Totally and entirely off-topic Re: OT Now: Re: TI Professional Computer

From: R. D. Davis <rdd_at_smart.net>
Date: Wed Jun 14 12:30:03 2000

On Wed, 14 Jun 2000, Mike Ford wrote:
> Much of what is good here comes from a free press and the right to bear arms.

Well, we did have a free press at one point in time, however, with
even small local town newspapers being gobbled up by big city
newspapers that are owned by large media conglomerates that are well
intertwined with large multinational corporations and the influential
corruption addicts and other goings on in Washington, D.C., competent
reporting is generally intermixed with carefully contrived propaganda,
created for the purpose of playing with people's minds in order to
move us closer towards a totalitatian one world government.

If the minds of so many people weren't so focused on what I call
"distractionist topics," which are frequently in the news and topics
of debate between politicians, such as education funding, abortion,
various political sex scandals, race-related issues, politically
correct pettiness, etc., which serve as detractions from other issues
with further reaching implications, such as the dangers of increasing
federal government, as well as state and local government - often
under the influence of the federal government, control over our day to
day lives, there would probably be a strong revolt.

An interesting quotation:

    [We] should look forward to a time, and that not a distant one, when
    corruption in this as in the country from which we derive our origin will
    have seized the heads of government and be spread by them through the
    body of the people; when they will purchase the voices of the people and
    make them pay the price. Human nature is the same on every side of the
    Atlantic and will be alike influenced by the same causes. --Thomas
    Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XIII, 1782. ME 2:164

What too many people overlook is the main reason for the right to bear
arms. It's not so just for protection from criminals, but for our own
protection against a government that restricts our freedom; I'm sure
that many of you, hopefully, are familiar with the writings of Thomas
Jefferson pertaining to this, such as the following:

         What signify a few lives lost in a century or two?
         The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to
         time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is
         it's natural manure.

So that this isn't so far off topic, we may want to think of what
role our classic computers have played in helping, or hindering,
freedom in the world. Thoughts?

--
R. D. Davis                  
rdd_at_perqlogic.com            
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd 
410-744-4900                 
Received on Wed Jun 14 2000 - 12:30:03 BST

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