btq96r

  No worries, they'll find rocks that need painted, the motor pool will need to be rearranged a few times, CONEX's need to be inventoried often...plenty to do in a nine month deployment.  Damned if I ever knew the reasons for it all, though.

The "free market" would victimize low skill and some technical workers if left unchecked by things like a minimum wage.  There were reasons for instituting it in the first place, and without a minimum wage, those reasons would come right back.   Another upside to a minimum wage hike is the money it would put back into what I call the "real economy"  by giving low income workers more purchasing power.  I think $15 an hour is too much unless it's phased in over a decade or something, but $10.10 now is reasonable.  Let's face it, if someone is making between minimum wage and $10.10 an hour, bring raised up to $10.10 isn't going to have them saving, or opening up a mutual fund.  That extra pay will be used to buy more items, and that's more money retailers can compete for.

Open carry for this shindig, right?  :D

A friend told me she saw people with flags on every overpass between Murfreesboro and Smyrna tonight in honor of PO2 Randall Smith. 

  These sites do well because people are human, and the allure of someone new is always going to be strong.  Even the most good hearted men of God can be corrupted in their lust.  MLK comes to mind as an example.  These sites are just adapting to the 21st century.  Nothing new under the sun when you break it down.     Completely agree with those who think that marriage is rushed into these days.  But, it's been programmed into people that's what's normal.

Who had Lancaster, Ohio as the spot for our first civilian guard negligent discharge? http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/07/23/recruiting-center-shot-fired.html   From the article... A group of armed civilians have been guarding the recruiters inside the multi-branch center since Monday. One of them has been charged with a misdemeanor after he accidentally fired his AR-15 rifle this afternoon. --- The shopping-center owner issued a statement this afternoon saying that after the firearm discharge, it was decided “for the safety of tenants, customers and construction personnel working in the immediate vicinity of the Military Recruiting Center, it would be best to request the removal of the armed individuals.” Christopher A. Reed, 28, of Lancaster, was charged with discharging a firearm in the city limits, and was issued a summons to appear in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Tuesday, according to the police incident report. Reed told the officer who responded that he was holding his AR-15 rifle in front of the military recruiting station to guard the personnel inside when someone approached him and asked if he could take a look at the weapon. Reed agreed to show him, and while he was trying to clear the ammunition from the weapon, he accidentally fired into the asphalt pavement. The only damage was a hole in the pavement. The rifle was taken from Reed pending his appearance in court, the incident report says. --- Reed pleaded guilty and was convicted of the same offense in 2013, and was fined $50, court records show.

Budgets just aren't safe from awesome gun related deals these days.  Not sure how low a suppressor can get, but I would think they aren't immune to the trend...not with eForms humming along at a decent rate.

  I don't pretend I don't have to answer to a higher power, I simply don't.   My personal code of conduct, desire to function within society, and a healthy fear of socitial punishment (ie: jail) guide me through life.

  At the risk of fulfilling Grand Torino's prognostication above, I think modern society has transcended the needs for controls based in religion.  Goes back to Voltaire and the line of "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."  At one point, society needed God to provide the framework.  Now, not so much.   Religion was a big deal when King's ruled through divine right and needed rules and laws based in religion to legitimize them, but in 21st century democracies, society has evolved where we don't need a religious themed reason for every rule.  We can recognize that it's in the interest of society to have rules and what not so we don't become savages who destroy themselves.  The line on what those rules are ebbs and flows, but it doesn't require religion for enough people to come together and decide some things should be prohibited.   That's not to say religion doesn't have a place, but it's best value is individual and within the faith...anything beyond what is needed for the basic functioning of society (not to be confused for what we think it should be based on our own personal beliefs) should not get copied and pasted in both word and effect into legislation that will beholden those of different faith's and non-believers to it.

  If I can make it, I'll be the white, balding guy, with a belly.  Surely that will make me unique in this group.    Okay, yeah, name tags are a solid idea.

  What Ted said.  I didn't need Christianity to teach me what's right and wrong.  I get that it can be helpful, but there are multiple ways to learn morality, and via religion is by no means the only one that works.

  I'm pretty well aquainted with the radical side of Islam.  I just think interperting the text and intent of the Quran is best left to individuals.  The Chattanooga shooter presented the same type of threat as Dylan Roff, he just had a different target and engagement method.    Bad guys are bad guys without religion gumming up the debate.  As far as I'm concerned, everybody is suspect.

  Common sense. 

  No, since not all doctors provide the same individual services.  However, if a Doctor performs abortion services, they should fall under the same anti-discrimination services, in addition to medical practice laws.

  Plenty of people don't need the bible to teach them or enforce that morality lesson.

Put me down for a strong maybe.  There shouldn't be anything from school or work that night.

  Plus the plenty of Muslims who just want to go about their lives and could care less about the radical side of their religion.    If Islam was a bent on killing the infidel as some of you like to think it is (not you Dolo), they I would have never survived the two and a half years I lived out in the Kuwaiti economy from 2009-2011.

  Where is Ramsey in all this?  I thought he would be the logical "next man up" under the standard system not Harwell.    Diane Black in the mix is not surprising, but I doubt she has much of a chance.  I thought Marsha Blackburn might run in 2018 for Governor, but she is probably hoping to make a good jump within Republican leadership when Boehner is eventually replaced as the top Republican in the House and people move around.

The only thing Governor Haslam could do is propose that the TCA be amended to be clear that nothing in TN law prohibits military personnel from being armed for defensive purposes to give the federal government no reason to say TN law prohibits it.   There is only so much a state governor can do with regards to federal troops.  The issue of active duty recruiters is a federal issue to solve.  Even if Haslam said they could have any gun they wanted anywhere as of today, they would still be subject to their own service regulations and DoD wide regulations.  And let's just say the brass is less than less than enthusiastic about arming recruiters.

  The absence of religion has nothing to do with adultery.  At one point, It must have been widespread enough to require a commandment against it...whenever the exact date that was actually written down, it was still a long, long time ago.   So this isn't a new societal issue by any means.   Even in our countries most religious times, men and women cheated on their spouses,   Sites like ashleymadison.com just make it a modern thing like TGO is a modern equivalent of the taverns where people met to be social back in the day.

  They're still delicious.  

  They do in their private lives, but not as vendors in the marketplace.    Though we've been over this before. :D

He's an asshat just like the bakers who refuse to sell to a gay couple. 

  It was also a very well executed PR stunt for political reasons.  No way that was a spur of the moment idea, it was planned and on standby for a while.

  If recruiting stations aren't ready for small arms fire and even IED's, or the powers that be refuse to acknowledge the threat, maybe this event was the kick in the complacency we needed.  People are talking about it now, which is a good thing.  Wouldn't be the first time in military history a successful attack makes the brass take notice and do the right thing well after NCO's and junior officers have been pointing it out.