Guard Dog

So it turns out the guy was another war veteran.. like in the other shooting. I suppose, by the logic of many here- that this should put all veterans under scrutiny right? Don't you know, every person who joins the military is a Saint for Defending Our Country from the Evils of Non-America! They Can Do No Wrong and don't look at their homeless numbers please?!That's a concerning point, do many Veterans end up on the street? Unfortuantly so. National Coalition of Homeless Veterans cites 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans. Estimated to be ~48,000 people nationwide. That's higher than I thought. About 7% of the population as a whole are veterans. But that percentage is dropping like a rock as the WWII vets are passing on.

"SHOOTERS WITH A MAGAZINE AND TEN ROUNDS TAKE YOUR FIRING POSITIONS. IS THE LINE READY? READY ON THE RIGHT? READY ON THE LEFT? ALL READY ON THE FIRING LINE. SHOOTERS YOU MAY COMMENCE FIRING WHEN YOUR LEFT FOOT APPEARS" BANG! "CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE. UNLOAD CLEAR AND LOCK. MAKE A COMPLETE SAFE WEAPON. COACHES CHECK THEM." Ugh... who doesn't have the sense to proofread and edit a speech prior to giving it to the whole bloody world? Heck I proofread my e-mails before I hit "send". Too bad I didn't watch but the Rays/Rockies game was way more interesting to me than this bit of staged political theater.

He's already picked up a very important endorsement!

No argument from me Hastur. The left is all about less freedom and more government control over everything. Of course the right is also about less freedom and more government control over some things. At the end of the day you can choose between the side you hate the least or opt for a third option. The only problem with the third option is that the road is long and rocky and votes cast today may bear no fruit this year. you just hope they will in years to come.

I've changed my mind. With the late entry of Hurlshot into the race I am now proud to endorse Hurlshot in 2016. Hurlshot for President. Free History lessons for all and the NHL network on EVERY cable package! Huzzah!

There's a number of cases I'd say are worse than Kelo v. New London in recent times. As bad as the Kelo v. New London ruling was, it was at least within the legitimate scope and power of the SCOTUS, and as you pointed out the States have (and some have exercised) the ability to circumvent the ruling by passing laws to do so. Two high profile cases that I'd say were worse than that ruling were Obergefell v. Hodges ('gay marriage') and National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius ('Obamacare'). There's a lot wrong with both of those rulings, not the least of which is that States have little to no recourse in regards to passing laws to circumvent the ruling. Kelo v. New London didn't take power away from the States and put it in the hands of the Federal government, these two cases did (two of many rulings that ignore the 10th Amendment). I don't want to get into a large discussion on this topic though (at least not in this thread) so I'll just leave it at that. If you want more of my opinion on this, feel free to PM me. Make no mistake though, I agree that Kelo v. New London was a horrible ruling, as well as agree that the five justices should have been dragged out of the courthouse at the end of a rope and hung in the streets. I'm of the opinion that a majority of everyone on Capital Hill should be. The general populace at large hasn't yet gotten to that point however, so we're stuck with the evil for at least a while longer. That said, more and more are thinking along these lines everyday. People aren't just buying guns because they think that the 2nd amendment is going to go away. And only fools with their heads in the sand think that at this point such people are only fringe loonies. One of the primary purposes of the 2nd amendment may be lost on some, but it is not lost on all. One of the best speeches ever in my opinion applies very much in the USA today: https://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm There are more and more people from all walks of life who would agree with Mr. Henry's sentiments applied to 2016 USA every day. As I said, this may be the last Presidential election in the U.S. that matters, for a variety of reasons.... I actually disagree with you on Obergefell v. Hodges. Because the government was in the business of sanctioning marriage it made the eventual Equal Protection argument inevitable. I dislike the court overturning the results of State elections as much as you do the the 10th Amendment only applies to powers not specifically reserved and the 14th Amendment specifically reserves Equal Protection. To make a complex issue overly simple. 100% with you on FIB. That ruling depends on accepting that the no insurance penalty is both a tax AND a punitive measure simultaneously with no logical conflict. John Roberts had every reason to side with the Constructionists and chose not to for reasons i don't understand.

I agree. We will never go along with that s--t in the US.

@Gromnir: I don't disagree with any of that. And I certainly don't disagree there is a systemic problem in law enforcement conduct. I'm just pointing out that the response to the last half dozen incidents, even where justified, is not entirely organic. There is definitely manipulation by both political and media interests (as if those were separate things) to turn this into a bigger thing than it might be. Anger, once whipped up, is like a fire. It can get out of hand quick. There is a lot the political leaders, BLM leaders and media can do to cool things off and they are not doing any of them. I strongly suspect both the Minnesota and Louisiana incidents will end with indictments. Particularly the one in Minnesota. The one in Baton Rouge, the suspect may or may not have been reaching for a weapon he did have but he was pinned to the sidewalk by at least two cops when he was shot in the back of the head. I have a hard time buying 9mm-to-the-brain is the minimum force required. That cop in Minnesota flat out panicked. But that is my own take on it. Once the investigation is completed and those cases are adjudicated (or not) then there is something to sink their teeth into. Notice now that all the facts are out no one is suggesting Micheal Brown was murdered anymore. On a personal note the Guard Dog college experience was a little non-traditional. I was working 40-50 hours a week and I did all my coursework at night and my fellow students mat have been cheating right in front of me for all I knew! Unless they were between me and the coffee stand I was barely aware they existed!

It's hard to make a supposition as to what the LP would do if it had real power since it's never really had it. And Bush & Romney are not talking about joining, they are talking about voting this year.

Drowsy was right. The media, the BLM movement, Al Sharpton and his ilk, Hillary Clinton and even Obama have been whipping this up into a frenzy in a cynical attempt to gin up election year fury and now they are losing control of it. They don't mean for the people they are deliberately infuriating to start killing cops but that is of small comfort to the families. We have a criminal justice system that deals with cops who kill people for no good reason. The cop in South Carolina is facing life in prison for shooting and unarmed man in the back. But BLM can't even call this justice because the seven cops that have been murdered didn't shoot anyone. It's just unreasoning anger that has been deliberately stoked/

If you are guessing BLM you are not going out on a limb there.

Given that her opposition is a textbook example of corruption, I also don't see a point in singling out Clinton for corruption. Oh no argument there. We don't like that SOB either. But the Clintons are a bit more brazen about what they do and the lies they tell to cover it, which are swallowed whole by a pro-democrat media, are so improbable that it insults our intelligence.

Well heck Mes, it's not like they can just CALL it a bribe!

Fred Barnes is a writer for the Weekly Standard and a very smart man. But there isn't much here we didn't already know: http://www.weeklystandard.com/yup-shes-crooked/article/2003312

I always thought Jeb Bush had some reasonable views Why is any support Trump can get ultimately a good thing for the US? You didn't read that close enough. The "we" I was referring to is the Libertarians.

Yesterday Jeb Bush refused to support Trump saying he was considering voting for Gary Johnson: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/15/politics/jeb-bush-trashes-donald-trump-on-eve-of-republican-convention/. Mitt Romney has already said he's supporting the Johnson/Weld ticket: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/10/donald-trump-mitt-romney-vote-libertarian-gop-split. Ironically neither of those two are "little r" republicans who might be attracted to the small government, non interventionist foreign policy of the LP. But Trump is making for strange bedfellows and any support we can get is ultimately a good thing. While it would be nice to see Johnson & Weld actually win this thing it's more important that we hit our two biggest goals: Get into the debates and get at least 5% of the popular vote. Gary Johnson is happy to have any defectors from either party: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/11/libertarian-candidate-gary-johnson-anti-trump-republicans. The last Quinnipiac poll has him at 12%. Inching closer!

I guess you CAN take it with you!

Well I see the new "Birth of a Nation" movie is looking to grab headlines in a time of (needless) racial tension. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-birth-a-nation-poster-911730 That said I do want to see this movie. I always thought Nat Turner's revolt was a compelling story. I wonder why it never received a look from the movies.

My wife got attached to them so they never "fulfilled their destiny" so to speak. I built them a pen and a house but to tell the truth I never really "bonded" with them. I always thought of them more as livestock.

The Supreme Court yanked Lincoln up short over that too. But he wasn't around to hear about it.

If you guys want to see some actual change then we need a President who is neither a Republican or a Democrat and not beholden to either groups interests. As it happens such a candidate WILL be on everyone's ballot: https://johnsonweld.com/ I'm in.

One of the rabbits died today. It was around 4 years old. Not bad for a rabbit. Especially since i bought them for cooking. Well... that didn't happen.

Drowsy Emperor is, of course, completely correct. The name of the person elected President will make little difference in how the US conducts business. Barack Obama has been President for seven years and six months. When he took office the US had troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. Guantanamo Bay was still holding prisoners. Taxes were lower than the US historical average, you had to buy health insurance if you wanted health care at a reasonable costs and unemployment was 6.5%. After that 7 & 1/2 years the US has troops in Iraq & Afghanistan. Guantanamo Bay is still holding prisoners. Taxes are slightly higher on average but still lower than the US historical average, you have to buy health insurance if you want health care at a reasonable costs and unemployment is 5.1%