OpusthePoet

• 3 months, 1 week ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Dallas resident Kay Bailey Hutchison "insults" Republicans

  After he vetoed the Vulnerable Road Users Act (SB488) Goodhair can go kiss a semi on I35 doing 75 MPH for all I care. That bill would have protected anyone on the road not inside a car or truck, not just people riding bicycles. Follow the money, the polls were too high in favor of this, the vote in both houses of the Legislature was too lopsided, and the phone calls after it was leaked that the bill might be vetoed were 3-1 in favor of the bill. The people spoke and Goodhair did the exact opposite of what they said.

• 3 months, 1 week ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Dallas council passes booting ordinance in favor of Deep Ellum community activists

  As much as I dislike cars, I dislike confiscation of private property without court order even more. Why is it taking so long to implement the new law? It's not like they don't know who these operators are, just send them a letter and tell them to stop it in 14 days or face jail time for theft.

• 1 year, 6 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Friday May 16 is National Bike to Work Day shut up and do it

  Well back when I had a job I used to bike 100 miles a week to work, until I was hit with a truck. Then they packed the entire office off to India where the paid the workers 1/10 of what they were paying us, less than that when you include the bennys they didn't have to provide the workers in India. Anyway now my commute is from the coffeepot in the kitchen to the computer in my bedroom, not much chance to use a bike there. I still use the bike to go to the grocery store.

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Expelled forum provides intellectual discourse on controversial film

  I couldn't make it to the debate, but did anybody ask the question of what as yet unobserved phenomina has been predicted by ID "science", and under what circumstances this previously missed data might be observed? This has been the point about ID that has always bothered me, as far as I have been able to determine ID says "G-d made everything, all at once, in the recent past" and then has nothing more to say. If I'm wrong, I would be delighted to know what ID has to say about what happens after the sudden creation, and also how to explain the fossil record, most especially all the species that are extinct now and have nothing remotely like them in the modern world.

  Opus

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Movie review: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

  Before I was a bicycle builder, I studied science and the scientific method. One of the bedrocks of the scientific method is a true hypothesis will not only explain observed phenomina but will predict phenomina that has yet to be observed. Evolution predicted that as conditions changed rapidly reproducing creatures would be observed to evolve to change with their changing environment, and that was found to be true. That's how we got antibiotic resistant diseases, among other things, like different breeds of dogs. ID predicts nothing, because it isn't science, it's religion gussied up in pseudo-scientific babble.

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Reducing Dallas jail's "debtor prison" function would save money, reduce overcrowding

  And i forgot to mention that ticket revenue doesn't go to the cities any more since the state passed anti-speedtrap legislation several years ago (over a decade). Now most ticket revenue goes to the state, after a convoluted formula determines how much the city had to spend to enforce that law. Writing tickets is supposed to be revenue neutral for cities, but in truth tickets are a drain on resources, and most cops won't even bother except for really egregious offenses. If you want to know who to blame for that, just look to Sen. John Corynn, who also legislated red-light camera fees away from cities.

  Opus

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Reducing Dallas jail's "debtor prison" function would save money, reduce overcrowding

  From the DMN article the city is spending just shy of $50 per day (or any part of the day) per prisoner, and getting $0 revenue per prisoner, with an average of 250 prisoners per day. By my calculations that's $4.5 million down the tubes every year. By having 3X as many judges and courts (3 shifts per day) subtracting salaries and utilities from that shows they plan on spending $3.5 million to save $1 million...

  Now as for whether or not that's a good idea, I'm what is legally referred to as a vulnerable road user. I was hit with a truck (yeah, the guy was using the truck as a weapon) a little over 6 years ago and still feeling the effects, many of which are the result of the wreck being hit-and-run and not having access to rehab above the absolute minimum required to get me walking with a cane. I'm sure there was something the driver was doing prior to deciding to hit me with his truck that would have been against the law, and had he gotten a ticket maybe I would have 2 good legs, instead of one good and one along for the ride.

  Opus

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Gala World Premiere: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

  ID is Not Science. If ID was science then there would be things that could be predicted from ID that haven't been observed yet, but ID predicts nothing, it's just creationism wrapped in a pseudo-scientific wrapper. Evolution actually has nothing to say about how life began, because since life is all around us now it is impossible to create an experiment uncontaminated by previous life chemicals to demonstrate how amino acids became self-replicating structures. How life began is a philosophical exercise, not something that science can explain with our current level of knowledge. ID supporters jump all over this as a "flaw" in evolution, but it's not a flaw, it's just what happens when you can't generate experimental data to support or dispel a hypothesis.

  And may you be touched by His Noodeley Appendage ;)

  Opus

• 1 year, 7 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  American Airlines' Gerard Arpey apologizes for cancellations, explains FAA nitty-gritty at press tele-conference

  I used to be a pilot, many years ago (during Bush 41) and many FAA rules and regs can be contradictory, to say the least. I have no doubts that the lawyers and engineers at AA thought they had decyphered the AD and were in compliance with it until the inspectors came, with a totally different interpretation of the same document.

  As an example is the rule that allows Ultralights to exist; Pt. 103. Basically there are 3 parts to this rule, empty weight can be no more than 253 pounds, fuel can be no more than 5 gallons, and top speed can be no more than 55 knots, with minimum flying speed no more than 23 knots. Ironclad rules, each and every one, right? Well no, there's a weight allowance for floatplanes and flying boats, and extra for amphibians, and since electric planes weigh the same when their batteries are discharged and fully charged they are limited to the weight of 5 gallons of fuel for their batteries, unless the all-up weight is less then 253 pounds with the batteries, in which case the batteries can weigh whatever. And the exceptions to the top and minimum speeds are just as confusing as the weight exceptions. The only rule I have seen in Pt. 103 that hasn't been given an exception has been the 5 gallon limit on fuel for ultralights that are not electric powered, which has resulted in some rather short flight times for the jet and small turboprop powered ultralights, including one bird that made every landing unpowered because it would burn 5 gallons in about 15 minutes, including taxiing from the ramp to the end of the runway. He finally started pushing the bird to the end of the runway by hand and starting the engine there so only the last little bit of the landing was made without power. He would actually run out of jet fuel just flying once around the airport like a normal plane. Where that bird shone was when he used that turboprop to climb as high as he could until the fuel ran out and then he was high enough to glide for as long as an hour on the thermal lift. To make the speed limit on my bird I had to tinker with the propellor until I got it to fly 55 knots wide open in level flight, but it would also climb quite briskly at 54 knots...

  So, in conclusion trying to follow the FAA's rules, unless they come out with a supplemental rule that explains the first rule, can be an exercise in futility.

  Opus

• 1 year, 8 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  North Richland Hills nipple-ring wearer gets award

  All I have to say is I haven't been able to fly since my hip was put back together with 3.3 Lbs of stainless steel, raising a complaint about it got me on the "no fly" list so that even now that the hardware is sitting on my dresser instead of inside my leg I can't clear security.

• 1 year, 8 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  City of Keller's legal fees more than double that of Keller ISD

  Sovereign Immunity is a load of bovine byproduct. The twisted thinking of GW aside, we are a democratic republic, not a monarchy. In the US the people are sovereign, not the government that represents them.

• 1 year, 8 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Teetotaling Colleyville surgeon appointed to alcohol commission

  The whole thing is just F-ed up. To quote Father Guido Sarduci "You no play-a the game you no make-a da rules" Of course he was talking about the Vatican deciding on contraception for Catholics, but the same principle applies...

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Starbucks' new flavor is honey

  I'll have to try one now that the day of training has passed.

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Leppert and Caraway go all "Butch and Sundance" on possible Oak Cliff drug house

  Just a question from the guy that has a strong distrust of government, is there any chance that some old white guy is going to buy this land after they declare it "blighted" by all these "drug houses" and bulldoze the low income housing and plant over-priced town houses? Not because that has happened before, mind you, and the property owners didn't get squat for either the land or their houses, but just askin'? Y'knowwhuttimean?

