Current Affairs Only in Murica - non-shootin, non Trump News

[abelard]

Somewhere between Nickelsville and Bear Wallow Hollow along Virginia state route 71, the remains of a redbrick home smolders on the hillside overlooking the single lane road. Several volunteer firemen sit, drinking water near the remains of the home. It’s over 90 degrees out. The sun and heat are punishing, exaggerating the heaviness of their efforts.

None of these men will get a paycheck for risking their health and possibly their lives. But that’s okay, that’s not why they do it.

An elderly gentleman stands outside of his vehicle along Route 11 West, the Virginia-Tennessee bi-way made infamous in the 1958 movie Thunder Road about moonshine running — he’s not far from a service station. Two young men pull over and offer their help. Minutes later, he is steering, and they are pushing. He makes it to the station; they walk back toward their white service van with two sandwiches in hand he bought them at the lunch counter inside the service station.

A new waitress at a Chattanooga diner drops her tray full of ribs, macaroni and cheese, and wings just as she is about to deliver it to a table filled with family members from out of town. Half of it lands on the father of the family, staining his white shirt and tangling gooey macaroni and cheese in his hair. She is filled with apologizes and tears. They handle it with grace.

When they leave — after they finally have their dinner — they refuse an offer for complimentary dinner and leave her a generous tip.

None of these are extraordinary moments. In fact, they are really quite ordinary things that happen every day in this country. They are the tiny measures of character, which is best measured in such granular increments. Character is the mosaic of tiny acts, rather than a large bold mural making an obvious statement.

Speaking at a bill-signing ceremony last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great” — a line that caused some of those in attendance to gasp, others oddly to cheer, before he continued.

It was a line meant to take on his nemesis, President Trump, and his signature “Make America Great Again” slogan — but keeps with the notion that some in politics truly believe, that America is not all that great.

Perhaps they don’t know what great means.

Or worse yet, what America means.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...e-to-look?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true

Just some equal time. Thanks.

 

[mezzrow]

Also true, to the same extent. Most people are really quite alright. Often forgotten.

Time to go teach some kids what scales are about and why they're the "key" to making music work. Great to be there when the lights finally go on and they see what's up. We humans can make some amazing sounds with hunks of wood and metal.

 

[abelard]

Also true, to the same extent. Most people are really quite alright. Often forgotten.

Time to go teach some kids what scales are about and why they're the "key" to making music work. Great to be there when the lights finally go on and they see what's up. We humans can make some amazing sounds with hunks of wood and metal.

nobody who plays the clarinet can be all bad

 

[mezzrow]

nobody who plays the clarinet can be all bad

You clearly don't know as many clarinet players as I do.

 

[dublinbluenose]

 

[Tubey]

Watch the video - the police did nothing wrong. They asked him for ID, he refused to give it so the situation escalated. The state he lives in makes refusing to ID yourself a crime - it's called the "Stop and Identify" law.

It's lazy journalism yet again.

 

[Steve0]

Watch the video - the police did nothing wrong. They asked him for ID, he refused to give it so the situation escalated. The state he lives in makes refusing to ID yourself a crime - it's called the "Stop and Identify" law.

It's lazy journalism yet again.

That’s one way of looking at it I guess but the point here is how many white folk are stopped on their doorstep and asked to identify themselves? It highlights the inequality.

 

[summerisle]

I presume this is untrue.

 

[Ghoat]

That’s one way of looking at it I guess but the point here is how many white folk are stopped on their doorstep and asked to identify themselves? It highlights the inequality.

That's a fair point if true ( I don't know either way)

Another question is, If a white folk is stopped at their doorstep as ask to identify themselves, would it ever be a story? Would it be reported at all? I'm thinking no - not because the person is white, but..Is it news? Random white guy is hanging out in a parking lot, cops ask for ID ,he refuses he's arrested. Not a story, he's just being a moron - nobody would or should care.

 

[LostLegend]

So Nike have hired this fella to be the 'face' of their new campaign ( he was the fella who started the whole 'taking a knee' during the national anthem thing)
and now there are scores of people burning Nike products in protest.

I assume they would do the same to protest Nikes use of 3rd world sweatshops as well? No?

 

[summerisle]

So Nike have hired this fella to be the 'face' of their new campaign ( he was the fella who started the whole 'taking a knee' during the national anthem thing)
and now there are scores of people burning Nike products in protest.

I assume they would do the same to protest Nikes use of 3rd world sweatshops as well? No?

 

[LinekersLegs]

That's a fair point if true ( I don't know either way)

Another question is, If a white folk is stopped at their doorstep as ask to identify themselves, would it ever be a story? Would it be reported at all? I'm thinking no - not because the person is white, but..Is it news? Random white guy is hanging out in a parking lot, cops ask for ID ,he refuses he's arrested. Not a story, he's just being a moron - nobody would or should care.

There has been convincing data of racial bias in other situations, like stop and frisk in New York

An analysis by the NYCLU revealed that innocent New Yorkers have been subjected to police stops and street interrogations more than 5 million times since 2002, and that black and Latino communities continue to be the overwhelming target of these tactics. Nearly nine out of 10 stopped-and-frisked New Yorkers have been completely innocent.

and police questioning of drivers

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/us/racial-disparity-traffic-stops-driving-black.html
But an analysis by The New York Times of tens of thousands of traffic stops and years of arrest data in this racially mixed city of 280,000 uncovered wide racial differences in measure after measure of police conduct.
Those same disparities were found across North Carolina, the state that collects the most detailed data on traffic stops. And at least some of them showed up in the six other states that collect comprehensive traffic-stop statistics.

.
Other factors come into play as well of course, such as those communities tend to be poorer so more crime and more police activity, but it would be sadly unsurprising if there wasn’t a racial component to ID requests if you collected all the data.

 

[summerisle]

 

[summerisle]

 

[MrPerfectNot]

I know the Nebraska scene quite well - grew up in South Dakota where it was quite common to drive 300 miles or more for athletic / scholastic events while growing up.