A relevant quotation applies here, I believe, in the wake of what has happened. I do not recall the source, but if anyone knows of it, feel free to supply it. It goes as follows:
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
We must not relax or let down our guard. To do so would be futile and would undermine our efforts.
You assume our votes still have any meaning or power, Adam, but I do not believe that is the case. Our officials are bought and the election system is rigged such that only the favored candidates have any chance. The voting machines are easily hacked and the companies behind them refuse to release the source code so that it might be analyzed and the vulnerabilities closed. This indicates that these broken machines are abused to skew the results. Votes are also bought, made up, and in other ways obtained besides the normal way of earning them. The elections are, in fact, decided by the electoral college, not the popular vote. Our vote is merely an innaccurate, corrupted metric.
What would truly be interesting is if no one voted. At all. As in, no one across the country went to the ballots on election day. At all. How, then, would the facade of democracy continue to be pushed if we the people refuse to participate? The facade would drop, and the process would halt, exposing the corruption within it for all to see.
Or Anonymous could do more than simply take down websites. Why do they stop with that, when they could do so much more? Deprive these companies of their money by penetrating their accounts, and they would be crippled indefinitely. Without money, they have no power. Expose their hidden files and communications for everyone to see, hack into the broadcast transmissions so that the signal by Anonymous in which they explain the truth of what's going on overrides that of all regular channels and thus, the large majority of people would be unavoidably exposed to it.
In the end, conventional tactics will only take us so far. Invertebrate politicians cannot be trusted to support our goals over the long term. If the masses can be convinced, however, and convinced fully, of what's really happening, they will rise up. We must stir the sleeping giant that is our populace beyond what has already been done, until what has happened with the protests appears as nothing compared to what is to come.
Your argument, AC 140, lacks both logic and evidence. You also fail to take into account the vast amount of culture that existed before copyright was ever put in place. Also, you fail to explain how such long lengths as there are today promote the progress in any way. Unless you can provide empirical, non-industry data, your position is invalid.
In reference to the Star Wars, trilogy, Paul, the original versions are available, as part of the bonus discs that come with the individual DVDs for the updated original trilogy. You can find them on Netflix if you do not wish to buy the DVD's. It's how I got them.
Re: Does Masnick pay you to write - or take the profit for himself ?
You would be an example of the mindset I was speaking of, darryl, if you did not so often present yourself in such an unstable manner. And as for evidence, the posts I linked to contain such information. If you cannot be bothered to click a link, there is little anyone can do for you. And I note that you provide no evidence of your own, merely supposition. Therefore, your argument is invalid. Everyone here knows you are not to be trusted, darryl. So why do you remain? It is illogical for you to do so.
Perhaps, instead of a shutdown, Google and Facebook could, instead, add an information page that loads whenever you use the search engine or go to their main page, much like that used by americancensorship.org some time ago. You would only be able to access the page or your search results after the information page loads, thereby guaranteeing that viewers will see it but not hindering the operation of these sites' services in any way.
A possible remedy, gorehound, if our votes still carried any meaning. Unfortunately, however, they do not. The entire election process has long been rigged and the popular vote rendered toothless. It serves now only to give us the illusion of participation and influence, when in reality it gives us neither. I am not certain that anything short of force can separate the corporation from the state at this point, although I hope that will not be the case.
It would seem that we have long passed the point that the TSA has demonstrated quite clearly its own incompetence and lack of regard for the general populace. I do not believe it serves any constructive purpose in its current state. Its boasts about accomplishing, in reality, nothing, prove that. However, as long as the irrational emotions of greed and desire for power dominate those who hold office, it is unlikely that things will change without significant—and possibly violent—upheaval.
To ignore such numerous and widespread protestations as Lamar Smith does is most illogical. However, it is not unusual given that he represents interests whose very goal involves the ignorance of technology and its capabilities, as well as human nature itself. It is a classic case of the blind leading the blind. Both will fall into the ditch, and it will be of their own doing.
You still have not answered my question, AJ. Do so. Now. Not responding is merely an admittance that you do not believe any law can be unjust and unethical and thus, an admittance of your own flawed and erroneous mindset.
I do not believe we will get such an answer, Paul. AJ is, like most trolls, unwilling to address such questions directly. His reluctance to answer, however, clearly indicates that he cannot back up his claim in any way, and as such is answer enough.
You have not yet answered my question, AJ. Do you accept that some laws can be unjust and unethical? Yes or no, with no diversion, evasion, or equivocation. A failure to answer merely indicates you do not accept this premise.
Here's a definition from healthline.com - "Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which there is an inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with one's self."
I believe that definition could be ascribed to most individuals in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, as well as most politicians and many business executives.
Logically, the only offenders that should be placed in incarceration are violent ones. All others can be addressed with alternative means of treatment, such as rehabilitation centers, community service, fines, and other methods. The government's irrational fixation with jail is in clear opposition to the public good.
If there are more such sites, then provide a complete and exhaustive list with detailed analysis of each one. Now. Otherwise your statement is inaccurate and incorrect.
In most cases, AC 67, they did not pay the content creators anything - you seem to be unaware of the concept of Hollywood accounting. Organizations that knowingly fleece those who they claim to support are not to be trusted. Also, consumers do not care about the sunk costs of content. What matters to them is what they see on their end - the price, ease of access and ease of usability. Also, there are many other ways to fund a film than just the traditional gatekeeper approach. Crowdfunding, for instance, is one such alternative. By no means the only one, but it does show that relying on gatekeepers is no longer necessary.
You continue to assume that infringement is theft, AC 62. Why? The Supreme Court has said it is not. Let me say that again, that it might possibly sink in:
The Supreme Court has ruled that infringement is not theft.
Unless you can provide actual empirical data not backed by the legacy entertainment industry, your argument is invalid.
By your logic, AC 24, a person would have to pay every time they viewed a DVD they already owned, as each viewing would constitute a performance. Fortunately, your logic is flawed. Content is no longer tied to a physical item. Basic economics says that when supply is infinite and the cost of reproduction is at or near zero, price naturally gravitates to zero. I know you do not wish to hear that, but reality cannot be changed by ignoring it. The reality is that infringement has been recognized by the US Supreme Court as not being theft. Therefore, any claim that is it is is both incorrect and deceptive.
You would be better served in learning to give customers what they want - reasonably priced content that is easily accessible and free of limitations, restrictions, warnings, and DRM. However, as doing so would jeopardize the gatekeeper position of your superiors and those you support, I find it unlikely that you will attempt this.
Also, you have yet to cite any empirical, non-entertainment industry evidence to support your claims. Do so or admit you are incorrect. There are no other options.
On the post: The Internet Wins: PIPA & SOPA Delayed
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
We must not relax or let down our guard. To do so would be futile and would undermine our efforts.
On the post: Did DOJ Provoke Anonymous On Purpose?
Re:
What would truly be interesting is if no one voted. At all. As in, no one across the country went to the ballots on election day. At all. How, then, would the facade of democracy continue to be pushed if we the people refuse to participate? The facade would drop, and the process would halt, exposing the corruption within it for all to see.
Or Anonymous could do more than simply take down websites. Why do they stop with that, when they could do so much more? Deprive these companies of their money by penetrating their accounts, and they would be crippled indefinitely. Without money, they have no power. Expose their hidden files and communications for everyone to see, hack into the broadcast transmissions so that the signal by Anonymous in which they explain the truth of what's going on overrides that of all regular channels and thus, the large majority of people would be unavoidably exposed to it.
In the end, conventional tactics will only take us so far. Invertebrate politicians cannot be trusted to support our goals over the long term. If the masses can be convinced, however, and convinced fully, of what's really happening, they will rise up. We must stir the sleeping giant that is our populace beyond what has already been done, until what has happened with the protests appears as nothing compared to what is to come.
On the post: Google Goes Big With Its SOPA/PIPA Protests; Blacks Out Logo
Re: Re:
On the post: Even Thieves Are Ignoring DVDs And CDs As Worthless
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Markets
On the post: The Logician's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
Re: Does Masnick pay you to write - or take the profit for himself ?
On the post: Reddit Plans To Black Out Site For A Day To Protest SOPA/PIPA
On the post: To Pols Trying To Raise Money From Silicon Valley: Supporting SOPA/PIPA Probably Isn't Wise
Re:
On the post: The TSA Posts Its 'Top Good Catches Of 2011' List, Not One Of Which Is An Actual Terrorist
On the post: Lamar Smith's Head-In-Sand Approach To SOPA Critics Inspires 'Lamar Smith Can't Hear You' Anti-Campaign Poster
On the post: ICE Admits That It Just Wants To 'Put People In Jail' With Operation In Our Sites
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: USTR Puts Out Its 'Rogue Sites' List... Can't Even Find 20
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: ICE Admits That It Just Wants To 'Put People In Jail' With Operation In Our Sites
On the post: RIAA Whines That Google Won't Let It Program Google's Search Algorithm
I believe that definition could be ascribed to most individuals in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, as well as most politicians and many business executives.
On the post: ICE Admits That It Just Wants To 'Put People In Jail' With Operation In Our Sites
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: ICE Admits That It Just Wants To 'Put People In Jail' With Operation In Our Sites
On the post: USTR Puts Out Its 'Rogue Sites' List... Can't Even Find 20
Re: Re:
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Re: Re: The "product" of the gatekeepers...
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Re: Re: Re:
The Supreme Court has ruled that infringement is not theft.
Unless you can provide actual empirical data not backed by the legacy entertainment industry, your argument is invalid.
On the post: Yet Another Study Shows That Hollywood's Own Bad Decisions Are Increasing The Amount Of Infringement
Re: "you should be able to buy the DVD of the movie you just watched"
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Re: Re: Re: Zero sum game
You would be better served in learning to give customers what they want - reasonably priced content that is easily accessible and free of limitations, restrictions, warnings, and DRM. However, as doing so would jeopardize the gatekeeper position of your superiors and those you support, I find it unlikely that you will attempt this.
Also, you have yet to cite any empirical, non-entertainment industry evidence to support your claims. Do so or admit you are incorrect. There are no other options.
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