The older I get, the more fatalist I become about climate change.

Honestly, we've missed the boat on this. We're fucked and there's nothing we can do about it.

And anyone who says that you can make a difference is talking out their arse. The actual useful things you can do are:

1: have less (preferably no) children. This dwarfs any other action you can take by a factor of 5.
2: Switch to a plant-based diet
3: Stop flying

Ok, 1 is not going to happen. People are still having kids and there hasn't even been any serious public debate about this (despite it being the single most impactful thing any individual can do).

2 and 3 will help, but nowhere near enough.

The ONLY thing that could have saved us is what Extinction Rebellion are proposing: attack climate change on a total war footing. Convert the entire economy over to fixing this.

And it needed to happen a decade ago.

But our leaders ignored this, and now it's too late.

I feel bad for anyone who has kids, but frankly, I'm just hoping the worst of it doesn't kick in until I've kicked the bucket.

Reply to multiple previous comments:



Re:
"Literally no different from a pistol other than it can have better accuracy and sometimes higher caliber"

.38 (9mm), .40, .45 are the calibers you will see used by police pistols

.223 (5.56mm), .300, .308, are the calibers you will see used by police rifles

Unless an officer is using a personal firearm at work, the pistols should all be higher caliber.

The major difference is muzzle velocity damage.
The pistol cuts a tunnel the diameter of the [expanded] bullet.
The rifle leaves an exit wound multiple inches across, and at point blank will grenade the exit side of the target, painting the wall with gibs.





Re:
"Can you tell me why you believe it's "not a great idea" when the criminals already all have guns too?"

Because police should be there to protect citizens lives, at the cost of their own if needed. (Hence the "hero"/"Public Servant" status they so like to remind us of)

If they protect their own lives, at the cost of citizens if needed, then they become a part of the problem they are supposed to be solving.

Just imagine the uninvolved bystander down the street struck down for no fault of their own.

The better path forward is full head to toe level 4 body armor for police, not heavier police firepower in packed suburbs.

That way they have the option to hold fire and assess the situation without shitting their pants and hosing the place down with lead "just in case, so they minimize the risk of getting hurt".

Full L4 body armor means that when things like the VT shooting happen, the police don't pitch tents outside and wait for SWAT (who actually has armor) to show up while people are likely getting killed inside.

Full L4 body armor means that when police open a door to a bathroom with an intruder inside (or a vacuum), they don't have to be thinking "kill or be killed".





Re:
"You are assuming it's a high velocity rifle. It's likely only 9mm, meaning minimal impact and penetration"

The video shows shots of the rifle magazine. It's not a 9mm pcc (pistol caliber carbine) magazine. It's the standard form factor. Meaning it is likely to be one of common the off the shelf calibers for that form factor :
.223/5.56
.300 blackout
6.8 spc
.224 valkyrie
6.5 grendel
None are 9mm. And other than a subsonic .300 blackout variant (used with suppressors/silencers), all pack a world more hurt than a 9mm.






It's true that a faster/heavier round will pass through more walls, and more houses.

Not sure it matters though, as 9mm ball will go through plenty of sheetrock layers, and rifle ammo stands a chance at fragmenting on impact with obstacles.
Which goes farther for any given shot will depend on what each one strikes along the way, and if it's bullet is of type FMJ/ball or HP or frag or penetrator or whatever.

-scheherazade

You are assuming it's a high velocity rifle. It's likely only 9mm, meaning minimal impact and penetration.

A .40 cal pistol with hollow point rounds can do exactly what you describe as well. Just because it's a "rifle" doesn't make it any more deadly or dangerous.

Yes, and I think it could have serious psychological impact on the child, but on the other hand I really wish I'd thought to do this with my son when he was younger. Comedy gold (if only for the father).

Two studies have found that at least 40% of police officer families experience domestic violence, in contrast to 10% of families in the general population.

This means that even non-abusing good cops have (on average) a group of friends and coworkers comprised of 40%+ abusers in the home. 2 out of every 5. These are friends and coworkers that they would take a bullet for and defend with perjury if need be. These are the good cops.

But you know, I don't blame them? The role itself is insane. Why should humanity have the right to put all of our collective violent, physical, criminal, and tragic life events onto the shoulders of one small group of people? It's not sustainable. And it shows in the lives of those who attempt to assume that role.

Well, I guess we could always blame them for being cops. I mean, there are many other, much more effective ways to improve a culture and impact positive change. If that was their motivation for becoming a cop. That would be a positive take-away: Come up with alternate work programs to help cops stop being cops.

Don't remember China pulling out of the Paris accord because of the economic impact. They didn't put a tariff on PV imports either.

China has far less need to cheat than the US, they have the largest renewable energy production in the world by a big margin and it's growing quicker than most countries.

Allow me to demonstrate your bias in this situation.

Q: if instead of bacon, what if they had 800 studies showing that, say, carrots cause cancer. Would you be arguing about the stats, or would you stop eating carrots?

I'm pretty sure you'd stop eating carrots. But because you enjoy bacon so much, it's having a impact on your reasoning. That is your bias.


I can prove this further by asking you what it would take to make you give up bacon. And I'm quite sure you would say nothing. Perhaps short of some instant effect, I know you would never stop eating it, no matter strong the evidence. In fact many people don't. They rather go blind and hav their legs amputated from preventable diabetes than give up their instant comfort foods. They are so biased they lose their own limbs, and still refuse to accept the reality.

