People took a lot of money in helping out in funding a new ISP already.
I think it started went to $2 million. Can't recall it right now, but I'm sure it was on Ars Technica if someone else remembers...
Anyway, let's get to a few things...
While I firmly believe that most unions today are counterproductive (frequently holding back innovation and flexibility),
This isn't really true because unions represent democracy in the workplace. There are certainly some undemocratic unions but that's the result of rules such as the Taft-Hartley Act which deprive unions of dues while also having them represent people that don't pay these dues. It's a starvation tactic and it works to make unions less effective. Also, look in other countries such as Germany. They made unions stronger while America, since 1946, has made unions weaker.
That it later resulted in vast amounts of corruption and cronyism, let alone hindering the way in which companies could innovate and adapt, are certainly big issues to be concerned about -- but there were reasons why that happened as well (driven by leadership on both sides).
I'm not positive about this but the emphasis should be where we question this... Why are we only looking at leadership? The premise I set is that you pay dues for your protection in the workplace. After seeing what has happened to the largest unions (Teamsters for example), their decimation should make us question how we can better protect workers. It's not happening right now and the result is that the Steve Jobs of the world can walk all over their employees as a result of collusion. That should be something avoided IMO.
In regards to the Consumer's Union, I support the idea, and want to see how it goes. It's about time that people recognize that democracy begins with them. To have so many people create an organization from scratch is certainly needed along with someone advocating municipal broadband while protecting people on the national level could be done. It just takes organizing. I'll definitely see how this comes up as time goes along.
Three years... I made this comment as an inspiration and a warning based off General Adama's insight from Battlestar Galactica...
Adama didn't want to be the president as well as the highest military commander. Such an interest would destroy any form of democratic expression, which was the point.
America IS a police state. There is no denying it now. The no knock warrants, the Sound Cannons, the teargas and tyranny are caused by a long line of undemocratic measures making economic and political progress impossible for the mass of people.
Why did we allow this? Where did we go wrong? It's not just one event and pointing fingers won't help. But it's time to correct the mistakes so that they don't keep piling up and killing innocent people frustrated at their loss of constitutional rights.
The rights you already had but gave away through a legal contract are given back to you through the law while not being able to prosecute you for something that isn't illegal in the first place?
That was dumb. That caused the Ferguson police to shut down. However, it seems that wasn't the "hacker" type Anonymous who do such hacks.
I would take it with a grain of salt because you have to remember that the FBI and other LEOs are known for trying to go after mass group gatherings and undermine them in a number of ways.
Okay... I know the FBI is dysfunctional, the CIA can't lie to save themselves and the DoJ is in the back pocket of Hollywood.
The GAO doesn't have enough power, local police have run amok, and the IP offices are all over the place.
So... Who's really in charge here? These bureaucracies are not doing well internally and you'd have to be crazy not to notice all the turmoil as it comes to light.
The leaders are running scared, there's no motivation at the bottom and the list of problems just go on and on...
At this point, the systems are truly broken. It's just awe inspiring how a government refuses to acknowledge and correct mistakes but deluded itself about how solvent it is while it hurts itself.
And how is that different when America is the one who put them into power?
Nixon ousted the Iranian government in '53.
He murdered Allende in Chile through the CIA as president.
He tried to take down Castro for years.
Reagan had the Iran-Contra scandal where he negotiated with terrorists. 250+ government employees were let go and Oliver North is still a pariah.
Don't get me started on how we trained Al Qaeda or how we destroy democratic rule in sovereign nations, because that's been the norm for quite a while.
Maybe it's the chickens coming home to roost that we don't like. Just my thoughts...
This isn't the first time the CIA had lied to Congress. The Watergate scandal had them running around quickly to cover the bribes they Gabe to the mafia to try to overthrow Castro.
The truth may take a while to come out, but when it diss, it's a doozy...
Americans are pretty pissed at your imperialism as well. Or civil liberties were taken by you just as much as the Middle East with no knock warrants, murder of unarmed citizens, and the trampling of the Constitution.
If you can't follow the rules *IN* the country, what makes we, the people, believe you care about the rights of those outside of it?
" The fudging gets worse when Wertham looks to blame homosexuality on Batman & Robin, taking the jokes we all made as ignorant children and building an entire psychiatric claim around them."
This guy would flip his shit if he heard about the Ambiguously Gay Duo...
Alright... So we're playing redactions? How about we bring up the past and some really questionable stuff that explains who would help the US?
