No, no! You can win much earlier by getting democracy, and then building the statue of liberty ASAP. Then switch to a fundamentalism. You can dominate the world with Crusaders long before the discovery of tactics. Not very ethical, but I'm not killing REAL people and REAL liberty.....
Of course getting steam is nice because the first steam boats are incredibly powerful despite the fact that that has almost nothing to do with reality.
Now as for Steam and Valve, well that seems stupid and clunky. I don't even like Civ III or IV anyway, I just wish FreeCiv was more exactly like Civ II which (to me) is near perfect in hundreds of ways.
Hey Valve! Release Civ II that looks like Civ IV and maybe I'll buy it! Or better yet, release Civ II as FOSS like Id does with quake, etc. Let the community rebuild the interface to be 3d and pretty.....
Damn, I don't have any mod points, but that link is a really good link to give just about anybody who has problems understanding the ideas behind "Computer Security".
Do you know how many wierdo gay programmers would be into that? Totally beats cyber! Better yet, you know how many 12 year old girls would miss-use that on their MySpace page in ways that were truly horrifying? Like, oh my god, skins! And then the sonic dildo pops out..... I'm totally with you here. Great idea. Sonic Skull-fucking. The next non- open source OS I pay for had better have that feature or I'm not paying for it.
Are you sure it isn't because another rehashed version of some boy band you never liked is all they're selling? The only stuff I download is new albums by bands I already liked..... And I figure they have my money already from the old albums, or even ticket sales.....
Said it before, will say it again: Both formats will be trounced immediately and handily by any start up that offers identical performance/form factor and no DRM.
The ZUNE is dead already, it's DRM to the max, nobody wants to touch it. I personally won't use iTunes for the same reason. Someone get me a wimax ipod, or better yet build it into my cell phone, and leave out the DRM, and I'm just one of MILLIONS of customers.
How are the real conservatives not all over this issue? Why am I the loud liberal canary on what is obviously a personal freedom / consumer rights / free market issue?
Just because the Neocons can't handle their way out of a wet paper bag doesn't mean real conservatives shouldn't still be throwing this stuff in everybody's face every five seconds. I wish they would, so I can get back to my environmentalism and anti-corporatism, where I feel more at home.
As long as you require anyone purchasing explosives to register in a database, we should definitely be able to keep the CIA from imploding buildings on national public television (AKA PRAVDA). I for one welcome our new false flag terrorist rocket builders. Tell me, can APCP melt steel at temperatures lower than where jet fuel burns, or did somebody buy a grip of thermite pre 9/11? Does anybody on/. sell enough thermite to remember any odd receipts in July of 2001?
There is other information that would heavily effect those stats. For instance: IE SUCKS. I mean, if you have 20 choices, and one of them sucks, I don't see how anybody would be more likely to use the shitty one.
"Here's 20 different candy flavors, all of them tasty and sweet except this one. This one tastes like real human shit! Make a selection!"
Sure, some people take the shit one because they didn't have the choice (it was preinstalled in windows), but even those people are easily motivated to change if they taste the better browser.
For those of you who modded me troll (seems obvious that the bias here would cause that), you have to be kidding. LOTS of people have the complaints that I have when they try linux.
For those of you who doubt the authenticity of my aborted Linux attempts:
I just tried Ubuntu, Ultimate Linux, and Fedora about 6 months ago. I had huge problems with all of them, and never found satisfactory solutions either by hunting, F1, wikipedia, or the forums.
For those of you who don't get my motives:
I like FOSS. I like the idea behind it (both political and as far as code quality and peer review), and nearly every app I use in windows is FOSS. As an admin for many computers, my own included, but also about 50+ family and friends, as well as some professional work on occasion, I've switched 100% of users to Firefox. I've switched about 80% of users to Thunderbird. About 50% use Gimp now, and the only WYSIWYG web people I know are on Nvu. I've also installed Gaim, GSview, Utorrent, Open Office, Abiword, and dozens of other FOSS games and apps (and Filezilla, which is great, can't go unmentioned).
