A Letter Sent to Chris Dodd of the MPAA

Christopher J. Dodd

MPAA

600 Eye St., NW

Washington, D.C. 20006

BY FAX (202) 296-7410

and

15301 Ventura Blvd., Building E

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

BY FAX (818) 285-4403

Dodd,

I listened to the National Public Radio report on SOPA and PIPA this evening and heard your comments.

Those of us who are fighting these two pieces of corporate bullshit legislation do so because we don’t trust people like you and your allies. Why should we? And especially you — someone who took legalized bribes from the banking industry while you were in the Senate. You were and are part of corrupt system.

As a newspaper/news site publisher, I have a clear understanding of intellectual property and the creative process. I don’t need you and others to call us “childish;” nor do we need you and others to tell us how to live our lives. Further, you’re stupid if you think controlling the Internet will stop piracy. People have been copying videos and music without the help of the Web.

I know you are smart enough to understand the hostility and disrespect I am showing in this letter. I am doing so because someone has to speak truth to people who think they are in power. The lack of respect for you stems from your history as a prostituting politician and the ease with which you were bought and paid for by a wide range of industries you protected. Your contribution to assisting in the demise of the middle class for the benefit of your rich friends shows your lack of understanding of history and that you are willing to risk turning the United States into a banana republic.

I have attached as part of this letter the column I wrote today that further speaks to the subversion of our great country you and your allies are trying to accomplish.

Signed without respect,

Stop SOPA and PIPA now

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering legislation that could forever change the Internet. The measure in the House is the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). A related

measure in the Senate is the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Don’t kid yourself. These laws are about corporate greed. They are not attempts to protect copyrighted material. Here is some prima facie evidence of that assertion:

· Have you been to the movie theater lately? I went to see “Hugo” recently at the Cinemark Hollywood 16. We sat through 40 minutes of commercials. Remember when we went to the movies and got a cartoon, news and previews along with our feature film? Now we pay $8 or more to get bombarded with 40 minutes of ads and that does not count the previews.

· Have you looked at the prices at the popcorn counter? C’mon. What more need be said?

· Have you rented a video lately? Have you tried to access the special features? We found that now a rental video contains the feature file and little more. No outtakes. No deleted scenes. No director’s commentary. It’s more cost-cutting for the sake of more profit at the consumers’ expense.

· Have you watched TCM lately and seen the begging from The Film Foundation that wants donations to preserve old films? The board of the organization includes Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford. And these people and their studios, in an industry that make billions (yes, with a “b”) each year, don’t have the money to go back into their own archives and preserve their own work? I just don’t buy it. Look at The Film Foundation’s tax return here.

· Have you seen how the rock stars live? No? Really?

The reality is that if people want to pirate content, they can and they don’t need the Internet to do it.

Folks, this is not just about leaking a few dollars out of the pockets of greedy stars and corporations. I am less of a conspiracy theorist than I used to be, but I am certain that this is an attempt to kill off any hope of an American Spring, even if it is a peaceful one. This is a plan for the government to take control of the Web and ultimately kill off the free and open discourse the Web offers. As a result, it is an attempt of those in power to sabotage the kind of communication that could coordinate voting and voting blocs that could overthrow the incumbents.

The petition below respectfully asks Congress to not pass the measures, but it is quite possible that the representatives on the payroll of the big media will do their masters’ bidding. Some stories say that the Senate will kill the bill. And President Obama has said he would veto it — but we heard that about the NDAA, so it’s best to kill this measure as early as possible.

And while we ask respectfully in these petitions, those in Congress receiving these petitions should know their underlying threat. Some of us will do all we legally can to see supporters of SOPA and PIPA lose their next elections.

I am asking you to go to the links below and add your name to the petition. Please. The very democracy that undergirds our republic is at stake.

Thank you.

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa/

http://sopastrike.com/strike

What am I?

My Liberal Identity

You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.

