CopiaSystems Universe

Ted Nugent: “Bad American”

You may have never seen this, but then again you might have. I have lifted it from David Ahl's Swap & Shop site. I am sure that this will rub a few "lefties" wrong - this is far from Politically Correct - but it is honest and I have to say I agree!

The following editorial appeared in several newsletters (paper and on-line). Attributed to Ted Nugent, Rock Guitarist and Hunter/Naturalist, it appeared shortly after both of California's Democratic Senators, Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, denounced him for being a "gun owner," and a "Rock Star." However, Ted Nugent denies having written it although he liked it so much that he posted it at his official website. We might also note that over the past five years, Ted has contributed more than $13.7 million to several children's charities and scholarship foundations.

I'm a “Bad American”—this pretty much sums it up for me.

I like big trucks, big boats, big houses, and naturally, pretty women. I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family; not some mid-level, government flunky with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies. I don't care about appearing compassionate. I don't think playing with toy guns makes you a killer. I believe ignoring your kids and giving them Prozac might. I think I'm doing better than the homeless, I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized. I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or make me mad.

This is my life to live and not necessarily up to other's expectations. I know what SEX is and there are not varying degrees of it. I don't celebrate Kwanza - but if you want to, that's fine. I just don't believe everyone else should have to. I believe that if you're selling me a Dairy Queen milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, or a motel room, that you should do it in English. As a matter of fact, if you are an American citizen, you should speak English. My uncles and forefathers should not have died in vain so that you can leave the countries you were born in, come here, disrespect ours, and make us bend to your will. Get over it. I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry butt if you're running from them after they told you to stop. If you can't understand the word 'freeze' or 'stop' in English, see the previous line. I don't use the lame excuse, "It's for the children," as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions.

I know how to count votes and I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliations do a recount when needed. I know what lying is, and it's never based on one's definition of the words. I don't think that just because you weren't born in this country, you should qualify for any special loan programs, government-sponsored bank loans, etc., so that you can open a hotel, 7-Eleven, trinket shop or anything else, while the indigenous people can't even get a decent high school education. I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet. I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny. I want to bring back safe and sane fireworks. I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbome, Ice-T. or Marilyn Manson sang, but that doesn't mean I want to listen to that crap from someone else's car when I'm stopped at a red light-but I respect your right to do so. I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than someone working at a Blockbuster or Jack In The Box.. I don't want to eat or drink anything with the words 'light,' 'lite,' or 'fat-free' on the package.

Our soldiers did not go overseas to risk their lives defending our Constitution so that decades later you can tell me that it's "a living document, ever changing, and open to interpretation." The guys who wrote it were light-years ahead of their time and meant what they said. Now leave that sacred parchment alone or there's going to be trouble. I don't hate the rich. I help the poor. I know that professional wrestling is fake. I've never owned, or was a slave, and a large percentage of our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either. Please stop blaming me because some prior white guys were idiots. And remember, many White, Indian, Chinese, and other races have been enslaved too-it was wrong for every one of them.

I believe that a self-righteous, liberal Democrat with a cause, is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude. I want to know exactly which church the "Reverend" Jessie Jackson preaches at, and what exactly is his job function. I own a gun, you can own a gun, and any red-blooded American should be allowed to own a gun; but if you use it in a crime, then you should do the time. I think Bill Gates has a right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If this makes you mad then feel free to invent the next computer operating system and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy who invented the Internet to help you.

I don't believe in 'Hate Crime' legislation. Even suggesting it makes me mad. You're telling me that someone who is a minority, gay, disabled, another nationality, or otherwise different from the mainstream of this country, has more value as a human being than I do as a white male. If someone kills anyone, I'd say that's a 'Hate Crime.' We don't need any more laws! Let's enforce the ones that we already have.

I think turkey bacon, turkey beef, turkey-fake-anything sucks. I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child-it takes a parent with the guts to stand up to their kid, spank his little butt, and say "NO!" when it's necessary to do so. I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was "Ol' Yeller." I didn't realize that Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid. I will not be frowned upon or looked down upon or be kept silent because I have these beliefs and opinions. I thought this country allowed me that right. I will not conform or compromise just to keep form hurting somebody's feelings. I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media wants the world to believe otherwise.

- What do you think?

Can entertainment companies act with impunity?

In the continuing story of SONY BMG and its copy protection "spyware", the state of Texas has brought suit against SONY under its new Anti-spyware law:

"AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The state sued Sony BMG Music Entertainment on Monday under its new anti-spyware law, saying anti-piracy technology the company slipped into music CDs leaves huge security holes on consumers' computers.

The lawsuit is over the so-called XCP technology that Sony had added to more than 50 CDs to restrict to three the number of times a single disc could be copied."

The AP story continues:

"Attorney General Greg Abbott accused Sony BMG of surreptitiously installing "spyware" in the form of files that mask other files Sony installed as part of XCP.

This "cloaking" component can leave computers vulnerable to viruses and other security problems, said Abbot, echoing the findings of computer security researchers.

"Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak-and-dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Abbott said in a statement.

The term "spyware" has been used broadly to cover programs that are installed without users' full knowledge and consent, whether or not they actually spy on a user's activities."

