StrangeSox

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 03:21 PM) We've flat got no power off the bench. And that concerns me somewhat. What's the word on Jones anyway? Looking at the Yankees per the Score this afternoon

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 03:20 PM) What do you call being committed? The current RPS's are pretty strong, with 2/3 of the country having them and all but 5 of those being mandates, not goals. The south, not surprisingly, is lagging behind. Multi-billion dollar federal investments in research and engineering would be my guess.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 02:35 PM) Am I the only one who thinks that shoving metric megatons of a chemical or gas into the bedrock is a lot more likely to cause unknown side effects than simply using less energy? Or setting up solar panels? We can't use-less-energy or increase-efficiency our way out of the AGW problems, not without crippling economic output. Solar, wind and other renewables are a long way off from being large-scale power sources because we don't have a good way to store it yet and use those technologies as baseload power. So we're left with "clean" coal technologies like carbon capture or investment in nuclear (which of course has its own issues) for the time being.

Oh I know, I'm not opposed to tenure, I just think it needs some reform. But I really don't know too much about it, other than a handful of glaring examples of it being broken.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 01:29 PM) Actually, there is quite a bit of turnover, especially amongst teachers who just enter the profession. A brief bit of Googling suggests that state-level turnover rates for teachers in their first 5 years typically run ~50%, and those are the years when education systems are spending large sums of money to train and acclimate those teachers. There's a reason there's a lot of turnover in the first five years. Tenure is usually given at 4 years, I think. So, if the school is reticent to hand out tenure for whatever reason, they can dump the teacher just short of it and hire on some new teachers. At least, that's what I've heard anecdotally from several teachers in the area. And, honestly, something is broken with the tenure system when it takes a couple of years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove a teacher like this. Flagrant violations of policy and student rights, insubordination and physically harming students and it still took forever.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 01:16 PM) Let me spell out exactly how stronger gun regulations would have saved lives in this situation. The shooter used a high capacity magazine that was banned under the Assault weapons ban. He didn't have the means or ability to go far out of his way to arm himself. He took the first shot at the Congresswoman, then emptied 30+ rounds into the crowd of assembled people. The moment he stopped to reload, either he struggled to reload correctly or the bystanders just jumped him first. Someone hit him in the head with a chair, and they were able to wrestle him to the ground before he was able to start shooting his second clip. Had he been unable to legally purchase that expanded magazine, he would have only been able to fire 10 shots, rather than 30+. The Assault weapons ban would have saved lives in this case. Two things. First, from what I've read, the manufacturing of expanded magazines was illegal, but they could be imported. I don't know if that is accurate, and it's really beside the point of whether or not we should ban expanded magazines now. I'm generally a pro-gun rights guy, but I'm at a loss for any argument in favor of expanded magazines here. Second, minor quibble, a gun with a 10 round magazine can fire 11 shots without reloading. You can put one in the chamber.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 11:51 AM) We already ban, at a nationwide level, bringing firearms within a certain distance of schools and other government facilities. There's no argument in your post here for why it's a good idea to allow legal carrying of weapons in range of obvious political targets other than the "restricting freedoms" point. Frankly, I have zero issue with that restriction on freedoms. You're creating a moving 3 million square foot area around all "government officials." How the hell do you enforce that? How does the average person know where all of these zones are? It's not like a fixed building exclusion.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 11:45 AM) "Not being able to prevent that particular crime" does not make it a bad idea. I guess I don't see it being effective in preventing any crime. You'd have to have security checkpoints and screenings for every Congressional public appearance, otherwise what prevents someone who's planning on killing someone from breaking a relatively minor law? Furthermore, what do you do in concealed-carry or open-carry states? If I'm in a store with a gun and the "government official" passes by the on street, I'm in violation of the law? If they pass by my hypothetical house with a safe full of guns, I've committed a crime? How many people count as "government official," and how the hell am I suppose to identify them all from 1000 ft. away? It just seems like a messy, cumbersome, rife-with-problems idea to make it look like something was done.

That wouldn't exactly do anything to prevent the situation that just happened. It's already illegal to shoot someone.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:34 AM) You're trying to draw the line without actually drawing it. Anyone with half a brain can see that. My post about the video games was simply pointing out the difference between trying to link violent games or music in an attempt to get people to tone down violent games or music and linking violent political rhetoric to a violent political action in an attempt to get people to tone down violent political rhetoric. Not assigning blame. I apologize if that wasn't very clear, I can see how it would be taken otherwise.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:32 AM) I never said they shouldn't, and I agree they should step back from it, because it's silly. But you're linking it as the cause when that's not been established by the facts of the case. Blaming violent cartoons at this point is the SAME as blaming Palin's target map...it's a drawn conclusion with ZERO factual basis. I've assigned blame to Palin or violent right-wing rhetoric?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:29 AM) Yes it is, considering there is NO evidence backing your claim that there is ANY connection between the two whatsoever...thus it's 100% opinion/speculation on your part. So I repeat, just wanted to clear that up for you, since you don't know the difference between fact and opinion, apparently. FFS, read the thread. I've not said Palin's stupidity caused any of this or had any influence on him. You're missing the point, and you're ignoring the validity of addressing Palin's map of cross-hairs targeting Gifford as being inappropriate and that Palin and others should back down from violent rhetoric.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:22 AM) I maintain that the only reason he targeted her in specific is because of his locale, and he had past meetings with her that didn't go well in his eyes. If he had lived in another state, it probably would have happened there, instead. I don't think it had anything to do with a target map whatsoever. I don't think anyone is claiming that it did. I've specifically said twice (really quoted something from elsewhere that summed up my thoughts) that this guy is nuts and Giffords was targeted because of location, not because of Palin or any violent right-wing rhetoric. That doesn't mean people can't use this as a reason to step back from said violent rhetoric and point out that it is, at best, irresponsible and in poor taste.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:27 AM) I already pointed out the silliness of this in the Democrat thread. Being anti-violence and knowing how to use guns are just about galaxies of difference. Sure, but it's funny juxtaposition. Beck doing his best Jack Bower interpretation doesn't exactly scream "anti-violence."

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 10:23 AM) You mean in your opinion. Just want to clear that up. Recent violent political rhetoric, some of it specifically targeting Giffords, has a much stronger connection to an attempted political assassination of Giffords than video games. That's not an opinion.

Linking this attempted political assassination to violent video games or music or TV is much weaker than linking it to recent political rhetoric from her opponents involving cross-hairs, "reloading" and "2nd amendment option".

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 09:24 AM) I dunno what you guys are talking about...Cam said he was an instrument of God! Jesus loves football!

Stewart, Colbert Draw Contrasts in Response to Tuscon Shooting

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 11, 2011 -> 08:48 AM) My issue with firemen is that there is a list thousands of people long in Chicago to become one. I'd say they are overpaid. Many of them also have second jobs because of the schedule they work. And let me just add, I'm not saying it isn't an honorable profession because they are overpaid. I'm just saying they are overpaid. It took my Uncle something like 20 years to get in.

Can't say I disagree with Miller there. I don't know how you bar idiots like WBC without creating a bunch of larger free speech issues.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 06:05 PM) I read somewhere, not sure if it's true or not, that Rivera's first choice as OC is Ron Turner. If it's true that would be f***ing hilarious. they said that on B&B today as well.

What teacher works 6 hours a day?

QUOTE (dasox24 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 01:56 PM) Isn't it awesome down here? Only a few inches of snow shuts everything down. I don't think the University would have shut down, though, if classes had already been in session. They've never fully closed since I've been in school here (we have had some delayed starts though). One of our customers is in NC. They shut down the entire plant because of 2" of snow.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 12:49 PM) So did everyone get their flu vaccine this year? Everyone eating right, avoiding fast food, staying within their healthy weight, getting enough exercise? Brushing their teeth three times a day? No one smoking here, no one doing drugs. Or are people picking and choosing what we want to follow from doctors? Tex, how is any of that at all like the anti-vaccine crap at the center of this thread? Not following a doctor's advice out of preference or laziness is different from advocating against doctor's advice and steadfastly refusing to accept any contradictory evidence.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 12:07 PM) I guess you missed the Bush years? http://michellemalkin.com/2011/01/10/the-p...imer-2000-2010/ That you can find some violent rhetoric on the left misses the point. Where are the Democrat or leftist movement leaders with violent rhetoric on a national scale?