Do People really believe this? (yes, DailyTech again)

I saw this comment in the posts on a story about Jack Thompson on Dailytech

He is right to a Degree. At least we can legally remove the Muslim extremists. Cristian Evangelists, are working day and night to take away our rights because its something they don't agree with. The problem is if you disagree with them then you're not a good Christian.

Do people actually believe that? Because I can destroy that theory in less than 5 seconds, and with only 8 letters. RIAA : MPAA

Okay, follow with me on this. Every geek, nerd, whatever you want to call us, technology inclined if you will, agrees that Digital Rights Management is a bad thing. We all agree that we don't like to be locked out of our content, and many of us actively work to break down the locks on things like movies and music.

The RIAA and MPAA, on the other hand, pursue an aggressive strategy to remove control of content from end users. The RIAA and MPAA openly prosecute anybody who dares try to circumvent their technology, and work to put laws into place that make it illegal for content buyers to actually... buy content. The dream world of the RIAA and MPAA is that everybody pays to rent content, nobody actually owns it. Even if somebody creates content, they don't actually own the content, the content is owned by the RIAA and the MPAA.

So, how does this fit in with Evangelical Christians?

Let me pose a question : How many movies are made each year that openly mock the Christian Faith and the Jewish Faith? I can think of a couple right off hand, including one coming up later this year that mocks the plagues brought forth against Egypt during the time of Moses. Consider Mel Gibson for a minute who withered a fire storm of criticism for his movie, Passion of the Christ. Mr. Gibson went out of his way to create a movie that looked at the Death of Jesus Christ in a respectful manner, and the members of the RIAA and MPAA collectively attempted to Rip him a new one.

How many music tracks are released each year that blaspheme the Christian Faith and Jewish Faith? Listen to a modern rock station for 10 minutes, and you'll probably hear some song come on that will attack either faith. Obscenities flow forth like water over a waterfall from the mouths of many a "popular" R&B star, or from people like Kid Rock. These are the people being held up as "models" for children to emulate?

Okay, I'll grant you that for every Korn, there was an Impelliteri, and for every Metallica, there was a Petra. For every Limp Biscuit (sorry, I don't know how to spell their name), you had a Stryper. For every horrible "mass market" record, there was an alternative to listen to. However, getting those alternatives on the air, especially when they come from a Christian base, has traditionally been next to impossible. Consider chart toppers like Jars Of Clay, DC Talk, Newsboys, and SuperChick, and actually trying to get them on a modern Radio station. You might here one of two tracks, but you won't ever hear anything else on the album. Sometimes the artist is asked to change the words of a song (DC Talk), or to change the video (Michael Sweet) before it will be given air time.

In most cases, retail stores are ordered to go out of their way to separate "Christian" music from "genre" music. Often times, at the order of the RIAA and it's members. For a period of time, retailers were required to mark tape cassettes with "Warning: Contains Explicit Christian Lyrics" (DC Talk, Liaison, Idle Cure, Shout, Alter Boys, Michael Sweet, Stryper).

So... can you see where I'm going with this? The same guys who openly mock the Christian and Jewish faiths are the same guys that geeks agree are bad, and are trying to remove our freedoms.

Has anybody also paid attention to the political party that the RIAA and MPAA are most closely aligned with either? Has anyone ever actually paid attention to the political alignments of the news media including Associated Press, Reuters, ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN? I'll give you a hint, they are NOT aligned with Republicans.

So, where do people like Jack Thompson fit into this? Well, if I had my guess, I'd say he was a liberal socialist out to cause trouble. The problem is, that isn't how Jack Thompson sells himself. He sells himself a Republican (or at least that is what the reports I have read indicate). However, his rhetoric isn't in line with what most Republicans believe, full stop, end of story.

Now, if you want my opinion, it is the desire of the RIAA and MPAA, and their partners within the mass media to sell Jack Thompson as a Republican, and promote him as such. The result is.. well... destructive. One on hand, Republicans are put on the spot that they don't want to outright reject the concerns over video games, since the concerns mimic the concerns they have about Movies and Music. So there are feelings that something does need to be said. On the other hand, if Republicans don't quickly reject the arguments of Jack Thompson and call foul, you get the impression that the Republican parties are fully behind Jack Thompson... which isn't true.

I'd suggest people who don't understand what's happening there to pick up a little book by Joseph Heller called... Catch-22. It's almost a perfect setup in which there is no simple way out.

Getting back to the point, Christian Evangelists have done more than anybody else to PROTECT the freedoms we enjoy today. The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were all Christians, and they were out of their way to establish a legal foundation that protected EVERYBODY, not just themselves. Ever hear of a guy by the name Voltaire? You know, he said this:

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

Welcome to the opinion held by most Christians and Jews today. The US, a Christian nation, went after Saddam Hussein not once, but twice, at the request of other Arab nations to protect their freedoms. Our forces went overseas to defend somebody else's right to vote, and control their own household, and to say what they want to say. People we didn't even know or had any emotional attachment to, we went and bailed out.

Back in 2005, Jason Siebels published a comic covering the typical behavior of Americans when somebody else is hurt, be it a country or person : http://anywherebuthere.comicgenesis.com/d/20050102.html

The guys behind RightMarch.com ( http://rightmarch.com/ ) have gone out of their way to stop restrictions on Grass-Roots activism, as well as prevent Illegal Aliens from being given the same rights as people who were born or naturalized in the US. Care to guess exactly who is behind RightMarch? You would be right, Evangelical Christians.

Who has fought back against regulation of the Internet? Yep. Republicans and Conservatives... many of whom where... yes. Evangelical Christians.

Who is fighting for regulation of the Internet... oh yes. Our dear leftist Democrat friends, the RIAA, MPAA, and their associates in quoted "Big Media."

Now, I could go on, and I'm highly tempted to, but there really is not a point at this time.

If you really do think that Liberals and Democrats have your personal freedoms in mind, and if you really do believe that a Liberal or Democratic Congress or President is going to enforce those freedoms, then I can't help you. I can't say anything to change your mind, because, take this the wrong way if you will, you are not living in reality. I simply do not have the power to pull you out of your fantasy world.

All we can do at this point is hammer on the Conservatives and Republicans in Congress, and make sure they have the backbone to stand up against those who ARE actively trying to remove your personal freedoms.

If you don't agree with that, or if you don't agree with what I'm saying... I'm going to leave one final suggestion.

Research the history of Russia under Joseph Stalin. Research the History of Red China. And read the works of Karl Marx.

Keep in mind that their economic and personal opinions are considered to be dead wrong in this day and time. Keep in mind that there is empirical proof, both in an economic and social sense, that their ideas failed.

Then compare their policies with those spouted by those controlling the RIAA, MPAA, and Democrat Parties. Compare the platforms written by the Democrat parties with documents available from the Kremlin.

If you can't see the connection, then again, I can't help you.


******

Shutting down another attack vector: After I posted the above, another point of attack arose in my mind, coming from Gays and Lesbians. I know that some joker is going to read this, raise his hand, then state "Oh, but Evangelical Christians ARE trying to remove rights and freedoms, look at what they are doing with Gays and Lesbians." Okay, lets get the usual lines out of the way. The United States of America is a country for Christians... by Christians. The USA founding fathers, and the vast majority, believe that when god said that Homosexuality is wrong, God meant, it is wrong.

So, lets cut through the banter and hit what this argument is about. Money.

What the gays and lesbians want is the same financial benefits that are given to Heterosexual couples. They want the same "Dependant" classifications, the same credits, and so on and so forth.

However, why are those Credits and Tax Breaks in the existing Tax code to begin with?

Most Gays and Lesbians who are activists don't stop and consider that point... first. The tax breaks and credits are in place in an attempt to encourage the reproduction of further tax payers. Gays and Lesbians can't reproduce though... Still takes one guy and one girl. Or forged cloning projects. Take your pick.

So, let me pose this question:

What would have happened if George Bush had succeeded on the Social Security Reform? What, exactly, would happen, if the Republican backed Flat Tax was placed into effect, and the existing tax code was erased...

Where would all of the tax breaks and credits be? Oh... wait a second... they wouldn't actually exist. Everybody would be on the same financial playing field.

Get the picture? Had Gays and Lesbians backed the Social Security Reform, and if they also get behind the Flat Tax efforts, they will be placed on equal footing with Heterosexuals. Why? Because the tax codes will no longer make a difference between any classifications.

Now, this doesn't change the Marriage question, and since this is a Christian Country, that is never going to change, period, full stop, end of story. However, the financial question, which is the root of the protests in the first place, would effectively be neutered.

So, in a sense, Gays and Lesbians have shot themselves in the... ahem, rump... over their financial state in the past years.


So, here's my piece of advice to them. Shut up, get Social Security reformed and get a flat tax in place, and nobody is going to bother questioning what you do in bed because there won't be any point in asking.