Go back and reread that ENTIRE speech and remember what is like to have your nation, your liberty, and your soul murdered on live television.
I personally find hyperbole weak as a defense against fact.
IIRC, approximately 3k people were murdered on 11 SEP 01 as the result of alleged terorrist acts. I do not disagree with that. The United States did not cease to exist, did it? American's did not lose any liberties when those planes hit those buildings, did they? My soul is still very much intact, thank you.
And then try and tell me that there wasn't a Declaration of War. I've found several - in fact - in front of Congress. So, no.. there hasn't been just one, but several.
Please provide a link to any Declaration of War duly authorized and issued by the Congress of the United States stemming from 11 SEP 01. For bonus points, please provide a link to any Declaration of War issued by the Congress relating to the present military action in Iraq. By your own admission, there are none.
I am not "trying to tell you" that there is none. I am stating as a categorical fact and undeniable truth that there has been no authentic Declaration of War issued by the Congress of the United States, in accord with Constitutional requirements, in the last five years.
Conversely, you are "trying to tell me" that there has been a Declaration of War issued by the Congress. As such, the burden of proof is upon you to provide evidence of such. That is all I am asking you to do...please provide evidence of these alleged Declarations of War that have been issued by the Congress of the United States.
You will admit that you are referring to an authorization for the use of force and not to a Declaration of War? My question was quite specific, and I will restate it here (referencing the alleged 'War on Terror'):
When did the Congress issue a Declaration of War?
Against whom did they issue it, if they did issue a Declaration of War?
Where can I find a copy of said Declaration of War, if it exists?
Perhaps you should re-read the Constitution of the United States of America (and the Bill of Rights wouldn't hurt, either).
Congress can either (1) cancel the war on terror, thus negating his power or (2) pass a constitutional amendment restricting wartime powers, making it illegal.
Has the Congress issued a Declaration of War? Against whom? Where can I find a copy?
If the Congress has not issued a Declaration of War, how can the President be exercising "wartime powers?"
I found this quote from that article quite interesting, as well, in the context of a Declaration of War:
It's true that the Constitution makes the president the "Commander in Chief" of the US Army and Navy. But as Alexander Hamilton noted in Federalist No. 69, this does no more than make the president the "first General" of America 's armed forces. And generals don't get to decide which countries we go to war with.
None, there are no reports of anyone who's been injured by tapping; no violation of trade secrets, noones personal property have been infringed...
Do you believe that the same people who feel entitled to intercept private communications without first obtaining a warrant (or, without obtaining one within the FISA specified period) would feel compelled to report that they have caused injury to anyone by implementing their secret policy? If you don't know you're being tapped, how do you know if you've been injured? If you think you've been injured by a secret tap, how can you prove it if they're secret? Will the Administration say, 'Oh, yeah, sorry about that mate. National Security and all. Feel free to talk to the press.'
On the otherhand, I'm sure that anyone who had contacts with terrorist-related entities has now either encoded their speech, shortened their messages, or switched to alternative (electronic) secure communications. So, in a sense, we've made made it harder for our society to detect harm coming our way, which in my opinion is the real crime.
The 'enemy combatants,' if they have two neurons to fire together, have to assume that their communications are subject to interception. If they accept that, then they would have to be assumed to be taking measures to obfuscate their communications. On this, you and I (seem to) agree. If the targets of these secret taps are encrypting their communications, then what is the point of the secret taps?
Actually, I think "drastic enough" measures will increase terrorism.
I submit that "drastic enough measures" would be, and are, indistinguishable from "terrorism." To whit:
"Terrorism is defined by the US Department of Defense as "the unlawful use of -- or threatened use of -- force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives." (Source @ PBS)
Are the NSA wiretaps lawful? I wish I could ask that in the past tense, but have they stopped? What effect has the revelation of their use had on society?
Are no-knock, secret property searches a violation of the Fourth Amendment? What effect has the institution of this and similar tactics had on society.
Using the DoD's operational defintion of "terrorism," the present administration's own actions, and those of their lapdogs in the Legislative and Judicial branches, reveal them to be terrorists.
I posted the following in response to another/. post here. But, it applies equally as well to the PP:
Based on the premise of many like-minded posts here on/.:
The raison d'etre of a for-profit corporation is to maximize shareholder value
Maximization of shareholder value is synonymous with maximizing profits.
