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Names of Advisors Cleared To Access ACTA Documents

1 a bee writes "With the White House claiming national security grounds for failing to release ACTA related information, including negotiating documents and even the list of participants, the spotlight is now on just who does have access. Turns out, according to James Love, hundreds of advisers, many of them corporate lobbyists, are considered 'cleared advisers.' The list looks a who's who of captains of industry."

15 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. so much for change... by ph4s3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    weird how things seem to stay the same

    1. Re:so much for change... by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 4, Insightful

      weird how things seem to stay the same

      I was actually willing to give the administration the benefit of the doubt for a while there. I thought to myself that it must be difficult to negotiate a proposed treaty when the press can print every little revision that occurs during negotiations. So I could kind of see the benefit in keeping a treaty's details secret until it was ready to be proposed to Congress.

      But several things have eroded my trust: the apparent inclusion of a anti-rights industry people, the apparent omission of pro-rights people (EFF, etc.), and the "secrets" claim.

      This is like the crap Cheney pulled with energy policy and oil industry groups, but it's arguably much worse because it could become an actual treaty.

      I was hoping that the "Hope I Can Believe In" would make it to the two-month mark, but apparently not. This leaves me really despirited.

    2. Re:so much for change... by oneirophrenos · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I began to doubt the whole "change" thing back when Obama started to stack his administration with people from Clinton's and even Bush's administration. I guess change is a relative thing.

    3. Re:so much for change... by Nursie · · Score: 5, Insightful

      As a jaded cynic I have just this to say -

      You voted for one of the Republicans or the Democrats and you expected a change?

      Ha!!! Best scam ever!!! You were duped my friend.

  2. So Obama failed us then ? by unity100 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    all that transparency, all that pro internet attitude, and even declarations of support for net neutrality to the extent of making full definitions of it on his website, getting support and donations through the net and actually succeeding to amass the budget needed to beat mccain through those donations and all that, and ...

    so he fails us in the most important thing, at the most important moment, in almost half of those he promised us then ?

  3. It's spelled Democracy by DrugCheese · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's pronounced Corporate Oligarchy

    --
    *DrugCheese rants*
  4. ACTA is more than copyright by langelgjm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As I pointed out the other day, ACTA is about so much more than copyright. This "counterfeiting" treaty will almost certainly include provisions for stricter controls on generic pharmaceuticals, amongst other things.

    Just take a look at some of the companies that are represented on that list: Eli Lilly, Merck, Monsanto, Schering-Plough... I guarantee they're not there because of pirated CDs.

    Just to clarify, I don't think that changes the fact that the "national security" claim is bogus. It's just further proof of the enormous democratic deficit that exists at the international level.

    --
    "Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
  5. Re:Bypassing government via international treaty by Verteiron · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, and the ratification will pass buried deep inside the Save the Children and Orphans act. Anyone who opposes it will be labeled a child and orphan hater. Probably a terrorist and pedophile, too.

    Sorry, Monday mornings make me cynical.

    --
    End of lesson. You may press the button.
  6. Don't waste your time complaining by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Instead of screaming fury from your computer chair, you should be organizing from your computer chair and screaming in the streets. Things will never change so long as people sit back and take it. You don't have to get violent but you need to be persistent. Protests are held against copyright abuse, but they bring in a few hundred people out of millions.

    And don't bother giving examples of why people don't care, start giving solutions to make them care. We need to increase the visibility of the problems this poses. Plaster signs on walls, try to take out ads in news papers / websites, door to door campaigning, conduct nationwide surveys with the right questions, so on and so forth. The public can't form an opinion if they don't know what they are talking about and they certainly can't form an opinion over a situation they may not even know exists.

    It's time for society to start standing up for itself again.

  7. Re:Bypassing government via international treaty by Duradin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't worry, the President will just issue an executive order stating that the treaty was ratified.

    Really, I don't know why we keep congress around. They just slow down legislation and we've got the President to make laws for us.

    </sarcasm>

  8. Deja Vu by Legion303 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

  9. Re:Bypassing government via international treaty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sorry, Monday mornings make me cynical.

    I think you misspelled "realistic".

  10. Re:Bypassing government via international treaty by dwiget001 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well, our current Senate will rubber stamp anything, including passing a bill to grant a representative to Washington D.C, in complete violation of the U.S. Constitution (on and on top of that, TARP, Stimulus, Omnibus spending, etc.)

    Don't expect the current Senate to do anything that might possibly weaken their power and political contribution base.

    For quite some time now, the Congress and Senate have not served the good of the U.S. citizens. And, they have constantly violated their sworn oath to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic...."

    Next election cycle: Each and every Democrat and Republican currently in office should A) not be re-elected and B) neither of the major parties candidates should be voted into office to replace them, vote "some other party or candidate" into office. The Democrats and Republicans are hell bent on completely destroying this country. Wake up people.

  11. Re:I remain confused about all this though by Chyeld · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually most of the people who painted him as the Dark Lord of Evil are now the ones complaining about the rest of us treating him as the Second Coming. See, they are so invested in the idea that having a black/Democrat/non-neocon president running things will be the end of the world, that they've assumed the only way the rest of us could vote for him was if we had the same level of opposite worship.

    In reality, we picked him because having lived through eight years of the Dark Lord's reign while the neocons praised him as the Second Coming responsible for revitalizing the American Empire, we just wanted change.

  12. Re:Bypassing government via international treaty by wealthychef · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, to really understand them, you should give up stories like "The Democrats and Republicans are hell bent on completely destroying this country." What they are really hell bent on is just staying in power. So yes, vote them out of office. But we need a new conversation to replace the old one, or the "new boss will be the same as the old boss," as I believe the old Who song goes.

    --
    Currently hooked on AMP