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Update on State "Communications Services" Laws
babbage_ct writes "As has been reported on Slashdot before (see here, here, and here for just a few) the MPAA is pushing so-called Super-DMCA laws in states around the country. Well, score one for the good guys. Oregon's version, SB 655 is going to die. Turns out the sponsor was scammed by MPAA lobbyist. See the e-mail from legislative staff below.
From: "Staff SenCharlesStarr"
To:
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 5:17 PM
Subject: Status of SB 655
Status of SB 655:
SB 655 is slated to die in committee this session. It is no longer an immediate threat, however, there will be a study commission appointed over the interim. Sen. Minnis decided that the issue was too complex to resolve this session. I will attempt to inform you when the commission is formed so that you can have further input. Oregon truly dodged the bullet on this. Some states passed the MPAA model legislation before the IT community even knew it existed.
The email you sent to Sen. Starr (and I hope all of the committee members) helped to stop this dangerous legislation. Good job! In case you're wondering why Sen. Starr sponsored this bill in the first place, it was requested by the MPAA lobbyist (who really is a nice guy) but Sen. Starr was told that it was a simple bill to update copyright law in relation to digital media. Yes, and a whole lot more! As the full impact of the bill became clear, Sen. Starr withdrew his support, which contributed to the bill's "unfortunate demise."
If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Ken McDermott
Legislative Assistant
Senator Charles Starr
900 Court St NE S-312
Salem, OR 97301
staff.sencharlesstarr@state.or.us
Wow, a governor with a brain. I'm moving to Colorado. Think they'll let me bring my guns?
"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it." -- Ayn Rand
nt.
Useless sig.
political figures lying to get what they want, not the other way around. I wonder how he feels.
Hopefully this will send a message to others to understand the situation before blindly following the suggestions of [insert company name here] lobbyists.
In C++, friends can touch each others private parts.
which contributed to the bill's "unfortunate demise."
What is so unfortunate about killing off a bunch of piopolists in one stroke? What, did they get Sen. Starr to finally RTFL for him to realise that it was not just an "update to copyright law for digital management?"
why for the life of me do States find it nessisary to enforce federal statues with their own laws?
oh yeah...coruption.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
There maybe really is some hope... We should thank all of the people who are constantly helping in this fight for freedom. They don't have money and power, like the pro-DMCA people do, but they are on the right side. Thank you! It is a good time to donate money to EFF, without which, we could already forget about on-line freedom.
Karma: Positive (probably because of superiour intellect)
First DMCA, then Super-DMCA? Soon we'll have Hyper-DMCA, Ultra-DMCA, Mega-DMCA, and eventually Mega-DMCAx2 which gives full ownership of our computers to the entertainment industry.
Thanks to all those who helped prevent this law
from happening.
however, this will most likely lead to more subversive tactics (like the mass IM'ing they pulled recently) by the MPAA and RIAA...what they don't seem to realize is that they don't have a chance technology-wise against those that wish to share files. Of course, if they pull anything as sneaky and underhanded as actually attempting to delete files from user's system, that will be their final mistake, because they will surely feel the wrath of the enraged consumer then.
the MPAA lobbyist (who really is a nice guy) Yeah so is the car salesman that's got this sweet deal on a '76 Lincoln, driven by a little old lady on Sundays.
-- Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
> members) helped to stop this dangerous legislation. Good job!
Wow! I guess maybe one guy writing his congressman can make a difference! I'm glad that there are some sponsors of bills like this who don't supporting super-DMCA-type bills because they're eeeeeeeeevil, but because they simply don't recognize the consequences of their legislation and are willing to change when they realize what they're actually sponsoring. I'm also glad this senator apparently had a legislative aid with some sense to oppose the bill!
It's good to see this type of a positive response. Hopefully there will be more in the future.
Browse the Information Directory
The lobbyists WILL be back next year, and the year after, and they'll keep telling bigger lies, and offering bigger bribes, until either they get their way, or the industries which fund them shrivel up. Or, perhaps, until we make such a big noise that the politicians decide that this is an untouchable issue.
Remember: the lobbyists only have to win ONCE in each state. We only have to get careless or complacent ONCE to let them win. This was good news, but the battle isn't nearly over yet.
We need to keep educating the unwashed masses, need to keep letter-writing campaigns going, and generally need to keep following up. We also need to volunteer in the re-election campaigns of the clueful few who are on the right side here. And tell other candidates why we chose to volunteer for Mr. Clueful instead of Mr. Other.
Those bribes from the lobbyists are only valuable to the legislators if they believe that the bribe can buy more votes than the legislation will cost them. When a lobbyist walks into a legislator's office and says: ``I'd like to talk to you about strengthening copyright ...'', the legislator needs to be able to point to a pile of letters on his desk and say: `` These letters are from voters who are on the other side, and I get a big stack like that every day. I'd like to help, but I can't afford to. Why, I'd loose half my campaign workers if I even listened to you!''
See what I've been reading.
Sheesh! If you're going to do a roll, do it right.
At least put "FreeBSD^H^H^H^H^H^H^HSuperDMCA is Dying". It's a mark of a funny troll. And we know you want +5
Because the purpose of posting responses to articles is to foster meaningful discussion about the topic at hand. Since your post simply states that you do not find the subject matter 'interesting' enough to adequately comment on, it is extraneous and has been modded as such, much like this comment is fated. Don't take it personally.
Most of these bills contain provisions disallowing the hiding of the source or destination of a communication. This would make using freenet to break the Great Firewall of China(TM) illegal. Make sure to bring this up if/when this kind of bill gets considered in your state.
politics effect your life, now and in the future.
To not get involved is akin to not monitoring your servers and hoping all will always be fine. Then when it isn't fine, you just complain.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I do what I can for teh good of the geEK community. i wish u th ebest of luck. happy s3x0r1/\/G
Now if they public could only realize why they would benefit from undoing the last several copyright extensions as well.
And that legislative assistant may have called the MPAA lobbiest a nice guy, but I don't agree. He obviously lied about the bill to get it introduced. I'd never let that guy in my office again!
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
But the topic is not interesting. How many submitted stories for the Developers section -for example- do you think they turn down every day? That stuff is interesting, even if it's about embedding Linux in a toaster.
The story about SCO today has fewer posts than the inane one about the F# language. Is that "meaningful discussion"? I think not.
that it will someday be the EX-DCMA.
Well, I infinity DMCA you. So there.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Gov Owens has banked his popularity on the Colorado economy which is heavily dependant on the 'New' economy of IT,internet, prog etc. Owens has touted that he is resonsible for making Colorado a prominent player in this economy. Very much so in the last election.
Well the economy sucks here, many people have been laid off, no new jobs, just like most places. He had to do this or he'd be out of a job too.
Basically the point is, if you don't like the article don't read it, and certainly don't post your disapproval of it. I found the article interesting, you didn't. Guess what? Opinions differ. You aren't the embodiment of geekdom and neither am I. It's also "meaningful discussion" in that it is a victory for the geek scoiety in general, and thus is very relevant to "news for nerds". And why does the SCO post autmatically deserve more posts than a new programming language? Some of us actually have to program for a living and we can't always choose what to program in. It's nice to have somewhere to see emerging technologies, even if they are from MS. Your post that because SCO's post had less comments than F# post, it must not be meaningful discussion makes no sense in any way, shape, or form. Number of posts != quality of discussion. Are 400 -1: Troll posts more meaningful than 50 +5: Informative posts? I think not.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
Did he not read the bill before he supported it? WTF! He shouldn't be re-elected.
Well now Owen's has done one thing right and just about everything else wrong. Maybe now he'll fix the slashing and burning he's done to education. The schools here are dismal, I think they're about 48th in the nation. And his recent gouging of the state universities is atrocious.
As bills like this are sponcered by our publicly elected officals - I can't help but think that "we the people" do not have any input as to what is acutally happening with the whole DRM/MPAA/RIAA non-sense.
The majority of Americans who's stock and trade crosses paths with the DMCA appear to be strongly against it - yet corporations still wine/dine/donate to these politations that we apparently elected to push such pro-police state laws.
Would it be fair to say that are elected officals only agenda is to do whatever the mega-corporation of the week has to say should be law?
Are there actually elected officals who are are looking out for the common person's liberties, and such? If so, why are there not more of them?
The people have spoken, we do not want a revamped DMCA - as we didn't even want the original DMCA... Yet the original DMCA passed??? That doesn't sound very democratic to me.
You may not think it an interesting topic, but it is a topic that is very much ingrained with the topics you do find interesting. If those laws do pass, then you may very well lose the ability to even read about the topics you find interesting, and you may very well lose the ability to even post the fact that you find the topic at hand not interesting, so, now that you've said your piece, go to where you find the topics interesting and enjoy the rest of your day.
For those who describe their systems as 'boxen', do you order multiple 'boxen' of corn flakes also?
A return to Classic DMCA for the old timers.
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers." Carl Sagan
This was new news when I submitted it a few days ago, along with a pointer to a Rocky Mountain News editorial that may have contributed. It's old now. ;)
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
It is not interesting TO YOU. That does not mean it is not interesting to everybody else. There are lots of articles on Slashdot everyday so read those you enjoy and those you do not find interesting skip over.
Name copyright by those who created Street Fighter.
Thanks everyone!
Then maybe you were modded down because somebody with mod points thinks you're a cunt. So go "cry a fscking river", as you yourself might say.
witout a doutb taht is teh rtuth. tank u
The real story here seems to be that VETO power had to be used. The story doesn't say a lot, but that implies that the government there came very close to passing this. While the governor may be a good guy it still doesn't say a lot for the state.
What would it take to start going on the offensive instead of the defensive, here? Can't special interests groups like the EFF lobby for the creation of laws protecting our rights to fair use, backups, reverse engineering, etc. so that *we* only have to win once?
I do understand we can't compete monetarily, but letting the general public know and understand these issues (instead of preaching to the choir and only publishing these types of things on a site dedicated to "news for nerds") could offset the problem. After all, I guess the only thing that can compete with campaign contributions is the actual swaying of public opinions at times of elections and, due to MPAA/RIAA/Blah propaganda, we are the minority.
I do understand that I'm probably being really naive here, not being a guy that keeps up with/understands politics well. Maybe someone who does can explain the problem and make a few useful suggestions to overcome it.
Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.
They like monkey-business as much as the next politician, generally speaking, but at least they regard the individual consitituent as something powerful enough to listen to...
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
yikes! it's cowboyneal like you've never seen him before!
The take-home was that just typing up a short opinion and mailing it to your rep's office has a tremendous effect on the political process.
Our intelligent designer has never created an animal that we couldn't improve by strapping a bomb to it.
"Cunt"? Bwahahahaha!
As soon as I read the Legislative Assistant's e-mail, I sent a message to Senator Charles Starr thanking him for supporting citizen's rights over corporate interests. I also encouraged him to maintain that stance and to urge his colleagues to do likewise in the future.
Fellow Oregonians can follow my lead at the state legislature's home page. I've realized that I should have had that link bookmarked for years.
"It's an erotic, spectacular scene that captures the thrusting, violent, vibrant world Bohemian spirit..."
from parent: who said a flag was going to replace your freedom?
That's his SIG.
A man who can't pronouce "nuclear arsenal" shouldn't have one -sig ends here.
....and that is why you will never be any good in politics. Keep your day job (and I suspect you want to!) :-)
Why not? He has been doing it to the majority of the taxpayers here.
Fuck that, they won't let you in without them.
Which proves you never lived there. The whole place is full of tree-hugging greens, relocated hippies, singers, and movie stars that vehemently oppose guns for anyone and oppose the death penalty for everyone except NRA members.
Well speaking as a current CO resident I can tell you that most counties in CO have conceal and carry laws (Larimer County, and Weld County for sure and I know I could find others if necessary) and about the loosest form of gun control remotely possible. About the only liberal tree hugging area of the state is Boulder, the rest of CO is staunchly conservative which would be obvoius to anywone willing to look at the voting records in CO for the last 10 years.
So I am going to have to assume that either you haven't been to the state in years or that you are just trolling.
Double Dipping - A poster getting +5 mods for a post AND a reply to his own post. Usually due to self-correction, addition of extra information, or clueless moderation to the parent post. Interestingly, it appears to happen more often to sincere posters than trolls.
Politicians live by focus groups, so send this guy some email and maybe a few others will do the right thing. It sure as hell can't hurt.
.sig is gonna look REAL funny on this one.
Email Gov. Owens!
Heh. My
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
Bill Owens is the man. Hopefully Tom Craddick and all the other yellow-bellied Texas democrats (the ones who recently hid out in Oklahoma because they were going to lose a vote on redistricting) and naive sponsoring republicans will get a clue and realize that if Bill Owens will veto this bill, so will Rick Perry.
Don't become a regular here, you will become retarded. -- Yoda the Retard
It's a joke, you turd. J-O-K-E. Kind of like how, though I'm from Kentucky, I don't actually fuck my sister. See, it doesn't have to be true to be funny! Now your sister, on the other hand...let's just say I'm glad she doesn't look anything like you or I'd have to employ a well-placed paper bag.
And you seem to know less about your home state than I do! As quoted from someone else who responded to your stupidity,
About the only liberal tree hugging area of the state is Boulder, the rest of CO is staunchly conservative which would be obvoius to anywone willing to look at the voting records in CO for the last 10 years. So I am going to have to assume that either you haven't been to the state in years or that you are just trolling.
Dumbass.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
Sorry, I meant "ignorant cunt". Suck it up elastic boy - there's going to be a bunch more "off-topic" mods on you before the day is out.
Oh and "turdomanic" ?!? That's a type of adulterated protoplasm of which I've never heard. Your grasp of vocabulary must be way superior to my own. Either that, or you're a stupid ignorant cunt
the rest of CO is staunchly conservative
uh, no. We are not. In fact, if you look at the record for the last 30 years, we are nomally one of the swing votes with conservative leanings. However, that differs by locality. Yeah Boulder is very liberal, as is denver, vail, aspen, and any other resort area.
In contrast, C. Springs considers W. to be liberal and would have loved Buchaan or any type of that caliber.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Let us suppose that for some unforeseeable reason, the average IQ in the the US is boosted by 9 points due to some secret added ingredient to everyone's favorite breakfast food (whatever the poll proves that to be) and not only are all the current Ultra/Super/etc DMCAs killed off, but even the DMCA itself is ruled unconstitutional...
Would the handful of students recently slapped with outrageous fines under said act for distributing music be lawfully permitted to seek retribution for what will likely be a grievous blemish on their CVs? And if so, what compensation can be sought for what equates to McCarthyesque blacklisting?
Oh fear. I'm so fucking scared.
Oh and "turdomanic"
You like that, yes?
Too bad you can't muster the balls to log in. That'd be fun!. Oh well. At least I've got your attention, "cunt". Hehe.
Sorry, could you repeat that? I wasn't paying attention.
So I am going to have to assume that either you haven't been to the state in years or that you are just trolling.
Bzzzt. Wrong. All the populous (and popular) areas tend to lean to the left. Of course, if you're talking about Coaldale or Wetmore, then you'd better be able to play "duelling banjos" if you want to visit. Enough to prove my bonfides? Or perhaps we should discuss Florence, the location of the Fed's "Super Max" and the surrounding towns? No?
No, that's just Boulder. We built a 25 foot electrified fence around that place though. I only go there for the pizza. (The Sink)
-ave
...or maybe not.
Dear Mr. Kirksey:
3 /0 4/31892579.shtml?Element_ID=31892579
Thank you for weighing in on SB 213. I began studying it over the weekend
and have also referred to information available from the Electronic Frontier
Foundation. I must admit that this is an area with which I have little
familiarity, but the legislation could be problematic for the reasons you
address. I appreciate your taking the time to assist by bringing this to my
attention.
Please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Mark Norris
Senator
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Kirksey
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2003 8:04 PM
To: sen.mark.norris@legislature.state.tn.us
Subject: SB 213
Sir,
As one of you constituates, I wish to state my opposition to Tennessee
Senate Bill 213. The bill has some valid points, but the flaws outweigh the
possible good.
The bill is too broad and gives too much power to communications providers.
If taken to extremes, VCRs, network routers and other useful (you could say
essential) devices could be outlawed.
As an attorney, please take a few minutes to read through the bill and
imagine possible scenarios where the bill could be abused.
Thank you for your time.
Thomas Kirksey
and later:
http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/0
Senator Norris wanted you to see today's coverage of yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing. Thanks, in part, to your input, he had more questions to ask the sponsor than they could answer, and the bill will be taken up again in two weeks. Senator Norris shares concerns about the extent to which this proposal may infringe upon certain fundamental rights, including Due Process and Free Speech, and he will continue to work on it. He thanks you for your input and support.
says: "Now wait a minute! I don't vote for any bill unless I've read it or somebody gives me the gist of it!"
