Star Wars is as DEAD as Lucas's creativity
on
The Return of Chewbacca
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Whatever favorable opinion you may have had of the original series, Lucas is completely creatively bankrupt now, not an unusual development for creative types. Does anyone on the planet think Francis Ford Coppela is still as creative as he was in the 70s (Godfather I & II, The Conversation, Apocalyse Now)? Why is it surprising that Lucas has suffered the same fate? Unfortunately, he has total control over SW and thus has dragged the franchise down with him. Too bad a Peter Jackson could not be entrusted with such a project, but, as his right, Lucas is intent on taking his baby to the grave with him.
Or some other cracker-ass state, like Mississippi? Using the same legal "logic" (sic), couldn't they require the same thing of ISPs regarding their obscenity laws generally?
HA, you say--how likely is that? Very, if this crap is upheld. Check out the major vendors of good ol' adult porn tapes and DVDs in the US--most of them have a "will not ship" database of states and/or zip codes that they will not ship to for fear of transgressing local "community standards", that ridiculous test for obscenity foisted upon the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave by our great Supreme Court. And I'm talking MAINSTREAM porn, not some bestiality tape--you, know, "Anal Coeds" or "Deep Throat Debutantes".
Everybody uses slippery slope arguments, and everybody criticizes them when they are used by someone you disagree with. But there is little question that this is a very dangerous, broad-reaching precendent that needs to be undone.
Somebody has already mentioned the purvasive CCTV camera that make the UK the most visually monitored country in history. What about the partial criminalization of encryption under the RIP Act? You have to give the government your key if they demand it, otherwise 2 years in prison. The governement has sought, and obtained, powers to monitor e-mail, web usage and phone calls without judicial warrants. Herr Ashcroft is green with envy.
These audacious power grabs by the "liberal" Tony Blair are only a part of a hard turn towards authoritarianism in the UK. Right now they are trying to dump the right to trial by jury in many circumstances--basically when the government (them again!) determines it is dangerous or unwieldy to have a jury trial. The private right of gun ownership has been substantially destroyed in the past several years (with a concurrent rise in violent crime, including a rapid rise in gun use by criminals). People now go to jail in the UK for so-called "hate speech".
We have A LOT of problems in the US. A government that wants to be able to detain you forever, without trial, by one man's fiat (you are an enemy combatant!) obviously needs to be checked, and quickly. But in the UK, the populace seems to accept the government-fostered fantasy that the government is actually working for the "common good", as opposed to the pure aggrandizement of power whenever possible, which is what EVERY government ALWAYS tries if allowed to do so. What has broken their will, I don't know--years of inept socialist rule? Some post-colonial ennui? Too much spotted dick?
Whatever it is, I hope to hell we can keep it out of here. We have enough problems of our own right now.
Opposing this merger on antitrust grounds is a no-brainer. It would mean the entire US would have but one satellite provider, which would be a total monopoly in those areas not served by cable. (Actually, there are ways for US residents to get Canadian satellite service from ExpressVu, like http://www.global-cm.net/).
However, this sudden affection from the Bush administration for strictly enforcing antitrust law is obvious horseshit. Dish won a bidding war for Direct by outbidding Rupert Murdoch's Fox conglomerate. Murdock, a renowned political conservative (he of Fox News, and the NY Post, among other things) figured (correctly, as it turns out) that the politicans his lobbyists bought over the years--primarily Republicans--could be counted upon to do his bidding. And so they have.
Wake up, geeks--you're being played for idiots, and you're responding according to form. The whole Star Wars bit is dead, dead, dead--it's boring and BAD, but you continue to suck it up and shell out the dough because Star Wars Inc. has become a geek fetish. Old, uninspired control freak Lucas couldn't be less entertaining or relevant if he tried; all he does is play on the goodwill established by the original films 20 years ago. Move on already and stop being suckers.
Normally your assumption is correct, especially in an off-term election (a non-presidential election year) when the party with more seats up is the same as the President (as is this case this year). But nobody knows how GWB's post 9/11 "wartime" popularity will trickle down--these are not normal times.
which would mean that Leahy is OUT of his control position. A third of the Senate is up for grabs in November, and there is only a one seat difference now (and, as you might recall, the Democrats only have control now because the Senator from Vermont, Jeffries, switched parties last year). There is also a possibility that Sen. Miller of Geaorgia, a Democrat, may switch to the Republicans. I believe the Republican Senator who would take Leahy's position is Sen. Hatch of Utah.
As a libertarian I really don't take a partisan view of such things--I view the Republicans and Democrats like the Bloods and the Crips, or the Corleone and Tattaglia families. I am pretty sure, however, that the DMCA passed the Senate (and House) while they were both controlled by Republicans, with Hatch then in the position that Leahy has now. Of course it was signed into law by Clinton, a Democrat. See my point about the Bloods and the Crips...?
Just imagine, especially given our current times, that this thing really did blindside a population center. Sure, rather quickly, the true, official explanation would be given out--and almost certainly vast numbers of people would believe otherwise. Undoubtedly the two most popular theories would be terrorists or a Pentagon accident. It would be the biggest, greenest, goddamnest grassy knoll of all time--it would put to shame all those lame 9/11 conspiracy theories (like this one: http://www.public-action.com/911/bumble.html).
