blaen99

iTrader: (6)

I'd think that should be self-evident at this point ;p.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

that all men are created equal?

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

Like a G6, yo.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

Jeff_Ciesielski

iTrader: (10)

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

hmmmm. looks like fox and msnbc are preventing this millionaire from ******* you over harder.

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

Ugh. Politicians just seem to want to hide everything, and something like Wikileaks or Fox News/MSNBC gets them up in arms.

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

You understand why, though, right?

They no longer work for us. We are their subjects, and when a private citizen dares to suggest that our government be held accountable for its actions, the bureaucrats are incensed.

We let this happen.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I can't tell whether the [sarcasm] tag has been applied in the above.

[serious]

If we have genuinely given up on the courts, then it's pretty much game over. Without a functioning judicial system, the congress will tend to drift into deadlock and the power of the executive becomes essentially unlimited, not to mention the fact that the everyday criminal justice system will cease to function.

we might just as well install a dictator and then convert to a hereditary monarchy.

[/serious]

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

[serious]
But it's fairly obvious our current judicial system has serious problems. Look at the difference in "justice" of the poor vs. rich.

While perhaps it is not at the level you refer to yet, if you look at the courts of today vs. a few decades ago, there has been a definite decline
[/serious]

mgeoffriau

iTrader: (7)

We lost the courts when judges began wielding their power to accomplish social goals and create de facto legislation, rather than consistently applying existing law.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

hey! We have the best government that money can buy.


Social Justice as it should be defined: Those who refuse to work go hungry

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

So the argument is that freedom of expression and freedom of the press is an all-or-nothing affair? That the press must be allowed to print anything, for any reason, without restriction?

Well, ****. Let's just go ahead and publish the patrol orders of all US submarines, the details of every troop movement, the codes and procedures required to arm and launch every missile / torpedo / UAV that we own, and the identity and location of every individual in the federal witness relocation program.



What about corporations? Can they have secrets? What happens when somebody sends a copy of the FPGA code from the product we're designing right now to all of the trade publications in my industry? Is it OK for them to publish it? How about VISA's database of everybody's credit card number, name, address, etc?



What about individuals? Would you mind if I shared with the rest of the forum your IP address, forum password, email password, bank account number, PIN, and SSN? Or a copy of the receipts from your last ten purchases from ******.com? Or the results of your HIV test?


Secrecy is not an inherently evil concept.

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

What you are referring to and what Wikileaks has actually released are two entirely different things, Joe.

I could say, as an example, that you support child molestors and think it should be a part of daily life of all Americans when you said "That guy might not be guilty of what he is accused of".

Wikileaks has far, far more damaging material. All they posted of what they had was just embarassing for certain US politicians - even according to the Secretary of State, nothing actually did damage to the US.

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

HIV test results should be worn like a scarlet letter.

JasonC SBB

Same bastard wishes the Internet never existed and wants to censor it:

Braineack

iTrader: (62)

The most important ways in which I think the Internet will affect the big issue is that it will make it more difficult for government to collect taxes.
Milton Friedman

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Judges are specifically allowed to create de-facto legislation. It's called "stare decisis" and is one of the primary functions of the appellate courts.

Another way in which laws can be created without the input of the congress or a popular vote are rulings by regulatory bodies (the FCC, the FAA, CARB, etc).



I diagree. In fact, I disagree quite strongly.

Looking specifically at the US Supreme Court over the past 10-15 years, I see a definite trend towards limitation and/or reduction of federal powers in favor of states' rights (United States v. Lopez, United States v. Morrison), preservation of the spirit of the Fourth Amendment (Wilson v. Layne, Indianapolis v. Edmond, Kyllo v. United States), the First Amendment (Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition) and on and on.

Obviously not every decision is one with which I agree, or even one which I feel is just. But from saying that "this particular decision was stupid" or "this justice is biased" is a far cry from the decline of the justice system as we know it.

blaen99

iTrader: (6)

I'm surprised you didn't cite the recent 2nd amendment decision as well, as it also supports your argument.

However, that is not what I am irritated at. As an example, for campaign finance, in some bizzaro world - corporations are now people. Yeah, wonderful.

I am not referring to supreme court decisions for the most part - there's a few, like the above, that just make me go wtf. Rather, I am referring to lower court decisions.

As an example, I can easily do 100+ on 60mph roads if I want*. Even if I get ticketed, I know my attorney will have it down to speeding at 10+, or at MOST, 20+. People who can't afford an attorney will get reckless. You see this repeated throughout our judicial system - and it is ultimately what I also view as a plague on our political system. The sway of money is far too great in my eyes. Perhaps I'm wrong, I'll grant you that, but I really feel that moneyed interests have more influence in either than in the past several decades.

*: Again, if I want. My speedy hijinks are confined to track.