Thanks for that link -- really good.

I do think that "the left" is perhaps a bit too focused on specific weapon or accessory types. AR-15's, bump stocks, magazine sizes, etc. It's not completely ridiculous to say that if we banned AR-15's with 20-30 shot magazines, most of these shooters would just move on to the next best thing; maybe a Ruger Mini 14 or something with a 15 shot magazine.

Would that mitigate some of the deadly potential? Sure. Slightly. But it wouldn't prevent things at all, just (slightly) mitigate them. That might be worth doing, but it isn't beneficial enough to be what we should be focusing on.


I think two things could help contribute to prevention. Registration, and Licensing.

Step 1) Anyone who owns or purchases a firearm would be legally required to get it/them registered. Serial numbers (if they exist), etc. Anyway, descriptions of the weapon(s) on file and linked to a registered owner. If a firearm is used in a crime, the registered owner could be partially liable for that crime. Crime resulting in death? Owner subject to charges of negligent manslaughter. Violent crime, but no deaths? Owner subject to charges of conspiracy to commit X. Registered owner finds one or more of their firearms stolen or missing? Report them as such, and your liability could be removed or mitigated. Failure to register a firearm would also carry criminal penalties.

Step 2) Anyone who wants to use a firearm would be legally required to get a license. Licensing requires taking a proficiency and safety test. The initial license would require practical examination (safety and proficiency) at a range. Initial licensing and renewals (every 4 years?) would require passing a written test of knowledge about ownership laws, safety, etc. Just like a driver's license. And just like a driver's license, there could be things that might reasonably preclude your ability to get a license. Felony record? No license for you. Mental health issues? No license for you.


The NRA loves to tout themselves as responsible gun owners. Well, responsible people take responsibility. Remember that one kid in your class back in third grade that talked back to the teacher, so she made you all stay in and read during recess? Yeah, he ruined it for the rest of you. Guess what -- that's happening again. These nutjobs that shoot up schools or into a crowd of civilians are ruining things for the rest of you. We've tried unfettered access and an extremely lax interpretation of the second amendment. It didn't work out well. For evidence, compare the US to any other developed country on Earth.

Guns are a part of American culture, to an extent that taking them away completely would be ... problematic. But there are many, many things between the nothing that we're doing now and that.

I'm usually more worried that I am going to be rejected by somebody I have to, you know, see again on Monday morning. I kinda feel that If you are genuinely concerned that asking somebody out could be seen as sexual harassment...then you might be doing it wrong. Yeah, I think it is unfair and sexist that men are expected to the ones to initiate (unfair on both sexes actually...), but let's not go overstate things and pretend that our difficulties finding a partner is because the world wants to paint us all as rapists.

*doublepromote , I guess we know which candidate is going to get the harshest, best funded opposition come election time.
I only wish Julie Archer (the next speaker) had gone up and continued listing donations.

We can be certain those benefiting from the legal bribery system they set up will not be working against it, so there is no legal remedy. There isn't a federal ballot initiative we can start to force a finance reform law, and Trump would veto it anyway.
"Throw them all out of office" sounds nice, but isn't even possible in one election, much less likely at all. Even if it were, finding enough people willing to work for others and not their own interests is pretty hard when dump trucks of money are involved.
This is what citizens united was all about, legalizing bribery, and it clearly did exactly that.
Lobby your representatives to write an amendment limiting contributions to actual human beings, even only registered voters, with a clear, low limit (<$1000?), that might be a start....but that's also a non starter.

The market drop is not from the memo. The market is fine , slight pull back from explosive growth. Hoped you did some stock shopping Friday.

As for the memo::: Bombshell.::::::
Using the minimally verified Steele dossier that the Clinton/ DNC ,( started by the RNC) then gave to FBI/DOJ is fine with me. IF IT WERE TRUE.


According to the head of the FBI's counter intelligence division, corroboration of the Steele dossier was in its "infancy" at the time of the initial
Page FISA application. After Steele was terminated, a source validation report conducted by an independent unit within FBI assessed Steele's reporting as only minimally corroborated.

The rubbing point is that the FBI/DOJ used this material supplied by Steele to obtain a FISA warrant to spy on an American citizen, Carter Page to indirectly to spy on Trump for political reasons.

Comey own words indicated that this dossier is “salacious and unverified."
McCabe testified “that no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISA court without the Steele dossier information”

Yet both signed off to obtain / renew the FISA surveillance.

The fact that the FISA has to be renewed every 90 days and that top leadership ( FBI Director James Comey, McCabe,) and others. The fact that they had to re-sign off every 90 days makes this even worse.


James Comey signed three FISA applications
Deputy Director Andrew McCabe signed one.
Sally Yates, and Rod Rosenstein each signed one or more FISA applications on behalf of DOJ.

They all knew this was a bad document and this was for political reasons.

McCabe wife working for Global Fusion GPS worked on this steel document. McCabe’s wife received 500k for her political run from Hillary Clinton.

The Muller investigation was started due to this dossier. An un verified political slanted document.


This is just the starting point for the American people, as more info is put forth.

With respect to the FISA court itself-- they did their job. The information brought to the court is to be true and accurate.

First, that video is f*cking awesome. She's awesome, her dad was awesome for encouraging her, her coach was awesome for having the wrong initial stance but having the integrity to reevaluate and come around, and her boyfriend at the time was awesome for laying a nice body check on the prick that tried to kick her out of the race.

I've saved the video in order to show it to my 4 year old daughter at some point in her future, when she can appreciate it. The world is full of people who want to tell us what we can't do. It's up to us (with plenty of support from friends, family, etc.) to prove those people wrong.

@newtboy
@ChaosEngine

It seems I'm an outlier in my opinion then. I don't agree that one second after I said "no" that constitutes rape anymore than my wife grinding into me a few more times when I tell her something similar because I'm seeing cracks in the damn that are going to cause a tidal wave.

To be clearer, I'm laying out a definition argument. I don't feel rape should be defined that way. You can't interlock two sweaty bodies and reasonably expect to constantly have a hand hovering over an ejector seat button.

I'm uncertain about what exactly rape should be defined as, but, in spite of me feeling that what happened to me was an outcome I explicitly didn't want; at some point during the initial physical union of the male and female genitalia, permissions about what is suddenly okay or not okay with that intimate contact becomes EXTREMELY difficult to define. When two people seem to be working in tandem at that point, I assert that permission is intertwined and, as a result, confusing. (hence our debate)

It's because of that confusion that I'm so hesitant to assign blame for a miscalculation of affection/passion.
@newtboy I think this is where the question of intent plays a role.

from link:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/year-one-list-81-major-trump-achievements-11-obama-legacy-items-repealed/article/2644159

Below are the 12 categories and 81 wins cited by the White House.

Jobs and the economy

Passage of the tax reform bill providing $5.5 billion in cuts and repealing the Obamacare mandate.
Increase of the GDP above 3 percent.
Creation of 1.7 million new jobs, cutting unemployment to 4.1 percent.
Saw the Dow Jones reach record highs.
A rebound in economic confidence to a 17-year high.
A new executive order to boost apprenticeships.
A move to boost computer sciences in Education Department programs.
Prioritizing women-owned businesses for some $500 million in SBA loans.
Killing job-stifling regulations

Signed an Executive Order demanding that two regulations be killed for every new one creates. He beat that big and cut 16 rules and regulations for every one created, saving $8.1 billion.
Signed 15 congressional regulatory cuts.
Withdrew from the Obama-era Paris Climate Agreement, ending the threat of environmental regulations.
Signed an Executive Order cutting the time for infrastructure permit approvals.
Eliminated an Obama rule on streams that Trump felt unfairly targeted the coal industry.
Fair trade

Made good on his campaign promise to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Opened up the North American Free Trade Agreement for talks to better the deal for the U.S.
Worked to bring companies back to the U.S., and companies like Toyota, Mazda, Broadcom Limited, and Foxconn announced plans to open U.S. plants.
Worked to promote the sale of U.S products abroad.
Made enforcement of U.S. trade laws, especially those that involve national security, a priority.
Ended Obama’s deal with Cuba.
Boosting U.S. energy dominance

The Department of Interior, which has led the way in cutting regulations, opened plans to lease 77 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling.
Trump traveled the world to promote the sale and use of U.S. energy.
Expanded energy infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline snubbed by Obama.
Ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to kill Obama’s Clean Power Plan.
EPA is reconsidering Obama rules on methane emissions.
Protecting the U.S. homeland

