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Your view about "insurmountable barriers" is interesting. Sometimes one's political views form the basis for that, and no amount of evidence helps.

Here you go, knock yourself out. The police call transcript and map are helpful, as is various aspects of the other material.

Map and timeline of incident

Trayvon Martin shooting death -- initial police reports and '911' call transcript

Witness: Trayvon Called George Zimmerman A ‘Creepy-A**,’ ‘White, Kill-My-Neighbors Cracker’

Zimmerman trial blockbuster — Eyewitness says Trayvon on top punching Mixed Martial Arts style
Zimmerman Trial Day 5 – Analysis & Video – State’s own witnesses undercut theory of guilt
Zimmerman Trial Day 6 – Analysis & Video – State’s witness Chris Serino seriously undermines charge
Zimmerman Update Exclusive — Mid-Day 8 — State Wins Evidentiary Battle, Loses Testimony War
Zimmerman Case: Experts Call State’s Scream Claims “Absurd” “Ridiculous” and “Imaginary Stuff”
Zimmerman Prosecution’s Voice Expert admits: “This is not really good evidence”

GMA Shows Exclusive Images Of George Zimmerman’s Head Injuries From Night Of Trayvon’s Death
Autopsy results show Trayvon Martin had injuries to his knuckles

Trayvon Martin's legal troubles reportedly covered up by police
Has State Opened Door to Defense Introducing Martin Fight Video?
Zimmerman judge excludes Trayvon Martin fighting, social media and marijuana use

Lest we forget: NBC News Apologizes for Editing George Zimmerman's 911 Call (Which falsely mad Zimmerman appear to be racist.)

Zimmerman Case: The Five Principles of the Law of Self Defense

Until you realize that Russia is violating the treaty on medium range nuclear missiles. Treaties are only good as long as both sides agree to follow the rules.

As the Gay Population is probably between 3%-10% I doubt that make it a major factor.

Americans Have No Idea How Few Gay People There Are

In surveys conducted in 2002 and 2011, pollsters at Gallup found that members of the American public massively overestimated how many people are gay or lesbian. In 2002, a quarter of those surveyed guessed upwards of a quarter of Americans were gay or lesbian (or "homosexual," the third option given). By 2011, that misperception had only grown, with more than a third of those surveyed now guessing that more than 25 percent of Americans are gay or lesbian. Women and young adults were most likely to provide high estimates, approximating that 30 percent of the population is gay. Overall, "U.S. adults, on average, estimate that 25 percent of Americans are gay or lesbian," Gallup found. Only 4 percent of all those surveyed in 2011 and about 8 percent of those surveyed in 2002 correctly guessed that fewer than 5 percent of Americans identify as gay or lesbian.

Gallup survey claims 3.4 percent in U.S. are LGBT
Study sees gays as 1.7 percent of population (US)
1.5% of Britons say they are gay or bisexual, ONS survey finds

Perhaps the Obama administration should be impeached if you really think so. Did you know about this.

Say all you want that its Janet and not Obama, but she was not diciplined, and is still in her office even after Obama won reelection.

Ah I see you're making a protest...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/21/canada-bans-protesters-wearing-masks/

Careful there brother

You are calling him delusional but you are actually exposing your own delusions.

Liberal bias among university professors has been confirmed in too many papers to mention, I'll let you google it yourself but here are a few examples

We are talking over 90% of professors in certain fields identifying themselves as 'liberal' or 'progressive' and a similar bias in donations to the two parties.

nobody ever said it was immoral until you just did.

Obama used words to that effect a few years back. Worse is that in his election campaign he hired unpaid interns without offering them any kind of food, transportation, or other stipends of any kind. Basically they were just his work slaves, and his current stance that this is perfectly acceptable so long as they are working for either a nonprofit or the government. However if they intern for a private enterprise...well that's just plain evil.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2010/apr/10/obama-interns-me-not-thee/

"I am The Law!" - Judge Dredd and the NSA

The Patriot Act needs to go! Join the EFF Today! and start writing you your Senators and members of congress now to get this horrid piece of legislation repealed. The only way it will stop is if we tell them both in writing and in the voting booth that we want this violation of our privacy to stop.

We have a huge hidden intelligence network that has ballooned since 9/11 and it just feeds on data and money. It's largely ineffective and couldn't actually target a couple of brothers that were directly warned by the Russians, leading to the bombing of the Boston Marathon. If you think the current administration is in support of your privacy rights, Think Again!"

“All it takes for evil to succeed is for a few good men to do nothing...” - Edmund Burke

The link below shows Anita Dunn, then White House Communications Director , quoting Chairman Mao. That is Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, also known as communist China. Apparently all of the American, British, Canadian, Australian, French, and other assorted quotes were all used up.

Remember this... Anita Dunn On Mao

EDITORIAL: What would Mao do?

Mao bore no small responsibility for the enormous loss of life in China during communist rule, as many as 60,000,000 people.

The Black Book of Communism

The article here talks about STATE-issued e-mail addresses to avoid spam and frivolous e-mail filling up their inbox. No public e-mail addresses were issued, and FOIA requests for e-mail included messages from the multiple addresses.

Not in all cases. That is unless the government now owns gmail.

Congress demands EPA’s secret email accounts

Mr. Horner uncovered the existence of the secret emails . . . Mr. Horner said . . . two former EPA officials told him about the “Richard Windsor” email and said it was “one of the alternate email addresses she used.”

He said he has also discovered some EPA employees setting up private gmail accounts using their first and last names and the word EPA as a standard formula.

“They’ve been moving government over to private email,” Mr. Horner told The Washington Times. “In the book, I reveal private servers the White House had universities and pressure groups set up so they can conduct discussions.”

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's lots more where that story came from.

Very interesting, but most people would still have to charge at home, and plan routes very carefully, even at the end of the timeline.

This is really an around town roadster, maybe a daily driver, but not something most people will want to set off on a road trip in.
By the time Tesla gets these built, the industry will have moved on to Fuel Cell technology. Tesla is a stopgap measure at best.

I guess the Krauts didn't see that former brewer, now Governor, John Hickenlooper of Colorado drank fracking fluid to show how safe it is. The Euros will do anything to talk themselves out of fracking. Who cares? It is their lights that are dimming from lack of electricity, not ours.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/21/chilling-one-reporters-sources/

Of course, you won't have been aware that Bush DID do this, because it won't have been on FOX FARE'N'BALANSED(TM) news.

Fox has no honesty. They are not news. They are simply a fascist propaganda outlet.

This goes all the way up to the top - Back in 09, the administration put out a report saying that veterans are terrorists...This was highly offensive and troubling to many, but it blew over - maybe this will bring this scandal back to the surface...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/16/napolitano-stands-rightwing-extremism/?page=all

Well, I agree with the gun registration makes no sense. Especially, when you are informed that United States law prohibits requiring a convicted felon from registering their guns.

That's right. Law abiding citizens are the ONLY ONES required to register guns. As registering a gun would be tantamount to incriminalizing one's self if a felon. They are legally excluded from needing to do so.

Yes, U.S. law is amazing, ain't it?

***

So lets address your common sense. In order to register a gun in DC (under best hypothetical scenario) you need a background check, training, and a test. Of course, since you're moving to DC...you ALREADY own your guns.

Second, it wasn't until recently that you could even register a handgun in DC.

Third, in order to buy a gun as a DC resident, it has to be transferred by a licensed FFL dealer in DC. Of which there is one. And DC hasn't made it easy for new dealers to be licensed in their district.

Enjoy this one reporter's article....apparently it took her 9 months to become registered.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/guns/2012/jul/12/miller-new-guide-getting-gun-dc/

So how do you go about moving into DC and registering your existing guns....oh, I wager you can't unless you're a DC resident. And of course, you need them registered before you move into DC. Common sense man...

And then you wonder why gun owners oppose almost every law you guys try to pass. Because there is no common sense. And if you guys had to deal with what gun owners deal with to own a car. You'd probably drive your car off a cliff.

DC man saves a kid's life from a violent animal. And get fined $1,000. Because we're "Common Sense" like that..

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/19/dc-man-wont-face-gun-charges-shooting-pit-bull-att/

That is why there are checks and balances.

Obama waits for probe before condemning IRS; Congress pounces

Having a good overall human rights record doesn't necessarily mean that nothing bad ever happens, but the system should respond to it in an appropriate way.

The AP scandal is pretty fresh, but I have little doubt it will provide the administration some very uncomfortable moments in the months ahead.

the participants in the "arab spring" used a variety of tools to facilitate and coordinate their activities

I'm glad you used quotes around "arab spring", in reality it has turned out to be an islamist winter.

Seems we're suffering from a bit of Climate Change Fatigue... which suggests that the less than 1% of credible scientists who doubt AGW have managed to sow enough seeds of dramatic dissent for the rest of us to lose interest.

...and the media, seeing their advertising revenue flagging from the loss of interest in the continued "death, doom, and destruction from global warming due to rise in CO2 levels" news 'reporting' in the face of a 17-year stall in global temperature change (can't jack up the price of commercials if people yawn and change the channel when your newscasters announce another 'global warming' crisis), are starting to flock to a new crisis -- pollution causes global cooling .

One wonders what could possibly go wrong regarding Syria.

Turkey claims evidence of Syrian chemical weapons use
UN accuses Syrian rebels of chemical weapons use
An Al-Qaeda Alliance in Syria Demands Response From U.S.
Al Qaeda's track record with chemical weapons

Even if there are chemical weapons laying around, they would still need to get them somewhere where they could be used. They would probably need help for that. Is any available?

US teen accused of seeking to join al Qaeda-linked Syrian group
Danish jihadist killed while fighting for Muhajireen Brigade in Syria

Iran recruiting volunteer troops for Syria
Hezbollah Steps Up in Syria as Israel Tries to Ease Tension

US Congressman: Hezbollah agents in US worse than al-Qaida
Peter King warns: Hezbollah agents in U.S.

Border porous for obvious reason
Official: Book of suicide bombers found in Arizona desert

. . .the book is published in Iran and contains biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other Islamic militants who died while carrying out their attacks. . .

Yes indeed, what could possibly go wrong?

I think your sarcasm detector is broken. Peragrin's post pegged mine.

The problem is that there are still people that either believe what that post said, or something close enough that it doesn't matter. There are still communists and advocates for communism worldwide, including here on Slashdot. Even North Korea has defenders around the world. The United States itself has a number of active communist parties - Americans just don't let them anywhere near power when they understand that is who it is. (Europeans often claim that the United States has no true left despite the evidence.)

SEIU drops mask, goes full commie
Communists hijacking 'occupy wall street' movement?

Why do you think I included that last section? Even when they understand that there was a little bit of a problem with the way former communist governments acted, they hedge that "no true communist government" has ever existed, so people need to keep on trying to build communist utopias. Eventually people will forget and it will happen again. People around the world are hypervigilant over fascist parties, but communists get a pass despite their far bloodier record.

Nobody uses sarcasm, especially in writing - since it lacks the typical vocal cues, to transmit the knowledge that a particular substance is poisonous, and that if ingested it will kill you, hence my post. Until Slashdot implements the [sarcasm] tag, it is best to be direct and explicit about something so toxic that so many are drawn to like moths to a flame. Communism is a form of mind trap.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't keep classified information on civilian projects online, do they?

The data in the system included the number of people that would be killed if any given dam failed. Effectively it is a target list.

. . .and the U.S. government is using it in its publicity campaign to pass laws giving the government (gasp!) more control over the internet.

Its a news story, not a publicity campaign. They would rather not discuss it as it is embarrassing, if you haven't caught the drift of the articles (plural - here is a better one.)

I guess it is damned if they do, damned if they don't: Our security is weak and people complain about how stupid it is to have internet vulnerabilities of the type we have, but don't change any laws or regulations that we work under since that is controlling random uninvolved internet lusers.

The vulnerabilities of the dams are the real problem, but for some reason the government prefers to lie about that.

A better article on the incident.

Among the data that was potentially stolen was the number of people that would be killed by any given dam failing. Effectively it is a target list. I'm not sure what you think is a lie. Trained eyes don't penetrate very far into concrete.

...so hiding these problems is pretty stupid in the first place.

Publicizing your vulnerabilities along with a target list isn't so bright either.

From the article it isn't clear exactly what information was deemed sensitive.

Here is a better article.

The database tells you how many people will be killed if any given dam breaks. It is effectively a target list. No doubt there is other data there as well.

