ParanoiA

Might have sounded like it, but no, I would not argue that it's fair. Right, and income taxes require circumventing apportionment. So you peal off the layers of law in the order they were put on. Repealing the 16th amendment gets rid of income taxes - or at least without apportionment which will send them right back to the messes they were dealing with prior to 1913. It is accurate to say that the 16th amendment empowers the income tax. Repealing the amendment is also a democratic process which is what is being proposed. No one is trying to "go around" the democratic process, rather are advocating the illegitimacy of the amendment and are trying to persuade others to agree. Persuasion is kind of a weird word in politics because the gut reaction of the two party seige is to just pass laws and force compliance to their whims rather than to avoid mangling carefully written laws and actually persuade people to comply out of free will. Our society, most particularly are current crop, is scared to death of freedom.

Sounds like you adapted and learned to adjust and adapt to get what you need out of life. Also sounds like you were tolerant of others. Imagine that... Good post John. Nowadays the students would get their way and I'd bet he'd have to quit all of his oddities. That's the modern version of tolerance I guess.

I agree with most of that Snail, although I have recently suffered from the latency issue due to percussion. I use an electronic kit now instead of writing the MIDI note by note. The drawback is the latency because the delay screws me up while I'm playing. If I decide to turn off the playback so I don't hear the delay, then I can only hear the sounds of rubber pads being smacked and it's hard to make out the timing or hear any mistakes until after the fact. And then I have to slide the track a few milliseconds to get it lined up with the rest of the music. So, I agree that latency is probably overrated most of the time, I guess, but there are times when it's a serious enough issue that it can cause a lot of headache. And I'll bet Sisyphus is glued to the screen reading about this. I'm just sure he's fascinated with all this.

So, would you listen to the science being presented by global warming skeptics rather than dismiss them because they work for "big oil"? I've seen that particular trend right here on SFN.

Absolutely hilarious. I love it. I'm going to print it and circulate it at work tomorrow. This will be interesting. I especially loved the whole AMD bit.

The country was founded by people who believed in non actual facts. Half the country still believes in non actual facts and they vote and put people in office to represent their non actual facts. In fact, me and alot of others really cherish the document written by those founders who believed in non actual facts yet still managed to put together a system that doesn't endorse them. We elect the president. He doesn't get the job unless we let him have it. So if we don't trust his education based on religious ideology, then we don't have to elect him.

Well, maybe our run-ins as kids has desensitized our judgement of the lethal capacity of basic combat. Kicking a person while they're down (not unconscious), is wrong and dirty - agreed. Kicking a person while they're unconscious is beyond wrong and dirty - that's attempted murder. I don't think it matters if they thought they were trying to kill him or not. Teenagers are relatively stupid, and they have a low respect for others and life in general (which I've read has a biological basis too) - so I don't doubt that they didn't think it would kill him. But people get beat to death from less than what this victim went through. 6 people kicking an unconscious person over and over again is attempted murder in my book.

I actually looked into loading Pro Tools when I researched the Mbox and got so turned off by the hardware/software exclusivity - especially for the price. It's like, you better like that Mbox...because there's no alternative. Well, another Digidesign box maybe...

I did initially, but I don't see that now. He was knocked unconscious on the first blow. Everything after that can't even be considered "fighting", even if the first surprise (sucker) punch was considered the start of a brawl. 5 other people helped beat on a person that was knocked out - and a weapon was apparently used. How can that not be attempted murder? Of course, I'm making my position per the information we are given - which is quite a sore alternative for a court of law.

This whole incident just gets stinkier... And I wonder...I just wonder if his op-ed piece is really about pacifying the black folks in rage by making them believe they're passionate about punishing the white kids for hanging nooses. I can't believe anyone would really think that's a good precedent. But I think he does a decent job of partitioning what was legal and what wasn't and what he's allowed to pursue. I liked his analogy of likening the attack at school to an attack on your street. It makes sense. But he's also outlined that the noose incident and this attack were unrelated - that it's the media and us that have tied the two together. So, with that in mind, what would indicate this attack was a hate crime?

Why not?

