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The Bush administration, in a last ditch effort to put a band-aid on their plummeting approval ratings, have replaced noted douchebag Scott McClellan with former Bush Sr. administration speechwriter and Fox News Correspondent Tony Snow, who will take on the duties of Press Secretary for the Bush Camp.

While Snow has been known to be "hard on" the President in his journalistic endeavors, by occaisionally regurgitating actual "facts" (which have since been banned on Fox News)--current cabinet members are confident that Snow can easily shed what fragments of credibility he adopted under his journalistic guise and return to his true reptilian form as Ultra Conservative mouthpiece.
out with old...
in with the new...

For a bit of perspective--Bush's latest approval ratings according to CNN were at 32%--historically, that put's him somewhere between Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon on the popularity scale.

Congress prepares the equivalent of the Patriot Act for the Internet


This draft legislation is seeking to set back the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and push the digital world into more chaos. "...created by the Bush administration and backed by Rep. Lamar Smith, it already enjoys the support of large copyright holders such as the Recording Industry Association of America. Smith, a Texas Republican, is the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees intellectual-property law."

As one critic of the ambiguity of the wording of the current legislation put it

Reader post by: Xalorous
Story: Congress readies new digital copyright bill

"Under current law, Section 1201 of the law generally prohibits distributing or trafficking in any software or hardware that can be used to bypass copy-protection devices."

Products which would assist or allow you to reverse engineer or otherwise break copyright protection:

Pencil
Paper
ruler
camera
copier
printer
scanner
computer
programming software
debugging software
scanner software
cd reader software
cd burner software
digital media (all kinds)
etc, etc, ad nauseum

Get real. No way this could be equally enforced.

I will write a haiku, publish it to my website, with a "do not copy" disclaimer, and then sue anyone who has/sells/makes any of the above products on the grounds that they could be used to overcome my copy protection.

So basically, the government would have free reign to wire-tap anyone (through a newly created Copyright unit of the FBI) seize any of the materials associated with the "crime" and could instate 10 year minimum rides to the federal funhouse for absolutely non-violent offenses, which could seemingly be enforced on a whim. So a future scenario: say something bad on the internet--and they could lock you away for a minimum of 10 years for owning a CD burner--if they wanted to. And with a whole new branch of the FBI dedicated to protecting the income of a few multimedia conglomerates--they'll have the time and manpower to enforce it.

Full text of the article.

PDF of Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998

ps: better get rid of those copy machines and scanners around the office in the meantime. who knows what kind of havoc one could wreak with those--if one was so inclined. and don't even think about using any images on your blogs that you don't own the copyright to...

So I read an article a few months back about this guy Morgan Reynolds, Bush's chief economist for the Department of Labor from 2001-02, who was claiming that the twin towers' falling was more likely the result of controlled demolition than a collapse caused by airplanes. It was a small blurb and that was all that was to be revealed in the mainstream press (of course, after this his school quickly distanced himself from the Prof.)...but that was it...until this evening when i was turned on to a more in-depth article about this guy and the questions he raises. Check it out here. Keep in mind that the term "conspiracy theory" was created by the powers-that-be to prevent institutional analysis.

My most sincere regards to ladytwentysix for the referral.

This is just a really funny hoax, right? Check it out and decide for yourself.


thanx to huffleman for the heads up on this one.

Patricia S. Harrison, the assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs and former Republican National Committee chair, was selected as the next president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Not quite the non partisan ideal...

So we see what happens...threaten to axe the programs, instead meddle about and install a conservative partisan lackey to guide the programming to the dark side. Jeez, Congress getting all Anakin.

But the good news in the meantime, is that over a million viewers like you signed these petitions and showed so much outrage that the situation couldnt be ignored. The voice of the people is the only hope...that, and 2008.

"Public Broadcasting Chief Is Named, Raising Concerns," New York Times, June 24, 2005

Public Broadcasting Names New President--Yahoo News

Congress is slashing funding for NPR and PBS.

A House panel has voted to eliminate all funding for NPR and PBS, starting with "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and other commercial-free children's shows. If approved, this would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch.

The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year—$100 million—and end funding altogether within two years. The loss could kill beloved children's shows like "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Arthur," and "Postcards from Buster." Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might not survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate sponsorships.

If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we'll put Congress on notice.

Click here to sign the petition.


Big Bird says "up yours" to the congressmen who are trying to axe his show

Click to enlarge the piccy.

FYI: That's me in the bottom left corner. This is a still from "The Aviator," and that's Gwyn Stephani (or however the hell you spell that) in front of me. Notice the focus is on her. Of all the stuff I worked on, this is the only thing I've seen.

Show me the blueprints.

courtesy of my friend martin.

November 5, 2004
OP-ED COLUMNIST
No Surrender
By PAUL KRUGMAN

President Bush isn't a conservative. He's a radical - the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is. Part of that coalition wants to tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, eviscerating Social Security and, eventually, Medicare. Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state. And thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda...


full text of article

Section 8. — Respect for flag

Rule K.

The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.