As previously reported here, Governor Steve Beshear is spearheading a drive to confiscate internet domain names from gambling websites (even ones in other countries) because it is claimed they violate Kentucky law.
This idea, to anyone who has even the most basic clue how the internet works, is barking mad. A Kentucky judge cannot take over a Costa Rican website for violating Kentucky gambling laws any more than an Iranian judge can hijack an American swimsuit site for violating Iranian modesty laws.
Predictably enough, people are not taking this lying down and are now unfortunately calling for a boycott of Kentucky products, especially relating to the racing industry. Needless to say, we at Unusual Kentucky do not support such a boycott, but I can certainly see why a lot of people are ticked off at our Governor right now. I saw this rant today on Online Casino Advisory site:
"We call upon our friends and competitors in the casino news industry to help us reach the public with this call to boycott. If the Poker Players Alliance can get its members to refuse Kentucky products, especially gambling ones, that will send a message to Beshear. If the PPA can get protesters to carry signs in front of Churchill Downs, that would be a public display of our united anger.
If you are a resident of Kentucky, buy your lottery tickets across state borders, or online from another state. If you attend Kentucky tracks, drive to Indiana or other states featuring full racinos. If you live near the state border, buy groceries and cigarettes outside Kentucky."
I don't wish to see our state's economy damaged or hampered in any way, and I call upon Gov. Beshear to please get help and seek the counsel of experts who understand Internet law. This insane scheme to censor websites and confiscate their domain names is doomed to fail, but in the meantime it's obviously going to hurt Kentucky's economy, which we especially don't need at this time when the nation's economy is at an all time low. I also call upon the Democratic Party of Kentucky to quietly take Mr. Beshear aside and attempt to talk some sense into him, before his massive mistake takes the entire party down.
This Presedential election is starting to worry me because I have the sneaking suspicion that McCain is going to come back and win. And even though a lot of people are reticent to vote for Obama around these parts, voting for McCain is just the wrong thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIf you're a person like me that is unemployed or making under $20,000.00 a year now, under a McCain and Palin administration, your life is not going to improve one bit. And it wll probably get worse. As a matter of fact, I predict that within 6 months of McCain taking office gas prices would be up to $5.00 a gallon, and what are you going to do if you live in a place like Jackson County with no interstate connection, no medical treatment, and no hospitals (I guess these people like McConnel and Rogers don't believe that we deserve them) , and have to drive back and forth to a place like London or Berea every day or maybe even farther to work for minimum wage with gas costing $5.00 or more a gallon? You're just not going to be able to make it very well.
McCain saying he's going to give people $5,000 a year credit to buy healthcare....we all know that that wouldn't even begin to be enough to pay for the slightest amount of good (not talking about the bad we usually get) medical coverage if your income is at poverty level.
McCain and Palin have said that they want to give 1 trillion dollars to the bigwigs on WalStreet, so they can go to tropical islands and get massages, but they don't even want to think about giving another stimulus package to those of us poorer folks that might be in some credit card debt.
McCain is totally against the redistribution of wealth, spreading the wealth and says, he is going to create new wealth. But how are people in the under $20,000.00 a year group going to benefit from this new wealth when it will be controlled by the old wealth? McCain says Obama's plan leads to class warfare. I say being in favor of a trillion dollar donation to the rich while at the same time being opposed to doing anything for the poor does much the same thing.
If these monarchical aspirations by these people are allowed to continue....then it could very well become time to raise the old pirate flag of opposition.