That only thing sounds like strong motivation for them.

wait til Max comes

On my opnsense router

They did, but only just recently: https://www.intelligentliving.co/scientists-finally-figured-out-how-eels-reproduce/

If not the citizens, then who can act as a check on the government? I admit we are in a bad situation because many people are not acting in their best interest to the point of complicity. Any other smaller group than everyone would be easier to control. I think there are multiple mechanisms enabling the current situation.

Yes, they mount as ttys, e.g. /dev/ttyUSB0. In Unix, everything is a file.

It is better, but it depends on the audio for the difference. Also, it would probably be hard to hear the difference playing over a phones speakers. The weakest link in the chain is always the problem you notice the most. Having a good setup for amp/speakers and you can hear the difference. Using Bluetooth earbuds to mow the lawn, it doesn’t matter. Sitting in my living room on my nice stereo, I notice.