Last time we saw our Hero, he's just voted in a National Wiretap Bill for the Internet that would force all ISPs to buy and install online wiretapping infrastructure to make it easier for Big Brother to look in on your online activitires.
We now resume the action with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his posse at the Justice department who will be getting even harder on copyright infringement, targeting repeat offenders. The new 'Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007' is headed for Congress promising to 'hit criminals in their wallets' hoping to ensure that any 'ill-gotten gains' are forfeited.
This will give even more powers to the RIAA to sue grannies and 3-year olds, as well as go after anybody with a “give us 3000$ and we'll make this go away” lawsuits.
The more I see how things are headed, the more I think about “Rainbows End”, a book by Vernor Vinge. It's not an easy ready, and it's not his best book, but damn if it doesn't hit the nail on the head on a few issues; most notably invasion of privacy and the government cracking down on “really important crime, like pirating music and movies”.
I love this quote from an AC on Slashdot:
“Bah, when copyright is infringed, corporations lose money, and when corporations lose money, the terrorists win! Why do you hate Freedom so much?”
Wonderful!