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As an example of how out of hand the cops are getting, a couple years ago in Kern County CA, a SWAT unit was sent in to bust someone for having too many dogs. Which is a misdemeanor at worst.

More examples in the same arena, long reading but worth it: http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/1941#articles

Of course a lot of this comes out of civil asset forfeiture, which is becoming far more of a threat to American citizens than any amount of kiddie porn or terrorists, or any modern level of crime for that matter.

http://www.fear.org/

Maybe it was extraterrestrials: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/188021

I'd like to hear what this new "leader" has to say about the press conference going on right now in DC about documented UFO interference with US nuke weapons facilities.

You are forgetting Saudi Arabia, made an incredibly wealthy country by any standard

What about the income of the average Saudi citizen? What is the distribution of incomes across all of society? Unequal distribution of wealth is a known driver of social unrest.

NY Times: "While poor Saudis line up for hours to obtain water in Jidda, others are able to take advantage of America's new-found disdain for gas-guzzling four-wheel-drives by snapping up imported cars."

American Chronicle "Currently, almost all of the oil wealth that flows into Saudi Arabia goes directly into the hands of the royal family. What that means is, roughly 5000 people control all of the money in the country leaving the other 20,850,000 living anywhere between lower middle class and abject poverty. "

Regardless, I would argue that Saudi Arabia is in fact getting more open - there are almost 8 million internet users. Even behind an Internet filter, the average citizen is getting access to more information than they did 10 years ago.

The root of the problem is not privacy, it is discrimination, human rights problems and how Japanese unwilling to deal with it. Here we go again: Google Earth maps out discrimination against burakumin caste in Japan.

This is 2005: UN Independent Investigator Raps Japan for Discrimination. Quote: "An independent investigator from the U.N. Commission on Human Rights says he will report that discrimination in Japan is "deep and profound....Mr. Doudou Diene told reporters in Tokyo he found no strong political will to combat racism and discrimination. He also noted what he called a strong xenophobic drive among the Japanese public. This xenophobic drive is expressed by associating minorities, certain minorities, to crime, to violence, to dirt," he said....Mr. Diene said the worst discrimination appears to be the problems a Japanese social outcast group, KNOWN AS "BURAKUMIN" face with finding housing and employment. He called their condition "shocking and terrible," and said their plight would be included in his preliminary report.".

Another example: Racial Discrimination in Japan. Quote "Japan is not usually synonymous with racism in Western media, unlike Mississippi or Soweto, but its society is pretty racist nonetheless....Also, the Japanese landlords do not normally hang out a "For Rent" sign at an apartment building. They go to a "fudosan"- a real estate agency to help them find tenants. However, try and check out some signs near your local "fudosan"- you can usually see those that say: "NO ANIMALS, NO PROSTITUTES, NO FOREIGNERS." Lovely, isn't it?.";

and another: "JAPANESE ONLY" SIGNS IN MISAWA, JAPAN;

and another: U.N. Urges Japan to Stop Discrimination against Korean School Children and Education;

and another: Japanese Discrimination Against Women;

and another: Housing Discrimination in Japan;

and another: Foreigners in Japan say openness all talk. Quote "I went to almost 25 real estate agents trying to get them to show me apartments," she recalled. "Finally, one of them took me aside and said, 'Japanese don't like to rent to foreigners. Many Japanese actually hate foreigners....Without a doubt, Japan is the most discriminatory place I have ever lived in";

Wikipedia: Ethnic issues in Japan

Which makes me wonder, are non-Japanese allowed to buy Japanese products?

The people who impose such limits invariably exempt themselves.

Now where have we ever seen that before? Surely our system is better than that, right?

