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The Walk.

harlequinn says...

It's barely a "joke".

"You people" eh? I guess you mean Republican. I didn't vote for him bud, I'm not a citizen yet. And for the record, it's pretty clear I don't like him. But I don't suck from the Democrat teat just to oppose Trump. I'm not that naive.

FYI, he's the leader of all Americans.

Lol, you think I'm going to "shut the fuck up" because you said to. So funny. I'll do whatever "the fuck" I please thanks mate.

Do something useful? Where? In my day job? On the internet? Lol, I'm about as useful as you are on the internet.

vil said:

The joke is what Trump says and does, not the angle of the ramp.

Do "you people" notice the actual content of the incoherent babble that spews from your leaders mouth?

If a man cant open a stuck lid of a jam jar at his first attempt he must put the jar away and pretend that it doesnt exist. Also anyone who ever dares mention the jar must die.

This "man" just keeps babbling, like politicians are lately want to do. Shut the fuck up about it whiner! DO something useful just once, instead of talking yourself up unsuccesfully!

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

The length units don't matter in trig (as long as they are consistent of course). Easy to forget I guess.

My measurements versus your estimates? I'll take the measurements thanks.

A full length pic for you here.
https://wrrv.com/21-photos-direct-from-the-2020-west-point-graduation/

Rise on my screen is 14 mm (from grass to top of white curtain), run is 81 mm. 10 degrees. You can measure this yourself.

No really, put a ruler on the screen and tell me what you get. No estimates. What does a measuring device say?

newtboy said:

240 what? Pixels slope?
235 what? Elephant ball hairs run?
46 right angle what? 46 mouse penises rise?

No it isn't calculus, it's barely trig, and fuck you, my math is spot on...and they're WAY closer.

It's measurements we disagree on....yours suck donkey balls. You claim the stage floor is 4.5' high and the ramp run only 23.5' long....neither is close to right.

I estimated rise, 3' based on the width of stripes, and run, 40' based on the length of stage segments. That's 4.3 degrees. Do you disagree with the estimation, gleaned from pictures and video of the whole stage/ramp?
You can only be saying it's a 23.5' run and 4.6' rise, that's insanely off on both counts, but granted does give you the 11degree number.

The stripes are 1.5' high, the top of the ramp floor (and stage height) is two stripes high....stage segments are at least 10' long, the ramp extends well beyond 3 segments as seen in the full descent video. If you need to nitpick, it might be 35', but 11 degrees still puts that stage floor at 6'9". It's not 1/2 that....It's 3'. 3' rise at 11degrees makes the ramp 15' approximately....also clearly not the case.

It's Trump that makes himself look awkward, and his attempted bullshit excuses are just awkward icing on his cake of awkwardness.... it was not in any way a steep ramp.

Lol. Yes, they got it wrong by about 1.3 degrees. They should commit seppuku in contrition....
But you got it around 6.7 degrees wrong, and now are still fighting about it using unassigned units of measurement on values pulled from....measuring an off center picture from breitbart of 1/3 of the ramp on a monitor?!... to do calculations, and are clearly measuring it insanely wrong, or they altered the picture, or both.

Put 40' run and 11 degrees into the calculator, you get 8' rise, 35'run gives 6'9" hight. It even gives you visual representation. Do you honestly think that stage floor is 8' up, or even 6'9"? If so, you are insane and no math, picture, argument, or fact will change your mind, because it's clearly waist high, two stripes, about 3'. If you aren't saying it's at least 6' 9" high, admit you got it wrong at least to yourself, and let's move on.

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

No, they weren't closer. And you can't do trig very well.

Measure on screen and it is a 240 (hypotenuse), 235, 46 right angle triangle. sin^-1(46/235)= approx. 11 degrees. (I did well for several years at university calculus - but this isn't calculus).

Here is a nice pic you can measure. You'll get about 12 degrees.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/13/donald-trump-west-point-us-values-endure-turbulent-times/

Put your measurements and calcs up. It makes no sense that you are fighting this. They got it wrong. It doesn't make Trump look any less awkward walking down the ramp.

newtboy said:

They were incredibly closer than you are.
Nope, you don't get 11 degrees...well, I don't, and I did well in math classes through AP calculus and statistics.

3ft rise in 40ft run is 4.3 degrees, or a 7.5% slope. Look it up yourself....

https://www.blocklayer.com/riseruneng.aspx

It's NOWHERE NEAR 11 degrees. The stage floor would be about 8' high to be 11 degrees at that length. It's actually 3' high.

