Iranians don't care much about the US (despite their bluster). They may be a threat to oil shipments (Strait of Hormuz) and to Israel. Israel is capable of defending itself. The solution to the oil shipment problem is energy independence, ideally through a large proportion of nuclear or renewables.
Afghanistan was made the way it was through US meddling in the 80s and Saudi funding. Cut the funding (see also: Saudi embargo) and the problem would be reduced without a land war in Asia... But frankly, we should have let Afghanistan alone in the 80s and let the Soviets do what they wanted. Afghanistan would likely have been better off under Communist rule than under the Taliban.
Iran has no real fight with the US (other than blustering), nor does it sponsor attacks in the US. If anything, a strong Iran will help keep Saudi Arabia (the real problem) in check.
Puritanism is not Christianity. It (and its bastard child, the "prosperity gospel") is a perversion of Christianity, used by authoritarians to control the public and make them accept their lot in life.
I'd be all for banning spending public funds on stadium construction, since taxpayers are being forced to support PRIVATE sports teams. But betting is voluntary. Don't want to pay? Don't place the bet, problem solved.
There's never "zero doubt". Even DNA evidence can be cooked up -- see also the case of Annie Dookhan, a crime lab manager in Massachusetts who outright forged test results.
Also, dealing of marijuana as a capital crime? Come on. Why criminalize it at all if possession is legal? Let it be sold legally on the open market, same as cigarettes and alcohol.
Singapore is not a model the US should be emulation -- boring and authoritarian. I really don't care for having a perfectly safe, obedient society at the expense of our souls.
Until they were either completely bankrupt and unable to exert financial power outside their own borders (freeze foreign accounts as well) or regime change was facilitated.
Yes. I think it's because they don't want to attack. Borders are relatively open. Weapons are readily available (if not guns, then cars or knives). Yet the number of terror attacks in the US is statistically tiny.
You're more likely to be killed slipping in a bathtub or crossing the street than in a terrorist attack in the US. We grossly over-reacted after 9/11. What we should have done is blockaded, sanctioned, and embargoed Saudi Arabia, the source of funding for the perpetrators that caused 9/11. Would have been cheap AND effective, even if we'd have felt some pain as far as oil prices in the short run.
But no, we were just itching to use the toys that we didn't have a chance to use during the Cold War. We wasted a few trillion and made the world LESS safe.
I doubt they'll be blacklisted, but if they are, nothing wrong with quitting the industry and working for an entity that actually has a conscience. Do education/development work in poorer parts of the US with an NGO. Go back to school, get an M.D. or nursing degree. Actually help fellow humans or do good research.
Life's too short to work in the ad-tech or military murder industries for the rest of one's life.
How about not having drone strikes at all. Stop helping to create terrorists by supporting terroristic states in the Middle East, and live our lives in peace.
Is resignation (where you will be replaced) the solution, or is slowing the project down with barely passable code while leaking details to the press a better solution? Read about what Wernher Heisenberg (the real one, not the one from Breaking Bad) may have done with the German atom bomb program.
You're British from your writing. You're actually understating the problem. There is no "US Prison Service." The closest one can come to that are Federal prisons, but most inmates are not in the Federal system.
What we have are State, County, and even City prisons, all run by different authorities, some public, some privately contracted, all with opportunity for abuse, corruption, graft, and kickbacks. There are thousands of little fiefdoms that operate without much oversight from competent authorities.
Same goes for police forces. UK has them on a national and county level. Every American jerkwater town can have their own police, and training, hiring standards, etc vary widely. If these systems were consolidated at the State level with strict court oversight, a lot of corruption would be cleaned up. But no one wants to give up their little profit centers.
In before the "they deserve hell on Earth because they were caught with a small amount of drugs or stole something worth $100" authoritarian crowd chimes in. Anyway, in-person human contact in a prison -- from jailers (not "correction officers") and other inmates is likely to be violent and abusive. Giving inmates the opportunity at loving contact with family, friends, and spouses (yes, conjugal should be allowed) makes them more likely to be sane upon being released. Removing all normal human contact makes psychological damage and violence more likely after release.
I understand the need to save money. But money is best saved by non locking up non-violent drug offenders -- what adults put into their own bodies should be their own choice. Same with diverting petty thieves, the homeless, non-functional addicts, and the mentally ill to community service, shelters, and mental health therapy as appropriate.
But hey. It's America. We'd rather punish than treat. Because Puritanism.
They'd be better off using both, to be honest. Video is not a replacement for friendly human contact in person. All other in-perosn human contact in a prison (with jailers, other inmates) is likely to be abusive.
A good way to warp someone's mind is to only allow them abusive/coersive human contact.
L-O-L. Many states don't care about reducing recidivism. Let 'em go, lock 'em back up. After all, we have private prisons to fill and kickbacks (I mean, contract bonuses) to collect.
(1) Keeps inmates sane.
(2) Keeps inmates compliant.
(3) Reduces instances of sex between inmates.
(4) Keeps inmates connected to the world outside the walls. Social support network and significant others are important in preventing recidivism.
CA and NY, states that actually pretend to care about rehabilitation, have kept them for that reason.
This probably didn't cause any more inconvenience than the average college prank. Things like reassembling a car in a library, moving a professor's office to another floor, turning the MIT dome into a giant breast, or putting a piece of dating software onto a campus email system (in the UNIX shell days, the software kept a list of male and female students and would send random "write" messages or "ytalk" requests between them). So it should be treated as such - clean the results up, and some detention, since it's high school, not college.
Slashdot Mirror
Iranians don't care much about the US (despite their bluster). They may be a threat to oil shipments (Strait of Hormuz) and to Israel. Israel is capable of defending itself. The solution to the oil shipment problem is energy independence, ideally through a large proportion of nuclear or renewables.
Afghanistan was made the way it was through US meddling in the 80s and Saudi funding. Cut the funding (see also: Saudi embargo) and the problem would be reduced without a land war in Asia... But frankly, we should have let Afghanistan alone in the 80s and let the Soviets do what they wanted. Afghanistan would likely have been better off under Communist rule than under the Taliban.
Iran has no real fight with the US (other than blustering), nor does it sponsor attacks in the US. If anything, a strong Iran will help keep Saudi Arabia (the real problem) in check.
Puritanism is not Christianity. It (and its bastard child, the "prosperity gospel") is a perversion of Christianity, used by authoritarians to control the public and make them accept their lot in life.
I'd be all for banning spending public funds on stadium construction, since taxpayers are being forced to support PRIVATE sports teams. But betting is voluntary. Don't want to pay? Don't place the bet, problem solved.
There's never "zero doubt". Even DNA evidence can be cooked up -- see also the case of Annie Dookhan, a crime lab manager in Massachusetts who outright forged test results.
Also, dealing of marijuana as a capital crime? Come on. Why criminalize it at all if possession is legal? Let it be sold legally on the open market, same as cigarettes and alcohol.
Singapore is not a model the US should be emulation -- boring and authoritarian. I really don't care for having a perfectly safe, obedient society at the expense of our souls.
At least it would have dealt with the source of the problem -- Saudi Arabia and its combination of crazy religious zealotry and free money from oil.
A tax is involuntary. No one is being forced to bet on sports or pay a fine/go to jail.
Until they were either completely bankrupt and unable to exert financial power outside their own borders (freeze foreign accounts as well) or regime change was facilitated.
Good. Another law regulating harmless activities between consenting adults bites the dust...
My point is that you have employment choices in the US (or even abroad) if you're a human with a conscience.
"Outback" hick. Wow! I've always wanted to visit Australia. But would I be a hick, or a bogan?
Yes. I think it's because they don't want to attack. Borders are relatively open. Weapons are readily available (if not guns, then cars or knives). Yet the number of terror attacks in the US is statistically tiny.
