"Homeland Security"--WTF???

firkin

firkin

Joined
Jan 26, 2002
Messages
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Very few saw fit to read or comment on this original thread--maybe the title???

Well look at it again...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=241926&highlight=clinton

Now read this:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/030228/microsoft_china_3.html

How many US military contractors and corporations essential to functioning of the US are given equal access? Wasn't Microsoft recently involved in some less than minor lawsuits over this?

Who will big brother really be, and how many bastard brothers will he have?

I think the handbasket we're all in is starting to make Calvin and Hobb's renegade sled look like an E-Z-Boy. I'm glad I'm using a Mac.

Why do folks get treated as convicts at airports while this **&^&%^% is occurring?? :mad:

I hope that they get burned far worse than Qualcom...treating the rest of the world as docile consumers willing to pay up for US products at any cost is a fatal mistake. The bigger the country, the more fatal. :mad: :mad: :mad:

EDIT:

I've got nothing against the Chinese people. But I trust their government a far sight less than I trust ours. And lately, there's several reasons that I don't trust ours as much as I used to. Bill, I you think it's best to move this to the Political Forum, go ahead. I put it here 'cause there's some folks that hang out here that I'd like to hear from. Thanks.
 
It would appear that the folks that control the most money are trying to help with the so-called world government. There is also a lot of money at stake for Mr Gates. He has already run roughshod over most of the american population and seems to have gotten away with it. They still have their strangle hold on the operating systems for IBM's. IBM and Microsoft want to control the whole internet scene.

Micrsoft is still a great big Corporation that does a lot of price fixing and we all know that.
If I knew enough about the Mac computers and knew they were as good as some of the IBM compatibles, I might just switch when when I need another computer. I have heard a lot about crashes though so, I will probably have to stay with the kind I have.

We are (not so slowly) being sold down the river to the highest bidder and they will never pay the debt.
 
I heard on the YV news this evening that Airport security wants to check credit history before folks get to the airport so they can profile everybody. Sounds like they are taking lessons from some of the insurance companies. Nazi Germany revisited.
 
Pappy,

After I posted this, I saw the bit on the news about the "airport passenger codes". It greatly pains me to say that I think you're not far off the mark. I posted on the usually reactive political thread about the random searches of cars merely entering airports and nobody gave a crap about that either.:(

I'm in a bleak mood, and it looks to me like the visions of 1984 and Brave New World aren't far of the mark. I have to wonder if the "War on Terrorism" won't turn into the perpetual war that "justifies" the removal of our remaining freedoms. And it looks to me like that the Big Brother prophesized isn't Government, but Government + a few giant corperations. :(

I still think that Bush was a better choice than Gore, but I ain't real impressed with some of his choices for powerful advisors. I expect that the next choice will be even more dismal. Guess I'm gonna have to find a way to get some firepower, gold, and cigarettes buried in my suburban back yard. :( :(

Underneath the guts of Macs for the last few months is Unix which is basically the same OS as Linux. Macs have a bunch of proprietary stuff laid over the top so it still looks like a Mac. Dunno if the Mac version is all ironed out or not, but until recently, Unix kicked Microsoft's but on stability and security, at least for companies with folks that knew what they were doing. I'm afraid the the rest of us are S.O.L.. Microsoft's new plans for yearly licensing fees and their intrusive practices bias me against them, but this really clinches it.

If they release the same information to US corporations I will merely hate them as much as I did before I heard about this latest act. That is I would purchase their products with reluctance if they were the best for the job. At this point I am inclined to boycot them entirely. Sadly, I won't have much of an influence. If I had a margined stock account and funds to bet, I'd short them on any rise due to this B.S. out of principle. :mad:

"We are (not so slowly) being sold down the river to the highest bidder and they will never pay the debt."

They??? That's what makes it so wrong. THEY have no inclination to pay. THEY expecect us to pay from the beginning. That is the whole problem .

Excuse me while I self-medicate with more alcohol, and I'm sorry for the rant, but with all the crap going on about Iraq which seems less dangerous long term to me than this 43^&&%$, I'm kinda bummed. Actually a lot bummed.:(
 
You and I and Pappy all ( I'm guessing ) wish that you ( we ) were being paranoid.

Fact is, somewhere along the line corporations began buying both the Republicans and Democrats in every significant race, and continue to do so. We no longer get to choose the candidates. And whichever party wins a position, the corporate sponsors win.

The country has been sold out to the highest bidder by the parties, and corrupted by the corporations.

What we were taught in school ( at least those in out 50's and older ) about civics is now a lie. It may once have been true but is no longer.

