Copyright insanity of home photos

Wendy Seltzer has blogged over on Corante.com some stories of copyright insanity. Apparently, people have reported that Kodak's Ofoto and Wally-world is refusing to allow people to access their own photographs because "they look like a professional took the picture" fearing that people are infringing on copyrights.

Here's the link:

A Photofinish for Copyright's Unintended Consequences

Law Enforcement for profit

THE TICKET-
So last November, I was on my way to work (the day before Thanksgiving). I was driving on Mopac (a highway here), under the speed limit in the open left lane. I came upon a pack of cars in the middle and right lane and was about to pass them when the last car (a little mustang) in the middle lane cuts in front of me just as I catch up. I almost nailed him because he cut so close! Anyway, I hit the cluch and slow downed and started to develop room between him and me when he realizes WHY THE PACK HAD FORMED.... There was a cop driving WAY BELOW the speed limint causing the pack with a bunch of panty-waists fearing to pass him! The mustang realizes that there's a cop and hits the brakes (for I don't know what reason since we were BELOW the speed limit) and I get close again.

So to make this a shorter story, the cop pulls ME and GIVES ME THE TICKET for following too close - non-collision. When I explain to him what happened, he said that he didn't care! It was obvious that he wanted his quota (which everyone knows doesn't exist).

LET'S MAKE A DEAL-
Texas has you come in about a month after a violation where they play "Let's Make a Deal". The prosecutor offers a Reduced Fine + Court Cost + Driving Class IF you plead guilty. If not, they threaten to try and get the maximum penality (for making them go to court). I told the prosecutor that that was a bad ticket and I wanted it dismissed right there and he told me that he couldn't and that if we had to go to court, he'd have to go for the full penality. I said, let's go to court!

After that, the judge explained that I had two options, a trial by judge or a trial by jury. He was nice enough to explain that a trial by jury could extend several days (if your case wasn't called immediately) and that I'd have to miss work and pay my attorney for each day. Obviously, the trial by judge was the better option so I chose that.

Well, I hired a lawyer and he explained the "trial by judge scam":

1) Apparently, jury trials CAN take several days but, it rarely happens
2) Juries tend to side with the defendants whereas judges tend to side with the cops!
3) In a jury trial 6 people judge you and if 1 finds you not-guilty, you're not guilty! In a judge trial, you are judged by one person (the guy who usually sides with the cop)

So, the Austin Judicial system snookered me!

My lawyer changed the trial to a jury trial and we had it yesterday....

MY DAY IN COURT-
Here's why I'm ticked- I went to court, and was the second person which the prosecutor dismissed charges against!

Why am I unhappy about that??? BECAUSE, it was the same prosecutor that played "Let's Make a Deal" with me and wouldn't drop the charge earlier!    I wanted to scream at him- "What new evidence did you find that now tells you that it was a bad ticket that you didn't have when we first met!?!?!

So, due to the system trying to pressure me into paying-up, I am out $150 for the lawyer, $14 for parking and TWO vacation days from work when they KNEW I wasn't guilty!!!!

The whole system is not about justice, it's about making people criminals for money! This law enforcement for profit has me STEAMED!!!

Very confused people - Libertarian Communists

"The libcom group is a small collective of libertarian communists based in and around London"

Libertarians believe in personal freedom and minimal government whereas Communists believe in the restriction of personal freedoms and the increase of government control for the benefit of a group. (of course, the group that ends up benefiting in Communist organizations are always the leaders and their families.)

The tolerant, anti-hate people are being intolerant and vitrolic.... AGAIN!

It seems that the people whom look down their noses at others the most and are always admonishing others for being intolerant and hateful are, of course, showing their true colors again...


The very liberal Randi Rhodes aired this clip on her Air America show:

"A spoiled child [insinuating President Bush] is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer you ungrateful whelp." Four audio clips of gunshots were then broadcast, followed by the warning, "Just try it, you little bastard," and the sound of a gun being cocked.

I find it funny that the people most vocal about hate are usually the ones most full of it...

Illegal Immigration - The Solution...

On the radio this morning, the subject of illegals came up and of course, the normal "there's no way to stop them" was said, along with "there's too many to round up". These statements are 100% wrong and lies.

