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Interesting how "life" is defined by these folks as a "heartbeat" at this point, but "not alive" is measured by brain activity. If you have to terminate a pregnancy at the 20th week, it's usually because there is no (or will be no) brain activity, but women have been forced to carry a non-viable fetus for several days/weeks because it is "alive." These morons should first agree on a definition of "life" that covers the whole span. If a heartbeat (don't even get me started on what that zygote really has at 4 weeks past fertilization) is the definition of alive, then we can stop learning CPR and dispose of all defibrillators. They're already dead, so you just have to call it when the heart stops. If you pound on someone's chest, or shock them, after their heart stops, then you should be charged with mutilating a corpse.

The only thing we know for sure is that whatever would have happened here, you would have blamed the Dem's....Suppose the Fed did nothing and SVB's collapse spurred bank-runs that tanked other small/mid-sized banks. You'd have been on here skewering Biden for not shoring up the financial system. Your one guiding ideology is 'Dem's Suck' and that makes it hard to take your schtick too seriously.

Woke means no long willing to put up with right wing crap.

Brent's given up posting the links to his source material, because he doesn't read them and knows that we do. Too risky for him, he's been owned by his own links too many times already

No what the Ds say about Trump's Tax cuts is that they lowered revenues and increased the deficit and that only absolute morons would believe in "trickle down economics."

So as long as there are minority miscreants, then "good people like you" don't have to do anything, is that it? Bullshit. If we're seeing an increase in hate crimes, then maybe we should look at that, and not focus first on whether every.single.potential.victim is as pure as the driven snow. And, again, saying that boat people dying makes up for it is also bullshit. It's like saying that gun fatalities are more justifiable than car fatalities, because guns are a right, and cars are a privilege. It's complete and utter bullshit. Wendy P.

How to break an anti-woke brain: Author Bethany Mandel wrote a book on the evil woke indoctrination that is going on in this country. During an interview to promote her book, Mandel claimed that "only seven percent of Americans consider themselves very liberal, and probably fewer consider themselves woke." The interviewer then asked a simple question. "What does that mean to you? Would you mind defining 'woke' because this has come up a couple times, and I just want to make sure we are on the same page." Now remember, this is a conservative who wrote a BOOK about woke indoctrination. Her answer: "So . . . I mean . . . woke is . . .sort of . . . the idea that . . .uh . . .I . . .this is going to be one of those moments that goes viral . . .I mean, woke is something that is very hard to define, I spent an entire chapter defining it . . . it is sort of the understanding that we need to retotal . . totally reimagine and rean . . re . . . reduce society in order to create hierarchies of oppression . . . um . . . sorry . . .it's hard to explain in a 15 second soundbite." (At that point she had been trying to define it for 40 seconds.) And there are a few possibilities for this unusual reply. 1) She's a moron, and can't even put basic concepts into words. Unlikely, since she did just write a book. 2) She really has no idea what "woke" means. "Reduce society to create hierarchies of oppression?" That sounds like the word salad that Miss Teen South Carolina might give when asked about educational problems in America. Again unlikely because she did write a book about it, and even a minimally intelligent author is going to have access to a dictionary. 3) (most likely) Because when she started to formulate her answer, the things that came to the front of her mind were things she couldn't say on the air. "Well, it's letting the gays have their own . . . can't say that. Hmm. And it's teaching people that blacks were oppressed in the past . . gonna look like a racist if I say that. It's letting kids watch trans . . . . dang, the last interviewer hammered me on that because I said I liked M*A*S*H. I can't give the real definition, because I'm not going to sell any books that way. I need dog whistles! But I can't think of any! DAMN YOU INTERVIEWER!"

Wow. That is surprising! Who would have thought that our American Taliban party, the party of alternative facts, the party that widely endorsed a failed insurrection would be shunned by a group of people that generally have post high school educations in science and math, and experience with critical thinking. But hey, you have Hobby Lobby and the My Pillow guy right?

I am standing firm as a reformed conservative who actually values personal liberties, doesn't base my politics on fictional writings, and holds firm to values such as intellectual honesty, and the fair and consistent application of the law. Not sure how I should label myself though.

I’m hearing that Tom’s scope has been fixed and is up and running.

Wow, looks like it's time to revise the anthem and get rid of the "land of the free" part.

Oh, another prediction! Like his prediction that by end of last month, "Zelensky would be red mist or captured". How'd that turn out, I wonder?

Is that like using “woke?” Wendy P.

