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Obama Says Sony Made a Mistake in Canceling "The Interview"

President Obama said today that Sony made a mistake in deciding to cancel "The Interview."

That's not who we are. That's not what America's about....We cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the United States...

...Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they do when they start seeing a documentary they don't like, or news reports they don't like. Or even worse, imagine if producers or distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don't want to offend the sensibilities of someone whose sensibilities probably need to be offended.

...The company shouldn't have been deterred from releasing its movie "any more than we stop going to a football game because there might be the possibility of a terrorist attack, any more than Boston didn't run its marathon this year because of the possibility that somebody might try to cause harm."

Obama said he wished Sony called him before making the decision. Good to know that Sony can just pick up a phone and get put through to the President. Can any other corporations do that?

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    Putin invites Kim Jong Un to Russia (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Politalkix on Fri Dec 19, 2014 at 09:14:15 PM EST
    link

    The rouble is not much these days and the Russian economy is collapsing. It is possible that Snowden can work a second job for a second dictator. :-).

    Censorship. (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 05:23:47 AM EST
    Obama said he wished Sony called him before making the decision. Good to know that Sony can just pick up a phone and get put through to the President. Can any other corporations do that?

    I was thinking the same thing... only more towards whether ordinary citizen or anybody representing the public could have that degree of access to the president.

    I am, of course, in favor of free speech, and against intimidation or censorship by governments or corporations. So far so good.

    But comparing Sony's actions with canceling a football game that has had a terrorist threat against it... doesn't ring true to me. The equivalence seems off the mark to me. It makes me nervous, in fact, to think that if I had tickets to a game, and there was a terrorist threat to blow up the stadium, that the government, armed with that information, would not make it public and give me the chance to watch at the neighborhood bar if I so chose.

    Here, it is not exactly true that we don't have censorship of a sort. Often, it is corporate censorship - or videos being removed by corporations like Youtube for being inflammatory.

    Just recording my reaction... I thought to myself that he, the president, is giving more of his time, thought and emotion to Sony than he is doing to other issues that hit, for me, closer to home.

    Indeed (none / 0) (#14)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:35:56 AM EST

    Feds saw to it that the author of the youtube video they falsely blamed for the Libyan consulate attack wound up in the slammer.

    quite the censorship message

    Parent

    That's not "censorship" (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Yman on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 09:24:15 AM EST
    It's violating the terms of his probation.

    Parent
    Move along now (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 10:43:52 AM EST
    Nothing to see here.

    Parent
    from wikipedia article (none / 0) (#30)
    by thomas rogan on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 05:55:01 PM EST
    Federal prosecutors made the arrest:

    "On 2 July 2012, a "Sam Bacile",[11] who was later identified as Nakoula, posted English-language promotional trailers for Innocence of Muslims on YouTube. The videos were later dubbed into Arabic and posted on the Internet in September 2012. Demonstrations and violent protests against the video broke out on September 11 in Egypt and spread to other Arab and Muslim nations and some western countries. The protests led to hundreds of injuries and more than 50 deaths.[12][13]
    On 27 September 2012, U.S. federal authorities stated that Nakoula had been arrested in Los Angeles and charged violating terms of his probation. Prosecutors stated that some of the violations included making false statements regarding his role in the film and his use of the alias "Sam Bacile".[5]

    Parent

    Don't bother with the facts for Jim (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 09:56:37 AM EST
    He'll just insist what they told him on Fox News is the truth.

    Parent
    Yeah, I would think any corporation as large (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:52:19 AM EST
    as Sony can pick up the phone and call the President. I think Lynton has said he called and spoke with a senior adviser and not the President.

    So that kinda makes Obama's complaint kinda hollow in a CYA way. But my guess is that the call was about Sony's CEO's racist emails and the blackmail never came up.

    And yes, we do have our own censorship. Remember what happened to Mozilla's CEO for contributing to Prop 8 opposition?? (Yes. I know he "resigned." Heh.) But that was in response to his actions that were opposed by some of his customers. Makes sense. (Never talk politics or religion in the sales process.)

    The Nork's actions were designed to make Sony not release a movie they didn't want released. Sony caved. Supposedly because theaters wouldn't take it. Hooey. If they cared they would have bought a theater and showed it. But the reason was that. The reason was those other emails and corporate records that the Norks have.

    The funny thing is that having paid the first installment of the blackmail, Sony has now been told to standby for further orders.

    The only thing left for Sony to do is dump all of their senior management, tell the Norks to "publish and be damned" and start over.

    But just as we showed the world how they could win a war by hanging on and playing public opinion Sony has shown the world how to make a molder of opinion toe the line.

    The radicals have been taking notes.

    Parent

    You're making a case for the (none / 0) (#22)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 12:52:51 PM EST
    Uselessness of corporations, comrade.  Why are you against the Free Market working without any governmental intervention, as in this case?

    Parent
    Jim's still mad at Sony (none / 0) (#24)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 02:49:00 PM EST
    For giving up on Betamax.

    Parent
    Sony didn't give up on BetaMax... (none / 0) (#28)
    by unitron on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 04:46:38 PM EST
    ...the VCR buying public did, because all the porn was on VHS.

    Parent
    Your drive by snark is supposed to be (none / 0) (#32)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 09:07:13 PM EST
    witty???

    Witless is more like it. The comment was about what SONY has done, no other corporation is involved.

    And an attack on a US corporation by a foreign power is an act of war, not "the Free Market" at work.

    Parent

    Yes, a corporation (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 06:41:43 AM EST
    Acted on it's own, without any government intervention, exactly as I stated.  

    Why do you have trouble with the facts here?

    As for snark, if you can dish it out , then you can learn to take it as well, Jim.  

    And, BTW, calling Sony an American company is incorrect, they are a Japanese company with an American subsidiary based in here.

    So what gives you or any other American the right to say what a company from Japan can and cannot do?

    Get your facts straight next time, Jim.  Work on that instead of your snark, and you'll be a better commentator here in the future.

    Parent

    Why would the Prez be interested?? (none / 0) (#40)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 01:45:00 PM EST
    Well, Sony is listed on the NYSE.

    Their management is here.

    Their management is American.

    And you didn't claim:

    Acted on it's own, without any government intervention, exactly as I stated.

    No, what you claimed:

    You're making a case for the Uselessness of corporations, comrade.  Why are you against the Free Market working without any governmental intervention, as in this case?

    But I grant you that makes little sense.

    BTW - SNE's capitalized value is around $20 billion. This is the leadership team.

    But I can't show you pictures of the over 101,000 US employees.

    Don't you feel a bit embarrassed??

    Parent

    In cas you didn't know (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 02:04:29 PM EST
    The decision was made by the head of the parent company, which the last time I checked , was still headquartedin Tokyo.  

    I was aware that often American subsidiaries are treated as separate companies in this county, as your information indicated, but thanks for enlightening the rest of us about that with Sony.

    In a free market, the President is free to comment on events and make suggestions as to what any companies, American or otherwise as to what to do, and they are free to follow them or ignore them, as they please.

    Parent

    You are reframing the discussion 30 (none / 0) (#43)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 03:39:27 PM EST
    times per second.

    And you are always aware of something after you have been told it.

    lol

    Go back and read my original comment

    Yeah, I would think any corporation as large (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 07:52:19 AM CST
    as Sony can pick up the phone and call the President. I think Lynton has said he called and spoke with a senior adviser and not the President
    .

    ....and see all the nonsense you have written.

    Now, I'm done here. You have a free personal attack.

    Parent

    At 30 times a second (none / 0) (#45)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Mon Dec 22, 2014 at 07:29:53 AM EST
    You measured that yourself?

    Parent
    Not sure where you're going with this, Jim (none / 0) (#41)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 02:01:39 PM EST
    Sony bought an American movie studio back in the '80s or '90s.  As the charts in your link show, only 11% of Sony's personnel are located in American operations.

    Parent
    My point was (none / 0) (#44)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 03:42:14 PM EST
    that any corp the size of Sony can pick up the phone and call the Prez.

    101,700 employees is a sizable number.

    Outside of just wanting to pick a fight I don't know what Mord is trying to do.

    Parent

    One aspect nobody's mentioned: (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 07:23:03 AM EST
    The completely idiotic premise of this and the other films, that that a couple of caucasians would be able to sneak around and scheme in one of the most insular and militarized societies on earth.

    Proud of my president (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 09:43:57 AM EST
    for making this statement.  He is absolutely right.  And it seems to have prompted Sony to grow a spine.  They now say they will find a platform to release the movie.

    Also IMO to keep talking about the fact that it is a stupid movie could not possibly more completely miss the point.

    The President has promised (none / 0) (#1)
    by Politalkix on Fri Dec 19, 2014 at 09:07:25 PM EST
    to provide a proportional response to North Korea. What does a proportional response mean in this case? :-).

    Send King Kim the Duck Dynasty box set? (5.00 / 4) (#3)
    by Mr Natural on Fri Dec 19, 2014 at 09:43:37 PM EST
    Krauthammer opined on Fox (none / 0) (#12)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:17:42 AM EST
    that if we did our own cyber attack we could shut down their 3 car trolley system.

    Which is the problem. It's like busting up all the TV sets some tribe deep in the Amazon jungle has.

    Get China to help??

    "Look Mr. China, if you don't make the Norks quit you can't loan us anymore money."

    How would that work out??

    We are all prisoners of our own device

    Parent

    If Obama is for it, I'm agin it! (none / 0) (#21)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 12:49:19 PM EST
    He is very excited (none / 0) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 02:20:42 PM EST
    that he gets to use a socially acceptable racist slur.  There are so few left you know.

    Parent
    Both you and Howdy are beyond (none / 0) (#25)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 03:38:45 PM EST
    being being taken seriously.

    The earth moved (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Dec 19, 2014 at 01:49:04 PM CST
    I totally agree with Obama.
    And what's even more funny or ironic is that the NORKS, having established that Sony will pay, has demanded that all traces of the film be erased and be prepared for more demands or else more emails will be released.

    We live in interesting times.

    What's next? ISIS telling Kroger it must stop selling pork?

    So anxious to make wild claims that you can't figure out that there is no criticism of Obama in my comments. Just facts.

    But thanks, once again, proving what you are.

    Parent

    That you don't take me seriously (none / 0) (#26)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 03:56:35 PM EST
    I shall treat as a badge of honor.

    Parent
    It is 100% certain that it was (none / 0) (#4)
    by ZtoA on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 12:44:50 AM EST
    the NK government that did this hack?

    As to that.... (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 06:37:48 AM EST
    North Korea has offered to hold a joint inquiry with the United States into a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures, strongly denying US claims that it is behind it....
    On Saturday, the North Korean foreign ministry said: "As the United States is spreading groundless allegations and slandering us, we propose a joint investigation with it into this incident."

    I certainly hope we take them up on this offer to have a joint investigation.

    Even if they don't resolve this issue to anyone's complete satisfaction, the more dialogue we have with representatives of countries we have deemed to be "evil", the better.

    People in the same room would be prone to relate more to each other as real people instead of the caricatures painted by national governments.

    Parent

    And... (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 06:41:44 AM EST
    they added a nice little poke in the eye to the self-righteous, to whit:

    "Without resorting to such tortures as were used by the US CIA, we have means to prove that this incident has nothing to do with us."

    Set 'em up, Joe.
    This could be interesting.

    Parent

    The Louse that Roared. (none / 0) (#9)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 06:52:12 AM EST
    The sad reality in North Korea (none / 0) (#11)
    by Politalkix on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:10:16 AM EST
    That is a sad reality... (5.00 / 3) (#13)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:25:08 AM EST
    Our torturing of people who were picked up by mistake is a sad reality.

    Our detention of people without charge or trial for 10 years or more is a sad reality.

    Our history of colonialism is also a sad reality.

    The genocide perpetrated on the Native Americans is a sad reality.

    But these insights are nothing to do with the issue at hand: responsibility for the hacking which resulted in the withdrawal of the film by Sony.

    The North Koreans deny responsibility and are proposing a joint inquiry by the United States. I think it would be a good idea.

    Parent

    A better idea (1.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Politalkix on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 08:57:03 AM EST
    would be to put you in the same room with a North Korean whose three generations has been starved and tortured for reading material or watching a film that the North Korean dictatorship does not want people in that country to be exposed to.

    As you yourself mentioned, people in the same room would be prone to relate more to each other.

    Nothing would be more interesting to people than watching a well fed American who made a career as a blog commenter criticizing every action of elected American administrations without any repercussion from the government relating to a North Korean that has been starved and tortured for simply watching a movie or reading a book that does not get approval from the dictatorship.

    That would be very interesting. Set em up, Joe!

    Parent

    "...who made a career..." (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by unitron on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 04:34:02 PM EST
    "...as a blog commenter..."

    I'm supposed to be getting paid a living wage for this?

    How come nobody ever told me?

    Is it too late to file amended returns?

    Parent

    I don't (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by lentinel on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 06:42:36 PM EST
    expect you to realize or acknowledge this, but your comment is totally unresponsive.

    We're not talking about comparing the politics or policies of our respective countries.

    We're talking about a proposal that two countries that have the potential to make war upon the other sit down together to examine a specific event - to determine whether or not the accusation against North Korea by the United States regarding this hacking incident was accurate or not.

    I'm for this discussion. I would like to know. I would like to follow it.

    If you don't want discussions between our two governments, just say so and perhaps say why you feel that way.

    That would at least be a discussion.
    What you have written reads like someone in a schoolyard throwing a spitball at someone he doesn't like and scurrying away.

    Parent

    Frontline did a show on North Korea (none / 0) (#19)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 10:12:47 AM EST
    with smuggled camera footage and a few brave journos.

    One scene I remember was of a person lying dead in the street and others walking around him without stopping.  The man or woman in the street had apparently starved to death.  

    It is the seeming intelligence necessary to organize and manage violence that makes it seem a deeper failure of the human condition than the ad hoc mayhem, however calculated, of the likes of ISIS and Boku-Haram.

    KimWorld redefines Dadler's favorite phrase, failure of imagination.  It's pathetic.  They're smart enough to build those damned scud missiles, but, but what?  They parade around wearing big hats.  Big hats for small ideas.

    Parent

    Leave it to Larry: (none / 0) (#5)
    by Mr Natural on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 01:06:39 AM EST
    In today's episode...

    Porn magnate Larry Flynt criticizes the U.S. government and Sony Pictures' handling of the hacking of the studio, and announces his own X-rated response to the controversy...

    "If Kim Jong-un and his henchmen were upset before, wait till they see the movie we're going to make," Flynt said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. "I've spent a lifetime fighting for the First Amendment, and no foreign dictator is going to take away my right to free speech."

    In an appearance on the BBC's Newsnight program Friday, Flynt had harsh words for the studio: "I think the problem is that Sony had no backbone, and would not stand up to some tinhorn dictator. ... I find it unbelievable."

    "Our government doesn't want to stand up and the people involved don't want to stand up. We're the laughing stock of the world for allowing something like this to take place," Flynt added.

    Sony has quite a presence in Japan... (none / 0) (#29)
    by unitron on Sat Dec 20, 2014 at 04:50:07 PM EST
    ...(not the movie making part, but still Sony)and they're much more at risk of North Korean actions there than a US only movie studio would be here in the states.

    As I recall, North Korea has actually kidnapped Japanese filmmakers and actresses.

    FBI update - from Friday (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 08:53:29 AM EST
    On the Sony investigation

    Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed. For example, there were similarities in specific lines of code, encryption algorithms, data deletion methods, and compromised networks.
    The FBI also observed significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the U.S. government has previously linked directly to North Korea. For example, the FBI discovered that several Internet protocol (IP) addresses associated with known North Korean infrastructure communicated with IP addresses that were hardcoded into the data deletion malware used in this attack.
    Separately, the tools used in the SPE attack have similarities to a cyber attack in March of last year against South Korean banks and media outlets, which was carried out by North Korea.

    Lots more at the link

    Taiwanese animators strike again (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 09:15:01 AM EST
    with the best summation of this sorry situation yet.

    Nasty. Did you notice their impression (none / 0) (#37)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 11:38:07 AM EST
    of American movie goers?  LOL funny.

    Parent
    The clip that launched (none / 0) (#38)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 11:51:00 AM EST
    a thousand... no, that's not right, five or ten half-starved hackers.

    [clicking this link will autoplay video]

    "We removed the fire from the hair and the entire wave of secondary head chunks," wrote Rogen in a leaked email from October 6th. "Please tell us this is over now."


    Parent
    As I said when this story broke (none / 0) (#39)
    by NYShooter on Sun Dec 21, 2014 at 12:59:09 PM EST
    this was a nation to nation attack. ("Attack" is the term law enforcement and national security agencies are labeling North Korea's action.)

    A foreign country broke into a company's computer network, stole virtually all its data, and made violent threats of bodily harm to any civilians associated with the distribution of a movie, and, we believe its the company's duty to take on this sadistic dictatorship one on one? "Mano a mano?"

    Ridiculous.

    The CEO of a consumer company had a direct, physical threat made against himself, his employees, and his customers. The military dictatorship attacking Sony is one of the most brutal, and, bloodthirsty nations on earth and run by a dictator of questionable mental stability.

    I'm not saying, in hindsight, that Sony handled the situation perfectly, but as Sony's attorney, David Boies, said, once physical threats were made against individuals by a foreign government the situation became unique, and, not like any of the hacks we've become used to hearing. It's financial exposure, besides its moral duty, became incalculable.    

    The FBI agreed, saying, "The destructive nature of this attack, coupled with its coercive nature, sets it apart from anything that's happened before."

    Finally, I'm really disappointed in President Obama. He was aware of the Hack, almost as soon as it occurred. And, he did absolutely nothing for an entire month. Sony said, once the hack was made public, that not a single company in the distribution chain would touch the film. And, no actor, producer, or, director, fearful that their names and/or comments may be in those hacks, would allow their names to be used publicly supporting the film.

    Obama should have stepped in immediately after the attacks became known. Yet, everybody took a giant step backwards, and, left Sony hanging out there alone. I don't know why Obama remained silent for so long, even though the attack came from a government. Better late than never, I guess. But, playing the role of tough guy now, and, criticizing Sony now, when he could/should have taken a strong position a month ago instead of leaving Sony abandoned and hanging, just seems to me to have been a real bush league play.