Home for Random Thoughts

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Burning Petard
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Burning Petard »

I just returned from a short road trip that took me into Wash DC Radio land. There I heard a piece of a Senate hearing on the latest bill to expand 'gun background checks." I have frequently repeated a cliche about 'why don't they just enforce existing laws?' I was reminded of that thought as a witnesss was questioned about that stuff.

This week I also heard another radio interview explaining just that: Most of this stuff comes under the purview of the BATF. They have rarely had a real Director during its entire existence. The pro-gun crowd kills every appointment. They also are drastically under-funded for enforcement. I don't remember the exact time frame, but it was said that during a period when 12,000 gun purchases failed the background check, 12 (that is TWELVE) were prosecuted. 12,000 confessed felons, their location fully known (at the gun shop next to the telephone) and a trivial number are prosecuted. The actual BATF employees who are supposed to inspect gun dealers are not allowed to carry badge or gun. Compare their total number with the number of gun stores and one could reasonably expect a gun shop to be inspected once every ten years. In 1963-64 I worked in a sporting good store whose major sales was guns and ammo. I talked to some of the other employees when I began working there. They told me the gun transfer records had never been inspected. About 15 years later I went back to visit the place again and some of the same people were still working there and still, never inspected.

That background check involves the prospective purchaser filling out a long form with lots of stuff about things that cause one to be prohibited from the purchase. If any of the wrong things are checked, the gun store rep simply hands back the form and says "Sorry, but I can't sell anything to you." The buyer signs the bottom of the form, just below a statement that the signer understands that if anything on the form is not true, they have committed a felony and are subject to federal prosecution. Only if the form looks good does the seller call the phone number that does the background check.
EVERYONE ONE OF THOSE REJECTED SALES MEANS there was information on the public record that was contrary to what the buyer stated. And only 12 were actually prosecuted. The BATF does not have the resources to make the arrest for this documented felony. Wayne Lapeer likes it that way.
Sort of like a long, straight patch of 4-lane highway with no entrances or exits, a 65mph speed limit and everybody knows the traffic cops never patrol it.

snailgate

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

Life is utterly absurd.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

BoSoxGal wrote:
Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:03 pm
Life is utterly absurd.
It's just one thing after another
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Scooter
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Scooter »

When a doctor keeps patients waiting for 1.5 hours past their appointment time, it should be a signal that they should be scheduling fewer appointments over the day in order to keep up.
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."

-- Author unknown

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

Yet another day of market volatility reminds me how lucky I am to be insulated from such losses by virtue of being poor. Yay me! :mrgreen: Me and hundreds of millions of my fellow Americans DGAF because it don’t trickle down anyway!
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Long Run
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Long Run »

Scooter wrote:
Tue Sep 13, 2022 6:41 pm
When a doctor keeps patients waiting for 1.5 hours past their appointment time, it should be a signal that they should be scheduling fewer appointments over the day in order to keep up.
That is unfortunate. This was a common situation when I was younger, but I have not experienced unreasonable waits in quite some time as there is a science or strategy to not have this happen. Of course, any business can have a disaster day.

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Crackpot
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Crackpot »

Or do you just make morning appointments now?
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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MajGenl.Meade
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

My doc is usually an hour behind. I put it down to (a) his willingness to chat a lot, for which everyone loves him and (b) to the fact that he seems to be required to sit for at least 30 mins per patient typing information into their patient portal (not to be confused with anatomical locations). Specialists don't seem to type anything - they have minions for that.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

I was once sitting in an exam room waiting for the doctor when I heard an angry exchange between the doctor and a staff person in the hall - he was complaining about being underbooked for the day, despite being behind schedule. I actually asked about it when he finally showed up - he wasn’t my doctor he was just giving me test results because my doctor had been called away on an emergency. He explained to me that the standard booking schedule is 5 patients per hour or 12 minutes per patient - because of insurance allowances for time per patient. Some patients will require more time (duh!) but some will take up less however invariably they get behind as the day goes on.

That was back in 2005 and I don’t think things have improved much since then. It’s no wonder how broken our healthcare system is because so many people are uncomfortable at the doctors as it is; they aren’t going to warm up and open up in just 12 minutes 2x/year nevermind can the doctor really provide much useful counseling in that amount of time. I think it shocks the conscience considering mental health and legal counseling is given in 50-60 minute increments and surely physical health is just as important. One of the reasons I really love my current doctor and won’t leave her unless I have to relocate is that she gives me at least 30 minutes for my annual exam.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

I wonder if the people who unpacked the decomposed corpses from beneath John Wayne Gacy’s house ever slept right again.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

I wish I could be the person who slits Putin’s throat - hopefully before he loses his mind entirely and launches the nukes.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Joe Guy
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Joe Guy »

From what I've read and heard, and though I'm all for Putin losing his authority, it appears that eliminating Putin wouldn't necessarily and the war, improve Russia's economic situation or relationship to the rest of the world.

But who knows? I certainly wouldn't oppose your bad wishes for Putin.

That's my random political thought.

Burning Petard
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Burning Petard »

September is 'suicide prevention month' . Nationally, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. That is the official ranking.. Many are not reported. My son's cause of death is officially listed as "undetermined'. PBS has shown some good programs on this topic.

Firefighters, police, EMT's are a high risk group for suicide. So yes, BSG they probably did/do have nightmares and worse.

snailgate

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datsunaholic
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by datsunaholic »

Yesterday I pull out of the Lowe's parking lot, only to immediately get tailgated by a woman who felt it unnecessary to stop at a stop sign. After turning onto a 4-lane (vs the 2 lane road) she tried to pass, only to be blocked by the fact that the left lane was stopped and the right had fewer cars in the queue. So back behind me. She then decided to cut through the grocery store parking lot to avoid the light. That won her 5 cars worth? She then blows the next stoplight to get onto the highway, floors it, and passes a State Trooper. Who promptly pulls her over, less than a mile onto the highway.

It was a beautiful sight.
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

Burning Petard wrote:
Mon Sep 26, 2022 1:47 pm
September is 'suicide prevention month' . Nationally, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. That is the official ranking.. Many are not reported. My son's cause of death is officially listed as "undetermined'. PBS has shown some good programs on this topic.

Firefighters, police, EMT's are a high risk group for suicide. So yes, BSG they probably did/do have nightmares and worse.

snailgate
Actually, according to CDC the recent stats on suicide are even worse:
Suicide affects all ages. In 2020, suicide was among the top 9 leading causes of death for people ages 10-64. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 25-34.3
PBS released an excellent program on suicide this month called Facing Suicide. It’s well worth the time to watch - streams on demand at the PBS website. https://pbs.org/show/facing-suicide?source=social

Along with first responders, attorneys, doctors and veterinarians have very high rates of suicide compared to the population as a whole. I’ve lost several friends and colleagues to suicide over the years. Toxic stress levels in the profession and most folks I’ve known who were drawn to the law had unreasonably exacting standards for themselves. Suicide is often the result of toxic stress levels maintained for long periods of time until the brain has lost all resilience.

Some days I count myself very grateful for having survived multiple suicide attempts; other days not so much. For many people grappling with suicidal ideation is a lifelong battle often resulting from either childhood trauma or some other traumatic experience in life and the resulting ptsd, without access to adequate mental health resources to learn functional coping strategies.

I was watching a two part documentary about Gacy last night when I posted that random thought. I could share some of the things I’ve seen in evidence on cases which still haunt my waking and sleeping thoughts, but I won’t because I don’t want to share the trauma. Believe it or not there are things even worse than rotting corpses in a crawl space - usually they involve despicable crimes against children.

One of the reasons I have sympathy for cops who engage in violence on the job is that I believe some of them have undiagnosed and untreated ptsd and in men especially ptsd often manifests in violent behavior. They need to be off the job until rehabilitated, but I do have compassion for those whose mental health has been damaged by the job.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Crackpot
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Crackpot »

Why isn’t anyone staging a revival of “Our American Cousin”?
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Crackpot wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:55 am
Why isn’t anyone staging a revival of “Our American Cousin”?
Because the guy who needed to go see it ain't in office anymore.
Image
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

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BoSoxGal
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by BoSoxGal »

I’ve been seasick all day trying to adjust to my new bifocals which I picked up this morning. It’s tremendous to have crisp vision at distance again, but I’m a bit aggravated by the angle at which I have to hold reading material for the up close vision. They’re terrific for driving though - everything out there is nice and crisp and when in need to glance at the dash it’s exactly the right angle for the close vision circles.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan

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Crackpot
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Crackpot »

Yeah it takes a little while to get used to the transition points. If you are still having problems after a couple of weeks you might need the transition line adjusted.
Okay... There's all kinds of things wrong with what you just said.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: Home for Random Thoughts

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Image
Image
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?

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