America's Hidden Slavery

[Juvenis]

The definition of slavery in my title I learned from Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), 16th President of The United States, signer of the 1833

"Emancipation Proclamation" to free African-American slaves, Lincoln said it in the Seventh and Last Debate with Stephen A. Douglas, Alton,

Illinois, October 15, 1858, the famous debates that put Lincoln on the road to Presidency: "That is the issue that will continue in this country

when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong

-- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right

of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, 'You work and toil and earn bread, and

I'll eat it.' No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live

by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race [or other people, it is the same tyrannical

principle." One form of present day Hidden Slavery: most of America's independent inventors lose their patent rights in the courts. American Contract Law permits corporations to fight independent inventors (and their inheritors) for up to 99 years -- as in one case I found online -- until the independent side can no longer afford legal action. (Irony: The Fourteenth Amendment to The Constitution to provide civil rights to former slaves was interpreted by The Supreme Court to make corporations legal! Are corporations our inventor plantations? And

do the banks know this, in denying loans to striving inventors?) Today's Americans and Media mavens ignore the fact that America's most

famous inventor, Thomas Edison (1847-1931), spent more money defending his patents in the courts than he made from licenses. Today's Americans and Media mavens ignore past inventors (especially women and African-Americans) who endowed our lives: they

work and toil while we eat their bread. Historians denigrate invention by citing as the only "Industrial Revolution" what should be called

The Thermodynamic Industtrial Revolution</i>, beginning in 1776 with an effective steam engine, ignoring The Mechanical Industrial

Revolution of 12th-13th centuries when monks built thousands of wind mills and water mills over Europe and Britain (cited in "The Medieval

Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Ages", J. Gimpel. Also ignoring The Electrical Industrial Revolution, beginning in 1880

when Thomas Edison wired the streets of NYC. Ignoring The Electronic Industrial Revolution, beginning with 1920's radio stations. And

The Photonic-Nanotech Industrial Revolution, begun recently. Today's Americans and Media mavens ignore Sam Slater (1768-1835), Father of the American Industrial Revolution, whose inventiveness founded the first major American industry: textiles. (Wikipedia has this.) A

1980's newspaper reported that the only kitchen convenience not created by independent inventors in basement or garage was the

garbage disposal. A 1980's TV network program, "If Japan Can Do It, Why Can't We?", reported many cases wherein American inventors

were ignored in America but paid and honored in other countries. (Jack Kilby, American inventor of the microchip, was honored in Japan for this decades before being honored here.) Have you heard of Margaret Knight (1838-1914)? You've used her invention: the box-type paper shopping bag. Knight built the machine making these,

and her original machine is in The Smithsonian Museum. Google("women inventors+jonhays") to read of her and others. Today, the only extant history of early American inventors, "Yankee Science in the Making" (1958), was written by a Dutch-American mathematician, Dirk Sruik (1894-2000). Many inventors listed by Struik invented guns for the American Revolution and for developing our new country, but America's two largest gun-firms are now owned by British interests, a fact ignored by The National Rifle Association as well as by Americans and Media mavens. Also ignored are debts to scientists.

The TV screen and computer screen are consequences of the 1905 "Photo-Electric Effect Law" of Albert Einstein (1875-1955). Thanks,

Al!--Years ago I formulated a "find cuurent independent inventors test". Each year I'd calculate the number of years since end of WWII.

Then go back the same number of years before WWII. I'd consult the current "World Almanac" (popular with Americans) to see the number

of independent inventors listed. Usually, I'd find A DECLINE OF ABOUT 400 PER CENT! If that were a comparable decline in newspapers or TV station or motion picture theaters, you'd hear about it! Does any one care about this hidden slavery and its effect upon our lives?

[iNow]

I'm guessing it's not you who wrote this book? If not, you really need to provide a citation, since you lifted the text right off of page 223:

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZhJQCsOCgGgC&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq=%22principle+in+whatever+shape+it+develops+itself+it+is+the+same+spirit+that+says%22&source=web&ots=WGQvK8sMZd&sig=XT-vBHShs8zz9nO9s3cCwEKjHmE&hl=en#PPP1,M1

[ecoli]

what the hell are you talking about?

[Pangloss]

Warning issued.

[ecoli]

iNow, you were mistaken in your accusations of plagiarism. I've reversed the warning and re-opened the thread.

[iNow]

Okay. Thanks. He's still completely incomprehensible and is clearly copying/pasting text off of some other editor. I don't really care either way, I just made a post that there was text (which I googled) appearing exactly word-for-word on page 223 of the book I linked. What you guys on the staff decide to do is between you.

[D H]

Juvenis, your thread is very ill-formed; it looks like you cut-and-pasted from elsewhere and retained the original line breaks. I'm going to ignore the sweeping generalizations (far too many) and focus instead on three of the people you mentioned: Edison, Knight, and Einstein.

 

Today's Americans and Media mavens ignore the fact that America's most famous inventor, Thomas Edison (1847-1931), spent more money defending his patents in the courts than he made from licenses.

First, statements such as these should be backed up with citations. Second, this looks like a red herring. Edison didn't patent things so he could license the patents. He patented devices so he could build and sell said devices directly, and without competition.

 

Have you heard of Margaret Knight (1838-1914)? You've used her invention: the box-type paper shopping bag. Knight built the machine making these, and her original machine is in The Smithsonian Museum.

Margaret Knight is an example of the the patent system functioning well, not poorly. Others could and would have simply used her design without any compensation had we had no intellectual property law. Her design was patented, but the patent was issued to a thief. The theft was uncovered and the patent restored to Knight. Knight went on to found the Eastern Paper Bag Co., a company which to this day manufacturers paper bags.

 

The TV screen and computer screen are consequences of the 1905 "Photo-Electric Effect Law" of Albert Einstein (1875-1955). Thanks, Al!

Einstein discovered the photoelectric effect. He did not invent any applications based on his discoveries. Discovery and invention are distinct concepts.

 

 

===========================================================

 

 

He's still completely incomprehensible ...

No argument here!

 

...and is clearly copying/pasting text off of some other editor.

 

No, he is not. Juvenis provided the proper citation:

 

Lincoln said it in the Seventh and Last Debate with Stephen A. Douglas, Alton, Illinois, October 15, 1858, the famous debates that put Lincoln on the road to Presidency: "That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas ... "

 

The cited text is in quotes and is properly referenced. Lincoln is indeed the original source; he said this during the seventh Lincoln-Douglas debate. Other a quote that pertains to the topic at hand, what more could you ask for?

 

FYI, the entire debate is at http://www.nps.gov/archive/liho/debate7.htm.