wolfriverjoe

I try really hard not to judge something without giving it a fair shot (pun intended). But given PBS' (particularly NPR's) track record on gun rights, I'm not expecting it to be very even handed. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

That's not true Professor. "Folks like us" strongly resist any attempt to create laws that will negatively affect legal ownership while failing to reduce crime. Who strongly supported (may have even started) the "Three Strikes" laws? (Flawed idea, but good intentions) Who is in favor of strongly enforcing existing laws about felons in possession of guns? Who is strongly in favor of preventing plea bargains that take the "possession of a firearm" charges out of the final deal? (makes sure that the "possession of a gun in commission of a crime goes on the conviction record) Hint: It isn't the Bloomberg group or the Brady group. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

True. Well, except for the parts about destroying almost all the people and animals in the deliberate deluge, the stonings, the instructions on slavery, the killing of the firstborn in Egypt, the placing of the forbidden fruit right out in the open with a neon "Do Not Touch" sign, allowing the creation of Satan, Death, Famine, Pestilence, War... Yep, definitely loving. Well, see Professor, you obviously don't know how to read it. "Knowing how" may mean that you ignore those parts (and all the other 'inconvenient' parts); or that maybe those are the people God doesn't love, so you better make sure you don't get on that list. Or maybe it's that God practices that "you only hurt the ones you love", kind of like a parent who gives their child a broken arm and a concussion with the warning "don't do that again or you'll really get punished. I don't know. I obviously don't know how to read it either. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Perhaps I should have said "used to get arrested." Ask 'Twardo about that one. He posted the story a while back. Castle Doctrine laws gave the occupants of a home freer reign by granting the assumption that someone who enters an occupied dwelling by force is intending to hurt or kill the occupants. It also removes the requirement to retreat in one's own home. If it happens out in public, the outcome is often different. Zimmerman is a different case because of the odd Florida court rulings on SYG. In many (most?) other places, he would have most likely been convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He almost certainly would have been in Wisconsin (the state I'm most knowledgeable about when it comes to legal issues like this). AggieDave pointed out that a "concealed carry shooting" that comes back "no bill" from the Grand Jury (chooses not to indict) usually costs the shooter around $50k (yes, fifty thousand dollars). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Bolding mine. That simply isn't true. Civilians who shoot people get arrested. Period. The shooter gets arrested, goes to jail, gets a lawyer, makes a statement and gets released. The prosecutor (or Grand Jury) decides if charges are warranted, and if so it goes to trial. The (now) defendant pays his lawyer a lot more and if he's lucky, gets acquitted. Until very recently, with the passage of Castle Doctrine & Stand Your Ground laws, the allowable use of deadly force for self defense was very, very limited. There were states where the law very clearly said that retreat had to be made, even in one's own home before using deadly force. And there were people tried and convicted because they weren't willing to jump out of a second story window (and throw their wife & kids out of it too) instead of shooting an advancing burglar. There were others where you could only legally use deadly force to defend your immediate family and servants (yes, servants - it was an old law). There have been some very questionable legal findings in Florida, but for the rest of the country, shooting someone in self defense is a rather difficult thing to do. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Hmmm.... Where would I look to find a Coach Course? Where would I look to find a course to get a USPA rating? Hmmm... That's a toughie all right. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Get a lawyer! Dewey, Suem and Howe The Car Talk guys used Dewey Cheatem & Howe. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Others have said it, but I'll chime in too. There aren't any certifications or ratings for any jump helmets. Very few dedicated jump helmets offer much in the way of protection, beyond basic "bump & scrape." Fiberglass or CF shells with a bit of padding and some fabric. They hold your audible(s) and give you a place to mount your GoPro. They keep your scalp intact when you scrape it on something. They keep your teammate's foot from breaking your nose (if it's a full face). And they aren't cheap. The Benny you are looking at, and the ProTec are the only two in common use that actually give some real impact protection. Some of the ski/snowboard helmets are sort of nice, but they tend to be hot in the summer. The ProTec is a common skate helmet, so you might find it in one of your local shops. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

