I'm sure that you understand there are reasonable limits to the freedom of speech. For example, no one seriously argues that fraud(deceptive commercial speech) is a protected right under the first amendment. Any limitation on political speech should be denounced by all freedom-loving people. I personally find McCain-Feingold to be particularly troubling. Potential limitation of the freedom to publish pornography could be seen as the first step on the slippery slope to fascism. I think the more realistic translation would be a minor contraction in the accepted breadth of what rational people consider unlimited speech.
You are my hero. Thanks for telling it like it is.
---------
Homer: Heh heh heh, from now on, I'm gonna be just like Krusty and tell it like it is. Marge, you're getting a little fat around the old thighs! Bart: Dad! Homer: You too, Bart! Marge: Oh, knock it off, Homer, you're the fattest one in the car! Homer: [shocked, hurt] You didn't have to tell it like it is, Marge!
Japan wasn't a threat to America? America wasn't involved in the war yet when it was "invited" by the Japanese to the tune of 2,471 dead, 12 U.S. warships destroyed or damaged, and 188 aircract destroyed.
Read up on Germany's U-234, pride of Hitler's navy. On board were 1,200 lbs. of high-grade uranium oxide, scientists, detailed plans on advanced weaponry including rockets, proximity fuses, jet planes, etc. all more advanced than the Allies weaponry.
The scientists, uranium oxide, and plans were to help the Japanese leap forward in their development of an A-bomb. Then consider that Japanese military elements lead a coup against the Emperor, a God in shinto belief, to prevent him from surrendering to the Allied forces. I have no doubt that an A-bomb in the hands of those military forces would have been used.
America's strike against Hiroshima would have been the only strike if those in charge of Japan's military had surrendered. They didn't. Even after that awesome and terrible attack, they were still dedicated to continue the war. It was only after a second attack they were persuaded to stop their war effort. America's strike was not a first strike.
Is that the guy with hair, and hands? He must be related to the guy who spilled the beans about the faked moon landing.
In all seriousness, I don't doubt for a second that clandestine agencies have this capability. I just laugh at this "I have a friend who is in the know" stuff. Almost as hilarious as "an unnamed administration official..."
If, as you say, simply calling someone else a whiner is "repression" and "a tactic used by proto-fascists" then millions of Americans have been repressed by the vocal minority who enjoy blocking traffic and tramping along the street with super-intellectual signs like, "Bush = Hitler" and "Amerikkka is the Problem."
Oops, did I just repress you? Off to the re-education camp for me.
My cat and I have a fun game. I use a laser pointer, and she chases the little red dot on the ground. I've observed behavior from her that indicates to me she understands it's just a game. However, once she sees the dot moving in a similar manner to a prey animal, she can't help herself. She'll chase no matter what.
Your argument seems to say that because a behavior is ingrained, that it is good. That it is actually detrimental and wrong to resist that within yourself. Not only that, but those who encourage others to resist are harming others.
There is plenty of research that indicates that a child raised in a stable, familial, man and wife environment is much more likely to be a productive member of society. Children who come from "broken" homes are affected by much more than poverty and a stigma. Raising a moral and intelligent person is possible in a single-parent environment, but less likely.
It is my contention that unlike my cat, people can transcend their ingrained behavior, and that's not a bad thing.
I started off in a program that taught paradigms: (divide-and-conquer, greedy, backtracking, branch-and-bound), computer organization, OOP, fundamental data structures, principles of programming languages, computer architecture, etc. I then finished my BS in CS with a C++ emphasis at a school that was more like a tech school. Oh how I wish I wish I wish I had done those two in the reverse order!!!
All of my classmates who had ability to program and only needed the fundamental backing BREEZED through the courses because the fundamental concepts are NOT DIFFICULT!!! They never had to go to class, they didn't spend 20 hours a week in the computer lab trying to figure out how to demonstrate the concept we'd just learned. I GOT the concepts, I just didn't get the language. The Teacher's Assistants wouldn't help, they'd give you the RTFM attitude.
My Professors didn't know the languages as well as my fellow students. As it turns out, now that I know what great code looks like, my fellow students weren't all that great either. I bought books on the side, one semester I bought six C++ books, none of which were really any good. (I hate the C++ Master Reference.) You try learning C++ in the first three weeks of a required class when you only have a tenuous understanding of Java from your previous three classes! (It's exactly the same, everyone told me. The only difference is pointers. BS!!!)
Anyways, my point is that both styles of education have their place. From my experience, the fundamentals are essential. Knowing at least one language fairly well to get your foot in the door first is almost essential.
P.S. I finally found some GREAT books though. Accelerated C++ by Koenig and Moo, C++ Primer by Lippman and Lajoie, and The C++ Standard Library by Josuttis. I LOVE these books.
In the U.S. there is a measure called the "Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003". One can find statistical information on Prison Rape kept by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
I would like sourcing on your claims that prison rape isn't widespread in Western nations other than the U.S. I would also be very interested to see where polling data can be found that proves your second claim that American Citizens feel prison rape is "OK" or "to be expected".
Dr Véronique Vasseur was head physician at the French prison Santé for six years. She wrote a book called Médecin-chef à la Prison de la Santé that put forward claims of: prison rapes, prisoners forcing weaker prisoners to be slaves, beds teeming with lice and other insects, cells teeming with rats and mice, guards beating up prisoners, spoiled food frequently given to prisoners, frequent gastroenteritis epidemics, etc. French commissions were ordered to study the reported problems, but the results seem to have gone down the public's memory hole.
There is probably evidence to suggest all prisons, Western or otherwise, are very unpleasant.
