Mamoru Oshii's "Avalon" by a mile. Blade Runner is good but not an all time winner. As for Star Wars, someone doesn't even know what the term Sci Fi means
"This is due to intentional malice, disorganization, stupidity, or any combination of the above."
Actually I think it's due to folks who enforce laws with no concept of why they exist, which I suppose you could file under "stupid," but I really think you need a new category, perhaps: "concentration camp guard."
"perhaps because it's quite famous as a word that (allegedly) has no vowels."
Yeah, that's one of those words where the "Y" is actually a Greek Upsilon, pronounced "U" with other vowels but like a short "I" when found alone, as in Pythagoras (NOT PIE-THAGORAS thank you), Syracuse, etc.
The Arabs are Hamites, at least in Biblical terms, though the linguists like to class their language as "Semitic." But WE'RE NOT TALKING LANGUAGE HERE, BOZO. An "antisemite" is someone with an IQ less than his shoe size who knows nothing about Judaism but knows he hates us anyway. That goes double for Germans who in certain parts of Germany were preceded in their arrival by Jews under the Roman Empire.
Did these people NOT recognize Ted Kennedy? Christ, I recognize the local weatherman when I see him at the mall. These are folks who have never learned to think for themselves. They have been taught to follow orders no matter how stupid or banal they are and they would throw their own grandmothers out the window if ordered to do so, and THAT is the real danger to America right now. And these are the ideal citizens in the estimation of the likes of G W Bush--zombies who follow orders and thank their masters for throwing them a few scraps to chew on now and then.
"I certainly can't use the excuse that I'm a U.S. Senator to get through airport security."
So now which name do you think the terrorists will know is NOT being checked? If you can answer that one you will be qualified to be Director of Homeland Security and get a free pass to all White House weenie roasts.
Let's face it. These characters couldn't find their way out of a Texas whore.
Because this isn't about actually preventing anything. It's to maintain the level of "terror" so W will have a prayer in Hell of getting reelected. This is political theater. It's not reality.
Too bad there aren't any Senators named A. Smith. I bet that's a favorite of the terrorists. Personally, if I were going to make up a name to get on an airplane, I think I'd use G. W. Bush. Now there's someone Ridge wouldn't screw with.
I do seem to recall something about issuing papers to privateers for the specific purpose of harrassing the British fleet. And I'm sure if George had had the opportunity he would have carried the war to Britain itself. Somehow, the Battle of Trenton doesn't impress me as a standard military operation. I mean, attacking the enemy on Christmas Day when they were drunk as a skunk? Is this your idea of the proper rules of engagement?
"You cannot make this comparison logically. The war we are fighing now is against people who are obsessed with destroying our way of life. It is not a war for 'independence' or 'freedom.'"
You, Sir, have been watching too much Faux News. These guys couldn't care less about our way of life, except to the extent that it requires us to steal their oil to keep it operating.
No, at this point in the history of the world, I do not think this was some king of bug or mistake. At some point they are going to start doing this to anybody they think is a Democrat or a liberal or just a non-creationist. Don't believe me? Just vote for the bastards again.
This isn't about bugs. This is about bug-brained bureaucrats.
Don't you think a REAL terrorist, as opposed to the typical moron the Dept. of Bureaucratic Stupidity imagines, is going to do a dry run using test names and identities to make sure they're clear of this pathetic little system BEFORE they act? This kind of prevention is like that little hook and chain most people have on their front doors. It makes them feel good but it's not going to protect them in a real emergency. Same with making folks take their shoes off. You don't suppose any terrorists are ever going to try that again, do you? This is like the military always fighting the last war. It's called "reaction," and it's the root of the word "reactionary," which is all these fools can ever be. That's because they have neither the intelligence nor the creativity to actually plan ahead, so they make everyone else's life miserable shutting the barn door after the Bin Ladens have already flown home. Perhaps there should be a minimum IQ for government employees. Or maybe just give them a test to see if they can think their way out of a paper bag.
Well, these guys did manage to get replies to questions from golden statues, so it's possible they really didn't get the head to work in a way we would consider functional. Then again, you don't develop a 3000-year-old civilization without learning something.
"Restoring sight to the blind is a Bibical miracle"
Well, the really good Egyptian magicians were supposed to be able to reattach a severed head. Now THAT'S technology! Betcha they can't do that at Olympus.
The Italian sci-fi movie "Nirvana" has some nice special effects of a guy with cheapo eye replacements. His goal in life is to get a pair of color "Zonys," which I imagine they substituted for trademark reasons. Some funny bits too--when they steal a truck it threatens to blow itself up if they don't give it back. Overall, kind of a bad version of Oshii's Avalon in Italian.
"A good analogy would be the trial of Sadam Hussien. When he was put on the stand he declared the invasion to his country illegal and asked the judge under whose authority he was being tried."
I strongly suspect the problem with Saddam's argument is that international relations are pretty much anarchical. There is no world government per se. There are treaties that forbid invasions, but as we have seen, they are not worth the toilet paper they are printed on. In this arena, might still makes right. What is disgusting about the whole affair is the mockery it makes of a judicial process based on non-existent law. To use the form of law to punish someone who is guilty of annoying the powers that be in Washington is a joke. They just don't have the nerve to act like the Imperial force they obviously think they are.
How does this relate to SCO? In one quite basic way. SCO is using the form of the law to try to intimidate and even blackmail people when they have no legal position at all. They are, in short, megalomaniacal to the point of transferring the methods of national aggression to the field of commercial relations, where they are virtually unarmed.
You'd do a lot more for "good" candidates by voting in the primary for them. That is the weak spot for the major parties, which is why they try to ignore them where they can. If enough people got together and voted for good candidates in the primaries, you wouldn't need third parties. You'd have Earl Environmentalist running against Sally Solar-Power.
Actually, China is an oligarchy, where a small group of members of a clique rule either collectively or in rotation, as opposed to the Catholic Church, which I would call an "oligarchical elective dictatorship," where the clique elects the dictator and then goes back to being subservient to it.
In Soviet Union, the commissar tells you what to laugh at. In Russian Republic, Rootin' Tootin' Putin tells you what to laugh at. In US, John Ashcroft tells you what's funny and then arrests you if you laugh the wrong way.
Slashdot Mirror
Mamoru Oshii's "Avalon" by a mile. Blade Runner is good but not an all time winner. As for Star Wars, someone doesn't even know what the term Sci Fi means
"Everyone knows"
One wonders what exactly this loony thinks the word "everyone" means.
I stopped metamoderating when I realized they were never going to give me moderation points.
Looks like a bubble to me.
Will somebody just shoot these idiots and put them out of their misery?
"This is due to intentional malice, disorganization, stupidity, or any combination of the above."
Actually I think it's due to folks who enforce laws with no concept of why they exist, which I suppose you could file under "stupid," but I really think you need a new category, perhaps: "concentration camp guard."
"perhaps because it's quite famous as a word that (allegedly) has no vowels."
Yeah, that's one of those words where the "Y" is actually a Greek Upsilon, pronounced "U" with other vowels but like a short "I" when found alone, as in Pythagoras (NOT PIE-THAGORAS thank you), Syracuse, etc.
Picky Picky Picky...wait 20 seconds for dimwit program to clear...dah dah dee dumb dee dumb is it 20 seconds yet let's see...
The Arabs are Hamites, at least in Biblical terms, though the linguists like to class their language as "Semitic." But WE'RE NOT TALKING LANGUAGE HERE, BOZO. An "antisemite" is someone with an IQ less than his shoe size who knows nothing about Judaism but knows he hates us anyway. That goes double for Germans who in certain parts of Germany were preceded in their arrival by Jews under the Roman Empire.
Now there's a scrabble word if ever I saw one!
Did these people NOT recognize Ted Kennedy? Christ, I recognize the local weatherman when I see him at the mall. These are folks who have never learned to think for themselves. They have been taught to follow orders no matter how stupid or banal they are and they would throw their own grandmothers out the window if ordered to do so, and THAT is the real danger to America right now. And these are the ideal citizens in the estimation of the likes of G W Bush--zombies who follow orders and thank their masters for throwing them a few scraps to chew on now and then.
"I certainly can't use the excuse that I'm a U.S. Senator to get through airport security."
So now which name do you think the terrorists will know is NOT being checked? If you can answer that one you will be qualified to be Director of Homeland Security and get a free pass to all White House weenie roasts.
Let's face it. These characters couldn't find their way out of a Texas whore.
Because this isn't about actually preventing anything. It's to maintain the level of "terror" so W will have a prayer in Hell of getting reelected. This is political theater. It's not reality.
