Rougarou

Also, sorry to wade into this thread so late. I'm an evangelical and I am not voting for Trump in 2020, but the last pages have been good conversation (except for sitcom talk not going away) so keep it up!

Look, I love you man, but I'm just saying, the Modern Reformation thread makes me think you aren't a popular fella.

The thing that really grinds my gears is that Apple Maps/Navigation has it down to such a science, that (guilty!) even when you do 85-90-100 mph on a tollway or something to try and shave time, you can only really get 2 or 3, maybe 5 minutes at an extreme, of time savings. So when you see you type your end destination and see the ETA time on the iPhone and it's late, it's a shot in the gut.

People don't like you because you know a lot about what you are talking about-- enough to, perhaps even superficially, discredit what they know (or think they know) in a visceral or experienced manner. Which is a super important and meaningful way to have knowledge, as well (and not saying you don't have a knowledge base there, either). Either a) people need to spend a lot of energy/effort/time to bone up and get to a point of education/knowledge to discuss things with you or b) people need to already have a lot of education/understanding of the topics you want to discuss. Mostly people aren't interested in these modalities as a UT football-based message board unless it's organic happenstance as sidebars rather than a concentrated and specific prompt for discussion because, which as you, yourself, have said this board is pretty much only really good for those rare times and the occasional raising of some cash when someone gets sick.

I think we are talking past each other on a fundamental point. Just because you make something a written rule or law, doesn't mean there aren't ways to subvert or get around it, and that will be the case for all time. You think there isn't segregation now? You think that people don't send their kids to private schools to segregate for poor kids? I see so, so, so many similarities between our broken school systems and the imbalance therein and what a defunded police policy would create. I don't think, at least from reading these boards, that a lot of people agree. I know I'm not a social science genius so I'm assuming that the lack of consensus or agreement with my thoughts means I'm wrong, but unfortunately your posts aren't doing much to enlighten me-- maybe I'm just beyond hope and one of the stupidest class of folks.

Can I write your biography? Serious question; PM if yes.

Yea agree completely, but Lin is so intertwined with the role/musical that it's hard to unsee him as the lead in a lot of folks hearts and minds-- he is Hamilton (as the creator) and like I said, he should be (and largely is) a sentimental favorite, which I think you are also agreeing and saying.

Fair enough, it sounds like you are at least aware of the political and (still) societal headwind to getting to where you propose from where we are today. The fact of the matter is the toothpaste is out of the tube with respect to police work and their appreciation/help to keep white flight a sound investment and it will take continuous radical movements like we've seen other the past months to get to a place where we even have something on a meaningful ballot to affect any real change. Good luck everyone!

I think that the idea and definition and characterization of love, as modernity defines it (e.g. Love is Love and that's all you need to know) has been watered down. There is such a thing as tough love and a love that is harder that puts you in conflict with people because you will not agree or accept certain "truths" because of your "truth", out of love.

Actually, it's blasphemy (and not in the sense of how we know blasphemy as saying something denigrating, but in the sense that you have known the Lord and been saved and then you choose to reject, for good and all time) Edit to add: that's my understanding at least. Matthew 12:30-32: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, any sin and blasphemy can be forgiven. But blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Mark 3:28-30: 28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. 30 - Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. Luke 12:8-10: "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."

A black guy getting shot for not pulling over fast enough is never okay, in any situation, and should 100% of the time be prosecuted as murder. Full stop. That said, not giving people the option to keep their police force as they have it now is a losing bet. It's literally the same problem that healthcare has. You are asking (or maybe forcing) people to lose their coverage they like and want for something that is (in their interests/desires) sub-par. It's a loser, in that it has never won. So let's sing all the kumbaya about how your proposal would be so amazingly utilitarian and ideal, but let's also be realistic about a) what a fallen and sinful world we live in (and in ALL the ways that sentence applies to all of us wicked idiots we call people) and b) what is politically realistic (which I admit is dynamic).

The root cause of road rage, in my experience and opinion, is 80-90% a time management issue. People don't manage their time and thus find themselves in a position where the locus of control is external. They feel helpless and frustrated-- at themselves, the road workers, the slow cars-- as well as fear of the consequences for being late (e.g. social shame, professional/work issues, etc.) and it leads to emotional decisions being made. I would think that most issues people have with road rage could be diminished if they'd bake in more time than they think they need to get from Point A to Point B. You'll never get the numbers down to zero due to some people are just insane or have egos and issues, but that's my take.

