wolfriverjoe

I'm more optimistic than you. Your nation is not actually changing. The current situation is just shining a light into some of the dark corners of the closet. America is still great and the Trump era is going to end with a strong showing of that greatness. Those who are riding on his coattails are going to regret it soon enough. ^This. We had the illusion that we had come a long way towards an actually equal society for women and minorities. The reality was that racism and misogyny were still very common and popular. When Obama was elected, it seemed that we had seen the "beginning of the end" of that sort of garbage. The reality was that all of the "closet" racists and bigots were outraged and started to show their true colors. The "birther" crap, the "secret muslim" crap, the 'communist influenced" crap, the "We will oppose any legislation that Obama proposes" made it pretty clear that the biggest thing they didn't like was the color of his skin. Many of those people wouldn't even admit their racism even to themselves, pretending that they were questioning his qualifications. Yet they supported Trump, who is clearly incompetent and pretty clearly a con man. Trumps rise to prominence was facilitated in large part by all of these racists and bigots "crawling out from under their rocks" and supporting his "Muslim ban", "Mexicans are rapists" comments, and all the other shit he spewed. Women's issues are strikingly similar. Despite all the advances, the "Me Too" movement has clearly shown that there are still a lot of men who abuse their power for sexual gratification. Politicians, celebrities, business moguls, the entire spectrum. The positive side of this is the fact that the "light is being shone" upon all of this. It's no longer a secret. It's no longer acceptable. Many people who stood on the sidelines are taking a stand. The elections in VA and AL are potentially predictors of what will be coming. How many people were so disgusted by the choices in 2016 that they didn't vote? How many of those now regret those choices and will vote against the racist, bigotend and misogynistic party this time? "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

Yup. Kinda funny that Ron (and so many, many others) were/are against Obama because of his "communist influences", yet support Trump. They deliberately ignore the fact that Manafort and Flynn are both Russian agents and that the Trump campaign almost certainly worked with Russia. The info that Trump likely was laundering money for the Russian mob is also largely ignored. "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

For sure. But every story like this just proves the party of family values Is anything but..and may just swing people on the fence away from the party We can only hope. Personally, I will never vote for a Republican ever again. And until recent years, when I've voted for a lot of 3rd party candidates, I've almost always voted "R" for national office elections. I wasn't "on the fence", and I'm done with them. "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

You would think so. (editorial "you", not directed at you personally) I would certainly like to think so. But, unfortunately, the "true believers" will think that this is "fake news" and continue to support these idiots. "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 crazy! They've just taken away a good portion of every home's secure area in which to store things that homeowners don't want to, or can't store inside the home, and still may be stolen. And things like this are why I dislike HOAs on principle, and why I don't live in a neighborhood that has one. Well, if you read the details, the "garages" were originally open car ports. People installed garage doors on them and now homeless people are staying in them. Garage doors are no longer allowed to be installed, but some are doing it without permission. So they come up with the stupid rule. That has apparently been rescinded. I agree with the part about the HOAs and their power abuses, though. I would very likely never buy a house with 'restrictive covenants' on the deed and a HOA. "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

Yup. We're used to you doing it. "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

Along those lines, at SDC Summerfest a couple years back, 2 very attractive young women were hanging out near me. One came up to the other, and excitedly announced that 2 guys had invited them to do a wingsuit rodeo. The second was more experienced, and said something to the effect of "Go back and ask those guys how many jumps they have, how many wingsuit jumps and how many wingsuit rodeos. If they haven't done a lot of jumps, I'm not going to ride on their backs." She had obviously learned that guys can do some really stupid things when trying to impress pretty girls. I laughed and told her that I was impressed that she was being smart about it. "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, expecting him to face the consequences (especially negative ones) of his decisions is silly, now isn't is? "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 agree 1000%. The problem with Trump winning last November is that suddenly everyone thinks they're qualified to be Commander in Chief. That they'd be slightly better than the current imbecile isn't really an endorsement - he sets the bar pretty low. IMO Oprah is in absolutely no way qualified for the position and would likely be as much a disaster as Trump is. I won't vote for her. I think Oprah would be a lot more willing and able to see her own shortcomings. I think she would be smart enough to find advisers who are experienced and knowledgeable. I don't know if I would vote for her, but I would certainly vote for her if she was running against Trump. And, it's absolutely appalling to see some of the reaction from Trump supporters towards her. Same racist, sexist, hateful bullshit. Not surprising, but pretty sad. "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

