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BELTED_UP

                                             July 15, 2007

                                                 HONEST_DELUSIONS
A quotation from the log of
comments on a recent
Lawrence Lessig article.            WIDER_FIGHT

The author posts anonymously, claiming
to be a Washington Lobbyist of some
sort, and in this case I have no doubt
this is true:

   "I'm someone who works in Washington,
   so I'm posting as a coward."

   "I've seen Lessig talk, read a lot of his
   stuff, and must say that his announcement is
   the most egomanical thing I've read in a
   while."

   "First: Lessig doesn't know
   Washington at all. He couldn't             How can you kiss butt
   pronounce Congressman Goodlate's name      without getting the
   correctly when Goodlatte was one of        names right?
   the top copyright people in town."
                                                             If Goodlatte were
                                                             truly good,
   "Second: activism isn't all                               wouldn't he care
   on the net.  You have to                                  about the issues
   show up and lobby once in a                               more than hearing
   while. Lessig was absent        If you don't              his name?
   most of the time."              live in DC,
                                   you don't count.


   "Third: corruption? Lawyers and
   lobbyists get paid to represent
   interests. There were LOTS of         Considering that Lessig is
   paid guys running around DC           a lawyer, I suspect that
   advocating the exact same things      he's familiar with the
   Lessig does because they were         concept of paid advocates.
   paid to. Many corporations are
   fighting copyright battles and               You expect a hired
   pay well to do it."                          advocate to repeat
                                                what they're told.

   "Whether you agree with                         People who hold
   Greenpeace, hate GE, or just                    office, who sit
   the opposite, there are paid                    on the bench...
   people in DC arguing on your                    these we hold
   behalf. They are ALL                            to a higher standard.
   lobbyists. And that doesn't
   make them corrupt. And it                            (Don't we?)
   doesn't mean they are guns      Protesting
   used to the highest bidder      a bit much,
   either. Most believe what       aren't we?
   they advocate. Passionately."
                                      Lessig actually
                                      didn't say anything
   "Lessig may know copyrights,       about lobbyists
   but he don't know politics."       being corrupt.

                                      That lobbyists can be
                                      *corrupting* that's an
                                      acknowledged problem,
                                      isn't it?

                                         Conscience
                                         problems?




       My first thought:

       This man's head is
       jammed so far up
       the beltway that
       he can't see straight.

       He doesn't know a broken
       system when he sees it.



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