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Apple a no-show at music format hearing

updated 09:30 am EDT, Thu April 7, 2005

Apple no-show at hearing

Apple in which the music industry fought a proposal by the U.S. Congress that would make all music files compatible. At the hearing, the music industry argued that it would be able to deal with the interoperability issues itself, and that the government should not get involved. Lamar Smith, who once sponsored a bill that would have let music companies jam the PCs of illegal downloaders, said: "Generally speaking, companies with 75 per cent market share of any business ... need to step up to the plate when it comes to testifying on policy issues that impact their industry." Napster CTO William Pence was present, stating: "It does not seem prudent for government to pick a winner in the continuing marketplace battle between Apple's Fairplay DRM and its competitors."

by MacNN Staff

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brianniles
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

0

04/07, 09:49am | report spam | close Reply |
What?!?!?

Can I ask a bigger question - what/why is the government involved in this issue? Let the freakin' market decide! Man, I pulling my hair out over this government's belief that they should be involved in EVERYTHING!

riverfreak
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Aug 2001

0

04/07, 10:02am | report spam | close Reply |
Another dodge

What the h*** is wrong with our government? It's hilarious how the republicans bill themselves as the party of smaller government, less regulation, and pro-market. It's painfully clear that those are just patent bald-faced lies. Oh well, as long as our government keeps investigating important issues like steroid use in baseball (any conclusions from those hearings?), music formats, and butting in to people's private lives, people won't have time to question the myriad failed policies of Bush and his cronies. Not that it matters; they;ve already lined their pockets with cash.

budster101
Baninated

Joined: Dec 2004

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04/07, 10:03am | report spam | close Reply |
I agree

And I lean towards the GOP on many issues... but this is nuts.

The losers in the marketplace are like crybabies saying, c'mon! You guys all use Windows... do something about this Apple thing...

Morons.

rtamesis
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Jan 2000

0

04/07, 10:10am | report spam | close Reply |
Typical

It's just another classic example of how far the GOP has lost its way with regards to its former mantra of less government intrusion into our lives.

jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

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04/07, 10:23am | report spam | close Reply |
picking their battles

GOP is all for getting rid of govt unless it's a moralistic issue they need to win. They won 2004 at Walmart and sunday church, by tying abortion and an un-doable same-s** marriage 'law' to the election. You may notice how hard the White House has pushed for that constitutional amendment since November? Thought so.

BTW as I write this , MacNN has a banner ad at my left for Napster ToGo...

dlindsay17
Forum Regular

Joined: Dec 1999

0

04/07, 10:27am | report spam | close Reply |
???????

what the h*** is our government doing?!??!?! don't they have more important matters to attend to?!?!? Steroids, Schivo, and now music? oh man...

budster101
Baninated

Joined: Dec 2004

0

04/07, 10:31am | report spam | close Reply |
It does seem

like they need to get to important matters, like protecting freedom of speech and amending that one thing which I won't mention because big brother is watching... :D

Faizon318
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Joined: Mar 2004

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04/07, 10:44am | report spam | close Reply |
Keep up the good work !

YAY .. I got money back for the first time in 8 years doing my taxes .. Keep up the good work bush !!!

Luke Chastain
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2002

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04/07, 10:51am | report spam | close Reply |
Back to the main point

That was a pretty slick move by Apple. With the number one player not even bothering to show, it takes away credibility from the hearings. If Apple had shown up, they would have gotten traction.

spacefreak
Addicted to MacNN

Joined: Feb 2002

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04/07, 10:54am | report spam | close Reply |
Idiots...

To only b**** about Bush and Republicans when these proposals are co-sponsored by a Republican AND a Democrat exposes your blinding partisanship.

http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3495791

"The ideas floated by Smith and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), who once sponsored an infamous bill that would have allowed music companies to jam the personal computers of illegal downloaders, included a national interoperability standard and warning labels on portable devices about what formats can play on the machines."

Personally, I don't see a problem requiring manufacturers of music players to list the file formats that each device can play on the boxes. I don't, however, agree with a national interoperability standard.

garmonbosia
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Joined: Aug 2002

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04/07, 11:00am | report spam | close Reply |
Re:Keep up the good work!

"YAY .. I got money back for the first time in 8 years doing my taxes .. Keep up the good work bush !!!"

If you got money back it just means you over paid during the year. If you made less than 80k last year, your tax cut was minimal. It doesn't come close to making up for the increase in local taxes you're paying to make up for the federal spending cuts, let alone the Bush sponsered gas price increases.

Face it people, no matter who the majority party is, they pander. This time it was mainly to the foreign MP3 device manufacturors. They have the most to gain from opening up Apples' DRM.

Me�vv
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Joined: May 2001

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04/07, 11:12am | report spam | close Reply |
Idiot

I blame Bush and Republicans.

MCCFR
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Joined: Aug 2004

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04/07, 12:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
Spacefreak�

Well, I guess that's the price extreme Republicans pay for crowing about having control of both houses, the executive and ongoing judiciary selections.

If house Republicans were smart, they wouldn't have even let this get to a hearing given the complete failure of the Executive to deal with Microsoft's genuine abuse of market dominance. Also, having 70%-80% of the digital download market still equates to having less than 1.5% of the global music market. So where are the hearings designed to prevent Windows-only DRM from being implemented in the medium that is actually used to distribute 98.5% of all music.

Hmmm�

rok
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 1999

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04/07, 12:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
taxes, drm

just to hijack this thread a bit further...

"If you made less than 80k last year, your tax cut was minimal."

tell me about it. due to some unemployment early last year, we earned just shy of that amount, and ended up paying, even though i take the least amount of deductions possible through the year (mean the gov't gets a LOT of my money through the year). usually, that means i get a refund. not this year. even with a first time house purchase and student loan credits. maybe next year this whole republican thing will work in my favor.

and getting back to the thread topic, there is merit in the fact that this is somewhat a copyright issue, and if the government is going to be asked in the future to resolve ownership rights issues, they should have some say in how those rights are codified.

koolkid1976
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Joined: May 2003

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04/07, 01:12pm | report spam | close Reply |
Where was Microsoft?

Huh? Huh?

Since day one Apple knew this was a battle between them and Microsoft. Napster and others are just pawn. Apple and MS just decided to sit this one out. Apple is busying doing it's own work for it's format to succeed while MS is busy working on pushers like Napster, BuyMusic, etc.

mjtomlin
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Joined: Oct 1999

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04/07, 01:16pm | report spam | close Reply |
puppet politics...

Here's some money... now go make a big stink about this issue.

Politicians, republican or democrat, couldn't care less about the people (consumers), they stand for who ever lines their pockets with the most cash. In this case it seems Microsoft and it's proponents are doing everything they can to make sure Apple fails.

marzetta7
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04/07, 01:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
Bush Bashers

what the h*** is our government doing?!??!?! don't they have more important matters to attend to?!?!? Steroids, Schivo, and now music? oh man...

Their job! Don't think for one second that government can only handle one issue at a time or that they "have more important matters" in your opinion. I'm sure the other "more important matters" in your opinion are being delt with. Regarding steriods in baseball, government was well within their jurisdiction--House Rule 4(c)(2) gives the Committee the power to "at any time conduct investigations of any matter" and then make its recommendations available to other committees. Also, government directs the operations of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and in order for the Committee to determine what the ONDCP should do and how it should spend its money, one relevant question is how Major League Baseball has addressed its steroid problem (weakly), particularly given the influence of the players on the nation's youth. That is unless you think your boy growing up with small balls, acne all over his back, and numerous other health problems isn't an "important matter" to you. Start thinking long term, not short term.

Regarding Shiavo, government was making sure a disabled person's right to live wasn't being violated. Let's hope the government gives you the same courtesy when you have a feeding tube in you and you haven't given a clear picture as to your wants regarding living.

And finally, more on topic, I have to agree with rok that undoubtedly government will have to deal with this music issue in the future. Important to some, not to others. However, I believe the government is fully capable of multitasking.

riverfreak
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Aug 2001

0

04/07, 01:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Bush Bashers

Let's hope the government gives you the same courtesy when you have a feeding tube in you and you haven't given a clear picture as to your wants regarding living.

Let's hope that government stays out of matters that do not pertain to them, and that people learn that their beliefs may not be held by everyone. I would trust my family any day to make important decisions over someone like Tom DeLay who clearly has no moral compass. The "culture of life" is the biggest joke ever. That's why we've dropped bombs on wedding ceremonies. Where were the people with tape over their mouths then? What of torturing innocent people in foreign countries to avoid sticky issues about defining / conducting torture? Think about that next time you pass through customs and see lines of foreigners waiting to enter the US. Where is the outrage?

Re: Steroids in baseball, drug control
That is unless you think your boy growing up with small balls, acne all over his back, and numerous other health problems isn't an "important matter" to you. Start thinking long term, not short term.

You'd be better off teaching your own children about the perils of drug use than relying on the government to do your parenting for you. It may have been within the jurisdiction of congress to conduct the hearings. In case you didn't listen to them it was pure idolatry with committee members gushing about how much they loved baseball. They couldn't even press McGyver adequately on his veiled confession. Nothing will come of those hearings.

climacs
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Joined: Sep 2001

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04/07, 02:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
Dear Republicans...

...the GOP was ALWAYS lying when they said they were for smaller government and butting out of your life.

Wake up.

climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

0

04/07, 02:13pm | report spam | close Reply |
Culture of Death

A woman was charged today for making a death threat against Michael Schiavo on an AOL message board.

So much for the "every life is sacred" bullshit. I guess that only far-right-wing fundamentalist pro-Bush Christian lives, and fetii, are sacred.

The rest of us, especially if you're a muslim or liberal or not Christian, can go f*** ourselves.

climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

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04/07, 02:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
Schiavo

by the way marzetta, every single court which ruled on the Schiavo case (you DO know it's the courts who are entrusted with protecting and enforcing our civil rights, not Congress?), including those wacky liberals on the Supreme Court who put Bush in the White House, consistently ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo.

Terry Schiavo's grey matter was largely replaced by spinal fluid. She was "alive" but she had 0 chance of recovery. Save your outrage for the people being massacred in Sudan, and Iraq by our Glorious Liberation Army.

testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

04/07, 02:23pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: bush bashers

I'm sure the other "more important matters" in your opinion are being delt with. Regarding steriods in baseball, government was well within their jurisdiction--House Rule 4(c)(2) gives the Committee the power to "at any time conduct investigations of any matter"

First, just because you "can" conduct any investigation doesn't mean you 'need' or 'have' to. Nothing new was learned at the hearing, therefore the entire 'let's bring in baseball' part was useless. Oh, and its nice to blame the ballplayers on kids death (just like heavy metal in the 80s!), but the parents need to take some responsibility here.

Second, how come, if they can handle many tasks, don't any of the important things ever get done? Where's the big confernce committees discussing things like the lack of healthcare for a good portion of the population? Or how come bills being written to fix a problem with steel subsidies ends up spending more money on things like helping bow and arrow manufacturers and owners of raceways? This doesn't sound like their job to me. It sounds like their just doing the bidding of whoever can fill their pockets with campaign contributions and free trips. And its loads of fun watching the republicans, who for years took credit for the spending controls and deficit reductions in the 90s, now being the ones who can't wait to tack on another rider to funnel money into their districts.

Finally, you people need to learn some definitions. While most equate conservatism to replicanism, they are not equivalent. A lot of conservatives are getting irritated at the GOP and their current 'Democratic' ways (i.e. gov't bloat).

Simon
Posting Junkie

Joined: Nov 2000

0

04/07, 03:41pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Culture of Death

> A woman was charged today for making a death threat
> against Michael Schiavo on an AOL message board.

> So much for the "every life is sacred" bullshit. I guess that only
> far-right-wing fundamentalist pro-Bush Christian lives, and
> fetii, are sacred.

> The rest of us, especially if you're a muslim or liberal or not
> Christian, can go f*** ourselves.

Climacs, right on. Way to say it like it is. I couldn't agree more.

marzetta7
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2003

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04/07, 04:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
A Mental Disorder

Shheesh, amazing the amount of liberalism, a mental disorder, that spews from this forum.

Let's hope that government stays out of matters that do not pertain to them, and that people learn that their beliefs may not be held by everyone.

Ahh, "matters?"....Please, I regret to inform you that "matters" in which this case deals with "matters" of life are government matters. I once heard a very wise man state:

...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,...

But, I'm sure this guy had no clue what he was talking about being one of our forefathers and all. By the way, please tell me what the government's beliefs are? Enlighten me.

I would trust my family any day to make important decisions over someone like Tom DeLay who clearly has no moral compass.

I agree with you that I'd trust my family any day and that is precisely why 4 out of the 5 family members of Terri wanted her to live...it wasn't just Tom DeLay as you so put it.

by the way marzetta, every single court which ruled on the Schiavo case (you DO know it's the courts who are entrusted with protecting and enforcing our civil rights, not Congress?)...consistently ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo

Oh my gosh!! Really? (dripping sarcasm) And all this time....oh man! And you DO know that it is the Executive branch who is entrusted with "enforcing our civil rights" as you put it. E-X-E-C-U-T-I-V-E...very similar with E-X-E-C-U-T-I-O-N. Whereas the judicial branch is in charge of interpreting the law and determining if it violates Constitutional law. And, the legislative branch makes the laws. It's that whole balance of powers thing,...and it seems you have misinterpreted it. By the way climacs, in true liberalism form, kudos to you for taking a woman from an AOL message board and labeling it the belief system for a large population of people. Good job!!

And for those of you who don't believe governments intervention into MLB has not served any purpose, all I can say is don't be so naive. If it wasn't for Congress putting the heat on MLB, they wouldn't even have their current weak policy in place. And while I agree that families have an inherent responsibiliy to teach their children the perils of steroid use, as I hold personal responsibility in high regard, I also think that government has a duty to provide leadership against the use of anabolic steroids which I think is just what they did.

But duty, who am I kidding, the only duty liberals are aware of is the duty to b**** about how terrible America is, how we massacre Iraqis, etc. By the way, just to let all of you know, the Iraqis voted in their new prime minister, pre

marzetta7
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04/07, 04:29pm | report spam | close Reply |
A Mental Disorder (cont.)

By the way, just to let all of you know, the Iraqis voted in their new prime minister, president, and vice president today...but I'm sure America had no good deed in making that happen. Commence with the bitching....

Faizon318
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

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04/07, 04:45pm | report spam | close Reply |
MP3+GOP=IRAQ? :)

Iraq was invaded for WMD not for creating a new government. If the American people where told that at the get go instead of lied to then I would call it an accomplishment. Everything bush does when it comes to Iraq will look like one s**** up covering up another s**** up. Iraq will become the next Taliban .. Another American funded threat we will let the next generation deal with ..

bigpoppa206
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Joined: Jun 2003

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04/07, 06:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
I don't mind if they...

all they want to do is talk. But ultimately, the market will decide, not Congress. Apple is not a monopoly, it's just proprietary. If so many people had a problem with DRM and music formats, why is the iTMS selling a million songs a day?

Sydney Tsai
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2002

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04/07, 08:47pm | report spam | close Reply |
Let's talk about market

If the gov think that music market share is a serious issue that they need to interference, then check out the platform too. M$ has like more than 90 % of market share, and you guys just saying apple isn't playing fair, and M$ did the right thing? Please, think about the choice of platform. All I see in most of the schools are running Windows Operation System. I can't find a mac or even a linux machine.

If you wanna talk about what's wrong with Apple, I will talk back for it.
There is no fair in this game, you guys just seeing a scope of story and thinking it's not fair....

A question, does Microsoft even release a Music Organize Software on Mac that allow us to listen to DRM-ed WMA file?

just a poster
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2004

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04/07, 10:54pm | report spam | close Reply |
I have no respect

for government trustbusters. They have failed to curb Microsoft's abuses after the company was convicted of felony antitrust violations.

Apple's iPod/iTunes monopoly is not only smaller, less significant and indeed specialized, that government intervention here, this attack on Apple can only be orchestrated by the master monopolist of the industry, a company so criminal that its entire history is tied to lawbreaking tactics and corrupt lobbies: Microsoft.

The DOJ/Congress should finish what they started with Microsoft before moving on to lesser market evils.

SomeToast
Senior User

Joined: Jan 1999

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04/08, 02:17am | report spam | close Reply |
re: A Mental Disorder

By the way climacs, in true liberalism form, kudos to you for taking a woman from an AOL message board and labeling it the belief system for a large population of people. Good job!!

...

But duty, who am I kidding, the only duty liberals are aware of is the duty to b**** about how terrible America is, how we massacre Iraqis, etc.

The brush only makes too broad of strokes when it's the other guy painting with it?

climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

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04/08, 06:32am | report spam | close Reply |
GOP hypocrites

look you dumbass CONservatives, for decades the GOP screamed about those damned corrupt Democrats, how a lying President deserves impeachment, the terrible government spending too much money, and activist judges.

And in the last four years of Dear Leader's regime, we've had:
-Tom Delay, possibly the most corrupt and disgusting m*********** ever in Congress
-Supreme Court install a President
-record-shattering budget deficits and the largest government EVER
-Bush lying us into a war and lying about just about anything else I can think of
-Congress sticking its nose into our bedrooms, into womens' uterii, dictating decency standards to our broadcasters, and undermining our civil rights with a "PATRIOT act" they didn't even read before passing.

And now it seems dictating DRM standards is a more pressing issue than that corrupt m*********** Delay (who is on Russia's payroll), the lack of affordable healthcare, oil prices, and the currency-wrecking deficit spending of Emperor C+ Augustus.

But all of that is OK as long as there aren't blow jobs in the Oval Office, right?

Wankers.

Simon
Posting Junkie

Joined: Nov 2000

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04/08, 09:02am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: climacs

LOL!

You're brilliant. I couldn't have said it better.

bjurasz
Baninated

Joined: Mar 2003

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04/11, 02:13pm | report spam | close Reply |
Stupid Dems

> Supreme Court install a President

Wrong. It constantly amazes me how f****** stupid Democrats are over this issue. The Florida Supreme Court violdated Florida election law, and the US Supreme Court corrected that mistake. Plain and simple. The USSC did NOT put a president into office. However, the FlSC tried to legislate new election law. That is not the duty of the courts. That is called legislating from the bench, and it is not constitutionally allowed.

Jonathan-Tanya
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2004

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04/14, 04:48pm | report spam | close Reply |
Russia?

quote: "who is on Russia's payroll"

@climacs

Why do you have to bring Russia into it...listen I'm all for dogging Bush, because I think you are right about his domestic policy being completely contrary to small government ideals.

But its inaccurate to say the republicans work for Russia...fact is, they aren't power mad at home, and then free wheeling flower power types abroad...they grab power everywhere....which, ironically, is actually good for America in the foreign policy arena.

I can tell you as an avid Russia watcher, that they s**** over Russia every chance they get.

I kind of think that you took away from your somewhat valid points by bringing up Russian, because really you are just trying to invoke a tired stereo-type circa the cold war era, rather than talking about anything real.

You know Victor Yuschenko of Ukraine was in washington the other day, and worked up a deal...all americans can now travel to Ukraine without a visa, in exchange for which a very limited number of Ukrainians can travel to the U.S. at a slightly reduced rate... Washington isn't giving the store away...never has, never will, and from a strictly nationalist perspective, this is a good thing on the part of the administration...however, democrats would have done the same.

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Apple a no-show at music format hearing

updated 09:30 am EDT, Thu April 7, 2005

Apple no-show at hearing

Related Articles

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What?!?!?

Another dodge

I agree

Typical

picking their battles

???????

It does seem

Keep up the good work !

Back to the main point

Idiots...

Re:Keep up the good work!

Idiot

Spacefreak�

taxes, drm

Where was Microsoft?

puppet politics...

Bush Bashers

Re: Bush Bashers

Dear Republicans...

Culture of Death

Schiavo

Re: bush bashers

Re: Culture of Death

A Mental Disorder

A Mental Disorder (cont.)

MP3+GOP=IRAQ? :)

I don't mind if they...

Let's talk about market

I have no respect

re: A Mental Disorder

GOP hypocrites

Re: climacs

Stupid Dems

Russia?

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