I prefer PC, but only because it's more of an open architecture so I can mix and match peripherals and sink money on necessary components while being cheap on the others. As a musician, Mac is always being touted as the best and is on board with Pro Tools LE - which is a perfect match since both products are closed off hardware/software all-in-one fixes - and won't play with anyone else. However I challenge how well Mac can be utilized when you're forced to use a specific set of hardware devices. PC allows me to use the latest and greatest soundcard to use with the latest and greatest software sequencer. Just my two cents. From my limited experience, both PC and Mac have equal pontential to be problem children, so I tend to focus on the flexibility - which may or may not matter to you.

Ooh, I hadn't thought of that one. Good question...

And I disagree with that as a law. I love my kids, so I would be sure we bought plastic guns with red caps and so forth, but to make it a law is wrong, in my opinion. Like I said, it cuts both ways. I don't see how you can say I'm "free" when I have to be sure everything I do doesn't get misinterpreted by you or else I'm in jail. And, if someone gets killed because they used a fake plastic gun, then that will be worked out as justified in court. It's their own stupid fault. Just like I don't see how anybody has any right to demand that you wear clothes. Likewise, don't complain to the rest of us that everyone is starring at you. I don't understand the problem. Everything worked here except the aftermath. She exercised her freedom. Law enforcement responded. Learned it wasn't a threat after all. Then, the stupidity started... I see no rights violation. If someone threatens my family with a plastic gun, and I kill them, then good for me and stupid for him. He claimed it was a gun. At the very least he made a threat accompanied by that plastic gun, that apparently does not have a red tip or any other "toy" indicator, so it would be a justifiable kill in a court of law judged by my peers. Understand what I'm saying...I don't blame the police for suspecting a contraption as a weapon. I don't blame society for reacting to the appearance of "deadly devices". This is all reasonable and easily argued in court. I have a problem with generating laws - highly subjective, open to interpretation kinds of laws. Some idiot makes bombs with wires and a perf board and suddenly I can't walk around with my home made clock on my chest or I go to jail? Ridiculous thinking for a modern, supposedly intellectual, free society.

I don't doubt AT ALL the she knew exactly what she was doing - I simply see no violation of anyone's rights except hers. I have a right to carry around any stupid contraption I want, provided it's not an actual weapon, and I don't see why the onus should be on me to be sure it doesn't look like something that you will freak out about. I'm sorry if you think it looks like a bomb, that's your problem. And turn about is fair play. If she's going to run around with a contraption like that, then she ought not act surprised when the authorities freak out and react accordingly. The precedence is already set. It's done. Too late to worry about that. And what's the presedence? That we can disguise our gadgets and home made projects like bombs? Did we really never see that coming when discussing freedom and it's price? Maybe not specifically, but I don't see a good reason to violate our civil rights based on goofy ideas of "bomb looking" stuff. Several posters have already mentioned that actual bombs will not be detectable by the naked eye. It could be a laptop, a cell phone, a piece of fruit, or a gangly display of wires and silly puddy. How does restricting "gangly displays of wires and silly puddy" help prevent real terrorism? And how does the desensitization of gawdy look-alike-bombs hurt anything? Think about it. We gain nothing either way. You either allow all gadgets or no gadgets. Cherry picking still leaves us vulnerable. Freedom isn't convenient. But it's worth it.

Oh I'm so biting my tongue here...let me just say, dittos....

Ok, I work in a medium security facility filled with security guards and let me just say very clearly - Do not encourage them to think for themselves. If it's got wires, a battery, looks crude and "explosive-like" - then by all means STOP THE IDIOT! Don't be even more of an idiot by assuming "Oh, bombs don't look like that..." That's ridiculous. I hope to god no security people frequent this forum and get motivated to do nothing because they don't want to look stupid, or suddenly they think they're a bomb making expert. If I was a terrorist, now that I've seen what's happened in Boston, I would make a bomb and then purposely expose wires, throw in some putty, maybe even write the word "bomb" on it - all in hopes that no one will do anything this time - to keep from looking stupid - and then blow up a mall or something. With that in mind, what's illegal about running around with a box of exposed wires, a circuit board and a battery? I see no issue here AT ALL. This person exercised their freedom and wore something that freaked us out - the authorities pulled their weapons and ordered her down and later realized it was not an actual bomb. SHE NEVER SAID IT WAS A BOMB. They interpreted that themselves, so I see no wrongdoing on her part at all. Let her go and laugh it off. The price of freedom. It's rather cheap in comparison...

