beawr4What mischief is this chap getting ready to cause?  The little guy wasn’t very old.

The mother was no where to be seen.  That’s unusual.

I am reminded of the advice hikers give when being confronted by a bear.  Look Large.

Looking Large isn’t just for those confronting bears.  People in politics also Look Large.   Looking Large attempts to throw off one’s contenders.  Birds do the same thing.  They Look Large by puffing their feathers up.  Some birds can look twice their size.

Some dogs and cats can do this trick also.

 

99 Thoughts to “Open Thread………………………………………..Tuesday, August 19”

  1. Cargosquid

    I was in DC for a few days.
    If you go and are looking for a good dinner….. go to Medium Rare near the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. Steak sliced thin and steak fries….with a delicious sauce. Free french bread. Best Key Lime pie that I’ve had. Huge sundaes.

    20 bucks for the dinner. desserts run about 7-8 dollars. Ice tea was either 3 or 4 dollars.

    That’s all they serve. Steak.
    Oh..and you get a second helping.

  2. What on earth were you doing in DC? You didn’t even let us know you were coming our way.

    Thanks for the eats tip.

  3. Cargosquid

    I was on vacation. Wife thought DC would be a nice quick vacation.
    Staycation.
    Went up suddenly on Tues and came back on Sat. Then I went down to Newport News yesterday and came back today.

    Ah’mmmm tiiiiiiiired.

    1. What did you do in Newport News? I love the war museum there. My parents lived there during the war. I guess my dad worked in the ship yard until he enlisted a year to the date after Pearl Harbor. New Jersey was trying to draft him. Not sure how all that worked.

  4. Cargosquid

    The Mariners Museum has a great dinosaur exhibit on sea reptiles, with replicas of the fossils.
    And the USS Monitor exhibit is there.
    The Living Museum has animatronic dinosaurs.
    My wife loves dinosaurs.
    We drove down for a short getaway, stayed at a hotel overnight….had a hot tub!….. and then went to the museums the next day and came home.

  5. Emma

    Three cheers for the CDC in sending the two medical missionaries home to their families to convalesce, no longer contagious! What a victory for public health research, too

    1. Standing ovation to the CDC. Thanks for the comment, Emma.

  6. Friar Tuck

    The BOCS is on hiatus. The Sheriff also seems to be on hiatus. Think there is a connection?

  7. Who knows of neat cabin rentals in Virginia or west Virginia? River front desirable.

    I need something new this fall. Any suggestions?

  8. Rick Bentley

    Having had time to think about this, I don’t agree with letting the two medical missionaries back into the US with Ebola. Terrible precedent.

  9. Pat.Herve

    @Moon-howler
    Lake Anna State Park (I know, it is a lake, not a river). The right cabins are very near the water.

    http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/lake-anna-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=VA&parkId=140175

    1. Have you ever stayed in them? How many bedrooms and baths?

  10. Pat.Herve

    @Rick Bentley
    Rick,

    it is scary, but how would you (a US citizen) feel if it were you/your spouse who needed emergency medical care and wanted to return to the US? We should feel very lucky that there has not been an outbreak here already.

  11. clueless

    Shenandoah River State Park is only about 1 hour away and also has cabins on the river. great float trips and fishing.

  12. Rick Bentley

    I feel that they took a personal risk going over there to work within an outbreak, and it is incorrect to put everyone here at risk because of that choice.

    Part of the calculus was presumably that we wanted to get this experimental vaccine tested on them. The one that the company has no capability to manufacture yet, but which the rest of the world thinks that we’re hoarding.

  13. punchak

    @Moon-howler
    Algonkian Park in Sterling or thereabout
    on the shore of the Potomac.

  14. ed myers

    @Rick Ebola is easy to control with modern medical facilities. The lessons learned by experimenting on those two missionaries will save lots of lives and reduces the risk that you personally will be exposed to Ebola in the future. From a purely selfish reason you should want American expertise on this disease.

  15. Emma

    @Rick Bentley They weren’t putting anyone at risk by bringing the two here. This was a fantastic opportunity for research. The two patients likely left behind blood/body fluid/tissue that will help further understanding of Ebola and advance a cure.

