First they came for the Britney Fans and I did not speak out because I was not a Britney Fan. Mostly because Britney sucks in more ways then one
Then they didn't come for me, I own piles of vinyl records, and I listen mostly to College Radio. But more or less they are picking on those likely to cave in quick. They settle quick too, they can't lose their momentum. When they do they drop off for about 8 months then start again. They won't go away, there is too much money at stake and none of it comes from these lawsuits. These games make the Industry get a warm fuzzy feeling right down in their beancounters. Makes it look like it works or means much. Bark back loud enough and they run away like the school yard bullies they dreaded when they were kids.
"This is the RIAA Collective," they said menacingly. "Prepare to be assimilated. We will add your Financial and topographical distinctiveness to our own. You will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
They don't give a hot damn about the laptop be he a low level fence or just a guy who got a extra special deal on a laptop. They want to find where the info went. If it was wiped fine, find a way to prove it.
So they grab the first guy and shake him and maybe they will get to the woman who did steal it or just a bit closer. $20k bail is a big barking dog, if he has more ties to the thief and they can scare the guy into squawking then got closer and if they didn't then the case goes nowhere and they give it back in a few months. $100k is a big bail, $500k is a big bail, murder suspects get that sort of bail. Car thieves get more bail.
Has to making a living doing that, I've made a living doing just that. The flip side is you get some old fart who can't seem to tell you the model number but you drive out 30 miles and he's has a 486 and wants $600 for that because he paid $2000 in '95. Or you get one where the battery holds about a 12 min charge and the charge bar lies because it's just been charged. Batterys are spendy, then the seller suddenly won't answer your emails. hmmm
No, they are after the data not the laptop or the dealer. They want the original thief and to know that that data got really erased not sold to a data fence.
As to the two who got six months of probation. Did the guy who sold it to them rat them out? Bet he did, and six months of probation is just that. You didn't really do anything worth jailtime, hold out your wrist [SMACK].
This isn't much of a story, except that it shows some of the workings of a police investigation. Proof of guilt or innocence here? Don't hold you breath, this isn't an episode of Law and Order. This is just part of the legal circus. Nothing to see here, move along.
this goes nowhere, it makes as much sense as this I pulled this from the slashdot fortune at the bottom of my page.
Where there's no emotion, there's no motive for violence. -- Spock, "Dagger of the Mind", stardate 2715.1
This arguement has become overlayed with other issues. And like the quote it has no meaning, no sense and long since free of actual reality. I can only state that this guy didn't do anything evil. $300 is not completely unreasonable if a bit lowball a price for recent used computer. I don't trust any used gear whatever it is cars to computers. My stated rationals do hold water if you want to lump me in with your fictional resident Slashdot moral juveniles feel free.
If you want to get the plain truth, Be not concerned with right and wrong. The conflict between right and wrong Is the sickness of the mind." Seng-Ts'an
So, how many copies of drivers licenses do you have? Does every piece of gear that ever came thru your hands have a tracking number? How much did your portable photocopier cost?
Did you get a copy of the license of the guy who sold you your last batch of blank cdrom?
In a few months, they are gonna drop the criminal charge down in a plea and give him a fine w/ probation. In a year it will be wiped off his record if he's good. If he wants to fight it he may win and just get a stern warning to be careful from the judge. $300 is not unreasonable if a bit lowball.
likely he thought there was something amiss in the laptop. Flaky circut or an intermittent harddrive issue and something on top of that like the seller was behind in the credit payments and was afraid they would take it in for service and not give it back. Maybe it was just a case of "hopelessly stupid user syndrome" and the seller was a complete idiot about computers and had had enough. Who cares???
This year I bought for $300 a Thinkpad T30 P4 2ghz that somebody's girlfriend had flung across the room. It still ran and I parted it out making about $200 in profit and used the lightbulb to fix another laptop and I still have the 30 gig drive and legal copy of XP Pro. So I am up about $400 or so.
As a different poster stated, there isn't a main database for stolen laptops. Cops don't care. They don't rouse used dealers and not because they all work online. The only time I ever saw a cop in the stores I worked in was when we called them to kick out a drunk or something. They didn't catch this guy with hard work, they found it by a fluke.
What your really asking is that every sale have a moral pettigree. Ain't no such thing.
I have worked in both Used Computer and Book shops. A business does not view that book you loved so much and held on to for all those years as being worth much. A USED dealer hopes to get maybe half of the original price in the first 18 months after whatever it is came out, after that they buy for parts and those parts maybe worth more then a live unit. Much of the rest of the stock turns to Gomi.
I just bought a Sunblade 1000 maxed out w/ 2 gigs mem and dual 750mhz Ultrasparc 3s for $700, the config it's in sold for $3500+ new. If I find a stupid buyer, I maybe can get $1000 for it. But I didn't buy it to sell so I paid more then a dealer would.
[thud] [clang] CART MASTER:
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang] CUSTOMER:
Here's one. CART MASTER:
Ninepence. DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead! CART MASTER:
What? CUSTOMER:
Nothing. Here's your ninepence. DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead! CART MASTER:
'Ere. He says he's not dead! CUSTOMER:
Yes, he is. DEAD PERSON:
I'm not! CART MASTER:
He isn't? CUSTOMER:
Well, he will be soon. He's very ill. DEAD PERSON:
I'm getting better! CUSTOMER:
No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment. CART MASTER:
Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations. DEAD PERSON:
I don't want to go on the cart! CUSTOMER:
Oh, don't be such a baby. CART MASTER:
I can't take him. DEAD PERSON:
I feel fine! CUSTOMER:
Well, do us a favour. CART MASTER:
I can't. CUSTOMER:
Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long. CART MASTER:
No, I've got to go to the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today. CUSTOMER:
Well, when's your next round? CART MASTER:
Thursday. DEAD PERSON:
I think I'll go for a walk. CUSTOMER:
You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn't there something you can do? DEAD PERSON: [singing]
I feel happy. I feel happy.
[whop] CUSTOMER:
Ah, thanks very much. CART MASTER:
Not at all. See you on Thursday. CUSTOMER:
Right. All right.
[howl]
[clop clop clop]
Who's that, then? CART MASTER:
I dunno. Must be a king. CUSTOMER:
Why? CART MASTER:
He hasn't got shit all over him.
Great, just Great! Now I have to move it again. I takes forever to get a saucer out to my command ship. Damn nosy humans. Do they realize how much of a pain hiding a forward base like that is on a moments notice.
Good thing We keep an eye on postings on slashdot otherwise somebody significant might take notice. I have at least three or four reposts of this story to move it before it hits a site like Vampire Weekly or Britney Talk and the world takes notice.
Look, I hate microsoft as much as the next slashdotter, but nobody deserves that. I work in a mixed env, that means at some point I will have to use it. This is just what I don't want. A Data (the Android) version of Clippy? XP is already bloated and nearly useless, can you imagine what Rick Berman will do to it?
I feel a post-work alcohol-induced coma coming on.
These streams of so-called Capitalist/Socialist discourse should be considered in context. One of my favorite movies from the 60's was "The President's Analyst". In which a simple prediction was made that came true about 20 years later.
"Every day your country becomes more socialistic, my country becomes more capitalistic, Pretty soon we'll meet in the middle and join hands." --V.I. Kydor Kropotkin (played by Severn Darden)
The USSR is gone and in it's place is a rapidly stablising Russia.
The tug and pull of Capitalist/Socialist keep a society from moving too far either way. Too many Neocons you get a president who pulls first responders away from saving lives for a photo-op. Too many Socialists, you get manditory classes in Macrobiotics, Veganism, and firewalking in schools.
Warm sake has been enjoyed in Japan for hundreds of years. Warm or hot sake is referred to in general as "kanzake." Warmth increases the effect of the alcohol in sake, which is probably why most westerners who have enjoyed warm sake say that it "packs a punch." In actual fact, most sake has about 18 percent alcohol, similar to most wines. The flavor of the sake is increased by heating, as is its dryness. Because of this dryness, warm or hot sake is the perfect companion for plain foods such as sashimi (raw fish) or sushi. The dryness will also help to cut the oiliness of hot pot dishes made with fat or oil.
