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The town is no longer friendly for business

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Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#101

Post by Aramgutang »

shareme wrote: post #7
wavephorm wrote: post #4

The United States is very quickly becoming an ever more scary looking country. From the outside, it appears to be converting itself into a full-on fascist regime, hostile to insiders and outsiders alike. The walls are going up, the spy-cams and wiretapping are springing up. The SOPA/PIPA powered nation-wide firewall is being constructed. Local authorities are increasingly becoming subservient to a centralized federal…

I think you better re-read what is happening in Australia, what you describe better fits their situation than the US one.

I's sorry, what? Can you please provide some examples of developments in Australia that in any way match what the parent was describing? Or have you been misled to believe that our Internet is filtered in any way?

Australia has the sanest political climate of any developed country I've lived in, in large part thanks to compulsory and preferential (ranked) voting. Sure there's things like the manufactured boogeyman of "boat people", the lingering spectre of racism, and increasingly vocal tea-party-like factions, but not nearly to the same extent as in the US, UK, or even Canada.

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#102

Post by forgottenpaswrd »

nirvana wrote: post #70
wavephorm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

fas·cism/ˈfaSHizəm/ Noun: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. (in general use) Extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice. re·gime/riˈZHēm/ Noun: A government, esp. an authoritarian one. A system or planned way of doing things, esp. one imposed from above. I don't think you can get a more succinct description of what's happening to the Un…

This seems to be an ideological definition. I'm really curious where you obtained it. It is the perspective of leftists-- an ideological perspective-- that "fascism" is "right-wing". For instance, the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, also known as the Nazis, were a pro-union, pro-socialism, pro-farmer, party. It seems that the accusation of "right wing" comes from using the term as a synonym for "authoritarian".…

"I think the inclusion of "nationalism and often racism" is an editorial lapse here. Mussolini wasn't racist the way the Nazis were"

It is not, Mussolini was member of the Italian communist party but decided he wanted to create their own party, also socialist but nationalist.

This way it was totally independent from the socialist International(soviet Russia controlled) because he did not wanted to become a satellite state.

Racism was applied as Mussolini wanted to recover the glory days of the Roman Empire, the Italians as a superior race that "dominates the world".

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#103

Post by sedev »

nirvana wrote: post #70
wavephorm wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

fas·cism/ˈfaSHizəm/ Noun: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. (in general use) Extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice. re·gime/riˈZHēm/ Noun: A government, esp. an authoritarian one. A system or planned way of doing things, esp. one imposed from above. I don't think you can get a more succinct description of what's happening to the Un…

This seems to be an ideological definition. I'm really curious where you obtained it. It is the perspective of leftists-- an ideological perspective-- that "fascism" is "right-wing". For instance, the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, also known as the Nazis, were a pro-union, pro-socialism, pro-farmer, party. It seems that the accusation of "right wing" comes from using the term as a synonym for "authoritarian".…

"For instance, the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, also known as the Nazis, were a pro-union, pro-socialism, pro-farmer, party. It seems that the accusation of "right wing" comes from using the term as a synonym for "authoritarian"."

No! No, you are factually wrong, and wrong in a way I think it's important to correct. I recommend reading David Neiwert's work - Mr. Neiwert is a journalist whose main beat is fascist movements. The inclusion of "socialist" in the name "National Socialist Workers' Party" is the most blatant kind of red herring. The Nazis were as anti-socialist and anti-union as you could get! Within three months of taking power, for example, Hitler banned trade unions entirely and imprisoned their leaders. There are gobs of instances in Hitler and Goebbels' own writing where they curse those evil evil unions, those evil evil socialists. Mussolini's Blackshirt squads, meanwhile, had nearly a full-time job assaulting and agitating against socialist activists, and Mussolini himself described fascism as "estato corporativo" - the corporate state.

Here's a good start on Neiwert's work:

* http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2008/01/responding-to-jonah.htm...

* http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2009/06/fascism-is-not-liberal-...

The rest of your argument is to be addressed on its own terms, but on the point I quoted, you are wrong, wrong, wrong, on the facts and it's important that on that particular point, the actual history of fascism be faced. The fascist regimes of Germany and Italy in the 20th century were no way, no how pro-union or pro-socialist: they were avowedly and forcefully the opposite.

(also: 'when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the American flag and waving a cross' cf http://is.gd/it4zJ6 )

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#104

Post by lotharbot »

jacquesm wrote: post #34
dav-id wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We ship direct to customers in a way similar to how you might buy from ebay an item from a seller overseas and they will send the item. We want to make the process as easy for our customers as possible so we through our couriers will take care of all customs clearance and duties if they apply. Our biggest advantage of not setting up in the US apart from the legal aspect is being able to avoid a lot of the taxes. When…

Have a read: http://www.wassom.com/personal-jurisdiction-can-my-ar-app-ge... I think that contains some information that bears on your situation. My short form advice to you would be: don't worry about lawsuits that you have not been confronted with. It's fine to look ahead but this is something that most likely will never come to pass and you have no control over whether and when it will. Such lawsuits are typically…

> "a proverb in my country says that 'you can't pluck feathers from a frog'"

The US version of this proverb is "you can't squeeze blood from a turnip".

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#105

Post by sedev »

powertower wrote: post #17

I live in the US. I don't know a single person that's in prison. I don't know a single person that's been charged as a terrorist. I don't know a single person whose business has been adversely affected by the government (such as the above). Seriously! But they keep telling me that it's happening all around me. They tell me it's a fascist police state.

Assume that the US is a fascist state and you're one of the beneficiaries: you'd see the same thing that you're seeing now. You would also see the same thing if we assume that the US is not a fascist state. So that argument is of null import.

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#106

Post by sedev »

rfrey wrote: post #75
nirvana wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"substituting a tired "U.S.->Nazi" cliché in place of whatever message you intended." He didn't make that claim. He made a specific claim. Rather than debate that claim, you're attacking the word he used. Have you got a better word? As far as I know, the term "Fascist" is the most clinically correct term for that type of system. If someone were to use the less correct, but more emotionally charged term "Nazi", then y…

My argument is that use of the word "fascist" itself prevents us from rational discourse of the trends and problems at hand by driving us to extreme positions. "Fascist" is not the correct word for what's happening. It's a loaded and extreme word. Sure, you can quote an one-sentence online dictionary and use the vagueness of that definition to convince yourself that it is correct. Or you can use an equally simplistic…

"My argument is that use of the word "fascist" itself prevents us from rational discourse of the trends and problems at hand by driving us to extreme positions."

I call foul: you say that now, but you're participating in preventing people from using the word according to its simple and straightforward meaning! You can't have it both ways there.

"Also, calling somebody on injecting the emotional baggage of that hyperbole is not making "rational conversation impossible"."

Like heck. You're derailing the conversation and quibbling.

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#107

Post by nyar »

nahname wrote: post #76
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #46

There are some general trends that are worth noting. The right seems to generally want to support a new military-industrial complex focused more on immigration and monitoring the population and less on building aircraft carriers. The left seems fine with this, although they'd never openly admit it, aside from a bunch of pundits complaining, as long as they keep and energize their voter base with their issues. The lef…

Can I ask why you use "right" and "left", instead of democrats and republicans?

Can I ask why you assume democrats and republicans are the only two possible choices within left and right ideologies?

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#108

Post by nyar »

nahname wrote: post #76
DanielBMarkham wrote: post #46

There are some general trends that are worth noting. The right seems to generally want to support a new military-industrial complex focused more on immigration and monitoring the population and less on building aircraft carriers. The left seems fine with this, although they'd never openly admit it, aside from a bunch of pundits complaining, as long as they keep and energize their voter base with their issues. The lef…

Can I ask why you use "right" and "left", instead of democrats and republicans?

Can I ask why you assume democrats and republicans are the only two possible choices within left and right ideologies?

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#109

Post by Joakal »

Aramgutang wrote: post #101
shareme wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you better re-read what is happening in Australia, what you describe better fits their situation than the US one.

I's sorry, what? Can you please provide some examples of developments in Australia that in any way match what the parent was describing? Or have you been misled to believe that our Internet is filtered in any way? Australia has the sanest political climate of any developed country I've lived in, in large part thanks to compulsory and preferential (ranked) voting. Sure there's things like the manufactured boogeyman of…

There's mandatory Internet censorship in Australia, in a sense that it's funded by the government and users have no choice except to leave. It's a form of making censored Internet subscriptions cheaper than Internet Freedom subscriptions that will lead those ISPs to exit market. Heard of NBN? What if the government says that ISPs must have 'appropriate criminal filters' in place to be eligible for NBN access? Look to UK for more (Remember Wikipedia being blocked?).

Both parties have been known to support the ability to declare war without parliament (USA/UK need to ask). It's controversial to be in the parties and support parliamentary requirement to go to war.

There's many secret copyright enforcement meetings and rumours are abound that they are discussing ways to use the piracy phenomenon as a form of economic bogeyman to spy on small businesses for the big businesses. Not only that, but there's implications that the government likes the ability to spy and restrict opposition groups. Even The Pirate Bay colourfully said that copyright lobby is so powerful that ISPs are forced to attend 'optional meetings to discuss ways of reducing copyright infringement'.

Did you know that police can now issue $1320 on-the-spot fines and confiscate all electronic equipment deemed involved in piracy? It's per infringement, so 100 pictures can easily become a $132k fine.

Re: The town is no longer friendly for business

#110

Post by nahname »

nyar wrote: post #107
nahname wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I ask why you use "right" and "left", instead of democrats and republicans?

Can I ask why you assume democrats and republicans are the only two possible choices within left and right ideologies?

I do not assume such.

However, if you look at the current US congressional seats, you will see only those two organizations. Correct me if I am wrong, but that seems fair to say that despite whatever efforts other political parties are making, they are largely irrelevant with respect to effective policy being made.

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