it's new year's eve now...
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Ted Ferenc wrote: I do not want to get too political, if you talk to people in Poland a lot will say life was better under the communists, others of course won't, the farmers were paid a fair price paid for what they produced now with "market forces" that does not always happen. True, but now if they have a few good years and work hard they can expand their farms and given enough time and effort (and luck) they can become farming moguls. The sky is their limit. Something they dared not even dream about under communism. Mike Mullikin :beer:
The goal of any programmer is to build something that will last at least until he's finished building it. - - Anonymous
At one time I would have agreed 100%, some will become moguls, the vast majority will have to leave their farms and move to the towns, assuming there is work for them there. I suppose I am and old 60's hippy i.e. you don't need money to live contentedly, a lot of "3rd" word cultures rely on subsistence farming, as long as that produces enough food for the people what is wrong with that? I don't think we should assume our "western" way of life is best. Is a television, DVD, Hi-FI, mobile phone, computer etc. neccesary for life? OK, yes, I do know a computer and net access is, but the rest?
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I'm not too certain that will be true in my country for very much longer. Amen. Did you hear about the guy in Oregon (or was it Washington) that got put in jail for making a joke in a bar about God creating a new "burning Bush"? (or something like that). Some truck driver overhead this guy, called the police, and now he's in jail for several years. Welcome back to the McCarthy era. And even worse, Bush's speeches are reminiscent of Hitler's regarding national security, the "invisible enemy", etc. Two more years, then maybe we can vote him out of office! Marc Help! I'm an AI running around in someone's f*cked up universe simulator.
Sensitivity and ethnic diversity means celebrating difference, not hiding from it. - Christian Graus
Every line of code is a liability - Taka MuraokaMarc Clifton wrote: And even worse, Bush's speeches are reminiscent of Hitler's regarding national security, the "invisible enemy", etc. Two more years, then maybe we can vote him out of office! I'm still not on that side of things. Bush has not gone nearly as far as Abraham Lincoln did during the Civil War to control critics of his administration (ever hear of Habeus Corpus? (sp?)). I'm still a Bush supporter even though I don't like many of the decisions he has been compelled to make. As I've said many times, if we are unable to eliminate the threat of middle eastern terrorism by direct military action, what choice does the government have but to become ever more security minded regardless of the constitution? What else is Bush supposed to do? Besides, after 50 years of trashing the constitution, those on the left have no room to complain about Bush's administration. "Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art." Charles McCabe, San Francisco Chronicle
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Michael A. Barnhart wrote: IMO this is a democratic dream. He could not relaxe and still carry the banner Clinton left him. Maybe Hillary would run? That would be entertaining - she can trot out the Vast Right-Wing Republican Conspericy again. :)
"Perhaps the truth is less interesting than the facts?" -- Amy Weiss, RIAA's Senior Vice President of Communications.
It's the new math! 421 == 156 !but, i think she may get more public approval than lieberman :-D My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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At one time I would have agreed 100%, some will become moguls, the vast majority will have to leave their farms and move to the towns, assuming there is work for them there. I suppose I am and old 60's hippy i.e. you don't need money to live contentedly, a lot of "3rd" word cultures rely on subsistence farming, as long as that produces enough food for the people what is wrong with that? I don't think we should assume our "western" way of life is best. Is a television, DVD, Hi-FI, mobile phone, computer etc. neccesary for life? OK, yes, I do know a computer and net access is, but the rest?
I just believe that everybody deserves the chance to make those decisions for themselves. Government should provide opportunities not limit them. Mike Mullikin :beer:
The goal of any programmer is to build something that will last at least until he's finished building it. - - Anonymous
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"People willing to give up freedom for a little safety, deserve neither freedom nor safety." --Ben Franklin.
"Perhaps the truth is less interesting than the facts?" -- Amy Weiss, RIAA's Senior Vice President of Communications.
