Don't try to blame this on Apple. Those vape pen are running Samsung firmware, those sailors must have accidentally activated 'incendiary grenade mode'.
Nah, they were made by Zorg Industries right alongside their (in)famous ZF-1 infantry weapon systems, complete with the little red button.
No, of course the OP is right, every similar vaping incident I've heard about was ultimately the result of ignorant and stupid people doing Tim Allen/'Tool Time' impersonations trying to "give it more *power*! ugh-ugh!" with their vaping gear.
Instead of throwing FDA regulations at the vaping industry to try to cripple it because it threatens 'big tobacco' and the taxes tobacco generates, the government should instead assist in bringing industry leaders together to set technical standards for the manufacture of vaping hardware, like fittings sizes, battery and compartment sizes, etc etc, to make it a lot of work to fit a too-powerful battery into a unit that fits a too-weak coil for that capacity battery and so on, the same general idea applied to the range of vaping hardware. Standard sizes and threadings of component parts in the various ratings/classes created in this way can be adopted industry-wide so that dangerously-incompatible components are a lot more trouble for some idiot to put together.
As usual, government's actions belie their actual priorities, and equally no surprise that the safety of regular people is way down the list.
So you're saying they're going to take an entire array of sensors from a fighter jet and put it in a regular car and it's still going to be affordable for people... ooooo k
Stop being intentionally obtuse. Much of the technology in a modern vehicle came as spin-offs from military and the space program. Where/why do you think forward-looking radar (used in a Tesla's forward-looking sensor) came from/was developed?
You're tilting at the wrong windmills again.Don Quixote.
I'm just saying this because it seems like people talk about a lot of sensors. Cameras are definitely not useful in winter. If they are covered they are covered. Doesn't autopilot use cameras? I keep hearing that Radar and Lidar each have weaknesses. Lidar is apparently fooled by fog so I'm not envisioning how that could work through ice.
Well, they've had sensors on all-weather fighter jets for how many decades, now? And that's not mentioning sensor tech in the newer aircraft designs, especially the near-future AI/drone types of aircraft, fighter/military and other.
The sensors really are not the weak link here. It's the software and algorithms that make sense of the data from the sensors and other inputs, and output control signals to the vehicle. If you want to pick something to doubt on, that's the area to do it, not sensor tech which is quite arguably far more advanced and far exceeds the capabilities of the hardware and software meant to control these things has to effectively use the data.
Except these sensors are outside the vehicle, so they will need to resist snow and ice and somehow work with it clinging to the vehicle.
These problems have already been engineered-around. Sensors for industrial machinery operating in many different types of environments under a wide variety of challenges have been around for a while. Many of the sensors required would be the types already tested, certified, and in use in current-production private and commercial vehicles.
Speaking of forward-facing radar, I wonder if one could fit a mil-surplus radar system from an old F4 Phantom-II into a car? The Tesla does have a lot of electrical power available to operate something high-powered, which would be handy. With the amount of wattage those things threw out, you could probably cook some dude in front of you on a motorcycle! For extra giggles, tail-gate an "Orville Redenbacher" truck! (kidding, metal trailer-walls form a pretty good Faraday shield...sadly, in this case, as the news reports would be hilarious...'the 404 is still blocked this morning while 35 tons of freshly-popped popcorn is removed with heavy equipment, residents as far away as 3 miles reported hearing the popping and say they still smell the strong odor of popcorn...in other news, butter and salt sales are reporting a mysterious surge in the local area, and experts are baffled')
Err... no. That article was about dark energy, which isn't the same thing as dark matter.
In the Einstein universe, are they (matter & energy) not simply different states of the same thing? Being that mass and energy rarely appear separately, would not the presence of 'dark energy' strongly infer the existence of 'dark matter'?
I would take the discovery of 'dark energy' as being at least as strongly indicative, if not more, of the existence of 'dark matter' than data from weak gravitational lensing. Of course, it also depends on how solid the evidence is, and how trustworthy the methods used to verify the existence of 'dark energy' were, as well.
What right do you have to essentially make people who create wealth slaves simply to support you?
