Terrorism - the Trump Card of the 21st Century

Terrorists might use this!!  Just as it applies to tannerite, and ammonium nitrate (and I could do a post on that alone) the threat of terrorists is being used to justify copyright violation suits.  Global Research brings the story in "Counter-Terrorism Gone Crazy: Copyright Infringement is Being Treated as Terrorism".  Apparently, the various industry associations have been on this crazy train since the early days after 9/11.

The European music industry is lobbying the European Parliament, demanding things that the RIAA can only dream about:

The music and film industries are demanding that the European parliament extends the scope of proposed anti-terror laws to help them prosecute illegal downloaders. In an open letter to MEPs, companies including Sony BMG, Disney and EMI have asked to be given access to communications data – records of phone calls, emails and internet surfing – in order to take legal action against pirates and filesharers. Current proposals restrict use of such information to cases of terrorism and organised crime.

Never mind that the facts don't fit, this is about cronyism, and the administration is nothing but world elite class at helping cronies - for a fee, that is. 

Boing Boing reported in 2011:

Piracy doesn’t fund the mob or terrorists ….
A scholarly report funded by the Canadian government and the Ford Foundation investigates the alleged link between copyright infringement and terrorism and finds none.

Although this made me crazy to read, the thing that made me madder came up last night.  I was resting a slightly sore back on the sofa and decided to watch a little preseason football.  A few minutes of air time was devoted to coverage of the NFL's Clear Bag policy.  

To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite fan entry into stadiums, NFL teams have implemented an NFL policy this year that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into stadiums.

That's right, no admission to an NFL stadium without a clear bag to show off all your possessions.  If you're stupid enough to be a season ticket holder, the NFL is going to "give" you a clear plastic bag to carry your personal belongings into the stadium.  

Ladies, no purses will be allowed, so if you should be carrying hygiene products or something that you might not want everybody in your seating section to see, well, so much for that idea.  Actually, you can bring a small clutch, no bigger than a hand, inside that clear bag.

I note it also says:

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to: purses larger than a clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, seat cushions, luggage of any kind, computer bags and camera bags or any bag larger than the permissible size.

which sounds like a blatant grab to ensure nobody eats or drinks anything at a stadium that they don't get their percentage of.  The grab is more transparent than the bags.

The stadium is theirs.  The teams are theirs.  We have only one option, which is not to go.  If stadiums are empty, or their phones burn up with complaints, it might affect them.  I'm too far from any of the three NFL teams in the Florida to go to games regularly, but I have friends who go to games a few times every year, and end up spending as much as $600-$800 per game if they spend the night.  Personally, I won't spend a single dime on the NFL unless they change that policy.