I'm very disappointed not to have a FOSS audio program to replace windows. I'm also very disappointed in the FOSS alternative to Nero, although I see them getting closer. As somebody who does a LOT of music stuff, I'm also bummed that audacity doesn't really hold a candle to a lot of commercial alternatives, and there isn't even a SHITTY replacement for Sibelius (which strikes me as really odd. What program would be easier to write than a Sibelius clone?!?!).
Now given that most of my user base (and myself) are mostly FOSS, it would be VERY NICE to have a whole FOSS distro that I could just quickly install with some automated installer CD (a la TinyXP).
The simple fact is: I can't. I can't even think about it. I would lose all credibility with the people I help by switching any one of them to Linux. There is no reasonably good version of Linux for the home user yet. Not that I've seen. I may try the next version of OpenSUSE, as it shows a lot of promise, but if the control panel/menu system is the least bit different from windows, and wine isn't easily installed:
It's going right on the trash heap along with:
Red Hat Fedora Ubuntu Kubuntu Koraraa Mandriva Gentoo Debian Ultimate Linux
and any other version that refuses to KISS for ME and MY ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIEND CIRCLE.
I think it's funny that so many of my responses seemed to so clearly echo the arrogant and immature reference that I made in my initial post. Another thing against Linux is what a bunch of assholes some of you Linux people are. I JUST WANT IT TO WORK, ASSHOLE.
And no, it's not like driving an automatic when you're used to a stick. It's way, WAY stupider than that. It's like taking the concept of steering wheel/gas/brakes that everyone has used and known for 100 years, and replacing it with shitty flight sim controls. Would somebody PLEASE make a linux distro that has a steering/gas/brake system that myself and all my friends can reliably use without RTFM?!? IS IT REALLY THAT FRIGGIN HARD?!?
rhY
PS ReactOS is a cool idea. Some of the lurkers in the forums there have a very similar "linux asshole" type of attitude though, and over all I don't see it being a really usable alternative to any OS for quite some time. Furthermore, I don't think it will have some of the huge advantages that Linux already has in stability and speed. If it does get further along though, I do see it dominating both Linux and Windows. It's got a long uphill battle though at this point, obviously.
I say all well and good because everyone here fully expects MS to eventually tank and get soundly beaten by some *nix or other. Now, taking that as a likelihood (I do), I still don't see Linux winning this round of battles. It's too hard to copy and paste files without being "root" whatever the hell that means. Don't even get me started on native mp3/xvid support.
I WANT Linux to win. I want it to win sooner rather than later. How about an OS that is actually easy to use without all the ludicrous over the top server security built in? You know, one that plays San Andreas, opens pdfs, has nice looking fonts and is easy to use because it runs EXACTLY how we expect it to. I just don't get why so many devs are wasting their time on ubuntu/redhat/mandriva/et al when clearly joe q. public is A. NOT GOING TO CHANGE, and B. KNOWS HOW TO USE WINDOWS.
Seriously, this "battle" is like a fight between a tired old midget and a young strong UFC champion. Only sadly, the UFC champion is clearly retarded and doesn't even know he's in a fight. Linux should have won nearly half a decade ago. But instead, they keep screwing with the UI, not implementing basic things "out of box" for arcane philosophical reasons, and creating more versions of software that most people will never want to use.
I hate to say this, but the next time I try Linux and the installation doesn't go pretty much as smooth as Tiny XP, and then subsequently has an identical start menu / quick launch / control panel to vanilla WinXP, well, it'll be a cold day in hell until I try Linux and get burned YET AGAIN.
And this is a pissed off rant from somebody who WANTS LINUX TO WIN. Just imagine what the average non-political FOSS advocate is thinking when he can't do something like right click copy paste a file he downloaded off some p2p app because "Linux is different, and difference is good."
No. It's not. Difference is stupid. Now, if you're talking about rock bands, then, yeah, I want some variety. But an OS should operate as expected. Period. For the bulk of the world, as expected means JUST LIKE WINDOWS.
It's embarrasing that so many obviously bright minds are so fully entrenched in such a Quixotian enterprise.
Mod me down. Or give me a drop in windows replacement. Or shut the fuck up already, and realize that Vista already won, and that SUCKS FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE OF YOUR ARROGANT AND IMMATURE IDEALS.
God damn that Muammar Gaddafi, trying to make those African kids better with computers than our American kids. We need to get rid of these kinds of terrorists immediately, with their educating children and what not. What's next a Libyan bill of rights?!?!? Somebody needs to tell them that this is 2006, and the whole concept of a "Bill of Rights" is totally dated.
What I want is a cell phone that has a USB plugin, and when on the "charger" which is also a USB hub and connects to a printer/monitor/mouse/keyboard/joystick/camera/spe akers/mic. That way, I've got my hard drive, apps, games, music, movies, data, letters, business papers, email, and chat all on the interface they are best on, but I've got it with me at all times, too.
I'm sure some of the latest phones have at least pentium functionality. Now can I get my USB hub with VGA out and bad ass (windowsmobile/windows/mac/linux replacement) OS?
That's obviously where were headed, when's mine ready?
Solar is do-able. Just change all the roofing tile over to solar. Sure, rooves become more expensive (short term), but ultimately electricity would go way down in price. People are always nay-saying solar, but solar panels are just silicon right? Are we running out of silicon or something? Is it really going to stay expensive forever? Wikipedia says no.....
I'm just going to play devil's advocate for a moment: I see all these comments about "Think of the Kids!!!", and I can clearly see the personal tragedy of any outcome of this situation for them, however, they're just two people (kids or otherwise). If millions of people are relying on a software for gainful employment or other serious reasons (which, let's face it, a FS can be very important to lots and lots of businesses and therefore people), then don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Even if the needs of the few are dire and sickening? I care more about the development of lots of different software over any lone individual. Maybe that's part of what makes me a nerd, but ultimately I see the value of certain softwares for all people and society in general, and that this is ultimately more important than any one or few people, per se.
That's one of the things I love so much about FOSS in general. This is code that can be read/used/updated/copied/borrowed/etc. for eternity, and a contribution to all people outside of one's self, even after the self no longer exists.
Kids loose their parents in tragic circumstances every day all over the planet. These two's loss may correspond with a bigger loss for a bigger volume of people. That said though, I doubt it. I just don't think ReiserFS is remotely that important.
Now if it was the lead Firefox or Gimp developer.....
Actually, MySpace will evolve in a way that will keep it useful, or be supplanted by a better Open Source Type version. Maybe by backing up your page on your friend's computer or something, so it's always there, whether your computer is on or not.
The bill of rights (yes, I know, they are pretty much irrelevant today, and it's saddening/maddening) actually contains a section about something relating to "right to privacy". Now if it's ANY kind of call, and one of the parties is in the US, I don't really see how anybody can alter that concept. Privacy means no eaves dropping on ANY of my calls, doesn't it? As a matter of fact, if some of our own populace is resorting to terrorism, which seems to be their idea based on our current rampant privacy infringements, you can probably trace the root cause of that back to the government ignoring our bill of rights.
If they keep ignoring the bill of rights, I'll be a "terrorist" too. So would Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Washington, Hancock, and any of the other founding fathers.
In fact, if Bush is really waging a war on terrorism, which is a stupid concept to begin with, he will almost certainly fail as any party with half a spine is going to want to terrorize somebody when they no longer have any personal rights or freedoms.
These guys should ALL be in jail. End of story. Any judge or court that ignores the constitution should be put in jail right along with them. If that doesn't happen, which so far it hasn't, you can kiss any of the ideals that this country was supposedly built on goodbye, and our child molesting government will be no better than the Nazi party, Stalin's "communist" party, or any other tyrannical force that has gone about the planet creating atrocities that their descendants can STILL be ashamed of.
