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Read the rules in the OP before posting, please.In order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a re-read to refresh your memory! The vast majority of you are contributing in a healthy way, keep it up! NOTE: When providing a source, explain why you feel it is relevant and what purpose it adds to the discussion if it's not obvious. Also take note that unsubstantiated tweets/posts meant only to rekindle old arguments can result in a mod action. |
On August 17 2013 04:01 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Cause when you can't hide the clown car, attempt to conceal the circus. Show nested quote +The Republican National Committee voted unanimously Friday at its summer meeting in Boston for a resolution banning CNN and NBC from hosting 2016 primary debates if they go forward with proposed programs about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Source
What? They can do that?
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Sure they can, it's their foot they're shooting. If Fox is the only channel to carry major Republican debates and primary events, that doesn't exactly bode well for their message making it out into the swing voting public. Or perhaps this is a preemptory concealment of the shenanigans that are the Republican Primary debates? 
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It's their primary, they can do what they want. I'm sure having Fox and friends moderate the primary debates will do so much better for the GOP than the 2011-12 "Who hates taxes and loves guns more" primary tour.
On August 17 2013 03:20 JonnyBNoHo wrote:Show nested quote +An unlikely alliance of left and right
ERIC HOLDER and Rick Perry (pictured) have little in common. America’s attorney-general is black, liberal and uses the word “community” a lot. The governor of Texas is white, conservative and says “God” a lot. Last month Mr Holder’s Justice Department sued Texas for allegedly trying to make it harder for blacks to vote. Last year Mr Perry ran to unseat Mr Holder’s boss, Barack Obama.
On one thing, however, the two men agree. On August 12th Mr Holder said: “Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law-enforcement reason.” He then unveiled reforms to reduce the number of people sent to America’s overcrowded federal prisons. In this, he was following the perfectly-coiffed Texan’s lead. Several years ago, Mr Perry enacted similar reforms in the Lone Star State, and they worked. ...
As Mr Holder noted, these policy shifts mirror similar ones that more than half of all American states have enacted over the past decade. The wave began with Texas—then as now led by Mr Perry—which in 2003 passed a law sending people convicted of possessing less than a gram of drugs to probation rather than prison. In 2007 Texas allocated $241m for drug-treatment and alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders. Between 2003 and 2011 violent crime in Texas fell by 14.2%. The state’s prison population has also declined steadily. Sentencing reform passed in Georgia—where one in 13 adults is imprisoned, on probation or on parole—will save the state an estimated $264m over the next five years. Kentucky’s is forecast to save the state $400m while reducing its prison population by 3,000 over the next ten years. ... LinkInteresting! I wouldn't have thought of Texas as a leader in prison reform.
This is a start, getting rid of for profit prisons would be a nice next step.
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On August 17 2013 03:43 aksfjh wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 03:04 JonnyBNoHo wrote:On August 17 2013 03:00 Stratos_speAr wrote:On August 17 2013 02:49 JonnyBNoHo wrote:Businesses seek cure for health care cost surge related to Affordable Health Care Act
NEW YORK — A year ago, Teresa Hartnett was on the verge of expanding her small business. The company had hit $1 million in sales, and requests from clients were flowing in. She planned to transition from nearly 30 freelancers to a full-time staff of 60 by 2014.
Then the reality of the Affordable Health Care Act hit. Hartnett realized she might not be able to afford to carry out her plan.
"At the end of that marathon of effort and sweat and stress, I'd face the impact of the ACA. I decided against it," says Hartnett, whose company, Hartnett Inc., transforms printed documents into digital content. ...
A survey of owners taken last month by the advocacy group National Small Business Association found that 20 percent have held off on implementing a growth strategy because of rising health care costs. Thirty-six percent said they had refrained from raising salaries and 26 percent have held back on hiring. ...
Hartnett was getting enough steady business that she was ready to take on 60 employees.
"I was particularly excited about offering benefits," she says.
That enthusiasm died when Hartnett met with her accountant to be sure she could afford the expansion. Hartnett was faced with the prospect that, once she had 50 workers, she'd be subject to the ACA. She considered expanding her company with part-timers who wouldn't be covered under the law, or keeping her staff below 50. But none of those options would help her meet the goals she set for her business.
