. Which party do you think is eating from the hands of the constituency?
I'll admit, the Republican Party doesn't do what I wish they did 100% of the time, but they are aiming in the general direction. Deregulation, lowering taxes, beefing up our borders are all things I feel are important. You'll find me and millions like me are going to put a couple bucks into our republican candidates. That is going to sway them away from big business, and more towards our interests.
Washington State Republicans have broken completely from Boeing -- one of the reason why Boeing is leaving -- for this very same reason. They don't need their cash anymore. The republicans in WA are more than willing to pop out a $20 bill to support their own candidates as long as they do what the supporters want. (HINT: This next budget coming down is pretty much what we wanted. Expect a big republican win next year.)
As long as you are giving a buck or two to your candidate, and millions of you are doing the same, you will have bought their vote. You get to write a letter to them that starts: "Dear Representative, I gave $20 to your campaign last year, but I will be giving $50 to your opponent this time unless..." which always gets more attention than "Dear Representative, I am a whiny brat who will never give a dime to your campaign."
Remember, Big Business lives off of our buck. We can strangle them with boycotts if we so desire. (You ever notice how whimpy the business people get when they are faced with consumer outrage?) There is no way someone as dependent on our cash, and who can only turn a couple of percentage points on it for profit, can every compete with our cash going directly into the pockets of our representatives. We really do have the power. We really do control the game -- but only if we get in the ring and fight!
So if you want to start a "Fair Use Consumer Advocacy Group", give a couple of bucks to your favorite politician who is generally going in your direction, and tell them where you want them to go. Convince others to do the same. A couple of thousand dollars and a couple of hundred votes later, you will have them eating out of your hand. They will come to you and ask, "Which way should I vote to get your help in next year's campaign?"
If you don't know where to start, start small. Look for state representatives or city council members you want to support. Check out their record. Call them up and ask them how you can help. When you get to know them, and you begin to trust them, and they you, give them your money. Trust me, it works, and it is really simple. And as long as enough people are doing it, we'll keep the government in check.
Make the EFF powerful. (Score:5, Insightful)
sri
Re:Even more interesting (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Slashdot as a political group? (Score:3, Insightful)
It's called the Electronic Frontier Foundation [eff.org], and they need your help.
Support them. Whip out your Visa Check card and PayPal them $500, $50, or just $20.
You'll be a hero for helping good things happen.
Re:agent smith, er rep smith is a talking puppet (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:agent smith, er rep smith is a talking puppet (Score:3, Insightful)
top industries supporting Adam Smith [opensecrets.org]
Strange blaming (Score:5, Insightful)
I always thought that in US, in general the argumentation was, for example, "guns doesn't kill, people do". So how come when it comes to copyright infringement and such, it is always the tool that is the cause, and not people.
Free software creates jobs (Score:5, Insightful)
From the article:
What about the concerns of millions of Americans whose livelihoods depend on free access to technology? Open source software creates jobs, because it creates the opportunity for someone with an idea to build a business without having to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest in software. For instance, I have started a software development business that I would not have been able to afford to start without free software:
I am sure I could come up with a couple hundred thousand more if I really thought about it. The point is that I don't have the money for any of that. If things go well I plan to hire several developers over the next year or two. That's as many as ten jobs that wouldn't exist if it weren't for free software.
Seriously, the argument that free software is "A threat to America's innovation and security," makes about as much sense as the one that says that giving rich people a tax break will lead to more jobs. They neglect to mention that the vast majority of the jobs are with large companies that already pay almost zero taxes. Most of the tax cut goes to rich people who will stow it away so that they are richer rather than companies with any significant number of jobs or middleclass taxpayers who do the bulk of the consuming that drives the economy.
What these people need to do is get a clue. The record companies are going to go out of business if they keep doing things the way they have always done them. Since when is it good business to whine and moan until someone legislates away our freedom rather than innovating and coming up with a viable new way to make money? The reality is that these businesses have to change their way of thinking or they will die. The only real question is how much pain can they put the rest of us through before they do finally die. Can they successfully destroy the American way of life first? They're trying.
Re:How did Bush get elected President? (Score:2, Insightful)
Let me get this straight: you believe there is an invisible man living in the sky, ready to throw you into a flaming pit where you will burn for all eternity if you don't do what he says because he loves you, but liberals are the 'degenerate wackoes'?
Re:Fine.... (Score:3, Insightful)
The law is not sacred... the law is the current working relationship, and a work in progress. If everyone had attitudes like yours, I'd be a serf.
Ways out. . . (Score:3, Insightful)
It's past noon, my friend. It's getting too late even for civil uprising. The lock-down is very nearly complete, and people are too dazed to realize it. If you wanted to organize a civil war, I don't think you could pull it together without getting yourself vanished long before you managed to get anything started. You couldn't use the net; you'd have to do it in basements and using local people, (And good luck finding enough like-minded neighbors willing to die for their country!)
The science of cell networks with physical go-betweens is long dead. People have been numbed into blithering stupidity. --A great many of them still believe that Bush is 'da man. (With the exception of the ecconomy. But so what? Bush will either rig another election, or the guy from the other side will get in. --Who also happens to be a Bonesmen [bostonherald.com] this time around. Gee, no kidding?)
I hate to say it, but the ship is done for. It is now the time to get yourself out of America toot-sweet. 'Cuz in a few short years, French and German shells are going to be raining through American skies. --But not before Bush and his gang of psychopaths has turned the middle east into a firey cauldron and scooped up all native dissenters, such as yourself.
This is not a drill. Check out this [prisonplanet.com] site on American concentration camps. --A little alarmist, but there is a healthy dose of real info in there, too. Here are several others. . . Ashcroft plan [informatio...house.info] Okanagon County [kxly.com] And my 'favorite', which describes just how willing American soldiers are to break the Geneva Convention in Afghansitan [monbiot.com] when dealing with 'terrorists'.
Brutal. And for the most part, invisible. Seriously. Buy a mini-van and load up what you need, or ship your essential stuff, board a plane and get out. It's not as hard as it sounds, and hey, you might just live to see the end of the decade.
Cheers.
-FL
Re:This is just like Congress... (Score:5, Insightful)
Given how many "terrorists" turn out of be either US government trained or funded. It's quite possible that the US Congress does quite a bit about piracy... Just not the sort of things which would result in fewer pirates.
Re:So get out and fix it, dangit! (Score:5, Insightful)
Speaking as a whiney brat who would never give a dollar to a campaign, I always thought democracy was about the votes, not the $$$. I guess I'm just naive and old fashioned, but at least I'm not being part of the problem (and yes, I do vote, even in local elections). The problem is when your $100,000 and 100 votes outweighs the desires of the 100,000 other voters who don't give any money. I pay my taxes - that should be all the vote buying I need to do!
Re:So get out and fix it, dangit! (Score:1, Insightful)
The average man shouldn't just vote, he should buy off his local representatives.
Apparently OSS can't Innovate (Score:2, Insightful)
If you write software, or develop an algorithm, or whatever, and release it to the public without some sort of gain, then you are obviously a bad person. Imagine if a scientist worked very long and very hard on a cure for cancer, and found it. Then he released his findings to the world, with the stipulation that no one can profit off of it, not even the scientist himself. Pharmaceutical companies would be up in ARMS about this, and probably would form a lynch mob.
There are some people who just don't understand that some people do things for the betterment of everyone, not just the betterment of their bottom line.
Re:agent smith, er rep smith is a talking puppet (Score:4, Insightful)
This is good American innovation.
It's like Congress letting Jack Valenti write the text of the DMCA. You can't buy better custom made legislation than this.
(maybe that should be Congress's new advertising slogan?)