Let me preface my comments by saying I generally don't watch the message list very closely, but for some reason, this caught my eye. I am also not a frequent commenter, so that may diminish my comments in your eyes, but, here goes anyway.
I am Kinda in the legal field. While some things I agree with about the law, others I don't. However, h00man being 2, again, your analogy isn't on target. It isn't a matter or being able to reproduce them cost free, or if it will be wasted, and I guess according to you, if it will be wasted, then WHY CAN'T I HAVE IT. Simply, it's a matter of who is paying for it. The person who pays to raise the crops, maintain the tree, water it, whatever he has to do to keep it alive, is entitled to decide what happens with the tree, and it's fruits. Here is my attempt at an analogy. Here in California, and I assume many other states, residents must pay for their water. So, lets say I pay 50 bucks a month for all the water I can use, coming down the 4 inch pipe coming to my house. But, what if my neighbor, for what ever reason, decides that he is gonna tap into my line, and since I am already paying for the water, and he can easily "tap" into my line with out me knowing, and he figures I won't be paying anything extra, and since I haven't done anything to guard the pipe, even though I may easily do so, that he can siphon off just a couple of gallons a month, or week, or day. The fact remains, that someone is paying for that water, Me. Now truth be told, I may not care if he takes some of my water, heck, I might even set up a well in yard so everyone can take some water for free, but it should be my choice. Not the choice of someone else. And, if he does siphon off some of my water, with out my permission, he has "stolen" from me. If I use very little water, and he uses a lot of water, then most of my money, since I have paid for the water, has been stolen. But even if I use a hell of allot of water on my own, and he uses just the tiniest bit, he has stolen from me, just much less. Now, is stealing allot of money worse then stealing a little bit, well, stealing is stealing. The punishment should be different, but the crime has occurred. Is it ethical to take someone's paid for property, even though it doesn't cost him extra, and he can get as much as he needs no matter what, well the answer to that is NO, it is not ethical. Ethics aren't based on what happens to others, it is whether what you are doing, is right or wrong. What is right it to pay for what you receive, unless it is given away. What is wrong it getting something for free, from someone who either hasn't given it to you, or doesn't even know you have received it. Well, my .02. Hope no one minds. Michael ----- Original Message ----- From: "h00man being 2" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 9:05 AM Subject: Re: [nycwireless] Goal Accomplished > >Please consider your argument when someone drives away with your car or > your > >bike or your TV or stereo! > > I'm tired of this comparison of getting free things on digital things that > cost nothing to reproduce, to stealing actual hardware. > > The comparison just doesn't stand up. > > You could compare it to taking a fruit in a tree that isn't obviously isn't > going to get picked, instead of letting it fall to the ground, too. But > there's a grumpy old man who won't let anyone have them, falling rotten or > not. > > And then he calls you a thief. > > In any regular town, it may not be strictly legal, but the policemen will > gladly jump the fence and take the fruit too, if they can. And they > certainly won't arrest the twelve-year-old kid who took one. > > Software doesn't grow on trees, you say? Yes it does. Look at all the free > software you can get. > > The fruits, in fact, have now been successfully regulated, and are no longer > free, and you now will actually get taken to jail for taking one from the > market, hungry or not, children's prank or not. > > Laws are made to protect and increase the established wealth, and you are > just one more of those become poor and more unhappy in the process, whether > you realize it or not. > > -- > NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ > Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ > Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/ -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