The only reason your money is worth anything is because it is backed by the US government, which derives its power from the will of the people. We, the collective citizens of the United States as represented by our elected government, have allowed you temporary possession of that money as part of a system that facilitates the commerce that benefits us all. You are a beneficiary of that system and you are expected to make the necessary contributions to perpetuating that system. If you do not like the terms and conditions, then you are free to leave and build your own economic system. You are not a slave. There is no Iron Curtain. You are free to leave as you please. There are still large stretches of Antarctica that are unclaimed; let's see how much wealth you can build when you truly start from scratch.
All that text, and you *still* didn't answer the question. What right do you have to make slaves of others in order to support you? What right do you have to other people's time and labor to support you as an individual?
Here's another question for you. What happens when too few people are working/generating wealth to be taxed in order to support the masses who decide to survive on UBI?
Look, I appreciate your compassion for those less well-off. I too have compassion for them. The thing is, you have to really think ahead and logically on things when your emotions scream at you to do *something* 'right now!'. This is particularly true when talking about major structural changes to the economy and finances of a 'super power' nation. If we screw up, a lot more than just those in the US will suffer.
The rich can leave, or at least move their wealth to somewhere the government can't reach. Wealth/capital is fluid and goes where it's value is highest. Who will you tax when you run out of rich people? As Margaret Thatcher famously quipped;"Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money."
Give me Basic Income.
Why should others be obligated to simply *give* you that which they worked hard and sacrificed to obtain? What right do you have to essentially make people who create wealth slaves simply to support you? Go make your own damned money and stop trying to get the government to do your thieving from others for you!
"An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, connected by conductive wires or traces through which electric current can flow." These pens dispense conductive traces, not circuits.
Came here to say the same thing. Been working in electronics for over 4 decades, and it's not the concept of 'drawing' a printed circuit trace that's new here.
What TFS gets wrong and what TFA doesn't get around to saying until 2/3rds through the article, is that it's the fact that this method results in traces that are both much lower in electrical resistance than previous iterations, and also can be applied to a flexing material and not quickly degrade and/or sever the electrical path.
The gold and silver particles ensure low resistance while the conductive polymers keep the particles suspended and electrically connected over the maximum surface area, and after drying serve as a flex-point so electrical contact is maintained while the trace is flexing.
Geez, Slashdot articles any more seem like they come from a bunch of stoned D-average elementary-school students writing book reports they really don't care about on the essays submitted by failing high-school students.
As if this wasn't alarming enough, the Grasshopper user guide even states upfront that Grasshopper uses bits from a toolkit taken from Russian organized crime.
No, BeauHD, that's not fucking alarming at all. There's nothing even remotely alarming about that. Big fucking deal, they borrowed some attack code. Quit trying to be edgy, you suck at it.
What IS alarming is that instead of helping US infrastructure protect itself from Russian malware, they simply hop on the gravy-train for their own cut of that sweet, sweet US data security.
Remind me, *who* exactly are our enemies, again? Having trouble here detecting significant differences.
And this is what happens when both sides refuse to respect free speech. First you have Rice unmasking political opponents, and now this.
False equivalency, but good attempt at trying to deflect Donald Junior
There *are no* good guys here.
Both (R) and (D) on the whole want to violate the shit out of your privacy and civil rights. They simply have (sometimes) conflicting plans on how to keep the sheep distracted, controlled, and well-sheared. The scary part is how many of and/or how often their plans *don't* conflict and where they agree.
Just make sure you've got a lawyer and sufficient money to get bailed out of jail if you plan on photographing/video-recording law enforcement officers. Although courts have ruled that citizens have the 1st-Amendment right to record police while in public performing (or not) their duty as officers, many will still harass and/or arrest you, or even employ threats and violence.
Why have courts if you do not demand that they do justice?
Courts and judges are part of the legal system.
There IS NO 'justice system'.
It does not exist and never did except as a set of moral goals and standards in the hearts of men. "Justice" is moral and relative, changing with individual circumstance and the opinion of the observer, and therefor can never be codified into law.
In order to achieve the closest thing to "justice" within the limitations of men, the law must be interpreted as written in all cases, because courts and judges are determiners of legalities, not warriors for someone's opinion on what is "just".
Whether it's the CIA, MI5, or the Nazi SS violating your rights and killing/imprisoning you
There is a lot more to why we love Nazis, than the SS. And, of course, in reality neither CIA nor MI5 are anywhere close to them in the "killing/imprisoning" part, which you clumsily attempted to conflate with the amorphous "violating your rights".
As far as the CIA/MI5 "not being anywhere close", in many areas I would disagree. In fact, in some areas they've exceeded the wildest dreams of all the dictators and tyrannies of the 20th century. With the widespread use of "Predator"-type weapons systems in the military and the push for domestic law enforcement use of drones, it seems only a matter of time before they exceed yet more past dreams of tyrants.
And as for your referring to "...the amorphous "violating your rights"." the rights in question are very clear as well as the serious and numerous clear violations of those rights. There's nothing "amorphous" about it.
History is filled with numerous stories of how dictators, tyrants, and authoritarian regimes have risen and fallen through the decades and centuries. One lesson stands clear. It's best not to wait until the checkpoints are set up and the armored vehicles are stationed at intersections before trying to prevent the slide into authoritarianism.
Being aware of the dangers and sensitive to trends from more than a passing knowledge and understanding of history, thus allowing political action early on before things escalate, leaves a lot fewer dead bodies all around.
Read history books. Times may change but human nature and behavior does not. The life/lives you save may be your own and your family's, for many generations to come. Or not.
Imagine guys like that with access to drones with a rocket launcher or an automatic weapon.
I want all police restricted to shotguns,.38SP revolvers, and bolt-action rifles, with body armor, armored vehicles, automatic and/or crew-served weapons, and any explosive/incendiary devices like flash-bang grenades banned for use by domestic law enforcement. Police already have more than enough advantage in training, organization/communications, and numbers over any criminal or gang. It keeps them honest and respectful of those they police when they know they *can* be taken out by those in their community if they go too far.
Sorry, if those terms are unacceptable to any LEO's, there are other jobs. TSA is always looking for screeners and it's much safer.
Taking into account the editing quality at/. I'd dismiss EditorDavid's "spelling" out of hand, and believe the quoted article's version; "ArcaOS", even without visiting the project's website for confirmation.
Supposed "geek/nerd" news website that can't even get such basic facts about an OS news item right.
Sad.
Slashdot Media's 'geek card' status: Revoked with extreme prejudice.
...he would've preferred the "domestic spying" â" however appalling by itself â" to Hitler's victory.
What's the difference, outside of an obsession with killing Jews, if the methods and results are ultimately nearly the same for regular people? Whether it's the CIA, MI5, or the Nazi SS violating your rights and killing/imprisoning you, you're still just as screwed.
Alan Turing would've been proud of the work, American (and British) intelligence agencies are doing in the area of computers and communications.
But if he realized that the 'work' was being used against their own citizens, he would likely have burned not only his own work, but also the entire Bletchley Park complex to the ground and then shot himself after making sure the facts surrounding his actions went public.
Right where the US knowingly forced him to be. Snowden didn't want to seek refuge in Russia, the US gave him no choice by yanking his passport when/how they did. It's easier for the US intelligence services and their propaganda mouthpieces to dismiss Snowden's revelations to the low-info US public that way.
Russia is on the offensive on the internet...
When has Russia, or every other major power including the US for that matter, NOT been on the offensive on the internet?
...deeply implicated in Trump and Brexit elections.
Innuendo and conjecture unsupported by verifiable facts. Just as likely, if not more so, that it was British and US intelligence services attempting to interfere, if anyone was. They'd have more to gain (or lose), actually.
There is no legal barrier to a competitor, just financial.
Water, sewer, power, etc are "natural monopolies". Being in a rural area makes it more expensive to provide such services, that is the reality and cost of living in such an area. You could choose to live closer to an urban area where rates are typically lower. If government provided the services you'd pay more than you do now, only in the form of taxes plus whatever rates were set. Additionally, you'd have all the government bureaucratic red tape and uncaring, unelected bureaucrats themselves to deal with. Government is the least-efficient provider of utility services.