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Whatever favorable opinion you may have had of the original series, Lucas is completely creatively bankrupt now, not an unusual development for creative types. Does anyone on the planet think Francis Ford Coppela is still as creative as he was in the 70s (Godfather I & II, The Conversation, Apocalyse Now)? Why is it surprising that Lucas has suffered the same fate? Unfortunately, he has total control over SW and thus has dragged the franchise down with him. Too bad a Peter Jackson could not be entrusted with such a project, but, as his right, Lucas is intent on taking his baby to the grave with him.
Or some other cracker-ass state, like Mississippi? Using the same legal "logic" (sic), couldn't they require the same thing of ISPs regarding their obscenity laws generally?
HA, you say--how likely is that? Very, if this crap is upheld. Check out the major vendors of good ol' adult porn tapes and DVDs in the US--most of them have a "will not ship" database of states and/or zip codes that they will not ship to for fear of transgressing local "community standards", that ridiculous test for obscenity foisted upon the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave by our great Supreme Court. And I'm talking MAINSTREAM porn, not some bestiality tape--you, know, "Anal Coeds" or "Deep Throat Debutantes".
Everybody uses slippery slope arguments, and everybody criticizes them when they are used by someone you disagree with. But there is little question that this is a very dangerous, broad-reaching precendent that needs to be undone.
Somebody has already mentioned the purvasive CCTV camera that make the UK the most visually monitored country in history. What about the partial criminalization of encryption under the RIP Act? You have to give the government your key if they demand it, otherwise 2 years in prison. The governement has sought, and obtained, powers to monitor e-mail, web usage and phone calls without judicial warrants. Herr Ashcroft is green with envy.
These audacious power grabs by the "liberal" Tony Blair are only a part of a hard turn towards authoritarianism in the UK. Right now they are trying to dump the right to trial by jury in many circumstances--basically when the government (them again!) determines it is dangerous or unwieldy to have a jury trial. The private right of gun ownership has been substantially destroyed in the past several years (with a concurrent rise in violent crime, including a rapid rise in gun use by criminals). People now go to jail in the UK for so-called "hate speech".
We have A LOT of problems in the US. A government that wants to be able to detain you forever, without trial, by one man's fiat (you are an enemy combatant!) obviously needs to be checked, and quickly. But in the UK, the populace seems to accept the government-fostered fantasy that the government is actually working for the "common good", as opposed to the pure aggrandizement of power whenever possible, which is what EVERY government ALWAYS tries if allowed to do so. What has broken their will, I don't know--years of inept socialist rule? Some post-colonial ennui? Too much spotted dick?
Whatever it is, I hope to hell we can keep it out of here. We have enough problems of our own right now.
So...how many Libraries of Congress could fit into all that DNA-laden jizz in your mouth?
Opposing this merger on antitrust grounds is a no-brainer. It would mean the entire US would have but one satellite provider, which would be a total monopoly in those areas not served by cable. (Actually, there are ways for US residents to get Canadian satellite service from ExpressVu, like http://www.global-cm.net/).
However, this sudden affection from the Bush administration for strictly enforcing antitrust law is obvious horseshit. Dish won a bidding war for Direct by outbidding Rupert Murdoch's Fox conglomerate. Murdock, a renowned political conservative (he of Fox News, and the NY Post, among other things) figured (correctly, as it turns out) that the politicans his lobbyists bought over the years--primarily Republicans--could be counted upon to do his bidding. And so they have.
Oh, the humanity!
Wake up, geeks--you're being played for idiots, and you're responding according to form. The whole Star Wars bit is dead, dead, dead--it's boring and BAD, but you continue to suck it up and shell out the dough because Star Wars Inc. has become a geek fetish. Old, uninspired control freak Lucas couldn't be less entertaining or relevant if he tried; all he does is play on the goodwill established by the original films 20 years ago. Move on already and stop being suckers.
Normally your assumption is correct, especially in an off-term election (a non-presidential election year) when the party with more seats up is the same as the President (as is this case this year). But nobody knows how GWB's post 9/11 "wartime" popularity will trickle down--these are not normal times.
Yep--sorry.
Close...an anarchist that owns property (and likes it).
which would mean that Leahy is OUT of his control position. A third of the Senate is up for grabs in November, and there is only a one seat difference now (and, as you might recall, the Democrats only have control now because the Senator from Vermont, Jeffries, switched parties last year). There is also a possibility that Sen. Miller of Geaorgia, a Democrat, may switch to the Republicans. I believe the Republican Senator who would take Leahy's position is Sen. Hatch of Utah.
As a libertarian I really don't take a partisan view of such things--I view the Republicans and Democrats like the Bloods and the Crips, or the Corleone and Tattaglia families. I am pretty sure, however, that the DMCA passed the Senate (and House) while they were both controlled by Republicans, with Hatch then in the position that Leahy has now. Of course it was signed into law by Clinton, a Democrat. See my point about the Bloods and the Crips...?
Just imagine, especially given our current times, that this thing really did blindside a population center. Sure, rather quickly, the true, official explanation would be given out--and almost certainly vast numbers of people would believe otherwise. Undoubtedly the two most popular theories would be terrorists or a Pentagon accident. It would be the biggest, greenest, goddamnest grassy knoll of all time--it would put to shame all those lame 9/11 conspiracy theories (like this one: http://www.public-action.com/911/bumble.html).