Up to, but not including, 10. Reads like an old Sun Microsystems license agreement, doesn't it? I remember their legalese included the phrase "up to, but not including, 2 processors" on a Solaris 9 agreement.:)
They're not the only ones... but Disney wins kudos for assraping the public domain of so damn many things. The sheer volume is not what's the point... it's the sheer shit-ton of money they made off the Public Domain.... and do it in perpetuity.
I feel Warner Brothers leaped over the rotoscope nonsense of "classic" Disney in the old days of Termite Terrace. Albeit not "classical" animation, their work (Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, etc.) made the old Disney stuff look like Max Fleischer cartoons drawn by an epileptic monkey. It's not any coincidence that they sack their good animators once they got enough computer jockeys to make their movies. I miss the old days of animation (all of the players, even Disney.)
Disney has been the most vocal at making sure the Public Domain never gets restocked. They want perpetual copyright. They can suck my ass...
And like it was said in another reply, Disney != Pixar. Now they do, but not the Incredibles. We're up to how many sequels now that Pixar is part of Disney? Why not another Incredibles? (I also agree that is a great movie, regardless of its final home in Mousechwitz.) You know, come to think of it, I enjoyed Treasure Planet and Emperor's New Groove.:)
"Disney's JEDIS on ICE", "A Very Jedi Christmas", "Zack and Cody's Jedi Adventures", "Luke Skywalker: Jedi detective", "A Very Muppet Star Wars"... "Jabba's sweatin' to the Cantina Band"..... and my personal favorite... "Star Wars Holiday Special 2: Electric Boogaloo."
This has disaster written all over it. Lucas' new squeeze must want more money.:)
I find it funny that I said that we didn't need any more movies... yet you missed that part. Thanks for that. I truly don't know how you can glean my political affiliation from a rant about Disney... you must be psychic. Gimme this week's Powerball!
Because it's fucking DISNEY. The reason the copyright extension act was called (more appropriately) the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. Disney puts their stupid movies in "the vault" after a short run on shelves. (Saving them for "a generation" or some other marketspeak nonsense)... They pretty much emptied the Public Domain like a hemophiliac hooker in Queens. They also have been one of the largest herpe-stained-pricks when it comes to copyright tomfoolery and outright thievery. They love DRM. The kind of DRM that makes Yoda say "shit, this is."
Truth be told, we didn't NEED another Star Wars movie (not Indiana Jones either), and with a few glaring exceptions the Clone Wars TV series has been pretty good... I mean, they reboot Star Trek every few decades, why not let Disney yank their collective puds and splooge out some new restarted Star Wars "adventure" with fuzzy bunnies and fucking MUSICAL NUMBERS. They put fucking musical numbers in ALL their animation. Hell, they do it to live action!
Mark my words.... Episode 7 will be all goddamned Ewoks. And Chewbacca will have a perm and PTSD from the final battle. Then we have to have the token black guy/chick... forget Billy Dee Williams. We're getting Will Smith or his bratty little kid. C3P0 will finally come out of the closet and admit he's been taking it up the exhaust pipe from IG-88 for years. R2D2 will be turned into a karaoke machine.... Luke will become a homeless religious nut while Han Solo and Leia will have 6 kids on galactic welfare... and the evil Ritt Momney will threaten to close the youth center Han and Leia run unless the duo can field a tiddlywinks team in time for the big tournament on Yaavin IV. Meanwhile, the Emperor's clones will become the universe's ugliest choir.
Now I know the franchise is truly dead. Thank goodness I got it on Blu Ray before Disney got their slimy dickskinners on the franchise. Disney fucked the Muppets... (I believe they killed Henson because he was having second thoughts on the sale... ok, so I made that up... but Disney's fucking evil!)
Trust me, Iran hates Europe too... just not as much. The "West" to Iran is as much a cultural symbol of the "decadence" of non-muslims and how that is a threat to the Islamist paradise of theocracy and elimination of all non-allah worshiping religions. That said, when I mean "Iran", I'm talking about the ruling group of people rather than the citizens... because we know some (most?) citizens of Iran wouldn't subscribe to that... or at least that's what we've been told.
