See? We Are Securing the Border
Wow, I am sure those in Arizona who are clambering for more border support from President Obama will back off now that they hear this:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Rob Daniels says officers at the Douglas port of entry stopped a tractor-trailer coming from Mexico for further inspection on Friday.
Officers found the tractor-trailer was loaded with papier-mache items, including 108 piñatas in the likeness of Disney characters on their way to Thornton, Colo.
Officers seized the shipment for violation of intellectual property rights.
You will be happy that national security has been protected
Assistant port Director Eli Villareal says the piñatas may seem innocent, but shipments of illegal merchandise on a national scale can undermine the U.S. economy and "is a vital element in national security.
Henry Bowman:
Well, what is really ridiculous is not that the items were seized, as they likely are illegal copies, but that under current U.S. law, a copyright virtually never expires. There is no reason for such lengthy time periods for such "intellectual property", other than perhaps the mountains of money that Disney and others have sent to Congress Folk.
June 22, 2010, 10:40 amEvil Red Scandi:
Double irony because the laws expanding copyright to such insane extremes were lobbied for primarily by Disney. Triple irony because Disney was founded and built on re-telling stories in the public domain. I don't go out of my way to avoid many company's products, but Disney is one place I make an exception.
June 22, 2010, 11:01 amStreetfighter:
This is why those who advocate Objectivism refer to the libertarians as "Headless Horsemen". Nothing is anchored to reality.
I came for the climate science and stayed for the laughs. LOL
June 22, 2010, 11:02 amEvil Red Scandi:
@Streetfighter - Huh? Please enlighten us, oh wise one.
Yeah, I just fed a troll. Sue me.
June 22, 2010, 11:07 amDr. T:
Am I missing something? Foreign shipments into the USA routinely are inspected for a variety of reasons: imposition of tariffs, deterrence of smuggling, violation of safety standards, and violation of patents and copyrights. This shipment obviously violated copyrights and was confiscated. What is wrong with that? The only problem was some bureaucrat's idiotic claim that copyright protection is a national security issue.
June 22, 2010, 3:45 pmUncle Bill:
This example may not be a major violation, but I worked in a business in which IP was a BIG issue. We lost millions of dollars a year to IP violations, a lot in China, but also in the Middle East and, I am sorry to say, Israel.
I wish they would do more to prevent this kind of thing, not less.
June 22, 2010, 6:29 pmScottE:
So libertarians don't support private (intellectual) property rights anymore.
I'll make a mental note of that. Thanks for the update.
June 22, 2010, 8:35 pmMark:
And now we are about to lose Nogales, AZ
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=Xd2GkUSUyt
La Mecha is slowly getting what they want, because of people and politicians who want to close a blind eye due to political correctness, and others who are blinded by their idealism.
June 22, 2010, 9:29 pmEvil Red Scandi:
Am I high? I'm pretty sure nothing in the post was against intellectual property rights, except to mock them being referred to as "a national security issue." Then some comments were made snarking on Disney's bribing the US legislature to enact a series of extensions to copyright limits so coincidentally timed to their Mickey Mouse copyright expiring that they're sometimes referred to in the industry as the "Mickey Mouse Copyright Extension laws."
Whatever peopls' thoughts on the subject, nobody ever said intellectual property doesn't or shouldn't exist. Personally, I think it should, and that intellectual property rights are important for economic and cultural development. However, I also recognize that it's very rare that new creations don't borrow from old ones (hence the Disney irony), and that a vibrant public domain is also important to economic and cultural development. I think the original constitutional limits on copyrights make sense; I don't think the extensions do. Patent law has been seriously abused as well, and needs reform (but we still need patents).
That being said, I know that some libertarians don't believe in any intellectual property rights, but it's far from a consensus position.
I think it's hysterical that some people like "Streetfighter" who call themselves "Objectivists" need to beat up on strawmen in order to feed their self-esteem. And ScottE? Pass whatever you're smoking down the line...
June 23, 2010, 7:21 amastonerii:
Wow. Now the esteemed Warren the Libertarian does not think that intellectual property rights should be protected by the federal government. I guess he thinks that inventors should receive no value for their creations. Yup, I knew that this was going to be the downfall of someone worth reading when Warren the Libertarian got to post number three on his shtick of immigration.
June 23, 2010, 7:45 pmmesaeconoguy:
Guys, lay off. He’s consistent. The facts run contrary:
They shoot without shame
In the name of a piece of dirt
For a change of accent
Or the color of your shirt
Better the pride that resides
In a citizen of the world
Than the pride that divides
When a colorful rag is unfurled
Trouble is, they’re largely doing in now in remote areas of Southern AZ. That’s not a problem, because I’m armed.
June 23, 2010, 9:44 pmastonerii:
mesaeconoguy:
No, he is not consistent. He believes wholeheartedly that individuals have a right to their own property. He believes wholeheartedly that individuals should be able to keep the rewards of their industry. But when a group of people form a larger organization, such as say a state government or a federal government, that they no longer retain any rights to their sovereign land, no longer retain any rights to their sovereign rewards of the their industry.
All natural rights that an individual possesses are transferred up the organizational command. I have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but not at the expense of some other person or group of persons. As a group, United States of America Citizens hold sovereignty to the property outlined by the borders of this nation. We have sovereignty over the rewards of the industry of the whole of the nation within these borders. We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, with in these borders. This is why Canada cannot tax people in New York, China cannot tax people in California, Australia has not tax authority over Hawaii and Mexico has not authority to impose taxes on the rewards of industry in California or Texas.
Now, if you are absolutely certain that you do not like living under this sort of government you have a couple of choices. You can find a country with a government to your liking and move there. Find a group of individuals like yourself, build up a small army, take over a non conforming country of your choosing and create your own little libertarian government ruled land there where anyone and everyone who wants to cross your borders is welcomed and see how it goes. Good luck finding an area with good neighbors who will not wish to come cross your borders and steal all of your citizens individual fruits of labor and industry. Since we all know that The United States of America will never be the place of either of these events, I would like to say goodbye to you now.
June 24, 2010, 10:19 amTakeFive:
Yeah, it's better these tractor trailers don't get inspected. Better to find 'em abandoned by the coyotes in the desert with 20 or 30 suffocated men, women, and children covered in their own filth.
---
Warren, snarky posts like this only make it more apparent that you understand the weakness of your position.
June 24, 2010, 3:39 pm