I think you are on to something, but I think you need options/choice (uh oh, this is starting to sound like a healthcare debate). Have this: Be the Bronze package. (Starting hypotheticals) If you want to live in Houston/Austin/Dallas proper, then this is what you get and btw you don't pay as much for it. Like when looking at Cloud contracts, you get certain SLA's and support. This is the basic so your tolerance for crime let's say is 10% Then have a Silver package some cities can opt into-- maybe some mid-level or up-and-coming suburbs, say Kingwood/Cedar Park/East Plano. You get more of what police look like except maybe not the SWAT tanks or something, I don't know but less than what we have now but more than the bare minimum. This is the medium so your SLA for crime is to not exceed 5% Then do a Gold package for the cities that want to attract folks who will buy houses for such protection (scared and likely wealthy folks who want to raise their kids in the most optimized and extreme ways in centrally planned communities). You get the full militarized cops who will view outsiders to your community as threats and you pay for it, this is more or less what we have now. You get 1% crime. All percentages are hypothetical and meant as conversation starters and illustrate the skeleton of a framework, not to be taken literal or argued as gospel. If you do this, I think on paper everyone would agree and you'd please everyone. People who don't want the military style police like we have it now, will opt to live somewhere with a basic package. Others will tell their realtors only to look at Gold packages with good school districts. First home buyers or centrists will probably land in the middle. The problem would only be if, in a twist of irony, people who live without the best security and policing will decry it as unfair or discriminatory because they want 1% crime but can't afford it. This also gives police officers the flexibility and options for which kind of cop they want to be, they can apply to, so you aren't painting with a broad brush. You have segmentation and classes of officers that get weighted/judged instead of what we have now which is that it's impossible to distinguish between one's cops disposition/personality/values/skills/ambitions/beliefs/ideals from another. All percentages are hypothetical and meant as conversation starters and illustrate the skeleton of a framework, not to be taken literal or argued as gospel.

Some of what you are saying makes sense to me. I guess I'm thinking of the more radical videos/tweets I've seen where protesters were calling for a dissolution (think: ICE) of PD's. If we are saying, "No, don't disband police, let's just take away the budget that gets them X, Y and Z (toys and militaria) but leave them with A, B and C which is the fundamental, bare-to-mid-level necessities to keep crime at a benchmark that we deem acceptable for our community" then that's a different position and one I think that would get some decent support from PoC's and people interested in living in urban city centers and mixed developments in the top 20 cityscapes in America. I still land on the position that any meaningful defunding of police will necessarily imbalance further an already horrible imbalance of inner/mid/outer cities and ex/suburbs, with respect to wealth, violent crime rates--heck, any crime rates, school ratings, and jobs/employment. It's a simple cause-and-effect situation, it seems to me.

In your analogy (and to the thread title), wouldn't it be more of someone asking-- or, rather, demanding-- that the abusive partner stop paying the bills, stop picking up kids from school and move out completely and go somewhere else?

Gotcha, didn’t realize “it is known”, potentially.

We were at a water park that has a huge video board and played a bunch of great music non-stop and their MTV videos. This came on and I tried to explain to my wife that DLR was just flamboyant and entertaining, but she was convinced-- 100% convinced he was gay. It's hard to argue when you look back now, at his crop top ,midriff shirt and his 80's aerobic world championship moves, but I think he was just a victim of the times. It didn't help that the preceding video was GnR and the succeeding video was CCR-- two very different and less effeminate visions of what a rockstar looks like. Apparently in the 80's this was a ladies man.

100% agree with you. However, I think the point wildcat is making (and I could be wrong or putting words in his mouth) is that what you are talking about is rare because poverty is such a devil that it robs and steals and kills for the most part atmosphere's where a) there are two parents and b) there is hard work directed at schooling. Heck I actually have to own up and make a hard confession and look at the mirror. I'm relatively privileged with some decent coin and I work hard, but covid-19 has shown me that I actually don't work that hard/care that much about education for my children. I'm not putting the Herculean time/effort to school my kids when their school shut down and had 2 hour zoom meetings (worthless) and busy work via apps (class dojo, etc.). I'm not dedicating time away from my 9a-9p job to educate and not putting the hours in the evening to because of my self-centered excuses of 1) I have a 12 hour day job and that's why I make the money I do and 2) I'm too tired. I'm having to look in the mirror and realize that I actually do not value all that much the schooling my kids are (or are not, in 2020) getting. That's a weird feeling. Now, we expect people of less comforts to do all that I-- with a full belly and money in the bank for emergencies--won't do? We expect people beaten down by the world to not view public schools as an entitlement to teach kids the skills they need to be productive members of society, when that is exactly what I do and am annoyed that the school I pay for is not doing it and requesting I take back over the reins until we have a vaccine? But then again, maybe if necessity really is the mother of all invention, the crucible of poverty will give the motivation and extra gear to prepare kids in a way that my pudgy, suburban ennui cannot muster.

Does Texas de Brzil and Fogo de Chao count as buffets? Because those are my go-to Friday lunch spots and when things get back to normal, I will be sad if they are gone.

I mean, that's a perfect caption, if there ever has been one.

What is the tax system called where everyone pays the same thing? Flat tax? That what I want and would vote for. #Equality

Everyone has their own experiences, so far be it for me to tell this guy who loves charter schools that they are crap, but my experience is more closely resembling yours in that they are shady/crappy and I would not trust them with my children.

Plano ISD came out with a 37 page plan, including masks apparently.

I read the last line in song right before the Da-da-da- slobber- da-Dai-da-da -spittle- da Joking aside someone upthread mentioned his excessive saliva but I think it is probably a testament to commitment to the act— he didn’t stop to wipe his mouth because it would have broke character and having to project as loud and clear as you have to on stage, it’s probably a more common occurrence than realized. I mean I noticed during close ups the cast was drenched in sweat on their faces, which makes complete sense but not something you necessarily see from the nose bleed seats of Rodgers.

Then that makes sense. One of my kids told me it was Olaf. I should put him up for adoption for giving me bad intel that led to embarrassment on the internet. But seriously, the King was really well cast— had great voice and comedic timing.