I had to come all the way to page five to see this thread....
Time to have some fun...
I would suggest for all to study the fundementals of capitalism. Then study the history of the United States economic policies, foreign and domestic. Since the early days of human existance, it has been survival of the fittest. Past and current american economic policies just reinforce this basic fact of nature; if you can do it, do it. Bleeding hearts and Paladins be damned; Honor and morals do not mean anything in the grand scheme of things.
What is that lawyers say... It is an adversarial process. Laws be damned, it only matters who wins. (I am sure there are those that follow their moral beliefs.) But it is more lawyer v. lawyer than right v. wrong.
As humans we are the only animals that would be considered civilized, yet nowhere will an animal give up its place so that another will feed if the former is still hungry.
We have used morals and laws to make ourselves feel superior to the lower animal orders, but look to whom the laws protect. Look at whom makes the laws. Face facts people, the US is moving closer and closer to a plutocracy if it couldn't be considered one already, and it will just pull the rest of the world along with it.
Am I complaining? No, I am joining, because I am tired of morals holding me back from giving my family what they deserve. If I can get something for free, and I choose to; I will, because I can... As has been stated before, if WOTC could charge $50 US, they would. Well if I can get something for free I will. If they cannot protect their IP, oh well. The same goes for software, music or whatever.
I have not ever used any of these p2p things, but I have copied a couple of CDs to tapes in the past, so come put some cuffs on me. I just installed win98 on my second computer and didn't have the CD key because they threw the CD away where I work when they got a new server and upgraded anything. Come bust me. I am shaking. (I had to "improvise" a CD key)
Everyone of us has been taken advantage of in this world. Do I pity those that lose out, yes, but it is the nature of the world and asking anyone to play nice harkens back to the playground days long since past. Nothing any of us say or do will change any of this. Get over it. The piracy/theft/sharing thing will continue. This is the way of the new world order, and has been since the first homo sapiens hit his brother and took his club for his own.
Whatever you choose to do, if you can sleep at night, neither I nor the government is whom you need to worry about.
Night night, I am going to go to sleep.
