Holder vs Humanitarian law and Arar vs Ashcroft both pass in Govt favour

[Cain]

The problem with private military companies is you normally have to work either for actual militaries for a while, or at the very least in the most militarized aspects of the police state (SWAT etc) for at least five years.  That's the trusted industry standard.  Anyone who has worked less is usually considered to be much more dubious, and so normally wont win contracts.  Assuming other companies are not in fact already intelligence fronts or run by state intelligence assets, as we know several are.

Also mercenaries are just as exposed to the visscitudes of state power as anyone else.  Google "the conspiracy of La Magione" for an historical example.  Now, most leaders, at least in the Western world, are nowhere near as clever or ambitious as Cesare Borgia, but they can usually afford to hire someone who is.

[LMNO]

Reading the Wiki article now. Sounds like a bunch of "whoopsies" on the part of the government that led to the ruining of a life that just wanted to be left alone.

It makes one wonder: how /does/ one do it right? Because it seems like the feds fucked with this guy until they finally had a chance to shoot him.

"Whoopsies".   

He went square.  They pounded a round hole into him.  Several times.

That's usually fatal.

Fixed.

[Doktor Howl]

Reading the Wiki article now. Sounds like a bunch of "whoopsies" on the part of the government that led to the ruining of a life that just wanted to be left alone.

It makes one wonder: how /does/ one do it right? Because it seems like the feds fucked with this guy until they finally had a chance to shoot him.

"Whoopsies".   

He went square.  They pounded a round hole into him.  Several times.

That's usually fatal.

Fixed.

Either way.

[Zyzyx]

That's why I would seal myself off, like in a Vault from the Fallout series. A Vault (minus the gerbil-esque social experiments) would be pretty much perfect.

[Doktor Howl]

That's why I would seal myself off, like in a Vault from the Fallout series.

And that's precisely why they'd go after you.

[Cain]

That's why I would seal myself off, like in a Vault from the Fallout series. A Vault (minus the gerbil-esque social experiments) would be pretty much perfect.

Would this vault have access to air?

[Doktor Howl]

That's why I would seal myself off, like in a Vault from the Fallout series. A Vault (minus the gerbil-esque social experiments) would be pretty much perfect.

Would this vault have access to air?

Also, food.  Then there's the actual construction of it.  Why are there so few mad scientists plotting to take over the world?  Oh, yeah...Because those secret bases are EXPENSIVE.

[Cain]

Well, if it had no access to air, it would be perfectly safe, just not useful for very long.  On the other hand, if it did, then it'd be time to drop the airborne weapons we sold to Saddam but totally don't build anymore, no siree.

[Doktor Howl]

Well, if it had no access to air, it would be perfectly safe, just not useful for very long.  On the other hand, if it did, then it'd be time to drop the airborne weapons we sold to Saddam but totally don't build anymore, no siree.

And if there's filters, just pour a few tanker trucks of gasoline down the intakes, and let nature do its thing.

[Zyzyx]

But why? Excuse my naivete, but is it so wrong to just want to be left alone?

[Cain]

But why? Excuse my naivete, but is it so wrong to just want to be left alone?

Because.  People who can be self-sufficient are dangerous, since all power is ultimately based on, aside from coercion, the provision (and threat of removal) of services, and people who want to be "left alone" are living outside of the Officially Approved Ideological State Structure and thus present a valid, and potentially attractive alternative to existence in Fat City.  Without people to tax and services to provide, the state can only rely on its coercive powers which, as we have seen lately, are not as fantastic as they'd like you to believe (though they'd still squash the unprepared or lone individual like a bug).

[Zyzyx]

The system is just insidious. The futility of it all is just staggering. They hide behind well-meaning people to get their agenda across.

[LMNO]

Zyz is starting to catch on...

[Zyzyx]

Zyz is starting to catch on...

Well, I /did/ sip the RAW kool-aid enough to paraphrase what he said in book two of Illuminatus!: "No matter who is running the machine, it will always turn out the exact same product." Essentially, we can have a million Mother Theresas running the US Federal government and the structure will produce the same damn thing as if it were run by a million Hermann Goerings.

My deceased grandfather was right. "The state has become more fascist (in 2006) than I've ever seen in my life (of 77 years)."

[Doktor Howl]

But why? Excuse my naivete, but is it so wrong to just want to be left alone?

Ever run from a dog?