The government never had the authority to create the TSA, it's been a criminal act from the beginning, and the only thing that's keeping it from being struck down, dissolved, and everyone involved spending some time in prison is....
Y'know, I have no idea how something so blatant, unambiguously infringing, and immense in scale could go overlooked for so long.
"In one of its most important environmental decisions in years, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 on Monday that the agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions.
The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal."
Next, they will demand that there be a special provision which makes it illegal to be President if you're black and all muslims required to eat pork chops.
I think facetious and unwarranted accusations of racism ought to be condemned just as harshly as racism itself. Despicable.
Racism has been a powerful tool for Republicans for... well, ever. Or anyway, at least through the 20th century. Obama birthers are frothing at the mouth based on race, and another fantastic example is immigration debate. I mean, let's be real here: many Americans are pretty effing racist, and Republicans have shown themselves perfectly willing to manipulate their base using any tool available, irrespective of ethical concerns.
No one seems very interested in that now. Pick-and-choose arguments make great sound bites, but the sheer number of constitutional crises we've encountered over the last 10 years or so haven't elicited much more than a yawn and no more than a single news cycle from MSM (okay, a few papers actually had coverage, but that's about it).
Sorry kids, it's over. I think I'll live to see the whole mess come to bear, but it's still a good while off yet - I'd guess about 30-40 years for the real shit to hit the fan. It's the proverbial frog in hot water - I don't think most people will see it coming as chips flake from the edges of personal freedom. Too much perpetual hysteria to sort out the signal.
Some of us forget important things, you insensitive clod.
Well-said. And yet I can quote Ferris Beuller and Holy Grail practically verbatim even though I haven't seen them all the way through since high school. Is this why I can't remember where I put my glasses, or learn new things?
Damn you, entertainment! Curse your slow but inevitable betrayal!
why this would piss me off. I can understand temporary caps on wireless usage while the infrastructure is developed. Regressing to land lines where they don't even deliver the current product and stifle competition? Oh wait, they aren't just a communications provider anymore. They control content now.
Just wait. NBComcasT&T-Mobile Universal will keep us all safe.
T-Mobile annually won awards for their incredible customer service.
Means nothing. In most markets, Verizon kicks their asses in every regard including customer service according to Consumer Reports..
With all due respect, Consumer Reports have their heads up their asses on this one. Verizon was consistently the most unpleasant, unhelpful, and usually overtly hostile customer service experiences of my life. T-mobile gives me fast contact with an agent followed by actual assistance. Not once have I felt like "the enemy" when calling them, but every single call to Verizon wireless just ruined my day.
I have no comment on Sprint except to say if you defend Verizon Wireless then I should check out Sprint.
As much as this is a truly bad thing, there is one area where this will lead to greater efficiency...network coverage. Both AT&T and T-Mobile customers who previously had poor service in certain areas will, once everything is integrated, get better service in those areas. It will take a while before AT&T can let the network stagnate to the point where the service sucks again.
Sooo... from my experience, Verizon Wireless is deplorable and despicable in their customer service and billing practices, respectively. I've heard from family members that AT&T has some ugly issues, but I haven't experienced them personally. My impression is that T-Mobile is the best of the three, and my experience with them has been better-than-average service and coverage, and consistent accuracy in billing.
I'd love to hear people's experiences with other providers, so I have somewhere to go when T-Mobile gets gobbled up.
In my town we have several so-called christian churches that tell families if they give money god will bless them. This of course is the heresy that prompted all protestant faiths.
As opposed to the Catholic Church, which said that if you gave them money, your loved ones would be freed from Purgatory?
I think the GP was already referring to the Catholic heresy which sparked the Protestant movement in the 1500s, and saying the "new" christian cash-for-salvation evangelists are no better - a point with which I cannot argue.
There's like 50 of these, get a grip. We were railroaded into the war under the false premise that these were the people who attacked us. It was probably for ideological reasons, but plenty of big players dipped their beaks as deep as they could go. As for "proximate" causes (which, one can easily argue, would not have even happened without our involvement), the civilian casualty count in Iraq was greater than tens of thousands, with lowest estimates starting upwards of 100,000.
I can't believe I'm still arguing these points. How much evidence is required? Yes, I hated Bush II, but we aren't talking about some red-blue pissing match. This blood was spilt from and by our children, and it was based on fabrication and hand-waving. Won't someone... PLEASE actually think of the children - like, for real this time?
The fourth estate has been asphyxiating since Watergate. Set up bloggers with an editor and a fact checker, toss in a couple reference links at the bottom - bingo, fourth estate.
A million bloggers hitting random keys for ten hours a day will probably stumble on a fact or two.
If they really wanted to check their prices versus what the public is willing to pay they'd set up a "pay what you think is fair" website. They probably want to see how many people are really torrenting, and maybe get some inflated piracy numbers. Tracking IPs seems unlikely, but I suppose with the viral nature of a free movie saving on advertising and a negligible cost for distribution, they could easily invest big money in some digi-sleuth firm.
Without knowing where the public's perception of a fair pricepoint is though, this isn't a genuine attempt at a new distribution model.
I'm no lawyer or politician, but could this perhaps be legislation made in response to the recent Wikileaks fiasco?
That's right where my mind went, too. It sounds like a sugar coating for a clamp down on whistleblowers. I guess if congress passes it we're right, because I can't imagine the Rs getting on board with something like this otherwise.
It doesn't help that there are about six completly different measuresments call the 'ton' or 'tonne.' The metric system was introduced to replace the terrible mess of often contradictory units that were in use before - and remain in use in the UK, and just about nowhere else. We do use imperial in the UK for a few things - speed limits, beer - but most measurements are metric now.
Fortunately the US has adopted a simpler, more consistent set of measurements. For example, my car gets 40 rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it!
This is a little bit pedantic, but I've noticed that brits usually refer to organizations as "their" not "its". I think there's value in the semantics. These organizations are not monolithic. It is comprised of individuals who make decisions. To refer to the FBI as an "it" is in a sense to enshrine the concept of corporate personhood - corporations are made up of individuals, and to speak of them monolithically lets the decision makers off the hook.
That said, I agree that the FBI will conduct their operations in the way in which you describe. Those with power consolidate that power, and the DHS, FBI, and CIA have been obscenely empowered in the last decade. I can't really imagine how that could get rolled back, or even moderated at this point.
Slashdot Mirror
The government never had the authority to create the TSA, it's been a criminal act from the beginning, and the only thing that's keeping it from being struck down, dissolved, and everyone involved spending some time in prison is....
Y'know, I have no idea how something so blatant, unambiguously infringing, and immense in scale could go overlooked for so long.
Terror.
I thought we were an autonomous collective.
The EPA does have the authority to regulate carbon emmisions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/world/americas/03iht-scotus.1.5124385.html
Quoting relevant passage:
"In one of its most important environmental decisions in years, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 on Monday that the agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions.
The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal."
Next, they will demand that there be a special provision which makes it illegal to be President if you're black and all muslims required to eat pork chops.
I think facetious and unwarranted accusations of racism ought to be condemned just as harshly as racism itself. Despicable.
Racism has been a powerful tool for Republicans for ... well, ever. Or anyway, at least through the 20th century. Obama birthers are frothing at the mouth based on race, and another fantastic example is immigration debate. I mean, let's be real here: many Americans are pretty effing racist, and Republicans have shown themselves perfectly willing to manipulate their base using any tool available, irrespective of ethical concerns.
fast approaching Constitutional Crisis time.
No one seems very interested in that now. Pick-and-choose arguments make great sound bites, but the sheer number of constitutional crises we've encountered over the last 10 years or so haven't elicited much more than a yawn and no more than a single news cycle from MSM (okay, a few papers actually had coverage, but that's about it).
Sorry kids, it's over. I think I'll live to see the whole mess come to bear, but it's still a good while off yet - I'd guess about 30-40 years for the real shit to hit the fan. It's the proverbial frog in hot water - I don't think most people will see it coming as chips flake from the edges of personal freedom. Too much perpetual hysteria to sort out the signal.
Some of us forget important things, you insensitive clod.
Well-said. And yet I can quote Ferris Beuller and Holy Grail practically verbatim even though I haven't seen them all the way through since high school. Is this why I can't remember where I put my glasses, or learn new things?
Damn you, entertainment! Curse your slow but inevitable betrayal!
Scrum of the earth?
Well, 2012 is just around the corner.
And fezes, fezes are cool.
I was devastated to see Tennant leave, but Smith has a sillier style with a lot of charm, the world weighs on him less heavily.
why this would piss me off. I can understand temporary caps on wireless usage while the infrastructure is developed. Regressing to land lines where they don't even deliver the current product and stifle competition? Oh wait, they aren't just a communications provider anymore. They control content now.
Just wait. NBComcasT&T-Mobile Universal will keep us all safe.
T-Mobile annually won awards for their incredible customer service.
Means nothing. In most markets, Verizon kicks their asses in every regard including customer service according to Consumer Reports..
With all due respect, Consumer Reports have their heads up their asses on this one. Verizon was consistently the most unpleasant, unhelpful, and usually overtly hostile customer service experiences of my life. T-mobile gives me fast contact with an agent followed by actual assistance. Not once have I felt like "the enemy" when calling them, but every single call to Verizon wireless just ruined my day.
I have no comment on Sprint except to say if you defend Verizon Wireless then I should check out Sprint.
AT&T is pledging a bigger LTE rollout, including to rural parts of the US.
They have a nice corporate logo, I think we can trust them.
