Facebook really needs to use a different word than "friends." It's a disgusting perversion of a word that once meant something important.
As for drunk driving being a crime, there used to be a concept in law that your freedom to swing your fists ends at the tip of my nose. Now it seems to be that your freedom to swing your fists ends when it increases the statistical probability that something might hit my nose.
Big corporations are, in many ways, functionally equivalent to governments -- like a government, they are soulless collectives with massive power. One of the airports in New York--either JFK or LaGuardia, I forget which--is privately run, and a friend ended up in jail for something he would have been constitutionally protected doing in the other airport.
This is where I part ways with my libertarian friends who look only at private vs public rather than individual vs collective. You're right, there's no free speech protections against a corporation shutting you up, but...there should be.
(And I can't believe I've somehow placed myself on the same side as a church, especially a book-burning hate-mongering church. Sigh...)
We outlaw drunk driving, not because there is anything wrong with drunk driving, but because it's a "reasonable" predictor of a crash.
I don't think that makes predictive laws okay -- there should be nothing wrong with drunk driving unless and until you hit someone -- but the fact is that as soon as the law is a reality, you'll have the majority of people earnestly supporting it as a reasonable restraint that protects everyone else. We live in a culture of obedience that is obsessed with safety. Freedom is unimportant to most people.
"The desire for security stands against every great and noble enterprise." -- Tacitus
Dear CIA,
You’ll note that the “anarchist” in my political views line under Info is prefaced by “absurdist.” I do believe in “fighting” the State and the Corporation and the Institution and the Boy Scouts and the Neighbourhood Mothers Association, and generally honouring Thomas Jefferson and Ortega y Gasset when he railed against any collective entity as being soulless, he was one of the Founders, wasn’t he?, or at least the blog and Facebook persona that I created for eventually marketing my novel, should it ever come out, does, (blended with the practicality of actually connecting with friends smeared throughout time and space) but only by using boulders (where was I?, how did I get to boulders?) not any sort of dishonourable weapons that could actually succeed at anything other than damaging my big toe.
I am fully aware that any attempt to “fight” only strengthens you, the CIA, Bernie Kerik, et al., by increasing your budget and decreasing my rights, and so my fighting strategy is to be as weak, useless and nonconfrontational as possible in the hopes of weakening you. In fact, by becoming a complete corporate drone clock punching jellyfish, I hope to eventually make you fall asleep — which I shall I consider a victory.
How did I get to punching jellyfish?
Anyway, I apologize in advance for triggering your keywords. Please rest assured that I have no influence whatsoever.
Sincerely,
http://www.boldizar.com/
Slashdot Mirror
There is a very strong historical correlation between countries having a disproportionate number of young men and those countries starting wars.
So, in summary, time measures clocks rather than the other way around.
"'Ere this night does wane, you will drink the black sperm of my vengeance!" -- Ebert (with Russ Meyer) RIP
Facebook really needs to use a different word than "friends." It's a disgusting perversion of a word that once meant something important. As for drunk driving being a crime, there used to be a concept in law that your freedom to swing your fists ends at the tip of my nose. Now it seems to be that your freedom to swing your fists ends when it increases the statistical probability that something might hit my nose.
Big corporations are, in many ways, functionally equivalent to governments -- like a government, they are soulless collectives with massive power. One of the airports in New York--either JFK or LaGuardia, I forget which--is privately run, and a friend ended up in jail for something he would have been constitutionally protected doing in the other airport. This is where I part ways with my libertarian friends who look only at private vs public rather than individual vs collective. You're right, there's no free speech protections against a corporation shutting you up, but...there should be. (And I can't believe I've somehow placed myself on the same side as a church, especially a book-burning hate-mongering church. Sigh...)
"A pun is the lowest form of humour, unless you thought of it first."
We outlaw drunk driving, not because there is anything wrong with drunk driving, but because it's a "reasonable" predictor of a crash. I don't think that makes predictive laws okay -- there should be nothing wrong with drunk driving unless and until you hit someone -- but the fact is that as soon as the law is a reality, you'll have the majority of people earnestly supporting it as a reasonable restraint that protects everyone else. We live in a culture of obedience that is obsessed with safety. Freedom is unimportant to most people. "The desire for security stands against every great and noble enterprise." -- Tacitus
Dear CIA, You’ll note that the “anarchist” in my political views line under Info is prefaced by “absurdist.” I do believe in “fighting” the State and the Corporation and the Institution and the Boy Scouts and the Neighbourhood Mothers Association, and generally honouring Thomas Jefferson and Ortega y Gasset when he railed against any collective entity as being soulless, he was one of the Founders, wasn’t he?, or at least the blog and Facebook persona that I created for eventually marketing my novel, should it ever come out, does, (blended with the practicality of actually connecting with friends smeared throughout time and space) but only by using boulders (where was I?, how did I get to boulders?) not any sort of dishonourable weapons that could actually succeed at anything other than damaging my big toe. I am fully aware that any attempt to “fight” only strengthens you, the CIA, Bernie Kerik, et al., by increasing your budget and decreasing my rights, and so my fighting strategy is to be as weak, useless and nonconfrontational as possible in the hopes of weakening you. In fact, by becoming a complete corporate drone clock punching jellyfish, I hope to eventually make you fall asleep — which I shall I consider a victory. How did I get to punching jellyfish? Anyway, I apologize in advance for triggering your keywords. Please rest assured that I have no influence whatsoever. Sincerely, http://www.boldizar.com/