After years of fawning coverage in local media, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was backpedaling last week. It had help.
The reason was a two-part investigative story by the Los Angeles Times, begun on Sunday, 1-7-07, and reprinted on the front page of the Seattle Times, which reported that
“…the Gates Foundation has holdings in many companies that have failed tests of social responsibility because of environmental lapses, employment discrimination, disregard for worker rights, or unethical practices…. hundreds of Gates Foundation investments – totaling at least 41% of its assets – have been in companies that countered the foundation’s charitable goals or socially concerned philosophy.”
The practices of many of those companies, we learned, “are hurting many of the people its grants aim to help….”
The high-powered local executives running the world’s largest charitable organization, with some $70 billion or more in existing or pledged assets, might not have paid much attention to bad ethical investing. But they act quickly when bad publicity strikes. Wednesday, in an exclusive interview, we learned in the Seattle Times that:
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is planning a systematic review of its investments to determine whether it should pull its money out of companies that are doing harm to society…”
So far, so good. Only one problem: the Seattle Times pulled a major punch. It made no mention of one of the major threads of the L.A. Times stories:
“…investing in destructive or unethical companies is not what is most harmful….Worse is investing purely for profit, without attempting to improve a company’s way of operating.”
Gates, in responding to the bad publicity, made no mention of whether it would join the movement in American philanthropy to push companies to change their business practices. By their silence, we could presume the foundation would continue to keep its highly influential hands off the companies it invested in. And the Seattle Times let Gates get away with it.
And, it turns out, there was another problem: talk is cheap, and, it quietly emerged, fully retractable. Two days after that, on Friday, the web site NewsCloud.com broke a story bluntly headlined “Gates Foundation Revokes Pledge to Review Portfolio.” Our beneficent local philanthropists got their message out, and then changed it. Or, as NewsCloud put it:
“Shortly after that [Seattle Times] interview, the Gates Foundation took down their public statement on this [from their web site] and replaced it with a significantly altered version which seems to say that investing responsibly would just be too complex for them and that they need to focus on their core mission: ‘There are dozens of factors that could be considered, almost all of which are outside the foundation’s areas of expertise.’…”
The Seattle Times, however, was not done making up for the error of its ways. Yesterday, our local apologist for all things Bill Gates featured what seemed to be something like an official’s makeup call in sports: a makeup feature for having reprinted the L.A. Times expose the previous Sunday. Sympathetically titled “Gates Foundation faces multibillion-dollar dilemma,” the article literally let our heroes have it both ways:
“As the Gates Foundation embarks upon a review of how its $32 billion endowment is invested, officials insist they won’t change their basic investment philosophy.”
Aside from greatly understating the Gates’ endowment, this sentence raises a rather basic dilemma of its own: what’s the point of “a systematic review of investments” if foundation officials “won’t change their basic investment philosophy”?
Let’s review, then: caught in a well-researched investigative piece, published by one of the nation’s most prominent newspapers, that looked (and was) really bad, a beloved local institution scrambles to put a good face on things. It announces this good face through the ever-pliant hometown paper, which already has probably fired an editor or two for reprinting the expose in the first place. It then promptly issues a meek, Gilda Radneresque “Never mind!,” which our local paper utterly ignores in a makeup feature devoted to those hard, hard, hard choices wealthy philanthropists must sometimes make.
What we have, then, is a massive investment firm (embedded in a multi-billion dollar philanthropy) smoothly reassuring the public while changing its odious practices not a whit; and the hometown paper first publicizing the odious practices and then, obediently, helping make it all right and sunshiney again.
The only losers are the millions of people around the globe victimized by the practices of firms invested in by the Gates Foundation; and local news consumers who think that the Seattle Times, for once, cast an unfettered, critical eye on a feelgood local institution. In both cases, it’s bad news.
Nice post Geov.
Hits the nail on the head. I hate to be cynical about philanthropy, but this gets to the heart of the issue. The Gates foundation does many great things. But it could also do greater things by putting pressure on global capital and multinationals it interfaces with to change their practices in fundamental ways. This goes for a lot of companies and investment vehicles. The Gates foundation a capital market does not make, but we can at least ask them and the Warren Buffets of the world to be thought leaders on the issue. Sounds like the Gates foundation is more concerned about PR effect than results and it has felt like that for a long time. They are so good at the marketing and PR could they at least use this to some effect to force the bad players step up their responsibilty a little bit more? But at the saying goes “Money talks…”.
