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Congressman Quizzes Net Companies on Shame
mjdroner writes "Cnet has a transcript of the House of Representatives hearing on net censorship with Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Yahoo reps. At one point, Rep. Tom Lantos asks if Microsoft is ashamed of their actions in China. Microsoft: 'We comply with legally binding orders whether it's here in the U.S. or China.' Lantos: 'Well, IBM complied with legal orders when they cooperated with Nazi Germany. Those were legal orders under the Nazi German system.'"
It's been established for some time that capitalism is the best economic system (thus far) for providing growth and prosperity.
It's also been established that without some sort of ethical laws governing a capitalistic system it will steamroll over anybody on it's way to the singular goal of profits.
We have laws in the U.S. designed to limit the behavior of corporations (within the country) based on the ethical and moral will of the people as represented through government (mostly...don't start the hypocracy thing).
I see NO reason why a company that is based in a U.S. should NOT have to follow the same laws when setting up shop in another country (Obviously things like minimum wage would have to be modified to suit local circumstances).
If it's good for people in the U.S. then it's good for people in China. If the corporation can't set up shop there because the local government will not let them then it's THEIR loss.
Or was he waving a Little Red Book and exhorting you to learn from Lei Feng?
At a lot of U.S. universities, especially if it was in a humanities class, I'd expect nothing less.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
1. No I wouldn't, because he said nothing to indicate that.
2. I seriously doubt that, because it would double the amount of irrationality needed to make that comparison. You need to both ignore what happened to you and to be able to make a ridiculous comparison involving the traumatizing thing that happened to you.
3. Really old people tend not to use Slashdot. He'd be well over 70.
4. What you're engaging in is ad hominem. I suggest that you look up that term to find out what it actually means before complaining to me that it's not.
5. Again, the irrationality thing.
Female children
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
"Puzzling why anyone with a clue would balk at the use of that term."
Well, perhaps I wasn't balking, but was instead CLARIFYING.
I realize you pompous assholes think you know everything, but when someone says something I'm not clear on, I like to make an attempt to understand what they are saying. You know, so I don't come off like you just did.
So, apart from drawing attention to the fact that you're a pedantic dickhead, what was your point?
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
that you're a twit.
But thanks for confriming it.
How pathetic are you that you follow me from topic to topic and waste all your mod points at once modding me down?
Your logician can imply ignorance ?
He should patent that, he could make a fortune.
In the meantime ask him if what communism is and if trading with entities in a communist nation strengthens the govt. of that nation and, by extension, if that contributes to the perpetuation of whatever policies that govt. decides to implement, such as censorship.
Funny, all I can hear is the whistling between your ears.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter