Good eggs!
Yay! Anyone resisting authoritarian big-business bullies is OK in my book.
The Pirates have touched down in the American desert, determined to protect the freedoms of internet users everywhere. Yesterday, the Pirate Party of the United States announced its intention to register as a political body in Utah, its first move into American state politics. The fledgling Utah operation is now accepting " …
Then they could start their party in Central America,
and be the Pirates of the Caribbean
(Please just put up with any erroneous assumptions I may make about US geography.. we probably know have been subjected to more of it than any random american has been to Australian.. )
The news media and trade bodies are so fond of labeling anyone who opposes the DMCA a 'Pirate'. So, they're pirates.
Soon enough, those of us who still want our basic rights will be labeled 'Terrorists'. And as such, the 'Terrorist Party' will rise. And then Dubya will start calling them Al Qaeda and it's all over. But whatever.
The MPAA/RIAA have no credibility of any kind. They are a bunch of scumbag who get angry because they cannot STEAL money the way they use to. The power that the MPAA/RIAA have is just a proof that the USA is in deed the land of oportunity, as you can easely buy you self any law to suite you need even if this laws is totally illegal by definition. DRM punish users for a crime they have to commit yet. (monority Report anyone?) DRM prevent Fair use right (that makes DRM illegal and ground for immediat ban), but DRM as never slow down piracy in any way.
If you have the choice between a CD full of DRM that will bug down your computer and won't play in you car stereo, a Digital Download witch is way overprice, still full of illegal DRM, or a the same music on a P2P network that you can fully enjoy? Witch one will you get?
the RIAA manage to make legal music so un-attractive and restrictive that no body in its right mind will buy any.
Some Labels have recently start selling DRM free music, (but still contain illegal privacy invading information about you). One Label did it to to get more money on a product that is already over price. the other one did to piss off Apple,
Those are very small streps in the good direction.
Never buy a DRMed product. (unless there is a know way to remove the DRM infection). i got Windows Vista Home Premium, Nero, VMware, PowerDVD and countless other software that i have paid good money for... but guess what? most of them are still in they original shrink wrap package! Simply because the DRM infecting them is too restrictive. Same as with movies. I paid my ticket price to see The Simpsons Movie, i will buy the DVD when it comes out. but i have watched the movie about 10 time now. (And there is no bloody way i will pay 100$+ to see it over and over again in theaters)
Somehow I doubt Utah (one of the 2 far and away most conservative states in the US) is the right plays to start this.
They were so happy with Mr. Bush, that 71% of them voted for him a 2nd time! LOL. The Mormons will squish them like itty-bitty bugs. Unless that is supposed to read:
"Our basic mission is to restore a lot of the civil liberties that have been eroded in the name of profit, including privacy, free speech, due process and the ability to hitch up with as many chicks as we wanna!"
Why Utah? Why not? As swokm stated, it is a very conservative state. However, in the US (as I'm sure there is elsewhere), there are two general schools of conservatism, fiscal conservatism and social conservatism. They do tend to overlap but the social (read religious right) seems to be the pushers behind larger, more intrusive government that backs big business most of the time. Your more fiscal conservatives tend to back small government, states rights, lower taxes and small businesses. Frankly, I think the party will be well received by the folks in Utah. I wouldn't worry about it as a competition to the big two parties, though.
Simple, its because they ARRrrrr!
I would have thought they would have prefered ARrrizonARrr but I suppose in UtARrr you have all those Mormon women who dress like Olde English servicing wenches and you can be married to lots of them at the same time and not get sent to the gallows. You have the ARrrches national park and of course Salt Lake city which I suppose sounds like a whole boat load of sea salty fun to a pirate but I am sure isnt.
On the down side not much Yo Ho Ho and a barrel of rum going to be going on with the alcohol control laws.
Bummer!
Sorry
I'll get my coat!
I tried to explain the answers to these on the phone during the interview, but I guess it didn't stick. Whatever the case, I feel the need to add my two cents' worth.
Rum is hard to come by in Utah. At least, good rum. My perusal of state liquor stores has turned up only a few of the more commercial varieties. And nothing beats a good Cruzan, I'm told. Of course, I don't really drink, so I can't really say. And no, I'm not a Mormon pirate, though speaking with the Mormons, I'm surprised they don't support us more. But not... you know... a lot. So, why call ourselves pirates?
The industry definition of what makes a pirate is ANYONE who copies anything that someone else made without permission. Therefore, anyone who speaks a language to be understood by anyone else is a pirate. The original people aren't here to ask, and I doubt highly that Oxford University (the main authority on the English language in all its forms) would be suing everyone in the English-speaking world for speaking English. It's not really irrelevant to equate this kind of limitation to free speech, because that's very much what this is all about on our side.
On the industry's side, it's all about THEIR bottom line. It's a war to preserve profit, plain and simple. It's a means to ensure that they get to continue choosing who is made a star, and it's a means to control a population who doesn't necessarily want to be controlled. We accept their epithet as a badge of honor.
As to the reasoning behind starting in Utah, this is also simple: diversity. We do honestly have a great deal of diversity in Utah--diversity which goes largely untapped because of the way that the political districts in Utah are set up. In addition, many of the people I've spoken to are convinced that their vote never has any meaning. Unifying these people could bring attention to their plights, as well.
In addition, what makes Utah a "no-brainer" is that the initial requirements are low, and there is a requirement for the party to continue to garner 2% of the popular vote each year. This means that if we succeed in Utah, our chances are better; however, if we fail, it doesn't mean that our chances elsewhere are worse. There isn't honestly a really negative side to starting in Utah. It's win-win.
Arrr. Save the world. Be a Pirate.
I believe the poster who claimed that "There is already a presidential candidate w/ similar views" is misinformed.
I have directly asked his campaign about his stance on so-called intellectual property, and the person answering the email, after repeated attempts, indicated complete support for the status quo with respect to copyright enforcement, patents, etc.
As much as we all might wish he had a better position on these issues, it appears that he does not. Just because a person is enlightened in one area, such as small government or the war in Iraq, or just because he is identified with libertarians, does not mean he is enlightened or what we might consider representing the ideal libertarian position in all his thoughts.