"Also, a check of Pistol License records shows that Senator Schumer possesses an "unrestricted" pistol permit, a rarity in New York City. Licenses are distributed in different categories in the Big Apple: Target Permits allow only use of a firearm at a licensed firing range; Premises Permits allow weapons to be kept in a home or apartment; Restricted Permits allow the gunowner to carry their firearms concealed but only within the purview of their job (security, jewelers, armored car guards, etc.). So it's evident that Senator Schumer has two sets of rules -- one for Americans and one for himself."

All animals are equal but some are more equal than others......

The free market sees taxation as damage and routes around it.

Best sig ever :)

But I will go further, though not to the extent you imply. While I won't boil people, I'd be happy to add schizophrenics to the "non-viable" list. Mandatory sterilization once it manifests. The human race has had enough problems with people who claim to "hear voices" telling them what to do, or what is right, rather than making decisions based upon observation and testing. It's time we grew up, and put away childish things.

If your definition of "schizophrenic" includes religiousity or leadership of religious people you really need to moderate yourself. Remember that even the craziest religious people tend not to display any other symptoms of schizophrenia (including "hearing voices"... they read books).

Really? Look at all the wars throughout recorded human history. One bunch of retards fighting another because "God told them to." We don't need any more of that shit, and the quicker we purge it from the gene pool, the better. If someone claimed to hear God telling them to steal cars for Jesus, we'd refuse to give it any credence. If someone claimed to hear God telling them to rape people, we'd refuse to believe it (though the people in the Bible acted on exactly that "command from god" when they'd rape the women after killing the men). If someone claimed to hear God tell them that it was their duty to shit on your living room carpet every morning at 7AM, you'd kick their ass.

So why would be believe them because they say "You must kill these people!" Simple - it aligns with the mob's secret desire to violence - not any rational thought process. Same as the rabid death penalty supporters who can't wait to execute an 8-year-old. Better yet, read some of the comments here and here.

"God says put them to death!" Yeah, riiiiight. Got any witnesses to that? No? Just a voice in your head? God sent me an email saying you should give me all your money. And that abortion is okay. What, you don't believe me? Send an email to god AT trolltalk DOT com asking if it's true.

I prefer my Popperian cosmology which recognizes that there are physical, subjective and objective worlds and that objective ideas like human rights may indeed triumph over your radical relativism by virtue of your obscurantism. It is deceitful to say we cannot know the moral implications of an act because we lack the nebulous qualities no one but a relativist cares to define of persistent geospatial this and/or cultural presence that. We have not even begun to explore the full implications of recognizing that we as a species are inborn with such rights do not attempt to subvert them through your own ignorance.

I think I'm one of the only atheists who thinks this bill is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, I want to see religions and religious beliefs subjected to the same scrutiny we apply to all things, and I see no reason to keep that out of the classroom. A high school diploma should qualify a person to make educated decisions about the future of our country. An education about the relationship between religion and science should thus be mandatory.

I've written two articles about this for American Chronicle:

Religion in Schools

Louisiana Bill

I think I'm one of the only atheists who thinks this bill is a step in the right direction. Ultimately, I want to see religions and religious beliefs subjected to the same scrutiny we apply to all things, and I see no reason to keep that out of the classroom. A high school diploma should qualify a person to make educated decisions about the future of our country. An education about the relationship between religion and science should thus be mandatory.

I've written two articles about this for American Chronicle:

Religion in Schools

Louisiana Bill

So much for the land of the free - it is the land of 'Get away with whatever you can, as fast as you can'.

They are just following the lead of our Executive Branch.

Before someone whines "why does everything have to turn into Bush bashing?" Let me say that this is completely relevant. When the most powerful executive of US law regularly shows contempt for the rule of law and gets away with it every time for years, it is only logical that other rich and powerful men would follow suit and begin to treat the law as if it only marginally applies to them.

Conspiracy theories emerge after internet cables cut

The countries most affected by the damaged cables are Egypt, India and the Middle East (in particular Iran). Israel and Iraq, as far as we can tell, were not affected by this problem as they use an alternative route for this service.