I for one will greet any political official (from the president down to a local police officer) the same way I'd have greeted any one of them. Gun barrel first. That part is also in the constitution, it's called "right to bear arms".
If that makes me a terrorist, than I'm proud to be one. Fuck these guys ignoring the last 300 years of human progress so their stupid Halliburtons and Enrons can make an extra bazillion dollars off of dead Iraqi babies.
We should all be COMPLETELY ashamed and disgusted at the state of our nation. If you're not, you're either ill-informed, ignorant, or have no basic concept of human morality.
Abu-Graib is about the same as what goes on in some of our prisons right here at home (Anal rape, beatings, sleep deprivation, other forms of torture). This country is about as involved with Liberty as Mark Foley was involved with women. Highest incarceration rate of any nation in HISTORY, and plenty of inmates receive regular forms of torture.
We are on a very sure path to either decimation by other nations, or a very ugly and bloody revolution. Make no mistake about it.
I know which side I'll be on, and it will be the one ADHERING to the Geneva convention, among other things.
Slashdot Mirror
I just wanted to post a reply to show you that I read this. And to let you know that 100% of your assumptions are wrong:
NEVER use above and beyond, or over and above.
Am a big hairy man, not a woman.
Don't really have a work day, and don't feel especially tough ass very often.
quixotic it is. Kudos to you for knowing grammar or whatever. You get a gold star!
I might shout unacceptable at a presentation, if I thought the presenter was an asshole and was wrong. Guess that makes me a crazy person.
rhY
I just wanted to say that whoever rated my comment as 10% informative is awesome. That's democracy in action, baby!
No, no! You can win much earlier by getting democracy, and then building the statue of liberty ASAP. Then switch to a fundamentalism. You can dominate the world with Crusaders long before the discovery of tactics. Not very ethical, but I'm not killing REAL people and REAL liberty.....
Of course getting steam is nice because the first steam boats are incredibly powerful despite the fact that that has almost nothing to do with reality.
Now as for Steam and Valve, well that seems stupid and clunky. I don't even like Civ III or IV anyway, I just wish FreeCiv was more exactly like Civ II which (to me) is near perfect in hundreds of ways.
Hey Valve! Release Civ II that looks like Civ IV and maybe I'll buy it! Or better yet, release Civ II as FOSS like Id does with quake, etc. Let the community rebuild the interface to be 3d and pretty.....
rhY
Actually, we haven't had numbers one or two either for quite some time. I'd say since the CIA whacked Kennedy, actually.
rhY
Well, since it might be Vista, you can assume that's a new feature and that it's definitely been cut already.
Damn, I don't have any mod points, but that link is a really good link to give just about anybody who has problems understanding the ideas behind "Computer Security".
rhY
Well, clearly part of the problem is either:
A. The MSN protocol.
or
B. The way the MSN protocol is implemented by the MSN servers.
because if it's:
C. They don't want people on windows or not using the official MSN client, then:
D. They're retarded.
I'd guess it's a little bit of A, B, C, and D.
rhY
Do you know how many wierdo gay programmers would be into that? Totally beats cyber! Better yet, you know how many 12 year old girls would miss-use that on their MySpace page in ways that were truly horrifying? Like, oh my god, skins! And then the sonic dildo pops out..... I'm totally with you here. Great idea. Sonic Skull-fucking. The next non- open source OS I pay for had better have that feature or I'm not paying for it.
rhY
We go back to:
1. The Constitution
2. The Bill of Rights
3. The Geneva Convention
4. Habeus Corpus (sp?)
And I'll stay right here, thank you very much.
The food is awful in the english speaking part of europe. Have you had Black Pudding? Seriously, I thought MCDONALD's was bad.
rhY
Are you sure it isn't because another rehashed version of some boy band you never liked is all they're selling? The only stuff I download is new albums by bands I already liked..... And I figure they have my money already from the old albums, or even ticket sales.....
Said it before, will say it again: Both formats will be trounced immediately and handily by any start up that offers identical performance/form factor and no DRM.