If you think the rates are unfair currently then petition the local government utility commission to examine the rates being charged. If they refuse, that's a problem with government. Start a petition, and/or a ballot initiative. Rally support among your neighbors. Show up at city/county board/commission meetings and keep putting the issue before them. Vote-out those who won't listen.
Sure nice offer, we are the corporation that provides water and sewer to your subdivision, pay us the money or you don't get water and sewer and oh by the way we own all the water rights around here so you can't have your own well.
You can buy your electricity from us or nobody, and we will work with the local government to make it impossible for you to have your own solar or wind installation to provide your own power.
That is what I am getting at.
That's a problem of business co-opting the power of government.
The solution is to not allow the central government so much power that it becomes attractive and risk-worthy for businesses (or other interests) to co-opt.
That is what the concept of "limited government" was invented to address. Nothing is perfect, but it largely and for the most part worked fairly well until people wanted government to be their wet-nurse and handed politicians, of all people, tons of unchecked power.
Now we have what we see every day out of Washington, D.C.
Its a racism thing. The Anti-Abortion movement is really about ensuring that as many white Christian babies are born as possible, as its more likely whites who use these services in the US. There is the fear of the browning of America.
Look at what the alt-righters are saying, and you'll see the racist basis for the Pro-life movement.
Right, a eugenics program started by Margaret Sanger (later adopted by Hitler as a solution to the "Jewish problem") and heartily approved by the KKK (remember Senator Byrd, [D-KKK]?) in order to kill off blacks, Hispanics, and the mentally-ill, but it's those opposed to such that are 'racists' and 'misogynists'.
Which is why I'm happy with the SCOTUS pick we got from Trump... Imagine, a judge that thinks he's bound to rule based on what the law says and not on how he feels about it... Judges like him will end this kind of political prosecution....
Let's just hope he isn't another Roberts.
I have great hope that the era of Planned Murderhood is over. The Left appears to be sticking with the same playbook with PP that they used during the elections that sunk Killary and with CAGW/global warming/climate change scam, so chances are excellent that they will once again shoot themselves in the foot.
"Never interfere with your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napolean
Slashdot Mirror
Nah, they were made by Zorg Industries right alongside their (in)famous ZF-1 infantry weapon systems, complete with the little red button.
No, of course the OP is right, every similar vaping incident I've heard about was ultimately the result of ignorant and stupid people doing Tim Allen/'Tool Time' impersonations trying to "give it more *power*! ugh-ugh!" with their vaping gear.
Instead of throwing FDA regulations at the vaping industry to try to cripple it because it threatens 'big tobacco' and the taxes tobacco generates, the government should instead assist in bringing industry leaders together to set technical standards for the manufacture of vaping hardware, like fittings sizes, battery and compartment sizes, etc etc, to make it a lot of work to fit a too-powerful battery into a unit that fits a too-weak coil for that capacity battery and so on, the same general idea applied to the range of vaping hardware. Standard sizes and threadings of component parts in the various ratings/classes created in this way can be adopted industry-wide so that dangerously-incompatible components are a lot more trouble for some idiot to put together.
As usual, government's actions belie their actual priorities, and equally no surprise that the safety of regular people is way down the list.
Strat
So you're saying they're going to take an entire array of sensors from a fighter jet and put it in a regular car and it's still going to be affordable for people... ooooo k
Stop being intentionally obtuse. Much of the technology in a modern vehicle came as spin-offs from military and the space program. Where/why do you think forward-looking radar (used in a Tesla's forward-looking sensor) came from/was developed?
You're tilting at the wrong windmills again.Don Quixote.
Strat
I'm just saying this because it seems like people talk about a lot of sensors. Cameras are definitely not useful in winter. If they are covered they are covered. Doesn't autopilot use cameras? I keep hearing that Radar and Lidar each have weaknesses. Lidar is apparently fooled by fog so I'm not envisioning how that could work through ice.
Well, they've had sensors on all-weather fighter jets for how many decades, now? And that's not mentioning sensor tech in the newer aircraft designs, especially the near-future AI/drone types of aircraft, fighter/military and other.
The sensors really are not the weak link here. It's the software and algorithms that make sense of the data from the sensors and other inputs, and output control signals to the vehicle. If you want to pick something to doubt on, that's the area to do it, not sensor tech which is quite arguably far more advanced and far exceeds the capabilities of the hardware and software meant to control these things has to effectively use the data.
Strat
Except these sensors are outside the vehicle, so they will need to resist snow and ice and somehow work with it clinging to the vehicle.
These problems have already been engineered-around. Sensors for industrial machinery operating in many different types of environments under a wide variety of challenges have been around for a while. Many of the sensors required would be the types already tested, certified, and in use in current-production private and commercial vehicles.
Speaking of forward-facing radar, I wonder if one could fit a mil-surplus radar system from an old F4 Phantom-II into a car? The Tesla does have a lot of electrical power available to operate something high-powered, which would be handy. With the amount of wattage those things threw out, you could probably cook some dude in front of you on a motorcycle! For extra giggles, tail-gate an "Orville Redenbacher" truck! (kidding, metal trailer-walls form a pretty good Faraday shield...sadly, in this case, as the news reports would be hilarious...'the 404 is still blocked this morning while 35 tons of freshly-popped popcorn is removed with heavy equipment, residents as far away as 3 miles reported hearing the popping and say they still smell the strong odor of popcorn...in other news, butter and salt sales are reporting a mysterious surge in the local area, and experts are baffled')
Strat
Err... no. That article was about dark energy, which isn't the same thing as dark matter.
In the Einstein universe, are they (matter & energy) not simply different states of the same thing? Being that mass and energy rarely appear separately, would not the presence of 'dark energy' strongly infer the existence of 'dark matter'?
I would take the discovery of 'dark energy' as being at least as strongly indicative, if not more, of the existence of 'dark matter' than data from weak gravitational lensing. Of course, it also depends on how solid the evidence is, and how trustworthy the methods used to verify the existence of 'dark energy' were, as well.
Strat
All that text, and you *still* didn't answer the question. What right do you have to make slaves of others in order to support you? What right do you have to other people's time and labor to support you as an individual?
Here's another question for you. What happens when too few people are working/generating wealth to be taxed in order to support the masses who decide to survive on UBI?
Look, I appreciate your compassion for those less well-off. I too have compassion for them. The thing is, you have to really think ahead and logically on things when your emotions scream at you to do *something* 'right now!'. This is particularly true when talking about major structural changes to the economy and finances of a 'super power' nation. If we screw up, a lot more than just those in the US will suffer.
Strat
Hey! Quit bringing up facts...and...logic...and...stuff!
This is *Slashdot*!! Ain't nobody got time for that!
Strat
Tax the rich.
The rich can leave, or at least move their wealth to somewhere the government can't reach. Wealth/capital is fluid and goes where it's value is highest. Who will you tax when you run out of rich people? As Margaret Thatcher famously quipped;"Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money."
Give me Basic Income.
Why should others be obligated to simply *give* you that which they worked hard and sacrificed to obtain? What right do you have to essentially make people who create wealth slaves simply to support you? Go make your own damned money and stop trying to get the government to do your thieving from others for you!
Strat
"An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors and diodes, connected by conductive wires or traces through which electric current can flow." These pens dispense conductive traces, not circuits.
Came here to say the same thing. Been working in electronics for over 4 decades, and it's not the concept of 'drawing' a printed circuit trace that's new here.
What TFS gets wrong and what TFA doesn't get around to saying until 2/3rds through the article, is that it's the fact that this method results in traces that are both much lower in electrical resistance than previous iterations, and also can be applied to a flexing material and not quickly degrade and/or sever the electrical path.
The gold and silver particles ensure low resistance while the conductive polymers keep the particles suspended and electrically connected over the maximum surface area, and after drying serve as a flex-point so electrical contact is maintained while the trace is flexing.
Geez, Slashdot articles any more seem like they come from a bunch of stoned D-average elementary-school students writing book reports they really don't care about on the essays submitted by failing high-school students.
That's on the 'good' days.
Strat
What IS alarming is that instead of helping US infrastructure protect itself from Russian malware, they simply hop on the gravy-train for their own cut of that sweet, sweet US data security.
Remind me, *who* exactly are our enemies, again? Having trouble here detecting significant differences.
Strat
There *are no* good guys here.
Both (R) and (D) on the whole want to violate the shit out of your privacy and civil rights. They simply have (sometimes) conflicting plans on how to keep the sheep distracted, controlled, and well-sheared. The scary part is how many of and/or how often their plans *don't* conflict and where they agree.
Strat
Billy Madison!
[channels "Spock"]
"Ah yes, the classics!"
[/channels "Spock"]
Strat
How about free body cams for civilians?
Just make sure you've got a lawyer and sufficient money to get bailed out of jail if you plan on photographing/video-recording law enforcement officers. Although courts have ruled that citizens have the 1st-Amendment right to record police while in public performing (or not) their duty as officers, many will still harass and/or arrest you, or even employ threats and violence.
http://photographyisnotacrime....
Strat
Why have courts if you do not demand that they do justice?
Courts and judges are part of the legal system.
There IS NO 'justice system'.
It does not exist and never did except as a set of moral goals and standards in the hearts of men. "Justice" is moral and relative, changing with individual circumstance and the opinion of the observer, and therefor can never be codified into law.
In order to achieve the closest thing to "justice" within the limitations of men, the law must be interpreted as written in all cases, because courts and judges are determiners of legalities, not warriors for someone's opinion on what is "just".
Strat
As far as the CIA/MI5 "not being anywhere close", in many areas I would disagree. In fact, in some areas they've exceeded the wildest dreams of all the dictators and tyrannies of the 20th century. With the widespread use of "Predator"-type weapons systems in the military and the push for domestic law enforcement use of drones, it seems only a matter of time before they exceed yet more past dreams of tyrants.
And as for your referring to "...the amorphous "violating your rights"." the rights in question are very clear as well as the serious and numerous clear violations of those rights. There's nothing "amorphous" about it.
History is filled with numerous stories of how dictators, tyrants, and authoritarian regimes have risen and fallen through the decades and centuries. One lesson stands clear. It's best not to wait until the checkpoints are set up and the armored vehicles are stationed at intersections before trying to prevent the slide into authoritarianism.
Being aware of the dangers and sensitive to trends from more than a passing knowledge and understanding of history, thus allowing political action early on before things escalate, leaves a lot fewer dead bodies all around.
Read history books. Times may change but human nature and behavior does not. The life/lives you save may be your own and your family's, for many generations to come. Or not.
Strat
A mile away or up and close... if our local peace officers have to resort to lethal force then you damn well deserve what's coming.
Did you "sieg heil!" after hitting "submit"?
Yes, police are infallible, and are never ever corrupt, murderers, or suffer psychological problems. /s
http://photographyisnotacrime....
Imagine guys like that with access to drones with a rocket launcher or an automatic weapon.
I want all police restricted to shotguns, .38SP revolvers, and bolt-action rifles, with body armor, armored vehicles, automatic and/or crew-served weapons, and any explosive/incendiary devices like flash-bang grenades banned for use by domestic law enforcement. Police already have more than enough advantage in training, organization/communications, and numbers over any criminal or gang. It keeps them honest and respectful of those they police when they know they *can* be taken out by those in their community if they go too far.
Sorry, if those terms are unacceptable to any LEO's, there are other jobs. TSA is always looking for screeners and it's much safer.
Strat
Is it "ArcanOS" or "ArcaOS"?
Taking into account the editing quality at /. I'd dismiss EditorDavid's "spelling" out of hand, and believe the quoted article's version; "ArcaOS", even without visiting the project's website for confirmation.
Supposed "geek/nerd" news website that can't even get such basic facts about an OS news item right.
Sad.
Slashdot Media's 'geek card' status: Revoked with extreme prejudice.
Strat
...he would've preferred the "domestic spying" â" however appalling by itself â" to Hitler's victory.
What's the difference, outside of an obsession with killing Jews, if the methods and results are ultimately nearly the same for regular people? Whether it's the CIA, MI5, or the Nazi SS violating your rights and killing/imprisoning you, you're still just as screwed.
Strat
Alan Turing would've been proud of the work, American (and British) intelligence agencies are doing in the area of computers and communications.
But if he realized that the 'work' was being used against their own citizens, he would likely have burned not only his own work, but also the entire Bletchley Park complex to the ground and then shot himself after making sure the facts surrounding his actions went public.
Strat
Remind me, where is Snowden, now?
Right where the US knowingly forced him to be. Snowden didn't want to seek refuge in Russia, the US gave him no choice by yanking his passport when/how they did. It's easier for the US intelligence services and their propaganda mouthpieces to dismiss Snowden's revelations to the low-info US public that way.
Russia is on the offensive on the internet...
When has Russia, or every other major power including the US for that matter, NOT been on the offensive on the internet?
...deeply implicated in Trump and Brexit elections.
Innuendo and conjecture unsupported by verifiable facts. Just as likely, if not more so, that it was British and US intelligence services attempting to interfere, if anyone was. They'd have more to gain (or lose), actually.
Strat
There is no legal barrier to a competitor, just financial.
Water, sewer, power, etc are "natural monopolies". Being in a rural area makes it more expensive to provide such services, that is the reality and cost of living in such an area. You could choose to live closer to an urban area where rates are typically lower. If government provided the services you'd pay more than you do now, only in the form of taxes plus whatever rates were set. Additionally, you'd have all the government bureaucratic red tape and uncaring, unelected bureaucrats themselves to deal with. Government is the least-efficient provider of utility services.
If you think the rates are unfair currently then petition the local government utility commission to examine the rates being charged. If they refuse, that's a problem with government. Start a petition, and/or a ballot initiative. Rally support among your neighbors. Show up at city/county board/commission meetings and keep putting the issue before them. Vote-out those who won't listen.
Strat
Sure nice offer, we are the corporation that provides water and sewer to your subdivision, pay us the money or you don't get water and sewer and oh by the way we own all the water rights around here so you can't have your own well.
You can buy your electricity from us or nobody, and we will work with the local government to make it impossible for you to have your own solar or wind installation to provide your own power.
That is what I am getting at.
That's a problem of business co-opting the power of government.
The solution is to not allow the central government so much power that it becomes attractive and risk-worthy for businesses (or other interests) to co-opt.
That is what the concept of "limited government" was invented to address. Nothing is perfect, but it largely and for the most part worked fairly well until people wanted government to be their wet-nurse and handed politicians, of all people, tons of unchecked power.
Now we have what we see every day out of Washington, D.C.
Strat
Its a racism thing. The Anti-Abortion movement is really about ensuring that as many white Christian babies are born as possible, as its more likely whites who use these services in the US. There is the fear of the browning of America.
Look at what the alt-righters are saying, and you'll see the racist basis for the Pro-life movement.
Right, a eugenics program started by Margaret Sanger (later adopted by Hitler as a solution to the "Jewish problem") and heartily approved by the KKK (remember Senator Byrd, [D-KKK]?) in order to kill off blacks, Hispanics, and the mentally-ill, but it's those opposed to such that are 'racists' and 'misogynists'.
LOL!
Too funny!
Strat
Gah! *Napoleon*!
Apologies.
Which is why I'm happy with the SCOTUS pick we got from Trump... Imagine, a judge that thinks he's bound to rule based on what the law says and not on how he feels about it... Judges like him will end this kind of political prosecution....
Let's just hope he isn't another Roberts.
I have great hope that the era of Planned Murderhood is over. The Left appears to be sticking with the same playbook with PP that they used during the elections that sunk Killary and with CAGW/global warming/climate change scam, so chances are excellent that they will once again shoot themselves in the foot.
"Never interfere with your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napolean
Strat