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Amendement 138/46-135 states that restrictions to the fundamental rights and freedoms of Internet users can only be put in place after a decision by judicial authorities (save when public security is threatened in which case the ruling may be subsequent). It was adopted last September by an overwhelming majority of the European Parliament, and approved by the European Commission despite explicit requests from the French Presidency to reject it. The European Council has rejected it further to pressure of the French government and some disinformation by in-house Council lawyers on its claimed contradiction with existing National law.

Despite strong pressure to reach a compromise on the framework directive of the Telecoms Package, the ITRE committee of the European Parliament has today adopted again amendment 138/46, by a strong majority of 40 against 4. One will have to monitor closely further proceedings to be sure that this vote is confirmed in plenary, but it is a strong and clear signal.

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For today,
Suck it up, Mr President.

But now, we have to stay aware and alert, and make sure that the second vote confirm it.

What is the Hadopi law?

This is a law created and written according to the “interests” of the entertainment industry that is seeing a slow but sure drop of their CD sales. The industry point their finger to leechers and the downloading as the scapegoats of their misfortune. What does the law do?

In two point, the law want to:

- Give the lawyers and entertainment industry to force the ISPs to cut off the internet connection of the internet user found guilty of illegal downloading. While still forcing the user to pay the months without internet. This should last for a couple of months. One second time the user is caught downloading again, it is a longer period without the net. Third time, you’ll be on a black list and be denied of any connection. Oh, and you’ll be forced to pay a fine according to the “damage” you have done to the industry. Otherwise, it is the prison for you.

- Force EVERY manufacturers and owners of computers to install a software that not only bind us to an IP, leave it to the knowledge of the police forces, but also store ALL kinds of information about us, our identity, what we have browsed and what we have typed.

This is the kind of shit that make everyone screams, “Fuck no!”. This is a clear denial of our freedom and an open door to all kind of abuse from the governement. Now only the law itself is the denial of freedom, but the way our ministers have tried to get it voted and accepted by force is clearly a denial of our democracy.

This is also a clear display of how entertainment lobbys have so much power on our politics and how much of a control freak our president is. Just to let you know, Sarkozy have appointed most of his friends or people who support him as directors of nearly all newspapers and mainstream TV channels. So far, only the radio stations and internet have a small but of freedom of opinion, expression and opposition.

Moreover, the opposition turned out spineless and headless; excepted for that postman, leader of a extreme left party. Why? Because Socialists clearly can’t get over their own inner war, mainly between two women and one man (the man being the mayor of Paris). Communists lost too much to even recover. And the extreme left led by that postman, who by the way have my sympathy, scare the shit out of the mainstream media. Oh, and Sarkozy have near total control over the medias. This mean that he can give the time he want to people who oppose him, but he also can give the media full powers to twist any opponent’s words.

This law, if it passes, would be the next step for this control freak. Moreover, it will give lobbys more power.

Entertainment lobbys are clinging on a economic model that needs to be changed if they don’t want to die out. Apparently, we evil pirates are killing creativity in the french music and movie industry. Hey guys, how about you stop churning out shit? The reason we ARE downloading is because we want to discover awesome music and series that you are not even able to make, while you desperately cling onto what have worked for you so far. People want change. We want no more uninspired french romance movies about another recycled love polygon. We want no more of fail releases from your local version of American Idol. We are fucking tired of you guys promoting hip hop and rap at the expense of ROCK music. Is the reality about our pop culture and our needs for something different so hard to accept? Are you dropping that low?

What about the law? Did it pass? No.

A small afternoon, on the 9th of April, 21 politicians decided to draw in their courage and stood against this law, the first step to a police and corporate state, by voting no.

These guys then had been painted by medias as “pirates” or “accomplices of the thieves” instead of being people who showed in broad light what the law truly is and why it is utterly flawed.

However, what makes me sadder is the words of the spokeman of the president’s party: “The law WILL be accepted, no matter how we will do it.”

I fucking hope that the european union will wake up and give the ones who dared to write this shit the bitchslap they deserves.

That idealist that still have not died: “Yaaaaay.”

My more pessimistic jaded self: “Countdown before a white power nutcase decide to pull a Lee Harvey Oswald on the new prez…”

If in term of social the election of Obama marked a turning point in History, the hardest have yet to come. Not just on the international level, the challenges to overcome are also in the economic level. When one think about it, the fatal blow on the Republicans may have been this ongoing crisis. It’s not like Obama’s take is flawless. However, a majority of US citizens had been fed up with eight years of Bush. They called for a change, it is not certain that McCain could bring it.
True, McCain should not bear the blame of Bush’s doings. However, I feel that it is Dubya’s policy and legacy that weighted against McCain. After eight years banking on a polarized america and world (us vs them, good christian vs evil arabs), maybe people had enough, perhaps they wanted a more positive outlook at the world, so they chose that guy who have not as much political experience as MCCain or Hillary, and is yet untouched by the rampant cynicism in political circles. By 2012, the Republicans will have to show a less ultra facade if they want to win, and this is not counting the results of Obama’s politics (I do wish success for Obama tho).

My thought as a frenchman? This election have come about fourty years after Martin Luther King’s assassination. If it is not poetic justice, I don’t know what else is. Sure, there are a bit of hope coming with this election. However, don’t get this hope too high, or the fall and wake up to reality will be very hard.

On the other hand, Obama can look at the bright side: he does NOT have to rule Frenchmen!

For a more interesting link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/e-a-hanks/gop-rip_b_141155.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/obama-wins-why-all-americ_b_141159.html