Quote from article: "Time Warner lawyers have begun analyzing any potential antitrust issues from such a deal, and to date their conclusion is that there would be few roadblocks to a Microsoft acquisition of AOL"

How can there be no anti-trust issues? How can there be no roadblocks? Simple answer: the Bush government won't stand in the way of such a merger - just like it let Microsoft off easy in its "landmark" anti-trust trial. What was so landmark about it? It had no discernable effect on Microsoft's continuing monopolistic efforts.

When i can't believe how stupid and blind people/government/lawyers/computer users are when faced with such blatantly obvious anti-competitive behaviour by Microsoft, it still takes me a moment to think it thru and understand that people/government/lawyers/etc are being so blind and stupid simply because the government is sanctioning the anti-trust behaviour instead of sending a clear message to mr and mrs consumer that the behaviour of microsoft in cases like this is not good for consumers and, if such activity were pursued properly legally, would in fact be deemed illegal.

This is all bigger than any of us - in that we're doomed and can't lift a finger. All the lawsuits against Microsoft demonstrate that there ARE powerful business people out there that recognize this and are using their money and power and means to fight it. The fact that they fail, however, demonstrates that theres no hope for the rest of us to change the way things are.

The current activities surrounding the European Economic Union's Microsoft commission shows that its possible to fight Microsoft (successfully? We'll see this coming week) but hints that it would be next to impossible in the United States. Why? The current US government is in favour of letting Microsoft do what it wants (demonstrated in every case brought against Microsoft since Clinton left office).

Maybe, just maybe, a success in Europe will lead to similar success in America when a more favourable political and legal climate exists: that is, when the conservative, friend-of-business government of Bush and the Republicans is replaced with a Democratic government.

-peter

Peter please spare us your anti-Bush liberal agenda. If you think for one minute the country will be better off with John "I voted for that, I never voted for that" Kerry.... I guess next you'll be complaining about unemployment and how God awful it is under Bush, when truth is it's at the same levels as in 1996 under Clinton. Give it a rest.

Too Artificial:

At least Peter made a claim, specifically, "The current US government is in favour of letting Microsoft do what it wants (demonstrated in every case brought against Microsoft since Clinton left office)"

If you don't like his claim, refute it rather than making vague, unrelated to the MS issue, personal attacks against John Kerry.

And as far as refutation goes. Per the Bureau Of Labor Statistics, in 1996, unemployment was at 5.4 %, down from the 7.5% rate in 1992 when Bill Clinton took control from George Bush Sr.. In fact, the unemployment rate dropped every year Clinton was in office, bottoming out at %4.0 in 2000. The current unemployment rate is %5.6, so current unemployment is higher than in 1996.

To find the last time unemployment was at or under %4.0 during a Republican administration, you need to go back to 1969 under President Nixon, when it was at 3.5% (no worries, his administration had it up to %7.7 by the time they were voted out).

if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em (then shut it down).
Or maybe next thing you know, they'll offer free stuff if you switch from AOL to MSN.

If we are lucky AOL will continue to offer its curse of death as a Microsoft division.. Just as AOL corrupted the internet, essentually killed netscape, nearly bankrupted Time warner and messed up every PC I have installed it on. Every thing that touches AOL usually turns to sour withing a very short time. Infact my former employer VerticalNet was run into the ground by former AOL exectutives that "knew" what they were doing. In my opinion AOL has been on a downward slide ever since it changed its name from AppleLink... brb... I've "Got Mail"