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Everything posted by AndyBoyd
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Although I agree with the thought, that wasn't the point. The point was that military goals are political goals.
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Clausewitz from On War: "war is simply the continuation of policy by other means."
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Lets make it easy. If someone terrifies you by violence, then that person is a terrorist. Then the special forces guys who killed Bin Laden were terrorists. You sure that's the definition you want to go with?
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On this definition, American soldiers fighting German soldiers in World War II were terrorists. I don't think that's quite right. When we use that word, I think we we usually mean (1) individuals or groups not associated with recognized national armies, (2) attacks directed at civilians, (3) for some sort of political or ideological gain. I know no defintion is perfect. It is possible these guys who bombed the marathon were just crazy, and really had no political motive. We don't know yet. But if that's true, we'd probably still call them terrorists. But if they bombed a military base, I wouldn't call them terrorists. The bombing of the USS Cole bombing was not, in my view, terrorism, because it was directed at a military target. A cheap shot, sure, but not terrorism. I think the marathon bombing was terrorism, though, even if these guys were just nuts.
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Illegal Mayors Against Guns’ Gets Yet Another Member
AndyBoyd replied to OHCHUTE's topic in Speakers Corner
Yep, liberals are the only ones who do this. Conservatives only use facts and logic when they argue. Especially conservatives like the OP. -
Colorado going for death for theater shooter. It's about time!
AndyBoyd replied to OHCHUTE's topic in Speakers Corner
Of course we all know lawyers pad the bill. Like gov't is keeping track of hours. Hell they can't even keep track of the money they have. Gov't is owned by the lawyers. Jeez, I didn't get my share of the government. Can you tell me what I'd need to do to get that? On second thought, don't bother. You are either the biggest troll on this site or a complete nitwit. -
Colorado going for death for theater shooter. It's about time!
AndyBoyd replied to OHCHUTE's topic in Speakers Corner
Public defenders make $400 per hour?! I need to have a chat with my boss... -
calm is smooth smooth is fast slow is slow The first skydiving instructional book I ever bought, as a student jumper back in the 70s, was Sport Parachuting by Charles Ryan . I don't think I have it any more, but in the chapter on competition "turning style", I remember it offered the following advice (I'm working from memory, so it's not a precise quite, but it's close): The way to go fast is not to try to go fast, it's to have complete control over every component of what you're doing, and the speed will be the natural result. I think that same principle applies to competition RW. This is accurate. But slow is still slow. And fast is fast.
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The last paragraph of that letter sounds like a threat to federal agents. That's an interesting way to make a point.
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Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
The only counter-valance to that would be that there is such a substantial chunk of the economy (employment of LEOs, prosecutors, court personnel, defense attys, industries servicing those sectors, etc.) that is directly and tangentially connected to it. Not that that wins the day, but it's there. No question this is accurate. I'd hate to think this is any part of the motivation for the continued war on drugs, but it may well be. -
Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
Looks like our views aren't all that far apart after all. -
Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
The question is whether it makes financial sense for this country to continue to fight a drug war that is extremely expensive and utterly futile. My argument is that it does not make sense. Shrugging your shoulders and saying "it is what it is" doesn't really respond to that argument. Read the article I cited and explain why you think the war on drugs is worth the cost. I'd be happy to hear your arguments. -
Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
What makes you think drugs are "restricted"? Just about anyone can get just about any drug they want. An unfortunate few get busted, and the taxpayers pick up the tab for lengthy incarceration. And people continue to do drugs. The war on drugs has been a complete and insanely expensive failure. It is amazing to me that the taxpayers don't get this. From the article I cited: "Have U.S. drug laws reduced drug use? No. The U.S. is the No. 1 nation in the world in illegal drug use. As with Prohibition, banning alcohol didn't stop people drinking -- it just stopped people obeying the law. About 40,000 people were in U.S. jails and prisons for drug crimes in 1980, compared with more than 500,000 today. Excessively long prison sentences and locking up people for small drug offenses contribute greatly to this ballooning of the prison population." -
Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
Yup. Real, as in real expensive. http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/06/opinion/branson-end-war-on-drugs "Here we are, four decades after Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs in 1971 and $1 trillion spent since then. What do we have to show for it? The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world, with about 2.3 million behind bars. More than half a million of those people are incarcerated for a drug law violation. What a waste of young lives." -
Budget Cuts Could Pull Navy Out of The War on Drugs
AndyBoyd replied to StreetScooby's topic in Speakers Corner
It's about time, we lost this one. Yup. The war on drugs has been over for a very long time. Drugs won. -
The same DZ's are always looking for help each year......
AndyBoyd replied to baronn's topic in Instructors
Are you sure about that? I made a comfortable living at my last Dz full time and I most definitely make a good living now at my current dz, just throwing drogues and shooting video... Glad you are happy where you are. I want to emphasize again that I mean no disrespect to full-time skydivers. That is hard, physical work for, in most cases, not a lot of pay. There may be some DZ's that pay a living wage. I suspect, however, that for most folks, skydiving instruction is not a great long-term career path. -
It certainly would be amusing to watch local law enforcement try to arrest federal agents. And it would be even more amusing to watch local prosecutors try to prosecute federal agents in state courts. Legislation of this type is ridiculous, and the people who take this stuff seriously are not too bright.
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The same DZ's are always looking for help each year......
AndyBoyd replied to baronn's topic in Instructors
You are never going to be able to make a real living as a migrant worker. I'm not trying to run you, or the others that do that work, down. I've chucked about 2000 drouges, and I have a lot of respect for the folks who are full-time skydivers. But there is no real future in that sort of work. You are always at the mercy of the weather, the rotation, the number of students, the number of other staff members, etc. There is no retirement plan, no medical plan, nothing more than your pay for jumps. (There may be DZ's that offer this stuff, I suppose, but my guess is that the vast majority do not.) If you get hurt, your income stops cold. There are better ways to make a living. -
Read the article. Kind and respectful has nothing to do with it.
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Anybody get shot? http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/19/us/north-carolina-gun-show-shooting/index.html
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Do you really want skydivers to start suing other skydivers? Or do you want to make it easier for anyone to sue DZ operators? Reporting incidents on a public forum like this is not smart. Especially because most of the stuff that gets reported here is inaccurate and ends up with blame being tossed around by lots of uninformed people.
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I do that all the time. Sometimes I do it when no one else is around.
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Just a thought here, ...vote for people that understand math while you still can. The problem is that "joe sixpack" expects the government to maintain services while cutting taxes, and doesn't give a shit if that can only be done by robbing state workers and turning them into indentured servants. I'm always astonished at how many people are perfectly comfortable with the idea of taking pension payments from workers, absconding with the money, then mocking the workers and blaming them for "allowing" their pension to be stolen. What has happened here is thievery, plain and simple, and in any fair world the perpetrators would be in prison. Don This is right on. Thanks.
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I work for the State of Illinois. I do not belong to a union. The State takes 7% of every single one of my payckecks, whether I like it or not, and invests it in the state pension fund. For years the State has raided the workers' pension fund and used that money to pay other bills, then failed to return the money to the pension fund. So now, the pension fund is no longer sustainable, and good people who have worked their whole careers for the state stand to lose a good chunk of the pension they earned. And you want to blame this on the workers? You must be out of your mind. No one I know is "gaming the system." The people I work with are good folks, and hard workers who are doing the best job they can, and they just want a fair deal. Personally, if I could opt out of the pension fund I would, but I can't. All I want is a fair return on my investment. Hell, I'd settle for my money back, without interest. This crap about how the state workers are somehow to blame for this has got to stop. Look to the folks in the legislature who took the money and didn't pay it back. Quit blaming the workers. It's not right, and we don't deserve it.
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Texas lawmaker wants to make federal weapons ban illegal in texas
AndyBoyd replied to regulator's topic in Speakers Corner
Not trying to pick a fight, an honest question: would it be OK with you if states like Colorado that are legalizing marijuana passed laws stating that anyone trying to enforce federal drug laws in those states could be charged with felonies?