Archives for the 'Bureaucrash' Category
‘Tis Better to Give *and* Receive
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Just in time for the multi-holiday shopping season, Bureaucrash is here to solve all of your gift-giving needs. Tell that special someone how much you love them (and liberty) with a stylish Bureaucrash t-shirt or hoodie. Shirts are patriotically priced at a mere $17.76. Buy now! Click the video below to see spokesmodels Michelle and Alex demonstrate the product.
More on Immunity for Telecom Firms
Phone companies deserve immunity from lawsuits for cooperating the with federal antiterrorism surveillance program, according to a recent report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. It explains that the many lawsuits filed against the companies could indirectly lead to billions of dollars being transferred from American consumers’ right pocket to their left, with millions of dollars being skimmed off by lawyers for legal fees.
We previously explained why the phone companies merit immunity, and how a legal double standard threatens them with liability and potentially billions of dollars in damages. Former attorneys general from both Democratic and Republican administrations have likewise argued that denying protection against lawsuits would be risky and harmful to national security.
Drug lag at the FDA — new Bureaucrash video
Check out Bureaucrash’s latest video on drug lag at the FDA — with real people affected by those delays. Just released on Friday, it already has over 1,000 hits.
Crash Across America Rolls On
Jason and the rest of the Bureaucrash crew are making their way across the northeast part of our great continent this week, as part of Crash Across America 2007, a traveling celebration of liberty. You can see the map of their route here, and watch their videos from the road. Here’s the first one to get you started.
Just Say No…to The Yes Men
This week DC played host to the anti-corporate shenanigans of The Yes Men, self-proclaimed “culture jammers” who get off on impersonating corporate and government spokespeople and proceeding to make ridiculous and/or horrifying public statements. The general idea behind culture jamming is to use a mainstream medium to communicate a subversive message. A more specific (and jargon-filled) definition comes to us courtesy of our good friend Wikipedia:
Culture jamming is the act of transforming mass media to produce commentary about itself, using the original medium’s communication method. It is a form of public activism which is generally in opposition to commercialism, and the vectors of
corporate image. The aim of culture jamming is to create a contrast between corporate or mass media images and the realities or perceived negative side of the corporation or media. This is done symbolically, with the “detournement” of pop iconography.
That’s quite a mouthful. In any event, The Yes Men employ culture jamming techniques to spread their message. Unfortunately, their message seems to consist mostly of anti-capitalist, anti-trade, anti-corporate ideology. Which brings us to the events of this week.
They had contacted CEI and several other free market think tanks, claiming to be documentary filmmakers retained by the ad agency Hill & Knowlton to make an updated version of Milton Friedman’s landmark series “Free to Choose.” Supposedly, a wealthy private donor had commissioned the new series, and hired H&K to produce it. Several of the groups, taking them at their word, leapt at the chance to talk about how economic freedom leads to an open, prosperous society, and scheduled interviews. By Monday evening, however, troubling details began to emerge.
After some advanced level Google work, we discovered that their cover story was not checking out. The people who we thought were creating a tribute to our hero Dr. Friedman were, in fact, almost certainly setting out to do the opposite. Thus informed, we hit the phones on Tuesday and advised other groups in town of The Yes Men’s lying ways. In addition, we discovered that our friends at the Cato Institute had interviews with their own analysts scheduled for the very next morning. Thus, when Wednesday morning rolled around and the Yes Men crew showed up at Cato HQ on Massachusetts Avenue, everyone was prepared.
First, Cato’s media department informed the crew that they would not be taping any interviews after all. Then, as they were being escorted out of the building, a pro-freedom activist crew led by Bureaucrash Crasher-in-Chief Jason Talley treated them to a little street theater from the other side of the ideological spectrum.
In a way, what Bureaucrash does is not that different from what The Yes Men specialize in. Many past crashes have featured the same kind of re-purposed media and culture jamming techniques the other guys have used, except, of course, in the pursuit of freedom instead of an expansion of government power. During the “Progressives Against Progress” crash in 2004, for example, crashers infiltrated the Green Party national conference in Madison, Wisconsin and got many a Green to sign on to their outrageous satirical petitions.
Over the years, The Yes Men have proven their skill at fooling everyone from conference organizers and government officials to network television producers. One group they couldn’t fool, however, was CEI’s feisty younger brother, Bureaucrash. See the video confrontation below; more details on the crash available here.
Bureaucrash Does Dallas (Morning News)
Congratulations to Jason and our friends at Americans for Prosperity and the Moving Picture Institute for their recent anti-Sicko demonstration here in DC. Photos and video available here.
Better yet, the protest has garnered a mention in Jason Robertson’s story about Sicko in the Dallas Morning News:
Weeks before the film opened, some health care activist groups began sending e-mails to journalists disputing Mr. Moore’s assessment of America’s health care system, as well as the efficiency of systems in other countries.
Bureaucrash, an international activist group based in Washington D.C., along with members of the Americans for Prosperity, and the Moving Picture Institute showed up at a D.C. premiere carrying signs saying, “Socialism Kills,” and “Guaranteed health care is a Guaranteed Failure.”
Here’s the crash video:
All Real Crimes in Hot Springs Now Solved
Apparently, in Arkansas, skateboarding is a crime. Witness the ridiculous overreaction of one Hot Springs police officer to the threat of youngsters on skateboards. Law enforcement pulls a jerk move, and YouTube is there:
Department of Pre-Regulation
One of the highlights of our big annual dinner last week was our faux public service announcement from a future where nanny-state regulators have taken over. Behold, the terrifying possibilities of the Department of Pre-Regulation:
Credits (in no particular order) include: Erin Wildermuth, Cord Blomquist, Ivan Osorio, Brooke Oberwetter, Jeremy Lott, Megan McLaughlin, William Yeatman, Julie Walsh, Kate McLaughlin, Dominick Saran, Jason Talley, Greg Conko, Christine Hall, Sam Kazman, Al Canata, Holly Jackson and Richard Morrison. Also, special thanks to Philip K. Dick and Scott Frank for a little inspiration.
Bureaucrash’s Blaze of Glory
When it rains anti-anti-smoking indignation, it pours. In addition to Brooke’s press statement, Jason reminds me that Bureaucrash was hot on this MPAA/smoking tip long ago. Last July several crashers headed out to an anti-MPAA protest march where demonstrators demanded an ‘R’ rating for any film that includes any smoking whatsoever. This week’s policy change didn’t go quite that far, but we can all spot a slippery slope when we see one. To re-live those heady days, tune into “Operation Tobacco Road” below. Photos here.
More on Unsustainable Policies
Zimbabwe’s likely appointment as head of the UN Sustainable Development Commission (see below) bring to mind a recent Bureaucrash operation. On April 20th, a crowd consisting mostly of African expatriots gathered outside the Zimbabwean Embassy here in Washington to protest Robert Mugabe’s bloody misrule of their homeland. The photos are here, and the video is below.
Instead of praying, buy fluorescent
In my web browsing last evening, I came across a booklet published by the Church of England last month. It’s called “How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change a Christian?” Alas, I couldn’t read it online – the pamphlet can only be ordered from the Church at a price of £4.99. But the promotional copy gave me a sense of its Christian mission –
In eight sections ‘How Many Lightbulbs?’ will inspire you, your church, and your community towards actions that will reduce your ecological footprint, from turning off the tap, to starting a church compost heap.
It turns out that the booklet is part of an official Church of England initiative started last year called “Shrinking the Footprint.” It seems like quite an elaborate program that tells churchgoers all sorts of things they should do in their everyday lives. It’s not clear whether the “footprint” program replaces the more standard spiritual activities of the Church, such as praying, attending services, giving spiritual guidance, comforting and counseling parishioners, etc.
My favorite Church activity is Generate Your Own Renewable Energy, with photovoltaic (PV) cell systems featuring prominently. But, I can’t use PVs right now to save energy and money, the website notes. That’s not likely to happen until 2030; but that’s alright, I’m assured – one could still make “an iconic statement” now using a PV cell installation.
A point to note is that current micro-generation technology is still relatively new and can be expensive even when grant aid is available. A recent report from the Energy Saving Trust indicated for example that domestic-scale photovoltaic (PV) cells are unlikely to produce equivalent cost energy before 2030, even taking grant aid and possible sales of surplus energy to the national grid into account. In short, where there is a limited “green budget” there may be more cost efficient ways to reduce carbon emissions.
This does not mean that these technologies should be ignored. A wind turbine in a churchyard or PV cell installation on a church roof can make an iconic statement and be a visible symbol of the Church’s commitment to adapting to climate change. In certain circumstances, other renewable technologies can make good financial as well as environmental sense, but each case needs to be considered on its own merits with the benefit of professional advice.
But lest churchgoers get complacent and think about hiding their footprints, I would like to point out that each diocese of the Church now has an Environmental Officer as part of this wide-ranging program. According to its website,
The Church’s national network of Diocesan Environment Officers will be undertaking a variety of local initiatives as part of Shrinking the Footprint as it progresses from energy conservation through to a variety of other environmental issues.
I’m not going to laugh anymore when CEI staffers and others talk about carbon offsets as the new indulgences. I think the Church of England has a sale on them.
Free Kareem Roundup
Today’s Free Kareem rally went off well: we had people from Bureaucrash/CEI as well as Cato and the American Islamic Congress in attendance. We held up our signs, handed out flyers and engaged the public. Special thanks to Knud Berthelsen of Cato and CEI’s own Holly Jackson for all of their hark work organizing today’s event. And yes, since you ask, there are photos.
Full photo series here.
Free Kareem Rally in DC
Groups of people will be gathering in cities around the world today to protest the unjust imprisonment of Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer. In case you’re not familiar with his case, here’s a little background from the Free Kareem Coalition:
Kareem is a writer who always found the courage within him to keep speaking his mind freely in the name of not only freedom of speech, but the freedom to think in an otherwise sheltered society. Because of that, he has been sentenced to four years in prison.
The Free Kareem Coalition is an interfaith alliance of young bloggers and college students committed to the principles of freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
This campaign is our way of fighting to further the cause of brave people who continue to practice their right to freedom of expression even when such rights are not recognized. The creators and main supporters of the Free Kareem Coalition are Muslim, and we are doing this despite what Kareem said about our religion. Free speech doesn’t mean “speech that you approve of.” It includes criticism.
If you’re going to be in the Washington, D.C. area today, please join us in front of the Egyptian Embassy Cultural Office near Dupont Circle at 1303 New Hampshire Avenue NW.
Photos from the Bureaucrash and friends February protest are available here.
More on the Neutrality Battle
If this whole net neutrality thing sounds a bit complex, let The Simpleton’s Guide explain it all. Because after all, simple is better:
Africans in DC: Kick Bob Mugabe to the Curb
I tagged along with Team Bureaucrash this afternoon while Crasher Mercalic took some great video footage of today’s anti-Mugabe rally in front of the Zimbabwean Embassy on New Hampshire Avenue. As it turns out, it wasn’t just us here in DC who are fed up with the statist thug. Edinburgh University is being pressured to revoke an honorary doctorate they bestowed on Mugabe 23 years ago, as is the University of Massachusetts, which gave him an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1986.
See the Flickr photos series from the rally here.
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