Maximizing profits is the Prime Directive, coming before any and all other conerns (see Dodge v. Ford Motor Company)
If, in the process of maximizing profits, the corporation breaks enough laws (legality of methods being subordinate to maximization of profits) the corporation will eventually cease to exist
Cessation of corporate activities effectively (if not actually) reduces shareholder value to zero
Therefore, as shown here, we can extrapolate:
The primary goal of the corporation is to reduce the value of shareholder investment to zero over time. (see Dot.Com Bubble)
I used to have my own conslutting corp. I ran the biz (books, paperwork, sales calls, managing 1099s, etc.) as well as doing tech. work. We did system and network admin/mgt/design/whatever for small- to medium-sized businesses (and some very large school districts).
My typical day started when I got out of bed between 04:30 and 05:00. I was on the road no later than 06:00, and travelled ~250 miles in a typical day. I was lucky to be back home by 19:00, and even then, I'd spend the next several hours doing bookwork, replying to emails, managing people and putting out the days remaining fires.
I loved it. The challenges, the excitement; hell, it was *fun*. My wife didn't mind the money and benefits, but with a 1.5 year old who wondered who I was, she was starting to question the point of it all.
I took on the last client in February or March of 04, winding down the existing contracts and projects over the duration of that last three-month engagement. I knew going in that this client would want me to convert to being a captured employee at the end of the assignment, and that's exactly what I was looking for.
There are still days that I miss being self-enjoyed, believe me. But, I've grown used to a slower pace of life. I work 2.5 miles from my house (not always a good thing), and my longest commute has been 15 minutes. I get to spend time with my family, which is probably the most important benefit there is.
One of my buddies (who also has a conslutting biz, and stays in the game) once quipped, 'You can work to live, or you can live to work. There's nothing wrong with either choice, but once you make it, do it with all your heart.'
I choose to 'work to live.' I do just enough to keep from getting fired, they pay me just enough to keep from quitting. With extremely little debt (a mortgage), we don't require much income...our lifestyle is supported *by* my work, instead of the other way around, and our family is much better for it.
Take a pay cut for work that is 'more fun?' For me, doing 'more fun work' would result in a pay raise...and a lot more stress. I'll stick to being a big fish in a small pond, going home at 16:30 and living life. YMMV.
Seriously...I've been here two point five years and this guy has been on every diet to make the tabloid rack at the supermarket. He keeps gaining weight, though. I tried to explain to him that, first and foremost, if your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure in a given period, you aren't ever going to lose weight, regardless of your choice of foods. He doesn't believe me, or anyone else that tries to explain it to him. "The book said I can eat all the meat I want!"
That being said, he used to eat, sleep and breathe Evercrack. Now he eats, sleeps and breathes WoW. He takes (what we mockingly refer to as) guild calls at ork. He spends most of his day posting on WoW message boards. He shows up late every morning because he doesn't go to bed until two hours before he has to be here. He goes home at lunch every day and comes back a minimum of fifteen minutes late, because he doesn't eat his lunch at home, he logs in and 'games' (and brings his lunch back here to eat at his desk). Oh, and he leaves early to make up for coming in late.
So, to answer your question...if a slug can figure it out, why not a higher lifeform like an octopus?
General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.
Credit to IMDB for the actual quotes. My memory of them was somewhat less than accurate.;)
Well, a publicly traded company is supposed to put profits first.
Based on the premise of many like-minded posts here on/.:
The raison d'etre of a for-profit corporation is to maximize shareholder value
Maximization of shareholder value is synonymous with maximizing profits.
Maximizing profits is the Prime Directive, coming before any and all other conerns (see Dodge v. Ford Motor Company)
If, in the process of maximizing profits, the corporation breaks enough laws (legality of methods being subordinate to maximization of profits) the corporation will eventually cease to exist
Cessation of corporate activities effectively (if not actually) reduces shareholder value to zero
Therefore, as shown here, we can extrapolate:
The primary goal of the corporation is to reduce the value of shareholder investment to zero over time. (see Dot.Com Bubble)
This just shows how ignorant people can be... it's like suing the maker of a handgun because you were careless with it. Take responsibility for your actions people... if you listen to your iPod too loud then deal with the consequences of your stupidity.
I can only assume that you haven't paid attention to the goings-on in the US for the last, oh, two point five decades or so. There is no need to assume responsibility for your actions, as long as you can find a lawyer (you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one) to plead your case. The goal isn't to win a trial, but to win a settlement. Cash in, as it were. There's a whole industry built around these nuisance suits. The worst part is that the ones that do go to a jury trial are likely to be succesful anyway as the jurors apparently sit there thinking, 'Well, if we give this guy a big award, when it's our turn...' Entitlement mentality.
On top of that, you get the 'junk science' lawsuits. Dow Corning and the silicone breast implant bankruptcy is a prime example. There never was and is not any scientific evidence that silicone breast implants lead to any of the medical conditions (real or imagined) that were the cause of those lawsuits. I believe there are still silicone implants available, too (although DC is no longer maufacturing them).
