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1.14
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1.14
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% THE CHRISTIAN CASE AGAINST CAPITALISM.  CAPITALISM DISCRIMINATES
% AGAINST CHRISTIANS.  HAWAII WILL STRUGGLE.  GLOBALIZATION.
% HAWAII AS AN OFFSHORE PIRACY CENTER.

All of Mercuriou's opponents were back, their babbling heads arranged
on the TV screen in a montage of boxes, each corner more determined
than the other three to deride the space captain.  Wye babbled nonsense,
unclear to decide if Mercuriou was defending criminals and capitalists
or terrorists and democrats, but absolutely _certain_ that
_these_people_will_not_get_away_with_this_.  Zee, stony and impassive,
understood immediately that democracy itself was under attack, and right
here in the United States of America, no less!  Yet it was Ecks,
red-faced with rage, and with his hand on the mute button, who was
again the first to speak.

Ecks: "A Christian!  So the thief has converted to God!"

Mercuriou: "Look, what I did was wrong, but there's nothing to do now
but move on.  If you don't have any questions about my speech, I'll
just save some radio power now."

This time, he really was reaching for the switch, and there was a
pause longer than the satellite delay.

Ecks: "You seem to have quite an electronic library built up, Captain.
I'd like to suggest a book called _The_Wealth_of_Nations_."

Mercuriou: "There's a copy on Gutenberg."

He produced a tablet computer and began reading from Chapter 2.

Mercuriou:   "In almost every other race of animals, each individual, when it is
   grown up to maturity, is entirely independent, and in its natural
   state has occasion for the assistance of no other living creature. But
   man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it
   is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. He will
   be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-love in his
   favour, and shew them that it is for their own advantage to do for him
   what he requires of them. Whoever offers to another a bargain of any
   kind, proposes to do this. Give me that which I want, and you shall
   have this which you want, is the meaning of every such offer; and it
   is in this manner that we obtain from one another the far greater part
   of those good offices which we stand in need of. It is not from the
   benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our
   dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address
   ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never
   talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages. Nobody
   but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his
   fellow-citizens."

Mercuriou: "Now, is this what we're taught by Christ?  Is this moral?"

Ecks: "What's immoral about asking people to pay what something cost to
produce?"

Mercuriou: "'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' or
appeal to 'self interest' and 'self-love'?"

Ecks: "I'm no theologian; you can direct your religious questions to
the Reverend!  I want to know what's immoral about asking people to
pay what something costs?"

Mercuriou: "Well you can't get away from the religious questions!
That's the whole point!  It's a _moral_ issue!  We are taught by
Christ made generosity a lifestyle, not an option!"

Ecks: Ecks shuffled some papers.  "So we're just supposed to give away
everything we've got, eh?"

Mercuriou: "No, but sometimes we must do that.  It is not _based_ on
that, though.  It's based on love, generosity being just one of its
most obvious forms."

Ecks: "Most people have different ideas, Captain.  Most people think
that they can be good, generous hard-working citizens, expect that of
others, and still allocate their own finances."

Mercuriou: "Hidden here is the assumption that everyone lives that way!
If someone adopts the Christian lifestyle instead, she is clearly at a
'competitive disadvantage' because she no longer has the resources
that are so critical to adjust and balance those finances."

Ecks: "Well, if they don't want money, if they don't want the
advantages of capitalism..."

Mercuriou: "It doesn't matter; capitalism is _unfair_!  It
discriminates against people who are generous, and it discriminates
against Christians!  You've built a society that rejects Christian
principles, discriminates against Christians, and then claims to offer
religious freedom!"

% MERCURIOU DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEFT; ECKS DOESN'T WANT TO TALK
% ABOUT CHRISTIANITY

Ecks: "We don't discriminate against Christians!  We don't arrest or
execute them, either; some countries do!  If some deluded 'Christian'
wants to sleep under a bridge, let him!  I wonder if that's true
Christianity, though.  I don't know.  I want to talk about your
screwball secession plan!  First came your idiotic Martian Republic,
and now this!  How will Hawaii survive without the mainland?  Where
will your computers come from, or is everyone going back to eating
poi?"

