Comments on: Congress readies broad new digital copyright bill

Instead of reforming the controversial DMCA, the U.S. government seems poised to expand it in a sweeping proposal.

[Eskiegirl302]

We will see much more of....

This type of thing. As it stands now, I do not think that this bill will pass as it is not all encumbrancing. Meaning, that it does not apply world wide.

If you study what government is actually trying to do, which is to create a one world govt., then you can see it. China has recently been added to the map. China is noted for the nortorious spam it sends out. It is also the leader in encryption.

America is noted for being the consumer of technology. This is where our elite people come in.

India is noted for the development of software and is what they do best.

Who else do you know that is noted for one thing or another?

Bush is down to 29% in his ratings. Google for skull and bones, and the CBS online 60 minutes story of skull and bones. This will show you how he thinks. Another thing to see is the video Loose Change.

As you become aware of things the govt. is trying to do, you will realize that they are trying to create a one world govt.

If this is successful, then what kind of law will we have?
George Bush senior has clip about what it is and states in it that "We will be successful"

There is much more info on my website. You can find that here: http://Eskiegirl302.googlepages.com/

Wake up people! There is now a national ID card that some people in certain professions must have in order to cross borders.

There is also a chip which is being implanted in peoples hands for scanning. These chips have all your information on them. They say that in the future, if you do not have your chip implanted, you will not be able to trade goods, or make any money.

So this bill may just be some type of ploy to divert your attn. as to just what really is happening. Be aware of what your govt. is really doing. Find info on the Bilderberg. Visit political chat and pay attn. to what neighboring people in other countries are saying. You will begin to put the puzzle together.

Esk

[maxwis]

If One World Gov Is Run Like FEMA

I don't disagree that there are One World governors out there, or as I would call them One World Evildoers (OWE), but if they run the World like they run FEMA, or CalTrans, or the DMV, they will collapse under their own weight. Can you name one government agency in this country that actually seems to work well? Even the way my local 7-11 store is run puts these agencies to shame. Now, if you put 7-11, or Walmart in charge of OWE, then I would be worried.

[komradkyle]

dsigusting

This is seriosuly getting out of hand. This is NOT the land of the free anymore. What you say, do, watch, surf the net, phone call, and even read in the library is being monitored and controlled. Does anyone else see the Bush administration really similar to Mcarthyism and Communism? I sure do, this time thought big buisness has the support of the government to screw the little guy. Honestly HELP PEOPLE IN DARFUR they are getting raped, starved, and relocated in a mass genocide and what two years later after petitions we are helping them out!? FIND SOME REAL ISSUES AND FIGHT FOR THEM! leave our personal lives to us the person.

[Yet Another Mark Johnson]

Don't Just Post

Have you called them to speak up for the rights of the consumer? You can be sure they are getting calls from RIAA/MPAA!

202-225-8628 Lamar Smith
202-225-5101 James Sensenbrenner

Have you called YOUR representative? Find their phone number:
http://www.house.gov/

And please remember to be POLITE when expressing your position! You can be sure the RIAA/MPAA lobbyists are well-mannered when they speak to staff at congressmen's offices.

[mmormando]

Hit'em in the wallet

It all comes down to one thing, if we want these idiots to back off, all we have to do is quit buying from them, no more movies, music, books, nada. Let it go on for what I'm willing to bet would be an awfully short period of time and they'd be crying to whatever it took to bring people back to buying things from them again.

[209979377489953107664053243186]

Hmm... more wiretaps

Seems to be a fine line between protecting IP and granting government more license to spy on people and businesses. It's interesting, 23 states have data security requirements that include use of encryption in business e-transactions, but what's the use if records can be impounded? We should be safe from each other but not our government... huh. The best tactic is to be safe from both: http://www.essentialsecurity.com/products.htm

[I_Luv_Wob]

Did you know....

That someone convicted under this new bill will be getting a tougher sentance than child molesters convicted in Vermont?? No word of a lie, do the research, the average child molester in Vermont gets under three years... yet if you bootleg Doom 3, you can go to jail for a DECADE.

I'm a Republican that is ashamed of his party for trying to toady up to scum like the RIAA. I'd vote Democrat, but they gave us the NET act, so both parties are guilty.

[duggerdm]

Patently absurd - copy right infringement funding terrorism.

