Scientologists Ask Federal Government To Restrict Right To Repair (404media.co) 135
The organization that represents the literary works of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard has filed a petition with the Federal Government, asking it to make it illegal to circumvent software locks for the repair of a highly specific set of electronic devices, according to a letter reviewed by 404 Media. From the report: The letter doesn't refer to any single device, but experts say the petition covers Scientology's "E-Meter," a "religious artifact" and electronic that is core to Scientology. Author Services Inc., a group "representing the literary, theatrical, and musical works of L. Ron Hubbard," told the U.S. Copyright Office that it opposes the renewal of an exemption to Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that makes it legal for consumers to hack their personal electronics for the purposes of repair.
This exemption to copyright law is needed because many electronics manufacturers put arbitrary software locks, Digital Rights Management systems, or other technological prevention measures that stop consumers from diagnosing or repairing devices unless they are authorized to do so. Special exemptions to copyright law make it legal for farmers to hack past John Deere's DRM to fix their tractors, consumers to use software tools to help them repair certain parts of game consoles, or use third-party software to circumvent repair locks on printers, air conditioners, laptops, etc.
This exemption to copyright law is needed because many electronics manufacturers put arbitrary software locks, Digital Rights Management systems, or other technological prevention measures that stop consumers from diagnosing or repairing devices unless they are authorized to do so. Special exemptions to copyright law make it legal for farmers to hack past John Deere's DRM to fix their tractors, consumers to use software tools to help them repair certain parts of game consoles, or use third-party software to circumvent repair locks on printers, air conditioners, laptops, etc.
What's there to repair? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Interesting)
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They just don't want anyone to realize that their "e-meter" IS JUST A MULTIMETER.
I thought the E-Meter was based on a simple "lie detector" schematic that LRH found in a 1950s electronics magazine.
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Which is basically a multimeter of sorts. Or rather one component of one.
It measures the galvanic skin response,to see whether sweat is building up in pores. The theory goes that if your nervous about being caught in a lie, you sweat, and since sweat is essentially water, the resistance drops. So its basically a multimeter measuring the resistance of the skin.
A full polygraph also measures heart rate, pulse, and respiratory rate, which the scientologists dont bother with.
Also, they dont work. Neither does t
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Re:What's there to repair? (Score:4, Informative)
US patent US2684670A
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It only has one function. Maybe its just a meter and not a multimeter.
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I dunno, but I think I'm starting to see the NEXT Mission Impossible movie storyline here somewhere....
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Insightful)
It only has one function. Maybe its just a meter and not a multimeter.
You are technically correct. The best kind of correct.
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Informative)
Looks like its an ohm meter.
https://patents.google.com/pat... [google.com]
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Funny)
Looks like its an ohm meter.
https://patents.google.com/pat... [google.com]
Wait, isn’t resistance futile?
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Yes, and please pay in cash.
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Re:What's there to repair? (Score:4, Interesting)
I always kind of assumed it was, because just for fun I actually took them up on their "free stress test" one day, and they used the meter on me. IIRC, you hold two brass cylinders connected to it. I told the person on the other side of the table I could easily move the meter by squeezing more or less, adjusting the contact area and thus the resistance. I could move it within the full range, although it was a bit tricky to hold in one place. They did not appreciate this. Between that and a few other things, they realized they were fishing in a bucket and that was that.
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Back in the early 80s they had an office in Central Square not far from MIT; flunkies would stand outside and try to rope in punters by asking "Would you like to take a free personality test?"
There was a guy in my dorm who used to always respond, "Did you pass?"
The thing that got him is that every he did this, the poor halfwit would earnestly come back with something along the lines of "Oh, no! It's not that kind of test!" Every. Single. Time. And we're talking *hundreds* of times.
Is it still mean to make
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It's just an ohmmeter, to be specific.
Re: What's there to repair? (Score:2)
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Funny)
Agreed. If you're a scientologist, you're beyond repair.
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Insightful)
well, we humans are wired to believe and in a situation of vulnerability and in the proper environment we can be made to believe really asinine stuff. but that's just bad luck and exposure to manipulative people. ignorance is fixable and not necessarily "beyond repair".
The madness of crowds (Score:4, Interesting)
well, we humans are wired to believe and in a situation of vulnerability and in the proper environment we can be made to believe really asinine stuff. but that's just bad luck and exposure to manipulative people. ignorance is fixable and not necessarily "beyond repair".
I'm in the middle of reading "The Madness of Crowds" [gutenberg.org], and you're absolutely correct. The book is an historical account of delusions taken up by large sections of the population over time.
I put the delusions in two categories: generally held knowledge that was taught but incorrect (astrology, alchemy) and crowd mass psychosis of an emotional state (the tulip craze, the witch craze).
People believe lots of stuff that "just ain't so" based on what they hear and believe to be correct. Today it's done on purpose to promote a political viewpoint for personal gain, but in past times it seemed to be... done for exactly the same reasons.
Astrology and alchemy and related beliefs were apparently individuals or groups wanting power over others, to compensate for being less competent in their own right and taking advantage of the gullibility of others. If you can predict the future and build up a reputation for doing so, then the king might bring you into his court and take your advice on affairs of state. Examples are Rasputin and Barbara Bush. Astrology is a growing trend [today.com] among millennials. One can readily compare the actions of Franz Anton Mesmer with L. Ron Hubbard.
In more modern times, consider Adam Schiff who repeatedly stated that he had clear evidence of Trump committing high crimes, but could not share the information with the public. Later under oath he admitted he had nothing (his words, you can view a video of him saying it), for which he was censured by the Senate. The point is not whether Trump is guilty, the point is that our leaders shouldn't be lying about it. That's not something the good guys do, but it's a clear example of taking advantage of the gullibility of people for personal gain. Schiff's actions can be readily compared with those of a number of historical bad actors.
The Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide in 1997 when a comet appeared, lots of people around 2000 were predicting the end of civilization, the Jonestown people drank poisoned Kool-aid, and the Branch Davidians set themselves on fire.
It's apparently quite easy to get people to believe stuff that isn't true, and we've been that way since pretty-much forever.
And seemingly, we're not getting any better.
(*) Full title: "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds", by Charles Mackay, 1852. It's available on Project Gutenberg [gutenberg.org].
Re:The madness of crowds (Score:5, Insightful)
You would have been better served to reference Trump's claims about Obama's birth certificate or a thousand other claims he's made about hundreds of other topics.
Adam Schiff isn't a senator but was censured by the house for entirely political reasons, not as you claim. He did not later admit he had nothing. Much of what he had was indeed forwarded to DOJ and much of it was used to shame the DOJ into launching the investigations that have since lead to at least dozens of indictments with several convictions already.
The issue is that bad information travels around the world exceedingly fast and the truth trickles out slowly over time.
Confirmation bias is quite a problem as well and right wing media in particular has a nasty habit of misleading millions of people that don't take the time to evaluate what is being stated critically. It becomes difficult to read, adversarial news has a place, someone pointing out mistakes is not a bad thing, but when they make everything out to be a mistake they lose value fast.
Re:The madness of crowds (Score:4, Informative)
In more modern times, consider Adam Schiff who repeatedly stated that he had clear evidence of Trump committing high crimes, but could not share the information with the public. Later under oath he admitted he had nothing (his words, you can view a video of him saying it), for which he was censured by the Senate.
I tried, but did not find the video your describe. Would you care to back up your claim? This statement is the closest I could find:
You honor me with your enmity. You flatter me with this falsehood,” Schiff said. “You, who are the authors of the `Big Lie’ about the last election must condemn the truth-tellers, and I stand proudly before you. Your words tell me that I have been effective in the defense of our democracy, and I am grateful.
Why are you not standing beside me, the subject of a similar rebuke for speaking the truth? Why did you not stand up to Donald Trump?” he asked. “Will it be said of you that you lacked the courage to stand up to the most immoral, unlawful and unethical president in history, but consoled yourselves by attacking those who did?
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I think it's spelled faectans
Re: What's there to repair? (Score:4, Funny)
No as a Scientologist you can be repaired. It just costs about $100,000, 20 years of your life and all your most shameful secrets. If that doesn't work there's always frivolous lawsuits and thuggery.
But rejoice anyway! Now you're not broken, just broke *
* and still crawling with alien parasites or souls or whatever.
** Please don't sue me, I'm joking. I might be joking? I'm being mind-controlled by Alien thetans! Oh my god - existence is a lie and my fucking e-meter is broken!
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:4, Informative)
Counterpoint: Leah Remini [wikipedia.org] has proven, fortunately, otherwise.
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Counterpoint: Leah Remini [wikipedia.org] has proven, fortunately, otherwise.
Not everyone eventually rolls a successful intelligence check. Getting out just isn’t in the dice for the most susceptible, a fool and their agency are soon parted.
Re:What's there to repair? (Score:5, Informative)
Here are some schematics if you wish to build your own. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Sec... [cmu.edu]
Re: What's there to repair? (Score:4, Funny)
They're actually all broken. If you repair one the needle points to where Shelly Miscavige is.
Re: What's there to repair? (Score:2)
McD's: at the heart of every ice cream machine is actually an e-meter. That's why its always broken.
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What's there to even repair? Or perhaps that's the point.
I’m pretty sure people get attributed and measured by a single machine. They don’t want them to use any others and try to game the system, thus they oppose the right to re pair with a new device.
The code behind the curtain (Score:3)
It seem they don't want people to know how their religious device actually works. Seems a lot more like a business than a religion. Makes me want to try all the harder to crack it, just to see what they're hiding. Though honestly, I don't care enough to spend the effort.
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Seems a lot more like a business than a religion.
pretty much the same thing ...
Re:The code behind the curtain (Score:5, Interesting)
Or maybe a ADE 651 [wikipedia.org] ?
Or maybe a thermotron [wikipedia.org]?
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One of those is not like the other. While the 3 obvious frauds are obvious, there is no strict consensus on exactly what a polygraph does, which is to say it definitely does something, and that something is quite often loosely linked to telling a lie. Unfortunately it's easily beaten and easy to create false positives. Polygraphs have failed only in providing the certainty required for any criminal proceeding, i.e. there's reasonable doubt that they work, but they aren't completely made up bullshit like the
Re:The code behind the curtain (Score:4, Informative)
not even close. For every scientology center ripping off celebrities and middle aged housewives with no prospect of personal fulfillment, there are another Sisters of the Poor running soup kitchens in the ghetto.
Not that it matters for your point, but Scientology doesn't rip off celebrities. That treatment is for the common folk. Celebrities are treated great and are used to get regular people to join.
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The existence of poor employees doesn't mean the employer isn't a successful business. Mother Theresa worked for the Catholic Church, a fantastically wealthy organization.
Re:The code behind the curtain (Score:4, Informative)
Mother Theresa isn't exactly a good example if you want to showcase someone who isn't a totally despicable piece of shit.
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WASN'T.
Thankfully, that hypocritical bitch who oversaw the unnecessary suffering of so many is safely dead now.
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Considering how old she was, I start to think there might be a god.
If I was god, I, too, would have done whatever I could to not spend more of eternity than absolutely necessary with that bat near me.
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True, but I imagine a lot of those "Sisters of the Poor" running the religious soup kitchens aren't really that much different.
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I'm willing to grant the benefit of doubt that they really do it out of the goodness of their hearts unless proven otherwise, but with that heartless old bitch it was proven without doubt that she was a hypocritical psycho.
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Though honestly, I don't care enough to spend the effort.
You really don't have to put any effort in to it. The wiring diagrams have been on the internet for decades. I built one from a set using a breadboards and beer cans decades ago. If you are really interested in the modern emeters there are plenty of videos on the internet where people take them apart.
As for their "religious" aspect, that is hogwash. Even thought the cults sells these things for thousands of Sheckles, you can literally build them from parts you could buy at Radio Shack for 10 bucks.
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Is that like the token falling out of token ring networks if you break the cable ring?
Re: The code behind the curtain (Score:2)
They're also expensive and you have to sit through a bunch of "IQ tests" and watch, read and listen to a bunch of nonsense to get one.