The ZUNE is dead already, it's DRM to the max, nobody wants to touch it. I personally won't use iTunes for the same reason. Someone get me a wimax ipod, or better yet build it into my cell phone, and leave out the DRM, and I'm just one of MILLIONS of customers.
How are the real conservatives not all over this issue? Why am I the loud liberal canary on what is obviously a personal freedom / consumer rights / free market issue?
Just because the Neocons can't handle their way out of a wet paper bag doesn't mean real conservatives shouldn't still be throwing this stuff in everybody's face every five seconds. I wish they would, so I can get back to my environmentalism and anti-corporatism, where I feel more at home.
rhY
As long as you require anyone purchasing explosives to register in a database, we should definitely be able to keep the CIA from imploding buildings on national public television (AKA PRAVDA). I for one welcome our new false flag terrorist rocket builders. Tell me, can APCP melt steel at temperatures lower than where jet fuel burns, or did somebody buy a grip of thermite pre 9/11? Does anybody on /. sell enough thermite to remember any odd receipts in July of 2001?
http://www.mininova.org/tor/432225
Enjoy!
rhY
There is other information that would heavily effect those stats. For instance: IE SUCKS. I mean, if you have 20 choices, and one of them sucks, I don't see how anybody would be more likely to use the shitty one.
"Here's 20 different candy flavors, all of them tasty and sweet except this one. This one tastes like real human shit! Make a selection!"
Sure, some people take the shit one because they didn't have the choice (it was preinstalled in windows), but even those people are easily motivated to change if they taste the better browser.
rhY
shit, I meant winamp when I said windows in paragraph 6. My bad.
For those of you who modded me troll (seems obvious that the bias here would cause that), you have to be kidding. LOTS of people have the complaints that I have when they try linux.
For those of you who doubt the authenticity of my aborted Linux attempts:
I just tried Ubuntu, Ultimate Linux, and Fedora about 6 months ago. I had huge problems with all of them, and never found satisfactory solutions either by hunting, F1, wikipedia, or the forums.
For those of you who don't get my motives:
I like FOSS. I like the idea behind it (both political and as far as code quality and peer review), and nearly every app I use in windows is FOSS. As an admin for many computers, my own included, but also about 50+ family and friends, as well as some professional work on occasion, I've switched 100% of users to Firefox. I've switched about 80% of users to Thunderbird. About 50% use Gimp now, and the only WYSIWYG web people I know are on Nvu. I've also installed Gaim, GSview, Utorrent, Open Office, Abiword, and dozens of other FOSS games and apps (and Filezilla, which is great, can't go unmentioned).
I'm very disappointed not to have a FOSS audio program to replace windows. I'm also very disappointed in the FOSS alternative to Nero, although I see them getting closer. As somebody who does a LOT of music stuff, I'm also bummed that audacity doesn't really hold a candle to a lot of commercial alternatives, and there isn't even a SHITTY replacement for Sibelius (which strikes me as really odd. What program would be easier to write than a Sibelius clone?!?!).
Now given that most of my user base (and myself) are mostly FOSS, it would be VERY NICE to have a whole FOSS distro that I could just quickly install with some automated installer CD (a la TinyXP).
The simple fact is: I can't. I can't even think about it. I would lose all credibility with the people I help by switching any one of them to Linux. There is no reasonably good version of Linux for the home user yet. Not that I've seen. I may try the next version of OpenSUSE, as it shows a lot of promise, but if the control panel/menu system is the least bit different from windows, and wine isn't easily installed:
It's going right on the trash heap along with:
Red Hat
Fedora
Ubuntu
Kubuntu
Koraraa
Mandriva
Gentoo
Debian
Ultimate Linux
and any other version that refuses to KISS for ME and MY ENTIRE FAMILY AND FRIEND CIRCLE.
I think it's funny that so many of my responses seemed to so clearly echo the arrogant and immature reference that I made in my initial post. Another thing against Linux is what a bunch of assholes some of you Linux people are. I JUST WANT IT TO WORK, ASSHOLE.
And no, it's not like driving an automatic when you're used to a stick. It's way, WAY stupider than that. It's like taking the concept of steering wheel/gas/brakes that everyone has used and known for 100 years, and replacing it with shitty flight sim controls. Would somebody PLEASE make a linux distro that has a steering/gas/brake system that myself and all my friends can reliably use without RTFM?!? IS IT REALLY THAT FRIGGIN HARD?!?
rhY
PS ReactOS is a cool idea. Some of the lurkers in the forums there have a very similar "linux asshole" type of attitude though, and over all I don't see it being a really usable alternative to any OS for quite some time. Furthermore, I don't think it will have some of the huge advantages that Linux already has in stability and speed. If it does get further along though, I do see it dominating both Linux and Windows. It's got a long uphill battle though at this point, obviously.
I say all well and good because everyone here fully expects MS to eventually tank and get soundly beaten by some *nix or other. Now, taking that as a likelihood (I do), I still don't see Linux winning this round of battles. It's too hard to copy and paste files without being "root" whatever the hell that means. Don't even get me started on native mp3/xvid support.
I WANT Linux to win. I want it to win sooner rather than later. How about an OS that is actually easy to use without all the ludicrous over the top server security built in? You know, one that plays San Andreas, opens pdfs, has nice looking fonts and is easy to use because it runs EXACTLY how we expect it to. I just don't get why so many devs are wasting their time on ubuntu/redhat/mandriva/et al when clearly joe q. public is A. NOT GOING TO CHANGE, and B. KNOWS HOW TO USE WINDOWS.
Seriously, this "battle" is like a fight between a tired old midget and a young strong UFC champion. Only sadly, the UFC champion is clearly retarded and doesn't even know he's in a fight. Linux should have won nearly half a decade ago. But instead, they keep screwing with the UI, not implementing basic things "out of box" for arcane philosophical reasons, and creating more versions of software that most people will never want to use.
I hate to say this, but the next time I try Linux and the installation doesn't go pretty much as smooth as Tiny XP, and then subsequently has an identical start menu / quick launch / control panel to vanilla WinXP, well, it'll be a cold day in hell until I try Linux and get burned YET AGAIN.
And this is a pissed off rant from somebody who WANTS LINUX TO WIN. Just imagine what the average non-political FOSS advocate is thinking when he can't do something like right click copy paste a file he downloaded off some p2p app because "Linux is different, and difference is good."
No. It's not. Difference is stupid. Now, if you're talking about rock bands, then, yeah, I want some variety. But an OS should operate as expected. Period. For the bulk of the world, as expected means JUST LIKE WINDOWS.
It's embarrasing that so many obviously bright minds are so fully entrenched in such a Quixotian enterprise.
Mod me down. Or give me a drop in windows replacement. Or shut the fuck up already, and realize that Vista already won, and that SUCKS FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE OF YOUR ARROGANT AND IMMATURE IDEALS.
rhY
God damn that Muammar Gaddafi, trying to make those African kids better with computers than our American kids. We need to get rid of these kinds of terrorists immediately, with their educating children and what not. What's next a Libyan bill of rights?!?!? Somebody needs to tell them that this is 2006, and the whole concept of a "Bill of Rights" is totally dated.
rhY
What I want is a cell phone that has a USB plugin, and when on the "charger" which is also a USB hub and connects to a printer/monitor/mouse/keyboard/joystick/camera/spe akers/mic. That way, I've got my hard drive, apps, games, music, movies, data, letters, business papers, email, and chat all on the interface they are best on, but I've got it with me at all times, too.
I'm sure some of the latest phones have at least pentium functionality. Now can I get my USB hub with VGA out and bad ass (windowsmobile/windows/mac/linux replacement) OS?
That's obviously where were headed, when's mine ready?
rhY
Solar is do-able. Just change all the roofing tile over to solar. Sure, rooves become more expensive (short term), but ultimately electricity would go way down in price. People are always nay-saying solar, but solar panels are just silicon right? Are we running out of silicon or something? Is it really going to stay expensive forever? Wikipedia says no.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
Maybe somebody should throw me (or them) a clue stick.
rhY
I'm just going to play devil's advocate for a moment: I see all these comments about "Think of the Kids!!!", and I can clearly see the personal tragedy of any outcome of this situation for them, however, they're just two people (kids or otherwise). If millions of people are relying on a software for gainful employment or other serious reasons (which, let's face it, a FS can be very important to lots and lots of businesses and therefore people), then don't the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Even if the needs of the few are dire and sickening? I care more about the development of lots of different software over any lone individual. Maybe that's part of what makes me a nerd, but ultimately I see the value of certain softwares for all people and society in general, and that this is ultimately more important than any one or few people, per se.
That's one of the things I love so much about FOSS in general. This is code that can be read/used/updated/copied/borrowed/etc. for eternity, and a contribution to all people outside of one's self, even after the self no longer exists.
Kids loose their parents in tragic circumstances every day all over the planet. These two's loss may correspond with a bigger loss for a bigger volume of people. That said though, I doubt it. I just don't think ReiserFS is remotely that important.
Now if it was the lead Firefox or Gimp developer.....
rhY
No right to Privacy? This country was not founded in as cool a way as I'd thought. My bad.
OMG, that comment was nerdy even for Slashdot. I agree though, any Rush song where that whiney dude isn't singing kicks a lot of ass.
Actually, MySpace will evolve in a way that will keep it useful, or be supplanted by a better Open Source Type version. Maybe by backing up your page on your friend's computer or something, so it's always there, whether your computer is on or not.
rhY
Say it ain't so!! He might have to unplug and replug his cable modem in (and most likely get a new IP)!!!
rhY
The bill of rights (yes, I know, they are pretty much irrelevant today, and it's saddening/maddening) actually contains a section about something relating to "right to privacy". Now if it's ANY kind of call, and one of the parties is in the US, I don't really see how anybody can alter that concept. Privacy means no eaves dropping on ANY of my calls, doesn't it? As a matter of fact, if some of our own populace is resorting to terrorism, which seems to be their idea based on our current rampant privacy infringements, you can probably trace the root cause of that back to the government ignoring our bill of rights.
If they keep ignoring the bill of rights, I'll be a "terrorist" too. So would Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Washington, Hancock, and any of the other founding fathers.
In fact, if Bush is really waging a war on terrorism, which is a stupid concept to begin with, he will almost certainly fail as any party with half a spine is going to want to terrorize somebody when they no longer have any personal rights or freedoms.
These guys should ALL be in jail. End of story. Any judge or court that ignores the constitution should be put in jail right along with them. If that doesn't happen, which so far it hasn't, you can kiss any of the ideals that this country was supposedly built on goodbye, and our child molesting government will be no better than the Nazi party, Stalin's "communist" party, or any other tyrannical force that has gone about the planet creating atrocities that their descendants can STILL be ashamed of.
I for one will greet any political official (from the president down to a local police officer) the same way I'd have greeted any one of them. Gun barrel first. That part is also in the constitution, it's called "right to bear arms".
If that makes me a terrorist, than I'm proud to be one. Fuck these guys ignoring the last 300 years of human progress so their stupid Halliburtons and Enrons can make an extra bazillion dollars off of dead Iraqi babies.
We should all be COMPLETELY ashamed and disgusted at the state of our nation. If you're not, you're either ill-informed, ignorant, or have no basic concept of human morality.
Abu-Graib is about the same as what goes on in some of our prisons right here at home (Anal rape, beatings, sleep deprivation, other forms of torture). This country is about as involved with Liberty as Mark Foley was involved with women. Highest incarceration rate of any nation in HISTORY, and plenty of inmates receive regular forms of torture.
We are on a very sure path to either decimation by other nations, or a very ugly and bloody revolution. Make no mistake about it.
I know which side I'll be on, and it will be the one ADHERING to the Geneva convention, among other things.
rhY