If you didn't know mass surveillance was coming since the 1970s, you were not very imaginative and didn't understand human psychology.

Mass surveillance is occurring right now, it will continue to occur, and it will increase. There is no stopping it. Humans want to know about other humans and they want to control and bully other humans. No matter who gets near the surveillance apparatus, they will be corrupted by its power. The One Ring indeed.

The politicians voting for this stuff are not voting because they are believers. They are voting because that is what they are told to vote for. Politicians believe in one thing: Bringing in more money to their political party. It is how they found success, it is how they maintain success.

Voting does nothing when your candidate comes pre-corrupted before you can even vote for them.

Fascism is an ideology that is taking root amongst our aristocracy (which we aren't supposed to have, and yet we do). The aristocracy will pay or threaten anyone who they think is vulnerable to such manipulation. Political party is irrelevant to who is vulnerable. You say it is the Republicans and not the Democrats. You are wrong. It is members of both parties that are vulnerable to manipulation.

Fuck you. No. They do not.

Either children are going to be forced into the real world or adults are going to be forced into a child's world.

One is a tragedy, the other doesn't even make sense. I am not certain why this keeps getting brought up except for fascist intentions.

It is up to the parent to protect their children, not everyone else. The only responsibility others have is to not hurt the kid themselves directly. But "you" think it is okay to force me to forgo my interests to provide some environment that isn't really any safer for the children and is a HUGE weapon against Free Speech. Ok.

No, seriously. Fuck you.

It is absolutely amazing at what a captured political process can achieve... especially when coupled with poor and misleading education.

Correct; however, numerous people knew it was going to happen, even myself, even though it surprised me.

Osama Bin Laden had his training camps in Afghanistan attacked by Bill Clinton with Tomohawk cruise missiles in August of 1998. His (Osama) response was (paraphrased) "I may not be able to to use $5 million dollar cruise missiles to hit you, but I can use your airplanes."

It was published in the open for everyone to read. Portions of the government knew. Portions of the government did nothing to prevent it. The reason it still surprised me was that I was envisioning remote controls and how that could be accomplished. I had no idea you could train intelligent and sane people to perform suicide missions. Live and learn (for some I guess)

Good news everyone! The taxpayers don't have to pay that money. She will die penniless, cold, and hungry.

I agree. It should be forever. Just because some time passed, that doesn't mean I didn't work to create it. It is mine and I will only share it with you temporarily if you give me money. If I die, I should be able to have it written into my will that all of my creations die with me. Letting immortal corporations profit indefinitely off of my work is not something that I want.

(this is a thought exercise)

In other words, not really liable at all, but there is a chance they could be held liable. Whatever.

You speak as if objective reality is more important than subjective reality. Depending on the circumstances and who stands to benefit, the City will be found responsible some of the time and found not responsible at other times. It all depends... which is why humans and their social systems are so fucked up. "Who benefits" decides what reality will be for everyone else.

While there are bazillions of atoms smashing against the seawall at any one time, the seawall stands fast for decades and centuries.

And they shouldn't. That is not the issue. The issue is that people do not want to pay for what they ask for.

Several years ago, (4?) I was outside talking with some folks with the business out back. They were Verizon employees. One guy had 19 years, less than a year until retirement. Verizon sold that portion of their business to Frontier, who then vacated all of the pensions, and now, are in the process of selling that business unit back to Verizon, but without the requirements to pay for the promised pensions.

This kind of bullshit shellgame is happening all the time, not just where I can personally see. It is this theft which brings upon the call of "socialism" so that the other poors can pay the poors that were robbed by the over-privileged. Notice how the overprivileged NEVER want to pay their debts or obligations? Notice how they are continuously stealing? Fuck the "aristrocracy" They are sheltered cowards who bring up the bogeyman of "socialism" to distract us from taking back what was stolen from us: our labor (which costs us our lives).

It is easier to buy yachts and mansions when the thing you are selling have extra costs built in. I can see why you are not a captain of industry.

Excuse you? The entire reason for the Second Amendment was that the government could NOT equip enough militia. Your premise is extremely flawed.

If the government isn't regulated, then why should the population be regulated?

Fair is fair