But it's understandable, right? After all, their parents were taught that hiding under a school desk was useful during a nuclear attack. To your larger point, the problem is the illusion that these things are manageable as a matter of societal policy that promotes more personal protection over mitigating the risk. We do not need bullet proof school back packs or school bus windows, we need bullet proof policies that promote an ethos that guns are the problem. We do not need to vilify guns; we need to not glorify guns. Perhaps, following the lead of cigarettes advertising, the box should have pictures of shooting victims not smiling hunters. True or not, we've allowed ourselves to be trained that cars aren't the problem, speeding in school zones is the problem. As far as I know there is no mention of either in the Constitution but we've worked that out reasonably. We can do the same with guns if the never give an inch crowd could just see giving an inch before it's their kid.

We survived 9/11, The Challenger, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, 2008, Skysurfers, and too many other national stress tests; we'll survive whatever chaos the Maga Maniacs, our 2nd Amendment mental inmates, and our unrestorable deplorables cause when Trumps indictments start rolling in. Civil unrest is not civil war. Me, I'm looking forward to watching as each and every cocked hat, cockamamy militia moron who thinks his perfectly, and stupidly, accessorized AR-15 is good for anything more than killing innocent bystanders, learns the hard way that they are just jerks with ridiculous penis extensions and not part of a well regulated militia when the National Guard disarms them and puts their stupid asses face first on the ground. Just because bad things will happen, store windows might be broken, and nice dogs will be kicked, does not mean we should continue giving in to our fears. That is to say bring it on. Like unruly kids what they all need is a good and thoroughly embarrassing ass whooping. The bottom line, my Liberal compatriots, is that now is an especially auspicious time to restrain our delicate sensibilities. Let the National healing begin. This Liberal, and very progressive, message of hope is brought to you from the People's Republic of Joe.

I've been pondering where to post a couple things, and this seems to be as good a place as any. Reports about the protests in NY seem to indicate they are quite small. I would guess there are a few reasons for this. 1 - All the dumbasses that claimed the Jan 6 insurrection attempt violence was because of 'Antifa & FBI informants' are worried that all those 'agent provocateurs' will cause another riot and they'll get arrested for it. MTG herself has publicly claimed this. 2 - There have been something like 1000 people indicted from the Jan 6 insurrection attempt. Something like half have pled guilty, 50 or so have been convicted. NOBODY has been completely acquitted. Everyone that has had their case progress far enough has pled or been found guilty of something. The Justice Dept is saying that another 1000 or so are going to be charged in the near future. Crowdsourcing the identification of the criminals has proven to be quite successful. I'm curious how many hardcore Trumpers are left. 3 - Despite all of his 'faithful' putting their lives & freedom on the line for him, Trump has (predictably) done NOTHING for anyone involved. Other than beg money from them. Also, Trump & DeSantis are going at each other, again predictably. If Trump is indicted in New York and is still in Florida, he can fight extradition. Florida law allows the governor to intervene in a contested extradition, but DeSantis has said he won't interfere. So Trump accused him of sexually assaulting a teenaged boy. The fun part about that is that if DeSantis interferes in the extradition, he will lose a LOT of support for his Presidential bid. If he doesn't help Trump, he'll lose the Trumpers. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Couldn't happen to a nicer piece of shit. Last, a lot of Rs are being very loud about the Manhattan DA and his pursuit of this case. There are congresscritters who want to 'investigate' to see if any federal funds were used in the case (it's a state/county office, no federal funds). There's been pushback from a few, asking why congress is trying to interfere in a state investigation. Last, there have been a few MAGA morons going online and posting various threats of violence towards any cops wanting to arrest Trump. Of creating a 'wall' of 'armed patriots' around Mar-A-Lago to keep the cops out. Of shooting down police helicopters if they try to go in that way. That would be hilarious. I've seen it asked "how many of those idiots have 'back the blue' stickers on their cars. All in all, this is fucking ridiculous.

Hi folks, Maybe the worm has turned: MAGA protesters in Manhattan crowded out by anti-Trump rivals - POLITICO When they were leading Louis XVI to the guillotine and he heard the cheering, he was convinced his supporters would never let him be executed. He then realized that they were cheering for his demise. Jerry Baumchen

What a crap piece of advice. Please tell the kid you were joking.

I believe that's considered to be a feature, not a problem. Edit to add: Note that I think it's a problem. If you're scaring the police, how are you supporting them? Wendy P.

Are you asking for a good expert in CRT? I'd say Gary Peller of Georgetown. Or are you just stoned, and everything seems like Morse code to you? In that case, toke up!

The lunacy is strong with this one, grasshopper...

Until we see this confirmed by someone other than Trump, I will assume this is just another grift to get more contributions to "fight the witch hunt".

