The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Making Music

1.3.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 3)

A little price elasticity in the marketplace for digital material might go a long ways towards a gesture of good will on RIAA et al's part, but that's not likely to happen here. They want to control and be paid for each copy of the material simply even though they make no investment in making the copy or moving it to the latest technology media. If I convert all my records to CD (and have no record player any more) they see that as stealing. The vast majority of people and any that have put faith in digital material and lost it (such as on a hard drive) will see the producer of the material as the thief in such cases. Same story for records to tape, CD to MP3, etc. The market moves forward; Organizations like RIAA are stuck in the past and seem destined to remain there. If any Court is fool enough to open this Pandora's Box, there is no end in sight as to the damage to the marketplace with regard to digital recorded material. Brave New World is trivial by comparison to what will be required to provide the "control" RIAA like organizations seek. If coping a CD to my computer hard drive or any other electronic storage device is a crime, as RIAA contends there aren't enough jails or lawyers to hold all the present criminals and most aren't found on college campuses these days.
-- Thom Bateman
Newport News, Virginia

The recording industry and the RIAA need to face one simple fact: they've been rendered technologically obsolete. For recording artists and the industry that either (a) supports them or (b) leeches off them (take your pick), it's adapt or die.

However...I'd like to think, under the current copyright rules, that I could, say, take my copies of The American Spectator and resell them if I choose, or clip or copy individual articles and file them for my own reading convenience. I don't know how you'd feel about it, though.
-- Robert Nowall
Cape Coral, Florida

BIDEN BYE-BYE
Re: Shawn Macomber's The Fifth Nag of the Apocalypse:

My God! why does anyone take this popinjay serious? this must be one of the most mystifying questions of the so called civilized world, only in Washington DC I suppose would anyone take notice of his blather or even more surprising make campaign contributions to him. Forgive me please O Lord for even this e-mail. Biden is a complete and utter phony from his hair plugs to his round heels and who will ever forget his plagiarism of a British socialist no less. As someone said once if you are going to steal someone's words at least make it from a great person worth stealing from not a second rate Brit.
Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak, Michigan

In a month's time, this vainglorious fool will once again be relegated to obscurity. He, Dodd, Kucinich, et al. can get back to coloring outside the lines, when finally back in Washington. One hopes the plug on Biden's decades old quest for the presidency will have finally been pulled. Perhaps Congress, in an attempt to restore what's left of their credibility with Americans, would consider a bill that requires any federal elected office holder to relinquish their office, if they should run and fail to obtain the presidency. That's got to be worth a 10% point bump in their ratings. Here's hoping for February.
-- A. DiPentima

Biden's not a nag, he remains what he has always been... the village idiot who the people of Delaware have allowed to drink at the public trough for way too long a time.
-- Dan Mittelman

SAPPED STRENGTH
Re: Philip Klein's The Wife and the Wrestler:

Philip Klein indirectly brings up an interesting point -- that of the need of physical endurance and stamina in the presidential race.

The run for the presidency is extremely grueling, especially in the early states like Iowa and New Hampshire where the emphasis is on retail politics. Not everyone is up such rigors. So, it can hardly be surprising that an old bag like Hillary, whose experience with physical conditioning up until now might have been limited to throwing a lamp or an ashtray or two at her Ever Lovin' Bill or some Secret Agent who didn't step fast enough, is aging fast on the campaign trail.

For as with sickness, as the body fatigues, so does the mind. As Vince Lombardi once said as he was emphasizing physical conditioning to his players, "Fatigue makes cowards out of us all." The Hillary collapse is coming, and this hippy-chick of yesteryear is going to go out on a note of unusual ugliness.
-- Peter Skurkiss
Stow, Ohio

A HENNY PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Re: Peter Hannaford's Bali Highs:

I agree with Mrs. Henny Penny. But, only this part:

"... We therefore need to equip nations to become resilient to the full range of these natural phenomena by promoting economic growth and wealth generation."

Capitalism and improved property rights will fix any global warming disaster, even if it is not real by refusing to divert significant resources for imaginary purposes. Capitalism, unencumbered and not legislatively subverted, will cause an affordable and proper response to either global warming or global cooling.

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