You would be wrong in your bet. Among the information it contains is the number of people that would be killed if it fails - sort of a target list for bombers and saboteurs. I expect the information can be used in other ways as well. If you bother going to the link, make sure you read page 2 as well.

Why don't you read this, especially page 2. Then use your imagination about what the information could be used for.

So there was no hacking involved. Simply someone handing out a password to a database to someone else who was not authorized.

It's called social engineering, and it is a well recognized hacking technique used in some infamous cases.

Since someone in the US Army or someone the Army authorized handed over the credentials you can hardly call it an act of war.

War, no. But it is still espionage apparently conducted by one of the last countries controlled by a Communist government whose officials periodically make public statements about attacking the United States with nuclear weapons.

The nature of the information they sought access to, and apparently obtained, isn't benign.

Dam - Sensitive Army database of U.S. dams compromised

. . . The database categorizes U.S. dams by the number of people that would be killed if a dam fails. They include “significant” and “high” hazard levels. . .

“In the wrong hands, the Army Corps of Engineers’ database could be a cyber attack roadmap for a hostile state or terrorist group to disrupt power grids or target dams in this country,” Van Cleave said in an email.

Gen. Keith Alexander, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, warned in a 2011 speech that cyber attacks were escalating from causing disruptions to actual destructive strikes, including cyber attacks on hydroelectric dams.

Alexander provided what he said were indirect examples of two types of anticipated cyber attacks. . . The second involved the catastrophic destruction of a water-driven electrical generator at Russia’s Sayano-Shushenskaya dam, near the far eastern city of Cheremushki, in August 2009. One of the dam’s 10 650-megawatt hydro turbine generators, weighing more than 1,000 tons, was mistakenly started by a computer operator 500 miles away.

As a result, the generator began spinning, rose 50 feet in the air, and exploded, killing 75 people and destroying eight of the remaining nine turbines at the dam. . . more

So there was no hacking involved. Simply someone handing out a password to a database to someone else who was not authorized.

It's called social engineering, and it is a well recognized hacking technique used in some infamous cases.

Since someone in the US Army or someone the Army authorized handed over the credentials you can hardly call it an act of war.

War, no. But it is still espionage apparently conducted by one of the last countries controlled by a Communist government whose officials periodically make public statements about attacking the United States with nuclear weapons.

The nature of the information they sought access to, and apparently obtained, isn't benign.

Dam - Sensitive Army database of U.S. dams compromised

. . . The database categorizes U.S. dams by the number of people that would be killed if a dam fails. They include “significant” and “high” hazard levels. . .

“In the wrong hands, the Army Corps of Engineers’ database could be a cyber attack roadmap for a hostile state or terrorist group to disrupt power grids or target dams in this country,” Van Cleave said in an email.

Gen. Keith Alexander, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, warned in a 2011 speech that cyber attacks were escalating from causing disruptions to actual destructive strikes, including cyber attacks on hydroelectric dams.

Alexander provided what he said were indirect examples of two types of anticipated cyber attacks. . . The second involved the catastrophic destruction of a water-driven electrical generator at Russia’s Sayano-Shushenskaya dam, near the far eastern city of Cheremushki, in August 2009. One of the dam’s 10 650-megawatt hydro turbine generators, weighing more than 1,000 tons, was mistakenly started by a computer operator 500 miles away.

As a result, the generator began spinning, rose 50 feet in the air, and exploded, killing 75 people and destroying eight of the remaining nine turbines at the dam. . . more

You want science, I can't supply that. I can only show the empirical evidence. Not one city can show a decline in crime in general, or violent crime specifically, as a result of passing gun control laws or ordinances. Not one. Various cities and states do, however, have statistics that violent crime decreased, along with crime in general, after relaxing gun control laws.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/02/17/the-nation-toughest-gun-control-law-made-massachusetts-less-safe/3845k7xHzkwTrBWy4KpkEM/story.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/24/states-crime-rates-show-scant-linkage-to-gun-laws/?page=all

http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt1Zy_ASNyA "I think that's just an invitation to somebody with a gun!"

There is no science that I'm aware of that explains it - but it is obvious that gun control laws FAIL TO GIVE THE DESIRED RESULTS!!

But really, it's no worse than the US which can confiscate your laptop at the airport and go through all your files.

Citation?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/8/court-limits-feds-ability-search-laptops-border/

This will be coming to America soon.

What do you mean "SOON"?

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/may/18/no-warrant-needed-search-laptops-phones-border-cro/

The 9Th Circuit ruled this unconstitutional, but for now that only applies to the 9th. Other circuits may make other rulings.

Where DO you get your lies?
Four years into full operation, President George W. Bushâ(TM)s Medicare prescription drug program is coming in well below its projected cost, giving hope to backers of the new health insurance law that it, too, could beat budget expectations. The numbers are stark and conclusive: In 2009, the government spent $60.8 billion on the drug benefit, or far less than the annual $111.2 billion cost projected just five years ago, after the program was enacted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/16/bush-drug-plan-beats-cost-mark

For fudge sake regardless of your position..its likely the only g'ment program that has ever come in under budget!!

Part D was created to cover the drug coverage gap that that once existed in the Medicareâ(TM)s plan for older and disabled Americans. Under Part D, seniors choose from a wide variety of privately run drug plans that negotiate individually with drug makers: seniors pay far less than they used to for coverage. According to a recent survey, the program has a 90 percent approval rating and, unique among major federal programs enacted in recent years, will actually cost lessâ"$334 billion lessâ" than original estimates. Even better, improved access to drugs appears to be saving costs elsewhere: The Congressional Budget Office found every one percent increase in prescriptions filled results in a .20 percent decrease in spending in Medicare.
Part D works so well because it recognizes both the virtuesâ"and the limitsâ"of free, competitive markets.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougschoen/2013/02/19/looking-for-a-way-to-reduce-medicare-spending-look-no-further-than-part-d/

Preparing for being modded down for not participating in the re-writing of history and group think..
Dive! Dive! Dive!

Europe tends to have a more easy going attitude towards student protest than the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

It's really quite astonishing that you would point to that incident, for more than one reason.

It is beyond ludicrous and well into disingenuous to try depicting the events at Kent State as a typical response to student protests on campuses in the United States. In 1980 there were about 3,200 colleges in the US, and now there are about 4,500. Across all those years at all those schools probably all of them have seen protests of one sort or another: the Viet Nam war, the draft, nuclear weapons, nuclear power, nuclear winter, Pershing and Tomahawk missiles in Europe, the Iraq War, tuition hikes, unpopular speakers on campus, and many other issues. And yet you can point to one mass shooting by authorities on one day, producing a total of four dead, and yet that is somehow representative of the American experience in regards to protests by students? No, it isn't, not at all.

Then there is your false assertion that Europe is more easy going towards student protest. Really? There are a few cases that pop up to show Europe can be pretty harsh - certainly harsher than the United States. Say what you will about the United States, at least student protests there haven't resulted in mass arrests and a pogrom driving 20,000 Jews out of the country (Many Europeans still have a problem with Jews. ), or the use of an Army tank battalion and active snipers against a student occupation - killing 24.

Athens Polytechnic Uprising, Greece, 1973

When their strike on November 14, 1973 elicited no response, students from Athens Polytechnic barricaded themselves inside the university, . . .

. . . They paid a high price. In the morning of November 17, 25 tanks rolled onto the streets and set themselves up in front of the University. Students requested permission to evacuate, but before the allotted time was up, one of the tanks crashed right through the front gates.

Others tried to flee and were taken out by nervous military snipers on the rooftops. The death toll came to at least 24, with hundreds more suffering injuries, and as many as 1,000 people were arrested. . .

1968, Warsaw Poland

Student protests result in thousands of arrests and ultimately in an antisemitic campaign by the government that drove 20,000 Jews from Poland.

May 1968 Protests, France

On May 3, 1968, a student protest at the Sorbonne University nearly sparked a revolution. Protesting against the closure of the University of Paris at Nanterre and the planned expulsion of a number of Nanterre students, Sorbonne University students took to the streets en masse. . .

Over a period of several days, hundreds of students battled it out with police in Parisâ(TM)s Latin Quarter, setting up barricades, throwing rocks and braving tear gas. Discontentment with the political and economic conditions in France boiled to the surface, and what started out as a few student protests escalated into a month and a half of utter chaos, during which several people died and hundreds were injured.

There are certainly other events that could be mentioned.

Finally, the Wikipedia article doesn't really do justice to some imporant issues about Kent State.

New light shed o

Also not in there - that these guys are no more Islamic than you are.

Who are "they", the Boston murderers? If that's who you mean they you haven't been following the evidence on the older one. His uncle said he had become a lot more devout of late. Tsaraev went from praying once a day to five times a day. Not a crime, but shows how he has become radicalized as a jihadi (his entire mind was taken over by thoughts of Islam, and he was in contact with radical imams).

You only think I have a "kneejerk" reaction because you appear to live in a fact-free bubble. You probably still labour until the illusion that "Islam is a Religion of Peace" - which simply indicates you have zero understanding of Islamic doctrine. I would be happy to provide you with an avalance of material from Islamic sources if you like - it would cure you of any illusions as to the global intentions of political Islam. Here are some facts on exactly how peaceful Islam is around the globe:
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

Your statement also indicates that in 13 years you have learned exactly *zero*. This is probably because you either dismiss facts you don't like (the anti-scientific way), or only watch left-leaning mainstream media (who selectively report and suppress inconvenient truths, like what Muslims say to each other behind closed doors). Here's an article showing how false the media reporting is, and why you are so very, very wrong in your statement that Tsaraev was "no more Islamic" than I am (which is utter bullshit):
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/what-really-going/2013/apr/20/liberal-media-take-chill-pill-boston-bombers-musli/

As long as you remain in denial of the the nature and goals of Islam you will always be a "useful idiot" that the Islamists rely on to further their agenda. You think you are being tolerant and doing good but in fact you are providing a defense of the intolerant and evil. Please stop doing that - stop defending evil by deflecting legitimate and factual criticism of jihad and known jihadis.

He acts like one http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/17/obama-denounces-gun-rights-groups-willful-liars/

Any links to stormfront you want to share?

You could have done something useful like provide a link yourself, as it is trivially easy information to find, or a counter-point. Instead you go, predictably, to the smear. It would be great if you would make a positive contribution.

Al Qaeda magazine on pressure cookers: ‘Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom’
Boston Marathon bombs: al-Qaeda's Inspire magazine taught pressure cooker bomb-making techniques

And those golf trips and vacations every 4 months Obama takes? How much do those cost taxpayers? Like a million dollars each flight?

Cost of each travel is irrelevant. He's the president and, like all presidents before him, he flies Marine 1 and Air Force 1. He also needs a security detail, support staff, and press corp. because despite what they call it the president is never really on vacation.

Now let's get to the meat of the discussion - the frequency of trips.

If Obama averages a golf trip and vacation every 4 months then that would make the number of trips taken around 16. You want to know how many trips his predecessor made? Well Pres. G.W. Bush took 149 trips to Camp David and 77 trips to his ranch in Crawford, TX. It has been reported that Bush spent a total of 487 days at Camp David and 490 days at his Ranch. This doesn't include his trips to Martha's Vineyard.

Here's an interesting article on the topic of presidential vacations:

"President Obama in his first four years has taken 131 days, dividing his time between Hawaii, Martha’s Vineyard and, of course, Camp David, the official get away of U.S. presidents. At this rate, he could hit 262 days by the end of his eighth year, about average for modern presidents.

He certainly is not the king of vacation days. That honor falls to President George W. Bush, who racked up 1,020 vacation days in his eight years in office, including one five-week vacation, the most of any president in 36 years. Not to say he wasn’t on the job when he was at his Crawford, Texas ranch, but he was away from the White House."

The next question then becomes is it justifiable? I think we all can agree the answer is yes. Regardless whoever the president may be they have a very difficult job. The stress of the job has been documented very well. It even takes a physical toll on these guys. Look at the before and after picture of each president the difference can be startling. They have to be available 365/24 and have to deal with issues like national security, world events, the hot button political issue of the day, rallying support for a budget or bill, official visits to foreign countries, almost solely held accountable for all of the domestic problems regardless of how much is really congress, and to top it all off they have to do damage control from rumors or accusations from the typical right or left wing commentator (depending on who is in office).

Nancy Regain said it best (as quoted from the article): "Presidents don’t get vacations — they just get a change of scenery. The job goes with you."

Hell by official record, you should happy that Obama has curtailed the number of vacation days and personal trips taken by the U.S. President in the past 13 years.

Sucks when recorded facts doesn't fit in with your ideological views, doesn't it?

well...an email was leaked that said to "make the cuts hurt" http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/5/email-tells-feds-make-sequester-painful-promised/?page=all Seems to bolster your claim of the Washington Monument Gambit.

Take a look at the flip side of this debate, what gun owners are saying about the push from Feinstein and certain states for tighter gun laws.

Does the comment section look familiar? It should, because the tone is exactly the same as the one of this board, except it's coming from the right instead of the left. Fact is, most of you guys can't see it because when you read Slashdot comments you think, Exactly! Right, about time someone said it! Yeah, it's obvious! Well, that's what the gun owners think when the read and post on the Washington Times column. Not close to what they think, EXACTLY what they think.

Hell, in some places, the laws themselves are copyrighted.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/31/ignorance-of-dcs-copyrighted-laws-can-be-costly/

Stories I've read about harrasment. Mainly those with videos proving it was not an invention. Also, NOBODY is going to confiscate my laptop/phone/whatever just because. At least this month (after how many years?) a federal court ruled that what happened at the borders was going too far: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/8/court-limits-feds-ability-search-laptops-border/?page=all

And you in turn treat your neighbors and passerby's as potential 'terrorists'. Do you lock your house at night? If so, why? it's a simple precaution, but it restricts your freedoms, yet you do it. You do it to protect yourself and your family. You choose this over leaving your door wide open. You would also probably prevent an armed neighbor from just walking in your door. You would stop them and question what the hell they were doing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20022876-503544.html

The simple fact is that the majority of people who fly actually agree with these security checks whether misguided or not, just as you put basic security in place on your home. You do this because you have the authority (it's your house). Granted, this is just an example, but a valid comparison. The difference here being that the TSA is tasked with the safety of the passengers and airline employees just as you may be tasked with the safety of those in your home. The airport is 'their house', and the public is their 'family'...ok, that was a little creepy and sickening, but you hopefully get the point.

It's not strictly about you, but about what the majority of air passengers want to get a basic level of perceived safety. The courts allow it because congress allowed it, and congress allowed it because that's what a majority of their constituents want.

Oddly enough, the same is true regarding drone attacks. A large majority support them. People understand the realities of todays terrorists, the risks, and potential casualties a terrorist can inflict. They have real world examples engraved in their memories after 9/11.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2013/feb/11/majority-americans-approve-drone-strikes/

John Edwards and his kind are the reason. Many malpractice suits don't have any scientific basis, it's just a matter of running a sympathetic "victim" in front of a jury.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/aug/16/20040816-011234-1949r/?page=all

The key word is "many" not all. There are times when the doctor is clearly incompenent or worse and there needs to be some recourse. Sometimes with physician mistakes, incompetence or downright fraud, the patient is stuck with very very expensive treatments, drugs, maybe in house care, and other equipment. To completely eliminate liaibility will put those people in a horrible situation and most likely being supported by the taxpayer - IF that's availble.

Don't forget, we mostly hear about the abuses in the news - not the legitimate claims.

John Edwards and his kind are the reason. Many malpractice suits don't have any scientific basis, it's just a matter of running a sympathetic "victim" in front of a jury.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/aug/16/20040816-011234-1949r/?page=all

How long before all RC helicopters (and all hobby RC planes for that matter) will be banned ?

They are already trying in Texas and in New Hampshire. Notice the inclusion of drones by name in the legislation, and the lack of differentiation between government use and private use.

This article from a few weeks ago shows that two other state legislatures, specifically Florida and Virginia, are attempting a legislative fix to drone use, though those attempts are targeted specifically at government use of drones. The mayor of Seattle cancelled the Seattle PD's drone program and ordered the chief of police to return the ones they'd already bought to the manufacturer for a refund.

With that said, attempts to block government use of drones are probably doomed to failure, since the FAA has already been directed by the 112th Congress to integrate drones into the national airspace via HR 658 (relevant section here,) and police departments across the nation are buying them in droves, despite what happened in Seattle. The DHS's "loan a drone" program, coupled with DHS's $4M grant program to local law authorities to acquire drones, would strongly suggest that government use of drones is here to stay.

Given the push/pull legislative wars being driven by the privacy vs. public safety debate, I doubt that banning RC aircraft is a viable legislative option. What is (probably) going to happen with RC aircraft is what has already happened with other "hobbies" that are deemed to be a threat to public safety (think: greenhouses that could be used for growing pot, legal chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs, model rockets that could be weaponized.) Purchases of RC aircraft and related equipment will be tracked at the point of sale and those records will be forwarded to the feds, where the purchasers will end up on an FBI watch list, just like the purchasers of the above-mentioned items.

While it doesn't seem that it was stated that they are the greatest threat it was stated that the DHS views them as a threat. After it came out there was massive backpedaling from that statement though. For sources see:
The Washing Times
CNN
The actual DHS report courtesy of Fox News
The actual DHS report courtesy of FAS if you don't like fox
CBS news

It's funny, I'm surrounded by mostly conservatives, and some (maybe most) don't object to the "universal background checks" so much as they object to what it'll really be. Most of us already go through background checks in our states. This is the sort of thing we might admit when nobody is listening, though of course I do not speak for the whole forty-something percent of the nation. ;)

First, we know what happens when you have databases of people that possess firearms. You've probably seen the google maps plots of everyone's home addresses. If you're a gun owner in a state that has firearm licensing, you know that even when required by law, they can take months longer than allowed to process a one page form, and there's nothing you can do about it. During that time, all manner of nasty things can happen, not least of which is having your card expire and having your firearms suddenly become illegal. Now you're a felon. Imagine how that makes you feel if you live anywhere near this scumbag. We also know that people that shouldn't clear often do, while people that should clear often don't. They have to hire lawyers to help them through the process, and it's a nightmare. We'll skip past the really scary bits of national gun owner databases for the sake of brevity (too late, I know).

Straw purchases are a problem in some places. With handguns, specifically. And only around cities where handguns are already illegal (let's face it, the gun control laws don't actually work). But it's still a problem everyone wants solved. What we don't want is a running leap down the slippery slope, coupled with the issues listed above.

The magazine size thing is just bullshit. Almost no crime is committed with rifles, only a tiny subset of those are committed with "the black rifles", and you'd be hard-pressed to make the case that in any of those very, very rare cases, magazine size had anything to do with the commission of the crime. It's just another thing to ban, for no reason other than political points... and it's at the expense of lawful people.

Again, slippery slope with no benefit to society.

There's probably common ground to be had on some of this stuff, somewhere, but it's obscured by decades of awful politics perpetrated by liberals in office against normal, law-abiding citizens. Those of us who are old enough know better have noticed that the President has been using the phrase "common sense" over and over and over. There's a reason for that... nothing about it is "common sense." He's selling BS legislation.

And so we fight. Some of us even give money to groups we may not particularly love, like the NRA. When you know you have to do something to defend your constitutional rights, and there's a good chance you're about to lose the battle to the 24hr news cycle. Remember, we live among a population that would trade their own children if you promised it would make them safer.

Remember how easy it was to sell everyone on bogus wars over "tururrism"? Yeah, we remember too. Tell people you're going to "Stop the senseless bloodshed by banning these ultra-mega-high-capacity magazines for ruthless killers", and they'll sign on the dotted line, even if it doesn't make any sense.

We did exactly this, already, just a few years ago. If you don't remember, go hit the wiki. It did absolutely nothing, for anyone except the politicians that pushed it. But memories are short, and it's possible we'll end up doing this dance again. That's the feeling that makes people belt out some pretty silly stuff about the direction this country is headed.

Beg is oft used as a synonym for ask. That evolved it into one of those common phrases that some people have a difficult time with -as if English was not their first language. It may be a regionalism, I've heard it, and it seems as if you have had prior experience with it yourself; Deal.

It's just my usual cut-and-paste, you're supposed to google it and see who actually said it.

WARNING: Goatse link! Seriously, fuck you. This stopped being funny years ago.

Don't believe the AC. The tinyurl above goes to http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/26/obama-readies-to-blast-nasa

Not really sure why that needed to be tiny.