I think it is time that companies like SONY (and can you say Microsoft) and others are held accountable for their activities, such as installing software on user's computers without their permission.

Music companies are not the only one's violating our trust. A few days ago I upgraded my Adobe Acrobat, and unannounced and undesired software was installed on my PC, including Yahoo Search Bar (HEY - I use Google search and I don't need more than one!) as well as Adobe's lite photo manager. I don't want that crap - why push it on me when I did not ask for it.

It is time for the software bullies (and music bullies too) to take notice - if you violate our trust we will go elsewhere!

Want to read the whole story on the law suit against SONY? Check it out here...

If we ignore it - will it go away?

This is a sensitive issue - one I am sure that many will take me to task on. I just can't help but shake my head here though and wonder. The problem is a folk song that is being performed by a school choir in Michigan. The song has its roots in American Slavery and is a song sung by slaves in the south when working the cotton fields.

Folks are upset that this sort of song is being taught and performed by students. I will admit that there is a right way and a wrong way to recognize our past - this appears to be a blind blunder into the wrong way. But it raises a much larger question - Should we pretend that it never happened. There seems to be such a desire to avoid any talk of American Slavery to the point of forgetting it ever happened.

It is a blight on man kind when one enslaves another. If we are not allowed to discuss this and learn from it without fear of offending one another, then we are destined to forget the past - and by forgetting we will not learn, and by not learning we may repeat it. Lord willing this should never happen.

This situation needs to be a catalyst to teach our children, not in shame or fear or a mislead notion of indignity – but in honesty about ourselves and our past. It was not pretty, but it did happen and it was our past. If we don’t acknowledge it we can’t move on.

That is why I am bothered when I read this:

BERKLEY, Mich. (AP) - A black parent and the NAACP are criticizing a middle school's decision to perform a song that they say glorifies slavery.

The song, "Pick a Bale of Cotton," is on the folk music choir program Wednesday at predominantly white Anderson Middle School in the Berkley School District.

The song's lyrics include, "Jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton. Gotta jump down, turn around, Oh, Lordie, pick a bale a day."

Greg Montgomery told The Detroit News that he complained to school officials, and when he was dissatisfied with their response, decided to pull his 11-year-old daughter, China, from singing.

"It's mind-boggling that people don't understand sensitive issues," he said.

China said: "They were bringing back the memories of how African-Americans picked cotton, and it wasn't a good memory. It was disrespectful to African-Americans."

To me – it is mind boggling that we do not all grow together and learn from each other. It is mind boggling that we want to sweep under the rug the past and hope it really never happened – and far more important – it won’t happen again.

It makes me wonder: If we ignore it, will our past go away?

-------------

Want to read the original story? Here is a link.

Sony gives a little ground on Copy Protections

More on this sillyness about antipiracy software that Sony has embedded into many of its current Music CDs it is now shipping:

Quote from the AP:

"WASHINGTON (AP) - Stung by continuing criticism, the world's second-largest music label, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, promised Friday to temporarily suspend making music CDs with antipiracy technology that can leave computers vulnerable to hackers.

Sony's announcement came one day after leading security companies disclosed that hackers were distributing malicious programs over the Internet that exploited the antipiracy technology's ability to avoid detection. Hackers discovered they can effectively render their programs invisible by using names for computer files similar to ones cloaked by the Sony technology."

Seems that this action was taken not long after the following comments were made by a senior HomeLand Security official:

"It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property, it's not your computer," Baker said at a trade conference on piracy. "And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days."

He did not cite Sony by name when making the comments.

You can read the whole story here:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051112/D8DQJN3G2.html

My only question in all this is - why didn't Sony act sooner - and even more to the point why do they event think they have the right to put this software on my PC in the first place. I say "Sony - keep your stinking paws of my hard disk!"

The NEW FreeForms Plus

Here is a sneak peek at the new FreeForms Plus that I am currently working on. It is an unofficial fork of the FreeForms form creation program that ships with Liberty Basic. I have forked the version that Alyce Watson recently posted.

When done this version will be offered free and as open source to the community, continuing the tradition that Carl began with the original FreeForms.

This version is unique in its use of a real windows toolbar and its ability to integrate module coding with the form as the form is developed.

Check back here to get updates on the progress of the project over time.

- Brad

Does SONY have the right to modify your computer?

This is silly and stupid. Sony BMG music has put a Windows based application on thier music CD's that is suppose to manage thier digital rights. It installs itself onto you PC and then you can not remove it. Any attempt to remove it will cause your PC's CD Drive to fail to operate.

That is stupid. America (and the world) you decide who has these rights and can exercise them - you vote with your pocketbook - SIMPLY do not buy SONY BMG music any longer. They will get the message.

Check out the newest threat - this copyright software is being used by Visus writes to gain access to your computer and exploit it. An excerpt from the article:

"A controversial copy-protection program that automatically installs when some Sony BMG audio CDs are played on personal computers is now being exploited by malicious software that takes advantage of the antipiracy technology's ability to hide files.

The Trojan horse programs - three have so far been identified by antivirus companies - are named so as to trigger the cloaking feature of Sony's XCP2 antipiracy technology. By piggybacking on that function, the malicious programs can enter undetected, security experts said Thursday."

Here is the whole story: http://apnews.myway.com//article/20051111/D8DQB2IG4.html