Laid out new principles for reforming immigration and announced plan to end "chain migration," which lets one legal immigrant to bring in dozens of family members.
Made progress to build the border wall with Mexico.
Ended the Obama-era “catch and release” of illegal immigrants.
Boosted the arrests of illegals inside the U.S.
Doubled the number of counties participating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement charged with deporting illegals.
Removed 36 percent more criminal gang members than in fiscal 2016.
Started the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program.
Ditto for other amnesty programs like Deferred Action for Parents of Americans.
Cracking down on some 300 sanctuary cities that defy ICE but still get federal dollars.
Added some 100 new immigration judges.
Protecting communities

Justice announced grants of $98 million to fund 802 new cops.
Justice worked with Central American nations to arrest and charge 4,000 MS-13 members.
Homeland rounded up nearly 800 MS-13 members, an 83 percent one-year increase.
Signed three executive orders aimed at cracking down on international criminal organizations.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions created new National Public Safety Partnership, a cooperative initiative with cities to reduce violent crimes.
Accountability

Trump has nominated 73 federal judges and won his nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Ordered ethical standards including a lobbying ban.
Called for a comprehensive plan to reorganize the executive branch.
Ordered an overhaul to modernize the digital government.
Called for a full audit of the Pentagon and its spending.
Combatting opioids

First, the president declared a Nationwide Public Health Emergency on opioids.
His Council of Economic Advisors played a role in determining that overdoses are underreported by as much as 24 percent.
The Department of Health and Human Services laid out a new five-point strategy to fight the crisis.
Justice announced it was scheduling fentanyl substances as a drug class under the Controlled Substances Act.
Justice started a fraud crackdown, arresting more than 400.
The administration added $500 million to fight the crisis.
On National Drug Take Back Day, the Drug Enforcement Agency collected 456 tons.

Helping veterans

Signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow senior officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire failing employees and establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.
Signed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.
Signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, to provide support.
Signed the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017 to authorize $2.1 billion in additional funds for the Veterans Choice Program.
Created a VA hotline.
Had the VA launch an online “Access and Quality Tool,” providing veterans with a way to access wait time and quality of care data.
With VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, announced three initiatives to expand access to healthcare for veterans using telehealth technology.
Promoting peace through strength

Directed the rebuilding of the military and ordered a new national strategy and nuclear posture review.
Worked to increase defense spending.
Empowered military leaders to “seize the initiative and win,” reducing the need for a White House sign off on every mission.
Directed the revival of the National Space Council to develop space war strategies.
Elevated U.S. Cyber Command into a major warfighting command.
Withdrew from the U.N. Global Compact on Migration, which Trump saw as a threat to borders.
Imposed a travel ban on nations that lack border and anti-terrorism security.
Saw ISIS lose virtually all of its territory.
Pushed for strong action against global outlaw North Korea and its development of nuclear weapons.
Announced a new Afghanistan strategy that strengthens support for U.S. forces at war with terrorism.
NATO increased support for the war in Afghanistan.
Approved a new Iran strategy plan focused on neutralizing the country’s influence in the region.
Ordered missile strikes against a Syrian airbase used in a chemical weapons attack.
Prevented subsequent chemical attacks by announcing a plan to detect them better and warned of future strikes if they were used.
Ordered new sanctions on the dictatorship in Venezuela.
Restoring confidence in and respect for America

Trump won the release of Americans held abroad, often using his personal relationships with world leaders.
Made good on a campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Conducted a historic 12-day trip through Asia, winning new cooperative deals. On the trip, he attended three regional summits to promote American interests.
He traveled to the Middle East and Europe to build new relationships with leaders.
Traveled to Poland and on to Germany for the G-20 meeting where he pushed again for funding of women entrepreneurs.


see link above for more complete

Did they finish the pipeline?

https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/trans-afghan-pipeline-initiative-no-pipe-dream

*related=https://videosift.com/video/Robert-Newmans-History-of-Oil

AFAIK Lucas had a very rudimentary naive vision of what the original film should be like, and the initial nerdish freak show version was totally rehashed in editing to create an actual story with characters, which the rest of the franchise is based on.

I blame Lucas for all the awkward dialogue and impractical creatures and creations in that whole strange universe that he gets credit for creating.

"Mark Hamill on the latest Star Wars films."

He really isn't speaking specifically about the latest Star Wars films. This is one of many videos of interviews with Mark Hamill in which people try and take things out of context and make it sound like he is trashing the new films. He is not. This video is from 2016 and is posted by an account named "Jar Jar Abrams", if you were looking for any clue as to the intent of this person. I don't know when the interview was initially filmed, but it would be helpful to know when, relative to the release of The Force Awakens.

He is pointing out that Hollywood judges the success of movies only by the money they make, hence Transformers. He notes that companies, such as Disney, buying up other movie companies, should be cause for concern. How will Disney judge success of The Force Awakens? Probably on revenue, since TFA did about $2 billion. Does that make it a success or a good movie? That is actually the point he is making, that pure revenue doesn't judge success. I think his point is more that Star Wars makes a shit-ton of money, Transformers makes a shit-ton of money, but does that make Transformers a better/more successful franchise than Star Wars?

Rotten Tomatoes has most Transformers movies at sub-50%. Are they a failure? The last 2 Star Wars movies are sitting at 90+% on Rotten Tomatoes. Does that mean they are a success? I found TFA to be a fun, nostalgic Star Wars film, but it wasn't The Best Evar. I have seen TLJ twice in the last week. I think it is fantastic, almost as good as Empire, but it still has its problems.

The user review on Rotten Tomatoes for TLJ is 54%. Does this mean the movie is a failure? Or are user reviews just the internet rage machine, concentrated? I am done with aggregated/collected game and movie reviews on the internet. Too much hate, too much agenda-ranting. Nowadays, I have found some game and movie reviewers that seem to see games and movies like I do. I read their reviews and then judge for myself.

Be critical of the things you love.

No worries, I wasn't calling you out on it, just curious to be honest.

I know it's not a popular opinion but I'm of the mindset that crime statistics should be more thoroughly collected and made public via an open data initiative. I guess the question is what would be done with the statistics? Do black communities have more incidents of violent theft? Are pedophiles more likely to be white? Do police really shoot more unarmed black people than white? Does it happen more at night or during the day? Are the offending officers always white? How long have they been in the job (is inexperience an issue, etc)?

I guess the real question is that, while knowing this information would allow us to make more informed statements about police shootings and violent crime in general, would it really help us address the core problems like social and financial inequity, education, cultural differences, etc?

Obviously data collection would need to be standardized and the presentation of it anonymized, with geographic areas generalized so as not to impact things like property values, etc.

Yeah, in Japan both people would have been at fault. They're really strict about that stuff. Even if you have the right of way, if an accident could have been avoided just by you being a more cautious driver, you'll wind up getting ticketed too.

Happened to my boss a month ago--he got hit at a light while making a turn during a green turn arrow (driver coming from opposite direction gunned it on the yellow but didn't beat the red). The police ruled that even though my boss had the right of way, a cautious driver should anticipate people trying to beat the light and check to make sure traffic coming from the opposite direction is fully stopped before initiating a turn, so both parties were at fault (though not equally of course).

Basically as a driver in Japan you are supposed to assume that everyone around you is an unsafe driver and take any necessary precautions to avoid accidents. The only time you'll 100% not be at fault for an accident is if you're rear-ended while fully stopped or if the car experiences a catastrophic mechanical failure (i.e. blowing a tire on the freeway causing you to temporarily lose control of the vehicle).

Doesn't sound like shes complaining as much as being some kind of witness to a pattern of behavior. I think she's just trying to do right by the women Louie wronged.

"Thank you! I have refrained from initiating this conversation for a reason. Not criminal. Not abuse of power. I guess I’m just compelled at this point to be a character witness of sorts for those brave enough to finally come forward."
— Laura Silverman (@LauraJSilverman) November 9, 2017

1)I considered that argument, I just disagree. Women under some religious laws can't initiate a divorce at all, but I doubt you would argue the lower, near zero divorce rates are evidence that it's a better way of life or leads to better outcomes for those powerless women than normal current American Christianity, would you? I think women who stay in bad marriages for their religion don't usually find it to be a better way of life, they often find it an inescapable trap of hopelessness.

2) you would be hard pressed to find men living up to that ideal and or not taking unfair advantage of their religion given position of dominance. As I recall, the bible also tells you various reasons it's your duty to murder people with rocks, so it's not a bad thing to be a bit loose in your interpretations, but perhaps not that particular instruction.

3)but, if I am created by the creator with reason enough to believe only in things that are at least either logical or verifiable, and God is neither without revealing himself to be more than fable, and he doesn't, it's his decision not mine. If he exists and has miraculous powers including revelation, he chooses to have me not believe by choosing to not prove his own improbable existence, meaning he chooses to create me just for inescapable eternal torture.