Andrew Sullivan prints this e-mail from Sana'a, Yemen:

• "I have been in Sana'a, Yemen working on an English language magazine and I felt the need to tell you that the climate here is angry. I read your blog daily and have the highest esteem for your intellectual pursuits. But, you've got it wrong about the "war is good because it stops the breeding of terrorists" thing. It's only making it worse - much, much worse. The U.S. is seen in a terrifically unenthusiastic light and all the war in Iraq seems to be doing is creating a culture of furious, uneducated 13 year olds who have to prove their manhood. The U.S. was something made up to them before this war. It was a far off place of blonde girls in bikinis and dudes who blow-dry their hair five times a day. Now, it's real and it's cramping their style. All the work our soft power did to create positive relations in the Arab world is becoming moot. Democracy is something a nation has to want, something a nation has to want so much they will shed blood for it. And the Arab world wants democracy as much as they want a hole in the head. They don't get it, they don't care to get it and it seems to be making life particularly shitty for their Iraqi brothers. I don't care what Bush or Wolfowitz or any of that crew have to say, people are not going to embrace this imposed "freedom." I am here, you aren't."

Dykes on Bikes
 

Can I get CLE credit for this?

Dykes on Bikes
 

Isn't Hank a self-professed IP Guru? Where is he. Hank, this is the first time in the history of this board that someone actually is interested in what you do for a living. Carpe Diem!

But, but...bilmore has some buddies in the Green Zone who say everything's going great!! Must be a self-hating liberal.

Dykes on Bikes
 

He can't help. This is a trademark issue, and Hank does design patents for automobile wheel covers. Kind of a narrow niche, but there's no doubt he's the go-to guy for all the big boys. It's why he's so up on all the hip-hop culture, as well.

Dykes on Bikes
 

If you pay me an attendance fee, sure.

This misses the point. The freedom hating Islamofascists have and always will hate us -- for our freedom (duh). Our actions are entirely irrelevant, because the "Arab Street" is not comprised of people with opinions that can be swayed in one direction or another by U.S. action (or the exercise of restraint), but is rather a solid mass of shrieking fanatics who lust (lust! I say) for our blood. See, e.g., Pony Trekker for suggested approaches to this seemingly intractable problem.

Dykes on Bikes
 

We don't give government granted monopolies for it though. You can't ban speech, but you don't have to subsidize it.

Dykes on Bikes
 

This is why burger gets to chair the CLE events, and I'm the guy who tries to rouse the group's flagging attention for the 4:45 time slot.

Dykes on Bikes
 

Isn't porn entitled to copyright protection?

Regardless of how its going, this person seems to have the rather odd impression that, until we invaded Iraq, the syndication of Bay Watch was about to make every disaffected youth in the middle east fall madly in love with us. And that their objection to the invasion is that it "cramps their style."

I am not inspired to trust this correspondent's judgment. But maybe I'm wrong, and all the teens in the middle east are really slacker mall rats.

BR(Yemen, New Jersey - people all over the world really are the same after all!)C

Dykes on Bikes
 

Trademark, copyright. Trademark, copyright. Different things.

Dykes on Bikes
 

Understood, but we are still protecting "offensive" material for purposes of profit.

Dykes on Bikes
 

From what I vaguely remember from some kind of IP class I took because it fit into my "no classes Mon or Fri" schedule, you don't ahve ot register to get copyright protection, but in your scenario the group is trying to register their trademark.

God, this is boringer than taxes. Hank, will you please explain this? Or Gatti. anyone.

Two interesting breaking news bits:
 

My 2 cents-

Rehnquist will stick around - health willing - until the O'Connor replacement is named.