While I fully agree that "man will adjust", to think that it won't affect us is not accurate. If the temp goes up, large areas that are full of people will become uninhabitable. Large areas that produce huge amounts of food will become barren. If the ocean ecosystem collapses, all the people that depend on ocean fish will have to find another source of food, when other sources of food are also suffering severe shortfalls. The end result will be famine that makes Africa in the 80s look like a picnic. How will Pakistan react when a billion Indians decide to move north? How will the US react when millions of Mexicans move north? How will Canada react when millions of US folks move north? All in all it will be a huge shit show. "Man" will survive, but hundreds of millions (maybe even in the billions) of people will not. "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 really an "either/or" proposition. First, off, yes. The US can influence the rest of the world as far as climate change goes. Supporting renewable and less polluting energy sources, instead of coal and oil, supporting recycling instead of shipping our trash overseas, putting our incredible R&D resources into reducing energy use overall, the list goes on and on. But, we have a "leader" with the emotional development of a 5 year old, who is determined to "bring back the coal industry", when everyone else (including the coal industry) realizes that it is inevitable that it decline. We have a party in control that is determined to "prove" that AGW isn't real. Second the earth does go through natural climate changes. It has done so for billions of years (not just 6,000). But the changes we are seeing today (and have seen for the past 50 - 100 years) are unlike any ever seen before. At least not during the time of man. Maybe when the meteor that took out the dinosaurs hit, there was a climate event more drastic and sudden, but that's really about it. We are seeing changes that would take thousands of years happening in decades. And there's solid evidence that man is at fault. "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 hope she is a nominee. That would guarantee four more years for Trump. No, silly. Presidents can pardon or commute prison sentences. They can't arbitrarily increase them "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. Not at all. Most jumpers jump until they are 'done with it' and then move on. There are all sorts of reasons for quitting, everyone has their own limit. BUT... Anyone jumping for any length of time knows someone who got killed. And more who got injured. It certainly isn't "sport death", but there are risks. To ignore those risks, to think "it can't happen to me" is stupid. And frighteningly common. Lots of newer jumpers quit after an injury, a near miss or seeing someone else get injured or killed. They say something along the lines of "I heard everyone saying you can get hurt or killed doing this, but I didn't really think it could happen to me. I'm done." You can also get killed driving to or from work in your car. Less likely, but it still happens thousands of times per year. Having life/health/disability insurance, along with your "affairs in order" is simple preparedness. "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, yes. You are putting your "wants" in front of your family. You would be putting yourself at risk "for the fun of it". Exactly how much risk had been debated to death, but it's significantly more than driving to the DZ, despite what some people say. There are things you can do (or "can't do"), choices you can make, various ways to reduce the risk. Have both an AAD and an RSL or MARD. Jump a reasonably large canopy, don't swoop, don't jump with sketchy people or do sketchy jumps. Those will lower the risk significantly. Do you have life insurance that will cover jumping? Do you have disability insurance that will cover jumping? Life is out there, with some restrictions. Disability is a harder and more expensive issue. But making sure your family will not suffer if something goes wrong is a good idea. What do they think of the idea? Your spouse & kids. I think they should get some sort of say in the matter. Not your parents, your spouse's parents, friends, coworkers, ect. They will all think you're nuts. "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

Yes, you should be able to jump again* Lots of people have had shoulder injuries, surgeries or just "issues" and have continued or resumed jumping. I know one girl who has dislocated her shoulder often enough that she can reset it herself, in the air (really). When that happened, she knew she had to not do it again right away, so she sat down (last day of the boogie). Do all your PT, wait until it's as healed as it's going to be, be careful. This is not a new or unusual question, more specific answers can be found by searching out previous threads on the subject. *Note: I am not a doctor. I didn't even sleep in a Holiday Inn last night. And even a "real" doctor wouldn't be willing to give a diagnosis over the internet with the info you provided. So discuss this with your doc before doing anything. "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

In this case I have to give the police benefit of the doubt. They were operating on jnfo from a 911 call that appeared to be from that area. As far as the discharge that caused the fatality, I haven't seen video so I can't comment. I have seen tapes where people were shot in there front yards hands held high and empty when the official reports mention threats and knives. No. They shot and killed an unarmed man. Who was doing nothing wrong. Standing on his own front porch, being confronted by the police for no reason that he knew of. I understand the cop mentality that they are responding to a call with a report of a man who has already shot someone. But they really have to end the 'comply or die' mentality that is getting a lot of innocent and unarmed people shot. And, referencing a post a couple up, this wouldn't be 2nd degree murder. That would require "intent to kill". 2nd is also rarely a capital offense. Possibly reckless or negligent manslaughter. 'Reckless' is knew it could or would be fatal, 'Negligent' is should have known that is could or would be fatal. I don't know what charges are going to be filed, but I hope they are rather severe. "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

Isn't that what the entire protest is about? "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

Check around about skydiving and scuba during the same time frames. It may be fine now, I really don't know but when I started they warned us against it. Be sure to check with the DZO or instructors first. And have fun. Go up first, then go down (sky then water). Doing it the other way has the potential of developing the bends in the plane. "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