Some times I think I went to bed last night in one timeline. A timeline where normal, common sense prevails. Yet, somehow I've woken up in another timeline. One where everything is slightly off kilter. Not enough to be grossly disorienting, but just enough to be maddeningly noticeable.
The lack of agility is maddening, because I know we are missing significant business opportunities.
Is most assuredly not a 'technology worker.' That reeks of so much manglement BS (buzzword speak) that I can smell your shiny, diagonally striped tie from here.
Not to say this article has no place on slashdot but since your average politician can lie straight faced to you on TV and in public forums what difference does blogging make? For the most part it's just going to be more of the same that they already provide.
But let them go ahead. It's easy to sound good on paper.
Well, once you've saturated the MilitaryIndustrialComplex(tm)(c)(r) market with your retinal scanning technology, what are you going to do?
If you think about it rationally, the company selling these is quite clever for pushing the units into schools. They are capitalizing on their experience in the areas of:
Dealing with government bureaucracy
Benefitting from the creation of FUD
Playing the emotions of general public in such a way that they will put pressure on the government bureaucracy to purchase or expand contracts
I predict that 'Wall Street' will reward them well for their ingenuity.
I went to the Wikipedia link for Eric Lerner and read this:
Eric J. Lerner is a plasma physicist and plasma cosmologist.
as this:
Eric J. Lerner is a plasma physicist and plasma cosmotologist.
My first thought was, 'Filaments of dark matter and a plasma cosmotologist. Won't be long before they're filaments of bleach blonde matter, then.' About that point I snapped back to reality. Wow.
--
It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.
--O. Henry (1862-1910)
...For instance, that professor corresponding with his friend in the Phillipines that had his mail opened, read and re-sealed. Isnt' [sic] that a federal offense?
Apparently it's not a Federal offense if it's the Federal government doing it.
--
This message opened, reviewed and re-sealed by the Office of the Spellchequer.
Scientists have developed a lens that bends light in the opposite opposite direction. Which is to say, in the same direction it was originally travelling. Of course, that means the lens isn't bending the light at all, but let's not worry about trivialities. There is government funding to be had! (I keed! I keed!)
WTF is 'the natural world' you ask? Wikipedia to the rescue:
Your nightmarish, although realistic and highly probable, scernario can easily be avoided.
If the educated USian readers of/. (and I include myself in this group) got off their lazy asses and participated in the governing process...calling their Federal Representatives and Senators (email is generally ignored and/or dismissed), petitioning their State representatives, raise the hue and cry locally...the pressure on lawmakers not to be seen as 'in the corporation's pocket' would be sufficient to offset the 'purchasing power' of said corporations. Simplistic, yes, but I believe it could be quite effective. An educated populace is dangerous and those that would 'govern' know it.
Nobody imagined that that son of a bitch Bush II and his minions would have spent the intervening years abusing/hiding behind it while turning the U.S. into a police state, and that they'd not want to pare down any of the civil-liberties-stomping aspects.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Please show that nobody imagined that the misnamed Patriot Act would be abused. It is my opinion that anyone with minimal capacity for rational thought imagined exactly that. Further, when it was subsequently revealed that none of those who voted for the bill had actually read it, imagination quickly turned to resignation. At least in my case. I still suspect that the allegations that the DoJ had the PA prepared in advance are true.
My doppleganger is posting on/.! You left out the part about our younger sister and how she's blossomed into a blonde haired version of mom. With a rubber truncheon, though, not a rapier.
Slashdot Mirror
I personally find hyperbole weak as a defense against fact.
IIRC, approximately 3k people were murdered on 11 SEP 01 as the result of alleged terorrist acts. I do not disagree with that. The United States did not cease to exist, did it? American's did not lose any liberties when those planes hit those buildings, did they? My soul is still very much intact, thank you.
And then try and tell me that there wasn't a Declaration of War. I've found several - in fact - in front of Congress. So, no.. there hasn't been just one, but several.
Please provide a link to any Declaration of War duly authorized and issued by the Congress of the United States stemming from 11 SEP 01. For bonus points, please provide a link to any Declaration of War issued by the Congress relating to the present military action in Iraq. By your own admission, there are none.
I am not "trying to tell you" that there is none. I am stating as a categorical fact and undeniable truth that there has been no authentic Declaration of War issued by the Congress of the United States, in accord with Constitutional requirements, in the last five years.