    You do realize that Ebola is just one plane ride away from us, right? We’re a global society. Why not be proactive, rather than wait until the disease, which has a 90% case fatality rate, becomes pandemic?

    Sometimes the government gets it right. They brought home a deserter in exchange for 5 top-shelf Al Qaeda operatives. How, then, would it even be rational that we let two Americans, overseas doing lifesaving work (and giving people there a favorable impression of Americans) just die there? Because you don’t like their religion?

  16. Rick Bentley

    “How, then, would it even be rational that we let two Americans, overseas doing lifesaving work (and giving people there a favorable impression of Americans) just die there? ”

    So where do you draw the line, Emma? Should we let any American infected with ebola come back into the US, while in a contagious state? Or only the good Christian ones?

    For that matter, do you want to let non-American Christians in? If they’re good people?

  17. Rick Bentley

    Also, i think the “favorable impression of Americans” that you mention went away when we took them in here, while leaving the people they wanted to help to their own devices.

  18. Emma

    @Rick Bentley
    Wow, you get an A-plus for deflection.

    No one here was put at risk. Your fear is irrational. This was the perfect opportunity for research and healing to happen simultaneously.

  19. Emma

    @Rick Bentley If we experimented with ZMapp on Africans, then we’d be accused of using helpless, diseased people as laboratory rats if the outcomes were adverse. Remember, it’s still in the R&D phase.

  20. Rick Bentley

    I do understand – I read this : http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/qa-experimental-treatments.html

    But I think it’s bad precedent to let people with very dangerous communicable diseases back in the country – that’s where I draw the line. You haven’t really mentioned where you would draw it at.

  21. Emma

    How do you propose we come up with a way to stop Ebola if it spreads here? You know it could happen in a day in one plane trip, and odds are that person would not step off a plane immediately into protective isolation like the two missionaries did. This was an opportunity to be proactive and not just wait for the disease to spread. I don’t have all the answers as to where the line is drawn.

    Are you aware of the killer pathogens that are stored right here in Manassas at ATCC? How secure do you think that facility is?

    1. Those killer pathogens are far more scary to me than sick Americans in the most controlled environment imaginable.

      Thank you for sharing your knowledge base on this issue, Emma.

  22. Rick Bentley

    Hey, I’m all in favor of testing a vaccine. I don;t think it’s necessary to fly a patient in here to test it, though.

    1. The environment to cure them is here, not in some third world country that lacks the facility and tools to ensure that they get well. They are also Americans. ONe was a doctor and the other a missionary. Hardly subversives.

  23. Emma

    ZMapp is a treatment, not a vaccine. How are you going to test it in Africa without putting more Americans at risk for disease and being accused of killing Africans if it goes awry?

    Just curious. You’re entitled to your opinion.

  24. Rick Bentley

    I don’t know. I see your point.

    But I still worry about this precedent, letting people with infectous diseases in.

    1. Those two weren’t just people. They were Americans. Do we ever keep Americans out of their own country?

  25. Pat.Herve

    @Rick Bentley
    Rick,

    my worry is those with the diseases that are not being treated or that are coming in without us knowing. I am surprised that we have not had an ebola outbreak already (we are overdue). When one travels overseas there is often a ‘screening’ that is done to detect people with fever or noticeable signs of illness, but not in the US.

  26. Rick Bentley

    Majority of likely voters do not believe illegal immigrant children should be allowed to enroll in school here – http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/august_2014/should_local_schools_admit_the_latest_illegal_immigrants

    1. I guess that’s just too bad because it is established law that they are to be allowed in school.

      That’s something that hasn’t been thought out. Why would voters want an ignorant underclass here?

    2. Most voters are playing with rumor also, rather than basic facts. The kids in PWC will not be attending public school. Their school will be at YFT.

      Basically, I wonder how many of those same voters would prefer that Brown vs Board of Education had never been established law. Hmmm…something to think about.

  27. Rick Bentley

    “Why would voters want an ignorant underclass here?”

    I don’t think they want those kids here at all. I know that I don’t (because it’s only going to encourage more and more to come here).

  28. punchak

    6.0 magnitude earthquake struck this morning
    ca 6 miles soutwest of Napa north of San Francisco.
    Many injuries.

    Anpther happening in nature
    Vatnajokull in Iceland is rumbling dangerously.
    Could be another ash rain.

  29. Cato the Elder

    Remember Michael Sam?

    http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/michael-sam-helps-twitter-user-save-face-johnny-manziel-bet-article-1.1916129

    How great is it that he sacked that little shit Manziel not once but twice?

  30. Cargosquid

    Well…the illegal alien problem has been solved. Apparently a state can’t enforce immigration law but can break the law and ignore it without federal worries.

    Gov. Brown, in California, has stated that EVERY and ALL illegal alien is welcome in HIS state.
    Send them all there.

  31. Starry flights

    Nullification.cuts both ways, Cargo , hahaha

  32. Starry flights

    Shooting instructor dies after girl accidentally shoots him in the head with an Uzi

    An Arizona shooting instructor died after the 9-year-old girl he was teaching to use an Uzi accidentally shot him in the head, according to the Associated Press.

    Charles Vacca, 39, was standing next to the girl Monday morning, offering instruction at a shooting range in White Hill, about an hour southeast of Las Vegas, authorities told Phoenix station KTVK.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/08/26/shooting-instructor-dies-after-girl-accidentally-shoots-him-in-the-head-with-an-uzi/

    2nd Amendment rights

    1. I would think that the range would have the final say-so over what kind of weapon a kid got to fire and what kind of weapons were allowed on the range.

      Screw rights. business owners should decide what they want on their property and don’t, along with the rules.

  33. punchak

    Read that this morning with amazement. How can a shooting
    range allow a 9 year old to hold a loaded UZI?
    Not to mention a parent!

  34. Cargosquid

    @Starry flights
    What about 2nd Amendment rights?
    This is about negligence. Both the instructor and the parent.

    They allowed a child to operate dangerous machinery without the proper supervision.
    Each “machine gun” is different, as are children. My daughter, at ten years old, operated a submachine gun with no problems. Of course, the gun we picked had low recoil and the owner controlled her body movements. WWII MP-40.

    What a shame.

    1. I actually don’t know why a 10 year old needs to be operating a machine gun.

      sorry, on my soap box…I have three different friends who are gun nuts. Each of them had told me that their children knew how to handle guns, rules blah blah blah. They know not to touch weapons unless daddy was there. blah blah blah. All three escaped disaster. Kids got hold of the guns when the parents weren’t home and shot up walls, by accident. They are all three lucky no one was killed. The 3 people I know didn’t know each other.

      There is a lesson there somewhere.

  35. Pat.Herve

    That poor girl will live with this guilt all her life – because her parents chose to let her do something, when they should have said No!.

  36. Scout

    It’s tragic for the dead man and his family and equally or more so for the little girl. Where is common sense in all this? I hope someone can say simply and bluntly to her that this is not her fault, she could not help what happened. Nonetheless, her sense of security and confidence will be completely destroyed now that she realizes that she lives in a world where the adults who are supposed to care for and protect her have no more sense and judgment than a jellyfish.

  37. Starryflights

    Guns are not toys. Call me a crazy liberal but there should be laws against allowing children to play with guns.

  38. Lyssa

    An UZI???? Should be laws against some parents.

  39. Cargosquid

    @Starryflights
    There ARE laws against children to “play” with guns.

    @Moon-howler
    In my case, it was strictly supervised.

  40. Cargosquid

    This is what is being said about the shooting tragedy on the gun blogs.
    Seems it was a “mini-uzi.” A much harder to control weapon than most. The instructor was an idiot.

    http://www.pagunblog.com/2014/08/26/lessons-not-learned/
    If we in the firearms community want to keep being able to play with NFA toys, we’re going to have to get the message out that people need to exercise a tremendous amount of care in instructing people how to shoot them. Nine is way too young to have the experience and physical strength to control a machine pistol on full auto. The antis are already running with this story, and you can bet they will bring up this is the second time this has happened. God help save us from ourselves.

  41. Scout

    I don’t see this as a gun issue, I see it as a parent issue. It’s would be the same situation if the parents let the girl play with a King Cobra.

  42. Starry flights

    I know of no zoos or other such structures that allow kids to play with dangerous animals under adult supervision. That gun range in Arizona however allows just that.

    @Scout

    @Cargosquid This incident also occurred despite strict supervision.

  43. Cargosquid

    @Starry flights
    No…it didn’t. It happened with adults standing next to her.
    Strict supervision includes controlling her arms and body during firing.
    It also means, Don’t give a child a weapon KNOWN to be be difficult to control.

  44. Rick Bentley

    “There ARE laws against children to “play” with guns.”

    I don;t think that’s true. There are laws against letting them play with guns unsupervised.

  45. Scout

    I take your point Starry, that the range should have just said NO. But I still feel that this represents a fundamental failure of parents to show even an iota of judgement concerning the safety and welfare of the child. The parent level was where this all broke down catastrophically.

  46. ed myers

    There isn’t a liberty interest violation in this case as everyone involved were willing participants and the wrongful death will likely be covered by liability insurance of the range. If all gun “accidents” were similarly covered I would be less interested in restricting gun use. Alas, gun owners can “accidently” fire their weapon and severely injure someone with no compensation for the added cost of care and/or loss in income. Gun owners should be forced to buy gun insurance and insurance should pay for uninsured gun injuries (i.e. following the motorist uninsured vehicle provisions.) Only then will the rights of non-gun owners/victims be raised to the level of gun owners. Since gun owners resist being held accountable for the damage cause by misuse of their weapons, we have to restrict gun ownership and restrict the freedom to carry guns everywhere to reduce potential deaths and injury to innocent victims.

  47. Wolve

    Wow! The Washington Post Editorial Board (29 August) gave POTUS a whopping big spanking for his loss of focus and lack of leadership with regard to global challenges such as Ukraine-Russia and ISIS-Iraq-Syria. That includes POTUS statements which have clearly contradicted those of his top foreign policy and security players concerning the current and potential seriousness of the various situations abroad.

    When even your “friends” start going for the the punishment paddle………..

    1. What do YOU want him to do, Wolve?

  48. Wolve

    He could start by not making announcements like the last one where he seems to be adrift and clueless. Even if a leader is stymied for the moment, he doesn’t go up to the podium and look like it. Nor should he have to contradict what his own top security and policy aids have said. As a leader of a tight ship he is supposed to tell them what he wants said. I have never seen the liberal MSM so puzzled by and critical of the actions of their own favorite — at least not since Embassy Tehran was taken over in 1979.

    As for what to do exactly, I no longer have access to appropriate intelligence or to in-depth data on our capabilities for action. Ergo, my own recommendations for specific action would only be uniformed guesses. But I would like to see some strong leadership qualities from the very top, regardless of political differences on a whole raft of other things. This is not a partisan matter. From my own professional experiences, this thing is a serious threat. Leadership, please.

    1. I think some of that was taken out of context. He was asked a specific question about something, I don’t recall what. The response wasn’t as inappropriate as what we heard on the news. I wish I could remember but I felt better.

    2. Politico:
      His remarks drew criticism from many Republicans and conservative media outlets, many of whom said the comments confirm that the president has been disengaged from the world and is weak on foreign policy.

      On Friday, though, Scarborough said he would have done something similar if he were president as a way to prevent the enemy from knowing his plan. “If I’m about to attack another country, I would say, you know what, we don’t have a strategy, we’re still working it out,” he said.

      “When you’re strong, you make your enemies think you’re weak,” he added.

      Scarborough also seemed receptive to a comment from Huffington Post White House correspondent Sam Stein, who said some have suggested that Obama was signaling to Europe that the U.S. will not shoulder the “entire burden” in combating ISIL.

      Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/joe-scarborough-isil-obama-plan-110441.html#ixzz3BwvMm0Vw

  49. Wolve

    Make that “uninformed guesses” I no longer wear a uniform either.

  50. Cargosquid

    @ed myers
    I’m sorry…but no.

    You do not get to restrict a right by demanding requirements to use it.

    Accidents can happen. The perpetrator is liable. They can be sued, like any other person. They can also be charged with crimes. Criminal actions will not be covered. Most injuries are due to criminal acts.

    Homeowner’s liability covers personal injury due to negligence or accident.

Comments are closed.