Mercuriou: "Hawaii will struggle, but she needs to be independent.
Not just politically, but economically, too.  States and nations need
economic independence, or political independence means little.  Reject
globalization!  Don't chase efficiency through mass economies because
then few places actually develop their own technology.  Aim for global
economic independence!  That means nations producing their own
computers, cars, buildings and factories.  Hawaii will achieve that
first for herself, and then lead the rest of world!"

Ecks: "Sounds to me like you want to steal Hawaii and turn it into an
offshore piracy haven, where criminals can steal our technology with
impunity!  How can we compete with a bunch of thieves?!?"

Mercuriou: "You won't be able to compete because your product is
inferior.  What 'globalization' offers the world is a simple deal --
find something to sell, and in exchange you'll get our closed, secret,
proprietary technology that we control.  I'll offer them something
better -- all the software, the chip masks, the factory blueprints --
everything they need to build their own computers, their own cell
phones, their own data networks.  Now, which of these two 'products'
do you think our 'customers' will prefer?"

Ecks: "You do that with your technology, not ours!"

Mercuriou: "And live in the dark ages because you control all the
copyrights for the last 70 years?  Forget it!"

Ecks: "We'll stop you!  We'll stop you!"

Mercuriou: "Go ahead!  Stop us!  Get tough!  Go to war!"

Ecks: "I just can't... I can't believe that an American citizen would
push his own country to the brink of civil war.  I can't believe that
any _patriotic_ American would do that."

Mercuriou started laughing.

Mercuriou: "You're too much!  All your talk about the heroes
who sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom!  That's what it
comes down to?  We sacrifice when somebody else's neck is in the block
and then play safe when it's our own?"

Ecks: "You don't believe in those heros, _Captain_!  You mock them with
your voice!"

Mercuriou: "Believe in them!  I'm one of them!  I'm willing to fight
for my freedom!  I'm just doing it right here in America, that's all!"

Ecks: "Why someplace nice like Hawaii?  Why not Alaska?"

Mercuriou: "Alaska can secede, too!"

Ecks started screaming.

Ecks: "Get out!  Don't go to Hawaii!  Get out!! Just get the hell out!!"
@


1.13
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@d8 1
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than the rest to deride the space captain.  Wye babbled nonsense,
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the Reverend!  I just want to know what's immoral about asking people
to pay what something costs?"
d64 3
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Mercuriou: "Well you can't get away from the religious questions
because that's the whole problem!  It's a _moral_ issue.  We
are taught by Christ made generosity a lifestyle, not an option!"
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that, though.  It's based on love, generousity being just one of its
d96 4
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Ecks: "We don't discriminate against Christians, Captain!  We don't
arrest or execute them, either; some countries
do!  If some deluded 'Christian' wants to sleep under a bridge, let
him!  I wonder if that's true Christianity, though.  Again, please direct
your religious questions to the reverend.  I want to talk about your
d107 6
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economic independence, or political independence means little.  I
don't believe in globalization.  We shouldn't be trying to achieve
efficiency through mass economies of scale because then few places
actually develop their own technology.  We need to achieve global
economic independence for all nations, and that means nations
producing their own computers, cars, buildings and factories.  Hawaii
will have to achieve that first for herself, and then lead the rest of
world to achieve it for themselves.  We'll build a twenty-first
century library of Alexandria to teach them how."
d114 1
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Ecks: "Sound to me like you want to steal Hawaii and turn it into an
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inferior.  What you offer the world, under 'globalization', is a
simple deal - find something you've got to sell, and then we'll sell
you our closed, secret, proprietary technology that we control.  I'll
offer them something better - all the software, the chip masks, the
factory blueprints - everything they need to build their own
computers, their own cell phones, their own data networks.  Now, which
of these two 'products' do you think our 'customers' will prefer?"
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Mercuriou: "So we're supposed live in the dark ages because you
control everything written in the last 70 years?  Forget it!"
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Ecks: "You don't believe in those heros, _Captain_.  You mock them with
your voice."
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Ecks: "Get out!  Don't go to Hawaii!  Just get the hell out!!"

Mercuriou: "And go where?  Australia?  Europe?  Japan?  What political
power would we have?  We're not even citizens.  How would we get past
their immigration controls?  And why should we?  We're Americans.  We
were promissed freedom just like everyone else, and we can't get it
anywhere but here!"

@


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All of Mercuriou's opponents were on the program, arranged on the TV
screen in a montage of babbling heads, each more determined than the
rest to heap opprobrium on the space captain.  Wye babbled nonsense,
unable to decide if Mercuriou was defending criminals or terrorists or
attacking capitalists or democrats.  Zee, red-faced with rage, was
much clearer in his understanding that democracy itself was under
assault, and right here in the United States, no less!  Yet it was
Ecks, with his hand on the mute buttons, who was again the first to
speak.
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Ecks: "Get out!  Don't go to Hawaii!  Just get out!"
@


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THE CHRISTIAN CASE AGAINST CAPITALISM.  CAPITALISM DISCRIMINATES
AGAINST CHRISTIANS.  HAWAII WILL STRUGGLE.  GLOBALIZATION.
HAWAII AS AN OFFSHORE PIRACY CENTER.
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unable to decide if Mercuriou was defending terrorists or attacking
capitalists.  Zee, red-faced with rage, was much clearer in his
understanding that democracy itself was under assault, and right here
in the United States, no less!  Yet it was Ecks, with his hand on the
mute buttons, who was again the first to speak.
d22 2
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There was a pause longer than the satellite delay.
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discriminates against people who are generous, and it also
discriminates against Christians!  You've built a society that rejects
Christian principles, discriminates against Christians who adhere to
them, and then claims to offer religious freedom!"
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MERCURIOU DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEFT; ECKS DOESN'T WANT TO TALK
ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
d95 2
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Ecks: "We don't arrest or execute Christians, Captain, some countries
d105 2
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Mercuriou: "Hawaii will struggle, but needs to be independent.  Not
just politically, but economically, too.  States and nations need
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inferior.  What you offer the world, under "globalization", is a
d132 1
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Mercuriou: "So what, we're supposed live in the dark ages because you
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Mercuriou: "Go ahead!  Stop us!  Go to war!  To stop secession!  To
stop data piracy!"
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anywhere but here."
a169 181


------

We need to drive these people out of leadership positions!  Let's
see these capitalists run their businesses without employees!

-------

Why should Costa Rica have its own silicon fab?  Why not just import
their chips from abroad?  It'll be a lot cheaper that well.

Well, the answer is that Costa Rica needs to build its own silicon
chips unless it wants to be economically and technologically
dependent on other nations.

-----

I have no interest in working with the capitalists.  I want out of
this country.  I want to live in a society of like-minded people,
people determined to build a gift economy.


-------
-----

Ecks: Hawaiian secession is as crazed as your space launch scheme!  No
way will it work!  No way!  You'll run out of food!  You'll run out of
fuel!  Where will your gasoline come from?

Mercuriou: Moving to economic independence will come slowly and
painfully, but it will come.

Ecks: Now you're talking like a politician!  A bunch of vague nonsense!

Mercuriou: Fine, then let me get specific.  I'll send my people out
begging Hawaiians to let us use their parks, their lawns, their
medians to grow corn or switchgrass to make ethanol.  It'll take years
to convert, and they'll be years of shortage, of lines, of rationing,
but we will produce our own energy!

