I like sarcastic poetry slams.

I neither hate Stipe, nor love FOX news. I DO however, love marketing mishaps and hypocrisy. And here's a clue for you: If you're going to take a stand and act self-righteous, at least do it in a way where we can't poke holes in your self-righteousness. No one 'stole,' his music. The R.E.M. quote makes it sounds as if FOX ripped the song off to use for its own nefarious ways. It hadn't. It paid for the license. It was played on a morning show as a lead in to the story that the DNC had removed, and then put back in, mentions of God in its speech.

Thanks for giving me a star wars analogy because I clearly wouldn't have understood it otherwise. So if I follow your argument,
Michael Stipe is the twelve year old boy who deserves to whine because Warner Brothers licensed his music? Let me ask you this-- if Michael Stipe has the right to be upset at Boba Fet, shouldn't Boba Fet also expect something of him since they paid him 80 million dollars for the privilege of licensing his music? I think so. I think if Warner Brothers pays a band that much they can put the music wherever they like.

Thanks for your comment though because yours was certainly in no way sarcastic or caustic but very objective and rational. Always a pleasure.

I'm thinking fox wouldn't bother risking a lawsuit over something so stupid, so yeah it seems to me they should be more upset at Warner Brothers. And for that matter they should be upset at Warner Brothers for licensing their music to be played in stores like Kohl's. I once heard an R.E.M. song in Kohl's. Isn't that more offensive?