  I'm psychic, but then again I could just be paranoid on this one...

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Copper Canyon crotch rocket punk wanted for harassing horses

  You know, it might make more sense if he buzzed the engine at people/horses leaving behind "deposits" in the trail, but as described here he's just a douchebag.

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Starbucks to close all stores, including those in Dallas, for three hours on evening of February 26

  I can usually get a decent cup from Warbucks (hey if you're going to name you're establishment after a fictitious character you might as well use the funny pages, none of that "high literature" stuff) actual stores, but except for the one at the Barnes and Nobles non of the "in store" place are worth a dang. I hope thr retraining goes well and thanks for the warning...

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Bisexual media buyer from Dallas to be housemate on Big Brother 9

  Meh, I hope the US 193 sattelite falls on them...

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Media-fed Stephenville UFO buzz continues

  Actually Area 51 has been pretty much shut down since the toxic waste spill about 10 years ago... most of the research done there has been moved to smaller facilities in Arizona and Colorado. The only stuff still going on has been the stuff that requires the really long runway there, which was recently extended and repaved.

  It's good to be me sometimes...

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Man who allegedly sets fire in Dallas home gets beaten with a bike

  People that steal bikes should be treated just like horse thieves used to be treated. A U-lock makes a handy noose. :)

  Opus

• 1 year, 9 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Pegasus News buys exclusive naming rights to Lee Harvey's Bar

  Well, if this is serious I wish you luck, if it's not serious that's a darn good joke.

  And I'm still waiting to be Verified

  Opus

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Lone Star 92.5 fires legendary Dallas DJ Redbeard

  I haven't listened to Clear Channel since their shock jocks thought it would be funny to compare notes with their audience on how to commit murder back in 2003 and again in 2004. Since I am a member of the group that they were telling people how to murder, and a survivor of an attempted murder that followed the template given on the shows (but which took place 3-4 years prior to the shows) I haven't listened to any Clear Channel station, nor patronized any of their advertisers.

  Opus

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Royse City High School bans TV spot in which girls nearly kiss

  I have some friends in the LGBT community outside the North Texas area that would be interested in this article.

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Will pre-paid phone limits aimed at crime fighting inadvertantly hurt poor Texans?

  I don't want the gov't to know everything I say and do. Just because what I'm doing is legal and aboveboard today doesn't mean that it will always be that way in the future, and I don't want to just hand that information over to the "Man". Gov't should fear the people, not people the gov't.

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Some Methodists rallying to stop proposed SMU Bush library

  Mass graves that were never found? Dude what have you been smoking? They found so many mass graves that it became a "non-story". I remember reading about one that had over a thousand bodies in it, and it wasn't even the biggest.

  Now about those WMDs, the only thing found was where they were dumped after Gulf I in response to the UN sanctions. And I seem to recall that most of those gas shells were labled in English, which means that Saddam had WMDs because we sold them to him...

  The only thing I have against Clinton was his poor taste in mistresses. Hillary was hot, though. I guess he had to find something that was the "anti-Hillary" to turn him on...

  Opus

• 1 year, 10 months ago
  OpusthePoet's comment on:

  Dallas police surveillance cameras may not reduce crime

  The phrase "car park" is replacing the clunkier "parking lot" in most of the Anglophone world and is much easier to say than "ground wasted storing unused automobiles". And CCTV might act as a deterrent if the perp is worried about getting caught, but with so many crimes going unprosecuted these days most people will just do what they can to disguise their appearance and take their chances. However like one commenter pointed out witnesses are easier to identify and more likely to be harrassed by either the cops or the perp if (s)he already knows who they are and can watch to see if they contact or are contacted by police. And it is still a violation of the 4th Ammendment which specifically states the right to walk the streets secure in our persons and papers unless there is a warrant specific in whom and what and sworn by an officer of the law... yada, yada...

  Opus

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