We know that the UK has its hands dirty in this because it's a part of Five Eyes. They've been using torture since the time of the London Cages while the Nuremberg Trials were considered a sham by some.
To tell you this is to give you context that the UK has its hands dirty and doesn't want to come clean about their "expedition" just as much as America doesn't.
While pointing the finger at the NYPD is laudable, it's not helpful to know that the same programs are just hiding under a different name.
All this does is hide accountability for the actions of the government who wants to target communities. Before, the world was scared of communists for making FDR pass the New Deal. Then it was Socialists because teachers got paid a lot. Then the unions didn't do anything. Then you had women wanting to work. Then it was black people were lazy.
Ya know... How about we look at how our government is running and do some Spring Cleaning? It pays to spy on us, it pays to boss us around... Why are we allowing it to do that instead of demand our damn representation?
We don't need the stinking redactions. You already erased our history and destroyed lives. It's time for you to be held accountable for your actions. James Clapper, you uphold a status quo that is far outside of what the public wants. You complain too much and you've done nothing but lie to us.
Someone FIRE this guy! And the next three down the line that even TRY to lie to us!
That always struck me as one side of the equation. What people forget is how hard these corporate conglomerates work to *eliminate* competition to their money source. The fight against piracy is the same way. Instead of coming to the rational conclusion that legal access lowers demand for digital goods, we have people chicken hawking about how consumers cause lost sales.
We would have to train people on better broadband access. We'd have to cut down on expenditures by taking public funds away from the monopoly.
Even then, there are other pitfalls and possibilities that won't surface until we see what's going on with municipal broadband. We can't just rely on competition to save us when a monopoly worlds to maintain its position.
Comcast isn't too big to fail. Neither is it too big to succeed.
It's too big to function.
You literally have all of these workers that have nothing to do but be glorified sales reps. No expansion of service, no focus on what communities need, no true way to answer any questions about this scandal, nothing.
This its just the same as GM making 28 million cars but having to recall 27 million. Yet those cars KILLED people... And we expect that a few more sales and profits for the CEOs is going to make this all better?
It's time to bust Comcast down to size. Smaller internet companies and not massive unwieldy behemoths which take value from the communities they leech off of.
Do you know why these people are shoring up their defenses?
A mass of people informed on the issues they care about is far more deadly than any drone, surveillance, or anything close to what a military can do.
The internet is damn near a public right and it's been around long enough to be a part of the public sphere to increase discussions and that sense of community that people have.
You learn about foreign cultures and social concerns in a much quicker process than anything before it.
And to have ANYONE take that public communication away should be a fight.
If you look back in history, you'll find that public outcry and public knowledge is what is to be feared. It's why our government is trying to clamp down on such things and misinform the public. But even on Net Neutrality, that fight can be won. The fight to prevent Comcast's takeover of the internet is a fight to keep it a public good, not a marketing tool.
I'm positive that this fight will continue. But it's a fight that is FAR from over.
I can't tell anything about the study because it's behind an accursed paywall.
You have no idea what this research entails save for a "trust us" abstract which only tells us so much?
Who's brought idea is it to put this behind an exclusive window and jack up the price disproportionately to the fact that this is research done for the BENEFIT of the public?
What benefit do we get from not being able to read and critique the study?
I don't want a damn abstract. I want the study to read and assess. Why do I get a friggin paywall when my tax payer dollars went to pay for this damn thing already?
On the post: Redditors Propose Setting Up A 'Consumers' Union' To Fight Back Against Broadband Giants
Re:
I think it started went to $2 million. Can't recall it right now, but I'm sure it was on Ars Technica if someone else remembers...
Anyway, let's get to a few things...
While I firmly believe that most unions today are counterproductive (frequently holding back innovation and flexibility),
This isn't really true because unions represent democracy in the workplace. There are certainly some undemocratic unions but that's the result of rules such as the Taft-Hartley Act which deprive unions of dues while also having them represent people that don't pay these dues. It's a starvation tactic and it works to make unions less effective. Also, look in other countries such as Germany. They made unions stronger while America, since 1946, has made unions weaker.
That it later resulted in vast amounts of corruption and cronyism, let alone hindering the way in which companies could innovate and adapt, are certainly big issues to be concerned about -- but there were reasons why that happened as well (driven by leadership on both sides).
