"The Brit approach was to figure out who the agents were, then keep a close eye on who they associated with so they could discover the larger spy network. They would also use these agents to unwittingly feed bogus intel back into German hands. That that was all too subtle for the swinging dick approach favored by American intel."
Yeah, the British approach to handling WWII was working SO well before the swinging dicks came over and saved that little Island, huh?
Telling the US populace that the British or any other.eu country did great things in comparison to the US is lamesauce. If not for the US, people in.eu would be speaking german or russian. Period.
It's nice to say things 50+++ years later that don't make sense, but you cannot rewrite history.
The US government does things the way it did to the German agents because it undermines moral. Always has, always will. And there is a LOT to say when it comes to undermining the moral of thine enemy... Age old war tactics, really.
Both methods where necessary, and it would appear they work. Germany has nothing as far as an expansionist mentality, militarily they are fairly moot, and Russia isn't much of a world power like they used to be.
Yeah, bag on the Americans. It's the popular thing to do.
Tomorrow it will be "Person of Asian Decent, probably of Chinese".
Chinamen only serves to convey a person of a certain area.
This "politically correct" crap has to end. You can't have a different "cultural" name every oh, half decade or so.
Should we call them "American's of Chinese Decent".
PuhLeeze. People getting irate over being called a Chinaman, when they come from China is lame. I can see it if he called them a "Chink", "Slant Eye" or something else.
Or should I get pissed when someone calls me an American Man?
Some of our greatest scientists ever came AFTER WWII, not defectors from Germany.
Big difference, going to a side that literally whooped the FUCK out of your country, Vs. Defecting.
You're doing a HUGE disservice to the people who actually DID defect from oppressive regimes by trying to state the German scientists "defected".
They defected about as much as you or I did, it would appear. They where the spoils of war, and we did ALL we could to get to them to beat the "reds" (commies).
That's all part of that history stuff you talk of.
I like Canaduh....:) I enjoyed, when I drove a truck, coming up into the area. I also have quite a few friends in the ham radio hobby local to the Canadian area.
You have the same movies and music, but start letting TPB and other sites home in on your country (basing themselves there), and see how quickly that changes.
And turning a blind eye to the fact that many, MANY countries also are either ratifying it, or taking it, is stupidity at it's finest.
Whether you like it or not, it is currently law, and needs to be enforced. Don't like it, revolutionize and get it tossed out of your country; And then live with the repurcussions, like lack of movies in your theaters and lack of selections of music in your stores.
Like it or not, the US will do what they need to so that US interests are protected. Don't like it, don't do business with them, speak with your wallet.
What right do you have to taking someone's copyrighted products without (or, in most of your cases with no) permission?
How about you give me your address and I'll help myself to anything in your house? You can just STFU, and I'll take anything I wish out of your house. Seems like a good analogy to me.
Or, how about I siphon your gas tank every day. That's even better, since the cost of gas is somewhat higher than actually eating nowadays:).
I understand your point of view, but I tell ya what. What's mine is mine, and if I so choose to make you pay to view it, and you attempt to cirucumvent my wishes with MY product, I'ma kick your ass.. Legally if I can, or outright for ripping me off.
Human beings don't have automagical rights. We have a basic right to life. LIberty, pursuit of happiness, etc. can't all be god-given rights, as at times, one can trample another... (think slaves. The 'whites' needed slavery to support them in THEIR pursuit of happiness, but it took the basic right of life away from the people PUT in slavery. IOW, ones rights cannot trample those of another.
Why you think just because you paid for the movie theater experience that gives you the RIGHT to do what you want during that time, I cannot fathom. Matter of fact, I've seen ON TICKETS in the US that bringing recording equipment into the venues can usually get it either confiscated, destroyed, you evicted or a combination of the above.
Renting is not ownership. If it was, everyone would rent a house. You rent time and the experience in a movie theater, since most people don't have a screen bigger than the walls of their home, or a multi-thousand watt sound system to deliver the experience (props to those that do, man).
Oh yeah, the special effects by most Indie, small budget movies are so much better than blockbusters with multi million dollar budgets.
Don't knock movies just because of budget, watch them all. Most all movies have SOMETHING to contribute, but not watching something because it is big budget is limiting yourself in a BIG way.
PayPal would be my first choice, since they are / where the ones that processed the transaction to your fathers account. I believe they have stop-gap prevention measures in place, as long as you act soon enough. I've never had to go that far, only once was I conned on ebay. Finding out the High School kids mothers work number, and giving her a call about her scammer kid at work was enough to get me my car stereo I purchased:)
WaMu, I haven't had a lot of experience with. I tend to go to credit unions, as they have better customer service, don't have the problems banks do, and aren't in it for a profit like a bank is... That usually means a better customer service experience.
HOWEVER, it is a real pain when I travelled, and at work, so I ended up having two accounts. One with a major bank (that rarely had a lot of money in it, just operating expenses), and my credit union. Credit unions are localized, banks can go international.
Those parties should realize that protecting democracy is a noble goal. We do not want any dictatorship ever again. We had enough of that, I guess.
Or the fine citizens of Germany are tired of getting their asses handed to them on a friggin platter because they let some idiot rise to power, and then feeds on the egos of the homeland to get them to do whatever he wants.
Not necessarily so. Elevating free speech over other rights is a part of American ideology, however it is not universally accepted, certainly not in Europe or Asia.
I Asia, you can 'disappear' for excersizing free speech.
In Europe, that mostly stopped about 20 years ago, give or take, depending on which country your in now.
No, the big part of anti-racism is to grant equal rights between races... Or classes, depending on what part of the earth your on.
I don't believe free speech is touched. If it was, the KKK wouldn't be allowed to march in the US... But, they are. We also wouldn't be allowed to say the word NIGGER, but it is said all the time in rap music.
The only problem with the train of thought your purporting is it will increase sales taxes and income taxes.
Either of which hit the poor harder than the rich, unless the rich are living in a slum.
So, in fairness and equitability, property taxes are about one of the fairest taxes we have.
I agree with your point, in theory. I just don't agree with it in application. It's just not a idea that lends itself well to actual application.
Do they pay property tax in Europe? That would be an interesting question. Any.eu folks care to chime in on this one? They have really good social programs in most of.eu, so it would be interesting to see how the benefits are actually created.
I don't agree with not taxing property, because I think someone should be taxed according to ability.
This means, someone living in a 45K dollar slum doesn't pay as much as someone who can afford to live in a 450K dollar home.
Property taxes are one of the few ways to put an even tax on those owners according to the ability to pay.
By your view, I think, nothing should be taxed once you pay for it. How do you add sales tax? How do you have tax on anything?
But, yeah, in theory, we are in agreement. But, I find paying property taxes a fine way to equalize the payments between others, according to ability to pay. Can't pay the taxes, have it reassessed according to current market conditions. Still can't pay them, sell the place / land / etc. and move on.
I don't mind paying property taxes. I don't mind paying taxes at all.
I'm just against paying more than my share or more than I should be paying. I'm also against tax shelters or anything else that reduces an entities tax debt. You should pay what you should pay. Loopholes be damned, if everyone paid what they SHOULD be paying, we'd be in a lot better fiscal condition now.
You pay your taxes based upon current market value of your home / land / property. This means, most farmland isn't worth as much, and isn't taxes as much (per acre) as someone in a residential lot.
Texas also has a LOT of protections for farmers, and this is a moot point in that area.
So, a farmer with 160 undeveloped acres paid about as much as I did for my 3/4 acre home. This I know, as I owned a home in Houston, and my wifes family all lived in the outskirts. My father in law and his oldest son opened a horse ranch in Waller, and ended up paying about the same as I did.
How do I know, my Father in Law sold me my house. So he compared property tax checks at year end. Most of the difference could be written off to increase in property values, this was at the VERY beginning of the bubble.
Slashdot Mirror
"The Brit approach was to figure out who the agents were, then keep a close eye on who they associated with so they could discover the larger spy network. They would also use these agents to unwittingly feed bogus intel back into German hands. That that was all too subtle for the swinging dick approach favored by American intel."
Yeah, the British approach to handling WWII was working SO well before the swinging dicks came over and saved that little Island, huh?
Telling the US populace that the British or any other .eu country did great things in comparison to the US is lamesauce. If not for the US, people in .eu would be speaking german or russian. Period.
It's nice to say things 50+++ years later that
don't make sense, but you cannot rewrite history.
The US government does things the way it did to the German agents because it undermines moral. Always has, always will. And there is a LOT to say when it comes to undermining the moral of thine enemy... Age old war tactics, really.
Both methods where necessary, and it would appear they work. Germany has nothing as far as an expansionist mentality, militarily they are fairly moot, and Russia isn't much of a world power like they used to be.
Yeah, bag on the Americans. It's the popular thing to do.
