Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Thursday, October 15. 2015Thursday morning linksWhy don’t many Episcopalians tithe? It's not just about faith. It's about where the $ goes. I spent $12K on suits out of some guy’s trunk The study published by Harvard that gun-grabbers fear Panic strikes school after student says ‘gum’ Sheriff Clarke: If Obama Wants to Disarm People, ‘He Should Start with His Security Staff’ Faced with a wave of knife violence, a soaring number of Israelis are applying for gun permits. Wolf hunters deployed to French Alps Save the wolves! 'Aunt' says lawsuit against boy was insurance case Lowlife Kids Continue to Leave the Lunch Line Due to Michelle Obama’s Rules Update On Unions In The Private Sector Illinois To Delay Pension Payments Amid Budget Woes: "For All Intents And Purposes, We Are Out Of Money Now" The era of pensions is past in the US WaPo Wastes 1000 Words Lamenting ‘Inequality’ in…Breakfast Sandwiches Scientific research says it’s safer to drive high than straight, right? Wrong. Here are the phantom studies to (un)prove it American Housing Policy’s Two Basic Ideas Pull Cities in Opposite Directions - Local governments can’t resist trying to make a home both a cheap purchase and a lucrative investment. Libertarianism Isn’t Over, It Never Got Started - Forget Congress and the presidency, just look at your local government. Coates' moral blackmail :
Mr. Coates, tell your kid he can be a famous neurosurgeon Insurers ‘Lost a Lot of Money’ Selling Obamacare Plans Bernie Sanders’s Denmark Comments Show He Doesn’t Even Understand His Own ‘Socialism’ AP FACT CHECK: Clinton, Sanders revise history in Dem debate Why pandering to Latinos is a losing proposition for Republicans. ‘Migrants’ Rights Now Topic A in Calais Cybersecurity Expert: Be Afraid, America. How Buying Guns for Oppressed Jews Built the American Jewish Establishment Iran sends fighters to Syria, escalating its involvement Krauthammer’s Take: We Need to Help the Free Syrian Army Topple Assad Time for a US Maritime Security Strategy for Europe Or time for a European security strategy? Exposing another one: WESPAC SUSAN RICE BLAMES CLIMATE CHANGE FOR CONFLICT IN SYRIA The U.S. Military's 'Top Guns' in the Air Have a Big Weakness Turkey’s 10-Sided War With Itself Trackbacks
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Panic strikes school after student says ‘gum’
and somehow we are supposed to be confident that our children are in the "care" (control) of these people for 8-9 hours a day. Because of the insane policy regarding reintroduced wolves in Wyoming the ranchers here have developed the SSS policy---Shoot, Shovel and Shut-up.
I'll take the wolves over the ranchers.
1. that's what insurance/government compensation plans are for. and in Wyoming: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/Regulations/WOLF_LIVESTOCK_BROCHURE.pdf
depending on where they are, they can be killed anytime without a license if they are in a "predatory animal area" with no damage compensation paid or for livestock damaged in the "trophy" areas (most of the state, including adjacent to Yellowstone where they've been reintroduced, where the wolf harvest is managed), the government pays compensation. 2. wolves are cooler than ranchers. I'd recommend you stay out of rural western areas, Donny. They don't like bears any more than wolves.
#2.1.1.1.1
Sam L.
on
2015-10-15 16:19
(Reply)
I've hunted (and photographed) upland game birds all over the western states.
#2.1.1.1.1.1
Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz
on
2015-10-15 17:39
(Reply)
The problem with the compensation scheme is that it is almost impossible to collect on. Whose to say if the calf was actually killed by wolves or died from some other cause and was scavenged? Or what about the ones you never find? They sometimes just disappear.
It really annoys me that people who never have to deal with wolves are the ones that want them out there. Our ancestors got rid of them and for good reason. The wolves do eat calves and every calf is a paycheck for the rancher. But I guess it's okay when other people lose their paychecks.
#2.1.1.1.2
feeblemind
on
2015-10-15 18:26
(Reply)
Excellent documentary on YouTube "Wolves of Yellowstone" cover the environmental benefits of bringing them back to balance wildlife and protect the multiple species that rely on diversity to survive. The regrowth of forests and other plant life has encourage the river banks to stabilize, preventing erosion and flooding. Also more information at
http://elkinperil.com/interview-with-top-wolf-biologist-l-david-mech Many studies going back years to their reintroduction support this position far more than any studies on "global warming/cooling" pushed by other environmentalists such as Al Gore, who manages to have a bigger lifestyle than most billionaires and probably uses more energy between his houses, cars and airplanes than any dollar effort by the government to curb such extravagance.
#2.1.1.1.2.1
jma
on
2015-10-15 19:05
(Reply)
Maybe, maybe not. I go to Yellowstone a couple times a year and I have seen regrowth after the big burn and a couple of smaller burns since. I'm thinking some pro-wolf environmentalist made up the connection between the wolf and the brush growing near streams.