California does similar things, up to and including garnishing wages of people with merely similar names who couldn't possibly be the father(if they miss the short reply deadline merely sent by 1st class mail, not certified or registered).

One problem

Looks like it happens many places, not just california

You are not reading what he said. He made two statements, both of which can be true.
(1) There is no shortage of programmers or software engineers in the U.S.
(2) There is a shortage of people who are interested in being paid next to nothing.
---
Seems statement "1" is true...hundreds of thousands of P. & S.E. have been idled due to work being shipped overseas.

Statement (2) is also true -- in the U.S. (which is where we are talking about there being a "shortage", and where MS claims to have difficulty hiring).

So it isn't the case that "there is a shortage of programmers" (i.e. statement 1 is true). What is true, is that MS is finding a shortage of entry level people that can be paid some fraction of what "market conditions" demand of salary.

Obviously, P & S.E. are "trained" -- not just anyone one off the street can do the job. If anyone could, there would be plenty of low-paid applicants to do the job.

In the US, 4 years a respectable college can easily top 120, probably 200K. However, MS can hire foreign workers where a 4 year degree is significantly cheaper and in some countries, paid for by the government. By hiring foreign workers, MS can get around all the worker protections and rights that have been enacted for American workers over the past century. American workers "cost" too much because socially, they have too many protections and have obtained too many benefits. So -- move a factory to China where you can hire child or slave labor (oops, that's been closed down until after the 2008 Olympics)...guess you'll have to pay them $20 a week with no benefits. Darn!

It's a slap in the face of "labor" -- labor being anyone who is, and has to work for a living. Those who are rich enough and have investments that will appreciate with inflation or at least have enough that they won't be bothered by the dollar's shrinking value.

The US economic inequality index (Gini Coefficient) has increased almost 10 percentage points in the past decade (was 37% for period 1990-2000, is 46.6% now). Why? Because the middle class is losing their jobs while the upper class is increasingly being served by non-residents (outsourced work). The US has one of the worse figures of any Western nation**. Another graph, The L-Curve (pdf) shows it using stacks of 100-dollar bills spread out over the length of a football field. The length represents the population of the US -- how many people have nothing would be the "0" yard line. The 50-yard line is the middle of the US population. The stack of bills there is 1.6 inches high (~$40,000). At the 100-yard line are the top earners, with the highest having a stack of $100 bills 30 miles high. That represents the ratio of how much the richest people have vs. the entire US population. Note, the 90 and 95 yard line families have stacks 4 inches and 12 inches, respectively. Compare that to the top families' 30 mile high stacks.

One can claim it is MS's duty to their stockholders -- but it is going for short-term profits at the long term health of the economy and *customers* who have been able to pay for their success. If MS wants to sell in India -- one Indian engineer stated that MS would have to reduce their MS Windows price to fit the "Indian" prices. So instead of selling their top OS at 250-300, it was suggested they reduce their price down to around $20 (otherwise they'll get "zero" as their products are pirated). To make the same profits, they'll have to reduce their costs by 10-15X, so...when engineers in India or China start costing more than 1/10th to 1/15th the cost of a US engineer, MS will be selling the high price copies to a market that will shrink, incredibly (who's driven the adoption of the PC if it hasn't been software engineers, progr

His economic ideas are close to a century out of date, and so are his incredibly regressive social policies. Luckily there's next to no chance of him winning; the only thing he has on his side is an incredibly noisy crew of Internet fanboys who like him think all the answers they need are to be found in ideas from the last century. If you Google him you'll likely find mostly adulatory Ron-Paul-will-save-us-all sites for that reason, but there are exceptions:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArti cle.asp?articleID=30953
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/aol-metropo litan/96/05/23/paul.html

I'm about as left on the political spectrum as any person you are likely to meet in the U.S. I'm part of what I like to think of as the Christian Left. In this post, you are making the common mistake of assuming that secularism is what drives the left. It's a factor, but I wouldn't call it a defining characteristic.