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

They weren't accurate on the incline though.

You can measure it on the screen if you like. A bit of trigonometry and you'll come up with a number a bit over 11 degrees.

newtboy said:

To be fair, it's also produced by REPUBLICANS, who are not known for accuracy or honesty. Considering the source, they were surprisingly accurate, and were way closer than the @harlequinn numbers.

Trump should have blamed bone spurs.

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

Yes, jokes are "supposed" to be funny. If you show a video of an 11 degree ramp and say "oh its only 3 degrees" it adds nothing to your suggested punchline of the joke. In fact it detracts from it (i.e. if it is only 3 degrees then Biden running up it is meaningless).

Trump was factually correct. It was a steep ramp. There is just no way out of that. It doesn't mean he didn't look like a baby learning to walk as he walked down it, but it was still steep.

The punchline (if it were a joke, and it's not) would be Joe Biden running down the ramp. Not up. Unfortunately, for some reason, never before has the media foccused on a president walking down a ramp and it been a topic of conversation (because really, it is fucking inane). But if you hunt enough, you can find a video of Obama striding down the back ramp.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?293666-1/us-military-academy-commencement

A basic requirement for being funny is... being funny. Which this video is not. But each to their own I guess.

bcglorf said:

It's a joke though, it's not supposed to fair, honest, accurate otherwise, it's just supposed to be funny.

Setup 1: We all presumably are familiar with Trump's "sleepy Joe" nickname and constant criticism of Biden's fitness.
Setup 2: Trump explaining at great, great length why he walked slowly down a ramp because of how treacherous it was.

Punchline: Joe Biden literally running up said ramp.

That's funny. Crying about inaccuracies or fallacies in it is like saying chickens don't roam freely so how can so many be crossing roads?

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

Part 1: the video portrays mocking. If they're going to mock someone, they should at least get their numbers right, otherwise they're no better than Trump and his continual exaggerations (e.g. it's like them saying "and it was the least steepest ramp in the world, and I've walked all the ramps of the world, more than anyone else").

Part 2: if they're trying to be funny by comparing two things then you have to, you know, compare the two things. So where is the video of Biden coming down the ramp? I want to see Biden cartwheel down the ramp like a champ.

Part 3: "I can 100% expect Trump, if he ever sees the clip, to respond exactly as your comment did", except for the fact that Trump already described this event (walking down the ramp) in this video. So you better check your 100%.

BTW, there is no dilemma - no sarcasm was implied or could be interpreted from my comment, and there is a little sarcasm check box that remained unchecked (just to be sure). On the other hand, I fully expected someone to try to diminish my comment, because facts always get in the way of a good story.

bcglorf said:

Such is our dilemma, that I can't tell if that is sarcasm on your part or not. Obviously, this video is meant to be satire/comedy and not factual analysis. At the same time, I can 100% expect Trump, if he ever sees the clip, to respond exactly as your comment did. In fact, the video itself is him inarticulately attempting to do exactly that.

The Walk.

harlequinn says...

It's an 11 degree ramp, not 3, which is over 2 times the gradient allowed (as per the ADA). And the ADA requires ramps of this sort to have handrails.

Where's the comparison video? I.e., Biden coming down the ramp.

The Ad Trump has Threatened TV Stations Over

harlequinn says...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_the_United_States

I hope NYC pulls through OK. I was there last year. Such an amazing group of people and city.

ChaosEngine said:

Possibly. Right now, it looks like COVID is deadliest to the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

So, inner city inhabitants will be more likely to *get* COVID, but most of them will only suffer mild symptoms. Obviously, poorer people with less access to healthcare will suffer more.

It's hard to say what the ultimate effect will be in terms of voter demographics. Disasters can sometimes favor the incumbent, as the country gets behind its leadership, but Trump's handling of this has been a total clusterfuck. OTOH, *everything* Trump has ever done is a total clusterfuck and that doesn't seem to deter his supporters.

The Ad Trump has Threatened TV Stations Over

harlequinn says...

To be fair, it will mainly kill off inner city inhabitants who are in close contact with each other.

I.e. it will kill off his opponents voter base.

vil said:

He is literally killing his voter base off.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

Absolutely there is a distinction.

And because of that distinction, and the fact that vehicle collisions kill more people by "accident" (we call them accidents but a significant amount of them end up being charged with reckless/careless driving) than firearms do on purpose, I think that vehicles are very dangerous.

"There is an answer to stop gun violence only when guns are not your answer."

I like the cut of your gib. Too many Americans see violence (no matter the tool used) as a solution to their problems. When you humanise the problem, you see that we need to change people and their lives rather than arbitrarily restrict tools (guns) that are 99.99% used for lawful purposes.

BSR said:

There is a clear distinction here. Auto accidents and the like do not have an intent to kill. It's about those that target innocent people.

There is an answer to stop gun violence only when guns are not your answer.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

Yes, they have lower rates. But the point isn't that the rates are the same (they're not), the point is that the rates are low enough to not have an immediate fear of them. An immediate fear would be unwarranted and irrational.

E.g. you probably don't fear dying every time you hop into a vehicle because it has a relatively low risk of killing you (even though the risk is much higher than that of being killed in a homicide by firearm). Having an immediate fear of it would be irrational.

You probably don't fear dying in a general accident (i.e. including all work place and public accidents together). Even though it represents about 170,000 deaths a year (an number so large it makes the topic of firearms deaths look like a joke), it is still a relatively low risk. Having an immediate fear of it would be irrational.

This is not to suggest that these things are not to be respected. We must try and reduce all mortality and morbidity. But you need to be effective at it. This is public health. You choose the method that will have the largest effect.

For example, you will have a bigger effect restricting sugar intake to reduce diabetes deaths, which outnumber homicide by firearm deaths by about an order of magnitude.

The majority of the 40k firearm deaths consist of suicides. There is an important distinction between homicide (the topic) and suicide. Don't mix them up if the topic is homicide by firearm.

Go look at what is actually killing people:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_06-508.pdf

notarobot said:

In the US firearm related murders are far more common than shark attack, being struck by lighting, or killed in a plane crash.

In 2018 there was ONE fatal shark attack in the US. There were FORTY THOUSAND gun related deaths the year before.

Meanwhile there have already been TWENTY-NINE school shooting this year alone.

Sure, nobody was hurt when someone shot out a window of a school bus in Florida earlier this year but that doesn't mean elementary-aged kids inside won't end up being scared.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

The document is in duplicate. Literally in the link. Yes, fingerprint card also. The cost is low. The cost of the firearm is a separate issue.

Yes, the background check. The "process" I'm referring to has context, i.e. the background check process. Obvious really.

"No one asked you that."

You asked me.

"So [do] you think machine guns aren't firearms...or do you think they aren't really illegal? Edit: What about bazookas, grenades, mortars, etc.?"

"Which you begrudgingly".

What language made it begrudging? I stated it was the case without any issue. Stop making stuff up.

I didn't say they can't be regulated. I said that they can't be "effectively regulated". I also stated that there are many regulations that are probably illegal (waiting for supreme court challenges). And I said that there are some regulations that do exist because the supreme court debated it and came to the conclusion that it was within the scope of the 2A.

"especially when you can verify by just scrolling up"

Yeah, exactly, so what are you on about. My comments are literally above you. Why distort them? Do you have comprehension issues? No shame if you do.

"This is a paranoid delusion."
You're entitled to your opinion. History supports their argument though.

"Your argument was there are better issues to throw money at, bucketloads you said, now you admit it takes no money and declare yourself correct"

Yes, there are better issues to throw money at, but the issue is they don't want to throw money at anything when there is a low cost red herring issue they can use to gain public standing instead.

"Then don't be dumb and fuck little kids.
Don't be dumb and rape random women.
Don't be dumb by getting caught in the Jr high locker room filming.
Don't be a snarky tool who hides from what he said by doing mental gymnastics to pretend their warnings aren't implications.
See how giving these warnings imply you needed warning? That's how warnings work."

Yes, they are all warnings. And valid ones at that. The issue is context. You don't put a "warning strong current" warning in the middle of a desert because there is nothing to warn about.

Likewise making those warnings here makes no sense. Ergo, no, these warnings don't imply anyone needs warning. They are just random warnings.

Otherwise we could continue on and I could say:

Don't be dumb and fuck your mother's dead body.
Don't be dumb and fuck animals.
Etc., etc., warnings that are truly good advice but make no sense in the given situation.

On the other hand:
"Danger, high voltage wires" on a cabinet that holds a large transformer makes sense.
"Do not dig, high pressure gas lines buried here" above buried high pressure pipes makes sense.

Do you see the difference?

"Everyone is welcome, welcome to post as much or little as they choose"

Well, everyone is welcome until they're not. And they're not welcome pretty quick here.

"but if I see lies, misstatements, abuse, or insults when none are called for, I'm going to say something, just like I do in person"

Funny about that, that's what I'm doing.

newtboy said:

Not in my experience. I've known many people who tried in Texas and Nevada, all failed. They said it was about 3 pages in triplicate (4 with cover page, totalling 12), fingerprints, photos, a pristine criminal record, chests of cash (the guns cost thousands or tens of thousands), a Class 3 FFL dealer willing to sell to you, 9 months to a year waiting for approval, and no local ordinance against it (local police will be notified).

I said the background check is similarly difficult to pass, not the entire process.

No one asked you that. We balked at your claim-
"The 2A specifically says "arms". There is plenty of debate and case law regarding what arms they meant. Suffice to say there isn't a shadow of a doubt that it means firearms (long and short) of all varieties commonly available."
...and I then gave you the federal definition of "firearms" which you begrudgingly admitted trumps yours, but still cling to the concept that firearms can't be regulated (even though they clearly are). I'm surprised you recall it so differently, especially when you can verify by just scrolling up.

This is a paranoid delusion. Because that's a possibility in a future where the 2a is repealed, they think that's enough reason to ignore any positive uses, like knowing if the person just diagnosed with schizophrenia has an arsenal, or the person who's stalking your 15 year old daughter, or the man who beats his wife. Also, taken to conclusion, that argument is basically "It might make it harder for me to break the law. That's unacceptable." Hardly a reasonable argument imo.

? Your argument was there are better issues to throw money at, bucketloads you said, now you admit it takes no money and declare yourself correct?!

Then don't be dumb and fuck little kids.
Don't be dumb and rape random women.
Don't be dumb by getting caught in the Jr high locker room filming.
Don't be a snarky tool who hides from what he said by doing mental gymnastics to pretend their warnings aren't implications.
See how giving these warnings imply you needed warning? That's how warnings work.

Because I post here doesn't make me the big dog...I'm not even top 20. Everyone is welcome, welcome to post as much or little as they choose, but if I see lies, misstatements, abuse, or insults when none are called for, I'm going to say something, just like I do in person. That's called being an upright citizen. I guess you prefer those who shrink away from that obligation....so hit ignore. That's what I'm doing.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

Thanks for the good questions.

a) yes
b) yes
c) no
d) yes
e) n/a

If you exclude suicide, the USA doesn't have a staggering rate of gun deaths. It is high compared to some other western countries, but on a world rate it is still very low.

When looking at public health (which is the reason for reducing gun violence) you need to be pragmatic. What will actually give a good outcome for public health? In this case there are about a half a dozen things that kill and maim US citizens at much higher rates than firearms do.

E.g. you are much more likely to be killed in a car crash than murdered by someone with a firearm. Cars by accident kill more people in the USA each year than firearms do on purpose. That's some scary shit right there. Think about that for a second, cars are more dangerous than firearms and people are not even trying to kill themselves or someone else with one. So as an example, you'd be better off trying to fix this first.

Or fix the suicide rate in the US. People aren't in a happy place there.

Obesity kills more people. Doctor malpractice kills more people. Etc. But these are hard issues to tackle that will cost billions or trillions. The low hanging fruit is firearms.

Free health care and mental health care, a better social security system, and various other means would all have magnificent outcomes on everyday life in the USA. But again, they cost a lot and require a paradigm shift.

Have you ever encountered interpersonal violence against you (i.e. had someone attack you)? Or have you maybe worked in a job where you often come into contact with people who have been attacked? I find people change their mind after they realize that they were only ever one wrong turn away from some crazy bastard who wanted to hurt them badly.

wraith said:

@harlequinn:

Putting the legal concerns (It is in the constitution, so we have to heed it) aside, what do you think about the Second Amendment?

Was it meant to enable the people to
a) defend against foreign incursion (in lieu of a standing army)?
b) defend against an oppressive government (as a militia)?
c) assume police duties?
d) defend themselves (in absence of police)?
e) none of the above? (Please state what you think its intended meaning was.)

For your selected reason/s given above, does it/do they still apply today?

What do you think is the reason for the staggering amount of gun violence/deaths in the USA when compared with other countries?

Is the reason for the Second Amendment worth the amount of gun violence in the USA?


Full disclosure:
I am genuinely interested in your answers since you seem to have given this some thought (an impression I frankly do not have about bobknight33) .
I am not from the USA and against any form of private gun ownership except under some very rare circumstances.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

It is relatively easy to get a quite common pre 1986 machine gun.

The whole process is cheap. $200. Fill out a ATF form 4 and attach a passport sized photo. There are only a few questions to answer (that take up about 2.5 pages). This took about 30 seconds on google to find out. It is not more difficult to pass this background audit than that of a federal agent. I've looked into applying to be a federal agent and their process is an order of magnitude more stringent.

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/form/form-4-application-tax-paid-transfer-and-registration-firearm-atf-form-53204/download

"What you, me, or others consider firearms means nothing."

You asked me what I considered a firearm. I answered both my personal opinion, and then specifically said that what the government considers a firearm to be is what it is. I'm surprised you seem to have missed this.

Registries are a step towards being able to confiscate guns en-masse. If you know who has what it is much easier to take it away from them. This sentiment is well documented on pro-gun forums.

"It doesn't take any money to ban certain firearms, certainly not a boatload"

Very true. I was tempted to point this out but I didn't. I believe that this is one of the core reasons they want to do it. It makes you think they are doing something when they aren't, and it costs sweet fuck all compared to say, spending money on anything else that will genuinely improve the average man's lot.

'your off hand assumption that, without your derisive "warning", he would be "dumb" enough to make an assumption'

Now that's the thing about warnings, you aren't assuming the behaviour of anyone. You only know it is a possibility that you don't want to happen. You don't know if it will happen or not. So you put up a warning. That's how warnings work.

But hey, this is your house right? Make no mistake, you've stamped yourself all over videosift like a dog marking its territory. Outsiders who don't comply with your way of thinking basically aren't welcome.

newtboy said:

At best that leaves only the rare pre 1986 automatics already in private hands, only in some states (totally illegal under any circumstances in many other states), only if you can first pass an expensive background check more stringent than the one federal agents must pass. Sounds like some serious regulation to me.

What you, me, or others consider firearms means nothing. I gave you the law as written, it includes those, they are illegal, so there are effective regulations on firearms already....that doesn't mean they're sufficient. Those words are different words, that's why they're spelled and pronounced differently. Speed limits are effective laws, but not sufficient to regulate vehicle use.

Why do so many firearms lovers fear being on a registry? I've always found that insane, like every other purchase you make isn't tracked or something. There's no purchase privacy anymore, for anything.

It doesn't take any money to ban certain firearms, certainly not a boatload, and not the ocean of cash health care costs. That's a red herring. All it takes is for representatives to vote the way their constituents want them to by 98%.
Perhaps in that sense it would take money, because in order to get them to vote as the people want, campaign finance reform is necessary, and that will cost money, but it's the best thing our country could possibly spend money on.

I support a slightly modified second amendment and universal health care. My interpretation allows for regulations, registration, universal background checks even for family transfers, bans of certain types, seizure from violent convicts and mental patients (impossible without a registry, btw), etc. Yes, I understand that's not how the constitution is written today, but the constitution is a living document. In California, we have most of that as state law already, including an outright ban on fully or selectively automatic weapons.

Btw, you suggest....Try to make people feel welcome.
I was responding in kind to your off hand assumption that, without your derisive "warning", he would be "dumb" enough to make an assumption about you. Then you go on to say making assumptions is dumb. Care to rethink? Had you been more thoughtful and less derisive in making that point I likely would have ignored the hypocrisy.

Back-To-School Essentials | Sandy Hook Promise

harlequinn says...

I didn't call you dumb. I warned you that if you were to do something (future tense possibility) then the result would be that you were being dumb.

Do you get how that works? There are multiple future possibilities, I don't want one to happen so I warn against it. This is not a difficult concept so I am at a loss as to why you don't understand it.

There was nothing in your previous correspondence to suggest that it would be a statement referring to a past tense behavior. You unfortunately assumed it to be referring to past tense behaviour. If you had doubt as to what I was referring to you could have just asked. I.e. if you read it and went "does he mean past tense or future tense? There isn't any past tense behaviour he could be referring to, so logically it must be future tense. I'm still confused though", you could have just asked which it was.

I believe any restrictions on the 2A have been justified by the supreme court. So they believe it was within the scope of what the founders intended. That is how.

"Hazard a guess" and "assume" are two different things.

Hazard a guess means to admit you don't know what is true but that with the given information you will gamble on an outcome (with full disclosure that it could be wrong).

Assume means to presume something is true, without any proof that it is.

You're welcome.

wtfcaniuse said:

You "warned" me by calling me dumb for assuming something that I didn't assume, at all, in any way, shape or form.

If the second amendment prevents the government from doing anything relating to bearing arms then why have they repeatedly been able to do things related to gun and weapon control?

You're going to hazard a guess, seems a bit like assuming something to me...

"it would be dumb to make any assumptions"



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