Guard Dog

In other news gun manufactuer stocks are down 5% since Trump took office. Now that the fear of draconian gun control has been lifted folks are not racing out to arm themselves... more than they were before 2008 anyway. I was far less worried about that kind of thing after the Republicans took over the House in 2010. And Hillary losing is a big win because any justice she seated would likely have been amenable to reversing the Heller decision.

Irony... definitely my favorite form of humor!

Any excuse for a party

I'd recommend Animal Farm for you.I read it. And 1984. Don't worry But I have a deal... I reread animal farm, you (re?)read homage to Catalonia, and we talk about it? Your terms are acceptable sir! Give me a day or two. I'm in the middle of two books now.

I'd recommend Animal Farm for you.

Yet another example of a good time ruined by pansy little snowflake SJWs: http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/03/02/stormtrooper-costume-nixed-for-ivy-league-schools-star-wars-themed-class-reunion-because-nazis/ The gist of it is Princeton, class of '12 wanted to have a Star Wars themed class reunion. Well, some of the poor little darlings objected because the Storm Troopers were reminiscent of the Nazis (actual Nazis, you know... Germany 1930's & '40's not the made up kind like anyone the left currently dislikes). So the reunion committee actually felt the need to apologize of this whole thing and another party has had all the fun stomped out of it. But this like is just priceless: While the “clone army of the Republic was made up of soldiers created for the sole purpose of service,” Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo said “stormtroopers are men and women like you and me. They volunteer.” The movie site added that the Empire finds “better uniformity in fervent patriots who volunteer for service.” That may be so but I think it's fair to say marksmanship suffered from that decision.

I'd like this twice if I could

It's 96 million Americans not in the work force. To make that number you need to add retirees, children, etc. Now, the Obama admin did some dirty math with this kind of thing too. Once your unemployment benefits ran out you no longer counted as unemployed. You became an un-person as far as Barack Obama was concerned. That was how he got to say the unemployment rate was whatever is was while so many Americans were not working. Of that 96 million there are many (multiple millions) who are able to work and want to but are lacking opportunity. Many of that number are employed doing something "off the books" as far as the IRS goes, working for cash or kind. To say there are 96 million Americans not working might be true, but it's misleading. Just as it was when the Obama admin touted their "lowest unemployment in 20 years" BS. How do you tell when a politician is lying? Whenever sound comes out of their mouth.

What we reall need is a special police force to hunt down illegal replicants. I've even got a cool name for them in mind.

Just what I was going to say. Do you actually know enough about the Constitution to know that Trump violated it? And no, the ninth circus doesn't know any more than you do. Actually the 9th Circuit didn't say he violated anything. They just said the Plaintiff has a case.

Ben shoots... and scores. And by the way, it wasn't just the 2nd Amendment Obama didn't like. He regularly ignored Article I & II, the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th (at least in my opinion), 10th, & 14th amendments. And of course Congress (with some notable exceptions like Rand Paul) rolled over and let him get away with it. And they appear to be doing it again.

Just sayin'

if you don't like the now, then change it. is only bad 'cause we let it be bad. patriot act were voted overwhelming bipartisan. the ordinance preventing your little girl lemonade stand? weren't a demagogue who implemented. is nothing preventing you from getting changed. you are part of heavy handed government, so fix it. and yeah, val's argument sucked. we got far more functional freedom today than 100 or even 50 years ago. has government become too protective and invasive in specific situations? sure it has, and we rail 'gainst such, but use patently wrong and utter ridiculous appeals to the past is not gonna help. just realize it is the saame democracy we spoke o' earlier which makes it possible for government to do stoopid stuff such as patriot acts and little girl lemonade stand prohibitions. such democracy is also available to you if you wanna change. fix the problems. we made the problems. now fix. HA! Good Fun! Changing it is EXACTLY why we discuss politics on boards like this. And I daresay it does have some small effect. 10 years ago as far as I remember I was the ONLY one on this board making Libertarian arguments. With the occasional exception of everyone's favorite lawyer from California, particularly where speech is concerned. Today there are quite a few folks who, if not all the way on board are at least considering the merits of the libertarian philosophy. I'd call that a win. The whole point of a discussion isn't to convince someone you are right, it's to make them at least think about your argument. And it's worked on me too. I've had m opinions changed by things folks on this board have argued to me. Once by Enoch no less and he and I couldn't even agree if rain was wet. Other than talking to people the only other options are voting and I've never failed to do that... at least not in November. I may have sat out some special elections though. And run for office. No way in hell am I doing THAT again.

The San Francisco Giants have paid off AT&T Stadium: http://ballparkdigest.com/2017/02/23/att-park-paid-off/ Josh Hamilton needs knee surgery.... again. Enough is enough Josh: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/mlb/texas-rangers/article135086139.html He's back: http://nypost.com/2017/02/26/the-tim-tebow-show-hits-mets-camp/

Most of you might be too young to remember Judge Joe Wapner from the People's Court TV show in the '80s but he passed away today at the age of 97. Wow. He was the first "TV court" judge. There have been many since of varying degrees of seriousness & success. http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/%E2%80%98people%E2%80%99s-court%E2%80%99-judge-joseph-wapner-dead-at-97/ar-AAnsFUQ?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp Bill Paxton though... way too young.

