the postal service was created because throughout all of history the delivery of mesages was unreliable and uncertain. it was not a thing that private industry could garuntee. Ben Franklin himself was created the service,d uring hte colony days, that would become the USPS. and it's written intot he consitution. and yes, the purpose was to facilitate and help maintain those open lines of ocmmunication so necesary for the first amendment (speech, assembly, and association) to actually have weight.
the USPS still has purpose. ISPs of today are not legally obligated in any way to facilitate open communication. nor to provide service to everyone. rural and poor residents are very much being left behind by the internet world.
going back to the original intent of the postal clause of the Constitution, it should be very easy to justify using it to provide the modern equivalent of the postal service to all Americans, and giving that responsibility to the USPS.
to add to myself: As interpreted and implemented "USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality." And "primarily to facilitate interstate communication"
Can you think of a better way to justify creating universal internet access with a minimum acceptable quality of service? I think it's a damned good way to go about it.
no, that comparison really isnt relevant here. you have to step back and ask what, ultimately, is the purpose of the Postal Service? Answer: To faciliate communication between peoples.
Before the postal service letter writing was rather risky. You pay some random person to deliver a message...never knowing whether he would actually do so. He may keep the money and toss it in the trash. he may read it himself. He may deliver it to wrong person. Etc etc.
The postal service eliminated all of that uncertainty, and in doing so, enabled people far across the new country to communicate freely, further enabling and enhancing those rights we also put in the Constitution.
These days, not many people right letters. True
But that doesnt mean there is no longer a need to facilitate and maintain reliable communication between peoples.
The method has chaned, but not the need. Comcast, Cox, AT&T, etc, are under no real obligation to actually deliver and maintain email service. They are much more like the random person you hired to deliver a message in the town he already happened to be going to.
And as such, I could see the USPS being one of the protectors of the open internet. In fact, it's likely a better one than the FCC, as opponents of the FCC keep trying to have it determines that the internet was not within the FCC's orignal charter, and the FCC itself was less about facilitating communication, than about sherparding the public resource we call the "airwaves". But the USPS is in the constituion itself.
(Though honestly, I would see sheparding of the internet as being a combined effort of the two agnecies)
except virgin galactic doesnt use vertically launched rockets. they use a mothership that drop launches a reusable spaceplane. as such, they can launch from pretty much anywhere, and the need of a clear "ballistically downrange" area is unneeded. and again: they are in the middle of nowhere, many many miles away from the things and people they intend to serve. my other post covers it better, but Spaceport America is absolutely stupidly located. they need to be co-located with existing infrastructure until the industry is large enough in its own right to justify its own infrastructure supply lines.
Texas has the 2nd largest population in the country (behind only California). Texas has the 2nd largest economy (again, behind California, and only slightly), larger than most independent countries. Texas is one of the few states that contributes more to the federal wallet than it recieves. Texas has a top notch education system that utilizes wealth redistribution (thats what it is even if not called that) ensures the poorest school districts still get adequate funding. On top of that it has many state run aid programs to put kids into college. Veterans who are Texas residents get a free ride through college. Texas has some of the healthiest residents int he nation, and one of the best healthcare netowrks Also, more hospitals per capita than any other state, and state programs to people who cant affords it.
You can keep saying they're backward, but Texas is actually one of the most progressive states in teh nation, particularly for a "conservative" state (except its not really conservative; 45/55 split on votes, not very one sided).
but what is clear, is that you're simply an ignorant moron who has never actually been there, and knows absolutely zero about the state.
it's "really" close to the western tip of texas.....which puts it really far away from 99% of texas.
it's also in an absolutely stupid location. it's as if no one did a feasibility study or anything. there is no nearby population center. there is no nearby logistical transportation lines (major freeway, freight railline, major airport, etc). its int he middle of freaking no where. who's going to use it? super rish, super bored people....and thats it.
in order for a space port, spance-trans company to work realistically, at this time, in the infancy of the industry, they MUST integrate with the existing infrastructure and existing transportation industries.
Spaceport America is the equivalent of trying to create the NASCAR race in the 1870s, before most people even heard of automobiles, let alone used them or apreciated them.
to be honest, what were they thinking putting one in New Mexico in the first place? int he future, it might be a great spot. but right now? its too far from its theoretical customer base. and what were they thinking building it before they even had a businees plan/model to make money from? Spaceport America was a cool idea, but it lacked a lot of common sense.
add to that, if you're a resident of texas, and you join the military, your college education is free (at least to the state schools, honorable discharge required). And that's on top of your federal gi bill benefits.
i take heart from the fact that while Abrams and Bay are popular to bash around here, they make tons and tons of money, which can be logically extended to mean these voices are in the minority, because lots and lots of people still go see the movies. so whine all you want of JJ "Lens Flare" Abrams and Michael "Explosions" Bay ruining your childhood memories. They aint all that bad, and if you truly remember the originals....they weren't all that good either, compared to our memories of them.
now, now. you make it sound like they are out to get everyone, and care not a whit about actual facts.
too many people use movies and L&O:SVU to inform themselves about legal procedure.
believe me, they do care about facts. just arresting somebady, anybody, just to ahve something to show, isnt very effective and opens up huge lawsuits. however, generally, when they really start going after someone it's because they are fairly certain they have right individual (because most people, hollywood aside, are not that smart or good at committing crimes). if it's just general canvassing, and you can clearly establish you own lack of involvement, they really dont care about you and you can go on your way.
some ideals are timeless and beyond debate. life liberty freedom from oppression those are the core ideals, around whcih the rest are based. it is only the rest that need be logically debated and considered and reexamined from time to time.
one such "reexamining", led to the civil war, and resulted in the 14th amendment. another resulted in women sufferage another the civil rights movement
these reexaminings of the logical constructs we have made based on the core ideals are important. we said "liberty for all", but originally only applied it to white male property owners. we've since gotten past that.
but when people start to question the core ideals, then it's time to start over because the society itself has lost its way and needs a refresher course.
and yes, Duty. freedom/liberty has a price. it is not self-perpeuating. it needs constant pushing against outside and inside forces that would snuff it out.
it's hard to have an impatient boss keeping you on task when you're at home. you're left on your own responsibility. if you come to the office, they can have somoene, annoying as they might be, riding herd over all the employees, instead of each employee being left to his own.
However, Holder is a giant stain upon this country who was responsible for determining how to legally kill american citizens with drones. terrorists? yeah. really bad dudes? yeah.
but still american citizens under the law, and either that law means something, or it doesnt. and now he wont rule out the same legal tactics to kill an american citizen on american soil.
he didnt say he would. but also didnt say he wouldnt.
he just said they hadnt done it yet. and that is scary as all hell.
even int he recession most people didnt come into work and get told because their ELECTED LEADERS ARE IDIOTS they are now taking a forced 20% pay cut, with no options around it. hell, most people didnt face pay cuts, period.
suck it up like the rest of us? you bloody moron. the rest of us have it pretty damn easy right now comapred to them.
these are not cuts in growth. these are real cuts, happening right now. you're just too bloody stupid to see it
you are a f*cking moron who didnt read a single thing I stated. those are facts. happening RIGHT NOW. 800,000 in the DoD alone being hit with a forced 20% pay cut, with no way out.
the cuts, the sequestration was "never supposed" to happen, even though cynics like me knew that both parties would GLADLY drive right over that cliff, knowing full well they could get away with it by blaming the other side while ignoring their own complicity, and their electorate would LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT.
its win/win for the politicians all around. they get political captial out of it no matter what, and it never actually affects them safe in their ivory tower.
and then, instead of one side flinching, the republicans decided, hey, F*CK IT, LETS DO IT, and stepped on the accelerator! and then they've convinced the morons among their voter base it was actually a good thing; more intelligent parts are in shock at this deception. and the democrats go along with it, because they really can blame the other side.
this is exactly why brinkmanship should not be allowed in politics. and also why half of voters should be barred from voting by some sort of cognitive test, because this stuff is absolutely retarded.
republicans are not the conservative party. democrats are not hte common man's party. the parties each care about only one thing: staying in power. and they will lie, cheat, and decieve the public in whatever way is needed in order to do so. and they do not give a flying F if they drive the country into the ground in the process.
And i feel sorry for you, because you are simply one among many who have simply fallen for the most recent deception.
and his desire to speak his message is any less valid than yours, or anyone elses, that you would seek to deny him the ability to speak it?
let him speak all he wants. he has that right, whather you like what he says or not. and you dont have to listen to him if you dont want to.
you however do not have the right to take away his right to speak simply because you disagree with his statements.
thats the reason westboro baptsist is allowed to continue to exist, and all legal attempts to stop them from their hateful demonstrations at military funerals. and as much as I hate loathe and despise that den of kooks, i have to agree with the court decisions that have allowed them to continue their protests.
your best defense is to counter his statements and prove him wrong. that is the BEST way to silence someone you disagree with, by besting him and causing him to silence himself.
that goes against the principles of rewarding merit, shunning the lack, and not shooting the messenger when you dislike the man who sent him. if effect, you are punishing the work regardless of its own merit.
art must stand alone in judgement. many artists are extremely... flawed... in one way or another. but that doesnt make their art any less beautiful.
Slashdot Mirror
my misunderstanding. people on here tend be vehemently one way, or vehemently the other, and their word usage tends to follow.
just enable the option in firebox to block javascript that disables/enables/changes right click actions.
the postal service was not a socialist effort.
the postal service was created because throughout all of history the delivery of mesages was unreliable and uncertain. it was not a thing that private industry could garuntee. Ben Franklin himself was created the service,d uring hte colony days, that would become the USPS. and it's written intot he consitution. and yes, the purpose was to facilitate and help maintain those open lines of ocmmunication so necesary for the first amendment (speech, assembly, and association) to actually have weight.
the USPS still has purpose. ISPs of today are not legally obligated in any way to facilitate open communication. nor to provide service to everyone. rural and poor residents are very much being left behind by the internet world.
going back to the original intent of the postal clause of the Constitution, it should be very easy to justify using it to provide the modern equivalent of the postal service to all Americans, and giving that responsibility to the USPS.
in fact, to further add to myself: the post office owned and operated the first telegraph lines. so there is precedent.
to add to myself:
As interpreted and implemented "USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality."
And "primarily to facilitate interstate communication"
Can you think of a better way to justify creating universal internet access with a minimum acceptable quality of service?
I think it's a damned good way to go about it.
no, that comparison really isnt relevant here.
you have to step back and ask what, ultimately, is the purpose of the Postal Service?
Answer: To faciliate communication between peoples.
Before the postal service letter writing was rather risky. You pay some random person to deliver a message...never knowing whether he would actually do so. He may keep the money and toss it in the trash. he may read it himself. He may deliver it to wrong person. Etc etc.
The postal service eliminated all of that uncertainty, and in doing so, enabled people far across the new country to communicate freely, further enabling and enhancing those rights we also put in the Constitution.
These days, not many people right letters. True
But that doesnt mean there is no longer a need to facilitate and maintain reliable communication between peoples.
The method has chaned, but not the need. Comcast, Cox, AT&T, etc, are under no real obligation to actually deliver and maintain email service. They are much more like the random person you hired to deliver a message in the town he already happened to be going to.
And as such, I could see the USPS being one of the protectors of the open internet. In fact, it's likely a better one than the FCC, as opponents of the FCC keep trying to have it determines that the internet was not within the FCC's orignal charter, and the FCC itself was less about facilitating communication, than about sherparding the public resource we call the "airwaves". But the USPS is in the constituion itself.
(Though honestly, I would see sheparding of the internet as being a combined effort of the two agnecies)
except virgin galactic doesnt use vertically launched rockets.
they use a mothership that drop launches a reusable spaceplane.
as such, they can launch from pretty much anywhere, and the need of a clear "ballistically downrange" area is unneeded.
and again: they are in the middle of nowhere, many many miles away from the things and people they intend to serve. my other post covers it better, but Spaceport America is absolutely stupidly located. they need to be co-located with existing infrastructure until the industry is large enough in its own right to justify its own infrastructure supply lines.
Texas has the 2nd largest population in the country (behind only California).
Texas has the 2nd largest economy (again, behind California, and only slightly), larger than most independent countries.
Texas is one of the few states that contributes more to the federal wallet than it recieves.
Texas has a top notch education system that utilizes wealth redistribution (thats what it is even if not called that) ensures the poorest school districts still get adequate funding.
On top of that it has many state run aid programs to put kids into college.
Veterans who are Texas residents get a free ride through college.
Texas has some of the healthiest residents int he nation, and one of the best healthcare netowrks
Also, more hospitals per capita than any other state, and state programs to people who cant affords it.
You can keep saying they're backward, but Texas is actually one of the most progressive states in teh nation, particularly for a "conservative" state (except its not really conservative; 45/55 split on votes, not very one sided).
but what is clear, is that you're simply an ignorant moron who has never actually been there, and knows absolutely zero about the state.
it's "really" close to the western tip of texas.....which puts it really far away from 99% of texas.
it's also in an absolutely stupid location. it's as if no one did a feasibility study or anything. there is no nearby population center. there is no nearby logistical transportation lines (major freeway, freight railline, major airport, etc). its int he middle of freaking no where. who's going to use it? super rish, super bored people....and thats it.
in order for a space port, spance-trans company to work realistically, at this time, in the infancy of the industry, they MUST integrate with the existing infrastructure and existing transportation industries.
Spaceport America is the equivalent of trying to create the NASCAR race in the 1870s, before most people even heard of automobiles, let alone used them or apreciated them.
to be honest, what were they thinking putting one in New Mexico in the first place? int he future, it might be a great spot. but right now? its too far from its theoretical customer base. and what were they thinking building it before they even had a businees plan/model to make money from? Spaceport America was a cool idea, but it lacked a lot of common sense.
add to that, if you're a resident of texas, and you join the military, your college education is free (at least to the state schools, honorable discharge required). And that's on top of your federal gi bill benefits.
i take heart from the fact that while Abrams and Bay are popular to bash around here, they make tons and tons of money, which can be logically extended to mean these voices are in the minority, because lots and lots of people still go see the movies. so whine all you want of JJ "Lens Flare" Abrams and Michael "Explosions" Bay ruining your childhood memories. They aint all that bad, and if you truly remember the originals....they weren't all that good either, compared to our memories of them.
troll
now, now. you make it sound like they are out to get everyone, and care not a whit about actual facts.
too many people use movies and L&O:SVU to inform themselves about legal procedure.
believe me, they do care about facts. just arresting somebady, anybody, just to ahve something to show, isnt very effective and opens up huge lawsuits. however, generally, when they really start going after someone it's because they are fairly certain they have right individual (because most people, hollywood aside, are not that smart or good at committing crimes). if it's just general canvassing, and you can clearly establish you own lack of involvement, they really dont care about you and you can go on your way.
mod up.
some ideals are timeless and beyond debate.
life
liberty
freedom from oppression
those are the core ideals, around whcih the rest are based. it is only the rest that need be logically debated and considered and reexamined from time to time.
one such "reexamining", led to the civil war, and resulted in the 14th amendment.
another resulted in women sufferage
another the civil rights movement
these reexaminings of the logical constructs we have made based on the core ideals are important. we said "liberty for all", but originally only applied it to white male property owners. we've since gotten past that.
but when people start to question the core ideals, then it's time to start over because the society itself has lost its way and needs a refresher course.
and yes, Duty. freedom/liberty has a price. it is not self-perpeuating. it needs constant pushing against outside and inside forces that would snuff it out.
it's hard to have an impatient boss keeping you on task when you're at home. you're left on your own responsibility.
if you come to the office, they can have somoene, annoying as they might be, riding herd over all the employees, instead of each employee being left to his own.
also almost forgot PLX: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLX
edit: they can be mixed into liquid form.
your chemists are relatvely misinformed then.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyliquit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANFO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannerite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinestik#Binary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_explosive
What you say is true.
However, Holder is a giant stain upon this country who was responsible for determining how to legally kill american citizens with drones. terrorists? yeah. really bad dudes? yeah.
but still american citizens under the law, and either that law means something, or it doesnt.
and now he wont rule out the same legal tactics to kill an american citizen on american soil.
he didnt say he would.
but also didnt say he wouldnt.
he just said they hadnt done it yet.
and that is scary as all hell.
"suck it up liek teh rest of us" ???
even int he recession most people didnt come into work and get told because their ELECTED LEADERS ARE IDIOTS they are now taking a forced 20% pay cut, with no options around it. hell, most people didnt face pay cuts, period.
suck it up like the rest of us? you bloody moron. the rest of us have it pretty damn easy right now comapred to them.
these are not cuts in growth. these are real cuts, happening right now. you're just too bloody stupid to see it
you are a f*cking moron who didnt read a single thing I stated.
those are facts.
happening RIGHT NOW.
800,000 in the DoD alone being hit with a forced 20% pay cut, with no way out.
the cuts, the sequestration was "never supposed" to happen, even though cynics like me knew that both parties would GLADLY drive right over that cliff, knowing full well they could get away with it by blaming the other side while ignoring their own complicity, and their electorate would LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT.
its win/win for the politicians all around. they get political captial out of it no matter what, and it never actually affects them safe in their ivory tower.
and then, instead of one side flinching, the republicans decided, hey, F*CK IT, LETS DO IT, and stepped on the accelerator!
and then they've convinced the morons among their voter base it was actually a good thing; more intelligent parts are in shock at this deception.
and the democrats go along with it, because they really can blame the other side.
this is exactly why brinkmanship should not be allowed in politics.
and also why half of voters should be barred from voting by some sort of cognitive test, because this stuff is absolutely retarded.
republicans are not the conservative party.
democrats are not hte common man's party.
the parties each care about only one thing: staying in power.
and they will lie, cheat, and decieve the public in whatever way is needed in order to do so.
and they do not give a flying F if they drive the country into the ground in the process.
And i feel sorry for you, because you are simply one among many who have simply fallen for the most recent deception.
and his desire to speak his message is any less valid than yours, or anyone elses, that you would seek to deny him the ability to speak it?
let him speak all he wants. he has that right, whather you like what he says or not.
and you dont have to listen to him if you dont want to.
you however do not have the right to take away his right to speak simply because you disagree with his statements.
thats the reason westboro baptsist is allowed to continue to exist, and all legal attempts to stop them from their hateful demonstrations at military funerals. and as much as I hate loathe and despise that den of kooks, i have to agree with the court decisions that have allowed them to continue their protests.
your best defense is to counter his statements and prove him wrong.
that is the BEST way to silence someone you disagree with, by besting him and causing him to silence himself.
that goes against the principles of rewarding merit, shunning the lack, and not shooting the messenger when you dislike the man who sent him.
if effect, you are punishing the work regardless of its own merit.
art must stand alone in judgement.
many artists are extremely... flawed... in one way or another.
but that doesnt make their art any less beautiful.