drag out the case long enough that it no longer matters, just because they have more money
So then this is basically the same as the Citizens United case, and many others that came before and after it? The law continuing to favor the wealthy is not news.
Novell is practically nothing in comparison to what it once was in terms of company size and market presence. Even if the SCOTUS had overturned the ruling completely and found 100% in Novell's favor, what could that have possibly changed at this time?
How long was your bike sitting there? Are you sure it wasn't impounded? Many places have winter bike rack / bike parking restrictions. You mention a flat bed truck, it may be that the rack was taken away for the winter, with everything attached to it.
but I got to choose from at least 50 bike-shaped-objects, and I didn't have to drive around town in order to do it
And none of them fit you, had even marginally decent components, or were assembled by competent people. You got what you paid for. You are only fooling yourself if you think you'll do better with a different BSO from WalMart.
you can honestly tell me that what I'm riding now doesn't fit me, even without ever seeing it once, or me on it.
WalMart BSOs are one-size-fits-none, without exception. They are most often sized for people who are 4'11" with unusual length femurs and very short arms. There is no such thing as a WalMart BSO that correctly fits a fully grown adult. None has ever been made, and none ever will.
Look at it this way. WalMart sees no incentive in actually stocking BSOs of different sizes. It would be additional inventory to carry and it would require them teaching their employees how to address different sizes (even if they never teach them how to fit a customer, they still would need to know how to identify the size of a BSO). They just buy whatever bizarre BSO size their terrible manufacturers are making that month and send it out. They also know that the vast majority of their customers will treat the cheap BSOs like garbage and replace them when lost/stolen/destroyed, which perpetuates the business model.
My Bike shop bike (~$650) also contains "made in China" parts. Probably higher quality, but still made there.
As with many things, there is a vast spectrum of quality when it comes to Chinese made bicycle parts. Some are quite good, and others are utter garbage. The former are on lower priced bikes in the bike shops (high end bikes still get Japanese or European parts) while the latter go to BSOs destined for big box retailers.
This applies to virtually every thing you can imagine using on a bike, from tubes and tires to shifters and derailuers, to brakes and frames.
Again you can get OS X for a Hackintosh. Buy a copy on ebay. It's not a pirated copy.
How can I be sure that it is not a pirated copy? If Apple won't sell it to me, it is awfully hard to establish how it came to be. It could be a copy that was previously used on another computer - but even if I take the seller's word that they aren't using it anymore on their own computer it still isn't coming from Apple.
By comparison any other OS I can think of that I would want to run on a modern PC I can either download for free (most Linux / BSD distros) or purchase from the vendor (Windows, some Linux distros). Apple refuses to do either. I'm offering money to them and they are refusing it.
And you can still purchase OS X. Today.
Well, that is dependent on how much you trust second hand sellers of OS X. What I cannot do is purchase it from Apple.
This all makes sense, but doesn't change the fact that I can probably buy and return three $200 bikes in a week and eventually find one I like, having still spent only $200 plus my time and gas taking trips to and from Walmart.
Even if we assume that you are siphoning gas from your neighbor for free and your time is worthless, you still end up with a poorly made BSO from WalMart that won't fit you.
The $695 bikes at the bike shop are the low end of what they offer.
That part I cannot explain for you. Bike shops usually carry bikes starting at $250, and sometimes less. You may want to try another shop or ask if there are any less expensive models that they could order for you. If you could even get one from them for $300 it would be well worth the difference just in the fact that you would have a properly fitting bike with quality components. Add to that the fact that most bike shops give free adjustments for at least a year on new bikes that they sell, and you could come out way ahead on that alone.
I am sure that as a fat person who needs a bike and suffers from chronic bike theft
Ever hear of a bike lock? There are lots of options. They work well when you know how to use them.
hit by car syndrome
If you are getting hit by lots of cars you may want to reevaluate whether this is a wise choice at all for you. It would seem either you live someplace with epically bad drivers, or you are not riding well.
break it due to my own overweight
I can assure you that a bike shop bike would handle an overweight person better than a BSO from WalMart. The frame materials are vastly better in terms of structure. On top of that you would distribute your weight far better on a bike that is the correct size for you.
I still haven't spent $695 on bikes in ten years. I'm not going cross-country.
And I would wager not one of them have fit you correctly. I would also wager not one of them had components that did not require frequent adjustment.
In other words, you got what you paid for. You paid for garbage, and received garbage.
and I gladly pay some money not to have to go back to Walmart.
Then try asking the guys at the bike shop what they can get you for less than the $695 number you have quoted several times in your post. Have you actually spoken to a sales person there? I can assure you that the local shops where I live regularly stock nice bikes for $300 or less, so I'm sure your local shop can get one, too.
Or if you really have convinced yourself that they are so out to get you, bring your BSO back to WalMart and buy something from craigslist instead. You can turn your $200 into a real bike that way.
One, as best I can tell I still cannot purchase a license for OS X to install on a hackintosh. Hence any installation as such is violation of the terms (and likely of copyright as well) for OS X.
If you are willing to do without support, what does that matter?
Because I am not opposed to paying for good software. I am perfectly willing to pay for software if it works well, but they won't sell it to me. I haven't pirated software in well over a decade and don't plan to do it again. Hell, I don't even care about whether or not I can get support from them, I just want a legitimate license.
Two, the notion of being able to get OS X "for free" does not adequately describe the situation. it is only "free" for people who have already paid for it by purchasing an apple computer.
And you got free OS updates when you buy a Dell, HP, Lenovo PCs?
That is not without precedent, actually, Lenovo in particular has more than once in recent memory offered free windows updates to customers who purchased within a certain time window of a new version. They have also offered free "downgrades" for people who want to run older versions.
If you built your own PCs, you didn't even get the OS free with the hardware.
Well, that depends on what OS you want to run. I mostly run Linux which is, of course, free for most distros. That said, if you want to run windows you can go and purchase a legitimate license for whatever version you want. I can't do that with Mac OS X.
I am one of those who would be willing to purchase an OS X license to install on a non-Apple PC. Yet they don't even give the option to do so.
If you want to install OS X on a Hackintosh, you still can. This does not change that aspect at all.
Two things here:
One, as best I can tell I still cannot purchase a license for OS X to install on a hackintosh. Hence any installation as such is violation of the terms (and likely of copyright as well) for OS X.
Two, the notion of being able to get OS X "for free" does not adequately describe the situation. it is only "free" for people who have already paid for it by purchasing an apple computer.
If you think about buying a Mac today, you know that you will get at least two or three OS updates for free, which costs Apple nothing but increases the value of the Mac compared to a PC.
I'm one of those who does not run windows on his PCs - and hence gets my OS and updates for free anyways - so this logic doesn't really apply to me. Indeed, it might matter to some other buyers although I'm not sure how many people are able to keep their computers running long enough for such an update actually exist - for example most Vista users managed to render their system completely unable at least once before 7 came out. I'm not sure that OS X, in the hands of an average user, is really that much better in terms of longevity.
I bought a bike at Walmart for $200 yesterday. Middle of the road price for a Walmart bike. I had someone take it down and look at it for me before I left, he acknowledged that whoever put it together must have been a total idiot because the seat was loose. He adjusted it...
Next thing I know, I'm in the local bike shop looking at $600-1300 bikes while I wait and paying $10 for an adjustment because the seat is still loose, the front brake is rubbing, and the rear brake doesn't stop, dealing with some guy who doesn't want to deal with me because I paid 1) not enough, to 2) someone else, for 3) probably a decent bike if it wasn't put together by total idiots.
I used to work in a bike shop likely not too different from the one you describe. I can tell you, there is a huge difference between the components on the BSO (bike-shaped object) that you purchased at WalMart and the bikes you had in front of you at the bike shop. There is a reason why the WalMart bike was $200 and the ones at the shop were more, and it has to do with the quality of every component on the bike. This isn't a comparison between VW and Audi, this is a comparison between Porsche and a cheap skateboard. The components on the BSO are all Chinese made and lack not only the mechanical precision but also the ability to make adjustments that the better bike shop quality components have. I have seen BSOs from WalMart and others come in with brakes that could not be safely adjusted because they were of such poor manufacture.
And that isn't even getting to the frames. The BSOs are almost without exception made to only one size per model, which is seldom an appropriate size for the buyer (particularly an adult buyer). The frames themselves are poorly made as well of inferior alloys - both in terms of weight and durability - when compared to even the least expensive bike you can get at a bike shop.
Seriously, no adult should ever buy a bike for themselves at a big box (Target, WalMart, KMart, Toys R Us) retailer. If you wanted to stick to a $200 budget you would have been vastly better served by searching your local craigslist where you could have easily purchased a quality bike, in the correct size for you, for that amount of money. You could have checked ebay as well and come out better there, too.
If you just purchased that BSO yesterday my advice to you is go return it tonight and find a bike elsewhere. You won't get your bike shop fees back but you'll still be way better off.
Oh, you want to install-it onto a uncool PC ? You dirty, double crossing, good for nothing, two timing software pirate hacker...
I am one of those who would be willing to purchase an OS X license to install on a non-Apple PC. Yet they don't even give the option to do so. I have heard the explanation that they don't want to be on the hook for support on the matter, and I'm fine with that - just let us buy a license with no support and be done with it.
As best I can tell, OS X is free to download only if you already have OS X. I don't see any way that someone who doesn't already have a very recent version of OS X can download it for free.
The Tesla is not mind-numbingly depressing to drive, while the leaf is. The Tesla does not inspire people to laugh at you when you drive by, while the leaf does. Expanding the driving range for the leaf is a great start, now make a car that is enjoyable to drive and doesn't look like a child's toy.
Look at how much of your data - that you posted thinking it was "private" or "personal" - they have already given away to the government. To say that they are partnered with the federal government is an understatement. Facebook might be the greatest gift the government has ever received from a company, excepting the massive contributions that come to all sides from the health insurance industry.
I was squeaking by in undergrad, working various part time jobs to pay the bills. I took longer than most to finish my BS but made it through without having to take out any student loans.
For grad school I was a married man, which helped. I was also given a tuition waiver and a $20k stipend which also helped. I knew plenty of people who did OK on the stipend living alone as well; not great but a tolerable existence. After all, the stipend is intentionally kept on the meager side to encourage you to get out of grad school.
It was founded by Kim Il-Sung, who had communist ideals, yes. However it has ventured far, far, away from those ideals. Indeed the present day US is vastly closer to being an ideal free-market state than North Korea is to being anything that can be approximated as being close to actual communism.
I have had my MacBook Air running almost continuously for three years. Almost no hiccups. That's about it!
I just retired a thinkpad that was over 8 years old and still working perfectly. I retired it only because I needed a better video card for the work I was doing; it became a parts system to help someone keep their own collection of aging thinkpads going.
I agree. And this car was not made by Mercedes. This was two very different Mercedes vehicles that were Frankensteined together. The drivetrain and chassis are mostly from a G wagon, with the body and interior from an SLK. The custom work was done by a custom shop. Mercedes never made a vehicle like this and has never announced any plans to do so. You can't even get the SLK with the diesel engine that they used (amongst other things).
Calling that vehicle a Mercedes is like relating a Ford Trimotor to a Model T. Sure they have some parts in common but it is not even remotely close to something you can pick up at a local dealership.
Then, as now, we are faced with a tyrant that believes that one man should govern without interference from the populace.
Wait, what? Have you paid attention to what President Obama has actually done as president - rather than just what you fear he wants to do? You can make an argument that he might not fear the opinion polls any more so than any of his predecessors, but he most certainly does not "govern without interference". Look at the bills he has actually signed. He has signed some of the most conservative bills (including the Health Insurance Industry Bailout Act of 2010) in the history of our country. His governance is undoubtedly facing interference from congress, just the way our government was designed to function.
If the person living in the White House believes he should control all aspects of life in the US
That, would, without a doubt, be terrible. It's a good thing we don't have a president who isdoing that.
No one Man should hold that power
And if one man held that power, we could still use the election process to get rid of him. It's a good thing we don't have a man doing such things currently.
Founder's recognized that fact very clearly, and prepared for that eventuality
Yeah, they installed the electoral college so that leaders can be replaced peacefully. The second amendment does not give you the right to go hunting for man just because you fear what they might want to do.
The original intent of the 2nd amendment was to give people the power to fight their own government should the need arise.
