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Please stop trying to revise history.

IF it brings the price of diamonds crashing down, that's a good thing.

I wouldn't be surprised if the campaign against "blood diamonds" is surreptitiously funded by DeBeers trying to cut off alternative sources for diamonds. Never mind that it's their monopoly that drives the price up to the point where the trade is practical...

Let the price of diamonds crash, say I. I want my spectacles with an antiscratch, antireflection coating of diamond, and I want them cheap.

Please don't forget that he had them and used them. It's what's unknown is whether he still had some prior to the invasion.
Since there is now evidence that he had detailed intel about the invasion - it lies easily within the realm of possiblity that he arranged to have his remaining stockpiles moved out of the country. There is now some indication that Russian troops were involved in moving weapons to Syria (though only conventional weapons are mentioned).

Kind of ironic, coming from somebody that is objecting to the contents of a speech he didn't hear and can't find a transcript of, isn't it? But I'll bite.

My claim, which you are objecting to:

This is now known to be false; the treatment was in fact authorized (by redefining torture) and Bush has yet to recant his position. It looked for a minute as if McCain had cornered him into showing some sense, but his signing statement makes it clear that he still endorses torture. The only thing that clearly wasn't authorized (and what the Bush administration has actually objected to) is taking pictures of the torture and leaking it to the media. The "perps" who have so far been charged are (last I heard) only the low level grunts who got caught.

My proof (or at least a sampling thereof--there's lots more):

• The Bush administration redefined 'torture' to permit techniques such as used at Abu Grabe
• The Bush administration defends the need for torture
• The Bush administration has a system of secret prisons in which such torture is conducted
• McCain pushes to have torture outlawed
• Bush dodges with a "signing statement" saying he isn't bound by the ban
• The Bush administration primarily objects to the fact that pictures were taken
• ...and blames the leakers
• Only the low-level grunts who got caught have been nailed, and they got slaps on the wrist

There is, of course, a lot more where that came from.

Now, can you please back up your claim that Gore told the Arabs to attack us?

--MarkusQ

And what falsehoods would those be? Oh, I know 99% of /. believe that "Bush lied about WMDs." But that's just not the case. Even assuming that Saddam had decommissioned his WMD collection (of which there is little evidence), and not shipped them off to Syria (of which there is some evidence), then we are still stuck with the matter of whether that's a "lie" or not. I submit that at worse, it's a mistake, a misconception.

Keep in mind, I hope the WMD are gone, and gone for good, not just to Syria. But the question remains, Saddam did have and use them - where are they now? Maybe he used up his stockpile.

I'm sure you have other examples of "lies" though, so feel free to vent.

According to the bi-partisan 9/11 commission, Iraq neither had WMDs nor programs to build them.

I guess by that comment you mean "at the time of the invasion".

Iraq most certainly possessed WMD during Saddam's reign and used them without mercy on civilian Kurds.

Israel struck first before Iraq could develop nuclear arms.

Now considering the fact that Saddam had used WMD on his own people and his enemies, and the fact that he had started a nuclear reactor construction program for any purpose he chose, and add to this list the fact he invaded his neighbor without provocation, please explain what your sig is meant to express.

I'm not a great fan of how this war was justified, but Saddam was hardly running a regime friendly to anyone but himself and his cronies.

Y'know, my boss at a previous job was Canadian. He spoke glowingly of his homeland, and I mostly concurred---I have nothing but positive memories from my visits to Canada. But then he explained the "hatespeech" laws they have there.

I don't know where you're from, but part of the value of the freedom to speak one's mind is a freedom to criticize, to insult, to offend. "It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg," to cadge a turn of phrase from Jefferson. This new existence of a right not to be offended---bah! The proper response to criticism is not to stick your fingers in your ears, yell "LALALALA" and cry for the force of law to shut me up.

Look, it's a savage and medieval thing they've got going in Pakistan, in Iran, and until recently in Afghanistan. This is a system of religious law that treats women as chattel, punishes homosexuality with death, silences criticism with brute violence, and actually does all the things that the American religious right is accused of trying to do.

Yes, Christianity did this. But at least in the West, it grew out of it. Folks are more than welcome to come here if they're willing to live like civilized people. If they're committed to setting women on fire for the crime of being raped, they can stay where they are until they decide to grow up.