How much are you willing to pay? Or are you asking for it to just be given to you? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Again, the issue with police that I see is that the public is seeing that the police are becoming armed thugs. Understandably, this is to fight other armed thugs. But it has spilled over to police treating everyone like armed thugs. And the unarmed unthugs don't appreciate it. This has always been true to at least some degree. Get pulled over? Don't make any quick moves in a dark car. That tends to scare the cops, no matter what you look like, what you are driving or what neighborhood you are in. One of the more recentchanges that has contributed to the problem is the "run toward the sound of the guns" mentality. It's come about because of the "active shooter" situations (specifically Columbine) where hanging back and evaluating the situation made it worse. Unfortunately, that mentality has been applied to every situation. And it's costing innocent lives. Or "sort of innocent" lives. And, ironically, since Columbine, there hasn't been a civilian active shooter incident I can recall where the cops did anything but show up and clean up the mess. So the "run toward the sound of the guns" mentality hasn't helped. It's hurt. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not necessarily. Patents are given to individuals even when employed by a corporation. The name of the inventor is on the patent. The rights to that patent are often held by the corporation. My dad "held" a number of patents. He was one of the inventors of the thing that was patented. The company he worked for held the rights (and made the money). But Normiss is right. It depends on how the employment contract is written. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No. Firebird is the car, Trans Am is the top end package. Depending on the year, T/A is decals & plastic (spoilers and such). All T/As are Firebirds, not all Firebirds are T/As (all made by Pontiac). The Chev version (same platform, same basic car) is the Camaro. Top end package is the Z28. Same thing. Some years there were actual performance differences, engine, transmission & suspension. Other years it was badges, interior and crap glued on the outside. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, that sounds to me like they are either going to give the dude an ass kicking or some serious man-love. Not sure which. And Ron, why do you ask if the author of that article is an "Agent of Satan"? Because he has the audacity to actually read what the Bible says? And point out how many of the so-called "faithful" completely miss, ignore or violate what it says? Because he looks at the original writings and points out how badly the current version has been translated? Or points out where complete passages have been added? I do believe that Jesus gave some pretty good tips on spotting the "false prophets." Something about saying one thing and doing another, IIRC. Kind of like claiming to be saved and follow Jesus, but calling for cuts to programs that help the poor. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, it's rather funny that you get to judge and classify people based on their appearance, but when someone judges you based on that behavior, they are wrong. Kind of like the people who expect that their freedom to express their opinion means that other people don't have that same freedom to criticize it. And there are several people on here who, based on their posts, are very clearly prejudiced against black people. They may or may not be that way in real life, but what they post comes across pretty clearly. I don't see the "racist" label being thrown around a whole lot. OTOH, the "liberal" label (used as a perjorative) gets used by the conservative crowd on a pretty regular basis. FWIW, having "goofy looking" hair, facial piercing or ink, or "looking goth" doesn't mean that someone is doomed to "you want fries with that?" People that choose that appearance do limit their chances of making it in the standard "corporate" career path, but I know some who are very successful business owners, technical operators, even mid-level management (supervisor of several group homes). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, they've attacked the ROK (South Korea). But that's a bit different. They make threats, make demands, make small(ish) attacks that result in a few (or a few dozen) deaths. With little or no real consequences. Because they have a huge army (Badly fed, badly equipped) and nukes, everyone is afraid to risk retaliation. So the DPRK feels really powerful. I agree that the likelyhood of a DPRK terrorist attack was very, very low. And that's the problem. They pulled the hacking attack on Sony. Then they threatened "9/11 style" attacks on the theaters showing the movie. And the cowards caved. Everyone talks about how bad bullying is and how important it is to stop it, when it comes to kids. But when an actual bully makes empty threats, we (as a society) capitulate. We're "worried about safety" or "about potential liability" or whatever. We are afraid to take any actual action (no matter that the real risk is miniscule) because we are afraid of a weak, impotent bully. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well, IMO, that wasn't a 'Bad' decision, even though it was the 'wrong' one (or maybe the other way around?). The (now dead) citizen caused the actions that resulted in his getting shot. Accidentally and stupidly, but I see that shooting as "justified." There are more than a few current examples, though, of the cop's actions that were the primary cause. Sneaking up close behind someone, hollering "FREEZE" and then shooting him when he jumps and turns around. Opening fire on a vehicle that only loosely matches the description of the suspect vehicle (and doesn't match at all when given anything more than superficial examination) because it's "driving slowly." Pulling up within easy pistol shot of a "man with a gun" subject and then shooting almost instantly when the kid reaches for the object. Getting out of the squad car after a high speed chase seems to be over, then opening fire on the suspect car when it turns out not to be disabled or stuck because they were afraid he was trying to run them over (although it's pretty clear he was just trying to escape). All of those are attributable to really bad tactics on the part of the cops. Not "split second" decisions. The primary "bad tactic" seems to be the "run toward the sound of the guns." If it's not a life or death situation, hang back a second and see what the hell is going on. One thing I was taught is that "It's almost never what it looks like at first glance." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

And now the NY legislature wants to install "bullet proof" glass in all the cop cars in New York state. http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/12/22/ny-lawmakers-call-for-bullet-proof-police-car-windows-after-2-nypd-officers-killed/ No concern for the cost or how to pay for it, no thoughts that it has happened very rarely in the past, no thought that you have to armor the entire car for it to be of any real use; typical "knee-jerk" reaction by the ignorant. FWIW, properly armoring a car, even against low-power pistol rounds is very expensive. Easily doubles the cost of the car. And the "glass" is actually a polymer that is damaged by sunlight. It has to be replaced on a yearly basis. More $$$$. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

^This. Big time. One suggestion is to volunteer at your local shelter. They almost certainly can use help. They usually give free training on how to properly handle the dogs. It would give you an opportunity to interact with a lot of different dogs, and different types of dogs. Breed traits are generalities. Each dog has his or her own personality. It isn't always easy to figure that out in a short visit. And it's really easy to do. Walk in, go up to the desk and ask "How do I volunteer?" Rules/requirements vary, usually there's an application and orientation process (to make sure you aren't an "animal offender" - see Billy's Sick & Twisted thread for a good example). The one near me requires 25 hours of "other" work and a class before you can become a dog walker. But it's a lot of fun and really rewarding. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

If this guy wins his case and the wine is ruined due to improper storage the State should be on the hook for the replacement costs. Like the gun owners in New Orleans? Don't hold your breath. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No disagreement on that here. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

FIFY

Would that include the lives of innocent people shot dead by cops? Yes, as well a innocent people injured and killed by criminals . . . which one happens more? ETA: . . . and which would happen even more if there were no peace officers? Well, I don't know of any criminals that take an oath to uphold the law. Gangbangers & Drug dealers don't drive around in cars that have "To Protect And Serve" on the side (or even "To Harass & Annoy"). Thugs don't have the legal authority to detain, search & arrest either. I don't have a problem with cops in general. I have a problem with the thugs and bullies that wear the uniform. I have more of a problem with the good cops that protect the bad ones. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not by any reasonable interpretation. I know reason has nothing to do with this discussion, but can anyone honestly defend the pretense that something grown and sold strictly within one state is interstate commerce? It really doesn't take a SC Justice or even a lawyer to read the Constitution and see that this is not legitimately a Federal issue. I know you are in LE, and should be familiar with SC cases. Are you aware of Wickard v Filburn? That's the decision that opened the floodgates for federal intervention in just about anything because of "interstate commerce." Truly a "camel's nose" situation that the federal government took full advantage of. It's only been recently that there has been effective pushback. The Gun Free School Zone Act was the first time the feds were told "That's not "Interstate Commerce." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I have to ask: Why don't you know what's going to happen at tax time? If this is too personal of a question, just say so. But I've always known where I stood at tax time, more or less. Self-employed, I had to file quarterly estimates, and I knew my exact earnings, so I knew what I'd owe. Being paid by an employer, I'd set my withholdings to come up just a bit short. I'd rather owe a couple hundred than give the government an interest free loan to get a huge refund. I would think even though your situation changed over with the divorce and such, that a good tax preparer should be able to put you in the ballpark. Or I could be wrong. And I'd go with "practical." Is it cheaper to hold back some cash, not pay off the debt and pay that interest? Or is it cheaper to pay off all your debts and borrow some more to pay taxes if necessary? Or can you save enough between Christmas and April to pay off any tax burden? Congrats on getting out of debt. It's really, really nice not to be "beholden" to someone. It's even nicer when all that interest that you were paying goes in your own pocket. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Don't forget that Oswald wasn't arrested for killing Kennedy. He was arrested for killing a cop named Tippet. He was later determined to be a suspect in Kennedy's death. There were a couple eyewitnesses to Tippet's murder and they identified Oswald. So even if he didn't go down for Kennedy, he most likely would have been convicted of killing Tippet. And I'd guess executed for it. Wiki on Tippet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Tippit Of course, the conspiracy idiots claim that there's no way Oswald could have killed Tippet, that his death was all part of the conspiracy, the witnesses were lying, all that garbage. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo