This reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indy gets pushed into the crowd and Hitler takes the Grail Diary and autographs it.
I should make clear that I dont care for Mac or Micro$haft either one. Just the imagery and irony of it all...
The US Civil war was about a lot of things. One of the things it was about was whether or not an independent society within the USA has the right to peaceably secede. Good luck with your plan.
Its not any "plan". It's just an observation/musing. Anarchy isn't the way to go, but certainly the course we're on isn't either.
There are ways to fix things without rash actions like secession and violence. Unfortunately, it takes an informed and intelligent populace (that we lack, IMO) to speak together with one voice, that it wont accept government actions that violate it's basic freedoms. Problem is we have a populace that will agree with anything as long as you include the words "protect" and "children" or "terrorism". They could care less about the how or why, as long as they feel they can continue to watch Survivor and make fools of themselves on MySpace , they think its all copacetic.
If we want change, we have to make a real effort to educate the people around us, open their eyes to the truth of whats happening. Maybe find a way to put things into perspective for them (may involve starting MySpace/Facebook groups, or the like). Until the bulk of our population gives a damn, it won't improve.
Its nice that government agencies regard the Constitution as toilet paper.
What they fail to realize is that all their power originates with that document, and in a way, it's like a contract between the government and the people. Since the government has decided to violate the terms (breach of contract), then maybe we should stop recognizing their authority, since they have chosen to invalidate that document that is the sole source of that authority?
You make a good point. Even though Congress has the lowest approval rating in history... I think it is a safe bet that almost every incumbent will be voted right back into office. What the hell is wrong with people?!
I'll tell you whats wrong with people, its their own stupidi-- OH LOOK PARIS HILTON IS ON!!!
Seriously though. People need to pull their heads out of their @$$ and see that their country and the freedom they've had for over 200 years is crumbling around them.
You know if Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears made a statement about this kinda crap, I'm sure people would listen. Unfortunately they too are in the same (stupid) boat.
"Figures lie and liars figure." I find more and more that this applies to most anything that goes through the mainsteam media, and in most other aspects of society these days.
In any case, the biggest threat to the people of the United States is our own ignorance. People are more concerned with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton these days, than the daily erosion of their every right by a corrupt, ethically/morally bankrupt government. And by and large, I think some of this has been by design.
Children aren't really taught much about the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the true foundations of this country. Where did these things go? Why aren't they included in the curriculum any longer? If they are lucky, they get the pop-trivia version of American history (ex: What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?) rather than (Who were the signers of the Constitution, and what was their reasoning or contribution to it?)
The future George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc of this country are threatened by several things (and certainly not an exhaustive list): 1) The "dumbing down" of the American populace, perhaps by design. 2) As a result of the above, a sickening level of complacency and apathy among the People. 3) An increasing trend (by the media, government, and the ignorant public) to label those who don't buy into the sheep mentality as "extremists", "whackjobs", etc. 4) A government who feels the need for increasingly "expanded powers", which are then abused and turned on the People who grant those powers. Persons who don't subscribe to the idea that the government "is always right", who speak out too vocally in opposition, tend to end up on "watch lists", and after that who knows what (perhaps "Extraordinary Rendition"?)
America is being robbed of its birthright, and I fear that in the not-too-distant future, this country might well turn out like a living "Idiocracy" (It's a funny movie, but scary too. The film makers seem to have us pegged.).
Btw, check out my sig for a quote from James Madison. 200 years ago, he predicted very well the era in which we now find ourselves. I fear if the Founding Fathers could see what has become of this nation, they would be brought to tears.
All of this has happened before, and will happen again, unless we actually take note of history (i.e. Founding Fathers, etc) and apply the lessons learned to our present and future. I strongly suggest that no one denigrate the influence or applicability of the principles set forth by those few who had the balls to stand up to an oppressive king and give him the ol' finger better than 200 years ago.
The times have changed, as has technology, but the underlying tenets of the Constitution still apply, and We the People (as defined in the constitution), as well as our elected congresscritters need to learn to recognize that.
I am rather amazed and pleased that the Dems decided to grow a spine, and vote to stop letting these things happen.
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad."
This continuous fearmongering by our government is being used to subdue our people. This mindset of "If you dont submit to this injustice or that that the terrorists win" is ruining our country. Unfortunately, by and large, the citizens of our country are too uneducated or apathetic to see it and do something about it. This constant BS about "If you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide...", people/media/govt insinuates that because people value their freedom and privacy, there must be something wrong with them, or they are terrorist agents. Thats not the case. The founding fathers didnt place caveats on the Constitution, because it was this sort of thing they were trying to get away from when they left England.