One other point. To my way of thinking the primary issue is how much (or rather how little) money is spent and how everyone oohs and aahs and fawns over it. A good dose of perspective is all I ask for. But it is hard not to be cynical when these organizations spend pennies on the dollar and beat their chests claiming that they are solving the world’s problems. While at the same time spending dimes on the dollar contributing to the problems. I have no complaints about how their money, it is just the PR chest beating that gets to me.
An interesting quote from Dr. Helen Caldicott that I think puts things in perspective:
The world’s problems persist not due to the lack of financial or human capital but more often because of a lack of will. This is what the Gates foundation scandal exemplifies. But it abounds everywhere. In governments, boardrooms, and voter blocks.
Cynically yours,
Gordon
Why look so suprised. Is this not, after all, the face of corruption.
It would be a lot of work determining which corporations are socially responsible, and which ones are not. One must remember, most corporations exist for only one reason. To make profits.
I would assume the management of some corporations would like to “help the planet” but when their only real job is fulfilling profit forecasts, it may be difficult.
The saddest thing about this thread is the realization that if the Gates Foundation cares little about how companies neglect being socially responsible, others probably care even less. I read the note by Cheryl Scott, and Goldy (HorsesAss.org) is right. The Gates Foundation does not evaluate companies because it is too complex. If it is too complex for them, then I wonder who it would not be too complex for…..
Sad, sad, sad.
All they have to do is say in 5 years they guarantee that every cent of their foudation’s corporate investments will be in companies that are carbon neutral.
Bingo.
Gates Foundation says today that they won’t quit investing in these companies and that it would be “naive” to believe it would make any difference in how these companies operate. Huh? The biggest private foundation in the world says it will stop supporting you because of your business practices and that won’t make a difference to those companies? If it’s so naive, how to explain what happened when universities and colleges got pressure from students to stop supporting companies that invested in South Africa during the time of apartheid?
I don’t think this will be the end of this story, no matter how much Gates and Company would like to wish it away.
The most predatory robber baron in world history is running a foundation that’s not socially responsible? Why is this a surprise?
@4 “It would be a lot of work determining which corporations are socially responsible, and which ones are not. One must remember, most corporations exist for only one reason. To make profits.”
I agree. It’s so much easier to be a CEO if you don’t have to worry about complicated things like ethics, laws, or shareholder suits. Just ask Road Kill McGavick! He has experience at this sort of thing. But while it’s a lot of work being socially responsible, it’s even more work to gin up PR to cover up your predatory behavior and pretend to be socially benign when you’re not. If corporations spent 1/10th as much effort and expense trying to be minimally ethical as they do on thumping their chests about how socially responsible they are, the world would be an infinitely better place.
Washington To Add House Seat In ’10 Census
Looks like Washington is set to add another Democrat to our roster of representatives in D.C. … I say “Democrat” because the population growth sure as hell isn’t happening in the hayseed counties.
“PORTLAND, Ore. – Population growth may give Oregon and Washington each another seat in Congress after the 2010 Census, giving the region more clout in Congress and in presidential elections.”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://tinyurl.com/yzqoey
, without attempting to improve a company’s way of operating.” “>
except the fucking morons in moron central don’t want to face the fact that without that evil profit there would be no money to improve anything.
#9 Promising to clean it up is no excuse for shitting on the floor.
I think Bill Gates and every other generous person in the world should tell each and every one of you fucking parasites who believe you are entitiled to have YOUR lazy, grimy hands in his pockets a grand royal FUCK YOU, DO IT WITHOUT ME.
You morons seem to have forgotten that today, the world needs Bill Gates far more than he needs the world. Your entitlement mentality has made you feel immortal.
He CHOSE to give his money away. You fuckers, nor any other lazy, self righteous fuckers have no right to tell how to do it.
When did you fuckers forget how to be grateful to the generous?
Oh, I forgot.
Your hatred of his success precludes gratitude, but your self-righteousness allows you to order him around.
Screw you.
C’mon! The corporations own the media, so naturally, the papers will kiss Gates’ ass!