Too bad there aren't any Senators named A. Smith. I bet that's a favorite of the terrorists. Personally, if I were going to make up a name to get on an airplane, I think I'd use G. W. Bush. Now there's someone Ridge wouldn't screw with.
I do seem to recall something about issuing papers to privateers for the specific purpose of harrassing the British fleet. And I'm sure if George had had the opportunity he would have carried the war to Britain itself. Somehow, the Battle of Trenton doesn't impress me as a standard military operation. I mean, attacking the enemy on Christmas Day when they were drunk as a skunk? Is this your idea of the proper rules of engagement?
"You cannot make this comparison logically. The war we are fighing now is against people who are obsessed with destroying our way of life. It is not a war for 'independence' or 'freedom.'"
You, Sir, have been watching too much Faux News. These guys couldn't care less about our way of life, except to the extent that it requires us to steal their oil to keep it operating.
With the help of the Bush Administration no less.
No, at this point in the history of the world, I do not think this was some king of bug or mistake. At some point they are going to start doing this to anybody they think is a Democrat or a liberal or just a non-creationist. Don't believe me? Just vote for the bastards again.
This isn't about bugs. This is about bug-brained bureaucrats.
Don't you think a REAL terrorist, as opposed to the typical moron the Dept. of Bureaucratic Stupidity imagines, is going to do a dry run using test names and identities to make sure they're clear of this pathetic little system BEFORE they act? This kind of prevention is like that little hook and chain most people have on their front doors. It makes them feel good but it's not going to protect them in a real emergency. Same with making folks take their shoes off. You don't suppose any terrorists are ever going to try that again, do you? This is like the military always fighting the last war. It's called "reaction," and it's the root of the word "reactionary," which is all these fools can ever be. That's because they have neither the intelligence nor the creativity to actually plan ahead, so they make everyone else's life miserable shutting the barn door after the Bin Ladens have already flown home. Perhaps there should be a minimum IQ for government employees. Or maybe just give them a test to see if they can think their way out of a paper bag.
Well, these guys did manage to get replies to questions from golden statues, so it's possible they really didn't get the head to work in a way we would consider functional. Then again, you don't develop a 3000-year-old civilization without learning something.
"Restoring sight to the blind is a Bibical miracle"
Well, the really good Egyptian magicians were supposed to be able to reattach a severed head. Now THAT'S technology! Betcha they can't do that at Olympus.
The Italian sci-fi movie "Nirvana" has some nice special effects of a guy with cheapo eye replacements. His goal in life is to get a pair of color "Zonys," which I imagine they substituted for trademark reasons. Some funny bits too--when they steal a truck it threatens to blow itself up if they don't give it back. Overall, kind of a bad version of Oshii's Avalon in Italian.
"A good analogy would be the trial of Sadam Hussien. When he was put on the stand he declared the invasion to his country illegal and asked the judge under whose authority he was being tried."
I strongly suspect the problem with Saddam's argument is that international relations are pretty much anarchical. There is no world government per se. There are treaties that forbid invasions, but as we have seen, they are not worth the toilet paper they are printed on. In this arena, might still makes right. What is disgusting about the whole affair is the mockery it makes of a judicial process based on non-existent law. To use the form of law to punish someone who is guilty of annoying the powers that be in Washington is a joke. They just don't have the nerve to act like the Imperial force they obviously think they are.
How does this relate to SCO? In one quite basic way. SCO is using the form of the law to try to intimidate and even blackmail people when they have no legal position at all. They are, in short, megalomaniacal to the point of transferring the methods of national aggression to the field of commercial relations, where they are virtually unarmed.
You'd do a lot more for "good" candidates by voting in the primary for them. That is the weak spot for the major parties, which is why they try to ignore them where they can. If enough people got together and voted for good candidates in the primaries, you wouldn't need third parties. You'd have Earl Environmentalist running against Sally Solar-Power.
This is what happened with Ross Perot until he realized he was going to win and got cold feet.
How do you think us stutterers feel about the coming verbal computer interface?
"unless you live in some dictatorship like China"
Actually, China is an oligarchy, where a small group of members of a clique rule either collectively or in rotation, as opposed to the Catholic Church, which I would call an "oligarchical elective dictatorship," where the clique elects the dictator and then goes back to being subservient to it.
In Soviet Union, the commissar tells you what to laugh at. In Russian Republic, Rootin' Tootin' Putin tells you what to laugh at. In US, John Ashcroft tells you what's funny and then arrests you if you laugh the wrong way.