iPhone? I think.. not

I've got two things for you... one is a news article, and the other is WHY this stuff happens. I KNEW I didn't want one of these things yet (Aside from the HUGE lawsuit that's going to happen when the apple update bricks all those million phones... but I'll tell you about that one later.)

First, the article, cited from CNN:

 

SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- A New York woman is so angry at Apple Inc. for lopping $200 off the price of the iPhone that she's filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages.

Apple lowered the iPhone's price on September 5 and also said it would stop selling the 4-gigabyte model.

Dongmei Li of Queens, New York, claimed the company violated price discrimination laws when it slashed the price of the 8-gigabyte iPhone by a third, from $599 to $399, within two months of the gadget's June debut.

Apple lowered the iPhone's price on September 5 and also said it would stop selling the $499 4-gigabyte model. Hundreds of early customers who paid full price didn't expect a reduction so soon and complained.

Apple issued an apology the next day. Under its return policy, Apple refunded the $200 difference for those who bought the phone within 14 days of the reduction. And in a move to make peace with those who purchased the higher-priced phone before that period, the company offered a $100 credit at Apple stores.

According to Li's lawsuit, filed on September 24 in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, the price reduction injured early purchasers like herself because they cannot resell the product for the same profit as those who bought the cell phone following the price cut.

Li purchased a 4GB iPhone for $499 and alleged that owners of the 4GB model were given less favorable terms than those who bought the 8GB model at the premium price, according to the lawsuit.

Apple spokeswoman Susan Lundgren declined to comment, citing the company's policy to not discuss pending litigation.

The lawsuit also named AT&T Inc., the exclusive carrier in the U.S. for the iPhone, and alleged the two companies' required two-year service contract for the iPhone constituted unfair business practices.

Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman, declined to comment, saying he had not yet seen the lawsuit.

Second, my response as to WHY this happens to people like me.. the gadget hungry consumer.

It happens because they CAN.. it's as simple as that. Do you think for one moment that Apple invented and release the first 4gb iPhone and then miraculously two months later they managed to invent a second model? Absolutely not. Most likely they have had the 8GB working model for just as long as the 4gb model, certainly much longer than the time that two models have actually been on the market. They do this becaue a small percentage of consumers, myself occasionally included, will ALWAYS want to be the first to own something new and cool. We're gadget-geeks, techno-weenies, etc.  Companies release this stuff for extraordinarily high prices because they KNOW people like us will buy it.. and then turn around AGAIN and buy the newer version.

Personally, I think it's taking advantage of the consumer. Do I think they need to be sued over it? Not really, but personally I wish the lady suing them the best of luck. I DO think there needs to be some legislature out there regulating the sales of equipment that has ALREADY been outclassed by the SAME manufacturer.

I'm a blackjack user, the new cingular phone. Personally I LOVE my phone. It has completely replaced my PDA and my organizer and CAN replace my iPod, but I won't part with my iPod as long as I still draw breath. I bought the Blackjack for $400.00 a month after it came out, thinking it had given the phone sufficient time to come down in price from its whopping $600.00 price tag that it had on release.

Later that same week, I referred Tim, my partner, to the store. He too bought a blackjack, and then one for his wife as well. BOTH their phones combined cost less than mine... wow! Theirs were 150.00 each after rebate. Last month, after returning from Africa, I convinced April to purchase one as well. You know what the going price for a Samsumg Blackjack is right now? $50.00... fifty dollars.. that's it. Am I glad she got the discount? Sure. But I'm personally a little pissed that SHE was able to purchase insurance for her $50.00 phone and I am NOT able to purchase insurance for my $400.00 phone. I find this a little insulting. Not only am I a good customer, but I personally  brought their company three more two-year contracts complete with new phone sales and I was the one who got screwed.

What's up with this methodology of taking advantage of consumers? Honestly, its our fault as consumers that we let it happen but I can't for the life of me figure out a way to force a change in the consumer market because the infection is too broad. It's infected every avenue of manufacure from home entertainment to televisions, automobiles, communications, personal computers, etc. The list of affected industries is endless. I guess in the end the only thing we can do is find something we like, wait for something better to come along, and then buy the original think we liked after its no longer cool and has been replaced by a newer model. Hmm...

Thoughts on Atrocity...

(ok.. maybe that's a stretch for a title, but it'll do for lack of creativity at the moment)

 

Michelle, Hannah's mom, made a comment on Yahoo, since she can't comment on the blog from where she was, that my post ( see post below) seemed a little out of character for me.. a little brash.. harsh, or maybe too quickly posted in a moment of anxiety... all of which I surmise upon reflection is completely true, so for that I apologize.

However, I've seen SOOO many signs over the years, and especially recently, that reading that article on CNN seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back.

Yes, we live in America, home of the free, land of the brave, etc ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Yes, we respect the rights and liberties of others from all across the world, welcome them to OUR country, and share the bountiful things OUR country has to offer... the things we have spent generations building, creating, working for, fighting and dying for. It is with that spirit that I feel that it is completely unfair for people to start trying to usurp the foundations of this country, the foundation of our belief system, the traditions, cermonies of heritage, and priveleges that we consider our inalienable human rights to do.

