General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOccupy Videos from other countries are blocked from coming to US because they show
"insurrection against the US". Evidently this is now standard practice.
From http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fans-of-J-Michael-Straczynski/139652459402959
Michael Straczynski: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Michael_Straczynski
Reprinted in whole because the "Share" button implies that I can do so.
Group participation: what's wrong with this picture?
I ordered some video-editing software from Hitfilm in the UK which also comes with some instructional videos. So a few days later I get a call from FedEx saying that the DVDs were being held at U.S. Customs until I filled out a Video Declaration Form, which she said was now standard practice. Now, I'd never heard of this before, so I called back to ensure that this was indeed FedEx and not someone phishing for information. Had them email me the form.
This is what the form said: "I/we declare the the films/videos contain no obscene or immoral matter, nor any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United States, nor any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person in the United States."
Now, the first clause I can kinda see, though "immoral" is weird and there's no standard definition of obscenity in the US, but let that go...what made my eyebrows go up my forehead and down the other side was clause two. So I called back the nice lady at FedEx -- who was only following instructions given to her by Customs -- and asked what this was all about.
Apparently -- and this is only her understanding of the situation -- this is a new thing being done by Customs and Homeland Security with FedEx, UPS, and other carriers to make sure that films and videos with ideas or stories that were at odds with the United States Government didn't get into the country, as it was a form of terrorism (as further elaborated upon in the third and final clause.) She added that some DVDs showing Occupy events in London and elsewhere had gotten bounced because of the concern that these were being used to coordinate activities here (as if with the internet people actually need physical DVDs for that sort of thing but that's neither here nor there).
Under this new stipulation, if V for Vendetta had, for instance, been produced in the UK (instead of just filmed there), importing it into the US would be considered subject matter "advocating or urging treason or insurrection." And if you lied about it on the form, you could be held liable for this.
So there are now very literally guardians at the gate ensuring that the wrong sorts of ideas, movies or DVDs are not allowed into the country without investigation and/or prosecution. And most pernicious of all, they don't actually define what they mean by advocating treason or insurrection, any more than they define what "immoral" means, it's whatever they decide it means, so you could be breaking the law without knowing you're doing it, until they decide you're doing it.
Thoughts?
ejpoeta
(8,933 posts)I thought this was supposed to be a free country. The idea that we could be denied something because it might instigate insurrection!! What were washington and the other founding fathers other than insurrection creators?
From the movie "National Treasure"
A toast? Yeah. To high treason. That's what these men were committing when they signed the Declaration. Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and-Oh! Oh, my personal favorite-and had their entrails cut out and *burned*!
randome
(34,845 posts)So what is your point in posting this?
2pooped2pop
(5,420 posts)If not, why point out that he writes fiction.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)because they lie for a living? Is your statement limited to science fiction or is drama and / or comedy included?
And if we use that as a bench mark.... lying for a living, wouldn't we also have to exclude actors? Oh, and film directors.
And most likely we should totally ignore politicians on principle. So what is your point in replying to my post in this manner, rather than addressing the facts (or, heck, even the lack thereof if you care to show me the problems in what he has stated)
When you can develop a sensible and rational point of debate without all the logical fallacies, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have on the subject at hand. Here are a few you might want to familiarize yourself with so you won't make the same mistakes in future posts.
Argumentum ad logicam
Dicto simpliciter
Naturalistic Fallacy
Non Sequitur
Red Herring
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)I/WE DECLARE THAT THE FILM(S) contain no obscene or immoral material
nor any matter advocating or urging treason or insurrection against the United
States, nor any threat to take the life of or inflict bodily harm upon any person
in the United States.
Occulus
(20,599 posts)You FAIL. Miserably.
dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)I bought a walnut media tumbler from the US. They're actually designed for polishing the ball bearings used in pin ball machines but I needed one just for cleaning banjo parts. The supplier wasn't licenced to export even their 240v models direct into the EU. So - I had it shipped to a pal in VA who reshipped to me as a food mixer. Mission accomplished.
The answer may be to have the DVDs mis-declared.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)It states what is allowed, and what isn't.
Pretty straightforward, it seems.
Unless OWS is calling for violence, the overthrow of the government, there is nothing to worry about.
Seems someone has a problem discerning what is fiction, and what is real.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)So far it's IOKIYAR in most cases, judging from the shit the Rw is constantly spewing over the airwaves.
Look at that newspaper editor just the other day discussing whether the Mossad should off President Obama. Granted, he's like most of these people, an isolated nut job, but every day it seems we have one right wing reactionary or another pushing the envelope and getting away with it.
If a person is advocating a military action to get rid of another country's head of state, what the hell do you call it besides insurrection, treason and terrorism? I don't know if it is possible to call it anything less than that.
Aerows
(39,961 posts)What you might consider obscene or immoral may not be what I consider obscene or immoral. I certainly don't think people advocating the murder of elected public officials to be anything less than advocating overthrow of the government and terrorism, yet we have people every other day spewing such things on right wing air waves.
There is NOTHING straightforward about differentiating between such things.
Capitalocracy
(4,307 posts)(which I have no way of knowing nor do I know who this person is) the FedEx employee said Occupy movement material had been denied entry into the U.S. And he didn't quote her as mentioning any specific incitement of violence.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Looks like Fed Ex is just trying to cover its ass.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Zalatix
(8,994 posts)TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)Checking it out instead of blind nay-saying is often helpful.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)[img][/img]
Skinner
(63,645 posts)Maybe you're ignoring that person. Check My Account > Ignore List.
starroute
(12,977 posts)At DU2, the thread tree would show "Ignored" in that case and you'd still be able to see all the responses. But from your screenshot, it looks like both post #2 and all the people arguing with it are just not there.
That seems like something that should be reported to the Meta forum.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)BlueDemOhio
(12 posts)against the US if they arent even part of the US?!?!
Seems draconian
Aerows
(39,961 posts)Just plain disturbing.