European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA

Surprises

from the wow dept

Thu, Jan 26th 2012 11:55am — Mike Masnick

This is interesting. Kader Arif, the "rapporteur" for ACTA, has quit that role in disgust over the process behind getting the EU to sign onto ACTA. A rapporteur is a person "appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue." However, it appears his investigation of ACTA didn't make him very pleased:

I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament's demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.

As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens' legitimate demands.”

Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications.

This agreement might have major consequences on citizens' lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.

Pretty rare to find such direct honesty in political circles. That's quite a direct and clear condemnation of the entire process. In terms of process, it will be interesting to see if this has an impact. While the EU did sign on to ACTA today, it still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament (more on that in a little while). Having Arif quit makes a pretty big statement, and hopefully makes it easier for Parliament Members to speak out loudly against ACTA... Still, this is an uphill battle. The supporters of ACTA have been working to get ACTA approved for years. To them, this is basically a done deal.

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Filed Under: acta, copyright, eu, europe, kader arif, lobbying, masquerade

123 Comments

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DannyB (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 11:59am

Daring to speak out
Anyone who dares to speak out against this obviously supports piracy.

When the public protests in person, it is blackmail.

When the public protests over the internet, it is nothing more than pirate Google and pirate Mike against all things copyright that we hold dear.

Can I have some campaign contributions now please?
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 11:59am

Good people?
Maybe somebody should offer this honest bloke, Kader Arif, a job doing something important...
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:04pm

No inclusion of civil society organisations ... lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations ... exclusion of the EU Parliament's demands ... rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted ... impact on civil liberties ... makes Internet access providers liable ... consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives...

Deja Vu all over again.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:04pm

Hope this is a sign
That even bought and paid for officials are starting to worry about the long term implications of laws, agreements, and treaties.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:08pm

Re: Hope this is a sign
Well it sounds like this one wasn't bought.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:08pm

Re: Good people?
He's a French Pol. So I wouldn't exactly call him an honest bloke.

Kader Arif, is a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-west of France. He is a member of the Socialist Party, which is part of the Party of European Socialists, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade.

Might not be all bad, but not an honest bloke.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:09pm

Re: Re: Hope this is a sign
Maybe not, or maybe just by another interest.
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:13pm

Re: Re: Good people?
Honest in at least one recorded instance.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:15pm

If he had done this a few months sooner then maybe he could have stopped it, but now it's probably too late.

Coming out against it now just means no one supporting ACTA will give him a 6 figure job for doing their bidding while he worked for the government, and perhaps let him make some money in a tell all book condemning just about everyone he worked with on ACTA (similar to the only FDA head in a few decades to not take a 6+ figure salary boost when leaving the FDA, I forget his name, which shows how successful he was at fighting the usual corruption in the agency).
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Ovid, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:18pm

Re: Re: Good people?
@Skeptical Cynic: What? Is he not honest because he's French or because he's a Socialist? Either way, that's a reprehensible thing to say. I'm neither French not Socialist, but neither am I racist or inclined to buy into offensive stereotypes.
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Donnicton, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:22pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
I'm half Hispanic, therefore it makes it my legal right to buy into offensive stereotypes.

It's because he's French!
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Yartrebo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:25pm

Re: Re: Good people?
I'm half French, and I am, quite honestly, rather offended to be labelled as dishonest.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:27pm

Yet another supporter of freedom resigns, meaning the position is now free to go to another corporate puppet. I hate how short-sighted and self-serving people like this are. If he had some actual balls, he'd stay in his position and come out against it there while doing everything he could to stop or hinder it from within the system. Now he's abandoned everything.
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Yartrebo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:31pm

Re:
He's probably sick of the stress that he's being put through. I don't blame him. It takes a lot of mental fortitude to be a high-level public servant and not be corrupt. It's also usually not good for one's life expectancy.

It would be nice if he could stay, but it's his personal decision.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:33pm

To them, this is basically a done deal.

That's what many people thought about SOPA/PIPA. And we still managed to fight back.

So ACTA, TPP and HR 1981 are what we need to be focusing on as the internet rebel strike force, right?
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:34pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
You seem to have missed out the word, "politician," in your scan.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:34pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
WTF is wrong with you? Where in my comment did I mention race or socialism in reference to him being honest or not. He's a politician. (Pol is short for politician)

You say "I'm neither French not Socialist, but neither am I racist or inclined to buy into offensive stereotypes." and neither do I. So how the hell could you or any sane mind read something racist in to my comment?

You have issues and you need to deal with them. But don't accuse me of something your militant mind can dream up.
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Polina, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:35pm

Re: Daring to speak out
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??
read what acta is about. if this passes the gouvernment will be allowed to watch your every step on the net. your porn sites, your youtube comedy clips you watch, the personal chats you have with your girlfriends, EVERYTHING. and as soon as they see a little mistake they will hand you right over to the police. do you really want that and think that it's all just about online privacy??
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:37pm

Re: Smoke & Mirrors
I doubt they're as ignorant as we'd like them to be. No point wasting my own word explaining, so here's a nice movie reference:
Mr. Goodkat: The reason I'm in town, in case you're wondering, is because of a Kansas City Shuffle.
Nick: What's a Kansas City Shuffle?
Mr. Goodkat: A Kansas City Shuffle is when everybody looks right, you go left.
Nick: Never heard of it.
Mr. Goodkat: It's not something people hear about. Falls on deaf ears mostly. This particular one has been over twenty years in the making.
Nick: Twenty years, huh?
Mr. Goodkat: No small matter. Requires a lot of planning. Involves a lot of people. People connected only by the slightest of events. Like whispers in the night, in that place that never forgets, even when those people do.
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Polina, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:37pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
*piracy, not privacy, sorry typo
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Justin Olbrantz (Quantam), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:38pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
I must say that as many times as I've heard people call politicians dishonest I've almost never heard people qualify that they were French (or other nationality) or socialist (or other party) unless that was relevant. You'll have to forgive people for thinking that it means something when you say something very, very rarely said. Sometimes a heuristic with a 99% success rate gets it wrong.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:38pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
Where do you read that? Dishonest because he is a politician. Duh?!?!? Hell what is wrong with people today.
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Violated (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:38pm

rapporteur
This one makes me laugh when I was reading this statement earlier but dismissed it as minor. This was because I thought "rapporteur" meant "reporter" and so assumed that this was just some journalist trying to make his own story.

So now "rapporteur" becomes my word of the day.

Well it is nice of him to quit over our civil liberties. ACTA being brought into Europe disguised as a fish was concerning enough. Public protest is turning against ACTA and we are right to be concerned about this trade agreement.

Right here is one good reason why the Tech Industry would help fund us to sum of millions of dollars to fight back against such bills and agreements when they do indeed want to make ISPs and websites liable for what their users do.

We do need a massive fight back to stop such stupidity and to protect public rights and a free, fair and open Internet.

Fight them on every level and at every place they are.
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ComputerAddict (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:42pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
someone missed the /sarc
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Justin Olbrantz (Quantam), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:42pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
The answer to that falls in the field of discourse grammar - namely information supply and management of reader attention. I can recommend you some books on the topic, if you'd like. It just so happens that discourse grammar is what my grandpa specializes in.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:43pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
Fine agreed. It was qualified because this is primarily a USA tech blog and he is a European Politician. But I don't get how that assumption came about.

Of all the stereotypes related to French people none that I am aware of are that the French are dishonest. So how do you relate the two or filter it for the French part when the more obvious stereotypical relationship with dishonest is with politicians.
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Violated (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:46pm

Re:
To be fair then ACTA is not over yet. There are several stages it has to go through to make sure this breaks no laws or violates human rights.

I believe it should reach the European Parliament in June for the main vote where it then becomes effective early in 2013 and people estimate March.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:49pm

Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Had that happen to me earlier today. Turned out to be pretty funny.
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Franklin G Ryzzo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:50pm

Re: Re: Hope this is a sign
As much as I'd like to think he wasn't bought, I can't help but think that maybe it's just that his price wasn't met? With everything that has been happening in this rapidly increasing downward spiral that has been the last decade in global politics, I just can't help but think none of them can be trusted.

/illgomakenewtinfoilhatnow
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Gravity-HAX, 26 Jan 2012 @ 12:57pm

Re: Daring to speak out
ACTA is not just about piracy!!!! It is about taking our online rights of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Privacy!!!
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Vaughan, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:01pm

Re: Daring to speak out
DannyB who are you? a member of MPAA? lol or just some kid who does nothing but watch propoganda on TV all day without knowing nothing.

did you actually read the above article?

this act is not just about movies or music. this will affect many different organisations & all walks of life.

it will literally prevent pharmaceutical companies from making generic drugs. in other words, you'll have to go buy Nurofen+ instead of Ibuprofen, paracetamol, aspirin & so on at a much higher cost.

it strips away everyones right to privacy & freedom.

customs officers will be able to confiscate your iphones or Ipads at airports & border crossings if they contain music that you can't prove was downloaded legally.

it'll literally see the end of FREE software such as Media players (Winamp, VLC player) etc because those softwares will not be allowed to play DRM imprinted media, which reduces choice & then forces you to have to pay for those players in order to listen to your music.

it gives the Movie industry powers to literally have you arrested & extradited without even having a trial (they are doing this already in some countries such as the UK)

it can also affect you going into your favourite Game store & buying 2nd hand games or selling those old games you have because they say it's not right & it costs them millions in lost revenue.

this act is a joke, it's only going to get worse.. prepare for riots!!! because we the people of this planet have had enough of Corporatism. we the people of this planet have had enough of corrupt governments that pretend to be democratic, but then take bribes & hold secret meetings with no accountability or transparency. We the people of this planet, Demand our planet back!!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:03pm

He'd get my vote
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weneedhelp (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:05pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
"will be allowed to watch your every step on the net"
Uh... sorry Polina, they already do that. Got that power with Patriot Act I & II.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:05pm

Re: Re: Re: Hope this is a sign
I don't say this in a cynical manner. Every politician is "bought" in one way or another. That is not always a bad thing. You don't get elected to any major office with being helped. Some more than others. Even if the "bought" is only some group rallying around you. You still are bought to some extent.

I am glad he came out in the public manner he did and proud of him for doing so in a manner that will more than likely cause him some harm but offer more for the greater good.

That being said he did not do this just for the public good.
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khory (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:07pm

Re: Daring to speak out
Are people's sarcasm detector broken today?
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:08pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Very funny!! There are a lot of people missing sarcasm on TechDirt today.
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Silver Fang (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:10pm

It won't be a done deal if Net users everywhere hack their websites and regular people riot in the streets. Governments had better start respecting the will of their citizens, or Arab Spring could spread across the globe.
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Glen, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:11pm

Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Maybe it has something to do with sun spots or something.
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Silver Fang (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:13pm

Re: to them it's basically a done deal
I'm starting to think SOPA/PIPA were a blindside for ACTA so American citizens wouldn't be aware of it until it was too late.
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vaughan, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:16pm

Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
sarcasm is usually a 1 liner.

it is also harder to spot when written because you don't get the tone or accents on the words like you do when spoken.
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Silver Fang (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:16pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
There was an article about game makers wanting to make it so video games can only be played on the consoles they were first installed on, doing away with second hand video games.

New XBox May Block Used Games
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:17pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
I think this will help explain it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony
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Loki, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
More likely because our sarcasm doesn't look a whole lot different than what supporter of these bills sound like. It is a tad difficult to effectively parody something that is itself something of a parody of rational discourse.
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Harry, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:21pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
i think everyone should now vote Vaughans comment as insightful and funny. Maybe then he would understand?
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:21pm

what with Kader Arif resigning over ACTA and Viviane Reding saying that internet blocks etc are not 'the EU way' when she knows it already happens seems to indicate that there isn't any difference between the politicians in the EU and the US. they are all as clueless as each other and all of the opinion that they can do exactly as their paymasters want without any repercussions from the public. about time that was proven more vehemently to be a fallacy on their part!
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Harry, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:23pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
But is that because you are though?
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Loki, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:27pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
I think it stems from having had to recently spend so much time reading what the likes of Chris Dodd/MPAA, Lamar Smith, and Harry Reid have had to say. When faced with enough double speak and blatant twisting of facts, you start to see it where it isn't sometimes.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:30pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
I'm half French, and I am, quite honestly, rather offended to be labelled as dishonest.

OK, how about cowardly?
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:31pm

Re: Re:
Oh, so he's weak and cowardly. Got it.
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Loki, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:33pm

Re:
If he had done this a few months sooner then maybe he could have stopped it, but now it's probably too late.