If you're asking when all this savagery came to Europe, I suggest you take it up with Theo van Gogh, who was murdered for insulting Islam. Civilized people do not respond to philosophical insults in this manner. If I go outside wearing my Bad Religion "crossbuster" shirt, I do not expect a Christian lunatic to stab me with the approval of his religious establishment. Or ask Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a vocal critic of Islam who worked with van Gogh. She's the subject of constant death threats, thanks to her criticism.

I'd think anyone interested in free speech would be a hell of a lot more concerned with the chilling effect caused by violence against critics of Islam than with what those critics have to say. After all, Theo van Gogh may have been a damned troll, but at least he never shot anyone and pinned his manifesto to their chest with a knife.

--grendel drago

If you are talking about hacking, then you must be talking about a Chinese hotel. Most hackers originate from China, which includes Taiwan province and Hong Kong.

There are examples of porpoises that defend human swimmers from sharks.

On the other hand, the Chinese are "smarter" than the porpoises but support the brutal occupation of Tibet.

How can we teach moral skills to the Chinese? What is missing from the Chinese psyche but is present in the mind of a porpoise?

With so few people in the military, how can the United States carry out its obligations as a world power? One obligation is providing disaster relief like that in January of 2005 in Southeast Asia.

As well, Americans of Vietnamese ancestry are, at representation, in organizations like Amnesty International (AI). In fact, one such person ran to be a board member of AI. By contrast, AI is almost devoid of Americans of Chinese ancestry. In short, Vietnam will, more quickly, become a liberal Western democracy than China.

As well, Americans of Vietnamese ancestry are, at representation, in organizations like Amnesty International (AI). In fact, one such person ran to be a board member of AI. By contrast, AI is almost devoid of Americans of Chinese ancestry.

In short, Vietnam will, more quickly, become a liberal Western democracy than China.

This new technology could prove a boon to Beijing's efforts to modernize the Chinese military. We should designate the technology "top secret".

Beijing is aggressively modernizing the computing infrastructure of its military. Chinese nationals should be barred from participating in American research projects involving such advanced computer technologies like 3D computer imaging.

A cluster of Sony PlayStations stitched together by Beowulf equates to a supercomputer with the horsepower to simulate nuclear blasts. Should we allow Beijing to access such critical computer technology?

Note, too, that in March and April of this year, hordes of Chinese animals rampaged throughout China and demanded that Tokyo apologize for the "complicity" of today's Japanese in 60-year-old atrocities.

Now, the Chinese animals are totally silent when Microsoft complies with Beijing's laws by removing the word "democracy". Where are the Chinese animals? Why are they silent?

Why are the animals silent when Beijing refuses to apologize even once to Rebiya Kadeer for imprisoning her (a 60-year-old grandmother) for the "crime" of giving publicly available newspapers to some American friends?

Why are the animals silent when Beijing suppresses democracy?

Why are the animals silent? Such is the nature of Chinese people. The problem is not merely Beijing. The problem is Chinese society.

We should designate search technology "top secret" in order to avoid giving any unintended assistance to the Chinese military.

Note, too, that in March and April of this year, hordes of Chinese animals rampaged throughout China and demanded that Tokyo apologize for the "complicity" of today's Japanese in 60-year-old atrocities.

Now, the Chinese animals are totally silent when Microsoft complies with Beijing's laws by removing the word "democracy". Where are the Chinese animals? Why are they silent?

Why are the animals silent when Beijing refuses to apologize even once to Rebiya Kadeer for imprisoning her (a 60-year-old grandmother) for the "crime" of giving publicly available newspapers to some American friends?

Why are the animals silent when Beijing suppresses democracy?

Why are the animals silent? Such is the nature of Chinese people. The problem is not merely Beijing. The problem is Chinese society.

Currently, China is engaged in an aggressive campaign to modernize its military. The World Expo has some technologies that may help to accelerate this modernization. We in the West should ban the Chinese from the World Expo.

This new technology to produce flawless computer chips is vital to national security. We must ensure that the Chinese military cannot access this technology, for Beijing has an aggressive program to modernize the computing infrastructure of its military.

We had better designate this contest and its results "top secret".

Math and the Simpsons? What is the appeal of the Simpsons? The cartoon is immature and does not deal with real life issues.

Concerning the stock buyers behind the outrageous market capitalization of Google, what do people say? "One born every minute."

The management of Carbon Designs should vet their workforce and ensure that no Chinese nationals are currently employed. Beijing for many years has sought to militarize space, and accessing this space-elevator technology would enable them to accelerate such nefarious plans.

After all, we are living in the USA, and Intel is still headquarted in Santa Clara (even though the majority of workers were born in China or India, where honesty is viewed as a liability).

If Intel were a Chinese company headquartered in Taiwan or mainland China, then we would have good reason to suspect that Intel is lying. Lying is considered fun, and casual in Chinese society.

I read the instruction manual, and it tells me that flicker is normal. What gives?

We should consider keeping the automated test technology under the label, "top secret". The Chinese are aggressively trying to modernize their military. Computer software for coordinating the various pieces of battlefield hardware is integral to Chinese plans for the next-generation of warfare.

The American government, rightfully, has condemned the Chinese military buildup, which threatens all of Southeast Asia.

These medical techniques should be able to confirm whether this theory is valid.

England should ban Chinese nationals from participating in research on FPGA computers at Edinburgh University. Beijing has an aggressive program to modernize the Chinese military infrastructure. FPGA computers could figure prominently in it.

The PSP is a powerful compute engine, and exporting it to China should be banned. The Chinese military could use it as the basis of the next-generation supercomputers. Beijing is engaged in an aggressive attempt to modernize its military infrastructure, and supercomputers are central to it

We should keep this startling medical discovery "top secret". The Chinese military has an aggressive program to develop biological weapons, including anthrax. This medical discovery would be a boon to the Chinese military in its quest to develop carcinogenic viruses.

This heatsink technology could help Beijing to accelerate the development of computer technology for its military machine. We should subject this technology to tight export controls.

Let Sci-Fi be much more than lights, action, and camera. Let Sci-Fi be a moral lesson on the crises of today.

We must be careful.

Currently, the Chinese are aggressively modernizing their military. Access to these patents with military applications would help them to achieve their nefarious goals.

At the same time, China is the software-piracy capital of the world.

At the same time, China is the software-piracy capital of the world.

The Israelis have an active military relationship with the Chinese.

The Chinese (including those in Taiwan) are experts at creating spyware, viruses, and other malware. The Chinese military simply shared some of its technology with the Israelis.

Are the Chinese dumb? No. The average score of a Chinese on a calculus/trigonometry test is significantly above average, outscoring the nearest American.

The problem here is that we are mistaking test-score smarts or book smarts for compassion and kindness. Smarts do not imply kindness. Hitler was smart. Most Chinese are smart. Yet, most observers would agree that both are brutal.

The Chinese are not merely specialists in torturing Tibetans but are also specialists in identity theft

The small band of vigilantes who are fighting the Chinese frauds are typically Westerners. We have a setup akin to "Star Wars": a small group of rebels are fighting the Chinese empire.

'Tis better to be safe than to be sorry.

'Tis better to be safe than to be sorry.

The embedded technology in these game machinese have direct application to the guidance systems in intercontinental ballastic missiles (ICBMs). Beijing is currently in the midst of an aggressive program to modernize the Chinese military. The Chinese are eager to improve the accuracy of their ICBMs aimed at the USA.

Be safe, not sorry.

Note that the Chinese space program is an entirely military effort. By contrast, NASA is an entirely civilian effort.

Be safe, not sorry.

Note that the Chinese space program is an entirely military effort. By contrast, NASA is an entirely civilian effort.

In Tibet, the presence of encryption on the computer owned by a Tibetan implies only that he is trying to protect himself. If the Chinese discovered that he is e-mailing eyewitness accounts of Chinese brutality against Tibetan children (i.e. raping the children), then the Chinese would likely kill the Tibetan.

We are still committed to moral clarity. We support democracy. We believe in protecting the weak and the downtrodden. These themes appear across the entire "Star Wars" saga.

In other parts of the globe, "Star Wars" is popular for different reasons. For example, in Hong Kong, many people enjoy watching "Star Wars" primarily because the fights in the film are intense. The blood and the gore appeals to the Chinese audience. The theme of compassion is lost among the Hong-Kong supporters of the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

To give you an idea of how deceptive Microsoft is, I direct your attention to the recent demand, by Bill Gates, that the American government raise the cap on H-1B workers. Gates claims that there is an insufficient number of Americans who are qualified for the job of "programmer".

Professor Matloff of the University of California at Davis exploded this deception. He noted that Microsoft hires only 4% of applicants. Further, of the 50 applicants from MIT last year, only 1 was offered a job to work at Microsoft.

Frankly, I do not give a damn about Microsoft. Let us unite behind Linux and the open source movement. As a matter of principle, I refuse to use Internet Explore or Windows XP.