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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

MD Planner said:
I think you might see Larry Hogan, outgoing governor of Maryland throw his hat in the ring. I like him. You don't get re-elected in MD as a Republican governor is you're not reaching across the aisle and showing a lot of practicality and common sense. He rejected Trump a long, long time ago. Heck, he even openly opposed the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Maryland's election last week. He didn't endorse the Democrat but he was not in favor of the other guy and made it known.
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Yeah...for sure Hogan's running. Why would the sitting Gov of MD formally visit the Iowa State Fair this year?

But....he's a full on Booooomer....wah wah....

:p
 
I did not enjoy being redistricted for the US House. Our former district spanned half of Burlington County and southern half of Ocean County and was represented by Andy Kim. Then Ocean County is now all in one district and predictably GOPer Chris Smith one easily-his prior district was Monmouth County and northern Ocean County. Locally in my town we elected a new mayor after the last mayor was removed due to dereliction of duty as he was indicted on public theft charges from both the town AND his employer the county. The local elections in my town are partisan which I don't understand but it doesn't matter a great deal. We have a new mayor whom I think will do a great job, he reached out to the registered Dems in town early and often but distanced himself from the county GOP which has its own drama going on. I think it was a successful approach, 3 council seats were also open and one independent won, a GOP incumbent barely squeaked out a win, and the GOP candidate that filled the unexpired term for the councilman that served as interim mayor for 6 month was handily elected to a full term.
 
Another mass shooting last night and there is another symphony of asking for gun control with little to no mention of mental health. This is despite the gunman, who was an employee and shot people in a break room with a pistol, also took his own life.
 
michaelskis said:
Another mass shooting last night and there is another symphony of asking for gun control with little to no mention of mental health. This is despite the gunman, who was an employee and shot people in a break room with a pistol, also took his own life.
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I learned that the killer had previously been charged for making a bomb threat but those charges were dismissed. That is what ALWAYS happens but because of some screw up he gets off. If those threats had been taken seriously then maybe this piece of shit would have be been sitting in jail instead of going on to massacre 5 people.
 
michaelskis said:
Another mass shooting last night and there is another symphony of asking for gun control with little to no mention of mental health. This is despite the gunman, who was an employee and shot people in a break room with a pistol, also took his own life.
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Politically neither mental health reform or gun control is going to happen.

The guy was a loner and socially awkward. He was either paranoid and thought he was bullied or he was bullied or teased because he was socially awkward and made him more paranoid. Maybe a bit of both. He was adjusted enough that Walmart had promoted him to a supervisor. Bought a gun the morning of the shooting and left a note.

Tons of fingers to point. The blame goes to the shooter. We as a society should be able to keep this guy from getting a gun. But I have no clue who should be responsible for making sure he doesn't get one.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
Politically neither mental health reform or gun control is going to happen.

The guy was a loner and socially awkward. He was either paranoid and thought he was bullied or he was bullied or teased because he was socially awkward and made him more paranoid. Maybe a bit of both. He was adjusted enough that Walmart had promoted him to a supervisor. Bought a gun the morning of the shooting and left a note.

Tons of fingers to point. The blame goes to the shooter. We as a society should be able to keep this guy from getting a gun. But I have no clue who should be responsible for making sure he doesn't get one.
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Mandatory 14 day waiting period for all gun purchases. Full stop.

This will surely help immensely.
 
mendelman said:
Mandatory 14 day waiting period for all gun purchases. Full stop.

This will surely help immensely.
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Agree 100%. Nobody needs to walk into a gun shop and walk out with a handgun and ammo.
This nation's absurd fetish with weapons is still astounding to me.
 
