Domain: qctimes.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to qctimes.com.
Comments · 17
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Re: Reddit = a bunch of cowardly idiots.
Where do you see irony?
Why in your words, ooloorie, if you can't see them, why don't you try sending your message to Donald Trump.
Go ahead. I dare you to promise to do it. I won't even ask you to document and authenticate it. Just promise to do it.
Trump and Republicans won the last election, didn't they?
Nope, the last election was...Tuesday. They lost. Unless you know of one since then, or maybe in the Pacific Time zone.
But really, do give your advice to Trump. Just make the promise to do it. I dare you.
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Re:I have a serious problem with this
Hint: Police keep killing folks. Many of them unarmed, in handcuffs, and mostly black
Emphasis mine, and [Citation Needed]
Now, I can't disagree, police killing people is a problem, but why does race ALWAYS have to play a part? According to this 100 (ish) people were killed by police last month. 35 white, 27 black, 19 latino. Why do we only care about the black ones?
My comment is going to have a Fitzgerald aspect it.
1. Police have been killing black people at about 2 or 3 times the rate that they make up of the population. Source: BBC, just do Google search and hunt around, several posts2. When Black Lives Matter became more well known, my thoughts: the US had had several high profile killings of civilians by police in recent years. Example: Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill white homeless man beaten to death by police. He had been known to the local police, and had little record of violence but was 'slow in complying.' The beating was captured on video and continued long after he was on the ground and not moving or responding, while many onlookers screamed to the police to stop. 3 police officers were charged criminally. One had charges dropped, the other two were acquitted.
Example 2: Alberquerque, NM police department, having one of the highest rates of killing of civilians by police, is investigated by the Justice Department.
These are just two of many cases and situations that have been reaching public awareness in recent years. The awareness could be summed up: sometimes police are killing people that don't deserve it, and at a higher rate than is acceptable.
Then Black Lives Matter comes along. When I head some BLM protestors booed and screeched Bernie Sanders early in his campaign for saying "Black lives matters. Yes. All lives matter." (may not be exact words...), I said to myself, the best chance to improve policing and reduce the level of unneeded violence by police is if the public as a whole sees there is a problem. If black people take exclusive ownership of the issue, which they have, the chance will slip away. Why? Sturgeon's Law applies to Black Lives Matter. The problem is if you focus on your angst and wallow in it, that won't get you very far. If you indulge in your anger and slash out at people, even people like Justin Timberlake who clumsily express support for your side, that isn't going to get you very far. If you go out and focus on making enemies, yep, you aren't going to get very far.
Then you two things to the mix: recurrent racism in the US, and if you define the problem as one affecting black people, a lot of white people will say to themselves, that's horrible or that's too bad, but it doesn't affect me, so...
I think we have a problem in that policing in the US is, unlike preventing airplane crashes or fighting cancer, devoid of a concerted effort to reduce bad outcomes of policing. We, as a country, as a legal matter, and an official matter, look at individual cases and usually conclude the officer(s) involved had a reasonable fear for their safety, so no laws were broken. Therefore, we think there is no need to change anything. Meanwhile, the bodies keep piling up.
This falls more but not exclusively on black and other minorities. But Black Lives Matter as it currently exists ensures that not much will be done to fix it. They are using tactics that play well in the black community: rage, grief, lashing out, blame. What plays well in the black community plays poorly or badly in the white community, (on average, with a wide range). Enough that there is not enough support within the white community to add to the mass of people pushing for change. So, our chance has been slipping away.F. Scott Fitzgerald: The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function
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Re:I have a serious problem with this
Emphasis mine, and [Citation Needed]
Now, I can't disagree, police killing people is a problem, but why does race ALWAYS have to play a part? According to this 100 (ish) people were killed by police last month. 35 white, 27 black, 19 latino. Why do we only care about the black ones?
That last statement is a blatant straw man.
Moreover, African Americans comprise 13% of the population of the US. Non-Hispanic whites are 62%. So you can see (if you dare to look) that race is baked in to the situation. Blacks are killed at a far higher rate than whites, regardless of the total numbers. That is the problem.
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Re:I have a serious problem with this
Hint: Police keep killing folks. Many of them unarmed, in handcuffs, and mostly black
Emphasis mine, and [Citation Needed]
Now, I can't disagree, police killing people is a problem, but why does race ALWAYS have to play a part? According to this 100 (ish) people were killed by police last month. 35 white, 27 black, 19 latino. Why do we only care about the black ones?
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Re:Lots of reasons why Romney may win
#1 The Des Moines Register: Obamas Record On The Economy The Past Four Years Does Not Suggest He Would Lead In The Direction The Nation Must Go In The Next Four Years. Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years. Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- The Des Moines Register : Obamas Best Efforts To Resuscitate The Stumbling Economy Have Fallen Short. Nothing Indicates It Would Change With A Second Term In The White House. The nation has struggled to recover from recession for the past 40 months. Still, the economy is growing at an unacceptably anemic rate of around 2 percent a year and could slip back into recession depending on what happens in the European Union and China. The workforce is still 4.5 million jobs short of the nearly 9 million that were lost in the recession. Longer term, looming deficits driven by Social Security and Medicare pose the single greatest threats to the nations economic security. The presidents best efforts to resuscitate the stumbling economy have fallen short. Nothing indicates it would change with a second term in the White House. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- Before Endorsing Mitt Romney, The Des Moines Register Last Endorsed A Republican Presidential Candidate In 1972. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
#2 Quad-City Times: Obamas Presidency Is Plagued With Flagging Leadership. [Health care reform is] just one example of flagging leadership on an issue that defines the Obama presidency. Sadly, others exist. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Change That Wed Hoped Would Elevate Our Economy Wound Up Woefully Short. We invested heavily in hope back in 2008. Our 2012 endorsement of Mitt Romney comes with an imperative for change. The change that wed hoped would elevate our economy wound up woefully short. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Presidential Gambit To Place Health-Care Reform Ahead Of Economic Recovery Jeopardized Both. The presidential gambit to place health-care reform ahead of economic recovery jeopardized both. President Barack Obama expended all of the presidential leadership on muscling through health care reform, leaving little for implementation and none for significant economic recovery. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times
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Re:Lots of reasons why Romney may win
#1 The Des Moines Register: Obamas Record On The Economy The Past Four Years Does Not Suggest He Would Lead In The Direction The Nation Must Go In The Next Four Years. Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years. Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- The Des Moines Register : Obamas Best Efforts To Resuscitate The Stumbling Economy Have Fallen Short. Nothing Indicates It Would Change With A Second Term In The White House. The nation has struggled to recover from recession for the past 40 months. Still, the economy is growing at an unacceptably anemic rate of around 2 percent a year and could slip back into recession depending on what happens in the European Union and China. The workforce is still 4.5 million jobs short of the nearly 9 million that were lost in the recession. Longer term, looming deficits driven by Social Security and Medicare pose the single greatest threats to the nations economic security. The presidents best efforts to resuscitate the stumbling economy have fallen short. Nothing indicates it would change with a second term in the White House. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- Before Endorsing Mitt Romney, The Des Moines Register Last Endorsed A Republican Presidential Candidate In 1972. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
#2 Quad-City Times: Obamas Presidency Is Plagued With Flagging Leadership. [Health care reform is] just one example of flagging leadership on an issue that defines the Obama presidency. Sadly, others exist. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Change That Wed Hoped Would Elevate Our Economy Wound Up Woefully Short. We invested heavily in hope back in 2008. Our 2012 endorsement of Mitt Romney comes with an imperative for change. The change that wed hoped would elevate our economy wound up woefully short. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Presidential Gambit To Place Health-Care Reform Ahead Of Economic Recovery Jeopardized Both. The presidential gambit to place health-care reform ahead of economic recovery jeopardized both. President Barack Obama expended all of the presidential leadership on muscling through health care reform, leaving little for implementation and none for significant economic recovery. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times
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Re:Lots of reasons why Romney may win
#1 The Des Moines Register: Obamas Record On The Economy The Past Four Years Does Not Suggest He Would Lead In The Direction The Nation Must Go In The Next Four Years. Barack Obama rocketed to the presidency from relative obscurity with a theme of hope and change. A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past four years does not suggest he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next four years. Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- The Des Moines Register : Obamas Best Efforts To Resuscitate The Stumbling Economy Have Fallen Short. Nothing Indicates It Would Change With A Second Term In The White House. The nation has struggled to recover from recession for the past 40 months. Still, the economy is growing at an unacceptably anemic rate of around 2 percent a year and could slip back into recession depending on what happens in the European Union and China. The workforce is still 4.5 million jobs short of the nearly 9 million that were lost in the recession. Longer term, looming deficits driven by Social Security and Medicare pose the single greatest threats to the nations economic security. The presidents best efforts to resuscitate the stumbling economy have fallen short. Nothing indicates it would change with a second term in the White House. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
- Before Endorsing Mitt Romney, The Des Moines Register Last Endorsed A Republican Presidential Candidate In 1972. (Editorial, Mitt Romney Offers A Fresh Economic Vision, The Des Moines Register , 10/27/12)
#2 Quad-City Times: Obamas Presidency Is Plagued With Flagging Leadership. [Health care reform is] just one example of flagging leadership on an issue that defines the Obama presidency. Sadly, others exist. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Change That Wed Hoped Would Elevate Our Economy Wound Up Woefully Short. We invested heavily in hope back in 2008. Our 2012 endorsement of Mitt Romney comes with an imperative for change. The change that wed hoped would elevate our economy wound up woefully short. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times : The Presidential Gambit To Place Health-Care Reform Ahead Of Economic Recovery Jeopardized Both. The presidential gambit to place health-care reform ahead of economic recovery jeopardized both. President Barack Obama expended all of the presidential leadership on muscling through health care reform, leaving little for implementation and none for significant economic recovery. (Editorial, Ready For Change, Quad-City Times , 10/28/12)
- Quad-City Times
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Re:Take a cue from Iowa
The new map is here (PDF). It was adopted by 90-7 and 48-1 votes in both chambers on April 14, signed by the governor five days later. The population variance is 0.0005%, which is so small I almost don't believe it. (More details here.)
And the guidelines are here, summarized in the redistricting commission report:
1. Districts shall be established on the basis of population and shall each have a population as nearly equal as practicable to the ideal population.
2. For Congressional districts, each district shall be composed of whole counties. For Legislative districts, the number of counties and cities divided into more than one district shall be as small as possible.
3. Districts shall be composed of convenient contiguous territory.
4. Districts shall be reasonably compact in form, to the extent consistent with the first three standards. In general, reasonably compact districts are those which are square, rectangular, or hexagonal in shape, and not irregularly shaped, to the extent permitted by natural or political boundaries.
5. A district shall not be drawn for the purpose of favoring a political party, incumbent legislator or member of Congress, political party, or other person or group.
6. Each state representative district shall be wholly included within a single state senatorial district. To the extent possible and consistent with the first five standards, each Senate and House district shall be wholly included within a single Congressional district.
7. A new districting plan shall not be used prior to the primary election of 2012.
8. Each bill embodying a plan shall include provisions for election of senators to the general assemblies which take office in 2013 and 2015, which shall be in conformity with Article Ill, section 6, of the Constitution of the State of Iowa.Lastly, note the following from the same report: "[N]o political or demographic information other than total population is taken into consideration when creating proposed redistricting plans."
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Re:Nice to have a Sec of Energy actually Read the
That is of course false.
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Ballmer to Grassley...
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Re:It's for the children!
However, whenever anybody is asked to site a case in which some poor schmuck actually got shafted by these laws, they suddenly fall silent.
Rather than them being silent, maybe you're just not listening.
Here's a repost of some relevant comments I made on this subject several months ago:
Here's a basic list of just a handful of abuses I came up:
- The PATRIOT act is being used in regular non-terrorism criminal cases . Anything beyond simple misdemenors is being passed off as terrorism , now.
- A webmaster was jailed under PATRIOT because someone had posted bomb making info on his server . Keep in mind that he didn't put the info there, he was basically a web host, and one of his clients was using his account this way. This is a particularly damning case of abuse where "Innocuous objects such as iced tea bottles and a toy car were described as terrorist devices by the FBI and a joint task force of police officers."
- A disturbing article about using the PATRIOT act to obtain warrants against doctors and scientists . Not because they've done anything wrong, but because they happen to do research with hazardous materials. Guilty before proven innocent.
- Story about someone killed by the PATRIOT act
- Several artists were charged with bioterrorism under PATRIOT for creating artwork meant to educate viewers in the dangers of the biotech industry.
- Story about a veteran being arrested for complaining too much due to the heightened terror alert.
- Shining a pocket laser into an airplane is terrorism falling under the PATRIOT act
- Article republished fromt the Washington post about American citizens held without trial
- A man being harrassed by a "joint terrorism task force" (the kind that has authority under the PATRIOT act) because of investigating Area 51
- Another "joint terrorism task force" investigating a 12 year old for doing a school paper on the Cesapeake Bay Bridge
- A photographer arrested and threatened with being charged under the PATRIOT act for taking pictures of Dick Cheney
And finally, maybe there haven't been as many abuses as there will be once all 2nd legal track the preparations are in place
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A moderate list:
Please note that the identical AC post in this story was me, but I accidentally posted it as AC the first time.
Here's a basic list of just a handful of abuses I came up:
- The PATRIOT act is being used in regular non-terrorism criminal cases. Anything beyond simple misdemenors is being passed off as terrorism, now.
- A webmaster was jailed under PATRIOT because someone had posted bomb making info on his server. Keep in mind that he didn't put the info there, he was basically a web host, and one of his clients was using his account this way. This is a particularly damning case of abuse where "Innocuous objects such as iced tea bottles and a toy car were described as terrorist devices by the FBI and a joint task force of police officers."
- A disturbing article about using the PATRIOT act to obtain warrants against doctors and scientists. Not because they've done anything wrong, but because they happen to do research with hazardous materials. Guilty before proven innocent.
- Story about someone killed by the PATRIOT act
- Several artists were charged with bioterrorism under PATRIOT for creating artwork meant to educate viewers in the dangers of the biotech industry.
- Story about a veteran being arrested for complaining too much due to the heightened terror alert.
- Shining a pocket laser into an airplane is terrorism falling under the PATRIOT act
- Article republished fromt the Washington post about American citizens held without trial
- A man being harrassed by a "joint terrorism task force" (the kind that has authority under the PATRIOT act) because of investigating Area 51
- Another "joint terrorism task force" investigating a 12 year old for doing a school paper on the Cesapeake Bay Bridge
- A photographer arrested and threatened with being charged under the PATRIOT act for taking pictures of Dick Cheney
And finally, maybe there haven't been as many abuses as there will be once all 2nd legal track the preparations are in place.
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A moderate list:
Here's a basic list of just a handful of abuses I came up:
- The PATRIOT act is being used in regular non-terrorism criminal cases. Anything beyond simple misdemenors is being passed off as terrorism, now.
- A webmaster was jailed under PATRIOT because someone had posted bomb making info on his server. Keep in mind that he didn't put the info there, he was basically a web host, and one of his clients was using his account this way. This is a particularly damning case of abuse where "Innocuous objects such as iced tea bottles and a toy car were described as terrorist devices by the FBI and a joint task force of police officers."
- A disturbing article about using the PATRIOT act to obtain warrants against doctors and scientists. Not because they've done anything wrong, but because they happen to do research with hazardous materials. Guilty before proven innocent.
- Story about someone killed by the PATRIOT act
- Several artists were charged with bioterrorism under PATRIOT for creating artwork meant to educate viewers in the dangers of the biotech industry.
- Story about a veteran being arrested for complaining too much due to the heightened terror alert.
- Shining a pocket laser into an airplane is terrorism falling under the PATRIOT act
- Article republished fromt the Washington post about American citizens held without trial
- A man being harrassed by a "joint terrorism task force" (the kind that has authority under the PATRIOT act) because of investigating Area 51
- Another "joint terrorism task force" investigating a 12 year old for doing a school paper on the Cesapeake Bay Bridge
- A photographer arrested and threatened with being charged under the PATRIOT act for taking pictures of Dick Cheney
And finally, maybe there haven't been as many abuses as there will be once all 2nd legal track the preparations are in place.
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Who cares about the 1 billion.
according to this article http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?t=Search&doc=
/ 2004/12/18/stories/local/1041776.txt
the judge filed the summary judgement under the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (other wise known as RICO). This means anyone associated with any of these organizations, can be charge with crimes commit by another member as if they committed the crime themselves. If that's not bad enough a bunch of asset and forfeiture laws can now be used against these individuals and companies. -
Gun cabinet
I know it's old news by now, but the gun cabinet maker denies that their locks are having this problem- but is offering free lock replacement.
Old news link about the gun cabinet. -
On not releasing the orignal versions...This is from a recent AP interview with George Lucas.
Q: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
A: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it.
... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. ....What a totally selfish point of view. George Lucas has this idea that Star Wars was his baby so the fond memories of millions of people and the historical significance of the film take a back seat to his wishes. The argument about spending money on releasing the originals is obviously unfounded, there would be enough fans out there to pay for it. Of course it's possible he's saying this to make sure to maximize sales of the special edition, and he could "change his mind" later and release the originals. But even this would be preferable to never releasing them because of his whims.
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Re:They can do it
400 employees know that managers get bonuses to meet goals that require employees to work overtime but without pay. I rarely, if ever, boycott things but I try not to shop at Wal-Mart.