Actually, I'm against the DP on general principles, mainly the faults of the criminal justice system (for example, the Innocence Project got more people off of Illinois' death row than were executed for a number of years). I'd like to see significant fines, serious time behind bars and lifetime bans on any animal possession for those convicted of animal abuse. I'd also like to see a lot more accountability on the part of the owners. For owners that allow their animals to run loose, for any repeated attacks, or any deaths. To see an owner get charged and convicted of negligent homicide (or "party to") in a dog attack death would be justice, at least to me. "Gladiator Sports" have always been popular. They are exciting. I watched the Mayweather/MacGregor fight last fall. Not a whole lot of difference between that and a dog fight or a cock fight. The two big differences (all the difference in the world, IMO) are that people enter the ring knowing what they are facing and consenting to it. Dogs and chickens don't have that choice. "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 funny. While looking for stats on this, I found the same Wiki page you linked in a later post. Look at the 70s and 80s. Look at how many Pit Bulls. Look at how many German Shepherds (and other dogs). The idea that the lack of media reports correlates in any way with a lack of attacks is rather disingenuous. These days, any report of an attack makes the internet. The "anti" groups latch on to it and spread it all over. That didn't happen 25 years ago. Back then, the incident you linked in the OP never would have made news beyond local or regional. "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'm gonna go with "Hub", maybe "integral hub", since it seems to be cast as one piece along with the wheel. "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

Yes. History is full of groups that actually believed their own propaganda. Most of them lost. "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, I think the Rs and the "Trumpettes" are starting to get seriously worried. They are getting a bit desperate too. So they are attacking Mueller and his team with anything they can think of. The one investigator who was removed for Tweeting stuff against Trump is a good example. Despite a potential issue with bias, anything that particular investigator uncovered would still have had to "pass muster" with both Mueller and survive any challenges from the Trump team defense counsel. But the "Trumpettes" are still going to try to convince people that the investigation is "doomed." I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that? "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'd never harm an animal, but I'm just not a "dog person". It may sound harsh, but if you've got a dog that's gone a bit mad; have it put down. When all children and vulnerable persons have been attended to, then we can spend time with cats/dogs. I live the global capital of dog lovers (the UK is dog crazy), but I find it odd that "dog people" just don't get that not everyone are in love with dogs. First off, please define "Go a bit mad." I doubt you are talking about the classic definition of "Mad Dog" (rabid). Neurological issues? Most likely need to be euthanized. Behavioral issues? May (or may not) respond to rehabilitation. And why should "people come first"? To be honest, I like most dogs more than I like most people. To insist that "all vulnerable persons" be attended to first is your priority. Others have different priorities. I fully understand that not all people love dogs. But some do. Well, the abuse of dogs (and people and just about everything else) is simply the reality of the world. Bad people do bad things. I can't fix or change that, I can simply try to make my little corner of the world a better place. And do what I can to not make it worse. And no, I don't think that Pit Bulls react differently. But because of their size and power, they can do more damage. True of any larger breed. I knew a Dachshund that was a miniature terror. Never properly trained or socialized, and abused by ignorant children (didn't mean to be mean, but didn't know how to treat a dog). Her hip (the dog's) had been dislocated by one of the kids when the kid grabbed the dog by the back leg to keep it from getting away. It was never recognized or diagnosed or treated. She began to bite the kid (not terribly surprising or unreasonable) and was going to be put down. A friend took her in as a second dachshund (already had one) and spent a lot of time and energy working with her to socialize and basically get her to "mellow out". She had to be taught to trust people again. She was still very willful, and my friend had to stay on top of the training to keep her from "backsliding", but she gave the dog several more very good years. Her hip finally deteriorated to the point that she couldn't move her back legs and she had to be put down, but she was a pretty decent and friendly little dog after the rehab. "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

Yeah, it's not just Appalachia. It's everywhere. But that has very little to do with the dog (or the dog breed). It's owner stupidity. I used to walk my little Yorkie every day. There were "more than a few" idiots who had no problem letting their dogs run loose and menace my dog, yet had big problems when I defended myself and my dog. After a repeated incident with one particular person (dog was a Border Collie), I went to the cop shop and had a conversation with a Sergeant. The cops in my town are not terribly busy and are willing to respond to "dog at large" calls. Their philosophy is that they want to know if there is a "bad owner". So if there was a loose dog and an idiot owner, I called them. It happened several times. If I had to defend myself (with a solid kick or pepper spray), the owners would get indignant. I would simply ask "do you want to discuss this with the cops?" The idiot owners were very surprised when the cop arriving on scene looked at them and asked "why wasn't your dog secured?" I'd like (love) to see 'owner licensing' requirements. For any dog. Minimum training and understanding of laws and proper care. The local Humane Association offers classes for a minimal charge. Strongly suggested for folks adopting a dog and I think they require it for first time dog adopters (included with the adoption fee IIRC). Pit Bulls aren't any worse (or any better) than any other large dog breed. It was Dobermans in the 80s, and German Shepherds in the 70s. "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