ledeagenda.com

1776. Reborn.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

internet radio’s last stand; more on the death of the free net

WaPo reports that internet radio may soon cease to exist as we know it:

Last year, an obscure federal panel ordered a doubling of the per-song performance royalty that Web radio stations pay to performers and record companies.

Traditional radio, by contrast, pays no such fee. Satellite radio pays a fee but at a less onerous rate, at least by some measures.

SoundExchange, the organization that represents performers and record companies, said it supports the higher royalties for Internet radio because musicians deserve a bigger cut of Internet radio profits.

The Copyright Royalty Board last year decided that the fee to play a music recording on Web radio should step up from 8/100 of a cent per song per listener in 2006 to 19/100 of a cent per song per listener in 2010.

Traditional radio pays nothing in performance royalties, though SoundExchange is pressing to change that. Satellite radio pays 6 or 7 percent of revenue. And then there are webcasters, which pay per song, per listener.

They attack the internet because they can’t control it. Once the music goes down watch closely, the independent news and blog sites will be next.

posted by Luke at 10:44:51  

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Lede Agenda Doctrine

The Business And Media Institute gives this shot across the brow: a return of the fairness doctrine would compel conservative websites and blogs, like yours truly, to give both political viewpoints.

Remember that article a few days back where liberals were threatening those who criticize Mr. Hopenchange? The Fairness Doctrine has the exact same chilling effect as that promoted by Accountable America. Unable to convince you they will now coerce you, backed with the full force and power of the federal government.

Let me digress for a moment, because it is relevant and timely here.

I was asked the other day what the purpose of my blog is. It’s not that complicated really. I seek to advance the conservative agenda by empowering my readers with a timely discussion of current events as they relate to the constitution and limited government. I believe, as a lot of people do, that there is a massive effort to supplant  individual rights with government benefits. I find this to be contrary to the founding fathers and a direct threat to our national sovereignty. In short, I hope my blog serves as a warning against the big government authoritarianism that the liberals promote.

So, how does this relate to the discussion of the Fairness Doctrine? And really, what does this have to do with conservatism and libertarianism? Allow me to explain.

I advance my own ideas on this blog. Yes, I link articles and discussions as they are timely  and relevant. But the overall stream of thought and commentary is mine. Furthermore, I pay to have my blog hosted. As anyone proud of his or her work would proclaim, this is my work and I am damn proud of it.

The concept of the Fairness Doctrine is an insult to my intelligence and a flagrant violation of my first amendment rights. To my liberal socialist friends out there, if you want to advance your own ideas feel free to email me, I will hook you up my web host who will assist you with the Word Press programming. This is still a free society at the moment, please feel free to start your own work.

But let me make it quite clear: you will never be allowed equal space on my blog. The way I look at the world, your ideas, policies, and social preferences are a direct threat to the constitution of the United States. I will not give you the pleasure of parading your socialism around as if it is equal to a constitutional worldview.

That’s because it is not. A constitutional worldview guarantees individual liberty, promotes human life, is based on the free market and free exchange of ideas. A constitutional worldview limits the size, scope and authority of government to only the powers that are absolutely necessary to preserve, protect and defend our inalienable civil rights.

Liberals on the other hand seem to think that there should be no restrictions on the scope of government. Private corporation bailouts are ok, after all taxation isn’t really for each to pay his or her fair share, but rather to promote such subjective goals as “fairness” and “equality”.  Our constitutional rights are guaranteed only so long as you live a lifestyle that is in harmony with the politically correct goals of the state. Oh, and don’t even think about questioning such noble social undertakings such as welfare, global warming initiatives and the plight of the illegal immigrant. Because after all, the government is our caretaker.

Liberals and conservatives aren’t just on opposite pages in my eyes, they are on whole opposite countries. 

So, in other words, the liberals’ ideas aren’t worthy of fairness in my eyes. And yes, you can quote me on that.


UPDATE 8-14-2008

Spooky how many people out there are willing to embrace facism. Rasmussen Reports released a survey today indicating 47% of people favor government mandated “fairness doctrine” and another 31% feel the same for websites and blogs. I guess the good news out of this is that at least they still are not in the majority?

posted by Luke at 05:30:15  

Friday, August 1, 2008

FCC: STOP INTERNET GATEKEEPING!!!

FREE SPEECH SHALL REIN ON THE NET! INTERNET GATEKEEPING SHOT DOWN!!!

 THIS IS A HUGE WIN FOR A FREE NET!

Finally, something to be happy, or at least cheerful, about!

posted by Luke at 11:33:49  

Monday, July 28, 2008

FCC Board Member: keep the net free [meaning run by corperate gatekeepers]

In a blatant expose of the government media complex the WaPo has embraced the FCC’s version of the “free net”. The “free net” that has gatekeepers to regulate, monitor and filter out the sites you visit, the content you download and the use of your internet connection.

Remember: telecoms are now granted immunity to cooperate with the governments agenda. We must assume ISP’s are complicit in this as well. If we allow gatekeepers on the net, the last vestige of the free media will be lost. How soon will it be before your ISP’s cooperate with the government and start “filtering out” unwanted political dissent and discussion?

We must assume a backroom deal is being made here. The government is offering this to the ISP’s: cooperate with our desired policies and we will allow you to filter content to manage your under capacity network. This may well be the biggest win for the government-media complex when seen through the prism of history.

posted by Luke at 05:30:24  

Friday, July 11, 2008

FCC TO ENFORCE NETWORK NEUTRALITY!!

This action against Comcast is a huge win for those who use the free access of information and use of the the internet. If you allow gatekeepers up, you have no speech online at all. We will see how serious the FCC is about this, but this is a positive signal indeed.

NYTimes.com: Imminent Victory for Network Neutrality Advocates


Update to Mondays Post:Apparently I am not the only one to feel this Digital TV “transition” is crap.This from the NYDailyNews.com:

And chew on this: The FCC’s riling gives broadcasters extra electronic space needed to transmit in HDTV, but it doesn’t require them to do so. It only requires digital signals, the picture quality of which can be only marginally better than analog. Broadcasters already have said they’re not likely to use the extra digital space for HDTV but rather for non-TV communications services like paging. And cable’s apparently not interested in HDTV at all.

In other words, consumers will have to junk their perfectly good TVs for expensive digital ones that display images about as sharp and lifelike as the ones people get now.

Is this smelling fishy to anyone else yet? This regulation appears to be more about forcing us to buy TVs we cannot afford rather than to better society. This is not the free market. Digital TV is not a better product.

There is nothing on TV worth watching. When February comes it’s time to walk away from television. Remember, they did it to themselves. The internet can, and will always be, a better form of personal entertainment.

posted by Luke at 07:41:30  

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Comcast backs off; Supports a free net

After listening to its customers, Comcast has reversed course and now pledges to support network neutrality. Will the other big ISP’s follow suit, specifically AT&T?

posted by Luke at 07:35:08  

Monday, March 10, 2008

GOVT: You Need To Use Your Real Name Online

A story so ridiculous, only the government could be proposing it.

posted by Luke at 07:23:37  

Monday, January 7, 2008

Bloggers Beat Down By Stress Of The Post

The story, here.

It’s nice to know that the stress caused by a blog is indeed legitimate. The blogosphere should take this into considerable thought as we slowly chip away at the effectiveness of the MSM.

Note: I have slowed down my posts for similar reasons, but expect to post at least twice a week this 2008 Presidental Election cycle.

In the coming days I will also introduce the Idaho Legislature 2008 section. Look for a breakdown of the issues to hit the legislators early on in this 2008 session.

Remember- every day the legislature or Congress meets, our rights are being whittled away.

That’s all for now…

posted by Luke at 09:03:02  

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

RIAA: You Cannot Use Your CD’s For Your MP3 Player

Yet another case of a hijacked court ignoring the First Amendment and Copyright law.

posted by Luke at 17:55:05  

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Are Facebook Ads Illegal?

In New York, it seems, the answer may be yes.

posted by Luke at 17:36:49  

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Who is asking the questions? Who is our watchdog?

Government, tired of dealing with pesky reporters and embarrassing questions is now turning to a new tactic: just stage a press conference so only those questions gets asked which reinforce the Agenda.

Proof Source: FEMA blasted for ‘news’ conference

The New World Order is testing our response to an eventual takeover of the media by the government.  Influence and control is very rarely clean and direct. Shades of grey rule our world. Our media is the social engineer, the government its agenda setter.

The news cooperations love these ‘VNR’s [video-news-releases]. Its easy, convientient and quick. A short news story to plug inbetween a report on your local fair and the Weather Center 5000. It lowers their production costs and helps make them appear ‘legitimate’ by having big-boy reports on Washington, DC.

With no legimate sources of media to question government the net will be paramount to the free exchange of information. Bloggers and online news sites will have to ask the difficult questions the mainsream media is supposed to ask. But we already know the Government/Media Complex is two steps ahead of us.

The implementation of Corperate Gatekeepers on the net is all but complete. Very soon many of your favorite sites will start being filtered by your ISP over ‘badwidth concerns’ or ‘lack of a profit sharing agreement’.  It is not unrealistic to be concered many of these corperations will start filtering the ‘message’ they allow through to fend off regulations by the FCC.

In other words, the free exchange of ideas would soon be all but dead if the Government PR machine has its way. What right to ‘petition your government for a redress of greviences’ do you have if you don’t even have the right to hold your leaders accountable? VNR’s , or ’self-reporting’ on the part of government, is the ultimate corrosion of the first amendment and is the most dangerous social engineering tool available to the Government/Media Complex.

Without the net my freinds, very soon all your media may well be designed to elicit your complacency, and thus control.

 Isn’t progress great?

posted by Luke at 14:01:53  

Monday, October 22, 2007

Captain Obvious Strikes Again

Official: International Hackers Going After U.S. Networks.

Really? No shit? Ya Think?

Seriously, the media is absolutely asinine sometimes.

posted by Luke at 11:12:58  

Sunday, October 21, 2007

this is too funny

Email scammers swindle $10 million from Supervalu. 

A good proof source for people failing to realize the power of the internet. Seriously, you’re a basillion dollar business and you haven’t spent the money to prevent IT fraud? I would argue most of the grocery store industry operates in the age of the dinosaur. No wonder they won’t pay their cashiers fair wages!

posted by Luke at 11:45:31  

Friday, October 19, 2007

Proof Source: Corporate Gatekeepers on the Net will destroy Free Speech

Comcast joins the foray of ISP’s that seek to regulate what its users can and cannot see, can and cannot do on the net.

posted by Luke at 14:15:27  
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