Newt Gingrich is an Idiot
Dec. 2nd, 2006 02:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forsythHe has no understanding of America, the motives or methods of "the terrorists", or of technology. But none of these should come as a surprise, competence is the least important qualification for the modern Republican party.
"This is a serious, long-term war," the former speaker said, according an audio excerpt of his remarks made available yesterday by his office. "Either before we lose a city or, if we are truly stupid, after we lose a city, we will adopt rules of engagement that use every technology we can find to break up their capacity to use the Internet, to break up their capacity to use free speech, and to go after people who want to kill us to stop them from recruiting people.
The RIAA with billions of dollars and many pocket governments can't stop file-sharing. How on earth does Newt think we can "break up their capacity to use the Internet" with regards to "the Terrorists"? At best, the kind of thing he's talking about would just push terrorist groups (there's no such thing as "the terrorists", so I'm not going to use that, even with quotes) to use better technology to hide better. Encryption, distributed stuff, codes in otherwise ordinary posts... Or for them to just not use the 'net for actual planning, and just use things like prepaid phones. 14 year old kids can do it, and terrorists could easily hire some 14 year olds.
Wait a second, though. Didn't we already lose a city? Maybe he's talking about how we should deny the Internet to hurricanes. Or maybe incompetent political appointees who sat around and let New Orleans die.
But wait, he's not against ALL kinds of speech!
"At the same time, Gingrich advocated what he called an expansion of free speech rights by allowing people to give any campaign contribution amount to any political candidate as long as the donation is reported online within 24 hours.
"Just as tax lawyers always succeed in out-thinking the (Internal Revenue Service) because they stay after five and the IRS goes home, the private-sector lawyers will always out-think the (Federal Election Commission) because they stay after five and the FEC goes home," Gingrich told about 400 people at the Nackey Scripps Loeb First Amendment Awards Honors dinner."
So... because there's lobbyists, we shouldn't try and regulate political bribery at all, because those darn lobbyists will out-think the FEC, but terrorist groups aren't as smart as lobbyists. (Well, that last might be true, if they were smarter, they'd use their money to buy some lobbyists and politicians.)
"This is a serious, long-term war," the former speaker said, according an audio excerpt of his remarks made available yesterday by his office. "Either before we lose a city or, if we are truly stupid, after we lose a city, we will adopt rules of engagement that use every technology we can find to break up their capacity to use the Internet, to break up their capacity to use free speech, and to go after people who want to kill us to stop them from recruiting people.
The RIAA with billions of dollars and many pocket governments can't stop file-sharing. How on earth does Newt think we can "break up their capacity to use the Internet" with regards to "the Terrorists"? At best, the kind of thing he's talking about would just push terrorist groups (there's no such thing as "the terrorists", so I'm not going to use that, even with quotes) to use better technology to hide better. Encryption, distributed stuff, codes in otherwise ordinary posts... Or for them to just not use the 'net for actual planning, and just use things like prepaid phones. 14 year old kids can do it, and terrorists could easily hire some 14 year olds.
Wait a second, though. Didn't we already lose a city? Maybe he's talking about how we should deny the Internet to hurricanes. Or maybe incompetent political appointees who sat around and let New Orleans die.
But wait, he's not against ALL kinds of speech!
"At the same time, Gingrich advocated what he called an expansion of free speech rights by allowing people to give any campaign contribution amount to any political candidate as long as the donation is reported online within 24 hours.
"Just as tax lawyers always succeed in out-thinking the (Internal Revenue Service) because they stay after five and the IRS goes home, the private-sector lawyers will always out-think the (Federal Election Commission) because they stay after five and the FEC goes home," Gingrich told about 400 people at the Nackey Scripps Loeb First Amendment Awards Honors dinner."
So... because there's lobbyists, we shouldn't try and regulate political bribery at all, because those darn lobbyists will out-think the FEC, but terrorist groups aren't as smart as lobbyists. (Well, that last might be true, if they were smarter, they'd use their money to buy some lobbyists and politicians.)
