myzar Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 it must really suck to be a poor usa citizen.. you used to be the land of the free and now you can't even talk about something without breaking the dmca.. again must really suck to be american this is so sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaS Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 it must really suck to be a poor usa citizen.. you used to be the land of the free and now you can't even talk about something without breaking the dmca.. again must really suck to be american this is so sad It must really suck to be a citizen of some poor country were you have to knock other ppl to make yourself feel better.Although it is sad that some forms of speech are not free.I still think its the best country in the world.The same thing that protects the DMCA is the same thing that protects all americans...its called the law.and I wouldnt want to live anywhere that doesnt respect everyones rights under the law.Including the People ... thats right People that own the software thats protected by the DMCA. I hope you can understand ... but i doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryder Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 it must really suck to be a poor usa citizen.. you used to be the land of the free and now you can't even talk about something without breaking the dmca.. again must really suck to be american this is so sad As much as it might suck to be an American ( I don't know - I'm Canadian), it sucks more to be part of this wonderful free country where we call it a democracy, however, that's only true once every 4-5 years. Any other time it's a dictatorship. There are no free votes in the Parliament here in Canada. Before the polls close even half-way across the country the Government has already been decided in the corrupt province of Ontario, where the Federal Government buys its votes from the people. A "free" country here where you can't even import TV from the good 'ol US of A. It's ILLEGAL to even PURCHASE it for viewing here. Want HBO, Cartoon Network, and the like, you're going to have to pirate it by ordering it and giving a US address for billing. That's right, paying for TV here is called Piracy... they even educate you about it on our TV waves about it. How about a 20+ cent/litre (that's like $0.65 US/gal) gas tax for roads that DOESN'T EVEN GO FOR ROADS. It sucks to be an American, huh? Well, it sucks to be a Canadian. And I'm one of 'em. I say let's all move to the Moon and start our own country! Here's to autonomous collectives!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaS Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 Yes there is so much that sucks about the world.How none of us are free.as long as there is money we will never be free. And as long as there are too many people on the planet.... that someone in power feels they need to keep all those people busy,To keep themselfs safe.There will always be some system to keep you locked up in your own mind. Dependent on the system for food,education,to tell ppl what to do,when to do it and how to think and feel about it. Orginized civilzation is a big snowball rolling down hill and its only getting bigger.Sooner or later it will hit a wall and brake apart.Anyone who can survive that Will be free. There will be no more centrilized power to control your life,then you can make your own choices on your own time.and isnt that what being free really is. Doing things in your own time,sheltering yourself and feeding yourself off the land around you? no money,no drugs,not alot of ppl around you always pushing things to get what they want.no matter what the cost to other ppls lives is. That would be free,that would be True Freedom Can anyone say they live like this now? i wonder sometimes .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhLilDoggi Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 The DMCA is what *almost* is still holding this board together. DMCA or the board, your choice. And myzar, please don't make your posts so offending to people, 'cause I'm an american and (sort of) proud of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaS Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I am american too and proud of it.I can admit there are problems with the way things are set up.I went alittle over the top with the second post but I guess my mind wondered lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fra Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Hello everyone, I'm from Argentina, Sudamérica. I invite all of you take a look at this page: www.indymedia.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortis Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Hello everyone, I'm from Argentina, Sudamérica. I invite all of you take a look at this page: www.indymedia.org Well.... This is kind of extreme. But having lived a big part of my life in USA, and not being there anymore, I can tell you guys that a lot of what you call freedom and democracy is pretty shallow since you live in a country where press informs only what is in their interest (therefore it really isn´t objective!) I challenge you to read news (especially international politics and conflicts) from European or even some South American countries (such as Argentina, Brazil or Chile) for a month and you´ll find new points of view that challenge North American media. And I´m not talking about extreme independatn media. Just forget CNN for a while (and all the others that give the same news, CBS MS-NBC etc....) Disinformation really predominates among the average american Having said that, be proud of your contry, not because of the great power that it is (and abuses), but because of the great people that live there (and I´m talking about the average americans, reallye great guys!