I'm not positive about this but the emphasis should be where we question this... Why are we only looking at leadership? The premise I set is that you pay dues for your protection in the workplace. After seeing what has happened to the largest unions (Teamsters for example), their decimation should make us question how we can better protect workers. It's not happening right now and the result is that the Steve Jobs of the world can walk all over their employees as a result of collusion. That should be something avoided IMO.
In regards to the Consumer's Union, I support the idea, and want to see how it goes. It's about time that people recognize that democracy begins with them. To have so many people create an organization from scratch is certainly needed along with someone advocating municipal broadband while protecting people on the national level could be done. It just takes organizing. I'll definitely see how this comes up as time goes along.
On the post: Police Militarization, Citizen Journalism And The Suppression Of Free Speech: The Ferguson Fiasco Highlights Systemic Problem
Three years...
Three years... I made this comment as an inspiration and a warning based off General Adama's insight from Battlestar Galactica...
Adama didn't want to be the president as well as the highest military commander. Such an interest would destroy any form of democratic expression, which was the point.
America IS a police state. There is no denying it now. The no knock warrants, the Sound Cannons, the teargas and tyranny are caused by a long line of undemocratic measures making economic and political progress impossible for the mass of people.
Why did we allow this? Where did we go wrong? It's not just one event and pointing fingers won't help. But it's time to correct the mistakes so that they don't keep piling up and killing innocent people frustrated at their loss of constitutional rights.
On the post: Under Swiss Copyright Reform, Private Sharing And Downloads From Unauthorized Sources Would Still Be Legal
Wait...
The rights you already had but gave away through a legal contract are given back to you through the law while not being able to prosecute you for something that isn't illegal in the first place?
On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions
Re: Anonymous involved, too?
I would take it with a grain of salt because you have to remember that the FBI and other LEOs are known for trying to go after mass group gatherings and undermine them in a number of ways.
On the post: Snowden: NSA Was Building 'Automated' System To Hit Back At Perceived Cyberattacks
Bright side
On the post: USPTO Tried To Hide Abuse And Fraud By Patent Examiners From Inspector General
What the...?
The GAO doesn't have enough power, local police have run amok, and the IP offices are all over the place.
So... Who's really in charge here? These bureaucracies are not doing well internally and you'd have to be crazy not to notice all the turmoil as it comes to light.
The leaders are running scared, there's no motivation at the bottom and the list of problems just go on and on...
At this point, the systems are truly broken. It's just awe inspiring how a government refuses to acknowledge and correct mistakes but deluded itself about how solvent it is while it hurts itself.
On the post: Intelligence Community Warns That Releasing CIA Torture Report Details Might 'Inflame Anti-US Passions' In Middle East
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Nixon ousted the Iranian government in '53.
He murdered Allende in Chile through the CIA as president.
He tried to take down Castro for years.
Reagan had the Iran-Contra scandal where he negotiated with terrorists. 250+ government employees were let go and Oliver North is still a pariah.
Don't get me started on how we trained Al Qaeda or how we destroy democratic rule in sovereign nations, because that's been the norm for quite a while.
Maybe it's the chickens coming home to roost that we don't like. Just my thoughts...
On the post: Intelligence Community Warns That Releasing CIA Torture Report Details Might 'Inflame Anti-US Passions' In Middle East
Re:
The truth may take a while to come out, but when it diss, it's a doozy...
On the post: Andrew Cuomo Trying To Bankrupt Upstart Campaign Against Him From Zephyr Teachout And Tim Wu
Sounds just like his campaign for Congress in 1946.
All we need now is a mafia tie-in...
On the post: Intelligence Community Warns That Releasing CIA Torture Report Details Might 'Inflame Anti-US Passions' In Middle East
Americans are pretty pissed at your imperialism as well. Or civil liberties were taken by you just as much as the Middle East with no knock warrants, murder of unarmed citizens, and the trampling of the Constitution.
If you can't follow the rules *IN* the country, what makes we, the people, believe you care about the rights of those outside of it?
Sincerely,
Angry citizen #635858746338063
On the post: Hollywood Funded Group Demands BitTorrent Inc. 'Take Responsibility' For Piracy
Re:
On the post: Learning From History: How One Lying Liar Almost Screwed The Comic Book Industry
This guy would flip his shit if he heard about the Ambiguously Gay Duo...
On the post: Australia's Attorney General Says Metadata Collection Won't Track Your Web Surfing, Just The Web Addresses You Visit (Huh?)
Dotcom, anyone?