"I couldn't even figure out what health care I could offer without it being a problem," says Hartnett, whose company is based in Alexandria, Va.
Her solution was to stay a very small business, with just a handful of freelancers. She's turning down offers of business.
"'I'm going to ratchet it down for a while,'" she says. ... LinkRepublicans should focus their efforts on repealing the employer mandate, rather than the ACA wholesale. Republicans should focus their efforts on actually offering some kind of beneficial alternative to Obamacare. Obamacare less the employer mandate would be a beneficial alternative to vanilla Obamacare  I'd be much happier with Republicans looking to improve the law as is. Right now, the only steps they're willing to take are ones to directly or indirectly undermine the law. I could definitely see a change to the 50 worker requirement to make it far less shocking of a threshold.
Fair enough. I'd like to see the employer mandate go entirely though. I see employer provided health insurance as one of the problems with the system.
On August 17 2013 04:39 ZeaL. wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 03:20 JonnyBNoHo wrote:An unlikely alliance of left and right
ERIC HOLDER and Rick Perry (pictured) have little in common. America’s attorney-general is black, liberal and uses the word “community” a lot. The governor of Texas is white, conservative and says “God” a lot. Last month Mr Holder’s Justice Department sued Texas for allegedly trying to make it harder for blacks to vote. Last year Mr Perry ran to unseat Mr Holder’s boss, Barack Obama.
On one thing, however, the two men agree. On August 12th Mr Holder said: “Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law-enforcement reason.” He then unveiled reforms to reduce the number of people sent to America’s overcrowded federal prisons. In this, he was following the perfectly-coiffed Texan’s lead. Several years ago, Mr Perry enacted similar reforms in the Lone Star State, and they worked. ...
As Mr Holder noted, these policy shifts mirror similar ones that more than half of all American states have enacted over the past decade. The wave began with Texas—then as now led by Mr Perry—which in 2003 passed a law sending people convicted of possessing less than a gram of drugs to probation rather than prison. In 2007 Texas allocated $241m for drug-treatment and alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders. Between 2003 and 2011 violent crime in Texas fell by 14.2%. The state’s prison population has also declined steadily. Sentencing reform passed in Georgia—where one in 13 adults is imprisoned, on probation or on parole—will save the state an estimated $264m over the next five years. Kentucky’s is forecast to save the state $400m while reducing its prison population by 3,000 over the next ten years. ... LinkInteresting! I wouldn't have thought of Texas as a leader in prison reform. This is a start, getting rid of for profit prisons would be a nice next step.
IMO that's a big red herring, but to each his own...
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On August 17 2013 04:43 JonnyBNoHo wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 03:43 aksfjh wrote:On August 17 2013 03:04 JonnyBNoHo wrote:On August 17 2013 03:00 Stratos_speAr wrote:On August 17 2013 02:49 JonnyBNoHo wrote:Businesses seek cure for health care cost surge related to Affordable Health Care Act
NEW YORK — A year ago, Teresa Hartnett was on the verge of expanding her small business. The company had hit $1 million in sales, and requests from clients were flowing in. She planned to transition from nearly 30 freelancers to a full-time staff of 60 by 2014.
Then the reality of the Affordable Health Care Act hit. Hartnett realized she might not be able to afford to carry out her plan.
"At the end of that marathon of effort and sweat and stress, I'd face the impact of the ACA. I decided against it," says Hartnett, whose company, Hartnett Inc., transforms printed documents into digital content. ...
A survey of owners taken last month by the advocacy group National Small Business Association found that 20 percent have held off on implementing a growth strategy because of rising health care costs. Thirty-six percent said they had refrained from raising salaries and 26 percent have held back on hiring. ...
Hartnett was getting enough steady business that she was ready to take on 60 employees.
"I was particularly excited about offering benefits," she says.
That enthusiasm died when Hartnett met with her accountant to be sure she could afford the expansion. Hartnett was faced with the prospect that, once she had 50 workers, she'd be subject to the ACA. She considered expanding her company with part-timers who wouldn't be covered under the law, or keeping her staff below 50. But none of those options would help her meet the goals she set for her business.
"I couldn't even figure out what health care I could offer without it being a problem," says Hartnett, whose company is based in Alexandria, Va.
Her solution was to stay a very small business, with just a handful of freelancers. She's turning down offers of business.
"'I'm going to ratchet it down for a while,'" she says. ... LinkRepublicans should focus their efforts on repealing the employer mandate, rather than the ACA wholesale. Republicans should focus their efforts on actually offering some kind of beneficial alternative to Obamacare. Obamacare less the employer mandate would be a beneficial alternative to vanilla Obamacare I'd be much happier with Republicans looking to improve the law as is. Right now, the only steps they're willing to take are ones to directly or indirectly undermine the law. I could definitely see a change to the 50 worker requirement to make it far less shocking of a threshold. Fair enough. I'd like to see the employer mandate go entirely though. I see employer provided health insurance as one of the problems with the system. Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 04:39 ZeaL. wrote:On August 17 2013 03:20 JonnyBNoHo wrote:An unlikely alliance of left and right
ERIC HOLDER and Rick Perry (pictured) have little in common. America’s attorney-general is black, liberal and uses the word “community” a lot. The governor of Texas is white, conservative and says “God” a lot. Last month Mr Holder’s Justice Department sued Texas for allegedly trying to make it harder for blacks to vote. Last year Mr Perry ran to unseat Mr Holder’s boss, Barack Obama.
On one thing, however, the two men agree. On August 12th Mr Holder said: “Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law-enforcement reason.” He then unveiled reforms to reduce the number of people sent to America’s overcrowded federal prisons. In this, he was following the perfectly-coiffed Texan’s lead. Several years ago, Mr Perry enacted similar reforms in the Lone Star State, and they worked. ...
As Mr Holder noted, these policy shifts mirror similar ones that more than half of all American states have enacted over the past decade. The wave began with Texas—then as now led by Mr Perry—which in 2003 passed a law sending people convicted of possessing less than a gram of drugs to probation rather than prison. In 2007 Texas allocated $241m for drug-treatment and alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders. Between 2003 and 2011 violent crime in Texas fell by 14.2%. The state’s prison population has also declined steadily. Sentencing reform passed in Georgia—where one in 13 adults is imprisoned, on probation or on parole—will save the state an estimated $264m over the next five years. Kentucky’s is forecast to save the state $400m while reducing its prison population by 3,000 over the next ten years. ... LinkInteresting! I wouldn't have thought of Texas as a leader in prison reform. This is a start, getting rid of for profit prisons would be a nice next step. IMO that's a big red herring, but to each his own...
The employer mandate helps for people that have a plan they like already. It also helps shoulder the bureaucratic burden with systems already in place You don't want to dump all 400 million people onto public organized healthcare and exchanges, especially when those are getting stiff armed from half the states.
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I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood.
A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged.
Source
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On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. Show nested quote +A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source
Honestly, it sounds like a neighborhood feud, with wild allegations simply because the property is unkempt. At some point, they require a certain amount of force through policy.
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Holy crap thats my city lol
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And they had to seize the plants why?
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On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. Show nested quote +A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source
A Swat raid for tall grass and not properly stacked wood sounds a tiny bit excessive and a colossal waste of time and manpower
On August 17 2013 05:40 mordek wrote:
And they had to seize the plants why?
Well you can hardly raid and not take anything right. What message does that send? better take the sunflower!
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On August 17 2013 05:32 Livelovedie wrote:
Holy crap thats my city lol
Hello neighbor.
As for the primary debate stuff, if they go through with that, the party is just going to become more incestuous. Also, if they think the "mainstream media" is biased against conservatives, just wait until they're only given a back row view of the party and its candidates.
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On August 17 2013 05:11 aksfjh wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 04:43 JonnyBNoHo wrote:On August 17 2013 03:43 aksfjh wrote:On August 17 2013 03:04 JonnyBNoHo wrote:On August 17 2013 03:00 Stratos_speAr wrote:On August 17 2013 02:49 JonnyBNoHo wrote:Businesses seek cure for health care cost surge related to Affordable Health Care Act
NEW YORK — A year ago, Teresa Hartnett was on the verge of expanding her small business. The company had hit $1 million in sales, and requests from clients were flowing in. She planned to transition from nearly 30 freelancers to a full-time staff of 60 by 2014.