Hey anti-lib-
Big bummer of a hang-over this morning, or haven’t you hit the sauce yet.
I suppose the idea of Corporate Responsibility to the Society that gives the Corporation the means to generate profit is a little too much for you to wrap your head around with or without the morning tumbler of ‘ol John Barleycorn.
I suppose the idea that a man, with whom a corporation doesn’t exist, is entitled to set the rules for said corporation WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT is too much for you to wrap your empty head around.
He works, not for assholes like YOU, but for himself. That assholes like you may benefit comes from HIS GRACE AND GENEROSITY, not your feelings of entitlement, your need, your demand. That his generosity may intersect with your need is luck on YOUR part. He owes profit to those who invested in him. That is his only duty outside his duty to himself.
He owes you nothing.
Speaking of hangovers, what do the 2 losing teams of the weekend have in common?
A jerk named goldstien.
Anti-liberal, I see you have your GOP talking points down to a t. Entitlement, lazy, entitlement mentality, self-righteousness, etc.
Entitlement (Conservative Version)
We are encouraged to destroy the planet as quickly as possible in the pursuit of personal wealth. Slash, burn, strip mine, drive a 10 mile a gallon SUV, etc. It is our heritidge as Americans. It is our lifestyle. As a conservative I care nothing for polar bears, ice caps, glaciers, rain forests, or anything else that may get in the way of accululating wealth, and living comforatbly off my investments. We must totally ignore, or demonize them tree huggers that want to stop us from destroying this planet! In a couple generations it won’t matter anyway because the end times are a comin’ anyway right?
Freak.
I remember David Drier on CNN talking about how proud he was to cut 97 different “entitlement” programs to help bring down the deficit. What a piece of human feces. What he is proud of is making sure the “haves” get to keep more and there are more “have nots” to exploit.
Good thing it isn’t his family going without health insurance, affordable housing, police protection, safe food, any food, drug and alcohol treatment, or anything else….
Being Republican is only about one thing Mr. Drier. Pure unabridged GREED!!!!! I got mine, and if you starve I could care less!
There is one word that means nothing to wingnuts. It is called RESPONSIBILITY.
If the billionares do little to make the world better, why should regular Americans who have to slave away to put bread on the table….
We appreciate the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Gates wants to help. Everyone should.
Anti-liberal, what do you do, except complain about the folks that actually spend time trying to make a better future for everyone? What non-profit do you volunteer for? How many trees have you planted? How many dollars have you raised?
I fear you are part of the “real” entitlement generation.
More for me, and y’all can get screwed.
I may be wrong though….. I am just guessing.
If I earn it and CHOOSE not to share it then yes: I am not now nor will I be a slave to YOU.. nor should Gates, Buffet or YOU to me or anyone else
The key word is choose.
I will not choose to share with those that demand I be their slave.
I do choose to give as I see fit.
I do not choose to give to political parties or politicians.
I do not choose to give to umbrella organizations that pays its heiracrchy.
I do not choose to give to those who promote laziness ar death.
I do choose to give in the most direct route to those I believe will get the most benefit.
That doesn’t meet your Marxist creed, I know.
But fuck you, who cares?
and FYI, I can proudly claim that neither I, nor anyone in my family has never been on the public dole: no welfare, no unemployment, no food stamps, no government loans… we adults believe in personal reponsibility….and luckily for you that we do. You should thank us every time you cash those food stamps you’ve scammed from us.
you assholes love to bandy around the word responsibility…. you fuckers always seem to ignore the word PERSONAL.
I am not responsible for bad choices in the way you raised your brats, the bastards they spawned and the drugs they abused having you for parents or the homelessness that resulted from the abuse. I am not responsible for the AIDS contracted from willing behaviour known to precede AIDS.
I am only responsible for my choices, for my children and their choices.
I can CHOOSE to help your pathetic, neglected, drugged out, AIDS addled brats and their bastard children…. or not.
As long as you and they EXPECT/DEMAND others to be responsible for them, you and they will continue to be the deserved failures they are.
The story may be apocryphal, or not. . . .
Andrew Carnegie, schooled in the Old KirK and heavily influenced by Calvinism, grew up and came to “Amerikay” where he became the ultime secular success. . .a robber baron of at that time unparalleled ferocity.
One night, he had what I like to describe as the ‘ultimate bad-pizza-night’, when all of his sins and rejection of his moral nature came a’cropper. When he rose from his sleepless bed it all was distilled into one thought: It would be the ultimate Sin and lead to his eternal damnation if he died rich. This was the genesis of the Carnegie Foundation and his wide constellation of charitable works and institutions. This was part of the impetus to the Carnegie Library initiative, partly born from the horrifying realization that it might be impossible to spend all of his wealth before he died. . .
All of this was born from a heartfelt need for redemption. Born from a tortured Calvinist upbringing.
I often thought of this as I contemplated Bill Gates’ Croesus-like wealth and success, and wished for him a similar fate. I was curious, somewhat gratified, and puzzled when he announced his charitable foundation. I never heard any creditable tale similar to Carnegie’s, either from Gates’ lips or anyone around him. I finally came to realize
that this was not the act of a totured moral being in an attempt at some sort of eternal redemption, but simply Pharoah building a tomb to eternally comemmorate his greatness!.
The rest of this story just underscores Bill Gates’ banality.
So who have you chosed to help?
Another thing. When your job is moved overseas to someone who can do it for 10% of your salary, your health insurance is cancelled, and you get sick, you better hope people like me are willing to pay a little extra in taxes to make sure you get the health care you, and all Americans, actually all people deserve.
You may need me to stand on that wall for you, so careful who you call names.
By the way, you don’t know me, or know if I am a millionare, or on welfare, or have ever been on welfare.
Personally I don’t believe in welfare. I believe in workfare. The safety net should be there for people that need help for a short time, but these people getting benefits should have to work for their benefits picking up trash, tutoring kids, doing a block watch, chaperoning kids to and from school, providing free day care to the working poor etc.
Be careful who you judge. Some people are not what Rush would describe as the type of liberal you are told you must hate.
Fuck you
You smugly think the only folks who can think for themselves are liberals… but of course you then proceed to champion those exact people who can’t/won’t think for themselves, do for themselves.
I sincerely hope you confused fuckers get the world you want.
You deserve no better.
ps mr-don’t-judge-me: I haven’t “chosed” anyone but I have CHOSEN many.
oh very nice the way you conveniently changed the subject… we weren’t talking about TAXES, the subject is the demands fuckers like you are placing on the generosity of folks like Gates.
asshole
WOW!
What a dyspeptic, misanthropic prick.
I guess it takes all kinds, I’m sure we’ll all be better off when YOU pass on.
Auntie-Liberal has no understanding of the moral nature of charity. He hasn’t even advanced to the stage of feeding the ravening dogs at his gate for a little peace and quiet. He’s still stuck at the level of the Russian folktale: throwing the smallest and weakest off the back of the troika to slow the wolves.
19 Supposedly, the Gates Foundation intends to manage itself in such a manner as to exhaust its resources in a finite period of time. Of course, that way Bill and Melinda will get to see the bulk of the effects of their efforts before they shuffle off this mortal coil.
They’ve also taken some criticism in the past for targeting their philanthropy to pay “top dollar” for things, such as requiring that AIDS-treatment programs they support purchase “full-price” medications from the pharmaceutical giants instead of using cheaper generic products. This has served to promote third-world countries’ keeping their patent and trademark laws in sync with those of the United States, consequently maintaining the overseas market for–ahem!–proprietary software.
“the moral nature of charity”
Are you out of your fucking mind?
Do you actually READ the bullshit you spew?
Do you fuckers even know that the FACT of the charity IS the morality.
You bastard pig-fuckers demanding YOUR nature for/of someone charitableness is the height IMMORALITY.
It’s one thing to ask someone to be gracious, to be charitable. It’s another thing to make demands on the nature of their charity.
You ignorant pig-fuckers are incapable of understanding the distinction.
How dare you?
I do sincerely hope you get the country and the world you deserve. Woe unto you and your ignorant bastard progeny.
@26A mind is a terrible thing to lose. . .pity you never had one to lose.
Well…there you ahve it, gang.
The shithead spewing in the previous post (that would be at least #26) is the zenith of reagan-randism.
You want to know how the current ruling elite thinks and acts, there it is in ALL it’s glory.
The ONLY morality is that of the promotion of the individual…whether that individual is a person or a corporation or the State that allows only unfettered acquisition of wealth.
