Will it take another World War before we finally learn that our governments do not care about us, and that they are not worth fighting for?
Good point. Our
countries aren't worth fighting for. Nationalism is another absurdity that is pretty ridiculous and causes lot's of bloodshed.
Companies will have to move to Canada to stay compeditive with the world. Any US based manufacturer/assembler couldn't import any of the components that would be considered an infringment on the bill.
Obviously you haven't read the posts about the WTO and free trade? If Canada starts producing outside of the SSSCA, the States will take them to NAFTA court (or WTO, whichever unelected governing body) and sue them for being a "barrier to trade". This kind of stuff happens, as Vilord pointed out in the case of the gas additive. I have never heard the case with California, as I'm Canadian, but I can point anyone who cares to a case where a Corporation sued a Government to lift an environmental ban, read about
Ethyl Corp VS. The Canadian Government here.
The conspiracy theory is nice, but a bit over-reaching. There is probably not a cabal of rich men/women plotting to run the world.
That's basically what I was trying to say, and I don't agree with it being a consipiracy theory, that term is wieghted with all sorts of connotations, none of which I care to be associated with. I agree with you though. I'm glad that this thread attracted so many new members, it's interesting to note. I agree with everything you said and I really liked the Christian part because that just almost makes me laugh sometimes. The whole thing
is sad.
Anyone who values human life and has a sensativity to existence can not possibly live in this world and not feel severely oppressed.
Digital copyprotection has been a tidal force since the digital age was introduced. The tide comes in and erodes the safe harbor of consumer protection and fair use. The tide will recede, but the erosion remains. As consumers, we become upset when it happens, but lax at trying to repair the damage. The SSSCA is like a hurricane looming to batter the consumer and the tech industry. On the whole we will survive, but the effects will be significant.
Nice analogy.
The implications, be it the economy, be it your rights, be it several things, are so tremendous that I'll cut off my left hand if this type of legislation would EVER pass.. At best, it would be so toned down, it wouldn't affect much at all.. Relax..
Just like the DMCA is
toned down? Bit by bit it just adds up. You'll be feeling like
Winston Smith in no time. There's that word again too...
relax. That's the whole problem, people relax too much, they don't think or
care enough because someone else will take care of it. Well, it's time for some self reliance for a change, the agency is on you and everyone else to try to make things better, there is
always room for improvement.
I agree with you, but I wouldn't count on the sheeple doing anything. As long as they have N'sync records in the stores, and soaps on TV, they really don't pay attention.
Take that thought a bit farther. N'stink and Soap Operas. Who makes the decisions? The record companies and the media companies, they make the choices regarding what kind of media they will give us. A certain amount of that is market yes, but I'll use hip hop music to define the way I see things;
There is much hip hop that is underground, good music, tonnes of it, but you'd never see it in the mainstream because it projects the wrong (well, depending on which side of the racial fence you're on) image to the youth. Racism is a vested class interest, the rich, white power elite want to hold onto their power as someone has mentioned.
Why is it, that all of the hip hop on television today is of the "money, money, b!tches, money, cars, money b!tches" variety? Anyone else find that weird? I mean, it's really terrible music for chrissakes, I don't know anyone who likes it, yet it's there. Who makes the decisions at the record companies based on what goes and what doesn't?
There are plenty of underground, fvck the government, black power, very subervisive hip hip artists out there, who I'm 100% sure would never get a record deal, even though their music might be far better than P Diddy (or whatever he's calling himself nowadays). Why not?
This point might be lost on those that don't listen to rap music, but there are plenty of highly educated, very intelligent and super creative BLACK artists out there who get NO RESPECT from the white men who run the show. Think about that one, P Diddy is a much better role model for kids in the ghetto than a real BLACK MAN. On a side note, those artists would probably never sign a major record deal anyways .... principle > money.
First they came for the Jews.
I didn't care.
Then they came for the Slavs.
I didn't care.
Then they came for the scientists.
I didn't care.
Then they came for the opposition.
I didn't care.
Now they came for me.
But it's too late to care.
- a retold and somewhat paraphrased Bertold Brecht
__________________________________________
Step #1 would be to raise hype. Anyone who has newsposting abilities at a site has to use them. Maybe someone would be able to pass a story at their local press? The more publicity, the better.
Step #2 would be... Wait, what exactly? It's all corrupt from the bottom and up. I doubt even a combination of TV, corporations, entertainment industries etc. boycott will have much influence. And you know why?
US is totalitarian; while everyone was enragedly watching the USSR and considering them the bad suppressive and brainwashing scapegoat, nobody noticed what was happening at home. As a certain Serb once said, "Back in the Soviet bloc times there was a lot of propaganda, but we knew it was propaganda. Now there's a lot of American propaganda, and nobody admits it is propaganda".
In the long term, the only action that'll work will be a complete breakdown of the empire a-la the USSR collapse. It will come sooner or later, just as the fascist Germany and the communist Russia didn't exist forever.
But for now it's time to organise the resistance - most importantly mental resistance. Most regular people are cattle - they'll react the way Brecht described. I'll tell you one bitter piece of truth: no matter how much noise we're making, it will hardly ever get to anyone that we're in the neo-totalitarian age. They're too accustomed to appearances, superficial looks and their own dumb hedonism to react... What this means is that the US, and possibly the rest of the world, will soon fall right into totalitarism, and it is inevitable because totalitarism is a reaction to a lack of belief, understanding and sensitivity. Totalitarism is a stage of cultural decay, not more, not less.
Right on the money. Some people might think that you're too extreme or something, but I don't. The things that go on in the world warrant it. It's good to hear something that isn't watered down with political correctness and downright politeness, I like to hear it raw too. Tell it like it is!
Seriously, where are all these (AT) newbies coming from?