The combination of insane copyright claims and the overrelyance on comparatively volatile storage technology is steering us directly into another dark ages.
That's one take on things.
On the other hand we have already lost so much stuff over the centuries that perhaps what I just said is idiotic alarmism. After all we have rebuilt western civilisation after the fall of Rome(that just took the Dark Ages) and we didn't all die off after the Great Library of Alexandria burned down. The stuff that gets often replicated will propably not be lost. But let's hope it isn't a retweet of Miley Cyrus' knickers.

While this is what is the core of the conservative mindset it by no means is limited to the US so there's no need to apologize.

If the mainland European conservative parties said in clear terms that they believe in an elite and that everybody is equally able and should strive to become part of that elite then they would lose each and every election. That myth has been dispelled. Hard graft by no means does guarantee you a living anymore. In fact if you wokr as hard as your parents did you will still not be able to maintain their standard of living.

Germany is at the moment in a very awkward position. While the unions had managed to negotiate reasonable wages the big employers manage to dodge their agreements by hiring third-party service providers who treat their people like crap. There have been cases where those outsourcers lured people from Spain to Germany, housed them in decrepid buildings and paid them next to nothing. Things like these are very unpopular here in Germany. A retailer made the news that they treated their employees like crap and suddenly had to face reduced sales because the customers stayed away. I know of a WalMart in Germany that hardly has any customers due to the bad image they have. Things like these go against the grain of a majority of the populace. The conservative parties in Germany win elections by not promoting their ideas of having and relying on an elite but by being perceived as reliable.

The Ayn Randers would be met with disbelief if they tried to be honest and vocal in Germany. There is a reason why a party that has been part of parliament for the whole existance of the modern German democracy has been shamefully ousted this year and they got very little sympathy.

Introducing job security based on merit whold have set a dangerous precedent. Why else would one keep ministers around? We are happy, they are happy and as long as we waste money efficiently no dangerous answers would be required. And as long as there is the odd man overboard required we still have got a lot of politicians to spare and in steady supply.

There's a little bit more to it. The business requirements for gov contracts tend to be massively convoluted and a moving target. Our beloved legislative doesn't care for consistency and each rule is nothing but a series of exceptions. So this introduces a whole lot of risk into projects like these. Just look at what happened to the website for the Affordable Care Act. Negotiations up to the very end. Gov customers are very much special needs customers and they know it.

So enter the marketdroids and sales critters. They promise they nearly have what is needed and there is very little customizing required. On paper this sounds like something that reduces risk when compared to a custom solution. But it rarely works that way. Deadlines for gov projects are a menace and resemble very much a gunshot. Do not enter that market without a humongous legal department staffed with a rabid pack of attack-lawyers who have been in the loop ever since you handed in your tender. And do not enter a contract like this carried on a wave of idealism. Because you will get burned. To a crisp.


There is no room for naivety in gov contracts.

Name one current UK Minister who isn't a fuckwit. They've turned the whole thing into amateur hour with badly thought-out campaigns and policies. While everybody else seems to be equally incompetent they do at least seem to be afflicted by something with the semblance of a concsience.

The current administration should spend less time worrying about brown people and Bulgarians(read: lose votes to UKIP) and do their fucking jobs. The latest embarrassment was David Cameron turning up at Nelson Mandela's funeral. While Mandela was one of the forgiving sort, Cameron was the one who visited SA to support them against those totally unjustified and unfair anti-Apartheit sanctions.

Could we please put the whole bally lot out to pasture and not worry about bedroom taxes anymore? The rest of Europe is currently wondering why we should actually put up with UK shenanigans anymore. They've become more trouble than the French.

Ok, let's be fully inclusionist and also depict transgender(post- and preop), various degrees of gayness, zoophilia and of course breast self-examination. The last one usually gets some conservative heckles up.

Well, I also believe none of those 10 commandment sponsors are christians to that extent they profess to without a certain amount of bigotry going on.
Thankfully and rightfully so that isn't for the courts nor the state to decide. All the courts can do in this case is either embarrass themselves or pronounce both monuments equally (il)legal. Anything else would require mental gymnastics and would raise some very serious question about the status of religion in the US.

Perhaps they should salomonically rename the existing monument to "Some Commandments(except the silly ones) and Nyan Cat". A new plaque, a rededication ceremony, everyone equally confused and all that for five bob. Sounds reasonable.

That may be. But they have an actual chance by going down the legal route because there has been precedence.

This is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a wookie from Kashyyk but he lives on Endor. Does that make sense to you?

But you are intrigued, aren't you?

And as a Discordian Pope I would have to insist that there is a hotdog stand next to it and that they sell hotdogs on Friday. My co-popes are bored on Fridays and they need an occupation. So they will stand right next to the Discordian Hotdog Stand and berate not to eat buns on Fridays and so the Great Snub shall be eternal. The POEE approves of my plan by issuing forth notes of disgust.

Aleister Crowley was a dopey tryhard. But I do approve of an image of him jerking off to Thelema with Buddy Christ standing next to him approving of everything. What would also make sense would be monkeys who meticulously scrape "kallisti" into their poo right before they fling it at passers-by.
We really should do this. And I already have a name for this new triptych. I would call it "To Religion". It makes prefect sense on so many levels it's gotta be art. Amirite?

You know you might be sued by the GOP over copyright issues?

I would erect an uncensored homage to mankind next to that monument. And you should take the word "erect" under advisement.

Nope. Those are catholic priests in training you are counfusing us with.

...I'll get my coat.

You heretic forgot Geoff the God of Biscuits again! His crunchy anger shall come over you like a giant pot of tea!