--Toll_Free
"If I were you, I'd review my thoughts on the differences between governments and human beings."
That's pretty hard when foreign governments USE Human Beings.
--Toll_Free
From IronMan...
"Is it better to be respected, or feared?"
I saw, WHY NOT BOTH?
Truer words where NEVER spoken in a military theater.
--Toll_Free
Yeah, let's bow down to "Asian American" today.
Tomorrow it will be "Person of Asian Decent, probably of Chinese".
Chinamen only serves to convey a person of a certain area.
This "politically correct" crap has to end. You can't have a different "cultural" name every oh, half decade or so.
Should we call them "American's of Chinese Decent".
PuhLeeze. People getting irate over being called a Chinaman, when they come from China is lame. I can see it if he called them a "Chink", "Slant Eye" or something else.
Or should I get pissed when someone calls me an American Man?
Sheesh.
--Toll_Free
Some of our greatest scientists ever came AFTER WWII, not defectors from Germany.
Big difference, going to a side that literally whooped the FUCK out of your country, Vs. Defecting.
You're doing a HUGE disservice to the people who actually DID defect from oppressive regimes by trying to state the German scientists "defected".
They defected about as much as you or I did, it would appear. They where the spoils of war, and we did ALL we could to get to them to beat the "reds" (commies).
That's all part of that history stuff you talk of.
--Toll_Free
Not a problem.
I like Canaduh.... :) I enjoyed, when I drove a truck, coming up into the area. I also have quite a few friends in the ham radio hobby local to the Canadian area.
You have the same movies and music, but start letting TPB and other sites home in on your country (basing themselves there), and see how quickly that changes.
I, for one, welcome our equal trading partners.
--Toll_Free
No, he said good music, not noise.
I think his point was, mostly all we hear coming from .fr is noise.
--Toll_Free
Think Panama for a reference or citation.
Good post.
--Toll_Free
And turning a blind eye to the fact that many, MANY countries also are either ratifying it, or taking it, is stupidity at it's finest.
Whether you like it or not, it is currently law, and needs to be enforced. Don't like it, revolutionize and get it tossed out of your country; And then live with the repurcussions, like lack of movies in your theaters and lack of selections of music in your stores.
Like it or not, the US will do what they need to so that US interests are protected. Don't like it, don't do business with them, speak with your wallet.
--Toll_Free
What right do you have to taking someone's copyrighted products without (or, in most of your cases with no) permission?
How about you give me your address and I'll help myself to anything in your house? You can just STFU, and I'll take anything I wish out of your house. Seems like a good analogy to me.
Or, how about I siphon your gas tank every day. That's even better, since the cost of gas is somewhat higher than actually eating nowadays :).
I understand your point of view, but I tell ya what. What's mine is mine, and if I so choose to make you pay to view it, and you attempt to cirucumvent my wishes with MY product, I'ma kick your ass.. Legally if I can, or outright for ripping me off.
Human beings don't have automagical rights. We have a basic right to life. LIberty, pursuit of happiness, etc. can't all be god-given rights, as at times, one can trample another... (think slaves. The 'whites' needed slavery to support them in THEIR pursuit of happiness, but it took the basic right of life away from the people PUT in slavery. IOW, ones rights cannot trample those of another.
Why you think just because you paid for the movie theater experience that gives you the RIGHT to do what you want during that time, I cannot fathom. Matter of fact, I've seen ON TICKETS in the US that bringing recording equipment into the venues can usually get it either confiscated, destroyed, you evicted or a combination of the above.
Renting is not ownership. If it was, everyone would rent a house. You rent time and the experience in a movie theater, since most people don't have a screen bigger than the walls of their home, or a multi-thousand watt sound system to deliver the experience (props to those that do, man).
--Toll_Free
Oh yeah, the special effects by most Indie, small budget movies are so much better than blockbusters with multi million dollar budgets.
Don't knock movies just because of budget, watch them all. Most all movies have SOMETHING to contribute, but not watching something because it is big budget is limiting yourself in a BIG way.
--Toll_Free
Umm..
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.
IOW, dont' do something illegal if the consequences bug or bother you.
--Toll_Free
PayPal would be my first choice, since they are / where the ones that processed the transaction to your fathers account. I believe they have stop-gap prevention measures in place, as long as you act soon enough. I've never had to go that far, only once was I conned on ebay. Finding out the High School kids mothers work number, and giving her a call about her scammer kid at work was enough to get me my car stereo I purchased :)
WaMu, I haven't had a lot of experience with. I tend to go to credit unions, as they have better customer service, don't have the problems banks do, and aren't in it for a profit like a bank is... That usually means a better customer service experience.