The thing that makes me so sick about this is that I remember clearly Bush saying on 9/11 that we wont let these terrorists change our way of life. But that was a bald faced lie. Because he and the rest of the government set to work to do just that. That being the case, the terrorists have already won. They have fundamentally changed the American way of life, for the worst.
If we are to win the "War on Terror" the first step is to restore Freedom and the Constitution. Then we can deal with everything else.
(1) Build a orbital "dry dock" facility for building large space-gong vessels. (2) Build the first space fighter carrier. Christen as the 'Galactica'. At the same time, develop the fighters to be carried, call them Vipers. (3).... you get the idea:D
This is the single point that pisses me off the most.
Remember when Bush stood on the rubble pile there right after the attack and said that we would not allow the terrorists to change our way of life?
Now, we only find out 4 years later (last year) that he was arranging to rob us of our Constitutional rights, as those words came out of his mouth. Too bad we found out so late in the game, or I wouldnt have likely voted for him again.
If the government turns against the people, then thats a whole other issue entirely, and as the Constitution and other founding documents state, we the people must take appropriate action up to and including violence, if needed, to ensure that Freedom is upheld.
But having read those documents many times, it dosent seem to indicate that the Founding Fathers felt that violence should be the first and only course of action. Thats not the spirit of the Constitution. Violence should never be the first or only course of action. First line of defense is to PEACEFULLY state what needs to be stated, send a message, be that in some form of mass demonstration or whatever. See the Declaration of Independence where it explains that the Founding Fathers and their colleages spent years trying to peacefully change things in England. They Petitioned for Redress. Thats not read "rioted and destroyed property".
From Declaration of Independence
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.
Thats not read "rioted and destroyed property". Can you provide any proof that their destroying that police car helped their cause at all? Of course not, because it didnt. Its not always necessary to create havoc, destruction, and mayhem, in order to get the job done.
Further, in this case, they were rioting about the G8 summit. What the hell does that have to do with the United States (aside from being a part of the meeting), and the Constitution? It doesnt, and thus the whole ideaology that they were taking part in a legitimate uprising against a tyrannical government is bunk. "I'm really pissed off that several world leaders are getting together to discuss the bullshit in the world!" Get a life. That dosent give anyone the right to destroy property, whether they think they are justified or not.
I agree that the media deserves protection from prying eyes and overzealous prosecutors, and the right to maintain the confidentiality of their sources. Otherwise, how else would we have found out about the NSA wiretap programs, and such? I know it could be argued that in both cases, someone commited a crime (burning a car vs. sharing "state secrets"). But I guess I see both scenario's differently. In one case, someone burned a car because they thought they were justified (and common sense leans toward the idea that theres no sensible reason for doing so) but in the other case, someone blew the whistle and exposed a deep violation of Constitutional rights, and thats a just cause. And since it's been exposed, its now in available to the people to do something about it.
So no, I dont suggest we roll over and take anything, ever. We pick our battles wiseley, and do things that make sense.
You have the right to peaceably assemble. Like the poster I'm replying to said, if you have to destroy property to be heard, you dont have that right. Destruction of property is not a peaceful act of assembly, and as a crime, is a person's duty to report to the appropriate authority so that justice can be served. Failing such, and having knowledge of the crime, and withholding such evidence, places a person as an accessory to the crime, if I recall that how the law reads.
Further, they issued a subpoena for his footage. Not that the state is trying to supress his right to free speech, but they have reason to believe that he may have caught the crime on his video, as he was apparently in the vicinity at the time. So, they ordered to see his tapes.
In the end, this guy has to realize that he's protecting non-constitutional behavior (destroying cars, i.e. non-peaceable assembly). That doesnt classify as free speech.
Alright, I got in touch with our network admin at my campus, and he said that it is his understanding that the university is not legally allowed to prevent access to any website due to "academic freedom".
He went on to state that he believes the school is banning that only in some of the athletic depts because they dont fall under the same jurisdiction, and those machines are for use strictly by the athletic students. He said apparently there is a contract that the athletes sign that waves that freedom.
So it appears that the guy who mentioned the athletes signing contracts regarding that kind of activity is probably correct. They are signing a contract statins they will refrain from those activities.
Anyhow, I stand corrected on the issue. They are not banning social networking on the campus networks, as I had heard. Please forgive me the mistake.