It's the new math! 421 == 156 !It's true, but it doesn't apply in this case (at least not yet). It's not giving up freedom for a little safety. I think the intent is to give up a little freedom for a lot more safety. Regards, Alvaro
Well done is better than well said. -- Benjamin Franklin (I actually prefer medium-well.)
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I just believe that everybody deserves the chance to make those decisions for themselves. Government should provide opportunities not limit them. Mike Mullikin :beer:
The goal of any programmer is to build something that will last at least until he's finished building it. - - Anonymous
Mike Mullikin wrote: I just believe that everybody deserves the chance make those decisions for themselves. Government should provide opportunities not limit them. Bravo! Some ideas are so stupid that only an intellectual could have thought of them - George Orwell
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Marc Clifton wrote: And even worse, Bush's speeches are reminiscent of Hitler's regarding national security, the "invisible enemy", etc. Two more years, then maybe we can vote him out of office! I'm still not on that side of things. Bush has not gone nearly as far as Abraham Lincoln did during the Civil War to control critics of his administration (ever hear of Habeus Corpus? (sp?)). I'm still a Bush supporter even though I don't like many of the decisions he has been compelled to make. As I've said many times, if we are unable to eliminate the threat of middle eastern terrorism by direct military action, what choice does the government have but to become ever more security minded regardless of the constitution? What else is Bush supposed to do? Besides, after 50 years of trashing the constitution, those on the left have no room to complain about Bush's administration. "Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art." Charles McCabe, San Francisco Chronicle
AFAIK from the press [which sadly may not be true], there were major lapses in implementing existing law that caused Sep. 11. Even with new laws, if not implemented properly, you can still have terrorists sneaking in while the laws are misused for personal ends. IMO, what matters more is strict implementation of existing laws rather than come up with a whole new set. I think GWB wants to send a message to the people abt the progress in making America more secure. The civil liberties issue is not trivial to be just tossed aside - and I think it is not appropriate to make it a democratic-republican issue either. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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I still support the little guy. I'll never have a leader I agree with 100%, they will all make errors, and if I recall it's not the president who inacts all the laws, but has to be voted on by Congress which is made up of Rep. and Dem. people are scared, and the most logical place to point the finger is the current leader, as though he actually has complete power. Comparing him with Hitler if a bunch of [soapbox expletive here]! He doesn't have answers to homeland security. Nobody does right now. So its easy to pick apart whatever he's trying to do. I don't hear anyone else raising their hands or taking the lead with some great new ideas. regarding foreign policy. It's always been US policy to further secure our position as THE globally dominant power. Just like any other nation who has the ability to do it would, we try to gain control over resources, whether through economic means, or playing off of local political troubles. Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. [but Brian that will be too late?] I have a life to enjoy, friends, family, blah, blah, blah... I'm not going to give that up to fret about someone else, unless they are close to me, or I can actually make a difference fairly quickly. Sorry. My life is short. BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
I agree that comparing with hitler is too much! But, actually people miss the argument here. I do not expect GWB to misuse the powers. But, someone who comes to power later down the line may not have the same moral fabric. My thoughts: The failure of 9/11 has been a failure of implemetation rather than the design of the system. If all the components of the security framework worked as per specification, the terrorists would not have succeeded. Maybe, there were flaws in design, and GWB wants to correct it. But, as we all know, new system designs can have other problems that may come to the fore only later on, once you try to deploy it. brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. but, it should not be too late to act then. :-( So there you go. :-D My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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I agree that comparing with hitler is too much! But, actually people miss the argument here. I do not expect GWB to misuse the powers. But, someone who comes to power later down the line may not have the same moral fabric. My thoughts: The failure of 9/11 has been a failure of implemetation rather than the design of the system. If all the components of the security framework worked as per specification, the terrorists would not have succeeded. Maybe, there were flaws in design, and GWB wants to correct it. But, as we all know, new system designs can have other problems that may come to the fore only later on, once you try to deploy it. brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. but, it should not be too late to act then. :-( So there you go. :-D My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
Thomas George wrote: If all the components of the security framework worked as per specification, the terrorists would not have succeeded. This is the largest part of it. Teh simple fact that people thought that there was a framework in place is the next largest. Disjointed databases scattered all over the place, watch lists that nobody was 'watching', what a mess.
