Ha ha! Looks like somebody over there has seen Office Space one too many times.

I was disappointed that none of 'em said "PC Load Letter? What the fuck does that mean?" at the beginning.

Yep,

Pretty funny but I hope no one misses the irony. A brave soldier fighting to protect and inject into Iraq the same Capitalist spirit as practiced by HP et al. and at the same time he "kills" capitalism's product.

We could, if we were propaganists, use this clip to show the yearning that even our soldiers have for socialism. A system where his need for information to fix the tool he needs to do his job would be provided to him for the simple reason that he needed it and it was for the greater good. SOunds like this soldier and single mom's on food stamps have the same attitude. Help me for free 'cause I am in need and I don't posses the currency necessary to solve my problem. What a terrible idea!

War does make for some confusion, eh Blu?

Oh, Straw, that was such a pathetic attempt that I could tell you didn't even believe what you were writing.

I need to feel the honesty, Comrade!

I expected more from a varsity letterman....

Strawman

This printer was picked by some dumb-ass government left-wing bureaucrat. He voted against socialism by by blowing up the the left-wing bureaucrat's choice.

Hey Straw, sorry, but no one in the military yearns for socialism. Remember we have socialized medicine and it SUCKS.

that was an example of strawman's subtle humor, i bet

Blu,

I think it is clear: The soldier wanted something for nothing. Something, information, that has value, was produced by a hardworking 'merican at that HP document division some where in the heartland. Some would say the currency of this great land of ours is information, now that China, Japan, Germany and the rest have most of our "old economy" currency and that soldier was pissed off he had to pay for it. He wanted special treatment because he thinks his job, enacting American wooorld hegemony disguissed as democracy, is more important than the young Smith kid, who didn't go into farming like his dad, but instead got a degree in that new and valuable computer science stuff. He wrote his little heart out to produce that repair manual and was paid coin of the realm to do it. HP's coin. Why should HP just give it away?

And while were at it what are soldiers in the field doing with printers/copiers? Don’t they know the careless dissemination of tactical and other vital information is a crime, possibly rising to the level of treason?

I think BLu, you miss the seriousness of this situation. Soldiers dissing Capitalism are possibly collaborating with the enemies of America by displaying resentful and selfish behavior toward capitalism's great gifts; this could be a crime.

If you saw this tape on Al Jezzera English (if only your free and fair media outlets would allow you to) you might be singing a different song.

“Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh my America brothers, I, your humble reporter, Jezrah Al Jezbah, am here this morning in the hot stinking Iraqi desert south of Shrumladda with a cartoon of disgruntled American infantrymen, who, after a telephone call home, left their tent in an inconsolable rage. After many screamed profanities, mostly the Fuck word , they lost control of their emotions and using the weapon they love so dearly, committed a tragic act. Praise be to Allah! The scene was horrific, these infantrymen did shoot, in anger and with the hope of causing a downturn in the stock price of a blessed member of the international encomomy, the Hewlett Packard Company, a great symbol of American technology- the combo color printer-fax-copier-scanner. I don't embarass myself when i say this particular model is sitting on the counter in my home office.

This was great day indeed maybe a little sad too.

Will nobody listen to the cry of these brave men?"

Not the heartland Straw. the soldier, obviously a red-stater judging by his accent, is simply taking out his frustration on blue state palo alto based HP corporation!

yes, definitely a bunch of liberals!

"that was an example of strawman's subtle humor, i bet"

WHAT?!

*pulls hair out*

People, stop giving BS arguments on political theories which have absolutely nothing to do with reality.

Let's recap the situation from a REAL WORLD PERSPECTIVE for a moment, shall we?

The soldier is pissed off because said (capitalist) product doesn't work. That has nothing to do with political theory and everything to do with whether or not something is good or bad.

He then tries to get help to fix it from the company which made it, who deliberately try to milk him of his hard-earned dough - making them leeches, not good capitalists. Capitalism would be them helping him so that he comes back as a happy customer later. They aren't good capitalists; they are good leeches. There's a major difference.

Then he shoots said product in protest because, as the British did in the 1770's, they are trying to "tax" him on something which shouldn't be "taxed". Capitalism recognizes certain rights a customer has. He was denied those basic rights.

That's the problem with socialist morons today: they don't even understand the basic workings of capitalism, and they then proceed to criticize it.

Get a fucking book on economic theory sometime and read it - preferably one not written by Marx or one of his supporters.

I love you, Benatar...I mean..nice post, Banagor. (Sorry, all of the Big Hair videos are starting to rub off on me.)

Bagor,

Capitalism recognizes no such rights. Get a grip, Capitalism recognizes only the right of the seller to get as much for their product and milking in the perifery is just part of their strategy. The soldier shot the product as much for the attitude of HP which, in his and your opinion violated his rights. Bullshit. There are no rights, and ripping off the cunsumer in rigged markets is what capitalism has become in America today. You pray to a economic theory that bends you over, forgets the lube because it cuts into the bottom line (good one), and plows you silly every day. Why do you think an ink cartridge for your printer costs 35.00? Because ink is so expensive?? Or because once you buy their printer they've got you by the short hairs. Where are you precious rights then? Is there one manufacturer of printers that tries to undercut and sell their ink at a small margin to try and gain market share? No one. Do you think thats competative or monopolistic?

Straw,

Exactly how many economics courses have you taken? And, aside from Marx, please name your favorite theorist(s) and the books/research that written by him/her that have led to such a deep understanding of markets.

LOL. You have no fucking idea of the production cost of an ink cartridge.

Stick to what you know: reciting the bromides of an ideology that has been discredited over and over and over and over again.

I like the video)))and I was shocked...

Hugo Chavez after his victory today: "No one should fear socialism," he proclaimed. "Socialism is human. Socialism is love."

So fucking Orwellian that it's scary. "Socialism is love." Tell that to millions upon millions dead because of all the "love."

The idiots in this country deserve the totalitarianism that is coming their way. I guarantee that elections in this country will soon evaporte or exist only in the manner that they did in Iraq under Sadaam. In addition, those that oppose Chavez will end up in prison or conveniently disapear. Hopefully, though, somebody with courage and a love of freedom will assist Mr. Chavez in joining Mr. Castro.

Chavez is lucky this ain't the 60's or he'd have to watch his back a lot more closely.

HP shipped a new one right out as the story goes...

i wonder if this qualifies as wanton desctruction of government property? i got in trouble for something similar during Desert Storm. wished i had a video camera and the internet then...

Guys,
Will you not tell me why this soldier did not manage to hit the mark, so to say? Why did he not shoot down that "gray box" but was hitting the tin under it? I suppose the soldiers are not the beginners at shooting?