This is a really great story. A preacher gives everyone in his congregation $50 to demonstrate the parable of the talents. Self-discovery ensues.
Ah, public choice in action. The U.S. Postal Service is opposing a proposed “do not mail” list for junk mail because if you stop getting crap that you don’t read and throw away, they might have to lay off some mailmen. By this logic, we should make sure there are always plenty of poor people, so no bureaucrats in HUD or HHS lose their jobs.
Monkey whores!
Giuliani is asked about his sixth-place finish in Iowa. Naturally, he mentions September 11.
Here’s a bit more on RIAA’s absurd position about the legality of ripping a CD to your computer.
Nominations are now open for the 2008 Weblog Awards. Just in case you, you know, have a favorite weblog you’d like to nominate.
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TheAgitator.com
From the junk mail article:
“This is an infringement on commerce and an infringement on free speech,” [Postal Service spokesman Al] DeSarro said.
I’m happy to hear that the Postal Service is opposed to infringements upon commerce. That means it supports elimination of the first class postal monopoly, right? Right? Oh.
Postal Service spokesman Al DeSarro said half of the mail his agency handles is direct marketing mail, and reducing its volume could cost thousands of Postal Service jobs.
I’m not sure if I should be angered or amused to see such a straightforward use of the broken window fallacy.
Radley. You’ve got one nomination for best African blog. Keep up the good work!
By this logic, we should make sure there are always plenty of poor people, so no bureaucrats in HUD or HHS lose their jobs.
I’m pretty sure bureaucrats are way ahead of us on this one. How’s that war on poverty coming along?
Of course there are Monkey Whores. We’re going to need those to service our Monkey Butlers.
The talents story is awesome. It sort of feels like an accelerated demonstration of the intangible value of community.
The RIAA story is sensationalist reporting on the part of the Washington Post. The man in question is not, as they reported, being sued for ripping his legally owned CD’s onto his computer. He’s being sued for then making those files available over peer-to-peer networks.
On the RIAA story, as Stormy Dragon said, the problem isn’t ripping the songs to your HD (that’s covered under “Fair Use” in the copyright laws), it’s sharing them with others that is “illegal.”
As for the Postal Service, I guess they’re not trying to save the American taxpayer any money. Eliminating those jobs, however bad for those guys that might be, will create huge savings for us, the taxpayer. I’m sure they can always find another job but monies I pay to the government are rarely seen again.
No, the issue is that within their legal papers filed they are now making the case that it is illegal for you to move the music off the CD and on to your hard drive. It’s part of the broader argument against the guy not just the illegal filesharing.
The point is they have started to make this argument, and normally I’d laugh at it. However I’ve seen enough from the corporatist federalist society judges to realize there is nothing more they like to do than side with the corporate arguments.