We're not going to grow nothing but pineapples just to sait the global
demand for the fruit; we will grow our own food.  It

Strike capitalists!  Not just one company or another!  Don't work for
the capitalists!  Refuse to work for these people!  Make sure you work
for people that run charities and co-operatives!  If they are not
willing to abide by the law of charity, then refuse to support them
with your labor!  It's your labor that keeps them in power!

(use the old women and the rich man)

----

end of the foreclosure mess is when we stop enforcing foreclosures.
Or do like ancient Israel and discharge all debts every 50 years.

-----

------

Are you going to convert all of Hawaii's food production to local ag?

Not necessarily.

-----

I just can't beleive that you don't want to be President.

I assure you that I have absolutely no desire to be President of the
United States.

I just find that impossible to believe.



-----

How can I tell an author what they must do with their work?

Well, I live in a society that has sent armed men busting into my
home!  And now you're going to say, oh, how can I treat these people
so bad?  How can I violate their rights?  Easy!  I've gotten hard;
I've gotten tough!  What I say to the authors and publishers is this:
We are not going to send armed men busting into your homes.  However,
we are also not going to outlaw on-line public libraries; we will not
imprison people for making copies of books; the answer is NO!

"Just say NO!" It is the greatest contribution of the drug war to
human civilization.  That's exactly what we need to do, so many times
in our lives!  That's exactly what we need to do to the majority and
to the capitalists: Just say NO!

----

So people are just, just going to be allowed to copy anything
they want on their computers.

-----

We can't have people sitting around all day doing nothing!

For all your talk about freedom, you really don't believe in it!

-----

Bottom line - capitalism works, in the real world.

OK, so?  It doesn't mean we have to live that way.  Fascism worked;
communism worked.

Communism worked?!

You bet it worked!  In the real world!  It conjured half of this
planet and ruled it for the better part of a century!  Fascism
conjured all of Europe!  It worked!  In the real world!  Look right
here in this country - slavery!  (you don't even have to go to any of
these foreign countries) It worked!  The south built an entire
civilization around it!  It worked - in the real world!  So what?
It doesn't mean we have to live that way!  It doesn't!

I can't believe this!  I can't believe what... so... slavery
just... just... I, well... you just don't care how blacks were
treated?

Oh, I'm sorry, are we now making a _moral_ value judgement?  Sixty
seconds ago, capitalism worked in the real world and that was the
bottom line.  Sounds like that's not the bottom line on slavery.
Sounds like we're going to make a moral value judgement in addition to
this question of whether it works in the real world.  And if we're
going to make moral value judgements on communism or fascism or
slavery, or anything else, then why shouldn't we make them on
capitalism as well?  OK, so what, it works!  Why can't we say
we're not going to live that way because it's immoral, and we
don't care whether it works or not!

No, I am not advocating slavery.  I'm simply pointing out that you can
use the same argument you just used to advocate capitalism to advocate
slavery.  This is so typical of American propaganda.  We don't want to
discuss this issues.  What we want to do is take our opponent's words
and twist them around to (make the advocate what they never advocated)
obfuscate the issues and cripple the dialog.

-----

Include some stuff on propaganda terms - work, 'the people', freedom
and how their definitions are changed around by propagandists.
Propagandists use these terms vaguely so that they can wait for their
opponents to select a tack, then change the meaning of the word to
demolish the opposing argument by a trick.

[READ MEIN KAMPF]

-----

if you won't go along with the program, we won't export technology to
you

-----

Mercuriou: This man Smith was another Machiavelli!


-----

{the beginning?}

Mercuriou: Maybe I could be bought out for a research center.
Doesn't matter.  These issues have to be addressed.

ECKS: Ammendment 1 - Secession is allowed!

Don't tell me that after Hungary and Lithuania we're not going to
allow U.S. states to go free!


-----

You'll ruin Hawaii!  You're determined to do it!

