The Chamber has filed a civil complaint in the US District Court of Washington, DC, accusing Yes Men Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos (also known as Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, respectively) of trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising. The Chamber's suit also lists several members of the DC-based activist group the Avaaz Action Factory as co-defendants. The conduct of those who organized the event was "destructive of public discourse," the Chamber argues.
As the Yes Men have a new film in theaters currently, The Yes Men Fix the World, the Chamber also alleges that the prank was part of a "comprehensive scheme to promote their movie by wrongdoing against the plaintiff"—rather than an event meant to call attention to the organization's views on climate change.
"The defendants are not merry pranksters tweaking the establishment," said the Chamber in a press release issued with the suit. "Instead, they deliberately broke the law in order to further commercial interest in their books, movies, and other merchandise."
Despite the fact that the Yes Men have pulled off similar stunts spoofing Exxon, Dow Chemical, Halliburton, George W. Bush, and the World Trade Organization, among powerful entities, they've never actually gone to court over them, according to the group. The Chamber appears to be taking the hoax a bit more seriously than previous targets of their humor.
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: February 18, 2003 Location: Poland
RE: Freedoms...
One company is aiming change the disjointed nature of England’s massive surveillance infrastructure by putting crowds, rather than the government, in charge. Kris Kotarski, reports for the Calgary Herald that the British company Internet Eyes is allowing people to anonymously monitor some closed circuit televisions (CCTVs), and make money while doing it.
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1815 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: Freedoms...
A French politician was prosecuted recently for publicly saying that he thinks that heterosexuality is "superior" to homosexuality. While I personally would disagree with his opinion on that (I don't think that one orientation is "superior" to another), I would also defend his right to say it. He was actually prosecuted for voicing an opinion that the majority does not like. I would call that the opposite of democracy. Also, I might add that the Bible and most of western thought has traditionally held heterosexuality to be "superior" to homosexuality (not only that, but most of the heroes of the Left, such as Che Guevara definitely held that view, and hated gays). So one is punished in France for stating something that has been viewed for over 3,000 years as true, but also is held to be true, even by the "heroes" of the Left, and the same people that the kids at the university put on their t-shirts (maybe the French should think of banning the "homophobe", Che too.
[Edited by John Bunch on November 21, 2009 9:21 AM]
Mother tongue: English Joined: April 28, 2004 Location: United States
RE: Freedoms...
The Cuban regime is almost pathologically homophobic, which, as was mentioned, doesn't seem to bother our elite "opinion makers" one bit. They don't seem to be bothered by the notion of preventive detention arising from "pre-crime" scenarios either...
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1815 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: Freedoms...
I am always a bit fascinated by Che Guevara, because all you have to do to see all the things liberals (or at least, some on the Left) claim about themselves go out the window, on the issue of Che:
- Armed - check
- Loved war and fighting - check
- Hated gays - check
- Hated "artists" - check
- Was most likely a racist - check
- Sent many people to their deaths, without a trial - check
- Believed world peace was for wimps - check
Next time you debate a leftwing person, you might want to bring this up. For instance, Steven Spielberg once said that meeting Fidel Castro was the most important day in his life !! The self-delusion of the Left never fails to amaze me.
Che was in essence a fascist with a gun and a beret. And yet, most left-wing people or perhaps many of them still idolize him. University students have posters of him on their walls in Italy and France, and t-shirts of their hero.
[Edited by John Bunch on November 23, 2009 11:12 AM]
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1815 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: Freedoms...
Rauol Gerecht, in an interesting essay yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, details how the U.S. is far too "politically correct" in its policing of Islamic terror suspects. If you compare it with how France conducts its own anti-terrorism, the French are not afraid at all of being labelled "Islamophobic" and they just "do what needs to be done" (funny how all their buildings are still standing, too). The terrorists of course know how to use the American fear of being "insensitive" to religion, for their own purposes. Britain and the U.S. and Canada all show blindness toward the internal threat, due to this political correctness in their policing. France and most continental countries do not.
And Gerecht goes on to say that we are on the wrong track in America. Instead of "hermetically sealing off Islam" from any criticism, and mouthing platitudes about "the religion of peace" (which is how we deal with Islam currently), we should be actively engaging Muslims in dialogue. We should demand more. We should want and seek dialogue with Muslims and imams. What is there to fear ? Maybe we can learn from each other. If Islam has elements which are "great" (and it most likely does have very positive aspects), we should get to know that. But we should also make some demands in return for the demands placed on us. Gerect states that only intense dialogue with the West brought an end (mostly) to slavery in northern Africa and the Middle East, and provided women with more rights. If that dialogue had not been there, due to a fear of being "insensitive", slavery would still exist and women would be 2nd-class citizens throughout the Middle East.
So let's forget about "sensitivity", in favor of dialogue. Let's demand this from our leaders. Let's demand this from the imams (and in return, we will listen to them). Let's open the doors of real dialogue !!
[Edited by John Bunch on November 23, 2009 3:39 PM]
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