You also you like to claim that me being vegan makes me biased. But the truth is that the Science made me vegan. And not the other way around. The reduction of animal cruelty is just a bonus.

About 2 years ago I was in NJ to help take care of Dad who was in his final days. While there I was able to help my brother who has his own funeral home. He also had a contract doing body removals for the medical examiner.

Got a call about 2 am for a fatal wreck on Interstate 80 which involved a single vehicle with 3 females. When we got to the scene investigators were just finishing up and we were ready to remove the bodies.

The vehicle was estimated to be traveling 70 to 80 mph when it left the Interstate and went into the median and slammed straight on into a tree impacting on the passenger side.

The driver was airlifted to the hospital. We had to remove the front passenger and rear passenger side body.

The front passenger side dash of the car was pushed up to the front seat. The passenger in the back seat was probably 250+ lbs. and apparently wasn't wearing a seatbelt. She was thrown forward and broke the front seat from the floor thus impacting the front passenger from behind.

At this point the scene was about 3 hours old. As we were removing the last body we heard one of the girls cell phone start to ring. It kept ringing off and on until we left 20 minutes later.

The police told us they found a sonogram picture in the wallet belonging to one of the girls. It was 3 weeks old.

When we arrived at the M.E. which is at the same hospital the driver was flown to, they were just bringing the driver to the morgue also. All 4 were back together.

When that phone rang that night all I could do is think that whoever it was, they only had a few more minutes of peace left before their life would be changed forever.

The heaven they were living in was about to turn into hell.

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell -Pink Floyd

What did you dream?
It's alright we told you what to dream" -Pink Floyd

The gates to heaven are not pearly. "...you got to go through hell
before you get to heaven" -Steve Miller Band

They will discover they are "not alone in being alone." -The Police

"Let the music be your master." -Led Zeppelin

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51tulqBFD%2BL.jpg

Installation of the Peg Valve Transference Unit requires a signed TN.17 (3 copies); a filled and signed FL.54 (additionally signed by 3 witnesses); majority approval from the Board of Optimal Manufacturing Process; majority approval from the Board of Human Affairs; and a sworn affidavit from the CEO (or appointed delegate if the CEO is on leave) that the proposed change will neither impact the human rights of the human resources, nor negatively impact the economy of the state.

The above solution only required a signed Refrain from Sexual Misconduct and a basket.

Yeah, it’s a tricky problem.

I while there are certainly cases where an employee can impact their employers business through their beliefs, statements or actions, in general I think the burden of proof should be on the employer.

And there’s certainly no way an employee should ever be made to sign something like this.

And for the record, it goes the other way too. If a “liberal” company fired someone for refusing to sign an anti trump thing, they’d be wrong too.

Some sensors take into account how fast the vehicle is moving. This vehicle wasn't moving. Also it was hit from the side so the front sensor was ok. Even though the vehicle was hit on the side the impact probably didn't exceed the limit for deployment. That's my limited educated guess.

Funding his wall won't stop those issues that are mostly port of entry crimes, not border jumping. The ten terrorists caught number he keeps talking about were all caught at ports of entry, not coming from Mexico over a fence.

Obama followed international law and released Iran's assets we (many say illegally) seized and held only after using them as a bargaining chip to successfully halt Iran's nuclear program. He didn't give them a cent of taxpayer money in that release of funds.

Dems gave Trump what?....$1.5 billion for border defense and he's spent <10% of it last year but wants 4 times as much this year or he'll shut down the government and just waste billions and directly impact all US citizens over a tantrum because he can't have his way. Also....what happened to Mexico paying for it? He's a great deal maker, make the deal and get the money from them.....problem solved, we should hear no more nonsense about funding his wall....that's not our bill.
Why isn't he building two walls? He knows we have two borders, doesn't he? Do you believe drugs, human trafficking, and terrorists can't come from Canada? (Edit :didn't you see the Jackal) guess he'll get Canada to pay for that one.

OK. I'll ask the question. Which one?

EIA Abbreviation for:

enteroinsular axis
enzyme immunoassay
Equality Impact Assessment
excessive inappropriate aggression
exercise-induced asthma
external iliac artery
extracorporeal immunoadsorption

Naturally this has had virtually no impact on some people's belief in trickle down taxes... SAD!

Merrimack Garland was often right leaning and above reproach, and in your words, "his entire life was ruined" by dickheaded obstructionist republicans that wouldn't allow the unAmerican Muslim black activist to impact the supreme court if they could obstruct it, only they get to do that in their favor by any underhanded means necessary. Recall, they were proud of their pure obstructionist position from day one of Obama, pretty infantile to complain now that Trump doesn't get cooperation with his disastrous hyper partisan divisive plans and nominations.

Really, no republican argued against them? Sotomayor 68-31, Kagen 63-37, barely confirmed with 3 votes to spare, that's not no republican argument, and not confirmed with ease. You are such a blatant revisionist or so authoritatively ignorant it's astonishing and makes any discussion a chore, requiring I teach you actual history before replying to your always incorrect claims. Try googling before spouting more easily debunked nonsense, have some pride. Only trolls don't care that 98% of their claims are dead wrong and easily proven so.