Then the reality of the Affordable Health Care Act hit. Hartnett realized she might not be able to afford to carry out her plan.
"At the end of that marathon of effort and sweat and stress, I'd face the impact of the ACA. I decided against it," says Hartnett, whose company, Hartnett Inc., transforms printed documents into digital content. ...
A survey of owners taken last month by the advocacy group National Small Business Association found that 20 percent have held off on implementing a growth strategy because of rising health care costs. Thirty-six percent said they had refrained from raising salaries and 26 percent have held back on hiring. ...
Hartnett was getting enough steady business that she was ready to take on 60 employees.
"I was particularly excited about offering benefits," she says.
That enthusiasm died when Hartnett met with her accountant to be sure she could afford the expansion. Hartnett was faced with the prospect that, once she had 50 workers, she'd be subject to the ACA. She considered expanding her company with part-timers who wouldn't be covered under the law, or keeping her staff below 50. But none of those options would help her meet the goals she set for her business.
"I couldn't even figure out what health care I could offer without it being a problem," says Hartnett, whose company is based in Alexandria, Va.
Her solution was to stay a very small business, with just a handful of freelancers. She's turning down offers of business.
"'I'm going to ratchet it down for a while,'" she says. ... LinkRepublicans should focus their efforts on repealing the employer mandate, rather than the ACA wholesale. Republicans should focus their efforts on actually offering some kind of beneficial alternative to Obamacare. Obamacare less the employer mandate would be a beneficial alternative to vanilla Obamacare I'd be much happier with Republicans looking to improve the law as is. Right now, the only steps they're willing to take are ones to directly or indirectly undermine the law. I could definitely see a change to the 50 worker requirement to make it far less shocking of a threshold. Fair enough. I'd like to see the employer mandate go entirely though. I see employer provided health insurance as one of the problems with the system. On August 17 2013 04:39 ZeaL. wrote:On August 17 2013 03:20 JonnyBNoHo wrote:An unlikely alliance of left and right
ERIC HOLDER and Rick Perry (pictured) have little in common. America’s attorney-general is black, liberal and uses the word “community” a lot. The governor of Texas is white, conservative and says “God” a lot. Last month Mr Holder’s Justice Department sued Texas for allegedly trying to make it harder for blacks to vote. Last year Mr Perry ran to unseat Mr Holder’s boss, Barack Obama.
On one thing, however, the two men agree. On August 12th Mr Holder said: “Too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long, and for no truly good law-enforcement reason.” He then unveiled reforms to reduce the number of people sent to America’s overcrowded federal prisons. In this, he was following the perfectly-coiffed Texan’s lead. Several years ago, Mr Perry enacted similar reforms in the Lone Star State, and they worked. ...
As Mr Holder noted, these policy shifts mirror similar ones that more than half of all American states have enacted over the past decade. The wave began with Texas—then as now led by Mr Perry—which in 2003 passed a law sending people convicted of possessing less than a gram of drugs to probation rather than prison. In 2007 Texas allocated $241m for drug-treatment and alternatives to prison for non-violent offenders. Between 2003 and 2011 violent crime in Texas fell by 14.2%. The state’s prison population has also declined steadily. Sentencing reform passed in Georgia—where one in 13 adults is imprisoned, on probation or on parole—will save the state an estimated $264m over the next five years. Kentucky’s is forecast to save the state $400m while reducing its prison population by 3,000 over the next ten years. ... LinkInteresting! I wouldn't have thought of Texas as a leader in prison reform. This is a start, getting rid of for profit prisons would be a nice next step. IMO that's a big red herring, but to each his own... The employer mandate helps for people that have a plan they like already. It also helps shoulder the bureaucratic burden with systems already in place You don't want to dump all 400 million people onto public organized healthcare and exchanges, especially when those are getting stiff armed from half the states.
Afaik having no employer mandate (the status quo) wouldn't result in companies dumping health insurance benefits. Both employers and employees still like the benefits as a tax arbitrage.
