The sense of entitlement here is simply staggering. If a police officer stops you in the street and asks you to identify yourself, and you've done nothing wrong, it doesn't hurt to answer his question.
Unfortunately, everyone here would rather risk a negative confrontation with the cop and simply argue with him just for the sake of arguing.
After September 11th, in order to feel safer and more secure, Americans agreed to give up certain liberties in order for our government to keep us safe.
Now, it seems everyone in this country is now having "buyer's remorse" after the Snowden Era. Suck it up. Now that everyone "GAVE" the government approval to conduct massive surveillance, live with it and stop whining about it.
I was very reluctant when The Patriot Act and other bills were being voted and passed unanimously by congress and when they received support from the American People. I warned people what would happen and this is the result.
So, don't start whining about it now, since the government has abused those laws that were passed by congress.
Once you give government the power to do something, they are very reluctant to give that power up. So, deal with it.
The problem is that we're making too big a deal out of this. Before that moron Snowden came along, the government was pretty much doing all of this without the public's knowledge. Just exactly how gullible are you people to think that this only started happening after September 11th, when we were attacked by terrorists?
The only difference is that idiot Snowden absconded with documents he should never have taken in the first place. How would everyone react if a contractor took documents that contained the codes to our nuclear arsenal or national security plans and gave them to a country that was hostile to America?
This "surveillance" has been going on since well before September 11th came along. The fact that everyone is making a big issue out of this just goes to show how unaware that most Americans are and that is such a limited grasp on the situation. Even without the courts, without the laws passed in congress, the government would continue spying on its own.
This controversy over the government's surveillance of its own people and the hysteria it causes is exactly why this surveillance should never be revealed. Because it creates more problems than it solves.
I have to say that while I detest the government's spying, I'm not too concerned about it. Why? Because I don't do anything wrong. I don't violate the law, I don't do anything illegal, so I don't exactly care about it.
The problem is the same problem I have with idiots and morons posting their escapades with videotaping police up on youtube. 99% of the time, Americans are deliberately going out of their way to stage a confrontation with police either in an attempt to embarrass the police or to create their own viral video.
It's gotten ridiculous. The problem is that it gives Americans a false sense of entitlement. If you aren't doing anything, don't worry about it. The majority of people who do complain are the ones who are doing something against the law that they shouldn't be doing in the first place.
Aereo is already defeated because this will never fly. Aereo is trying to get itself reclassified as a cable company because it couldn't survive as a copyright thief. LOLS
That's like The Pirate Bay trying to reclassify itself as a free music store.
It looks like the Caddy Club, which is being sued, is going to end up losing. While there are some minor differences, it's likely to create brand confusion and that the Caddy Club must "change its name" and "change the design of their uniforms".
Petty lawsuit? Maybe. But I don't see Caddy Club coming up with a recognizable defense.
What the hell is going on? Now we have pedophiles in the police department who are producing child porn? You do NOT ask permission from the court, via a search warrant, to produce child porn. WTF?
These days, cops don't even get search warrants. They confiscate the evidence and then claim is was issued under a FISA warrant or they get the Justice Department to seize the evidence.
Let me see if I got this right, the only way the dog gets to eat is by performing tricks? Where's the ASPCA when they are really needed? For that matter, where's SHARK? Additionally, last I checked, you can't hide a kidnapped woman on a hard drive, thumb drive or any type of memory device.
There are ways around browser-related "copy protect". Just copy the source, save it to your hard drive, and edit out the code that enables "copy protect". MonsterZero.us has the same thing and I manage to get around it. Copy Protect is the dumbest thing ever for websites because those websites using this idiotic code even copy-protect website links posted on their site.
I just heard that Lessig reached his goal. So, this idiot is going to try to end the influence of money in politics by using that five million dollars to influence politics.
You don't fucking try to end the influence of money by using you own money to influence politics.
Larry must have forgotten the old rule that two wrongs don't make a right.
I'm not trolling. I'm simply making a point. But what nobody is getting is that in order to eliminate the influence of money in politics, then you need to ban all money in politics where it comes in the form of donations to an election or re-election campaign.
THAT is the only way to prevent the the influence of money.