ZERO GRAVITY TOILET PASSENGERS ARE ADVISED TO READ INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE
1 The toilet is of the standard zero-gravity type. Depending on requirements, System A and / or System B can be used; details of which are clearly marked in the toilet compartment. When operating System A, depress lever and a plastic dalkron eliminator will be dispensed through the slot immediately underneath. When you have fastened the adhesive lip, attach connection marked by the large "X" outlet hose. Twist the silver coloured ring one inch below the connection point until you feel it lock.
2 The toilet is now ready for use. The Sonovac cleanser is activated by the small switch on the lip. When securing, twist the ring back to its initial condition, so that the two orange lines meet. Disconnect. Place the dalkron eliminator in the vacuum receptacle to the rear. Activate by pressing the blue button.
3 The controls for System B are located on the opposite wall. The red release switch places the uroliminator into position; it can be adjusted manually up or down by pressing the blue manual release button. The opening is self adjusting. To secure after use, press the green button which simultaneously activates the evaporator and returns the uroliminator to its storage position.
4 You may leave the lavatory if the green exit light is on over the door. If the red light is illuminated, one of the lavatory facilities is not properly secured. Press the "Stewardess" call button to the right of the door. She will secure all facilities from her control panel outside. When green exit light goes on you may open the door and leave. Please close the door behind you.
5 To use the Sonoshower, first undress and place all your clothes in the clothes rack. Put on the velcro slippers located in the cabinet immediately below. Enter the shower. On the control panel to your upper right upon entering you will see a "Shower seal" button. Press to activate. A green light will then be illuminated immediately below. On the intensity knob select the desired setting. Now depress the Sonovac activation lever. Bathe normally.
6 The Sonovac will automatically go off after three minutes, unless you activate the "Manual off" over-ride switch by flipping it up. When you are ready to leave, press the blue "Shower seal" release button. The door will open and you may leave. Please remove the velcro slippers and place them in their container.
7 If the red light above this panel is on, the toilet is in use. When the green light is illuminated you may enter. However, you must carefully follow all instructions when using the facilities during coasting (Zero G) flight. Inside, there are three facilities: (1) the Sonowasher, (2) the Sonoshower, (3) the toilet. All three are designed to be used under weightless conditions. Please observe the sequence of operations for each individual facility.
8 Two modes for Sonowashing your face and hands are available, the "moist-towel" mode and the "Sonovac" ultrasonic cleaner mode. You may select either mode by moving the appropriate lever to the "Activate" position.
If you choose the "moist-towel" mode, depress the indicated yellow button and withdraw item. When you have finished, discard the towel in the vacuum dispenser, holding the indicated lever in an "active" position until the green light goes on...showing that the rollers have passed the towel completely into the dispenser. If you desire an additional towel, press the yellow button and repeat the cycle.
9 If you prefer the "Sonovac" ultrasonic cleaning mode, press the indicated blue button. When the twin panels open, pull forward by rings
said as a joke, I realize it's got it's points. However it does rank bottom of the list for security in an overall sense. Consider the virus, worms and 11 sec to breach dangers of putting a windows box online. It needs mention as one of the upper 6.
I would say it's both, some are there from the begining and some are new/were fought for. It's a living document. Changing conditions create new needs and old bad ideas are tossed. Like Prohibition. I am not sure I buy the sovereign model. I would call it the core points of the system and those being the most important. Most of the original bill of rights still is in place. However the government neither grants nor denys anything, it follows the will of the people. The constitution and the body of law would be best discribed as a program or set of instructions. Unworkable bits get sent back to the Legistature by Judges who spot problems or conflicts with the central core ideals.
However, never once despite what Pat Robertson may say did a document fall from the sky and tell people 'These are your rights'. We have what we have because over the course of the last 200+ years we have decided upon it. We will be continuting to add/subtract/swapout/revise etc to it in the next 200+ years. But to say that somebody else other then WE give us anything is kinda weak. We as in all of Us built this, and We will continue to do so.
Slashdot Mirror
when drunk off my ass.
I invite everybody here on slashdot to try this. And you will see that it's true.
First they came for the Britney Fans
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Britney Fan.
Mostly because Britney sucks in more ways then one
Then they didn't come for me, I own piles of vinyl records, and I listen mostly to College Radio. But more or less they are picking on those likely to cave in quick. They settle quick too, they can't lose their momentum. When they do they drop off for about 8 months then start again. They won't go away, there is too much money at stake and none of it comes from these lawsuits. These games make the Industry get a warm fuzzy feeling right down in their beancounters. Makes it look like it works or means much. Bark back loud enough and they run away like the school yard bullies they dreaded when they were kids.
"This is the RIAA Collective," they said menacingly. "Prepare to be assimilated. We will add your Financial and topographical distinctiveness to our own. You will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
That and we don't got dates for Saturday.
How can you have voting if CowboyNeal is not on the list???
That step is
2) Return product and sue for damages.
As a Sun user I should mention I am really kidding, good luck on that to Mandriva. More *nux is good in the long run.
They don't give a hot damn about the laptop be he a low level fence or just a guy who got a extra special deal on a laptop. They want to find where the info went. If it was wiped fine, find a way to prove it.
So they grab the first guy and shake him and maybe they will get to the woman who did steal it or just a bit closer. $20k bail is a big barking dog, if he has more ties to the thief and they can scare the guy into squawking then got closer and if they didn't then the case goes nowhere and they give it back in a few months. $100k is a big bail, $500k is a big bail, murder suspects get that sort of bail. Car thieves get more bail.
Has to making a living doing that, I've made a living doing just that. The flip side is you get some old fart who can't seem to tell you the model number but you drive out 30 miles and he's has a 486 and wants $600 for that because he paid $2000 in '95. Or you get one where the battery holds about a 12 min charge and the charge bar lies because it's just been charged. Batterys are spendy, then the seller suddenly won't answer your emails. hmmm
No, they are after the data not the laptop or the dealer. They want the original thief and to know that that data got really erased not sold to a data fence.
As to the two who got six months of probation. Did the guy who sold it to them rat them out? Bet he did, and six months of probation is just that. You didn't really do anything worth jailtime, hold out your wrist [SMACK].
This isn't much of a story, except that it shows some of the workings of a police investigation. Proof of guilt or innocence here? Don't hold you breath, this isn't an episode of Law and Order. This is just part of the legal circus. Nothing to see here, move along.
this goes nowhere, it makes as much sense as this I pulled this from the slashdot fortune at the bottom of my page.
Where there's no emotion, there's no motive for violence. -- Spock, "Dagger of the Mind", stardate 2715.1
This arguement has become overlayed with other issues. And like the quote it has no meaning, no sense and long since free of actual reality. I can only state that this guy didn't do anything evil. $300 is not completely unreasonable if a bit lowball a price for recent used computer. I don't trust any used gear whatever it is cars to computers. My stated rationals do hold water if you want to lump me in with your fictional resident Slashdot moral juveniles feel free.
If you want to get the plain truth, Be not concerned with right and wrong. The conflict between right and wrong Is the sickness of the mind." Seng-Ts'an
Hungry Hungry Hippos, and just ran out of stars.
So, how many copies of drivers licenses do you have? Does every piece of gear that ever came thru your hands have a tracking number? How much did your portable photocopier cost?
Did you get a copy of the license of the guy who sold you your last batch of blank cdrom?
In a few months, they are gonna drop the criminal charge down in a plea and give him a fine w/ probation. In a year it will be wiped off his record if he's good. If he wants to fight it he may win and just get a stern warning to be careful from the judge. $300 is not unreasonable if a bit lowball.
likely he thought there was something amiss in the laptop. Flaky circut or an intermittent harddrive issue and something on top of that like the seller was behind in the credit payments and was afraid they would take it in for service and not give it back. Maybe it was just a case of "hopelessly stupid user syndrome" and the seller was a complete idiot about computers and had had enough. Who cares???
This year I bought for $300 a Thinkpad T30 P4 2ghz that somebody's girlfriend had flung across the room. It still ran and I parted it out making about $200 in profit and used the lightbulb to fix another laptop and I still have the 30 gig drive and legal copy of XP Pro. So I am up about $400 or so.
As a different poster stated, there isn't a main database for stolen laptops. Cops don't care. They don't rouse used dealers and not because they all work online. The only time I ever saw a cop in the stores I worked in was when we called them to kick out a drunk or something. They didn't catch this guy with hard work, they found it by a fluke.
