You do realize it was the GOP that freed the slaves and that a higher percentage of GOP Congressman/Senators voted for the Civil Rights Act than Democrats, right?
As far as gay rights go, the way you solve that whole issue is by getting Government out of the marriage business altogether. At it's heart marriage is nothing more than an agreement between two consenting adults. I'm unaware of any other such agreement that requires the consent of the Government in order to be enacted. Civil unions for everybody, homo and hetero. Leave the business of "marriage" to the churches.
Ron Paul wouldn't get into office without a large number of Libertarians joining him. You don't think that all of a sudden enough people are going to wake up and decide to pull the Libertarian lever for POTUS but not for Congress, do you?
Political movements are built from the ground up. Before we see a Libertarian President we'd see Libertarian town councilman, Libertarian State Legislators, maybe a Governor or two, Libertarian Congressman, etc, etc. The only point to third parties running a Presidential candidate is to draw attention to themselves. The real work is done at lower levels of office.
The reality is that millions of people are consumers of digital music from iTunes and Amazon. Many people seem to have decided that $0.99 is a fair price for the product they are receiving.
Now I'm personally with you -- I would rather buy a used CD and get a lossless format -- but I don't think that gives me justification to start downloading lossy formats for free.
Logically I was replying to this post, which talked about McCain, and thus it doesn't seem to make much sense for you to draw inferences about Obama based upon my comment.
For the record, no, I don't think that a not-even-single-term-US-Senator with zero executive, zero foreign policy and zero military experience is qualified to be President. Obama's main qualification seems to be the fact that he can put together a good speech. Nine years ago he was a State Senator that nobody had ever heard of whom was denied entry to the Democratic Convention and couldn't even afford a hotel or the airline ticket back home. Now he's the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military on the planet. WTF?
Regarding Palin, I happen to think that she's gotten a raw deal in many respects -- the way she was driven out of the Governors office and the attacks on her family both come to mind -- but I still don't think she was remotely qualified to be a heartbeat away from the nuclear launch codes. She couldn't handle a damn interview with Katie Couric for heavens sake. You can complain all you want about the interview being rigged or whatnot but if she can't handle the American media how the fuck is she going to handle Putin or Ahmadinejad?
There's already online versions of music. You can buy tracks for $0.99 from Amazon with no DRM whatsoever. They come in a nearly universal (mp3) format that is easily converted to other formats and which can run on just about anything. For slightly more you can purchase the same product from the Apple Store. Yet people continue to pirate music in fairly significant numbers. Could it just be that free > pay?
Movies are trickier. Not aware of any online movie distribution systems that aren't laced with DRM or locked into a specific vendors product. But if the music example is telling it wouldn't matter if there were -- people would keep right on pirating them.
The industry did miss the boat with online distribution but I can't be the only one that thinks that excuse is wearing thin as a justification for piracy.
Ah yes, a governor who did a lot for her state versus
Whom couldn't even answer a question about the Bush doctrine. I'm not involved in government at any level and I still knew what the Bush doctrine was. Sorry but I'm just not willing to vote for someone who isn't smarter than I am. Besides, if she couldn't hack it against Katie Couric how's she gonna hack it against Vladimir Putin?
a habitually non-present senator whose only prior experience was as a community adviser.
What makes you think that I believe Mr. Obama was qualified?
yeah that organized crime commited by pirates is really bad for your nation.
It is if your nation makes billions of dollars developing movies and music. Anyone find it interesting that we routinely run massive trade deficits with China but stand mute while their Government tacitly condones piracy on an industrialized scale? As much as I despise the mafia there are real people working in these industries. It's a safe assumption they don't want to work for free. Can't we find some balance on this issue somewhere between "some teenagers downloaded Britney Spears, lock 'em up!" and "information wants to be free"?
Amazing how the more things change the more they stay the same, isn't it?
I can't wait to hear all of the partisans who rightfully complained about Dick Cheney's energy task force come out of the woodwork to tell us why this is "different".
Yes, and is real nice to NOT be a female officer when a 400# female makes such a claim! "Sorry mam but you are going to have to book this one in, she wants a full body cavity search and there seems to be a LOT of body and cavities, so have fun!"
You poor bastards really don't get paid enough money for doing the job that you do.......
If I recall correctly, the original rationale for concluding that warrantless searches incident to arrest are "reasonable" is that: 1) the arresting officer needs to be able to ensure that the suspect is unarmed and not carrying recording devices;
Actually they can search you for weapons without arresting you, if they have a reasonable suspicion that you are armed. It's called a Terry stop. The search is supposed to be limited to a pat down for weapons but they can seize other contraband if the nature of said contraband is readily apparent to the officer during the course of the frisk, i.e: he's searching you for a knife or firearm but comes across your glass bowl and stash of weed.
Perhaps, but would you *want* private companies running utilities and roads.
I have no problem with them running the utilities. They already run the electric utility in my town. Why not the water one?
Regarding the roads, I didn't say they should be running the roads. All I would question is why DOT builds roads itself rather than contracting them out. The Government doesn't (typically) build it's own office buildings. Why should it be involved in road construction?
Slashdot Mirror
You do realize it was the GOP that freed the slaves and that a higher percentage of GOP Congressman/Senators voted for the Civil Rights Act than Democrats, right?
As far as gay rights go, the way you solve that whole issue is by getting Government out of the marriage business altogether. At it's heart marriage is nothing more than an agreement between two consenting adults. I'm unaware of any other such agreement that requires the consent of the Government in order to be enacted. Civil unions for everybody, homo and hetero. Leave the business of "marriage" to the churches.
How about the liberty to keep and bear arms? How about the personal choice to go without health insurance if I deem that it to be in my best interest?
Ron Paul wouldn't get into office without a large number of Libertarians joining him. You don't think that all of a sudden enough people are going to wake up and decide to pull the Libertarian lever for POTUS but not for Congress, do you?
Political movements are built from the ground up. Before we see a Libertarian President we'd see Libertarian town councilman, Libertarian State Legislators, maybe a Governor or two, Libertarian Congressman, etc, etc. The only point to third parties running a Presidential candidate is to draw attention to themselves. The real work is done at lower levels of office.
Dem: Less war, Less regulating morality, Less personal choice and liberty, more bending over backwards for Big Media.
Repub: More war, More regulating morality, More personal choice and liberty, less bending over backwards for Big Media.
Added one that you forgot.
The reality is that millions of people are consumers of digital music from iTunes and Amazon. Many people seem to have decided that $0.99 is a fair price for the product they are receiving.
Now I'm personally with you -- I would rather buy a used CD and get a lossless format -- but I don't think that gives me justification to start downloading lossy formats for free.
Logically I was replying to this post, which talked about McCain, and thus it doesn't seem to make much sense for you to draw inferences about Obama based upon my comment.
For the record, no, I don't think that a not-even-single-term-US-Senator with zero executive, zero foreign policy and zero military experience is qualified to be President. Obama's main qualification seems to be the fact that he can put together a good speech. Nine years ago he was a State Senator that nobody had ever heard of whom was denied entry to the Democratic Convention and couldn't even afford a hotel or the airline ticket back home. Now he's the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military on the planet. WTF?
Regarding Palin, I happen to think that she's gotten a raw deal in many respects -- the way she was driven out of the Governors office and the attacks on her family both come to mind -- but I still don't think she was remotely qualified to be a heartbeat away from the nuclear launch codes. She couldn't handle a damn interview with Katie Couric for heavens sake. You can complain all you want about the interview being rigged or whatnot but if she can't handle the American media how the fuck is she going to handle Putin or Ahmadinejad?
Those tank crews weren't manned by Hungarians were they? Hungary was for all practical purposes an occupied state at that time.
Bullshit. There's a lot of shades of gray to libertarians.
Do you completely oppose regulation or do you just oppose the Federal Government stepping outside of the bounds of the Constitution?
Are you pro-life or pro-choice?
Are you opposed to the social safety net entirely or just the fact that the Federal Government is involved?
Are you in favor of a non-interventionist foreign policy or just opposed to the fact that Congress has ceded it's authority to declare war?