I don't excuse any bad acts by Americans or any person of any nationality. I simply don't agree with your method of posting unsourced and I suspect, biased claims.
Slashdot Mirror
You are now one of my favorite Slashdot contributers.
I'm sure that you understand there are reasonable limits to the freedom of speech. For example, no one seriously argues that fraud(deceptive commercial speech) is a protected right under the first amendment.
Any limitation on political speech should be denounced by all freedom-loving people. I personally find McCain-Feingold to be particularly troubling. Potential limitation of the freedom to publish pornography could be seen as the first step on the slippery slope to fascism. I think the more realistic translation would be a minor contraction in the accepted breadth of what rational people consider unlimited speech.
---------
Homer: Heh heh heh, from now on, I'm gonna be just like Krusty and tell it like it is. Marge, you're getting a little fat around the old thighs!
Bart: Dad!
Homer: You too, Bart!
Marge: Oh, knock it off, Homer, you're the fattest one in the car!
Homer: [shocked, hurt] You didn't have to tell it like it is, Marge!
Read up on Germany's U-234, pride of Hitler's navy. On board were 1,200 lbs. of high-grade uranium oxide, scientists, detailed plans on advanced weaponry including rockets, proximity fuses, jet planes, etc. all more advanced than the Allies weaponry.
The scientists, uranium oxide, and plans were to help the Japanese leap forward in their development of an A-bomb. Then consider that Japanese military elements lead a coup against the Emperor, a God in shinto belief, to prevent him from surrendering to the Allied forces. I have no doubt that an A-bomb in the hands of those military forces would have been used.
America's strike against Hiroshima would have been the only strike if those in charge of Japan's military had surrendered. They didn't. Even after that awesome and terrible attack, they were still dedicated to continue the war. It was only after a second attack they were persuaded to stop their war effort. America's strike was not a first strike.
In summary, you are insane, and a partisan fool.
Too bad Hinkley didn't manage to get at Carter as he intended before trying at Reagan. Now that really would have got Foster's attention.
Is that the guy with hair, and hands? He must be related to the guy who spilled the beans about the faked moon landing.
In all seriousness, I don't doubt for a second that clandestine agencies have this capability. I just laugh at this "I have a friend who is in the know" stuff. Almost as hilarious as "an unnamed administration official..."
If, as you say, simply calling someone else a whiner is "repression" and "a tactic used by proto-fascists" then millions of Americans have been repressed by the vocal minority who enjoy blocking traffic and tramping along the street with super-intellectual signs like, "Bush = Hitler" and "Amerikkka is the Problem."
Oops, did I just repress you? Off to the re-education camp for me.
Your argument seems to say that because a behavior is ingrained, that it is good. That it is actually detrimental and wrong to resist that within yourself. Not only that, but those who encourage others to resist are harming others.
There is plenty of research that indicates that a child raised in a stable, familial, man and wife environment is much more likely to be a productive member of society. Children who come from "broken" homes are affected by much more than poverty and a stigma. Raising a moral and intelligent person is possible in a single-parent environment, but less likely.
It is my contention that unlike my cat, people can transcend their ingrained behavior, and that's not a bad thing.
I started off in a program that taught paradigms: (divide-and-conquer, greedy, backtracking, branch-and-bound), computer organization, OOP, fundamental data structures, principles of programming languages, computer architecture, etc. I then finished my BS in CS with a C++ emphasis at a school that was more like a tech school. Oh how I wish I wish I wish I had done those two in the reverse order!!!
All of my classmates who had ability to program and only needed the fundamental backing BREEZED through the courses because the fundamental concepts are NOT DIFFICULT!!! They never had to go to class, they didn't spend 20 hours a week in the computer lab trying to figure out how to demonstrate the concept we'd just learned. I GOT the concepts, I just didn't get the language. The Teacher's Assistants wouldn't help, they'd give you the RTFM attitude.
My Professors didn't know the languages as well as my fellow students. As it turns out, now that I know what great code looks like, my fellow students weren't all that great either. I bought books on the side, one semester I bought six C++ books, none of which were really any good. (I hate the C++ Master Reference.) You try learning C++ in the first three weeks of a required class when you only have a tenuous understanding of Java from your previous three classes! (It's exactly the same, everyone told me. The only difference is pointers. BS!!!)
Anyways, my point is that both styles of education have their place. From my experience, the fundamentals are essential. Knowing at least one language fairly well to get your foot in the door first is almost essential.
P.S. I finally found some GREAT books though. Accelerated C++ by Koenig and Moo, C++ Primer by Lippman and Lajoie, and The C++ Standard Library by Josuttis. I LOVE these books.
Speaking of harassing the opposition. Did anyone notice when this happened?
I would like sourcing on your claims that prison rape isn't widespread in Western nations other than the U.S. I would also be very interested to see where polling data can be found that proves your second claim that American Citizens feel prison rape is "OK" or "to be expected".
Dr Véronique Vasseur was head physician at the French prison Santé for six years. She wrote a book called Médecin-chef à la Prison de la Santé that put forward claims of: prison rapes, prisoners forcing weaker prisoners to be slaves, beds teeming with lice and other insects, cells teeming with rats and mice, guards beating up prisoners, spoiled food frequently given to prisoners, frequent gastroenteritis epidemics, etc. French commissions were ordered to study the reported problems, but the results seem to have gone down the public's memory hole.
There is probably evidence to suggest all prisons, Western or otherwise, are very unpleasant.
I don't excuse any bad acts by Americans or any person of any nationality. I simply don't agree with your method of posting unsourced and I suspect, biased claims.