Actually, you can opt out of Social Security, it just takes some work. The only people who have you in a strangelhold to provide an SS# are employers and the military. You don't have to join the military, and you just have to put yourself in a position to not enter covered employment. Contract with one of several national employee leasing companies who send out 1099s, bill an employer through them (no withholding, payroll taxes, etc.), and don't provide an SS# for the 1099 (perfectly legal). Since the right to happiness (ie lawful employment) and the right to life (you can't live without some means of support) are inalienable, and the power to tax (in this case employment) is the power to destroy, and the government cannot destroy an inalienable right (I know this is circular, but people can be so slow where these issues are concerned), the government cannot legally tax your income without your consent (legally a tax/based/ on income, not directly on the income, but the Supreme Court ruled that if they are functionally the same, they're legally the same. Probably only those who understand tax law will understand why this is important though.:) Also, the Supreme Court has ruled that using legal means to avoid paying taxes of any sort is legal. Since this is a legal means of avoiding taxes, and most taxes are inherently wrong (most laws are without the scope of the Constitution anyway), I have absolutely no problem not providing the government with my income.:) Ta-ta!
Yay, someone else reads/. who's not an utter moron where the US's political structure comes in. I haven't read all the replies beneath this one, but judging from my own experiences on/., it will be filled with rantings about "the US is so a democracy" blah, blah, blah. There is hope that/. is not entirely overrun with those doomed to repeat stupid historical mistakes.
Just because you had good luck doesn't mean others do. My girlfriend is still dealing with problems caused by nothing more than a stolen SS#, some two years later. There are all sorts of institutions other than banks that will gladly extend servies with just a name and SS#.
Yup, many do seem to take that view. I don't believe in much new regulation though. Most issues are already covered by existing law. Few issues surrounding the internet are wholly new, though I'm sure there are some.
facetious adj.1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.
I was not being strictly serious, and I never once said that because they were doing business on the internet, they should have blanket immunity from national laws. I was simply making a joke about the US legal system, which will find a way to claim jurisdiction over anyone, for any reason, no matter how frivolous. I am well aware that the court has jurisdiction in personam and subject matter jurisdiction. I was not denying that there are legitimate reasons for jurisdiction over internatial figures. It was a joke.:)
A US court would claim jurisdiction over someone who at one time had breathed air that might possibly have passed over US soil, so that jurisdiction was asserted is not a surprise.
Oh, as an aside about that article, they're talking about radon, which is a gas. That's why it poses a specific radiation danger, because it's an internal radiation hazard, being easily inhaled.:)
Oh, I didn't mean to imply alpha particles don't damage genetic material, except that human skin easily blocks alpha particle transmission, so it's not an external radiation risk. Now, if you were to consume a material that emits alpha particles, you'd be in some trouble. And I'm not defending nuclear weapons or nuclear rockets, simply clearing up some misconceptions.:)
Well, safe being relative.:) Most tactical nukes use weapons-grade fuel, which radiates alpha particles. Now, the crude bombs tend to use the fuels that react easily, but those emit gamma radiation, which is the stuff that punches countless tiny holes in your cells. It just takes a while for your brain to realize you're dead.
I imagine that nuclear rockets could be considerably safer than chemical rockets, since my vague impression is that they wouldn't be as explosive. But many of the standard ways that nuclear reactors are made safe -- mostly through containment of various sorts -- would be hard to do in a rocket.
Not in regards to being explosive. The fission is used to heat a propellant material, such a hydrogen, which is readily ignited, and can explode under many circumstances.
It seems like nobody ever asks the one organization that can provide proof of delivery in situations like this: the Post Office. Delivery of certified mail requires a signature. If that signature isn't his, service has not occured. Without service, there can't be due process (meaning you never had the option of confronting your accusers in court, not only a right but a constitutionally guaranteed right), and without due process, there can be no legitimate trial. Unfortunately, there's no way he can recoup his legal losses without a countersuit.
Your errors in logic are astoundingly glaring. Just because someone has the ability to pirate games does not mean they will, least resistance or not. I have the ability to pirate any game I wish, but I do not. I buy games that I want to play, including every game Blizzard has made to date. I do not play on Battle Net, because Battle Net does not perform to my expectations. bnetd allows people to play online without having to fiddle with TCP/IP to make direct connections. I like playing Starcraft on alternate servers. I play with friends all over the US. They all own legitimate copies of Starcraft and BW. I like to play DII online, but because of my LAN setup direct games are more trouble than they're worth. Pirates have pirated these games already. It's easy, and it becomes easier every day with broadband connections, fast and accurate CD burners, and protection cracks and executable emulators. Spare me the bullshit rhetoric about the path of least resistance. Those who are going to pirate will. Period. Encryption and protection will do nothing about it. Those who choose to follow the path of least resistance will actually generally buy the damn game. Those who cannot afford it will pirate the game or go without. Legitimate development projects, simply because they also allow pirates to play online easier (note, pirates can already play online) does not make them illegitimate. Books can enable people to do all manner of bad things, but that doesn't make them illegitimate.
Actually, several of them were not wrong. It's you who are wrong in a couple of your conclusions.
The term "metal" can refer to any of a number of elements, Iron among them. "Metallic" refers to a substance of or containing metal, so anything containing iron qualifies as metallic. Ceramic magnets are made with ferrite elements, hence ceramic magnets are metallic.
Oh, and "sintered" means "pressed and baked", so the last paragraph really has no point. And teeth are not a ceramic, as teeth are not made of clay, mud, or similar materials. If you really wanted to get picky, you could go so far as to say that teeth and ceramic are related/by/ sinter, but a pun is about as close as it gets. I'll leave it to you to figure out that correlation. It's not too hard if you know where to look. Hasta!
That's one example. Another is of the British Army killing as many of their countrymen as possible to quell a rebellion which resulted in the creation of the United States of America.
Never underestimate the willingness of sheep to take orders from those they view as "superior."
Compare the population densities. Take the number of crimes in any given UK city, multiply the crime statistics by the size differential, and then you can compare. (btw, I don't really care which way the comparison would actually go, so I'm not going to bother. Just pointing out that the above comparison is completely invalid.)
Slashdot Mirror
The Southern Oregon Library System (SOLIS) has this service with all available materials from 34 locations.
Washington State does it one better, they ship the material to you along with a prepaid return mailer.
Yup, used bookstores will continue to serve the role they've served for years. And used bookstores with cats kick ass. :)
Actually, you can opt out of Social Security, it just takes some work. The only people who have you in a strangelhold to provide an SS# are employers and the military. You don't have to join the military, and you just have to put yourself in a position to not enter covered employment. Contract with one of several national employee leasing companies who send out 1099s, bill an employer through them (no withholding, payroll taxes, etc.), and don't provide an SS# for the 1099 (perfectly legal). /based/ on income, not directly on the income, but the Supreme Court ruled that if they are functionally the same, they're legally the same. Probably only those who understand tax law will understand why this is important though. :) Also, the Supreme Court has ruled that using legal means to avoid paying taxes of any sort is legal. Since this is a legal means of avoiding taxes, and most taxes are inherently wrong (most laws are without the scope of the Constitution anyway), I have absolutely no problem not providing the government with my income. :) Ta-ta!
Since the right to happiness (ie lawful employment) and the right to life (you can't live without some means of support) are inalienable, and the power to tax (in this case employment) is the power to destroy, and the government cannot destroy an inalienable right (I know this is circular, but people can be so slow where these issues are concerned), the government cannot legally tax your income without your consent (legally a tax
I have to say that I agree that this is now practice, even if it is not legally the case. Got a chuckle out of it. :)
Yay, someone else reads /. who's not an utter moron where the US's political structure comes in. I haven't read all the replies beneath this one, but judging from my own experiences on /., it will be filled with rantings about "the US is so a democracy" blah, blah, blah. There is hope that /. is not entirely overrun with those doomed to repeat stupid historical mistakes.
Just because you had good luck doesn't mean others do. My girlfriend is still dealing with problems caused by nothing more than a stolen SS#, some two years later. There are all sorts of institutions other than banks that will gladly extend servies with just a name and SS#.
Thank God I don't have one. :)
In a word, no.
Yup, many do seem to take that view. I don't believe in much new regulation though. Most issues are already covered by existing law. Few issues surrounding the internet are wholly new, though I'm sure there are some.
I was not being strictly serious, and I never once said that because they were doing business on the internet, they should have blanket immunity from national laws. I was simply making a joke about the US legal system, which will find a way to claim jurisdiction over anyone, for any reason, no matter how frivolous. I am well aware that the court has jurisdiction in personam and subject matter jurisdiction. I was not denying that there are legitimate reasons for jurisdiction over internatial figures. It was a joke.
