El Chapo

You might have voted your way into socialism, but good luck shooting your way out.

I succeeded in my claim against the VA even though I waited 19 years to make it (like an idiot). Many "advocates" exist out there to try to help you with a claim. I didn't use any of them but many offered to help. I am a lawyer in real life, but I know zilch about the VA other than my own experience. I'm sure there are people who have complicated cases who would want to have an attorney.

I wouldn't use absolutely all of them, but I'd love to have some of those options in my pickup. Right now this is what I've got (below). Even just having the 1.18:1 between 4th and 5th and having four different overdrive options would be really cool. Leaving the quad in "lo" it'd be practically a 5 speed similar to what I have. I know they'll never make a pickup truck like that but I sure wish they would, and my camper only weighs about 10k pounds. The deep overdrive for empty driving would be great too. G56 Transmission Ratios Application 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th R 2005 - 2007 Ram 2500/3500 6.29 : 1 3.48 : 1 2.10 : 1 1.38 : 1 1.00 : 1 0.79 : 1 6.29 : 1

I beg to differ. My ex had one. It got about 15 mpg and was dead slow up any kind of hill. If it only got crappy fuel mileage or got good mileage but was slow, I would have been a lot more tolerant of it. My wife has a Toyota Rav4 and while I'm generally not a fan of Japanese cars, especially not Toyotas with their cheap interiors, as far as fuel economy, performance, traction, and ground clearance, I find it hard to believe that there is anything else out there that could deliver like that thing does. Hers is a 2011 and we plan to keep it for another 10 years at least. That said, I'd rather have a set of snow tires than AWD if I lived in a place that really got a lot of snow. Ideally I'd have both, but if I could only choose one or the other, give me the good tires and a FWD car/crossover over the AWD with all seasons.

There's really no such thing. Even a .380, 9mm, or .38 will go through many--maybe a dozen--sheets of drywall.

By applying a ridiculous standard that he made a joke about someone you like, so you don't like him. Robin Williams was one of the funniest people who has ever walked the face of this earth. You're missing out if you let some political squabble prevent you from enjoying his work. I was literally this many days old when I learned there was even one person who didn't like Robin Williams. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you'd be hard pressed to find even one other person who doesn't think he's funny. That doesn't mean you won't or that you're wrong, but then there'd just be two of you really missing out.

I think you're missing out. Robin Williams was an incredibly funny person and incredibly talented. I don't know why people choose to get their politics and entertainment from the same place; I see very little overlap between the talents of either one and I expect comedians to make fun of everyone without limit.

All of that is true, but radiators are an innovation that does not go along with American motorcycles. For me it's kinda like the metric system. There are legitimate arguments that the metric system is better for a lot of things, but it's not the American way. Maybe the better way to think about it is if you tried to explain the strategy of soccer to Americans or you tried to explain American football or baseball to Europeans. Soccer might be fine contest enjoyed by people throughout the world but it's about as American as the metric system, that is, not at all. So if the choices are (potentially) cooking my engine in traffic or having a radiator, count me in the former category. I'd rather have the simplicity of an air cooled engine for all the other times and take the risk.

I should have pointed out that one of the biggest reasons I would never own a Japanese motorcycle is that to me, a radiator on a motorcycle is a dirty word. I think the two models you listed here will be the death of Harley-Davidson if that sort of stuff continues. There are certainly other reasons why the metric stuff isn't for me, but radiators are high on the list. I don't have a rolling couch yet, but I'm looking forward to one when I find the right deal. I'm definitely not old enough for it, but I want one anyway.

Oh man, maybe it belongs in another thread, but the deepest bruises I've ever had involved a chubby girlfriend and a snowboard. I will stick to my motorcycle after that!

I've done more than a few dozens, which is why I used it as an example. And yes, of course our own experiences color our perception; it's only human. Hopefully you get yourself a motorcycle in your (sounds like deserving!) retirement.

Insurance companies have been studying this for a long time. I wouldn't have thought it made much difference until I saw the studies, but it makes a lot of sense. Pretty much only the biggest motorcycles have a fairing to begin with, and it does make the motorcycle more visable, so this is a major factor in intersection related motorcycle crashes, which I thought were the #2 most common crashes, but after googling around, they may even be more common than single-vehicle motorcycle crashes where the motorcyclist errs, whether by overshooting a turn, misuing the brakes, or a combination of those sorts of factors. For motorcyclist error type crashes, mot much "equipment" can make a difference in that, but if I were to guess at the one feature that can make a difference in that, it's antilock brakes. There are places in the world where new motorcycles must have them, but the U.S. doesn't require them and it's kinda surprising that they haven't been available on motorcycles for as long as they have been on cars, at least not the ones I pay attention to. The brakes on a motorcycle are probably the most dangerous control. They can be your best friend or they can put you on the ground if you panic or use them incorrectly. ABS is the one feature that removes some of that human error element, more than anything else. Other than that, proper rider training and technique is important. If you stab the front when going 10 mph with the handlebar turned, you're going to the ground, absent a miracle, so avoiding those kinds of errors is big. But avoiding those kinds of errors in a panic situation, even with proper training, is asking a lot. Intersection related crashes often occur with a car turning left in front of a motorcycle in an intersection. Those are the crashes where the big, bold, heavy, fairing-equipped motorcycle is at an advantage. If the guy who was going to turn left in front of you sees something and hesitates, it can be the difference between life and death. That is why I think--and studies I've read have shown--that big motorcycles are "safer" in that sense. The weakness of a study like that is that teenagers don't get all excited and go down to the dealership and buy a Goldwing. They aren't called "Geezer-Glides" for nothing. There may be correlation between who the operators are and the crashes. But unless the facts have changed since I've read those studies, fairing-equipped motorcycles are associated with fewer intersection related crashes, which is a supposed fact that might not be obvious, but makes more sense the more you think about it. Those bikes have more lights, they're bigger, taller, and have all that painted plastic on them, and maybe that makes them more likely to be seen. Or maybe geezers are just more defensive drivers. You be the judge. As to measuring in inches, shooting guns, and not riding Japanese motorcycles, well, this is America after all. You might be surprised to hear that I shoot guns, too. I won't hate on you for riding a Kawasaki, but you won't find one of those in my garage. Not my thing. If I did ride a Kawasaki, my dad would have told me to park it in the street and not the driveway. You might have been brought up differently, and that's fine, I wave to all motorcycle riders. But I won't be buying one or using the metric system anytime soon.

That isn't seeing it. It's like someone saying they understand the adrenaline of a jury trial without ever having done one. Watching is not doing. And it's easy to only look at the potential injuries when you're not experiencing all the good. Guns are the same way. People want to talk about the tens of thousands of homicides instead of the millions of self defense uses of firearms. It's just human nature to look only at the costs and not the benefits.

I wouldn't pick any of those. The data are overwhelming that the safest motorcycles are those with fairings--touring motorcycles like Electra Glides, Street Glides, Road Glides, Gold Wings, etc. The only Harley-Davidson that comes in ccs and not inches is a Sportster which is basically their smallest air cooled motorcycle. I don't know that much about Japanese motorcycles but if it is only 350 or 650ccs, those are small motorcycles. The safest motorcycles as far as being seen by idiot drivers are the largest, heaviest touring motorcycles. In 22 minutes I'm going to get out of work and walk to my 103 cubic inch (that's 1790 ccs for those of you who don't speak American) Harley Davidson and ride home. It was 26 degrees on my commute this morning; fortunately it's 50 or so degrees for my ride home. It isn't a touring bike but it is much bigger/safer than a tiny motorcycle like you asked about. Life wouldn't be worth living without joys like my motorcycles. That's the other side of the coin you didn't see--all the people safely enjoying millions of miles of riding who didn't get seriously injured or die.

I don't know where you live, but here, accepting bribes in exchange for official acts is not the traditional prosecutorial functions. Nobody is "above the law" if that's what you thought I was saying (if the DA hits you with his car, you can sue for negligence just like anyone else, because driving negligently, while perhaps common, is not the typical prosectorial functions). But the solution to a prosecutor exercising his discretion in a manner in which you disagree is at the ballot box, and that is the point.

Prosecutors are absolutely immune for the decisions they make in their official capacity. That includes all aspects of their exercise or even abuse of their prosecutorial discretion.

I am also a ham radio operator, NM9K. If you guys want to get together on 40m phone in the evening, let's do it. I have a vertical and a kilowatt.

Read my post again. Apparently you missed the message.

The DA is aboslutely immune from civil liability for anything he does in the performance of his duties. This is why elections matter and people should care more about offices further on down the ballot.