Yeah, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say either...I missed the mark, sorry. I don't know why it didn't make an impression on me that this is a community college. But this is just more subjective criticism. I'm sure creationists have their own arguments with the same kind of tenacity. I think we go to too much trouble to try to make people see it our way - the religious-free way. Let them run their own schools, learn their own facts - and compete with the rest of us in the job market. How far do you think "god did it" is going to get them? I mean really. Similar to opposing communism - rather than fight them, trade with them so they have to compete with your superior market. These things will work themselves out with time. If religio-education is truly dumbing down certain concepts, then they'll suffer in the job market appropriately. As for the teacher, I guess it was wrong to fire him, but only on a personal level. I wouldn't have felt good about dismissing him if I was the boss. But, I have no issue with employment at will.

Good post Pioneer.

Yet another example of how flexibility and diversity in the education market is needed. Private school could be responsive to this kind of issue. Scientifically supported schooling for us, devout religious education for them. And all the flavors in between. No need to fire anyone, just let me have my money that's being spent on worthless one-size-fits-all state education, so I can get my kids in the environment I choose. It's a freedom thing...

What a weird turn of events. I've been scratching my head trying to figure out why Moveon.org matters. They're idiots, so why bother? Anyone who attacks a guy like Petraeus, right out of the gate, with ZERO reason to do so is an obvious agenda driven activist nutcase. Petraeus is who he is no matter who's in the oval office or who's running the legislature. I believe it has far more to do with the fact that he's military and GWB is currently running the show. Democrats pay lip service to supporting the military, but really their relationship with the military these days is similar to the relationship between republicans and unions. The only thing that should have happened is what did happen initially - republicans took them to the carpet and attempted to force the democrat's collective hand on the matter on the media stage. I can't believe they took it to a house level.

Aeternus - I've never read HGTG, but no, I don't think that was it. I was always turned off by the humor angle. YT - I don't think that was it, but still cool nonetheless. Thanks. I just scanned it since I'm at work, but I'll read it when I get home. Spyman - No, that's definitely not it, but that's such a cool angle. There wasn't a god, but there is now - awesome. I'm hoping Phi comes through here because that really sounds like it. It was the whole discovery of the method to everything, which thereby caused extinction - vanishing - something to that effect. I would like to incorporate a comparable subplot into a story I'm working on, but I want to avoid a rehash - plus it sounds interesting to think about.

Actually, I think if society is going to depend on its government to do everything, then yes it is probably the government's blame. Our country, however, is kind of a mixture of a socialist theme stirred up with a capitalist foundation. The result, is an inconsistent dependency on government or society. I would blame the consumer first and foremost. We have the power and we choose to not to give a crap. Any efficient energy techniques and resources will not be explored and pursued as long as we don't then buy them and therefore help with the research and start up costs. Instead, as swansont has mentioned, we only care about how much it's costing us today - not how much we could save tomorrow. I'm not letting us off of the hook. It's our fault.

How freaking sad...I mean really...

Was thinking yesterday about a book my dad told me about many years ago, Something about human advancement, that humans continued to learn and piece together the workings of the universe to the point that eventually the moment came that one of us finally realized the final piece and therefore knew the meaning of why we're here, the purpose and workings of life, time, space, physics, the universe - the ultimate knowledge...and died taking the species with him. Not sure if the earth was destroyed or whatnot, but it was something like that. My dad doesn't remember this book and he's even having a hard time remembering telling me about it....(if memory resilience is hereditary it's not looking good for me...) Anyway, I just found it fascinating how this "knowledge" could cause death, let alone the death of the entire species, or even some other type of destructive outcome - some desecration. Does anyone recognize this idea and what book it might be from? Even if it's not the same one, I would enjoy reading something on it.