I wish Michael Hastings had been driving a Tesla. Take one look at what happened to him and what constitutes 'car fire' takes on a whole new meaning. That was a late model high-end car German engineered gasoline powered automobile. If it had been a Tesla we'd still have him writing hardcore news for us.

Arguably the most useful feature of a Windows workstation turns out to be a mistake. All I can say is, rm -rf /m$/*

The founding fathers did have the concept of search and/or seizure. I see the search aspect as the privacy theme we discuss today. As far as gun control, it doesn't matter if its slings and clubs or light sabers and phasers - it's about a balance of power between the people and the state.

And this is EXACTLY the problem, the fucked up laws in this country. Laws written by people not interested in the good of the US and it's citizens, but people (and I use that term loosely) that are working towards goals that bring profit and power to a select few elites. So sure, Apple employee was just,"obeying the law". And when thingS start to get ugly, and US citizens see the application of the various laws and executive orders we now have on the books it will just be The Law - taking your rights, dignity, and freedom.

Sacrifice convenience, dignity, and freedom for security or not.

Mistakes were made, big, ugly, glaring, in-your-face kind of mistakes yet no punishments. On the contrary, many, MANY of the officers and agents in charge have been promoted.

Where is the accountability?

yep, that's my point... And the real frustration starts when you see how the Commission Report just disregards this.

I don't claim to have answers to the mysteries, I just demand a proper investigation by a party that isn't so partial to the white house.

-All video content confiscated except four frames from the many surrounding the pentagon?
---Actually, more has been released. There's really not much to see. You have some low fps cameras trying to catch a fast-moving object. The Pentagon missile theory breaks down under its own weight. I mean, if the evil conspiracy had already lobbed two planes at the WTC, why would they bother doing so much to make it look like a plane at the Pentagon instead of just lobbing another plane at the Pentagon? // Oh, you mean ALL of four frames released in 2006? What about the other dozen or more cameras that could certainly show an approach or something? We have been shown nothing of significance, so why hide the rest? No idea why they do what they do in regard to plane/missle/fighters ... but I do know there is not good reason to deny access to the hundreds of frames confiscated by the FBI.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-05-16-pentagon-video_x.htm

-All evidenciary building materials confiscated and destroyed at the crime scene around the trade center plaza?
---There was plenty of debris that was later taken back and tested. NYC was in a bit of a hurry to get that massive pile of rubble cleared out. // As if they expected to rebuild immediately so we could forget our loss? That hole sat ages before they really cleaned it up. Additionally they decided to make a new battleship to help us forget. The whole remove it to forget it argument does not hold up.

-First steel framed high rise buildings in history to collapse due to fire (and a near free fall collapse I may add)
---First steel-framed high-rise building (with a rather unique design) to have massive jumbo jets filled with fuel slammed into them, too. // So, you have looked at the floor plans and still think it was a "hollow box" design? First of all the building was designed to take a hit from an even heavier plane, with four engines not just two. The fuel burned off and is not capable of enough heat to generate the molten steel found in the wreckage, and remaining fires were oxygen starved mostly (See smoke for this). You can't really believe that a building with a core of steel girders running vertically could just collapse straight down into itself, do you? Almost 50 columns of steel 52"x22" and the upper ones still 36"x12".
http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/groundzero/docs/jfk_column_s.jpg

-WTC Tower #7 reported as collapsed 20 minutes prior to actual collapse.
----DERP because the media was in on it DERP! The BBC knew, right? No. Misinformation as the fire chief had pulled everyone out of WTC7 and said there was a collapse zone around it. This is one of the more idiotic conspiracy bits because it makes no sense to tout it. It was miscommunication and nothing more. Claiming that BBC an/or the NYC fire department was somehow in on it is absurd, but that doesn't stop conspiracy nuts from flinging every piece of dookie they can find at the wall, now does it? // "BBC in on it?" No, but they were given information to report from someone. They had a source for that and just like the whole farce with NORAD and FAA, you can't just say, "Oh, we're sorry ... that is just a misunderstanding." Too many coincidental misunderstandings in one day I would say.

-NORAD rendered useless due to coincidentally occurring training exercises.
----And training exercises happen all the time. // Yes, and the most well equipt and best trained air force on the planet is bourght to it's knees (Once again coincidentally) because on this specific day nearly EVERYONE is playing wargames and not on duty? You are a real piece of work, slashdotters used to be thinkers ... go back to your xbox.