I smoked my last bowl over 45 years ago. I think it took maybe a week before I realized how impossibly boring hard stoners can be. It's not complete and utter bullshit, it's complete and utter brain fog.

Republicans seem to be saying "WOKE" with such glee.....like they had been given permission to say the N-word without consequences.

Also, don't forget about all the political ads, particularly by the right wing 'influence groups' that scream "THE LIBERALS ARE ALLOWING CRIMINALS TO DESTROY YOUR CITIES AND THE LIBERAL JUDGES LET THEM GO FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!" in the ads.

There is no reason to get pissed off, generally, the sane understand the problem: the glorification of guns in America. Guy's like Brent with his silly non-points, like posting a picture of AR-15's and Ammo and observing that they don't auto load and kill kids, are the problem. The Second Amendment isn't the problem, either. Again, it's where we are at culturally. The First Amendment is not perfectly worded either but no one is claiming that screaming fire in a theater is protected speech. No. Our American gun problem is caused by our media, mostly, which preys on some people's selfishness and ignorance. If you believe the world is inherently dangerous then you likely think being armed is critical to survival. If you think the world is mostly a decent place to live if you just avoid some dangerous spots then you probably think it's dumb to carry a gun. In either case, you ought to scrutinize why you think the world is as you believe it is when so many others see it differently. And then honestly test your view.

You forgot "[email protected]@K".

You insensitive clod! Have you ever considered that rabbit hole might be his safe space?

It's a wonder the R party can even keep the lights on with the poverty they face due to all the cash going to the other team.

For many conservatives it is quite simple:

Why is that? I thought it was recently sold

If daddy murdered all the dealers, where would Jr get his coke from?

Nonsense. The Professor was being pedantic, probably overly irritated to learn from the casually intelligent that, even when it's Flight of the Phoenix grade toy airplanes, taxation from a distance is a real thing.

I have never posted much about my relationship with Wayne. Sluggo, as he called himself (it was a joke) was a private person in his personal life. He had a strong technical-academic background with a number of technical interests he spent his lifetime developing. He was an employee in the nuclear-security industry with years of training and experience behind him. He was a private pilot. He also had a deep interest in paleontology and had visited the SUI-ISU field museums to get to know their collections, where he met some of the museum staff members in Iowa. Sluggo was interested in Tom Kaye's appointment and work. The Cooper case was just one small aspect of Wayne's total life and interests. He was totally devoted to his wife and they were a successful team. Wayne's flight comms 'timeline' and his map collection remain unique contributions in the Cooper case. Wayne was especially proud of his interview of Ralph HImmelsbach! Wayne was able to arrange meetings with Jo Weber during which Jo allowed Wayne to review her boxes of 'Cooper notes', from the thousands of people Jo had talked to by telephone, during her Cooper involvement. Wayne had integrity. Wayne was unique - there is no doubt about that! I miss Wayne and his contributions. Way[email protected] was a reliable trustworthy person you could count on; based on my long experience with him which was tested a number of times. ! I miss Wayne.

I'll leave it up to you guys to determine what ought or ought not to be done with that rig. But if it were to be tested for DNA, a couple other places to test would be the underside of the shoulder part of the harness, as that is the most apparent and common way of picking it up, and also the pin protector flap on the back of the backpack. Along the edges of that, especially where those five snaps are that hold it closed. If Cooper knew enough to do a full pin check on it, he would have opened and reclosed that. All of these areas would also have been touched by the rigger that did the two repacks after Hayden got it back.

There is no good reason to examine that chute.. 99.9% probability it matches its packing card. It doesn't advance the case in any way. There is a reason to try for Cooper's DNA on the card and pocket and there wouldn't be many people sticking their hands in the pocket. I bet Cooper's DNA is on the inside edge of the pocket. Examining the chute is entirely irrelevant for this case and may jeopardize potential DNA, the only value that rig has is the potential DNA.. My priority is to solve the case, what is yours..

Too bad it could not have been on the ides of March.

Several years ago doing my biennial flight review, the instructor asked for a short field landing. There was a lot of wind blowing straight down the runway. I was flying a 1959 Cessna 172. I dragged it in with power and touched down on the edge of the pavement and stood on the brakes and stopped before the numbers less than 100 feet. I asked the instructor if that was short enough and he just laughed.

Remember the old joke about the not-so-bright pilot on final: "Damn that runway is short! But look how wide it is!!!" I was at one of Mike Mullins Helio Stallion boogies ($99 for all the jumps you can make). Winds were howling well above any reasonable jumping weather. But he was dumb enough to keep flying loads, and we were dumb enough to keep jumping. He stopped landing aligned with the runway, and started landing across it. I remember one particular landing where his roll out was about 3-6 feet.

Brent's idea of trickle down:

Well, you are certainly not paying your fair share!

No.

All good points, Joe. The above portion resonates with me. IMO, we lost this battle when we settled for teaching children how to be sheep in active shooter drills.

As is the stupidity of the MAGA morons.

I'm glad I was able to remember my log-in! Thank you for flirting with me, all the way back in 2006. Have we ever paid Sangiro for his pimp fee? You had me at hello. Some of the best times of my life were with you in the sky, I miss it! I love you! Hi to anyone who remembers me!!

That post is almost 20 years old; the Cypres being spoken of there is out of date and has been replaced by the Cypres 2 Wendy P.

I’ve been a fan of The Sheepdogs since 2013: I liked their sound and the fact that they were a bunch of Saskatchewan farm boys. Since their early days, they’ve refined their sound a lot and I can’t overstate how much I dig these guys. They’ve made a lot of great albums and some awesome videos over the years and ‘Keep On Loving You’ isn’t the most representative of their music in general, but the video is one of my favorites. I actually had it in my head to ask the band if I ever had a chance to talk to them, was this a video they made around a song, or was the song written around the idea for the video. I ran into Shamus at a concert of theirs a few months ago and just ended up fan-boying out on him and forgot to ask.

FitzBoogie.com

So I watched the video. Quick summary - Guy goes to pick up an antique car on a trailer with his electric truck. He is 100% successful and gets the antique car back to his place safe and sound. But the truck lost range faster than he expected. So a successful pickup of an antique car is a "TOTAL DISASTER." (Note all-caps.) I bet that success ruined his weekend too. Thanks for another example of the ridiculous hyperbole of the right wing.

Based on about 5-8 jumps on a Storm 170. Previous experience about 200 jumps on a Sabre 1 - 190 and about 5-8 on a Sabre 2- 170. I tried both the Sabre 2 and the Storm the same week. Conditions ranged from windy and turbulent to calm with no wind. My windloading was perfect as the storm cut through thermals and turbulence beautifully (the main reason I was downsizing). Turns were very crisp with no hesitation, perhaps not as forgiving for a student but it really followed my input. Flat turns were, well, flat. I didn't try a full brake turn, half brake turns were very quick! Front risers in general were tough to pull with lots of pressure in both level and turns. Not too difficult, just tough. Rear risers were sweet for slowing, flaring or turns. Full speed straight and level flight semmed faster than the Sabre 2 and much steeper. Partial brakes leveled out the canopy and really offered comparable (Sabre 2) glide distance. A long spot would have you in partial brakes a long time but brake pressure was not unreasonable and glide was much shallower. Slow flight somewhere around half brakes was not mushy but maintained good cell pressure and felt fully controlled. Openings were actually faster than I expected but without the shaking and sometimes whomping I get from the Sabre 1. Openings seemed to be on heading for both my packjobs and packs by the pros...No tendency for end-cell closure which I did see on the Sabre 2 (to be fair, it didn't affect the openings on the Sabre 2 anyways). What did affect openings was body position, any reasonable change in the harness as the canopy was inflating affected heading. I like this as you can actually steer the thing as it's opening. Unstowing the brakes/collapsing the slider! What a suprise, reaching up for the toggles/collapse cords has to be done at the same time otherwise I was able to turn the canopy easily just by shifting body position. My Sabre 1 has a single cord to collapse the slider so I reach up with one hand while steering with both toggles in the other. Bad habit! On the Storm I had to collapse the slider with two hands then unstow the brakes. There is so much extra brake line stowed that the canopy really picks up speed as you release the brakes. I'd hate to inadvertently release one brake early! Not bad, just different. Now for the amazing part. FLARE!!! I flared early, I flared late, I flared twice, I think I even forgot to flare until it was too late. I swear this canopy actually went upwards when I pulled my stoppin ropes! The steep approach took some getting used to but once you decide to brake, there is so much energy left in the canopy to flare, it does just that. Flare slowly from too high, it keeps flying. Flare hard from too low, it keeps flying. Flare too high, goof and let up, pull again lower, it keeps flying. Even on no wind landings and higher wingloading (for me) the Storm levels out beautifully during flare, holds for a second or two, and let me down gently (all but one time, but that was my fault, and the grass stains are coming out just fine thanks.) My overall impression is that the Sabre 2-170 is a sweet stable canopy. The Storm-170 is a sports car that even I can handle! Last year my instructors suggested that I downsize to the Sabre 2. I don't think they had tried the Storm when they made that recommendation.