quote:Lying to people that you have a Medal of Honor is protected free speech.
Picketing a soldier's funeral with signs reading "G-- D--- the United States" is protected free speech.
As it should be. The only reason we have the First Amendment is to protect speech and other activities that are offensive. Inoffensive speech doesn't need protecting. Many people find our stance on gay marriage to be offensive. The First Amendment allows us to keep saying it (except maybe in Boston ).
Posts: 6055 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Picketing near a funeral should indeed be protected.
But why should lying about a Medal of Honor be protected? What is the social utility of protecting such speech? What is the slippery slope?
But I'd put up with that, too, if only McCain-Feingold had been struck down. That's the part that really rankles.
Posts: 1121 | Registered: Apr 2011
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What would you do if you saw a picture of another dude on your girlfriend's Facebook page? (or, if you're female, saw another woman).
This "rocket scientist" in Tennessee flew into a rage when he saw a photo of his imagined romantic rival, accused his gf of cheating, & roughed her up.
quote:— "Chick-fil-A restaurants across Tarrant County [Texas] and the nation were overrun with customers today," Fort Worth's Star-Telegram writes. "At the restaurant on West 7th Street in Fort Worth, customers were jammed inside and vehicles wrapped about the building at lunchtime."
I wasn't there for appreciation day, but I've had cini-minis for breakfast at that location.
The ACLU also made a public statement that the cities of Boston and Chicago, which are seeking to ban Chick-fil-A, have no legal right to do so, citing such a ban as a violation of the first amendment's protection of speech. A spokesman for the ACLU said that if mayors can ban a business because its owner speaks against gay marriage, then mayors can also ban a business because its owner speaks in support of gay marriage.
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I drove over to our local CFA yesterday. Just wanted a peach milkshake. Cars lined up for the drive-through were almost out in the road and people waiting to get inside the building were lined up halfway around the building. I decided I didn't need the peach milkshake that badly.
Posts: 2641 | Registered: Aug 2006
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This whole episode in the history of man ( same gender issues) makes me wince. The media damns with faint praise the man who speaks his moral views and lionizes folks who would without any problem at all, live a life out of tune with the Plan of Salvation. Latter-days, anyone?
I wonder what the Day of Judgment is going to be like?
Posts: 5644 | Registered: Jun 2002
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I'm sort of afraid that the things humans inflict on eachother in the times just preceeding the day of judgement will be so awful that the day of judgement will be a welcome relief.
But I could be over dramatic.
Posts: 8601 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Even if you didn’t see it coming, it shouldn’t surprise you.
The nature of activists, & especially activists in certain causes, is to find reasons to be offended & angry, get in people's faces & stir up [you know what]. Their entire raison d’etre is to find trouble. If there is no trouble, the raison d’etre is gone. Then, they'd have to find a job. So if they don’t find trouble, it's essential to make some in order to justify their continued hell-raising.
I can see their next demand. Since gender is so hazy, & no one really knows if a man is a man or a woman is a woman, or if someone is 50..6% male, or 49.5% female except for a few days of the month when the balance tips over to 50.2%, they’re gonna demand individual Olympic categories for straight male, straight female, non-straight male, non-straight female, bisexual, transgender male-to-female, transgender female-to-male, hermaphrodites, & hermaphrodites who have had treatment to become male or female. Did I forget anyone? No discrimination or anyphobia was intended.
A recent case in point is Chick-fil-A. The CEO made a simple statement that he stands behind the Biblical definition of marriage as one man & one woman, & we invite God’s judgment when we tamper with it. He did not single out or even allude to any alternative lifestyles. He did not mention same-sex partnerships, opposite-sex shacking up, plural marriage (either polygynous or polyandrous), pre-arranged marriages, marriages of juveniles, marriages between cousins or other close relatives, people marrying animals, or any other alternative lifestyle.
And yet, who jumped up & started yelling about hate? Not Muslims, a few of whom still practice plural marriage. Not folks in India, who still sometimes betroth their infants for marriage later. Not even the Warren Jeffs crowd. Just KNOWING it was about THEM, the GLBT radical activists started accusing Dan Cathy of being a homophobic bigot & ... yeah, creating a storm in a teacup.
eta P.S. Unfortunately, there is no Chick-fil-A near me. The closest is between Oakland & Sacramento. I'll keep it in mind for future reference.
quote: LGBT activist group AllOut.org has responded by launching an online campaign against the gender guidelines. “Biology and humans are much more diverse than we would ever guess - what makes someone a man or a woman can't be identified in a single test or using a single measurement,” Andre Banks, director of AllOut.org, said in a statement.
My response is that we need to get rid of separate categories, then. No women's sports and no men's sports. Anyone can compete at in whatever sport they choose.
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I'm not sure if this belongs in the good news thread or the seen everything thread, or nowhere at all since we're not supposed to post commercial links, but I was searching for a metal lunch box and came across this one, and it just made me smile and think about KQ especially.
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2006
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What's going on with all those celebrities being arrested or photographed in the buff? TMI for folks who aren't fans of any of them, but no one can escape it because the news media can't get enough of celebrity scandal.
Randy Travis is in the news again in addition to his recent arrest for DUI, when he was found nude in the middle of the road. The latest incident was a drunken brawl in a church parking lot, possibly over a woman.
MMA star Jason “Mayhem” Miller was arrested in his birthday suit in a Southern California church after trashing it, scattering stuff around & emptying a fire extinguisher inside the building.
And this week we have the heir to the throne of England & his now famous Las Vegas partying.
What’s going on? Is this more proof that booze makes us (or some people) stupid? Or is it just that cell phone cameras & the internet give such activities more, well, exposure? Posts: 13223 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Personally, I think it's the prevalence of social media and "smart" phones that make it easier to disseminate these sorts of pictures. Not to say that alcohol doesn't contribute to people's stupidity... just that it's easier to let lowered inhibitions affect their actions on both sides of the lens.
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I agree, ewwwww! But if that mother was going to do it in public, I would think she's dress the girls in something much easier to pull down and up rather than having to go completely nude! I'd think the Dept of Children Services (or whatever it is called in Utah) would need to get involved in what is obviously a socially-impaired mother to help her understand what is acceptable in public spaces.
Posts: 2746 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Double yikes!! the one lady should not have posted on facebook for the kid's privacy, I think just giving the pictures to CPS would be sufficient.
Posts: 8664 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:I'd think the Dept of Children Services (or whatever it is called in Utah) would need to get involved in what is obviously a socially-impaired mother to help her understand what is acceptable in public spaces.
Must we ALWAYS go stampeding to government agencies that have a tendency to overreact and ruin people's lives?
I'd have to be moved by The Spirit before I even thought about going there.
Posts: 8601 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Sweet William, of COURSE we must ALWAYS go to government agencies to meddle in people's lives. <snarky comment in case you're not sure>
I made that comment mainly to emphasize that obviously this woman needs some instruction from somebody on appropriate public behavior. I personally would not be calling the government services over it.
Posts: 2746 | Registered: Feb 2000
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In China some toddlers run around with crotchless clothing with nothing on underneath (a practice that is on the decline). Can't say the mother of the twins did the right thing but not something worthy of being accused of child abuse.
Posts: 5673 | Registered: Sep 2001
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As for the potty performance not being child abuse, maybe not, but I suspect some of the nearby diners who sat through it felt they were being abused.
Posts: 13223 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Seems to me that society has lost, or maybe it never had and that's why we've had wars, the ability to interact with strangers. When I was in High School my friend told me how a neighbor contacted the city so that the city could contact my friends family so the neighbor could fix the fence. This really irritated my friend's father. He was angry the neighbor didn't simply come and ask.
The person taking pictures didn't say anything, even though they could have been directly affected (sanitary issues) by the moms actions. Instead, the slower approach of a involving the restaurant management was invoked. And by the time they responded she was apparently gone. Maybe she'll see it on the news, maybe she won't. If she doesn't she'll do it all over again.
Are we so afraid of hurting feelings, or is it that we don't want to be told we're being bad so we don't tell others they're bad?
Posts: 11025 | Registered: Oct 2004
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How far is the public obligated in providing "basic health care" to a convicted murderer serving a life term? What is basic health care?