That is, to say the very least, debatable.
Without the 2nd amendment the people of the US would have zero chance of overthrowing the government should the need arise.
That argument makes no sense to me. Even if the military and personal weapons were on par (obviously they are not) why would you need a constitutional amendment in order to see that people acquire the weapons to overthrow the government? Even with the colonial conditions that you described, early Americans were still able to gather up enough weapons to throw out the British.
Even more so, why would the constitution have an amendment specifically for the purpose of overthrowing the government? Ordinarily throwing out your government by force is a capital offense. You need to be dedicated to the cause to the point where you are willing to lay down your own life for it before you should even consider terminating a government by force. If you are in such a situation you should not be worried about whether your acquisition of weaponry is legal or not; the forefathers certainly weren't worried about that.
I believe our founding fathers left it that way in the event out own government became tyrannical.
A lot of people like to make that argument, but I don't see it holding water. Why would you need to write in an amendment to assist in the overthrow of a government? Those actions need to be taken by people who are devoted enough to their cause to be willing to suffer the consequences of failure. The United States was established by a revolution that had a very real chance of failure, and that failure would have very likely lead to the execution of many of those who participated. They didn't need a law to assist their efforts, why would anyone else?
And on top of that, the government was intended to be elected, which is itself supposed to be a mechanism for the people to use to throw out bad leaders. If they wanted to initiate the American Experiment of democracy, why would they write in a mechanism to subvert it?
When the constitution was ratified, the militia was the only defense that the United States had, and all able bodied men were expected to be ready to serve.
Now, whether the militia is the intent of the second amendment is a question that we have been asking for a long time now. The wording of the second amendment is not particularly clear on that.
And yes, I know that this opinion is not popular on a site as conservative as slashdot. That is why we see this as a front page story bashing the person proposing the re-examination of the second amendment.
I don't agree with this tactic, but when congress keeps cutting taxes without reducing spending by a matching amount they leave the IRS with few choices but to work harder to pursue outstanding debts.
Slashdot Mirror
drag out the case long enough that it no longer matters, just because they have more money
So then this is basically the same as the Citizens United case, and many others that came before and after it? The law continuing to favor the wealthy is not news.
Novell is practically nothing in comparison to what it once was in terms of company size and market presence. Even if the SCOTUS had overturned the ruling completely and found 100% in Novell's favor, what could that have possibly changed at this time?
Who the fuck steals a bike on January 28th?
How long was your bike sitting there? Are you sure it wasn't impounded? Many places have winter bike rack / bike parking restrictions. You mention a flat bed truck, it may be that the rack was taken away for the winter, with everything attached to it.
but I got to choose from at least 50 bike-shaped-objects, and I didn't have to drive around town in order to do it
And none of them fit you, had even marginally decent components, or were assembled by competent people. You got what you paid for. You are only fooling yourself if you think you'll do better with a different BSO from WalMart.
you can honestly tell me that what I'm riding now doesn't fit me, even without ever seeing it once, or me on it.
WalMart BSOs are one-size-fits-none, without exception. They are most often sized for people who are 4'11" with unusual length femurs and very short arms. There is no such thing as a WalMart BSO that correctly fits a fully grown adult. None has ever been made, and none ever will.
Look at it this way. WalMart sees no incentive in actually stocking BSOs of different sizes. It would be additional inventory to carry and it would require them teaching their employees how to address different sizes (even if they never teach them how to fit a customer, they still would need to know how to identify the size of a BSO). They just buy whatever bizarre BSO size their terrible manufacturers are making that month and send it out. They also know that the vast majority of their customers will treat the cheap BSOs like garbage and replace them when lost/stolen/destroyed, which perpetuates the business model.
My Bike shop bike (~$650) also contains "made in China" parts. Probably higher quality, but still made there.
As with many things, there is a vast spectrum of quality when it comes to Chinese made bicycle parts. Some are quite good, and others are utter garbage. The former are on lower priced bikes in the bike shops (high end bikes still get Japanese or European parts) while the latter go to BSOs destined for big box retailers.
This applies to virtually every thing you can imagine using on a bike, from tubes and tires to shifters and derailuers, to brakes and frames.
