Your Senator Needs an iPod

[populistdriven]

Buy your DRM-loving senator an iPod

Apparently an 82-year old Alaskan Senator (by the name of Stevens) was given an iPod by his daughter, which resulted in his finally coming to understand how real people interact with real technology, and supposedly thusly found content execs getting the third degree as a result of it.

"Plus, we're going to pre-load each one with examples of the cultural richness made possible by sharing and collaboration - public domain content, Creative Commons content, and audio messages about the importance of balanced copyright policy. It will be engraved with the words "listen to the people." And it will arrive at each Senator's campaign office with a letter of explanation and a list of all the people who helped pay for it."

http://www.ipaction.org/campaigns/ipod/

I hope they send one to John Conyers, since he co-sponsored the "Analog Hole" bill.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=340x273

[mattclearing]

1. This is a great idea.

People don't really get it until they find out for themselves how abusive the RIAA and the music industry in general is, both to consumers and artists.

[populistdriven]

2. According to their Blog, several senators turned them down

"That's why we weren't totally surprised when we heard that seven of the Senators slated to receive IPac iPods may decline our campaign contributions when they arrive. It turns out that Sen. Maria Cantwell does not accept contributions from any political action committees (PACs), which is an evenhanded position that we respect. Some of the other Senators think that taking these particular legal contributions -- made possible by people like you -- would be unseemly. A spokesperson for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison suggested that such a gift would not be in line with the Senate’s ethical standards.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is great news.

We hope that Senators Smith, Hutchison, Boxer, Kerry, Burns, and Ensign are serious about this higher ethical standard. If our iPods are "returned to sender," then surely they'll have to do the same for other PAC contributions! In the last few years, each of these Senators has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars - sometimes millions - from a variety of industry PACs. In the last year alone, Sen. Gordon Smith has accepted $37,000 from PACs representing TV, movie, and music companies (see illustrated comparison below). Sen. Boxer accepted $43,000 from those industries before being reelected in 2004. No more $5 lattes for you, Senator Boxer!

If these Senators won't return the entertainment industry's money, we hope they'll reconsider our iPods. After all, the devices are totally legal campaign contributions, paid for by ordinary Americans. "

If they turn down the legally contributed iPods they should send back the RIAA's money as well.