If he had done this a few months sooner, there wasn't as much attention on it now. Coming on the heels of serious protests in Poland when a lot more eyeballs are looking at the issue, is likely to have a much larger impact than when most people weren't even aware the bill existed.

Hell, the President signed this in September and people in this country are just now becoming aware of it.
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Rapnel (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:36pm

Sign This Petition
First - don't stop bitching, ever.

Second - please sign this as the numbers are too slow and too low: http://bit.ly/y8jCph

Thirdly - If you know of anything else that can sound a voice and ring a bell on ACTA do tell. And get that petition some coverage if you can.

And kudos to Mr. Arif. Well done sir.
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Loki, 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:39pm

Re: Re: to them it's basically a done deal
ACTA was signed by Obama in September, back before SOPA/PIPA even started to blow up, so in theory it's been "too late" for several months now. The only reason a lot of people are just discovering it even now is largely because of SOPA/PIPA.
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Franklin G Ryzzo (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 1:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Hope this is a sign
Completely agreed! What he did took a pair and I'm glad he did it. If I said I thought his actions were completely altruistic, I'd be lying. I guess we'll see how it pans out, and I hope it does have a positive effect towards getting some attention towards this atrocious "treaty".
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Glen, 26 Jan 2012 @ 2:08pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Where is the "sad but true" button?
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Pedro, Lisbon, Portugal, 26 Jan 2012 @ 2:18pm

I must say that here, in Portugal, no one is debating this with no one. Only me and a few other (a very low number) people which has been telling other people about this problem and only just recently had opened their eyes for this thing after what happened across the atlantic (PIPA/SOPA). They thought this wouldn't get signed but despite my 'warnings', it did. Now some people on a certain forum i frequent are pissed and don't know what to do. Some political parties here don't even know about this or don't care since they have been too busy dealing with the economical crisis around here and neglected this thing, specially those that are in the government. I can only think about some portuguese people reading this writing to certain parties here and/or movements to alert them to the huge problem this is going to be. We can still fight this but now the battle has become way too hard, but not impossible. Look at the protests in Poland. Here? Meh, people won't do this that easily. Something has to be done, NOW!!!
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DannyB (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 2:21pm

Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Yeah, I should have put a /sarc tag.

I thought it would be obvious from:

Can I have some campaign contributions now please?
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Anonoutside, 26 Jan 2012 @ 2:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
Lest not we all pass by the obvious. Liberty is a french word, somewhere, deep down a french man remembered what his country once did to the tyrants who forced their hand and crushed liberty. I personally commend the guy, regardless of any past treasonous activity... maybe he will continue to stand up and spark a wave of European politicians making an impact for good instead of ill.
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Gwiz (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 2:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Uh... sorry Polina, they already do that. Got that power with Patriot Act I & II.

Heh. They didn't even wait for the Patriot ACT. The Patriot Act went into effect on February 1, 2002. It was October 2001 when President Bush issued the secret presidential order authorizing the NSA to conduct surveillance activities inside of the United States.

Sources:
EFF's NSA Spying FAQ
Patroit Act - Wikipedia
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Chargone (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:00pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
people have been asking for something to this effect for a while now :D
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Chargone (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:09pm

Re: Re: Re:
did you miss the part where he's french?

j/k.

actually, it's probably not unlike what happens to people in the NZ cheif censor's position: anyone with the moral capability to do the job correctly has no desire to and burns out pretty quickly if they do. when someone lasts too long in that job you start wondering about them somewhat.

(while they do filter for other things, the Vast majority of their job is going through movies and TV shows and the like, filtering for child pornography. they have underlings who's job it is to check things and assign ratings and the like, but the person with that job has to watch all the disturbing crap and be the one to decide if it's bad enough to outright forbid or not. that means dealing with a lot of really sick stuff.)
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John Fenderson (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:21pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
I mistakenly read it as a slam against the French as well.
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IronM@sk, 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
This one was pretty obvious, dude.
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:35pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
to be fair, DannyB's last line in that comment is a dead give-away.
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/r/ACTA/, 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:36pm

/r/ACTA/
http://www.reddit.com/r/ACTA/
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
You started off with saying that he was a "French pol."
By shortening the word politician you implied emphasize the word "French".

And also raising awareness to him being a member of a socialist party (knowing how a lot of Americans take a dim view on socialism), makes you seem to call out all French socialists as being dishonest.

Disclaimer: I'm Dutch, living in The Netherlands, and I believe in socialism. (compared to the Democrats in the US, I'd be considered extreme-leftist, whereas here, I'm more towards the center, but still left of the center.)
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Marcel de Jong (profile), 26 Jan 2012 @ 3:44pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
That one is just uncalled for. Go back under your bridge, troll.
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Jacob, 26 Jan 2012 @ 4:49pm

Not too late.
Well this will change alot of minds in Parliament. The supporters thinking that this is a done deal may work to our advantage since they won't be prepared for the counterattack about to happen.
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Kenneth Michaels, 26 Jan 2012 @ 4:55pm

Lobbying
Look at the effort they put into their lobbying, they have the whole anti-SOPA world mapped out:
http://www.copyhype.com/cdtsopalist/index.html

Now you know one reason why they keep saying "Google" - Google is the biggest block on the map.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 6:04pm

Re: Lobbying
...they have the whole anti-SOPA world mapped out

Kewl! But they don't have me charted on that graph.
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Justin Olbrantz (Quantam), 26 Jan 2012 @ 6:30pm

Re: Lobbying
Also highly informative: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68448_Page4.html
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2012 @ 10:06pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
The French have a longstanding history of standing up to inequality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution
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Remus, 27 Jan 2012 @ 1:46am

Problematic
The problematic thing about this ACTA is that it is disguised as a trade agreement, which means that it doesn't have to pass through congress and there's not much that can stop it.

Compared to taking down SOPA and PIPA, I think half of the effort was due to the fact that congressmen were afraid to be the ones backing that down, knowing that nobody would ever vote for them. ACTA is different because there's nobody to rely on to take it down.

We have a tough fight on our hands.
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Tobias Brox, 27 Jan 2012 @ 3:39am

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
Relax, if you're only half French, you've only been labelled as half dishonest :-)
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Almost Anonymous (profile), 27 Jan 2012 @ 8:26am

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Polina, Welcome to TechDirt!

And here's your first "whooosh!"
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Almost Anonymous (profile), 27 Jan 2012 @ 8:28am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Agreed. But OTOH, I can see how people new to the site might not discern the humor.
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Gary, 27 Jan 2012 @ 8:31am

If all sign the petition at the Whitehouse maybe it will do some good.
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European viewer, 27 Jan 2012 @ 9:13am

Re: Re: Good people?
Your just showing your simply a cinic and skeptical individual which proves their ignorance and without any culture, as the majority of americans...
Do you at least know where France is?

I bet you voted for Bush...
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Justin Olbrantz (Quantam), 27 Jan 2012 @ 10:35am

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
There is no France. We replaced it with freedom.
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JR, 27 Jan 2012 @ 10:42am

US has not signed ACTA
Only the Senate has the power to approve treaties. Obummer signed it as an Executive order. That is not binding and is an impeachable offence. He has not kept any control over he Executive branch leading to frequent violations of the 1st , 4th and 5th amendments by the DOJ, ICE and the intelligence community. He also has negotiated a new treaty TPP in secret.
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Thursday, 27 Jan 2012 @ 11:15am

Re: Daring to speak out
>not caring about limitations on Healthcare and Trade that this bill will impose.
>"HURRDURR IF YOU HAVE FREEDOM YOU'RE A PIRATE"

Never in my life have I heard such bullshit.

I know you're entitled to your opinion, but come on.
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alex, 27 Jan 2012 @ 1:32pm

Re: Daring to speak out
romanian parliament voted this ACTA this aswell so we plan on getting a big protest done on the streets ( including persons from aged 16 to 40 ) , we estimate we can get more than 50000 out there for our rights on privacy

i dont need any company to know how much money i have on my bank or what i m talking to on my instant messenger

this is insame what they re trying to do , take control of all europe with their stupid laws.i think everyone will quit internet services for an undeterminted period of time and we ll be using internet caffes .
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booboo, 27 Jan 2012 @ 1:44pm

f++king
Christ , don't these f+++king guys ever stop`! ? They are determined to force their will on the rest of the world via a barrage of these bills , SOPA / PIPA / ACTA they are all the bastard offspring of some twisted minds who think they have a god given right to rule the world on their own terms.
Fight them, theres so much at stake.
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Max Gross, 28 Jan 2012 @ 1:53am

Re: Daring to speak out
This has nothing to do with piracy or copyright. It has everything to do governments and their corporate sponsors desire to control the internet and crush opposition to their self-serving policies. Perhaps you should relocate to China?
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Human Being, 28 Jan 2012 @ 12:06pm

Government will commit as much tyranny as the people will allow. --Thomas Jefferson
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2012 @ 4:30pm

Re: Re: Hope this is a sign
Wasn't bought, wasn't paid enough, or will attempt to leverage his 'good deed' in future.
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Sam, 28 Jan 2012 @ 5:03pm

Re: Daring to speak out
It doesn't mean that at all. the people who speak out against these stupid laws speak out because they realize the laws won't solve anything and cause huge problems for the entire world.
It really has nothing to do with piracy. Its all to do with or rights as humans and our fight against corporate power.
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Rick Russell, 28 Jan 2012 @ 5:09pm

Re:
You're probably thinking of Dr. David Kessler, who came out strongly in opposition to corn subsidies after he left the FDA.
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2012 @ 5:14pm

Re: Good people?
nobody will hire him because he obviously can't keep a secret.
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Sammie, 28 Jan 2012 @ 5:25pm

Re: Daring to speak out
HAHA. You are such a moron... I almost feel sorry for you. Please, for our sake, educate yourself a wee bit more on the subject before you decide to post your blind and narrow-minded opinions.
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Sammie, 28 Jan 2012 @ 5:30pm

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
And if this was your sad attempt at "sarcasm" buddy you better go back to school.
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Yuri, 28 Jan 2012 @ 7:00pm

FACTA
Obviously ACTA is stupid. They are trying to catch air with their bare hands. Piracy isn't a theft in any form. It helped a lot of music bands to get their popularity across the world. Arctic Monkeys wouldn't even exist without the help of public. And when there's even a masquerade behind this whole procession it makes me even more upset realizing how stupid those people up there are.
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John, 28 Jan 2012 @ 7:08pm

Re: Daring to speak out
Piracy isn't the only matter involved. You can't hold an ISP responsible for what their customers place online. They can't possibly police every single file they upload. Neither is there anyway to stop them while uploading/downloading a file. It is impossible to detect what file it is they're uploading/downloading and automatically stop them. They would have to blacklist websites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and even image hosting websites. Why? Because people upload copyrighted material there too. People have been arrested and fined just for posting song lyrics onto their website. Do you really want this? Do you really want to be blocked from websites you enjoy? Also have you noticed that a man who raped, murdered, and burned a woman got 20 years behind bars while the owner of MegaUpload got 50 years? Stopping piracy is a good thing indeed, but there has to be another way around it.
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Txiki, 28 Jan 2012 @ 7:39pm

1984. It's happening.
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As an american, 28 Jan 2012 @ 7:47pm

Re: Re: Re: Good people?
As an american, I dont appreciate the way that a large percentage of the world generalized all of us as being hatemongering violence-loving moneygrubbers. But I understand that those people are just ignorant and probably don't know any better.

I could get even more in depth. As part-Cherokee, I dont appreciate the way people think of native americans as wild savages.

As part Irish, I dont appreciate the way people think Ireland is just full of drunk people.

As part Scottish, I dont appreciate the way that Scotland is construed as a sheep-loving nation.

My point is, don't get all jumped up because people make jokes about things you might find offensive. Take gandhi's method of thinking and just take the abuse. They will eventually realize that nobody appreciates it.
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Aleina, 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:07pm

Ignore the copyright trolls. Everything that is born is already connected to something that exists already. That is the nature of evolution, in art, as much as nature.

http://goo.gl/jAqHd
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Patrick, 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:18pm

Re: Daring to speak out
Really, anyone who speaks out against ACTA supports piracy? Have you even looked through the surface of the bill?

Like any other 'named' bill (I'm from the USA, so we see a lot of these, SOPA/PIPA being VERY recent examples) if you speak out against them, you are instantly deemed the 'bad guy' but once someone reads into the bill, they think whoever decided to write the bill is utter garbage. ACTA, much like SOPA/PIPA means well, but isn't the right solution. A simple way of putting it, the solution requires a scalpel, while ACTA (as well as SOPA/PIPA) are tactical nuclear devices. They are EXTREMELY broad (requiring only allegations, not actual proof) to enforce. Before you blindly side with this bill, you should read into it.
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Vorticity, 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:27pm

Re: Good people?
I'd just like to say, I think this shows that he was doing something important. Whoever put him in that position was either very smart or very stupid.
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SOMANYDUCKS!!! (profile), 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:36pm

Re: Daring to speak out
honestly i don't support piracy but i also don't support censorship which i think is far worse than stealing from giant corporations. i'm sure im not the only one simply picking the lesser of two evils
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neon5162, 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:53pm

guess the worlds is gonna end we have finnaly found the rare honost politician
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Aleina, 28 Jan 2012 @ 8:56pm

Ignore the copyright trolls. Everything that is born is already connected to something that exists already. That is the nature of evolution, in art, as much as nature.

http://goo.gl/jAqHd
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Anonymous Coward, 28 Jan 2012 @ 9:49pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
the way i read it, it seemed as if you were making an underhanded comment or insult because of his nationality or political orientation. i didnt see it as racist so much as you're just being an asshole because you dont agree with what others say.
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colten m, 28 Jan 2012 @ 11:28pm

Re: Daring to speak out
Your obviously a dipshit. Besides piracy affects few people. Most pirates end up getting it latter. And only Internet piracy is frowned on where as many others which could be considered just as bad are completely acceptable. Like your friend buys a song you borrow it and put it on your computer. Or as some may say share it. It works the same way for piracy. Someone buys it adds it to he Internet and their "friends" "borrow, share, give etc." It to them. Only difference is that's veiwed as bad for whatever reason. Your saying piracy is bad but have you ever borrowed or burnt a friends Dvd? Or have you ever gotten music off of a friends itunes? Same thing as piracy right there so stop bitching.
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ARGH!!!, 28 Jan 2012 @ 11:53pm

Re: Daring to speak out
Dumb ass, please look up your facts.
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killer65000, 29 Jan 2012 @ 3:34am

We must destroy ACTA and all who are for it. It is immoral and the people behind it have no right to live.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Jan 2012 @ 5:10am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
"He's a French pol, so I wouldn't exactly call him an honest bloke"
And you are wondering why people think that is racist?
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david, 29 Jan 2012 @ 6:03am

Re: Daring to speak out
Ur a toilet
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Joe, 29 Jan 2012 @ 6:57am

Re: Daring to speak out
You sir obviously have no idea of the implication of ACTA. No one in their right mind supports piracy and copyright infringement but this policy, ACTA, would severely and negatively impact many people and businesses. Have you also though that the industries this policy will curtail bring more to any economy than the entertainment industries so eager to get this bill passed? No, of course not, you are as blind or power hungry as many of the hard core ACTA supporters.
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aubreyfarmer, 29 Jan 2012 @ 6:08pm

Re:
The International Jewish Banking monopoly is making its move. Three step plan to success. Control a nations currency, then bribe the politicians, then oppress the people of that nation through debt slavery. The internet is the last bastion of free speech. For them to win, the internet must be managed the same way main stream media is managed. Nothing gets through the censors except propaganda. 110). "The influence of the Jews may be traced in the last outbreak of the destructive principle in Europe. An insurrection takes place against tradition and aristocracy, against religion and property. Destruction of the Semitic principle, extirpation of the Jewish religion, whether in the Mosaic or the Christian form, the natural equality of man and the abrogation of property, are proclaimed by the secret societies who form proviso governments, and men of the Jewish race are found at the head of every one of them. The people of God cooperate with atheists; themost skillful accumulators of property ally themselves with Communists; the peculiar and chosen race touch the hand of all the scum and low caste of Europe! And all this because they wish to destroy that
ungrateful Christendom they can no longer endure." (Disraeli,
Life of Lord Bentinick pp. 49798)
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Frank, 29 Jan 2012 @ 7:39pm

Re: Good people?
Haha, pretty funny. They'll read that at his funeral next week.
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henri de Feraudy, 30 Jan 2012 @ 1:06am

Re: Re: Good people?
A French politician therefore not an honest bloke?
This is vile.
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Daria, 30 Jan 2012 @ 3:42am

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
When is the protest organized, cause I haven't heard a pip anywhere? I'd like to spread the word and join. As for using internet cafes, I'm not sure there will still be internet cafes, since the owner could potentially be charged for the behaviour of his/her clients.
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MountainHome, 30 Jan 2012 @ 5:19am

Great article
Another great article to expose what is really happening to our freedom of speech around the world.
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Hello, person who works @ the enemy HQ, 30 Jan 2012 @ 5:23am

Re: Daring to speak out
gtfo boi

We all know you work with the holywood corporations.
Did you even READ the article ?

gtfo, boi.
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Djeezes, 30 Jan 2012 @ 5:32am

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
Look he posted here also the loser.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120116/02043417413/sopapipa-supporters-pretend-white-ho use-statement-means-we-can-rush-through-sopapipa.shtml
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Robert Felix, 30 Jan 2012 @ 6:14am

PIPA SOPA_Use as Censor Tool By Special Interests
Could a party who disliked a website's message, or felt it a threat to their 'business' interests shut down the site using PIPA or SOPA by falsely claiming infringement of copyright? Given a 'sharp' lawyer familiar with the administrative/appeals processes, could this clique keep the website shut down on the basis of copyright violations closed long enough so that its sponsers were bankrupted or the organisation supporting it is weakened or destroyed due to lack of a voice on the Net? If the copyright claim shutting such sites down was later proven to be frudulent or nonexistent, what would be the penalties against the party who used this information in the original SOPA or PIPA complaint? If it is a 'civil' penalty;this can be gotten easily around by having an incorporated shell company, in US law a legal person-file the complaint. If later sued and bankrupted, it vanishes into the paperwork universe it came from... In the USA, it is possible to get a copyright by mailing a letter with the material in it to yourself, and storing the postmarked letter away without opening it...If needed, this can be opened later in court and used as evidence of copyright, the postmark has year and date on it. Concerning criminal activities, it would not be that hard to 'forge' a postmark-since they are crude rubber stamps. What is to prevent 'censors' from using the "false alarm" of a bogus copyright claim of infringement against a website in order to shut it down using PIPA or SOPA to further their special interests-suppression of "heretical" material or perceived threats to a vested financial interest?
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Frank Fredenburg, 30 Jan 2012 @ 10:44am

End of the internet
You can kiss the internet goodbye. At least the internet as we know it. If your planning to build a one world government that will be a large gulag, make sure you stop any chance of alerting the masses. They control the rest of the media. Now they need to get rid of the free flow of information that the internet supplies.
Expect them to move on gun confiscation soon. They can't have millions of armed people, armed with hundreds of millions of guns, running around loose.
Maybe people should plan on turning to short wave radios after they shut down the internet. The only way to shut those down is by jamming the signals like the old Soviet Union did. They jammed signals at their border with Europe. I don't see how they could do that on a national scale. I think the television industry might have something to say about having their transmissions jammed. Short wave transmission might represent a way to continue to get information out after the death of the internet.
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Nick Lenom, 30 Jan 2012 @ 1:15pm

Re: Re: Good people?
@skeptical Cynic,
Your comment is racist and stupid. To label the french as dishonest people is totally inapropriate. Maybe you should educate yourself and grow up because it's never too late whatever is your age .
Also for your own information , Kader Arif is an Algerian and if you want to know more of him, go to this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kader_Arif
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Frank Fredenburg, 30 Jan 2012 @ 4:16pm

Re: Re:
Aubreyfarmer check out the incogman . n e t. I think you might find it interesting.
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cristian, 30 Jan 2012 @ 6:46pm

Re: End of the internet
sad but true... the cant allow the so called arabic seasons everywhere in the world
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none, 31 Jan 2012 @ 7:52am

Re: Re: Daring to speak out
actually it already does it, they just want to admin your computer and your fridge now.
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Anniemousfree, 31 Jan 2012 @ 6:47pm

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jan 26th, 2012 @ 12:27pm
You ain't never lie'n on that -
I was thinking the same thing.....
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Jason, 6 Feb 2012 @ 8:21am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Good people?
These are the dumbest of Americans living off large from the socialist social security checks, driving over the socialist highways enjoying the free socialist food stamps but complaining about socialism. These are the pathetic faux news viewers. In America we understand these parasites well and use them as condoms(teaparty, birthers etal) The only time we pay attention to them is the election year. They are almost dead so within a few years they would be gone and well call it good riddance. rotten and forgotten. So don't get hyped up by their opinions because these parasites are almost out of this world and I mean literally
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theonas, 9 Feb 2012 @ 5:58am

stop acta
we shall make sure acta does not live to its day.
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