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On August 17 2013 05:42 Gorsameth wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source A Swat raid for tall grass and not properly stacked wood sounds a tiny bit excessive and a colossal waste of time and manpower Well you can hardly raid and not take anything right. What message does that send? better take the sunflower!
Well, the level of the raid was probably in response to the allegations by neighbors that it was a pot farm. From that point, any code violations are fair grounds to seize other plants.
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2nd Worst City in CA8938 Posts
On August 17 2013 05:47 aksfjh wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 05:42 Gorsameth wrote:On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source A Swat raid for tall grass and not properly stacked wood sounds a tiny bit excessive and a colossal waste of time and manpower On August 17 2013 05:40 mordek wrote:
And they had to seize the plants why? Well you can hardly raid and not take anything right. What message does that send? better take the sunflower! Well, the level of the raid was probably in response to the allegations by neighbors that it was a pot farm. From that point, any code violations are fair grounds to seize other plants.
According to Reuters, they had photos to go off of.
Police said they were searching for marijuana in the gardens, after photos taken of the property from a Texas Department of Public Safety manned aircraft allegedly showed plants that resemble marijuana. http://rt.com/usa/texas-swat-organic-rad-587/
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On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. Show nested quote +A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source
Not as bad as the swat raid to kill Giggles.
![[image loading]](http://blogs.ajc.com/news-to-me/files/2013/08/giggles-300x192.jpg) Giggles, a dangerous wild animal that had to be put down, say officials with guns.
Link
RIP little fella...
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On August 17 2013 05:50 Souma wrote:Show nested quote +On August 17 2013 05:47 aksfjh wrote:On August 17 2013 05:42 Gorsameth wrote:On August 17 2013 05:13 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:I said years ago that the Government would attempt to regulate personal gardens and i still believe that especially with rampant Corporate person-hood. A small organic farm in Arlington, Texas, was the target of a massive police action last week that included aerial surveillance, a SWAT raid and a 10-hour search.
Members of the local police raiding party had a search warrant for marijuana plants, which they failed to find at the Garden of Eden farm. But farm owners and residents who live on the property told a Dallas-Ft. Worth NBC station that the real reason for the law enforcement exercise appears to have been code enforcement. The police seized "17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants ... native grasses and sunflowers," after holding residents inside at gunpoint for at least a half-hour, property owner Shellie Smith said in a statement. The raid lasted about 10 hours, she said.
Local authorities had cited the Garden of Eden in recent weeks for code violations, including "grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises," Smith's statement said. She said the police didn't produce a warrant until two hours after the raid began, and officers shielded their name tags so they couldn't be identified. According to ABC affiliate WFAA, resident Quinn Eaker was the only person arrested -- for outstanding traffic violations.
The city of Arlington said in a statement that the code citations were issued to the farm following complaints by neighbors, who were "concerned that the conditions" at the farm "interfere with the useful enjoyment of their properties and are detrimental to property values and community appearance." The police SWAT raid came after "the Arlington Police Department received a number of complaints that the same property owner was cultivating marijuana plants on the premises," the city's statement said. "No cultivated marijuana plants were located on the premises," the statement acknowledged. Source A Swat raid for tall grass and not properly stacked wood sounds a tiny bit excessive and a colossal waste of time and manpower On August 17 2013 05:40 mordek wrote:
And they had to seize the plants why? Well you can hardly raid and not take anything right. What message does that send? better take the sunflower! Well, the level of the raid was probably in response to the allegations by neighbors that it was a pot farm. From that point, any code violations are fair grounds to seize other plants. According to Reuters, they had photos to go off of.
Touché.
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I'd hope they would release those photos.
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I guess for some people, the state seizing plants from farmers for code violations is going too far. Who'd have thought?
In other news,
The Republican National Committee has voted to boycott any presidential primary debates planned by CNN and NBC if they proceed with lengthy television features on Hillary Clinton, widely expected to be a 2016 Democratic candidate.
With no audible dissent, GOP officials approved a resolution backing the position at their annual summer meeting in Boston on Friday.
The RNC claims that a Clinton-themed documentary and a separate miniseries -- in the works from CNN and NBC, respectively -- will put a "thumb on the scales" in the upcoming 2016 presidential election.
The draft resolution, obtained by Fox News in advance and later voted on by RNC officials, calls on CNN and NBC to cancel what it describes as "political ads masked as unbiased entertainment."
And if they don't, the resolution states, "the Republican National Committee will neither partner with these networks in the 2016 presidential primary debates nor sanction any primary debates they sponsor."
Before the vote, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus decried what he called the "obvious bias" of a network that would spotlight Clinton in this fashion.
"We're done putting up with this nonsense. There are plenty of other outlets. We'll still reach voters, maybe more voters. But CNN and NBC anchors will just have to watch on their competitors' networks," he said. "The media overplayed their hand this time."
The resolution claims the programming would show "political favoritism" in the election and jeopardize the credibility of the networks.
Last month, CNN Films announced it was producing a documentary on Clinton to premiere next year, first in theaters and then on CNN.
NBC also announced a four-hour "Hillary" miniseries starring Diane Lane, on the life of the former secretary of State and first lady. source
I mean, if networks are already helping the election effort for the opposition, you'd have to be dumb to support them as mediators for a debate amongst those on the right. But, given the current genius over at establishment RNC headquarters, they'll probably whimper and go back on this decision.
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On August 16 2013 21:43 DoubleReed wrote:Show nested quote +On August 16 2013 17:35 sc2superfan101 wrote:On August 16 2013 13:12 DoubleReed wrote:Actually, the debate over the Second Amendment works like this:
Conservatives: The Second Amendment protects an individual right to own firearms. Therefore, it is unconstitutional to ban individual ownership of firearms.
Liberals: The Second Amendment protects a collective right to own firearms. Therefore, there is no constitutional right for individuals to own firearms.
Thus, the ACLU is asserting that they agree with liberals on this issue, in opposition to the right to firearm ownership. This is not accurate. The fact is that it was only recent history (post-1970) that the individual ownership of firearms ever was considered as the meaning of the second amendment, even by conservatives. This was a myth that was catapulted to the American stage by the NRA at this time and caught on. Your portrayal of this is incorrect. uhhhhh.... (emphasis my own) + Show Spoiler +"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
-George Mason
-Co-author of the Second Amendment
-during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788 "A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves…"
-Richard Henry Lee
-writing in Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic, Letter XVIII, May, 1788. "The people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full posession of them."
-Zachariah Johnson
-Elliot's Debates, vol. 3 "The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution." "… the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms"
-Philadelphia Federal Gazette
-June 18, 1789, Pg. 2, Col. 2
-Article on the Bill of Rights "And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the Press, or the rights of Conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms; …"
-Samuel Adams
-quoted in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the Convention of this -State" "Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences [sic] and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
-George Washington
-First President of the United States "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-Richard Henry Lee
-American Statesman, 1788 "The great object is that every man be armed." and "Everyone who is able may have a gun."
-Patrick Henry
-American Patriot "Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in possession and under our direction and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?"
-Patrick Henry
-American Patriot "The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that … it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; … "
-Thomas Jefferson
-letter to Justice John Cartwright, June 5, 1824. ME 16:45. "The best we can help for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed."
-Alexander Hamilton
-The Federalist Papers at 184-8 I never knew all those guys were born in the 1970s... Wow, not a single one of those quotes supports the individual right to bear arms (except maybe for Patrick Henry, which is just obvious hyperbole). All of them talk about the right of the people to bear arms. Particularly in reference to militias.
"...keep and bear their PRIVATE arms."
"The PEOPLE are not to be disarmed..."
"...keeping their OWN arms..."
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
-George Mason
-Co-author of the Second Amendment
-during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788
They absolutely thought of it as an individual right to bear arms... as militias are made up of individuals. You have no basis whatsoever to stand on here.
Maybe you could provide a single quote of them explicitly talking about the right to own guns as being collective (whatever that means)? Or a quote of them saying that militia's should be under the complete control of the federal government? (lol good luck with the second one.)
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It might not even matter much that the RNC banned CNN and NBC from hosting debates. State republican parties are separate from the national party, and could host their own debates. Although if the RNC stands firm and strips the delegates from anyone who attends them it would still matter.
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EPT
