In a surprising move yesterday, Utah’s Senator Orrin Hatch proposed that the powers of the executive and judicial branches of the US government be handed over to the Recording Industry Association of America in all cases of computer-based copyright infringement. Speaking as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Hatch — a 2000 Republican presidential candidate — urged that technology be deployed that would remotely destroy computers downloading copyrighted files. Responding to concerns that the destruction of hundreds of thousands of computers for downloading MP3s is too severe, Hatch retorted that the RIAA would be asked to virtually count to three first.