Things that make you go "Hmmmmmm."

[Notes_Norton]

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

.I don't see the point in wearing a mask while driving alone with the windows rolled up.

Nor do I, but if someone wants to do that, they have my blessing (for whatever that is worth). Possibilities?

 

Perhaps going from one dangerous place to another and doesn't see a need to remove it between the two?

 

Having a bad mustache day?

 

Likes the warm air feeling?

 

Thinks it looks cool?

 

Matches his/her outfit and makes a complete fashion ensemble?

 

Wants to protect their identity from the cameras that are everywhere? (that one might be worthy)

 

No particular reason, just wants to put it on?

 

If it makes him/her happy, and it doesn't hurt me in any way, a person has the right to wear that mask wherever and whenever he/she wants. That's what Liberty is all about.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[ProfD]

2 minutes ago, bill5 said:

It looks cool. Like you're The Shadow or something. 

The picture it conjures up in my mind is the termite driving the Orkin truck. 🤣😎

[RABid]

The problem with the legalize drug line of thinking is the hope that someone addicted to drugs and able to buy them at the pharmacy or liquor store will not rob and steal for drug money. That is wrong. An addict will take as much as he can afford, then find away to get more. That does not change when you move from drug dealers to legal outlets. I would say that drug dealers do anything possible to introduce drugs to people and get them addicted and that would improve. But then, imagine the commercials and marketing tactics of companies legally selling hard drugs. 

[Notes_Norton]

1 minute ago, RABid said:

The problem with the legalize drug line of thinking is the hope that someone addicted to drugs and able to buy them at the pharmacy or liquor store will not rob and steal for drug money.

They probably used that argument during alcohol prohibition. BTW, marijuana and cocaine were still legal when alcohol was made criminal. But the drug police and crime syndicates were faced with unemployment, so they lobbied to make the drugs of the poor (read: defenseless) illegal, and it worked.

 

True history.

 

Insights and incites by  Notes ♫

[RABid]

21 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said:

They probably used that argument during alcohol prohibition. BTW, marijuana and cocaine were still legal when alcohol was made criminal.

So, you think that with legalizing hard drugs, when an addict runs out of money that addict will just sit around the house going through withdrawal and wait for his next check? Or will that addict do what they do now, whatever is necessary to get the next fix? I worked with substance abuse counselors for 22 years. There is a big difference between alcohol and drugs like meth and cocaine. With alcohol there is a small percentage of people that become horribly hooked (alcoholics) and think they cannot live without drinking. With dugs like meth and cocaine that percentage is MUCH, much bigger. Alcoholics don’t stop drinking when the money runs out and their next check is a week away. They start bumming from friends, stealing from family, what ever they can do to get a drink. Addiction to hard drugs is even more intense. Making it legal will not put them on a budget. Not gonna happen. When the money runs out and they need another fix, they will do what they think is necessary. They will not sit at home and just wait for the next check, and they will not budget their money and only do as much drugs as they can afford.

[bill5]

How is it that the Bud/Miller (or worse) beer is nearly as expensive as the good stuff now? I noticed this the other day. I thought their whole selling point was cost.

[ProfD]

7 minutes ago, bill5 said:

How is it that the Bud/Miller (or worse) beer is nearly as expensive as the good stuff now? I noticed this the other day. I thought their whole selling point was cost.

Inflation and marketing.  Consumers will spend.  Advertising isn't cheap.😁😎

[bill5]

I guess, but I rarely see or hear any advertising for that stuff these days...funny because it used to be huge back when...and again I thought the marketing strategy was "buy ours because it's cheaper" 

[Notes_Norton]

17 hours ago, RABid said:

So, you think that with legalizing hard drugs, when an addict runs out of money that addict will just sit around the house going through withdrawal and wait for his next check?

No, but if it costs 5% of what it does illegally, it'll be 95% cheaper and more affordable.

 

Most people addicted to alcohol do so without robbing anyone.

 

We've been fighting the war on drugs since Alcohol Prohibition, haven't won it yet, and never will. The drug cartels and high prices make the drugs more dangerous for those of us who do not want to use the drugs.

 

I could be wrong, but what we are doing now certainly isn't working. In the states that have approved recreational marijuana, there have been no doomsday effects.

 

But for me, it's mostly about freedom and liberty. It was the foundation of our representative democracy in the late 1700s. I'm a live and let live kind of guy.

 

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[bill5]

Well I'm glad this thread didn't go all political.  

[Anderton]

2 minutes ago, bill5 said:

Well I'm glad this thread didn't go all political.  

 

It has, but so far it's been civil. That's my test for whether a thread stays or not.

[bill5]

Oh, OK. I thought it was no political talk period....

 

So, abortion and gun control. Discuss.    

[ProfD]

Some roadwork forces vehicles to merge into one lane.

 

Instead of driving up to the merge point, folks will try to get over sooner.

 

The merge point automatically funnels vehicles into one lane.

 

No need to turn on a blinking light and hoping to get over due to someone's kindness.

 

In most states, running into the back of a vehicle is at fault. No car insurance payer wants that hassle. 😁😎

[jazzpiano88]

People don't understand that the reason slow drivers stay in the left lane, is so that faster drivers on the right can pass them without changing lanes.  They're trying to be nice.

[David Emm]

On 9/23/2023 at 10:22 PM, bill5 said:

So, abortion and gun control. Discuss.    

 

Okay... how did you come to see those subjects as connected? Do you secretly write for "South Park" and "American Dad?" 🤨

[bill5]

I meant either/or, weisenheimer   And I was kidding in general. I wouldn't touch either subject with a 10' pole, least of all on the internet. 

[16251]

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

Some roadwork forces vehicles to merge into one lane.

 

Instead of driving up to the merge point, folks will try to get over sooner.

 

The merge point automatically funnels vehicles into one lane.

 

No need to turn on a blinking light and hoping to get over due to someone's kindness.

 

In most states, running into the back of a vehicle is at fault. No car insurance payer wants that hassle. 😁😎

Giant pet peeve of mine.  true story: I got yelled at from police officer for not merging earlier.

[ProfD]

8 minutes ago, 16251 said:

true story: I got yelled at from police officer for not merging earlier.

Police officers are supposed to serve and protect not yell and scream at citizens.

 

That officer may have been frustrated because the donut shop ran out of sprinkles. 😎

[bill5]

3 hours ago, ProfD said:

Some roadwork forces vehicles to merge into one lane.

 

Instead of driving up to the merge point, folks will try to get over sooner.

 

The merge point automatically funnels vehicles into one lane.

 

No need to turn on a blinking light and hoping to get over due to someone's kindness.

 

In most states, running into the back of a vehicle is at fault. No car insurance payer wants that hassle. 😁😎

Wow if I understand you correctly, I couldn't disagree more. As soon as one can see the lanes merge up ahead, that's the time to get over....not try to scoot up and "jip in line" at the last possible second. I never let those people in. The police officer's demeanor might have been bad, but his point was valid. 

 

And even then, if someone can't be bothered to turn on their signal, effectively asking to be let in, I can't be bothered to do so. Should've merged when the rest of us did.

[bill5]

15 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Police officers are supposed to serve and protect not yell and scream at citizens.

 

Absolutely. On the other hand, given all the cop hate idiocy in recent years, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt generally speaking. I wouldn't do their job for double their salary.

[ProfD]

3 minutes ago, bill5 said:

Wow if I understand you correctly, I couldn't disagree more. As soon as one can see the lanes merge up ahead, that's the time to get over....not try to scoot up and "jip in line" at the last possible second. I never let those people in. 

Not scoot up.  That's for babies who haven't fully learned how to crawl yet.😁

 

5 minutes ago, bill5 said:

On the other hand, given all the cop hate idiocy in recent years...

That goes both ways. Militarized law enforcement.  Hard-headed citizens.  Too much testosterone. Too much drug and alcohol use.  Terrible recipe for gumbo.😎

[Anderton]

59 minutes ago, bill5 said:

I meant either/or, weisenheimer   And I was kidding in general. I wouldn't touch either subject with a 10' pole, least of all on the internet. 

 

True story: when political radio talk show hosts aren't getting any callers, they pose those topics as questions and wait for the switchboard to light up. Which it always does.

 

Of course, there's zero point in dealing with either topic here. We have "Mac vs. PC," "Strat vs. Les Paul," and "Behringer vs. the world."

[bill5]

I wouldn't touch those either.  

