But, let's see. Continuing your pot smoking analogy, "Pharmboy", smoking pot isn't particularly natural. But damned if people still don't seem to want to do it.
um, you should try READING my post before commenting. what you are saying makes no sense. I didn't say smoking pot is natural. at all. in any way. I compared cops who only want to arrest people who dont shoot back, to these protestors.
If you are going to put down my perspective, at least take the time to read it first. It only makes you look like an ass. Like now.
I personally think "let 'em fry" isn't the sort of ethical answer I was hoping for...
Good lord, if the admins are really freaked out over the load/. creates on their servers, they could always just do a meta refresh to the fabled goatse site. If that doesn't slow down traffic, nothing will. Sort of using the same ethics (or lack of) that was used on them.
Oh god, with all the bad spelling on/., spell checking alone would require a few more servers! Slashdot would be slashdotting itself all day long. Besides, +h3n W3 C0u1dn'+ d0 L337 5p34k.
Besides, the editors would just tell you to use aspell, even tho 95% of/.ers use W1nD0wz;)
Perhaps you didn't see the word MOST, which was used on purpose, rather than the word ALL:p I also qualified it by using 'well meaning' in quotes, to indicate there is a difference between good laws, and bad laws that pretend to do something good.
The VAST majority of laws protecting children are NOT federal laws. Thats the whole 10th amendment in action. They are state laws, which is why protection varies from state to state, according to each states view of what is helpful, and what is just meddling.
Now to truly address your point (or maybe just the parts I want to yank out of it) Many of the laws designed to protect children from abusive parents ARE messed up in many states. There have been several cases of late here in North Carolina where children were taken temporarily from parents because they spanked them. these were mainly 8 to 10 year olds. No marks, no damage, no bruises, just because they spanked. THIS would qualify as meddling, not protection. I know several parents here who won't discipline their kids due to fear of the law. I don't visit much because I can't stand their unruly kids.
Now, you may think that parents shouldn't spank. Thats your right to have that opinion. Personally, I think a parent DO have the right, and perhaps obligation, to spank a child within reasonable limits, even if the government is overreaching with these unconstitutional laws. Frankly, if you have a 6 year old who insists on grabbing stuff off the shelves in the store while you shop, a quick pop on the butt is one of the most effective means to teach them that actions have consequences. I don't think a 6 year old has the reasoning power that I have, but he understands he doesn't want to do that anymore. Now, does the Government(r) have the right to say a parent can't pop a kid on the butt to make them behave in the market? No, but it does anyway. This is an abuse of government power, the exact kind the constitution is supposed to protect from. You can disagree with spanking without forcing everyone to agree with you.
Before anyone comments: yes, some parents abuse, this is not what I am talking about. I know you understand this, but I am sure some AC will try to twist this into being pro abuse. Probably will anyway.
Nah... He`ll licence to èm, or sell a player. Macintosh is Blaupunkt -- Winders is Realistic. Linux is the custom kit with Denon studio turntables, and a separate component for everything.
Yea, like they did with the Mac design? How long did that last?
Right wing think tanks, which most academics I've met rate somewhere around creationism in the legitimacy stakes (ie zero)
Now, as a conservative, I COULD take what you said wrong. But I won't because Im not a knee jerk kinda guy, and I see the validity in your statement, even if I think the target is a bit broad. There is a difference in people who are 1) conservative (me) and 2) Religious Right Dogmatist (not me).
Your main point is right on the money. Not only do so many expect kids to grow up too fast by subjecting them to all this war violence, but then underestimate them by thinking they cant tell the difference between real and pretend.
The problem is NOT the kids, its the adults that forget the difference. Unfortunately, many people forget how to pretend and just "play" somewhere along the way. TV and game violence is not a good mental diet if its the main thing a child (or adult for that matter) see, but we ARE preditory carnivores (PETA be damned) so the idea of certain violence is pretty normal. Cowboys and Indians (oops, native americans), soldiers, cops and robbers, etc. have been a natural part of a child's existance since time began. Its a natural part of growing up. In moderation, its perfectly normal and healthy, unless we want to raise a generation of mindless goobs. Showing REAL violence on TV, such as the newsflash during cartoons, is NOT. This also takes away a parents right to decide if their child is ready to see this or not, by simply imposing this information on them.
And thats the rub. Real violence causes real problems, while 'pretend' violence only leads to 'pretend' problems.
But as usual, some feelgoodnicks will worry about petty shit, like games, instead of the real problems. Its like the minority of COPS who won't chase a guy with a gun, but will jack up a pot smoker, because "pot smokers don't shoot back". They get to "feel good that I made a difference" while not actually risking anything. Its a form of social masturbation, where they are more concerned about LOOKING important, and having something to brag about at cocktail parties.
They might as well march on DC with signs that say "Crime is Bad!". Well duh, but this cures nothing but their own desire to be self important.
When I hear of video phones, once again I think of the Simpsons. Lisa's future, getting married, talking to Mom, who keeps crossing her fingers when she talks and Lisa has to keep reminding her that she can her, its a video phone. Harder to lie to the boss when you call in sick and he sees you with your sunglasses on, and baseball tickets in hand. oops!
I am not sure that I want people to see me in my natural habitat (underwear, no shower til 3), and more importantly, I am not sure they want to see me, anyway.
All they are attempting is a catch up with MSN messenger & yahoo. This doesnt look like a big money maker given the competition.
From my homework, I haven't seen anyone who is making money with IM, video or not. Its a net loss for everyone involved, except you and I as consumers. Frankly, I am not sure why they bother unless they think it is bringing in revenue in other areas. If I owned stock in MSN, Yahoo or AOL, I would prefer they get out of the IM business or develop a business model that allows for some kind of revenue stream.
Granted, Yahoo and others are looking into Enterprise service for businesses, but we currently use their free service for small messages in our office, and wouldn't really consider paying as long as the free serves our purposes. Hard to pay for what you can get free. Seems the market for this is pretty tiny, and if Yahoo DID come out with a viable Enterprise edition, I am sure someone would develop an OSS version of this enterprise product pretty fast. The overhead for an IM system with 100 users on a LOCAL network can't be very much, any old P100 should be able to serve it. Almost like a pretty GUI on top of unix TALK server.
what freaks me out is the fact that this is a REALLY GOOD article AND its posted on/.! Its not even a repeat (yet).
But seriously, while I think Intel has a right to put this technology in their chips (you dont HAVE to buy them) I wonder about the legal ramifications, like the DMCA. This ain't software, I am not leasing the cpu, its mine, I should be able to do with it what I want, warranty be damned.
If I had to bet my lunch money, I would hope Intel would not be stupid enough to try to prosecute people for hacking this new feature (which will probably take 1 week after it comes out). This would not serve to make hobbyists love them anymore, and push even more to AMD. I see the goal of stopping companies from selling overclocked cpus. This actuall happened to the company i work for when I first started, the seller looked at me wierd when i told him it was unethical to sell overclocked 486sx25 as 33s.
I just fear that if they actually prosecute anyone for overclocking (rather than trying to sell overclocked as NOT overclocked) then they will feel the "Wrath of the Nerds"(C)
A corporate sponsor is different from an advertiser. Masterpiece Theater never ran any "spots" for Mobil Oil, that is, announcements about how wonderful their products are, but Mobil Oil was a corporate sponsor of Masterpiece Theater, and got announcements that said that without expressing any opinion of the quality of Mobil's products.
A bit of symantics. Then technically NO company sponsors/. Then again, every TV program used to say "this program sponsored by...". Once again, symantics. In the context of the original comment, I still feel my take applies.
thank you for putting this more eloquently than I could. most people do not understand or believe the concept of 208 being due to 3/120degree legs, nor understand the 1-3 phase naming convention, even tho its published widely. You explained it very clearly, and correctly.
Odd as it sounds, that IS what it is called. Two out of phase 120v circuits create a single 240v phased system. Sorry, ask your local electrician. It uses two phases, but check your local electrical code books, its CALLED single phase. I was careful to state it that way.
I am more than familiar with 208 wye and delta. Actually, delta is pretty rare these days. This is one of those fields I have to mess with every day. The company I design for sells 220 gear, some European, some American. European gear requires buck/boost transformers.
So please read your local code book and get your facts straight, like the rest of my other reply.
residential service in the US is 2 phase 220VAC 60 Hz. wired for 110 VAC to the outlets.
but three phase is available at the transformer on the top of the telephone pole outside if you want to come up to european standard.
Residential 240v service is called single phase. Three phase service is generally NOT available at homes due to the difference in the transformers (three legs instead of two). Also, three phase in the US is 208 volt, not 220 or 240. This would not have us 'up' to European standards either, since the voltage is different (208v vs. 230v) and the cycles is different (60 vs 50).
Oh yea, and you really shouldn't be such a smug bastard. You mistook what the guy was saying, completely. Not that he was right, its just you were more wrong. European coffee sucks as bad as Starbucks, too. I prefer Maxwell House.
More fud. I was going to write a full explanation, but its obvious your goal is to simply bash. If this is the best you can do, and this is your best arguement, give up. You have only served to prove my point.
BTW, if a protestor is VIOLATING the law, I say yes, drag his ass to the ground and pepper him. Smack him once for me. You have the right to protest, you don't have the right to break the law. If you don't get that, I would love to pay for a one way ticket so you can go protest in Egypt, or Syria, or Iran.
It hasn't been proven that global warming is true - far from it, in fact - but research has "strongly suggested" (my term, but certainly fair) that it could be true, so it strikes me that any half-intelligent primate would jump to it and try to avoid the possible crisis instead of jumping up and down and screaming "you haven't proved it yet!"
This falls under the "if you say it enough times then its true" and the "it doesnt matter if its true, because it serves my alterior motives".
The science is not certain to say the least. Its interesting, and it makes sense to take reasonable precautions, but I don't trust most of the "global warming" crowd for other reasons.
Yes, right now we are freer than China, or Soviet Russia used to be, but not as free as Swizerland or the Netherlands.
What is your basis for comparison? You can't own a handgun in the Netherlands for instance. Considering I have a "conceal to carry" legally in my state, I would say this is a major restriction on my liberty. Then again, in Switzerland, assault rifles are issued to all adult males.
What I do NOT get is why all of you keep saying that we have less liberty now than 20 years ago, or 50 years ago. You are simply NOT doing your homework. It is WRONG, UNINFORMED AND FUD.
The degree of freedom enjoyed in America today is so much more than it was 50 years ago, there is NO comparison. Ask any African-American. Plenty of problems left, but no comparison to Pre Rosa Parks. Ask the Japanese who were put in Internment Camps if there is less freedom now. Ask the people who were shot at Berkeley for protesting Vietnam if there is less liberty now. Ask the people of Little Rock, who had Guard troops force busing.
Ask Rodney King, whose sorry case help set new standards for rights. You think your Miranda rights existed since 1776? They didn't exist before 1966. Since 1968 (Terry vs Ohio) officers can stop and search you walking down the street, only if their suspicions can be articulated and are reasonable. This was less restricted before. I could go on and on and on. Yes: There are problems. Yes: Its the best its ever been.
Its simply bullshit. With all the problems we have with liberty, it is STILL better than it ever has been. We are not done yet, but you have to be smart enough to realize we are making progress, and quit having this "usa sucks" attitude if you expect to make it better. When you say we have less liberty now, you give yourself ZERO credibility, because it is simply NOT TRUE.
Go read a history book. All of you. Then we can all go protest the Patriot Act, intellegently.
The USA has it share of stupid, freedom trampling laws. Is it still illegal to vote for the commies in the USA? I can vote for 3 flavours of commies up here in the freedom loving Great White North, otherwise known as Canada.
It never has been illegal to vote communist in the US. Ever. Big misconception started in the 50 with McCarthism, where everyone was accused and blacklisted for being communist. But it wasnt illegal.
Now is the time for USA patriots to be heard and roll back the recent fascist laws.
You are correct on that point. The Patriot Act is pretty fucked up and needs to be changed. It is STILL less obtrussive than any other war time law, however, so while I fight it, I put it in perspective and don't put down my government because of the overzealousness of our elected officials. We are NOT moving toward a police state, however. You need to go back and look at history. If you do, you would be awestruck at how we have so progressively become more and more liberty based.
Its easy (and popular) to simply say we are becoming a police state, but its not true.
Slashdot Mirror
But, let's see. Continuing your pot smoking analogy, "Pharmboy", smoking pot isn't particularly natural. But damned if people still don't seem to want to do it.
um, you should try READING my post before commenting. what you are saying makes no sense. I didn't say smoking pot is natural. at all. in any way. I compared cops who only want to arrest people who dont shoot back, to these protestors.
If you are going to put down my perspective, at least take the time to read it first. It only makes you look like an ass. Like now.
I personally think "let 'em fry" isn't the sort of ethical answer I was hoping for...
/. creates on their servers, they could always just do a meta refresh to the fabled goatse site. If that doesn't slow down traffic, nothing will. Sort of using the same ethics (or lack of) that was used on them.
Good lord, if the admins are really freaked out over the load
Then Slashdot needs a "Spalling" button.
/., spell checking alone would require a few more servers! Slashdot would be slashdotting itself all day long. Besides, +h3n W3 C0u1dn'+ d0 L337 5p34k.
/.ers use W1nD0wz ;)
Oh god, with all the bad spelling on
Besides, the editors would just tell you to use aspell, even tho 95% of
Perhaps you didn't see the word MOST, which was used on purpose, rather than the word ALL :p I also qualified it by using 'well meaning' in quotes, to indicate there is a difference between good laws, and bad laws that pretend to do something good.
The VAST majority of laws protecting children are NOT federal laws. Thats the whole 10th amendment in action. They are state laws, which is why protection varies from state to state, according to each states view of what is helpful, and what is just meddling.
Now to truly address your point (or maybe just the parts I want to yank out of it) Many of the laws designed to protect children from abusive parents ARE messed up in many states. There have been several cases of late here in North Carolina where children were taken temporarily from parents because they spanked them. these were mainly 8 to 10 year olds. No marks, no damage, no bruises, just because they spanked. THIS would qualify as meddling, not protection. I know several parents here who won't discipline their kids due to fear of the law. I don't visit much because I can't stand their unruly kids.
Now, you may think that parents shouldn't spank. Thats your right to have that opinion. Personally, I think a parent DO have the right, and perhaps obligation, to spank a child within reasonable limits, even if the government is overreaching with these unconstitutional laws. Frankly, if you have a 6 year old who insists on grabbing stuff off the shelves in the store while you shop, a quick pop on the butt is one of the most effective means to teach them that actions have consequences. I don't think a 6 year old has the reasoning power that I have, but he understands he doesn't want to do that anymore. Now, does the Government(r) have the right to say a parent can't pop a kid on the butt to make them behave in the market? No, but it does anyway. This is an abuse of government power, the exact kind the constitution is supposed to protect from. You can disagree with spanking without forcing everyone to agree with you.
Before anyone comments: yes, some parents abuse, this is not what I am talking about. I know you understand this, but I am sure some AC will try to twist this into being pro abuse. Probably will anyway.
Slashdot Readers:
More power, dammit! Show us your pretty pictures!
Webmaster Scotty:
She can't taking anymore Captain! She's givin' us all she's got, but she can't take the slashdotting!
Nah... He`ll licence to èm, or sell a player. Macintosh is Blaupunkt -- Winders is Realistic. Linux is the custom kit with Denon studio turntables, and a separate component for everything.
Yea, like they did with the Mac design? How long did that last?
I love how slashdotters are all worried about 'facism.' What's wrong with faces?
:p
what we are REALLY worried about is speling Nazis.
It's pretty funny. I wonder if people with domains like "fuckoffasshole.com" get called, too...
On a similar note, I personally own a few dozen domain names, many of which do not even have any DNS entries, no site, etc. I just love getting those
"I saw your website at www.????.com and really liked it. We think we can help you get more exposure."
Well yea, like maybe I could get more exposure if I the bloody domain had a web site to begin with.....
Right wing think tanks, which most academics I've met rate somewhere around creationism in the legitimacy stakes (ie zero)
Now, as a conservative, I COULD take what you said wrong. But I won't because Im not a knee jerk kinda guy, and I see the validity in your statement, even if I think the target is a bit broad. There is a difference in people who are 1) conservative (me) and 2) Religious Right Dogmatist (not me).
Your main point is right on the money. Not only do so many expect kids to grow up too fast by subjecting them to all this war violence, but then underestimate them by thinking they cant tell the difference between real and pretend.
The problem is NOT the kids, its the adults that forget the difference. Unfortunately, many people forget how to pretend and just "play" somewhere along the way. TV and game violence is not a good mental diet if its the main thing a child (or adult for that matter) see, but we ARE preditory carnivores (PETA be damned) so the idea of certain violence is pretty normal. Cowboys and Indians (oops, native americans), soldiers, cops and robbers, etc. have been a natural part of a child's existance since time began. Its a natural part of growing up. In moderation, its perfectly normal and healthy, unless we want to raise a generation of mindless goobs. Showing REAL violence on TV, such as the newsflash during cartoons, is NOT. This also takes away a parents right to decide if their child is ready to see this or not, by simply imposing this information on them.
And thats the rub. Real violence causes real problems, while 'pretend' violence only leads to 'pretend' problems.
But as usual, some feelgoodnicks will worry about petty shit, like games, instead of the real problems. Its like the minority of COPS who won't chase a guy with a gun, but will jack up a pot smoker, because "pot smokers don't shoot back". They get to "feel good that I made a difference" while not actually risking anything. Its a form of social masturbation, where they are more concerned about LOOKING important, and having something to brag about at cocktail parties.
They might as well march on DC with signs that say "Crime is Bad!". Well duh, but this cures nothing but their own desire to be self important.
since this was the 3rd post on this subject, i find it hard to believe the moderator read the FAQ before modding it redundant.
No, I'm serious I've been waiting for this. :-D
When I hear of video phones, once again I think of the Simpsons. Lisa's future, getting married, talking to Mom, who keeps crossing her fingers when she talks and Lisa has to keep reminding her that she can her, its a video phone. Harder to lie to the boss when you call in sick and he sees you with your sunglasses on, and baseball tickets in hand. oops!
I am not sure that I want people to see me in my natural habitat (underwear, no shower til 3), and more importantly, I am not sure they want to see me, anyway.
All they are attempting is a catch up with MSN messenger & yahoo. This doesnt look like a big money maker given the competition.
From my homework, I haven't seen anyone who is making money with IM, video or not. Its a net loss for everyone involved, except you and I as consumers. Frankly, I am not sure why they bother unless they think it is bringing in revenue in other areas. If I owned stock in MSN, Yahoo or AOL, I would prefer they get out of the IM business or develop a business model that allows for some kind of revenue stream.
Granted, Yahoo and others are looking into Enterprise service for businesses, but we currently use their free service for small messages in our office, and wouldn't really consider paying as long as the free serves our purposes. Hard to pay for what you can get free. Seems the market for this is pretty tiny, and if Yahoo DID come out with a viable Enterprise edition, I am sure someone would develop an OSS version of this enterprise product pretty fast. The overhead for an IM system with 100 users on a LOCAL network can't be very much, any old P100 should be able to serve it. Almost like a pretty GUI on top of unix TALK server.
Won't someone PLEASE think of the children!!!!
Behind most "well meaning" laws designed to protect children, is a facist who simply wants to limit your freedom.
what freaks me out is the fact that this is a REALLY GOOD article AND its posted on /.! Its not even a repeat (yet).
But seriously, while I think Intel has a right to put this technology in their chips (you dont HAVE to buy them) I wonder about the legal ramifications, like the DMCA. This ain't software, I am not leasing the cpu, its mine, I should be able to do with it what I want, warranty be damned.
If I had to bet my lunch money, I would hope Intel would not be stupid enough to try to prosecute people for hacking this new feature (which will probably take 1 week after it comes out). This would not serve to make hobbyists love them anymore, and push even more to AMD. I see the goal of stopping companies from selling overclocked cpus. This actuall happened to the company i work for when I first started, the seller looked at me wierd when i told him it was unethical to sell overclocked 486sx25 as 33s.
I just fear that if they actually prosecute anyone for overclocking (rather than trying to sell overclocked as NOT overclocked) then they will feel the "Wrath of the Nerds"(C)
Yeah, it's kind of like 3-way and 4-way switches.
God, please don't say we are going to get into SPST and DPDT conversations, too! I need a drink first......:)
A corporate sponsor is different from an advertiser. Masterpiece Theater never ran any "spots" for Mobil Oil, that is, announcements about how wonderful their products are, but Mobil Oil was a corporate sponsor of Masterpiece Theater, and got announcements that said that without expressing any opinion of the quality of Mobil's products.
/. Then again, every TV program used to say "this program sponsored by...". Once again, symantics. In the context of the original comment, I still feel my take applies.
A bit of symantics. Then technically NO company sponsors
thank you for putting this more eloquently than I could. most people do not understand or believe the concept of 208 being due to 3 /120degree legs, nor understand the 1-3 phase naming convention, even tho its published widely. You explained it very clearly, and correctly.
residential 240V service is NOT single phase.
Odd as it sounds, that IS what it is called. Two out of phase 120v circuits create a single 240v phased system. Sorry, ask your local electrician. It uses two phases, but check your local electrical code books, its CALLED single phase. I was careful to state it that way.
I am more than familiar with 208 wye and delta. Actually, delta is pretty rare these days. This is one of those fields I have to mess with every day. The company I design for sells 220 gear, some European, some American. European gear requires buck/boost transformers.
So please read your local code book and get your facts straight, like the rest of my other reply.
Slashdot does accept corporate sponsors.
Then who the hell is paying for all these Microsoft ads on Slashdot? Is Taco running them for free, to make up for all the MS bashing he does?
residential service in the US is 2 phase 220VAC 60 Hz. wired for 110 VAC to the outlets.
but three phase is available at the transformer on the top of the telephone pole outside if you want to come up to european standard.
Residential 240v service is called single phase. Three phase service is generally NOT available at homes due to the difference in the transformers (three legs instead of two). Also, three phase in the US is 208 volt, not 220 or 240. This would not have us 'up' to European standards either, since the voltage is different (208v vs. 230v) and the cycles is different (60 vs 50).
Oh yea, and you really shouldn't be such a smug bastard. You mistook what the guy was saying, completely. Not that he was right, its just you were more wrong. European coffee sucks as bad as Starbucks, too. I prefer Maxwell House.
More fud. I was going to write a full explanation, but its obvious your goal is to simply bash. If this is the best you can do, and this is your best arguement, give up. You have only served to prove my point.
BTW, if a protestor is VIOLATING the law, I say yes, drag his ass to the ground and pepper him. Smack him once for me. You have the right to protest, you don't have the right to break the law. If you don't get that, I would love to pay for a one way ticket so you can go protest in Egypt, or Syria, or Iran.
It hasn't been proven that global warming is true - far from it, in fact - but research has "strongly suggested" (my term, but certainly fair) that it could be true, so it strikes me that any half-intelligent primate would jump to it and try to avoid the possible crisis instead of jumping up and down and screaming "you haven't proved it yet!"
This falls under the "if you say it enough times then its true" and the "it doesnt matter if its true, because it serves my alterior motives".
The science is not certain to say the least. Its interesting, and it makes sense to take reasonable precautions, but I don't trust most of the "global warming" crowd for other reasons.
Yes, right now we are freer than China, or Soviet Russia used to be, but not as free as Swizerland or the Netherlands.
What is your basis for comparison? You can't own a handgun in the Netherlands for instance. Considering I have a "conceal to carry" legally in my state, I would say this is a major restriction on my liberty. Then again, in Switzerland, assault rifles are issued to all adult males.
What I do NOT get is why all of you keep saying that we have less liberty now than 20 years ago, or 50 years ago. You are simply NOT doing your homework. It is WRONG, UNINFORMED AND FUD.
The degree of freedom enjoyed in America today is so much more than it was 50 years ago, there is NO comparison. Ask any African-American. Plenty of problems left, but no comparison to Pre Rosa Parks. Ask the Japanese who were put in Internment Camps if there is less freedom now. Ask the people who were shot at Berkeley for protesting Vietnam if there is less liberty now. Ask the people of Little Rock, who had Guard troops force busing.
Ask Rodney King, whose sorry case help set new standards for rights. You think your Miranda rights existed since 1776? They didn't exist before 1966. Since 1968 (Terry vs Ohio) officers can stop and search you walking down the street, only if their suspicions can be articulated and are reasonable. This was less restricted before. I could go on and on and on. Yes: There are problems. Yes: Its the best its ever been.
Its simply bullshit. With all the problems we have with liberty, it is STILL better than it ever has been. We are not done yet, but you have to be smart enough to realize we are making progress, and quit having this "usa sucks" attitude if you expect to make it better. When you say we have less liberty now, you give yourself ZERO credibility, because it is simply NOT TRUE.
Go read a history book. All of you. Then we can all go protest the Patriot Act, intellegently.
The USA has it share of stupid, freedom trampling laws. Is it still illegal to vote for the commies in the USA? I can vote for 3 flavours of commies up here in the freedom loving Great White North, otherwise known as Canada.
It never has been illegal to vote communist in the US. Ever. Big misconception started in the 50 with McCarthism, where everyone was accused and blacklisted for being communist. But it wasnt illegal.
Now is the time for USA patriots to be heard and roll back the recent fascist laws.
You are correct on that point. The Patriot Act is pretty fucked up and needs to be changed. It is STILL less obtrussive than any other war time law, however, so while I fight it, I put it in perspective and don't put down my government because of the overzealousness of our elected officials. We are NOT moving toward a police state, however. You need to go back and look at history. If you do, you would be awestruck at how we have so progressively become more and more liberty based.
Its easy (and popular) to simply say we are becoming a police state, but its not true.
If you discuss whether the state you're in is a police state, and you're not hauled away for talking about it, it's not.
Very well put. So many spoiled Americans think they have it so bad, and simply have no clue as to the validity of this statement.