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Ambassador Claims ACTA Secrecy Necessary

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "According to Ambassador Ron Kirk, the head of US Trade Representatives, the secrecy around the ACTA copyright treaty is necessary because without that secrecy, people would be 'walking away from the table.' If you don't remember, that treaty is the one where leaks indicate that it may contain all sorts of provisions for online copyright enforcement, like a global DMCA with takedown and anti-circumvention restrictions, three-strikes laws to terminate offending internet connections, and copyright cops. FOIA requests for the treaty text have been rebuffed over alleged 'national security' concerns. One can only hope that what he has said is true and that sites like Wikileaks will help tear down the veil of secrecy behind which they're negotiating our future."

4 of 407 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Is Kirk hinting to us? by kimvette · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    How stupid do they think we are?

    Well, we did put them in office.
    We did vote Bush into the White House.
    We did keep voting Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank into the senate, where they helped create the mortgage crisis.

    We did vote Barak Obama into the white house, believing that he would somehow SAVE us money by giving everyone government-funded health care, increase government service, AND lower taxes to the point where no one making less than what, $200K will have to pay any taxes. He was also going to get us out of the middle east. How is all of that working out?

    Yeah, I do think that they think we are that stupid, because as a whole we are. to quote MIB: "A person is smart; people are dumb." If we were smart as a whole, we'd be voting libertarians into government, keeping government at a minimal size, government "services" (as in defense, police, and maybe infrastructure) would be funded by tariffs, and private citizens would be able to help the less fortunate. We wouldn't be demanding a nanny state.

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  2. Re:Is Kirk hinting to us? by commodore64_love · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Also a lot of those pie charts show spending for Congressional districts that don't even exist!

    Oh well. I didn't really expect things would change with Obama. At first he went on a spending spree of "hurry up; don't read the bill; there's no time" but now things have calmed down, and it feels like the Bush or Clinton years again.

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  3. Re:The question is... by clone53421 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    FYI, cooperate does not have a diaeresis over that vowel.

    --
    Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
  4. Re:The question is... by Whorhay · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Good point, however this isn't a spelling test and I'm not graded on it.