Re: Re: Re: I think you're misinterpreting what's going on
"It would be better to pursue a claim of fraud."
I disagree with this statement as no fraud has taken place.
An individual does not own their reputation or name. I highly recommend reading Murray Rothbard's overview of defamation explaining this (I would hope Ron Paul would read or re-read this as well, especially since Rothbard was an intellectual mentor to Ron Paul).
As for your statement:
"Libertarianism is not the same as anarchy."
You are correct. Libertarianism is the acceptance and adherence to the non-aggression principle as well as respect for self-ownership derived property rights. While anarchy is "no rulers".
Sure, Ron Paul may "have every right to use the existing legal mechanisms to pursue his case". However, doing so is completely antithetical to the principles he has advocated for over 30+ years.
Re: I think you're misinterpreting what's going on
There is nothing wrong in selling merchandise to help promote Ron Paul/the "rEVOLution"/ideas of liberty. It's a way to use merchandise to spread support via word of mouth. Even if their intent was to solely profit by selling the merchandise, it is a perfect example of voluntary exchange (which, at least in the past, Ron Paul has been a strong advocate of). If people are voluntarily purchasing the merchandise resulting in a profit for the domain name holders, then they are clearly meeting a market need.
However, in this case it appears that Ron Paul & company is saying to hell with the non-aggression principle and instead has decided to employ State force/aggression in an attempt to take the justly acquired property of the RonPaul.com domain name holders.
Video games are not violent. They are inanimate objects.
Instead of repeating the false rhetoric of "violent video games", I believe it would be more helpful, to those who are against censorship of video games, to use the following rhetoric:
"Fantasy Violence in Video Games"
or
"Video Games that portray fantasy violence"
...etc.
Using false rhetoric such as "violent video games" only helps the authoritarians in spreading their collectivistic nanny state propaganda.
With the type of logic displayed by the government in this case, in the near future could we see single mothers going after condom manufacturers for child support?
Maybe the government should go after printer ink manufacturers in libel/defamation lawsuits.
This is the result of the so called "justice system" being a government monopoly funded through theft. Any "service" that, through aggression/violence or threat thereof, gets paid no matter the results while holding a monopoly...is going to be a dismal "service".
Jeremiah Perkins owns his brain which could be viewed as a "device" which through its memory could be used to infringe copyrights after release.
It seems as though the only thing the courts could possibly do to enforce this requirement is to lobotomize Jeremiah Perkins.
In all seriousness though, until we have competing arbitration organizations instead of the State's monopoly on all conflict resolution (in which the State's decision power extends even to matters regarding itself), we will continue to see the tyranny march to it's logical violent totalitarian end.
Picture Google as a good looking successful man who happens to find a different beautiful woman to go home with him every night voluntarily and have consensual sex with.
A group of not so good looking men (Google's competitors), instead of working to make themselves more attractive in innovative ways, run to the government in an attempt to use State law to force some of the women, that would have voluntarily gone home with Google Man to have consensual sex, to instead have sex with them.
Or they may force Google Man to make himself uglier in an attempt to have less woman as attracted to him (Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" comes to mind).
It is never morally legitimate to initiate force against another individual, no matter what the excuse.
Either engage in consensual relationships/voluntary exchange or don't engage at all.
It's much easier to comprehend the irrationality of congress if you assume that congressmen think of themselves as authoritarian parents and 'the people' as their children.
Through its actions the State teaches me that theft is A OK ("taxation"), that murder is virtous if wearing a green costume, counterfeiting is good fiscal policy (Federal Reserve), it's alright to shoot dogs if you're wearing a blue costume...and on and on and on.
If one wants to lay blame, the immorality & violence of the State seems to be a much more reasonable place to lay such blame, not video games.
So long as the TSA receives its funding through State theft backed by threats of aggression/violence for non-compliance ("taxation"), things will not get better.
They have no incentive to do a good job as they get paid either way.
Replace the TSA with competing private security firms if you want 'common sense'.
Who defines "discrimination" in the one concession made by Uber?
Individuals should not be forced to do business with other individuals against their will due to the subjective whims of bureaucrats via anti-discrimination laws/regulations.
If a business discriminates that just opens up an area for a competitor to meet the market needs of the individuals who are being discriminated against, while negatively impacting the market of the business that engages in discrimination.
Incentives work beautifully when government force/coercion is not inserted into the lives of individuals engaging in voluntary exchange.
Complex social issues cannot be solved through force/coercion, it only makes things worse in the long run.
So why are states (and countries) so eager to hand over taxpayer subsidies to Hollywood?
This is due to the money having been stolen from individuals through force/coercion. As the money being doled out by the State gangsters is not their legitimate property, they have no real incentive to be responsible with said money.
