It's very un-American to do something without the plan to profit from it!
Interesting. . . . . So what do you think Snowden makes? I hear he only gave about 200,000 of the 1,700,000 documents to reporters. A buck a page? Two? Ten?
It's just goodies all around: according to unspecified intelligence, as examined to an unknown standard of proof, by unidentified parties, in secret, he was the alleged operational leader "taking on a continuous command function", which means he isn't entitled to the protections of a civilian under the Geneva convention, even though he is unaffiliated with any national armed force, and not directly engaged in any hostility at the time and place of his death.
Typical Slashdot - we certainly can't trust the words out of the very mouths of terrorists themselves declaring war and calling for the killing of Americans, Britons, or others in the West, their ties to multiple attackers, and active work as part of international terrorist groups. And unless all of the details of the intelligence used to find them and the technology and procedures used to attack them are revealed (thus negating their value in the future) we are on the verge of Big Brother. What a load of crap. It will be a minor miracle if we remain free of routine massacre in the years ahead.
...he isn't entitled to the protections of a civilian under the Geneva convention, even though he is unaffiliated with any national armed force, and not directly engaged in any hostility at the time and place of his death.
You're playing fast and lose on many levels. If you want the protections of the treaty you have to abide by the treaty. Al Qaida doesn't do that, so they don't get the protections. Civilians can't take up arms to wage war unlawfully and have the protections of the treaty. It is a basic enforcement mechanism. Civilians can take up arms and engage in warfare, lawfully, but they have to follow the rules.
The frequent attempts to white wash Anwar al-Awlaki's activities as a leader in al Qaida are appalling.
Who else would qualify for this rather unenviable status?
(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
---------
Could we be at war with the Sinola Cartel if we wanted to? The Crips?
Not unless they throw in with al Qaida or there is a new resolution.
Anwar al-Awlaki got the due process required in warfare as someone fighting on the enemy's side, and now he is dead - killed, not "executed."
If you think that the killing of a handful of Americans that have joined the enemy to attack the US make the US like the Soviet Union then you fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the Soviet Union and its massive repression.
You are assuming that everyone plays by the rules. That is the problem - al Qaida breaks the rules, it makes war in a manner that does not comply with the treaties. That is why they are unlawful combatants and lose the protection of the treaties. You have to abide by the treaties to have their protection. It is a basic enforcement mechanism built in to them.
The idea is that there was some thing behind the unknowable is what he is talking about.
That isn't what he wrote, and that doesn't really describe anamists and other nature worshiping peoples. Pagan superstitions are often very far from comforting, and can be highly oppressive, even dangerous. Perhaps you have some more learning to do yourself?
You will also have to pardon me for reading what he actually wrote instead of overlaying it with what you think it should mean.
Anyone who hasn't figured out how a regular nuclear weapon works is an idiot. Its surprisingly crude. You just need the time, money and material.
Only for the most basic, wasteful, and physically large type weapons. If you want to build high yield weapons, efficient weapons, or compact weapons, there are engineering considerations based on practical experience. Would you willing hand over that experience in the form of test data and design plans? If so then I have another nomination for idiot.
Feel free to point out the facts I get wrong, if any, or make an argument. Till then you aren't really proving your views are in touch with "reality," just that you have a supply of snark. That post you made is a waste.
Religious extremists were present in Iran the whole time. The Shah helped keep them in check. They were part of the revolution.
Even though I doubt it is really your bag, you should really look into the Soviet Union in the 30s, and maybe a few other times/places I could name. Compared to them the Shah was a piker. I think it likely that your assessment of the Shah and his regime isn't based so much on the actual scope of brutality but on the fact that he was allied with the US.
There is an old saying you should take to heart: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Of course the flip side of that is the assumption that many people here make which is that there is nothing that is genuinely sensitive and damaging to release.
Last I checked, poor people don't have monopolies on TV and Radio shows so so they can attempt to shape society. They don't influence tax code to give themselves more money and screw over those rich guys. They are not paying lobbyists to get favorable laws passed.
Does the ACLU have a minimum income requirement for membership? What about the NRA? The AARP? The Teamsters? The NEA? The Democrats & Republicans? I seem to recall that all of those groups, and many more, all try to influence the laws and regulations that are passed, how they are executed, and the political process in general. They are all made of up many ordinary people that volunteer time and money.
You aren't trying to claim that you have never heard of a law that was the result of a crusade by one ordinary but determined person, are you?
If you are rich and you steal billions you can be sentenced to jail for 150 years like Bernie Madoff, and if you smoke a joint you can walk like in Colorado and a growing number of places.
When did "the rich" develop a monopoly on TV and radio stations? Are you confusing "the rich" with corporations? Is there some group or segment of the population that you think doesn't have at least some radio stations catering to it? Given some of the marginal crank views I hear flipping through the dial that would seem to be some pretty rarified segment.
Who are the rich people that you are apparently claiming are "spending billions of dollars in foreign countries to start civil wars"?
Given the totality of the views that you have expressed, I'm not sure that I'm convinced you are against corruption as a general principle so much as you are against your own government.
Political ideologues aren't simply "always going to be around." Some of them are dangerous and need to be guarded against.
It's not a democrat or a republican thing, it's a wealthy-and-powerful thing. The wealthy and powerful are using government to find new ways to control you, spy on you, rob you and imprison you.
You seem to be overlooking ideology. There are plenty of people that want to reshape society, make choices for you, and control you, all based on ideology. There are poor ideologues just as there are rich ones, don't lose sight of that.
The people very seldom have much to do with "people's committees" on X.
You confuse the religion with the picture they decided to hang on their walls. It's like saying the greek gods are still very powerful because whole planets are named after them. Jesus supplied the persona unto which the church then projected everything they wanted to have accepted without questioning.
I think you have that pretty much entirely wrong. The question is influence, not power, and there isn't any question that Jesus has been influential. His words and actions are recorded in the Bible so there is no "picture" hung on the wall by the church, no continuing free invention. The record is pretty clear that the books of the New Testament were in existence within living memory of Jesus's earthly ministry, and haven't changed since. The books of the New Testament record Jesus's words and deeds, so the suggesting that "the church then projected everything... " is nonsense. You also get it entirely wrong to suggest that Jesus "stops being a person and instead becomes an idea." The entire point of Christianity is a focus on Jesus as God who become man, Messiah, and savior who is approachable by ordinary people regarding his offer of salvation, not as an idea or symbol.
Do those other kings and philosophers that you speak of, now dead for hundreds of years, have over a billion people that claim a special allegiance to them, with many of those people meeting weekly in the present day to consider their words, deeds, and guidance? I think the answer to that is, "no." That might suggest to you that something different is going on here, and that you may be trying to peg Jesus in the wrong "conceptual class."
Perhaps it is best to enjoy the sweetness that was Calvin and Hobbes, and the bittersweet way it went out. Berkeley Breathed ended Bloom County after a similar run (time wise), but took many of the characters into a new strip - Outland. I don't think that was necessarily always for the best.
Bloom County earned Breathed the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning during 1987.[5] The strip eventually appeared in over 1,200 newspapers around the world until Breathed retired the daily strip in 1989, stating that he wanted to terminate the strip while it was still popular. At that time, he said, "A good comic strip is no more eternal than a ripe melon. The ugly truth is that in most cases, comics age less gracefully than their creators".[6]
If you believe that then you believe nonsense. The lack of personal belief in the divinity of Jesus and his offer of salvation doesn't undo his enormous influence as Messiah, the subsequent spread of Christianity beyond its Jewish origin, and the enormous influence Christianity has had in turn on religion, literature, music, law, and many other aspects of life and culture across the globe.
A non-Christian may not hold to the belief and sentiment that inspired Handal's Messiah, but the music is still played and sung. They don't cease to exist because of non-belief. The same holds true for the rest of the influence Jesus has had though the spread of Christianity.
Christianity spread in the Roman empire despite persecution. But if you think a Roman emperor 1700 years ago was the "real power" behind Christianity, how do you explain this today? The Romans are long gone.
Slashdot Mirror
It's very un-American to do something without the plan to profit from it!
Interesting. . . . . So what do you think Snowden makes? I hear he only gave about 200,000 of the 1,700,000 documents to reporters. A buck a page? Two? Ten?
American Generosity
Americans are the most generous, global poll finds
Americans are more apt to donate to a charity, volunteer, or help a stranger than residents of 152 other countries.
Generosity in America
The US is complying with the law of war.
"Useful idiot" .... Is that your sig?
So do you regard suicide bombers are misunderstood humanitarians just distributing meat to the poor via unconventional means?
Of course we killed a few in Iraq and Afghanistan...
"A few." snort
because you know. "Terrorists".
Not "terrorists," it is terrorists. They earned the label in the eyes of most people, minus the fringe, fever swamp, and nutters that have to be addressed.
If certain people had their way, there would be numerous OWS casualties as well.
You're assuming the mantle of OWS too? Mercy.
