Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: Bob In PA on April 26, 2021, 02:40:08 PM
philo: As much as I dislike the cancel culture and prior restraints (and "chilling effects") on free speech, I figure if a private business owner wants to turn down customers, that's her business.

On the other hand, your post reminded me of the various bakeries and pizza stores that were "canceled" for refusing to provide services to gay couples, etc.

So, IMO, is must be one way or the other.  The cancel crowd can't have it both ways.

Bob

Bob,

I agree with you 100%. 

Just saw this in our local paper and thought it was appropriate to post on this thread.  A store owner has canceled all law enforcement, firefighter and military customers at her store.

https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2021/04/26/soiled-doves-rosendale-doesnt-want-police-customers/7350634002/

Rosendale collectibles dealer won't sell to police, firefighters, military

:ROSENDALE

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 03:54:39 PM
So let me get this straight.  A book that teaches children about the challenging topic of racism and policing endangered your family and needs to be canceled forthwith.  However, the police who refused to provide security to the citizens attending a football game and actually endangered your family are not only completely innocent but are victims of persecution because people fail to give them the praise they deserve.   I was confused until you mentioned that alcohol was involved 

Rich,

I feel very sorry for you, your politics has turned you into a zealot.

I asked you earlier if you had raised a child, you did not answer, so I am assuming (my bad if not correct) that you haven't. It softens the strident positions people have.

Yes I, poured a glass of special bourbon (1st of the day), but for you to assume everything in this  alcohol related is bad on you.

You have responded to my posts with "with your rude and disrespectful remarks."  I have not been rude or disrespectful in any way.

Here is one thing made made me laugh my ass off "Here is the thing, I have had many black friends over the years. ".  What a xxxx*ng  thing to say. Sounds like a true racist in the old fashioned way.  You don't think anyone else has had "black friends"?  Why even bring it up?

You have to twist everything posted to fit your agenda, regardless of the reality of the situation. 

Off duty cops have no obligation to get abused at sporting events - they do their job every day on the clock.  To make it about you, just shows where you are.

You are more closed minded than the right wing you hate

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 03:14:40 PM
Not agreeing with you doesn't mean I didn't understand you.   I consider protecting the public their duty regardless if they get paid extra to do it.   You seem to forget that I showed up for duty at the squad shift after shift regardless of the fact I wasn't paid.   I did that out of a sense of duty to guard the public a value clearly not shared by the officers who endangered your family

Sorry Rich, I just spit out a glass of Pappy VanWinkle ($100 a shot) on my computer screen when I read this.  You  had to turn it into you not off duty police officers who get treated like xxxx all the time.

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 02:39:13 PM
I also find it interesting that you gave the police who violated their oaths to serve and protect a free pass.  I don't share your view that a children's book excuses the disgraceful behavior of the police, who would be better off acting in a manner that deserves respect rather than harming citizens while demanding it

Again you failed to read what I posted - they do their duty every day - the security gig is an off duty job for them, the made an extra $120 per game for their OFF DUTY security at the games with the blessing of the BPD.  They can choose to work or not work these games. It is off the clock. So no - they did not violate their oaths, they just chose not to work on their own time for a school district that they feel disrespected them.

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 02:13:50 PM
The book preached peace, tolerance, respect, and inclusion.  What part, specifically, inspired people to threaten your family?

I am completely amazed at how tone deaf you are.  The school district has apologized for it, saying it put the police in a bad light, the BPD will not work with district because of it. And yet you still want to argue it is OK

The book caused the off duty police officers to not work the games (which I mentioned in my initial post - and you ignored), which means no security - they used to have my wife's back - but they are not there - so the same a$$holes that show up that they (BPD) used to deal with, I have to.  What is so difficult to understand?

The reality of it is the book (which the School District has apologized for) has put my wife and granddaughter in harms way. 