What your really asking is that every sale have a moral pettigree. Ain't no such thing.
I have worked in both Used Computer and Book shops. A business does not view that book you loved so much and held on to for all those years as being worth much. A USED dealer hopes to get maybe half of the original price in the first 18 months after whatever it is came out, after that they buy for parts and those parts maybe worth more then a live unit. Much of the rest of the stock turns to Gomi.
I just bought a Sunblade 1000 maxed out w/ 2 gigs mem and dual 750mhz Ultrasparc 3s for $700, the config it's in sold for $3500+ new. If I find a stupid buyer, I maybe can get $1000 for it. But I didn't buy it to sell so I paid more then a dealer would.
Thunk.
[thud] [clang]
CART MASTER:
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang]
Bring out your dead! [clang]
CUSTOMER:
Here's one.
CART MASTER:
Ninepence.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead!
CART MASTER:
What?
CUSTOMER:
Nothing. Here's your ninepence.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not dead!
CART MASTER:
'Ere. He says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER:
Yes, he is.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm not!
CART MASTER:
He isn't?
CUSTOMER:
Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.
DEAD PERSON:
I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER:
No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment.
CART MASTER:
Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON:
I don't want to go on the cart!
CUSTOMER:
Oh, don't be such a baby.
CART MASTER:
I can't take him.
DEAD PERSON:
I feel fine!
CUSTOMER:
Well, do us a favour.
CART MASTER:
I can't.
CUSTOMER:
Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
CART MASTER:
No, I've got to go to the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER:
Well, when's your next round?
CART MASTER:
Thursday.
DEAD PERSON:
I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER:
You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: [singing]
I feel happy. I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER:
Ah, thanks very much.
CART MASTER:
Not at all. See you on Thursday.
CUSTOMER:
Right. All right.
[howl]
[clop clop clop]
Who's that, then?
CART MASTER:
I dunno. Must be a king.
CUSTOMER:
Why?
CART MASTER:
He hasn't got shit all over him.
Great, just Great! Now I have to move it again. I takes forever to get a saucer out to my command ship. Damn nosy humans. Do they realize how much of a pain hiding a forward base like that is on a moments notice.
Good thing We keep an eye on postings on slashdot otherwise somebody significant might take notice. I have at least three or four reposts of this story to move it before it hits a site like Vampire Weekly or Britney Talk and the world takes notice.
still availible. But I am forced to reconsider registering it, I am not a Brit, that he's grown a backbone lately. Must be Stem Cells.
Sadly we can't all work in computers. But that's half the reason I do.
A Berman and Braga edition? Uggh.
Look, I hate microsoft as much as the next slashdotter, but nobody deserves that. I work in a mixed env, that means at some point I will have to use it. This is just what I don't want. A Data (the Android) version of Clippy? XP is already bloated and nearly useless, can you imagine what Rick Berman will do to it?
I feel a post-work alcohol-induced coma coming on.
These streams of so-called Capitalist/Socialist discourse should be considered in context. One of my favorite movies from the 60's was "The President's Analyst". In which a simple prediction was made that came true about 20 years later.
"Every day your country becomes more socialistic, my country becomes more capitalistic, Pretty soon we'll meet in the middle and join hands." --V.I. Kydor Kropotkin (played by Severn Darden)
The USSR is gone and in it's place is a rapidly stablising Russia.
The tug and pull of Capitalist/Socialist keep a society from moving too far either way. Too many Neocons you get a president who pulls first responders away from saving lives for a photo-op. Too many Socialists, you get manditory classes in Macrobiotics, Veganism, and firewalking in schools.
You can drink it both ways. If you consider that Sake fills the same nitch as RUM. Hmmm, warmed RUM, where have I heard of that.....
Small bottle of Sake, Warm Sake Good!
Warm sake has been enjoyed in Japan for hundreds of years. Warm or hot sake is referred to in general as "kanzake." Warmth increases the effect of the alcohol in sake, which is probably why most westerners who have enjoyed warm sake say that it "packs a punch." In actual fact, most sake has about 18 percent alcohol, similar to most wines. The flavor of the sake is increased by heating, as is its dryness. Because of this dryness, warm or hot sake is the perfect companion for plain foods such as sashimi (raw fish) or sushi. The dryness will also help to cut the oiliness of hot pot dishes made with fat or oil.