Computer Technology div (COMT). The requirements didnt appear ot be that different from teh standard CS, least not to me. I was in the CS program when i first came to KSU in 2001. I had a 4 year hiatus (due to work) and when I came back last fall I switched to the COMT 2+2 (AS + BS) program since it offered the Associate Program as well as a Baccelors. I think the baccelors requirements for CS and COMT are the same though, or very similar.
Several Network Administrators were asked to look into blocking access to MySpace and Facebook in certain areas on campus.
Its quite possible then, that the info that I got may have been a filtered down (remember the telephone game?) version of that discussion or request, and as a result people started rumoring. It happens.
In any case, I never really cared if they did block it, because I can rationalize that as a official system, there need to be some filters in place to prevent folks from surfing garbage, just like any other corporate network. I agree with you there.
I heard a ton of gripes from other folks at my campus towards the middle/end of spring sem about not being able to reach MySpace, Facebook, etc. Fortunately, I had better things to do with my time than waste it surfing (like write code) when I was in the lab so I was unable to verify for myself. But I had been told such by others. Forgive me.
Im out at Trumbull these days, only get to main occaisionally. I'll drop our network admin a line and see if I can verify if anything like that is/or was going on.
I'm a student at Kent State in (obviously) the Technology Division. While I've not been prohibited from using social networking sites, we (students) have received multiple warnings about the dangers of using such sites from the college security and network admin folks.
Far as I know, (dont quote me on this) they have totally banned access to it from the campus networks (so we cant get on there from the lab, etc), and I thought the reasoning was bandwidth issues. Once again, I'd have to check on this to be absolutely certain.
In any case, I'm fairly disturbed regarding this issue, as I am strongly against things that can violate or dampen the rights of US Citizens.
If you all are interested, I might be able to try and get some more info about whats going on.
Slashdot Mirror
This reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indy gets pushed into the crowd and Hitler takes the Grail Diary and autographs it. I should make clear that I dont care for Mac or Micro$haft either one. Just the imagery and irony of it all...
The US Civil war was about a lot of things. One of the things it was about was whether or not an independent society within the USA has the right to peaceably secede. Good luck with your plan.
Its not any "plan". It's just an observation/musing. Anarchy isn't the way to go, but certainly the course we're on isn't either.
There are ways to fix things without rash actions like secession and violence. Unfortunately, it takes an informed and intelligent populace (that we lack, IMO) to speak together with one voice, that it wont accept government actions that violate it's basic freedoms. Problem is we have a populace that will agree with anything as long as you include the words "protect" and "children" or "terrorism". They could care less about the how or why, as long as they feel they can continue to watch Survivor and make fools of themselves on MySpace , they think its all copacetic.
If we want change, we have to make a real effort to educate the people around us, open their eyes to the truth of whats happening. Maybe find a way to put things into perspective for them (may involve starting MySpace/Facebook groups, or the like). Until the bulk of our population gives a damn, it won't improve.
Its nice that government agencies regard the Constitution as toilet paper.
What they fail to realize is that all their power originates with that document, and in a way, it's like a contract between the government and the people. Since the government has decided to violate the terms (breach of contract), then maybe we should stop recognizing their authority, since they have chosen to invalidate that document that is the sole source of that authority?
You make a good point. Even though Congress has the lowest approval rating in history... I think it is a safe bet that almost every incumbent will be voted right back into office. What the hell is wrong with people?!
I'll tell you whats wrong with people, its their own stupidi-- OH LOOK PARIS HILTON IS ON!!! Seriously though. People need to pull their heads out of their @$$ and see that their country and the freedom they've had for over 200 years is crumbling around them. You know if Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears made a statement about this kinda crap, I'm sure people would listen. Unfortunately they too are in the same (stupid) boat.
Well said, sir.
"Figures lie and liars figure." I find more and more that this applies to most anything that goes through the mainsteam media, and in most other aspects of society these days.
In any case, the biggest threat to the people of the United States is our own ignorance. People are more concerned with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton these days, than the daily erosion of their every right by a corrupt, ethically/morally bankrupt government. And by and large, I think some of this has been by design.
Children aren't really taught much about the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the true foundations of this country. Where did these things go? Why aren't they included in the curriculum any longer? If they are lucky, they get the pop-trivia version of American history (ex: What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?) rather than (Who were the signers of the Constitution, and what was their reasoning or contribution to it?)
The future George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, etc of this country are threatened by several things (and certainly not an exhaustive list):
1) The "dumbing down" of the American populace, perhaps by design.
2) As a result of the above, a sickening level of complacency and apathy among the People.
3) An increasing trend (by the media, government, and the ignorant public) to label those who don't buy into the sheep mentality as "extremists", "whackjobs", etc.
4) A government who feels the need for increasingly "expanded powers", which are then abused and turned on the People who grant those powers. Persons who don't subscribe to the idea that the government "is always right", who speak out too vocally in opposition, tend to end up on "watch lists", and after that who knows what (perhaps "Extraordinary Rendition"?)
America is being robbed of its birthright, and I fear that in the not-too-distant future, this country might well turn out like a living "Idiocracy" (It's a funny movie, but scary too. The film makers seem to have us pegged.).
Btw, check out my sig for a quote from James Madison. 200 years ago, he predicted very well the era in which we now find ourselves. I fear if the Founding Fathers could see what has become of this nation, they would be brought to tears.
All of this has happened before, and will happen again, unless we actually take note of history (i.e. Founding Fathers, etc) and apply the lessons learned to our present and future. I strongly suggest that no one denigrate the influence or applicability of the principles set forth by those few who had the balls to stand up to an oppressive king and give him the ol' finger better than 200 years ago.
The times have changed, as has technology, but the underlying tenets of the Constitution still apply, and We the People (as defined in the constitution), as well as our elected congresscritters need to learn to recognize that.
I am rather amazed and pleased that the Dems decided to grow a spine, and vote to stop letting these things happen.
Thanks. Check your email. Sent you some comments regarding your site.
to get us to the goal... http://roboeco.com/Economia-Robotica-Sin-Salarios
PSA REGARDING ABOVE LINK: Excessive use of bright colors on this webpage may cause seizures. Click at your own risk.
So you predict that a new race of nugget-headed, human-nugget hybrids will be created?
Make sure you have your sonic screwdriver handy....
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad."
This continuous fearmongering by our government is being used to subdue our people. This mindset of "If you dont submit to this injustice or that that the terrorists win" is ruining our country. Unfortunately, by and large, the citizens of our country are too uneducated or apathetic to see it and do something about it. This constant BS about "If you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide...", people/media/govt insinuates that because people value their freedom and privacy, there must be something wrong with them, or they are terrorist agents. Thats not the case. The founding fathers didnt place caveats on the Constitution, because it was this sort of thing they were trying to get away from when they left England.
The thing that makes me so sick about this is that I remember clearly Bush saying on 9/11 that we wont let these terrorists change our way of life. But that was a bald faced lie. Because he and the rest of the government set to work to do just that. That being the case, the terrorists have already won. They have fundamentally changed the American way of life, for the worst.
If we are to win the "War on Terror" the first step is to restore Freedom and the Constitution. Then we can deal with everything else.
I'm alarmed/shocked it took almost a week for this to show up on /.
Aw crap, you beat me to the obligatory replicators comment. Damn you.
Where's the Azgard?
(1) Build a orbital "dry dock" facility for building large space-gong vessels. .... you get the idea :D
(2) Build the first space fighter carrier. Christen as the 'Galactica'. At the same time, develop the fighters to be carried, call them Vipers.
(3)
Heres a link to the actual text of the bill as it stands. PDF from GPO : S2453 http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi ?dbname=109_cong_bills&docid=f:s2453is.txt.pdf
Watch yourself buddy, the liberals will attack you soon. Expect liberal flames by end of day
Someone mod parent up!
This is the single point that pisses me off the most.
Remember when Bush stood on the rubble pile there right after the attack and said that we would not allow the terrorists to change our way of life?
Now, we only find out 4 years later (last year) that he was arranging to rob us of our Constitutional rights, as those words came out of his mouth. Too bad we found out so late in the game, or I wouldnt have likely voted for him again.
If the government turns against the people, then thats a whole other issue entirely, and as the Constitution and other founding documents state, we the people must take appropriate action up to and including violence, if needed, to ensure that Freedom is upheld.
But having read those documents many times, it dosent seem to indicate that the Founding Fathers felt that violence should be the first and only course of action. Thats not the spirit of the Constitution. Violence should never be the first or only course of action. First line of defense is to PEACEFULLY state what needs to be stated, send a message, be that in some form of mass demonstration or whatever. See the Declaration of Independence where it explains that the Founding Fathers and their colleages spent years trying to peacefully change things in England. They Petitioned for Redress. Thats not read "rioted and destroyed property".