That is all that matters to me

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 01:38:17 PM

There is a lot of ironies, that are clearly lost on you, with your rude and disrespectful remarks.    Here is the thing, I have had many black friends over the years.   I have my personal experience where a black friend and a fellow volunteer were stopped by police for the crime of "walking while black".  I had many friends among the guys I worked with at the inner-city hospital and they felt comfortable enough to share their views on race.  They all had way too many stories of being pulled over while black and they all knew how they had to behave to try and prevent being shot.  So you are hardly the only one with personal stories.

I should be angry with you, I really should because you had no right to speak to me that way, but anger and hatred are only making things worse.   I know what has you so ginned up that you would violently lash out at me, I am not going to make it worse by reacting the same way.

I will only patiently and respectfully ask you to try and maintain consistency in your views.  I will ask you to consider why you felt the story was anti-police.  Really ask why.   Did the book invent something that didn't exist?

One last reply - you always bring up left and right to justify your ideology ( I don't even read it), I gave you a personal example of reality of it.

Background - 3 weeks ago tomorrow, my wife and I were in Richmond (7 hour drive) visiting my daughter and her fianc

Mighty,

To be honest I read the first couple lines of your reply and just gazed over the rest of it.

I gave you a first hand account of this book and it's affect - yet you try to justify it, because it fits your political agenda. 

I have sat through the last 2 zoom meetings with the school board since this "controversy" has erupted.  The Superintendent, School Board president and 2 other members of the board are so far left, they make you, AOC and the the rest of the "squad" look like fanatical right wingers.

The 4 mentioned acknowledged how it could be perceived, with out stating the out right fact, and that is wrong.  The other fact is the 300 (?) member police force is in a 90% agreement and took offense to it and will never work another sporting event for the district.

If the shoe was on the other foot, you would be beating the drum as to how wrong it was.  That is not an opinion on my part, but a fact based on many years of your postings.

As usual, you missed the main point of my original post.  You stated that it was not appropriate for 3rd graders to be in discussions about sex or be exposed to Dr Suess with it's racial stereotypes, I gave you a real life example of the exact same concept with this book.  Because it fits your narrative, you defend it.

I will try not to respond, because it will go south.

Take a look in the mirror my friend - The next game, if I get in a fight or confrontation with an a$$hole to protect my wife, because the police are not there - I will think how right you are. 

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on April 25, 2021, 10:12:13 AM
Interesting subject as I too had stains on my hardwood floors. I ended up renting equipment to refinish the main floors. It took a few days of prep and sanding (especially getting into the corners where the machine didn't reach) and then spent hours on my hands and knees putting on three coats of satin polyurethane over a 2-week period. Lotta work!

Since we are sitting on a bar stool, here's a question:

What is a better feeling - hitting a home run and the feel of the bat in your hands when you know you "got it" or, hitting the sweet spot with your driver and dropping the ball exactly where you wanted it about 350 yards away?

I really want to know because I have never had a drive like that, although in HS and college (and later in life, fast pitch softball) I hit multiple HRs and it is a great feeling - simply an incredible feeling. For some reason, my hand eye coordination was such that seeing/timing/shifting weight at a 90 mph fastball coming towards me came easy to me, but for the life of me, I can't seem to consistently hit my driver like I'd like. With thousands of swings, I've hit some solid shots, but the ball hooks or slices or just ends up lost in the woods. Any good feeling in my hands are erased by knowing the ball is probably lost. The harder I try, the more likely I am to worm hop it or skull it so bad that it's embarrassing. And if there's water, my balls automatically seek it out and grasp it from the air - so consistently that it seems like a conspiracy from the Almighty! So, in order to play a reasonable round of golf, I take easy 3/4 swings to let the club do the work while my golf partners out drive me by a hundred yards and tell me lovely things like "hike up your skirt next time" or ask me "does your husband play?", etc. I can't "grip it and rip it" because if I try to hit the ball long and hard, I never marry that sweet spot on the club head with the ball. It looks so easy and people tell me my hands are right, my stance is right, and that my swing is exactly what it should be. So why can't I hit the @#$ little white ball like I used to hit baseballs and the ole Dudley softballs? I want to know that feeling of driving a ball like an amateur DeChambeau

JBG how true!!!!

I only golf once or twice a year - mostly to hang out with friends and have a couple of beers.  If there is a hazard to the left I hook it it, to the right I slice it.

Did you ever play Genegantslet  back in the day?  They had a hole (long since changed  - can't remember what number) that used to run parallel to Rt 12.  I took out a car's windshield while it was driving up Rt 12 with a wicked slice once.

Quote from: MightyGiants on April 25, 2021, 10:12:51 AM
Did you read the book or are you repeating (without critical review) the opinions of others and trying to pass that opinion off as fact?

1) Why would you even question this? Of course I listened to it

2) The statement from the school district says it all "The Binghamton City School District released a statement apologizing for "the negative light this has shined" on the law enforcement profession."  I think that proves it as a fact. The BCSD is about as far as you can get from a "right wing" ideology.

This topic is very close to home for me.

My wife is the secretary for Athletic Director for the Binghamton City School District and as such has to attend and "control" many of the larger athletic events - Football, Basketball etc.  She gets an extra $45 for spending 3 - 4 hours at each event.  She also has to schedule the workers for the events to include security - off duty police in uniform (with the blessing of the BPD) who get $120 per event.

Within the last 10 days one local elementary school made a book named the "book of the month" titled, "Something Happened in Our Town" in an attempt to talk about social justice.

It is a blatant anti police book, so much so the school district had to issue an apology (link below).  As a result of this action - no police officer will work a single event at this school district.  For the last 3 years these officers have protected my wife from the "trash" that has showed up at the events.

Since this has happened - I have gone to both the football games she has worked, and had to take my 12 year old granddaughter, whom we just got custody of, in order to ensure her (wife's) safety.  There have been a couple of instances at both games where I am so glad I was there. 2 middle aged woman would not have been able to handle. I am not a tough guy, but I will protect those I love.  The  worst part is that my very fragile (emotionally) granddaughter had to see this - she is in our custody through a Juvenile Court in Texas with very strict conditions.

The pendulum swings both ways, if a 3rd grader can't be exposed to Dr Suess, why should they be expected to be able to understand the social justice principle.

https://wnbf.com/binghamton-school-book-controversy-receives-national-attention/

The schools apology:

"The Binghamton City School District released a statement apologizing for "the negative light this has shined" on the law enforcement profession."

With my dad's deteriorating condition, it has brought me back many memories of my time with my parents.

I know there are many people on this board who have traveled a lot and live in many different parts of the country. I was very fortunate that in 1973, my parents took us on a 5 week vacation across the country.  We camped half of the time and hotels / friends the rest.  Left upstate NY drove through TX to LA to Seattle and back across the northern states ( no A/C in the car). Visited many National Parks during it. I have been to many more in my adult life.

I have been trying to figure out which is/was my favorite.  It is a close call between Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon.  Carlsbad would have been in there - except a bird sh!t on me as we were walking in.

I finally decided on Grand Canyon, we did the half trip down the canyon on mules.  Nothing more terrifying or exhilarating than having you mule facing towards a couple of hundred feet drop to eat grass.  Not to mention my dad's mule right in front of me had bad gas.  Talk about gagging.

I was curious to what others thoughts or experiences were of our national treasures were.

Don't have to limit to National - can be State or local areas - NY - my favorite is Letchworth State Park

Quote from: ozzie on March 28, 2021, 07:50:39 PM
And just to clarify....I wish I could afford a place overlooking the golf course, haha! We do live near it though, but just in your average subdivision. 

I know, there are only a few houses on the golf course.  As I told you earlier, I delivered the Dallas Morning News in your subdivision when it was being built.  How much the area has changed since I first went there in 1988.  No George Bush highway - 78 from Garland to Wylie had I think at the most 2 stop lights on it. One or 2 grocery stores in Sachse only one small one in Wylie, used to have to drive through Murphy to Plano to buy beer.

I mess with people I have respect for.