I think you are spot on and I'm heartbroken thinking about it.

The number of recent corporate crime busts are merely to slap down the flagrant ones who can't keep a decent set of double books, thus drawing too much attention to the other businesses.

And until we round all senators and congressmen and top executive branch folks up and do a " Cseaucescu " on them nothing will change.

If I don't end this quick I'm going to be too nauseous to make it to the bathroom in time.
 
"Bill, I you think it's best to move this to the Political Forum"

How does one get to the political forum? I'll try to put any raves and rants on politics there rather than here on the HI forum.

Having said that I found the Magnequench Inc. case to be very interesting. At first glance I would have guessed that if the technology was that critical, the sale to mainland Chinese interests would have been blocked in 1995 because a) the UAW unions do have a lot of clout in Washington and did bring this to the politicos' attention, and b) that sale was right around the time when China threatened to invade Taiwan making the issue a hot one.

Then I noticed that General Motors was the seller and guess who was appointed the new Magnequench CEO (taken from the Magnequench web site)?

"Archibald Cox, Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Cox was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Magnequench in 1995. Before joining Magnequench, he was a managing director of Morgan Stanley International and the President and Chief Executive Officer of CS First Boston Corporation. Mr. Cox serves on the boards of Hutchinson Technology Inc., Hutchinson, Minnesota (1996); Sterling Cruise Lines, LLC, Cape Canaveral, Florida (1998); and Builders Information Group, Inc., Chicago, Illinois (2002). Mr. Cox has more than 38 years of local and overseas financial and management experience and is the founder of Sextant Group, Inc. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School."

I tried to check, but could not confirm if this Archibald Cox is the son of Archibald Cox, the first special Watergate Prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Elliot Richardson and highly respected by both Republicans and Democrats (he was awarded the Ethics in Government Award in 1995 - other winners are men like John McCain, etc). Anyway, Cox Jr. followed a high flying career. And it must have taken one good package from the Chinese to get him as CEO of a small, marginally profitable company. IF he is son of Cox the good, then he would have considerable Washington clout through his family. Combined with General Motors' Washington clout that would make a pretty good lobbying group. Hmmmm . . . maybe political clout and greed might have caused something that should not have happened to happen (won't be the first time).

One weakness in our system is American business freedom. In the eyes of many cultures this is almost hillarious (I have a hard time explaining overseas why US politians can be bought legally and cheaply through a contribution to their campaign funds - people are amazed at the low amounts needed. Won't mention any names, but it was widely rumored that for a relatively small "donation" by overseas standards, admission to quite a few good State Universities could be facilitated by a recommendation from the right Congressman). And yup, I'm sure the mainland Chinese (as well as Irael, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, etc.) are amazed at their ability to a) buy unwanted US companies with their technology and b) easily hire lawyers and lobbyists to push their case through Washington, then c) hire ex-politicians or other politically influential people on their boards and managment.

The rough equivalent for Americans would be say in Japan where the culture requires an extremely high level of public honesty. Many shopkeepers would leave their shops open while on an errand trusting that any customers would naturally pay for any items taken by putting money in a special box and take what change they needed from it. Of course many Americans just couldn't believe the opportunity and ripped stuff off. It got to be joke about how Americans would rip off stuff from hotel rooms (US hotels long ago learned to bolt down anything of value).

"But I trust their government a far sight less than I trust ours."

Yup, I believe that one should be careful about business buyouts from mainland China. But China just learned a few years ago what buying a business is and, of course, they are enjoying the amazing opportunity. So it's like trusting a hot blooded 13 year old with a handgun. You just don't. The one you should put your trust in are the grown ups (i.e. the US government in the case of business buyouts).

By the way "I've got nothing against the Chinese people." That's what I love about the States. Many cultures wouldn't even bother to make a distinction between a government and its people. :)
 
Originally posted by The Big Kahuna
"Bill, I you think it's best to move this to the Political Forum"

How does one get to the political forum? I'll try to put any raves and rants on politics there rather than here on the HI forum.
Click to expand...

TBK:
There's two ways to get to all the forums. You can go to the main forum page or simply go to the top of any page and click on the link you want.
Community will take you to the political, community and other forums. Whine and Cheese is interesting to browse sometimes, but pay attention to what it says on the forum header.
"If you're easily offended Stay Out!!!!":)

If you haven't browsed the other forums you're maybe missing quite a lot. There's a lot of good info on the tactical forums and the shop talk forum is the place to learn about knife construction from the chooseing of the steel to the finished knife.
It's under the general link.:)
 
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