paramedicmike Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) Since we talked about this earlier I thought it would be worth a follow up. (Click to view this embedded page in a new window) Edited June 29, 2009 by paramedicmike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosgrojo Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 It was only a matter of time before the pendulum began to swing back the other way. The world is round, and everything goes in cycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 It was only a matter of time before the pendulum began to swing back the other way. The world is round, and everything goes in cycles. Don't count on that-at least not for a long time. We have a Democratic president, a majority democratic Congresss, and Sotomayor will soon be confirmed as a new justice. This will be the last ruling of this kind for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosgrojo Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 (edited) Don't count on that-at least not for a long time. We have a Democratic president, a majority democratic Congresss, and Sotomayor will soon be confirmed as a new justice. This will be the last ruling of this kind for quite some time. My comment was completely apolitical in nature. Only social commentary on the vagaries of what is "right" and what is "wrong." I am neither Democrat, nor Republican.. I am not Independent, and I don't belong to the Green party. Libertarian I am not... and in case you were wondering, I have no love for the Tories or the Whigs. I dislike all politicians equally...If they had any honor or redeeming value, they wouldn't be politicians. Except... well... I was watching C-span yesterday trying to fall asleep and they were re-airing the house committee on Health Care reform. John McCain was offering up his bill on foreign prescription drugs again... he forced a vote on it... basically told everyone in the room that if you don't vote yes, you are a shill for the pharmaceutical companies... and then he left before the vote... He did everything but give them the middle finger as he walked out. That man is a Bad-ass, and I think I might like him. Oh... it didn't pass... so you Canadians get to keep your cheap drugs to yourself for a while longer. Edited June 29, 2009 by cosgrojo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirduke Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 It seems that the last safe group for discrimination, White males, may have won a small skirmish in the battle. But, given the current body politic, I doubt that it will make a difference. Affirmative action is wrong, but our politically correct society will not admit that due to fear of being labeled Racist. Racism works both ways, I've been on both sides, and don't like either. Discrimination is wrong whether it be against blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, men or women, who ever. And like it or not, affirmative action is government sancationed discrimination. I have a bi-racial son, I have no desire for him to be discrimanated against for being half black, nor do I wish him to be discriminated against for being half white. Each person should be judged on their own merit, education and qualifications for the job, the color of one's skin shouldn't be an issue. An idiot is and idiot, be he/she white, black, or what ever. I don't care what color the doctor, nurse, etc is who comes to my aid, but I sure as hell want the most qualified one, not the one who got the job due entirely upon their being the politically correct choice for the position. One man's opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 My comment was completely apolitical in nature. Only social commentary on the vagaries of what is "right" and what is "wrong." I am neither Democrat, nor Republican.. I am not Independent, and I don't belong to the Green party. Libertarian I am not... and in case you were wondering, I have no love for the Tories or the Whigs. I dislike all politicians equally...If they had any honor or redeeming value, they wouldn't be politicians. Except... well... I was watching C-span yesterday trying to fall asleep and they were re-airing the house committee on Health Care reform. John McCain was offering up his bill on foreign prescription drugs again... he forced a vote on it... basically told everyone in the room that if you don't vote yes, you are a shill for the pharmaceutical companies... and then he left before the vote... He did everything but give them the middle finger as he walked out. That man is a Bad-ass, and I think I might like him. Oh... it didn't pass... so you Canadians get to keep your cheap drugs to yourself for a while longer. Apolitical or not, my reasons stand. The pendulum will be stuck on the left for quite some time to come, and in cases such as this, "right and wrong" is completely dependent on your political and social ideology. As for John McCain, I could not get past some of his ideas like Immigration reform. Problem is, a pure liberal or conservative is hard to come by these days. Politicians hate to alienate even one voting bloc for fear of losing their chance to get elected. In many ways, this blended politician can be a good thing, but some of the hot button issues like abortion, immigration, and affirmative action are deal breakers for many people. They have such a strong opinion, they simply cannot get past that one issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosgrojo Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Apolitical or not, my reasons stand. The pendulum will be stuck on the left for quite some time to come, and in cases such as this, "right and wrong" is completely dependent on your political and social ideology. As for John McCain, I could not get past some of his ideas like Immigration reform. Problem is, a pure liberal or conservative is hard to come by these days. Politicians hate to alienate even one voting bloc for fear of losing their chance to get elected. In many ways, this blended politician can be a good thing, but some of the hot button issues like abortion, immigration, and affirmative action are deal breakers for many people. They have such a strong opinion, they simply cannot get past that one issue. Herbie- Not arguing with you... you may very well be right. I just felt like defining my comment so nobody thought I had some sort of partisan agenda. And nothing is dependent on political ideology (now I'm arguing with you). Politics is something that human kind invented. Intrigue and deception and promises not kept to gain advantage... those we created as a species. Social ideology on the other hand... you are correct about that one. Social classes exist in all live beings, have since the beginning of life itself. If the current state of politics actually affects your view of "right & wrong," then you are a very lost soul indeed. Those should be developed through personal contemplation and careful understanding of "social" norms, not political ones. Oh, and I didn't mean to say that I agree with John McCain about his policies... I only meant to say that he is a bad-ass... and I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERBIE1 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Herbie- Not arguing with you... you may very well be right. I just felt like defining my comment so nobody thought I had some sort of partisan agenda. And nothing is dependent on political ideology (now I'm arguing with you). Politics is something that human kind invented. Intrigue and deception and promises not kept to gain advantage... those we created as a species. Social ideology on the other hand... you are correct about that one. Social classes exist in all live beings, have since the beginning of life itself. If the current state of politics actually affects your view of "right & wrong," then you are a very lost soul indeed. Those should be developed through personal contemplation and careful understanding of "social" norms, not political ones. Oh, and I didn't mean to say that I agree with John McCain about his policies... I only meant to say that he is a bad-ass... and I like it. Agreed about someone whose ideas of right and wrong is governed by the current political wind. Like I said though, these days, it is tough to find a candidate who agrees with your own ideas- ESPECIALLY if you are not a dyed in the wool republican or democrat. Personally, I have mostly conservative ideas-along with a couple that definitely do NOT align with a Republican ideology. As such, presidential campaigns are tough for me. Thus, my perpetual candidate always seems to be named "None of the above". LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boeingb13 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I read all to often about racism in the fire service, though when I ask what does color have to do with a 3 sided pull up or correct size up, or any of the other thousand things that are a part of fire ground tactics. Everyone takes the same test and has the same books to study. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepluv77 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 We recently had a big uproar when it appeared that the test for our city's police academy was discriminatory against minorities. Yeah, you read that right. I don't understand how a standardized test can be discriminatory, but that's what they said. Anyway, they "dumbed it down" which caused another uproar. The plain and simple is that the test wasn't the problem. The problem was the education these men and women recieved beforehand. By the time you reach the age to enroll in the police academy, you should be able to do basic math. That's the portion that was failing people. If not, take a remedial course and be angry with all teachers you had growing up that didn't bother to make sure you got it. Don't sue the city for making sure it's officers can do at least a minimal amount of math. We aren't talking calculus here. We are talking at most basic algebra, geometry, and statistics/probability. These are skills that can be essential in prefoming the job. Now we have a bunch of officers-to-be that won't be able to figure out distance or speed or anything else requiring any math skills. Not to mention the fact that they weren't willing to work for it in the first place by studying. I think maybe the time has come to put regulations on affirmative action. There are, unfortunately, still situations where it may be warranted. But when the public safety is at risk, no. Sorry, you should be held to the same standards as everyone else, which is still woefully inadequate at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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