Every time a single citizen donates to an election or re-election campaign, YOU are influencing politics through your donation. YOU contribute to a politician engaging in a smear or dirty campaign against a member of their same party or against a member of the opposing party.
It just doesn't matter whether you donate $1 or $10,000, YOU are influencing politics through your donation.
There aren't any big money groups who want it to continue. The only big money groups that want it are The NSA, The FBI, The Justice Department, Democrats and Republicans. All funded, OF COURSE, by American taxpayers and funded by the CHINESE.
I have a hard time believing that Larry Lessig's motives are genuine. Everyone has an agenda and I just don't believe that Lessig's motives are entirely altruistic. He has an agenda. it doesn't matter if your idea is a good idea, the problem is implementing that idea and ensuring that it's a reasonable idea to begin with.
Lessig's motive for wanting to limit the influence of money politics is an unattainable goal. But, instead of reaching for something that was within grasp, he decided to shoot for the moon with what amounts to nothing more than a pea-shooter.
Not only that, but his goal has no real hope of affecting change. The first goal is to repeal The Patriot Act and to limit the powers of the NSA within the borders of the United States. Americans should not be subjected with continual spying by our government and President Obama should be signing executive order after executive order either banning or restricting their powers against identified Americans.
The second goal is to disband the TSA. These guys and gals are the second worst abuser of civil rights in this country. What makes it worse, is the TSA violates the civil rights of every American. They don't just target Muslims or blacks, they target everyone. If you videotape or videorecord what they're doing, you're labeled a troublemaker and blackballed from flying on any sort of domestic commercial airline.
Third, disband the FISA courts. Again, the FISA court is not a court when it continues to rubber-stamp subpoenas and secret search warrants without allowing opposing counsel to argue against the government. They violate due process and wreak of Nazism, fascism and are anathema to public policy.
There is no such as a free society anymore because the U.S. Government screams "terrorism" or "national security" and the courts jump to the defense of the government.
What I find horrendous is that everyone is trying to limit the influence of money in politics but everyone keeps forgetting that those morons in congress, and I'm referring to Democrats AND Republicans, use our own tax dollars to influence their own re-election campaigns, bills that they want passed, and so on.
Democrats AND Republicans have always fought hard for earmarks, or pork barrel spending, and it looks like Democrats, under the leadership of Harry Reid, wants to bring back earmarks.
The thing is, our own elected official not only borrow money from China because they seem to think that it's okay to spend more money than the government is generating in revenue but that they are also using our own tax dollars to influence their own politics.
Every moron knows that you start from the top and work your way down. Want to end that influence? Start with President Obama, continue with the U.S. Supreme Court, make your way to congress, then to state government and finally to city government.
THAT'S how you end the influence of money in politics. Campaign donors aren't even the problem. It's the morons who were elected to run our country who have literally screwed everything up and they fight tooth and nail to prevent anyone from changing the status quo.
Even Elizabeth Warren is a moron. She talks a good talk, but in the end, she cannot do shit because the same changes she wants to make would literally screw herself, not to mention the Democratic Party.
Democrats and Republicans are strung out because they cannot commit to any meaningful reform without cutting off their own legs in the process.
Everything has a consequence. Unfortunately, Democrats have developed tunnel vision and they are only fixated on big money and they are NOT looking at the larger picture.
Take a look at that Nuclear Option Harry Reid enabled. Sure, it ended filibusters of judicial nominees and cabinet appointments but it's going to backfire when the Republicans regain control of the Senate in November.
Please. Most congressman end up getting a job working for either Wall Street, the health care industry, the RIAA, the MPAA, the Nuclear Regulation Authority, The USTR, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Copyright Industry or some other industry that lobbied the same congressmen they will eventually employ.
Congress does favor for big business and corporate interests and they in turn get high profile jobs working for those self same industries.
It's not the money in politics that's the problem, it's the fact that there are no term limits in either the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives nor the U.S. Supreme Court. All three of these institutions need term limits not exceeding two terms. Additionally, the U.S. Senate needs terms of service like the House of Representatives. Senate terms are for four years whereas the House are every two years.
The U.S. Supreme Court? We need to end these lifetime terms of service because it's gotten ridiculous. Additionally, we need to abolish the Electoral College. The president should be elected in the General Election vote, NOT the Electoral College.