Illegals come to the US for one thing - money (in some form or another). The way to stop them is to eradicate the incentive for them to come.

Then comes the question of: How do you eradicate the incentive? - EASY!
START ENFORCING THE LAWS PROHIBITING PEOPLE FROM HIRING ILLEGALS!

The entire US is covered by laws that makes it illegal for companies and individuals from hiring illegals. The problem is, no one is enforcing them! The government could make a BUNDLE of money if they would just start fining businesses (and individuals) which do not check their employees immigration status and hires illegals.

If businesses (and individuals) were to start getting caught and fined, you'd see the illegals problem go away!

The "Tolerance" and "No-Hate" people are again showing their intolerance and hatred

Even before Pope Benedict XVI is fully installed as the Pope, various liberals have already started to label him and exclaim his 'wrongness' for the job.

The same people, who believe they are morally superior to everyone, that are always preaching that people should not pre-judge, be intolerant and/or have hatred, are the exact people showing their prejudice, non-tolerance and hate.

Please note a typical media trick- instead of saying the truth that Benedict XVI was forced into Hitler's Youth Brown Shirts (at age 14) and he soon quit, they will say something like "Some have questioned whether the new pope betrayed any pro-Nazi sentiment during his teenage years in Germany during World War II." which equates him to the Nazis without reflecting his true hatred of them.

BTW, the above nazi quote comes from:
Pope Benedict XVI gets mixed reviews locally - By PORSCHA RADFORD and the Associated Press - http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2005/04/21/news/news4.txt


Here's the links-

Commentary: Benedict abused as 'nazi pope'-
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050421-050120-7643r

German paper outraged at British coverage of 'Nazi' pope-
http://beta.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050421/wl_uk_afp/vaticanpopegermanybritain_050421100003

Germans, Brits spar over pope-
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wogerm0422,0,7449705,print.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

US Border Agents catch Brazilians - Big Whoop!

KGRVTV reports: "Border busts yield 147 illegal Brazilians"

The summary: "In just three hours, authorities arrested 147 Brazilians across Hidalgo County. Five different groups of Brazilian immigrants were caught"

Proudly they added: "... but it shows the success they are having as they secure the borders." - which is really not anything to be proud of because the Brazilians were probably the only ones in Hidalgo County not speaking spanish so they shouldn't have been hard to find!

Accuweather - a scumbag corporation

Accuweather, a for-pay weather company, has 'convinced' (given nearly $4,000 from AccuWeather's founder and executive vice president since 2000 to) Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) to introduce a bill which will ban the National Weather Service from 'competing' (publishing free weather data that has already been paid for by the taxpayer).

The US people pay taxes for NOAA to collect weather data. It is a crime for them not to pass on the data (that the US people have paid for) to the US people for free!

This is another example of who the Republicans are in bed with business and could care less about right & wrong or the American people.


Here's the links-

Senator aiming to nix federal weather forecasts enjoyed AccuWeather money-
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/santorum_weather_ban_accuweather_421.htm

Everyone Talks About the Weather, And This Senator Plans to do Something About It-
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/04/21/132219.php


Feds' weather information could go dark-
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/04/21/m1a_wx_0421.html


Santorum to Silence NOAA Weather Information-
http://proffnard.redstate.org/story/2005/4/21/211852/232

How to kill a country ...

Let's first ensure that you, the reader, has a grasp on the concept of wealth-

Wealth is a very broad term that encompass all things valuable (money, stocks, houses, shoes). If it has value, it is wealth. That being said, let's start the lesson...

There are only two ways to acquire wealth - earn it or make it. The service industries EARN wealth and the manufacturing industries MAKE wealth. There is no other way to acquire it. By the way, investments fall into the service industry category.

Let me give you an example: Let's say you have two islands. On island 'A' there are rocks and caves and nothing else except enough plants to keep the natives alive. On island 'B', there are trees and plenty of plants. Island 'A's people can manufacture nothing and therefore gain no wealth. Island 'B's people make boats, furniture, hair combs, candles and etcetera thus as island 'B' makes more products, they gain wealth (even though there is no money). A man on island 'B' with a boat is wealthier than a man on island 'A' with nothing. The only way that island 'A's people can gain wealth is to provide services (labor) to island 'B's people (manufacturing).

How to kill a country-

The very best way to kill a country is to kill the manufacturing of that country. The Republicrats and the Demlicans have been doing this very effectively since the 1960s. They have choked off American manufacturing by making laws that unfairly gives foreign manufacturing an edge.

China is a prime example, US manufacturers have been almost completely wiped out because of environmental laws, workers laws, and taxes where as Chinese manufacturers have almost none of these restraints AND the benefit of almost slave labor. The US government then further hurts the US manufacturers by giving China most favored trading status and removing virtually all tariffs! There's NO WAY American manufacturing can compete because the US government has made the playing field so lop-sided in China's favor!

Let's clarify that enviromental and worker laws are not bad things. What is bad is when country 'A' has to follow them and country 'B' does not (and the government of country 'A' gives country 'B' virtually tariff free trade)!

The Free-Trade agreements, which were sold to the American people as a guaranteed market for US goods, have horribly back-fired. They have cause more foreign made products to flood the US and have choked off US manufacturing even more by allowing jobs and industries to flee across the border.

The US people don't seem to mind killing themselves as long as they can buy a cheap-DVD players for $30...

What fools these mortals be

China charges U.S. monopolizes the Internet, seeks global control

So China is pissed that the country that paid the research money and invented the internet still has a good deal of control over it????

Hey China, disconnect from the American internet and start your own! It will make controlling content (and people) much easier!

I also invite any other countries that doesn't like the US control to disconnect and start their own internet.

Queen Dubs Bill Gates Honorary British Knight

So on one hand the EU determines that Microsoft has been using monopolitstic practices to unfairly hurt competition and on the other hand, we have Britian giving him knighthood! The only thing I can think of is that Billy G. must have paid someone dearly for that honor.

I used to think knighthood was something special to honor good deeds and achievements, but why is Bill of Borg being honored? Well, "...had been awarded in recognition of his contributions to both business and charity" is the answer! I REALLY relish the "contributions to business" line, that's funny! The only contributions to business that Billy G. has done is to work hard at killing off competiton.

The charity thing? A smokescreen for a truely evil person.

Hidden History and Self-Destructive Southerners

Here is an excellent piece which exposes the efforts to re-write American history and eradicate Southern culture. Here's an excerpt:

I am well aware of the concerted effort to erase Southern culture from the nation's collective consciousness. I have written numerous articles addressing this social cancer, and every time I do I inevitably hear from people who have the audacity to call me an extremist. "The Civil War is over," they say. "The South lost. Get over it!"

For those public-school-educated people who truely believe that the Civil War was fought over slavery, let me point out the proven fact that history is written by the victor.

Mexico Vows to Fight Migrant Patrol Project in U.S.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will pursue legal action against plans by a U.S. citizens' group to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border in search of illegal immigrants, the country's foreign minister said on Monday.

Luis Ernesto Derbez said he asked lawyers in Los Angeles to draw up a legal strategy to fight the Arizona-based initiative called "the MinuteMan Project" that has signed up hundreds of volunteers for border patrols.

"We are going to attack by all legal means," Derbez told a news conference. "We are presenting the reasons why we consider this action to be incorrect and illegal from the point of view not only of our government but also under U.S. law."

So let me get this right, Mexico is going to use the American legal system to prevent American citizens from watching for illegals crossing the border. Well, since it's the 9th Circuit Court being used, we Americans will probably get shafted.

Myths of illegal immigration...

...studies claiming some modest overall gain for the economy from immigration ($1 to $10 billion a year) have found that it is outweighed by the fiscal cost ($15 to $20 billion a year) to native taxpayers." - http://www.theamericanresistance.com/issues/economic_costs.html

Myth 1: Illegals take jobs American won't because Americans are too lazy.
Truth: Illegals artifically force down pay by taking a job for less money. We live in a capitalist society where supply and demand control price. Americans will take any job if the pay is high enough. Illegals will take the job at a much lower pay and therefor allows employers to offer less pay for a given job. This is the exact same practice as dumping which is illegal.

