When I was in high school I was encouraged, rather forced, to read a book called “All Quiet on the Western Front”, by Erich Maria Remarque. The book is a WW I war novel about the truth of war. In the novel the author vividly describes the battlefield that lies between your compadres and the enemy. This area is described in the novel as “no-mans-land”. No mans land is a place where there are no friends and you’re as likely to be shot by your own side as you are by the enemy.

In one of my previous posts, “Honesty”, Matthew Jabs commented “The reason a lot of people lie is to protect someone else’s feelings”.

The simple statement, although obvious, caused me to think.

I try to live my life honorably, treating people as I want to be treated and trying not to misrepresent the truth or tell the truth, leaving out important facts that help define the truth. I also try to learn from history and from experiences I have had. For instance when my wife asks me, “Do these pants make me look fat?” experience has taught me that the answer is ALWAYS a resounding “No”. The answer is nearly as automatic as a reflex now as I’ve learned any, even minor, hesitation will be interpreted as a “Yes” regardless of what I say.

Why hesitate? My mind races, processing more data in a few moments than the newest CPU sitting on Intel’s test bed. I might be thinking; “Wow, I don’t like that color, those are too short or too long to be seen in public, why are the pockets spaced the way they are, who thought it would look good to use orange thread in green cloth, isn’t it great the way those pants make her butt look like an upside down heart, those shoes don’t really go with those pants, I wonder if anyone is reading my latest blog entry, does she like those pants, how does she expect me to answer, am I in the mood for a discussion about her butt, . . . and finally . . . how do those pants make her look?”

I’ve been in this “no-mans-land” before and without hesitation I answer, “They look great honey”. She smiles and slowly walks away knowing that I still love her.

It seems Matthew Jabs was right, we do occasionally lie to protect someone else’s feelings and that’s okay.

I had an interesting discussion in an article thread on Plime about downloading pirated music that didn't start out that way. The other person said that he knew that downloading pirated music was illegal and that got me started.

In 2001, I spent hours and hours reading and researching this very topic, but for software. I had copies of the copyright acts and publications mailed to me from the Library of Congress (I couldn't find them on the Internet). I had a software program that I wanted to distribute and I wanted to find out what kind of legal protections I had from someone just taking the software and using it without paying for it.

I read every bit of information I could find, including case law. I studied the DMCA. Since then I have studied the NET Act. I have studied everything I could find. Guess what? I could not find a single line in any act that said that downloading anything was illegal, or even anything that could be construed to mean it.

There are organizations with websites that bluntly state that downloading pirated files is illegal but fail to cite a reference of any kind. I found one this evening and my discussion partner found another. They confuse the issues of file sharing and fair use with downloading as well as uploading.

I submit that there's a legitimate reason there is no law covering the downloads. I believe it's because you cannot know for certain that a file is pirated until it is in your possession. File names mean nothing. Fake music files planted on Kazaa prove it. Fake video files planted on torrent sites prove it. Even non-pirated files get named with titles that could be misconstrued as being pirated. I also believe that intent is insufficient to come to the conclusion that a person is attempting to download a pirated file.

I also submit that the videos preceding certain movies and other texts that state that "downloading pirated movies is stealing" are lies intended to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). If a lie is repeated enough and in enough places, it can become the truth for a lot of people (or sheeple).

I am not a perfect person and I never claim to be. If you can cite a reference to an actual law that says anything to the effect that downloading a pirated file of any kind is illegal, you will be my blogging buddy for life (or until I don't blog anymore, whichever comes first).

Addendum: I have a few simple questions because everyone knows how sue happy the RIAA is: There are many, many more downloaders of pirated music than there are uploaders. Wouldn't it be more profitable and send a stronger signal if they were suing the downloaders for copyright infringement as well as the uploaders (file sharers)? Have you heard of a case yet? Can you point me to it?

Update: I'm not responding to any more comments. Please read my Followup to the Previous Article.

The more times a lie is repeated by the number of people that repeat it, the more people believe it as the truth. This is the evolution of a lie to a truth.

Here's a good example:

For years, people have been told that they have to cut down on foods high in cholesterol so that their blood serum cholesterol will go down. It sounds legitimate right? After all, cholesterol causes heart disease, right? Wrong! There has been no link established between how much cholesterol is consumed and how much cholesterol is in the blood. The human body produces its own cholesterol. The perceived link is the truth that the people who started it want you to believe. That way, they can sell you drugs to lower your cholesterol if your diet changes don't lower it.

How many people have you heard it from? It's in the thousands, I'm sure. Television and radio advertising, doctors and advocates are a few of them. The lie has been repeated so many times and so many times from people who are supposed to be an "authority" on the subject that the lie has become the truth for many people.

One of my grandmothers, God rest her soul, died at the age of 90. She ate pork and pork products (very high in fat and cholesterol) along with other high cholesterol items (such as eggs) all of her life. She had raised pigs, chickens, and other farm animals for her immediate family to live on (starting before the great depression). She did not die of heart disease. I wonder what she would have thought about the "truth of cholesterol"?

If your concerned with having too much of the bad (LDL) cholesterol in your system, please stay away from prescription drugs. They do more harm than good, in my opinion, because of the side effects. Take a few minutes and learn how to increase HDL (the good cholesterol) by controlling your diet and exercising. If you increase the HDL in your system, your LDL will naturally decrease.

Follow-Up Article: The Myths of Cholesterol