-Bush remaining in publicly known location despite the, "attack on the nation"
----No shit, Sherlock. Cheney went to a secret location just in case, but Bush damned well knew he needed to be visible. People wanted a firm leader at that point. They wanted to hear what he had to say and they wanted to know that he was leading and not hiding. Elementary politics, you idiot. // You gotta be kidding, who is paying you for this? You don't stick the leader of the free word out there to, "Take a hit for the team" and hide the VP in case they are successful and get him. Are you listening to yourself? Of course the poeple will get a message from leadership but not while we are being attacked.

-Extremely challenging maneuvers from terrorists with severely handicapped flying skills.
----Oh, bullshit! Lobbing a plane into a building is not challenging. They didn't need to know how to do anything but basic navigation and they didn't do much more than that, either. The maneuvers weren't "challenging" when the plane went for the Pentagon. They were sloppy and haphazard.

It's great how you call it lobbing? Have you ever even sat in the cockpit of a plane while it was in the air? Maybe try sailing for a 2D version of what is going on in the cockpit of a plane. You don't "lob" a plane 500mph or so. And yes, the flight path was not only a strange circle in front of the pentagon before it chose the newly renovated and reinforced side to hit, it's also not simple take to hit the WTC towers which are about like aircraft carriers.
Pilot skills lacking: http://www.911myths.com/index.php/Flight_School_Dropouts
Harder than it looks: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB196/map.htm
By the way, "lobbing" a plane onto an aircraft carrier is not easy, so why is a target not much bigger such a cake-walk to you?

----I think you've watched enough X-Files. // It was a joke, I don't watch TV. I thinked you've played enough xbox

Well...

Theories about no planes? NO

Theories about punishment from god? NO

Theories about 19 little skinny guys with box cutters implementing a hail-Mary (or Allah) plan like this? NO

A conspiracy to execute a false flag attack on our own citizens in order to justify taking control of some of the largest oil reserves on the planet?

That doesn't sound like a theory, just a conspiracy.

All video content confiscated except four frames from the many surrounding the pentagon?
All evidenciary building materials confiscated and destroyed at the crime scene around the trade center plaza?
First steel framed high rise buildings in history to collapse due to fire (and a near free fall collapse I may add)
WTC Tower #7 reported as collapsed 20 minutes prior to actual collapse.
Collapse was also following path of maximum resistance (take off YOUR tin hat and put on thinking cap for that)
NORAD rendered useless due to coincidentally occurring training exercises.
Bush remaining in publicly known location despite the, "attack on the nation"
Extremely challenging maneuvers from terrorists with severely handicapped flying skills.

I could go on, but I need to go get MY foil hat and watch some XFiles ...

People with such opinions are exactly the problem in America (Nice name by the way).

What is this whole insurgent / soldier bullshit. When did or how does Freedom Fighter become Terrorist? What's the difference between blue coats and their "atrocities" of shooting from undercover at the red coats lined up in the open field and the "atrocities" carried out using suicide bombers or IEDs? BOTH are fighting to win a war to survive against a bigger foe, not to win some popularity contest. After you have had your little sister raped, your Dad beaten, and watched your brother and grandfather get shot do you really think that anyone gives a fly-fuck about your popularity contest and what constitutes an "atrocity".

At this point the Atrocity Boat has sailed and the gloves are off. Blue coats fighting like savage Indians from the underbrush and the local "insurgents" keeping someone from invading have something big in common. They are outgunned and doing whatever they can to get the other assholes out of their country. This all boils down to why-the-fuck-we're there in the first place. What defines who is the 'asshole' and what defines who is the 'defender of freedom'? Some of the poor soldiers sent over there don't even know they are going until they are in the air and over the Atlantic. I don't blame soldiers (unless they are grooving to Enter Sandman while they mow-down their targets) ... soldiers are underpaid, under-appreciated, ill-trained (for the most part) grunts that the government uses like pampers to populate their military industrial systems of destruction. I know plenty of them, and 99% are honorable and good guys, and many have become pretty damn jaded to the whole 'defending democracy' bullshit.

So, as I always say, "Follow the money!". Whose getting rich off the soldiers sweat and blood? The soldiers? HAHA! The American people and all their 'freedoms' that have been defended (as a TAS agent gropes you)? You tell me Americano, who? Then you can have your definition of "war crime" and "atrocity".

Tons of great suggestions ... obviously no shortage of possibilities. Despite fear of starting a new thread alltogether, how long do you slashdotters let your "slashdaughters" adventure like this? Two hours evenings after homework and dinner in place of movies or DVDs? Six hours starting from getting home from school eating a snack in front of computer? Without constant supervision, what kind of schedule do you put your little gamers on? I personally opt for the "evening entertainment alternative".