Have I told you lately, that I love you?

>> ^swampgirl:
>> ^gorgonheap:
Yeah why is it we don't have any videos from the 1900's?

yeah, there is a few: http://www.videosift.com/playlists/swampgirl/I-Love-The-10s-as-in-1910s

I've since changed the title to include all videos from 1900 to 1919, then my 20s list takes over from there

>> ^gorgonheap:
Yeah why is it we don't have any videos from the 1900's?


yeah, there is a few: http://www.videosift.com/playlists/swampgirl/I-Love-The-10s-as-in-1910s

I've since changed the title to include all videos from 1900 to 1919, then my 20s list takes over from there

"My point is that the tax itself is illegal because of the guidelines set forth in the Constitution" --

But who decides what the guidelines are? It's the courts again. The courts have the power to reinterpret the Constitution, to essentially change it through their court rulings.

For instance, look at the first Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech"

The Congress can not abridge free speech, pretty clear, right? That's what it meant until 1919. In 1919, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of United States when United States went after people criticizing the draft, and essentially changed the first amendment to "government can not abridge free speech...unless they really want to"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schenck_v._United_States

The bottom line is that the actual written words of the Constitution don't really represent the current law, those words are superseded by case law. If the court can interpret the 1st amendment in a way as to
make anti-draft speech illegal, is it so surprising that they can make tax non-payment illegal? And you can't call decisions of the Supreme Court unconstitutional...since Supreme Court defines what "constitutional" means.

What makes the tax non-payment issue even more clear cut is that all 3 branches are on board with the taxes. If particular technicality of section 861 was of any significance, the Congress could amend the statutes to fix it. However, there's no need as the courts have sided with the status quo.

Haven't seen a theremin before? It's the high point of electronic music geekdom. Invented in 1919 by Léon Theremin, the theremin works with a series of antennas - you play it by moving your hands closer and farther from the two antennas to change the pitch and volume. It's similar in theory to how your TV antenna (for those of you old enough to remember TV antennas) works better if you move your hand closer to it.

The theremin entered into pop culture when it was used to make that weird "oo" solo in the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" (you know which one I'm talking about).

(Information courtesy of my sick little brain and Wikipedia.)

Here's a clip of Léon Theremin playing his own instrument in 1928. (The tune, if you care, is "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saëns.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xd2hoILOSI

Ben, unrepentant music geek

What the heck is a theramin? Glad you asked!
It was invented in 1919 by Russian scientist Leon Theramin, and is the only instrument played without requiring physical contact--just move the hands around the antennas
The theramin is (probably) most recognized in the soundtrack to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theramin