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Guard Dog

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Posts posted by Guard Dog

    Baseball 2017

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    "The one constant through all the years has been Baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, then erased again. But Baseball has marked the time. This game, this field, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that was once good. And could be again"

     

     

    The camps are open. Pitchers and Catchers report by Friday. The first full club games begin next week. The World Baseball Classic starts in three weeks. It might be cold in Memphis but in Florida & Arizona spring has arrived. It's time to talk hardball.

     

    Tired of politics? Tired of international conflicts? Tired of bad news? You'll find none of that here. Baseball asks for nothing other than your time and attention. And rewards as much of that as you'll freely give with drama, excitement, and a diversion that, for the next 256 days (give or take), will be on and new every single day. Sitting in the stands, watching on TV, listening on the radio or internet, or even checking the previous nights box scores you are participating in a truly American tradition going back to the 1870's. As Casey Stengel once said "every game is an entire season". It's all new every day. And on April 2, everyone is a contender. When that first pitch i thrown there is no past, only future. 

     

    To start things off Congrats to the Brisbane Bandits who won the Australian Baseball Leagues Championship (and 2nd coolest trophy in sports after the Stanley Cup; The Claxton Shield) for the 2nd year in a row. They have three Tampa Bay Rays prospects on the team so I was pulling for them.

     

    AE9Q1801_w7bdkygw_mkvs8vcj.jpg

     

    • Like 12

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    am gonna observe that not all media went easy on obama, and even then the clear relaxed standard lasted a bit more than the first half o' his first term.  by 2011-2012, obama were complaining 'bout the media often and loud, and many media sources were talking 'bout how the President were going to extreme lengths to thwart them.  nevertheless, the early and justified impression o' media favoritism lasted a long time.

     

    HA! Good Fun!

    It hardly started with Obama. Bill Clinton for a good part of his first term enjoyed a media love affair that overlooked things they should not have. Until they just not longer could. The "media" treatment of Bush could often be called unfair also. Dan Rather and his AWOL story come to mind. It's impossible to dismiss the notion that "they" are not observant bystanders but instead are active participants in the political arena, advancing their favored ideology. Once again they are not a single entity and even for the ones this is true it isn't true all the time.

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted · Edited by Guard Dog

    During the campaign, I often thought that the media was not critical enough of Trump. Things like basic fact-checking, calling out lies, asking back during interviews, confronting him with his own statements, calling BS what it is... all these things only gradually happened as his campaign gained more and more steam, and it's being taken seriously only now (sometimes). But that would be the actual job of the media.

    It's not that the media paints Trump in a bad light. He is.

    I think the "media" wanted Trump to be the candidate because who in their right mind expected Trump to actually defeat Clinton? If one of the other GOP candidates (aside from Cruz probably) had won the nomination then Clinton's flaws may have been her undoing even against a vanilla candidate like Kasich. With Trump it was flaws vs flaws and one might have figured actual experience would have won out. Of course that experience turned out to be a detriment. Who knew?

    • Like 1

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    I have no issue with the coverage the Trump administration has received from the "media" (as though it were a monolithic entity) so far. I agree completely with Grominir in that I wish they had been so diligent with the previous administration. They fact that they didn't and treated the Obama admin to nothing but fawning praise even when they were doing truly terrible things has ruined what credibility "they" had. People believe the news media is biased because it is. The bad thing is that does not mean what they are reporting is not true. It's usually more of an issue of tone or what isn't reported. The problem is once upon a time we could agree on what was true and what wasn't. Now truth is viewed through a political prism and the political leanings of the presenting media determine if the news consumer believes them or not. It's a hell of a thing really. But the blame for this lies squarely with the "media" (once again it's not a monolithic entity) but their decades of groupthink has created this situation. It was the greatest disservice "they" ever could have done to us. I worry what the ultimate consequences of this sin of hubris will be.

    Politics 2017 Part 3

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

     

    Actually what we really need is for people to rediscover the truth that, while interesting conversation, politics is not a matter of life or death. We are not defined as human beings by who we vote for. This outright hostility for strangers and even friends who voted for someone a person doesn't like is new and extremely unhealthy. The truth is after 8 years Barack Obama did more the course of the country to the left. But only by a matter of a few degrees. If Trump lasts 8 years any change in direction me manages will be one of degree. We are not a country built to achieve radical changes in a short time. So with that in mind is it really so important who is in the White House that we begin to hate each other over it?

     

     

    I've said before, and I stick by it, hating someone over their political preference is like hating them because the cheer for a different sports team than you. It makes no sense. One voter did not decide this election. So it's stupid to get down on someone over their vote. And anyway besides calling you Congressman there is nothing to be done about any of it until 2018. Basically, Americans who are hung up on this b------t need to get a f-----g grip and go back to enjoying their lives. I know I have.

    Is it that new? Recall people judging others by their political stances a lot in the past. Mostly people picking on liberals for being hippies but that is just the crowd I dealt with.

     

    People can be defined by what groups they back. Sports clubs is a bad comparison as that seems like an example of loyalty gone insane as for the most part people's minds follow "my club right or wrong". Also nothing wrong with hating Chelsea FC fans.

     

    Maybe it is due to excessive flaming online warping people's minds.

     

     

    It's not new but it certainly seems to be getting worse. And the sports comparison was not intended to be a comparison of fanaticism rather just a demonstration of a trivial difference to dislike someone over.

    Politics 2017 Part 3

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted · Edited by Guard Dog

    Actually what we really need is for people to rediscover the truth that, while interesting conversation, politics is not a matter of life or death. We are not defined as human beings by who we vote for. This outright hostility for strangers and even friends who voted for someone a person doesn't like is new and extremely unhealthy. The truth is after 8 years Barack Obama did more the course of the country to the left. But only by a matter of a few degrees. If Trump lasts 8 years any change in direction me manages will be one of degree. We are not a country built to achieve radical changes in a short time. So with that in mind is it really so important who is in the White House that we begin to hate each other over it?

     

     

    I've said before, and I stick by it, hating someone over their political preference is like hating them because the cheer for a different sports team than you. It makes no sense. One voter did not decide this election. So it's stupid to get down on someone over their vote. And anyway besides calling you Congressman there is nothing to be done about any of it until 2018. Basically, Americans who are hung up on this b------t need to get a f-----g grip and go back to enjoying their lives. I know I have.

    • Like 1

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    Maybe Im just oversaturated. :lol: When everything is news, then nothing is news. The press and public are so damn angry that Trump won that they are going out of their way to bag on him, or his wife, or his kids...and at least to me, they come off looking like the d-bags. Trump is going to crater all on his own, theres no need to go apes**t over everything, real or perceived. #mystruggleisreal

     

    Well, I didn't vote for him but I did prefer him to Clinton. Like I posted elsewhere, choosing between two awful choices is no choice at all. That said this immigration battle he has launched himself into, and in a ham fisted way at that, is squandering whatever good will and political capital he might have had. It's stupid. Why fight over a hill that you probably can't take and isn't worth fighting over? WoD was right in that if it was drafted in such a way as to not raise due process conflicts for green card and legal US visa holders this might not have been an issue. Although there were flaws beyond those. Now so much has been said, so much ill-will generated that there is no way out. Just continue on up the worthless hill.

     

    This is the exact danger of putting a political neophyte in high office. They don't understand the age old lessons of picking your battles.  

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    It's the court that acted unconstitutionally in this case. It's not for them to determine whether there's a security threat or not, that's the President's job. Both the Constitution and the law are crystal clear on this.

     

    No. As Gromnir intimated the only thing at issue here is if the injunction will be lifted before the whole order is litigated. The only standard the judges have to apply is if the case to overturn is likely to succeed on it's merits. In other words is there a fair chance the temporary moratorium will be overturned. They decided there was so the injunction is upheld. They did not make a decision on whether the Executive has the authority to do what it did. That will come later.

    • Like 2

    so-called court of appeals ruling

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    The Constitution constitutes more of a guideline. 

     

    You can't expect the god emperor of trumpkind to be deferent to a piece of paper. 

     

    Barack Obama ignored whenever he could and bitched about it when he couldn't. President's trying to do things they cannot do is nothing new here I'm sorry to say.

    Some general political questions

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted · Edited by Guard Dog

    1. Should, in a political discussion, the focus lie on the individual and his rights or society as a whole and its problems? A political discussion should just go where it leads. But IMO protection of individual rights is the sole purpose of a society. There is no "collective" will. Everyone should be free and that freedom ends when the next persons begins.

    Does society need a high degree of hierarchy to properly function? Yes, but it should be kept to a minimum

    Are people ultimately most divided by religion and/or culture, race, nationality or class? Whatever... dumb question. People segregate themselves.  

    Do we need to protect our culture from others or can we perhaps even benefit from them? Benefit. However when individual rights are suppressed in the name of "culture" (right to free worship for example) then it's defend time.

    Is global warming an issue we should focus on? No. I find it remarkable that the average temperature variations on Mars closely parallels the Earth and yet no one wants to do anything about it. 

    Is social inequality an issue we should focus on? No. A thousand times NO! I will allow the great Milton Freidman answer this one for me: "“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.” 

    Flat or progressive taxes? Flat. The burden of supporting a society should be borne by EVERYONE equally. And it should be kept to the smallest possible percentage.

    Big or small government? Tiny

    In our society today, the equality of genders, race and spiritual belief is not fully guaranteed" Do you agree with this statement, and should government intervene here? See may answer on #6. Stay out of everyone's business and this takes care of itself.

    Direct democracy? No.

    I respect all other opinions and belief systems, an they should be respected" do. you agree with this statement? Respected? I guess. I have no truck with anyone else's belief systems so long as they don't coerce me into it. Mostly we should just leave each other alone.

    Regarding criminals, should we focus on rehabilitation or punishment? I would say no criminal punishments for "victimless crimes". No one should go to jail because they dried out a plant and smoked it. Hiring a hooker is between the customer and service provider. Business should not be a crime. When the crime has a real victim, punishment time.

    Are we to teach our countries history in a critical or positive light towards our children? Teach history in a factual light. Leave your politics at the classroom door.

    Should religious beliefs be taught in or affect our education system? Religion should be taught in school as an objective study of the beliefs and history. Churches, Synagogues, Temples, and Mosques already do a good job teaching the details, leave them to it.

    Should same sex couples be allowed to There is no reason why two consenting adults cannot marry or adopt children (if they qualify to do so ) no matter what their gender/sexual/whatever. People should be free to live their lives in the way that works best for them.

    Should abortion be legal (after x months)? Abortion should be legal. Personally I think it's repulsive but who am I to tell anyone what they can and can't do? Everyone has to make their own choices and live with them.

    Ultimately, workers unions are a benefit" do you agree with this statement? I don't think Unions are much of a benefit in the modern world. Once they were no doubt. But if workers want to organize and freely associate, let them. But I am 100% AGAINST forcing anyone to join. I'm very much in favor of "right to work" protections.

    "Nationalism can easily lead to fascism" do you agree with this statement? No. Nationalism and Fascism are not steps on a ladder.  

    Politics 2017 part II

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    Carly Fiorina is going to run for Senate in Virginia in 2018 apparently. She ran for Senate and President from California and then moved to Virginia I guess. 

     

    Does anyone suppose her luggage was made out of carpet cloth?

     

     

     

     

     

    I do hope someone other than Hurlshot gets that...

    • Like 1

    Politics 2017 part II

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

     

    Choosing your tyrant isn't a choice.

    two things we can at least agree on; this and that planet of the apes was a fine picture.

     

    By that I hope you mean the first one with Charleton Heston! The rest, including the modern versions.... not so much.

    • Like 3

    Politics 2017 part II

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    I think you can understand why someone like me would find little joy in a Hillary Clinton Presidency. Choosing your tyrant isn't a choice. To tell the truth I'd sooner have Trump because I did like the Gorsuch pick. President's come and go, judges are for life.

    • Like 2

    Politics 2017 part II

    in Way Off-Topic

    Posted

    My staff room has been fairly insufferable lately with the Betsy Davos appointment. It's the end of times! Nobody seems to like my solution, which is maybe we shouldn't even have the Federal government so involved in public education?

     

    I just eat my lunch, keep my head down, and occasionally tell people to listen to my podcast.

    Totally agree. If there is cause to fear someone in a political office, that political office has WAY too much power.

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