Joe Biden is sick idiot.
Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
91–100 of 100 posts
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
So, the only way out for anyone who wants to survive is to lobby? Seems like the only solution out to me. I've always had this problem with lobbying. If everyone has to lobby and I guess it mostly requires money these days then how is it not "legal bribing"?
Lobbying has always been legalized corruption, however it is better than actual corruption because it allows people to monitor the "bribes" (i.e. they're not hidden from everyone's eyes).
The key is to make the bribes matter less, by limiting the size and scope of government's power.
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lobbying has always been legalized corruption, however it is better than actual corruption because it allows people to monitor the "bribes" (i.e. they're not hidden from everyone's eyes).
The key is to make the bribes matter less, by limiting the size and scope of government's power.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, but it seems we've reached the point that not only can we not shrink the size and scope of government power, we can't even stop it from growing.
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#94This doesn't surprise me at all. As I've said before, including in reply to some hopeful comments regarding the Obama Administrtion's possibly intervening in the SOPA/PIPA fracas, Biden is a tool -- and a complete tool, in this regard.
Joe Biden: Tool. Perhaps his legacy, reduced to a single word. (Oh, and "trains!")
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#95The striking thing to me about the MU shutdown was the timing right after the defeat of SOPA. It was like the government wanted to teach "the people" a lesson for getting too uppity. Like "Oh, you think we can't shut down your websites just because we don't have this little law that you rose up against? Well watch this." With all the political uproar that was going on that week it would be surprising if the FBI had n…
The timing of the shutdown likely had more to do with:
(1) Megaupload suing Universal, in a lawsuit they were likely to win, and were then forced to drop the lawsuit after the raid.
(2) The raid happened just prior to Megaupload releasing a new service called MegaBox, which would allow artists to legally sell music directly to fans, allowing artists to keep 90% of the profits, as well as introducing a feature that allowed artists to make money off music that listeners were streaming for free.
It turns out the FBI had been spying MegaUpload for the past 5+ years
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57368523-261/feds-we-obtai...
With the fact that they don't have any evidence to present a case that there was actual illegal activity going on that required the raid, I would say it's more likely that the pressure for the raid to come when it did came directly from the entertainment industry / UMG.
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#96The Democrats have long been best friends with the Entertainment Industry, but so what? The Vice-President simply has no power to order anything more complex than pizza. He can suggest, plead, and implore, but someone else has to actually take the responsibility for the action and order something to occur. This is a discussion, not a Court of Law, so let me state my view clearly: Kim Dotcom created an extensive enter…
The Vice-President simply has no power to order anything more complex than pizza. Having the tie-breaking vote in the Senate is a very tangible power of the VPOTUS, especially when it is needed. I do agree that MU may be able to prove that it didn't break any laws, due to their minimal DMCA compliance. And, it is for that reason that higher powers in the US may have had to resort to illegal tactics to shut the websit…
Tie-breaking votes haven't been used since the Carter administration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tie-breaking_votes_cast...
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The cracks are starting to show in this veneer of innocence, with Chris Dodd earlier this year directly threatening to withhold donations based on SOPA, unless the Obama administration toes the line [2]. I don't get why this is any more of a problem than money in politics in general. If you give money based on how much you support a politician, and they change their positions, and now you agree less, you don't give…
> What's the alternative? Politicians' campaign spending is strictly limited by law: http://www.thenation.com/article/how-get-our-democracy-back
Right, "less money in politics" is a partial fix for the problems of money in politics. My point is that railing against what Dodd said is silly. I've no objection to proposals for fixing (or even just improving) the system as a whole.
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#98[deleted]
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
"the second most powerful office in the country". We are talking about the vice presidency here, correct?
I admit, that was a poor choice of words. How about second most visible, or second most prestigious? My point was that it's an enviable position, not least of which because it's a great stepping stone to becoming president. Actual political power aside.
"My point was that it's an enviable position,"
It's been described by someone who had that position as "not worth a bucket of warm spit".
"not least of which because it's a great stepping stone to becoming president."
This is actually pretty uncommon, in practice.
Anyway, in Biden's specific case, there's no way he'll be President. He probably won't be running for VP again.
Re: Kim Dotcom: Joe Biden Ordered the Megaupload Shutdown
#100The Democrats have long been best friends with the Entertainment Industry, but so what? The Vice-President simply has no power to order anything more complex than pizza. He can suggest, plead, and implore, but someone else has to actually take the responsibility for the action and order something to occur. This is a discussion, not a Court of Law, so let me state my view clearly: Kim Dotcom created an extensive enter…
> The Vice-President simply has no power to order anything more complex than pizza. He can suggest, plead, and implore, but someone else has to actually take the responsibility for the action and order something to occur. Although officially the office only has a couple of duties, a modern US VP has a bunch of roles and powers that are not outside of the law but not spelled out. Really, modern US VPs are kinda like c…
"Really, modern US VPs are kinda like co-presidents.
Modern VPs have only the powers and responsibilities allotted to them by the President. Cheney was an outlier, and was able to grab so much power because Bush was a moron, and agreed to it.