It's just goodies all around: according to unspecified intelligence, as examined to an unknown standard of proof, by unidentified parties, in secret, he was the alleged operational leader "taking on a continuous command function", which means he isn't entitled to the protections of a civilian under the Geneva convention, even though he is unaffiliated with any national armed force, and not directly engaged in any hostility at the time and place of his death.
Typical Slashdot - we certainly can't trust the words out of the very mouths of terrorists themselves declaring war and calling for the killing of Americans, Britons, or others in the West, their ties to multiple attackers, and active work as part of international terrorist groups. And unless all of the details of the intelligence used to find them and the technology and procedures used to attack them are revealed (thus negating their value in the future) we are on the verge of Big Brother. What a load of crap. It will be a minor miracle if we remain free of routine massacre in the years ahead.
...he isn't entitled to the protections of a civilian under the Geneva convention, even though he is unaffiliated with any national armed force, and not directly engaged in any hostility at the time and place of his death.
You're playing fast and lose on many levels. If you want the protections of the treaty you have to abide by the treaty. Al Qaida doesn't do that, so they don't get the protections. Civilians can't take up arms to wage war unlawfully and have the protections of the treaty. It is a basic enforcement mechanism. Civilians can take up arms and engage in warfare, lawfully, but they have to follow the rules.
The frequent attempts to white wash Anwar al-Awlaki's activities as a leader in al Qaida are appalling.
Who else would qualify for this rather unenviable status?
No mystery.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL- That the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
---------
Could we be at war with the Sinola Cartel if we wanted to? The Crips?
Not unless they throw in with al Qaida or there is a new resolution.
"Alleged" operational leader. No trial. Bam! You're dead.
Welcome to Soviet USA.
Anwar al-Awlaki wasn't killed in the US. He was killed in an area of Yemen controlled by al Qaida. He had previously made his intent of killing Americans in support of al Qaida clear in an open manner.
Anwar al-Awlaki got the due process required in warfare as someone fighting on the enemy's side, and now he is dead - killed, not "executed."
If you think that the killing of a handful of Americans that have joined the enemy to attack the US make the US like the Soviet Union then you fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the Soviet Union and its massive repression.
You are assuming that everyone plays by the rules. That is the problem - al Qaida breaks the rules, it makes war in a manner that does not comply with the treaties. That is why they are unlawful combatants and lose the protection of the treaties. You have to abide by the treaties to have their protection. It is a basic enforcement mechanism built in to them.
They can't use that, the IRS already took it with the "lost" emails.
The idea is that there was some thing behind the unknowable is what he is talking about.
That isn't what he wrote, and that doesn't really describe anamists and other nature worshiping peoples. Pagan superstitions are often very far from comforting, and can be highly oppressive, even dangerous. Perhaps you have some more learning to do yourself?
You will also have to pardon me for reading what he actually wrote instead of overlaying it with what you think it should mean.
...the Sun, or Rocks or Trees or anything else mystical, and they gave comfort to humans.
You think that the sun, rocks, and trees give comfort to humans? After losing a loved one?
Perhaps there is more confusion than you recognize regarding what actually exists, and your belief or disbelief doesn't change that.
So in short you either don't understand or support the principles of representative democratic government. Fair enough.
Anyone who hasn't figured out how a regular nuclear weapon works is an idiot. Its surprisingly crude.
You just need the time, money and material.
Only for the most basic, wasteful, and physically large type weapons. If you want to build high yield weapons, efficient weapons, or compact weapons, there are engineering considerations based on practical experience. Would you willing hand over that experience in the form of test data and design plans? If so then I have another nomination for idiot.
You are suggesting that having any confidential information in a democracy is anti-democratic. That is clearly nonsense.
Feel free to point out the facts I get wrong, if any, or make an argument. Till then you aren't really proving your views are in touch with "reality," just that you have a supply of snark. That post you made is a waste.
No. They would have to do something actually useful to advance their chances of becoming rich.
Religious extremists were present in Iran the whole time. The Shah helped keep them in check. They were part of the revolution.
Even though I doubt it is really your bag, you should really look into the Soviet Union in the 30s, and maybe a few other times/places I could name. Compared to them the Shah was a piker. I think it likely that your assessment of the Shah and his regime isn't based so much on the actual scope of brutality but on the fact that he was allied with the US.
There is an old saying you should take to heart: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Of course the flip side of that is the assumption that many people here make which is that there is nothing that is genuinely sensitive and damaging to release.
Last I checked, poor people don't have monopolies on TV and Radio shows so so they can attempt to shape society. They don't influence tax code to give themselves more money and screw over those rich guys. They are not paying lobbyists to get favorable laws passed.
Does the ACLU have a minimum income requirement for membership? What about the NRA? The AARP? The Teamsters? The NEA? The Democrats & Republicans? I seem to recall that all of those groups, and many more, all try to influence the laws and regulations that are passed, how they are executed, and the political process in general. They are all made of up many ordinary people that volunteer time and money.
You aren't trying to claim that you have never heard of a law that was the result of a crusade by one ordinary but determined person, are you?
If you are rich and you steal billions you can be sentenced to jail for 150 years like Bernie Madoff, and if you smoke a joint you can walk like in Colorado and a growing number of places.
When did "the rich" develop a monopoly on TV and radio stations? Are you confusing "the rich" with corporations? Is there some group or segment of the population that you think doesn't have at least some radio stations catering to it? Given some of the marginal crank views I hear flipping through the dial that would seem to be some pretty rarified segment.
Who are the rich people that you are apparently claiming are "spending billions of dollars in foreign countries to start civil wars"?
Given the totality of the views that you have expressed, I'm not sure that I'm convinced you are against corruption as a general principle so much as you are against your own government.
Political ideologues aren't simply "always going to be around." Some of them are dangerous and need to be guarded against.
Probably not. The rich people would simply change.
In the end it's all about money.
Don't be ridiculous, it is about power. Power over other people, power to do what you will. Wealth may or not follow power.
The smart ones realize they can't take all the money because starving people are dangerous.
The ruthless ones realize that starving people die, sometimes by the millions.
It's not a democrat or a republican thing, it's a wealthy-and-powerful thing. The wealthy and powerful are using government to find new ways to control you, spy on you, rob you and imprison you.
You seem to be overlooking ideology. There are plenty of people that want to reshape society, make choices for you, and control you, all based on ideology. There are poor ideologues just as there are rich ones, don't lose sight of that.
The people very seldom have much to do with "people's committees" on X.
You confuse the religion with the picture they decided to hang on their walls. It's like saying the greek gods are still very powerful because whole planets are named after them. Jesus supplied the persona unto which the church then projected everything they wanted to have accepted without questioning.
I think you have that pretty much entirely wrong. The question is influence, not power, and there isn't any question that Jesus has been influential. His words and actions are recorded in the Bible so there is no "picture" hung on the wall by the church, no continuing free invention. The record is pretty clear that the books of the New Testament were in existence within living memory of Jesus's earthly ministry, and haven't changed since. The books of the New Testament record Jesus's words and deeds, so the suggesting that "the church then projected everything ... " is nonsense. You also get it entirely wrong to suggest that Jesus "stops being a person and instead becomes an idea." The entire point of Christianity is a focus on Jesus as God who become man, Messiah, and savior who is approachable by ordinary people regarding his offer of salvation, not as an idea or symbol.
Do those other kings and philosophers that you speak of, now dead for hundreds of years, have over a billion people that claim a special allegiance to them, with many of those people meeting weekly in the present day to consider their words, deeds, and guidance? I think the answer to that is, "no." That might suggest to you that something different is going on here, and that you may be trying to peg Jesus in the wrong "conceptual class."
I will add that I thought Bloom County was a great comic strip.
Perhaps it is best to enjoy the sweetness that was Calvin and Hobbes, and the bittersweet way it went out. Berkeley Breathed ended Bloom County after a similar run (time wise), but took many of the characters into a new strip - Outland. I don't think that was necessarily always for the best.
Berkeley Breathed - Cartooning career
Bloom County earned Breathed the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning during 1987.[5] The strip eventually appeared in over 1,200 newspapers around the world until Breathed retired the daily strip in 1989, stating that he wanted to terminate the strip while it was still popular. At that time, he said, "A good comic strip is no more eternal than a ripe melon. The ugly truth is that in most cases, comics age less gracefully than their creators".[6]
If you believe that then you believe nonsense. The lack of personal belief in the divinity of Jesus and his offer of salvation doesn't undo his enormous influence as Messiah, the subsequent spread of Christianity beyond its Jewish origin, and the enormous influence Christianity has had in turn on religion, literature, music, law, and many other aspects of life and culture across the globe.
A non-Christian may not hold to the belief and sentiment that inspired Handal's Messiah, but the music is still played and sung. They don't cease to exist because of non-belief. The same holds true for the rest of the influence Jesus has had though the spread of Christianity.
Christianity spread in the Roman empire despite persecution. But if you think a Roman emperor 1700 years ago was the "real power" behind Christianity, how do you explain this today? The Romans are long gone.
China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years
Study: Christianity grows exponentially in Africa
You seem to be underestimating the influence of Jesus.
The Good, the Bad and the Forgiven