Tailgate-Bar Room Chat Thread

[Ed Vette]

Want to vent about something? Mention something happening in your life? Have an opinion on something, football or not? Discuss the meaning of life?  Bring it up here and shoot the xxxx without starting an entire thread about it.

Current events welcome but no politics.

[LennG]

But isn't this the purpose of this board, sort of a friendly bar where we can share thoughts and express opinions?


Since you asked.
Let's start off with something heavy, this George Floyd murder trial.

I have ALWAYS been pro Blue. Yes, there are some bad cops, but, for the most part, myself, I could never do their job, not knowing if they will be coming home when they leave the house every day. That said, I always try to look at a cop the way he MIGHT feel under circumstances that we can just read about, but they have to live thru. Can we feel if they think there is danger, does a simple traffic stop mean a life and death situation? We can only surmise what we MIGHT do in certain situations, but unless we have walked in those shoes, we really don't know.
So, this particular cop who is on trial, basically for his life, is he getting a royal shafting because it sure looks like the deck is stacked (really stacked) against him?

There is no doubt what he did was excessive, he killed a guy doing it. Everyone has testified that it was excessive and should not have been done at all. Myself, I feel this cop has a snowball's chance of getting off--deservedly so--probably, but again, we weren't there and we do not know what was going on in his mind at the time. For sure, he wasn't threatened by Floyd, but the crowd was menacing, could that have anything to do with it. ?
Why nobody come?
We saw the video but that is just a snippet of the entire incident and parts may be taken out of context.

MY stance, the officer used unnecessary force to subdue someone who wasn't resisting. Why did he have his knee on Floyd's neck? Was Floyd resisting that we didn't see?

To sum up, I will always back a cop when he is trying to do his job. I just think this particular cop went over the line. Should he be tried for murder, myself, if he was doing the job he was trained for, and he has never shown behavior like this before, I think murder is over the line. It's just the way I see it. If he has a rep for behavior like this in the past, and he has been reprimanded on certain things, maybe he felt like he can do what he wants. Fry him.

[Ed Vette]

But isn't this the purpose of this board, sort of a friendly bar where we can share thoughts and express opinions?


Since you asked.
Let's start off with something heavy, this George Floyd murder trial.

I have ALWAYS been pro Blue. Yes, there are some bad cops, but, for the most part, myself, I could never do their job, not knowing if they will be coming home when they leave the house every day. That said, I always try to look at a cop the way he MIGHT feel under circumstances that we can just read about, but they have to live thru. Can we feel if they think there is danger, does a simple traffic stop mean a life and death situation? We can only surmise what we MIGHT do in certain situations, but unless we have walked in those shoes, we really don't know.
So, this particular cop who is on trial, basically for his life, is he getting a royal shafting because it sure looks like the deck is stacked (really stacked) against him?

There is no doubt what he did was excessive, he killed a guy doing it. Everyone has testified that it was excessive and should not have been done at all. Myself, I feel this cop has a snowball's chance of getting off--deservedly so--probably, but again, we weren't there and we do not know what was going on in his mind at the time. For sure, he wasn't threatened by Floyd, but the crowd was menacing, could that have anything to do with it. ?
Why nobody come?
We saw the video but that is just a snippet of the entire incident and parts may be taken out of context.

MY stance, the officer used unnecessary force to subdue someone who wasn't resisting. Why did he have his knee on Floyd's neck? Was Floyd resisting that we didn't see?

To sum up, I will always back a cop when he is trying to do his job. I just think this particular cop went over the line. Should he be tried for murder, myself, if he was doing the job he was trained for, and he has never shown behavior like this before, I think murder is over the line. It's just the way I see it. If he has a rep for behavior like this in the past, and he has been reprimanded on certain things, maybe he felt like he can do what he wants. Fry him.

You make a lot of good points about the danger police face with every encounter. As for the murder charges, I wonder if you saw all the video presented in the trial? I don't believe he intentionally tried to kill him. His own police chief testified that his actions were not policy and what he was trained to do. There was no struggle and once he was cuffed and on the ground there was no need for that type of restraint.

Here are the charges against him. Second degree unintentional felony murder, third degree

[MightyGiants]

Much is made about the dangers of being a law enforcement officer.  Yet the statistics don't really support that claim, as law enforcement comes in 22nd for the most dangerous jobs.  In fact according to the stats when I was supervising maintenance in a hospital, I was more likely to die on the job than a police officer.  The guy driving the Amazon delivery van is even in a more precarious situation.

https://www.ishn.com/articles/112748-top-25-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-united-states

I also have a firm opinion that with great power comes great responsibility.   A badge and a gun represent great power.    It is the job of the police to the grown-up in every situation they encounter. 

There is nothing that can justify killing a man who is handcuffed and outnumbered, nothing.   The best you could say about the situation is that maybe he didn't mean to kill him.  However, the dangerous behavior the officer engaged in is akin to knowingly driving drunk (you drove to a bar with the intention of getting drunk) then killing a man driving home.   His lack of care for the people he took an oath to serve and protect resulted in one of those people being killed.    That should have very serious consequences.  In fact, since he is an officer of the law, it should be greater, not lesser consequences because of the power and trust he was given.

[LennG]

I will not debate the issue as we all have our views on it. I still stand by my thought of we cannot speak about how someone might act in a certain situation unless we walked in his shoes.

As I see it, yes, obviously more force was used than was necessary, but I still feel second-degree murder is excessive

[LennG]

You want another topic

Many of us 'older folks' are always talking about those "Good Old Days'


Where they really the Good Old Days? Was life better back then, than it is now?

[Bob In PA]

You want another topic

Many of us 'older folks' are always talking about those "Good Old Days'

Where they really the Good Old Days? Was life better back then, than it is now?

IMO, not really.  Some of us just remember the "good times" better than the bad ones.  For others, it's the opposite. I know people like that. Bob

[T200]

Last year was tough for everyone. Between my wife's family and mine, we lost 6 close family members. It was tough emotionally. Having to deal with the quarantine and changing our way of life forced us to adapt, as I'm sure everyone here has had to do as well. The racial and social turmoil that came to a head and the volatile political landscape also kept everyone on edge.

However, my wife and I tend to look at the bright side of things to keep our spirits up. Despite the loss of loved ones, 2020 and so far, 2021 have been very good to us.

- Our oldest son gave us our first grandson (second grandchild)
- I turned 50!
- We were looking for new house to downsize to and decided to go in the opposite direction and started building our new dream home (see Photography thread for pics) and we move in next week!
- We started a family business doing auto detailing (a hobby and passion of mine)
- This August I will be retiring from the Air Force Reserves after a combined 26 years active and reserve time
- My mom and dad split when I was five years old and will be in each other's presence at my retirement ceremony for the first time since. I have no recollection of them ever being together.
- My wife will be celebrating her 60th birthday during the same weekend so hopefully the COVID restrictions will be relaxed enough to have a mini family reunion for both

We have been tremendously blessed and we owe it all to the Almighty God. Staying true and faithful to Him has done nothing but kept our spirits up and allowed us to be a blessing for others.

I love being here with all of you and despite the few flare ups, there is no place I'd rather spend my online time than here. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this community!

I love you guys!!! 

[Bob In PA]

I love being here with all of you and despite the few flare ups, there is no place I'd rather spend my online time than here. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this community!

In the words of Charles M. Schulz, "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."  Bob

[LennG]

Tim

having met you and your lovely wife, broken bread together, and enjoyed just a great evening with you and friends, I am so glad that you are getting and enjoying what life is giving you. As we all know, when life gives us lemons, we need to make lemonade.

And, as I would say to a good friend  Mazel Tov on your retirement and new digs.

[T200]

Tim

having met you and your lovely wife, broken beat together, and enjoyed just a great evening with you and friends, I am so glad that you are getting and enjoying what life is giving you. As we all know, when life gives us lemons, we need to make lemonade.

And, as I would say to a good friend  Mazel Tov on your retirement and new digs.

Thanks Len! I really appreciate that 

[Ed Vette]

A reminder to never let the bad overshadow the good. Gratitude.

I love being here with all of you and despite the few flare ups, there is no place I'd rather spend my online time than here. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this community!

I love you guys!!! 

Nice post. As we do you!

[squibber]

Any hardwood floor experts here? We bought a condo that has nice hardwoods but there are a few high traffic spots where they look darkened.  I kind of doubt a spray bottle of Bona will get it out but I fear something too strong will strip the shiny finish. Getting it professionally cleaned would cost around $400.

[Bob In PA]

Any hardwood floor experts here? We bought a condo that has nice hardwoods but there are a few high traffic spots where they look darkened.  I kind of doubt a spray bottle of Bona will get it out but I fear something too strong will strip the shiny finish. Getting it professionally cleaned would cost around $400.

squib: We had them installed new in a few areas of our house. 

After putting in the boards, they stained the wood.  Later, they put a shiny (polyurethane?) finish over the top (to protect the stain and repel dirt, I guess).

Can you tell by examining non-darkened areas (i.e., those with no traffic at all) whether the boards were "finished" with a clear coat after they were stained?

Bob

[LennG]

Any hardwood floor experts here? We bought a condo that has nice hardwoods but there are a few high traffic spots where they look darkened.  I kind of doubt a spray bottle of Bona will get it out but I fear something too strong will strip the shiny finish. Getting it professionally cleaned would cost around $400.

Squib

We have an entire house with hardwood floors. If they were finished and you now see dark areas where the poly has worn away, just bite he bullet and have them redone. Unless you can physically get down on your hands and knees, sand the affected area, put new poly down and 'hope' it matches the old finish, that is a tough sell. Also, you can rent a sander from Home Depot and 'do it yourself' but I tried that many years ago and never again. Pay the guys who know what they are doing and live with it. One thing I will tell you, regardless of what they say to get you to do the job. Any pro will sand the wood down and then put a sealer on it before doing at least 2 coats of poly. There is even a certain poly that is stronger than regular poly but it stinks and will smell for several weeks afterwards, and is usually more expensive, but it is harder than regular poly and is suppose to last longer. All I know of it is it is a milky white liquid. With a sealer and 2 coats of poly you should be good to go for another 5 years.
Again, bite the bullet and do it.