A US court would claim jurisdiction over someone who at one time had breathed air that might possibly have passed over US soil, so that jurisdiction was asserted is not a surprise.
freenet:SSK@WRhGF3h0ijFh1eVJnFu~H9OyIpAPAgM/antisc ient/5// :)
Though it requires you to be running a FreeNet node. But you should be anyway.
Sandpaper
Yes, it could be methane, it could be oxygen...
Nearly all of the materials that have a current-tech application are also highly dangerous.
Oh, as an aside about that article, they're talking about radon, which is a gas. That's why it poses a specific radiation danger, because it's an internal radiation hazard, being easily inhaled. :)
Oh, I didn't mean to imply alpha particles don't damage genetic material, except that human skin easily blocks alpha particle transmission, so it's not an external radiation risk. Now, if you were to consume a material that emits alpha particles, you'd be in some trouble. :)
And I'm not defending nuclear weapons or nuclear rockets, simply clearing up some misconceptions.
Well, safe being relative. :)
Most tactical nukes use weapons-grade fuel, which radiates alpha particles. Now, the crude bombs tend to use the fuels that react easily, but those emit gamma radiation, which is the stuff that punches countless tiny holes in your cells. It just takes a while for your brain to realize you're dead.
It seems like nobody ever asks the one organization that can provide proof of delivery in situations like this: the Post Office. Delivery of certified mail requires a signature. If that signature isn't his, service has not occured. Without service, there can't be due process (meaning you never had the option of confronting your accusers in court, not only a right but a constitutionally guaranteed right), and without due process, there can be no legitimate trial. Unfortunately, there's no way he can recoup his legal losses without a countersuit.
Your errors in logic are astoundingly glaring. Just because someone has the ability to pirate games does not mean they will, least resistance or not. I have the ability to pirate any game I wish, but I do not. I buy games that I want to play, including every game Blizzard has made to date. I do not play on Battle Net, because Battle Net does not perform to my expectations. bnetd allows people to play online without having to fiddle with TCP/IP to make direct connections. I like playing Starcraft on alternate servers. I play with friends all over the US. They all own legitimate copies of Starcraft and BW. I like to play DII online, but because of my LAN setup direct games are more trouble than they're worth. Pirates have pirated these games already. It's easy, and it becomes easier every day with broadband connections, fast and accurate CD burners, and protection cracks and executable emulators. Spare me the bullshit rhetoric about the path of least resistance. Those who are going to pirate will. Period. Encryption and protection will do nothing about it. Those who choose to follow the path of least resistance will actually generally buy the damn game. Those who cannot afford it will pirate the game or go without. Legitimate development projects, simply because they also allow pirates to play online easier (note, pirates can already play online) does not make them illegitimate. Books can enable people to do all manner of bad things, but that doesn't make them illegitimate.
Actually, several of them were not wrong. It's you who are wrong in a couple of your conclusions.
/by/ sinter, but a pun is about as close as it gets. I'll leave it to you to figure out that correlation. It's not too hard if you know where to look. Hasta!
The term "metal" can refer to any of a number of elements, Iron among them. "Metallic" refers to a substance of or containing metal, so anything containing iron qualifies as metallic. Ceramic magnets are made with ferrite elements, hence ceramic magnets are metallic.
Oh, and "sintered" means "pressed and baked", so the last paragraph really has no point. And teeth are not a ceramic, as teeth are not made of clay, mud, or similar materials. If you really wanted to get picky, you could go so far as to say that teeth and ceramic are related
That's the important thing to remember: Governments are composed of nothing but separate individuals. :)
That's one example. Another is of the British Army killing as many of their countrymen as possible to quell a rebellion which resulted in the creation of the United States of America.
Never underestimate the willingness of sheep to take orders from those they view as "superior."
Wow, I didn't know that %30 was a tiny fraction. I'd hate to see a government that takes a /large/ fraction...
--------
One of those few, those happy few, who does not allow his rights (such as to work) to be taxed.
Compare the population densities. Take the number of crimes in any given UK city, multiply the crime statistics by the size differential, and then you can compare. (btw, I don't really care which way the comparison would actually go, so I'm not going to bother. Just pointing out that the above comparison is completely invalid.)