Down here in the last Senate seat arena the party of violence and intimidation has pulled a Watergate style 3rd rate burglary.
A local news outlet posted this.
  • There was a break in at the Democratic headquarters in Athens, Georgia overnight on the evening of Saturday, November 26. The intruders went on to trash the office, turning over tables and chairs, emptying boxes, and throwing materials & supplies around. Organizers discovered the situation when they arrived to meet canvassing volunteers on Sunday morning. Everyone is safe and the situation has been cleaned up for the most part.The Athens-Clarke County Police Department was alerted and is investigating. One laptop is missing, but it does not seem that theft was the motivation. At this time, it seems the incident was politically motivated.
The one laptop missing was probably one of Hunter Biden's.
 
mendelman said:
Mandatory 14 day waiting period for all gun purchases. Full stop.

This will surely help immensely.
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I agree that a waiting period is a good thing, but why 14 days?

I like the system that a few states have in place right now. If you do not have a concealed pistol license, you need a purchase permit that is issued by some level of local law enforcement. Here they are issued by the Sheriff's dept and they range from 3 to 30 days. I personally like making it a mandatory 7 days and have it come from a law enforcement agency and require one for each time you buy a pistol, but I think it would be better for any firearm including rifles and shotguns. However have this requirement waived for those with a canceled carry permit.

If you go through the process of getting a canceled pistol license (legal class, range proficiency, in-depth background check) then you don't need a permit. That process takes about 60 days here. But I do think that the process should be standardized for all states.



However, it is evident that Biden is just trying to use this for political points. He commented that in response to the Wall Mart shooting, he is going to push to ban assault weapons. This was well after it was disclosed that the shooter used a pistol. Frankly, I am surprised that Biden did not use this line after the college stabbing a couple of weeks ago.
 
michaelskis said:
I agree that a waiting period is a good thing, but why 14 days?

I like the system that a few states have in place right now. If you do not have a concealed pistol license, you need a purchase permit that is issued by some level of local law enforcement. Here they are issued by the Sheriff's dept and they range from 3 to 30 days. I personally like making it a mandatory 7 days and have it come from a law enforcement agency and require one for each time you buy a pistol, but I think it would be better for any firearm including rifles and shotguns. However have this requirement waived for those with a canceled carry permit.

If you go through the process of getting a canceled pistol license (legal class, range proficiency, in-depth background check) then you don't need a permit. That process takes about 60 days here. But I do think that the process should be standardized for all states.
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14 because it was a number that I made up.

7 days for all purchases...whatever. We just need to do something and enforce current laws too.
 
michaelskis said:
And help people with mental health issues...
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For the millionth time...yes. No one here is saying otherwise.

But since mental health is a pervasive and extremely complex human condition, it will take much more effort to work on than simply putting access limits on the guns. We should not get stuck in a 'both or none' situation here.
 
mendelman said:
No one here is saying otherwise.
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I have devil's advocate questions about the intersection of mental health and our country's massive gun problem:

Doesn't the equal protection clause of the 14A create a problem for legislators to use mental health evaluations as a preliminary step for permitting gun ownership under the 2A?

If I go to a gun show, and I want to buy a gun, how practical is it for Joey Triggers to run a mental health evaluation on me prior to validating a permissible transaction?

What about continuity of one's mental health status over time? How can a regulating agency ensure at any given time a mental health evaluation is accurate? And who administers the mental health evaluation? Would there need to be a certifying organization for 2A-qualified psychologists?
 
Wannaplan? said:
I have devil's advocate questions about the intersection of mental health and our country's massive gun problem:

Doesn't the equal protection clause of the 14A create a problem for legislators to use mental health evaluations as a preliminary step for permitting gun ownership under the 2A?

If I go to a gun show, and I want to buy a gun, how practical is it for Joey Triggers to run a mental health evaluation on me prior to validating a permissible transaction?

What about continuity of one's mental health status over time? How can a regulating agency ensure at any given time a mental health evaluation is accurate? And who administers the mental health evaluation? Would there need to be a certifying organization for 2A-qualified psychologists?
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Exactly.
 
