General Political Thread

[KevinG]

I should never get in the middle of these arguments because I can't be relied upon to be clear headed about any of this. We see gun violence all around us, both guns that are "legal" and ones that are not and we know there is nothing we can do about it because of the strong pro-gun lobbyists such as the IRA. So I got it thrown back in my face that that IRA is okay with sensible gun restrictions when we know ultimately they are not and never propose any restrictions. All we get is this won't work or that won't work and I totally understand how people feel that laws don't stop bad people from doing bad things. I completely get that. So I have gotten to the point where I do feel like this is an argument that can't be won because the second amendment has become so broadly interpreted by the courts (and the public) as meaning that just about any gun, short of all out military hardware is okay to have. So really I don't care who does what, the body count is what seems important and nothing is going to stop that at the moment.

 

I just love the argument about how the government does this and does that. But the right wing is perfectly happy to have the government do whatever the hell they want when they want it. That includes the libertarians who aren't all that interested in real personal freedom either. I could totally get behind them if they didn't go off the rails just as easily as everyone else, but they do.

 

Shoot um up.

 

LouieB

 

I think you mean NRA, cause IRA, that is a whole 'nother ball of wax there.  

[KevinG]

So anyone's thoughts about the President's speech regarding the NSA and the policy changes he is suggesting?

 

Step in the right direction?  Or not enough change?

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-speech-obama-to-call-for-restructuring-of-nsas-surveillance-program/2014/01/17/e9d5a8ba-7f6e-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html 

[LouieB]

I think you mean NRA, cause IRA, that is a whole 'nother ball of wax there.

Ooops..yea...typo deluxe.

 

LouieB

[John Smith]

1. If I were a cop I would want to know about someone's concealed carry permit before interacting with them.

 

2. If I were a cop I would probably have a lot of friends I drank beer with who were on the firearms database.

 

But hey, 'don't tread on me'.

Pull some one over for improper lane usage and you would rather have that information handy and approach with caution rather than not know and become part of a lessons learned training video.

[Atticus]

If Hixter and KevinG ever get a show on cable I am setting it up for series record on the DVR.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lost highway]

Pull some one over for improper lane usage and you would rather have that information handy and approach with caution rather than not know and become part of a lessons learned training video.

 

Exactly.

[Hixter]

Pull some one over for improper lane usage and you would rather have that information handy and approach with caution rather than not know and become part of a lessons learned training video.

Cops in Texas breathe a sigh of relief when their terminal tells them that the driver has a concealed handgun license. They know that he/she isn't a criminal, is trained in gun safety and spent the time and money to jump through the licensing hoops. Traffic stops are very nonchalant because they know that the chances of trouble are even less than usual.

[uncool2pillow]

New topic. Ever wonder why we don't hear "Drill baby Drill!" anymore?

 

Because US oil production is at its highest point since the late 80s, at 7.8 million barrels a day. 

 

Starting in 2008, the US reversed a 40 year trend in declining domestic production.

My take: Right now our most important energy priority should be energy independence.  The less we have to depend on the Saudis for oil, the less hypocritical we have to be kissing ass to this truly evil regime.  Finding clean renewables is important, but not as immediate of a need putting ourselves in a position to be able to deal with Saudi Arabia and other like regimes with our values in mind rather than our energy needs.  So, yeah... Drill, baby, drill.  Frack, baby, frack, but also invest the profits from these adventures in R&D into alternatives.

[Tweedling]

My take: Right now our most important energy priority should be energy independence.  The less we have to depend on the Saudis for oil, the less hypocritical we have to be kissing ass to this truly evil regime.  Finding clean renewables is important, but not as immediate of a need putting ourselves in a position to be able to deal with Saudi Arabia and other like regimes with our values in mind rather than our energy needs.  So, yeah... Drill, baby, drill.  Frack, baby, frack, but also invest the profits from these adventures in R&D into alternatives.

Love it

[Hixter]

A certain member of a certain band isn't a fan of fracking ...

 

[KevinG]

Cops in Texas breathe a sigh of relief when their terminal tells them that the driver has a concealed handgun license. They know that he/she isn't a criminal, is trained in gun safety and spent the time and money to jump through the licensing hoops. Traffic stops are very nonchalant because they know that the chances of trouble are even less than usual.

 

I see that you speak for the entirety of all police officers in Texas now.  Come on, you can't throw out statements like that without any reference.  Don't just throw out blanket statements that are zero proof, it is ridiculous and frankly makes me write off much of what you say.  BTW John Smith did it too, but not as blatant.  

 

But if we take your statement at face value, I see that you are in favor of gun registry.  They are obviously help Police, right?  Since they make traffic stops "very nonchalant," wouldn't it be prudent to expand gun registry to include all private party sales?  

[lost highway]

My take: Right now our most important energy priority should be energy independence.  The less we have to depend on the Saudis for oil, the less hypocritical we have to be kissing ass to this truly evil regime.  Finding clean renewables is important, but not as immediate of a need putting ourselves in a position to be able to deal with Saudi Arabia and other like regimes with our values in mind rather than our energy needs.  So, yeah... Drill, baby, drill.  Frack, baby, frack, but also invest the profits from these adventures in R&D into alternatives.

 

I don't think we have the evidence to assure us that fracking is safe for our ecosystems, or our communities. 

 

One thing about the push for oil revenues coming from home, is that many of us haven't seen the worst of the disasters that can come out of problems drilling, or shipping oil.  Much of the worst of it has been out of our backyard.  We can remember the disaster in the gulf a few years ago, or sit down with some folks living in the Amazon region of Ecuador, but it seems too easy to give the thumbs up to oil expansion from the comfort of our homes.

 

I also think the "drill more, but keep checking out alternatives" rhetoric has been a way of kicking the can down the road that is now decades old.  We're still putting off essential 21st century innovations because of the cost at the outset, and because of the strength of the petrol lobbyists. 

 

The expansion of solar, wind, and geothermal resources is right in front of us.  Some geologists have put out projections that indicate a great possibility that oil scarcity contrasted with its present rate of consumption will make it an obsolete resource by the end of the century.  With our current energy policy we are going to put off innovation until it becomes a crisis.  The economic effects of that crisis are going to be formidable.

 

This is to say nothing of climate change, which we're hastening all the while.  Frustratingly all of the alternatives, with the exception of hydropower, have little or no carbon emissions. 

No one in the know can claim that this is simple, or that there's an easy, affordable solution.  Nonetheless, public opinion and political policy has been kicking the can down the road for my generation's entire lifetime.  It seems "we'll do it later" has built up entirely too much inertia.

[John Smith]

Cops in Texas breathe a sigh of relief when their terminal tells them that the driver has a concealed handgun license. They know that he/she isn't a criminal, is trained in gun safety and spent the time and money to jump through the licensing hoops. Traffic stops are very nonchalant because they know that the chances of trouble are even less than usual.

I would love to see the research on this.

[uncool2pillow]

I don't think we have the evidence to assure us that fracking is safe for our ecosystems, or our communities. 

 

One thing about the push for oil revenues coming from home, is that many of us haven't seen the worst of the disasters that can come out of problems drilling, or shipping oil.  Much of the worst of it has been out of our backyard.  We can remember the disaster in the gulf a few years ago, or sit down with some folks living in the Amazon region of Ecuador, but it seems too easy to give the thumbs up to oil expansion from the comfort of our homes.

 

I also think the "drill more, but keep checking out alternatives" rhetoric has been a way of kicking the can down the road that is now decades old.  We're still putting off essential 21st century innovations because of the cost at the outset, and because of the strength of the petrol lobbyists. 

 

The expansion of solar, wind, and geothermal resources is right in front of us.  Some geologists have put out projections that indicate a great possibility that oil scarcity contrasted with its present rate of consumption will make it an obsolete resource by the end of the century.  With our current energy policy we are going to put off innovation until it becomes a crisis.  The economic effects of that crisis are going to be formidable.

 

This is to say nothing of climate change, which we're hastening all the while.  Frustratingly all of the alternatives, with the exception of hydropower, have little or no carbon emissions. 

No one in the know can claim that this is simple, or that there's an easy, affordable solution.  Nonetheless, public opinion and political policy has been kicking the can down the road for my generation's entire lifetime.  It seems "we'll do it later" has built up entirely too much inertia.

I agree that the safety of fracking hasn't been proven.  The safety of sucking up to the likes of the Saud family has proven to be deadly and hypocritical to our values of democracy, freedom of religion, and equality for all..

 

I don't deny that saying research for later seems to kick the can down the road while there are serious problems to deal with now.  I just believe our nation's #1 priority should be independence.

[lost highway]

I don't deny that saying research for later seems to kick the can down the road while there are serious problems to deal with now.  I just believe our nation's #1 priority should be independence.

 

I hear you.  I also think being the forefront of alternative energy is key to energy independence.

[uncool2pillow]

Long term, yes.  But right now, I think we need a bridge.  But I think we're just quibbling at this point.

[Hixter]

I see that you speak for the entirety of all police officers in Texas now.  Come on, you can't throw out statements like that without any reference.  Don't just throw out blanket statements that are zero proof

I would love to see the research on this.

My statement was based upon personal experience, my friends' experiences and conversations with a few cops over the years.

 

It is perfectly legal to carry/conceal a loaded firearm in your vehicle in Texas, even if you don't possess a concealed handgun license. Those with licenses have gone through background checks, been fingerprinted and generally break the law at a significantly lower rate than the general population. The stats are out there.

 

A traffic stop only takes 4 or 5 minutes and the officer will typically allow the firearm to remain in the vehicle during the stop, although some prefer to disarm the driver. If that's the case, it's usually something like, "Can you safely and slowly retrieve the firearm and hand it to me in a manner that doesn't make either of us nervous?"

 

There's often some friendly banter about the firearm, such as, "How do you like that Brand X pistol? I've been thinking about buying one."

 

Every cop is different, but they're all very good at reading body language and sizing someone up very quickly, so unless you give them a reason to be nervous, it'll be a quick and drama free stop -- even if you're armed.

[KevinG]

My statement was based upon personal experience, my friends' experiences and conversations with a few cops over the years.

 

Yeah for your personal experience and conversations!  Super good job on that!  Still it is not fact and it is an opinion and should be treated as such.     

 

But you completely ignored the second part of my post.  If we take your assertion at face value and true that firearm registries are good and beneficial, wouldn't it make sense to expand these to private party sales to be included in gun registries?  

[Hixter]

Yeah for your personal experience and conversations!  Super good job on that! 

 

But you completely ignored the second part of my post.  If we take your assertion at face value and true that firearm registries are good and beneficial, wouldn't it make sense to expand these to private party sales to be included in gun registries?  

I think I'll ignore all parts of all of your posts until you learn to be a little more polite.

[KevinG]

I think I'll ignore all parts of all of your posts until you learn to be a little more polite.

 

A tad sensitive today?  

 

Either you have no answer or can't take a little joke.  Sorry to hurt your feelings.  

 

You comment about the Texas cops was ridiculous.  When I and others called you on it, you came back with nothing, other then your "conversations."  It was simply an opinion, which is fine, but you put it out as a fact.  Much like your article about the FLA gun owner, which was an opinion, but you stated as a fact.  This is something I have a problem with.  

 

Listen this is the internet, if you can't take sarcasm or when someone is less than polite to you I suggest you find a new outlet for your comments.  Or get a little thicker skin.

 

BTW, please get off your high horse.   

[John Smith]

Well my personal experience comes from having 28 uncles and cousins who are or were cops as well as friends and they universally would prefer anyone they stop to be unarmed, period.

[bleedorange]

Essential read right here, especially for its takes on politics and science. But the rampant anti-intellectualism that exists today is stupefying.

 

The Death of Expertise

[IRememberDBoon]

I have a US Marshal in the immediate family very close to me and we spend about every weekend together.

He thinks nothing on earth is as dumb as these chumps we see at Home Depot and Wal Mart etc with their sidearms in plain site.

He has never once carried his gun outside of work and when hes on the clock you will never ever ever see his star or his gun. To quote him "I don't want people knowing that shit"


One thing you never seem to hear about in these debates is now the violent crime rate is down like 80 percent from the early 90s and that sure as shit didn't have anything to do with more guns being out there.

[lost highway]

Essential read right here, especially for its takes on politics and science. But the rampant anti-intellectualism that exists today is stupefying.

 

The Death of Expertise

 

Interesting to hold this up to the Jeffersonian conundrum of relying on a voting public who in this era, is making decisions based on their understanding of climate change, macroeconomics, antitrust laws, middle east foreign relations, public health and civil engineering.  As the article points out, we're at an ironic moment in history where people have access to more information, yet people are habitually ingesting pseudo informative bs.  Sadder still, the major news networks could be an alternative to more "out there" internet polemics, but they're getting forever crappier.  An undergrad degree if anything, is still a helpful training in how to interpret information.

[KevinG]

An undergrad degree if anything, is still a helpful training in how to interpret information.

Don't you know that the American education system is filled with communists, especially at the collegiate level?