But make no mistake, those in Iran who call the US "The Great Satan" are not simply talking about the government.
Doesn't matter. Obama killed two AMERICAN CITIZENS with Drones. In Yemen... not in Afghanistan or Iraq or some other "sanctioned" whatever-you-call-it. He violated the Constitutional Rights of TWO citizens under false pretenses. The fact that he has a secret kill list (which the New York Times thinks he has... hardly a bastion of Republican partisanship) only worsens his fucking of the Constitution.
Barak Obama should be in fucking jail for killing a citizen. He does not EVER have the right to order that. Period.
What Windows Phone really lacks is a "killer" app that you can't get on iOS or Android. If Windows XP is any indication, most people don't simply change because of something newer. Most people like their iPhones and Android phones... Going to a new phone "and learning new crap" isn't on the average phone user's to-do list.
First, you make two assumptions that are not in evidence yet (unless I missed them):
1. That Treyvon was wildly smashing his head into the ground after an initial blow that made Zimmerman incoherent and delirious. We do not know how hard he was hitting zimmerman's head, or if the blows themselves weren't being rebuffed by Martin or at least using his neck muscles to soften the impact (which is a natural reaction to force being applied to one's head.)
2. You assume that based on your experience with "mildly" hitting the ground with your head, that no one is capable of being capable of anything after that. I contend your "mild" hit to the ground was harder than you thought, and that a light hit is going to make things a little strange (and hurt), but not cause what most people see with a heavy impact on the head.
Additionally, we do not know the extent of force Treyvon could've been exerting if he was scared and angry enough to try smacking Zimmerman's head into the concrete. He could've had a bad angle when he tackled Zimmerman, he could've been so angry that in his fit of rage ( or fear-induced rage) he was just glancing the head into the concrete, which would've given Zimmerman enough time to pull his gun and stop Treyvon. Also, there might've been moisture coupled with the cold weather, so Treyvon might not have been able to get a good grip on Zimmerman's head to smash it effectively. And we all know the slightest nick to the head causes lots of bleeding, and sometimes requires more stitches in minor scrapes and bumps than other parts of the body (because the blood vessels are so close to the surface unless you've got a huge fat layer around your skull... like some politicians. heh.)
So, without all the facts, Zimmerman's account is plausible. I'm not claiming I know and you don't. I'm just saying it passes the bullshit test, because it eliminates the "variables turned constants" that you use to come to the conclusion Zimmerman's lying.
We'll have lots of basement legal experts claim hundreds of completely illogical and irrational things about how the law works, and in general the discussion will devolve to how big a given person's e-peen is.
You have basically described the entire media coverage of the event (including Al Sharpton's stumping for Treyvon). What is the truth though, is the media has been very blatant about keeping information that is detrimental to the "little boy buying tea" argument they've portrayed throughout the course of the investigation/trial. They called for Zimmerman's arrest two days after the incident. They called for "justice" as if the automatic result of this incident is Zimmerman's fault. They frequently refer to Zimmerman as white, in order to incite more racial tension. (Race should never have factored into this case...) If Zimmerman's white, Halle Berry's white. Yet she refers to herself as "African American"... so why is the media insistent upon keeping that thread alive?
Sure things have gotten quieter as other sensationalist crap hit the fan, but mark my words, it'll flare up again once the trial's over. And it will be the media stoking the fire if Zimmerman isn't accused of murder (and a hate crime)... hoping to cover more Watts-like or LA-like riots after other verdicts that were actually racist and unjust based on the evidence...
I have no idea who is correct and who is not. The funny thing is, the only people who DO know are Treyvon and Zimmerman. One of them is dead. So getting the totality of facts will be impossible. That doesn't stop MSNBC, etc. etc. from turning this into another bloody racial conflict.... I for one am tired of showboating politicians wearing hoodies on the floor of the House of Representatives. Let justice take its course. Let the courts work. Stop stoking tension for votes and street cred.
Do check that out before you engage in class warfare. It doesn't become you. And parasites aren't less fortunate, they're people who make their living off of others' work. A prime example of that is Government itself. It doesn't create, it takes. It doesn't play fair, it rewards those who feed it the most campaign money. So, I am singing a very different tune than you are, because in the United States, we have a founding princple to distrust and de-fang our government. It never is, nor never will be, benevolent.
Iran has two very powerful allies. China and the Russian Federation. Do you really think it'd be that one-sided? Europe and the United States aren't the only powers meddling in the Middle East. I don't get why people think that Israel/US will supposedly wipe the floor with Iran and China and Russia will sit back and get the popcorn. It's FAR more complicated than you give this credit for.. but whatever makes you sleep at night, I guess.;) Rather, not sleep considering your scenario is pretty grim.
Israel is like the puny nothing who acts all big and tough knowing their retarded big brother (the US) will be there to back them up.
Tell that to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. (Yom Kippur War, 6-day war, etc.) Israel's lack of military action is as much the US's doing as those wars were when China, the Soviet Union, and Saudi Arabia were backing Egypt/Syria/Jordan/Iraq and the US was backing Israel.
Israel is a state created by the vaunted United Nations after WW2. So is Syria, Jordan, and most of what we know the "Middle East" to be today. So, in effect, the entire fucking region is rogue.
Why can't they (Iran) abide by the treaty that they signed with the IAEA? (not US controlled, btw.) They refuse to abide by the terms they voluntarily signed that got them into the "nuclear club" so to speak. And you wonder why Europe is just as pissed and forcing sanctions on Iran for it? This isn't a "great satan v. islamic republic" standoff. This is about Iran not abiding by the rules THEY agreed to. Not rules made up by the US, but the International Community, including China and Russia, who are really not on board with Iran's belligerence either.
This "we've provoked the Iranians" bullshit is getting tiresome. I get that people want to defend the Iranians getting nuclear weapons because everyone else who is their "enemy" has them, but their voluntary signing of the NPT means they have obligations that they are not meeting, and are basically thumbing their noses at the other members (that include China and Russia)... (India and Pakistan are not members. Nor is Israel... but their conflict has been going on since 1948.)
They said the same thing about Playboy. They said the same thing about Gays. They said the same thing about violent films. (and still do). They said the same thing about cartoons of Mohammed. So, who's calling bullshit again? You're no better than the rest of the censors and "offended" if you can say with a straight face that curtailing freedom of speech because you think it's an "abuse" of freedom is a-ok and encouraged. That's the same tired argument I've heard for decades. It flies in the face of reason and what the hell freedom actually means.
The joy of the internet is you can turn it off. You can change the channel. You aren't forced to watch or read it. Freedom's a great thing, but you miss the entire boat. so I'm going to call bullshit here too, because the basic tenet of freedom of speech is that we support speech we despise. Supporting free speech when you agree with someone isn't freedom. You may not like it. Hell, I think it's distasteful... but I am not about to tell someone they can't do it because it is offensive or blasphemous. Because once you make the rules, those who you trample will come to power one day and use those rules on you.
I realize most of Europe and Australia don't have speech protections codified like we do in the US. That's a shame, because enlightenment means not burning down buildings when someone offends you. Europe claims to be more enlightened than the US when it comes to accepting things, but it seems the only thing they are "ahead" of the US on is boobs on TV (I give that a BIG thumbs up, btw) and sexual freedom (another thumb up! heh.) They clearly are battling puritanical nonsensical bullshit when it comes to offensive speech.
many of them are utterly mistaken about what Obama has done, and drone strikes are about 1000 steps down.
Yes, because it wasn't their son... Trust me, NO president should have that kind of power. I don't care if it's Reagan, Bush, Clinton or Obama. That is a breach of his office and should be punishable by trial and prison time. You also missed the entire point... but that's okay, the astroturfing obamites are everywhere these days. And for the record, I hate Romney just as much, because he's just a white Obama. Nothing will change under either's watch, but one thing is for certain... it has gotten WORSE under Obama. If you can't see that, then you should really stop drinking the kool-aid.
Death by 1000 paper cuts. Sure there are despots and places that make skull monuments of the people they've killed, but the ones who are "just looking out for you" and who "know what's best for you" are the ones that are the most ill-intentioned, even if they don't think so. The well-intentioned try as they might, can't figure out why some people just won't jump on board. I mean, if you listen to the current political babblers on TV here in the US, you'd get the impression that they're downright flabbergasted that Romney isn't polling in the single digits or low teens. (I have one reason why... Obama killed an American Citizen with a drone.... pissing on the right of due process and innocence until proven guilty all in the name of "war on Terrah!") But I digress....
That's why the US government is dismantling the Bill of Rights piece by piece... not all at once, because "we know what's best." Fuck 'em. First we start by getting the weirdos... the people who post photoshopped images of Michele Obama dry-humping a fencepost. Then we start getting those "evil nasty pirates" who spread IP around like peanut butter. Then we go after those who aren't "tolerant" of others' beliefs and rituals.... then we get a police state that rivals Orwell's vision in size, scope, and efficiency.
So defending the trolls who are just being crass and crude is simply keeping our freedoms intact.
What really needs to happen is not only the publishing of the names, but the "items" they ordered. So if Olympia Snowe got a Cleveland Steamer on months ending in "r", we'd be better informed voters come election day. (Okay, I don't know many politicians from Maine).
The problem isn't radical opinions (everyone has at least some of those), it's that he advocates strong government intervention in wages and worker rights (which requires a powerful government), but in the same breath he decries the power of the state in our lives. He's got the "cake and eat it too" mentality and refuses to understand what Free Markets are about... (Not crony capitalism, statism, and corporatism... those are pretty obviously shit.)
Slashdot Mirror
Up to, but not including, 10. Reads like an old Sun Microsystems license agreement, doesn't it? I remember their legalese included the phrase "up to, but not including, 2 processors" on a Solaris 9 agreement. :)
Actually, you might be right. However, only if Pepe the Prawn could be Han Solo...
They're not the only ones... but Disney wins kudos for assraping the public domain of so damn many things. The sheer volume is not what's the point... it's the sheer shit-ton of money they made off the Public Domain.... and do it in perpetuity.
I feel Warner Brothers leaped over the rotoscope nonsense of "classic" Disney in the old days of Termite Terrace. Albeit not "classical" animation, their work (Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, etc.) made the old Disney stuff look like Max Fleischer cartoons drawn by an epileptic monkey. It's not any coincidence that they sack their good animators once they got enough computer jockeys to make their movies. I miss the old days of animation (all of the players, even Disney.)
Disney has been the most vocal at making sure the Public Domain never gets restocked. They want perpetual copyright. They can suck my ass...
And like it was said in another reply, Disney != Pixar. Now they do, but not the Incredibles. We're up to how many sequels now that Pixar is part of Disney? Why not another Incredibles? (I also agree that is a great movie, regardless of its final home in Mousechwitz.) You know, come to think of it, I enjoyed Treasure Planet and Emperor's New Groove. :)
I forgot to add...
"Disney's JEDIS on ICE", "A Very Jedi Christmas", "Zack and Cody's Jedi Adventures", "Luke Skywalker: Jedi detective", "A Very Muppet Star Wars"... "Jabba's sweatin' to the Cantina Band"..... and my personal favorite... "Star Wars Holiday Special 2: Electric Boogaloo."
This has disaster written all over it. Lucas' new squeeze must want more money. :)
I find it funny that I said that we didn't need any more movies... yet you missed that part. Thanks for that. I truly don't know how you can glean my political affiliation from a rant about Disney... you must be psychic. Gimme this week's Powerball!
Because it's fucking DISNEY. The reason the copyright extension act was called (more appropriately) the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. Disney puts their stupid movies in "the vault" after a short run on shelves. (Saving them for "a generation" or some other marketspeak nonsense)... They pretty much emptied the Public Domain like a hemophiliac hooker in Queens. They also have been one of the largest herpe-stained-pricks when it comes to copyright tomfoolery and outright thievery. They love DRM. The kind of DRM that makes Yoda say "shit, this is."
Truth be told, we didn't NEED another Star Wars movie (not Indiana Jones either), and with a few glaring exceptions the Clone Wars TV series has been pretty good... I mean, they reboot Star Trek every few decades, why not let Disney yank their collective puds and splooge out some new restarted Star Wars "adventure" with fuzzy bunnies and fucking MUSICAL NUMBERS. They put fucking musical numbers in ALL their animation. Hell, they do it to live action!
Mark my words.... Episode 7 will be all goddamned Ewoks. And Chewbacca will have a perm and PTSD from the final battle. Then we have to have the token black guy/chick... forget Billy Dee Williams. We're getting Will Smith or his bratty little kid. C3P0 will finally come out of the closet and admit he's been taking it up the exhaust pipe from IG-88 for years. R2D2 will be turned into a karaoke machine.... Luke will become a homeless religious nut while Han Solo and Leia will have 6 kids on galactic welfare... and the evil Ritt Momney will threaten to close the youth center Han and Leia run unless the duo can field a tiddlywinks team in time for the big tournament on Yaavin IV. Meanwhile, the Emperor's clones will become the universe's ugliest choir.
Now I know the franchise is truly dead. Thank goodness I got it on Blu Ray before Disney got their slimy dickskinners on the franchise. Disney fucked the Muppets... (I believe they killed Henson because he was having second thoughts on the sale... ok, so I made that up... but Disney's fucking evil!)
Can't right now, there's a burn ban in my county. :) :)
Trust me, Iran hates Europe too... just not as much. The "West" to Iran is as much a cultural symbol of the "decadence" of non-muslims and how that is a threat to the Islamist paradise of theocracy and elimination of all non-allah worshiping religions. That said, when I mean "Iran", I'm talking about the ruling group of people rather than the citizens... because we know some (most?) citizens of Iran wouldn't subscribe to that... or at least that's what we've been told.
But make no mistake, those in Iran who call the US "The Great Satan" are not simply talking about the government.
Doesn't matter. Obama killed two AMERICAN CITIZENS with Drones. In Yemen... not in Afghanistan or Iraq or some other "sanctioned" whatever-you-call-it. He violated the Constitutional Rights of TWO citizens under false pretenses. The fact that he has a secret kill list (which the New York Times thinks he has... hardly a bastion of Republican partisanship) only worsens his fucking of the Constitution.
Barak Obama should be in fucking jail for killing a citizen. He does not EVER have the right to order that. Period.
What Windows Phone really lacks is a "killer" app that you can't get on iOS or Android. If Windows XP is any indication, most people don't simply change because of something newer. Most people like their iPhones and Android phones... Going to a new phone "and learning new crap" isn't on the average phone user's to-do list.
First, you make two assumptions that are not in evidence yet (unless I missed them):
1. That Treyvon was wildly smashing his head into the ground after an initial blow that made Zimmerman incoherent and delirious. We do not know how hard he was hitting zimmerman's head, or if the blows themselves weren't being rebuffed by Martin or at least using his neck muscles to soften the impact (which is a natural reaction to force being applied to one's head.)
2. You assume that based on your experience with "mildly" hitting the ground with your head, that no one is capable of being capable of anything after that. I contend your "mild" hit to the ground was harder than you thought, and that a light hit is going to make things a little strange (and hurt), but not cause what most people see with a heavy impact on the head.
Additionally, we do not know the extent of force Treyvon could've been exerting if he was scared and angry enough to try smacking Zimmerman's head into the concrete. He could've had a bad angle when he tackled Zimmerman, he could've been so angry that in his fit of rage ( or fear-induced rage) he was just glancing the head into the concrete, which would've given Zimmerman enough time to pull his gun and stop Treyvon. Also, there might've been moisture coupled with the cold weather, so Treyvon might not have been able to get a good grip on Zimmerman's head to smash it effectively. And we all know the slightest nick to the head causes lots of bleeding, and sometimes requires more stitches in minor scrapes and bumps than other parts of the body (because the blood vessels are so close to the surface unless you've got a huge fat layer around your skull... like some politicians. heh.)
So, without all the facts, Zimmerman's account is plausible. I'm not claiming I know and you don't. I'm just saying it passes the bullshit test, because it eliminates the "variables turned constants" that you use to come to the conclusion Zimmerman's lying.
It's more likely that he was hiding because some crazy person was chasing him.
I guess he got shot in the back, then? No wait... he got shot while hiding in the bushes near a house.
We'll have lots of basement legal experts claim hundreds of completely illogical and irrational things about how the law works, and in general the discussion will devolve to how big a given person's e-peen is.
You have basically described the entire media coverage of the event (including Al Sharpton's stumping for Treyvon). What is the truth though, is the media has been very blatant about keeping information that is detrimental to the "little boy buying tea" argument they've portrayed throughout the course of the investigation/trial. They called for Zimmerman's arrest two days after the incident. They called for "justice" as if the automatic result of this incident is Zimmerman's fault. They frequently refer to Zimmerman as white, in order to incite more racial tension. (Race should never have factored into this case...) If Zimmerman's white, Halle Berry's white. Yet she refers to herself as "African American"... so why is the media insistent upon keeping that thread alive?
Sure things have gotten quieter as other sensationalist crap hit the fan, but mark my words, it'll flare up again once the trial's over. And it will be the media stoking the fire if Zimmerman isn't accused of murder (and a hate crime)... hoping to cover more Watts-like or LA-like riots after other verdicts that were actually racist and unjust based on the evidence...
I have no idea who is correct and who is not. The funny thing is, the only people who DO know are Treyvon and Zimmerman. One of them is dead. So getting the totality of facts will be impossible. That doesn't stop MSNBC, etc. etc. from turning this into another bloody racial conflict.... I for one am tired of showboating politicians wearing hoodies on the floor of the House of Representatives. Let justice take its course. Let the courts work. Stop stoking tension for votes and street cred.
I love to hear this argument about taxation, at least you didn't say "fair share"....
Here you go, for the cheap seats:
http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html
Do check that out before you engage in class warfare. It doesn't become you. And parasites aren't less fortunate, they're people who make their living off of others' work. A prime example of that is Government itself. It doesn't create, it takes. It doesn't play fair, it rewards those who feed it the most campaign money. So, I am singing a very different tune than you are, because in the United States, we have a founding princple to distrust and de-fang our government. It never is, nor never will be, benevolent.
That's one helluva commute, I tell you.
Iran has two very powerful allies. China and the Russian Federation. Do you really think it'd be that one-sided? Europe and the United States aren't the only powers meddling in the Middle East. I don't get why people think that Israel/US will supposedly wipe the floor with Iran and China and Russia will sit back and get the popcorn. It's FAR more complicated than you give this credit for.. but whatever makes you sleep at night, I guess. ;) Rather, not sleep considering your scenario is pretty grim.
Israel is like the puny nothing who acts all big and tough knowing their retarded big brother (the US) will be there to back them up.
Tell that to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. (Yom Kippur War, 6-day war, etc.) Israel's lack of military action is as much the US's doing as those wars were when China, the Soviet Union, and Saudi Arabia were backing Egypt/Syria/Jordan/Iraq and the US was backing Israel.
Israel is a state created by the vaunted United Nations after WW2. So is Syria, Jordan, and most of what we know the "Middle East" to be today. So, in effect, the entire fucking region is rogue.
Why can't they (Iran) abide by the treaty that they signed with the IAEA? (not US controlled, btw.) They refuse to abide by the terms they voluntarily signed that got them into the "nuclear club" so to speak. And you wonder why Europe is just as pissed and forcing sanctions on Iran for it? This isn't a "great satan v. islamic republic" standoff. This is about Iran not abiding by the rules THEY agreed to. Not rules made up by the US, but the International Community, including China and Russia, who are really not on board with Iran's belligerence either.
