Restive State

Just read this on Portland Indymedia and was absolutely appalled. You can view the article here.

Previous to my self-imposed exile to Arizona, I lived in Portland, OR. At that time a small coffeshop in the town of Astoria on the Oregon Coast opened. Named "Sambuck's" after the owner, it drew the ire of the coffee baron that is Starbucks, who claimed copyright and image infringement. Mind you, the logo was nothing like Starbucks, nor would any self-repsecting person ever confuse the two. Sam Buck went to court to defend her right to name her business after herself against the corporate overlords, but in the decision handed down today, lost that fight. This stands as another erosion of our personal lives by those that control the world we live in. It also shows we have no recourse to defend our names against the corporate aggressors. All she wanted to do was make a living and some corporate thug had to destroy that.

So to sum it up, to hell with Starbucks, may their horrible over-priced coffee rot on the docks, their baristas walk away, their milk curdle and yuppies realize there are many other outlets to get an actual good cup of coffee in this world.

peace...