SG political contributor David Seaman discusses the ongoing media bias against presidential candidate Ron Paul, and (possibly) preferential media coverage given to presumed frontrunner Mitt Romney. David also explores the possibility that the corporate media is engaged in topic censorship in a style similar to that seen with state-run Chinese media; Protest coverage (on all sides of the political spectrum), for example, has been woefully absent from mainstream news outlets over the past several months.
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David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.
This past week would have been pure lulz online, had the denizens of the web not been fighting over something so humorless. But then there’s nothing funny about spying on your citizens, denying them free speech, and criminalizing vast swathes of them for good measure, but that’s what our government, and the corporations that are under the impression that they control it, are trying to do.
Following last week’s historic Internet Blackout Day, which saw the likes of Wikipedia, Reddit, and BoingBoing go dark, it was apparent to everyone that SOPA and PIPA needed to be put on ice – everyone that is, except the Democrats, who have been suckling at Hollywood’s teet for way to long, and appear to have got their mouths stuck there.
But with SOPA’s markup hearing and PIPA’s Senate vote both indefinitely postponed, the Feds apparently decided they didn’t need the ugly censorship sister acts to go after online targets already in their sights. It was therefore no coincidence that the day after Blackout Day, the US Department of Justice moved against file sharing site Megaupload.
Their choice of target to make an example of might have seemed strange, especially when considering that Pirate Bay is perhaps a more recognizable name to those outside of the downloading massive. However, the decision to make an exhibition of Megaupload was likely motivated by more then a little machismo (or more accurately the public loss of it) on behalf of the entertainment industry who had long been lobbying for such action, and who had been taunted, publicly humiliated, and deemed impotent by the file sharing giant. (Megaupload had posted a promotional clip on YouTube which featured numerous major label artists including P Diddy, Kanye West, and Chris Brown, and a feud involving disputed DMCA takedown missives, lawsuits, and online mudslinging had ensued.)
What was perhaps most disturbing about the US government’s action against Megaupload, was that they made the site disappear like a renditioned prisoner – without any due process. And following the arrests of the site’s founder Kim Dotcom and three other key executives in New Zealand, and two further arrests in Europe, it became very apparent that when it comes to copyright infringement the long arm of America’s law extends far beyond our nation’s borders.
Retribution, courtesy of Anonymous and #OpMegaupload, was swift, and within hours numerous websites were “tango down.” Online shop windows successfully owned included those for government agencies (justice.gov, usdoj.gov, and fbi.gov), entertainment trade/lobbying organizations (riaa.org, mpaa.org, and bmi.com), and media corporations (universalmusic.com, wmg.com, and cbs.com).
As YourAnonNews noted, the non-consensual blackout day was “the largest attack ever by Anonymous” with “5,635 people confirmed using LOIC to bring down sites!” Gawker subsequently gave some insight as to how the mass coordinated DDoS attack was achieved by way of links that launched LOICs unbeknownst to those that clicked on them – the lack of intention in theory meaning accidental DDoS’ers should have the law on their side. (In CBS’s case, a little hackery also seemed to be involved, since their site, unlike the others, at one point appeared to have been totally wiped, though we’re not sure what exactly they did to achieve this special treatment. Answers via Twitter please.)
But despite shots fired against government and corporate vessels by pro-pirate and freedom friendly ships, the battle to contain and control the web continues as other file sharing sites curtail their activities in the hopes of avoiding Megaupload’s fate. PIPA and SOPA may be dead in the water, but two even worse pieces of legislation are on the horizon.
The misleadingly named Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act would use kiddie porn as a premise to monitor EVERYONE’S online activity (and what politician can appear to be pro-pedophilia by voting against it?), while the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) contains similar Big Brother surveillance provisions and contains SOPA-like language that requires that signatory nations* monitor and censor the internet within their domain. So while we internuts may have won out against the tyranny of PIPA and SOPA, the fight to retain freedom on the world wide web has only just begun.
“They lied to Congress, they perjured themselves, they concealed the fact they had a major blowout from offshore drilling.”
– Greg Palast
In his latest book, Vultures’ Picnic, investigative reporter Greg Palast jumps ass deep into the one percent’s favorite combustible lubricant. Armed with a miniature recording device, condoms, mosquito repellant, K-Y Jelly, a 3.4-ounce flask of Felipe II, and his trademark fedora hat, Palast travels from Alaska to the Amazon, and from Louisiana to Liberia to expose the dirty business of crude oil, and those who make indecent fortunes from it.
During the course of his investigations, Palast uncovers the incestuous relationships between the petroleum corporations and the governments they control, and how human and environmental carnage, corruption, coup d’états, and cover-ups are ultimately considered a cost of doing business by these toxic bedfellows.
[Caution: You may feel violated after reading this interview — but at least you’ll know a few of the names of the motherfuckers that are screwing you.]
In a wide-ranging interview, SuicideGirls’ political contributor David Seaman talks about today’s top issues with former Louisiana Governor and current GOP 2012 presidential contender Buddy Roemer, who, during his 40 year plus political career, has served both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Gov. Roemer sounds off on Barack Obama, NDAA, SOPA/PIPA, censorship, government corruption, Ron Paul, and how he is not an “isolationist” as Mr. Paul is. Plus, Roemer also shares his views on the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements.
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David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.
WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: Besides the normal Hopefuls groups, SG420 was the first group I joined. It’s no secret I am more than fond of sweet Mary Jane, but what actually drew me in was the group’s main picture at the time. It was a little pink grinder with the group name “SG420″ etched in keif. I happen to have that exact same grinder and use it everyday. Once I joined though I fell in love with the members, and absolutely hilarious threads. I also really enjoyed the music that people have shared, and special recipes I’ve discovered.
DISCUSSION TIP: Smoke something before entering and it makes everything 10X better. Don’t be afraid to be a total goofball stoner in this group.
BEST RANDOM QUOTE: My friend just broke the bong…Not sure how to handle this.”
MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: The NEW “I’m Stoned” thread – just ’cause it’s for those who’ve recently struck a match.
WHO’S WELCOME TO JOIN?: Any jokers, smokers, or midnight tokers. But really anyone who is a lover or supporter of marijuana, and anyone who is looking for a good laugh.
The White House is asking YOU to submit questions (and vote on other people’s) for a special online “hangout” that Barack Obama’s doing in association with YouTube and G+ to coincide with the State of the Union address. He’ll be answering several of the “top voted” questions during a dedicated YouTube broadcast on January 30th, and a lucky few who submitted will be invited to hang with the Prez live on G+.
Please head over to youtube.com/whitehouse and post a question about the NDAA over there. Unfortunately, it appears they are deleting these NDAA comments — almost unbelievable. When this videocast was recorded, there were 13,913 questions asking about NDAA. As of 4:16 PM ET today, however, that number has been thinned to only 1,156 questions. Land of the free…
**UPDATE: January 25, 2012 – 8.34 PM PST**
Yet more questions for Obama regarding the #NDAA are being removed from the submissions system – this, despite the fact they’re getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from the page’s visitors (see screen grab below).
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David Seaman is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.
“…The Supreme Court, with whose opinions I’ve not always agreed, declared that corporations are people and that money is free speech.”
– Al Gore
Since being elected president in 2000 (look it up if you don’t remember), Al Gore has forged a career as a public speaker. The movie of his speech about the climate crisis, An Inconvenient Truth, won an Oscar for best documentary. The former vice president also serves as the chairman of Current TV, a next generation news service he cofounded. The cable network features political programming with hosts like Cenk Uygur and Jennifer Granholm. It offers an alternative to the ultra right wing Fox News, and serves as a breath of fresh air when compared to the staid but supposedly balanced CNN.
Gore presented the network’s latest programming, anticipating the 2012 election cycle, to the Television Critics Association on Jan. 13. The critics must have reminded Gore of his days facing the White House press corps. We get the scoop on Snooki, so we’re not letting any fancy guys in suits get off easy.
Perhaps Gore is still a politician at heart. He took questions from critics but you might say he was filibustering to keep the conversation revolving around his talking points. Yes, he brought up the climate crisis on his own. Check your cable listings for Current TV and below for Gore’s thoughts on news coverage, Occupy Wall Street and the upcoming election.
