Schadenfreude


Well, politics is happening, but does it really matter? No. I'm not sure who'll be worse to get elected, but I'm thinking it'll be McCain. I mean, both Gore and McCain are pretty much schlubs, but McCain's a rather surly Republican type, and Gore's far too wooden to be surly. If it's a contest between the two, I'd have to say Gore, Tipper and all. With any luck, he'll be too busy getting nibbled to death by the Republicans to show us the true horror behind the phrase "It takes a village to raise your children".

Anyway, the race for Presidency ("Pointless sound bite issues, I choose YOU!") wouldn't be quite as important if several members of the Supreme Court weren't edging up to the point where they're so close to the Next Dimension that even the Dragonballs couldn't wish them back. Whoever we elect as President will almost certainly get to appoint several of the collectable, loveable Supreme Courtesans. Er, Courtiers. Er, whatever.

This ought to strike terror into the hearts of anyone. The Supreme Court has shown itself repeatedly to be the last substantial barrier between the greedy, grasping hands of government and our basic rights as citizens and human beings. The thought of the moderates being replaced by people who think the CDA and other such bare-faced assaults on our liberties are peachy-keen ought to be enough to make you wake up screaming in the night.

Because if it does happen, we really will be up shit creek without a paddle, left with the options of revolution or a rather unpleasant future indeed. Which, admittedly, we probably are anyway, but hey. So, perhaps, we had better hope for Gore, being as he's moderately less likely to molest our liberties too much, or, at least, if he does he'll presumably ask politely first.

In other news, UCITA still isn't dead. UCITA, for those of you who don't bother with these sorts of things, is the thingie currently being run up in various states that includes many darkly humorous provisions. It's not explicitly aimed at free software, but hey. It makes software writers explicitly liable for oopses in their software, and such. Fine, you say, this is good. However, it ALSO makes Click-Through License Contracts explicitly legal, too. Even if they say things like "By installing this software, you absolve us of all liability." Read these last few sentences again, carefully. I'll wait. Now, let's see. What kind of software is now not really held liable for its oopses? And what kind doesn't contain any click-through license? That's right, kids! Here, have a cookie. Also, it allows retroactive changes to the Click-Thru license to be enforcable, allows the license to ban reverse engineering, and includes amusing little things like "This [click-through] contract need not be read to be enforceable." Read that last bit again. I'll wait.

Clearly, Satan's been busier than we thought.

In other, more wacky news, go check out DotComix home page. Click on the "Mr. Cranky" button. Listen to some Mr. Cranky reviews, especially that for the Avengers. Now this is surl.

Today's MP3 is Mega Smegma's Golfing On Acid. Which is precisely what it sounds like.


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