Stop Microsoft

All Things Microsoft => Microsoft as a Company => Topic started by: DavidB on 17 August 2005, 06:23

Title: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: DavidB on 17 August 2005, 06:23
No, Jack Abramoff doesn't really work for Microsoft (at least not officially). He's just associated with the lobby... er, law firm of Preston, Gates & Ellis. Gates is a reference to Bill Gates' father, William, who's a founding partner of one of America's sleaziest legal operations. (Or is it fair to call it legal?)

I should also point out that the Seattle Weekly itself is corrupt. They alternate between cheerleading for Microsoft and pretending to be a whistleblower. I haven't yet figured out what their angle is on this one, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Microsoft link or two they aren't telling us about.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0533/050817_news_abramoff.php
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Refalm on 17 August 2005, 11:47
GOP? I heard in a news story somewhere that Bill Gates was a Democrat, because he was against the war in Iraq.

What do you think, DavidB?
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: DavidB on 17 August 2005, 17:41
Quote from: Refalm
GOP? I heard in a news story somewhere that Bill Gates was a Democrat, because he was against the war in Iraq.

What do you think, DavidB?

I wasn't aware that Bill Gates had taken a stand on anything. I think he's an apolitical whore who will support any group that helps him screw the taxpayers.

Seattle's King County Democrats - among America's most corrupt - are certainly corrupt. But I think Gates is currently more Republican on the national level. Remember, Microsoft was sued under the Clinton administration. Everyone knew George W. Bush would rescue him from justice if he got elected.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: DBX_5 on 17 August 2005, 21:00
DavidB - we kindof have the same thing here - the whole 'canwest' newservice

(via http://www.canada.com )

is plain gossip celebrity stuff mostly, (from the Province, go pick up one of those, then try the Vancouver Sun (which is better )

I guess we have some things in common, your northly neighbours.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Kintaro on 17 August 2005, 22:24
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002440794_ncsl15m.html
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/pj20050807.shtml

Yeah, it appears according to the press that Bill Gates is only political when his company is under fire and it gives him benefits.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: DavidB on 18 August 2005, 01:44
Quote from: kintaro
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002440794_ncsl15m.html (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002440794_ncsl15m.html)
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/pj20050807.shtml (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/pj20050807.shtml)

Yeah, it appears according to the press that Bill Gates is only political when his company is under fire and it gives him benefits.

That reminds me of something I thought was rather interesting. The last time I ran for office, I made Microsoft a major campaign theme. I blasted M$ and Microsoft both on my campaign website, in my statement in the Voters Pamphlet and in the one free televised appearance I was allowed to make.

Of course, NOT ONE local (or national) newspaper mentioned Microsoft in relation to my campaign. But somewhere around the end of theh campaign, I saw an interesting article in a local paper. It said Microsoft executives had decided they were going to get more involved in local politics. Go figure.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: davidnix71 on 18 August 2005, 03:38
I live in Fort Lauderdale. Gus Boulis murder is still unsolved. There was mention of this in the "Scum" Sentinel today. Somebody went medieval on Boulis and I think the feds are shaking some trees looking for leads. Boulis owned Sun Cruz.

Too much of that kind of stuff happens here in 'paradise'.

Two weeks after OJ was arrested, the guy who took the fall for him when OJ was busted for selling coke in college, was found assasinated in Pembroke Pines.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: DavidB on 18 August 2005, 06:54
Quote from: davidnix71
I live in Fort Lauderdale. Gus Boulis murder is still unsolved. There was mention of this in the "Scum" Sentinel today. Somebody went medieval on Boulis and I think the feds are shaking some trees looking for leads. Boulis owned Sun Cruz.

Too much of that kind of stuff happens here in 'paradise'.

Two weeks after OJ was arrested, the guy who took the fall for him when OJ was busted for selling coke in college, was found assasinated in Pembroke Pines.

Wow, this sounds pretty deep. Imagine if Abramoff somehow connected Bill Gates to 9/11? But then, Gates is already connected to the Republican Party, which is about the same thing, right?
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Kintaro on 18 August 2005, 16:04
Imagine Abramoff connected Bill Gates to being a BUSINESSMAN.

Really, all businessmen should be put up against the wall and killed, not just Bill Gates. Along with lawyers, and USPO workers.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Orethrius on 18 August 2005, 19:32
Quote from: kintaro
Imagine Abramoff connected Bill Gates to being a BUSINESSMAN.

Really, all businessmen should be put up against the wall and killed, not just Bill Gates. Along with lawyers, and USPO workers.

I'm pretty sure they're armed with automatic weap...

Oh, right, PATENT OFFICE not POSTAL SERVICE.  :D

Still, they ARE government workers, so what I said still stands.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: MarathoN on 18 August 2005, 19:35
Hahaha, The Postal Service "We kill for free." :D
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Orethrius on 18 August 2005, 19:45
Quote from: MarathoN
Hahaha, The Postal Service "We kill for free." :D

What the hell kinda name is "Jack Abramoff" anyways?  I mean, I understand *MY* name and all, being Irish, but that guy must be just MERCILESSLY tormented.  :thumbup:
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: MarathoN on 18 August 2005, 19:54
Hmm I'm Irish descent (my whole family are Irish :D), what part of Ireland are ya from? ;)
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Orethrius on 18 August 2005, 20:11
Quote from: MarathoN
Hmm I'm Irish descent (my whole family are Irish :D), what part of Ireland are ya from? ;)

Bah, I dunno the particular county if that's what you're asking, I meant the name more than anything.  Still nice to meet another expatriate of the Emerald Isle, when are we going back (away from this shithole)?  :D
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: MarathoN on 18 August 2005, 20:27
Ireland rules, my dad and sister are going to Ireland next week to see our cousins (for the second time this year).

