<p>Brilliant prose from a brilliant person from a time period when no government had ever yet done any measurable good for any portion of their governed that approached a majority.<br>
I wish Franklin and Jefferson could have seen humans walking on the moon. </p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mar 23, 2011 2:57 PM, "Charles Shapiro" <<a href="mailto:hooterpincher@gmail.com">hooterpincher@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution">> For a more sensible response: I am sorry, but I strongly disagree with<br>
> Ron's contentions about Intellectual Property.<br>> <br>> Intellectual Property is nonsense. If you steal my real property, you<br>> deprive me of the use of it. Steal my bicycle, and I can't use it to<br>
> go down to the store. If you make a copy of my book (or my song, or<br>> my software...), I can still read (or play, or use) my copy. More to<br>> the point, I can still SELL my copy. You could (possibly) argue that<br>
> publishing your copy of my book may deprive me of some revenues which<br>> I might otherwise have acquired from selling copies of my book, but<br>> that money a phantasm. It is not the same as the money I keep in my<br>
> wallet or my bank account. "Intellectual Property" laws are hacks to<br>> encourage people to write neat stuff. Once they start getting<br>> _in_the_way_ of creating stuff, they're obviously a Bad Idea.<br>
> Confusing this putative "Intellectual Property" with real property is<br>> a sure way to misunderstand every moral and legal issue associated<br>> with creative work.<br>> <br>> The Original Ranter maybe said it best:<br>
> <br>> Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best<br>> state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one;<br>> for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a<br>
> government, which we might expect in a country without government, our<br>> calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by<br>> which we suffer! Government, like dress, is the badge of lost<br>
> innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers<br>> of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and<br>> irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver; but that not<br>
> being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his<br>> property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he<br>> is induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case<br>
> advises him out of two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security<br>> being the true design and end of government, it unanswerably follows<br>> that whatever form thereof appears most likely to ensure it to us,<br>
> with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all<br>> others.<br>> <br>> (Tom Paine, 1776)<br>> <br>> -- CHS<br>> <br>> On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 2:35 PM, Jerald Sheets <<a href="mailto:questy@gmail.com">questy@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>> On Mar 23, 2011, at 2:24 PM, Charles Shapiro wrote:<br>>><br>>>> And YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!<br>>><br>>> "Residential Vegetation Management Zone"<br>>><br>>><br>
>><br>>> #!/jerald<br>>> Linux User #183003<br>>> Ubuntu User #32648<br>>> Public GPG Key: <a href="http://questy.org/js.asc">http://questy.org/js.asc</a><br>>><br>>> -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----<br>
>> Version: 3.1<br>>> GIT/MU d-@ s++(++)>+++:> a+ C++++(+++)$>++ UBLAVHSC++(on)$>++++ P++(+++)$>++++ L++(++++)$>+++ !E---(---)>--- W+(++)$>+++ N(+)$>++ !o !K-- w(--)>--- O()@> M++(++)$>++ V()>- PS+++()@>-- PE(++)@>+ Y+(+)@>+ PGP++(++)$>+++ t+(++)@>+++ 5(+)@>+ X+(++)@>+++ R+(+)@>++ tv-(+)$>++ b+++(++)$>++ DI++++(++)>+++ D++(++)@>++ G++(++)@>++ e++(++)$>++ h(-)$>- r+++(+++)@>+++ y+(+++)>++++@<br>
>> ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------<br>>><br>>><br>>><br>>> _______________________________________________<br>>> Ale mailing list<br>>> <a href="mailto:Ale@ale.org">Ale@ale.org</a><br>
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>><br>> <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Ale mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:Ale@ale.org">Ale@ale.org</a><br>> <a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a><br>
> See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br>> <a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo</a><br></div>