June 18, 2003

STEPHEN GREEN ON WHY HE ISN'T A REPUBLICAN: Orrin Hatch.

Orrin Hatch isn't a stupid politician, in the sense that he rarely (never, to my recollection) speaks extemporaneously. He's no Clinton, thinking aloud in front of the nation then relying on his spinmeisters to clean up the mess. Hatch is as carefully measured as a soufflé.

And now he wants to explore giving the government -- or is it the record companies? -- the power to destroy or damage your computer.

Be wary of any politician who would give to the government (or favored businesses) powers he would deny to you and me. . . .

Indeed, Hatch has given this issue quite some thought. So here we have the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee eager to have (or give away) the power to destroy personal property without due process. Unless, that is, you consider a couple of emails or IM popups to be due process. . . .

I'm a copyright owner -- look down there on my blogroll somewhere and you'll see the All-Powerful ©. Does this mean I should have the legal power to send someone a couple IMs, then destroy their computer because they lifted some of my prose?

No. Just Big Media -- -you know, the Bill O'Reilly-approved kind. Here's a roundup of the extremely negative Blogosphere reaction.

Have the Republicans sold out to Big Media? Rumor has it that Mary Bono is the candidate to take over the RIAA's lobbying operation.