Many people have been led to believe that freedom is good and lack of freedom is bad; that the world can be divided into free societies and oppressed societies; that any limits to freedoms, be they through taxes, laws or regulations on corporations or individuals, are inherently evil. Let’s explore some of these, shall we?
I [...]
Archive for March, 2009
American Corporatism: An Abridged History
by Riley Firth
There is an idea that is pervasive in American capitalism that entrepreneurs are the great producers, great men who move the Earth through intelligence, perseverance, and creativity. You can hear it echoed from Ayn Rand to Ted Nugent: the executives are the people who produce and keep the world moving, while the knuckle-draggers shuffling to [...]
Canadian University Bans Bottled Water
by Kavan Wolfe
In the latest display of misplaced enviro-consciousness in Canada, a university, a school board and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities are pushing for bans on bottled water. I know what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to get people to stop drinking bottled water because it’s horribly inefficient compared to tap or filtered [...]
The Corporate Whipping Boy
by Riley Firth
As I watch the situation with AIG and Congress unfold, I can’t help but think about the nature of corporations, and what will happen to people like Edward Liddy – the CEO who authorized $4 million bonuses for the executives in charge of the insurance company despite the failure of the corporation. Is it really [...]
How the MPAA will make your kids into Terrorists
by Kavan Wolfe
Check out this story about how the MPAA sponsored a study linking piracy to organized crime and terrorism. The mighty Motion Picture Association of America, you see, has a problem: prosecutors are reluctant to waste millions of dollars in public money going after millions of software, music and movie downloaders. Somehow, the MPAA has to [...]
There’s a village in India missing its idiot
by Riley Firth
So, I’ve got a secret for you this week. Don’t tell the Republican Party, but Bobby Jindal is a big douche. If you don’t know who Bobby Jindal is, he’s the governor of the shit-tastic state of Louisiana, and also apparently the future of the GOP.
The first-generation American from the deep south was chosen to [...]
Top 4 Ethical Reasons To Pirate Software
by Kavan Wolfe
Software companies are throwing a collective tantrum about unauthorized downloading and use of their products. They accuse downloaders of violating copyrights and stealing their work. Due to the systematic bias in favor of corporations of North American law, the opposite case is rarely made. Namely, software companies are robbing their customers blind. Here are six [...]