Wannaplan? said:
I have devil's advocate questions about the intersection of mental health and our country's massive gun problem:

Doesn't the equal protection clause of the 14A create a problem for legislators to use mental health evaluations as a preliminary step for permitting gun ownership under the 2A?

If I go to a gun show, and I want to buy a gun, how practical is it for Joey Triggers to run a mental health evaluation on me prior to validating a permissible transaction?

What about continuity of one's mental health status over time? How can a regulating agency ensure at any given time a mental health evaluation is accurate? And who administers the mental health evaluation? Would there need to be a certifying organization for 2A-qualified psychologists?
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mendelman said:
Exactly.
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Depends on how it is structured. If it is a presumptive regulation then yes, it would be a violation.

However, if there is reasonable suspicion to believe that someone has mental health issues and would use a weapon in a manner that would be a violation of law or for the purposes of harming themselves, there is the ability to put a red-flag on the background check requiring that person to have a mental screening and release by a trained and certified medical professional before the purchase of the weapon is completed.

This the foundation for the background check system that most states have in place right now. Unless there is a reason to not sell a weapon, they do so. This just creates an additional element in that check list of possible reasons not to. Legally it is no different than prior domestic protection orders or similar criminal concerns.
 
michaelskis said:
Depends on how it is structured. If it is a presumptive regulation then yes, it would be a violation.

However, if there is reasonable suspicion to believe that someone has mental health issues and would use a weapon in a manner that would be a violation of law or for the purposes of harming themselves, there is the ability to put a red-flag on the background check requiring that person to have a mental screening and release by a trained and certified medical professional before the purchase of the weapon is completed.

This the foundation for the background check system that most states have in place right now. Unless there is a reason to not sell a weapon, they do so. This just creates an additional element in that check list of possible reasons not to. Legally it is no different than prior domestic protection orders or similar criminal concerns.
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I agree that there should be a mental health screening and more general assistance there. I just don't know how it would function. Do we say someone who requires medication for schizophrenia or bipolar disorders can't possess a firearm, what about depression or anxiety? Do we classify people who are paranoid or loners as having mental health issues? Many mental health issues can be temporary or occasional. How do you handle someone who's riding a manic wave through a screening, but flips to severely depressed?

The other part is placing the decision on medical professionals seems like a big ask. I don't see them wanting to make that decision and get the inevitable blowback from gun rights groups for denying ownership. With the overturning of Roe we've already seen hospitals push medical decisions away from doctors towards their attorneys.

I'm not trying to argue that it can't work, but I struggle to figure out how to determine when someone is going crazy.
 
michaelskis said:
I agree that a waiting period is a good thing, but why 14 days?
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Because the FBI can't even get a legit background check done in 14 days. Mostly because they're forced to use paper copies and can't go digital on this topic. I also don't hold much stock in concealed carry anymore. So many states have just made it an apply and get it kind of thing. Looking at you Kansas.

So one of the counties out here decided not to certify the election and the whole recount is getting held up because of them. Not even one of the counties that had problems on election day. My county had the vote, but people from out of state showed up to say how fraudulent our voting was along with so many locals. Of course they left after the public comment and the next topic was how voting works what problems we had and how it was fixed.
 
mendelman said:
Exactly.
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Remember those graphic anti-smoking ads from the early 2000s promoted by organizations like the Truth Initiative (national public health organization)? I wonder if a similar graphic anti-mass-shooting (or pro-gun-safety, or pro-strong-gun-regulations) ad campaign from a group akin to an antiNRA style nonprofit would help our country's massive gun problem.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Remember those graphic anti-smoking ads from the early 2000s promoted by organizations like the Truth Initiative (national public health organization)? I wonder if a similar graphic anti-mass-shooting (or pro-gun-safety, or pro-strong-gun-regulations) ad campaign from a group akin to an antiNRA style nonprofit would help our country's massive gun problem.
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No it would just make the MAGAs and gun fanatics even more entrenched and be in masturbatory glee as they await the next mass shooting. They just love to relish in the carnage and bloodshed. All it will serve to do is amplify their rage.
 
