January 31, 2003

Science, copyright and labor

Damn the science, snowmobile ahead. Bush admires Teddy Roosevelt, but he seems to ignore TR's conservationist ideas when industry demands otherwise.

More science: stacking Federal science advisory committees with those who follow Administration "litmus tests" is against the spirit of the law establishing those committees, but has that stopped the Bush Administration? Hell no.

Indeed, the applicable statute for all this--the Federal Advisory Committee Act--specifically requires that committees be balanced and 'not inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority'. It would be a good idea for HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and the White House Personnel Office to read the law, and then follow it.

Verizon intends to appeal the court ruling that ordered them to release the name of their music-downloading customer to the RIAA. Consumer groups applaud: "This ruling stinks, the law has gone way too far and it's time to fight it all the time [in] every place with all your energy," said Consumer Federation of America Research Director Mark Cooper.

Get paid overtime? Not if the Bush Administration has its way. By the way, the Dept. of Labor Wage and Hours Division has not yet put this announcement on its website (at 1930est). Am I paranoid?

Posted by Linkmeister at January 31, 2003 02:31 PM
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