RIP Etta, I'll Miss You

We have lost a true American treasure in the passing of Etta James.  I, for one, loved her music.  I think I'll throw some on and say thanks for the musical gifts she shared with the world.  I think I'll start with the one below.  Not as well know as "At Last", this is a good one.

Etta James Dead at 73 - CNN.com

Newt Wanted to Share His Newt

ABC NEWS

According to Gawker.com, CNN and I'm sure others, ABC News will be airing an interview tonight with Newt Gingrich's ex-wife where she tells the world that Newt asked her to "share" him with his then mistress.

As I have said before, I don't care what politicians do between the sheets.  I think it is only fair.  I don't ask them when and how they bump uglies and I don't think they should ask/legislate us on the same subject.  But I have a hard time ignoring it when those politicians make themselves out to be some sort of moral compass or preach "moral values".

When President Clinton got caught diddling the help, Newt was center stage calling for Clinton's impeachment.  Well, my friend, if that is the standard you set for being President, then you have to accept that screwing around on your wife and then asking for a divorce after you find out she is sick becomes fair game for public scrutiny.

Karma; she sure is a bitch, ain't she Newt?

Newt's Ex-Wife Says He Wanted An Open Marriage (with video) - Gawker.com

Some Legislators Favor SOPA/PIPA But Violate Copyright Themselves

Check out this great post on BoingBoing about legislators who are supporting the draconian tenets of the Internet censorship bills now pending in Congress.  It would seem that they themselves are in violation.  It begs the question, do they truly understand the legislation they are supporting?

Senators behind PIPA are a bunch of copyright infringers - BoingBoing.net

Sign the Petition - Oppose Censorship

Do you want Google or Yahoo or Wikipedia deciding what you can and cannot view?  They don't want to, but the big media companies want THE GOVERNMENT to force them to act as censors and protectors of copyright and intellectual property. That is the gist of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate. 

Stop Censorship!

The issue is simple.  Some websites, particularly those outside the US, put pirated content online. They are not subject to US intellectual property protections. This pisses off groups like The Motion Picture Association of America, Wal-Mart, Major League Baseball, the National Association of Broadcasters and many, many more.

I get it, they get pissed because some people are virtually getting into the movies/concert/ball park for free and that hurts their bottom line.  But this is exactly the wrong way to go about solving their problem. Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and other websites should not be given the responsibility for restricting access to information to protect the interests of these trillion dollar industries.

This is like telling the highway department that they are responsible because someone drove your stolen car on their road.  It is stupid, it is overly broad and in the end, it is censorship. 

To add your voice to the debate, to tell Congress to vote NO on these measures, go to americancensorship.org and sign the petition.  Act fast, votes are scheduled as early as January 24th.

One of the many reasons I like President Obama