DVD said:
Because the FBI can't even get a legit background check done in 14 days. Mostly because they're forced to use paper copies and can't go digital on this topic. I also don't hold much stock in concealed carry anymore. So many states have just made it an apply and get it kind of thing. Looking at you Kansas.
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I am going to call BS on your comment about 14 days. It might be that way if it is a full investigation, but its not.

I am going to agree with you when it comes to concealed carry. There should be a standardized system that requires classroom legal training, range time, and in-depth background check before a person should conceal carry.
 
michaelskis said:
I am going to call BS on your comment about 14 days. It might be that way if it is a full investigation, but its not.

I am going to agree with you when it comes to concealed carry. There should be a standardized system that requires classroom legal training, range time, and in-depth background check before a person should conceal carry.
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The number of days isn't really a problem to me. It's the FBI getting to do a full investigation, at least the first time, to make sure I'm sane. My understanding of the system is that they can't computerize the records because gun laws which slows things down. Plus you get articles like this talking about unfinished checks. Makes the system look bad.

www.nbcnews.com

The FBI didn’t finish over 1 million gun background checks in time to stop a sale in 2020 and 2021

As gun sales soared over the past two years, more background checks slipped through holes in the system.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

Really, just do one good check on the person, take your time, and issue a license. After that it should be relatively easy for a licensed person to buy what they want. Crap, there I go with the common sense solutions again. I'll never make a good politician.
 
DVD said:
The number of days isn't really a problem to me. It's the FBI getting to do a full investigation, at least the first time, to make sure I'm sane. My understanding of the system is that they can't computerize the records because gun laws which slows things down. Plus you get articles like this talking about unfinished checks. Makes the system look bad.

www.nbcnews.com

The FBI didn’t finish over 1 million gun background checks in time to stop a sale in 2020 and 2021

As gun sales soared over the past two years, more background checks slipped through holes in the system.
www.nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com

Really, just do one good check on the person, take your time, and issue a license. After that it should be relatively easy for a licensed person to buy what they want. Crap, there I go with the common sense solutions again. I'll never make a good politician.
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You are looking at it the wrong way. Most places use at NICS system which is the result of data entry by different agencies. Some do a better job than others. So with this, if Frank punches his wife in Miami FL, and then moves to Green Bay WI, the police in Miami will put it on the NICS and it would prevent him from just buying a gun in Green Bay. The same system should be avalible to board certified psychiatrists and similar certified medical professionals as well. If there is reasonable suspicion that someone would use a weapon on themselves or on another in a method that would be in violation of law, then they too should put a flag on that NICS which would only be able to removed by another board certified psychiatrist or similar medical professional.

But none of that is even applicable until we start taking mental health seriously and providing funding for people to get the help they need. Unless there are resources for help, very few will actually seek assistance from someone who can actually help.
 
Planit said:
And Herscel just said in a campaign speech running for the Seante seat from Georgia - "I live in Texas"
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To be fair, he said this stuff in Jan 2022 long before the nominations.

Still a terrible candidate by all objective measures though.

Good luck, GA.
 
Planit said:
^^^Like one guy said - he laughed when he first saw this, but then scares the hell out of him
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wait what GIF
 
michaelskis said:
Wow... it is almost as bad as some of the stuff from Joe Biden.
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I am waiting for the smilie face or the sarcasm note. Because even though Joe may be sleepy, he can put cogent sentences together to form an idea.

---

Musk banned Ye last night. This "free speech" experiment is going about as well as everyone thought it would. Speech is free, until you incite hate or endanger others. Musk is doing an extremely good job showing how free speech can go wrong.
 
Gedunker said:
The word back in the days of the NJ Generals (I actually attended a few games in the Meadowlands) was that HW was a social promotion dude in his days at UGA.
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Quite believable and common at many universities. I know my brother talks about a few players from when he was at Texas A&M
 
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