-------
@


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screen in a montage of babbling heads, each seeming more determined
than the rest to heap opprobrium on the space captain.  Ecks, with his
hand on the mute button, was again the first to speak.

[ Ecks was speechless, unable
[ to decide if Mercuriou was defending the terrorists or attacking the
[ capitalists.  Wye, red-faced with rage, sputtered nonsense.  Only Zee
[ remained stony and impassive, and it was he who answered the space
[ captain now.

@


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   "In almost every other race of animals, each individual, when it is
@


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[ Ecks: A Christian!  So the thief has converted to God!
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[ Mercuriou: If you don't have any questions about my speech, I'll just
[ turn off the camera now. [MORE CLEVER - converve my radio power]
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[ There was a pause longer than the satellite delay.
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Ecks: You seem to have quite an electronic library built up, Captain.
I'd like to suggest a book called _The_Wealth_of_Nations_.
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Mercuriou: There's a copy on Gutenberg.
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[ He produced a tablet computer and began reading from Chapter 2.
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   In almost every other race of animals, each individual, when it is
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   fellow-citizens.
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Mercuriou: Now, is this what we're taught by Christ?  Is this moral?
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Ecks: What's immoral about asking people to pay what something cost to
produce?
d45 2
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Mercuriou: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' or
appeal to 'self interest' and 'self-love'?
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Ecks: I'm no theologian; you can direct your religious questions to
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to pay what something costs?
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Mercuriou: Well you can't get away from the religious questions
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are taught by Christ made generosity a lifestyle, not an option!
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Ecks: [after shuffling some papers on his desk] So we're just supposed
to give away everything we've got, eh?
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Mercuriou: No, but sometimes we must do that.  It is not _based_ on
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most obvious forms.
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Ecks: Most people have different ideas, Captain.  Most people think
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others, and still allocate their own finances.
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Mercuriou: Hidden here is the assumption that everyone lives that way!
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that are so critical to adjust and balance those finances.
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Ecks: Well, if they don't want money, if they don't want the
advantages of capitalism...
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Mercuriou: It doesn't matter; capitalism is _unfair_!  It
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them, and then claims to offer religious freedom!
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Ecks: We don't arrest or execute Christians, Captain, some countries
do!  If some deluded "Christian" wants to sleep under a bridge,
let him!  I wonder if that's true Christianity, though.
[Again, direct your religious questions to the reverend.]
  I want to
talk about your screwball secession plan!  First came your idiotic
Martian Republic, and now this!  How will Hawaii survive without the
mainland?  Where will your computers come from, or is everyone going
back to eating poi?

Mercuriou: Hawaii will struggle, but needs to be independent.  Not
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century library of Alexandria to teach them how.
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Ecks: [shuffling papers] Sound like you want Hawaii as an offshore
piracy haven, where criminals can steal our technology with impunity!
How can we compete with a bunch of thieves?!?
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Mercuriou: You won't be able to compete because your product is
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of these two "products" do you think our "customer" will prefer?
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Ecks: You do that with your technology, not ours!
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Mercuriou: What, we're supposed live in the dark ages because you
control everything written in the last 70 years?  Forget it!
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Ecks: We'll stop you!  We'll stop you!
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Mercuriou: Go ahead!  Go to war!  To stop secession!  To stop data
piracy!
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Ecks: I just can't... I can't believe that an American citizen would
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a _patriotic_ American would do that.
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Mercuriou (laughing): You're too much!  All your talk about the heroes
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and then play safe when it's our own?
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Ecks: You don't believe in those heros, _Captain_.  You mock them with
your voice.
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Mercuriou: Believe in them!  I'm one of them!  I'm willing to fight
for my freedom!  I'm just doing it right here in America, that's all!
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Ecks: [shuffling papers again] Why someplace nice like Hawaii?  Why
not Alaska?
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Mercuriou: Alaska can secede, too!
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Ecks: Get out!  Don't go to Hawaii.  Just get out!
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Mercuriou: And go where?  Australia?  Europe?  Japan?  What political
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anywhere but here.
@


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Ecks: A Christian!  So the thief has converted to God!
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Mercuriou: If you don't have any questions about my speech, I'll just
turn off the camera now. [MORE CLEVER - converve my radio power]
d11 1
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There was a pause longer than the satellite delay.
d18 1
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He produced a tablet computer and began reading from Chapter 2.
a334 8
I'm open to compromise.  I am serious about secession, but the
issue is not beyond compromise.

What king of compromise?

The ammendments to the constitution.  At least the first one must
pass.  They all should be voted on.

a335 13

Mercuriou: Let me add something - free technology isn't just about
free software, it's about going green, too.  What happens when one of
your capitalist gizmos breaks?  You toss it into the nearest landfill.
Now if the design is open, that device can be repaired.  The
capitalists don't want this.  They don't want technology that can be
repaired.  They want throw-away technology.  Instead of repairing
these devices, they want you to buy a new one.  Going green doesn't
have to be mandated carbon scrubbers on smoke-stacks.  It's building
clean, open, sustainable technology that everyone can build, improve,
and repair.


@


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Ecks: Well, if they don't want the advantages of capitalism...
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Mercuriou: Again, it's _unfair_!  It discriminates against people who
are generous, and it also discriminates against Christians!
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Implicit in his argument is the assumption everyone lives that way!
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Ecks: Again, direct your religious questions to the reverend.  I want
to talk about your screwball secession plan!  First came your idiotic
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Mercuriou: Hawaii will struggle, but we need to be independent.  Not
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world to achieve it for themselves.





Mercuriou: I propose a twenty-first century library of Alexandria.

Who's doing to pay for it, Captain?

"The authors pay for it.  They write the books, publish them on the
Internet, give copies freely to anyone who wants them whether they pay
or not, and end up homeless on the streets, because most people take
whatever they can get for free, and slame the door shut on anyone who
can't pay."


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Ecks: How can we compete with a bunch of thieves?!?
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inferior.  Let's take, for example, Kenya.  Now, what you offer Kenya,
under the guise of "globalization", is a straightforward deal - find
something to sell, something you've got and we want, and then in
return we'll sell you our closed, secret, proprietary technology that
you'll have to pay out of the nose [CA] for.  What I'll offer Kenya is
something else - all the software, the chip masks, the factory
blueprints - everything they need to build their own computers, their
own cell phones, their own data networks.  Now, which of these two
"products" do you think this "customer" will prefer?
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Ecks: Freedom for thieves!  That's what you want!  Freedom for thieves!
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Mercuriou: What "theft"?  You walk into a museum and take a picture of
the painting, or setup an easel to paint your own copy, nobody calls
that "theft"!  You lift the painting off the wall, put it under your
arm and walk out the door - _that_'s theft!  What you call theft is
nothing more than education, and what you call virtue is a world where
knowledge is a weapon used to maintain an economic and technological
tyranny!  "Give a man a fish, he's fed for a day; teach a man to fish,
he'd fed for life."  Well, the capitalists have a new way - get a
process patent on fishing, then he has to pay you everytime he throws
a line in the water.
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Ecks: We need to lower taxes and get rid of government regulation on
private enterprise.
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Mercuriou: Then you'll be right back to where you were a hundred years
ago, with massive pollution, key industries run into the ground by
monopolies.

-----
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Ecks: How can we compete with a bunch of thieves?!?
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"Go to war!  To stop data piracy!  You want a global government!"
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-----

Ecks: "I just can't... I can't believe that an American citizen would
push his own country to the brink of civil war.  I can't believe that
a _patriotic_ American would do that.
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Mercuriou (laughing): "You're too much!  All your talk about the
heroes who sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom!  That's what
it comes down to?  We sacrifice when somebody else's neck is in the
block and then play safe when it's our own?"
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Ecks: "You don't believe in those heros, _Captain_.  You mock them
with your voice."
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Mercuriou: "Believe in them!  I'm one of them!  I'm willing to fight
for my freedom!  I'm just doing it right here in America, that's all!"
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Why someplace nice like Hawaii?  Why not Alaska?

Alaska can secede, too!

-----

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Get out.  Don't go to Hawaii.  Just get out.

Why should we go overseas?  (for independence)  We're Americans.
We were promissed freedom just like everyone else.

And how would we obtain political power in Australia?  We're not even
Australian citizens.  How would we even get past their immigration
controls?


--------

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Ecks: Hawaiian secession is as crazed as your space launch scheme!
No way it will possibly work!  You'll run out of food!  You think Dole
will just feed you pineapples?  Not to mention energy dependence!
What will your gasoline come from?

Mercuriou: Moving to economic independence will come slowly, but
it has to come.
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Ecks: So basically, you want to turn Hawaii into an offshore piracy
haven, where criminals can steal our technology with impunity!
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and all this bullshit about your "competitors"?!  Who are these people
They're your colleagues, right?  They're the people doing the same
kind of things you're doing, but instead of helping each other, you
try to bust each other's bank account.

------

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Hawaii will struggle when it's cut off from the mainland.

Yes, but we need to be independent.  Not just politically, but
economically, too.  States and nations need economic independence, or
political independence means little.  I don't believe in
globalization.  We shouldn't be trying to achieve efficiency through
mass economies of scale because then few places actually develop their
own technology.  We need to achieve global economic independence for
all nations, and that means nations producing their own computers,
cars, buildings and factories.  Hawaii will have to achieve that first
for herself, and then lead the rest of world to achieve it for
themselves.

-------

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Ecks: Why don't you answer my question?

Mercuriou: Why don't you answer mine?  Smith is your patron saint,
he's in the 'Gospel of Capitalism', isn't he? Christ said 'give to all
those who beg of you', and 'if a man steals your coat, give him your
cloak as well'.  Now if this is how we are to treat a thief, a _thief_
mind you, then how should we treat people who just ask politely?

Ecks: How convenient you bring up your own crime!

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the Reverend.  I just want to know what's immoral about asking people
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Ecks: [after a pause] So we're just supposed to give away everything
we've got, eh?
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the Reverend Governor.  I just want to know what's immoral about
asking people to pay what something costs?
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======


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Mercuriou: I've done wrong... Yet what I've done and what I haven't
done is beside the point.  I'm done arguing with you, Ecks.  I'm
presenting a plan of action to my supporters and you're not one of
them.  I couldn't care less [CA] what you think of my conversion, my
religion, my politics, or anything else.

Ecks: So we just aren't supposed to talk about your screwball
religion, Captain?

Mercuriou: You can talk about anything you want.  If don't have any
questions about my secession proposal, I'll just turn the camera off
now.
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...
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Ecks: You seem to have quite a library, Captain.  I'd like to suggest
a book you may have overlooked.  It's called _The_Wealth_of_Nations_.
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Mercuriou: I wouldn't argue with Adam Smith's logic, but I'll argue
against his morality!  Take a look at the beginning of that book,
Chapter 2:

He produced a tablet computer and began reading from it.
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Mercuriou: Now, is this what we're taught by Christ?  Smith presents a
compelling argument if you're willing to completely ignore its utter
immorality!  The man was another Machiavelli!
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Yates: Christ taught us to 'give to all those who beg of you', and
that 'if a man steals your coat, give him your cloak as well'.  Now if
this is how we are to treat thieves, then how should we treat people
who just ask politely?  Not only is Smith's philosophy immoral because
it is based on 'self interest' and 'self-love', but hidden in his
argument is the assumption that everyone actually lives that way.  If
someone adopts the Christian lifestyle instead, she is clearly at a
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that in Smith's argument are so critical to adjust and balance those
prices.
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