America - The Official Thread

[FoolKiller]

The language is the content. Legalese is not meant to be compassionate or understanding, that's not it's purpose. It's a dry analysis of the facts as one side or the other sees them. They could have said, "look we got a report of someone walking around pointing a gun at people, jumped out of the car, thought we were going to get shot, so we shot him first" . , but that wouldn't fly in court would it?

So, the court argument is the legalese version of "It's his own fault." Got it.

I can't wait until the trial when the city attorney expands on this by blatantly blaming the victim for his own death.

It's background information. You're not allowed to report anything on a victim that isn't directly related to the incident in question? He didn't exist before the day he was shot?

He served his time. Background information builds a history for his profile when looking into someone for committing a crime, but it does not mean it is OK to shoot a guy if it was unjustified.

Continue on in the article and it turns into a full-on anti-immigration rant that basically broke down to not caring if this shooting was justified or not because he was an illegal immigrant, Obama's immigration action (which wasn't in effect during his previous crimes) is failed, and just by standing there this man was breaking the law, and that is all that matters.


But quick question: How does his past crime(s) justify his fatal shooting?

The story the police are telling is that he got hold of one of their guns. If that is true then he was justifiably shot and his background still had nothing to do with it.


Ultimately, all these kinds of stories lead to is to paint him as a thug who had it coming and attempt to avoid the actual circumstances of the shooting. I think the police and suspects both should only have their history brought up if it has some form of connection to the current event, like a repeated behavior or pattern of bias.

Truth be told, I have no clue what happened leading up to this shooting and hold no judgment.

 

[Sanji Himura]

News ReCap for March 6, 2015:

- Famed street racer Israel "Izzy" Valenzuela and race promoter Henry Gevorgyan have been charged with murder after a car built by Valenzuela was involved in a crash during an illegal street race, according to California police. Neither men were driving the car, however, since the two men organized the race, they are legally responsible for the murder [sort of like how you are responsible for a murder if you drive a getaway car during an armed robbery]. Both men remain in jail on $2 million bail (a piece).

Valenzuela is best known for the Discovery Channel show "Street Outlaws". If convicted, both men could face 33 years to life.

- Forbes is reporting a possible tell on how the Supreme Court might rule on the latest Obamacare case that is now before them. The idea came from Justice Alito, who during oral arguments, brought up a 1982 case, Northern Pipeline vs. Marathon Pipe. The case involved the Bankruptcy Act of 1978, which created bankruptcy courts with broad powers. The decision, written by Justice Brennan, was stayed until October of that year to allow Congress time to rework the law.

With a Chief Justice that is skiddish in declaring what the Federal Government did was unconstitutional, Alito's proposal may put him at ease.

The case in question is King vs. Burwell.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

Izzy was a legendary street racer long before his appearance on the show. The big problem with racing in California is that those guys don't really have a drag strip to run at. You could argue that they got Irwindale (about 20 miles from LA) but that 1/8th mile strip is always packed and people are lucky if they even get two passes there in a night.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Izzy was a legendary street racer long before his appearance on the show. The big problem with racing in California is that those guys don't really have a drag strip to run at. You could argue that they got Irwindale (about 20 miles from LA) but that 1/8th mile strip is always packed and people are lucky if they even get two passes there in a night.

 

[Dennisch]

View attachment 325419

See? Nothing!

 

[AnthonyD1993]

View attachment 325419

Hm.

Yet you also didn't mention the fact that LA County Raceway is closed, Carlsbad is closed, and Inyokern is closed- something that very site you quoted from says point blank. The site also says Rialto and Team Possibilities are both Junior tracks only so none of those guys would be able to go there. So right off the bat, you can scrap 5 of the tracks off the list. That leaves nine tracks for everyone to use. And realistically only a handful that they would logically travel to.

Not to mention that the site is is list of every track in the state rather than by how close it is to LA. Doing that search only netted two constant popups- Auto Club (depending on distance- I typically limited searches to 100 miles) and Irwindale. And from What I've heard, most racers try to avoid Auto Club because the track is very vicious to the "little guys" (basically anyone who isn't in the NHRA's top classes).

 

[Keef]

View attachment 325419

See? Nothing!

Hello, Misters Penso and Dennisch! Allow me to explain something to you about California.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z9voPYYMB_cA.kA8Ga2aFO_AE

It is immensely large.

That list of drag strips you provided, @Johnnypenso, provided me 9 actual results. Carlsbad, Inyokern, LACR and Rialto are all defunct, while Team Possibilities, as far as I can tell, is merely a temporary Jr. Dragr Racing track set up in Qualcomm Stadium's parking lot. Pomona is an NHRA track and I assume they don't allow track days because their website doesn't work.

That leaves you with two measly 1/8 mile tracks in Los Angeles, a city with a metropolitan population of nearly 13,000,000. There is a 1/8 mile track about an hour's drive from the San Diego city center. Sonoma is great! They have Wednesday Night Drags, just like my hometown strip. Awesome! Unfortunately it's an hour from San Fransisco and 1.5 hours from San Jose. That's not crazy bad but I have experience with driving an hour to a track in Cincinnati and I simply don't go 90% of the time because it's an annoying drive. By the way, San Fran metro area has 4.5 million people. One track. Thank God there's a track in Eureka, a city where nobody lives, as well as Redding which has a couple thousand California rednecks.

Of the 20.5 million people in LA, SD and SF, there are four tracks amongst them.

Nothing, indeed.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Local News Reporter discovers something fishy at the Denver post office. One hour later, that something fishy was gone.

That something fishy turns out to be a camera taking pictures of people's license plates at the parking lot.

Oh, and incase you were wondering, all of this was being done without a warrant. Both KDVT and The Blaze have filed FOIA requests to get to the bottom of it.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...-a-post-office-but-an-hour-later-it-was-gone/

 

[Johnnypenso]

http://www.breitbart.com/california...sors-students-rally-behind-american-flag-ban/

The vote to remove the flag stemmed from an attempt to prevent “triggering” hurt feelings among illegal immigrants, namely “racism and xenophobia,” according to language in the online petition. The petition received over 1,200 signatures, including 60 from UC Irvine professors and faculty members, and condemned “nationalism” in every form, including “U.S. nationalism.”

 

[urmie]

This guy says joining the American army should be no different than joining ISIS. Is "Murica" supposed to be insulting?

http://forums.2k.com/showthread.php?654561-Other-than-Bioshock&p=9047026#post9047026

 

[Joel]

http://www.breitbart.com/california...sors-students-rally-behind-american-flag-ban/

Two different strands of authoritarians debating over whose authority is more righteous.

 

[Keef]

Two different strands of authoritarians debating over whose authority is more righteous.

It's either "this is the only flag" or "there can't be any flag at all". How about "you can fly any flag," but they never think of that do they?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Is "Murica" supposed to be insulting?

Yup, it's often used to refer to the country when talking about gun-totin' rednecks (cus MURICA!).

 

[Sanji Himura]

Hot Mic Catches "The Jinx" Killer Robert Dunst.

Warning: The link contains spoilers for tonight's episode of The Jinx. Read at your own risk.

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/the-jinx-i...hat-113746472925.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma

 

[Joel]

It's either "this is the only flag" or "there can't be any flag at all". How about "you can fly any flag," but they never think of that do they?

But the someone might fly a Confederate flag and then you're in for a real :censored:icane. Or an Israeli flag or something.

There's nothing more offensive than a rectangular piece of cloth.

 

[FoolKiller]

But the someone might fly a Confederate flag and then you're in for a real :censored:icane.

Not really.

Welcome to the south.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Not really.

Welcome to the south.

The flag's still pretty offensive in any context, surely? Just because a majority in a certain area believe in something doesn't mean it's right.

 

[PeterJB]

Not really.

Welcome to the south.

My neighbour has one of those in his back garden. Wiltshire of all places.

 

[Dotini]

My neighbour has one of those in his back garden. Wiltshire of all places.

Britain supported the South in our Civil War.

 

[squadops]

The flag's still pretty offensive in any context, surely? Just because a majority in a certain area believe in something doesn't mean it's right.

The flag is not typically flown in favor of slavery so, no.

 

[Johnnypenso]

The flag's still pretty offensive in any context, surely? Just because a majority in a certain area believe in something doesn't mean it's right.

Hugely popular tv show in the 80's, the Dukes of Hazzard, and I don't recall a single word of protest at the prevelance of the Confederate flag at that time...

I guess it wasn't offensive back then...

 

[TenEightyOne]

@Johnnypenso, it was indeed, but I still have a General Lee scale model tucked away. I wouldn't have it on display though

 

[FoolKiller]

@Johnnypenso, it was indeed, but I still have a General Lee scale model tucked away. I wouldn't have it on display though

For most people who fly it it stands for Southern pride.

They have other symbols of slavery and racism.

 

[Dotini]

For most people who fly it it stands for Southern pride.

They have other symbols of slavery and racism.

Speaking as one who grew up in Texas in the fifties and sixties, Foolkiller has it right.

 

[Chrunch Houston]

I grew up in a subdivision called Confederate Acres. It was in the suburbs, just south of Louisville Ky.

I don't ever recall any racist talk as a kid. Ok, well maybe a little, but the vast majority were not racist.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I grew up in a subdivision called Confederate Acres. It was in the suburbs, just south of Louisville Ky.

I don't ever recall any racist talk as a kid. Ok, well maybe a little, but the vast majority were not racist.

What was the racial/ethnic mix in your neighbourhood?

Don't mess with American air travellers:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/17/travel/united-airlines-flight-unruly-passenger/index.html

 

[Chrunch Houston]

What was the racial/ethnic mix in your neighbourhood?

It was all white, until about 1984, then a black family moved in right next door.

 

[LeMansAid]

Is "Murica" supposed to be insulting?

I find that it's often used by Americans in taking awkward baby steps towards learning the art of self-deprecation.

Next on the agenda may be learning that when a foreigner doesn't understand something said, saying the same thing, but louder, won't help.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Next on the agenda may be learning that when a foreigner doesn't understand something said, saying the same thing, but louder, won't help.

Wait what? That's doesn't work?

 

[Keef]

Policies I would enact if I were America's dictator:

1. End the Cuban embargo.
2. Make Puerto Rico a State.
3. Cut all ties with Israel.
4. Work closely with Canada to dominate oil production and demolish the Middle East's oil economy.
5. Legalize pot at the national level.
6. Legalize all weapons except things that blow up. Those require a license.
7. Ban police from using military surplus equipment. They can only use what's available on the market like everyone else.
8. Close at least half of our international military bases and station those soldiers in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and elsewhere in the US.
9. Stategically place a flag on Mars.

And probably some other things.

EDIT: @FoolKiller As a suburban kid from Southwestern Ohio, I can't decide if I should shout "Murica!" in agreement or laugh at this hillbilly. All I know is your people are entertaining.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/...s-of-the-team-296430611.html?device=phone&c=y