1. You don't search them thoroughly. You search the inmate after the visit.
You're more likely to be killed slipping in a bathtub or crossing the street than in a terrorist attack in the US. We grossly over-reacted after 9/11. What we should have done is blockaded, sanctioned, and embargoed Saudi Arabia, the source of funding for the perpetrators that caused 9/11. Would have been cheap AND effective, even if we'd have felt some pain as far as oil prices in the short run.
But no, we were just itching to use the toys that we didn't have a chance to use during the Cold War. We wasted a few trillion and made the world LESS safe.
Dear United Kingdom--
Can you please take us back as a colony? We'd be better off. We apologize for our little spat in the 1700s and offer you better food...
Signed,
The Saner 1/3 of America
I doubt they'll be blacklisted, but if they are, nothing wrong with quitting the industry and working for an entity that actually has a conscience. Do education/development work in poorer parts of the US with an NGO. Go back to school, get an M.D. or nursing degree. Actually help fellow humans or do good research.
Life's too short to work in the ad-tech or military murder industries for the rest of one's life.
How about not having drone strikes at all. Stop helping to create terrorists by supporting terroristic states in the Middle East, and live our lives in peace.
Is resignation (where you will be replaced) the solution, or is slowing the project down with barely passable code while leaking details to the press a better solution? Read about what Wernher Heisenberg (the real one, not the one from Breaking Bad) may have done with the German atom bomb program.
No, they have drones for that :)
You're British from your writing. You're actually understating the problem. There is no "US Prison Service." The closest one can come to that are Federal prisons, but most inmates are not in the Federal system.
What we have are State, County, and even City prisons, all run by different authorities, some public, some privately contracted, all with opportunity for abuse, corruption, graft, and kickbacks. There are thousands of little fiefdoms that operate without much oversight from competent authorities.
Same goes for police forces. UK has them on a national and county level. Every American jerkwater town can have their own police, and training, hiring standards, etc vary widely. If these systems were consolidated at the State level with strict court oversight, a lot of corruption would be cleaned up. But no one wants to give up their little profit centers.
In before the "they deserve hell on Earth because they were caught with a small amount of drugs or stole something worth $100" authoritarian crowd chimes in. Anyway, in-person human contact in a prison -- from jailers (not "correction officers") and other inmates is likely to be violent and abusive. Giving inmates the opportunity at loving contact with family, friends, and spouses (yes, conjugal should be allowed) makes them more likely to be sane upon being released. Removing all normal human contact makes psychological damage and violence more likely after release.
I understand the need to save money. But money is best saved by non locking up non-violent drug offenders -- what adults put into their own bodies should be their own choice. Same with diverting petty thieves, the homeless, non-functional addicts, and the mentally ill to community service, shelters, and mental health therapy as appropriate.
But hey. It's America. We'd rather punish than treat. Because Puritanism.
They'd be better off using both, to be honest. Video is not a replacement for friendly human contact in person. All other in-perosn human contact in a prison (with jailers, other inmates) is likely to be abusive.
A good way to warp someone's mind is to only allow them abusive/coersive human contact.
L-O-L. Many states don't care about reducing recidivism. Let 'em go, lock 'em back up. After all, we have private prisons to fill and kickbacks (I mean, contract bonuses) to collect.
(1) Keeps inmates sane. (2) Keeps inmates compliant. (3) Reduces instances of sex between inmates. (4) Keeps inmates connected to the world outside the walls. Social support network and significant others are important in preventing recidivism. CA and NY, states that actually pretend to care about rehabilitation, have kept them for that reason.
This probably didn't cause any more inconvenience than the average college prank. Things like reassembling a car in a library, moving a professor's office to another floor, turning the MIT dome into a giant breast, or putting a piece of dating software onto a campus email system (in the UNIX shell days, the software kept a list of male and female students and would send random "write" messages or "ytalk" requests between them). So it should be treated as such - clean the results up, and some detention, since it's high school, not college.