February 28, 2018

Update on my OP about FedEx

I recently posted regarding FedEx and their statement that the do not agree with the NRA but as a common carrier they were required to accept shipments. Also, the fact that NRA members can evidently get some sort of discount when shipping via FedEx. I was hoping to spark a discussion of when a boycott of a company was reasonable.

See: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210296964
Interesting discussion on dropping NRA as 'partner' for discounts.

Well, thunderous news tonight. Everything that FedEx said was pretty much corporate smoke screen. See:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210298815
EXCLUSIVE: FedExs secret deal with the NRA and the gun industry

Kinda changes things, don't ya think?

February 27, 2018

Interesting discussion on dropping NRA as 'partner' for discounts.

Found this on WaPo but there is no way I can link to the appropriate piece, if you want to try and find it for yourself, go to:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2018/02/27/daily-202-trump-gets-a-seminar-on-federalism-as-governors-push-back-on-arming-teachers/5a94c2b830fb047655a06963/?utm_term=.88b54c87ec0a

Then (on a PC) do a ctrl^F and search for FedEx. Then start reading.

My friend Jeni, of @jenisicecreams just said that they will move 100,000+ annual mail orders from @FedEx to @UPS if FedEx doesn't drop their support of the NRA.

This took guts.

FedEx responded:
https://about.van.fedex.com/newsroom/fedex-responds-questions-national-rifle-association-gun-safety-policy/

FedEx is aware there are some continuing concerns related to the NRA, and we want to provide important, clarifying facts.

First, the pricing program that is the focus of these concerns is not for the NRA itself – it is for American small businesses and consumers that are members of the association. For shipping from its online store (http://www.nrastore.com/shipping-information), the NRA uses UPS and not FedEx.

FedEx has never provided any donation or sponsorship to the NRA which is one of hundreds of alliance and association participants that serve more than one million customers. FedEx remains committed to all our customers and the pricing we provide them independent of their political affiliations and views.

February 26, 2018 – FedEx Corporation’s positions on the issues of gun policy and safety differ from those of the National Rifle Association (NRA). FedEx opposes assault rifles being in the hands of civilians. While we strongly support the constitutional right of U.S. citizens to own firearms subject to appropriate background checks, FedEx views assault rifles and large capacity magazines as an inherent potential danger to schools, workplaces, and communities when such weapons are misused. We therefore support restricting them to the military. Most important, FedEx believes urgent action is required at the local, state, and Federal level to protect schools and students from incidents such as the horrific tragedy in Florida on February 14th.

FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views. The NRA is one of hundreds of organizations in our alliances/association Marketing program whose members receive discounted rates for FedEx shipping. FedEx has never set or changed rates for any of our millions of customers around the world in response to their politics, beliefs or positions on issues.

Interesting conundrum for folks trying to get sponsors to drop the NRA.

February 27, 2018

HE DOESN'T KNOW THE TERRITORY - Parody of the opening scene from The Music Man

February 26, 2018

Secret Service To Save Millions By Protecting President With Thoughts And Prayers Instead

http://www.breakingburgh.com/secret-service-save-millions-protecting-president-thoughts-prayers-instead/

The Secret Service has announced it will no longer be complaining about its budget being inadequate to protect President Trump and his large entourage.

This came after as they discovered an equally effective means to keep him from harm at a fraction of the cost.

“Really the credit should go to Paul Ryan who gave us the idea.”

Instead of trained agents following President Trump on his many expensive trips, they will now concentrate on protecting him from potential assailants using thoughts and prayers.

“Don’t worry because we’ll still have President Trump’s back. Or rather Ricardo in our new remote praying facility in Juarez will.”

The Secret Service defended outsourcing much of the work to Mexico, saying it made sense not just on economic grounds, but in terms of quality of protection provided as well.

“They pray real good down there.”

February 25, 2018

Vicar of Dibley actress Emma Chambers dies aged 53

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43183354?SThisFB

Actors Dawn French and Hugh Grant have led tributes to their former co-star Emma Chambers, who has died aged 53.

Known for playing Alice Tinker in The Vicar of Dibley, Doncaster-born Chambers also had roles in Notting Hill and a Martin Chuzzlewit adaptation.

Chambers died from natural causes on Wednesday evening and would be "greatly missed", her agent John Grant said.

"Emma created a wealth of characters and an immense body of work," he added.

She leaves a husband, fellow actor Ian Dunn.

French, who starred in The Vicar of Dibley alongside Chambers for 13 years, paid tribute to a "very bright spark and the most loyal and loving friend anyone could wish for".