No common good.
No general welfare of society.
None of that candy-ass crap.
Nooooooo.
I’m gettin mine so stay the fuck out ‘tha way.
Well at least he/she/it is not couching their crap in some religionistic bullshit.
Just like a big, nasty, hungry, shark…can’t like ’em, but you gotta be wary of ’em….
…and FUCK THEM OVER EVERY
SINGLE
CHANCE
YOU
GET!!!!!!
(look out behind you, shithead)
And it was told that Pilate called for a basin and water, remarking:”What is truth?“
“common good”, “general welfare of society”…
both fine and noble goals… as long as one CHOOSES to serve the “common good” and the “general welfare of society”, not have it forced upon us by todays slave traders and masta’s also known as liberals.
How appropriate that you choose Martin Luther King day to espouse that you want your fellow man to be the slaves that serve your needs.
Sadly the irony is lost upon you pigfuckers.
@30 Spoken like the true Corporatist tool you are. You are yet another to soil Martin Luther King, Jr.’s name with his mouth.
Your insanity is manifest.
MS has a monopoly (and Bill has his money) because the government gave it to them in the form of patents and copyrights. Without the gov. helping them out, the company would have died years ago.
soil MLK?
kinda like your liberal race pimps?
Jackson?
Sharpton?
Belafonte?
Sheila Jackson Lee”
the congressional black caucas?
For completeness sake, the granting of Patents for software came late in the game. . .copyright pretty much ruled throughout the early MS-DOS and MS-Windows era.
The rightness of granting patents for algorthms and software routines is still a lively topic in the EU.
I would commend to all a visit to Groklaw.net to delve into this a little deeper.
Richard Stallman, sometimes referred to as Saint Richard by some, brought us the GNU project and the GPL to help counter this corporatist monopolistic grab.
Gates has his money because he had an idea that he envisioned and birthed into a product people WORLD WIDE wanted. The government may have given him a patent but he had the creativity.
The fucking patent system is another slave control… they “give” it and then they manipulate it and attempt to control with it.
Bill Gates owns his ideas, his hard work, his innovations and yet all you pigfucking slavetraders want the benefits of it for nothing.
@35 Your ignorance is as manifest as your insanity. You embarrass yourself with talk of something you clearly know nothing about.
Bill Gates,parvenue par excellence ripped off CPM,DR-DOS, the work of PARC and the MIT X Consortium.
A snake oil salesman can sell a lot of snake oil, but please don’t try to make him out an inventor, or innovator.
anti-liberal:
Why don’t you say what the hell you’re for? This ain’t high school, try and add some depth to your arguments.
If you believe in free markets…that means no government regulation: i.e, patents and copyrights. You can’t have it both ways.
treefarmer says… let me insult you mr gates but you better damned well GIVE TO ME while i do…
congratulations, you are truly a perfect liberal pigfucker mr farmer.
And for the record – Microsoft is an excellent marketing company and Bill is a genius for his handling of IBM in the early days. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t a monopoly; which only exists in it’s present form because of government regulations.
HEY AUNTIE LIBERAL, I LIKED YOU BETTER WHEN YOU WERE PRAISING ALLAH. AT LEAST I COULD LAUGH.
RIGHT NOW YOU’RE JUST BORING ME.
I have no need to insult Bill Gates, his words and actions, just as yours, Auntie Liberal, accomplish this quite well.
YO MORON…
I suspect you are bored because you have a very little mind… like jello, nothing goes in nothing comes out, just wiggly mush supporting your hat.
the rest of you: cute trick you perform, changing the subject of you believing you should be the masta of Gates money to the veracity of his idea, the government and taxes.
One note morons, but you sing that one note oh so well: “Only I, I, I, deserve what’s yours, there is no you there’s only ME”
Robin Hood was a common thief.
He is not a hero to idealize… except by other thieves.
Then of course it makes perfect sense that you pigfuckers idealize him.
So…MISTER Asshole,
It’s OK to rip off people who can’t fight back or who have no extra resources…just to line your own already ample pockets?
43 What the hell are you talking about? Who besides you is demanding anything in this thread?
gee….i told goldy so……… go figure.
dear fart, however did you manage to pass beyond the 5th grade without mastering READING COMREHENSION??
oh.
wait.
I know.
you read, see, hear selectively to fit your narrow world view.
Of course you do, you’re a liberal.
Dear rejex, go fuck yourself. You have no clue little boy, you make no sense. You are a pox on society and the extermination of such bloodsucking parasites would be welcome. I invite you to go to a muslim society and try your particular brand of “free-speech”…. be sure to get a cell-phone video, would you please?
45-48 What evidence have we seen that AL has “ample pockets”, or for that matter, ampleness of anything else except angst, hatred and some sort of delusional need to defend Mr. Gates? Seems to me Chairman Bill is capable of definding himself perfectly well without assistance from any of us.
So anti-lib-
I was thiiiiis close to cutting you a little slack after going over your previous comments (not that you would giva a fuck anyway).
I just wonder why you guys have to be such pricks? All you wingnuts. Malicious for absolutrely no reason, insulting, insinuating; you twist and warp what is said by those you disagree with…impute motives and agendas that aren’t there…just what do you need to to this stuff for except to bully and to intimidate…and lie, lie, lie, lie, lie!
You’re probably pissed because you see your ideas starting to lose traction. Less and less do regular people go along with protecting a narrow self interest. More and more people see that we are all in this togther. That there is an implicit social contract that makes our capitalist system work so that each can realize the greatest benefit IF they CHOOSE to take advantage of it. Believe it or not there are NO communists or socialists here. I know many of the commenters here and I know some of the other bloggers. They are mostly small business people. Self-employed.
BTW-with an attitude like yours, if YOU lived in a theocracy, or a despotic ditctatorship…you’d have mouthed off to the wrong factotem and gotten yourself a free trip to the promised land.
You’re other villagers would be laughing up their sleeves while a goat chewed up your ear.
That should be “your.” Don’t want little mr. asshole to bust me for grammar.
Rujax! says: I just wonder why you guys have to be such pricks? All you wingnuts. Malicious for absolutrely no reason, insulting, insinuating; you twist and warp what is said by those you disagree with…impute motives and agendas that aren’t there…just what do you need to to this stuff for except to bully and to intimidate…and lie, lie, lie, lie, lie!
GET A CLUE, PIGFUCKER.
I’M DELIBERATELY BEING AS FOUL, OFFENSIVE, ABHORRENT AND PROVOCATIVE AS YOU HYPOCRITE LIBERALS ARE. I’VE LOWERED MYSELF TO THE LEVEL OF THE DISCOURSE YOU FUCKERS AND THE JEWBLOGGER (“Spew your opinion:”) SET.
LIKE IT?
YOU SHOULD… YOU ARE THE MODEL.
yeah…
That’s what I thought.
You’re probably a gentle Muslim Imam.
…not!
When your ideology is based on lies, fear, warped backwards christianity, and greed, all you can do is call people pigf*ckers right?
When you are wrong, call people names.
Pooooooor widdowwwwww wingnutz……
It must suck watching America wake up to your insane ideology and wanting no part of it.
I would say the Republican Party is heading for the dust bin of history where it belongs. What it turned into would make Goldwater, and Lincoln spin in their graves anyway…..
Good Riddance….
Oh and by the way, mr.asshole…
…your side started it.
Oh well…they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Thanks, sweetcheeks.
uptown………”MS has a monopoly (and Bill has his money) because the government gave it to them in the form of patents and copyrights. ”
while i agree with tree frog farmer [imagine that!] on alot of what he says here i have to point out that your statement is patently [pun intended] false.
patents are hardly “given away”….they actually cost the person applying for them quite a bit of money….depending on what the patent is for.attorney’s fees alone are pretty prohibitive.
and then the government hardly “gives you” the intellectual property that you are patenting either. that takes brains and alot of hard work.the patent system was put in place to PROTECT the hard work of someone from the people that would steal it without doing any of the work. bill gates should know all about that…he spends alot of his time and money trying to rangle[sue] the bejeebers, and creative work out of the truly talented people. he ,himself, has little talent for anything other than knowing who to rip off and how.
we hold several patents that are the result of many thousands of hours of hard work….and trust me, the government has hardly “given” us anything.and if it weren’t for these patented ideas many of the medical procedures that you have done would not be available.
so , while [finally] some people have come to see bill gates for exactly what he is…an opportunist, don’t throw the ‘patent baby’ out with the bath water. patents protect people [a little] from the likes of mr.gates.
and a little is better than nothing…….
anti liberal…are you suffering from anti-gravity or something? geez..anyone here that really believes this guy represents thinking conservatives should get another think.
he doesn’t.
he needs his bigoted little head examined.
haters are just haters and that means they are nothing.
nothing at all.
Wow
I see robinhood had finally arrived. How many of you Democrats are using Microsoft products to type your responses.
If Gates wants to give, I say let him, and surely don’t infringe on his decisions, it is a right.
Remember, your side likes to protect all the rights of others.
So I suggest you quit bitching.
you’re welcome pigfucker.
by the way, do the terrorists you suck object to your pigfucking?
I’m just askin…
~~~
btw factlesspigfucker… can you show where I mentioned, supported or claimed ‘christianity’?
No of couse not… it’s just another puddle of shit you dripped out of your ass.
You, factlesspigfucker, “would say the Republican Party is heading for the dust bin of history where it belongs”. Whoop de fucking do what you would say. Your team won the election… ONE election after years of irrelevancy. The trick now is to BECOME relevant. Sorta like the seahawks… they can get “there” but then suck big eggs when they do.
We’ll see.
You’re pretty damned angry, factlesspigfucker, for a member of the “winning team”. Have you the introspection to wonder why? Do you even know the meaning of the word?
I am curious
If Gates dropped a $1,000,000 check into any of your laps, what would you do with it?
Would you spend it? If yes, on what? (please acct for every penny)
Would you give it ALL away? If yes to whom (please verify that it is not to ANY Corporation)
Or would you give it to a Charity that would spend it 100% dollar for dollar?
you missed the point Christmas Ghost.
I’m serving them exactly the dish they prepared.
They can’t take it.
They are “offended”, their precious feelings are ever so hurt.
Good.
Maybe they have one surviving brain cell that will learn from it.
Let me ask you… do you remember lucy calling puddy a “nigger”?
was that acceptable to you?… it was to them.
do you remember one of them calling janet a “cunt”?
was that acceptable to you?… it was to them.
do you remember them calling others a “whore”, a “nazi”, “fat pig”, “trailer trash” “alcoholics”… the list of their pejoratives is endless?
was that acceptable to you?… it was to them
do you remember them whooping with joy at the death of Schiavo? Pope John Paul?
was that acceptable to you?… it was to them.
goldstien the jewblogger is gleefully calling for the beheading of YOUR President, YOUR Vice President and Mr Rumsfeld…
is that acceptable to you?… it is to them.
I’M DELIBERATELY BEING AS FOUL, OFFENSIVE, ABHORRENT AND PROVOCATIVE AS THE HYPOCRITE LIBERALS ARE. I’VE LOWERED MYSELF TO THE LEVEL OF THE DISCOURSE THOSE FUCKERS AND THE JEWBLOGGER (“Spew your opinion:”) SET.
They like to sling the filth, thinking they can do so with impunity. I’m giving them the opportunity to wallow where they belong: in the same filth.
anti liberal…yes i remember all those comments.so? do you really think that two wrongs make a right?
when you stoop to their level of unintelligent discourse you have become one of them. the worst kind.
because you KNOW better, don’t you?
i didn’t miss the point at all… but i think you may have.
when i read the post i just think “liberal troll” trying to stir up stuff so goldy gets more comments……..i doubt that i am alone in that sentiment.
Hey! Hey! Hey!!!!!
It’s my old PAL…the EVILFUCKINGCHRISTIANISTBITCH!!!!!
I thought that was you!
Great to see ya old gal….how was Christmas? Alright! New Years? Good. Hey, best wishes to you and yours for the New Year.
I was wondering where you went. Well you did a pretty nice imitation of a fascist rat-bastard, but ya know…you just don’t quite have it. Sorry.
BTW-all that shit you’re soooooo upset about, that was after REPEATED and SUSTAINED insults by the turds involved.
REPEATED and SUSTAINED.
Sorry “sweetcheeks”.
You lose.
what the fuck are you talking about rejected pigfucker ? off the meds, are you? sad.
Simmerling ….
rujax…..what in the hell are you talking about? or better yet…WHO are you talking about?