random quotes ... to amuse, inspire, enrage:
  With regard to monopolies they are justly classed among the greatest nuisances in government. But is it clear that as encouragements to literary works and ingenious discoveries, they are not too valuable to be wholly renounced? Would it not suffice to reserve in all cases a right to the public to abolish the privilege at a price to be specified in the grant of it? Is there not also infinitely less danger of this abuse in our governments than in most others? Monopolies are sacrifices of the many to the few. Where the power is in the few it is natural for them to sacrifice the many to their own partialities and corruptions. Where the power, as with us, is in the many not in the few, the danger can not be very great that the few will be thus favored. It is much more to be dreaded that the few will be unnecessarily sacrificed to the many.

tagged: copyright, patents, monopolies, incentives to create
  —James Madison, Letter to Jefferson, October 17, 1788; in response to letter from Jefferson to Madison, dated July 31, 1788.

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the protocols were followed

Saturday, May 14th, 2005 8:09 am

in the recent governmental panic attack about the cessna, White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan says that there was no need to notify Bush because “the protocols were followed”.

so … we get a glimpse into the fact that we don’t actually have a Glorious Leader. and it turns out that we don’t actually need a Glorious Leader, either — just “the protocols”, which were probably drafted by a functionary or perhaps a committee, and were carried out by “highly skilled professionals”.

derived from: editor & publisher 5/12 (hilarious) [linked from the light of reason] & sat a.m. news-in-bed with the semi-lawfully wedded

algorithmically similar posts:

» wikipedia, 2005-10-31 (score:20)
» space weapons, 2005-05-21 (score:18)
» where is the heavenly response?, 2005-05-16 (score:17)
» copyright owner plans to “raid large weddings”, 2005-12-07 (score:16)

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