Paul Watson wrote: "At the end of the day it is what you produce that counts, not how many doctorates you have on the wall."
George Carlin wrote: "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things."
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Jörgen Sigvardsson wrote: the best hockey ever Right on. :) Jörgen Sigvardsson wrote: I now found a translation of the text, and it doesn't sound so nice anymore. LOL. The interesting thing is that after an attempt to change the anthem to something else for a few years Russia had finally switched back to the same old anthem music with new words. Now everyone knows what the anthem sounds like, but no one knows the words to it. :)
Konstantin Vasserman wrote: Now everyone knows what the anthem sounds like, but no one knows the words to it Inextinguishable union of free republics ... it really needed a change (luckily for us :)). Pavel Sonork 100.15206
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I still support the little guy. I'll never have a leader I agree with 100%, they will all make errors, and if I recall it's not the president who inacts all the laws, but has to be voted on by Congress which is made up of Rep. and Dem. people are scared, and the most logical place to point the finger is the current leader, as though he actually has complete power. Comparing him with Hitler if a bunch of [soapbox expletive here]! He doesn't have answers to homeland security. Nobody does right now. So its easy to pick apart whatever he's trying to do. I don't hear anyone else raising their hands or taking the lead with some great new ideas. regarding foreign policy. It's always been US policy to further secure our position as THE globally dominant power. Just like any other nation who has the ability to do it would, we try to gain control over resources, whether through economic means, or playing off of local political troubles. Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. [but Brian that will be too late?] I have a life to enjoy, friends, family, blah, blah, blah... I'm not going to give that up to fret about someone else, unless they are close to me, or I can actually make a difference fairly quickly. Sorry. My life is short. BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do... "First They Came for the Jews" By Pastor Niemoller First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. -c
I'm not the droid you're looking for.
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AFAIK from the press [which sadly may not be true], there were major lapses in implementing existing law that caused Sep. 11. Even with new laws, if not implemented properly, you can still have terrorists sneaking in while the laws are misused for personal ends. IMO, what matters more is strict implementation of existing laws rather than come up with a whole new set. I think GWB wants to send a message to the people abt the progress in making America more secure. The civil liberties issue is not trivial to be just tossed aside - and I think it is not appropriate to make it a democratic-republican issue either. My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
Thomas George wrote: there were major lapses in implementing existing law that caused Sep. 11 Actually, what caused September 11 was a bunch of religious fanatics who believe killing civilians advances their cause.
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I just believe that everybody deserves the chance to make those decisions for themselves. Government should provide opportunities not limit them. Mike Mullikin :beer:
The goal of any programmer is to build something that will last at least until he's finished building it. - - Anonymous
I don't disagree, everyone should have the opportunity to improve their quality of life in a peaceful way. A non western government does not, generally, stop that, it is just their priorities are different, and possibbly alien, to a western society, e.g. Sharia law which is abhorent to most westerners, but if that is their choice, who am I to disagree? Don't we all think our elected represenatives are only out to get what they can for themsleves, in the majority of cases? So China et. al. are not that much different! I have enjoyed the discusssion, it could go on for ever! Have a good New Year.