I wish I could go... so badly, I'd love to see my cousins, haven't seen them in about 8 years... :rolleyes:

Westport, County Mayo is where my close family are from. (Uncles/Aunts/Cousins)

My mum is from Clara, County Offaly. ;)
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Kintaro on 18 August 2005, 22:35
I think I am part Irish.

I know I have mostly English blood, with a touch of Scottish, French, and Maltease. Yeah, my mothers side of the family shag around a lot, which makes it hard to even know if I have my real grandfather or not.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: piratePenguin on 18 August 2005, 22:52
Haha, all the Irish wannabes :p
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Jenda on 20 August 2005, 15:56
Well, I definitely do not have any Irish blood, but other than that, I have pretty much all the blood you could imagine... my dad is a pure blooded czech, and the family is tracked down to the 16th century, still Czech.
My mother however, had Jewish parents, the grandmother an Askenazi, she was from Poland, but she considered herself Czech. The Jews always moved around, so her ancestry probably comes from Russia before that and during the course of the last two thousand years, they must've come from ancient Palestine - otherwise they couldn't be Jewish.
The grandfather was from Hungary. He died when I was two. He was a Sefardic Jew, and that means his ancestry came to Europe from Gibraltar in Spain, and must've crossed north Africa sometime in the last two millennia, coming from, where else, Palestine.
I have no idea how orthodox the two Jewish families were, so I do not know whether or not they picked up local DNA on the way.
I consider myself Czech, but I do respect and am aware and proud of my Jewish heritage as well.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Refalm on 21 August 2005, 08:48
I'm going to find an Irish girl, so I will be part Irish too.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Laukev7 on 23 August 2005, 07:58
My great grandmother was Irish American.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Jenda on 23 August 2005, 18:21
Wow... lots of Irish blood. That's funny. Ireland is much smaller than the Czech Republic, and yet none of you have Czech blood. I would suppose this would be a much stronger will of emmigration to the Americas than here. Ireland was for most of history quite strongly religious (catholic, AFAIK), so all the protestants were motivated. Here, OTOH, catholics first forced out all the protestants and then vice versa. The result, as of 2005, is the most atheist country in Europe, perhaps even the world (unmeasurable). Ireland also has the sea and even politically was (my guess) more tolerant towards emmigrants. The czechlands have been a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire for centuries, though sometimes (14th cent.) the leading one, which would strongly limit the people's movement.
BTW, there are quite a few, I'm guessing about twenty, Czech settlements in the US. I can name two Pragues (Oklahoma, Texas) and a village in Kansas called Cuba.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Laukev7 on 23 August 2005, 18:38
Quote
Ireland is much smaller than the Czech Republic, and yet none of you have Czech blood.


That was a result of the great Irish famine. 1.5 to 2 million Irish people emigrated from Ireland in the mid 19th century, in addition to a million of them dying from starvation. The result was a huge population decrease, with long-term consequences reaching even today.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Orethrius on 23 August 2005, 18:59
Quote from: Laukev7
That was a result of the great Irish famine. 1.5 to 2 million Irish people emigrated from Ireland in the mid 19th century, in addition to a million of them dying from starvation. The result was a huge population decrease, with long-term consequences reaching even today.

Ireland: the only nation to near total annihilation due to a spud.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Laukev7 on 23 August 2005, 19:25
Quote from: Orethrius
Ireland: the only nation to near total annihilation due to a spud.

Maybe this should make us all think about the consequences of potential contamination of crops by GMOs.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Jenda on 23 August 2005, 20:34
Oohhh... you're asking for a complete OT debate!
I will force myself to abstain.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: piratePenguin on 23 August 2005, 21:31
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Potato_Famine
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/famine.html
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: worker201 on 23 August 2005, 23:42
The town of West, Texas (just north of Waco) is very publicly proud of their Czech heritage.  Of course the town was named before the Czechs got there (if you asked me, it was named by an uncreative dumbass).

If you believe the movie "Far and Away" to be based on any kind of truth, then much Irish emmigration was based on conflict between peasant farmers and the landlord class.  Land was cheap and free in America at that time.  Of course not quite so many made it to the west - Boston and NYC are veeerryyy Irish.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Jenda on 24 August 2005, 18:07
I read an article about Cuba, Texas in the National Geographic. They said the twon hall burned down along with all the original heritage, except for a single canvas painting (the size of a wall) of the old town square in Prague. Looked sweet, if you ask me. It sais the only Czech word they know is "pivo" - beer...
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Kintaro on 24 August 2005, 23:47
I know one thing about Czech for sure, the women are dang fine.

Personally the most beautiful women are Indian though. I have a thing for Indian women.
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Jenda on 25 August 2005, 18:05
Quote
I know one thing about Czech for sure, the women are dang fine.

How would you know?
Title: Re: Microsoft's Jack Abramoff Arrested
Post by: Kintaro on 25 August 2005, 18:43
Czech porn rules.