This "we've provoked the Iranians" bullshit is getting tiresome. I get that people want to defend the Iranians getting nuclear weapons because everyone else who is their "enemy" has them, but their voluntary signing of the NPT means they have obligations that they are not meeting, and are basically thumbing their noses at the other members (that include China and Russia)... (India and Pakistan are not members. Nor is Israel... but their conflict has been going on since 1948.)
ABUSE of freedom and should be curtailed.
They said the same thing about Playboy. They said the same thing about Gays. They said the same thing about violent films. (and still do). They said the same thing about cartoons of Mohammed. So, who's calling bullshit again? You're no better than the rest of the censors and "offended" if you can say with a straight face that curtailing freedom of speech because you think it's an "abuse" of freedom is a-ok and encouraged. That's the same tired argument I've heard for decades. It flies in the face of reason and what the hell freedom actually means.
The joy of the internet is you can turn it off. You can change the channel. You aren't forced to watch or read it. Freedom's a great thing, but you miss the entire boat. so I'm going to call bullshit here too, because the basic tenet of freedom of speech is that we support speech we despise. Supporting free speech when you agree with someone isn't freedom. You may not like it. Hell, I think it's distasteful... but I am not about to tell someone they can't do it because it is offensive or blasphemous. Because once you make the rules, those who you trample will come to power one day and use those rules on you.
I realize most of Europe and Australia don't have speech protections codified like we do in the US. That's a shame, because enlightenment means not burning down buildings when someone offends you. Europe claims to be more enlightened than the US when it comes to accepting things, but it seems the only thing they are "ahead" of the US on is boobs on TV (I give that a BIG thumbs up, btw) and sexual freedom (another thumb up! heh.) They clearly are battling puritanical nonsensical bullshit when it comes to offensive speech.
many of them are utterly mistaken about what Obama has done, and drone strikes are about 1000 steps down.
Yes, because it wasn't their son... Trust me, NO president should have that kind of power. I don't care if it's Reagan, Bush, Clinton or Obama. That is a breach of his office and should be punishable by trial and prison time. You also missed the entire point... but that's okay, the astroturfing obamites are everywhere these days. And for the record, I hate Romney just as much, because he's just a white Obama. Nothing will change under either's watch, but one thing is for certain... it has gotten WORSE under Obama. If you can't see that, then you should really stop drinking the kool-aid.
Speech. It's not like driving. You go 66 in a 45, that's a ticket. How do you quantify an internet "bully"? Where do you draw the line?
Death by 1000 paper cuts. Sure there are despots and places that make skull monuments of the people they've killed, but the ones who are "just looking out for you" and who "know what's best for you" are the ones that are the most ill-intentioned, even if they don't think so. The well-intentioned try as they might, can't figure out why some people just won't jump on board. I mean, if you listen to the current political babblers on TV here in the US, you'd get the impression that they're downright flabbergasted that Romney isn't polling in the single digits or low teens. (I have one reason why... Obama killed an American Citizen with a drone.... pissing on the right of due process and innocence until proven guilty all in the name of "war on Terrah!") But I digress....
That's why the US government is dismantling the Bill of Rights piece by piece... not all at once, because "we know what's best." Fuck 'em. First we start by getting the weirdos... the people who post photoshopped images of Michele Obama dry-humping a fencepost. Then we start getting those "evil nasty pirates" who spread IP around like peanut butter. Then we go after those who aren't "tolerant" of others' beliefs and rituals.... then we get a police state that rivals Orwell's vision in size, scope, and efficiency.
So defending the trolls who are just being crass and crude is simply keeping our freedoms intact.
Assuming Anonymous actually has the right aggressor.
What really needs to happen is not only the publishing of the names, but the "items" they ordered. So if Olympia Snowe got a Cleveland Steamer on months ending in "r", we'd be better informed voters come election day. (Okay, I don't know many politicians from Maine).
The problem isn't radical opinions (everyone has at least some of those), it's that he advocates strong government intervention in wages and worker rights (which requires a powerful government), but in the same breath he decries the power of the state in our lives. He's got the "cake and eat it too" mentality and refuses to understand what Free Markets are about... (Not crony capitalism, statism, and corporatism... those are pretty obviously shit.)