If you did pull one apart you'd probably find it's a crude lie detector that reacts to sweaty palms. As far as I can tell its primary purpose is to give the process a veneer of scientific legitimacy while they fish for money and blackmail material.
** Please don't sue me. I'm joking, I think. A thetan crawled up my arse and I'm having trouble concentrating! I broke my e-meter
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You are not supposed to repair your e-meter, you're supposed to buy a new one if your old one gets faulty.
Please report for a clearing, it seems to be highly necessary.
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If you have to pass an "IQ test" to be a certified member of this religion, clearly the IQ test is actually a reverse IQ test. If you're smart, you score too low to qualify.
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You hit he nail on the head, and let me explain further:
As a young man, I once found myself in Toronto wasting time around the corner of Bloor & Yonge, with a couple of hours to spend until I was supposed to meet up with a friend. There was a big Scientology building there, and outside they had a sign offering "free IQ test!". Now, I immediately knew this had to be some sort of scam, but I had nothing better to do and decided that looking into this scam could be entertaining, so I went in and got the wo
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When they tossed you out, they unknowingly did you a huge favor. (Not that you were going to fall for their shtick anyway.)
Re: The code behind the curtain (Score:2)
I took the abridged test in Austin and they told me I was depressed and lonely. Like dude, no shit, I'm an American. I declined further processing but it was a slightly interesting experience.
It amazes me (Score:4, Interesting)
It amazes me that a cult like this is allowed to operate in this day and age. Aliens, Thetans, e-meters. Sounds like the recipe for a low grade B movie at best. I feel sorry for those trapped in it.
Re:It amazes me (Score:5, Insightful)
It's just the age of the religion that makes it weird.
I mean, all-powerful sky ghosts sounds equally whacky
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It does now, but appeared plausible enough a couple of millennia ago. The scientology lore has been whacky right from the start.
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The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh, drink his blood, and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.
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I think people should join a bunch of them, find out their E-meter score, their F-meter score, whatever.
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A cynic might make similar observations about a cult with members who believe in a talking snake, a zombie that comes back to life and disappears out of its tomb, a guy who gets Hulk strength from his hair, another guy whose wife turns into a pillar of salt...
Re:It amazes me (Score:5, Funny)
Not to mention a cult that celebrates its founder for splitting the moon.
Last time I did that, I was not celebrated and worshipped but rather arrested for indecent exposure.
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Last time I did that, I was not celebrated and worshipped but rather arrested for indecent exposure.
Maybe if you were your own father it would be easier to understand.
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ROFL! I wish I had mod points for all of you guys.
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I didn't watch it so I don't know if there was any evidence unearthed, but I found it interesting, if nothing else.
Not surprising at all (Score:3)
Sounds like the recipe for a low grade B movie at best.
Well, Scientology was founded by L. Ron Hubbard so that's hardly surprising. They probably would have been a lot better off had they been founded by a hard sci fi author like Niven or Clarke etc. who could write far more believable fiction.
Re:It amazes me (Score:4, Informative)
It's a recipe for low-grade fiction. Hubbard was too lazy to make up a new myth for his church so he just recycled his books.
Alien ghosts, hydrogen bombs and rituals involving getting your numbers read by an e-meter sounds quite a bit less fantastical to me than magic sky daddies and rituals involving eating zombie flesh and drinking zombie blood though.
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I know of a cult who follows a man with a ghastly orange glow.
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Every accusation is a confession.
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Non-religious here, but trying to look at it objectively? Groups like Scientologists seem to cling to "organized religion" only insofar as the status benefits them. (Allows a non-profit tax status in America, for example.)
In not all, but in many cases? The Christian groups that cling to and thump bibles also believe in their churches being responsible for such things as running food pantries for the poor and needy, or assisting people in getting temporary shelter or clothing items after a fire or other disa
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The Christian groups that cling to and thump bibles also believe in their churches being responsible for such things as running food pantries for the poor and needy, or assisting people in getting temporary shelter or clothing items after a fire or other disaster happens.
I don't disagree with anything you said. Churches, and more specifically their congregations, absolutely do wonderful things: feeding the hungry, housing the unhoused, providing support, comradery, sense of community, etc. Those are all amazing things, and I love that people do them. They can do all of that without beating others over the head (figuratively, of course) with their mythology.
When's the last time you saw the Scientologists doing things for the poor or those who fell on hard times and need temporary assistance?
About the same amount of time since someone like Robert Tilton has done something for anyone other than himself.
Re: It amazes me (Score:3)
The obvious retort is that if they do so many good works they will surely qualify for tax exempt status anyway, so there is zero need to give it to them automatically.
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re: too many moles to whack (Score:2)
So many of these crackpot ideas stem from grains of truth, though. They're just exaggerated out into something completely inaccurate or unrealistic.
Females are not "just as physically strong as males". This can be proven by looking at the world records for the largest lifts in different categories. Men hold all of the titles for the absolute largest weights lifted. At the same time though? There are absolutely women out there who are the outliers, who put in huge time commitments to strength training goals
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Personally, I think a cult that pretends to eat the flesh and drink the blood of their founder that was tortured to death is a pretty cool script for a horror movie.
Not so much for a religion if you ask me.
Re: It amazes me (Score:2)
It does sound funny, but I'm not that creative. ChatGPT, write me a movie script that makes fun of Zombie Jesus.
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It amazes me that a cult like this is allowed to operate in this day and age. Aliens, Thetans, e-meters. Sounds like the recipe for a low grade B movie at best. I feel sorry for those trapped in it.
Imagine if millions of people literally believed that an all powerful being created all people from one of his own ribs, send his son to earth in order to absolve us of our wrong doings (whom we allegedly killed and then came back to life 3 days later) and the physical manifestation are only some of the wealthiest land owners on earth.
Shirley no-one would ever fall for that.
Make Stupidity Illegal. (Score:2)
Arrest all scientologists.
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We'd have to turn Florida into a prison, simply because it's cheaper to move the sane people out than to arrest the Florida Men.
No. (Score:3)
Why? (Score:3)
I would have written a better title, but seriously, why? Why would anybody want anything to do with one of these idiotic looking devices that isn't a part of the loon-brigade that is Scientology? And if you are part of the loon-brigade, your religious fervor should be more than enough to keep you in line. Tell 'em it's a sin. Who needs the government fucking with their religion? That's just asking for trouble. I'd think even Scientologists would be smarter than that.
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Why would anybody want anything to do with one of these idiotic looking devices
Opening them and showing how they work has been integral part of discrediting their use.
If you have any questions (Score:5, Informative)
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Of course they don't tell you that until you spent enough money that the sunk cost fallacy is bad enough that you stay.
Sweet! (Score:3)
That should give the opposition to right to repair just the kind of legitimacy it deserves.
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lol! I hope you get modded funny.
Restrict Right to Repair (Score:3)
Based on what? A religious exemption?
Just asking on behalf of the Church of John Deere.
Translation (Score:2)
Quote: "Scientologists asks..."
Translation: "Nobodies with many money and low morality standards will buy politicians to remove your right to..."
There, fixed.
No Exceptions (Score:2)
Please stop posting links to paywalled articles (Score:2)
People writing/approving Slashdot stories should avoid paywalled stuff.
Bunch of goofballs. (Score:2)
I have a better idea (Score:2)
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Religion gets no protected status in the constitution.
It forbids infringing upon exercise of religion and the establishment of religions doctrines by the government. Such as the religious beliefs on when human life begins and the moment of enforcement and who's life takes priority; which they want their beliefs imposed upon everybody else: their religious doctrine imposed upon others.
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Check the Videos (Score:2)
I'm not really surprised to see all the videos available about e-meters ... and the many devices and books related to them available on ebay.
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stop posting 404media
Agree
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Can you name a religious item that isn't just a meaningless prop?
I mean, at least to nonbelievers.
Re: I mean... (Score:2)
$50,000 golden monstrances are real though, lol! (Google it.)
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Hey, if you have a bunch of dupes to milk, you have to put that money somewhere or they start asking if you roll around in it constantly. Gotta stash that stash some place.
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Well, I guess some bad ideas need really long to die...
Look at Christianity, 2000 years and counting...
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