There is a trial about to start in Sweden against Piratebay and its founders. The interesting thing about this is not really the unnecessary and completely stupid thing in itself. Companies, governments and so on do not have the power to stop people from sharing information over Internet, no matter what they do. The strangeness is not even the fact Piratebay do not share files, other people do, Piratebays is just a mediate or portal for that sharing. No the real fun about this story is that these guys are already convicted before the trial even started. Everyone already knows that they are going to be found guilty. How? Because of two interesting things.
First of all the outside pressure is high. USA and some European countries are putting the pressure on and some professor of criminal law argues that Sweden no longer can be a member of the Geneva Convention or WTO. So the pressure on this trial is very high and can effect Sweden’s international agreements. Pffff…
Second, and this is important. The trial (well the first one anyway) is going to be judged by politically appointment “judges” that are members of certain parties. Yeah, that’s right. Politicians are going to be the ones deciding if they are guilty or not. And how do you think they will vote in this regard? In Sweden we appoint people from the political parties to sit in the courthouses. Often its old people getting their last appointment after a long time of service to their party. Or its people with knowledge or interest in the law. But all of them, no matter the background, now need to make a judgment with their parties and the government telling them how to vote. Isn’t this fun?
So Piratebay will be convicted and will then appeal that ruling dragging this thing out for several years, while the Internet and the technology runs away and will make some or all of the rulings obsolete.
This is complete stupidity, but that’s the way of the game. Rationality and real justice does not apply. A rebellion is unthinkable, Swedish people do not know how to and are pretty happy living with dictatorship. But they, the government themselves, are going to create an entire generation of people who despises the government and the law and this is great! Hopefully some of these youngsters will hack into government files, drain the Central bank of money or some other fun thing. Maybe we will even see a courthouse go up in smoke? I’m really hoping. Not that this will change anything, it will just make the country more closed and authoritarian, that’s the only way a government knows how to react to peoples rage. But it’s one more step towards civil unrest and the Armageddon that will come sooner or later.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The absurdity of democracy
Picture the following scenarios:
If 3 wolves and 1 sheep are going to vote what’s for dinner, is it fair? If you are alone and happen to end up in a dark alley and are surprised with 2 robbers. They don’t rob you straight away; instead they let you have a chance through rising of hands. You’re two against their four. Fair? In a small village there are 100 Nazis and 99 Jews and they hold a referendum for starting a new Holocaust camp. Fair?
Most people would probably admit standing against those wolfs, robbers and Nazis. But here is a good question: why? They have only had their democratic right to vote. This is exactly what voting is about. Your neighbors’ voting about your money. The town voting if you can build your own house or not. A national referendum about saying yes or no to expropriation of all rich people’s money. Voting in general election about how much the government will be allowed to steal from you. Voting is immoral, idiotic and totally absurd, but still we regard it as a part of what is “right”. Why? I have never understood this type of “logic”.
If 3 wolves and 1 sheep are going to vote what’s for dinner, is it fair? If you are alone and happen to end up in a dark alley and are surprised with 2 robbers. They don’t rob you straight away; instead they let you have a chance through rising of hands. You’re two against their four. Fair? In a small village there are 100 Nazis and 99 Jews and they hold a referendum for starting a new Holocaust camp. Fair?
Most people would probably admit standing against those wolfs, robbers and Nazis. But here is a good question: why? They have only had their democratic right to vote. This is exactly what voting is about. Your neighbors’ voting about your money. The town voting if you can build your own house or not. A national referendum about saying yes or no to expropriation of all rich people’s money. Voting in general election about how much the government will be allowed to steal from you. Voting is immoral, idiotic and totally absurd, but still we regard it as a part of what is “right”. Why? I have never understood this type of “logic”.
How funny isn’t this?
Just learned that one of the victims of the latest air crash in USA were a widow to one of those who died in the 11/9 attacks. Airplanes all around. Cheers people!
Can a day get more boring?
Have done nothing but eat, sleep and being lazy today. It might sound kind of a good way of spending your day, but my pants are burning. I’m so bored I might start doing exercise or shovel some snow. But I just happen to find a bottle of Whiskey and a couple of beers. Watching the picture below and getting drunk could be fun. Might be able to save this day after all…
The Germans never learn
After the First World War, the German government, although very weak, pretty much did everything wrong. Among other things it tried to use government spending and to borrow money to help the country to cope with inflation and the poverty. The allies idiotic imposed war debt towards the Germans didn’t help much either. And with the gold standard gone or going away and the ever increasing protectionism it lead to the big financial crisis which in turn made room for that Austrian painter we all come to love.
With Obama Bin Laden doing his best to increase the today’s crisis on the other side of the Atlantic todays German government does not want to be lesser. They have issued a spending spree for the amount of 50 billion Euros. Almost all of this money is borrowed, letting future generation pay for its idiocy. But worse still is that the Germans are making the same mistake as the Americans. They are using more fictive money to fuel a fire that has started mostly because of the same fictive money. People (and more to the point: the governments) have been and are spending money they do not have. Even worse than that, they are spending it on consumption. Consumption of gods and things that have been produced by fictive means through government subsidiaries or government contributions.
Too bad the German Wermacht isn’t up and ready. You can always trust them to make a bad situation worse. But again the world is set. All we need now is a couple of dictators and some spark to get things going. Oh… that’s reminding me. I need to get popcorn. The show will probably not start yet for a couple of years, but popcorn might be a rarity by then and you cannot watch all the fun without that.
With Obama Bin Laden doing his best to increase the today’s crisis on the other side of the Atlantic todays German government does not want to be lesser. They have issued a spending spree for the amount of 50 billion Euros. Almost all of this money is borrowed, letting future generation pay for its idiocy. But worse still is that the Germans are making the same mistake as the Americans. They are using more fictive money to fuel a fire that has started mostly because of the same fictive money. People (and more to the point: the governments) have been and are spending money they do not have. Even worse than that, they are spending it on consumption. Consumption of gods and things that have been produced by fictive means through government subsidiaries or government contributions.
Too bad the German Wermacht isn’t up and ready. You can always trust them to make a bad situation worse. But again the world is set. All we need now is a couple of dictators and some spark to get things going. Oh… that’s reminding me. I need to get popcorn. The show will probably not start yet for a couple of years, but popcorn might be a rarity by then and you cannot watch all the fun without that.
You are going to die! Part IX
Everyone knows guns can be used for killing. Bombs, mines, knives, swords and other weapons might hurt, maim and kill. Those who have weapons are normally police officers, hunters and criminals. And of course we have armies that are armed in order to kill other armies, civilians or whatever someone points them at. During the course of history those with weapons have normally been those in charge. Often outlawing or at least minimizing the use and ownership of weapons among the public. Wars have been the main reason for building and creating new weapons. Sometimes wars have only been fought between professionals and sometimes wars have been waged with enlisted people. Sometimes wars have been waged between different countries and sometimes it has been civil upraising or rebellions. This later part has been at least as common as the first. Different sovereigns have, with different amounts of success, tried to keep potential uprisings to a minimum through law, a big loyal army, harsh punishments or, very seldom, through good governing. Another popular way of keeping people quit and not being able to fight their oppressors have been through weapon control, which is the normal way of handling this potential problem today.
As mentioned above criminals often use weapons to subdue their victims. It can be knife to the throat of the woman being raped or a gun pointed at the bank manager. Criminals know that people might be trained in martial arts or when being trapped might fight back, even against the odds. So the use of a weapon makes victims easier to handle.
These are two excellent reasons for normal people to own, carry and be trained with their own weapons. An oppressive government or a criminal wanting to rob, rape or murder you would most likely think twice about doing anything to you if they know there is a high probability of you, and all those around you, also are carrying weapons. This is also the main reason why the founding fathers of America thought it necessary to write the right to bear arms into the constitution. Or to take a quota from a movie: “People should not fear the government; the government should fear the people”.
This is also the two main reasons why governments and their support troops (journalists, police, social services and so on) do not want you to own a gun. You might actually use it to defend yourself. I’m not saying it’s always intentional. Most politicians probably not even think directly about it, but in the back of their heads they know that if they make a law that people really detest, they might not be able to enforce it if people are willing to defend themselves not obeying that law. And the same goes for those criminals. If people can defend themselves, what do we need the police and courts (in essence; the government) for? There is also a third reason, the ownership issue in itself. If people are allowed to own things they themselves want, without government approval, we have a very bad situation where the governments have lost a big part of the power they hold. One of the key functions and the main reader how big and how much power the government holds is how much they decide what we own and not.
My opinion is that it should be open season on anyone(s) who tries to control, monitor and decide what you should do or own. But then I’m a nutcase who believes in personal freedom and thinks that pretty much everyone on this planet is idiots. I might not be the best spokesperson for gun rights.
As mentioned above criminals often use weapons to subdue their victims. It can be knife to the throat of the woman being raped or a gun pointed at the bank manager. Criminals know that people might be trained in martial arts or when being trapped might fight back, even against the odds. So the use of a weapon makes victims easier to handle.
These are two excellent reasons for normal people to own, carry and be trained with their own weapons. An oppressive government or a criminal wanting to rob, rape or murder you would most likely think twice about doing anything to you if they know there is a high probability of you, and all those around you, also are carrying weapons. This is also the main reason why the founding fathers of America thought it necessary to write the right to bear arms into the constitution. Or to take a quota from a movie: “People should not fear the government; the government should fear the people”.
This is also the two main reasons why governments and their support troops (journalists, police, social services and so on) do not want you to own a gun. You might actually use it to defend yourself. I’m not saying it’s always intentional. Most politicians probably not even think directly about it, but in the back of their heads they know that if they make a law that people really detest, they might not be able to enforce it if people are willing to defend themselves not obeying that law. And the same goes for those criminals. If people can defend themselves, what do we need the police and courts (in essence; the government) for? There is also a third reason, the ownership issue in itself. If people are allowed to own things they themselves want, without government approval, we have a very bad situation where the governments have lost a big part of the power they hold. One of the key functions and the main reader how big and how much power the government holds is how much they decide what we own and not.
My opinion is that it should be open season on anyone(s) who tries to control, monitor and decide what you should do or own. But then I’m a nutcase who believes in personal freedom and thinks that pretty much everyone on this planet is idiots. I might not be the best spokesperson for gun rights.
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