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I still support the little guy. I'll never have a leader I agree with 100%, they will all make errors, and if I recall it's not the president who inacts all the laws, but has to be voted on by Congress which is made up of Rep. and Dem. people are scared, and the most logical place to point the finger is the current leader, as though he actually has complete power. Comparing him with Hitler if a bunch of [soapbox expletive here]! He doesn't have answers to homeland security. Nobody does right now. So its easy to pick apart whatever he's trying to do. I don't hear anyone else raising their hands or taking the lead with some great new ideas. regarding foreign policy. It's always been US policy to further secure our position as THE globally dominant power. Just like any other nation who has the ability to do it would, we try to gain control over resources, whether through economic means, or playing off of local political troubles. Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. [but Brian that will be too late?] I have a life to enjoy, friends, family, blah, blah, blah... I'm not going to give that up to fret about someone else, unless they are close to me, or I can actually make a difference fairly quickly. Sorry. My life is short. BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet We all have, to some extent. Trouble is, the line has moved and you can't see it. The tigress is here :-D
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brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do... "First They Came for the Jews" By Pastor Niemoller First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. -c
I'm not the droid you're looking for.
Who is they? BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
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Who is they? BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
We have met the Enemy, and they are ourselves....:(( Some ideas are so stupid that only an intellectual could have thought of them - George Orwell
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I agree that comparing with hitler is too much! But, actually people miss the argument here. I do not expect GWB to misuse the powers. But, someone who comes to power later down the line may not have the same moral fabric. My thoughts: The failure of 9/11 has been a failure of implemetation rather than the design of the system. If all the components of the security framework worked as per specification, the terrorists would not have succeeded. Maybe, there were flaws in design, and GWB wants to correct it. But, as we all know, new system designs can have other problems that may come to the fore only later on, once you try to deploy it. brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do, I'll be pissed off, and try to do something about it. but, it should not be too late to act then. :-( So there you go. :-D My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
Thomas George wrote: failure of implemetation People are running the show. There will always be failures. 9/11 happened because a group of malcontents halfway around the globe decided that the US was cause for all their ills, not because our security system either didn't work, or someone was snoozing. (Although, that did make it a bit easier, no doubt.) Thomas George wrote: but, it should not be too late to act then. I guess my point was that, I can either enjoy the life I have, and try to ensure the people I care about have a good life as well, but outside of that, there isn't much more I'm willing to spend time on. I'm comfortable. I'm not justifying, or saying its the best way to be, just that its my reality, and I don't see it changing anytime soon, unless I really have to. BW "If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life." - Confucius
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brianwelsch wrote: Personally, I have not lost any freedoms to do what i want, yet. When I do... "First They Came for the Jews" By Pastor Niemoller First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. -c
I'm not the droid you're looking for.
Chris, How loudly did you complain when the federal government came for the Branch Dividians in Waco? Conservatives have been complaining for decades about the lose of our traditional constitutional liberties as the left went about virtually rewriting the entire document. Most of us are deeply concerned about the current course of events. Bush's decisions are extremly dangerous, but I have yet to hear a rational alternative. If the U.N. prohibits us from controlling the situation internationally, and the constitution prohibits us from controlling the situation domestically, what are we left with? Aside from utter capitualtion what do we do? If you were president right now, what is the first thing you would do? "Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art." Charles McCabe, San Francisco Chronicle
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Thomas George wrote: there were major lapses in implementing existing law that caused Sep. 11 Actually, what caused September 11 was a bunch of religious fanatics who believe killing civilians advances their cause.
probably it should change "caused" to "allowed to happen, when these guys wanted to cause". anyway, that is what i meant the first time too. :-D My article on a reference-counted smart pointer that supports polymorphic objects and raw pointers
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Thomas George wrote: there were major lapses in implementing existing law that caused Sep. 11 Actually, what caused September 11 was a bunch of religious fanatics who believe killing civilians advances their cause.
My engineering (and Business Think) cap here says that the root cause of all this is religion it self. People need to belive more in themselves. It is way to easy to say that you have done somehting in the name of a God. Blow up 3000 people and say that you did it because YOU felt that they deserved it and suddenly it becomes much more difficult to get people to stand behind you and wave your flag. My problem with all organized religion is that it BREEDS fanatics.
Paul Watson wrote: "At the end of the day it is what you produce that counts, not how many doctorates you have on the wall."
George Carlin wrote: "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things."