As much as this is a truly bad thing, there is one area where this will lead to greater efficiency...network coverage. Both AT&T and T-Mobile customers who previously had poor service in certain areas will, once everything is integrated, get better service in those areas. It will take a while before AT&T can let the network stagnate to the point where the service sucks again.
Sooo... from my experience, Verizon Wireless is deplorable and despicable in their customer service and billing practices, respectively. I've heard from family members that AT&T has some ugly issues, but I haven't experienced them personally. My impression is that T-Mobile is the best of the three, and my experience with them has been better-than-average service and coverage, and consistent accuracy in billing.
I'd love to hear people's experiences with other providers, so I have somewhere to go when T-Mobile gets gobbled up.
In my town we have several so-called christian churches that tell families if they give money god will bless them. This of course is the heresy that prompted all protestant faiths.
As opposed to the Catholic Church, which said that if you gave them money, your loved ones would be freed from Purgatory?
I think the GP was already referring to the Catholic heresy which sparked the Protestant movement in the 1500s, and saying the "new" christian cash-for-salvation evangelists are no better - a point with which I cannot argue.
Wasn't without cause in what sense, exactly?
Media campaign for Iraq war started in advance of any intelligence findings at all
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB254/index.htm
No imminent threat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Report_on_Pre-war_Intelligence_on_Iraq
"The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence found that many of the allegations in the speech were not supported by the underlying intelligence."
MI6 warns Blair that no WMDs exist - Bush admin ignores it
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4466512.ece
There's like 50 of these, get a grip. We were railroaded into the war under the false premise that these were the people who attacked us. It was probably for ideological reasons, but plenty of big players dipped their beaks as deep as they could go. As for "proximate" causes (which, one can easily argue, would not have even happened without our involvement), the civilian casualty count in Iraq was greater than tens of thousands, with lowest estimates starting upwards of 100,000.
I can't believe I'm still arguing these points. How much evidence is required? Yes, I hated Bush II, but we aren't talking about some red-blue pissing match. This blood was spilt from and by our children, and it was based on fabrication and hand-waving. Won't someone... PLEASE actually think of the children - like, for real this time?
The fourth estate has been asphyxiating since Watergate. Set up bloggers with an editor and a fact checker, toss in a couple reference links at the bottom - bingo, fourth estate.
A million bloggers hitting random keys for ten hours a day will probably stumble on a fact or two.
Don't worry, trickle down economics will fix this problem for you.
Yes indeed! It will reduce the surplus population, and then there's more tuppence for the rest of us.
Polish yer iPad, govna?
If they really wanted to check their prices versus what the public is willing to pay they'd set up a "pay what you think is fair" website. They probably want to see how many people are really torrenting, and maybe get some inflated piracy numbers. Tracking IPs seems unlikely, but I suppose with the viral nature of a free movie saving on advertising and a negligible cost for distribution, they could easily invest big money in some digi-sleuth firm.
Without knowing where the public's perception of a fair pricepoint is though, this isn't a genuine attempt at a new distribution model.
I'm no lawyer or politician, but could this perhaps be legislation made in response to the recent Wikileaks fiasco?
That's right where my mind went, too. It sounds like a sugar coating for a clamp down on whistleblowers. I guess if congress passes it we're right, because I can't imagine the Rs getting on board with something like this otherwise.
If I say I don't know are you going to throw me off a bridge?
It doesn't help that there are about six completly different measuresments call the 'ton' or 'tonne.' The metric system was introduced to replace the terrible mess of often contradictory units that were in use before - and remain in use in the UK, and just about nowhere else.
We do use imperial in the UK for a few things - speed limits, beer - but most measurements are metric now.
Fortunately the US has adopted a simpler, more consistent set of measurements. For example, my car gets 40 rods to the hogshead, and that's the way I likes it!
I came as fast as I heard, am I too late to make a 'philately on Slashdot' joke?
Okay, here goes:
Philately, on Slashdot? The best you nerds ever get is a Wankel rotary engine.
The FBI will conduct its operations
This is a little bit pedantic, but I've noticed that brits usually refer to organizations as "their" not "its". I think there's value in the semantics. These organizations are not monolithic. It is comprised of individuals who make decisions. To refer to the FBI as an "it" is in a sense to enshrine the concept of corporate personhood - corporations are made up of individuals, and to speak of them monolithically lets the decision makers off the hook.
That said, I agree that the FBI will conduct their operations in the way in which you describe. Those with power consolidate that power, and the DHS, FBI, and CIA have been obscenely empowered in the last decade. I can't really imagine how that could get rolled back, or even moderated at this point.
Bad things.
To be the devil's advocate - gathering evidence IS the attempt of proving guilt.
That makes no sense. You can't break-into someone's house to gather evidence just because you feel like it.
You must be old here.
Actually, it was a friend of his that made the comment. He is guilty by association.
I think you may mean he is G U I L T Y
(by association)
Quick! Add the <FNORD> tags before they notice!
My god... someone else fnord read that book? Amazing.
Hail Eris!