Is “White Radio” using black musicians as slaves? That’s essentially what Detroit’s John Conyers is saying. Mr Conyers is the chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and author of the proposed law that would remove the exemption from Copyright law that currently allows radio stations to play music on the air without paying the artists for using their work. “Involuntary Servitude” is just a nicer way to say slavery, and also could be signifcant in that its the terminology used in the U.S. Constitution in the 13th amendment – perhaps signalling that if his bill fails to pass, there is another angle to be followed.
The problem he faces is that “Black Radio” also opposes his “tax” and non-Black musicians are also “slaves”. He and Maxine Waters have made it a racial issue rather than an equity issue, creating an ugly confrontation with Cathy Hughes, the founder of Radio One. A law that treats “black radio” or “black artists” differently based on the color of their skin is blatantly Unconstitional under the Equal Protection clause of the 14th amendment, and offensive to any thinking person.
I’m not taking a cheep shot…. there really is no reason left in government. I don’t think ‘reform and tinkering will suffice. I look back at Hershey, Kellog and some of the others who wanted to create mini utopias and I understand better. My dream was to create a sufficient income stream and found a Miniature Schnauzer hursing home / hospice…. now all I want for my schnauzers and I to finish our tasks, go to the Mountians and expire quietly.
I really need to read Atlas Shrugged. I was a bit put off by Fountainhead – she wrote it as the Progressive movement was taking shape in the 1930s. This was the same time that Beck had his “aha!” moment that his demon is the Progressive movement, not “liberals”. While Ayn Rand was largely influenced by her family and their wealth being collectivized by the Russian Revolution and Communism, she seems to write about Progressive political movements in her time as being positive things – hence my confusion about her points… I think I mentioned once before that if I were on the Jury, I would have found Roark guilty. If he had an issue with the way one of his buildings was built, the remedy is using the courts, not blowing it up in the middle of the night.