Lobbyist: "Oooh, I can do that.... [insert feel-good explanation of bill here]"
I would think that deliberately misleading a legislator about the purpose of proposed legislation would disqualify a person from real niceness. Just my fringe opinion, I guess.
mt
This isn't about little people making a living. This is about outrageously rich and powerful people defending their ability to become even more so. This is about blow jobs in the back of limousines, private jets to villas in the south of France, 150-foot yachts, buying "the necessities of life" on Rodeo Drive, and actually being in a position to benefit from Dubya's tax cut. The poor wretches! My heart bleeds!
I can move back to Colorado now without being arrested for running a firewall! I think I'll do that soon, actually...
I have no tag line
Only in this case, it is a very heavily republican controlled state by a very heavy handed republican gov. BTW, this is coming around again here in CO, and the next time, Owens will be signing it. The internal rumour (in the republican party) is that he felt that this bill did not go far enough.
What about Oregon's new Senate Bill 742? Proposed by republican senator John Minnis, it says that whoever participates in or conspires to participate in any type of activity which disrupts commerce (or which at least one person involved intends to use to disrupt commerce, regardless of if they tell the others) faces a mandatory life sentence without paroll.
The idea of it is, that if you say you're going to go to a peace march, they can arrest you, because many peace marches disrupt commerce, and if found guilty of saying you're going to go to a peace march, they'll throw you in prison for life without giving the judge a chance to reduce the sentence. And I have not exaggerated a word of this.
Of course it advertises itself as an anti-terrorism bill, and our legistlators have a history of saying "aye" whenever a bill comes along that has a good sounding summary and was proposed by someone of their own party. And peace marchers are usually democrats, trouble makers in their eyes.
They might say that they're only going to use it against real terrorists, but if that's true they should put it in writing, rather than passing an "everyone is guilty of crimes punishable by death" law.
Just the fact that one of our legislators would propose something like that deeply offends all of us. And black people from California still can't get more than 30 miles past the border without getting pulled over, but that's another story. I'm voting democrat in the next state election if they decide to let me have a ballot this time.
The only reason why she didn't already have one is that they just became available.
Doesn't seem like a state that's rabidly afraid of guns to me.
Tech Public Policy stuff
Obviously you never met any of its residents while you were there. Probably too busy fucking moose. We need a new moderation for you too. -1, Stupid cumsucking piece of shit. Hell, while we're at it, let's make it a -2 right off.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
For the most part, consumers don't and should not have a problem with legitimate enforcement of copyrights -- even where they shut down or financially ruin the infringer who might be "just like you and me." Whether or not we may buy into the "infringement as theft" analogy, we understand what is the law, and why it is the law. When someone gets nipped for actually infringing, well, someone got nipped.
It is only in the arena of legislative and judicial overreaching where harm is done to society, where technology advances are retarded, and where the content owners unreasonably attempt to extend their monopoly on distribution of expression into a monopoly on markets in which they have no legitimate interest.
You want to talk about a lack of creativity, let's look at your last missive. "I know a lot about about Colorado - I lived there for many years. I think we need a new moderation category, -1 Ignorant, for posters like you."
Wow. That's just amazing. I'm speechless. "-1, Ignorant, for posters like you." I just hope you didn't spend any time coming up with that drivel. You need someone to write jokes for you like Letterman has.
Is it a problem to have such a limited vocabulary and imagination, or are you even aware of it?
Is that your expert opinion Dr. Wechsler? For what it's worth, you always know you've won a batle of wits when someone insults your intelligence. Thanks for conceding defeat.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
How pathetic. See, your problem is you're too uptight to see that vulgarity is a verbal tool, just like any other. Considering how stilted you are, and your reaction to my littany, I was fully correct and justified. I must say, it has been fun seeing your little brain spin so slowly to come up with dignified, yet, ironically, completely trite responses. Thank you for yet another entertaining insight into the mind of the self-righteous, believing your intellect to be above that of the commoner because you use more appropriate words. Despite that, your verbiage is even more dull and predictable than mine. Isn't that sad?
