Computing and Politics

[Paul King]

This has got to be the greatest example of American government hypocrisy in 
action that I have yet seen. The Rep. Goodlatte quote below has to be responded 
to with an attitude of "welcome to the club!" They have been shoving cultural 
change down the throats of other countries including Canada ever since there 
was free trade.

But it does reveal to us that "free" never meant free for us foreign to the US. 
It meant "free" for the US to do what it wants to other countries. Sovereignty 
has always trumped trade if you are an American. However, this is the first 
time I have read about a representative sticking his neck out and finally 
admitting it. I can only see us taking advantage of the quote if I heard George 
Bush echoing the same sentiment.

But if you read the article, the reason the WTO ruled against the US on 
gambling is because the US exports its online gambling service to other 
countries. So clearly the US can't have one rule for itself and another rule 
for other coutries.

I can't see the US backing away from the WTO over this small issue. They have 
profiteered too much from so-called "free trade". I see it as an empty threat. 
There is simply too much at stake for them to walk away.

But one can readily see free trade now for what it is: a bill of rights for 
American companies to do what they want to other countries without them being 
themselves obligated to the well-being of any country they do business with. 

Also, Walter, I am not clear on how Linux can be outlawed by free trade or any 
other legislation. Please explain.

Paul King

>   It's not often that I get to make almost identical posts to a
> computing mailing list and a political mailing list the same day and
> *AND* still be on topic in both lists.  So here goes...
> 
>   For background, read...
> 
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/166397_gambing26.html 
> 
>   Executive summary... The WTO (World Trade Organization) has ruled that
> U.S. policy prohibiting online gambling violates its obligations under
> international trade law.
> 
>   A couple of interesting quotes...
> 
> > But the Bush administration vowed to appeal the decision, and several
> > members of Congress said they would rather have an international trade
> > war or withdraw from future rounds of the World Trade Organization
> > than have American social policy dictated from abroad.
> 
>   And one that we really should take note of...
> 
> > "It's appalling," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. "It cannot be
> > allowed to stand that another nation can impose its values on the
> > U.S. and make it a trade issue."
> 
>   The US is using trade as a weapon to push its policies down other
> countries' throats.  I hope that Representative Goodlatte gets his way,
> because he would set a precedent favouring Canada's independence.  For
> the linux mailing list, the immediate concern is US insistence on
> "software patents", and extending copyright on music and video to twice
> its current length, and eventually enactment of Fritz-Hollings-like
> legislation around the planet, which would effectively outlaw linux.
> For the political mailing list, the above is but a small subset of what
> the US will be demanding, whilst trying to "make it a trade issue".
> 
>   This is a golden opportunity for Canada to protect its interests.  We
> should negotiate a quid-pro-quo with the US recognizing that their
> national sovereignty trumps "trade issues" in return for affirming
> similar rights for Canada.
> 
> Custom part for TLUG
> ====================
> 
>   Open Source in general, and linux in particular, are no longer just
> a toy played with by a few geeks.  They are replacements for expensive
> proprietary software.  And they are hurting the bottom line of some
> American businesses by competing with them.  Just like the British
> horse-and-buggy industry bought the "red flag law" in 1865, American
> software businesses will use their political power to attempt to buy
> legislation either outlawing, or at least greatly hindering open source.
> 
>   We can't have much effect on what happens in the US.  However, even
> the the most isolationist American knows that if the rest of the world
> goes Open Source, the US will become a technological backwater.  The
> next "logical" step is to extend anti-Open-Source legislation to the
> rest of the planet.  That's where we come in.  I urge all TLUG'ers to
> get involved with whichever political party you support, and work to
> insure that a couple of decades from now, you won't be wistfully longing
> for "the good ole days" when you could legally run linux or whatever OS
> you wanted to.
> 
> -- 
> Walter Dnes <waltdnes-SLHPyeZ9y/tg9hUCZPvPmw at public.gmane.org>
> Email users are divided into two classes;
> 1) Those who have effective spam-blocking
> 2) Those who wish they did
> --
=========================================================
Paul King              http://www3.sympatico.ca/pking123/


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