Myth 2: Illegals contribute more to the American economy than they take.
Truth: Illegals cost the US far more money than they contribute. Follow these links:

Economic costs of illegal immigration
Costs if illegal imigration

Anti-gun activist arrested after firearm found at home

Why is it the anti-gun people are ALWAYS anti-gun for everyone else but themselves???

The jist of this story is-

This is the woman ( Annette "Flirty" Stevens) who was the founder of the Million Mom March. She has ties to various gang members and had her house searched because of a drive-by shooting investigation and aforementioned ties. The police found a pistol with the serial number eradicated and she admitted to having it. Her excuse was that it was her son's and when he died, she didn't know what to do with it so she kept it.

I call BS on that excuse because even the dumbest person knows that they can turn a gun into the police for disposal. Now, if you come back with the excuse "what if she was afraid to be arrested because it was used in a crime?", all I can say is don't be stupid. If it was her son's, he's dead and they can't charge him with a crime.

She is just the typical 'no guns for anyone (except me)' anti-gun person.

“California is going to be a Hispanic state, and anyone who doesn’t like it should leave."

“California is going to be a Hispanic state, and anyone who doesn’t like it should leave. They should go back to Europe” - Mario Obledo, Co-founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)

Where do we start with this one???

I suggest that we all use this website: www.reportillegals.com/

Our favorite Monopolist knows exactly how it works...

Here's what Bill Gates told Microsoft employees in 1991:
"If people had understood how patents would be granted when most of today's ideas were invented and had taken out patents, the industry would be at a complete standstill today...A future start-up with no patents of its own will be forced to pay whatever price the giants choose to impose."

Apparently, he had a clear game plan.


Bill Gates And Other Communists

We are truely no longer free - A pet ordinance

A local 'city' (used loosely) has decided to make an ordinance limiting the number of pets that someone can own to 4.

Who in the hell do they think they are!?!? I personally have 4 cats and a dog. They are all fixed, all have current shots, all are well maintained. Who in the hell does the government think they are to pass a law saying that I can only have 4 pets!?!?!

If the problem is pet welfare, there's already cruelity laws on the books to take care of that!

This is just wrong!

Red Light Cameras - How is this happening!?!

Today, I was listening to the radio and the subject of Red Light Cameras (RLC as they are known in the business) came up.

What I would like to know is: Why are we tolerating these?"

The facts are that even though they reduce the running of red lights (usually in the 90% range), they INCREASE the number of rear end accidents! On the radio this morning, the pro-RLC person made the argument that an increase in rear-end accidents of ~2% is a small price to pay for the ~90% reduction in running red lights. Sounds good, eh? Well, I did some investigating and found that on average, the number of accidents at RLC intersections actually went up after the RLC was installed.

Now, you will ask: "How can it be that accidents wents up when there was a 90% reduction in red light violations and only a 2% increase in rear-end accidents?!?" Well, the answer is simple! The majority of red light violations do not cause an accident! The pro-RLC people are comparing apples to oranges!

The fact of the matter is that governments are installing RLCs under the guise of increasing safety but are infact causing a more unsafe condition. Their true motive is money.

I urge every person who have been involved in an RLC caused accident to sue: 1) the RLC's owner (usually Lockheed-Martin) and 2) the local government who installed it.

The other thing that bothers me about this money grab scheme is the legality! They ticket the registered owner of the vehicle and not the actual driver. Also, usually these tickets are non-contestible!

This is just wrong!

NIH study: Risk-taking diminishes at age 25

The Summary: "A National Institutes of Health study suggests that the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25"

This is interesting along with an article I saw a few years ago that said that: The reasoning portion of the human brain doesn't fully develop until age 16.

Now, you may ask, why is this significant? Well, people nowadays have a problem raising children. Too often they think of their kids not as children (with the associated brain development) but and miniture adults that are perfectly capable of making the right decisions based on reason. The brain development studies should show that, children are, in fact, incapable of making clear, reasonable decisions and should be treated as, well, children.

Here's a good article on the subject:
What were they thinking? Youths' brains seen as factor in fatalities