Does anyone else find the statement that Gonzales said, that proceeds from the illicit (copyright infringement) businesses are used, "quite frankly, to fund terrorism activities." - patently absurd. Please - anyone out there, name one case ever where the illegal gains from copy right violations have been documented and prosecuted as used to fund terrorism. What is Gonzales now - the designated moron whipping boy to sacrifice to the press in order to take public focus off long over due realization that their president has lost all credibility - in the US and world wide? (The rest of the world knew it long before the "mainstream" US population.) Or, does Bush now have serious competition in his administration for most vacuous intellect.

[rfielding]

even if there is some funding discovered...

true. funding terrorism is already totally illegal, so why isn't that the yardstick that the penalties are measured by?

if you make penalties for piracy really really harsh, then duh: only people with the resources to hide a criminal enterprise will attempt to jump into the market; so it's a self-fulfilling prophecy created in part by the penalties themselves.

but really, this is aimed at people downloading illegally...people who are not making money for anybody (remember that argument?) this is like how anti-hacking laws seem to implicitly charge you with everything you *might* do by treating the act of hopping on open WIFIs as a sure bet that you are downloading illegal stuff and conducting espionage against the government.

We will see intellectual property laws come back to bite the the very people lobbying to have them be this strict. Just imagine the bill's own authors losing their houses because of their teenage children, getting extorted by hordes of patent trolls, or IP auditors getting you every time you work around bugs and licensing induced problems, or the hidden costs of making sure that nobody at the company *ever* violates IP rules under any circumstances.

the point is to bring down IP violations to a level where the economy on the whole remains healthy. 0% piracy at the cost of lots of IP prisoners and a small number of companies holding all the cards would not in the end resemble capitalism or a free market. BigCompanies/BigGovernment is where it leads.

[Earl Benzar]

Idiocy Unbounded

> Or, does Bush now have serious competition in his
>administration for most vacuous intellect.

In a word: yes. Can we start impeachment now please?

[AECRADIO]

Copyright/terrorism....

Just as Comrade Bush claimed Iraq and Osama were partners, this is just another lie invented to make the people fall in behind, and lock step Bush's plans.

Bush will link ANYTHING to terrorism if he thinks it will give him soem form of leverage.

Comrade Bush IS the lie, and sad for us, WE have to deal with this MORON on a daily basis.

May he die of heart failure!

When this dictator dies, the nation shall once again be free!

Laws 'he' created will be removed, politicians will lose their jobs and the government WILL be downsized to PRE WWII size, AND it will no longer serve its own agenda, but wil be forced to serve US ONLY from that point forward!

It's REVOLUTION TIME FOLKS!!!

Time to REBUILD this nation the way WE WANT IT!!

[AECRADIO]

Copyright/terrorism....

Just as Comrade Bush claimed Iraq and Osama were partners, this is just another lie invented to make the people fall in behind, and lock step Bush's plans.

Bush will link ANYTHING to terrorism if he thinks it will give him soem form of leverage.

Comrade Bush IS the lie, and sad for us, WE have to deal with this MORON on a daily basis.

May he die of heart failure!

When this dictator dies, the nation shall once again be free!

Laws 'he' created will be removed, politicians will lose their jobs and the government WILL be downsized to PRE WWII size, AND it will no longer serve its own agenda, but wil be forced to serve US ONLY from that point forward!

It's REVOLUTION TIME FOLKS!!!

Time to REBUILD this nation the way WE WANT IT!!

[AECRADIO]

Copyright/terrorism....

Just as Comrade Bush claimed Iraq and Osama were partners, this is just another lie invented to make the people fall in behind, and lock step Bush's plans.

Bush will link ANYTHING to terrorism if he thinks it will give him some form of leverage.

Comrade Bush IS the lie, and sad for us, WE have to deal with this MORON on a daily basis.

May he die of heart failure!

When this dictator dies, the nation shall once again be free!

Laws 'he' created will be removed, politicians will lose their jobs and the government WILL be downsized to PRE WWII size, AND it will no longer serve its own agenda, but wil be forced to serve US ONLY from that point forward!

It's REVOLUTION TIME FOLKS!!!

Time to REBUILD this nation the way WE WANT IT!!

[AECRADIO]

Copyright/terrorism....

Just as Comrade Bush claimed Iraq and Osama were partners, this is just another lie invented to make the people fall in behind, and lock step Bush's plans.

Bush will link ANYTHING to terrorism if he thinks it will give him some form of leverage.

Comrade Bush IS the lie, and sad for us, WE have to deal with this MORON on a daily basis.

May he die of heart failure!

When this dictator dies, the nation shall once again be free!

Laws 'he' created will be removed, politicians will lose their jobs and the government WILL be downsized to PRE WWII size, AND it will no longer serve its own agenda, but wil be forced to serve US ONLY from that point forward!

It's REVOLUTION TIME FOLKS!!!

Time to REBUILD this nation the way WE WANT IT!!

[Zymurgist]

Anything that makes money can support terrorism.

Namely, turning a profit could support
terrorism. Liquid assets could be given away to
anyone. Let's face it, most of the money that
does go to support terrorist causes comes from
legally gotten funds later funneled to the
cause. While crime may make some percentage of
the funding, it's widely believed that it's
legitimate businesses and individuals are the
principle sources of funding.

No, the "funding terrorism" statement is a red
herring. It's simply an easy way to justify
something not otherwise justifiable at the
expense of the electorate.

[TBurt2006]

I will remember....

Any congress person or memeber of the house that votes for this bill will not receive my support during their next election run.

[Freedom Please]

PLAN: Information Control

Now that we have a country where 99% of it's wealth is controlled by the top 1%, it's only logical they want tight controls on digital information as well.

We must send a strong message election day.

[wiz420]

Republicans are a huge problem...

...I just wish Democrats had anything resembling a solution. We better just hold our nose and vote though, at the very least we disrupt the express train to hell we're riding now.

[jimkress_35]

No, Politicians and bureaucrats are the huge problem.

No, Politicians and bureaucrats are the huge problem.

There is no distinguishable difference between the majority of the Democrats and the majority of the Republicans.

They are all Liberals who only desire to enlarge the power and authority of the State. They aspire to be viewed as the 21st Century versions of Lenin and Marx.

Remember, if you pass a huge number of laws then you can better control the people because when you have that many laws, someone will always be in violation of at least one so you always have cause to arrest anyone.

[AJCAL]

Damn right

Anything is better than a village idiot and his money-grubbing cronies pandering to big business! Unfortunately a lot of the damage has already been done - I hope all the past-republican voters have realized their ignorance and stupidity and are ready to vote for a change in course!

[AECRADIO]

The third reich, bush style!

Here's juat another method of WASTING MY MONEY!

Bush is doing all he can to PROTECT BIG BUSINESS and STRANGLE THE REST!

IMPEACHMENT is the ONLY way to RID OURSELVES of this MONSTER!

How many more things will become 'federal crimes' under this moron?

How many more americans will be imprisoned under this moron?

How many rights are we going to lose and get wiped away under this moron?

It's time to FIGHT FORE WITH FIRE!!

Any petitions ready for signatures?
Anybody want mine, you can get it IF it's to EXPAND OUR RIGHTS but NOT if it's to protect big business.

Every week, it's news of more laws, more restrictions, more DESECRATION OF OUR RIGHTS!

With gas on the rise daily, and these 'new' powers for 'only' federal 'law' enforcement agencies, is it any wonder just WHO really controls our freedoms and rights?

I hate to say it, but it's time for another civil war...this moron has overstepped his constitutional powers and effectively placed this nation under a DICTATORSHIP, which is ILLEGAL under the declaration of independence and the constitution!!

His wiretapping is ILLEGAL, hsi ABUSE of OUR citizens is ILLEGAL, hsi TORTURE of people is TYRRANY and Bush MUST be IMPRISONED for TREASON AND WAR CRIMES!!!

I DEMAND LIFE IN PRISON FOR GEORGE BUSH WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE!!!

May he NEVER see freedom again!!

BUSH IS THE TERRORIST OF THE WORLD!!

What other president has INVADED, KILLED, MURDERED and ENSLAVED more sovereign nations than GEORGE W. BUSH????

WORLD TERRORIST!

ALDOLPH HITLER OF THE U.S.A!

Channeling money to ANY politician for 'favors' by ANY corporation, business or individual MUST be considered: HIGH CRIMES AND TREASON!

Thsi is necessary to keep corporate america LOCKED OUT of the political arena, and effectively PREVENT buying any politician at any time and for any reason!

The R.I.A.A is a TERRORIST organization, and now bush wants to give them police popwers to confiscate YOUR property, IF they 'think' it 'may' be copyrighted?

Will they now allow the R.I.A.A to carry guns, badges and handcuffs as well?

They better stay away from MY property, that's for certain...I'll shoot back!

I WILL defend MY life and property to the extent I need to, and ANY use of forced entry onto MY property or into my home WILL be considered an ACT OF WAR and INVASION!

I will take the steps necessary to DEFEND my life and property from ANYBODY that assumes to have some power above my rights!

NO LAWS supercede my rights...NONE!

And NO company will ever get into or on to my property, let alone take what I own....NEVER!!!!

Their attack methods are to destroy everybody one at a time...don't let them do this!

Join forces enmasse and repel them enmasse as well!

When a government becomes too powerful and begins to force illegal laws and creates a nation of terror, it is the RIGHT AND DUTY of EVERY CITIZEN TO PUT DOWN THAT ACTION!

That is in the constitution of THIS nation!
It is a RIGHT and NOT a 'privilege' granted to anybody, and it can NEVER be revoked or denied!!

This current 'government' we are dealing with is destructive and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up!

I have absolutelt\y NO faith or trust in the government, and will never trust anything the government says or does, it's all ben nothing but LIES and DECEIPT since day-one of the bush 'regime'.

Has this moron done anything to LIMIT the SPYWARE on your computers, or the SPAM you get?

NO!

Has Bush made it a federal crime to knowingly INFECT any computer without the owner's knowledge or consent?

NO!

Has bush made it a federal crimeto snoop into your Email, your hard drives or any personal information that pertains to you by ANY business or organization?

NO!

Bush has done NOTHING to protect the american people, ONLY given 'federal' protection to BIG BUSINESS and CORPORATE AMERICA!

THAT'S who he gets protectionist laws enacted for...BUSINESS and BIG MONEY of CORPORATE AMERICA!

The time has come to wipe the federal slate CLEAN and start over with a LEGAL form of government the PEOPLE need, not only what's 'available' from a list of a select few!

[bobj123]

Um...

...hows about you calm down? Reguardless of Bush and his policies, you really need to consider the simply fact that nothing is ever completed alone.

[AJCAL]

moron?...

Calling Bush a moron insults all the morons of this world!

[R. U. Sirius]

It's not Just Bush

You have to hold the entire GOP leadership responsible for where we are today. That includes Bush, but also his adminstration, Hastert, Frist, and the key congressional Republican leaders. They've had carte blanche over the government now for five years and have proven themselves to be fiscally, morally, and ethically bankrupt.

[JonB.]

The third reich, Bush style! Me Foot

This mess is not Bush and the Republicans making, the
Democrats are just as deep into the abridgment of our rights as
they are. Remember the DMCA was not concocted by the
Republicans, it's was with all of the politicians, left and right. It
didn't become law without being voted on by Congress. Soon
we'll have to address each other as comrade or some other PC
acceptable term. Vote these guys out and vote in people who
aren't over the edge or in some special interests' pocket.

[JonB.]

The third reich, Bush style! My Foot

This mess is not Bush and the Republicans making, the
Democrats are just as deep into the abridgment of our rights as
they are. Remember the DMCA was not concocted by the
Republicans, it's was with all of the politicians, left and right. It
didn't become law without being voted on by Congress. Soon
we'll have to address each other as comrade or some other PC
acceptable term. Vote these guys out and vote in people who
aren't over the edge or in some special interests' pocket.

[eclectitech]

Constitution - Bill of Rights

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor EXCESSIVE FINES IMPOSED, NOR CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS INFLICTED.

[AECRADIO]

Constitution and bill of rights...

You're quoting from a useless document these days, Herr Bush even said so!

According to Comrade Bush, NOTHING is 'excessive'.

Not to mention under his form of 'government', we have NO rights, as they are ALL 'privileges' according to his understanding of the bill of rights.

You must have missed th efine print our forefathers placed in the wording....Here it is, with 100 power magnification:

No branch of government shall be bound under the definitions within the constitution, bill of rights nor shall these documents be used to convey rights retained solely by the people, but shall be interpreted as only rights retained by all branches of the federal government and it's territories it overpowers and terrorizes by acts of war, attrition and depredation.

Comrade Bush IS the TERRORIST!
Who are the others we NEED to go after as well?

McCarthyism all over again, in REVERSE this time!

I'll be sure to NOT buy ANY records, CD's or DVDs from now on!

Screw me...>SCREW YOU!!

NO MORE......NEVER!!!

R.I.A.A....just TRY to force your way into MY house...I DARE YOU!

I WILL take you into custody, empty your pockets and copy ALL your personal information, read all your cellphone numbers, your driver's license info, your 'SS' card...(curious as to why THOSE two letters were chosen?

You wil be handcuffed and placed under arrest for criminal trespass and destruction criminal destruction of property, and ANYTHING ELSE I can have the attorneys come up with as well.

Stay safe....KEEP OUT OR ELSE!!!

NO further warnings will be issued!

[imnothief]

Just what we need: Another way for your property to be 'confiscated.

"Creates civil asset forfeiture penalties for anything used in copyright piracy. Computers or other equipment seized must be "destroyed" or otherwise disposed of, for instance at a government auction. Criminal asset forfeiture will be done following the rules established by federal drug laws."
Crooked cops are already planting drugs so they can get really nice cars. Now they have another club to hold us up with: and there doesn't even have to be any real copyright infringement.

[Earl Benzar]

I noticed that

Interesting how the party of "smaller government" and "property rights" is adhering to neither concept.

[Zymurgist]

If you make interfering with fair-use copyright infringement...

Then the copyrights to DRM'd works are in
jeopardy.

[imnothief]

Just what we need: Another way for your property to be 'confiscated.

"Creates civil asset forfeiture penalties for anything used in copyright piracy. Computers or other equipment seized must be "destroyed" or otherwise disposed of, for instance at a government auction. Criminal asset forfeiture will be done following the rules established by federal drug laws."
Crooked cops are already planting drugs so they can get really nice cars. Now they have another club to hold us up with: and there doesn't even have to be any real copyright infringement.

[AJCAL]

if you don't like it - GET OUT AND VOTE !

Just another reason for people to realize that if you don't do anything, then s**t will happen. Stop thinking you "can't make a difference". Every vote counts. Next time - exercise your right to VOTE!

Otherwise, you'll have no right to comlain when these politicians only bend over for the highest bidder.

[rderveloy]

Only in swing territories.

The problem with voting is that your vote doesn't really count unless you're in a swing territory.

Don't get me wrong, everyone should go out and vote. However, if you live in a place where nearly everyone else thinks opposite of you, then your vote is not going to make any difference.

I live in a place where nearly everyone has a ?W The president? sticker on their car. It is almost something out of the ?Twilight Zone?. People like to believe that they think for themselves, but it?s amazing how much of a herd mentality there is in America.

I was shocked that friends of mine would say, ?I?m voting for Bush just because he?s the republican candidate.? It?s as almost as if they couldn?t think for themselves. I?m not saying that they should have voted for the democratic party or any other party, just that they vote on the candidate.

It?s fairly obvious that Bush isn?t a republican. He keeps increasing the size of the government and adding new laws that bypass people?s rights. One of the keystones of Republican beliefs is smaller government.

People should not only get out and vote, but they should think for themselves and vote for the candidate that best represents their personal views.

[baswwe]

VOTE FOR WHO???

we are no longer a free nation

[longtimeconsumer]

Buying Music for 50 years

I have been buying music in the form of 45rpm 33 1/3 rpm records, 8 track tapes,casette tapes and CDs over a 50 year period of time. What I would like to know is: Have I been paying for the actual physical media only, or have I only been paying for the right to listen to the music in it's original pristine form, or both? Would an expert please explain this to me. Here is the reason for my question: Say, for example, I paid 99 cents for a 45rpm record in 1960. BTW that is about the going price then for a 45rpm. Now if I want to listen to this record 46 years later, assuming that I still have a functioning record player, it will not sound as good as it did the first time I played it. That may be because the actual record may have been played thousands of times and therefore gets worn and the quality is no longer there. So do I still own the right to listen to the music on this record in it's original pristine quality? If so, why should I have to pay 99 cents again to listen to this song as many times as I want to? I have thousands of records,tapes and CDs. Maybe all of us long time consumers should catalog our collections and demand a replacement for all of the music that we have purchased the right to listen to, but is no longer playable because all of these forms of media are defective because they are subject to scratches on records and CDs and magnetic fields erasing the quality on tapes. I won't hold my breath, but it could throw a wrench in the gears of the recording industry.

[R. U. Sirius]

Fair Use

What you're really talking about is the concept of "Fair Use." You paid for a piece of music, so under fair use principles you should be entitled to make copies and listen to it on different media.

This proposed law would make such an action a crime because the RIAA is on record as saying that you have no right to back up or create different formats for purchased music.

Assuming you have a CD collection, formatting that entire collection for use on your iPod would constitute a felony.

Similarly, if you have a CD which has copy protection on it, it will be a felony to bypass the DRM to load it on your iPod.

So basically what they are saying is if you want it on cassette, CD, and mp3, you buy the same song three times or go to jail. They have the right to track your every move on the web. They have the right to confiscate your computer if you're accused of a violation (not convicted, simply accused).

The congress is doing its level best to make this the United States of Fascist America where justice exists only for corporations.

[!stevenc]

You THOUGHT you bought it!

The next step will be the official confiscation and destruction of all examples of music recorded using obsolete technology (analog recordings of any kind, since they are too hard to trace and control)! Following that, an official "posession certificate" will be issued for each digital recording purchased in the U.S.A. (recordings from other countries probably contain coded information meant for terrorists, and are thus prohibited!) and this certificate must be visibly posted in any premises where the recording is played. Home operation of devices capable of recording sound will require that a permit be issued for each use of same, listing in detail EXACTLY what will be recorded, from what source, and the names of all individuals (who, of course, must be U.S. citizens!) involved in the recording, and all this information will be entered in an official database. Needless to say, it will be illegal to copy any existing sound recording, even one you made yourself!

We have ways of making you talk...
--Firesign Theater

[ckerr]

50 Years of Media

Thank you for that, it made me realize how much 'old' music I have around the home......

I like the point you make about the music ownership~vs~physcial medai ownership. However, if 'they' have thier way, you wont even be able to 'own' music anymore. You will have to rent it and pay-per-listen. After all, we consumers can't be trusted with thier valuable property. We might try and steal it or something........

And, we have the Fax machine to blame for this. Well, I will be more current and say we have our Cell Phones to blame for this. We all happily chat away on our cell phones that we rent air-time to use. That rental model is looking really good to some other industries right now.
I think I want to start charging rent to the record companies for taking up so much of my house with thier old players. Vinyl is heavy!

[wanorris]

Do your patriotic duty

Write a self-encrypting computer virus, then sue the s--- out of anyone who develops an antivirus tool to stop it. After all, that virus is your intellectual property, and no one else has any right to study or decrypt it.

[Xalorous]

a list of current products which would break the current law

"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.

[jcourage]

Congressman Smith and Copyrights

I'm John Courage and I'm running for Congress in Texas CD-21 in opposition to Lamar Smith. For those of you who may not know his record, Smith is an extreme right wing Tom DeLay lackey, and a poster child for his corporate friends. Smith has authored and pushed some of the most egregious legislation as the chair of several House Judiciary Committee subcommittees over the past 10 years. He wrote some really bad immigration legislation in 1996 that the courts have had to straighten out. He has sponsored and cosponsored a plethora of frivolous lawsuit/tort reform legislation including a bill pending before Congress today that would limit peoples access to the courts, and he is now pushing some really dangerous copyright and patent legislation that will end fair use and make criminals of most serious net users. On top of all that he wants tocome Chairman of the full house Judiciary Committee. Most people in the legal community feel that would be a disaster for the Congress and the country.
Help me get rid of Smith. He has been there going on 20 years and we know it's time for a change in Congress. You can visit my website at www.CourageforCongress.org and learn more about me and how you can help.
A great way to help is to contribute to my campaign and encourage all of your friends and associates to do the same.
Feel free to contact me through our website.

John Courage

[!stevenc]

I got a little problem...

No, 40,000 of 'em, to be exact! I have a half-vast collection of old 78rpm records...and right now I can legally copy all but about 1% or so of them...post them to the Internet (you US-ians can't legally listen to them, but I can't tell if you do...)...copy them to CD-R and sell the result as a CD...or whatever. Here in Canada, a sound recording falls into the public domain at the end of the year 50 years after the year in which it was originally "published."

Now, I can't do any of that after I cross the St. Lawrence (or any of my copies do)...in fact, I'm not sure if I'm even legal when I *listen* to these old records, since I bought almost all of them as used merchandise!

Besides, by listening to these old records (on a 40-year-old "record player") I am clearly depriving the major U.S. record labels...an important part of the U.S. economy...of the potential sales of NEW recordings I might purchase!
On da otha hen...unlike Dubya, I'm a bona fide veteran...four years and two months in the USAF!