My experience is that what people have trouble with when it comes to religion, specifically Christianity, is the hypocrisy and hate of those that claim to be Christians and who have a significant following or media presence. If your primary experience with Christians is based on the words of people like Pat Robertson who say things like:

When you see L-O-R-D in caps, that is the name. It's not Allah, it's not Brahma, it's not Shiva, it's not Vishnu, it's not Buddha. It is Jehovah God. They don't have a relationship with him. He is the God of all Gods. These others are mostly demonic powers. Sure they're demons. There are many demons in the world.

You can't escape the fact that this is an intolerant statement. Beliefs such as this drive people to do hateful and terrible things in God's name. I think this is what many secular people take issue with - and I agree with them. However, some also make the mistake of assuming all religious people are like this - which shows another form of intolerance that can also drive people to do hateful and terrible things.

However, you can't escape the fact that Pat Robertson has more free speech than either you, I, or the vast majority of people have. The issues you raise: campaign finance reform, speech codes, and so forth are simply efforts to deal with this issue. At its heart, individual political autonomy depends on a diversity of voices in the political landscape. We need to be aware that there are limits on free speech in place (for example, why does Pat get network time? why has the FCC supported network consolidation?) and that the current limits appear transparent because we are used to them. I think it is a legitimate discussion to talk about how these limits might be changed to encourage a diversity of viewpoints that better reflect the ideas of the U.S. population. However, the other side of that coin is that people like Newt and certain types on the left might use it as an opportunity to limit points of view that differ - which goes against the whole idea of doing it from my point of view.

First off:

The Dems are On this, filing one of the only C&D letters I've actually supported. Kinda brilliant of the NeoCons, really -- they hire an impersonator to make a fake 5 minute message, robocall it at 11 PM till 4 AM, make it long enough that most people hang up long before they hear the "paid for by the Republicans" message at the end, and, well, it's just brilliant. Too bad the Democrats are too ethical to try something like this themselves.

Jim Webb's campaign is also being specifically targeted by this, in what is probably a "test run" by Karl Rove. Robo calls are reporting that people will get arrested if they vote, that their locations have changed, pamphlets are being handed out telling black people not to bother voting, and the Voting Machines are set up to "accidently" mess Mr. Webb's name up. Even the Board of Elections are saying these efforts are Widespread and Deliberate (and, oh yeah, ILLEGAL).

Kinda a pity that the Republicans are so afraid of the United States Citizens voices being heard that they have to resort to such disgusting efforts to repress the vote. Of course, having seen this the last 3 elections in a row, this isn't a real surprise.

Not only that, they actually cause more accidents according to numerous studies:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArti cle.asp?articleID=5400
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4003 367.stm
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/2194/

Sorry about the double reply, but after my initial post, I did a little googling and turned up this very detailed, point-by-point response to Vaknin's rant.

Agreed. Its a starting point for me for looking quick technical things. e.g. DVI pin layouts or lookup SHA or MD5 hash. When it comes to areas where one's opinion/politics/theology can be inserted I take Wikipedia more with a grain of salt.

Sam Vaknin had an interesting article The Six Sins of the Wikipedia pointing out the problems with the Wikipedia system. I enjoy using Wikipedia but I am wary of using it has some sort of gospel or authority. The contributers are anonymous and that lack of transparency does make it sort of a problem for me. Below the article.

Sam Vaknin July 2, 2006

It is a question of time before the Wikipedia self-destructs and implodes. It poses such low barriers to entry (anyone can edit any number of its articles) that it is already attracting masses of teenagers as "contributors" and "editors", not to mention the less savory flotsam and jetsam of cyber-life. People who are regularly excluded or at least moderated in every other Internet community are welcomed, no questions asked, by this wannabe self-styled "encyclopedia"

Six cardinal (and, in the long-term, deadly) sins plague this online venture. What unites and underlies all its deficiencies is simple: Wikipedia dissembles about what it is and how it operates. It is a self-righteous confabulation and its success in deceiving the many attests not only to the gullibility of the vast majority of Netizens but to the PR savvy of its sleek and slick operators.