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stern Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 it must really suck to be a poor usa citizen.. yeah, it would suck to be a poor citizen of the usa because you would be poor, not because you're living in the usa. what makes your home country so good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blahsucks Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 See, you're not FORCED to watch the mainstream news in the USA... that's a totally different issue. There will always be a lack of freedom. However, I would choose law and order ofer total anarchy (or communism, which is a poorly implemented idea) in an instant. As long as there is food and valuables, there will be crime. As long as there is law, there will be corruption. There's no avoiding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortis Posted September 27, 2005 Share Posted September 27, 2005 Well, the greatest part of the rest of the world doesn´t live in anarchy. And the rest of the world doesn´t ussually agree with USA foreing policy "(remember the UN Security Council on Iraq? They were right!) Not to mention bio=evirometal laws and protocols, such as Kioto, wich the rest of the world honors except guess who! So it´s not about being american and having no other choice. There is freedom in other parts, and you should stop thinking and believing and acting as if youre above the rest of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtw Posted September 29, 2005 Share Posted September 29, 2005 A bit off topic.. but quote: How about a 20+ cent/litre (that's like $0.65 US/gal) gas tax for roads that DOESN'T EVEN GO FOR ROADS. How about 12 NOK pr. litre ? ..that's US $1.8 pr. litre ... how about a normal family car costing 300.000 NOK..that's about $ 47.000, and for that you aint getting any merc /end complaining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryder Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 A bit off topic.. but quote: How about a 20+ cent/litre (that's like $0.65 US/gal) gas tax for roads that DOESN'T EVEN GO FOR ROADS. How about 12 NOK pr. litre ? ..that's US $1.8 pr. litre ... how about a normal family car costing 300.000 NOK..that's about $ 47.000, and for that you aint getting any merc /end complaining Yes, but in your dollars (ie: "buying power") how much does that buy? At our present minimum wage ($7.00/hour), you have to work 9.43 minutes to buy one litre of gasoline (price / hourly wage = decimal * 60 = minutes) or 35.6 minutes for a US gallon of gas, and you have to work 29.57 minutes to buy a 4 litre of milk (about a gallon for those in the US of A) at the very cheapest price. Movies take about 3.5 hours to buy. To buy an average pizza meal here costs about $25 CDN (take-out), which means you have to work almost 3 hours at minimum wage to enjoy that. My mini-van cost us $50,000 CDN. We pay an enviromental levy on any container we buy, but we don't get to collect it back when we return/recycle it. The city here where I live is going to start charging about $9000/building lot "NEW LOT FEE" to pay for the cost of a residential development, however, taxes in a new development are already about 30% higher for the same value of home as in older developments. On a $250,000 house in an existing development, you pay about $4000/year in taxes, but you pay $5500/year for the property taxes. We do have "universal health-care", however, do you know what that means? My wife has a health condition where she has to take blood thinners because of blood clots. That means if she cuts herself or starts bleeding she won't stop. Well, she started bleeding REALLY HEAVY one night, and we took her to the emergency at one of the best hospitals in the city. Got there at 8 PM and she got a red "immediate care" band. We didn't get in to see a doctor unil 4 AM (yeah, 8 hours later). Someone there said they had been there for 2 days... I believe them. A guy was having problems and he got sick all over himself. What did they do? They THREW HIM OUT because he asked for help to clean it up. He couldn't even walk himself, and they picked him up and placed him on the pavement outside the hospital. That's what government-run health-care gives you. I'd rather pay less in taxes, and pay for my own health-care, thank you very much. How much does a pack of cigarettes cost you? How about $12/pack of 25? That's 1 hour and 45 minutes of work at minimum wage. Right now I'm paying 30% taxes on my income (including Employement Insurance). We are forced to pay into Employement Insurance, however, a recent study concluded that less than 40% of those WHO QUALIFY for Employement Insurance never receive the benefits when they apply. They are simply refused or turned down. So... I pay about 30% in employement taxes, 14% tax on everything I buy. Gas tax of (just researched and it's 28.5% here, so that's $0.32 CDN/litre for JUST TAX! The amount someone one welfare collects here is staggering. And the more children you have the more you collect. One single mother with 1 child collects the equivalant of $10+/hour WITHOUT EVEN WORKING! If you have 4-5 children (which many do), you collect LOTS MORE. Now I see where my taxes go... When we send our kids to school, we don't just have to buy school supplies, we have to pay this that and the other thing to the schools just for our kids to go there. You see, public schools get money from the government, but it's not enough. So what do they do? They demand more from the students who attend. $20 here, $50 there, $100 another place. Oh, you have to sell XX of chocolate almonds this fall. If you don't, you have to write a cheque to the school trustee for the school. That's total BS. Our province owns a hydro-electric company (water-generated power for those in the dark ), and a couple of years ago, the province decided to take $10 MILLION out of the hydro company so they could "balance their budget", which is required by law. What did the hydro company do? They borrowed the money against their assets. How are they paying for it? Increased hydro fees (like 50%). Ok, I think I'm done complaining about Canada. There's TONS more I could complain about, but I think you see my point that it's a SH!THOLE anywhere you live. God bless America, even though they have their problems (like world [un]acceptance, etc.) we have ours, too. Just love the country you have (unless you live under oppression). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blahsucks Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Well, the greatest part of the rest of the world doesn´t live in anarchy. And the rest of the world doesn´t ussually agree with USA foreing policy "(remember the UN Security Council on Iraq? They were right!) Not to mention bio=evirometal laws and protocols, such as Kioto, wich the rest of the world honors except guess who! So it´s not about being american and having no other choice. There is freedom in other parts, and you should stop thinking and believing and acting as if youre above the rest of the world. Hm? You don't seem to understand my meaning. I'm saying that the complaints about the DMCA are mostly overreaction unless you're a pirate or have a problem with your DRMed content. Of course it's moronic. It's not the root of all evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji_Man Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Hm? You don't seem to understand my meaning. I'm saying that the complaints about the DMCA are mostly overreaction unless you're a pirate or have a problem with your DRMed content. Of course it's moronic. It's not the root of all evil. I habitually back up my purchased audio CDs to CDR, put the originals on a shelf and put the copies in my car to listen to so I dont lose my purchase in the event of theft or damage. This use is allowed for by the fair use clause of copyright but is being more and more restricted by DRM. If you purchase your songs from iTunes or other online service why can you not make a backup copy to protect your purchase? Simple, so the greedy bastards who lobby for this sort of legislation can squeeze even more money from the consumers. No, complaints about the DMCA are not mostly an overreaction. And your logic falls along the lines of allowing the government the right to search your property at any time because if you have nothing to hide you shouldnt mind people looking. People like you are what the US fought against during the revolution. "Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" -Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blahsucks Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 Now they're mostly overreaction. Do you think someone is going to search your property tomorrow? Most US citizens are not worried about that; it doesn't suck for them. More informed people might have a problem with that, but I highly doubt 80% of the population cares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcruzlara Posted October 1, 2005 Share Posted October 1, 2005 America is pretty cool and yea I admit it's probably the best country to live in but that doesn't mean that other countries suck. What I like about Mexico is the it's free, you can do what ever you want and not even get in trouble. But in america you get in trouble for any little wrong thing you do, but that's the only flag i found to living in america. America rocks, but it kind of sucks that most american's hate mexicans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metrogirl Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 As a 'global citizen' I'm probably as qualified as anyone else to pass comment ... I am not a US citizen but I live most of the time in the US. I've worked in every continent and visited a lot of different countries, some for extended periods. You could say that I'm lucky because I have a job which is truly global. Each country has its strengths and its weaknesses. I like the US because it doesn't suffer from the exorbitant taxation regime of Europe and you can do pretty much anything as long as you don't come to the attention of the authorities (i.e. you don't {censored} anyone off). However it does disappoint me that at the time of Independence the US had a golden opportunity to create the perfect system and they've screwed it up by introducing laws to cover practically every aspect of life. The redeeming fact is that most of those laws either don't apply to you or no-one will ever know (or care) that you're breaking them by sitting at home playing with an illegal copy of OSx86. What does frustrate me is that I can't buy product X in the US because some cretinous politician has decided it might be unsafe, but I can buy it in Europe where presumably people are expected to have some common sense as to how they use it. The reverse does sometimes apply though, and there are amazing inconsistencies worldwide. A country is only as good as its politicians. US politicians are (IMHO) in the main greedy egocentric morons with all the faults of their European counterparts. We can't change that; politicians are a breed unto themselves. I'm not a feminist, an activist, a racist or a political person; I don't get excited by current affairs and I don't really care what anyone does or believes as long as it doesn't impact the general status quo. In the US that's just fine, and that's probably why I will stay