Again you can get OS X for a Hackintosh. Buy a copy on ebay. It's not a pirated copy.
How can I be sure that it is not a pirated copy? If Apple won't sell it to me, it is awfully hard to establish how it came to be. It could be a copy that was previously used on another computer - but even if I take the seller's word that they aren't using it anymore on their own computer it still isn't coming from Apple.
By comparison any other OS I can think of that I would want to run on a modern PC I can either download for free (most Linux / BSD distros) or purchase from the vendor (Windows, some Linux distros). Apple refuses to do either. I'm offering money to them and they are refusing it.
And you can still purchase OS X. Today.
Well, that is dependent on how much you trust second hand sellers of OS X. What I cannot do is purchase it from Apple.
This all makes sense, but doesn't change the fact that I can probably buy and return three $200 bikes in a week and eventually find one I like, having still spent only $200 plus my time and gas taking trips to and from Walmart.
Even if we assume that you are siphoning gas from your neighbor for free and your time is worthless, you still end up with a poorly made BSO from WalMart that won't fit you.
The $695 bikes at the bike shop are the low end of what they offer.
That part I cannot explain for you. Bike shops usually carry bikes starting at $250, and sometimes less. You may want to try another shop or ask if there are any less expensive models that they could order for you. If you could even get one from them for $300 it would be well worth the difference just in the fact that you would have a properly fitting bike with quality components. Add to that the fact that most bike shops give free adjustments for at least a year on new bikes that they sell, and you could come out way ahead on that alone.
I am sure that as a fat person who needs a bike and suffers from chronic bike theft
Ever hear of a bike lock? There are lots of options. They work well when you know how to use them.
hit by car syndrome
If you are getting hit by lots of cars you may want to reevaluate whether this is a wise choice at all for you. It would seem either you live someplace with epically bad drivers, or you are not riding well.
break it due to my own overweight
I can assure you that a bike shop bike would handle an overweight person better than a BSO from WalMart. The frame materials are vastly better in terms of structure. On top of that you would distribute your weight far better on a bike that is the correct size for you.
I still haven't spent $695 on bikes in ten years. I'm not going cross-country.
And I would wager not one of them have fit you correctly. I would also wager not one of them had components that did not require frequent adjustment.
In other words, you got what you paid for. You paid for garbage, and received garbage.
and I gladly pay some money not to have to go back to Walmart.
Then try asking the guys at the bike shop what they can get you for less than the $695 number you have quoted several times in your post. Have you actually spoken to a sales person there? I can assure you that the local shops where I live regularly stock nice bikes for $300 or less, so I'm sure your local shop can get one, too.
Or if you really have convinced yourself that they are so out to get you, bring your BSO back to WalMart and buy something from craigslist instead. You can turn your $200 into a real bike that way.
One, as best I can tell I still cannot purchase a license for OS X to install on a hackintosh. Hence any installation as such is violation of the terms (and likely of copyright as well) for OS X.
If you are willing to do without support, what does that matter?
Because I am not opposed to paying for good software. I am perfectly willing to pay for software if it works well, but they won't sell it to me. I haven't pirated software in well over a decade and don't plan to do it again. Hell, I don't even care about whether or not I can get support from them, I just want a legitimate license.
Two, the notion of being able to get OS X "for free" does not adequately describe the situation. it is only "free" for people who have already paid for it by purchasing an apple computer.
And you got free OS updates when you buy a Dell, HP, Lenovo PCs?
That is not without precedent, actually, Lenovo in particular has more than once in recent memory offered free windows updates to customers who purchased within a certain time window of a new version. They have also offered free "downgrades" for people who want to run older versions.
If you built your own PCs, you didn't even get the OS free with the hardware.
Well, that depends on what OS you want to run. I mostly run Linux which is, of course, free for most distros. That said, if you want to run windows you can go and purchase a legitimate license for whatever version you want. I can't do that with Mac OS X.
I am one of those who would be willing to purchase an OS X license to install on a non-Apple PC. Yet they don't even give the option to do so.
If you want to install OS X on a Hackintosh, you still can. This does not change that aspect at all.
Two things here:
One, as best I can tell I still cannot purchase a license for OS X to install on a hackintosh. Hence any installation as such is violation of the terms (and likely of copyright as well) for OS X.
Two, the notion of being able to get OS X "for free" does not adequately describe the situation. it is only "free" for people who have already paid for it by purchasing an apple computer.
If you think about buying a Mac today, you know that you will get at least two or three OS updates for free, which costs Apple nothing but increases the value of the Mac compared to a PC.
I'm one of those who does not run windows on his PCs - and hence gets my OS and updates for free anyways - so this logic doesn't really apply to me. Indeed, it might matter to some other buyers although I'm not sure how many people are able to keep their computers running long enough for such an update actually exist - for example most Vista users managed to render their system completely unable at least once before 7 came out. I'm not sure that OS X, in the hands of an average user, is really that much better in terms of longevity.
I bought a bike at Walmart for $200 yesterday. Middle of the road price for a Walmart bike. I had someone take it down and look at it for me before I left, he acknowledged that whoever put it together must have been a total idiot because the seat was loose. He adjusted it...
Next thing I know, I'm in the local bike shop looking at $600-1300 bikes while I wait and paying $10 for an adjustment because the seat is still loose, the front brake is rubbing, and the rear brake doesn't stop, dealing with some guy who doesn't want to deal with me because I paid 1) not enough, to 2) someone else, for 3) probably a decent bike if it wasn't put together by total idiots.
I used to work in a bike shop likely not too different from the one you describe. I can tell you, there is a huge difference between the components on the BSO (bike-shaped object) that you purchased at WalMart and the bikes you had in front of you at the bike shop. There is a reason why the WalMart bike was $200 and the ones at the shop were more, and it has to do with the quality of every component on the bike. This isn't a comparison between VW and Audi, this is a comparison between Porsche and a cheap skateboard. The components on the BSO are all Chinese made and lack not only the mechanical precision but also the ability to make adjustments that the better bike shop quality components have. I have seen BSOs from WalMart and others come in with brakes that could not be safely adjusted because they were of such poor manufacture.
And that isn't even getting to the frames. The BSOs are almost without exception made to only one size per model, which is seldom an appropriate size for the buyer (particularly an adult buyer). The frames themselves are poorly made as well of inferior alloys - both in terms of weight and durability - when compared to even the least expensive bike you can get at a bike shop.
Seriously, no adult should ever buy a bike for themselves at a big box (Target, WalMart, KMart, Toys R Us) retailer. If you wanted to stick to a $200 budget you would have been vastly better served by searching your local craigslist where you could have easily purchased a quality bike, in the correct size for you, for that amount of money. You could have checked ebay as well and come out better there, too.
If you just purchased that BSO yesterday my advice to you is go return it tonight and find a bike elsewhere. You won't get your bike shop fees back but you'll still be way better off.
Oh, you want to install-it onto a uncool PC ? You dirty, double crossing, good for nothing, two timing software pirate hacker ...
I am one of those who would be willing to purchase an OS X license to install on a non-Apple PC. Yet they don't even give the option to do so. I have heard the explanation that they don't want to be on the hook for support on the matter, and I'm fine with that - just let us buy a license with no support and be done with it.
As best I can tell, OS X is free to download only if you already have OS X. I don't see any way that someone who doesn't already have a very recent version of OS X can download it for free.
The Tesla is not mind-numbingly depressing to drive, while the leaf is. The Tesla does not inspire people to laugh at you when you drive by, while the leaf does. Expanding the driving range for the leaf is a great start, now make a car that is enjoyable to drive and doesn't look like a child's toy.
Look at how much of your data - that you posted thinking it was "private" or "personal" - they have already given away to the government. To say that they are partnered with the federal government is an understatement. Facebook might be the greatest gift the government has ever received from a company, excepting the massive contributions that come to all sides from the health insurance industry.
I was squeaking by in undergrad, working various part time jobs to pay the bills. I took longer than most to finish my BS but made it through without having to take out any student loans.
For grad school I was a married man, which helped. I was also given a tuition waiver and a $20k stipend which also helped. I knew plenty of people who did OK on the stipend living alone as well; not great but a tolerable existence. After all, the stipend is intentionally kept on the meager side to encourage you to get out of grad school.