If we send murderers, rapists, kidnappers, arsonists, or terrorist mass murderers to prison, we have a moral duty that they get decent food. routine & emergency medical & dental care, time & facilities for exercise, & whatever else is essential for their physical & mental health.
But really, as law-abiding taxpayers, how far does our obligation go? Some working poor people can’t afford the quality of food convicted felons get. Many working folks go to the ER for the flu because they have no health insurance. Many urban children have no access to safe parks or playgrounds, and never learn to ride a bicycle or swim. There are disabled veterans who cannot get the treatment they need for service-related physical, mental, or emotional problems, which is a national disgrace.
So, do we taxpayers have a duty to pay for an elective procedure that 99.9% of the American people will never have or even consider, that no one “needs” for the preservation of life or limb, for the happiness of a murderer who will never contribute to society or lead a productive life because he is serving a life sentence?
posted
I doubt that people avoid saying something out of fear of hurting the stranger's feelings. For me, it's the fear of not being able to predict the stranger's reaction. Especially since they are already exhibiting bizarre behavior.
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2006
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This retired couple owned the house free & clear, which the family had built decades ago with their own hands. Wells Fargo's subcontractors busted up the house, took valuables & irreplaceable family heirlooms, apparently trashed what they wouldn't be able to sell off, & left walls, doors, windows, & the couple's trailer damaged.
Wells Fargo has "said sorry" & offered the people $260,000. I don't know about property values in the California desert community where these folks live, but in the Bay Area, that MIGHT buy a 2BR major fixer-upper in a very marginal neighborhood.
I wonder how many other cases like that happen that we don't hear all about.
I generally don't like the litigious attitude that has become a way of life in America, especially multimillions for vague, unquantifiable damages like mental stress & emotional trauma. I share many Americans' dislike for much of what passes for professional behavior among lawyers. But in this case, I hope the family refuses Wells Fargo's nickels & dimes, hires the best lawyer they can, & makes Wells Fargo restore their life as much as possible & compensate them enough for the stress & trauma to be comfortable in their old age. I hope it's enough to teach the banks & the sleazes some of them hire for foreclosure work a lesson.
Posts: 13223 | Registered: Apr 2005
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If I were this family, I'd probably pack up & move right now!
I wouldn't move, it is their home - they own it. I would find out exactly how he kept getting in and prevent it. Change the locks, put in much better locks, put bars on my windows, etc. AND I would install an alarm system in the attic. A LOUD one.
Getting a real guard dog that doesn't like any one other than the Mom and kids would be a great investment too.
Posts: 311 | Registered: Oct 2006
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This took place in Rock Hill, SC, which is about a 30 minute drive from my little town. This article failed to mention that said attic-dweller also dated the owner of the house about 12 years earlier.
It still creeps me out just to think of it.
Posts: 2641 | Registered: Aug 2006
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A story like this makes you want to contact everyone you know whose home has an attic, basement, crawl space, boarded-up room, or any kind of concealed space, & tell them to go check it right now.
One of the things that creeps me out is wondering how long the guy had been there, right above the bedroom, spying on the family, filching their coats or blankets to make a nest, maybe emerging when everyone was out & making himself at home, stashing poop in cups above their bedroom at those times when nature called but he couldn't get to the bathroom because someone was home.
I know Iggy means well, saying it's their house & they should stay & make a fortified bunker out of it. But I really don't know if I'd ever be comfortable after that, especially with kids. Imagine knowing that while you slept, or whatever you do in your bedroom, this dude was up there watching & listening. Think how vulnerable the kids were. Posts: 13223 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Curelom, do you actually have the extra money to just up and leave a home you own? No way would she be able to sell it and get any value out of it. Nor would anyone rent it. Not after all the publicity there has been.
Means well? I don't mean well - I say batten down the hatches and prevent ALL vermin from entering - four legged as well as that two legged scum.
Posts: 311 | Registered: Oct 2006
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I don't know what the family's financial situation is. I'm thinking in terms of the psychological & emotional impact this has to have on all of them.
Whether or not they move is their own business. Maybe it was a little hyperbole to say I'd move right this minute, but are you willing to say that thought has never entered the family's mind? Can you say this won't have some long-term traumatic effect on those kids?
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I know I couldn't continue to live there, if it was me being spied on like that. Even if it meant couch-surfing with friends and family until I could afford another place.
Posts: 1177 | Registered: Aug 2009
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The guy was discovered and is gone, why leave your home after its over? What makes you think it can't happen in the next place you live and less so than happening again in the same place?
Posts: 5673 | Registered: Sep 2001
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For me personally, it's not about whether he's able to get back in. It's the fact that I would feel violated. Deeply and personally violated.
This guy reconfigured the heating vents in her bedroom so he could watch her. Who knows how long he'd been up there? Who knows what he was doing up there, aside from voiding into cups.
Posts: 1177 | Registered: Aug 2009
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This house has been burgled twice and our car port once. I do feel insecure, I do feel angry that some jackaxe strolled into my bedroom, took a pillowcase off my bed and poured the content of my jewelry case into it. I will never see those memories again. Violation. They stole my husband's solid gold award for science. Irreplaceable. They stole my family history and photos stored on the computers they took. Never get those back. Bereft. But I absolutely refuse to live in a prison. We might put a system in. We have different doors now- and we need to figure out how to secure the upstairs window over the kitchen. We put so much blood, sweat and tears into this property and it is my children's legacy. I refuse to give in to my creepy feelings. I will die in this house. But yeah, knowing a stranger was pawing around in my belongings leaves a scar. So I see both points of view. I just hope no one breaks in while I am in the house.... Posts: 5644 | Registered: Jun 2002
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"Who knows how long he'd been up there? Who knows what he was doing up there, aside from voiding into cups."
Sorry to give such an obvious answer, Goody, but I'm afraid you said it.
I remember that burglary, Jana. I recall how devastating it was, not for the material losses, but the personal treasures that were stolen. To a thief who is only after things he can sell or hock, your family history & pictures are meaningless & your husband's gold medallion is just a hunk of precious metal, but to you & your family, they are irreplaceable pieces of your life. And now they are no more.
What did the family in the house with the creepy intruder lose? Really, what did he take? All he did was roost in their attic, pilfer their old clothes to make a bed, stash #1 & #2 in cups while the family relaxed in unsuspecting comfort below, & tamper with the vent cover over the bed so he could spy on that lady. Right?
So what's the big deal, he didn't cart away their 56" plasma TV or million-dollar coin collection. If you asked them now, I think they would say that they'd rather he just broke in, took all the TVs, & left. What he did take, no insurance policy can restore.
They lost their sense of security. The feeling that their home is their castle, the place that symbolizes family unity & togetherness, the place where everyone is supposed to be safe. The sense that what happens in the home is personal & inviolate. Their innocence & trust.
To expect them to treat this like an ordinary burglary with purely physical solutions dismisses the intangible damage done to them as human beings.
The bedroom is where everyone's most private activities take place. People dress & undress, say their prayers if prayer is part of their life, are intimate with their spouse, snuggle & read to their kids, have their most treasured family conversations, are at their most defenseless while asleep - all in that room. For who knows how long, an outsider was living on top of them, a part of their lives & part of everything that family did in that room. And everything they did is now a part of him. As long as he is alive, who in that family can relax?
It's easy to say, "I'd just move out." It's also easy to say, "Big deal, get rid of the varmints, build ramparts & parapets & watchtowers like the Nephites did, & keep a shotgun by every window." But neither of these answers is entirely satisfactory, & neither will heal the deepest, most personal impacts on this family. I have a feeling that anywhere they live from now on, whether they fort up or move across the continent, the next time they will really feel safe is when they see that dude in his coffin.
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Is this more proof that booze makes us (or some people) stupid? Or is it just that cell phone cameras & the internet give such activities more, well, exposure? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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I recall how devastating it was, not for the material losses, but the personal treasures that were stolen. To a thief who is only after things he can sell or hock, your family history & pictures are meaningless & your husband's gold medallion is just a hunk of precious metal, but to you & your family, they are irreplaceable pieces of your life. And now they are no more.