Take the quiz at
About.com Political Humor

Fraternity at LSU celebrates 50th anniversary

The Louisiana Beta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon celebrated its 50th anniversary over the May 13-15 weekend in Baton Rouge.

The original Sig Ep house of the 1960s

The current Sig Ep house

Founding brothers and those who helped re-establish the chapter at LSU were feted at a dinner-dance Saturday that followed the celebration of the ritual and the initiation of a new brother. The dinner-dance also honored the chapter itself, which has excelled on campus in leadership and academics.


Prior to the Saturday evening events, the chapter hosted an open house at its Lakeshore Drive facility. The midday event included snacks and a light lunch.


Friday's main event was the "Old Geezers" reunion at a local seafood restaurant. Members who founded the chapter in 1960-61 were joined by other members in the 1960s era of the national fraternity.


Here are the pictures from that event:

Pantex fires Repent Amarillo head

This is posted from Repent Amarillo's/David Grisham's Facebook page:

On September 11th, 2010 I attempted to burn a Quran in a public park here in Amarillo. I did this for three reasons;

1. To bring attention to the growing spiritual and physical danger of Islam in America.

2. To stand with a brother in Christ, Dr. Terry Jones, as he stood against enormous pressure from our "tolerant" culture.

3. To stand for our free speech rights as the Obama administration was attempting to squelch our rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion( as Acts 19:19 allows burning of books in Christianity as a stand for righteousness) by allowing the constitution to be held hostage by threats of violence overseas.

I knew my actions on that day would come with consequences. I knew that "tolerance" was only extended for evil and sin in our society.I knew that standing against the evil of Islam would cost me something.

That stand has now officially cost me my career at Pantex that I have had for the last quarter of a century. I was informed yesterday by my union representative, Leo Salazar, that BWXT Pantex had sent me an official letter terminating my employment.

Free speech will cost your job at Pantex. It will cost your job with other employers as well. A New Jersey Transit employee was also fired for burning pages from a Quran on that same day. This is part of the overall pressure applied to those who choose to disagree with the "tolerance" our modern society demands.

I broke no rules at Pantex. I violated no terms of my security clearance. I broke no laws. But I lost my job.

In fact, the Dept. of Energy never revoked my security clearance over this incident. But BWXT has now fired me for essentially....nothing.

Folks, this is not just going to affect me and my family.This is just a small part of a larger problem that eventually affects us all. We are no longer free to disagree with political correctness. At this point it is social and economic pressure. How much longer before it has the force of law behind it? It will be very soon and any attempt to speak out on homosexuality, Islam,abortion, or any other sin will be regarded as "hate speech" and will be punishable by law. Mark my words, this is coming.

I am much more worried about losing my rights than losing my job. Men of valor have lost their lives for my rights. Freedom is paid for in blood. " Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" The freedom I have in Christ came at the cost of the blood of the Son of God. No higher price could ever be paid.

My favorite quote by Martin Lurther King is this; " And it may come to pass that the greatest tragedy of our time will not be the words and deeds of the children of darkness but the silence and apathy of the children of light."

Job or no job, I will not be silent. I will not stop.This child of the light will speak up even if it breaks the law. There is no legitimate law against the truth. I will preach the truth and light of Jesus Christ and the righteousness of His kingdom regardless of the cost, even if it costs me my very life. I have counted the cost and Jesus Christ is worth it all. So, all is what I am willing to give as my reasonable service.

Let the darkness beware. Jesus Christ is coming to judge the world in righteouness and truth. We can either pay the cost of everything in this world and gather with Him, or we can scatter abroad and pay the cost of eternity in hell.

Your choice, choose wisely.

Pastor David Grisham 

Sad Monkey Railroad in Palo Duro Canyon

Tiny Town 1990

This was at Tiny Town, in Colorado, in 1990.

A long, time ago, in the mountains

Many of you know I am a train buff. I love anything on rails, whether it's a small backyard train with 7½ inches between the rails or the behemoth like the Union Pacific Big Boys.

Lately, I have been digging through some old video, digitizing it and now to the point of editing the content.

 I came across this train ride from 1990, I believe, on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. You can read more about the loop here, but as I understand it, these old Shays — the geared locomotives designed for hauling power, not speed. The original, shot on VHS-C using a Minolta video camera, is more than 20 minutes and includes a segment of the Lebanon Mine Tour that is part of the ride. I pulled that out because it’s dark and, well, it’s not about trains. And I shortened the ride from the two-way trip from Silver Plume to Georgetown and back to just the one-way segment to Georgetown.

 The equipment you see in this video no longer runs on the loop.

 n 2004, the GLRR, Inc., in a disagreement with the Colorado Historical Society over fees, insurance and other costs, declined to rebid running the historic route.

Achmed The Dead Terrorist sings Christmas Carol

Anti-Semitism evident in speaker's race

The race for the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives continues its nastiness, but at least I have to give Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, credit for distancing himself from the injection of hyper-Christianity and right wing silliness into the fight.
"I think it's wrong that they do it. We need to stick to the issues of the state, and that is not one of them," an article in Thursday's Houston Chronicle quotes Chisum as saying.
By recapitulation, a group of right-wing, hyper-Christian whackos have attacked current speaker Joe Strauss, R-San Antonio, because he is Jewish.
My acknowledgment of Chisum's behavior doesn't mean I believe he is redeemed as a legislator. Like most politicians, he is undertaking a politically expedient step that might get him in trouble with others who would support him.
In fact, I consider Chisum dangerous.
Like so many conservatives of his ilk — as opposed to thoughtful conservatives who understand what public policy should be about — Chisum is one of those who continues to be hypocritical about keeping government off our backs while trying to shove it into our bedrooms. I have come across a video that I have edited to show Chisum at work in the legislature in 1993. It is funny, but to some the language, even though it is spoken of the floor of the House, might be offensive. And, the late Molly Ivins quotes some folks (it's not clear who) using language that might also offend. Nevertheless, if you enjoy a laugh and are not offended by a few off-color words, take a look at the video.


But there is a more important issue at stake here. It seems there is an awful lot of silence in the Panhandle about this injection of anti-Semitism into the speaker's race. No other legislator has issued a statement; or, if they have, they have not issued one to The Amarillo Independent. Nor, has the corporately owned right-wing daily alleged newspaper jumped on this with an editorial distancing itself from this fray.
I can understand how some legislators might see this issue has too hot to handle.
I could say I don't understand why the other media hasn't reacted so negatively to this turn of events in the speaker's race. But, I do.
And for now, I will leave it at that.

Race for speaker hits new low

The race for the speaker of the House of Representatives of the Texas Legislature has sunk to a new low, according to a story in Wednesday's Dallas Morning News.
E-mails circulating focus on Rep. Joe Strauss’ being Jewish while emphasizing that his opponents in the race, Pampa’s Rep. Warren Chisum and Rep. Ken Paxton, are "true conservatives and Christians."
Reporter Robert T. Garrett could not trace down the origin of one of the more offensive e-mails, but cited another one from Peter Morrison, described in the article as a southeast Texas conservative.
Garrett also cites The Quorum Report, an online subscription-only newsletter.
“(The Quorum Report) reported extensively late Monday on e-mails that mentioned Straus' Judaism, his rabbi and the Christian faith of his House critics, who include Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola.”
By implying that a Jew has no moral compass, as the e-mails do has reported this story, Strauss' enemies have not only sunk to pond scum levels of political discourse but they have also overlooked a huge irony in their approach to undercutting Strauss.
Jesus the Christ, son of the House of David, was a Jew and it is His moral compass that Hughes, Morrison and their cohorts claim to follow.
All three legislators need to disavow this heinous type of political behavior and focus on leadership and other issues.
Obviously, Chisum, Paxton, Hughes and Morrison have failed to answer the question: What would Jesus do?
The answer: not this.

Proposed downtown master developer troubled

What's it all about, Wallace?

By Gina Haschke, Greg Rohloff and George Schwarz

The Amarillo Independent

The principals in the development firm that the Amarillo City Commission is considering as the master developer for downtown revitalization are no strangers to litigation, with one of the firm’s showcase Houston area projects the subject of a foreclosure and lawsuit. And, those same principals, David G. Wallace, and Costa Bajjali, are on the periphery of an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission fraud investigation.

Last Tuesday, Wallace, co-founder and chief executive officer of Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, L.P., impressed city commissioners and staff with apresentation touting his experience with developments in his hometown of Sugar Land, where he served as mayor until 2008. He also touted his firm's developments in other cities, including Waco and the Houston area.

(See the video of Wallace’s presentation here.)

But at least one development has soured — the Creekmont Plaza mixed use commercial development in Fort Bend County.

According to a petition filed June 10, 2010, Frost National Bank foreclosed on the Creekmont Plaza Development in Missouri City.

The two men took out a loan of more than $1.9 million with Frost in August 2008 as the general and limited partners in Creekmont Plaza Partners, L.P. and personally guaranteed the loan.

“Despite demand for payment of the balance due, Mr. Wallace and Mr. Bajjali have failed to pay the balance due,” the petition alleges.

The petition states that the property was sold in a foreclosure sale in April at the Fort Bend County Courthouse. But the sale, which brought $1.1 million, was almost $820,000 short of the loan amount. At that time, taxes on the property were also overdue.

“The delinquent taxes for the years 2007 through 2009 were in the amount of $157,494 if paid in March of 2010, plus the 2010 taxes and the Defendants are jointly and severally liable to Plaintiff for the taxes plus interest thereon as allowed by law,” the petition alleges.

The petition asks for payment of the shortfall of the sale, interest, court costs and lawyer’s fees.

All the defendants have entered a general denial and, as of Monday, the case is set for trial in March 2011, according to Harris County District Court records.

A search of additional Harris County District Court records shows Wallace involved in several other lawsuits, including litigation in 1995 with Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Wallace’s former business partner in several United States-based businesses.

How much Downtown Amarillo, Inc. is aware of all the court actions isn’t clear.

Melissa Dailey, executive director of Downtown Amarillo, Inc., said she had done “quite a bit” of background research on the firm. She said she had not looked into the Thatcher alliance in detail, but added, “I’m more interested in his development activities here in the United States.”

When asked about a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, she said she was “aware of the situation.”

It has little negative reflection on Wallace Bajjali, Dailey said, adding, “In fact, it’s a positive.”

Daily wouldn’t discuss the matter further, saying instead Wallace would talk about it when he was in Amarillo in the next week or two “because he knows the details much more intimately than I do.”

Several calls and repeated messages left for Wallace for comment were not returned.

The SEC investigation focuses on Kaleta Capital Management, or KCM, and a Houston business known as BizRadio, and may yet reach Wallace and Bajjali or some of their business entities.

The year-old litigation — the SEC filed suit Nov. 13, 2009,— names Albert Kaleta and KCM as defendants in a claim that they defrauded investors of $10 million.

According to a July 2010 update on the receivership website , “Based upon the recent inclusion of BizRadio in the Receivership Estate, negotiations have now been commenced with respect to potential liability of the Wallace Bajjali entities and their principals with respect to investments by members of the public in BizRadio directly, and in other related investment vehicles. To date no agreements have been reached with respect to these matters.”

On Monday, Thomas L. Taylor III, the Houston attorney who is overseeing the SEC-ordered receivership of KCM, said neither Wallace nor Bajjali or their entities are yet named in any of the court papers but he would also neither confirm nor deny that they could be pulled into the federal investigation at a later time.

In negotiations with Taylor, Wallace has paid back $92,348 and Bajjali has paid back $45,550 to date, according to the publicly available information.

Taylor said negotiations are ongoing about further repayments by Wallace and Bajjali.

Nevertheless, DAI’s Dailey said Monday, “We have not come across anything negative. When we looked into it in detail, it all was positive.”