It was founded by Kim Il-Sung, who had communist ideals, yes. However it has ventured far, far, away from those ideals. Indeed the present day US is vastly closer to being an ideal free-market state than North Korea is to being anything that can be approximated as being close to actual communism.
I have had my MacBook Air running almost continuously for three years. Almost no hiccups. That's about it!
I just retired a thinkpad that was over 8 years old and still working perfectly. I retired it only because I needed a better video card for the work I was doing; it became a parts system to help someone keep their own collection of aging thinkpads going.
If Mercedes made it then it is a Mercedes.
I agree. And this car was not made by Mercedes. This was two very different Mercedes vehicles that were Frankensteined together. The drivetrain and chassis are mostly from a G wagon, with the body and interior from an SLK. The custom work was done by a custom shop. Mercedes never made a vehicle like this and has never announced any plans to do so. You can't even get the SLK with the diesel engine that they used (amongst other things).
Calling that vehicle a Mercedes is like relating a Ford Trimotor to a Model T. Sure they have some parts in common but it is not even remotely close to something you can pick up at a local dealership.
Then, as now, we are faced with a tyrant that believes that one man should govern without interference from the populace.
Wait, what? Have you paid attention to what President Obama has actually done as president - rather than just what you fear he wants to do? You can make an argument that he might not fear the opinion polls any more so than any of his predecessors, but he most certainly does not "govern without interference". Look at the bills he has actually signed. He has signed some of the most conservative bills (including the Health Insurance Industry Bailout Act of 2010) in the history of our country. His governance is undoubtedly facing interference from congress, just the way our government was designed to function.
If the person living in the White House believes he should control all aspects of life in the US
That, would, without a doubt, be terrible. It's a good thing we don't have a president who isdoing that.
No one Man should hold that power
And if one man held that power, we could still use the election process to get rid of him. It's a good thing we don't have a man doing such things currently.
Founder's recognized that fact very clearly, and prepared for that eventuality
Yeah, they installed the electoral college so that leaders can be replaced peacefully. The second amendment does not give you the right to go hunting for man just because you fear what they might want to do.
The original intent of the 2nd amendment was to give people the power to fight their own government should the need arise.
That is, to say the very least, debatable.
Without the 2nd amendment the people of the US would have zero chance of overthrowing the government should the need arise.
That argument makes no sense to me. Even if the military and personal weapons were on par (obviously they are not) why would you need a constitutional amendment in order to see that people acquire the weapons to overthrow the government? Even with the colonial conditions that you described, early Americans were still able to gather up enough weapons to throw out the British.
Even more so, why would the constitution have an amendment specifically for the purpose of overthrowing the government? Ordinarily throwing out your government by force is a capital offense. You need to be dedicated to the cause to the point where you are willing to lay down your own life for it before you should even consider terminating a government by force. If you are in such a situation you should not be worried about whether your acquisition of weaponry is legal or not; the forefathers certainly weren't worried about that.
I believe our founding fathers left it that way in the event out own government became tyrannical.
A lot of people like to make that argument, but I don't see it holding water. Why would you need to write in an amendment to assist in the overthrow of a government? Those actions need to be taken by people who are devoted enough to their cause to be willing to suffer the consequences of failure. The United States was established by a revolution that had a very real chance of failure, and that failure would have very likely lead to the execution of many of those who participated. They didn't need a law to assist their efforts, why would anyone else?
And on top of that, the government was intended to be elected, which is itself supposed to be a mechanism for the people to use to throw out bad leaders. If they wanted to initiate the American Experiment of democracy, why would they write in a mechanism to subvert it?
When the constitution was ratified, the militia was the only defense that the United States had, and all able bodied men were expected to be ready to serve.
Now, whether the militia is the intent of the second amendment is a question that we have been asking for a long time now. The wording of the second amendment is not particularly clear on that.
And yes, I know that this opinion is not popular on a site as conservative as slashdot. That is why we see this as a front page story bashing the person proposing the re-examination of the second amendment.
I don't agree with this tactic
Was unclear to you...
I don't agree with this tactic, but when congress keeps cutting taxes without reducing spending by a matching amount they leave the IRS with few choices but to work harder to pursue outstanding debts.