There is no doubt Earth has warmed. More and more evidence, however, is indicating that warming of our Earth is well within expected variability.
I don’t have much more to say about this. We do need to reduce pollution output. We do need to be kinder to the environment. We need to think of the consequences of our actions (and no, not the “Precautionary Principle” on steroids please).
As a race living on the planet together, lets move on to study the climate and environment in a politically neutral manner. Politics has no place in the scientific debate itself (and that especially means you Al Gore)!
For shame on the scientists that are being alarmist.
The RIAA (not to mention the MPAA) and the recording industry are just plain WRONG! What ever happened to fair use? Down the toilet with a lot of the rest of our rights. And don’t blame President Bush alone. Congress and most of our governing bodies are at fault for taking away our rights along with our complacency.
I see the pattern here — you buy a CD and so you have a license to listen to it from that CD. But if you copy it to your iPod, Zune, or computer, well that is another copy and so of course you have to pay a new license fee to use it that way. Bullsh*t!
And I feel so sorry for Jammie Thomas. What ever happened to the punishment fitting the alleged crime? $222000US? Oh man! That really fits the crime now doesn’t it? And please don’t get me started on jury instructions that block the jury’s right to decide the case.
Of course the artists, producers, distributors, and sellers have a right to make a profit. We have the right to use the material personally as we see fit as long as no profit is being made (unless it falls into academic, artistic, and documentary fair use). There needs to be a balance. Come on industry, come up with a business model and pricing scheme the average Joe will accept and move on. The industry is just as much at fault for the file sharing as the people performing the file sharing.
When my daughter was in an accident a few weeks ago, I began researching accident rates and causes — not in depth but enough to satisfy my curiosity. As you age, accident rates go up significantly. Eye sight is not was good and reflexes are off.
The gentleman that rear ended my daughter’s Honda Civic is almost 80 years old. He made a mistake and it might have been the frailties of age that contributed to the accident.
Now, I don’t specifically blame him. Accidents happen. Luckily this accident was at ~35 miles per hour and not on the freeway.
This brings me to my point. As a libertarian, regulation and law are abhorrent in general terms. Government is a necessary evil that has to be reigned in, maintained at a proper size (and our current governments at both the national, state, and local levels are far too large). However, public safety is extremely important. I believe anyone should be able to operate a non-commercial vehicle on their own property with no restrictions from the state.
In a libertarian society, the person whom caused the accident would pay recompense to the one receiving the damage either through direct payment or insurance. This is as it should be. Getting a license would be a privilege and an honor. Licensing and certification would be used to insure that one is ready to drive without harming anyone else’s property (which includes one’s life).
The governmental system in use today is far too restrictive and in some ways abusive as are most large government organizations. Licensing is a public safety issue and so regulation is required.
The current system does not go far enough in the area of testing and certification however. Personally, we should be requiring a new test — both driving and written — on particular schedules based on the likelihood of accidents based on statistics. In California, for example, renewal of your driver license is done through the mail or online. It seems the government is more interested in the fees than safety in this instance.
Driving on public property is a privilege and not a right due to public safety concerns. How to go about changing the system is a complex subject. I am just not sure of how the system should be constructed and administered except it shouldn’t be via a government agency.
