____/ Mark Kent on Thursday 06 September 2007 12:56 : \____
> Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
>> Microsoft Paid Lobbyist $160,000
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Microsoft Paid Paid Bingham McCutchen $160,000 to Lobby Federal Gov't in
>>| First Half of 2007
>> `----
>>
>> http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070905/microsoft_lobbying.html?.v=1
>>
>
> And we still allow this to happen? This is outrageous, and has no place
> in a real democracy, or, for that matter, a constitutional monarchy.
Exactly! Finally, someone who agrees that this is a disgusting and
anti-democratic practise (only made legal by those who lobby in favour of
lobbying, or those paying lawmakers to write the law). It's shredding
democracy to pieces. One must wonder how much of that $160,000 (for 6 months)
Bingham McCutchen just tossed onto some senator's bank account. Heck. He may
have bought Mr. Senator a session with a dozen hookers.
As Ghost says, welcome to the New World Order.
>> Yesterday:
>>
>> Why Microsoft deserved to lose the OOXML standards vote
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| 1. Lobbying is legal. But certain lobbying tactics are not. Microsoft
>>| officials admitted that one of the company?s employees behaved
>>| inappropriately in Sweden,
>> `----
>>
>> http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=694
>
> And still nobody is concerned that OOXML might just be, well, more
> levers for corruption?
The world is too busy making money. Never mind crime, unless some celebrity
gets shot.
>>
>> Related:
>>
>> Microsoft Finds Legal Defender in Justice Dept.
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Nearly a decade after the government began its landmark effort to break
>>| up Microsoft, the Bush administration has sharply changed course by
>>| repeatedly defending the company both in the United States and abroad
>>| against accusations of anticompetitive conduct, including the recent
>>| rejection of a complaint by Google.
>>|
>>| [...]
>>|
>>| In the most striking recent example of the policy shift, the top
>>| antitrust official at the Justice Department last month urged state
>>| prosecutors to reject a confidential antitrust complaint filed by
>>| Google that is tied to a consent decree that monitors Microsoft's
>>| behavior. Google has accused Microsoft of designing its latest
>>| operating system, Vista, to discourage the use of Google's desktop
>>| search program, lawyers involved in the case said.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/business/10microsoft.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
>>
>>
>> Software rivals say Microsoft's Vista illegal in Europe
>>
>> ,----[ Excerpt ]
>>| Software manufacturers, citing 2004 European Commission finding,
>>| contend the operating system violates server laws in Europe.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/26/news/international/bc.vista.microsoft.eu.reut/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote
>>
>>
>> US politicians go to bat for Microsoft
>>
>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/microsoft_eu_political_lobbying/
>>
>>
>> Report Says Nonprofits Sold Influence to Abramoff
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| E-mails released by the committee show that Abramoff, often
>>| with the knowledge of the groups' leaders, exploited the tax-exempt
>>| status and leveraged the stature of the organizations to build
>>| support among conservatives for legislation or government action
>>| sought by clients including Microsoft Corp., mutual fund company
>>| DH2 Inc., Primedia Inc.'s Channel One Network, and Brown-Forman,
>>| maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/12/AR2006101200889.html
>> http://tinyurl.com/y2rbpu
>>
>>
>> Politicians in Microsoft's Pocket
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Continuing on the theme of which politicians are receiving money from
>>| who. Here is a list of candidates who took money from MSFT.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://www.fonz.net/blog/archives/2007/06/04/politicians-in-microsofts-pocket/
>>
>>
>> Politics and tech companies: follow the money
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Microsoft took first place with $651,100 given out, while
>>| Hewlett-Packard gave only $185,550, and Gateway gave a paltry
>>| $2,000. Microsoft's donations certainly illustrate well the true
>>| size of the company and the extent of its political concerns.
>> `----
>>
>> http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061110-8194.html
>
>
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Stand for nothing and you will fall for anything"
http://Schestowitz.com | Open Prospects | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Tasks: 124 total, 1 running, 123 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie
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