HOWEVER, it is a real pain when I travelled, and at work, so I ended up having two accounts. One with a major bank (that rarely had a lot of money in it, just operating expenses), and my credit union. Credit unions are localized, banks can go international.
--Toll_Free
Judging from your mastery of the Engrish Rangrage, you don't think.
Hence the comma, seperating the thought.
--Toll_Free
Those parties should realize that protecting democracy is a noble goal. We do not want any dictatorship ever again. We had enough of that, I guess.
Or the fine citizens of Germany are tired of getting their asses handed to them on a friggin platter because they let some idiot rise to power, and then feeds on the egos of the homeland to get them to do whatever he wants.
Sheeple are everywhere, not just Germany.
--Toll_Free
Except that the KKK IS allowed to hold public rallies in the USA.
--Toll_Free
anti-racist-speech laws violate free speech
True.
and are bad laws.
Not necessarily so. Elevating free speech over other rights is a part of American ideology, however it is not universally accepted, certainly not in Europe or Asia.
I Asia, you can 'disappear' for excersizing free speech.
In Europe, that mostly stopped about 20 years ago, give or take, depending on which country your in now.
--Toll_Free
No, the big part of anti-racism is to grant equal rights between races... Or classes, depending on what part of the earth your on.
I don't believe free speech is touched. If it was, the KKK wouldn't be allowed to march in the US... But, they are. We also wouldn't be allowed to say the word NIGGER, but it is said all the time in rap music.
Hope that helps to fix any ambiguity.
--Toll_Free
LSD,
The guy telling you that was wrong, anyway.
Paypal GIVES you a few cents, twice, to verify your account.
If you have two charges, chances are, something is amiss.
WaMu is still in business?
--Toll_Free
The only problem with the train of thought your purporting is it will increase sales taxes and income taxes.
Either of which hit the poor harder than the rich, unless the rich are living in a slum.
So, in fairness and equitability, property taxes are about one of the fairest taxes we have.
I agree with your point, in theory. I just don't agree with it in application. It's just not a idea that lends itself well to actual application.
Do they pay property tax in Europe? That would be an interesting question. Any .eu folks care to chime in on this one? They have really good social programs in most of .eu, so it would be interesting to see how the benefits are actually created.
--Toll_Free
The Indian Anal Probe?
--Toll_Free
I don't agree with not taxing property, because I think someone should be taxed according to ability.
This means, someone living in a 45K dollar slum doesn't pay as much as someone who can afford to live in a 450K dollar home.
Property taxes are one of the few ways to put an even tax on those owners according to the ability to pay.
By your view, I think, nothing should be taxed once you pay for it. How do you add sales tax? How do you have tax on anything?
But, yeah, in theory, we are in agreement. But, I find paying property taxes a fine way to equalize the payments between others, according to ability to pay. Can't pay the taxes, have it reassessed according to current market conditions. Still can't pay them, sell the place / land / etc. and move on.
--Toll_Free
Good thing we live in a democratic republic.
I don't mind paying property taxes. I don't mind paying taxes at all.
I'm just against paying more than my share or more than I should be paying. I'm also against tax shelters or anything else that reduces an entities tax debt. You should pay what you should pay. Loopholes be damned, if everyone paid what they SHOULD be paying, we'd be in a lot better fiscal condition now.
--Toll_Free
Fine, stop using things like roads, infrastructure and police and fire departments.
That's some of the shit property taxes are used for.
You don't pay for the rights to use your own land, you pay for all the things that go on around you that you don't directly pay for.
Or, in the case of Texas, you pay for the education system, which in Houston, is pretty damn good.
--Toll_Free
No, that isn't how it works.
You pay your taxes based upon current market value of your home / land / property. This means, most farmland isn't worth as much, and isn't taxes as much (per acre) as someone in a residential lot.
Texas also has a LOT of protections for farmers, and this is a moot point in that area.
So, a farmer with 160 undeveloped acres paid about as much as I did for my 3/4 acre home. This I know, as I owned a home in Houston, and my wifes family all lived in the outskirts. My father in law and his oldest son opened a horse ranch in Waller, and ended up paying about the same as I did.
How do I know, my Father in Law sold me my house. So he compared property tax checks at year end. Most of the difference could be written off to increase in property values, this was at the VERY beginning of the bubble.
--Toll_Free