[Anderton]

2 minutes ago, ProfD said:

That goes both ways. Militarized law enforcement.  Hard-headed citizens.  Too much testosterone. Too much drug and alcohol use.  Terrible recipe for gumbo.😎

 

Clearly, you haven't fallen into the binary thinking trap. The world remains analog, with shades of gray. I've known cops who were saints and cops who should have been in jail.

 

One evening I was taking a walk and there was a cop in his car by the side of the road, scoping out the neighborhood. I walked toward him because I wanted to say thanks for doing the rounds and looking after us. The look on his face told me he was thinking is this guy going to shoot me, is he a nut case, why is he walking toward a cop car, he has a jacket on, is there a gun underneath, he's six feet tall...so I waved and gave a big smile with a thumbs up, didn't get any closer, and just said "Hey, thanks for what you do, I know it's a tough gig." He was relieved. 

 

It must warp your brain to wonder whether every person you encounter is going to try and end your life, and you might not even know why. 

[bill5]

7 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Not scoot up.  That's for babies who haven't fully learned how to crawl yet.😁

Sorry, I don't follow  Use whatever word you want to describe people who (scoot/zip/fly/whatever) up the right lane to skip in front of as many people as they can

 

 

Quote

That goes both ways. 

Sure, but mostly it's the citizens being aholes, not the cops. Not that the cops are faultless either of course, but if we could somehow establish a ratio of total citizens cops encounter and how many are aholes, I'd bet my life that that percentage is way......waaaaay.......higher than the percentage of total cops to cop aholes. 

 

[Anderton]

2 minutes ago, bill5 said:

Sure, but mostly it's the citizens being aholes, not the cops. Not that the cops are faultless either of course, but if we could somehow establish a ratio of total citizens cops encounter and how many are aholes, I'd bet my life that that percentage is way......waaaaay.......higher than the percentage of total cops to cop aholes.

 

By definition, cops get involved in situations that are fraught. No one ever calls the cops and says "Hey, I made too many chocolate chip cookies. Want some?"

[bill5]

2 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

Clearly, you haven't fallen into the binary thinking trap. The world remains analog, with shades of gray. I've known cops who were saints and cops who should have been in jail.

 

One evening I was taking a walk and there was a cop in his car by the side of the road, scoping out the neighborhood. I walked toward him because I wanted to say thanks for doing the rounds and looking after us. The look on his face told me he was thinking is this guy going to shoot me, is he a nut case, why is he walking toward a cop car, he has a jacket on, is there a gun underneath, he's six feet tall...so I waved and gave a big smile with a thumbs up, didn't get any closer, and just said "Hey, thanks for what you do, I know it's a tough gig." He was relieved. 

 

It must warp your brain to wonder whether every person you encounter is going to try and end your life, and you might not even know why. 

Exactly. I have two totally opposite examples to illustrate from years gone by:

 

1.  My car was acting up as I drove up the interstate (seemed like something electrical). After what to any observer would appear to be erratic, perhaps even drunken, driving, a cop pulled me over. I thought oh great here we go.......well the guy couldn't have been more reasonable or helpful. I explained, he even looked under the hood and when my car wouldn't start, drove me to a parts store. I forget all the details now, but to this day I want to find that guy and buy him a beer.

 

2. Another interstate thing, I was driving alone and saw a cop stopped with lights going and a car pulled over. As I drove by, he waved at me. I thought whoa, something is up, so trying to be a good citizen, I pulled over and started walking back towards him. He saw me, approached me, and in the pissiest way possible said "what do YOU want?" Taken aback, I said, "I saw you waving when I passed, so I thought you might need some help." Again in an angry voice he goes "no, I was just telling you that when you see a cop pulled over, you should get out of the right lane!" I left, wisely deciding to pass on the many comebacks that were swimming through my head to address this guy with.

 

[bill5]

3 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

By definition, cops get involved in situations that are fraught. No one ever calls the cops and says "Hey, I made too many chocolate chip cookies. Want some?"

lol exactly - think about it: it's a job where if nothing is happening and they aren't needed, that's the best possible news. But who wants a job where they aren't needed? 

[ProfD]

12 minutes ago, bill5 said:

But who wants a job where they aren't needed? 

People who collect welfare or unemployment or worker's compensation. 😎

[bill5]

I assume you mean "distribute" vs "collect"   but then if there was no such thing, they'd ironically be unemployed. So would they end up just writing checks to themselves