When a Jew, a Muslim, an athiest, or any other member of any non-christian religion stands up and says "hey.. stop saying God in the school where my kid goes" or "hey, I don't want to have to see God on my currency because it offends me religiously" or "hey, take those christmas decorations off my kids school bus because you'll ruin the good non-christian upbringing of my children"... I can't help it.. i'm sickened. It's disgusting.

If a christian were to stand up and say "hey.. can we please take a moment to pray for the souls of those lost to (insert your disaster here)...." some radical parent freaks out that we're trying to instill Christian religious doctrine into the souls of their kids, thereby ruining their non-judeo belief structure.

Option A: Accept that you live in a country who has the word GOD written on its justice system, legal tender, and in its patriotic statement....

Option B: Get the hell out of my country you self-serving piece of dung and go some where that will persecute you like you belong.

Option C: Pick up a rifle, join the united states military, and come home with the RIGHT to have an opinion after you've seen what the rest of the world is like.

At the end of the day, my lifestyle and my actions often bely my belief structure, and someday I'll have to answer for that. When that time comes it will be between me and God to sort it out. However, inthe meantime I hate waking up in the morning and seeing people try to make this country like the one they or their ancestors fled from in the first place. That's why this country was founded in the first place.. we left that behind when we segragated our country and started our OWN heritage.. a heritage of pride, values, and justice that has led to the founding of one of the greatest countries this world has ever known.

I'm not a first, second, or even third generation american. My heritage is american back as far as I have been able to search it. Yes, we all came from SOMEWHERE.. german, scot, whatever, however at the end of the day I look back and see that my great-grandfather joined the military to FIGHT for the freedoms we have, as did my Grandfather,  my father before me. That is where I get my strong sense of "ownership" from when I think of this country.. because those I've loved and respected, like Doc, work, bleed, and die daily so that I can put "In God We Trust" on every damn dollar I want to...

Again.... I started this with little to no emotion, trying to come up with a less-hostile approach.... seems I failed on that one agian.

For those of you who assume I'm in the minority on this train of thought, I'll point to the American public as a reference to cite. Many of you remember the big fiasco surrounding the lawsuit trying to remove the words Under God from the pledge of Allegiance, which were added by presidential decree in 1954 by Dwight D Eisenhower. Only ONCE has this country ever come CLOSE to actually removing the phrase and its inherent meaning, that being in the 2002 case of Newdow vs United States Congress, brought by an athiest father objecting to it being taught in schools where his daughter went. Not knowing what to do, the courts took a recess of a couple of days to try to come up with a decision. During that time the polls that crossed the United States by hundreds of different organizations reflected a 90% affirmation of our national creed. 90% of America told that guy to go to hell... hallelujah.. thank GOD!

 

"One nation, under God, indivisible, with libery and justice for all" (United States Code, Title 4 if you're curious...)

 

UPDATE: In Reference to the comments received on this post,I did the research and came up with the following information:(if this loses you, read the comments first, then read the part below. It was too much to put into a comment, so I edited the main post and added it post-creation.

---

Hey Mom. Thanks for the input and for the support. Technically there are 204 "founding fathers" depending on your definition: those who signed the declaration of independence in 1776, those who signed the Articles of Confederation on 1787, and those who signed the Constituion of the United States in 1789. Of those three major foundational documents, there are 143 signatures, 118 of which are unique... meaning some people signed more than one document. Additionally the delegates who participated in the creation of these, but who did not sign are also usually considered in the list of founding fathers, bringing the total to 204.

Specifically, in reference to the Declaration of Independence, 4 of the 56 founding fathers were preachers at the time of signing. Of those 56 total, there was one Catholic (not Roman Catholic just for clarity's sake), 11 Congregationalists, 2 Unitarian Congregationalists, 26 Episcopalians, 2 Diest Episcopalians, 2 Quakers, and 12 Presbyterians.

For clarification:
Congregationalists are puritan-derived independent churches with their own ruling body, specifically a lot of Independent Baptist churches of today would be termed "congregationalist", at least those not part of the Southern Baptist Coalition.

Quakers:
The term idendifies a "christian" membership, though I don't personally share their belief structure, that was created in England in the 17th century as a way to break away from the existing christian denominations of that time.

Presbyterian:
The term itself comes from the Greek word meaning "elder" and it too is a Christian religion, though ruled by the elders of the church traditionally rather than a voted upon body of members elected through democratic means.

Unitarianism:
This is the belief in "the" one God, but not in the trinity of the father, son, and holy spirit as three divine entities. They believe in the teachings of christ but regard him as an exemplar, or a wise one, rather than the son of God. According to doctrine, technically Unitarians are christians, though again my beliefs personally separate them farther than they do themselves in the traditional context.

So, that means with the exception of 2 diests (individuals who believe in A GOD, but not necessarily THE God) the entire signing body of the 56 individuals was Christian and professed publicly their christian belief structure to others, including the 4 who were preachers. Rationally, this means that 96.42% of the founding fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence were professing christians.

 

 

Technorati tags: Christianity , God , religion , United States , America , patriotism , jews , muslim , athiest

One Nation Under God... or was that who we meant after all?

How disguting. I don't have long to write, but I feel I must take a moment to share this. I was reading the news tonight, like I do most every night of late, and was struck by the headline "Groups criticize McCain for calling U.S. 'Christian nation" Wait a minute? Where was I? I could have sworn our pledge of allegiance says "one nation under God"...

Did I miss my guess or doesn't that spell it out pretty clearly? Did the jews, muslims, and others accidentally mistake us for someone else when they immigrated here? I'm pretty sure it posted everywhere throughout our history.

Here is the Associated Press article quoted from CNN in tonight's headlines:

 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Muslim and Jewish groups on Monday sharply criticized Sen. John McCain's comments that he would prefer a Christian president to lead the United States. GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain campaigns Sunday in Derry, New Hampshire.

The Arizona Republican's remarks came in an interview with Beliefnet, a Web site that covers religious issues and affairs.

"I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith," the GOP presidential hopeful told the Web site in an interview published Saturday.

McCain also said he agreed with a recent poll that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. "I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation," he said.

On Sunday night, McCain sought to clarify his remarks while campaigning in Hollis, New Hampshire. "What I do mean to say is the United States of America was founded on the values of Judeo-Christian values, which were translated by our founding fathers which is basically the rights of human dignity and human rights," he said.

"I believe that anyone can be president of the United States of any faith," McCain said, saying he was angry his remarks were misinterpreted but "there's nothing I can do about it."

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said McCain's comments failed to recognize that Christianity is not the only faith with beliefs that support the concept of human rights.

"Sorry, Islam and other faiths have their basis in human dignity," Hooper said.

McCain's remarks also "go against the traditions of American pluralism and religious pluralism and inclusion," Hooper said.

Hooper's organization, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group, said it's trying to organize a group of Muslim leaders to meet with McCain.

The National Jewish Democratic Council, an advocacy group representing Jewish Democrats, also called on the Republican Party to denounce the remarks formally.

"Former maverick John McCain's statements were repugnant," the group's executive director, Ira N. Forman, said in a statement. "It's been sad watching him transform from political maverick to religious right mouthpiece."

Forman added, "Someone running for president ought to understand the Constitution a little better. Nowhere does it say the United States is a 'Christian' nation. How can we trust someone to uphold the Constitution who doesn't even know what is in it?"

McCain's communication director, Jill Hazelbaker, issued a statement Sunday defending her candidate's comments: "Read in context, his interview with Beliefnet makes clear that people of all faiths are entitled to all the rights protected by the Constitution, including the right to practice their religion freely.

"In the interview he also observed that the values protected by the Constitution, by which he meant values such as respect for human life and dignity, are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. That is all he intended to say to the question, America is a Christian nation, and it is hardly a controversial claim."

END QUOTE

 

 

Guess what? We ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION... WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD.. THE GOD.. get over it or get back on the boat!

We have turned into a country where the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court is removed from office for refusing to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from his court house building, a California atheist sues to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and loses; then wins on appeal; then loses in the Supreme Court,  President George W. Bush is criticized for his idea of the Faith-Based Initiative, where faith-based organizations could get federal funds where previously they had been barred, and public school bus drivers are required to remove holiday decorations from their busses after complaints of "offended" parents.

Does this mean that non-christians shouldnt have the ability to rule our country? DAMNED RIGHT! No, technically it's not outlawed in the constitution. In fact, it's only ever mentioned once in the constitution. Article 6, third clause stated that "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." So, yes, anyone can rule the country, run for congress, become a senator, be city mayor, or anything else they feel led to do, but for GOD's sake it's about time you people learn that this country is founded on ONE GOD... we always have been and regardless of what you try to do to us, we always will be.

Are you free to worship your god? Defintitely. I defend and hold to heart the freedom of anyone to worship in his or her own manner, but I also defend the founding fathers who created this country in the manner they did. If you don't like it, go back to your war-torn, hunger stricken, poverty ridden, dictatorial, piece of dirt from whence you came and leave our beliefs alone.

In case you're confused, it reads as follows: "I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." My best friend in the entire world is currently in a foreign country, fighting and watching his comrades die in order to defend the liberty and justice for those who can't do it for themselves. The VERY LEAST YOU CAN DO is to respect the country's beliefs that is busy trying to save yours, especially when they fight and die so you can have your freedoms overseas.  Either accept our beliefs and enjoy your freedom to peacefully worship whomever you please or get the hell out of my country and go put YOUR life onthe line for your beliefs in some other country!

One man in congress makes ONE remark about christianity and the entire non-christian population of America throws a damned hissy fit. Personally, I'd love the opportunity to shake the mans hand for saying what he did. It's a shame he's going to suffer for it politically.

Some of the people in this country sicken me sometimes.

Technorati tags: One nation Under God , United States , Christianity , GOD , faith , tommy Jordan , personal