hi. my name is erin.

19:47 23rd Jan 2012

Notes: 10

WhiteHouse.gov Petition: Investigate Chris Dodd & the MPAA For Bribery

entropicflux:

“Investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for bribery after he publicly admited to bribing politicans to pass legislation.

Recently on FOX News former Senator Chris Dodd said (as quoted on news site TechDirt), “Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,” This is an open admission of bribery and a threat designed to provoke a specific policy goal. This is a brazen flouting of the “above the law” status people of Dodd’s position and wealth enjoy.

We demand justice. Investigate this blatant bribery and indict every person, especially government officials and lawmakers, who is involved.”

Fewer than 5,000 signatures required. C’mon, US citizens.

Chris Dodd is the ACTUAL WORST, you guys. He was the chair of the Senate banking committee from 2007 - 2011, and is also the NUMBER ONE recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (companies who fell under the regulatory authority of the committee).

During Senate hearings on whether or not a full investigation should be launched into the practices of the companies and their financial stability (the sub-prime mortgages, etc), he ~~perjured himself~~ testified that they were “fundamentally strong.”

Also, in 2003 he got a VIP refinance deal with Countrywide on his two homes at a rate that has never been publicly revealed, but was below the market rate available to any other regular customer. Then in 2008, after Countrywide filed for bankruptcy (since Countrywide basically invented sub-prime mortgages, they were especially hard hit when the housing bubble popped), Chris Dodd was one of the first in the Senate to propose Federal bailouts for all the lending institutions.

Reminder: Chris Dodd is a slimeball!! The petition has met its minimum, but more signatures == more support, so if you haven’t signed yet, please do so!

Recently on FOX News former Senator Chris Dodd said (as quoted on news site TechDirt), “Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,” This is an open admission of bribery and a threat designed to provoke a specific policy goal. This is a brazen flouting of the “above the law” status people of Dodd’s position and wealth enjoy.

We demand justice. Investigate this blatant bribery and indict every person, especially government officials and lawmakers, who is involved.”

Fewer than 5,000 signatures required. C’mon, US citizens.

23:05 19th Jan 2012

Reblogged from schubertiade

Tags: intellectual property political fuckery

Way to go, Internet! The so-called “blackout” yesterday was DEFINITELY the MOST important copyright thing happening.

schubertiade:

heloiseagrippina:

Supreme Court upholds copyright law protecting foreign works once freely available.

The justices said in a 6-2 decision Wednesday that Congress acted within its power when it extended protection to works that had been in the public domain. The law’s challengers complained that community orchestras, academics and others who rely on works that are available for free have effectively been priced out of performing “Peter and the Wolf” and other pieces that had been mainstays of their repertoires.

This is a better, more descriptive WSJ article on it…however, you may need a subscription to read it.

Foreign Copyrights Upheld: Court Backs Reciprocal International Protection for Previously Public Material

Oh, and again, SOPA/PIPA is about copyright and Intellectual Property rights. Censorship is just the only way the tech companies could fire up the masses.

Thank you. Everyone screaming CENSORSHIP is sort of missing the main point. Though I think censorship is another important issue, it’s just not the only thing at stake.

16:35 28th Jan 2009

Tags: feminism political fuckery

we all got up to dance, but we never got the chance.

Amanda Hess via Jezebel.

Palin killed “feminist” not by altering the meaning of the word—its meaning has never remained consistent in a century of use—but by eliminating its taboo. Whatever “feminist” meant, it was a strong, scary term, one often prefaced with “man-hating” and followed by “bitch” and/or “Nazi.” Its power as insult was matched only by its usefulness as a community-shaping litmus test. If you would self-identify as a feminist, with all its negative connotations, you proved your commitment to the women’s movement; if not, you were part of the problem. In some respects, feminism was justified by its vile reputation: If the very name of the movement scared people, it meant that it was still relevant.

I have a real problem with this kind of attitude. Is your goal as a feminist to be perceived as dangerous (and therefore inherently powerful), or is it to work in favour of securing equal rights for women? Should it be one thing or the other?

Is your goal as a feminist to be relevant, or to affect a change? Can one preclude the other?

A movement becomes irrelevant when the individuals invested in it become more invested in the label and the symbolic power of the movement’s ideology than in the goal of the movement itself.

When you’re more entranced by the idea of being scary than the idea of spreading your message, you might want to reexamine your motives.