Guest Post by Stilton Jarlsberg
The TPP (which allegedly stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership even though we’re more familiar with those first two letters having a different and more accurate association) is the bizarre, mostly-secret trade agreement which our current anti-capitalist president is ramming through. It’s long, complex, and, like Obamacare, deliberately written to be misunderstood – so we just want to focus on one seemingly teeny-tiny element which was recently changed (and which the Obama administration is no doubt hoping will fly under the radar).
You can read all about it here, but in a nutshell the TPP will allegedly extend “copyright protection” for things like online content by allowing the government to bring charges against anyone suspected of copyright infringement even if the “copying” (like a simple link to a news story) does no harm to the copyright owner and, indeed, may even be encouraged by the copyright owner.
In other words, Hope n’ Change could be shut down for linking to the dry story about the TPP above, let alone linking to stories about more sensitive issues like Hillary’s criminal wrongdoing or how “Bathhouse Barry” got his nickname. And if you share one of our cartoons, even though we explicitly encourage you to do so, the government could come and get YOU, too. A very tidy way to curtail bothersome political speech, don’t you think?
Despite vagueness in many other areas, the TPP is quite clear about what the government can do to you if it finds you in potential (or even imaginary) violation of their new copyright standards:
• Sentences of imprisonment as well as deterrent-level monetary fines
• Higher penalties in more serious circumstances
• Seizure of infringing items (ie, computers, phones, printers, office equipment)
• Forfeiture or destruction of those items, materials, and implements (that’s right, they’ll crush them with a steamroller just to further honk you off).
• Forfeiture of any assets (such as money) derived from the infringement
• Assignment to a prison cell which you’ll share with an angry muscular giant named Mohammed Mustafa “Ass Rammer of Death” X. (Okay, the TPP doesn’t specifically say this, but we think it’s implied).
It’s hard to see either Bernie or Hillary not liking this potential tool for reining in free speech, but can anyone really be sure that a president Trump might not also like the power to keep people from seeing “stupid” things like this troubling review of his past (and current) policy positions..?
Without freedom of speech, every other freedom will soon fall by the wayside. Which is what makes the death of a true Constitutionalist like Antonin Scalia such a critical and tragic loss at this crucial time.
I’m praying that last line was missing /sarc. “Vote count? We don’t need to count no stinkin’ votes!”
Start looking into .onion sites. The truth is going underground if this insanity is ratified.
TPP = ruled by International Corporations
Admin- What will you do?
It will be IMPOSSIBLE to enforce.
There are 644 MILLION active websites. There are one BILLION images/photos uploaded on the internet EVERY DAY.
There aren’t enough courts, judges, and lawyers in the entire world to handle even a teeny-tiny percentage of so-called infractions.
What I suspect they WILL do … if it ever gets passed …. is SELECTIVE enforcement. The Nazi-Feds don’t like “Web Site X” so they use TPP to shut down that one website.
Just watched Marco Rubio on Fox O’Reilly.Could not or refused to answer illegal alien question.Trump know what to do with them.Cut of all tax payer money,send the over the boarder back to Mexico or Syria.Screw the left!
Sooner, not later, TPTB will apply one to many straws and break the patience of Americans. Then flee to your holes you rats (and then God will drown you all).
@rhs jr
No such thing as one too many straws. Not while the tv and internet still works. Take away tv and internet, and those who survive would revolt. But I’d bet 30% of the population dies of no internet first.