On Fri, 24 Nov 2000, Carskadden, Rush wrote:
And as an additional claim of bullshit, to say that corporations, and in turn the people of the industrial world, are not controlled by government is to completely deny the fact that the federal government is partly designed to, and spends most of it's energy on, regulating commerce.
Which was never it's intent outside of interstate and international commerce. There is a reason that there is no mention of commercial representation in the Constitution, in a government of the people, for the people, and by the people there are no businesses. They aren't people. Business exists to empower people to develop governments which allow them to attain their goals and dreams. Neither government or business is an ends in and of itself.
That's just a few (the most egregious offenders in poor regulation), but if you want more, I can send them to you. I'm not saying corporations do not exert control over our everyday lives. My point is, as much as I too like William Gibson, and as much as I was hoping Nader would get his requisite percentage of the popular vote and stir up some trouble, corporations simply do not run things by themselves.
With respect to Gibson, you should re-read his work then. There is government (e.g. Turing Police). Also, who originaly built the hovercraft or robots at Dog Solitude? The point of Gibson's work is that corporations and government are the primary corruptors of society.
The government does far more to control us (and just generally piss in our rice crispies) than corporations. Gauranteed.
"the government' is a group of people...to rephrase, "The group of people we delegate decision making, problem resolution, and enforcement thereof to does far more to control us (and just generally piss in our rice crispies) than corporations." And this surprises whom? Then again, what are corporations? A group of people who delegate decision making, problem resolution, and enforcement thereof with respect to profit making. It means little, when we get right down to it, so say that one group of people have a larger influence over us than another. The real point is why we delegate that authority in that manner. Of the people, by the people, and for the people after all assumes that there is A people. A coherent population that respects the ideals of the American democratic experiment. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people (including those who enact those ideals) are ignorant [1] of those ideals. ____________________________________________________________________ He is able who thinks he is able. Buddha The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- -------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] I mean this in a larger sense than passively being ignorant or non-cognizant off something. I also mean those people who intentionaly ignore or mis-represent their support thereof as well. The word should be taken in a active sense.