• Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, the built environment, planning adjacent topics, and anything else that comes to mind. No ads, no spam, and it's free. It's easy to join!

NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

12961555_10154038269487380_2216143508504923479_n.jpg

That is so good!
 

They're finally starting to publish articles here that basically call these laws tilting at windmills at substantial legal cost to the state--that they are wastes of time & resources when the results are already known. Given past case law, anyone could look at this and tell SCOTUS would find against it in their sleep. M'skis, despite being on the anti-abortion side of things, has even acknowledged it. And for the record, I do respect M'skis for his beliefs on the issue, particularly since they aren't the majority on this site.

This is where Texas is just stupid. We don't fund or meaningfully address family planning to prevent unwanted pregnancies. We don't have meaningful sexual education. Those two things would do wonders for reducing abortion, but instead Texas spends its time trying to legislate providers away based on, quite honestly, false information.

Texas is doing the same thing with bullshit challenging EPA/environmental laws, education laws, etc. We're spending all of our time "fighting the damn Feds" instead of actually trying to improve the lives of Texans. It is pathetic.


EDIT: read the opinion during lunch... I'm glad Breyer wrote the opinion, as he always does a good job of not taking political/emotional swipes and instead does a better job focusing on facts. This, to me, was the interesting quote:

"More fundamentally, in the face of no threat to women's health, Texas seeks to force women to travel long distances to get abortions in crammed-to-capacity superfacilities. Patients seeking these services are less likely to get the kind of individualized attention, serious conversation, and emotional support that doctors at less taxed facilities may have offered."

So much of the focus is on restricting access. But restricting access also results in circumstances in which the women are treated as though they are on an assembly line rather than receiving counseling. Medical counseling & individual attention is critically important regardless of the type of medical procedure, particularly one that might have emotional impact. Such counseling would, honestly, make it more likely that they consider other options. Basically, restricting access may have the opposite effect of what is intended.
 
Last edited:
Sadly Kansas just looks at Texas and says we can do that too. They just fail to realize that Texas is a few times bigger, has an economy beyond farming, and has these things called cities.

I generally go with the pro choice stance based on the idea that it's none of the government's or my business what you do. I know it's a simple notion and we can argue the value and timing of life, but since the court already decided that, I've got nothing else.
 
I heard this idea floated to me at lunch....if Clinton wins the election and the SCOTUS seat is still open, she could opt to nominate Obama. That wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever heard to be honest....
 
I heard this idea floated to me at lunch....if Clinton wins the election and the SCOTUS seat is still open, she could opt to nominate Obama. That wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever heard to be honest....

She could also nominate Elmo. Or John Travolta. It isn't going to happen, though. I would bet she goes more liberal than the fine gentleman that the Republican's are unwilling to approve now though.
 
"These conclusions don't line up perfectly with either side's agenda. That's a good reason to take them seriously—and to fund additional data collection and research that have been blocked by Congress over politics. Yes, the facts will surprise you. That's why you should embrace them."





http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2013/06/handguns_suicides_mass_shootings_deaths_and_self_defense_findings_from_a.html

I have to applaud the State for this article even if it is a few years old. The one group that it does line up with is the common sense group. Improved background checks, education on proper securing of the firearm at the time of purchase, and a realistic look what weapons are used and where they are used.


I heard this idea floated to me at lunch....if Clinton wins the election and the SCOTUS seat is still open, she could opt to nominate Obama. That wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever heard to be honest....

This is the same man who swore up and down that Obama Care was not a tax... but it was classified as a tax by SCOTUS because it was the only way it could be constitutional... BO on the Bench is worse than BO in the WH.
 
LOL

I heard this idea floated to me at lunch....if Clinton wins the election and the SCOTUS seat is still open, she could opt to nominate Obama. That wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever heard to be honest....

Yeah....nope.

Two words

Poca....oh wait
err....
I mean Elizabeth Warren

on SCOTUS

I can't wait to see millions of CONservative heads spin right off:lmao:
 
She could also nominate Elmo. Or John Travolta. It isn't going to happen, though. I would bet she goes more liberal than the fine gentleman that the Republican's are unwilling to approve now though.

Agreed.

Elizabeth Warren isn't being vetted for VP. She is being vetted for SCOTUS pending GOP loss of the Senate.

I think Obama is going to start an equivalent of the Clinton Foundation to assist urban areas in the U.S.
 
:victory:




That is about all I have to say on that...

I'm certainly not in love with her, but I don't mind her. What is your aversion to her? Her policies or just her?

---

Note on the Benghazi "report" (and yes I know it is Vox which isn't exactly fair and balanced):

The House Select Committee's report finds that there were no American forces in range, the same conclusion as previous reports. Yet it positions this fact as evidence of the Obama administration's failures:

The assets ultimately deployed by the Defense Department in response to the Benghazi attacks were not positioned to arrive prior to the final lethal attack on the Annex. The fact that this is true does not mitigate the question of why the world's most powerful military was not positioned to respond; or why the urgency and ingenuity displayed by team members at the Annex and Team Tripoli was seemingly not shared by all decision makers in Washington.

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/28/12051226/benghazi-house-republican-report-paragraph?yptr=yahoo
 
Last edited:
Note on the Benghazi "report" (and yes I know it is Vox which isn't exactly fair and balanced):

I'm going to say a very conservative Republican thing about Benghazi that used to be said back in the '80s, but is no longer considered...

Please stop wasting my tax dollars!
 
I'm certainly not in love with her, but I don't mind her. What is your aversion to her? Her policies or just her?

In Octiber 2012 she noted that she supports the use of tax payer money for Abortions.
She opposes the legalization of Pot,
She while she does not want to ban all guns, she wants to put strict limits on gub use including limiting many types of ammo, magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and wants to put a federal ban on "assault weapons."
 
Ugh. Boris Johnson said he won't be accepting any PM nomination. There goes my hopes and dreams of having a guy born in NYC as the face of UK government.
 
Did anyone catch on the news that a concealed carry holder stopped a potential mass shooting in a South Carolina nightclub a few days ago? (Link)

Of course several media reports have said that the intent of the shooter has not been determined, and since no one died, it can't be classified as a 'mass shooting' :r:. Even liberal SNOPES has indicated that while the reports of a person with a legal concealed carry licence shot a gunman at a nightclub after he shot 3 other people did occur, there is not enough information to determine if it is true or not.
 
Did anyone catch on the news that a concealed carry holder stopped a potential mass shooting in a South Carolina nightclub a few days ago? (Link)

Of course several media reports have said that the intent of the shooter has not been determined, and since no one died, it can't be classified as a 'mass shooting' :r:. Even liberal SNOPES has indicated that while the reports of a person with a legal concealed carry licence shot a gunman at a nightclub after he shot 3 other people did occur, there is not enough information to determine if it is true or not.

Yes, but if the world had no pistols none of this would be news. You can't easily sneak around with a rifle. :D
 
I'm not really looking forward to Sept and Oct here in Ohio.

I may just stop watching tv.
 
I'm not really looking forward to Sept and Oct here in Ohio.

I may just stop watching tv.

You don't love the Hillary ad buy? I know all about her choice to work for a non-profit instead of a big law firm. Yea!
 
You don't love the Hillary ad buy? I know all about her choice to work for a non-profit instead of a big law firm. Yea!
At least she thought of the children, unlike us no good city planners.
 
Wow. That's truly unbelieveable that no one thought "hey, we need to kick this guy out of the parade." I understand he didn't actually register but was no one paying attention? But hey, he said he's a patriot so it's all good.
 

This is just one of the many things wrong with this country.
Some guy thought this was a good idea - wrong
No respect for the office of the president, I don't care if you like the guy or not, just respect the office - wrong
No one else did anything about it - wrong

Not to mention problems with news media coverage, internet trolls, open racism, and everything else I can complain about. Now get off my lawn.
 
Please explain to me why anybody in his or her right mind would agree to be Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate?
 
Please explain to me why anybody in his or her right mind would agree to be Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate?

It would be utterly brilliant for anyone to agree to be Trump's VP. When he is impeached or resigns to avoid it, his VP becomes the P without doing any real work that a presidential campaign demands, nor did they have to be elected beyond having Trump win.
 
Please explain to me why anybody in his or her right mind would agree to be Donald Trump's vice presidential candidate?

Look at Indiana Governor Pence - by state law he cant run for both - so would he give up the chance to be re-elected governor for the chance of being VP & then the "possibility" of losing both ?
 
Can someone explain how it is that the FBI can say that they have proof that you where guilty of something, but decide not to prosecute?
 
And now for something irrelevant!

With Trump making America hate again, Brexit fanning the flames of the far-right and fake-SJW Trudeau turning Parliament Hill into f**king tumblr, I reaffirm my unflinching support of QUÉBEC SOVERIGNTY!

Referendum3.jpg


Also for Scottish Independance as well because BREXIT was f'd up and because klits!

proindependence-wearing-a-kilt-and-brandishing-two-scottish-national-picture-id181429298
 
There has been a lot of discussion about the man who as a licensed conceal carry holder who was shot by a police officer in MN. The media has seen the video of what happened after the shooting, but there is no evidence so far that I know of showing what happened before the shooting.

However, because of the public outcry, several men with rifles decided to shoot and kill police officers in Dallas, and wound 6 more. Tell me, will this make police trust people more?



I am not saying that the police officer in MN is guilty or not guilty because I don't know what happened that lead up to the shooting. I pray that there is dash cam evidence with audio or a body cam that will give us a real understanding of what happened.
 
Is the BLM movement on the domestic terrorism watch list yet? If not, they will be today.

Are the shooters in Dallas part of the BLM or were they acting on their own? I am not going to blame the movement until there is a connection documented.
 
Something new on the continuum of force escalation protocol from Dallas... they apparently sent in a bomb robot to communicate with the barricaded suspect. When negotiations broke down, the bomb robot detonated a device. :-o

I'm not particularly troubled by it, just surprised that such a tactic now appears on the force matrix. It is certainly safer than storming in, considering they already knew he wanted to kill cops.

I'm also surprised this is the first time cops have been targeted in this manner--I figured something like this would have happened sooner with the amount of crazy we've got in this country.
 
Don't. Just. Don't.

Dittoing James here.

Also, I think, given the history of Federal monitoring of domestic progressive movements from peaceful (i.e. MLK) to violent radical (i.e. the Weatherman), its naive to think the Feds haven't had their eyes on BLM since the get go.

Coming from a Police family myself, I mourn for the 5 Dallas officers and their families. But I also mourn for Alton and Philando, for Eric and Freddie and all the Black and Brown lives that have been senselessly taken by over-zealous law enforcement. I don't think these tragedies should be used to cover up for the fact that we have a problem with policing and race in America and neither finger pointing nor senseless violence is going to fix it.

Here's an Idea I've always advocated for, how about we have Police brass, from Precient captains on up, be ELECTED by the citizens they patrol?
 
I'm also surprised this is the first time cops have been targeted in this manner--I figured something like this would have happened sooner with the amount of crazy we've got in this country.

There have been a couple of incidents of police officers being shot or shot at in Georgia since the Dallas sniper attacks (one in a northern suburb of Atlanta, the other in my hometown in the southern part of the state), the reporting of which is now complicated by speculation on whether or not they were deliberate attacks or just generic criminal acts. Things in Atlanta have been further complicated by the discovery of an Af-Am man hanging from a tree in Piedmont Park - ruled a suicide by the local medical examiner, but also referred to the FBI for an outside investigation.
 
Here's an Idea I've always advocated for, how about we have Police brass, from Precient captains on up, be ELECTED by the citizens they patrol?
You mean like with county sheriffs?

images


It might work in some places but not so well in others.
 
Excerpt from article:

"Chief Brown has really taken it upon himself to talk with the police officers, to let them know they’re here for the people, and I feel like they are,” Baxter said, trying to hold back tears. “Walking up on us with their hands on their holsters — no. They walk to us with their hands just like these officers,” she said, waving at the officers along Jackson Street.

Baxter was one of the first to arrive at Thursday’s demonstration, her tambourine in tow. She said the event was peaceful and calm until the very end, and remembered officers clearing traffic and reminding the demonstrators to stay hydrated in the Dallas heat.

“These police officers had no aggression,” Baxter said. “If they did, I would have been the first person to speak up. Because that’s what I’m about – us speaking up for what’s right.”

“They were in the right this time,” she said.


https://www.texastribune.org/2016/07/08/dallas-police-protesters-were-united-sniper-attack/

For context, Naomi Baxter is a leader in the Mothers Against Police Brutality movement. She has been protesting in Dallas for years, particularly after her unarmed cousin was killed by police in 2013. Her description of the improving relationship between the police & minorities should be heartening, and she is upset that this incident could undermine that progress. The police did everything right--they were walking right along with the protestors, talking to them, managing traffic and making sure they were staying hydrated.

I think this was the work of some rogue assholes that saw an opportunity, and not reflective of BLM. It even crossed my mind (because this is Texas and sadly, I know my people...), that this might've been white supremacist groups attempting to sabotage. Maybe that is just my cynicism coming through though.

Here's an Idea I've always advocated for, how about we have Police brass, from Precient captains on up, be ELECTED by the citizens they patrol?

In Texas we like to elect lots of unconventional things, judges being a common example. It has not worked well, with significant issues with corruption, graft & abuse of power. Basically, it has created a "tyranny of the majority" situation in many cases.
 
It even crossed my mind (because this is Texas and sadly, I know my people...), that this might've been white supremacist groups attempting to sabotage. Maybe that is just my cynicism coming through though.
We'll see when the identities of the shooters are released. Good point.

Edit: seems we already have the identity of one. But he said he was 'alone' in the effort, but the facts, as I've heard, show coordination and multiple shooters.
 
Well, I guess that's one way to end a standoff.

Chief David Brown said: "We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was," Brown said. "Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger. The suspect is deceased as a result of detonating the bomb."
 
I think this was the work of some rogue assholes that saw an opportunity, and not reflective of BLM. It even crossed my mind (because this is Texas and sadly, I know my people...), that this might've been white supremacist groups attempting to sabotage. Maybe that is just my cynicism coming through though.

To be clear, my comment about BLM isn't that they are the issue, nor deserving of being put on any watch list as a group alone, it's the unaffiliated people they attract. Folks see a BLM protest as a prime opportunity to use it as a avenue for hate which isn't what BLM is even trying to accomplish.

People are (rightfully) angry about the police brutality splashed all across national headlines, but how much of what happens is sensationalized by media and social networking? It's astonishing to think that as a species every day we grow closer digitally while growing farther apart in real face to face contact.
 
Leave it to the Presidebt to call for more gun control in response to the Dallas shooting.

He really is an idiot.
 
Back
Top