tim, i prefer to think i am a realist, but i'm probably just a fatalist. i don't believe in the system. were i to have enough money, i would purchase an old nuclear warhead from whomever would sell it and set it off in... oh crap, too many targets... let's pick washington DC for now. so we bring down the government. who's next? the religious right? the media? micro$quish? c'mon. that's the real problem with fighting "oppression." anything you look at could be considered "oppression." the fact that i have to dress nicely and not swear in my office could be considered "oppression." in my mind, when humans became "civilized" and converted from hunter-gatherers to an agricultural society was the point where we began to fail as a species. the struggle between the 5% and the 10% over the 85% has been going on forever. and don't forget : once the five percent have brought down the 10%, they will inevitably become the 10% themselves. it's a vicious cycle that will probably never end. humans have always sought power over other humans. simply by "fighting oppression", you have committed yourself to a course of action that will put you, or someone you would prefer, in power. people have always had laws. the apes, birds... hell, even insects have laws they follow. when you want to change those laws, you do either of two things : leave the nest or start a revolt. and what happens when you change those laws? someone else decides they don't like them and you find yourself in the same position the previous rulers were in. i'm all for talking to congressmen, starting revolts, etc... but what does it accomplish in the end? nothing. nature abhores a vaccumn. just like politics. i do have a solution, however : kill off 99.9% of the human race and start over. and i don't expect to be a survivor. in real response to your mail, all i have to say is that americans have got to be the laziest sons of bitches on the planet. what we really need to affect some change around here is something serious enough to get everyone off their asses and do something about it. hmmm, as i look to the horizon of time, i see something coming quite soon. perhaps in the next ten years or so. i'll bide my time and keep my pistol close to my heart. now, jacob had a good idea while i was going off on this tirade, and i think i'm going to take him up on it. i have an old pentium with enough RAM to run a web server, a fast internet connection and a domain name. the world is mine. the real question becomes : who's listening and do they care? disclaimer : these views belong to me and i don't care what you think of them. they are not targeted at any members of the LUG or intended to insult said members. just voicing my opinion. you know how you like your morning coffee tim? i think i need more mountain dew. it's been a hell of a day. > -----Original Message----- > From: Tim Howe [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 3:30 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [EUG-LUG:1689] Re: Free Dmitry Sklyarov - Fight DMCA > > That's what they want you to think. In fact, many people in many > countries > fight oppression every day. Our government is just better at making us > feel > useless than most. Hell, Russia and China are changing because the people > wanted change. We can't even put a president in the white house by > popular > vote. In any other country, there would be riots in the streets, but in > America, we just Baaa and go about our lives. > > Tim > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of > > Justin Bengtson > > Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 3:15 PM > > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > > Subject: [EUG-LUG:1686] Re: Free Dmitry Sklyarov - Fight DMCA > > > > > > wow... EUGLUG 1984. > > > > the more you think about it, the more you realize you can't > > do anything > > about it. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Jacob Meuser [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 3:18 PM > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: [EUG-LUG:1685] Re: Free Dmitry Sklyarov - Fight DMCA > > > > > > On Thu, Jul 19, 2001 at 01:11:10PM -0700, Tim Howe wrote: > > > > I hope you are right. The current attitude in this country that > > > whatever a > > > > large corporation says is law scares the shit out of me... > > > > > > > I think you can trace this back to the 1920's and in particular the > > > Sect. of the Treas. at the time, Andrew Melon. I can't remember the > > > exact quote, but it goes something like this: > > > "The only true Americans are the industrial barons. They > > are the ones > > > who have worked hard to make America what is is." > > > > > > Other interesting notes on Andrew Melon: > > > He was the banker for du Pont, one of the first > > corporations in Ameirica. > > > The du Ponts made most of their money selling muntitions. > > (Their highest > > > profit margins of all time were during the Civil War.) > > > > > > He was responsible for what are known today as the FBI and the DEA. > > > > > > He was one of, if not THE wealthiest person in America > > when he was the > > > Treasury Secretary. > > > > > > Sorry for the history bit. I just wanted point out that corruption > > > is nothing new, and the US Gov't is VERY unwilling to admit that any > > > mistakes were ever made. > > > > > > > We have the most gullible and sheepish intellectual > > middle class in the > > > > world. > > > > > > > What do you expect, when our schools don't teach us to think, but to > > > repeat "The Truth". I find it amusing that Plato was > > mentioned in this > > > discussion. He said that to rule effectively, you had to propogate > > > a "Golden Myth", a story (read LIE) that people would > > believe, so that > > > they would happily go about their lives, and not cause > > problems (read > > > THINK FOR THEMSELVES). In America, we have the Myth of Celebrity, > > > the Myth of Wealth, and the ultra hippocritical Myth of > > Family Values. > > > > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >
