Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 12:54 PM) I think there are some fairly interesting legal aspects to this decision. First and most notably, if I'm understanding the readings right, this is basically the first decision in the Court's history where it has affirmed an individual right to bear arms without any attachment to the "Militia" concept. This is certainly a fascinating new bit of law, and it's also probably fascinating that it's a new bit of law essentially created by the 5 member majority. If I were one of the folks who thought Judicial activism was a bad thing, I might consider noting that, because the court actually did create law yesterday, but since I'm not, I'll just note that it's pretty fascinating, and if this decision and its reasoning isn't overturned by a future court, then it's really a fundamental change in how we should view the writing of gun laws in the future. "Judicial Activism" = the most overused phrase in the english dictionary. Roe v Wade was judicial activism, Brown v Board was judicial activism. It's the Courts first interpretation squarely on the right to bear arms ever, so of course it's going to be creating something new. There was nothing to base their decision on but the actual words of the Constitution. Totally agree though, this is a fascinating decision. This will be up there with Roe and Brown as hallmark decisions that are going to be tested over and over again.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 26, 2008 -> 04:20 PM) Guns help people kill people more successfully. so do cars. so does alcohol. so does nearly everything in life. should we ban every material object and force people to use their hands?

"guns don't kill people, people kill people." kudos to SCOTUS for getting at least one opinion right this week.

I hate how we jump to label something as racist....but... This is pretty clear. His co-host rambles on about all the stuff this guy has done in the past and his crimes and imus interrupts him and says "wait and he's what color?" Basically acting suprised that a professional sports player with a rap sheet that long is black. He's the opposite extreme of guys like Jackson and Sharpton. Once we get rid of them and they die and hopefully become forgotten, I think the racial divide (as much of one that is left) will get even smaller.

lol, I love Scalia's style: "Giving “bear Arms” its idiomatic meaning would cause the protected right to consist of the right to be a soldier or to wage war—an absurdity that no commentator has ever endorsed. See L. Levy, Origins of the Bill of Rights 135 (1999). Worse still, the phrase“keep and bear Arms” would be incoherent. The word “Arms” would have two different meanings at once:“weapons” (as the object of “keep”) and (as the object of“bear”) one-half of an idiom. It would be rather like saying “He filled and kicked the bucket” to mean “He filled the bucket and died.” Grotesque."

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jun 25, 2008 -> 07:14 PM) The death penalty can not be reversed once imposed. People make mistakes. Juries are made of people. If we allow killing someone as punishment, then how could we say that any other punishment is cruel and unusual? Killing citizens is not a power I want a government to have. Neither can being eight years old and being raped brutally by your stepfather, severly destroying what little innocence you had as a child and any attempt to lead a "normal" life. Seriously? Is that what we teach our children? Yeah, if you rape a friend it's cool, we all do similiar things because we're not perfect. And juries put him on death row. 9 people who magically polled the entire country to find out what we all thought about this issue decided against it. Killing is normally a faster more efficient way of dying than say torture. Agreed. Let's allow mobs to finish the job that should be done. Look, I'm not saying we should cut the hands off of every thief, but in very limited, narrow situations I have no problem giving a person what they deserve. Sorry, if you rape your eight year old step daughter, you have no right to life anymore. I'm all for the Court stepping in and saying there should be limits. But a complete ban in non-death cases is ridiculous. edit: and btw, if you're a big Scalia follower like me, you have huge issues with the whole "cruel and unusual" definition in the Constitution. Cruel and unusual was meant for punishments like tar and feathering, not death. Thank our previous justices who could magically read those unwritten words in the Constitution for starting the debate about whether capital punishment is cruel and unusual.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/scotus...rape/index.html First, a Lebowski reference: "Eight year olds dude." Second, there's not a bone in my body that feels like this decision is right in any way. Not only do they consider capital punishment for non-murder cases "cruel and unusual," the majority opinion fails to adequately give any sort of gauge as to when it MAY be appropriate, meaning that, in essence, it never will be. I thought this was a pretty good line by Justice Alito: the majority ruled against the death penalty "no matter how young the child, no matter how many times the child is raped, no matter how many children the perpetrator rapes, no matter how sadistic the crime, no matter how much physical or psychological trauma is inflicted and no matter how heinous the perpetrator's criminal record may be." Full decision: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-343.pdf

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jun 24, 2008 -> 02:04 PM) Pacman using this to try and make it look like he is taking the high road is comical. No matter how stupid Imus really is, Pacman is a legitimate piece of garbage as a human being. That's the sad part about this. We have a legitimate douche who is a great role model to kids - get arrested 6 times and be involved with murders and rapes and you too can continue to make millions playing a game. Good move Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell. Instead of having a discussion bashing him for being a douche, Imus "ruins" it by making a stupid racial "joke."

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 20, 2008 -> 12:07 PM) I don't know if people know this, but having a baby costs a lot of money, and requires a ton of work. Having a child should not be done until you can actually afford and raise one with your partner. bah, you and your logic.

I think a part of sex-ed for teen girls should be a full, unedited viewing of a birth without meds, including testimonials about the pain and suffering related to it from the mothers. Maybe that'll work. Seriously though, i'm not one to judge parents (as i'm only 26 and not close to being one yet), but wouldn't this be something you somehow teach your kid - "hey, having babies at 16 just isn't smart...."

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 18, 2008 -> 01:39 PM) to spend half a trillion dollars to maybe get men to Mars is beyond retarded. Ya know I was thinking this too, but if you actually look at all the science and technology that comes out of all that money, which is then put into our everyday lives, it's not a bad investment. Discovery has a cool interactive part of their website that shows how the initial NASA missions to the moon created/discovered techonology that we use everyday in our homes and cities. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/nasa/home-and-...e-and-city.html Also, half a trillion really is pocket change in the grand scheme of things. It's not like a one time cost, it'd be over a series of decades. I'd be for it. It's certainly better than spending 10 times that on a war without end or on social services programs for people that don't deserve it/abuse it, or any other umpteen ways this country throws money away like it's grown on trees.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Jun 18, 2008 -> 11:32 AM) I recall reading a few years ago that a trip to Mars would cost NASA half of a trillion dollars. pocket change

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 18, 2008 -> 10:03 AM) Mathematically...the moon as a base is an abjectly awful "Jumping off point" to get to Mars. The problem with that concept is...any time you move against a gravity field it requires energy and therefore fuel. If you leave the earth's gravity, it takes energy and therefore fuel. Once you're out of the Earth's gravity, the hardest part is over, you just have to have the right course and enough supplies. But if you drop down to the moon, then you have to have the fuel to get out of the moon's gravity available on the moon. Unless you can find a rocket fuel source on the moon, which basically means we need a fusion reactor that works, then you've made it vastly harder. You now have to shoot the fuel you need to get out of the moon's gravity out of the earth's gravity, dramatically increasing the mass you need to do the job. It's just a bad way to do things. This of course is why this is such a key part of President Bush's "Mars" program. Wouldn't the rate of speed be different though, blasting from orbit around Eart versus blasting off from the moon? Either way, my point wasn't to bash NASA, as obviously the priority in space exploration is a bit different when you don't have super earth power #2 competing for top space honors, but still. The drive and ingenuity it took in one decade to literally strap a guy onto a military missile and get him to the moon is amazing. Even if NASA had a blank check I don't think they could ever accomplish so much in such a short period of time.

Hadn't seen a topic on this yet. Anyone else watching this series? I just watched the first, two-hour episode. I gotta say I'm hooked, and just in awe, of what NASA was able to accomplish in those first 4 years. They put a man in space, a man in orbit, two men in space, had a couple guys stay there for 2 weeks, did rendezvous and docking missions (getting two capsules to fly within 6 inches of each other going 17k miles per hour and then linking the two together), and did multiple EVA’s (getting outside the spaceship). Why is it that nothing has happened in the last 25 years down there at NASA? I mean, I guess they keep building more and more onto the international spacestation, and they keep sending orbiters and probes and what not to distant planets, but still. It’s been 40 years since we were last on the moon. 40! Wouldn’t the next step have been to build some sort of base on the moon? Use that as a jumping off point to reach Mars? Also, apparently NASA, and the early astronauts, were crazy popular. 110 million people watched John Glenn orbit the earth three times and then fall back to the earth. 110 million! In 1963 that’s gotta be like 90% of people with televisions.

QUOTE (chimpy2121 @ Jun 17, 2008 -> 01:40 PM) Anyone got any PS3 game recommendations? I traded in Xbox360 and a whole bunch of other stuff so I was able to buy the system, MGS4, and pre-ordered and payed off NCAA09 and Madden 20th Year Edition with the credit I got (too bad I couldn't get NHL payed off). I don't know if I'll get anything because I have MGS4 now and I'll be pretty set come July 15th, but I could use some advice. Anyone play Lego Star Wars? Orange Box? I'd grabt COD4 if you like FPS multiplayer games (though the single player is pretty good too. Uncharted was pretty sweet, I was actually half way through my second go around with that before MGS4 came out. GTAIV is good, though definitely not the 10 people claim it is. Speaking of MGS4, the graphics are ridiculous. So far I'm only about 6 hours in, but I'm still amazed by how sharp everything looks. I'm also glad that Konami has opened up things a bit. In the previous games it's was very linear in that you pretty much knew where you had to go with a few hidden spots here and there. With the new one it seems like you have 3-4 routes you can take (at least with certain parts). I was expecting a little more stealth style play though. The reviews said you could tailor the game and play whichever style you want (stealth v fps), but there have been 3 or 4 major gun fights in the beginning of the game that you can't very well sneak past.

I can see your guys' points, but I dunno, this whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I mean if you're a juror on this case, you don't second guess any motive behind this girl lying, even though she looks incredibly similar? It didn't help that the judge didn't allow the jury to hear that Kelly has paid off four other underage girls who have brought complaints against him. That probably would have helped a little.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 16, 2008 -> 03:39 PM) As noted, blame the prosection. I think the jury made the right decision, there wasn't near enough evidence to say beyond a reasonable doubt, especially with the girl denying it was her on the tape. What? Blame the jury for being a bunch of morons. Here's the evidence: a 30 min tape 15 witnesses that said it was her on the tape an expert witness that said if someone doctored the tape, it would have taken them 40 years to do it 1 witness that says she had sex with R Kelly and the "victim" before The problem is because of Johnny Cochran, our juries are totally confused about the proper burdens on each side in a trial. There was no REASONABLE doubt about this. Reasonable is there are 7 witnesses on both sides who claim the person in the tape is or is not the victim. Or the fact that the "Kelly" on the tape was a middle aged balding white guy. That's REASONABLE. The only thing the prosecution did wrong in this case was believe that the jury of its peers could properly weigh the evidence and not be caught up in BS character evidence against the insane threesome chick. Instead of weighing the evidence presented, the jury basically said, well, the prosecutions "star" witness is a crackhead, so, ya know, screw the other evidence we've seen, that's no good.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 16, 2008 -> 08:59 AM) Boston is a fun town, one of my faves. As far as daylight activities go, you can follow the historical "trail" through town. The "trail" is a painted yellow line that runs through downtown and up the Charleston, stopping at all sorts of nifty historical spots on the way. Great way to learn the town. You can get a pamphlet on everything on the walk, available at places all over town, hotels. etc. Lots of great restaurants. You really can't go wrong. Pricey though. For good eats cheap, go to the Italian part of town (north of downtown, as I recall), and just wander into a cafe. For nighttime stuff, I don't really know any specific bars, but walk around any Irish neighborhood and just wander into one. Also, if its your thing (wasn't mine, but, long story), you can hop on a ghost tour that is actually kind of fun. Also, you should see a game at Fenway if you can. I've been there twice in the last two years and loved both trips. Boston is a very cool city. Definitely check out the the Freedom Trail - it's very cool for history buffs and worth checking out as a way to see the downtown area, though I recommend skipping the part that goes all the way across the river to the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill, unless you're really interested in checking those out. It's sort of a long hike (at the end of an already decent hike through parts of downtown) and the ship is ok to stand on but costs money to go under the deck and Bunker Hill is just an obolisk on top of a hill which seems to always be closed if the weather is more than 60 degrees. As far as restaraunts and bars, if you do check out the Bunker Hill monument, grab a beer at the Warren Tavern, one of the older bars in the nation, which is just a few blocks away. If you stick around the touristy spots downtown, I'd recommend the Union Oyster House for food - I think the best clam chowder I've ever had. Basically there's a whole strip of bars right there by the Government Center and Faneuil Hall that we bar hopped all night and had a great time (they're all old-timey places, at least in decoration). The Green Dragon is there too, supposedly where the Sons of Liberty planned the Boston Tea Party. I think the best part of that bar was that it was 8 or 9 at night, we'd done a fair amount of drinking so I was a little tossed, I sit down at the bar and 5 min later Benjamin Franklin sits next to me. No lie. At first I was confused, but then I remembered there are all sorts of tour guides that dress up and then hit the bars when they're done working. Just keep in mind that after like 6 or 7 every bar has a 5 dollar cover, which is insane to me, and I made sure to let just about every door man what a rip off that is. The Black Rose is also pretty good, though kinda touristy, with excellent authentic Irish food. Lastly, if you have time and enjoy Sam Adams, the brewery tour is pretty cool. It's short and quick and they give you some decent sized samples.

Two things: (1) as an Attorney, this just makes me laugh and cry at the same time. (2) as a guy that loves peeing on underage girls, it's good to know that I can get away with it, even with a video tape showing the whole thing.

scary stuff. this is my 4th season on the lake with my boat, and i've been caught in some nasty weather just going to/from burnham and monroe. i can't imagine being stuck out 20-30 miles.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 10, 2008 -> 10:46 AM) You can dual boot Windows XP/Vista, so yes, you can run everything if you so choose. Also, Apple has the highest rated customer service in the industry, so keeping their customers happy isn't and issue for them. Speak to Dell about that one...talk about pissing off customers, just try getting tech support from one of those Indians. Hmm, well how difficult is it to do that? I've been looking at the 21 inch thing they have at best buy for like 1500. The pic and video features look great, but I was worried I would never be able to game on it. But even if you can I dunno that it's worth it. How many graphics cards are made for a Mac? Any?

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 9, 2008 -> 07:12 PM) yeah DAMN them for moving way faster than their imitators/competitors. HOW DARE THEY What? Faster? This second generation iphone just now comes to the level of what competitors have had on the market for over a year. That's why just about every article about the iphone 3g says things like "this is the phone we expected a year ago." I'll give Apple the fact that they make some slick pieces, and they think outside of the box sometimes and give the market something new. But they absolutely suck at keepin their customers happy. This is twice now they've told their most devoted fans, the ones who spent lots of money at launch, "hey screw you, we know we screwed up and gave you an inferior phone for a boat load of money, so to reward you we're going to slash the price in half and give you the phone you wanted. So have fun with that old p.o.s. you got that's now completely and utterly inferior in just about everyway. Hmm, maybe you can buy this one too?." And as for Apple in general, especially the Macs, I'm a fan of the look and feel. It's just that you can't run 80% of the software out there (especially games).

Man Apple sucks. First they get you to spend 600 bucks on a new iphone, and then drop the price 100 bucks within 2 months. Then within roughly a year of being released, they cut the price in half and give you all the features you want, including 3g which should have been included in the first generation iphones. I'd be so f'n pissed if I were someone like my mom who just purchased a brand new 16gb iphone for 500 bucks about 2 weeks ago. Luckily ATT has the 30 day trial period and she can take it back.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 29, 2008 -> 10:07 AM) Don't remember the last time I have been so excited about a season finale. Maybe final Seinfeld? Oh God, I hope it's not like the Seinfeld finale! Seriously though, if they can match last years finale, I'll be more than happy. That was one of the best season finales i've ever seen. I'm trying really hard not to think about it though so I don't expect too much. But damn, it's hard...

Pretty scary. I'm a daily Red Line commuter and probably once a month I think to myself "man that'd suck if this thing derailed underground..."