From Declaration of IndependenceThats not read "rioted and destroyed property". Can you provide any proof that their destroying that police car helped their cause at all? Of course not, because it didnt. Its not always necessary to create havoc, destruction, and mayhem, in order to get the job done.
Further, in this case, they were rioting about the G8 summit. What the hell does that have to do with the United States (aside from being a part of the meeting), and the Constitution? It doesnt, and thus the whole ideaology that they were taking part in a legitimate uprising against a tyrannical government is bunk. "I'm really pissed off that several world leaders are getting together to discuss the bullshit in the world!" Get a life. That dosent give anyone the right to destroy property, whether they think they are justified or not.
I agree that the media deserves protection from prying eyes and overzealous prosecutors, and the right to maintain the confidentiality of their sources. Otherwise, how else would we have found out about the NSA wiretap programs, and such? I know it could be argued that in both cases, someone commited a crime (burning a car vs. sharing "state secrets"). But I guess I see both scenario's differently. In one case, someone burned a car because they thought they were justified (and common sense leans toward the idea that theres no sensible reason for doing so) but in the other case, someone blew the whistle and exposed a deep violation of Constitutional rights, and thats a just cause. And since it's been exposed, its now in available to the people to do something about it.
So no, I dont suggest we roll over and take anything, ever. We pick our battles wiseley, and do things that make sense.
You have the right to peaceably assemble. Like the poster I'm replying to said, if you have to destroy property to be heard, you dont have that right. Destruction of property is not a peaceful act of assembly, and as a crime, is a person's duty to report to the appropriate authority so that justice can be served. Failing such, and having knowledge of the crime, and withholding such evidence, places a person as an accessory to the crime, if I recall that how the law reads.
Further, they issued a subpoena for his footage. Not that the state is trying to supress his right to free speech, but they have reason to believe that he may have caught the crime on his video, as he was apparently in the vicinity at the time. So, they ordered to see his tapes.
In the end, this guy has to realize that he's protecting non-constitutional behavior (destroying cars, i.e. non-peaceable assembly). That doesnt classify as free speech.
Alright, I got in touch with our network admin at my campus, and he said that it is his understanding that the university is not legally allowed to prevent access to any website due to "academic freedom".
He went on to state that he believes the school is banning that only in some of the athletic depts because they dont fall under the same jurisdiction, and those machines are for use strictly by the athletic students. He said apparently there is a contract that the athletes sign that waves that freedom.
So it appears that the guy who mentioned the athletes signing contracts regarding that kind of activity is probably correct. They are signing a contract statins they will refrain from those activities.
Anyhow, I stand corrected on the issue. They are not banning social networking on the campus networks, as I had heard. Please forgive me the mistake.
Computer Technology div (COMT). The requirements didnt appear ot be that different from teh standard CS, least not to me. I was in the CS program when i first came to KSU in 2001. I had a 4 year hiatus (due to work) and when I came back last fall I switched to the COMT 2+2 (AS + BS) program since it offered the Associate Program as well as a Baccelors. I think the baccelors requirements for CS and COMT are the same though, or very similar.
Its quite possible then, that the info that I got may have been a filtered down (remember the telephone game?) version of that discussion or request, and as a result people started rumoring. It happens.
In any case, I never really cared if they did block it, because I can rationalize that as a official system, there need to be some filters in place to prevent folks from surfing garbage, just like any other corporate network. I agree with you there.
I heard a ton of gripes from other folks at my campus towards the middle/end of spring sem about not being able to reach MySpace, Facebook, etc. Fortunately, I had better things to do with my time than waste it surfing (like write code) when I was in the lab so I was unable to verify for myself. But I had been told such by others. Forgive me.
Im out at Trumbull these days, only get to main occaisionally. I'll drop our network admin a line and see if I can verify if anything like that is/or was going on.
I'm a student at Kent State in (obviously) the Technology Division. While I've not been prohibited from using social networking sites, we (students) have received multiple warnings about the dangers of using such sites from the college security and network admin folks. Far as I know, (dont quote me on this) they have totally banned access to it from the campus networks (so we cant get on there from the lab, etc), and I thought the reasoning was bandwidth issues. Once again, I'd have to check on this to be absolutely certain. In any case, I'm fairly disturbed regarding this issue, as I am strongly against things that can violate or dampen the rights of US Citizens. If you all are interested, I might be able to try and get some more info about whats going on.