Guard Dog

Electoral College Math Interesting read.

Thats it. Nick wins this thread!

When I got out of the military I got involved in politics, almost by accident. I ended up working as a paid consultant for Don Garlits in his congressional campaign (he lost). I then went to work for the Florida Republican Party for two years. I ran for the Florida State House in 1996 (and lost). I had tied so much of my own money in the campaign I was broke and I decided then and there politics was not for me. I used my GI Bill to go back to college and finish my BSEE degree. Anyway there were a number of issues in that campaign that people wanted the state to do that simply put were not the States responsibility (like buiding a high speed rail transit system or State sanctioning of homeowners associations as governing bodies). I made my position plain in my campaign and lost. I decided I was going to do what was right, not politcally expedient. I thought I could take the straight talk angle. it didn't work.

I wonder if that's true. Has anyone actually tried? Yes. I have. It did not go over so well.

Given that the recidivisim rate for sex offenders is around 70% would you want a convicted child rapist living next to you if you had kids? Rehabilitation of child predators is a fools errand. I don't believe they should be killed but they do need to spend the rest of their lives in a dark nasty place with high walls and a lot of razor wire guarded by men with guns. At least that way they won't hurt anyone else.

A pathological liar as the US President????? Nahhhh, that's never happened. But seriously, a Clinton lying is like a dog barking. They don't know why they do it, they don't even realize they are doing it, and they don't know how to stop.

Well, last night I ordered the first four books of Bernard Cornwells Saxon series. I also ordered Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote, and Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. I should be good for a while. Thanks Hurlshot and Musopticon for the ideas.

The truth is if you don't like China, don't buy their stuff. It can be done and if you get enough people doing it with you it will make a difference over time. If a majority American consumers decided not to buy anything made in China believe me, it will get attention. It may seem impossible but it has happened before.

The severity of the crime is increased is the victim is under 13. The age of consent is 18 in most states but in most it is waived if the age difference is two years or less. So in other words if a 19 year old is with a 17 year old and both parties consent it is not statutory rape.

Yep. Heck, Tam only found out who Rand really was at the end of "Knife". The biggest problem with this series is there are long streches of writing where the story does not advance. I remember taking creative writing in college and one of the rules is that every paragraph, every sentence, every word must advance the story. Well, I've read every book I own (some more than once) and I need to hit Amazon tonight. I'm in the mood for something similar to WoT or GRRM's Ice and Fre series. Anyone ever read Raymond Feists work? He has a few series that I gather are interconnected. Or Stephen Eriksons "Mazlan" series? I usually steer away from fantasy because so much of it is just crap. Any good ones out there?

Fair enough. But in most states life in prision without possibility of parole is usually reserved for 1st degree murder. Is that an appropriate punishment?

I think you are referring to legislation passed preventing municipalities from suing gun manufacturers for the cost of dealing with gun crime? Think about it this way, that would be like suing Ford if a drunk driver kills someone while driving a mustang. I did a little snooping on google and I am not seeing any correlation to funding cuts to BATF (or even that it's funding was cut) and any data or enforcement info it produced in the last 5 years. The NRAs website has nothing at all on the BATF other than a few non exciting news links. That's not entirely accurate. The NRA supported the 1994 Crime Bill that among other things introduced a new ban on a number of imported "assault weapons". Actually Heston was the Association president then. Of course it had a number of pro-gun provisions as well. LaPierre is a bombastic clown who has done more the hurt the NRA than anyone left or right.

The US is hardly alone in buying from China. They are the number on manufacturing county in the world. However, I did my part last week! I was ordering RF components for work and opted to buy from a German company over a Chinese one. So I did my part!

Excerpt: Link :http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/ind....xml&coll=1 So the question at bar here can be summed up this way: Is the death penalty appropriate for someone who rapes a child under 13? Opinions? This might surprise most of you but I'm going to say no. Although I will admit, I have moderated my stance on capital punishment from strongly in favor to moderately opposed. However, life in prison without parole is completely appropriate. That is another sentence usually reserved for 1st degree murder. The other important aspect here is this: If the Supreme Court decides that death is a cruel and unusual punishment for rape does that not open the door to challenge it as cruel and unusual for anything. How can it be cruel for one crime and not another? The punishment is the same. The author of the article seems to think the decision one way or another will not be far reaching. I'm not so sure. Even innocuous SCOTUS cases tend to set far reaching precedent. The other thing it if the sentence it upheld it will open the door for law changes in other states allowing DP for sex crimes against children. Would that be a deterrent?

I'm not really sure how it works but I don't think the Olympic comittee sells advertising. I know the national teams do, the networks covering events do, etc but I do not think the Olympics themselves is a capitalist enterprise. I may be wrong. Disrupting the Olympics will change nothing and as we saw in 1980 and 1984 boycotting will change nothing and cause a PR backfire for the boycotting nation. As for what you can do about China? Nothing. A nation can go to war, or stop trade, or offer better trade cultural exchange terms etc to another nation. But one nation cannot force another to do anything. And aside from carrying a sign in front of the Chinese embassy there is absolutely nothing an individual can do to influence policy in another country except check the label of eveything you by and don't buy it if it was made in China. I don't like the fact that Dennmark places a 15% surcharge on Tuborg Beer exports. I have to pay $9.99 for a 6-pack. Elephant Beer is nearly as bad. But there is nothing I can do about it but pay, or don't.