Talk about a wasteful plan. Money has always influenced politics. Just exactly what does everyone think campaign contributions are? Money influences politics, no matter what political party you're running with. Democrats are influenced by big money from organized unions, the health care industry, TransCanada and their Keystone XL Pipeline and lobbyists on Capital Hill. The same goes for Republicans with Wall Street, big banks, wealthy corporations, big oil and whatnot.
Ending the influence of money? Might as well declare our country to be a country of fools led by an iron fist dictator, not that it already is one now.
How did anyone get a patent for a common word in the first place? I thought the Patent and Trademark Office denies applications for common words such as "how".
"Anonymous Coward" acting cowardly, huh? You cannot sue someone for something they have not done yet. The courts will realize the true stupidity of this frivolous lawsuit and dismiss it. Without proof of what the GCHQ has done, ISP cannot sue someone for something they haven't done yet.
For example, you cannot sue somebody for defaming you in the future because they haven't defamed you in the past or present. Simply filing a lawsuit against somebody for something they haven't done yet will get laughed out of court so fast it would make your head spin.
For example, you cannot be sued today for downloading the fifth Avengers movie in the future, simply because it hasn't happened yet. For any court to allow anyone to sue another person for conduct that has not even been committed yet would open the floodgates of every judicial system on this planet and it would create massive problems for the courts, no matter what country you are in.
On the post: Saying That You're Not Concerned Because The NSA Isn't Interested In You Is Obnoxious And Dangerous
Unfortunately, everyone here would rather risk a negative confrontation with the cop and simply argue with him just for the sake of arguing.
After September 11th, in order to feel safer and more secure, Americans agreed to give up certain liberties in order for our government to keep us safe.
Now, it seems everyone in this country is now having "buyer's remorse" after the Snowden Era. Suck it up. Now that everyone "GAVE" the government approval to conduct massive surveillance, live with it and stop whining about it.
I was very reluctant when The Patriot Act and other bills were being voted and passed unanimously by congress and when they received support from the American People. I warned people what would happen and this is the result.
So, don't start whining about it now, since the government has abused those laws that were passed by congress.
Once you give government the power to do something, they are very reluctant to give that power up. So, deal with it.
On the post: Saying That You're Not Concerned Because The NSA Isn't Interested In You Is Obnoxious And Dangerous
The only difference is that idiot Snowden absconded with documents he should never have taken in the first place. How would everyone react if a contractor took documents that contained the codes to our nuclear arsenal or national security plans and gave them to a country that was hostile to America?
This "surveillance" has been going on since well before September 11th came along. The fact that everyone is making a big issue out of this just goes to show how unaware that most Americans are and that is such a limited grasp on the situation. Even without the courts, without the laws passed in congress, the government would continue spying on its own.
This controversy over the government's surveillance of its own people and the hysteria it causes is exactly why this surveillance should never be revealed. Because it creates more problems than it solves.
On the post: Saying That You're Not Concerned Because The NSA Isn't Interested In You Is Obnoxious And Dangerous
The problem is the same problem I have with idiots and morons posting their escapades with videotaping police up on youtube. 99% of the time, Americans are deliberately going out of their way to stage a confrontation with police either in an attempt to embarrass the police or to create their own viral video.
It's gotten ridiculous. The problem is that it gives Americans a false sense of entitlement. If you aren't doing anything, don't worry about it. The majority of people who do complain are the ones who are doing something against the law that they shouldn't be doing in the first place.
On the post: Aereo: Okay, Fine, If You Say We Look Like A Duck, We'll Quack Like A Duck
That's like The Pirate Bay trying to reclassify itself as a free music store.
On the post: Tilted Kilt Files Trademark Suit Against Golf Course With Kilted Employees
Petty lawsuit? Maybe. But I don't see Caddy Club coming up with a recognizable defense.
On the post: Prosecutors In 'Sexting' Case Apparently Obtained Search Warrant To Photograph Teen's Penis
On the post: Rhode Island Cops Now Using Dogs To Detect Hard Drives, Memory Cards And Other Electronics
On the post: Rhode Island Cops Now Using Dogs To Detect Hard Drives, Memory Cards And Other Electronics
On the post: Rhode Island Cops Now Using Dogs To Detect Hard Drives, Memory Cards And Other Electronics
On the post: The Trials Of Being A Techdirt Writer Volume 1: Stupid Copyright Popups When Pressing CTRL-C
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
You don't fucking try to end the influence of money by using you own money to influence politics.
Larry must have forgotten the old rule that two wrongs don't make a right.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
THAT is the only way to prevent the the influence of money.
Every time a single citizen donates to an election or re-election campaign, YOU are influencing politics through your donation. YOU contribute to a politician engaging in a smear or dirty campaign against a member of their same party or against a member of the opposing party.
It just doesn't matter whether you donate $1 or $10,000, YOU are influencing politics through your donation.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
Lessig's motive for wanting to limit the influence of money politics is an unattainable goal. But, instead of reaching for something that was within grasp, he decided to shoot for the moon with what amounts to nothing more than a pea-shooter.
Not only that, but his goal has no real hope of affecting change. The first goal is to repeal The Patriot Act and to limit the powers of the NSA within the borders of the United States. Americans should not be subjected with continual spying by our government and President Obama should be signing executive order after executive order either banning or restricting their powers against identified Americans.
The second goal is to disband the TSA. These guys and gals are the second worst abuser of civil rights in this country. What makes it worse, is the TSA violates the civil rights of every American. They don't just target Muslims or blacks, they target everyone. If you videotape or videorecord what they're doing, you're labeled a troublemaker and blackballed from flying on any sort of domestic commercial airline.
Third, disband the FISA courts. Again, the FISA court is not a court when it continues to rubber-stamp subpoenas and secret search warrants without allowing opposing counsel to argue against the government. They violate due process and wreak of Nazism, fascism and are anathema to public policy.
There is no such as a free society anymore because the U.S. Government screams "terrorism" or "national security" and the courts jump to the defense of the government.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
Democrats AND Republicans have always fought hard for earmarks, or pork barrel spending, and it looks like Democrats, under the leadership of Harry Reid, wants to bring back earmarks.
The thing is, our own elected official not only borrow money from China because they seem to think that it's okay to spend more money than the government is generating in revenue but that they are also using our own tax dollars to influence their own politics.
Every moron knows that you start from the top and work your way down. Want to end that influence? Start with President Obama, continue with the U.S. Supreme Court, make your way to congress, then to state government and finally to city government.
THAT'S how you end the influence of money in politics. Campaign donors aren't even the problem. It's the morons who were elected to run our country who have literally screwed everything up and they fight tooth and nail to prevent anyone from changing the status quo.
Even Elizabeth Warren is a moron. She talks a good talk, but in the end, she cannot do shit because the same changes she wants to make would literally screw herself, not to mention the Democratic Party.
Democrats and Republicans are strung out because they cannot commit to any meaningful reform without cutting off their own legs in the process.
Everything has a consequence. Unfortunately, Democrats have developed tunnel vision and they are only fixated on big money and they are NOT looking at the larger picture.
Take a look at that Nuclear Option Harry Reid enabled. Sure, it ended filibusters of judicial nominees and cabinet appointments but it's going to backfire when the Republicans regain control of the Senate in November.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
Congress does favor for big business and corporate interests and they in turn get high profile jobs working for those self same industries.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
The U.S. Supreme Court? We need to end these lifetime terms of service because it's gotten ridiculous. Additionally, we need to abolish the Electoral College. The president should be elected in the General Election vote, NOT the Electoral College.
On the post: Awesome Stuff: One Last Chance To Join With Thousands Of Others To Help Limit The Influence Of Money In Politics
Ending the influence of money? Might as well declare our country to be a country of fools led by an iron fist dictator, not that it already is one now.
On the post: Author To Chobani: I Own The Word 'How'
On the post: International Service Providers Sue GCHQ For Potentially Hacking Their Networks
For example, you cannot sue somebody for defaming you in the future because they haven't defamed you in the past or present. Simply filing a lawsuit against somebody for something they haven't done yet will get laughed out of court so fast it would make your head spin.
For example, you cannot be sued today for downloading the fifth Avengers movie in the future, simply because it hasn't happened yet. For any court to allow anyone to sue another person for conduct that has not even been committed yet would open the floodgates of every judicial system on this planet and it would create massive problems for the courts, no matter what country you are in.
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