here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac sussed Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Metrogirl: As an apparently intelligent person, shouldn't you take part in political debate, especially if you are going to stay in the country you occupy. And being frustrated by not being able to buy product X:- Products eat resources. They only make us happy in the same way that an addiction does. Most purchases are for things people don't actually need but think they do. Possesions weigh us down and trap us in a consumerist, capitalistic cycle that has a insatiable appetite. Insatiable - unable to be satisfied. True satisfaction can only come from living with people and laughing. Going to Wal-Mart (Asda in the UK) to purchase some cheap-ass sh*t made by underpaid sweatshop chinese workers can only strip layers off your soul. The frustration you speak of is an extension of the insatiablility of consumerism. Exorbitant taxation regime:- I guess you like the US because you can keep more money in your pocket, as opposed to not believing the government will spend your tax dollars wisely. This is a self centered view on the world. Personal wealth will not make you Happy. I like to burn money. Its a kind of therapy, plus in the UK it has the queens head on, and a lot of us hate her. Try it with your dead presidents. Doing it in public always gets a reaction. Globe trotter:- Travelling the world is extremely harmful to the environment, polluting the troposhere. Is your job really that necessary that you need to do this? One of the most important jobs is refuse collection (rubbish in the UK). Please don't say that you are a journalist ...... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I have just turned down 6 months work in Finland as an artists assistant doing videowork/camerawork. This is because I don't believe in travelling on jet aeroplanes or working with artists. I view artists as social parasites (there are exceptions).Tax is disgusting in Finland, but that isn't my point. I am not attacking you, just raising my thoughts. Its a shame that this internet stuff means that people will never meet to each other in reality to talk. I am a feminist, anarchist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, anti-consumerist activist. Or am I? Bloody internet, I could be anybody. The media has made this world worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouch Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Wow, old topic ressurection alert. I'm not big on conspiracy theories but i think it's worthwhile remembering that politicians really don't have much involvement in a country's legislation, foriegn policy etc. They are an unqualified rabble elected to do a job by an even bigger unqualified rabble. Their actions are ultimately determined by the multinational corporations who fund their campaigns, lobby them, and occasionally arrange for the exchange of a brown envelope or two - that's democracy and it's the best system we can manage, don't you love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac sussed Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Agreed mr potato, except for the bit about the best system we can manage, and isn't it ironic that democracy means the opposite of its implementation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikos Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I think there's more pressing issues than the dmca, but to stay on topic: The dmca is a response to the internet phenomenon which allows information to be shared cheaply among a huge number of people. Certain industries (i.e. music, movie, and software) have a right to see that their property is not distributed without just compensation, but they are going beyond that and using their "lobbying power" (read: money) to make sure that profits increase even though distribution costs decrease and copying data costs "nothing". Politics is a game. Big corporations are obsessed with making more money than the previous quarter/year. Many people are self-interested and/or ignorant of their hypocracy. True democratic governments don't exist on a national level. Governments use the media to tell their citizens, when possible, whatever they want them to hear while doing all types of distasteful acts behind the scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OryHara Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Ever hear of the chinese golden rule? He who has the gold makes the rules, and he who has the gold rules. Unfortunately thats the case in most parts of the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldimeneira Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Yes, especially in New Orleans at the time of Katrina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39thRonin Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Unfortunately thats the case in most parts of the west. Ahh, and that is not true in other parts of the world? Please don't pull this "morality" {censored} of the EU and other areas of the world on the US. None of your governments are ANY better (and in MOST cases much worse) than ours. If your idea of a "good" government is one that hands out everything to it's people, then you are ignorant. If you think I'm wrong, watch the EU in the next 5 years as it starts to collapse in upon itself. Exorbidant taxes to pay for those who will not work, free medical care for those who do not contribute to society, 15-20% unemployment, low birth rate, high immigrant population that refuses to assimilate - all point to a society in a downward spiral. One thing that everyone should try to understand is that SOMEONE has to pay for all of this stuff. Nothing is free... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts