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Oregon Unconstitutionally Fined a Man $500 for Saying 'I am an Engineer,' Federal Judge Rules (vice.com)

A federal district court has ruled that the state of Oregon illegally infringed on a man's First Amendment rights for fining him $500 because he wrote "I am an engineer" in a 2014 email to the state's Engineering Board. The court ruled that the provision in the law he broke is unconstitutional, which opens the door for people in the state to legally call themselves "engineers." Motherboard reports: This dystopian saga dates back to 2013, when Mats Jarlstrom's wife, while driving, was caught by a red light camera near their home in Beaverton, Oregon. Rather than pay the red light camera fine, Jarlstrom, an electrical engineer, spent months researching the specifics of yellow light timing and red light cameras, and learned that his wife had likely been ticketed for running a yellow light. Jarlstrom began sharing his findings on his personal website, at conferences, and even got featured on 60 Minutes. He also wrote several emails to the Oregon Board of Engineers explaining what he had found. In the email, he noted that he was an "engineer."

Rather than looking into whether traffic light timing should be changed, however, the board sent Jarlstrom a warning -- and then a $500 fine for the crime of "practicing engineering without being registered." Jarlstrom had violated one of Oregon's "Title Laws," which states that "no persons may ... hold themselves out as an 'engineer'" unless they are an "individual who is registered in this state and holds a valid certificate to practice engineering in this state." Jarlstrom has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and spent his career working in electronics, but wasn't board certified. He sued the state's engineering board and, last week, a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Oregon ruled that the state's law is unconstitutional.
The judge wrote: "The statutes prohibit truthfully describing oneself as an 'engineer,' in any context. This restriction clearly controls and suppresses protected speech, and enforcement of the statute against protected speech is not a hypothetical threat. The term 'engineer,' standing alone, is neither actually nor inherently misleading. Courts have long recognized that the term 'engineer' has a generic meaning separate from 'professional engineer' and that the term has enjoyed 'widespread usage in job titles in our society to describe positions which require no professional training.'"

"The judge ordered that the word 'engineer' be struck from Oregon's law, which is 'substantially overbroad in violation of the First Amendment' and specifically noted that Jarlstrom may describe himself publicly and privately using the word 'engineer' and that he may continue to talk about traffic light timing publicly," reports Motherboard.

331 comments

  1. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What does blue smell like?
    What's the capital of Jupiter?
    Whose underwear am I wearing?

  2. Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The ruling should have been that it's legal to truthfully call yourself an engineer, since he is.
    The actual ruling is apparently that it's legal to lie about it, due to "widespread usage in job titles in our society to describe positions which require no professional training."
    The story is relevant here because of the laughable term "sotware engineering".

    1. Re:Bad cases make bad law by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There should be a distinction between "Engineer" and "Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon)." Just like someone licensed to practice medicine in New York can claim to be a physician, but can't practice legally in Oregon.

    2. Re:Bad cases make bad law by TWX · · Score: 3, Informative

      Then the State of Oregon is free to rewrite its statute to reflect the sort of engineering that requires a PE in order to get one's stamp with regard to the use of the term, which would probably be limited to the senior person in a firm that designs complicated structures or systems and signs off on the soundness of those structures or systems. They shouldn't have the right to restrict criticism of those structures or systems, or of less complicated systems not requiring a PE's stamp to build and implement in the first place.

      The man did not overstep any authority by criticizing a system that malfunctions, and he described himself as an engineer in the course of actually documenting/supporting his work. It wasn't like his criticism was limited to, "This system is broken. I'm an engineer. You need to take my word for it."

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    3. Re:Bad cases make bad law by penandpaper · · Score: 2

      I wonder if we will get the same pseudo-science wooo-tastic crap we get in medicine.

      I am a doctor**. Trust me and buy my hydrogen peroxide for your anus. Remember, if it hurt it works.
      **not licensed in any state but I paid $15 from a website that gave me a doctorate in hydrogen nutritional supplement.

      "I am a engineer*. Trust me and buy my enterprise vaporware bridge.
      *not certified professional but I did beat that mobile game called bridge construction on my phone.

      Who am I kidding we have that already.

    4. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 1, Informative

      Something that keeps getting left out of the coverage of this case, esp to tech communities, is that they guy kept referring to himself as an engineer in correspondences with the board of engineers and its staff, after repeatedly being asked not to (and at one point even agreeing, but then starting up again).... so he was REALLY blurring the lines between simply calling himself an engineer an 'practicing' in that he was using his title to sound authoritative to people who professionally interact with licensed people.

    5. Re:Bad cases make bad law by BitterOak · · Score: 2

      There should be a distinction between "Engineer" and "Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon)." Just like someone licensed to practice medicine in New York can claim to be a physician, but can't practice legally in Oregon.

      There should also be a distinction between calling yourself a Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon) for the purposes of getting business as an engineer and for the purposes of, say, impressing a girl you meet at a party. In the present case, the man was not offering his services for hire, nor appearing as an expert witness at a trial, so it really isn't clear why he shouldn't be allowed to lie even about more specific qualifications.

      --
      If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
    6. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      The man did not overstep any authority by criticizing a system that malfunctions,

      There was no question on that. Of course not.

      and he described himself as an engineer in the course of actually documenting/supporting his work.

      The clear intent of his use of the term was to impart special importance and credibility to his statements because he is "an engineer" and thus has more knowledge about such technical stuff than normal folks do. I don't think there is any question as to his intent in calling himself an engineer. Had his being an engineer been irrelevant to him and the issue at hand he would have not said it in the first place.

      But that's not dealing with the issue the court dealt with. I have long questioned the ability of the state to keep people from claiming to be an engineer, since a lot of people work in jobs with that specific title while not requiring any certifications from the state.

    7. Re:Bad cases make bad law by ls671 · · Score: 1

      If you work on any software for Google, Facebook or Twitter then, you are automatically a software engineer.

      --
      Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
    8. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 0

      The thing that made this case messy was that he was pretty close to doing the former but not quite. He was capitalizing on his 'engineer' title to employees of a company that normally work with licensed engineers and conveniently leaving out that he was not actually a licensed engineer so they would take him more seriously. He is one of those slimy people that kept his coorsponances just truthful enough not be fraud, but leaving out just the right amount of information for his purposes.

    9. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 1

      In a weird way, 'engineer' is a good example of what happens when you fail to protect your words carefully enough. The usage of the word has exploded over the last century, it used to be much narrower and much more regulated, but then all sorts of professions wanted to call themselves 'engineer' too because it sounded cool.. and today disciplines that have called themselves that for hundreds of years and enjoyed government/guild protection are increasingly having to confront they have LONG lost control of the word.

    10. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jittles · · Score: 1

      The man did not overstep any authority by criticizing a system that malfunctions,

      There was no question on that. Of course not.

      and he described himself as an engineer in the course of actually documenting/supporting his work.

      The clear intent of his use of the term was to impart special importance and credibility to his statements because he is "an engineer" and thus has more knowledge about such technical stuff than normal folks do. I don't think there is any question as to his intent in calling himself an engineer. Had his being an engineer been irrelevant to him and the issue at hand he would have not said it in the first place.

      But that's not dealing with the issue the court dealt with. I have long questioned the ability of the state to keep people from claiming to be an engineer, since a lot of people work in jobs with that specific title while not requiring any certifications from the state.

      Ahhh. But he did not say "Trust me, I am a Traffic Safety Engineer," did he? He did the equivalent of saying "You can call me Dr Jittles". Which would just imply that I have some sort of doctorate and am therefore possibly more educated than most people. (and no, I am not a doctor of any kind). But if I said "I am Jittles, Medical Doctor" then I would be claiming that I have specific type of education and knowledge of medicine. Those are two different things. He's merely trying to say that he feels that he analyzed this problem with the same sort of rigor than an engineer should use. It's kind of an asshole move. It's like calling tech support and saying "I am a software developer, I know what I am doing." That may or may not actually be the case, but you sound like a douche regardless of whether you are competent or not.

    11. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jwdb · · Score: 3, Informative

      But he was in fact a practicing engineer, which is why TFS refers to a "truthful" description being criminalized. He wasn't a "professional engineer", but I've yet to find any reference to him calling himself that.

      As far as "sounding" authoritative, he *is* in fact an authority in as far as electrical systems go, versus being a layman.

      Full disclosure: engineer, not PE, but EU dipl. eng., which is protected there but not in the US.

    12. Re:Bad cases make bad law by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The only "slimy" people were the people setting up the red light cameras with too-short yellow-light intervals, thus maximizing the possibility of extracting a fine from innocent drivers, as well as increasing the risk of a rear-end accident. In a just world, they'd be flogged to death in public.

    13. Re:Bad cases make bad law by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      I think he was also the equivalent of a licensed PE in Sweden.

    14. Re:Bad cases make bad law by o_ferguson · · Score: 1

      He clearly was attempting to act as an expert witness.

      --
      - In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
    15. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He is an engineer, and the court broke the government's neck for having the temerity to fine someone who dared talk to them, the government, which is in violation of the First Amendment.

      The people do not have to dance the government's self-defined fine line when discussing things.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    16. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He was clearly a citizen talking to those in power, who are not allowed to dissuade him from doing so with punishment.

      Doing engineering may require a PE, but talking to government about policies does not, and cannot.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    17. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Very little of that work is software engineering. Try embedded software with liability and multiple releases with updates, to learn the difference.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    18. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You are completely off base.

      This guy is a graduate from KTH, the one of the two highest ranked technical institutions in Sweden, the second being Chalmers. His education is not one iota different from the people who are building radar systems, mobile phone systems, fighter jets etc.

      HE IS AN ENGINEER! He's not fudging anything. He's not a certified PE in Oregon, but that a) doesn't make one not an Engineer and b) he never claimed to be anything such. The ones "fudging" stuff are the bureaucrats in Oregon who lied about him claiming the PE title.

      Get your head out of your ass.

    19. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I am an engineer* for reals, this isn't really a relevant problem. There is something called a Professional Engineer, there is a process for obtaining this license . There are places where it is mandatory. One should not represent that he has this license if he does not have it, that is clearly fraud. If one is in a position where he absolutely needs a licensed Professional Engineer, one should also check that the person speaking has one, the board will happily oblige inquiry. If he does not, he may be well educated and informative, but can't make the final decision. However, his input is not necessarily invalid. Some civil servant who didn't want his 9-5 disrupted because some unlicensed engineer documented facts that happened to piss on his wheaties does not get to ignore the problem and file a lawsuit, I would argue he should lose his license for clearly unprofessional behavior.

      However, saying "I am an engineer" does not confer this, and having PEs lay claim to the title when the vast majority of us engineers* do not want the license is disingenuous at best. Most engineers* are fully competent in their fields, or they do not last very long. Most engineers* do not even consider a PE license at any point in their careers. Unlike that website I linked, it has absolutely 0 value outside of a few limited areas, and has absolutely 0 impact on your career path except in narrow circumstances where you work in a business where a PE might be a requirement. The NSPE may wish it were not so, but the licensed PE has a few very onerous limitations with it, and sensible people avoid it like the plague.

      * people in possession of university degrees in engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, software, civil engineering, who are practicing in those fields for money as their means of income

    20. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you're not a doctor jittles. You are a retard. Having a licence in Oregon to call yourself an Engineer is in no way, shape or form necessary. Or do you think "Pilots" need an Oregonian licence to call themselves "Pilots"? The guy is a legitimate Engineer. He has the education for it You are implicitly lying and guilty of libel when you say he's "acting like an engineer", like he's playing one. He's got the credits, you get an F.

    21. Re:Bad cases make bad law by ZenShadow · · Score: 1

      Wow. Listen to that thunderous "woosh!"

      --
      -- sigs cause cancer.
    22. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Or do you think "Pilots" need an Oregonian licence to call themselves "Pilots"?

      Fun fact. Until July of 2017 Oregon was one of the states that did require aircraft pilots to register with the state and pay an annual fee for the privilege of being a pilot.

      The guy is a legitimate Engineer.

      You might want to figure out the difference between a proper noun and a run of the mill regular old noun before you start capitalizing words at random.

      You are implicitly lying and guilty of libel when you say he's "acting like an engineer",

      That's the first time I've heard "acting like an engineer" used in a pejorative manner. which is what it would need to be to be slander or libel. Also, the truth is an affirmative defense against charges of libel, and he in truth was acting like an engineer.

    23. Re:Bad cases make bad law by bob4u2c · · Score: 1

      I am a doctor**. Trust me and buy my hydrogen peroxide for your anus. Remember, if it hurt it works. **not licensed in any state but I paid $15 from a website that gave me a doctorate in hydrogen nutritional supplement.

      Dude! What ads are you looking at?

    24. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just goes to show that in Oregon even the (licensed) engineers are faggots.

    25. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Code monkeys, not engineers

    26. Re:Bad cases make bad law by ls671 · · Score: 1

      woosh!

      --
      Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
    27. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fun fact. Until July of 2017 Oregon was one of the states that did require aircraft pilots to register with the state and pay an annual fee for the privilege of being a pilot.

      Well, that's not particularly relevant even if it's stupid. I have a hard time believing they were randomly fining people for using the title "pilot" when that in fact was their profession. I'm sure the USAF would be thrilled for instance.

      You might want to figure out the difference between a proper noun and a run of the mill regular old noun before you start capitalizing words at random.

      Let me translate that: "I have no argument so I'm going to veer off into some utterly irrelevant grammar-nazism, because I'm a retard."

      That's the first time I've heard "acting like an engineer" used in a pejorative manner. which is what it would need to be to be slander or libel. Also, the truth is an affirmative defense against charges of libel, and he in truth was acting like an engineer.

      The relevant quote is


      He did the equivalent of saying "You can call me Dr Jittles". Which would just imply that I have some sort of doctorate and am therefore possibly more educated than most people. (and no, I am not a doctor of any kind).

      which strongly indicates that "acting" is used like the kind of "acting" actors perform. This is a lie, since the guy is an actual, bona fide {E,e}ngineer with a real degree.

    28. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      supernintendo chalmers?

    29. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he is German. Germans capitalize all the Nouns.

    30. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The courts have found his description truthful.

    31. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jwdb · · Score: 3

      Your analogy isn't relevant because he wasn't claiming experience he didn't have - It's more like an out-of-state doctor stating he's a medical doctor (but no more) in a state when he's not licensed to practice, and when asked on what basis he's making a medical argument.

      Considering the board asked him to stop calling himself an "engineer", it's pretty clear they knew he wasn't an PE and he knew they knew he wasn't, but yet he still he persisted in calling himself an engineer. Given both sides knew the state of affairs clearly, I'm puzzled by where you see fudging going on.

      On what basis do you accuse him of malicious intent?

    32. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The story is relevant here because of the laughable term "sotware engineering".

      I guess if I had to review a resume of someone calling himself a "sotware engineer", I probably would laugh and move onto the next resume...

    33. Re: Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Software engineer has a very specific meaning in a field which has no licensing. A software engineer is expected to be able to design and sometimes architect robust and fail proof systems. Understanding design patterns, different development methodologies, testing, and reliability. They often can code in most of the current la gauges and can manage teams of software engineers. Developers are not expected to understand as. Ugh and an engineer although they may. Programmers are often specialists in a particular platform or language. Computer scientists are much more generalized in terms of tech but experts in the underlying computing structures.

    34. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 2

      The board asked him to stop because he kept messaging different people within the organization. So people tracking his pattern of behavior knew, but individuals he kept presenting himself as an engineer to did not.

      I do not really think his intent was malicious, but he was trying to contact as many people as possible using his 'sounds like a credential but isn't' title in the hopes that someone would take him seriously. In short, when he did not get the respect he thought he deserved, he kept trying using ambiguous credentials to see if someone would acknowledge him. Which is why he has become such a poster child to those who feel slighted when professions do not take them as one of them.

    35. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 0

      Yeah, he was always careful to not technically lie, just present something that could be misinterpreted to his advantage.

    36. Re:Bad cases make bad law by ocsibrm · · Score: 1

      In Oregon all construction contractors (and home inspectors, and locksmiths) have a license, and must display the license number on their work vehicles and in advertising. There's a contractor website that lets you search by their license number to verify they're current, that there's no history of complaints, and that they're bonded/insured. They get to hold themselves as "Oregon Certified" in their craft, and of course, are penalized for operating a business without said license. It sounds like the way the law was written for engineers was different than contractors.

    37. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      I'm sure the USAF would be thrilled for instance.

      USAF pilots do not hold FAA pilot certificates as such (although they may have one), and thus were not covered by the Oregon law.

      Let me translate that: "I have no argument so I'm going to veer off into some utterly irrelevant grammar-nazism,

      You, as well, need to learn the difference between a proper noun and a regular noun. I'll give you a hint: "Engineer" is a title as a proper noun (similar to "President"), while "engineer" is not. It's called "language" and it is how people communicate.

    38. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're not reviewing any resumes you fucking retard. kill yourself.

    39. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If he had tried to do the same thing to the judge, the person would have come down pretty hard on him. Judges take personation of a BAR certified lawyer very seriously. But since he was only upsetting engineers, the judge didn't care.

    40. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jythie · · Score: 1

      Think of the intent this way. He was being ignored. He didn't like being ignored, so he kept contacting people. In that department, 'engineer' caries a specific legal weight were ignoring them CAN result in liability, their title actually means something legally distinct. So he capitalized on that professional caution to keep getting people's attention.

      A better analogy might be like he was calling various military offices claiming to be 'captain someone', and every time they found out that he did not mean 'captain in their military' they hung up, so he called someone else claiming to be 'captain someone'. Maybe he was a captain in another nation's army, maybe he a captain of a pleasure ship, maybe he was a captain in his own private militia, what he was isn't actually important... what matters was that he knows full well he isn't a captain in the US Army but is hoping that people who are accustomed to patching officers through will not realize that.. and then got away with it since he never _techically_ said he was a US Army Captain.

      Not malicious, but shady and self centered as hell.

    41. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Theaetetus · · Score: 2

      There should be a distinction between "Engineer" and "Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon)." Just like someone licensed to practice medicine in New York can claim to be a physician, but can't practice legally in Oregon.

      That's effectively what the ruling did:

      Therefore, there is an easy fix to this First Amendment problem: strike the word “engineer” from Or. Rev. Stat. 672.002(2) and Or. Rev. Stat. 672.007(1)(b). Plaintiff invites this remedy by focusing his challenge on the Title laws’ use of the word “engineer.” (Pl.’s Mot. Summ. J. at 27.) Accordingly, the term “engineer” should be stricken from these subsections, leaving the remainder of the Act intact: Or. Rev. Stat. 672.002(2) (“**Engineer**, ‘professional engineer’ or ‘registered professional engineer’ means an individual who is registered in this state and holds a valid certificate to practice engineering in this state as provided under ORS 672.002 to 672.325.”); Or. Rev. Stat. 672.007(1)(b) (“A person is practicing or offering to practice engineering if the person . . . [t]hrough the use of some other title implies that the person is **an engineer or** a registered professional engineer[.]).

      (asterisks used in place of strikethrough, since Slashdot doesn't allow that).

      Anyone can freely call themselves an engineer in Oregon. They just can't call themselves a PE unless licensed.

    42. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No.

    43. Re:Bad cases make bad law by LostMyBeaver · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've studied and operated as a professional computer scientist and electronics engineer with a degree and dozens of certifications (generic and vendor specific) for decades.

      Today is the first time I've heard of the term "Professional Engineer" or even PE. I've never heard of a "Government board certified professional engineer"

      The reason for this is that I've only worked in engineering professions where degrees are issued by universities based on performance in school and also in positions where the industry regulates based on their own trust system.

      I just read the link at NSPE.org that you provided and after reading it, unless there was a specific job which required that I wasted time and resources on such a certification, I wouldn't. They sell the thing like a two bit whore. Click the link "Why get licensed?"

      I could clearly see the value of this paper as something truly meaningful if your education was a trade skill, like electrician or plumber. After all, these are apprenticeships and there should be some formal process of calling yourself a plumber before an insurance company will back your work. It can't just be that some guy named Joe, a clear educational expert since he has his name on the truck says "He's a plumber".

      But for someone that is formally trained and tested over a period of 3-12 years at a university, this type of certification is useless.

      NSPE even lists money and prestige as a selling point of their cert.

      I think that PE should not be protected either and Professional Engineer also should not be protected. Instead, it should have to clearly state "Oregon State Board Certified Professional Engineer".

      After all... as someone that knows nothing about Oregon's politics and whether the board is corrupt or not (and from the web site, it looks fishy... like a fund raising scam) why in the world would I trust someone certified by the state board of Oregon? In fact, other than their web site and news articles about this, I can't find any meaningful reference to the Oregon's state board. This seems suspicious to me.

    44. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a good person, so why don't you help get rid of the slimy people then ??? ...
      Learn and spread the knowledge that will help you do that.

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    45. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can claim to be a "physician" "engineer" or even "licensed professional engineer" to the entire world... but due to all the hypocrisy and bullshit programming you received in government school, religion, and even from your parents and friends... you just haven't realized it yet...
      Please, for the love of $deity, break your brain free from those chains...

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    46. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Cederic · · Score: 1, Troll

      someone that is formally trained and tested over a period of 3-12 years at a university

      ..has no demonstrable experience in applying their education.

      Engineering is not an academic discipline. Engineering is always and only ever about actually doing things.

      Whether the PE certification has value or not (and its equivalent in the UK - Chartered Engineer - has only limited value and applicability) it's very safe to assume that your academic study does not qualify you for a professional engineering job.

    47. Re:Bad cases make bad law by djinn6 · · Score: 1

      Fun fact. Until July of 2017 Oregon was one of the states that did require aircraft pilots to register with the state and pay an annual fee for the privilege of being a pilot.

      So when an airliner overflies Oregon, does it become un-piloted? Or does the entire world's pilots register with Oregon?

    48. Re: Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I doubt he was upsetting any real engineers, as most Professional Engineers would have backed him. This is just government employees getting upset that some peasant was speaking to them.

    49. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He clearly is one.

      He's more than qualified to the math involved, he has a degree in engineering from a reputable university, KTH, Sweden. KTH graduates generally go to work for businesses like Ericsson, Saab (fighter jets, missiles, radar systems, submarines and other generally advanced stuff) and Volvo. Are you saying these people aren't engineers, but merely acting? Would a PE licence from Oregon turn them into "real" engineers? Besides he's been working for a long time with timing sensitive equipment, ironically, cameras.

    50. Re: Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm a Chartered Engineer in the UK, which is similar to PE. This is mostly kind of extra tax invented for engineers. This guy is an engineer, so he wasn't misrepresenting anything.

    51. Re:Bad cases make bad law by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      You can claim to be a "physician" "engineer" or even "licensed professional engineer" to the entire world... but due to all the hypocrisy and bullshit programming you received in government school, religion, and even from your parents and friends... you just haven't realized it yet... Please, for the love of $deity, break your brain free from those chains...

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

      Found the Freeman On The Land.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    52. Re:Bad cases make bad law by tommeke100 · · Score: 1

      Not questioning his - engineering - abilities, and agreeing with the outcome of the judgement, it is stated that he holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering. I'm pretty sure most official engineering titles (as in "Ir. John Doe") require at least a Master's degree (and more, depending on the country). I'm confident someone with a BSc in EE from a good university should have no trouble pursuing a Master in the same field and beyond.
      So, can he call himself an engineer in the generic sense of the term and for argument's sake in the body of his e-mail? I think he can. He's definitely more entitled to do so than all the "Network Engineers" and "Software Engineers" without any studies in Engineering at all.
      Can he sign as "Ir. Jarlstrom"? Nope.

    53. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it's very safe to assume that your academic study does not qualify you for a professional engineering job.

      And you'd be wrong (in the USA and Australia). I'm finishing up a 5 year engineering degree this year and it qualifies me for all entry level "professional engineering job[s]" in my field.

      It doesn't qualify me for senior engineer positions (and nobody expects it to).

    54. Re: Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're so against him in this thread; I'm wondering if he isn't a neighbor that refused to lend you his leaf blower or something...

    55. Re: Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, engineer is the word that means someone who puts math and physics knowledge and theory into design and implementation practice. Clearly his use of the word was to imply, correctly by most accounts, that he understood the traffic light system well enough to discuss it on a technical level. "I'm someone who understands math" may have been correct, but it's verbose, and by itself doesn't allow one to cut to the chase in a technical discussion.

    56. Re:Bad cases make bad law by danbert8 · · Score: 2

      Professional Engineering certification isn't common for computer/electronics engineers as their designs aren't often public safety concerns. PEs are very common and make sense for civil, mechanical, and power distribution engineers. If they screw up a design, it can affect large numbers of people. The reason you get a PE is because you can't get a building permit in most jurisdictions without construction drawings being stamped by a PE. The piece of paper is indeed valuable as without a PE, you're pretty much relegated to being an assistant to a PE in many fields of engineering.

      Most state boards of engineering have requirements for obtaining a PE such as passing tests and maintaining continuing education throughout certification. I can't speak to Oregon specifically, but for me, I had to pass a Fundamentals of Engineering exam, work 5 years under a PE, and then pass another Professional Engineering exam in order to get registered as a PE. I now have to complete several continuing education credits every 2 years to renew my license. I do agree that the process costs money and probably more than it should and it doesn't have nearly as much oversight as it probably should. But the big differentiation between a PE and a non PE is that PEs are personally criminally liable for failure of designs they have stamped.

      --
      Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
    57. Re:Bad cases make bad law by penandpaper · · Score: 1

      Not even adblock can stop the madness.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    58. Re:Bad cases make bad law by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      You seem to be taking this to a bit of an extreme. So, for an anecdote, let me tell you that I've held engineering titles since '82. None of them professional, and my first was given to me when I only had five years experience and an associates degree working at a Fortune 500 engineering company. While I wasn't licensed engineer, I did do some electrical design that went into non-critical systems used by the government. Our processes always ensured these things were well reviewed, to meet specs and customer requirements. I didn't go around calling myself an engineer (unless asked my title) until I later finished my CS, and did full lifecycle development. 37 years later, I'm an engineering manager, and not licensed in Oregon. But if I go to Oregon, I would have called myself an engineer in spite of these idiots attempts to appropriate the English language for their own purposes. They can't get away with that crap, and the court rightfully told them so. Now, if I were to claim to be licensed in Oregon, they might have a case against me, but otherwise this is nothing more than some lazy government employees not wanting to be bothered by the fact that their system was FUBAR, and it was rightfully pointed out to them.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    59. Re:Bad cases make bad law by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      My state has an engineering board they only license disciplines that plan and build stuff like roads, bridges, and buildings. They require that you have a degree and be current on the state codes that apply to your field. I see no problem with this. Fining someone that never claimed to be state certified but did call himself an engineer because he earned an engineering degree is a entirely overboard.

       

    60. Re:Bad cases make bad law by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      I think you might have your history wrong. If you google when the first engineering licenses occurred, the very first entry and it's first sentence state....

      A century ago, anyone could work as an engineer without proof of competency.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    61. Re:Bad cases make bad law by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      The students at one of the places I attended would work with real certified engineers and architects on community outreach projects and actually get a little experience and do a little hard work for the community.

    62. Re:Bad cases make bad law by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      t's kind of an asshole move. It's like calling tech support and saying "I am a software developer, I know what I am doing." That may or may not actually be the case, but you sound like a douche regardless of whether you are competent or not.

      Since I was a software developer, I did this on occasion when I didn't want to be bothered by the stupid questions of "did you reboot your computer" or other such checklist nonsense, or if I needed to get to the next tier because I knew that the first level dweebs weren't going to have a clue. The primary intent is for them to realize they're talking with someone who actually knows a bit about the issue. It's like every time I have to call the cable company and they want to run through the checklist of cycling power to my modem when I already checked that myself.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    63. Re:Bad cases make bad law by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Fun fact. Until July of 2017 Oregon was one of the states that did require aircraft pilots to register with the state and pay an annual fee for the privilege of being a pilot.

      Since only the FAA can regulate that, I'm sure Oregon would have lost any court case had this come up in a dispute. I speak as a licensed private pilot...not that it really matters here.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    64. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jwdb · · Score: 2

      Think of the intent this way...

      You think of the intent that way, but as far as I can tell it's a story you've spun out of thin air. Where's your evidence for any of this?

      Here's the letter from the board that initially accused him of violating the law. It clearly states the issue was that he kept using the title in communication with that same board, so clearly the people he contacted already knew he wasn't a PE.

      https://www.scribd.com/documen...

      You can find links to the rest here. It includes a letter of him writing that he is an "electronics engineer" from Sweden and states why his experience is relevant, but at no point states he's licensed. Show me in these documents where they confuse him for a PE at any point in the conversation.

      https://motherboard.vice.com/e...

    65. Re:Bad cases make bad law by jittles · · Score: 1

      t's kind of an asshole move. It's like calling tech support and saying "I am a software developer, I know what I am doing." That may or may not actually be the case, but you sound like a douche regardless of whether you are competent or not.

      Since I was a software developer, I did this on occasion when I didn't want to be bothered by the stupid questions of "did you reboot your computer" or other such checklist nonsense, or if I needed to get to the next tier because I knew that the first level dweebs weren't going to have a clue. The primary intent is for them to realize they're talking with someone who actually knows a bit about the issue. It's like every time I have to call the cable company and they want to run through the checklist of cycling power to my modem when I already checked that myself.

      I know the intent. It frustrates the tech on the other end, though, as they don’t really know what needs to be done but can’t just escalate you like that. They have no choice but to follow the script. I’ve tried switching to telling them the things I have done on my own to attempt to fix and diagnose the issue. I am not 100% positive, but I think it goes over better. I have a few friends that manage US based tech support staff, I’ll try and remember to ask them about that approach. It’s frustrating to deal with but the people who are trying to help you can’t assume that you’ve tried everything on their script. It could quite literally get them fired.

    66. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 1

      There should be a distinction between "Engineer" and "Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon)." Just like someone licensed to practice medicine in New York can claim to be a physician, but can't practice legally in Oregon.

      There should also be a distinction between calling yourself a Licensed Professional Engineer (in Oregon) for the purposes of getting business as an engineer

      IIRC, there is. A PE is a licensed profession with a higher liability for errors and omissions. For some fields, such as Civil Engineering, practicing as an engineer pretty much requires being a PE since only PE's can sign off on designs in most cases. When I worked in the power industry a PE had to sign of on any design changes, for example. In other cases, training as an engineer is all that is needed to make engineering judgements. I signed off on plenty of tests and inspections even though I am not a PE, although I have an engineering degree, and no PE was required to review the results.

      and for the purposes of, say, impressing a girl you meet at a party.

      I doubt that is a winning line...

      In the present case, the man was not offering his services for hire, nor appearing as an expert witness at a trial, so it really isn't clear why he shouldn't be allowed to lie even about more specific qualifications.

      I think the board overreached and was properly smacked down. However, I do think it is reasonable to require licensure where specific knowledge is required to ensure someone has a minimal level of competence in the field. What engineers missed is, unlike doctors and lawyers, was the chance to control supply by requiring licensure to sue the title "engineer" in any circumstances and thus support higher pay.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
    67. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Good, I'd very much expect that.

      I also expect them to need 3+ years working professionally plus other requirements before any professional accreditation body worth joining would grant them full membership and a professional engineer title.

    68. Re:Bad cases make bad law by terrycarlino · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He was attempting to indicate that he wasn't some rube with a high school education that they could blow off, but someone who actually understood the engineering principles involved.

      They knew he understood that they were shaving the times on the lights to create revenue and were attempting to shut him up and/or discredit him before enough people noticed to actually take them to court over their already legally established practice. A court had already said that municipalities and states were not allowed to do that.

      Instead he took them to court and won. Now hopefully he or someone will follow up and hold the people responsible for fiddling with the light also accountable.

    69. Re:Bad cases make bad law by terrycarlino · · Score: 1

      Nope.

      They knew he was a person with a degree in engineering. They also knew that if they paid attention to what he was saying they would have to stop illegal charging people for running yellow lights. They had an economic incentive to try to discredit him.

      Had he been an engineer certified to work in Oregon I have every confidence they would have done everything in their power to try to get his certification pulled. He was attempting to interfere in the illegal gravy train the state has fro separate innocent people from their money. DO you have any idea how this scam works. They use a camera to take a picture of your car as it "violates" the red light law, never mind that the light was yellow when you entered the intersection. You are then sent a bill fro the fine. You are not given a chance to go to court to contest the ticket. You get no day in court and if you fail to pay they suspend your license. The money is collect by a third party who take a cut, so the more violations the more they make, so they have incentive to shave the required time off the yellow light period, whihc should be 1 second to see the light and at least 3 seconds to react. The Federal Highway Administration has recommendations for yellow light lengths, but they are not legally mandated. There are however well-established engineering formula for calculating them based on road speed. Oregon's lights violate these standards.

      This guy knew the formulas and knew that Oregon was playing fast and loose with them to increase revenue. The state was desperate to shut him up and figured painting him as someone not cognizant of the formulas and not familiar with the engineering principles involved was the best play. As I said I have every suspicion that if he had been certified they would have gone after that certification to shut him up.

      By the way I have a Master degree in Engineering Management and a B.S. in computer/electrical engineering, but am not a PE. I thought about getting it when I was younger, but never have a real need. Its primarily required for legal reasons in some areas of the profession, but there are plenty of real engineers without one. I'm not even sure Oregon certification is equivalent.

    70. Re:Bad cases make bad law by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      It really comes down to the college they attend some colleges hand out degrees that aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Some less reputable colleges you can skip a bunch of requirements for a doctorate in philosophy if you are ordained by a church and registered with the state? There are churches that will ordain anyone for a small fee and help you register with the state..

    71. Re:Bad cases make bad law by painandgreed · · Score: 2

      I Today is the first time I've heard of the term "Professional Engineer" or even PE. I've never heard of a "Government board certified professional engineer"

      If your /. user ID was a little lower you probably would have. It gets brought up fairly often when people who play with code call themselves "engineers" and ruffle the people with certs. Of course, then the guy in the back of the room dressed in stripped overalls that used to drive a train coughs, and the conversation sort of dies out.

    72. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Engineering is not an academic discipline. Engineering is always and only ever about actually doing things."

      Maybe you should qualify that a little because engineering is very much an academic discipline. To become an engineer requires a very large body of knowledge to be acquired and mastered. Engineering is considered one of the harder university degrees to complete. You could consider it an applied mathematics degree.

    73. Re:Bad cases make bad law by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      So when an airliner overflies Oregon, does it become un-piloted?

      Only if the pilot became an Oregon resident just because he overflies the state. I don't think that happens, do you?

      As for the other comment about FAA regulating this, no, sorry. The state isn't issuing pilot's licenses, they just required residents with one to register and pay a fee. Whether it ever faced a court challenge I cannot say.

    74. Re:Bad cases make bad law by drewlake2000 · · Score: 1

      As for a: Brunel wasn't certified as a professional engineer in Oregon. But I would think he would be considered an engineer. You are correct.

  3. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a petty and corrupt thing for Oregon officals to do. Oregon is suppose to be a nice place to live, but then we have backwardly servents

  4. so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for him by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for him

  5. Link to the original Slashdot story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
  6. Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Portland refers to their trash collectors as "sanitation engineers".

    Why is that allowed, exactly? Care to explain?

    1. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 0

      Portland is "liberal", rest of the state not so much. In fact, it's been known for its racism and intolerance in the past -- it was the only US state that had a law prohibiting Blacks from settling or buying land (until the 1930s).

    2. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by markdavis · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >"Portland is "liberal", rest of the state not so much. In fact, it's been known for its racism and intolerance in the past"

      Being "liberal" doesn't mean non-racist and tolerant. And being "conservative" doesn't mean being racist or intolerant. In fact, I see many, many, many cases where there is a reverse of what you said/implied and other cases where there is no relation whatsoever. Perhaps you didn't mean for it to sound like what you just said?

    3. Re: Oregon hypocrisy by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

      Bigots and power hungry civil servent exist across the board. Their political leaning doesnâ(TM)t always make a difference. Also, the left can be as closed minded as the right.

      --
      Jumpstart the tartan drive.
    4. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HR Lady Logic

    5. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...but is it a "Profesionally Licensed Liberal"?

    6. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      In fact technically "liberal" comes from french and in terms of politics and philosophy refers to someone who believes in equal rights and the right to self determination, essentially liberty and egalitarianism.

      The opposite on this axis is an authoritarian.

      A separate axis is where you find conservative vs progressive. Essentially a conservative is risk-averse and fearful in dedication to maintaining things as they are while a progressive is open to taking risks in exchange for at minimum an equivalent benefit.

      Oddly the vast apparent majority of those who refer to themselves as "conservatives" tend to want to make radical changes and reforms.

    7. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except that for the most part, those terms do actually correlate with those things. Not in every case, but generally across the board there's a correlation.

    8. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I'm really tired of this meme that you can claim to know everything about a person based solely upon a political decision in a simplistic binary choice country. We only have two main political parties, with all political issues divied up and split evently, and from that you're supposed to know everything about a person or state? Just when I think the country can't get any dumber you go and prove me wrong.

    9. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by markdavis · · Score: 2, Insightful

      >"In fact technically "liberal" comes from french and in terms of politics and philosophy refers to someone who believes in equal rights and the right to self determination"

      And those can be achieved both though liberal and conservative means. Perfect "reverse" example is that hiring quotas, mostly supported by liberals, *are* racist. And most suppression of free speech nowadays seems to be coming from the left (traditionally defined as "liberal"). So it really depends on perspective, terms, and definitions. And on that topic, what used to be "liberal" in the USA is barely recognizable- it has fractured in some wild ways that don't at all resemble classic liberalism (things like identity politics, so-called "hate speech", and "equal outcomes"). Of course, that has happened with what used to be "conservative" also... although considerably less.

      >"A separate axis is where you find conservative vs progressive. Essentially a conservative is risk-averse and fearful in dedication to maintaining things as they are while a progressive is open to taking risks in exchange for at minimum an equivalent benefit."

      Right back to my point about terms. Now you are throwing in "progressive". I could just as easily describe progressive as just wanting change for change's sake and conservative as not wanting to make changes that remove liberty or try to force "equal outcomes". That doesn't quite fit, either.

      >"The opposite on this axis is an authoritarian."

      And yet authoritarianism is not conservativism.

      >"Oddly the vast apparent majority of those who refer to themselves as "conservatives" tend to want to make radical changes and reforms."

      And perhaps some of those changes they want to make are to revert things back to a more conservative state with regards to fiscal responsibility, for example?

      What I was saying in my first reply is that ascribing blanket terms like "racism" to conservatives is not only factually incorrect and very poor form, but it is exactly the type of hyper-polarization and demonization, being fueled by the mass-media, that is causing such conflict and misunderstanding. Half the country is not racist and intolerant. And, on that same level, the other half of the country is not fiscally irresponsible and anti-constitutional.

      Plus, very few people fit neatly on a single dot on one, linear scale. This is precisely why I think our two-party system is so hopelessly out of touch with what we want and need.... as if there are only two ways to address a problem, or only two sides to any complex issue.

    10. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by wyHunter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sorry, you have to get out of the blue cities for a while. While you can find racism in red America, that's true, you find it equally or even more so in blue America. It's hardly universal.

    11. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And most suppression of free speech nowadays seems to be coming from the left (traditionally defined as "liberal").

      You have no idea what "free speech" means. Hint: it does not mean you get to force companies to publish your ignorant bullshit at their cost.

    12. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by e3m4n · · Score: 1

      Exactly. In fact the term was supposed to represent ones fiscal apporach to other peoples money. Conservatives do not like to spend a lot of your money on anything. Or at least that used to be the case. Liberalls still beat the tax-and-spend-like-the-worlds-gonna-end montra all day long.

    13. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only solution is to kill all non-tolerant people. Then we will live in a tolerant nation. Except that once you kill all those people, you will still need some form of injustice to fight against, so the bar for what a racist actually is will become lower and lower and lower. Pretty soon you will be calling everything racist, and everyone will be a racist. It will get to the point where you can't really tell the racist from the non racist.

      Today just about everything is racist. If I say hello to a black man, that is being racist because I am patronizing him due to my obvious uncomfortableness with a black man being in the same room as I am. If I ignore the black man, I am also being racist because because I am ignoring the black man.

      We need find a real enemy and stop trying to fight the social injustice windmill.

      Just Saying, If people do not have any real enemies to fight they will come up with imaginary ones

    14. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, you have to get out of the blue cities for a while. While you can find racism in red America, that's true, you find it equally or even more so in blue America. It's hardly universal.

      That's probably because despite your apparent beliefs, America does not enforce segregation on political lines and any assignment to "colors" which you do submit will reflect that people can and do live in places you don't expect.

    15. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not all conservatives are racist.

      But all racists are conservative.

    16. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by markdavis · · Score: 1

      I would not agree with at all, either. Many racists are fascist, communist, socialist, democrat, etc. Racism (and sexism, and ethnicism, etc) knows no political bounds.

    17. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I would not agree with at all, either. Many racists are fascist, communist, socialist, democrat, etc. Racism (and sexism, and ethnicism, etc) knows no political bounds.

      Yes, but logically you can't be a racist or sexist communist, in the same way you can't be a religious communist (*).

      Now, people are individuals and often hold various self-contradictory opinions, but that's a separate issue.

      (*) assuming communist to mean Marxist-Leninist/Maoist or similar.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    18. Re: Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yet authoritarianism is not conservativism.

      Actually, if you check out the psychological studies, conservatives prefer authoritarianism, that is why they believe Trump and support him the more dogmatic he becomes. Just check it out, they don't care about facts or truth, just how they feel about what he says. Which is "strong and forceful" an emotional sentiment they enjoy.

      Remember, they are not logical, but emotional. So emotional they know they aren't logical.

      And perhaps some of those changes they want to make are to revert things back to a more conservative state with regards to fiscal responsibility, for example?

      Only if you mean increased debt, rampant spending, and misallocation. Remember, they have increased debt steadily since the 1980s.

      What I was saying in my first reply is that ascribing blanket terms like "racism" to conservatives is not only factually incorrect and very poor form, but it is exactly the type of hyper-polarization and demonization, being fueled by the mass-media, that is causing such conflict and misunderstanding.

      Or it is actually being racist and intolerant that is causing conflict and acrimony. That is a serious problem among the so-called "Conservatives" as they willfully embrace the scaremongering and dissent in order to support their own interests of division and distraction.

      This has been so since the beginning of the country, they aren't going to change.

      Half the country is not racist and intolerant.

      You're right, but for the wrong reasons. Conservatives barely manage 25% support.

      Note how poorly Trump performed.

      Plus, very few people fit neatly on a single dot on one, linear scale. This is precisely why I think our two-party system is so hopelessly out of touch with what we want and need.... as if there are only two ways to address a problem, or only two sides to any complex issue.

      Then you should stop being an apologist for the worst elements of it. Instead, you should start correcting the aspects of conservative thought and behavior which are causing problem.

      Or you know, reject the whole paradigm.

    19. Re: Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just Saying, If people do not have any real enemies to fight they will come up with imaginary ones

      You just described racists. Well, except their enemies are not imaginary, just the reasons.

    20. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In fact technically "liberal" comes from french and in terms of politics and philosophy refers to someone who believes in equal rights and the right to self determination, essentially liberty and egalitarianism.

      The opposite on this axis is an authoritarian.

      So.. um.. the Soviets were extreme left-wing, but not even slightly liberal?

      I think the definition of "liberal" that you use, is what most other people use to mean "libertarian" -- the other opposite of authoritarian. That allows for both left-wing and right-wing libertarians. Yours allows for right-wing liberals, which I think might confuse some people.

    21. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are very clearly conservative biased and hiding it under a veneer of "our system sucks." You are disingenuous about anything actually being bad about the conservative end of the spectrum and using false equivalency worse than Fox "News." Seriously, it is weak trying to use the old "these terms are meaningless" argument and staunchly attacking anything that goes against your conservative view point. Fiscal responsibility? Are you fucking kidding me? Based on your logic you should be attacking them for not actually adhering to their own term's defined principles when they do something like, I don't know, giving away 1.5 trillion dollars to a bunch of rich ass holes just because they can. Or when they recklessly increase military spending under the guise of 'Merica needs to be protected!

      Seriously, I'm liberal/progressive/whatever you want to call people going against your sickening bullshit so maybe I am biased, but at least I'm not pulling a Richard Spencer and trying to convince everyone I'm a normal rational person and then spewing idiotic bullshit.

    22. Re:Oregon hypocrisy by terrycarlino · · Score: 1

      Not all conservatives are racist.

      But all racists are conservative.

      Oh please. I guess you're one of those people who believe if an African-American is anti-white or anti-asian it's perfectly alright, because only white people can be racists. I guess blacks can't be anti-Semitic either.

      Some of the biggest racists in Congress aren't white, and they aren't conservatives either, but they get a pass from liberal Democrats.

  7. Subway by 24-bit+Voxel · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's nothing, the guy at Subway who made my sandwich had the balls to call himself an "artist".

    1. Re: Subway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They have to creatively craft ways to make your sandwich look like it actually has something in it other than bread. So, "artist" is merited. You just have to put "con" in front of it.

    2. Re:Subway by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      EVERYBODY at Disneyland is called an actor!

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    3. Re:Subway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The dude at the Apple Store looked embarrassed to call himself a genius. Might be true.

    4. Re:Subway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're actually called cast members...

    5. Re:Subway by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Or when I asked for an engineer at the Apple Store in Oregon, the person said "We're not allowed to call ourselves engineers, we're only geniuses."

    6. Re:Subway by o_ferguson · · Score: 1

      And the engineers are called "imagineers"

      --
      - In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
    7. Re:Subway by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      Not all of them. There's a separate division of Disney called "Walt Disney Imagineering" that deals with R&D stuff like ride design, theming, and such where the engineering staff uses the title "Imagineer", but the rank and file engineers that work for Disney on a given web site, financial system, or other mundane engineering task doesn't get to use the title.

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    8. Re:Subway by o_ferguson · · Score: 1

      right but the op was talking Disney Land not all of Disney corp.

      --
      - In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
    9. Re:Subway by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

      The individual parks have plenty of engineers that work under the given park's budget, but they're not called Imagineers unless they work for Imagineering itself.

      --
      Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
    10. Re:Subway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's nothing, the guy at Subway who made my sandwich had the balls to call himself an "artist".

      That's nothing! A bunch of software programmers aka coders, have the cumquats to call themselves software engineers. I had no idea how much railroad work is involved in app generation.

    11. Re:Subway by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      EVERYBODY at Disneyland is called an actor!

      So is everyone in LA! The barista? An actor. Uber driver? An actor. Waiter? Definitely an actor.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    12. Re:Subway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Exactly!

      The same way that c6gunner often has anal engineering performed on his anus.

  8. I'm an MCSE by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Minesweeper Certified Solitaire Engineer.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:I'm an MCSE by Major+Blud · · Score: 1

      Must Consult Somebody Experienced.

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
  9. Protected Titles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This used to be a protected title, so be gone with all protections of titles.

    Just address me as:

    "Your Royal Highness, Dr. Admiral Anne Nonymous Esquire"

    My Doctorate is in theoretical doctoring
    I am admiral of the floaty mcpoolface navy
    I am queen of my castle.
    I *am* a lawyer

    1. Re:Protected Titles by Darinbob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They went too far in the protection. The purpose of a licensed engineer was not to prevent people from using the word "engineer", but to provide certification for a limited set of jobs that needed a more formal designation. You don't just say "I'm an engineer" in such a position, you should say "I am an engineer licensed by the state of Oregon". Otherwise you may as well hand out $500 fines to any 6 year old pushing around a toy train who accidentally says "I'm the engineer!" It's just like the word "doctor", you can call yourself that all you want and if you're not practicing medicine or fooling people into giving you money for your medical advice.

      They went to far in proactively fining a person for merely calling himself "engineer" in a context where he was not providing a professional service or engaging in a function where a licensed Professional Engineer was required.

    2. Re:Protected Titles by Dragonslicer · · Score: 2

      They went to far in proactively fining a person for merely calling himself "engineer" in a context where he was not providing a professional service or engaging in a function where a licensed Professional Engineer was required.

      This is where it gets a bit fuzzy. If he repeatedly called himself an engineer, that would imply that he felt using the title would convince people that they should follow his advice because he has the requisite knowledge and experience. I could easily see someone considering that to be providing a professional service. No state is going come after any of us just for posting on Slashdot "I'm an engineer!", just like nobody would be fined just for posting "I'm a physician!" Practicing "Professional Engineering" or medicine without being licensed will almost always get you into trouble, though.

      The question is, did Jarlstrom cross the line from mere speech to practicing. I don't think it's unreasonable to argue either side.

    3. Re:Protected Titles by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Being a professional meant you personally signed on the dotted line as responsible, like doctors and lawyers are professionals. Everyone else is a bumbler.

      P.E. was akin to a doctor in that sense.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    4. Re:Protected Titles by DRJlaw · · Score: 2

      If he repeatedly called himself an engineer, that would imply that he felt using the title would convince people that they should follow his advice because he has the requisite knowledge and experience.

      Show that the inference is untrue. Why do you presume that he does not have the requisite knowledge? What requisite experience is required to determine that yellow light timing does not comply with a transportation agency guideline?

      I could easily see someone considering that to be providing a professional service.

      I could not, since by definition professional services must be provided to the public, which is categorically different than petitioning a governmental body to address an issue.

      I don't think it's unreasonable to argue either side.

      Well, I do. But then again I'm an attorney actually licensed to provide opinions on such matters, and you'd apparently argue that it's not unreasonable to accuse you of engaging in the practice of law without a license (hint: it's not; you're not providing a service, you're merely spouting off).

    5. Re:Protected Titles by djinn6 · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure doctors don't sign anything before they start treatment. At most they might sign one with the hospital regarding pay and such.

    6. Re:Protected Titles by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      This is where it gets a bit fuzzy. If he repeatedly called himself an engineer, that would imply that he felt using the title would convince people that they should follow his advice because he has the requisite knowledge and experience.

      I disagree. What he did is completely fine because he wasn't claiming he was licensed (or chartered as we say over here). I call myself an engineer in a professional capacity and actually do engineering for money. I have never claimed to be chartered and nor have I done enything charter-worthy like signing off a bridge or a railway signalling system and so on.

      But the court was absolutely right not just from a legal point of view (who am I to judge?) but a linguistic and general good sense one. No one earns the term Engineer, but you can own Engineering certifications.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    7. Re: Protected Titles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They sign prescriptions etc. No?

    8. Re:Protected Titles by edtice1559 · · Score: 1

      The one day I don't have mod points so I can't mod this up :(

  10. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Slurpee, France, and your Mom's.

  11. Captain Credentials by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I disagree that it's a loss for him... trust me... I'm an engineer

  12. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by MobyDisk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As a fellow engineer, but not a "professional engineer", I'll happily donate to his legal campaign, and I'll definitely give him an interview if his resume ever comes across my desk.

  13. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by dlleigh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    He'll get legal fees and maybe more.

    Because the judge ruled that the man's constitutional rights were infringed (the whole 1st amendment thing), the loser will almost certainly have to pay the man's legal fees. The man might be able to sue for other damages as well. I'm sure the news and intrawebs will be full of answers to this question soon.

    Maybe we'll even see TV ads from lawyers that say, "Have you been fined for calling yourself an engineer? You may be entitled to a large cash award. Call 1-800-SUE-4MNY".

  14. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Violation of the constitution gives him the right to sue the board ... hope he fucks them without lube.

  15. Other engineers by kqc7011 · · Score: 1

    My old MMD / QMED card has Junior Engineer as one of my endorsements. I worked with and for Licensed Engineers. Most PE's could not even qualify to take the exams needed to become Licensed Engineers.

    --
    Passionately Indifferent
    1. Re:Other engineers by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Right -- what does the State of Oregon do about locomotive engineers and marine engineers...

  16. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Say this again

  17. The ruling held that title laws are broadly restri by raymorris · · Score: 3, Informative

    I thought the court would hold that the state may prohibit using the title "engineer" commercially, to solicit business, but could not prohibit calling oneself an engineer in other contexts. In fact, the court ruled much more broadly. The ruling is that title laws in general are questionable, and must be narrowly tailored. (Though "professional engineer" and 'registered professional engineer" are still regulated).

    Quoting here the part of the ruling that I found most interesting and surprising:
    ---
    The Title laws restrict constitutionally protected speech. While the Court need not reach the question of whether the Title laws are invalid in every application, the Title laws prohibit a substantial amount of protected speech. The record demonstrates that the threat to free expression is not merely hypothetical. Therefore, "from the text of [the law] and from actual fact," the Court holds that the Title laws are substantially overbroad in violation of the First
    Amendment. Virginia v. Hicks, 539 U.S. 113, 122 (2003)
    ---
    https://ij.org/wp-content/uplo...

  18. Slashdot engineer here... by BringsApples · · Score: 1

    engineer
    noun
    1. a person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or public works.

    verb
    1. design and build (a machine or structure).

    --
    Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
    1. Re:Slashdot engineer here... by franzrogar · · Score: 1

      I prefer the Spanish definition:

      ingeniero/ra (1) Persona con titulaciÃn universitaria superior que la capacita para ejercer la ingenierÃa en alguna de sus ramas.

      engineer (1) Person with a higher university degree that allows him/her to exercise engineering in some of its branches.

  19. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This guy sort of sounds like the type who would go to the ends of the earth to prove his point if he feels he's right. People like him are often the catalyst for change. Good for him.

    Also, now I know not to piss off Swedish engineers.

    --
    Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
  20. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    can he also add in his red light ticket fine as well? or does he now have the right to fight it in court may be hard if the video is long gone.

  21. He's got a valid point by Locke2005 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is a lot of research that says the lights with cameras have the yellow light time a lot shorter than other lights, in order to maximize revenue. They should really replace the yellow light with a countdown timer before they can make people pay for entering the intersection a second after the light turns red! And yes, I've gotten caught be one of these in Tualitin myself, as I was hurrying to complete my right turn before the light went red.

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:He's got a valid point by Solandri · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The solution to this is simple. Fines should not go into the government's general fund. They are punitive penalties for misbehavior against society. They should be put into a separate fund. Then on April 10 when you file you income taxes, the fund should be divided by the number of taxpayers, with each taxpayer receiving an equal share as a generic tax credit. In that way it's paid out directly to the people who were harmed by the initial violation. The government doesn't see a dime of it (giving it as a tax credit just reduces the need to send a check to every taxpayer), so the government's incentive for things like red lights is to time them to maximize safety, rather than to maximize revenue.

    2. Re:He's got a valid point by hawguy · · Score: 1

      There is a lot of research that says the lights with cameras have the yellow light time a lot shorter than other lights, in order to maximize revenue. They should really replace the yellow light with a countdown timer before they can make people pay for entering the intersection a second after the light turns red! And yes, I've gotten caught be one of these in Tualitin myself, as I was hurrying to complete my right turn before the light went red.

      No timer is needed -- the yellow should give ample time for someone driving the speed limit to either stop before they reach the intersection, or continue through without conflicting with other traffic.

      So the driver has to make only one decision: "Can I stop safely before I reach the intersection", if the answer is "yes", he should stop, if "no" he should go. He shouldn't have the extra cognitive burden of calculating "is 7 seconds enough time to stop? Now there's only 3 seconds, if I speed up, I think I can make it".

      Pedestrian lights are different -- the countdown is to tell pedestrians how long they have to cross through the intersection, while a yellow light tells the car that they need to come to a safe stop or maintain speed through the intersection.

    3. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ODOT sets a standard for timing based on the speed and features of the intersection, Beaverton was setting their lights significantly lower, Tualatin has not been caught doing so.

    4. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maths should determine the yellow light time (considering the speed limit for the approach and the incline)

      That way yellow light times would be consistent, and easy to prove if the yellow time is too short for an intersection.

    5. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Revenue Milking. Come to Australia. $$ Every redlight is now also a speed camera, Not to be outdone using mobile phone cameras hung over motorways
      is now going live - finable if even touched in the cradle
      I have re-installed my car cassette tape player and tapes. I doubt the designer never saw a record. And cassette tapes have rounded corners.

    6. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh. And you don't think "being able to give people a bigger tax credit" counts as an incentive?

      I don't think you've been paying attention.

      The net effect would be exactly the same: if you can give people a bigger "tax credit", that means they'll tolerate some compensatory tax raises elsewhere. The money still goes to the government, just by a more circuitous route. All you've done is add yet another calculation to everyone's tax returns.

    7. Re:He's got a valid point by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Maths should determine the yellow light time (considering the speed limit for the approach and the incline)

      That way yellow light times would be consistent, and easy to prove if the yellow time is too short for an intersection.

      Yeah, seems like it should be easy to have one consistent standard... or at least a minimum standard like "if the speed limit is X mph, the yellow should be no less than Y seconds" but cities could make the yellow longer if conditions warranted it, but there seems to be a number of standards, and cities appear to be able to set shorter intervals if they feel like it.

      https://gizmodo.com/how-long-a...

    8. Re:He's got a valid point by epine · · Score: 1

      "Can I stop safely before I reach the intersection", if the answer is "yes", he should stop, if "no" he should go.

      You can't stop safely if you peg the brakes and the person behind you is just finishing a lane change, or typing a text message.

      I tend to apply the principle of least surprise. The safest action is usually the one that least surprises all the cars around you vying to trade paint.

      The bright-line yellow light rule is a stupid rule to fetish over, in any case.

      A good rule to fetish over is not entering an intersection until all the arrows are pointing in the right direction that you'll be able to exit the intersection promptly. If I enter an intersection before the car in front of me has itself exited the intersection (with less than a full car length behind to tuck myself into) it's usually after reading the traffic ahead. I'm probably right in my prediction 19 times out of 20. Maybe once a year I leave my rear tires dangling in the exit-side crosswalk by the time the pedestrians have started to rumble (forcing them to funnel around my metallic backside).

      I can't even recall the last time I actually blocked cross traffic by the time the light changed.

      Nothing screams life of the party like entering an intersection on the green, and still being trapped inside the intersection after the red. Is that even a ticket? Well, if you need to know (I don't), ask a grammar Nazi near you.

    9. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Regardless of the timing (and there are legitamate cases) if you see a yellow and can stop safely. STOP! In my neck of the woods it is an infraction to go through a yellow you could have stopped at.

    10. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately the red light fines go to the city, not the state. Oregon's constitution already requires that the state return excess revenue to taxpayers, this is known as the kicker. It has been a cause of some budget issues in bad years due to the inability to store excess revenue in good years.

    11. Re:He's got a valid point by psnyder · · Score: 5, Interesting

      They should really replace the yellow light with a countdown timer

      While this sounds good at first, it will kill people.

      Tests have shown that timers on red lights decrease road rage, and people drive safer. (Probably because waiting, while seeing the countdown for the end of the wait, is less aggravating then waiting at a long traffic light without knowing when it will end.)

      Similar tests show that when timers are on green lights, people speed up toward the end, trying to get there before it changes, and driving more recklessly.

      Putting timers on yellow lights would be similar or worse to timers on green lights.

      With car accidents being one of the leading causes of death and dismemberment, it's not hyperbole to say that we could save a number of lives by passing legislation for traffic lights requiring timers on red, and making timers illegal on yellow and green.

      There is a problem with yellows on lights with cameras, but a timer for yellow is not the solution.

    12. Re:He's got a valid point by hawguy · · Score: 1

      "Can I stop safely before I reach the intersection", if the answer is "yes", he should stop, if "no" he should go.

      You can't stop safely if you peg the brakes and the person behind you is just finishing a lane change, or typing a text message.

      yes, I thought that part was obvoius -- if you can't stop safely, then you're not stopping safely. A safe stop is not stomping on the brakes and coming sliding to a halt and the yellow light timing should never require that. However, you don't have much time to decide what to do about the cars behind you -- you might need to decide between getting rear-ended and blowing a red light (which might put you in a position where you hit another car or pedestrian)

      Nothing screams life of the party like entering an intersection on the green, and still being trapped inside the intersection after the red. Is that even a ticket? Well, if you need to know (I don't), ask a grammar Nazi near you.

      Yes, that can (and should) get you a ticket, at least in California:

      22526. (a) Notwithstanding any official traffic control signal indication to proceed, a driver of a vehicle shall not enter an intersection or marked crosswalk unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection or marked crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle driven without obstructing the through passage of vehicles from either side.

    13. Re:He's got a valid point by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      And in fact, traffic light cameras don't decrease the total number of accidents. They just replace T-bone collisions with less harmful rear end collisions, as people slam on the brakes to avoid getting caught by the camera! Still seems like a revenue scam to me.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    14. Re:He's got a valid point by grep+-v+'.*'+* · · Score: 1

      Fines should not go into the government's general fund. .... so the government's incentive for things like red lights is to time them to maximize safety, rather than to maximize revenue.

      Pshaw. It's OUR money, we're just letting you hold it for awhile. Don't believe us? Just look at who printed it. (Stupid peons.)

      Hey.....Heeeeeeeey. Those are some nice rights you've got there, it'd be a shame if something were to happen to them. Would you like to donate to my, I mean YOUR general tax fund?

      --
      If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
    15. Re:He's got a valid point by ljw1004 · · Score: 1

      The solution to this is simple. Fines should not go into the government's general fund. They are punitive penalties for misbehavior against society. They should be put into a separate fund. Then on April 10 when you file you income taxes, the fund should be divided by the number of taxpayers, with each taxpayer receiving an equal share as a generic tax credit. In that way it's paid out directly to the people who were harmed by the initial violation. The government doesn't see a dime of it (giving it as a tax credit just reduces the need to send a check to every taxpayer), so the government's incentive for things like red lights is to time them to maximize safety, rather than to maximize revenue.

      That's a great idea!

    16. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not a bad idea, after all *anything* is better than letting the "government" continue propping itself up at your expense, after all, taxes are theft.

      However, you made many big mistakes...
      - The "government" will in fact take massive dimes from it by force for "administering" it.
      - The "government" will just raise the Kingly sum it steals from you in taxes to compensate.
      - *ABSOLUTELY NO ONE* was harmed by this free speech, NOR by "speeding" "stop light" or any other traffic where no contact with another object happened, NOR by any of the other "paper violations" totally clogging up all the so called "law" books.

      *Everyone* should take a week or two to examine other ways you've not been allowed to hear and study yet, certainly not in the government schools you grew up in...

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    17. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You having been affected by the government "ticket racket" of "road piracy"...
      Instead of scheming up ways that you can *enforce* your better timed will upon others who have harmed no one...
      Have you considered learning about other more fundamental solutions...

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    18. Re:He's got a valid point by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      There is a better solution and it has been in place in CA for many years. Require a minimum time for the yellow light based on the applicable speed limit. This must be combined with laws that prevent speed limits being set too low.

      There is a second component which is also important: require that contracts for the installation of automated camera systems be revenue neutral: the amount that the company is paid to install and operate the cameras is unrelated to the amount of fines collected.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    19. Re:He's got a valid point by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

      One thing which is important, if they're going to fine you for running reds. Then the orange / yellow / amber, should have IDENTICAL TIMING for EVERY LIGHT IN THE BLOODY STATE.

      Your brain shouldn't need to be analysing how long it's orange, you should just know, as you decelerate (or arguably accelerate) - "hey, I know I have X window here"

      I'm (fairly) certain they are all identical in my state in Australia. It makes the 'speeding / redlight' fine you may / may not get, at least somewhat more fair, in that you know the window.

      Also I mean obviously, not only should they all be the same state wide (ideally country) - they should also be a reasonable duration, be it 1 or 1.5 or 3 seconds, whatever.

      Finally, the timer, saw this for the first time on Red / Green lights in Philipines, very cool - timer running down, showing you how much longer left for red / green, really good stuff.

    20. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They'll just redefine the 'second' on the countdown timer.

    21. Re:He's got a valid point by djinn6 · · Score: 1

      22526. (a) Notwithstanding any official traffic control signal indication to proceed, a driver of a vehicle shall not enter an intersection or marked crosswalk unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection or marked crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle driven without obstructing the through passage of vehicles from either side.

      Note that it's still possible to enter when the light is green, have sufficient space to clear the intersection, but still be moving too slow to exit before the light turns red. This can easily happen when the cars in front of you are moving slowly, perhaps due to a red light further ahead.

    22. Re:He's got a valid point by hawguy · · Score: 1

      22526. (a) Notwithstanding any official traffic control signal indication to proceed, a driver of a vehicle shall not enter an intersection or marked crosswalk unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection or marked crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle driven without obstructing the through passage of vehicles from either side.

      Note that it's still possible to enter when the light is green, have sufficient space to clear the intersection, but still be moving too slow to exit before the light turns red. This can easily happen when the cars in front of you are moving slowly, perhaps due to a red light further ahead.

      If you're still in the intersection when the opposing traffic gets the green light, even if it's because there's a slow moving car in front of you, then you didn't have sufficient space to prevent obstructing the through passage of vehicles from either side and you can be ticketed. If you had sufficient space to clear the intersection, then you could have cleared the intersection, you wouldn't have a slow moving car in front of you.

    23. Re:He's got a valid point by djinn6 · · Score: 1

      The problem is that you can't be 100% sure that the car in front of you will clear the intersection until it's actually clear of it. It can suddenly slow down without notice or even fully stop for reasons that you cannot foresee.

      So to actually obey the law, the intersection can only have one car per lane at any time. Unfortunately, that also effectively turns them into stop signs. Instead of every car accelerating at the same time when the light turns green, now only the first car can accelerate. The second could only scoot up to the edge of the intersection, then wait until the first is completely clear before proceeding. Same for every car after that.

    24. Re: He's got a valid point by mapkinase · · Score: 2

      The people in government should be fined personally for pulling this putinshit against him. Heads need to roll.

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    25. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      entering the intersection a second after the light turns red! And yes, I've gotten caught be one of these in Tualitin myself, as I was hurrying to complete my right turn before the light went red.

      You do know that one second after your light goes red, the light for the crossing traffic would have been green for around half a second (there is a half second both sides red during the transition)? If you think there is nothing wrong with entering an intersection not just after the lights go red, but a second later, you should stop driving before you kill someone. The combination of impatient drivers on a stale green and a stale red is likely to end up in a T-bone.

      Red light cameras are triggered when a vehicle enters the intersection on a red light and normally take 2 photos, one immediately to show the license plate, and a second photo half a second later to confirm that the vehicle went through the intersection and not stop at the edge of the intersection.

      Objoke for stopping at traffic lights

    26. Re:He's got a valid point by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      You can't stop safely if you peg the brakes and the person behind you is just finishing a lane change, or typing a text message.

      If you had to base your driving on the assumption that everyone else is texting all the time and requires several seconds warning before they make a manoeuver or react to a change around them, you would never get in a car in the first place, you'd need a fucking tank..

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    27. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a moron.

    28. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SJW's, listen up! This is how the state operates. Stop running like little pansies to the state to solve your problems, because their solutions are to line their pockets.

    29. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I drive in Massachusetts, where you need to assume that everyone around you is a complete idiot if you want to survive. Because half the time, they are. Dumbest drivers in the country...

    30. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would highlight a major problem with the system as it stands. Fortunately (for people who don't want to think,) going when it's green works out most of the time for most people. So you've got a selectively enforced law that's self-selecting!

    31. Re:He's got a valid point by SCVonSteroids · · Score: 1

      That's what people around here do.

      Crosswalks have countdown timers which, generally, once done will make the light turn yellow. This is reliable enough that I'm noticing a lot of people race through according to the time left on those.

      I should stop writing there before my blood pressure rises too much, though.

      --
      I tend to rant.
    32. Re:He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So to actually obey the law, the intersection can only have one car per lane at any time.

      Only if cars can stop instantly, which they can't.

    33. Re: He's got a valid point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Timers to green, your argument makes sense, and Iâ(TM)d generally agree (definitely a bad idea for red and yellow), but these issues are always complicated. For example, what effect might timers on green have on street racing? Would that offset the benefit? Has this ever been studied? What of the general distraction of a timer next to the other lights? What if the timer is mistaken to be associated with the wrong lane? If the time is different for the various lanes and there are multiple timers, might this increase the odds of hurried drivers attempting to butt in to adjacent lanes at the last minute? Is it possible that a timer might draw additional attention to how long the light is, such that commuters are more likely to gun it to make it through on yellow? I donâ(TM)t know the answer to any of these questions, but I also donâ(TM)t think itâ(TM)s as simple as writing up a new law and walking away.

    34. Re:He's got a valid point by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      Again, I was making a right turn from the right lane, and would have cleared the intersection before any car could possibly have accelerated to where I was.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  22. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Spy+Handler · · Score: 1

    Maybe we'll even see TV ads from lawyers that say, "Have you been fined for calling yourself an engineer? You may be entitled to a large cash award.

    Nah, there is no pain or suffering involved and there are no medical bills to pad with bogus "physical therapy". No lawyer would take this case on contigency.

  23. Re:Portland sucks by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Get a friend in the next building to give you their WiFi password! ;-)

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  24. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Interesting, I wonder how/if this will bleed over to other states -- many have very similar laws.

    On the other hand, this is leftist Oregon...not sure how this will play in Texas. Even if it is a federal court. We've all seen how federal courts in different parts of the country hand down different rulings...which then go to different appeals courts which see different.....and finally to the Supremes.

    I doubt this guy will have the $$$ to defend if it gets appealed. After all, you don't get the cash -- costs, etc. -- until the other side runs you bankrupt. A decisions is never final if you have deep pockets (i.e. the Oregon board of Engineers).

  25. the truth is by renegade600 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    he was able to prove tickets were being written for those who legally pass through the lights. This means the city was going to lose money and the camera company was going to lose money too if changes were made. They had to do what they could to discredit and shut him up. It did not work.

    1. Re:the truth is by neilo_1701D · · Score: 1

      he was able to prove tickets were being written for those who legally pass through the lights. This means the city was going to lose money and the camera company was going to lose money too if changes were made. They had to do what they could to discredit and shut him up. It did not work.

      And that's why all red-light cameras (and their operating company) are banned in NJ.

    2. Re:the truth is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The city actually changed the timing shortly after he reported the issue to the city council, although they gave him the cold shoulder at the time. The state is the one that fined him, different bureaucracy working hard to protect their own interests.

    3. Re:the truth is by jittles · · Score: 1

      he was able to prove tickets were being written for those who legally pass through the lights. This means the city was going to lose money and the camera company was going to lose money too if changes were made. They had to do what they could to discredit and shut him up. It did not work.

      The NHTSA has certain rules and regulations that you have to follow in order to get state funding for interstates and things of that nature. The best way to fight something like this is to file a civil lawsuit against the municipality and the company involved. If a judge rules against them and indicates that they are violating NHTSA regulations then the entire state would have to pay back the money it has received from the federal government in the time that it was not compliant. No, I am not a lawyer, but yes, I have had a lawyer use a traffic safety / engineering report to have a ticket thrown out because they had to withdraw the complaint or risk problems from the feds. Of course that was a criminal complaint against me, and they typically make these issues civil fines in order to avoid having to prove who was driving the vehicle.

    4. Re:the truth is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And that's why all red-light cameras are banned in NJ, and their operating companies are headquartered there.

      NJ is *THE* police state. Also super corrupt. It has more to do with mobbed up "don't piss where we eat" than protecting citizens from graft.

    5. Re:the truth is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What if *you too* were to learn about certain fundamental truths that they COULD NOT SHUT YOU UP about...

      https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    6. Re: the truth is by mapkinase · · Score: 1

      This. I realized this immediately after I read about this on Reddit.

      These sonofabitches need to be fired or impeached.

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
  26. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Oregon is a budding fascist state.

    The fucking mayor of Portland is best buds with Antifa. He actually thanked them for their "protests".

  27. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by mysidia · · Score: 5, Informative

    so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for him

    He'll probably get legal fees back plus punitive damages.

    They were involved in attempting to deprive him of first amendment free speech rights under color of statute, A violation of 42 U.S. Code 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights -
    Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress

    Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976 provides attorney's fees for:
    "any action or proceeding to enforce a provision of sections 1981, 1981a, 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1986 of this title, title IX of Public Law 92–318 [20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.], the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 [42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.], the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 2000cc et seq.], title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.], or section 12361 of title 34"

  28. Courts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am an attorney.

    (Stands back and watches the shit fly.)

  29. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by msauve · · Score: 1

    "Maybe we'll even see TV ads from lawyers that say, 'Have you been fined for calling yourself an engineer?...'"

    ITYM from hucksters calling themselves lawyers.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  30. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by sjames · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The judge likely wanted to be a bit more comprehensive since he could see that the board was quite willing to abuse any hint of a technicality.

  31. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    Can he sue the board for using the law as written? Surely the people at fault are the lawmakers who made an unconstitutional law... But even then, wouldn't they just claim that they acted in good faith?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  32. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    >Though "professional engineer" and 'registered professional engineer" are still regulated

    Screw that. My job grade is "Principle Engineer", commonly called PE. Engineering is certainly my profession. I'm a professional engineer.
    If the state wants to make it illegal to claim a state certification that you don't actually have, then do that. So limit it to "Oregon state registered engineer". Anything more general is legit.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  33. Re:Portland sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "This city" is either Beaverton, or the state Board of Examiners. Nothing about this story involves Portland and their crappy infrastructure issues.

  34. Re: Portland sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Oh sure, like EVERYONE has a Friend! Elitist snob.

  35. I Am An Engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So Fuck You, Oregon!

  36. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

    Unless they didn't -- he was singled out for abuse because he attacked the state's source of revenue (red-light pig-cameras).

  37. Re:Portland sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Check your privilege.

  38. I'm a little surprised that states are still... by rnturn · · Score: 1

    ... fighting the battle that only people who pass the PE exam are allowed to call themselves an '"engineer". The title has become so diluted over the years that continuing to come after people for describing their occupation using the "E" word is nothing less than ridiculous.

    --
    CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
  39. Re:I am a janitation engineer by PPH · · Score: 1

    What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  40. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am not sure
    The big red spot
    I am wearing my own underwear on my crotch anyway

  41. Software Engineer ?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So how many people in Oregon where fined for putting 'software engineer' on their resume? If the answer is none, i think this fellow has good evidence for a counter suit that this was nothing more than malicious prosecution as it should be obvious to all that this law was never intended to apply to 'normal engineers' but rather 'profession engineers'.

    1. Re:Software Engineer ?! by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

      If they're going to bother you about calling yourself a software engineer, just call yourself a software architect instead.
      But please don't try to drive a train. It's harder than it looks.

      --

      Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
    2. Re:Software Engineer ?! by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Nah, it's a doddle. Just don't ask about stopping it in time or not tipping over in the corners.

  42. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Probably means Verification Engineer

    They look for bugs all day long

  43. Re:I am a janitation engineer by ZipK · · Score: 1

    O'Cedar MaxiClean Commercial Upright or Rubbermaid® Jumbo Smooth Sweep Angle?

  44. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    Yeah... Proving that could be hard. Can get get discovery, get their internal emails etc?

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  45. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, there was extreme abuse here.
    Using your eyes and a stopwatch is 'practicing engineering'. If so are there police radar traps - as Mr policeman is clearly also practicing engineering if he gos to court to defend the radar instrument.
    So said, was not Chicago pulling the same yellow light tricks, and a person from CA said they had statistics on death and serious injuries increasing? Lets get those injured suing and those forced to pay higher insurance premiums.

    Now the victim will get talk show and appearance fees, that will prove great monetary loss over the past many years. Hope he is adequately compensated.

  46. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And this article is so long I am still reading it. Oregon, where is that?

  47. Mr. Simpson, don't you worry. I watched Matlock in by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Mr. Simpson, don't you worry. I watched Matlock in a bar last night. The sound wasn't on, but I think I got the gist of it.

  48. Re:I am a janitation engineer by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    What is the average weight of a urinal cake? Is the urinal cake flammable?

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  49. Software engineers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..,concern themselves more with practical and actual application of comp sci theory. Computer science is more about research and development of new theory.

    1. Re:Software engineers... by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Software engineering is the process of producing software. It is 't programming.

      Do you use Lint type stuff? At what point? Do you do diff deltas in all checkins with code reviews?

      Do you have mechanical processes to minimize goofs, like diffing spec updates and not just relying on revision histories?

      These are just a handful of things to consider when producing software. It has nothing to do with direct coding.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    2. Re:Software engineers... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Software engineering is the process of producing software. It is 't programming.

      Well just about every asshole who hacks shit together that breaks next week as soon as someone takes ownership calls themsleves a software engineer...

      It's like people latched onto the software bit and have entirely forgotten about the engineering part.

      It has nothing to do with direct coding.

      Wait but what about that candidate who is personable, has great taste, natural eye for testing, can actually code but can't invert a binary tree on demand in an interview? Surely a REAL ENGINEER is simply a repository of computer science algorithmic knowledge.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    3. Re:Software engineers... by terrycarlino · · Score: 1

      Well just about every asshole who hacks shit together that breaks next week as soon as someone takes ownership calls themsleves a software engineer...

      Maybe so but just as Mats Jarlstrom has a degree in engineering I have a degree in software engineering. I can tell you that the courses I took were primarily the same as those an electrical engineer would have taken at the university I attended with additional classes in software design, not programming. Since I took a minor in applied physics I also took a number of higher level physics courses.

      Since I followed it up with an Engineering Management Masters, which included the same ethics courses taken by other engineers, and had electrical, civil and mechanical engineers I'm fairly confident that the university had a better idea of what a software engineer is than you do.

    4. Re:Software engineers... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Maybe so

      Not maybe, it's true. At one company I've worked at every coder is a "software engineer". I am *not* trying to justify this stance. Calling programmers software engineers is often part of a cultural problem that undervalues the actual engineering part.

      with additional classes in software design, not programming

      Souds reasonably. Way back when I used to teach an intro to software engineering to engineers. Also not programming. I figured many people in the room would go on and do programming, so I tried to basically give an intro to many of the major parts of engineering in a sort of "this won't make you a software engineer yet but you have to know about the existence of these things and the basic pitfalls so you'll know what to look up instead of just makeing a huge mess". A bugger to examine, but I figured my job was to teach not examine.

      ethics [for software engineers]

      Well for actual engineers sure. For "software engineers" as in programmers it's more about move fast and break things, or just break things. Maybe with some comp-sci algorithms thrown in because hey got to get some value from the degree, right?

      I'm fairly confident that the university had a better idea of what a software engineer is than you do.

      Sigh. It was going so well up to that point. How about you get off your high horse and reread my post.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  50. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought that was a vegetation engineer.

  51. Now THAT is a law... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...that makes sense!

  52. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It is not uncommon for certification boards to require that requirements be met (experience, testing, education) before people can lay claim to a title.

    In Oregon's case they used too generic of a label, engineer when they should have specified "State certified engineer" or "Certified Traffic Engineer".

    This will get pretty muddy when it moves to a higher court and all of the independent certification groups approach the court with amicus briefs supporting their ability to certify trained people to perform certain jobs.

  53. Stubborn Swede... Or Norwegian by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What he did was really cool, and after reading that presso, no one could possibly suggest that the dudes not an engineer.

    All that said, my wife would have told me to shut up and pay the f-ing fine for her.

  54. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is a hell of a lot more amusing when I hear of a company naming its employees engineers and then sending them to clients - even funnier when they send people who are not their employees to clients and call them consulting engineers. Clients love that for real

  55. Something in the water? by jythie · · Score: 0

    So.. while this is the most extreme escalated case I can think of, I keep hearing stories like this involving EEs and I wonder if there is something weird going on in our community. Engineers in general can be bad about believing themselves experts in everything, but EEs seem to be esp prone to feeling they are experts in any random engineering problem in other disciplines and get pissy when presenting themselves as 'an engineer' to domain experts in that other engineering field does not get them the authority they believe it should.

    1. Re:Something in the water? by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

      but they were't experts they were government apparatchiks

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    2. Re:Something in the water? by jythie · · Score: 1

      They were staffers he was trying to trick into believing he was someone with legal weight behind his title.

  56. That recent bridge collapse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The group of WOMEN that implemented that bridge which collapsed and murdered a bunch of people were 'licensed' engineers, of course. The 'license' granted the lead idiot the 'right' to assume her experiments with the computer CAD software meant that 'white male privilege' had prevented the use of massive unsupported concrete spans. No cables above, or arches or columns beneath were needed, when her experiments on the computer showed her one only had to massively increase the tension in the re-inforced concrete structure.

    Because they were 'licensed', not one of those women 'engineers' will suffer any consequence of their murderous incompetence. Recall that traffic was not halted in the road underneath when the internal cables were tightened in a laughable attempt to halt the fracturing of the span- cos a woman knows her 'license' proves she is an 'engineering god'- which is why you seek a license in the first place.

    The Wizard of Oz mocks the concept of the 'license' with the paper that grants the 'scarecrow' 'brains'. The author was well aquainted with the corrupt use of such professional 'licenses' in the USA at the time of writing.

    'Licensed' software engineers coded every NSA disaster for decades before the NSA got smart, and seeded the creation of entities like Google. I've witnessed the types who actively sought out 'licensing' and everyone was an incompetent low functioning be-ta.

    Oregon sought to protect its criminal greed and incompetence with statist actions in the court- but the USA is one of the few nations on Earth with a sane active protected constitution. Yet most of the posts by dribbling be-tas in this thread support the state of Oregon. To most be-tas, a 'license' is the only road to respectability, for they lack the talent, learning and experience to do it truly- and hate the idea that a 'skilled' person actually has to be skilled.

  57. The guy has a degree in engineering... by Kernel+Kurtz · · Score: 1

    Maybe all the schools should rename the faculties if they are not turning out engineers.

  58. depends by supernova87a · · Score: 1

    On the other hand, I do think that anyone who casually calls him/herself a software engineer should be questioned aggressively, as I find people who adopt that title have nowhere near the concern and care for the performance of their designs that a real engineer should...

    1. Re:depends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They use python?

    2. Re:depends by presidenteloco · · Score: 1

      Software engineers just deal with much higher complexity and much more arbitrary variation, and much innovation and navigation in uncharted waters than you are used to. That's why you're uncomfortable. Anyone who can assure you that they are confident they got all the bugs out is incompetent.

      --

      Where are we going and why are we in a handbasket?
  59. I am a policitian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    should be regulated as a CO pollution source and thereby regulated

  60. Re:Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He already is an engineer, just not licensed in OR.
    The board was completely wrong on this very spiteful ruling.
    Pretty sure they just didn't like to be shown up by an outsider.
    I've seen this mentality in many public servant professionals;
    school administrators are the worst offenders, though.

    Anyway, this is a good, common sense ruling - a rare sight in this day and age!

    CAP === 'pothole'

  61. Re: Nice. by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    You are right, but wrong when the person is talking to government about governance. That maintains the highest of free speech protection.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  62. The Professional Title Floodgates Open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doctor Feelgood
    Doctor Dre
    Spacing Guild Engineer

  63. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    His wife got the ticket. He's probably SOL on that.

    Now if he can show that the state is acting in violation if RICO statutes (Organized crime)... he could put some of them in jail for a while. Bad timing on lights to collect money, rigging the engineering process.... probably other laws were broken. I wouldn't mind if some of them spent time in jail. That'll teach them to have red light cameras as an un-official tax on people.

  64. Re:I am a janitation engineer by bob4u2c · · Score: 1

    About 112grams.

    And, yes. If you add enough accelerant to get it hot enough.

  65. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by NormalVisual · · Score: 1

    Similarly, project engineers are called PEs where I work, but no one there mistakes that title for a certified Professional Engineer that is required to sign off on something like a multi-hundred-million dollar satellite design. We have those kinds of engineers too, and the difference is made crystal clear when it actually matters.

    I'm a software engineer, and I've been paid to perform as such by legitimate companies for more than 30 years. Hence, the term "professional engineer" is wholly accurate in describing me, although I wouldn't use that as a title. Having said that, the guy's not a traffic engineer and it seems like his use of the term "engineer" was intended as an unnecessary appeal to authority in an otherwise solid argument.

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
  66. Re:Mr. Simpson, don't you worry. I watched Matlock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What? I can't hear you?!?

  67. Laws intended to protect the public? by Chewbacon · · Score: 1

    Similar laws in Florida for nursing and doctors: you can't say you're one unless you hold the license for the sake of public safety. There's a discussion going on right now for the growing number of DNPs (Doctor of Nursing Practice) who can say "I'm Dr. Ratchet!" but will it mislead patients in making decisions regarding their care.

    So should you be licensed before you say you're an engineer and build something that will fail? Would it put the public at risk?

    --
    Chewbacon
    The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
    1. Re:Laws intended to protect the public? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Most engineering jobs would be very difficult to create any sort of certification for. I'm an aerospace engineer and there is no PE certification that even closely resembles the variety of analysis I do. A lot of the work is really applied mathematics or physics where your job is to take on a problem where your only way to succeed involves inventing new algorithms and technology. You need the certified guys for the less imaginative stuff who will apply standards to the production of things that involve safety, money, reliability (in other words, lawyers when things fail). Similar certifications exist for systems engineers who are handling requirements flowdowns and all that secretarial shit that still requires a technical background and prior experience doing design, etc.

      My personal opinion is the title "Professional Engineer" should be reserved for certified/licensed engineers and there should be repercussions for claiming one is a PE when they are not in the same way falsely claiming one is a board certified doctor has consequences. These certifications are not trivial and just the effort required to get one means a lot. But for the rest of us, what do we call ourselves instead, if not engineer? I'm more of a mathematician even though formally trained as an engineer, but "engineer" still seems more appropriate.

    2. Re:Laws intended to protect the public? by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Most engineering jobs would be very difficult to create any sort of certification for. I'm an aerospace engineer and there is no PE certification that even closely resembles the variety of analysis I do. A lot of the work is really applied mathematics or physics where your job is to take on a problem where your only way to succeed involves inventing new algorithms and technology. You need the certified guys for the less imaginative stuff who will apply standards to the production of things that involve safety, money, reliability (in other words, lawyers when things fail). Similar certifications exist for systems engineers who are handling requirements flowdowns and all that secretarial shit that still requires a technical background and prior experience doing design, etc.

      My personal opinion is the title "Professional Engineer" should be reserved for certified/licensed engineers and there should be repercussions for claiming one is a PE when they are not in the same way falsely claiming one is a board certified doctor has consequences. These certifications are not trivial and just the effort required to get one means a lot. But for the rest of us, what do we call ourselves instead, if not engineer? I'm more of a mathematician even though formally trained as an engineer, but "engineer" still seems more appropriate.

      This is nonsense. It's like saying that because a Finance Director/CFO doesn't do any actual bookkeeping he doesn't need a professional accounting qualification.

      Hint: the qualification/license is a necessary, not sufficient requirement.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  68. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by markdavis · · Score: 1

    >"but being conservative means "opposed to change". "

    That is ONE definition of conservative. Others might be "being cautious" with change or "sticking to the Constitution" or "opposing change that reduces freedom". Example- we have RUNAWAY spending and a MASSIVE debt. A conservative would typically want to rework that existing system to reduce the debt and deficit. That obviously requires change.

    >"In America the people we call conservative aren't. They're in favor of sweeping changes to social order. "

    ? You pretty much described liberals, at least how they are now. They typically seem to want sweeping changes that control people's lives- taking and giving them money, telling them what they can or can't say or do. Conservatives typically want LESS government intervention in people's lives, smaller government, less centralized-government, fewer laws, less spending. Things have moved so far left in the last 50 years that any move back towards fiscal and personal responsibility does amount to change.

    >"What I'm saying is, maybe if ya'all would stop buddying up with the racists us lefties would stop callin' ya racists. Your words don't matter, your actions do."

    That is a cop out. There are bad/extreme people who are attracted to a conservative platform (as there are on the liberal platform) but for the wrong reasons or with warped perspectives. I have seen PLENTY of condemnation of racism by high profile conservatives. Plus there are different TYPES of conservatives. Lumping them all together isn't any more fair than lumping Communists in with liberals.

    >"Your words don't matter, your actions do."

    If that were true, then "the left" would immediately condemn things like affirmative action- whose WORDS claim one thing like "equality" and "fairness", but actions end up being absolutely racist by forcing discrimination based on race. Or whose words defend things like "free speech" and whose actions support banning speech they think is "offensive". Or whose words say they support "freedom of religion" but whose actions try to force people to do things against their own religious views. Or whose words claim they support the Constitution, personal freedom, and safety but whose actions enact tons of increasingly draconian "gun control" laws that do nothing to stop bad people yet restrict good people in very bad ways, which INCREASES crime (as proven in dozens of high profile studies).

  69. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Funny how the people (Antifa) who violently oppose a person (Trump) who is a massive supporter of Israel and surrounded by Jews, are calling other people "Nazis."

  70. Re:I am a janitation engineer by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

    Damn, now THAT deserves a BSJE, stat!

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  71. Re: Nice. by bblb · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes... nice job following along with the class. The mask wearing thugs disrupting civil society with violence and hysteria are fascists and the people wearing red hats that you fascists hate so much are just good ol fashioned Americans.

  72. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He didn't even say "both sides were bad," he said there were "good people on both sides," which seems worse.

  73. Vindicated! by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 0

    This case was one of the reasons why I voted for Gary Johnson in 2016.

  74. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So where is all this going exactly? Any opinions on what such labeling actually means or should I go watch TV?

  75. Execute everyone on that board who did this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Death to all fascists. I'm sick of all these authoritarian pieces of shit ruining our society. Euthanizing them all would be self-defense for society and a necessary evil to re-instate freedom for the rest of us.

    1. Re:Execute everyone on that board who did this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing to do with fascism. Fascism likes small businesses.

      But these Oregon authoritarian pieces are members of kakistocracy.

  76. what did the railroads do in oregon?? as engineer by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    what did the railroads do in oregon?? as engineer in an rail job

  77. Battle Royale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's just Oregon trying to out douchebag California. The are locked in a all out battle for true dominance in the field of douchebaggery and heir to the title Douchebag Capital of the Universe.

  78. guberment man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    infringing on muh right to build unsafe bridges. freedom of speech!

    1. Re: guberment man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given that the guy is Swedish, he probably doesn't talk like that

  79. Re: Nice. by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So to you the AntiFa are the fascists, and the openly racist and bigoted MAGA-hat wearers waving their Nazi and Confederate flags are the good guy and the real "patriots". Go fuck yourself you anti-American piece of shit

    No middle ground between the two eh? It's easy to spot the extremists, they only see in black and white with no gray. AntiFa are very much thugs and should be more seriously hunted because they actually attack people. There is a huge difference between peacefully marching, even for a cause one disagrees with such as Nazis, and attacking people. The political process can deal with Nazis as they never have much support in this country. However the method of attacking people you disagree with opens a *much* more dangerous can of worms. This is obvious quite honestly - I'm always amazed at anyone who doesn't denounce AntiFa and anyone else who practices political violence on principle.

  80. Let me count... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

    How many here swore up and down that the higher courts would end up ruling against Jarlstrom when I pointed out that he wasn't technically in violation of the law in question? And more than a handful of them questioned my (legally sound) logic...

    Fast-forward to now and, not only did the court rule that he was not in violation of any law; they ruled that the law in question, as written, was unconstitutional and ordered that it be rewritten.

    One day the lot of you will learn to listen when I'm not trolling -- and I do attempt to make it fairly obvious when I am, in fact trolling. Like right now. Go ahead, take the bait.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  81. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The creamer tarts did not like the question and answer session I guess. Now what oh poser of infinitely meaningful questions?

  82. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is ONE definition of conservative. Others might be "being cautious" with change or "sticking to the Constitution" or "opposing change that reduces freedom". Example- we have RUNAWAY spending and a MASSIVE debt. A conservative would typically want to rework that existing system to reduce the debt and deficit. That obviously requires change.

    Conservatives are not actually concerned with the runaway spending or massive debt, as noted by observing their own spending tendencies, which focus entirely on their own preferences, which does not include controlling the debt.

    They also don't mind reducing freedom, as their insistence on controlling minorities and immigrants and the poor on welfare shows, there is a reason they can't stand drug legalization.

    Of course, they also don't care about the Constitution. That's always just been a fake claim, but Scalia and Thomas have shown they contort the logic of their reasoning as badly as Taney.

    You pretty much described liberals, at least how they are now. They typically seem to want sweeping changes that control people's lives- taking and giving them money, telling them what they can or can't say or do. Conservatives typically want LESS government intervention in people's lives, smaller government, less centralized-government, fewer laws, less spending. Things have moved so far left in the last 50 years that any move back towards fiscal and personal responsibility does amount to change.

    Check the actual platform of the supposed "Conservatives" who don't care about fiscal responsibility and are opposed to being held responsible for their own actions. They want to destroy environmental liability and protections, they don't want banks to be accountable, and they want to shut down Planned Parenthood, BLM, SCLC, and the ACLU. And unions, they want to outlaw unions.

    Then we get into their desire to force their religion on the rest of us (notice their cries about a war on Christmas), dissolve international treaties, and outlaw other religions.

    That is a cop out. There are bad/extreme people who are attracted to a conservative platform (as there are on the liberal platform) but for the wrong reasons or with warped perspectives. I have seen PLENTY of condemnation of racism by high profile conservatives. Plus there are different TYPES of conservatives. Lumping them all together isn't any more fair than lumping Communists in with liberals.

    You should admit you've seen the high profile leaders of supposed conservatism declare that those neo-Nazis and racists are fine people on both sides.

    And really, stop with the claims about Mexican gangs, a Wall Mexico won't pay for, and the American Civil War not being about slavery.

    If that were true, then "the left" would immediately condemn things like affirmative action- whose WORDS claim one thing like "equality" and "fairness", but actions end up being absolutely racist by forcing discrimination based on race.

    Nope, affirmative action literally means what it says, forcing you to make sure you are not discriminating based on race. You should take a step back and realize your confusion is the problem.

    You do know that you are complaining about things that aren't actually within the scope of Affirmative action, right?

    Or whose words defend things like "free speech" and whose actions support banning speech they think is "offensive".

    Sorry, but your average racist tirade is offensive, and you don't have a right to it. On the other hand, a man does have a right to call his mother from the hotel lobby p.

    Or whose words say they support "freedom of religion" but whose actions try to force people to do things against their own religious views.

    Sorry, but your desire to become a pharmacist does not give you the right to deny other people medical care and if you want to professionally bake

  83. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Theaetetus · · Score: 1

    >Though "professional engineer" and 'registered professional engineer" are still regulated

    Screw that. My job grade is "Principle Engineer", commonly called PE. Engineering is certainly my profession. I'm a professional engineer. If the state wants to make it illegal to claim a state certification that you don't actually have, then do that. So limit it to "Oregon state registered engineer". Anything more general is legit.

    I have a Juris Doctorate and occasionally work on medical devices. Therefore, can I call myself a medical doctor? I think not - the terms used together have a specific meaning that is greater than the individual words. Similarly, professional engineer means something specific beyond "I'm an engineer, and I'm a professional".

  84. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You could do a lot more to "the Boards", aka: "Government" after you learn and begin applying more concepts that you were born with and let yourself be tricked out of...

    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

  85. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My job grade is "Principle Engineer"

    No, it's not.

  86. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by markdavis · · Score: 1

    >"Conservatives are not actually concerned with the runaway spending or massive debt, as noted by observing their own spending tendencies, which focus entirely on their own preferences, which does not include controlling the debt."

    Wrong. *Republicans* are not that concerned with runaway spending or massive debt. Why? Because they aren't all that conservative in that way anymore. Which is a good example of why I keep saying the two party system is a failure.

    >"They also don't mind reducing freedom, as their insistence on controlling minorities and immigrants and the poor on welfare shows,"

    That doesn't make any sense. Conservatives don't "control" minorities, immigrants, and the poor. What are you even trying to say?

    >"there is a reason they can't stand drug legalization."

    Again, that is a Republican thing, not a conservative thing. As an example, Libertarians are conservative, and they have little interest in a drug war. True conservatives diminish the power and control of government.

    >"[blah blah religious far right, blah blah Trump, blah blah what I think is racist talk is not free speech, blah blah cakes, blah blah I deny all the studies ]"

    No desire to continue... Besides, time for bed!

  87. Engineer Nick Riviera! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The abutments connected to the something. The something's connected to the piling. The piling's connected to my wrist watch... Uh oh.

    PA: Engineer Riviera, Engineer Nick Riviera. Please report to the scene of the bridge collapse immediately!
    The scene of the bridge collapse? I'm so sick of that place!

  88. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The State, a false King over you, can only restrict it's purview, therefore, you can in fact call yourself a "Registered Professional Engineer" so long as the following apply...
    Engineer - Call yourself one, you can tie shoes, let others worry about how well.
    Professional - Now you are in the business of tying shoes.
    Registered - Register your announcement as such on whatever blockchain, newspaper, or tree carving you wish.
    It's all bullshit laws.
    Humans have always known how to evaluate others.
    And if you're too dumb young or elderly to do that, then you shouldn't be doing it, appoint someone else.

    Look at all the things you let be taken from you because you failed to evaluate...
    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=larken+rose

    Start taking them back.
    Take your FREEDOM back!!!

  89. Animotion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Finally, Animotion can play Portland again.

  90. The purpose of the law is to limit competition by voxelman · · Score: 1

    Most laws of this type are promulgated by professional societies to limit competition under the color of protecting the public.

    1. Re:The purpose of the law is to limit competition by PPH · · Score: 1

      under the color of protecting the public

      Yeah, right. Now hold still while I remove your appendix with this spoon.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  91. Irony is ironic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have no idea what "free speech" means. Hint: it does not mean you get to force companies to publish your ignorant bullshit at their cost.

    The left is nothing if not self unaware. Anonymous coward using someone else to "publish their ignorant bullshit at their cost."

  92. Autocorrect probably got you by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Just FYI, if you are a head engineer, you are probably a Principal Engineer.
    A Principle Engineer would design maxims, precepts - principles.

    Of course that was probably just autocorrect.

    1. Re:Autocorrect probably got you by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

      Oh arse.

      --
      I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  93. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This fuckwit proves the OP's point with his own rant. Is this dumbass just trolling us or is he really that stupid? I honestly can't tell.

  94. Re:what did the railroads do in oregon?? as engine by Cederic · · Score: 1

    Probably called them the proper name: Train driver.

  95. train driver by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I drive trains. Model Trains. I'm an engineer, muthafucka!!!

  96. In Oregon, yellow = red by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I was stopped by a cop in Portland, OR for running a red light. I thought I could make it through the yellow, but the light turned red while I was in the intersection. The nice cop let me off with a warning, and informed me of the unique Oregon law... the yellow light means "Stop unless it is unsafe to do so." And that is exactly correct. Completely fucking ludicrous, but that is the law here.

    1. Re:In Oregon, yellow = red by illogict · · Score: 1

      That’s also the meaning in most (if not all) of Europe. That’s to prevent drivers from racing when the lights turn yellow.

    2. Re:In Oregon, yellow = red by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      I was stopped by a cop in Portland, OR for running a red light. I thought I could make it through the yellow, but the light turned red while I was in the intersection. The nice cop let me off with a warning, and informed me of the unique Oregon law... the yellow light means "Stop unless it is unsafe to do so." And that is exactly correct. Completely fucking ludicrous, but that is the law here.

      Well, here in the UK amber (yellow) also means "stop as long as it's safe to do so". You would never actually get prosecuted for going through an amber light, unless you were stopped by the police and actually said "yes, I deliberately drove through an amber light even though it was perfectly safe to stop". In which case they'd probably breathalyse you after they stopped laughing.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  97. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, fortunately it's inflammable.

  98. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Also, now I know not to piss off Swedish engineers.

    I think the thing to take from here is "If you program your traffic lights to bring in more money rather than ease flow of traffic; don't try to deflect with frivolous lawsuits."

  99. Re:The ruling held that title laws are broadly res by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the terms used together have a specific meaning that is greater than the individual words.

    Sure.

    The point here is that Oregon doesn't get to decide what those specific meanings are.
    If anyone could make those decisions anyway they wanted we would have a lot of problems and if Oregon got to decide we would all be stuck in lawsuits.

  100. Re: I am a janitation engineer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    African or European Swallow?

  101. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

    [conservatives defined as] "opposing change that reduces freedom"

    Why don't you go the whole hog and just define "conservative" as "better than other people", I mean you did 99% of that, why are you afraid of the last 1%?

    The lovely thing is that when you define yourself as better than other people you never need to reconsider your actions. They're always right, by definition.

    --
    SJW n. One who posts facts.
  102. Stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Oregon Board of Engineers need to be fired for being this incredibly stupid. Maybe Oregon could find new people to be on the board who aren't dicks.

  103. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you believe that I have some tropical beach front property in North Dakota to sell you. There is ample evidence on YouTube alone of Antifa initiating violence with anyone they disagree with, think they disagree with, or who just happens to be walking by.

    They are thugs, they are domestic terrorists and need to be arrested on sight.

  104. Re: Nice. by BcNexus · · Score: 1

    This is so fscking stupid. Antifa literally means âoeanti fascistâ. People on each side accuse the other of being controlling fascists without any understanding at all.

  105. Re: I know I'm going to catch flak for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wrong. *Republicans* are not that concerned with runaway spending or massive debt. Why? Because they aren't all that conservative in that way anymore.

    And yet you keep insisting that they are. I see at least three examples of you making that insistence in this thread alone. It isn't real. They don't care about it.

    Which is a good example of why I keep saying the two party system is a failure.

    Nope. It's a good example of why you don't understand that identifying as a "conservative" is a demonstration of inherent hypocrisy and dishonesty,

    >"They also don't mind reducing freedom, as their insistence on controlling minorities and immigrants and the poor on welfare shows,"

    That doesn't make any sense. Conservatives don't "control" minorities, immigrants, and the poor. What are you even trying to say?

    Oh? You haven't noticed the laws they have passed, or the actions they have taken? Maybe you should ask the conservative governors of states like Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Kentucky, what they've been doing.

    >"there is a reason they can't stand drug legalization."

    Again, that is a Republican thing, not a conservative thing.

    But it is a conservative thing, just check it out. Polls show conservatives oppose drug legalization and decriminalization.

    As an example, Libertarians are conservative, and they have little interest in a drug war. True conservatives diminish the power and control of government.

    Nope. TRUE and ACTUAL Conservatives use the power and control of government for their own ends, and are not libertarians. And Libertarians will point out that they aren't conservative.

    Really, it is on their own website.

    "[blah blah religious far right, blah blah Trump, blah blah what I think is racist talk is not free speech, blah blah cakes, blah blah I deny all the studies ]"

    No desire to continue... Besides, time for bed!

    Upset that it is a losing proposition for you? After all Conservatives went out of their way to pass laws making same-sex marriage unlawful AND specifically sought to violate the Constitution to do so.

    It really undercuts your arguments when conservatives behave exactly the opposite of your declarations.

    Maybe you should just accept that reality isn't what you think.

  106. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, it is interesting.
    AntiFa is a socialist organization. But they are calling their enemies NAZI - national socialist?

    Whay don't they say that "our glorious socialist movement rejects your kind on socialist movement!" ;)

  107. Re: I know I'm going to catch flak for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This fuckwit proves the OP's point with his own rant. Is this dumbass just trolling us or is he really that stupid? I honestly can't tell.

    You honestly can't make a real argument or engage in genuine discussion, but chose to make a pointless ad hominem because you don't realize that markdavis is wrong because the conservatives keep proving they behave contrary to his proclaimed positions.

    It might be one thing if he had the courage to disavow them, but he can't. All he can do is deny what his eyes can see, ears can hear, and instead, like most conservatives, embraces the delusions that are necessary to being conservative, the "alternative facts" which are required.

    He should really just abandon the paradigm if he truly believes it is a problem. But again, he lacks the moral fortitude, which is why he consistently refuses to do so.

  108. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not sure it's hard if the government cannot produce evidence of the event. 6th amendment and all that.

  109. Re: Nice. by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    People have the right to openly be racist bigoted MAGA-hat wearers. People also have the right to protest against them. The right they don't have is to violently, physically attack one another. Nor can they make threats of physical violence. Your rights end where they infringe upon the rights of others. Yes, AntiFa is fascist...not being able to tolerate opinions that differ from yours and threatening physical violence because of it is by definition fascism. And just so I'm not being one-sided, that jackass who killed the woman with his car in Charlottesville should fry, but not via a lynch mob.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise
  110. hilarious story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is why the world needs autistic men.

    Who has the obsession to do something like this other than they?

  111. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You apparently are not familiar with the phrase "actions speak louder than words."

    In a similar vein, just because I call myself a rock star doesn't mean that I am one.

  112. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    not being able to tolerate opinions that differ from yours and threatening physical violence because of it is by definition fascism.

    Except that isn't fascism! But at what point should we recognize that certain opinions require the threat of a physical response?

  113. This is a great example of our stupid legal system by gosand · · Score: 1

    Our legal system is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know who wins in this story? Not the guy, not his wife, not the public. Lawyers. Lawyers win, because they cash in on a system where the people involved in this story spent YEARS arguing about this. I get that it's the principle, and the fact that the law was stupid and ultimately ruled unconstitutional. But WTF is the POINT of it all?

    Our laws are written to be abused, then contested, then reworded and amended. Our society is not better off for them, it simply causes us to chase our tails at every turn, and the 'rule of law' become more and more of a joke. All the while, lawyers are cashing in on a system that they built, and it will forever need 'tuning' which can only be done by more lawyers.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  114. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You are demonstrably wrong.

    https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/11/26/philly-antifa-tom-keenan-marine-attack/

  115. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It is LITERALLY a component of the definition of fascism.

    If you engage in violence to suppress and oppress other people's speech, you are a fucking fascist. Full stop.

  116. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm a Puerto Rican track star with a 9" penis!

    I said it, so it must be true!

    https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/11/26/philly-antifa-tom-keenan-marine-attack/

  117. Punishment for the Oregon bureaucrats/ police/atty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what about punishment/ firing/ garnishing of wages for those Oregon bureaucrats/ police/ DA who sued this engineer and took his case to various courts. Can we please take action against them and take their wealth so that such folks will be careful before taking up frivolous lawsuits?

  118. I'm not an engineer by Tarlus · · Score: 1

    but I play one on TV.

    --
    /* No Comment */
  119. Automation of law enforcement by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Automation of law enforcement seems wrong in the first place.

  120. Re:so $500 refund - 25K legal fees = big loss for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There is, sadly, no punishment for legislators who pass unconstitutional laws. An aware, ethical electorate would vote them out of office. As that would require an aware, ethical electorate, there is no punishment for legislators who pass unconstitutional laws.

  121. Re: Nice. by Shotgun · · Score: 1

    YouTube videos say that you are either delusional or a liar.

    https://www.google.com/search?...

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  122. Re: Nice. by Shotgun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The moment you accept that violence is an acceptable response to opinions is the moment that your turn evil.

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  123. Re: Nice. by Shotgun · · Score: 1

    The judge pointed out that "engineer" is a generic word. "State certified engineer" and "Certified Traffic Engineer" are mighty specific and carry the word "certified". If he had used the term "Certified Traffic Engineer" in his email, I am sure the judge would have sided with the state.

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  124. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1

    > Example- we have RUNAWAY spending and a
    > MASSIVE debt. A conservative would typically want
    > to rework that existing system to reduce the debt
    > and deficit. That obviously requires change.

    Oh, that's rich. The only time in my own lifetime when the country had a balanced budget... hell, was running a surplus and paying down the debt even... it was under a liberal president. Then you conservatives took over and pissed away that surplus into a series of pointless multi-trillion dollar wars.

    Cry me a goddamned river about debts and deficits. You like both as much as any "liberal" you attack. You just want to waste money on different things, that's all.

    --
    Imagine all the people...
  125. Re: Nice. by RatherBeAnonymous · · Score: 1

    Just to make this clear, are you saying the American Nazis DON'T attack people?

    I am as much against the Antifa movement's violent practices as the next guy, but to my knowledge they have not committed outright murder. The same can not be said for the various Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.

  126. His Title is Irrelevant by Pyramid · · Score: 2

    Regardless if he was a licensed PE, a practicing engineer or a fry cook, if his measurements and conclusions were valid and repeatable, his voice should be heard. It's highly likely the only reason he was using his "Engineer" title was to lend credence to his fact finding and problem solving skills. I.E. to get the attention of dismissive bureaucrats.

    --
    ~Any apparent grammatical or typographic errors are caused by defects in your display device.
  127. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Except when you smash Trotsky-slut faces ... and bust their neez, make them bleed each time they pea. BURMASHAVE

  128. I Am An Engineer by Toad-san · · Score: 1

    So bite me, Oregon.

  129. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by terrycarlino · · Score: 1

    No. Both sides were bad because on one side were Nazis and on the other side was ANTIFA.

    I agree with Trump here. Both sides were bad.

    This issue was not anyone being run over. It was whether statues that were erected during the post-reconstruction period which celebrated Confederate racists should remain standing.

    Now the left would like nothing better than to make all of these disappear because they highlight the fact that the Democratic party, the party whose members formed the Confederacy, attempted to succeed from the Union in defense of Slavery, and after reconstruction used laws to disenfranchise African Americans, is still using identity politics to ensure they stay dependent on said party.

    Instead of tearing them down what needs to happen is a giant plaque needs to be placed next to each statue saying "This statue was erected by (whoever) who was a proud member of the Democratic party, and card carrying member of the KKK. Least we forget."

    Yep your actions matter.

  130. Widespread by Tjp($)pjT · · Score: 2

    In NH I had to change my corporate identity when I moved there from Michigan because the word "Engineering" was in the company name, and NH said I needed an electrical (not electronic) power engineer or civil engineer / architect to be in the leadership of the company. A Computer Science / Electronics engineer didn't qualify.

    --
    - Tjp

    I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!

  131. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shotgun wrote:

    The moment you accept that violence is an acceptable response to opinions is the moment that your turn evil.

    Username checks out!

  132. Re:I know I'm going to catch flak for this by markdavis · · Score: 1

    Republicans Conservative. More conservative than Democrats, yes, but far from where many conservatives would want to be. The R and D parties are now both corrupt beyond hope when it comes to cronyism. And, thus, spending is and has been out of control.

  133. Yellow Light traffic citations can be valid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Jarlstrom, an electrical engineer, spent months researching the specifics of yellow light timing and red light cameras, and learned that his wife had likely been ticketed for running a yellow light." It's worth noting that in Oregon it is illegal to run a yellow light if you could have stopped safely (but that apparently is not the offense she was charged with). They could give her a valid ticket for running a yellow light, if they could show that she should have stopped safely.

  134. CHOO CHOOOOOOOO! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    idiots attempts to appropriate the English language for their own purposes

    So you operate an engine? Oh wait, we know who you are, an idiot.

  135. Re: Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're so funny lol

  136. Re: Nice. by Shotgun · · Score: 1

    Idiot.

    I was a back-up driver on a truck in a former life (a summer while in college).

    Shotgun itself was the name given to backup driver on a stagecoach that carried a shotgun to defend it. He wasn't shooting at OPINIONS!

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba