Seriously, what idiot in the administration thought it would be a good idea to

[Fgiriun]

request Google to remove the film? This plays right into the conservative talking points and does absolutely nothing other than buy into a failed notion of appeasement. The film is not the cause of the protest and even if it were removing it from Youtube would have absolutely no effect on these people. This is absolutely disgraceful and could potentially cost Obama a lot of votes.

[luvspeas]

1. I don't have a problem with it.

it's a request.

[FarPoint]

2. My guess ...

The death of our Ambassador?

[DonViejo]

8. and three other U.S. Citizens

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

3. Your concern has been noted

[Heather MC]

18. and the two Marines who were killed the other day

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Bullshit !!!! This is a wedge issue for desperate Fundies

[Fgiriun]

7. People react to talking points

Although there is nothing menacing about submitting a request to potentially remove content based on the TOS there are people who will falsely view this as a violation of the first amendment. The right wing is not the only group that has strong views regarding free speech.

[FarPoint]

26. You are very intuitive

And wise.

[lunatica]

5. Great way to start your life on DU

LOL!

[liberalmuse]

6. There is nothing wrong or disgraceful about this request.

C'mon! The WH simply brought it to Google's attention that they might want to review it to see if it violated any of their rules. It didn't. You don't need much to get right winger panties in a wad these days, most especially if it has anything to do with President Obama. They are continually frothing at the mouth like rabid dogs, so let them continue to behave like the idiots they are.

[Fgiriun]

11. I'm an avid contributor on Reddit

Which is very liberal in nature and there has been a lot of people who view this as a threat to free speech. I don't think it is but most people don't consider the facts.

[woolldog]

16. It troubles me too

And I'm glad google declined the request.

[progressivebydesign]

35. The actors involved should sue Google's ass right now. I would.

The film was done under false pretenses, and they have cause. Fuck google.

[shanen]

40. No, the target of the lawsuit should be the director and others

I was thinking the same thing. I believe that the actors have to sign releases for the use of their faces in any film, and those releases were clearly obtained under false pretenses. Any and all of the actors should revoke their permissions, and also sue the bastard who lied to them. Whether or not it can be carried up to the producers and funders of the film is also an interesting question, but I definitely think this is NOT a First Amendment issue. Well, actually it is, but there are limitations even on the First Amendment. I think this goes under the "Fire" in a crowded theater scenario, but it might be better to look for legal liability for lies. I actually doubt they could pursue a slander case against the Prophet...

[orpupilofnature57]

28. What facts are you considering ????

[Fgiriun]

33. The fact that hate speech is a violation of Youtube's TOS

n/t

[Comrade_McKenzie]

9. Probably an idiot that doesn't realize once something is online, it's there for good. nt

[Angry Dragon]

10. Here is a response to counter that:

Corporations and people can ask Google and Facebook to purge things.
Does the government have the same right??

[Fgiriun]

13. No disagreement

I'm not in favor of DMCA takedowns which I view as a serious threat to our free speech. I believe the request was made with good intentions but the political repercussions were not considered.

[progressivebydesign]

36. Maybe because our President doesn't CARE about the political repercussions, but about Americans

well being overseas. Unlike the republicans that do EVERYTHING for a political reason, our President and his extremely experienced advisors, know the difference. President Obama would rather lose the election than put our personnel and citizens in jeopardy in the ME.

[Warpy]

12. Freedom of speech isn't absolute.

This film was like yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theater. It was made and then dubbed to cause the most negative reaction possible. It was purely an incitement to riot and it worked.

The actors, who said their lines were dubbed out, are talking about suing. It was misrepresented to everyone involved in producing the original film. On or off You Tube, it will likely be tied up in lawsuits for years.

I doubt if removing it from You Tube will do a lot of good because what's been seen can't be unseen. However, it won't be available to sustain rage and that's a good thing.

[Life Long Dem]

14. How do you know the film is not a cause of the protest?

For that matter, how do you know the ME are not protesting because the sun didn't come out today?

[Fgiriun]

19. The film has been available on Youtube months prior

Some extremist viewed it as an opportunity to incite violence and hence the result. I doubt half the people partaking in the protests have even seen the video.

