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airdvr

How free is your state?

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Let me ask you this, do you think that should apply to all of the forums or just this one? Should, for instance, DSE be required to not give his opinion about Video and Photography? Should faulknerwn and skymama not give opinions about Women Only issues?



uh, again, no one is suggesting you can't participate in discussion. But your ability to maintain forum norms is compromised when you call someone a jackass (and yes, that's exactly what you did).



I see. Ok, how about this. I will refrain from doing so in the future and will now ban everyone that takes cheap shots at any moderator.

Would that suit you?

Or would you like to continue having the leeway I've always allowed people in the past?
Should I have simply banned the user for making the comment he did in the last line of his post (#18) in this thread?
How about his comment in post #44?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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I remember a post by billvon where he states that it is his job to "stir the pot" or take the other side. So I would guess it is what quade is doing

Either that or he has to admit his foot is so far down his throat that he is smelling his own brown eye[:/]

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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"he did it first" is a poor defense for a moderator. But I'll look at those and see it changes anything.

(Not really - saying you have a big mouth or made a stupid assumption isn't quite the same as calling him a jackass)



I said his icon was that of a jackass.

Belgian_Draft said himself it's a donkey.

Do you know what they call a male donkey? Jackass.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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>My job here is to keep people from attacking each other.



seems like a futile, tough and thankless job

thanks

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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Hey cool, I put this thread through a sieve and I found this...

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There is definitely a hefty fiscal conservative bias to the rankings, which isn't surprising considering the source. Basically there seems to be an assumption that any government spending on anything is bad. For example, almost every one of the 30 "least free" states are criticized for spending too much on education, and also for requiring curriculum review and standardized testing for home-schooling. It seems clear that according to their metrics paying taxes to support public schools is a loss of freedom, but the increase in career opportunities and earning potential that follow from access to affordable decent education, for children from lower and middle income families that can't afford private school tuition, simply doesn't count. In their world view "freedom" simply means freedom from taxes, not freedom of career opportunities or social mobility. If you aren't already rich enough to afford $50,000/yr tuition at a private university (with room and board on top of that), well I guess changing bed pans at an assisted living facility is good enough for you! One could argue (and I would) that as a society we are better off when the most talented people can end up as engineers, doctors, accountants, etc, instead of limiting the pool of potential future professionals to the offspring of wealthy families, but in the calculus of the linked study there is no value assigned to such "benefits to society".

Similarly, they ding states for expenditures on public health, hospitals, and even water treatment facilities. Perhaps this isn't surprising for an organization with a history of opposing limits to arsenic in drinking water, and mandatory rest periods for long-distance truckers. Basically, any regulation that imposes a burden on industry is to be opposed, regardless of the adverse consequences to the general public.

On the other hand, the standards they applied seem to be quite socially liberal, marking states down for opposing same-sex unions and for draconian marijuana and "victimless crime" laws. Also they oppose elections for judges and are proponents of revising forfeiture laws to put the burden of proof on the government. Those are all positions I can agree with.

Overall I'm not sure there is a clear-cut correlation between "free" and "not free" and R and D states. Several Southern states (for example Louisiana) are ranked very poorly despite being solidly Republican, and some fairly solid Democratic states (eg Oregon) are ranked at the high end of the "free" scale. There does seem to be an inverse correlation with average income, and it seems to me there may also be a loose correlation with the degree of urbanization. Basically states with large urban populations need a system of services and regulations to manage large numbers of people living in close association (so they are less free), whereas states that have large rural populations, where there is need for regulation and services as your actions as an individual (using your back yard as a toilet for example) are less likely to affect your neighbors.

Don

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>I remember a post by billvon where he states that it is his job to
>"stir the pot" or take the other side.

You are misremembering. My job here is to keep people from attacking each other. I also post for fun.



Ya, and it was the fun part, and banning, you were refering to when you made that post
"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

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Belgian_Draft said himself it's a donkey.


no, he said it was a mule.



Ah, my mistake then. I get confused sometimes when looking at stubborn animals. A mule frequently looks like a jackass to me.

Any tips on how to tell them apart by looking at photograph such as provided in this thread?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Belgian_Draft said himself it's a donkey.


no, he said it was a mule.


Ah, my mistake then. I get confused sometimes when looking at stubborn animals. A mule frequently looks like a jackass to me.

Any tips on how to tell them apart by looking at photograph such as provided in this thread?


There is an important difference between a donkey and a mule.

I'm much too shy to explain :$:$ - go and search by yourself.

They nearly look the same ... but, but ... one of them cannot breed :$:$.

:P

dudeist skydiver # 3105

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I said his icon was that of a jackass.
Belgian_Draft said himself it's a donkey.
Do you know what they call a male donkey? Jackass.



Actually, he called it a mule, which is a cross between a horse and a donkey. The problem is that "jackass" has another definition, that of a "stupid person", which is an insult, and which is why you chose to refer to him according to his icon. So even if you had been technically correct in your description, it was still the wrong way to refer to him, because it looks like a poorly-veiled insult. And if it wasn't intended to be a jab of that nature, then there was no other reason for you to refer to him in that way, because you could have just used his screen name. Let's face it, you thought you were being clever by using his avatar image as a way to throw an insult. And neither moderators, nor regular visitors here, should be doing that. Those are the rules. And it's your job to enforce those rules, not violate them.

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I get confused sometimes when looking at stubborn animals. A mule frequently looks like a jackass to me. Any tips on how to tell them apart by looking at photograph such as provided in this thread?



Give it up, quade. You're just making yourself look bad by continuing to try and justify your actions, and by continuing to issue insults based upon the icon.

What kind of snake is it in your avatar?

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What kind of snake is it in your avatar?



It's a rattle snake. At one point early in US history it was an iconic animal representing the colonies. This particular representation appears on the Gadsden Flag, sometimes known as the "Don't Tread On Me" flag.

It surprises me that you wouldn't know that.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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What kind of snake is it in your avatar?



It's a rattle snake. At one point early in US history it was an iconic animal representing the colonies. This particular representation appears on the Gadsden Flag, sometimes known as the "Don't Tread On Me" flag.

It surprises me that you wouldn't know that.



See post #67
lisa
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What kind of snake is it in your avatar?


It's a rattle snake. At one point early in US history it was an iconic animal representing the colonies. This particular representation appears on the Gadsden Flag, sometimes known as the "Don't Tread On Me" flag.
It surprises me that you wouldn't know that.


See post #67



Oh, I was confident he probably recognized it as the from the flag that has been usurped in recent years by the Tea Party. It's the type of snake and why it was used that he appears to be unclear on. Otherwise, why would he have previously said "slimy" and asked the question about the type of snake?

Well, in all fairness, I doubt JR is so poor a sportsman not to have noticed the coils and tail.

Hmmm, so what was his reasoning? Attempting to find out if I didn't know? Fair enough, I play that game with him frequently enough and he sometimes fails miserably at it. It's only fair he should attempt to do the same to me, but honestly, he should know better than that when it comes to me and history facts. Opinions, maybe, but facts? Heh, that's just silly.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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What kind of snake is it in your avatar?


It's a rattle snake. At one point early in US history it was an iconic animal representing the colonies. This particular representation appears on the Gadsden Flag, sometimes known as the "Don't Tread On Me" flag.
It surprises me that you wouldn't know that.


See post #67



Oh, I was confident he probably recognized it as the from the flag that has been usurped in recent years by the Tea Party. It's the type of snake and why it was used that he appears to be unclear on. Otherwise, why would he have previously said "slimy" and asked the question about the type of snake?



Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?



Are you calling our founding fathers something less than honorable?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?



Are you calling our founding fathers something less than honorable?



Did you have to take classes on how to so consistently and completely miss the point, or is it a natural talent?

Feel free to quote ANYTHING I've said in this thread about the Founding Fathers by way of proof.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?


Are you calling our founding fathers something less than honorable?


Did you have to take classes on how to so consistently and completely miss the point, or is it a natural talent?
Feel free to quote ANYTHING I've said in this thread about the Founding Fathers by way of proof.



Sir, you have besmirched one of the great symbols of our founding fathers by comparing it to a jackass.

Sad sir, quite sad.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?


Are you calling our founding fathers something less than honorable?


Did you have to take classes on how to so consistently and completely miss the point, or is it a natural talent?
Feel free to quote ANYTHING I've said in this thread about the Founding Fathers by way of proof.



Sir, you have besmirched one of the great symbols of our founding fathers by comparing it to a jackass.

Sad sir, quite sad.



I've compared nothing - that's your strawman flopping around out there.

What's sad is your oh-so-transparent attempt to redirect the conversation so you can get out of the mine shaft you've dug.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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. . . redirect the conversation . . .



Hey, if YOU want to go back to the misperception a number of people had about the nature of the "study" and link in the original post, I'm perfectly fine with discussing how wrong they are about that.

It was our Belgian_Draft friend, a scant 4 minutes after the original post was made, that had leapt to a grossly false conclusion. Shall we begin with that?
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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Oh, I don't know...maybe to draw a parallel between your jackass comment and not knowing what BD's avatar was?


Are you calling our founding fathers something less than honorable?


Did you have to take classes on how to so consistently and completely miss the point, or is it a natural talent?
Feel free to quote ANYTHING I've said in this thread about the Founding Fathers by way of proof.



Sir, you have besmirched one of the great symbols of our founding fathers by comparing it to a jackass.

Sad sir, quite sad.



I've compared nothing - that's your strawman flopping around out there.

What's sad is your oh-so-transparent attempt to redirect the conversation so you can get out of the mine shaft you've dug.



Koch Brothers... how appropriate.. do you get the free Koch Brothers swag??

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. . . redirect the conversation . . .



Hey, if YOU want to go back to the misperception a number of people had about the nature of the "study" and link in the original post, I'm perfectly fine with discussing how wrong they are about that.



Yeah, let's go back to that - still waiting on you to explain how discussions of taxation on *personal* income, and laws regarding gun control, same sex marriage and cigarette taxes are really talking about business freedom.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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