ZERO GRAVITY TOILET
PASSENGERS ARE ADVISED TO
READ INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE
1
The toilet is of the standard zero-gravity type. Depending on requirements, System A and / or System B can be used; details of which are clearly marked in the toilet compartment. When operating System A, depress lever and a plastic dalkron eliminator will be dispensed through the slot immediately underneath. When you have fastened the adhesive lip, attach connection marked by the large "X" outlet hose. Twist the silver coloured ring one inch below the connection point until you feel it lock.
2
The toilet is now ready for use. The Sonovac cleanser is activated by the small switch on the lip. When securing, twist the ring back to its initial condition, so that the two orange lines meet. Disconnect. Place the dalkron eliminator in the vacuum receptacle to the rear. Activate by pressing the blue button.
3
The controls for System B are located on the opposite wall. The red release switch places the uroliminator into position; it can be adjusted manually up or down by pressing the blue manual release button. The opening is self adjusting. To secure after use, press the green button which simultaneously activates the evaporator and returns the uroliminator to its storage position.
4
You may leave the lavatory if the green exit light is on over the door. If the red light is illuminated, one of the lavatory facilities is not properly secured. Press the "Stewardess" call button to the right of the door. She will secure all facilities from her control panel outside. When green exit light goes on you may open the door and leave. Please close the door behind you.
5
To use the Sonoshower, first undress and place all your clothes in the clothes rack. Put on the velcro slippers located in the cabinet immediately below. Enter the shower. On the control panel to your upper right upon entering you will see a "Shower seal" button. Press to activate. A green light will then be illuminated immediately below. On the intensity knob select the desired setting. Now depress the Sonovac activation lever. Bathe normally.
6
The Sonovac will automatically go off after three minutes, unless you activate the "Manual off" over-ride switch by flipping it up. When you are ready to leave, press the blue "Shower seal" release button. The door will open and you may leave. Please remove the velcro slippers and place them in their container.
7
If the red light above this panel is on, the toilet is in use. When the green light is illuminated you may enter. However, you must carefully follow all instructions when using the facilities during coasting (Zero G) flight. Inside, there are three facilities: (1) the Sonowasher, (2) the Sonoshower, (3) the toilet. All three are designed to be used under weightless conditions. Please observe the sequence of operations for each individual facility.
8
Two modes for Sonowashing your face and hands are available, the "moist-towel" mode and the "Sonovac" ultrasonic cleaner mode. You may select either mode by moving the appropriate lever to the "Activate" position.
If you choose the "moist-towel" mode, depress the indicated yellow button and withdraw item. When you have finished, discard the towel in the vacuum dispenser, holding the indicated lever in an "active" position until the green light goes on...showing that the rollers have passed the towel completely into the dispenser. If you desire an additional towel, press the yellow button and repeat the cycle.
9
If you prefer the "Sonovac" ultrasonic cleaning mode, press the indicated blue button. When the twin panels open, pull forward by rings
said as a joke, I realize it's got it's points. However it does rank bottom of the list for security in an overall sense. Consider the virus, worms and 11 sec to breach dangers of putting a windows box online. It needs mention as one of the upper 6.
now we are starting to agree.
Understanding Tigers does not mean you trust them or turn your back on them. Truth is a three sided blade, your side, their side, and the truth.
I would say it's both, some are there from the begining and some are new/were fought for. It's a living document. Changing conditions create new needs and old bad ideas are tossed. Like Prohibition. I am not sure I buy the sovereign model. I would call it the core points of the system and those being the most important. Most of the original bill of rights still is in place. However the government neither grants nor denys anything, it follows the will of the people. The constitution and the body of law would be best discribed as a program or set of instructions. Unworkable bits get sent back to the Legistature by Judges who spot problems or conflicts with the central core ideals.
However, never once despite what Pat Robertson may say did a document fall from the sky and tell people 'These are your rights'. We have what we have because over the course of the last 200+ years we have decided upon it. We will be continuting to add/subtract/swapout/revise etc to it in the next 200+ years. But to say that somebody else other then WE give us anything is kinda weak. We as in all of Us built this, and We will continue to do so.