http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/police-find-spiked-baseball-bats-san-francisco-35462912

What does this mean to you?

Someone has TOO much time on their hands.

It also means(to me)...use violence to solve a problem.Being chained to a parking meter says..."Use this...it's gonna cost you..so be forewarned".

I thought it was just a freaky gruesome prank at first but then I saw a message in it. The message is "arm yourself and if you don't, at least here is some kind of weapon for public use." bad people are already carrying weapons, what are they going to do with a baseball bat that can't be carried away? why should there not be a weapon available for anyone who might need it to fight back? Of course it's just a demonstration. California concealed carry laws are among the most restrictive in the nation. This was probably prompted by the mass shooting that took place this week in Oregon.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/01/us/oregon-college-shooting/

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/29/2015 @ 7:32 PM *

...and the abortion clinic guy who I have read was not intending to shoot up a abortion clinic but up to some other no good plot. More people should be armed and ready to stop these assailants because by the time the police can do anything, everyone is already dead.

The article states the lag bolts through the bats make them a deadly weapon. You don't need screws to make a bat a deadly weapon.
We'll probably have to start registering our bats next. Or pass a background check to buy one.

In the US in 2013 there were 16,121 homocides. 11,208 were attributed to firearms. 4,913 were attributed to other. I'm sure a good few hundred were someone being beated to death by ball bat.

30,000 people died from falling. Seems like they need to make falling illegal.

The article states the lag bolts through the bats make them a deadly weapon. You don't need screws to make a bat a deadly weapon.

30,000 Americans die of gunshots every year. The only time anybody pays attention is when some nutcase shoots a bunch of innocent people, then all the gun nuts say everyone should be armed and that would have prevented it. Bullshit. A guy walked into a coffee shop and killed 4 cops before they could draw. Many victims of gunshots are children, some by other children who have laid hands on a weapon left irresponsibly laying around the house.Someone who posted in this thread was shot by his own wife in a domestic squabble. He's lucky he's still alive to post his stupid shit on the internet and she's lucky not to be in prison. Carly Fiorina said today people on terrorist and no-fly watch lists should be able to purchase guns. As long as you have idiot politicians like her and the morons who vote for them, nothing will change. Other than everyone arming themselves to the teeth, cowering in their homes and Smith and Wesson's stock continuing to skyrocket. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I must be insane for even bothering to post this because nothing will change. And don't come with that shit about enforcing the laws we already have. The USA has more people in prison per capita than any other nation on earth including Russia. We don't need more prisons, we need mental hospitals.

Nobody can deny we have gun accidents and it's fairly certain those will increase as more Americans own guns. Also more illegal guns on the street through thefts. The other side of the coin is that guns are already available to criminals (most notably terrorists) and the average citizen is a sitting duck against them. Carrying concealed weapons is no longer just home a protection and self defense issue the way I see it. It has stepped up a notch to actual warfare. This is war and it's war on civilians. We should be ready. If you have a gun and there are a few seconds, you might save yourself and many other people but yeah, you and several others may be dead before somebody else with a gun shoots the terrorist. Carrying a gun will not solve the problem of terrorist attacks but it will lesson the damage. yeah, no doubt people would die from friendly fire. As long as I am accepting there will be more terrorist attacks, I can accept friendly fire casualties. The long and the short of it is, this is war and life is going to change.

Hell of a rant Danno!

Here's a good use of a mental hospital:

A law enforcement official says that more than three years ago, the person who lives in the house, whom the Associated Press reported was a friend of Farook's, bought two assault rifles later used in the shooting, but authorities haven't been able to talk to him because he checked himself into a mental hospital after the attack. The official was not allowed to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

But it's from Fox news so probably a conservative conspiracy plot

Government-subsidized mental facilities were shuttered en masse during the Reagan administration and those in need of treatment and medication were turned out on the street. Nothing was ever established to replace them. Since then, legal declarations of mental incompetence have been used to steal inheritances, incarcerate jailhouse lawyers and, as in Rudy's example, as a place to hide from the law. In the meantime, mass shootings and suicides have skyrocketed. Many mass shooters have exhibited behavior indicative of mental instability and breakdown prior to their rampages. Some act in the hopes of being killed for their actions, effectively attempting suicide by taking out a few random citizens in hopes that authorities will stop them with maximum prejudice. Whacked-out moral and religious convictions push many psychos to commit these atrocities. Then the politicians and the pundits flood the media with finger-pointing to blame the other side in hopes of gaining votes and power, but nothing changes. You'll never stop this insanity 100%, but doing nothing doesn't seem like a viable option.

All of you are soft in the hade.

We need aggressive enforcement of the laws already on the books.

...but not speeding laws.

Maybe you missed the part about more people in jail per capita than anywhere else on Earth.

Just saw a piece on cops using kids as confidential informants for getting out of charges for small amounts of marijuana. Two kids were murdered by the dealers they were informing on. No charges filed. The war on drugs has already been lost. Billions spent, thousands in jail and heroin in the schoolyards. If the authorities don't get on point, the war on terror will go the same way.

If we allow as many people In our country who support terrorism as there are people who support illegal drug trafficking and use, we'll lose.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/6/2015 @ 6:43 PM *

And don't come with that shit about enforcing the laws we already have. The USA has more people in prison per capita than any other nation on earth including Russia.

All of you are soft in the hade.
We need aggressive enforcement of the laws already on the books.

Maybe you missed the part about more people in jail per capita than anywhere else on Earth.

Nothing escapes my notice, Mr. Lovestastybait!

oh, just look for the union label...

Nothing escapes my notice,

Mine either, especially the silly little name-calling and small-print bullshit. You can ignore the facts if you want, it's a free country. But the pilgrims didn't come here for Freedom of Religion, they came for Freedom FROM Religion and that includes all irrational beliefs that make people do stupid things.

* Last updated by: Danno on 12/7/2015 @ 4:47 PM *

especially the silly little name-calling

Has anyone seen Danno's sense of humor?

He set it down somewhere and now he can't find it.

oh, just look for the union label

Dang don't get me started on them being the ruinization of America.................

* Last updated by: lytnin on 12/8/2015 @ 10:56 AM *

I am a third generation Union member. A Carpenter for 40 years. Worked with my tools for 30. Raised 3 children (still have 2 in college). Covered them and my wife with health insurance for the duration. It is my opinion that most people couldn't have carried my tools for 30 years. I've made a good living, paid my bills, taken care of my family and I have a good retirement ahead of me as long as I keep my health. All because of two things: I worked my ass off and had a Union card in my pocket that made sure I got a fair part of the wealth I created. I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't had, or isn't smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity I was given by those who fought for decent wages and conditions before me. And while it's true some Unions took unfair advantage, demanded pay without trading hard work in return and generally gave everyone a bad name, I have worked for everything I have. I have participated in the building of roads, schools, bridges, hospitals, offices, restaurants, retail space, homes and industrial plants. If all that is the "ruinization" of America, I can't see it. The "ruinization" of America is people demanding something for nothing, always needing more while contributing less and thinking they did something or built something all by themselves with no help and support. I once drove through a subdivision of huge homes and a companion said "How many of us do you think it takes to support one of them?" I don't begrudge anyone their success, but if it came at the expense of people they exploited, intimidated and generally abused, they should be ashamed of it rather than proud. I am proud of my little success and know for a fact that I could not have done it alone. If you idolize the idle rich and admire those who make money pushing paper and getting laws changed to make what should be illegal legal, go into your boss' office tomorrow morning and demand a pay cut. The rich have been getting richer and the middle class has been whittled away for over 40 years now-an exact parallel to the demise of Unions. People are losing their work ethic because it's harder and harder to make a living working. As I posted in another thread, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. You're right. We are going to hell in a handbasket. But it's our own stupid fault. I guess I just don't see anything humorous about it.

It's basically everyone looking out for their own best interest. Go get what yu can. It's true though, making a living doing something you can't make a living at is not very encouraging after a while. If the job has no value, employees won't value it. Been there done that and have the Tshirt.

I'm all for the carpenters, electricians, welders, plumbers and the union guys that do actual work in the classic old time style in our country. It's the government cubical union workers the don't do shit, make $100K/yr have free health care and retire at 55 with 100% pension and free healthcare for life. Buddy of mine just married his girl friend because he wants to retire and she is a teacher. Guess what ... the teacher and her husband get free health care for life when she retires at 55 with 100% of her salary as pension.

The only one not getting a great deal is me the taxpayer not in a government union.

To me, its the govt cubical union workers that are giving the union a bad name in this country.

* Last updated by: cruderudy on 12/10/2015 @ 9:37 PM *

All real work has value, whether it's done on a roof in 100F weather or in an air-conditioned cubicle. But in many areas, the money has been beat out of the work on the roof (Union or non) and many people sitting in cubicles (Union or non) make a good living without producing anything. Once the money is beat out of a certain type of work, people lose their desire to do it due to diminishing rewards. This is why so many people want to go to college these days-they see no future in work and only want to "make money"

We do career fairs constantly to try to attract young people into the construction industry. When you as a group of high-schoolers for a show of hands of who's going to college, almost all go up. The problem is, less than half will ever get any kind of degree. And less than half of those will ever get a job directly related to that degree. In the meantime, all the high schools have sparking new athletic facilities, turf fields and fancy scoreboards and their vocational programs are being gutted in the name of budget cuts. Young people are losing the ability to do things and make things that were once considered basic. When they enter the workforce, their value is reduced because they've been taught all they have to do is punch a computer keyboard and things magically appear. Someone still needs to do the actual work.

So with all these internal and external forces marginalizing real work, after a few generations, the work ethic is being bred out of people. Whatever jobs they end up in, they do the absolute minimum to get by, knowing extra effort is not as rewarding as it once was. Or in the case of the so-called "cubicle Union" workers, production is meaningless and sandbagging and protecting your position is everything. The reason the government allows this is they are structured like the military, with rank and years carrying more weight than value added or wealth created.

For 40 years, all my jobs have been based on merit and production, not "rank" or seniority. I could have been, and still can, be fired at any time for not doing my job, or not being as good at it as someone who would like to replace me. If you could figure out a way to make all jobs that competitive, there would be no sandbagging and laying up on the taxpayer dole. But forcing everyone to work for shit wages, no benefits and no retirement (who needs retirement when you have to work until you're dead?) won't make that happen.

I have participated in the building of roads, schools, bridges, hospitals, offices, restaurants, retail space, homes and industrial plants.

Did any of the bridge construction occur during a contract negotiation? If so, I'd appreciate a list of those bridges so that I won't accidentally drive over one and plummet to my doom.