Conversely, you are "trying to tell me" that there has been a Declaration of War issued by the Congress. As such, the burden of proof is upon you to provide evidence of such. That is all I am asking you to do...please provide evidence of these alleged Declarations of War that have been issued by the Congress of the United States.
Including a resolution passed by Congress to authorize the force[sic]: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi ?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ243.107
You will admit that you are referring to an authorization for the use of force and not to a Declaration of War? My question was quite specific, and I will restate it here (referencing the alleged 'War on Terror'):
Perhaps you should re-read the Constitution of the United States of America (and the Bill of Rights wouldn't hurt, either).
--
Sig nify
Has the Congress issued a Declaration of War? Against whom? Where can I find a copy?
If the Congress has not issued a Declaration of War, how can the President be exercising "wartime powers?"
The CATO Institute doesn't believe a Declaration of War has been issued. Do you?
I found this quote from that article quite interesting, as well, in the context of a Declaration of War:
None, there are no reports of anyone who's been injured by tapping; no violation of trade secrets, noones personal property have been infringed...Do you believe that the same people who feel entitled to intercept private communications without first obtaining a warrant (or, without obtaining one within the FISA specified period) would feel compelled to report that they have caused injury to anyone by implementing their secret policy? If you don't know you're being tapped, how do you know if you've been injured? If you think you've been injured by a secret tap, how can you prove it if they're secret? Will the Administration say, 'Oh, yeah, sorry about that mate. National Security and all. Feel free to talk to the press.'
On the otherhand, I'm sure that anyone who had contacts with terrorist-related entities has now either encoded their speech, shortened their messages, or switched to alternative (electronic) secure communications. So, in a sense, we've made made it harder for our society to detect harm coming our way, which in my opinion is the real crime.
The 'enemy combatants,' if they have two neurons to fire together, have to assume that their communications are subject to interception. If they accept that, then they would have to be assumed to be taking measures to obfuscate their communications. On this, you and I (seem to) agree. If the targets of these secret taps are encrypting their communications, then what is the point of the secret taps?
--
Sig nificant
I submit that "drastic enough measures" would be, and are, indistinguishable from "terrorism." To whit:
Are the NSA wiretaps lawful? I wish I could ask that in the past tense, but have they stopped? What effect has the revelation of their use had on society?
Are no-knock, secret property searches a violation of the Fourth Amendment? What effect has the institution of this and similar tactics had on society.
Using the DoD's operational defintion of "terrorism," the present administration's own actions, and those of their lapdogs in the Legislative and Judicial branches, reveal them to be terrorists.
--
Sig null
Based on the premise of many like-minded posts here on /.:
Therefore, as shown here, we can extrapolate:
The primary goal of the corporation is to reduce the value of shareholder investment to zero over time. (see Dot.Com Bubble)
--
Sig monde
I don't think that's very likely, given that the game is set in deep space.
--
Sig nell
My typical day started when I got out of bed between 04:30 and 05:00. I was on the road no later than 06:00, and travelled ~250 miles in a typical day. I was lucky to be back home by 19:00, and even then, I'd spend the next several hours doing bookwork, replying to emails, managing people and putting out the days remaining fires.
I loved it. The challenges, the excitement; hell, it was *fun*. My wife didn't mind the money and benefits, but with a 1.5 year old who wondered who I was, she was starting to question the point of it all.
I took on the last client in February or March of 04, winding down the existing contracts and projects over the duration of that last three-month engagement. I knew going in that this client would want me to convert to being a captured employee at the end of the assignment, and that's exactly what I was looking for.
There are still days that I miss being self-enjoyed, believe me. But, I've grown used to a slower pace of life. I work 2.5 miles from my house (not always a good thing), and my longest commute has been 15 minutes. I get to spend time with my family, which is probably the most important benefit there is.
One of my buddies (who also has a conslutting biz, and stays in the game) once quipped, 'You can work to live, or you can live to work. There's nothing wrong with either choice, but once you make it, do it with all your heart.'
I choose to 'work to live.' I do just enough to keep from getting fired, they pay me just enough to keep from quitting. With extremely little debt (a mortgage), we don't require much income...our lifestyle is supported *by* my work, instead of the other way around, and our family is much better for it.
Take a pay cut for work that is 'more fun?' For me, doing 'more fun work' would result in a pay raise...and a lot more stress. I'll stick to being a big fish in a small pond, going home at 16:30 and living life. YMMV.
--
Sig Nificant
That being said, he used to eat, sleep and breathe Evercrack. Now he eats, sleeps and breathes WoW. He takes (what we mockingly refer to as) guild calls at ork. He spends most of his day posting on WoW message boards. He shows up late every morning because he doesn't go to bed until two hours before he has to be here. He goes home at lunch every day and comes back a minimum of fifteen minutes late, because he doesn't eat his lunch at home, he logs in and 'games' (and brings his lunch back here to eat at his desk). Oh, and he leaves early to make up for coming in late.
So, to answer your question...if a slug can figure it out, why not a higher lifeform like an octopus?
--
Sig nor
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.
Credit to IMDB for the actual quotes. My memory of them was somewhat less than accurate. ;)
--
Sig nature
Based on the premise of many like-minded posts here on /.:
Therefore, as shown here, we can extrapolate:
The primary goal of the corporation is to reduce the value of shareholder investment to zero over time. (see Dot.Com Bubble)
--
Sig monde
I can only assume that you haven't paid attention to the goings-on in the US for the last, oh, two point five decades or so. There is no need to assume responsibility for your actions, as long as you can find a lawyer (you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one) to plead your case. The goal isn't to win a trial, but to win a settlement. Cash in, as it were. There's a whole industry built around these nuisance suits. The worst part is that the ones that do go to a jury trial are likely to be succesful anyway as the jurors apparently sit there thinking, 'Well, if we give this guy a big award, when it's our turn...' Entitlement mentality.
On top of that, you get the 'junk science' lawsuits. Dow Corning and the silicone breast implant bankruptcy is a prime example. There never was and is not any scientific evidence that silicone breast implants lead to any of the medical conditions (real or imagined) that were the cause of those lawsuits. I believe there are still silicone implants available, too (although DC is no longer maufacturing them).
Some times I think I went to bed last night in one timeline. A timeline where normal, common sense prevails. Yet, somehow I've woken up in another timeline. One where everything is slightly off kilter. Not enough to be grossly disorienting, but just enough to be maddeningly noticeable.
--
Sig sour
The lack of agility is maddening, because I know we are missing significant business opportunities.
Is most assuredly not a 'technology worker.' That reeks of so much manglement BS (buzzword speak) that I can smell your shiny, diagonally striped tie from here.
Either that, or you had help generating your submission.
--
Sig arrêt
But let them go ahead. It's easy to sound good on paper.
--
Sig arrêt
And yet, you seem to assert that if a smoker has to change their habits to accomdoate [sic] your lifestyle, their rights are not violated?
How does that work?
--
Sig arrêt
If you think about it rationally, the company selling these is quite clever for pushing the units into schools. They are capitalizing on their experience in the areas of:
I predict that 'Wall Street' will reward them well for their ingenuity.
Then again, I could be just a tad bit cynical.
--
Sig arrêt
In the stock market there are no winners...only fools to a greater or lesser degree.
Eric J. Lerner is a plasma physicist and plasma cosmologist.
as this:
Eric J. Lerner is a plasma physicist and plasma cosmotologist.
My first thought was, 'Filaments of dark matter and a plasma cosmotologist. Won't be long before they're filaments of bleach blonde matter, then.' About that point I snapped back to reality. Wow.
--
It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.
--O. Henry (1862-1910)
Apparently it's not a Federal offense if it's the Federal government doing it.
--
This message opened, reviewed and re-sealed by the Office of the Spellchequer.
WTF is 'the natural world' you ask? Wikipedia to the rescue:
The Natural World
Essentially, the natural world, as defined in the link above, is pretty much everything...at the very least, all matter and energy.
If the educated USian readers of /. (and I include myself in this group) got off their lazy asses and participated in the governing process...calling their Federal Representatives and Senators (email is generally ignored and/or dismissed), petitioning their State representatives, raise the hue and cry locally...the pressure on lawmakers not to be seen as 'in the corporation's pocket' would be sufficient to offset the 'purchasing power' of said corporations. Simplistic, yes, but I believe it could be quite effective. An educated populace is dangerous and those that would 'govern' know it.
Unfortunately, I don't forsee this happening.
Unlikely as it seems, that happens in a 'fast majority' (sic) of /. posts.
And this is related to "Your Rights Online" how? Hell, there aren't even any details of the settlement available. Sheesh.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Please show that nobody imagined that the misnamed Patriot Act would be abused. It is my opinion that anyone with minimal capacity for rational thought imagined exactly that. Further, when it was subsequently revealed that none of those who voted for the bill had actually read it, imagination quickly turned to resignation. At least in my case. I still suspect that the allegations that the DoJ had the PA prepared in advance are true.
--
My other car is a tin foil hat.
...I was able to read that. Weird.
My doppleganger is posting on /.! You left out the part about our younger sister and how she's blossomed into a blonde haired version of mom. With a rubber truncheon, though, not a rapier.
Stuff that matters. Finally!