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leahcim

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Posts posted by leahcim

  1. Posted

    Innocent people die because of gov't mistakes and malfeasance all the time.

     

    Much more frequently than innocent people are executed in the US. There were 43 executions in the US in 2012. Out of 3,000 plus prisoners on death row. Roughly 1 1/2 percent. A convicted murderer is more likely to die of natural causes on death row than to be executed. He's probably safer there than he was in his mother's womb.

    I am against people dying due to any govt mistake--whether it was intentional or not. I support the death penalty at least in theory; my only issue is its finality--as other s have said, you can't take it back or recompense the victim of such a mistake. Just because other mistakes happen all the time does not mean we should overlook this one. I am all for quick execution for DP crimes, but I think there should be a higher threshold to invoke the DP. Especially with what has been documented in some police interrogation (e.g. the Central Park Five, and those U.S. Navy sailors who went to jail only to be exhonerated for the murder of one of their neighbors); thankfully such cases are rare, but they do happen.

     

    It is not an easy answer--I would err on the side of caution (not killing innocent people); but the costs can become greater than the cost of lifetime incarceration. And as for incarceration--life should be LIFE, no parole! I think it is great if a criminal reforms and tries to redeem themselves in prison, but that should have NO BEARING on release--if you take someone's life by murder, you should have to pay--if not the DP then with the remainder of your life. And prison should be really bad--provide the basic required to sustain life (food, water, shelter, limited exercise) and reading material that would be limited to one religious book of yoru choice (e.g. the bible) and a complete basic law library (if someone is truly innocent they should have the resources to prove it).

  3. Posted

    I just planted a bunch of lettuce--differnet types but mostly loose-leaf mesculin type.

    I put in peas early in March, but they got about 6 inches and seem to have stopped growing--not sure what is up with that.

     

    I also had disappointing results with my Tulips this year. First year they came up great, last year they all flowered, but did not get quite as tall. Last year I dug out the bulbs in midsummer and stored them in peat until fall, when I replanted. Had a lot of new small bulbs too. They started pushing through in late March and I added about 1-2 inches of compost.. They got to 4-6 inches, then it got pretty cold for awhile and they seemed to just stop growing. A few have flowered now, but most have not and some are starting to die back already. Perhaps I should get my soil tested--I use raised beds and a mix of compost, peat and vermiculite, but I think it still gets pretty acidic here in the pines.

     

    I keep it organic. Mostly compost, but I do use some organic fertilizers too. And flowers to attract good insects. Plus a 6 foot polypro fence, with the bottom 6 inches staked to the ground seems to keep the deer, groundhogs and rabbits out--otherwise the deer seem to eat everything. They even ate the branches off of a small cedar sapling that I had planted from the Pacific NW!

  4. Posted

    I'll go ya one further. Just put the firearm in the trunk without wrapping it and lay the loaded magazine next to it.

    Or you could place it in a clear plastic bag, tied at the top, and place it on the seat next to you. As long as it is in a securely tied package OR locked in the trunk.

    However, NJSP adds that "The firearm should not be directly accessible from the passenger compartment of the vehicle." but I see no basis in the law for this assertion.

     

    Since NJSP does not seem to have a good grasp on the law, I would not suggest testing this--I fear they would arrest you and let you fight the court over the interpretation of the law; and I am not willing to be the test case for this. I recommend keeping everything out of sight.

  5. Posted

    13 out of 13

    I had to re-read several questions though--they seemed to easy and I kept thinking they were trick questions.

    The distribution is pretty sad, especially when you look at the breakdown by question--less than half answered correctly about relative size of electrons or understood the most basic concept of lasers?

    And 80% do not have the most basic understanding of the makeup our atmosphere?

     

    Of course if it were a quiz on pop culture, hollywood stars, and reality TV I am sure my results would be abysmal. I really don't pay enough attention to that stuff ;-)

  7. Posted

    Just dropped off FID and 3 P2P for my wife and I was told it would be 3-4 months. When I asked about P2P only that I picked up she said about 3 months.

    The silver lining is the reason for the delays: the sheer number of people applying for FID and P2Ps has skyrocketed since December. More people wanting to purchase means more voters are aware of the ridiculous process in NJ.

  8. Posted

    It is for this reason that I would never EVER voluntarilly seek any type of mental health counselling--even if I felt it was warranted--and I would never say anything to any health care provider if I felt depressed, moody, or any other subjective state of mind.

    I sure hope that does not make me paranoid ;-)

  9. Posted

    Uhh that would be The English - but you knew that, and the answer at this point is no one else. We're a stubborn bunch that's resistant to change. Try to make us more European by making us use the metric system - yeah that got really old in the 70's when it was pushed by Jimmy C.

    I have never understood this. I think the U.S. is the only country that still uses the BRITISH Thermal Unit! I learned the metric system in elementary school (early 70s for me) and I was told that I had better learn it because, by the time I am an adult, metric will be the system everyone will use. So I still use it, and most people look at me like I am crazy when I use an SI unit--even fellow engineers! And I find it much easier to work with for any type of chem, physics or engineering problems.

    However, I do use the micro-fortnight quite a bit--in SI units it works out to about 1.2 S so it is still a pretty convenient unit for time.

     

    As for the knives, I think the whole ruling is stupid. It basically allows only toy knives. And as has been stated--due to physical cockpit security and fundamentally changed mindset with regard to hijackers--there is virtually no chance of success, starting with flight 93. Once the passengers understood the motives, the bad guys were thwarted.

  11. Posted

    This is irresponsible!!! you are telling us you have a safe but leave a loaded gun in a nightstand unattended!! Think about that!!

    What is wrong with that? You lock your doors and generally secure the house when you are away? It is in your house and as long as everyone who has access to the house is a responsible adult and knows about the gun, I do not see a problem. They are locked up inside a big safe called my house, with the presumption of security. The only reason I try to put mine in a safe is one extra layer of protection against loss. If you are willing to assume the risk of loss (e.g. that risk may be very low based on your location, and other security measures) I do not see that it is an issue.

  12. Posted

    You mean other than locking the front door? Why should I have to "secure" anything inside my home? When I weigh the cost/benefits of having my shotgun in easy reach if someone breaks in while I'm in bed vs losing the gun should someone steal it when I'm not home... I'll choose the former every time. I can replace the shotgun for $400. I can't replace myself. As for the gun being used to commit a crime somewhere, well, that's what criminals do and I can't be held responsible for it just like the police can't be held responsible for failing to protect the public from said criminals.

    I will usually lock handguns in a safe when I leave the house. Yes they are also locked in the house, but I don't really want to lose them if I can avoid it. Yes the safes can be breached, but I assume theives are going to be in a hurry and the cost/benefit analysis of taking the time (cost) of breaching a safe vs. the potential benefit (might just be worthless paperwork) they are going to go for the low hanging fruit. Sometimes I will just hide it somehwere though. I also worry that if it is just some stupid nieghborhood kid gone awry--Even though he is a criminal, I would feel bad if a kid were injured due to youthful stupidity because I left a something out where they could easilly access it.

  13. Posted

    Don't mean this to flame - but lets start with your original question about zippers. Yes, it would be considered a fastened case, why wouldn't it be? If they will accept a "securely tied package" why not a zippered case - you are overthinking this. The only mention of locks of any kind in the transport clause of 2C:39 is that of a the locked trunk of an automobile - and the inference there is that if it is carried in a locked trunk, there is no need for a case of any kind. Same applies for ammunition. Speaking to one legislator - unless they were the drafters of the bill - hardly constitutes knowing the "intent" of the law. Fairly obvious that it is intended to impede ready access, but your analogy to the a cooling off period (which PA hasn't used since the implementation of NICS/PICS in 1998) is a bit far reaching. There is no need for trigger locks for transport either. All the reiteration of these myths serves to do is to perpetuate non-existent "laws" and pave the way for them becoming the real thing. Adios, Pizza Bob

     

    "closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk" Due to the use of the word "or" any of these options is legal for transport. By the letter of the law, you could put it in clear a zip-lock bag (unloaded, but with rounds in your magazines) on the passenger seat, or they could all be in the trunk with no case whatsoever. I would not want to be the test case for the zip-lock--no traffic-stop LEO needs to know what I have in the car--but it is compliant with my reading of the statute.

  14. Posted

    It's possible he was a criminal. Call 9 1 1

    No, you should have thrown him your car keys, wallet and any other valuables, then run as fast as you can toward the service plaza, pointing at the guy and yelling as loud as you can "GUN!" Also alert the media and Mayor Bloomberg that there is someone on the turnpike with an arsenal.

  15. Posted

    There is currently a bill in MD legislature to ban high capacity candy/pastry magazines (anything over ten pieces would be subject to the ban) and also to ban the higher caliber candies such as "Good and Plenty" and "Mike and Ikes". Small caliber, such as "Tic Tacs" would be exempt, but the proposed legislation would include additional penalties for possession of "Red Hots" for unlawful purposes. Additional legislation would require universal candy and pastry background checks and would close the so-called candy show loophole. They are also taking a very close look at out-of-state shipments of cakes from Carlo's bakery in Hoboken, and other internet candy sales.

  16. Posted

    It was just lucky the teacher caught this before it got out of hand. The kid claims he was trying to make it into a mountain, and it just turned out to look like a gun. If the kid had actually created a mountain, and the mountain was an active volcano, it could have destroyed the entire school!

     

    I can't imagine that somewhere in the chain--teacher, principal, admin--didn't someone stop to think"hmmm, pop-tart, teacher thought it looked like a gun, we suspend the kid, yeah that is going to play out well in the press." They should all be fired!

     

    Seriously though, I had read that this is the same school district that suspended a kid for drawing a gun a few years back. Now I know you are thinking that it is impolite to draw unless there is an actual threat. Turns out he was not drawing from a holster, he was drawing a picture of a gun on paper.

  19. Posted

    Not only could they prosecute, they could argue premeditation because you went out to confront the dude with a firearm. There are some pretty screwed up precedents in NJ law for REALLY reaching with the premeditation thing regarding firearms.

    What if you were outside, on your property, carrying and came upon someone trying to steal your car? No premeditation there, right? ANd fully legal to carry on your own property.

  20. Posted

    Problem with that is that it probably won't work for VHF channels, especially channel 6 WPVI (ABC philly).

    I am about 48 miles from Roxboro (where all the Philadelphia station's have their broadcast antenna). I built a UHF antenna out of a 2x4, some coat hangers (the metal ones of course), and a BALUN; similar to this http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/ but I did not even need the reflective backboard. Placed it in the attic and I used TV fool to get the general direction to aim it. This does not bring in channel 6, as it is still in the VHF band.

     

    To resolve this I bought a preamp (ChannelMaster 7777) that will comnine VHF and UHF inputs. Then I took an old FM dipole antenna--like you get with every FM radio--aimed that toward Roxboro and plugged into the Victor input of the preamp and that brought channel 6 in 5x5. The preamp is powered by a DC supply that attaches to the cable where it enters the house.

     

    It does not look great, and is not weatherproof, but it works fine in the attic and brings in ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WHYY(PBS), NJN, WYBE (PBS), WPHL (WB I think), WGTW (Indy Christian), WPSG (CW),WPPX (Ion), WUVP (Univision).

    Most of these channels have 2-4 different feeds--usually one in HD (1024i) and one in 720p, and the rest in 480i.

    Of course it is limited to the free broadcast channels, but even if you keep the cable, it is handy to have as a backup when the cable goes out.

     

    I am considering going to Comcast for Internet access. Currently I use DSL, but I am over 5500 Meters from the CO, so I can't get over 1Mbps reliably.

    If I can get cable Internet at a decent speed I will probably switch to a Magic Jack and dump Verizon completely--I have been here for 15 years and the voice line is not 100% reliable--especially after any major rain--and they have not improved the DSL capability at all, and I am certain that I will never see Fios here. I really do not like Comcast either, but I think that is the only option for decent Internet speeds in my area.

  22. Posted

    I was pretty shocked at CTD ammo prices. I had no preconceived ideas about them when I went looking for ammo--and with their name I thought I might find something reasonable. What I found was lots of stuff showing in-stock, but at gouge-level prices. No wonder they are able to keep so much in stock! I will never check them again even if they have decent prices.

     

    I ended up buying 4 boxes of Hornady Steel case match HAP from SGAmmo at about $24 each---just arrived today! With SGAmmo I had to request notification when they had it in stock. I was notified Sunday morning, and they had 58 boxes in stock, when I finally got to it on Sunday evening they were down to 4, which I promptly bought.

     

    Still on the notify list for several different brands from Midway as well.

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