[Life Long Dem]

21. I bet over half the protesters don't even know what they are protesting

They look like a bunch of punk kids to me.

[brush]

29. Your title not the whole truth

The video has been online for several weeks but was only translated to Arabic 8 days before 9/11 and the middle east's version of Glenn Beck then alerted. A coincidence? I don't think so. "Rovian", maybe.

[TwilightGardener]

15. A request is not an order.

[RegieRocker]

17. Well this issue seems to be a solid concrete justification

for national security. Much more so than other B.S. claims as national security.

[sofa king]

20. I don't think we have to worry about RW talking points any longer.

The political landscape has already eroded back to the years 2007-2008, when the only people even listening to the right wing were "Bush's basement," right-wing authoritarians and the handful of Americans who profited from Bush's criminal ways--just about 30 percent of the total electorate.

I have had the unfortunate duty of listening to the Fox Radio Network for a couple of weeks now, and they are already in what the German general staff used to call Wolkenkuckucksheim, "cloud cuckoo land," the fantasy-land from which the Fuhrer issued his unworkable orders in the waning days of World War II.

There is a pragmatic reason for pulling the video from Youtube, which is that Arabic-speaking computer users aren't any more adept than American ones, and if the video is pulled from Youtube, the vast majority of people won't be able to easily find it. That lowers tensions all by itself.

The right-wingers? Fuck 'em. You know what they were bitching all this week? The fact that President Obama doesn't attend Presidential Intelligence Briefings, which were instituted for the first time in 2001 because President Bush was functionally illiterate and could not be depended upon to actually read the written briefings which were the standard before and after his malevolent tenure. Not even a hand-delivered one-page document entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack U.S."

Those people are lost to us, and aside for caring for their welfare exactly as we care for the welfare of all other Americans, they cannot be directly approached or rationally engaged. He have to keep the level of discourse above them, because they are simply too evil or stupid to be coddled in any substantive way.

The way to shut them up is to improve their lives, and the only way to do that is to destroy the party that actively deceives them into voting against their own best interests.

Let us focus on that.

[deaniac21]

44. Instituted in 1960

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_Daily_Brief

[Zoeisright]

22. Nothing wrong with that request.

"Failed notion of appeasement"? Sounds like a Hannity talking point.

[Fgiriun]

23. I just don't feel that removing the video would make a difference

n/t

[HubertHeaver]

32. Makes it unavailable for future viewing.

Makes a difference.

[JTFrog]

43. Or Kevin James.

Last edited Sun Sep 16, 2012, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

[MjolnirTime]

24. Concern is noted.

[Fgiriun]

25. I honestly hope I'm over reacting and nothing comes of it

n/t

[DrDan]

27. bull - it was the right thing to do

[Kahuna]

30. Oh puhleese. Most Americans won't care if it means saving lives.

Get over yourself.

[still_one]

31. An idiot who thought protecting Americans in that region was important.

I suspect you don't have family in that area

[progressivebydesign]

34. Guess I'm an idiot, too. I think it SHOULD be taken down. Period.

For many reasons. It incites violence, it pornographic, it violates the rights of the people who appeared in the film and puts their lives in danger, the filmaker did it under illegal pretenses, etc. etc. etc.

So.. using your purist logic, if someone who.. say.. rivals Hitler, were to start putting up youtoubes calling for the extermination of certain people, you would be cool with that?

How about militia posting videos of how to make bombs, then posting the addresses of abortion doctors??

There are limits to fee speech. There always has been. Seriously.. some folks need to get outside of their heads and live in the real world.

[Splinter Cell]

37. Seriously....

What idiot let this troll in?

[AverageJoe90]

38. I doubt it'll cost Obama more than perhaps a few single-issue voters.

Even so, probably not the best move to make, I think.

[Indpndnt]

39. Few, if any, votes will be lost over this.

Those who are upset about it weren't voting for the president anyway.

[Kteachums]

41. I want to know what idiot posted it in the first place?

The person who posted a film like this should be held responsible for the lives of American's abroad.

[renie408]

42. You can HOPE it is going to cost a lot of votes, but as of this morning

Obama has gone even higher on Intrade and it apparently this whole brouhaha hurt Romney WAY more than it did the President.

Come on...is this the best you've got?