I bet you're also one of those people who wear your perceived intellect, meager though it is, as some sort of sick badge of honor. I only mention that because as soon as someone confuses you with insults and you find yourself devoid of any creative return, you bring up your intelligence. I bet you've even applied to Mensa - though I suspect you didn't get in the first time at least, did you?
Also, considering your predictability, I very much doubt you've ever won a battle of wits, let alone enough of them to derive a statistical distribution as to the causes of said victory. Perhaps you should try a preschool?
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
As I write, the Texas house may be passing the Texas version of the sDMCA (SB1116). Amidst some Memorial-day "Freedom" speeches, perhaps.
After pasing Senate earlier this month, it passed out of House Regulated Industries committee 5/22 (no ammendments), and is on the House floor calendar.
EFF-Austin has been organizing visits at the capitol.
Apparently SBC (local "Baby Bell" telephone/DSL monopoly) has also been flexing its mighty arms in support of the bill.
More info here.
~ Ms.G {at} NoitacudE [dot]com "Turn it around..."
I don't have to rationalize anything, as I've got no issues with my conscience. And actually you were the first to start insults - I only started the vulgarity. So your only problem is you have issues with vulgarity. Was someone potty trained too harshly? Oh, and as for not knowing any educated people who result to vulgarity - you do now. Try to raltionalize that with your schemas of intelligent people behaving "properly" as defined by others, going through life with a permanantly placed pole up their ass. And yes, that was just for you.
I never brought up my intelligence as a subject, just yours.
Well, it has to be relative or you have no point. And you really know nothing of my intelligence. I'll assure you, the conclusions you tend to draw are dead wrong. I am crass (or can be when it's fun to pull strings on people like you), but correlating crudeness with stupidity will be a rather large mistake.
And I never applied for membership in Mensa. Organizations like that are for insecure people who need crutches, like you.
Well, we have something in common, at least. I can't stand the MENSA people, and I'm surprised you aren't among them. You'd fit in so well, with the self-superior attitude and comparing your intelligence to anyone who upsets you. You really should apply, assuming you meet their standards.
So why do you use intelligence as a weapon, bringing that up as the only comeback you have at your disposal? Quite frankly, you're no different than someone who whips out his member to prove he's more of a man when threatened, lacking the cleverness to do anything else. Your hangups with "vulgarity" and belittling others for their "garbage spewing" is a crutch of your own - does it make you feel better? I need no crutch - I'm rather happy with myself and my intelligence, but I don't need to go around throwing it on people. I didn't go through correcting posts that were clearly JOKES - you did. Does that get you off, correcting errors like that? Do you correct grammar on slashdot too? I'd suggest you grow a sense of humor, but I know there's no chance of success there.
BTW, welcome to my freaks list. You're in good company -- smut peddlers and such. Enjoy. :)
God, I'm crushed. When you see my suicide on the 6 o'clock news, you'll know you're responsible. It must amaze you that your opinion of me means absolutely nothing - is that new for you, people not listening to your authority? Does it bother you? Hell, I'm just having fun - I'm amazed you've continued to respond this long.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
I'm sure that those outrageously rich and powerful people would characterize it as their livelihood.
Don't forget about the employees of those outrageously rich and powerful people, who will probably lose their jobs, and their livelihoods, when (I'm being optimistic here) we manage to consign the **AA to the graveyard of history. They aren't sending letters to congresscritters on their employer's behalf because they're rich and getting richer, they're doing it because they don't want to end up on unemployment.
The lawyers and lobbyists who are working for the **AA aren't doing because they're defending ``... blow jobs in the back of limousines, private jets to villas in the south of France, 150-foot yachts, buying "the necessities of life" on Rodeo Drive ...'', they're doing it because they've got families and car payments and mortgages to support. The car payments and mortagages might be bigger than ours, but that still puts them in the same class with you and me, class warrior.
The people you're talking about are a few people in top corporate management. They will keep their millions, regardless of the outcome of the us versus them struggle. They're trying to destroy our free society and put an end to social and technological progress not (entirely) because it will make them richer (though it probably will), but because it is what they think they were hired to do. And because it's a challenge. And because they can rationalize just as well as anyone else: they've said they're right so often, they believe it.
They voted in favor of that religious right-trash Amendment 2.