Ditto what Volo said. You are way wrong Samm. The NRA is a group fomed to protect a fundamental American right and has done great things in terms of teaching and advocating safe and legal gun use.

As for Kelo v. New London I completely disagree with you both on your assertions that the originality dissent was activist and on the motivations of the majority. I think that is worthy of another thread to discuss and is a little OT here. And you are also correct about it being near impossible to predict a judges mind set, however, I do think it is very important to start with individuals who take a constructionist view of the Constitution. At least if that is their starting point they will be more inclined to judicial restraint. One of the reasons I think judicial appointments are so important is that as a voting and politically active citizen I have some input into the legislative process. I do not fear the outcome of bad law so much as bad court decisions. A bad law can be challenged in court, it can be repealed, it can be outright defeated by a groundswell of voters talking to their representatives. A bad court decision is as strong as law and much much harder to do away with. And the individual citizens have no input into judicial decisions (nor should they). That makes it particularly important to see that the individuals making the decisions try to apply the law to modern life rather than rethinking it to accommodate modern life. Once again I expect a better chance of getting the former from McCain and the latter from Obama.

I have always thought that the Olympics, World Cup, "insert international sporting event here" should be above politics. Boycotting the Olympics or its ceremonies will not change a single thing about China as far as human rights go. There are other arenas with stick and carrot methods for influencing policy in foreign governments. The Olympics are supposed to be about what the people of the world have in common, not the differences in the governments of the world. Sadly, as Carter and Breshev demonstrated, that is not usually the case.

Any game you can get a dog in is a must buy in my book!

If I had said last week that Detroit would be 0-6 you would have called me crazy.

Well, let's look at recent history. From 1992 to 1994 the Democrats held all the cards. They first voted themselves the largest pay raise by percentage in US history. Second they passed the largest tax increase in US History, then they made a determined and credible attempt to nationalize a number of private enterprises that made up 1/7th of the US economy. Add to that the fact that Bill Clinton had FBI profiles on all the top Republicans of Congress in his possession because he certainly did not have to worry about being called down by congress. From 2002 to 2006 the Republicans held all the cards. We got them spending money like drunken sailors on their pet causes, the Patriot Act, oh an a little thing we might have heard of called the Iraq War. So, what was it about gridlock and inaction that was so bad again? Besides, if you will remember, the federal government was shut down for some 4-5 months during the budget battle in 1996 or 1997, I forget which. The world did not end. I would argue that is is the most important thing. Lets set aside signing legislation because that is just finishing the work of Congress. A Presidents executive orders, foreign policy moves, policy initiatives and political appointments can all be undone with a stroke of his successors pen. And they frequently are. Judicial appointments are for life and failing misconduct cannot be undone by subsequent administrations. And I would hardly call the moniker "liberal judge" or "activist judge" a campaign speech straw man or scare tactic. Or can you tell me with a straight face that Kelo v New London was properly decided? Or do you really believe the US courts should consider foreign court precedent in domestic cases? There are many others I disagree with and I find that the self titled originalists on the Court Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist (and Roberts after him) and Alito (in the few cases he's had), vote in favor of my interpretation of the law. There are many more cases where the originalists won out over the liberals that would have led to just terrible results (like Kelo). Medellin v. Texas for example and DC v Heller (yes that one has not been decided yet but it is expected to go our way 6-3) You are correct the politics of judges is meaningless, all that matters is their interpretation of the law and Constitution. I have found that judges appointed by Republicans tend to take the "Chiseled in Granite" approach (with a few terrible exceptions) and those appointed by Democrats take the "Silly Putty" approach (with no exceptions). And as you pointed out, it must be one or the other.

She hated the NRA, he was the President of it and she felt "betrayed" that "one of their own" would even associate with them.

I'm finally reading that last 3 books of Robert Jordans WoT. Heart of Winter was great, Crossroads of Twilight was slow and hard to get through. Knife of Dreams has been pretty good. Nice to see some plots actually concluding. Looks like the last book will have to tie up a lot of unfinished business though. Am I the only one who wants to see Tam and Rand meet one more time before the end?

Grrr. I was going to say that too GDM, you beat me to it. Goodbye and Godspeed Mr. Heston. RIP.

Gromnir is, as usual, completely correct. The ideal situation is a President of one party, a Senate controlled by the other, and a narrow division in the house. The one thing, the single most important thing, a President does is appoint judges. Not just Supreme Court justices but appellate and Federal district judges. My fear is that Obama/Clinton will give us more abominations like Ginsburg, Stevens, Souter (GHB should be strung up for that one). Thats one of the big reasons i'm voting for McCain. Not because I like him or his politics (I do not) but because the alternative is so much worse. Hmmm seems like all of the presidential elections I've ever voted in were the same way. Choosing the lesser of two evils.