Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Yet another example of how completely out of control the Republicans have become.
They want to outlaw my TIVO.
That’s right, the big advertisers don’t like it that I fast forward over their commercials, so now theyre going to make it illegal for me to not watch them.
That last sentence wasn’t exaggerated for ironic effect. They want to make it illegal for me to skip past commercials.
How you say? Well it all came about when this right wing company didn’t like movies with boobies and bad words, so they invented a DVD player that would skip over all of it for the kiddies. The MPAA didn’t like that since they thought it was a form of “censorship”. Personally I don’t see what the big deal is. When I watch Return of the Jedi I always skip the “offensive” parts with ewoks. So what?
So some Republicans slipped in a bill inside the big omnibus Intellectual Property Protection Act that would make this booby skipping stuff legal.
All fine and good. But then, since Republicans are shameless valueless whores who will do whatever theyre told to keep their grip on power, they inserted language in the bill that says you can skip the titties, but you cannot skip past commercials.
Still think im exaggerating?
Heres the actual paragraph they snuck into the bill:
(11) the making imperceptible, by or at the direction of a member of a private household, of limited portions of audio or video content of a motion picture during a performance in or transmitted to that household for private home viewing, from an authorized copy of the motion picture, or the creation or provision of a computer program or other technology that enables such making imperceptible and that is designed and marketed for such use at the direction of a member of a private household, if--
`(A) no fixed copy of the altered version of the motion picture is created by such computer program or other technology; and
`(B) no changes, deletions or additions are made by such computer program or other technology to commercial advertisements, or to network or station promotional announcements, that would otherwise be performed or displayed before, during or after the performance of the motion picture.
And so it begins.
On Friday, nine female Senators, including Olympia Snowe (R-ME), sent a letter to chair of the Appropriations Committee Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), requesting that the language of the clause be changed and protesting the fact that the Federal Refusal Clause had not been discussed in committee, nor had it been put to a vote on the Senate floor. According to the women Senators, the clause, sponsored by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL), would “allow a broad range of health-care companies refuse to comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations pertaining to abortion services.
Women of America, these people control your womb.
Monday, November 22, 2004
