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[SalmonGod]

Well we are getting close to the end of the golden age of the internet.

Not something to be taken lightly.  I honestly believe the fate of mankind to be closely tied with the fate of freedom on the internet.  Our increasingly absurd societal motives and oppressive stratification are going to catastrophically implode before we're again presented with the kind of opportunity to unite against those things that the internet has given us.

[Duuvian]

I think that puts me in first place in the polls then for that election. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Political donors take heed.

You'll only get one chance, since I'd work towards minimizing or eliminating the influence of money on politics and governance by setting up better electoral infrastructure such as free public access forums for the candidates to admin so the loss of TV ads and such doesn't mean candidates can't get their message out. This is if that sort of thing is still necessary by that time due to lack of reform of course.

Also, I'm joking about donations. I don't deserve your money and I'd probably use it to cure sick children or something terrible like that.

Well we are getting close to the end of the golden age of the internet.

Not something to be taken lightly.  I honestly believe the fate of mankind to be closely tied with the fate of freedom on the internet.  Our increasingly absurd societal motives and oppressive stratification are going to catastrophically implode before we're again presented with the kind of opportunity to unite against those things that the internet has given us.

That makes sense I suppose. That's why I'm here. You might have a sort of important typo though; I think you mean unite for instead of unite against.

Speaking of unity though, read that link I posted a few posts back and let me know if you spot some negative aspects of it that I missed in my read.

Oh look, here it is again: http://infojustice.org/washington-declaration

[Frumple]

I... I hope not. Absurd societal motives and oppressive stratification isn't something I'd be aiming for, m'self.

[Duuvian]

My reading comprehension says that, if you put a comma after before (which I think is also grammatically correct), the statement with the word before concludes that we have an opportunity to unite against those things the internet has given to us.

before we're again presented with the kind of opportunity to unite against those things that the internet has given us.

before we're again presented with the kind of opportunity to unite for those things that the internet has given us.

EDIT: sorry for pointing that out twice SalmonGod, not trying to make you look bad just explain to someone what I spotted

[kaijyuu]

Unless SalmonGod turned a complete 180 mid sentence, I think we all know what he meant xD

[Duuvian]

Hehe yeah, that's true, oh well, my bad.

[MaximumZero]

Hey, now, Duuvian. You'll have to fight me for that 2020 presidential election. That, or join forces with me.

[Duuvian]

Hey, now, Duuvian. You'll have to fight me for that 2020 presidential election. That, or join forces with me.

You can have 2020 if I get 2024. That'll be when I'm eligible for the big one.

Maybe we could do a Russian Federation and you can be my Prime Minister (the position of which I'll have created), though it would have to range in power from 'Openly Secret head of Government' to 'Pointless Symbolic Figurehead' depending on how effective you were for advancing your (interests in your) country/how many oppositions you intimidate (ethics aside for this matter). If the answer is extremely/all of them, then it would be somewhere around the top level of 'Putin'. If it's fairly effective/most of them it would be 'Cheney' on the scale. If it was not-effective/made the attempt at least then it would be on the low end of the relative power scale near 'Former US Presidents.'

Also that's a joke. I'd never support intimidation, and I'd arrest anyone who said otherwise.

That was also a joke for clarification purposes in case someone doesn't realize.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Of course I support intimidation.

Spoiler:  ^ (click to show/hide)

Punchline

MUST...STOP...CRACKING...WISE...OR...UNELECTABLE...

[MaximumZero]

Well, the whole point of electing someone like me would be to piss off radicals and fundamentalists. After I get the torches and pitchforks treatment, it goes one of two ways: 1) I smooth things over by revealing that I'm not as absurdly left leaning as I look (I'm actually moreso, but some of those values fall on the right because of it, notably gun control,) or 2) people march on the White House only to be Batman-punched until they're afraid of their own shadow.

[Duuvian]

Well, the whole point of electing someone like me would be to piss off radicals and fundamentalists. After I get the torches and pitchforks treatment, it goes one of two ways: 1) I smooth things over by revealing that I'm not as absurdly left leaning as I look (I'm actually moreso, but some of those values fall on the right because of it, notably gun control,) or 2) people march on the White House only to be Batman-punched until they're afraid of their own shadow.

Sounds good to me if it does to Batman.

Wait, is he in the 1%? Does he support tax increases on masked millionaire (or billionaire, whichever) crime fighters?

Also, yeah, gun control. That's a tough one. I'd say somewhere between only licensed people have guns and they work for me, and being able to buy 50 ak47s a day to take to a country engaged in civil war sounds fair. Maybe even allow local regulation on the matter. That way Grandma County can stay pleasantly unarmed while neighboring Neo-Naziville stockpiles their weapons in preparation for crimes in Grandma County and the coming race war. Maybe allow a local committee to choose who receives concealed weapon permits to prevent said crimes after a vetting process.

[kaijyuu]

Batman probably is the 1%. But he lives in a magical fantasy world where honest business practices are actually competitive, you can donate millions to charity at a whim, and diverting millions of your company's funds to your garage hobby doesn't get you fired.

[MaximumZero]

If anything, I'd like to see more uberwealthy individuals act more like Warren Buffett. Despite being the 1% of the 1%, he still thinks he should pay more in taxes.

[Duuvian]

Yeah, Warren Buffet acted like how I think Bruce Wayne would behave in similar circumstances.

Spoiler: as Batman (click to show/hide)

He'd punch the Koch brothers if they interfere with his investigation and suspend Karl Rove tied upside down by his feet off a skyscraper for the police to find after he's finished his interrogation.

My apologies but paint is crap yet bundled with Windows, GIMP is a pain in the ass to use and requires a download and install and Photoshop isn't free. Thus Paint was used for this nonsensical atrocity. I figured it was better than dressing Rove up like the Penguin since Cheney had dibs on that. I could have used one I found on the internet of Mccain as Two Face and Rove as the Joker, but I don't think that's fair to Mccain so I made my own. Who should the big guy to the left be? Also Romney has apparently never been photographed in a Fedora, so says the mighty Google image search.

I suppose the thread should be re-railed about now though.

[MaximumZero]

As far as gun laws are concerned, so long as a person a) doesn't have a felony, history of violence or mental instability, and b) can pass a safety course, there's no reason to prevent that person from owning a gun. After all, we give teenagers the ability to control a two-ton (and sometimes more) box on wheels controlled by their feet and powered by explosions. I don't particularly see guns as more dangerous, considering that to kill someone with a gun, you have to intend to do so, or be egregiously careless or stupid.

[Frumple]

Ehn... problem with A is sometimes the latter two don't get noticed or documented, and it'd be difficult to filter for those, when they're two of the stronger indicators of potential problem. M'own experience is that, at least in my state, things are a bit more lax than m'terribly comfortable with. Mind you, Florida doesn't have a gun license (just a concealed carry), but yeah.

Problem with B is quality of the course, and regular (biannual?) re-qualification. Honestly, some kind of unscheduled test might be ideal... firearm safety is something I'd want people to know, not just temp. memorize to pass a test and then forget.

Those two would be the ideal, though, if it could be done... well, better would be nice

Drivers licenses could probably stand some tighter quality control too -- gods know I shouldn't have been given one... I had maybe an hour behind the wheel, total (was maybe my fourth or fifth, if that, time behind the wheel), and no formal safety training when I passed the driver's test -- but there's much bigger pressure to use vehicles than firearms. S'bit trickier, there.