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Gmail - LAR: Lamar Smith's Copyright Hypocrisy - flyaway.jack@gmail.com

LAR: Lamar Smith's Copyright Hypocrisy

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Americans for Limited Government via publicaster.com to me

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Jan. 17, 2012 Lamar Smith's Copyright Hypocrisy Anti-piracy bill author reportedly used photographs without permission on his campaign website. Obamacare implementation continues to grind forward Americans for Limited Government Foundation has put together some key upcoming dates when actions will occur that impact American's healthcare. Video: The Reid-Pelosi Congress Helped to Bail Out Europe Big Gov't Bozo(s) Legislation by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers only way to pull back $100 billion credit line to the International Monetary Fund which is bailing out Europe. The Breeze of Bashing Capitalism When all else fails, bashing the "evil" rich offers a quick release, buys time and is as easy — and about as courageous — as swatting a fly. It's so beyond cliché it's reflex. Lamar Smith's Copyright Hypocrisy By Robert Romano Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Lamar Smith has put the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on hold, stripping out controversial DNS blocking provisions from the legislation until further study can take place in a move that Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson called a "victory for First Amendment and civil liberties advocates." "SOPA as originally drafted threatened to institutionalize into U.S. law a regime of blocking websites from being accessed," Wilson said, calling the provision "pure censorship." The move by Smith to remove one of the central features of the bill, DNS blocking, was quite an admission. Smith previously dismissed critics of the bill: "The criticism of this bill is completely hypothetical; none of it is based in reality. Not one of the critics was able to point to any language in the bill that would in any way harm the Internet. Their accusations are simply not supported by any facts." So much for that. Now Smith claims that "After consultation with industry groups across the country, I feel we should remove Domain Name System blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision." One of the things his committee should look into immediately is that domestic websites are already being blocked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under existing federal forfeiture laws in the name of protecting copyright. In some cases, these websites are being seized prior to any trial or even a hearing taking place, proof Wilson said the government was already overstepping its bounds by blocking access to websites in America in an attempt to protect intellectual property. Get full story here. Obamacare implementation continues to grind forward By John Vinci Obamacare is likely to find its way into the national debate continuously throughout 2012 as the Supreme Court takes the constitutionality of the law up, while the regulatory mechanisms for enforcing the law continue to be put into place. Americans for Limited Government Foundation has put together some key upcoming dates when actions will occur that impact American's healthcare. Some will get major news media coverage, others will be ignored in the legacy media. But all of these dates represent transformative changes that will change the way the government is involved in healthcare forever. Some Key Dates for Obamacare Jan. or Feb. 2012 HHS awards first of grants totaling $3.4 billion to Consumer Oriented and Operated Plans (CO-OPs) for startup costs and in order meet state solvency requirements. Spring 2012 Essential Health Benefits regulation expected. March 26-28, 2012 Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the constitutionality of Obamacare. June 25, 2012 The final day of Supreme Court's 2011-2012 session. A decision on Obamacare's constitutionality is expected within a week or two before this date. June 29, 2012 Deadline for States to apply for federal grants to implement Health Insurance Exchanges. November 6, 2012 Federal Election Day. October 1, 2013 Exchanges begin enrolling participants for 2014. January 1, 2014 Individual and employer mandates commence, annual limits for essential benefits and pre-existing condition exclusions will be prohibited, and Health Insurance Exchange health plans commence. January 1, 2017 States Innovation Waivers available. Get full story here. Big Gov't Bozo(s): The Reid-Pelosi Congress Helped to Bail Out Europe Video by Frank McCaffrey Get permalink here. The Breeze of Bashing Capitalism By David Bozeman What a sad commentary on our world when "capitalist" is hurled as an epithet, by no less than those who fancy themselves capitalism's staunchest defenders. Bain Capital is but one example. When all else fails, bashing the eee-vil rich offers a quick release, buys time and is as easy — and about as courageous — as swatting a fly. It's so beyond cliché it's reflex. The dominant currency in political discourse is broad, universally shared caricatures, from Mr. Potter, the heartless rich banker in It's a Wonderful Life to Scrooge McDuck. Yes, syndicated columnist Dana Milbank recently cited a relatively ancient cartoon character in a lighthearted jab at the GOP frontrunner entitled "Romney's Money Talks." Rule of thumb: when a candidate is labeled "rich" or "capitalist" from the outset, little of substance will follow in terms of unearthing scandal or criminal activity. The aura of a fat, sloppy capitalist, the chattering classes assume, alone will repel the regular folks. Who needs a summary of a contender's character, nuance, worldview or job performance? If they don't think we're that stupid, they hope we are. Forget "Sexual McCarthyism" (from the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal) or Sarah Palin's bulls-eyes over targeted congressional districts, having your fat wallet identified is now intended as the kiss of death in American politics. One can easily spot such matter-of-fact derisions of Romney as "multiple mansion owner." Get full story here.