Are you in favor of blanket drug legislation or do you think it should be up to the states to decide the issue?
Those are just the issues off the top of my head that Libertarians have good-faith disagreements on. Not all Libertarians are anarco-capitalists.
Industries that donate significant campaign dollars are guaranteed a hearing in Washington.
Fixed that for you :)
(Snarkiness aside I do get and agree with your main point)
There's already online versions of music. You can buy tracks for $0.99 from Amazon with no DRM whatsoever. They come in a nearly universal (mp3) format that is easily converted to other formats and which can run on just about anything. For slightly more you can purchase the same product from the Apple Store. Yet people continue to pirate music in fairly significant numbers. Could it just be that free > pay?
Movies are trickier. Not aware of any online movie distribution systems that aren't laced with DRM or locked into a specific vendors product. But if the music example is telling it wouldn't matter if there were -- people would keep right on pirating them.
The industry did miss the boat with online distribution but I can't be the only one that thinks that excuse is wearing thin as a justification for piracy.
Ah yes, a governor who did a lot for her state versus
Whom couldn't even answer a question about the Bush doctrine. I'm not involved in government at any level and I still knew what the Bush doctrine was. Sorry but I'm just not willing to vote for someone who isn't smarter than I am. Besides, if she couldn't hack it against Katie Couric how's she gonna hack it against Vladimir Putin?
a habitually non-present senator whose only prior experience was as a community adviser.
What makes you think that I believe Mr. Obama was qualified?
Hooray, I've pissed the right-wing partisans for a change!
Answer me this: What makes you think that because I said Gov. Palin was unqualified that I think that Senator Obama was?
Then it's called an air rifle ;)
John McCain disqualified himself when he picked someone completely unqualified to serve as President to be his running mate.......
but on the other hand at least so far this administration hasn't started any wars.
No, but their Secretary of State and a large number of their party currently in Congress did.......
Then why'd they vote for them?
Oh yeah, "lessor of two evils" and all that. Who was it around here who first said "The lessor of two evils is still evil"?
yeah that organized crime commited by pirates is really bad for your nation.
It is if your nation makes billions of dollars developing movies and music. Anyone find it interesting that we routinely run massive trade deficits with China but stand mute while their Government tacitly condones piracy on an industrialized scale? As much as I despise the mafia there are real people working in these industries. It's a safe assumption they don't want to work for free. Can't we find some balance on this issue somewhere between "some teenagers downloaded Britney Spears, lock 'em up!" and "information wants to be free"?
Amazing how the more things change the more they stay the same, isn't it?
I can't wait to hear all of the partisans who rightfully complained about Dick Cheney's energy task force come out of the woodwork to tell us why this is "different".
...to catch a critter that got into my basement.
Yeah, it's called get a cat ;)
If you gave them permission to search your car for anything you deserve to go to jail for stupidity.
Not much surprise there. They surrendered any pretense of caring about civil liberties a long time ago.
Yes, and is real nice to NOT be a female officer when a 400# female makes such a claim! "Sorry mam but you are going to have to book this one in, she wants a full body cavity search and there seems to be a LOT of body and cavities, so have fun!"
You poor bastards really don't get paid enough money for doing the job that you do.......
If I recall correctly, the original rationale for concluding that warrantless searches incident to arrest are "reasonable" is that: 1) the arresting officer needs to be able to ensure that the suspect is unarmed and not carrying recording devices;
Actually they can search you for weapons without arresting you, if they have a reasonable suspicion that you are armed. It's called a Terry stop. The search is supposed to be limited to a pat down for weapons but they can seize other contraband if the nature of said contraband is readily apparent to the officer during the course of the frisk, i.e: he's searching you for a knife or firearm but comes across your glass bowl and stash of weed.
because governments cannot exist without consent of the governed.
They can if the governed aren't armed.
Perhaps, but would you *want* private companies running utilities and roads.
I have no problem with them running the utilities. They already run the electric utility in my town. Why not the water one?
Regarding the roads, I didn't say they should be running the roads. All I would question is why DOT builds roads itself rather than contracting them out. The Government doesn't (typically) build it's own office buildings. Why should it be involved in road construction?