"I will miss her very much", she said, while also posting a picture of the pair on Twitter.

Vicar of Dibley was a fantastic show and Emma was a perfect foil to Dawn French. (Note: 5 seasons of Vicar currently available for streaming on Britbox.)

February 25, 2018

Third-Grader Reaches into Maplewood Officer's Holster, Fires Weapon in School Gym

http://kstp.com/news/no-one-hurt-when-third-grader-reaches-into-school-liaison-officer-holster-fires-gun-harmony-learning-center-maplewood/4773777/?cat=1

February 05, 2018 10:09 PM

Maplewood police said no one was hurt after a third-grader reached into a school liaison officer's holster and fired the gun on Monday.

The incident happened in the school gym at Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, where the officer was "interacting with (third- and fourth-graders) and building relationships," according to a police department release.

The release says the officer was sitting on a bench, and a third-grader "reached over and placed his finger into the officer's gun holster and pressed the trigger of the officer's gun causing it to discharge though the bottom of the holster."

The round hit the floor, and no one was injured, the press release states.

................
Now tell me again, what could possibly go wrong with even more guns in schools?

February 24, 2018

Parkland Survivor To Melania Trump: Stop Donald Trump Jr. From Cyberbullying Me

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melania-donald-trump-jr-parkland-cyberbullying_us_5a909bb6e4b01e9e56bbd275

A 14-year-old survivor of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, has pleaded with first lady Melania Trump to stop her stepson Donald Trump Jr. from bullying her and her family online.

“You say that your mission as first lady is to stop cyber bullying,” tweeted Lauren Hogg. “Don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your stepson @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which ... put a target on my back?”

“I’ve been getting all these horrible messages from Nazis and white supremacists and I woke up this morning and remembered that Melania Trump’s mission was to fight cyberbullying,” Hogg told Huffpost on Friday. “That’s what’s happening to me: cyberbullying. I thought she could do something about Donald Trump Jr.”

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump’s eldest son “liked” two tweets promoting a conspiracy theory about Lauren’s 17-year-old brother, David Hogg, another shooting survivor. The cooked-up conspiracy claimed he had been coached to speak out against guns by his former FBI agent father to “cover” for the agency’s failure to prevent the shooting. The ruse was backed up by the “deep state media,” claimed one of the posts.

More at link. ...and a (not so) little child shall lead them.

February 21, 2018

My granddaughter posted the following on Facebook.

She is currently 15 years old. I know this is not a bot, or 'fake news'. Believe me, I know her writing style. (Note: I debated with myself and decided to leave her post exactly as she wrote it, so didn't correct any spelling or grammatical errors.):

How is it possible to go to school and feel safe anymore? The number of school shootings that have happened so far this year is unbelievable. To know that most of them could have been stopped is frustrating. My mom got a call from the school today say that a student that I attend school with, had posted pictures on his social media holding up guns and posing treats. Just in the last week or so a student also made a hit list in class of all the people he was planning on killing if he ever shot up the school. 32 students heard him say it and saw the paper with the names listed and so did the teacher. He was reported but I never heard of any punishment against him. I found out about that from multiple students. But never once did a teacher or any of the schools staff say anything to our parents and any of the students. Instead, they kept it a secret. There have been multiple treats to my school this year. How am I supost to know if its real or all just some messed up sick joke that someone created to act "funny"?How should anyone feel safe knowing stuff like this is going around and nothing is being done and/or is being hidden away from us? This has got to stop. School is supposed to be a safe learning environment but with everything that has happened, I find it very hard to feel safe..

How do you respond to something like this?

February 20, 2018

Interesting tidbit on the 11th Hour with Brian Williams tonight,

showing the huge difference between 'then' and 'now'.

At the height of the Vietnam War protests there was going to be a demonstration at the White House. The sons of a family living in the D.C. area were coming home to participate and asked of they could bring a couple of college friends with them. The boys parents welcomed the friends (and, or course, their sons) and saw them off to the protest, while daddy went off to work - at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Daddy's name? Robert S. McNamara, chief architect of the war.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
- Rosseau

"Fake News. Lock 'em up. Toughen the liebel and slander laws."
-Some damn Orange Shitgibbon

(I also heard on a couple of different shows tonight the idea that Trump is guilty of 'dereliction of duty', which in some people's opinion would be an impeachable offence.)

February 17, 2018

Here's a thought. Let's ban ALL guns,

and when former gun owners complain we can send them our 'thoughts and prayers' to make them feel better. (And, of course, we won't do anything else, since we know that they all believe that 'thoughts and prayers' are good enough.)



Guess I'm not the only one who thought of this.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210244767