Tom Adelstein has done some digging. It looks like the Microsoft-connected law firm that does heavy lobbying and the dirty work of the BSA, Preston, Gates & Ellis, has some curious connections within the ethics inquiry into the activities of Congressman Tom Delay (R-Texas). Let’s see how this plays out. Full Blog | LXer.com
When Eugenia was around we didn’t get these politically-tainted stories.
OSAlert is going to be hurting without Eugenia.
When Eugenia was around we didn’t get these politically-tainted stories.
OSAlert is going to be hurting without Eugenia.
Looked like good reporting to me. Eugenia or not, I appreciate seeing this kind of thing.
Is was politics that allowed Microsoft to get off relatively scott free with the DOJ after the Bush administration came to power in the US. It is obvious that Microsoft is involved very deeply in using politics and lobbying to try and achieve its goals in the marketplace. If its OK for them to do it then its damn well OK for us to not only point it out, but also discuss the fact that they ARE doing it.
It doesn’t matter what side of the political fence you stand on. Those ARE the facts.
The real problem these facts expose go to the very core of the US (and other countries) political system and whether those systems are meant to serve the people…or the corporations.
We assiduously avoid political stuff here at OSAlert, and that’s not changing. Regardless of the fact that this Delay ethics thing is politically-charged, this look into Microsoft’s back-room lobbying efforts is fascinating and very on-topic to the OS world. It wouldn’t have come to light without the investigation into business and government influence peddling, so mentioning it out of the context of its connection to the Tom Delay issue would be a little safer politically, but incomplete.
That being said, let’s keep the discussion here focused on Microsoft and the BSA and leave the ethics business and the political sniping to the political blogs.
I feel it’s very important people know exactly who and what their software expenditures support, especially since there is no such thing as a fair election anymore. All that’s left is voting with your wallet. Choose wisely.
Well I don’t suppose we’ll see this MS angle on any TV investigative news too soon, just can’t be too surprised about this though.
When Eugenia was around we didn’t get these politically-tainted stories.
OSAlert is going to be hurting without Eugenia.
Let’s face it – we all know this kind of lobbying and dodgy dealing goes on, so we might as well be more privy to it.
If the editors were to leave out any stories regarding the interplay of technology and politics, all you’d be reading is press releases and advertising. If that’s your thing, I highly recommend you check out MSN.com instead of sites like these.
Microsoft is evil mmmmmmmmmkay?
When Eugenia was around we didn’t get these politically-tainted stories.
OSAlert is going to be hurting without Eugenia.
Good news is, you can still skip the news items that don’t interest you
Why is the focus of the article only about Republican Tom Delay, when it appears that Democrat Patrick Leahy’s activity was as equally suspicious.
The article implies that DeLay was influenced to assist Microsoft, using weakly constructed arguments like:
DeLay helped defeat a bill that would tax Preston Gates clients – American Indian casinos. You have to also wonder if those casinos used Microsoft Office.
But DeLay is a conservative politician that preaches the need for tax cuts, I highly doubt he needed much convincing to kill a bill that would increases taxes on the American citizens.
Why isn’t the focus of the article properly broadened to focus on the House of Reps and Senate in general. Preston, Gates & Ellis did not only lobby one side of the aisle. The BSA also worked the democrats. The details about Leahy appears more insidious and wrong:
For example, both Preston Gates and the Business Software Alliance are listed as contributors to the campaign of Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Chairman of the Senate Judicial committee that ruled on the Government’s settlement with Microsoft.
Leahy had a key role in the way the settlement with Microsoft was decided. This appears more significant than how DeLay voted on a tax bill, which affected all citizens and companies of the US.
D’oh! Maybe because the article in question mentions Delay, not Leahy!
(a fact you seem to want to ignore in your efforts to steer discussion elsewhere, twice already)
it’s not the illumanati we must worry about it’s microsoftanati
– run by Bill’s father – is strictly a “charitable foundation”.
My butt. It’s a stock laundering scheme and an investment vehicle to influence corporations in which it invests – just like any other rich “foundation”. It has an agenda and the agenda is NOT charity. The amount of money actually handed out to charity is trivial compared to its assets.
Since they are hounding Delay for doing the same things other Congressmen do. In fact, other Congressmen have long gotten away with much worse.