I'm a former Lulu employee, and I know that there were many authors who were highly upset that Lulu didn't offer a way to "lock" their content, couldn't use DRM-enabled files unless they were offered as a media download (which didn't list them as books) and were very concerned that someone would steal their content. I imagine that this appeases them and eliminates some of the customer service headache they caused, while allowing everyone else to continue as they were.
I completely agree with this. The one thing that seems to be evident is that everyone should have access to those lines. Personally, I would be in favour of the existence of one company specifically for taking maintenance of and extension of that infrastructure, as opposed to turning it over to government, with the cost of access to the infrastructure being government-regulated, ie a user tax. I'd go further and suggest that the company be a non-profit organisation, but I'm really not that much of an optimist.
Wow.. The text is older than I am. The details are, without a doubt, outdated. My thanks to those who provided the little modifiers, and to the nudge in the right direction. My thanks go out, as well, to Israel, to Canadians who support us in our present situations, and to those around the world who have, at one moment to another, stepped in to defend and aid, verbally or otherwise, a country whose every attempt at defending itself is viewed, it seems sometimes, with patronization or with criticism. It is the criticism of the people at home, the evidence of a nation spoiled, its citizenry indulged beyond any other, that hurts the most. We can withstand anything, I believe, except this erosion of American goodwill among Americans.
The most remarkable thing about America, the thing that has gone hand in hand with the legend of a golden land, has always been the ability of its people to stand together, fierce and undaunted, in the face of overwhelming danger, and triumph through unity. The words, "the American spirit," are synonymous with resilience, with determination, with the willingness to place oneself on the line for family and country and the ideal of liberty. Even in the face of disapproval, of anger, of ridicule from our global neighbours, America has been the strong right arm unafraid to carry or to use the big stick when others were sidestepping a growing problem. The phrasing is not, nor has it ever been, "Give me popularity, or give me death." It's a role that all of the world at large has at times, been grateful to let America assume, all the while not being above sitting back from the sidelines to comment and criticize. It is also a role that America as a nation has perhaps become too accustomed to accepting.
Myself? I would be amused, I think, to see America withdraw all its aid, all its support, all its interference, and fortify itself here, at home. Perhaps it is time, to let the rest of the world fend for themselves. To build our defenses and take our turn at sitting back, looking on, to criticize the performance of the rest of the world. There are children starving here at home, after all; there is no shortage of ways to mend our own fences and tend our own orchards. Make a direct incursion, and you will be struck down. We will not interfere in anyone else's conflicts; deal as best you can. What say you, world? Is it time Uncle Sam retired, and became a father, dedicated only to those within his fences?
I, for one, hope they will. And I think, as I'm sure many will agree, that rebuilding, bigger, better, and stronger, is the best message we can send to anyone who dares to view yesterday's actions as anything but atrocious. Terrorist actions will not faze us, we will not be cowed, and the damage will be undone, leaving no trace of what you attempted, and a more lasting monument to the American spirit. I'm going to write to my officials and ask that it be made a priority... if everyone does the same, who knows what we can accomplish?
I was IRC'ing, talking to friends on DalNet, when the word came in that a plane had crashed into the WTC, and I laughed, gods help me, about being in NY and hearing local news from an Australian. I declined to turn on the television, on the grounds that I have this rule.. no news before noon, or I spend my whole day upset about something I can't change. That resolve lasted about ten minutes. I saw the second crash on television.
When did it begin to sink in? When I looked outside, and I could see the smoke. When I watched the towers crumble, and saw the footaage of those horrible scenes we've all seen by now. When friends started asking if I were all right, and people started advising me to evacuate, and I realised that things were locked down so tightly I couldn't have if I'd wanted to.
Some guy on the television, asked why he wasn't evacuating, echoed the thought. Where would I go? And so he stayed, and so did I. Running wouldn't have done that much good, as it turns out. September 11th, 2001 has been, quite simply, the single most hellish day I've ever gone through.
You're right.. it's a day I won't forget. I wish I could.
M'eh.. blood's needed more, and frankly, money won't save a life. Yeah, that's a lecture, and I'm sorry, but I gave my pint today, and will give more, probably, in days to come... and I'm anaemic, and have that tendency to pass out, too. Please... if it's a choice between the two, the blood's needed more.
They sent the message clearly. But we have a message of our own, and what happens as a result of their choice will, if there is any justice in the world, be visited upon their heads, as it should be. Thousands of people did not wake up this morning and decide it was a good day to die for the sake of someone's message to America. The people who made the choice that a message was worth that many lives should be hunted down... since it never is the leaders who kill themselves... and, personally, I'd like them killed and their ashes turned over to the families of the victims for disposal however they see fit.
I agree completely. I think that the single biggest statement we can make as a nation would be to reconstruct what was destroyed today, bigger and better, and to have the WTC dominating the landscape of NYC again would be a wonderful thing.
You also have to notice something else: the purpose of the attack is to enrage, to create chaos, to make the people claim for revenge. This is not a military installation that was attacked, that probably would have failed. The target was a civilian target because that stood a chance of success. This attack is bait. Don't swallow it.
I disagree. The ultimate point of a terrorist attack is not to make the people claim for revenge. It is to frighten the populace, and through them, induce their leaders to make some change that the terrorists desire.
I believe that all-out war, with no finely-identified target, will further no-one's interests except perhaps the terrorists', by stripping us of our support in the rest of the world, and making us bullies.
On the other side of that coin, though, blind pacifism is not a course of action we, as a nation, can afford. Our government and military exist to provide solutions to these situations that will allow the public to lead their lives in peace, and if our leadership abdicates this role, then we fall prey to vigilanteeism, of necessity.
The ideal solution would have been to have somehow intercepted this attack. Kudos to anyone who can figure out how to keep this from being successful another time. But, in the here and now, we have a situation which, in my opinion, requires a response from a position of strength. I don't claim that mine is the only viewpoint, I understand that many folks will disagree with me.
I'm all for rebuilding and carrying on normal life; we cannot, we will not, spend all our days looking over our collective shoulder. If Americans know anything, it is how to build, and rebuild. I expect the WTC to exist again in some new form. However, we cannot close our eyes to the threat of terrorism, either. We were already beginning to focus on terrorism; I simply do not feel that relaxing that focus is in our best interests.
In a perfect world, the guilty parties would already have been discovered and pilloried globally. No nation would countenance terrorists or shelter those with terrorist views. In this less than perfect world, however, a targeted series of counter strikes as a standard response to this problem is the best solution I can see.
Okay. We've batted the same arguments back and forth all day. Things are quieting down, now, and still the facts are horrible, and will get no less horrible as the numbers get tallied.
We have dead terrorists, yes. Somehow, though, I doubt that the originators of the plot are among them. The leaders of such things never do seem to do us the favour of eliminating themselves for us.
We have an atrocity.
We have a situation that will decide the course of our foreign relations for a long time. The US will never again have as clear or as much justification for removing any known terrorist faction from the playing field as we do today, with ~50,000 dead.
If we do nothing, we will never again have the support to take action that we've enjoyed till now. We will always be bullies. We will be accused of being discriminatory, of being cowards, of picking and choosing our fights as it suits us.
The detractors will be correct, and we will have no defense against them.
We will never again stand in the position we are in now. Can we afford to not act? Can we afford to turn the other cheek, and pretend this did not occur? What happens the next time some group with a temper nd contacts decides that 50,000 lives aren't too high a cost to make a statement?
This is a foreign concept, I know, for us who haven't had to deal with the daily realities of war. But it is a matter of national honour.The line was drawn for us this morning. We have only two options. We can toe that line, or we can assert ourselves. You know which I favour.
Of one thing, though, I am completely certain. America's days of believing herself inviolable are at an end. The innocent days are over. Are we going to grow up, and adjust to an adult position in the global community, rather than the petted/reviled brat princess role we've been playing? Or are we going to show ourselves as perpetual whingers who don't deserve the power we've amassed?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating war. I'm advocating a counter-terrorist strike or twenty, targeted at known terrorist groups, and removing just those people, with as much care and good planning as they showed this morning. They obviously know how to make a statement, and while I don't admire their actions, I think we could take a hint from their discipline. Eliminate the loss of innocent life from their strategy, and implement it against them, would be my choice of action. With no fanfare accompanying the claim of responsibility for the action afterward, but a simple statement of this is what happens to those who kill our people in our land, in this way. This is our policy from now on.
Do I know the problems with this? Yes. I think that, within a great many sets of circumstances, the price of the action will be not too great to pay for achieving the desired result. My three children, and my children's children, should not have to grow up accepting terrorism as a fact of life.
Peter, calling information will get you the number of your nearest hospital, if you can't find a donation center. Any hospital within NY right now, I should think, will accept donors. The operators are incredibly busy today, of course, so please be patient. And it's a wonderful gesture to tell your particular operator thank you for standing by to man the posts; the one I spoke to has family in Manhattan, and I know that at work is not where he wanted to be. Good luck, be safe.
We are, it seems, in complete agreement. As far as I am concerned, we were at war from the moment that first plane struck, and those responsible for this unbelievable loss of mostly innocent lives need to be found, brought into the US if they are not already here, and made an example of. It needs to be done efficiently, coldly, and soon. Undue delay on this simply shows the world that our current administration is ineffective, and it cannot be tolerated.
This is, unless you count a couple of major Civil War battles, the largest single-day loss of life in the US. Ever. If ever there were justification for retaliation, this is it. I'm not advocating a witchunt by any means, but retribution is required, and will be demanded. The time for a call for peace was before the attack. "The avalanche has started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."
Slashdot Mirror
I'm a former Lulu employee, and I know that there were many authors who were highly upset that Lulu didn't offer a way to "lock" their content, couldn't use DRM-enabled files unless they were offered as a media download (which didn't list them as books) and were very concerned that someone would steal their content. I imagine that this appeases them and eliminates some of the customer service headache they caused, while allowing everyone else to continue as they were.
I completely agree with this. The one thing that seems to be evident is that everyone should have access to those lines. Personally, I would be in favour of the existence of one company specifically for taking maintenance of and extension of that infrastructure, as opposed to turning it over to government, with the cost of access to the infrastructure being government-regulated, ie a user tax. I'd go further and suggest that the company be a non-profit organisation, but I'm really not that much of an optimist.
The most remarkable thing about America, the thing that has gone hand in hand with the legend of a golden land, has always been the ability of its people to stand together, fierce and undaunted, in the face of overwhelming danger, and triumph through unity. The words, "the American spirit," are synonymous with resilience, with determination, with the willingness to place oneself on the line for family and country and the ideal of liberty. Even in the face of disapproval, of anger, of ridicule from our global neighbours, America has been the strong right arm unafraid to carry or to use the big stick when others were sidestepping a growing problem. The phrasing is not, nor has it ever been, "Give me popularity, or give me death." It's a role that all of the world at large has at times, been grateful to let America assume, all the while not being above sitting back from the sidelines to comment and criticize. It is also a role that America as a nation has perhaps become too accustomed to accepting.
Myself? I would be amused, I think, to see America withdraw all its aid, all its support, all its interference, and fortify itself here, at home. Perhaps it is time, to let the rest of the world fend for themselves. To build our defenses and take our turn at sitting back, looking on, to criticize the performance of the rest of the world. There are children starving here at home, after all; there is no shortage of ways to mend our own fences and tend our own orchards. Make a direct incursion, and you will be struck down. We will not interfere in anyone else's conflicts; deal as best you can. What say you, world? Is it time Uncle Sam retired, and became a father, dedicated only to those within his fences?
Love and light..
When did it begin to sink in? When I looked outside, and I could see the smoke. When I watched the towers crumble, and saw the footaage of those horrible scenes we've all seen by now. When friends started asking if I were all right, and people started advising me to evacuate, and I realised that things were locked down so tightly I couldn't have if I'd wanted to.
Some guy on the television, asked why he wasn't evacuating, echoed the thought. Where would I go? And so he stayed, and so did I. Running wouldn't have done that much good, as it turns out. September 11th, 2001 has been, quite simply, the single most hellish day I've ever gone through.
You're right.. it's a day I won't forget. I wish I could.
They sent the message clearly. But we have a message of our own, and what happens as a result of their choice will, if there is any justice in the world, be visited upon their heads, as it should be. Thousands of people did not wake up this morning and decide it was a good day to die for the sake of someone's message to America. The people who made the choice that a message was worth that many lives should be hunted down... since it never is the leaders who kill themselves... and, personally, I'd like them killed and their ashes turned over to the families of the victims for disposal however they see fit.
I agree completely. I think that the single biggest statement we can make as a nation would be to reconstruct what was destroyed today, bigger and better, and to have the WTC dominating the landscape of NYC again would be a wonderful thing.
I disagree. The ultimate point of a terrorist attack is not to make the people claim for revenge. It is to frighten the populace, and through them, induce their leaders to make some change that the terrorists desire.
I believe that all-out war, with no finely-identified target, will further no-one's interests except perhaps the terrorists', by stripping us of our support in the rest of the world, and making us bullies.
On the other side of that coin, though, blind pacifism is not a course of action we, as a nation, can afford. Our government and military exist to provide solutions to these situations that will allow the public to lead their lives in peace, and if our leadership abdicates this role, then we fall prey to vigilanteeism, of necessity.
The ideal solution would have been to have somehow intercepted this attack. Kudos to anyone who can figure out how to keep this from being successful another time. But, in the here and now, we have a situation which, in my opinion, requires a response from a position of strength. I don't claim that mine is the only viewpoint, I understand that many folks will disagree with me.
I'm all for rebuilding and carrying on normal life; we cannot, we will not, spend all our days looking over our collective shoulder. If Americans know anything, it is how to build, and rebuild. I expect the WTC to exist again in some new form. However, we cannot close our eyes to the threat of terrorism, either. We were already beginning to focus on terrorism; I simply do not feel that relaxing that focus is in our best interests.
In a perfect world, the guilty parties would already have been discovered and pilloried globally. No nation would countenance terrorists or shelter those with terrorist views. In this less than perfect world, however, a targeted series of counter strikes as a standard response to this problem is the best solution I can see.
We have dead terrorists, yes. Somehow, though, I doubt that the originators of the plot are among them. The leaders of such things never do seem to do us the favour of eliminating themselves for us.
We have an atrocity.
We have a situation that will decide the course of our foreign relations for a long time. The US will never again have as clear or as much justification for removing any known terrorist faction from the playing field as we do today, with ~50,000 dead.
If we do nothing, we will never again have the support to take action that we've enjoyed till now. We will always be bullies. We will be accused of being discriminatory, of being cowards, of picking and choosing our fights as it suits us.
The detractors will be correct, and we will have no defense against them.
We will never again stand in the position we are in now. Can we afford to not act? Can we afford to turn the other cheek, and pretend this did not occur? What happens the next time some group with a temper nd contacts decides that 50,000 lives aren't too high a cost to make a statement?
This is a foreign concept, I know, for us who haven't had to deal with the daily realities of war. But it is a matter of national honour. The line was drawn for us this morning. We have only two options. We can toe that line, or we can assert ourselves. You know which I favour.
Of one thing, though, I am completely certain. America's days of believing herself inviolable are at an end. The innocent days are over. Are we going to grow up, and adjust to an adult position in the global community, rather than the petted/reviled brat princess role we've been playing? Or are we going to show ourselves as perpetual whingers who don't deserve the power we've amassed?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating war. I'm advocating a counter-terrorist strike or twenty, targeted at known terrorist groups, and removing just those people, with as much care and good planning as they showed this morning. They obviously know how to make a statement, and while I don't admire their actions, I think we could take a hint from their discipline. Eliminate the loss of innocent life from their strategy, and implement it against them, would be my choice of action. With no fanfare accompanying the claim of responsibility for the action afterward, but a simple statement of this is what happens to those who kill our people in our land, in this way. This is our policy from now on.
Do I know the problems with this? Yes. I think that, within a great many sets of circumstances, the price of the action will be not too great to pay for achieving the desired result. My three children, and my children's children, should not have to grow up accepting terrorism as a fact of life.
Peter, calling information will get you the number of your nearest hospital, if you can't find a donation center. Any hospital within NY right now, I should think, will accept donors. The operators are incredibly busy today, of course, so please be patient. And it's a wonderful gesture to tell your particular operator thank you for standing by to man the posts; the one I spoke to has family in Manhattan, and I know that at work is not where he wanted to be. Good luck, be safe.
We are, it seems, in complete agreement. As far as I am concerned, we were at war from the moment that first plane struck, and those responsible for this unbelievable loss of mostly innocent lives need to be found, brought into the US if they are not already here, and made an example of. It needs to be done efficiently, coldly, and soon. Undue delay on this simply shows the world that our current administration is ineffective, and it cannot be tolerated.
This is, unless you count a couple of major Civil War battles, the largest single-day loss of life in the US. Ever. If ever there were justification for retaliation, this is it. I'm not advocating a witchunt by any means, but retribution is required, and will be demanded. The time for a call for peace was before the attack. "The avalanche has started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote."