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Author Topic: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq  (Read 9857 times)

Ozymandias

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US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« on: 21 Apr 2008, 23:47 »

I don't know if this is actually a real article at a real website, but it's awesomely terrifying anyway.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #1 on: 22 Apr 2008, 00:03 »

I was hooked at "warbots" and "TALON SWORDS".

Here are the warbots in question, which kind of look like the robot from the new Pixar movie:

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #2 on: 22 Apr 2008, 01:59 »

Popular Science (via BotJunkie) has confirmed this:

Quote
T]he Army’s Program Executive Officer for Ground Forces, Kevin Fahey, was asked what happened to SWORDS. After all, no specific reason for the 11th-hour withdrawal ever came from the military or its contractors at Foster-Miller. Fahey’s answer was vague, but he confirmed that the robots never opened fire when they weren’t supposed to. His understanding is that “the gun started moving when it was not intended to move.” In other words, the SWORDS swung around in the wrong direction, and the plug got pulled fast. No humans were hurt, but as Fahey pointed out, “once you’ve done something that’s really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again.”

The article also mentions that

Quote
the machines had a tendency to spin out of control from time to time

This is maybe for the best.

BRING OUR BOTS HOME
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öde

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #3 on: 22 Apr 2008, 02:21 »

I thought militaries weren't allowed to use unmanned killing machines?
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #4 on: 22 Apr 2008, 02:32 »

human controlled robots
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #5 on: 22 Apr 2008, 04:00 »

I saw a vision of Skynet after they mentioned the robots moving the gun barrel by itself.Howvere it could just be the bearings on the turret that are loose( i have that happen before with my school's remote swing wing plane).
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #6 on: 22 Apr 2008, 04:05 »

human controlled robots

Depending on how they are designed (in particular, I'm guessing they have pretty sophisticated AI to handle a lot of details without the human operator needing to think about them) that could be a distinction without a difference.

Ozymandias

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #7 on: 22 Apr 2008, 08:11 »

I saw a vision of Skynet after they mentioned the robots moving the gun barrel by itself.Howvere it could just be the bearings on the turret that are loose( i have that happen before with my school's remote swing wing plane).

Uh, yeah, by the way...
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #8 on: 22 Apr 2008, 09:02 »

at least its robots making the friendly fire for a change...
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #9 on: 22 Apr 2008, 09:03 »

Fuck robots. I'm waiting for the Neo Sapiens to finally get bred and inevitably take over.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #11 on: 22 Apr 2008, 12:38 »

(jon thinks the X-Men are real)
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #12 on: 22 Apr 2008, 12:42 »

That's homo sapien superior, Emilio.

Neosapiens are from Exo Squad, prick.
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Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #13 on: 22 Apr 2008, 13:31 »

I saw a vision of Skynet after they mentioned the robots moving the gun barrel by itself.Howvere it could just be the bearings on the turret that are loose( i have that happen before with my school's remote swing wing plane).

Uh, yeah, by the way...
I need a spaceship and a rocket launcher. I am guessing that they picked the name as a joke based off of the movie, but still...

The robots can't be real, the one shown is obviously a miniature, look at the little specks of dirt on it, they wouldn't be that size in relation to the robot if it was as large as it is supposed to look. While I think that gun is supposed to be an M2, the ammo doesn't look right next to it.
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RedLion

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #14 on: 22 Apr 2008, 19:24 »

I thought militaries weren't allowed to use unmanned killing machines?

As long as there's a human controlling it, drones, both airborne and kept on the ground, are within the international conventions of warfare. There are UAVs that are completely free of human control, but those are mostly reserved for intelligence purposes.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #15 on: 22 Apr 2008, 20:30 »

South Korea has autonomous sentry bots. They don't roam around killing stuff, though, they just sit on a wall and shoot anything shaped like a human to the north of them.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #16 on: 23 Apr 2008, 07:25 »

F'real? That's fucked up yo.

Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #17 on: 23 Apr 2008, 17:02 »

Well, anyone standing there has likely already been blown up by the mines, they are pointed at the DMZ.
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jhocking

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #18 on: 23 Apr 2008, 17:15 »

Mines are pretty fucked up too.

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #19 on: 23 Apr 2008, 17:22 »

Eh, maybe, at least minefields are usually marked, you just have to know the language of the people marking it. I think the US entered into an agreement not to use mines anymore, since people are still getting injured by unexploded mines from past wars, I think possibly even as far back as WW2-era mines in Africa, though I could be wrong about that.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #20 on: 23 Apr 2008, 17:33 »

No, the US has not said they'll stop using anti-personnel land mines and minefields are frequently unmarked. A lot of people are killed or maimed (frequently losing limbs) by land mines every year, 5751 in 2006 confirmed casualties according to Landmine Monitor (and that's just known casualties, that actual number will be higher).
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Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #21 on: 23 Apr 2008, 23:55 »

Now where is the logic in an unmarked mine field? Your own men are going to get blown up too.

Now, this is only wikipedia, but according to wikipedia, while the U.S. didn't agree to stop using land mines, they did agree to limit how they use them, unless they are marked and monitored, they have to be self-destructing or self-deactivating.

Most of those fatalities are likely due to old land mines, though some could be from rebellions / civil wars where one side buys up some surplus mines on the cheap.
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muteKi

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #22 on: 24 Apr 2008, 00:46 »

Well, yeah, they usually are from old land mines.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #23 on: 24 Apr 2008, 07:26 »

Now where is the logic in an unmarked mine field? Your own men are going to get blown up too.

Where is the logic in a marked minefield? I mean, why would you go to the effort of trying to blow up your enemies and then put up a sign saying "Don't walk here! BAD STUFF!" They mark them on their maps, and then, especially in places where the situation is a little... fluid, they 'forget'/run away too fast to mark them.

International agreements also tend to be, shall we say, creatively interpreted when national security is on the line.
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jhocking

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #24 on: 24 Apr 2008, 08:05 »

Now where is the logic in an unmarked mine field? Your own men are going to get blown up too.

Simple, just tell them where not to walk. Moreover, if you actually want to take out enemies, vs simply restrict their movement, a marked mine field would be completely pointless, since they'd just go around it.

Ultimately, this whole tension of marked vs. unmarked mine fields gets at why mines are fucked up. They kill indiscriminately.

Now, this is only wikipedia, but according to wikipedia, while the U.S. didn't agree to stop using land mines, they did agree to limit how they use them, unless they are marked and monitored, they have to be self-destructing or self-deactivating.

Well that's good, an attempt to make mines less fucked up. Note however that this entire agreement you describe is founded on the understanding that mines are fucked up. Note also that this clearly refutes your earlier argument, about the lack of logic in unmarked minefields, since they clearly make reference to the distinction with marked minefields.

Where is the logic in a marked minefield?

To restrict the enemy's movements. Don't want them marching down a certain road? Put a bunch of mines on it, and then tell them about it.

International agreements also tend to be, shall we say, creatively interpreted when national security is on the line.

hell, this agreement has a blaring loophole right in its one-sentence description. "Marked and monitored," give me a fucking break.
« Last Edit: 24 Apr 2008, 08:11 by jhocking »
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Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #25 on: 24 Apr 2008, 16:58 »

I guess I can see the point of an unmarked minefield if it is far away from where there will be fighting, I would be iffy about any kind of battle where you had to move when near an unmarked minefield, you don't have time to use a map during a battle.

Exactly, marked minefields are area denial, just like razor wire or tank traps, both of those can be cleared, but that takes time, time during which you will have people shooting at you.

Yeah, international agreements are only enforced by public reputation. I suppose mines are kind of fucked up, but they exist, what are you going to do?
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #26 on: 24 Apr 2008, 17:08 »

Agitate for them to be banned, a tactic that has been successful in most of the world. Countries like Russia, China and the US are unusual in refusing to ban anti-personnel landmines outright.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #27 on: 24 Apr 2008, 17:41 »

So three of the most powerful countries are unwilling to put themselves at a disadvantage to the other two? Imagine that.

Banning them won't actually cause them to cease being used, people will find a way to make new landmines that do not fall under the limits of the restrictions, they will use anti-tank mines that just happen to also go off if a human does something, or something else. The way I understand it, the supposed reason the US doesn't sign the ottowa treaty is because that would make them get rid of the ones lining the North/South Korea border, which apparently serve as a very large deterrent to North Korea.

They exist, they will exist, people will use loopholes to get around them, or won't follow the rules.

I don't like them, but thinking that you can get rid of them is foolish.
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Slick

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #28 on: 24 Apr 2008, 17:45 »

Guys, I think we should take a moment and give landmines the respect that they are due. I mean, they're still doing what they do, years after we expected to need them. They're like the energizer bunny of wanton destruction!


EDIT: Nodaisho, that is a piss-poor attitude. I am a person in this world and I will damn well try to get rid of landmines if I want to.
The thought that you can't change something you take issue with is a lame excuse for inaction and acceptance of a bad world.
« Last Edit: 24 Apr 2008, 17:47 by Slick »
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Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #29 on: 24 Apr 2008, 18:02 »

Go ahead, try to change it, I won't stop you, maybe you will lower the fatalities and injuries temporarily, before they find a way around, or simply break the rules. You can be the landmine equivalent of someone who writes virus software.
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Slick

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #30 on: 24 Apr 2008, 18:15 »

The world is full of super powers and we as individuals are powerless to change anything, therefore we're just as well to not bother.

This just in: Nihilism is actually kind of stupid!
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Nodaisho

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #31 on: 24 Apr 2008, 19:47 »

I am not being nihilistic, I am being realistic. My view on nihilism comes from a Terry Pratchett book, though I can't find the precise quote. In a hundred years, nothing we do will matter, but here and now, we are alive. Go ahead, I encourage you to have a cause, be Don Quixote, and may none of your giants be windmills, but know that the odds of your cause actually succeeding, don't deceive yourself into thinking they are good.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #32 on: 24 Apr 2008, 20:26 »

The idea that 100 years from now nothing we do will matter is one of the most ridiculous thing that I think I've ever heard. I really don't know how you can be saying that non-ironically. Things that happened over a thousand years ago are still having massive reverberations in this day and age. Hell, World War One was almost 100 years ago now, and in many ways, the world is still fighting the battles that that war set off, particularly in the Balkans and the Caucasus.

You can certainly be a nihilist--but the fact is that history proves you wrong, again and again and again and again. The only reason you exist is because of myriad things that happened that had an effect on the future.
« Last Edit: 24 Apr 2008, 22:08 by RedLion »
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #33 on: 24 Apr 2008, 20:37 »

Also, the actions of individuals having a massive effect on the course of history is a recurring theme in Terry Pratchett novels. Sorry Nodaisho, but not even your source thinks you're being realistic.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #34 on: 24 Apr 2008, 20:45 »

Getting back to the robot sentries thing (ie. the subject of the thread,) well we already have enough problems with shit like land mines, so adding insane killer robots into the mix would just be taking things to the next level.

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #35 on: 24 Apr 2008, 20:53 »

Did you guys play Perfect Dark? I mean, it wasn't another Goldeneye, but it was pretty good in it's own right. I just think the laptop gun from that was pretty sweet.
It got pretty good in capture the hill matches, both with their incredible defensive potential and using them to camp hill spots.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #36 on: 24 Apr 2008, 21:42 »

The laptop gun was kinda weak though, although the large magazine compensated this somewhat. My favourite was always the AR 34
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #37 on: 24 Apr 2008, 21:49 »

The magazine is what sold me on it. We also usually played with health handicaps, so the lower damage didn't matter as much.
I never really liked the campisos[sic], which was the favorite of a friend of mine. He died a lot.
My favorites are probably AR 34, Super Dragon, Laptop Gun. That grenade function was so sweet on the super dragon.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #38 on: 24 Apr 2008, 22:27 »

yeah it was. that's kind of the thing though. The Laptop Gun and the Superdragon had bitchin' special features while the AR 34 had th most useless one yet still kicks so much ass. it's just a simple 3 round burst rifle but so good.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #39 on: 24 Apr 2008, 22:49 »

Its accuracy was higher.

The Laptop Gun, incidentally, did not attempt to betray its human masters. Rare 1, reality 0.

Perfect Dark Zero 0.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #40 on: 24 Apr 2008, 23:04 »

The Dragon, however, did. I have a terrible memory for little details like where I placed proximity mines.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #41 on: 24 Apr 2008, 23:20 »

Red, what fucking part of that statement seemed like nihilism to you? The important part in that is that we are alive now, I said in there that I encourage people to have their own causes, but you by yourself are not likely to make a large difference. Possibly you could end up a leader, catalyzing thousands of people, but it isn't likely. Only thing that everyone can do that is guaranteed to have big ripples is kill either a large amount of people or kill someone important, and I don't suggest doing that. Besides, the hundred years part was just how the quote was said, a higher number could easily be used instead.

I am not saying that you are wrong in having a cause, I am saying that the odds of any given cause succeeding aren't all that good. How many separate causes do you think have had the cause, throughout history, of stopping war? It hasn't worked. Again, have your cause, everyone should have something they hold important, but this isn't a story, you do not win because your cause is just.

And aPoW, Terry Pratchett writes books that are fantasy, he doesn't try to be realistic.

jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.
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jhocking

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #42 on: 25 Apr 2008, 05:43 »

Fine, you're not a nihilist, you're defeatist. And what you said is definitely not encouraging people to support noble causes. You are the man who insists you love her while punching her in the face.

the hundred years part was just how the quote was said, a higher number could easily be used instead.

What a completely pointless thing to say. Oh, well only 500 years? pfft no problem!

jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.

That is a good point. So I guess robot sentries aren't completely insane until someone gets the idea of outfitting them with nuclear power.
« Last Edit: 25 Apr 2008, 05:48 by jhocking »
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #43 on: 25 Apr 2008, 07:18 »

Man, shit ain't worth shit, but that's what makes life awesome.

Nothing you do matters at all, so just have fun with life, and if you screw up, no big deal.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #44 on: 25 Apr 2008, 07:34 »

Robots should not be used for this.  They should be used for awesome.

And I might be biased because this was my senior design project last year: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kjNrxsd0hgA
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #45 on: 25 Apr 2008, 07:37 »

My first instinct is to throw up my Carnegie Mellon gang sign. Nevertheless, that is seriously cool.

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #46 on: 25 Apr 2008, 07:40 »

jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.

That is a good point. So I guess robot sentries aren't completely insane until someone gets the idea of outfitting them with nuclear power.

Would there not still be in issue with the fact that the robots are presumably carrying permanently armed guns? Even if the actual robot can't move or function anymore, it still has the gun connected to it, which will presumably be able to go off.
The point is probably moot, though, since these robots are presumably very expensive, they aren't just going to be left behind when the fighting is over, the army will take them and use them elsewhere.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #47 on: 25 Apr 2008, 08:54 »

And aPoW, Terry Pratchett writes books that are fantasy, he doesn't try to be realistic.

jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.

What I was saying was that not even the author you took the quote from which you say sums up your feelings agrees with the standpoint you've taken. In fact, they reject it completely. It's also not a view which is holds up very well in regards to the subject being discussed, since only 39 states haven't signed the treaty banning anti-personnel land mines, and this has come about due to public pressure on those states and has reduced deaths caused by land mines. The reason not all states have banned them is because we, as individuals, haven't acted collectively in order to stop them. Large scale action may be required to do anything but it always begins at the individual level. You have more power than you have been led to think.

The problem with these robot guns is the same as with land mines in some ways, since they make killing remote and therefore easier and less problematic for those doing it. I imagine it would be fairly easy to have a situation where they were situated around an area, hooked up to a large central power source and then left when the forces that placed them there go. It's surprising the amount of stuff militaries are prepared to waste. It'll be a while before they become as dangerous to civilians as something like cluster bombs, but it could well happen.
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Slick

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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #48 on: 25 Apr 2008, 09:06 »

Fine, you're not a nihilist, you're defeatist.

My initial use of the the word 'nihilism' was hyperbole. Apologizes for the undue stress to all parties involved.
I guess we have been over this, but the point is, the government is there for you. If you and all your friends get together and say 'no more mines, motherfuckers', something may change. But if everyone's a defeatist, nothing changes.
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Re: US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
« Reply #49 on: 26 Apr 2008, 01:26 »

I might as well throw my two cents into this and say that I agree. Although individuals can hardly ever affect the world around them in any meaningful way, groups of determined individuals can make a difference. All they need is a little effort.
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