Most of these guys are older, richer, and whiter than the average citizen of this fine country. They probably think that "stop and frisk" is fine police work, and "strengthening the border" is appropriate immigration policy. Now that it is their ox being gored, it's a whole different story.
WHEN will the right-wingers get it through their heads that if SOME of us have no constitutional rights, NONE of us has constitutional rights?
When employers demand your Facebook and Twitter passwords to explore your private life, ANYTHING you've done when you were 12 can be a fatal bar to gainful employment. This is not government overreach. This is private corporations choosing to be arbitrary about their decisions. And there is no appeal.
This will be the first generation that grows to adulthood with nowhere to hide from their stupidity. Do we really want to make people who do stupid when they are 12 or 13 unemployable for life?
Note, by the way, that the well-off and well-connected will NOT have to suffer this fate. They do not get jobs by applying online. They get jobs through daddy's friends, and the Yale buddies they went to school with. This is strictly an issue for the 99%.
I firmly support the Press as a brake on the government. Having said that, I have serious concerns about this case, along with the Fox "News" reporter and his leak concerning the North Koreans.
Both of these cases caused it to become known that we had human intelligence sources inside regimes/organizations that are REALLY REALLY hard to get inside sources to penetrate. North Korea and Al Queda are paranoid, insular, and really nasty. Getting a double agent into either of them is something I would consider important.
So, while it is the nature of governments to cover their asses by over-classifying anything that would embarrass them, sometimes there really is a really good reason NOT to leak something.
You are overlooking the double dip on this one: right wingers hate anything to do with 'green' technology. North Carolina outlawed using real science to forecast sea level rise, remember? Although the green-eye-shade actuaries at the insurance companies writing homeowners' insurance won't be as stupid as the politicos...
I am new to this site, and am thrilled to find it. If my comment is old news to all of you, I apologize.
I have been a big fan of Baen Books for a long time, and they have pretty much established beyond a reasonable doubt that if you make an author's back-list available for free as an eBook, not only do hard-copy sales go up, but eBook sales go up.
My personal experience is as follows: for authors I love and can't wait for the next book, I will spend $15 to get an Advanced Readers Copy as an eBook. (eARC)
Then, when the hard-copy book comes out, I buy one of those.
In some cases, I have a hardcover, a paperback, the eARC, and an Audible.com version. I grant you, this is a bit extreme, but...I can afford to indulge. But the beauty of the BAEN model is, if I were a person of limited means, I could download lots of books for free, and try out new authors without risking hard cash. I have discovered several new authors this way, and went out and BOUGHT more recent books from them, once I knew I loved their stuff.
Now that I have a Kindle, because Baen doesn't believe in DRM nonsense, I simply hooked my Kindle up to my computer and moved all my previously purchased eBooks over to my new Kindle.
When an eBook is available on both Amazon and Baen, I buy direct from Baen, because I want them to grow and thrive.
Eric Flint has a long discussion about why Baen thinks this is a good idea.
http://baen.com/library/intro.asp
If any of you haven't gone to Baen Books yet, have at it.
BestNetTech has not posted any stories submitted by GrrlGeek1972.
Deputy Dawg's Lawsuit
I thought Texas was supposed to be an Amurrican heaven, because them damn librul lawyers couldn't sue people for frivolous stuff??????
Old White Guys get empathy
Most of these guys are older, richer, and whiter than the average citizen of this fine country. They probably think that "stop and frisk" is fine police work, and "strengthening the border" is appropriate immigration policy. Now that it is their ox being gored, it's a whole different story.
WHEN will the right-wingers get it through their heads that if SOME of us have no constitutional rights, NONE of us has constitutional rights?
But in today's world, the consequences are total
When employers demand your Facebook and Twitter passwords to explore your private life, ANYTHING you've done when you were 12 can be a fatal bar to gainful employment. This is not government overreach. This is private corporations choosing to be arbitrary about their decisions. And there is no appeal.
This will be the first generation that grows to adulthood with nowhere to hide from their stupidity. Do we really want to make people who do stupid when they are 12 or 13 unemployable for life?
Note, by the way, that the well-off and well-connected will NOT have to suffer this fate. They do not get jobs by applying online. They get jobs through daddy's friends, and the Yale buddies they went to school with. This is strictly an issue for the 99%.
Leakers and the government
I firmly support the Press as a brake on the government. Having said that, I have serious concerns about this case, along with the Fox "News" reporter and his leak concerning the North Koreans.
Both of these cases caused it to become known that we had human intelligence sources inside regimes/organizations that are REALLY REALLY hard to get inside sources to penetrate. North Korea and Al Queda are paranoid, insular, and really nasty. Getting a double agent into either of them is something I would consider important.
So, while it is the nature of governments to cover their asses by over-classifying anything that would embarrass them, sometimes there really is a really good reason NOT to leak something.
How do we draw the line?
North Carolina vs. Tesla
You are overlooking the double dip on this one: right wingers hate anything to do with 'green' technology. North Carolina outlawed using real science to forecast sea level rise, remember? Although the green-eye-shade actuaries at the insurance companies writing homeowners' insurance won't be as stupid as the politicos...
Free ebooks and authors' bank accounts
I am new to this site, and am thrilled to find it. If my comment is old news to all of you, I apologize.
I have been a big fan of Baen Books for a long time, and they have pretty much established beyond a reasonable doubt that if you make an author's back-list available for free as an eBook, not only do hard-copy sales go up, but eBook sales go up.
My personal experience is as follows: for authors I love and can't wait for the next book, I will spend $15 to get an Advanced Readers Copy as an eBook. (eARC)
Then, when the hard-copy book comes out, I buy one of those.
In some cases, I have a hardcover, a paperback, the eARC, and an Audible.com version. I grant you, this is a bit extreme, but...I can afford to indulge. But the beauty of the BAEN model is, if I were a person of limited means, I could download lots of books for free, and try out new authors without risking hard cash. I have discovered several new authors this way, and went out and BOUGHT more recent books from them, once I knew I loved their stuff.
Now that I have a Kindle, because Baen doesn't believe in DRM nonsense, I simply hooked my Kindle up to my computer and moved all my previously purchased eBooks over to my new Kindle.
When an eBook is available on both Amazon and Baen, I buy direct from Baen, because I want them to grow and thrive.
Eric Flint has a long discussion about why Baen thinks this is a good idea.
http://baen.com/library/intro.asp
If any of you haven't gone to Baen Books yet, have at it.