What people rarely see is the level of abuse the Feds partake in regarding technology nowadays, abuse that happens on a scale that is barely told out of fear from sounding like an "anti-government" looney ranting about rights.
This can be frustrating. I get a lot of grief from people for using a firewall on a DSL connection. They do not consider security a concern. Until they get cracked.
I think this is an image problem. The serious people should just go about doing their business and let the masses go on guffawing.
Reminds me of Noah building an ark while most of the people in his town ridiculed him. Maybe its better to let them drown in their obstinate ignorance. At least some of us will survive...
I apologize for making you upset. I genuinely appreciate your comments.
Most of my info about the Chechans fighting for independence from Russia comes from www.qoqaz.net. This is hardly an un-biased source, but it provides me with the rebel perspective on the war. So I do not claim any firsthand experience with those people.
I do not make excuses for any crimes such as you describe. If a Chechan is found guilty of rape, I will demand just retribution. And I believe the Chechans who are represented by the qoqaz.net website would do the same, and actually carry it out. The justice that is presented on the website is what allows me to advertise the url.
In modern warfare, civilians are the biggest losers. For example, almost ten years after Desert Storm, the civilians in Iraq continue to suffer. The children are paying and will continue to pay for Saddams actions. Even the children of the US soldiers are not safe from the (controversial?) effects of depleted uranium.
Ektanoor, the Russians have a history of censorship and mis-information. If you can back up your claims of atrocities being commited and going unpunished by Chechan rebels, please cite your evidence and let the facts speak for themselves.
My evidence is available on www.qoqaz.net for public evaluation.
Okay, you can have your.22 and see how you fare against a professionally trained militant (PD, ATF, FBI, JTF (narcs), etc, etc) with a Heckler & Koch MP-5.
Thats not a rebellion, its a slaughter.
But you are right, regulations do vary state to state and public sentiment supports tougher handgun regulation (even though most of the recent school shooting incidents cited in support of such regulations rarely involve handguns... but instead.22 type rifles).
What makes you think the Americans are not disarmed sheeple? The few people that care enough to exercise their right to bear arms (legally) have to comply with strict regulations.
And most of these people are the sporting/hunting type, and not the type that say, "I want to guard my diminishing civil rights and protect loved ones and/or property from an oppressive government."
But this has almost become a moot point.
The age of colonialism is not over, the only difference is the type of weapons used. Instead of conventional wars, the western governments have shifted to an information war. And they are making the rules up as they go along.
Airplanes have a huge blindspot. In fact, its so huge, they rely on electronics to navigate.
This surveillence aircraft therefore knew the jet was there at all times.
My guess: Maybe the autipilot kicked the plane into a bank for a programmed turn, and the jet was unfortunate to be under its wing at the time.
In which case the pilot of the US aircraft should be cited for not turning off the autopilot while knowing a jet was operating in close quarters.
And also the jet pilot should be cited for operating dangerously close to another aircraft.
Many people reject the idea that America is a melting pot. These people claim the proper metaphor would be a "tossed salad", with each of the various types of people maintaining their own identity (more or less).
I would argue that regardless, the government of the US has stopped representing the people of the US, whether they be a melting pot or a tossed salad.
The best evidence I can site in my support (besides the fact the most Americans do not vote) is the most recent national elections. The liberals supporting Gore claim they got cheated, the people who voted for Nader say the media unjustly banned them from the debates (and thusly serious consideration), and the people who voted for Bush blame a faulty designed ballot!
Whatever America was, or is supposed to be, it is NOT a democracy.
I also see the point about conformity. There are hundreds of media organizations, but if you look behind the stage props, you see that only a handful of independent media giants own these numerous media outlets. And how else do most Americans form opinion on anything, if not through the major networks?
A democracy works only with an educated people. And the media is being used to spread state-approved propoganda.
You want alternatives, you say? Check out http://www.indymedia.org for beginners. Tell em slashdot sent ya.
Slashdot Mirror
This can be frustrating. I get a lot of grief from people for using a firewall on a DSL connection. They do not consider security a concern. Until they get cracked.
I think this is an image problem. The serious people should just go about doing their business and let the masses go on guffawing.
Reminds me of Noah building an ark while most of the people in his town ridiculed him. Maybe its better to let them drown in their obstinate ignorance. At least some of us will survive...
Now I have an idea of what Slashdot must have been like in the early days. Best series of intelligent and coherent posts Ive read in a long time.
I would love to see the essence of StoryMan's post expanded and posted in a more visible location.
The post looks like it belongs in the Code of Hammurabi or at least mentioned in that Sunscreen song! ;-)
Thanks again, folks!
I apologize for making you upset. I genuinely appreciate your comments.
Most of my info about the Chechans fighting for independence from Russia comes from www.qoqaz.net. This is hardly an un-biased source, but it provides me with the rebel perspective on the war. So I do not claim any firsthand experience with those people.
I do not make excuses for any crimes such as you describe. If a Chechan is found guilty of rape, I will demand just retribution. And I believe the Chechans who are represented by the qoqaz.net website would do the same, and actually carry it out. The justice that is presented on the website is what allows me to advertise the url.
In modern warfare, civilians are the biggest losers. For example, almost ten years after Desert Storm, the civilians in Iraq continue to suffer. The children are paying and will continue to pay for Saddams actions. Even the children of the US soldiers are not safe from the (controversial?) effects of depleted uranium.
Ektanoor, the Russians have a history of censorship and mis-information. If you can back up your claims of atrocities being commited and going unpunished by Chechan rebels, please cite your evidence and let the facts speak for themselves.
My evidence is available on www.qoqaz.net for public evaluation.
Peace.
Mod this drivel up. Ektanoor is actually giving us valuable insight into from the Russian perspective.
And by linking the Chechen freedom fighters with the FBI, he takes the risk of venerating those same "terrorists" he so despises.
Thats not a rebellion, its a slaughter.
But you are right, regulations do vary state to state and public sentiment supports tougher handgun regulation (even though most of the recent school shooting incidents cited in support of such regulations rarely involve handguns... but instead .22 type rifles).
People tired of the usual media tripe visit the Independent Media Center.
And most of these people are the sporting/hunting type, and not the type that say, "I want to guard my diminishing civil rights and protect loved ones and/or property from an oppressive government."
But this has almost become a moot point.
The age of colonialism is not over, the only difference is the type of weapons used. Instead of conventional wars, the western governments have shifted to an information war. And they are making the rules up as they go along.
People tired of the usual media tripe visit the Independent Media Center.
Airplanes have a huge blindspot. In fact, its so huge, they rely on electronics to navigate. This surveillence aircraft therefore knew the jet was there at all times. My guess: Maybe the autipilot kicked the plane into a bank for a programmed turn, and the jet was unfortunate to be under its wing at the time. In which case the pilot of the US aircraft should be cited for not turning off the autopilot while knowing a jet was operating in close quarters. And also the jet pilot should be cited for operating dangerously close to another aircraft.
Good comments. Mod this one up, ya'll.
Shouldn't that be, "that's life"? ;-)
Many people reject the idea that America is a melting pot. These people claim the proper metaphor would be a "tossed salad", with each of the various types of people maintaining their own identity (more or less).
I would argue that regardless, the government of the US has stopped representing the people of the US, whether they be a melting pot or a tossed salad.
The best evidence I can site in my support (besides the fact the most Americans do not vote) is the most recent national elections. The liberals supporting Gore claim they got cheated, the people who voted for Nader say the media unjustly banned them from the debates (and thusly serious consideration), and the people who voted for Bush blame a faulty designed ballot!
Whatever America was, or is supposed to be, it is NOT a democracy.
I also see the point about conformity. There are hundreds of media organizations, but if you look behind the stage props, you see that only a handful of independent media giants own these numerous media outlets. And how else do most Americans form opinion on anything, if not through the major networks?
A democracy works only with an educated people. And the media is being used to spread state-approved propoganda.
You want alternatives, you say? Check out http://www.indymedia.org for beginners. Tell em slashdot sent ya.
Peace.
Yes. Use more effecient bulbs (flourescent or LED) instead of extremely inneffecient incandescent.