Slashdot Mirror


Ron Paul Asks UN For Help Geting Control of RonPaul.com Domain From Fans

First time accepted submitter thoughtfulbloke writes "Ron Paul has gone to the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization to seize control of the RonPaul.com domain from the fans that built it up, rather than purchase it. From the article: 'The proprietors of RonPaul.com say they reached out to the retired politicain and offered him RonPaul.org as a free gift, but if he "insisted" on owning RonPaul.com then they would sell it to him. There was a catch, though. It would be part of a "liberty package" with the site's 170,000 person mailing list for... wait for it... $250,000. They think the price is totally worth it: '"

12 of 611 comments (clear)

  1. Typical Libertarian by Telecommando · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They're all for "free market" economics until it actually impacts them personally. Then suddenly they want government intervention and special treatment.

    What a hypocrite.

    --
    Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
    1. Re:Typical Libertarian by LordLimecat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Its modded down because its a broad generalization that cant possibly be made honestly unless he has actually see this behavior from a statistically significant number of libertarians. Its similar to BS like "All republicans are racist" (they arent), or "all Democrats are communist" (they arent), and should be modded down as such.

  2. Isnt he the "king of libertarians"? by Redmancometh · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I actually liked Ron Paul right up to the point of reading this. Anyone who preaches smaller government, less control, more personal freedom, and a truly free economy and does this...Well that person is a hypocritical 2 faced..politician.

    1. Re:Isnt he the "king of libertarians"? by Sique · · Score: 5, Insightful

      As Alfred Adler once observed: It's easier to fight for your principles than to live according to them.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
  3. The One True RICH Ron Paul by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society unless the property we're talking about are domain names that you feel are yours

    I think this is unintentionally very funny because the domain name is his name, which is presumably his property. Now if he was trying to steal "campaignforliberty.com" that would be an interesting argument assuming they weren't just domain squatters who registered well after the PR campaign started.

    If there is a lesson, don't start up a 3rd party site with a name consisting of nothing but the 1st party name. Even "unofficialsupportforronpaul.com" would have been more morally justifiable than just taking the dude's name and slapping a dotcom on the end.

    So you're saying there's only one person named Ron Paul in the entire world?

  4. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by Sarten-X · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And that just about sums up my feelings, as well.

    Ron Paul's a populist politician. He's managed to paint the government as a corrupt agency of fat-cat Democrats, by ignoring the measurable good of government programs and focusing only on how much they cost. He's made the Federal Reserve a scapegoat for everything wrong with the economy, and thanks to the magic of psychology-driven Austrian economics, he can just forget about the economic problems before the Fed existed, because they were just so long ago.

    This is yet another chapter in the tale of Ron Paul's subtle hypocrisy. He'll complain about globalization and fight against having any global authorities interfering in private citizens' lives, yet he has no problem running to a global authority to interfere in other people's lives on his behalf.

    I'm thrilled the guy's retired (for now). Here's hoping it's permanent, and that his equally-populist son follows quickly.

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  5. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by ceoyoyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They're not squatters. They run an active web site which is about a public, political figure.

  6. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by BasilBrush · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But Microsoft isn't pretending to be a libertarian. This isn't about whether legislation or the power of the UN can get him the domain name without paying for it. It's whether Ron Paul is a hypocrite or not.

    And yes, he is being a hypocrite. He want's a governmental body to take someone else's property off them rather than buy it in a free market.

  7. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by nedlohs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How is it hypocritical for someone who proclaims that people should act in their own rational self interest to do something that is in their own self interest?

  8. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No one "fears" these hallucinations and masturbatory fantasies you call "ideas". We recognize them as the laughable fictions of the spoiled, the immature, and those with little experience with human interaction. Sometimes when you scream and cry to be taken seriously we find it upsetting and annoying and want to apply some constructive corporal punishment.

  9. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because she spent her entire life saying people who accepted help from the government (or anyone) were parasites.

    In the end, Ayn Rand because the kind of parasite she spent her life waging jihad against. Yet she never apologized or admitted she was wrong. She simply sponged up those Big Gubment welfare checks.

  10. Re:Welcome to Capitalism by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So that's fine, use it. And keep complaining about said benefits existence, it's a valid argument. But by taking those benefits, you can no longer argue that those who do take advantage of said benefits are a drain on our society without being a drain yourself.

    --
    Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...