So they'll use your Skype, your lifestyle, and your cell phone to convict you while not informing you of the rules they follow.
So how long until a new Kim comes into the mainstream?
On the post: James Clapper Insists Redactions On The Torture Report Are 'Minimal'
Redactions?
We know that the UK has its hands dirty in this because it's a part of Five Eyes. They've been using torture since the time of the London Cages while the Nuremberg Trials were considered a sham by some.
To tell you this is to give you context that the UK has its hands dirty and doesn't want to come clean about their "expedition" just as much as America doesn't.
But to say that they don't pay for such things to go on in other countries is laughable. What about the story of the FBI destroying lives or spying on Americans?
While pointing the finger at the NYPD is laudable, it's not helpful to know that the same programs are just hiding under a different name.
All this does is hide accountability for the actions of the government who wants to target communities. Before, the world was scared of communists for making FDR pass the New Deal. Then it was Socialists because teachers got paid a lot. Then the unions didn't do anything. Then you had women wanting to work. Then it was black people were lazy.
Ya know... How about we look at how our government is running and do some Spring Cleaning? It pays to spy on us, it pays to boss us around... Why are we allowing it to do that instead of demand our damn representation?
We don't need the stinking redactions. You already erased our history and destroyed lives. It's time for you to be held accountable for your actions. James Clapper, you uphold a status quo that is far outside of what the public wants. You complain too much and you've done nothing but lie to us.
Someone FIRE this guy! And the next three down the line that even TRY to lie to us!
On the post: Behind The Veil: Comcast Techs Detail How Customer Service Is Really All Just 'Sales'
Re: Re: Be real
We would have to train people on better broadband access. We'd have to cut down on expenditures by taking public funds away from the monopoly.
Even then, there are other pitfalls and possibilities that won't surface until we see what's going on with municipal broadband. We can't just rely on competition to save us when a monopoly worlds to maintain its position.
On the post: Behind The Veil: Comcast Techs Detail How Customer Service Is Really All Just 'Sales'
Be real
It's too big to function.
You literally have all of these workers that have nothing to do but be glorified sales reps. No expansion of service, no focus on what communities need, no true way to answer any questions about this scandal, nothing.
This its just the same as GM making 28 million cars but having to recall 27 million. Yet those cars KILLED people... And we expect that a few more sales and profits for the CEOs is going to make this all better?
It's time to bust Comcast down to size. Smaller internet companies and not massive unwieldy behemoths which take value from the communities they leech off of.
On the post: If You Want To Know How Supporting Techdirt Can Help Shift The Debate In Washington DC, Read This
Re:
Do you know why these people are shoring up their defenses?
A mass of people informed on the issues they care about is far more deadly than any drone, surveillance, or anything close to what a military can do.
The internet is damn near a public right and it's been around long enough to be a part of the public sphere to increase discussions and that sense of community that people have.
You learn about foreign cultures and social concerns in a much quicker process than anything before it.
And to have ANYONE take that public communication away should be a fight.
If you look back in history, you'll find that public outcry and public knowledge is what is to be feared. It's why our government is trying to clamp down on such things and misinform the public. But even on Net Neutrality, that fight can be won. The fight to prevent Comcast's takeover of the internet is a fight to keep it a public good, not a marketing tool.
I'm positive that this fight will continue. But it's a fight that is FAR from over.
On the post: DOJ Claims Judge Who Trashed 'Made Up Plot' Should Be Removed For Being 'Hostile' To The Gov't
What boggles my mind...
And the DOJ is denying the facts for faith. This is literally religion in a state institution and goes against the First Amendment...
I'm just in awe at how entitled the government has become.
On the post: Another Study Suggests Acting Immorally In Video Games Actually Makes Players More Moral
Paywall?!
You have no idea what this research entails save for a "trust us" abstract which only tells us so much?
Who's brought idea is it to put this behind an exclusive window and jack up the price disproportionately to the fact that this is research done for the BENEFIT of the public?
What benefit do we get from not being able to read and critique the study?
I don't want a damn abstract. I want the study to read and assess. Why do I get a friggin paywall when my tax payer dollars went to pay for this damn thing already?
On the post: FBI Directly Spying On Prominent Muslim-American Politicians, Lawyers And Civil Rights Activists
Re: Re: 'foreign national'?
" And yet somehow we thought these *kinds* of powers for law enforcement *aren't* going to be abused?
Say what you will but it seems that the biggest terrorist out there is the government when it does not serve the public.
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