Using Copyright To Suppress Political Speech

MacDork writes "As most /.'ers know all to well, Copyright is increasingly being used as a means to suppress free speech these days. And the trend has not been lost on our 2004 US Presidential candidates. Both George and John are using copyright law to 'vaporize' information considered embarrassing or harmful to their campaigns. Don't worry about basing your vote on copyright issues though. Like most other domestic issues (gay marriage: no, offshoring: yes), their stance is pretty much identical (i.e. pro Hollywood)."

Irony

[cortez]

First 4 times I clicked on the link (before I tried de-fuglifying it) all that loaded was:


Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

There is one major thing that sets them apart

[Anonymous Coward]

Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others.

go ahead

[Triumph The Insult C]

get a copyright on this, mr. lowry mays

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

after all, that's important 'intellectual' property of your buddy

The Coveted First Post...

[Anonymous Coward]

...will be censored for:

It is a two party system - you can vote for a coward hiding behind unfair application of copyright law - or a coward with no accountability who feels no need to hide his own stupidity.

Seriously though - it sucks. What about freedom of information - whoops - if information is free the terrorists will kill us all! / there will be more immigration. / more abortions.

Hail to our nanny-state overlords

Re:Yes it is

[Coryoth]

but right now there are just too many people willing to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Why choose the lesser evil? Vote Cthulhu!

Jedidiah.

Re:Democracy..

[techno-vampire]

Like in all great republics, democracy is but an illusion.

Lunchtime doubly so.

Re:Yeah, right...

[killjoe]

"Volunteered ... hm ... and he was there how long? 4 months? And most people were there how long?"

I don't know about most people but George Bush was there for zero months. Too bad the air national guard was not handing out purple hearts for falling down drunk or visiting the dentist.

Re:There is one major thing that sets them apart

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point, but I think the polling place would look at me weirdly if I voted for Kodos...

Might be fun to tell any exit pollsters...

Re:Voting for the lesser of two evils?

[Anonymous Coward]

uh-huh, yes, could you explain how Zionists started
both World Wars?
Or how you could support a party that says it's:
"opposed to unconstitutional interventionism."
yet
"is completely pro-life, anti-homosexual rights, pro-American sovereignty, anti-globalist, anti-free trade, anti-deindustrialization, anti-unchecked immigration"

Hell, it would seem the constitutional party is
even anti-constitutional party. Insightful? That
guys a wack job.

Re:Voting for the lesser of two evils?

[Anonymous Coward]

Like the governator of California?

Re:Gay marriage

[IBX]

1) Your missionary position is gross and unnatural. 2) Some acts cannot be sanctioned because freedom ends where somebody else's freedom begins: Practicing post-mortem cannibalism is very disruptive for the necrophilic cross-generation incests of the rest of us.

Re:Don't blame me...

[Richard M. Nixon]

Also consider that both parties are becoming more and more evil.

Do you think that I was as evil as George W Bush?
Heck, do you think I was as evil as John Kerry?

It is time for a real change. Vote Nixon 2004!
I'm much less evil that the politicians of the 21st Century.

Obligatory Simpsons reference

[Zog The Undeniable]

"It makes no difference which one of us you vote
for. Either way, your planet is doomed. DOOMED!" - Kang

Re:Yes it is

[Anonymous Coward]

Why I'm voting for Bush: Because every liberal's answer to voting for Kerry is either myopic or a lame, double-ass standard; including all of yours. That, and Kerry just sucks!

Liberals LOVE Bill Clinton, and they LOVED the fact that he took us into an insane military action because it was for "human rights".

Liberals HATE the PATRIOT act because it "takes away our freedoms", but they LOVED Clinton's laws on Gun Control (lose guns and your freedoms are as good as gone!)

Military efforts cost money. Regan spent during the Cold War, and Bush is having to spend BECAUSE WE WERE ATTACKED!

Liberals are all for human rights, and even going to war for them, but when we remove a torturous, murderous, raping dictator under a "conservatives" watch, then we're the bad guy and the "war" is insane.

I'm voting for Bush because liberals like Kerry are flip-flopping, wind-driven, short-term memory, opportunistic, propaganda sponges without a plan, without an ounce of logic and without even the smallest trace of integrity.

Perhaps Bush is no better, but at least he's consistent and he obviously has a plan, whether you like it or not, and because of his plan, you haven't been killed by a terrorist during the last 3 years.

People make fun of Bush's lack of public speaking ability, but at least he doesn't say moronic things like "I actually voted for the whatever billion before I voted against it."

Nope, no Kerry for me. I'm voting Bush for four more years.

Re:Democracy..

[NoMercy]

Least in the UK we still have parties which are diferent, we have Bad, Worse, and Terrible :)

Not a lesser evil

[Animaether]

Find out who else is running and choose someone - anyone - that you honestly can say is not a lesser evil.

Wait.. hold on..
If we shouldn't vote for the lesser evil..
Do you mean to say we should vote for.. the greater evil [little-gamers.com] ?

Re:Agreed!

[Anonymous Coward]

And I'm tired of people wasting their own time and mine by posting "why is this news?" comments in stories they claim to not care about. Don't like it? Don't want to read about it? Don't click on the topic link!

Re:Democracy..

[Pig Hogger]

One word: FAIR USE

Re:Voting for the lesser of two evils?

[IBX]

Careful with the name-dropping: A jewish philosophy professor Sidney Morgenbesser was hauled to precint for assaulting officer with a crude expletive. A policeman in NY subway ordered Morgenbesser to get rid of his cigarette. "I am not smoking and I will lit the cigarette after leaving the station which will be in about 10 seconds so your point is moot already." said the prof. "I cannot let you", said the policeman, "because I would have to let everybody do the same". "Why?, asked Morgenbesser, "Are you Kant?"

Re:Democracy..

[PeterPumpkin]

The problem with that approach is that Election Day will turn into Election Month or Election Quarter. There are craptons of candidates that never make it to the ballot. The current method of weeding out candidates is the "petition to get on the ballot" method. We'd have to work through every party, serious or not, till all the "Gallager for President" types fall by the wayside.