If we want things to get better, we must advocate consensual relationships & voluntary markets instead of a State monopoly on "taxation" (theft) & the so called "justice" system.
"Regulation" is just a euphemism for government force/coercion. It is used to create artificially high walls to entry into various markets using State force/coercion in order to keep out competition.
Also, the power to regulate is the power to grant favors. So it also increases the power of State bureaucrats.
What truly helps the "public good" is the ability for individuals to exchange on a voluntary basis (no force/coercion involved).
Less government force/coercion aka "regulation" (i.e. the tech industry) = more competition, more innovation, more choice & affordability for all consumers.
More government force/coercion/"regulation" (i.e. government "schooling"): 100 years ago - classroom, desks, teacher in front of class, writing on a blackboard.
Government "schooling" today? - classroom, desks, teacher in front of class, writing on a whiteboard.
Behold, the magnificent innovation resulting from government "regulation"...from a blackboard to a whiteboard in 100 years.
The SEC is an organization that is funded via coercion/theft ("taxation"), so they are paid whether they do a good job or not; meaning they are not exposed to market forces.
There is no market incentive to keep the data secure and do a good job.
This is just another of the miriad of examples of why laws against theft should be applied universally, no matter what organization you are a part of/what color clothes you wear/or what euphemism you use to rename theft ("taxation").
I prefer consensual relationships. Try Voluntaryism instead.
On the post: Ron Paul, UN Hater, Asks UN To Take RonPaul.com Forcefully From Ron Paul's Biggest Supporters
Re: Re: Re: I think you're misinterpreting what's going on
I disagree with this statement as no fraud has taken place.
An individual does not own their reputation or name. I highly recommend reading Murray Rothbard's overview of defamation explaining this (I would hope Ron Paul would read or re-read this as well, especially since Rothbard was an intellectual mentor to Ron Paul).
As for your statement:
"Libertarianism is not the same as anarchy."
You are correct. Libertarianism is the acceptance and adherence to the non-aggression principle as well as respect for self-ownership derived property rights. While anarchy is "no rulers".
Sure, Ron Paul may "have every right to use the existing legal mechanisms to pursue his case". However, doing so is completely antithetical to the principles he has advocated for over 30+ years.
On the post: Ron Paul, UN Hater, Asks UN To Take RonPaul.com Forcefully From Ron Paul's Biggest Supporters
Re: I think you're misinterpreting what's going on
However, in this case it appears that Ron Paul & company is saying to hell with the non-aggression principle and instead has decided to employ State force/aggression in an attempt to take the justly acquired property of the RonPaul.com domain name holders.
Shame on Ron Paul.
On the post: And... Yet Another Regulator Flips Out About Uber, Tries To Kill It
Regulation
On the post: California Senator Leland Yee Tells Gamers To Shut Up And Let The Grown Ups Talk
Video Games are Not Violent...
Instead of repeating the false rhetoric of "violent video games", I believe it would be more helpful, to those who are against censorship of video games, to use the following rhetoric:
"Fantasy Violence in Video Games"
or
"Video Games that portray fantasy violence"
...etc.
Using false rhetoric such as "violent video games" only helps the authoritarians in spreading their collectivistic nanny state propaganda.
On the post: Developer Of Bookmaking Software Gets Full Kim Dotcom Treatment For 'Promoting Gambling'
Who Knows....
Maybe the government should go after printer ink manufacturers in libel/defamation lawsuits.
This is the result of the so called "justice system" being a government monopoly funded through theft. Any "service" that, through aggression/violence or threat thereof, gets paid no matter the results while holding a monopoly...is going to be a dismal "service".
Try consensual relationships & voluntary exchange instead.
On the post: Confusing Value And Price, Choir Demands £3000 Per Download
Price
~Ludwig von Mises, Human Action
On the post: The CIA's 'Hollywood Myth' Debunking Doesn't Stand Up To Even The Slightest Scrutiny
CIA doesn't spy on US Citizens?
...wait, are they actually being serious?
I guess the CIA is assuming that most people don't read books or have even the slightest knowledge of history.
If one wants to learn about the origins of the CIA and really bust some myths, a good place to start is "The Old Boys" by Burton Hersh.
On the post: Camming Group Leader Sentenced To 5 Years; Barred From Owning 'Any Device' That Can Infringe Copyrights After Release
Lobotomy?
It seems as though the only thing the courts could possibly do to enforce this requirement is to lobotomize Jeremiah Perkins.
In all seriousness though, until we have competing arbitration organizations instead of the State's monopoly on all conflict resolution (in which the State's decision power extends even to matters regarding itself), we will continue to see the tyranny march to it's logical violent totalitarian end.
On the post: Google Competitors Spitting Mad About FTC Closing Case; Promise That Europe & Texas Will Get It Right
"Antitrust Absurdity"
A group of not so good looking men (Google's competitors), instead of working to make themselves more attractive in innovative ways, run to the government in an attempt to use State law to force some of the women, that would have voluntarily gone home with Google Man to have consensual sex, to instead have sex with them.
Or they may force Google Man to make himself uglier in an attempt to have less woman as attracted to him (Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" comes to mind).
It is never morally legitimate to initiate force against another individual, no matter what the excuse.
Either engage in consensual relationships/voluntary exchange or don't engage at all.
On the post: ...And FISA Is Renewed, With All Its Problems Still Intact
Re:
In my experience politicians tend not to listen to the serfs they own.
If you think you own yourself, try not paying "taxes" (euphemism for theft) and see what happens in the end (after all the letters and warnings).
Eventually men in blue costumes will come to kidnap you and place you in cage. If you resist, you could be shot.
On the post: Senator Chambliss Says There's No Reason To Debate FISA Amendments Act; Just Pass It
On the post: NRA's Plan: If We Blame Video Games & Movies For Sandy Hook Massacre, Perhaps People Will Stop Blaming Guns
The State...
If one wants to lay blame, the immorality & violence of the State seems to be a much more reasonable place to lay such blame, not video games.
On the post: Child With Brittle Bone Disease Detained By TSA For An Hour
They have no incentive to do a good job as they get paid either way.
Replace the TSA with competing private security firms if you want 'common sense'.
On the post: IP Diplomat Sob Story: It's Hard To Push The US Agenda When The World Listens To Reason
Not Torture Experts...
Not only are the NGO's wrong, they're not even torture experts. So how can anyone take them seriously?
Unless they have tortured countless human beings and enjoyed it, they have no right in espousing an opinion on the subject.
[/sarcasm]
On the post: DC Makes It Official That Uber Is Legit
"discrimination"
Individuals should not be forced to do business with other individuals against their will due to the subjective whims of bureaucrats via anti-discrimination laws/regulations.
If a business discriminates that just opens up an area for a competitor to meet the market needs of the individuals who are being discriminated against, while negatively impacting the market of the business that engages in discrimination.
Incentives work beautifully when government force/coercion is not inserted into the lives of individuals engaging in voluntary exchange.
Complex social issues cannot be solved through force/coercion, it only makes things worse in the long run.
On the post: State Subsidies To Hollywood: Almost Every Program Has Been A Dismal Failure, Costing Taxpayers
Because it's not their money...
This is due to the money having been stolen from individuals through force/coercion. As the money being doled out by the State gangsters is not their legitimate property, they have no real incentive to be responsible with said money.
If we want things to get better, we must advocate consensual relationships & voluntary markets instead of a State monopoly on "taxation" (theft) & the so called "justice" system.
Try Voluntaryism instead.
On the post: Fixing Copyright: Is Copyright A Part Of Free Market Capitalism?
Re:
Exactly.
On the post: Fixing Copyright: Is Copyright A Part Of Free Market Capitalism?
Re: Re:
The power to regulate is the power to grant favors.
Incentives "regulate" just fine within voluntary markets (markets free from government violence/force).
I prefer consensual relationships.
Try Voluntaryism instead.
On the post: California PUC Cracks Down On Innovative Ride Sharing Operations As Another Batch Of Taxi Drivers Sue Uber
The "Regulation" Euphemism...
"Regulation" is just a euphemism for government force/coercion. It is used to create artificially high walls to entry into various markets using State force/coercion in order to keep out competition.
Also, the power to regulate is the power to grant favors. So it also increases the power of State bureaucrats.
What truly helps the "public good" is the ability for individuals to exchange on a voluntary basis (no force/coercion involved).
Less government force/coercion aka "regulation" (i.e. the tech industry) = more competition, more innovation, more choice & affordability for all consumers.
More government force/coercion/"regulation" (i.e. government "schooling"): 100 years ago - classroom, desks, teacher in front of class, writing on a blackboard.
Government "schooling" today? - classroom, desks, teacher in front of class, writing on a whiteboard.
Behold, the magnificent innovation resulting from government "regulation"...from a blackboard to a whiteboard in 100 years.
I prefer consensual relationships.
Try Voluntaryism instead.
On the post: At SEC: Porn Surfing Down, Waste Up, Stunning Disregard For Basic Computer Security
Of Course...
There is no market incentive to keep the data secure and do a good job.
This is just another of the miriad of examples of why laws against theft should be applied universally, no matter what organization you are a part of/what color clothes you wear/or what euphemism you use to rename theft ("taxation").
I prefer consensual relationships. Try Voluntaryism instead.
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