Don't know about that. Look up Harry Reid, Robert Byrd, and Jim McDermott. More than once they left us wondering who was tying their shoes.

This: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/franchise-hockey-manager/

I bought Franchise Hockey Manager 3 on Thursday. Great game. It has swallowed my whole weekend.

Rep. Trent Franks, Reoublican from Arizona defended the border wall and the Trump admins renewed enforcement of marijuana laws by saying we was concerned a nuclear bomb could be smuggled across the border disguised as marijuana. He actually said that. Yes, I'm serious: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/320663-gop-rep-warns-of-nukes-in-marijuana-bales So, lets think about that for a moment. If we grew our own weed rather than smuggle it in would that be ok? You know the biggest problem with government? It is completely managed by idiots. And you guys think I'm crazy for wanting to severly limit the power people like Trent Franks has access to?

GD what would you say are worse nowadays or what do you think is getting worse? Bruce this deserves a longer response that I have time for. Have to go to work and I'm a little hung over.

I'm not arguing Val's points. He can do that himself. I just said because things are better now in many ways than they used to be does not mean they are not getting worse right now. Grom undercut Val's argument on the details. I'm just pointing out that despite being factually incorrect as far as dates and history go there is still a valid point here. The needle on the authoritarian vs liberty meter is on the wrong side of the median. EDIT: because things are better now in many ways than they used to be does not mean they are not getting worse right now : Oh man, that sentence. You can tell by this time last night was more than a little in my bourbon bottle. It makes my head hurt just reading that line. But it's funny so I'll leave it alone.

It's ironic that you point out Wounded Knee when I would say that is a perfect example of heavy handed government needing it's fangs pulled. And as you already know I'm firmly on the side of the plaintiffs in both the Loving and Obgerfell cases. I think you and I were having two different conversations. You are pointing at the past and trying to tell me how much better things are now. I'm pointing at now and trying to tell you how much worse they are than they should be.

Yes Gromnir, humans are awful SOBs who, even here in these supposedly enlightened shores, have often fallen short of honoring the kinship between all of us. And yes absolute liberty is anarchy, something no one is asking for. I'll trot out one of my favorite James Madison quotes here: "What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." And yes Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on the lunch menu. To quote Madison again "There is no maxim, in my opinion, which is more liable to be misapplied, and which, therefore, more needs elucidation, than the current one, that the interest of the majority is the political standard of right and wrong." As you pointed out that is why we don't live in a democracy. All that said I don't think it's at all a stretch to wonder if we have passed Socrates "fair and glorious beginning out of which spring tyranny" when you can go to jail for massaging a horse or the police shut down a child's neighborhood lemonade stand. We ARE becoming far less free by the very minute and it horrifies me to see the acquiescence to it because the Executive or Legislatures measuring everyone for chains is on "their team". Undercutting Val's entire argument because things used to be worse in many ways misses the point he was making. Like I said repeatedly in the months before November. If you continue to choose the lesser of two evils all you get is evil. In every election there are names on the ballot that believe in a balance between liberty and the power of the Government and names that don't. 129 million Americans voted for a name that didn't.

Nah.... only some have given up their freedoms. The rest of us have been kicking and screaming all while being told we're the crazy ones by folks gullible enough to believe the pure BS they're fed in the bought and paid for media and by bought and paid for politicians.... The folks that pull the strings on the government are evil mofos, more evil than you and most give them credit for, and far smarter than you and most give them credit for. And those are the two primary reasons they get away with what they get away with. But hey... I'm just a whacky conspiracy theorist guy. A cynic even (apparently). Here's a truth: The U.S. is far less free than it was 100 years ago, and far less secure as well. The same could be said for 50 years ago, or 20 years ago as well. That is not an accident. Can you wrap your head around it and explain it? The U.S. is not a free nation. Relative to the rest of the world? Sure. But that's one hell of a horrible comparison. Relative to itself once upon a time it's become a tyrannically Marxist state with oodles of fascism through and through. 'None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.' You're cynical because here you are quoting Goethe, correctly identifying the worst ills of our age, creeping authoritarianism and the public's willing acceptance of it, all while rejecting the very people who agree with you as being "more of the same". For the record I don't disagree with anything you said. Unfortunately, with the possible exception of the Goresuch nomination, the election of Trump has done nothing to slow that down.

Now reading House to House by David Bellavia. It's a memoir of building by building fighting in Fallujah in 2004. I remember going through urban combat training when I was in the service. We called in MOUT training. I remember thinking how difficult and terrifying it would be to do it for real. From this first hand account, it is. Also reading Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time ​by Dava Sobel. It's the story of John Harrison and the invention of the first Marine Chronometer which finally allowed ships at sea to fix longitude. It's actually amazing that nearly 300 years of global maritime travel took place with no certain fix of a ships east-west position. I actually started this one a long time ago and never finished it.