#2.1.1.1.2.1.1
GoneWithTheWind
on
2015-10-17 15:20
(Reply)
do you have some stats to back up your claims about inadequate compensation or are you just passing gas?
that's not a rhetorical question.
#2.1.1.1.2.2
Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz
on
2015-10-16 12:43
(Reply)
That's the fairly openly stated policy here on alligators: leave them alone unless they approach the house, then take care of them quietly without requiring a game warden to notice officially.
'Top Guns' have weakness...
No, no, NO! We can't spend any money on weapons or military 'stuff' because...for the Children! Seriously, the first promise any Obama era general had to make was "Don't make waves about your funding". I've read enough comments here to know that there is a lot of 'isolationist' feeling on the subject of any projection of US power. Not completely illogical after a decade plus of the wasting of American blood and treasure. And this country still has an impressive military budget compared to any other nation. But the money isn't being wisely spent. Air superiority is the cornerstone of all American defense planning, lose that and we better start fixing up those coastal gun batteries from WWII. God help the next American President. And us. Re housing: that's always the problem with prices, isn't it? If you identify with the buyer ("nice young entry-level couple shopping for an American Dream home"), you want prices to be low. If you identify with the seller ("nice retired couple looking to cash in on that home they've invested in for decades"), you want prices to be high.
If only there were some system for balancing the simultaneous desires of sellers and buyers so that prices took into account competing considerations like supply and demand. Or try pulling their pecker out of the gearbox.
Episcopalian Tithing
This is probably the Third Rail of Christian faith, and unfortunately a contentious issue regardless of whether one is Catholic, Baptist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian,etc. I was taught to tithe as a child and still believe in the importance of the tithe. I once asked my Dad how much one should tithe and he referred me to 2 Corinthians 9:7 - "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” In the Old Testament, 10% seems to be the number, and in the NT Jesus basically says give it all. So, search your heart, and if nothing else at least praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. Where are the various Episcopal churches spending what their members are giving. Perhaps the members have a problem with that.
Okay, this is a Canadian example, but it still has some truth. Back in the day, our priest did a sermon on how we should all tithe just as he and his wife did. So I went home and did some calculations, estimating their relative salaries (I knew his) and taxes before tithing, and knowing our income and taxes as a single-income family. Next time I saw our priest I pointed out that - as a single-income family - we were paying swingeing taxes for the privilege of having me stay at home with the offsprings and be available as a volunteer (was church treasurer at the time, as well as being involved in various other community and school affairs); were we able to each file half of the family income on our tax returns, our taxes would be so much lower that we could easily tithe and still have money in hand. Didn't hear that sermon again.
This was the same priest who preached on the woman taken in adultery. As we left church, I asked him about the other sinner. When he looked puzzled, I pointed out that adultery was one of those interesting sins that takes two to commit (that idea was NOT original with moi). Never heard that sermon again either. If it's the third rail it's because of weak efforts like this one, lots of flies mixed into the perfume in this piece.
I've seen these arguments before, and they aren't very effective in part b/c they are wrong. Tithing is great, tithing is important...but this guy misses on why. "Susan Rice Blames Climate Change For Conflict in Syria"
Yeah, global warming cause the Syrian Civil War because droughts never occurred in the Middle East until a few years ago...sheesh. How can these people be so *stupid*?? Mr. Coates, tell your kid he can be a famous neurosurgeon
Ta-Neshi Coates's father was a SJW, as is Ta-Neshi. Ta-Neshi is just trying to get his son to take up the family trade. In his family, it's tradition to be a revolutionary. [Bit of an oxymoron there, no?] 'Aunt' says lawsuit against boy was insurance case
looks totally run of the mill ordinary to me. It was obvious it was an insurance case as soon as I heard about it on the news. It never occurred to me anyone would think it was anything else. You don't sue a kid just because you're irritated, even assuming anyone could be dumb enough to be that irritated at a kid for jumping into her arms. You sue (if you're into this kind of thing) because you have medical bills and you hope you'll luck into a deep pocket, especially if you haven't made prudent arrangements for your own medical misfortunes.
Illinois pension woes: the Ponzi schemes are starting to come unglued one by one. Pensioners will be plenty upset when they realize that the cupboards are bare. Oh, except for the management and union leaders. Those guys haven't missed a meal since Truman was in office.
tithing as a mandate seems contradictory. To me the simple fact that the church demands it is reason enough to not do it. Convince me to do something with a reasoned argument but do not order me to do something I disagree with.
that's very catholic of you. the 10% figure derives from your Old Testament, the "give what you can" comes from your New Testament. protestants have latched on to the 10% figure.
kudos for the moral relativism, that's totally cool. |