Comment Re:Be very careful of how glibly you take this.... (Score 1) 400
Excellent comment among many here. With the huge corporate monies available to fight file sharing, I, too, expect we will see a long and continual media campaign (including news/feature stories taking the "Bronfman side") about the "dangers" of not only Napster and similar file sharers, but of the Internet itself - along the lines of the scare commercials for cable theft.
Bronfman is scary in that he invoked patriotism in this "battle" over the hearts and minds and pocketbooks of the internet users. Never a good thing. There are way too many people out there who still don't "get" the internet or computers and would just as soon be counted among the "patriots" than that of the scoundrels who are "stealing" stuff off the internet. Name calling, unfortunately, works to those who are afraid of the unknown, and Bronfman's so called ramblings should be taken seriously. He is a man who can throw money at judges, and/or, by his "stature" as a corporate man, intimidate the legislature of this nation into bending to his way of thinking.
And while he is dead wrong, he certainly has his own priorities straight - Wage a "war" on those who are interferring or will interfere or are perceived to interfere with his corporations' cash flow. This war is waged with bucks and influence peddling on Capitol Hill where policy is set and laws are made. Often those laws aren't made for you and me; they're made for them and their corporations. In order for this war to be "won," public opinion must be swayed which hence further sways Congress to their way of thinking.
And America loves a war - who is it that has a comedy routine on war, is that Carlin? War on Crime; War on Drugs; War on Poverty - and now War on Warez; War on Internet Pirates.
We are virtually powerless to affect policy given what it takes to do so, but we hold the keys to the internet. While Daddy may tell us how to drive the car, we ARE the car, and ultimately the likes of Bronfman and Company will fail.
But not before many have been sacrificed. I think we should take Bronfman at his word. If it is war he wants - well, he declared it, and its time to take up arms and begin to seriously fight the battles to come.
Bronfman is scary in that he invoked patriotism in this "battle" over the hearts and minds and pocketbooks of the internet users. Never a good thing. There are way too many people out there who still don't "get" the internet or computers and would just as soon be counted among the "patriots" than that of the scoundrels who are "stealing" stuff off the internet. Name calling, unfortunately, works to those who are afraid of the unknown, and Bronfman's so called ramblings should be taken seriously. He is a man who can throw money at judges, and/or, by his "stature" as a corporate man, intimidate the legislature of this nation into bending to his way of thinking.
And while he is dead wrong, he certainly has his own priorities straight - Wage a "war" on those who are interferring or will interfere or are perceived to interfere with his corporations' cash flow. This war is waged with bucks and influence peddling on Capitol Hill where policy is set and laws are made. Often those laws aren't made for you and me; they're made for them and their corporations. In order for this war to be "won," public opinion must be swayed which hence further sways Congress to their way of thinking.
And America loves a war - who is it that has a comedy routine on war, is that Carlin? War on Crime; War on Drugs; War on Poverty - and now War on Warez; War on Internet Pirates.
We are virtually powerless to affect policy given what it takes to do so, but we hold the keys to the internet. While Daddy may tell us how to drive the car, we ARE the car, and ultimately the likes of Bronfman and Company will fail.
But not before many have been sacrificed. I think we should take Bronfman at his word. If it is war he wants - well, he declared it, and its time to take up arms and begin to seriously fight the battles to come.