1. The Wikipedia is opaque and encourages recklessness

The overwhelming majority of contributors to and editors of the Wikipedia remain anonymous throughout the process. Anyone can register and members' screen-names (handles) mean nothing and lead nowhere. Thus, no one is forced to take responsibility for what he or she adds to the "encyclopedia" or subtracts from it. This amounts to an impenetrable smokescreen: identities can rarely be established and evading the legal consequences of one's actions or omissions is easy.

Everything in the Wikipedia can be and frequently is edited, re-written and erased and this includes the talk pages and even, to my utter amazement, the history pages! In other words, one cannot gain an impartial view of the editorial process by sifting through the talk and history pages of articles (most of which are typically monopolized by fiercely territorial "editors"). History, not unlike in certain authoritarian regimes, is being constantly re-jigged on the Wikipedia!

2. The Wikipedia is anarchic, not democratic

The Wikipedia is not an experiment in online democracy, but a form of pernicious anarchy. It espouses two misconceptions: (a) That chaos can and does lead to the generation of artifacts with lasting value and (b) That knowledge is an emergent, mass phenomenon. But The Wikipedia is not conducive to the unfettered exchange of information and opinion that is a prerequisite to both (a) and (b). It is a war zone where many fear to tread. the Wikipedia is a negative filter (see the next point).

3. The Might is Right Editorial Principle

Lacking quality control by design, the Wikipedia rewards quantity. The more one posts and interacts with others, the higher one's status, both informal and official. In the Wikipedia planet, authority is a function of the number of edits, no matter how frivolous. The more aggressive (even violent) a member is; the more prone to flame, bully, and harass; the more inclined to form coalitions with like-minded trolls; the less of a life he or she has outside the Wikipedia, the more they are likely to end up being administrators.

The result is erratic editing. Many entries are completely re-written (not to say vandalized) with the arrival of new kids on the Wikipedia block. Contrary to advertently-fostered impressions, the Wikipedia is not a cumulative process. Its text goes through dizzyingly rapid and oft-repeated cycles of destruction

Basing a war on lies is wrong for the person who does it, but our soldiers, the people GP was talking about, did not base their actions in this ware on lies. They based them on fairly accurate opinions of the Iraq situation built up over the last 12 years.

You know I'm amazed some americans still believe this.

The Downing street memo
Doubts, dissent stripped from public version of Iraq assessment
CIA leak illustrates selective use of intelligence on Iraq
Bush talking on the political advantages of war in 99

We didn't attack Iraq, we attacked its government. There is a huge difference. The country as a whole still suffers consequences, but that doesn't diminish the distinction.

The people of Iraq may not agree. I sure as hell don't. Collateral damage is newspeak:
U.S. invasion responsible deaths of over 250,000 civilians in Iraq
THE REAL WMD'S IN IRAQ - OURS
Displaced Iraqis 'living like animals'
'unknown Americans' are provoking civil war in Iraq
The Missing Girls of Iraq

Yes, we agree on many points. And I'm glad we managed to keep this civil. The points we disagree on are rather big though:

I do not believe that the death of tens of thousands of civilians can be justified by claiming to be bringing democracy.

I do not believe that you can force democracy on a country. All you can achive that way is a pseudo colony with a pseudo democracy. The kind of situation leading to the current state of Africa.

I do not believe that Bush believed there were WMDs in Iraq, nor that Iraq was closely tied to Al Quaeda, nor that Iraq was any kind of threat to the US.
I do believe that the "intelligence failures" were 100% intentional.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-15936 07,00.html
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/sp ecial_packages/iraq/intelligence/11901380.htm
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/sp ecial_packages/iraq/intelligence/12995512.htm

I do not believe that Bush invaded Iraq for humanitarian reasons.
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
This count is most likely closer to the truth:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11 674.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/ne ws/2006/05/12/wirq12.xml
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2162249, 00.html
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1 186519,00.html
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArti cle.asp?articleID=8218

The list is endless but I'll stop here.

I believe that Bush does and will continue to do exactly whatever he feels will benefit him, with no concern what so ever for how many dies for his gain. Not that you actually need anything but his actions and his statements to prove this, but here are more links:
http://downingstreetmemo.com/archive/2004-10-31-Ho ustonChron-Herskowitz/
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12 885.htm

I believe that Bush is now planning his next war of aggression.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&trh=20 060511&hn=33036
http://www.rense.com/general71/tdarg.htm
http://wakeupfromyourslumber.blogspot.com/2006/05/ us-feverishly-works-to-frame-iran_13.html
http://newswire.indymedia.org/en/2006/05/839133.sh tml
http://english.people.com.cn/200605/13/eng20060513 _265252.html
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Condoleeza_Rice_ admits_she_responded_to_0509.html

Oh all the Muslim-bashers and Islamophobes are going to come out of the woodwork

And so will all the dhimmis.

I am a gay man and an atheist who has no intention of following any superstitious belief, Islam included.

The penalty for homosexuality under Shari'a (Islamic law) is death. I learned this from a discussion I had with a muslim from whyislam.org.

I am also an adoptive parent. Shari'a does not recognize adoptive parents. I learned this from the same discussion.

It is permittable for a Muslim to lie to a Kuffar (unbeliever). This is called taqiyya.

The belief that "Islam will dominate the world" is a mainstream belief in Islam. Not an extremist belief, a mainstream belief.

When the editor of Southern Voice (a gay newspaper in the Southeast USA) traveled to Amsterdam, supposedly a "liberal" city, he was gay-bashed and suffered injuries. The perpetrators? Muslims who were following their religious beliefs.

So when you start accusing people like me of having "islamophobic" sentiments, I have to agree and indicate to you that your accusation sounds a lot like, "She deserved to be raped. Didn't you see the skirt she was wearing?"

There are legitimate reasons for both fearing and resisting Islam. The hatred of freedom of expression, the denigration of gays and women, the 7th-century mindset, the second-class status imposed on non-Muslims (dhimmis), and the punitive justice system are all elements of mainstream (NOT "extremist") Islam that need to be discussed, exposed, and resisted. Not apologized for and certainly not defended in the name of "multiculturalism" or anything else!

This is breaking news in the Baltimore area this morning (and last night). For those of you are are defending Bush for ignoring the courts and ignoring the Constitution, based on the premise that the NSA is "only looking for terrorists" you may be surprised...

From NSA SPIES ON BALTIMORE QUAKERS
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com

The National Security Agency has been spying on a Baltimore anti-war group, according to documents released during litigation, going so far as to document the inflating of protesters' balloons, and intended to deploy units trained to detect weapons of mass destruction, RAW STORY has learned. According to the documents, the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, a Quaker-linked peace group, has been monitored by the NSA working with the Baltimore Intelligence Unit of the Baltimore City Police Department.

The actual court documents are online
And here's an interview with one of the primaries.

Granted, they didn't through them into Gitmo or anything (yet), but it's interesting because it's in zip code 21212, my own back yard ! (it's true what they say).

The director of FEMA should resign immediately, since he's proven himself unable to do his job.

It's been pointed out that ever since FEMA was reoganized under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security (FEMA used to sit on the President's Cabinet), it's been harder for them to do their job independently. See a news article here, among others.

Hiding and having fun in the isles -- didn't Salman Rushdie try that for a while?

I don't know home much fun I'd have with a fundamentalist Christian Right murder sentence (oops, I mean Islamic) hanging over my head, no matter what aisle I was in on any isle.