Chris Christie Video

For personal reasons I am not a Chris Christie fan.  As a bit of background he did something for his own purposes that hurt our small company badly. He probably had no idea that it hurt us, but I still hold a grudge.

I digress.

Here is a video, filmed by those left wingnuts huffpost, of Christie speaking in New Hampshire this week.  As much as I dislike the man, to me the message is striking.  (Because it is huffpost it can't be embedded, I think.)  It's five minutes and it's roughly on the subject of drug addiction.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-christie-drug-addiction-treatment_56327ee9e4b0c66bae5bc0f3

Full disclosure... I would actually describe myself as pretty conservative on some issues (I like shooting guns) but I think Chris Christie is a Super Douche.

Don't get me wrong. I totally agree with the message, but the law school story sounded a bit fabricated. It sounds like a strategists attempt to reinvent Christie with a more compassionate image. I could see the same speech in a scene from House of Cards. After making the speech, Kevin Spacey would turn to the camera, pop a Percocet, light up a smoke and say something about power and addiction...

If I really wanted to poke holes in the law school story... I would question his law school buddy's commitment to running. If I worked for the Christie team, and I were in charge of crafting that story, the junky law school buddy would have been putting in between 30 and 40 miles a week. Heck, I would've made him an ultra runner. It would make his fall from grace that much further. An avid runner puts in more than 12 miles in a week.

I'm going easy here...If it were the O-man telling that story, I bet the Coach Z-man would question the very existence of the law school buddy.

Reminds me of Half Baked where Bob Saget is sitting in at the NA meeting and gets really pissed about the guy who was addicted to marijuana.... "JUST TELL ME, DID YOU EVER SUCK DICK FOR WEED" and walks out.

Chris Christie might have a point about pro-life being hypocrisy but he's such a faker. He has no moral high ground to stand on... look at airport-gate and bridge-gate and the people he surrounds himself with.

Finally, NEPA, I really don't consider gun rights to be a partisan issue. There is a place for law abiding and sane people to have guns, but in the interests of all citizens of every stripe and persuasion, something has to be done to keep the whole community safe. That's my opinion, and I hope that the majority feels the same way as me.

I'm gonna go take a shower, I feel smeared by Christie's act.

I also feel like there is some real hypocrisy here in that now white people are getting addicted to opiates the reaction is "we have to save them", but when it was black people and crack (or even marijuana) the answer was to "throw those animals in jail".

It's really f'ed up, and people who were demanding incarceration for them then, should ask themselves why the rules should change now and do some soul-searching.

ml242 wrote

Finally, NEPA, I really don't consider gun rights to be a partisan issue. There is a place for law abiding and sane people to have guns, but in the interests of all citizens of every stripe and persuasion, something has to be done to keep the whole community safe. That's my opinion, and I hope that the majority feels the same way as me.

You may not consider gun rights to be a partisan issue, but obviously it is.  I agree with you on the basis that the safety of everyone should be the highest priority.  My position is that gun violence is a product of our changing culture, and just like drug laws won't prevent drug use... gun laws won't prevent gun violence.  Politicians that talk about keeping communities safe through stricter gun laws are creating a false sense of security.

We as Americans, have created a culture that finds violence entertaining.  If we did a study, and found that violence in entertainment was inspiring mass killings, would you support laws promoting censorship?

ml242 wrote

 

Finally, NEPA, I really don't consider gun rights to be a partisan issue. There is a place for law abiding and sane people to have guns, but in the interests of all citizens of every stripe and persuasion, something has to be done to keep the whole community safe. That's my opinion, and I hope that the majority feels the same way as me.
 

What you are talking about is criminals being criminals. You can make all the laws you want but no man made law will stop a criminal. We have a people problem in this country not a gun problem. You start taking away peoples rights to own guns and THAT is a problem. You start taking away flags in this country and THAT is a problem. People are a huge disappointment.

nepa wrote

My position is that gun violence is a product of our changing culture.......   We as Americans, have created a culture that finds violence entertaining.  If we did a study, and found that violence in entertainment was inspiring mass killings, would you support laws promoting censorship?

America was built on violence.  Our culture isn't changing.  It always was violent.  We're probably less violent today than we were 100 years ago.  Maybe, hopefully, we'll be more enlightened in 1000 years and people will look back on all the senseless mass shootings with great astonishment - "My god those people were savages!"   

campgottagopee wrote

What you are talking about is criminals being criminals. You can make all the laws you want but no man made law will stop a criminal. We have a people problem in this country not a gun problem. You start taking away peoples rights to own guns and THAT is a problem. You start taking away flags in this country and THAT is a problem. People are a huge disappointment.

Camp, I respectfully disagree. There are a multitude of guns that are acquired legally that go on to injure, murder, and commit crimes. Guns are powerful tools intended to kill. There are surely some people that can earn the right to possess them, but it is simply to easy for anyone to get their hands on them now. Why should it be easier to have a gun than a vehicle? There are also mechanisms in place to take away people's rights to drive if they consume alcohol, etc. If you are having severe mental problems, or get caught beating a spouse, why should you keep your guns? To me that makes you a risk.

None of these mass shooting asshats were criminals before they got committed mass murders. Not in columbine (walmart purchases), not the last ones.

Then you have states like Colorado and now Maine who are so drunk on gun love, you are sure to see more stories like this:

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29064963/open-carry-becomes-focus-after-colorado-springs-shooting

I don't know if he acquired his gun legally or legally but I can't see how the answer is 'more guns', more 'open carry'. Once you have made the choice to intimidate people by openly carrying a weapon I think a part of your brain has already said yes to the fact that you would take another human's life. Weird shit.

Obviously it is hard to regulate criminals who are hell-bent on committing crimes. But you don't have to make it easy on them either. States with tougher gun laws do a better job keeping them out of the hands of criminals as well because there's simply less trickle down.

Again, this is non-partisan to me... it is about saving people's lives, not getting votes.

As for the flags, sure that's a people problem. Why do we have so many people in this country that want to fly the flag of a group of people that wanted to secede to preserve the right to own other human beings? How could you love "freedom" and have that coexist with slavery.

It's weird shit. But sure, fly a racist flag if you want to, but I don't see why they should fly on a statehouse anywhere unless the people in power there wanted to remind certain groups of their standing under the flag.

People are indeed disappointing.

ml242 wrote

 

Camp, I respectfully disagree.  

No worries, it's cool

ScottyJack wrote

nepa wrote

My position is that gun violence is a product of our changing culture.......   We as Americans, have created a culture that finds violence entertaining.  If we did a study, and found that violence in entertainment was inspiring mass killings, would you support laws promoting censorship?

America was built on violence.  Our culture isn't changing.  It always was violent.  We're probably less violent today than we were 100 years ago.  Maybe, hopefully, we'll be more enlightened in 1000 years and people will look back on all the senseless mass shootings with great astonishment - "My god those people were savages!"  

Right... but now we have Call of Duty, and viral videos of kids kicking the shit out of each other.  Glorified violence has become mainstream.

1000 years...We'll all be gone long before that.  There will be nothing look back on.  I'm giving the earth the upper hand.  The Earth is pissed.  I think we have less than 100 years left as a species.  We have abused the Earth so much, that it is poised to destroy us as a species.  IMO: We're doomed!

I didn't mean to get all ranty, it seems like whenever you say anything about guns usually people get crazy about their rights and I guess I have the opposite reaction and got a little over the top. But there has to be some middle ground, make it still legal but not quite as convenient possibly and keep them out of the hands of people that don't deserve them.

And yeah, in 1000 years WE will all be gone for sure, haha. I think the species is good for a few more, i'm an optimist.

ml242 wrote

but I can't see how the answer is 'more guns', more 'open carry'.
People are indeed disappointing.

open carry is absolutely regression of the species and will expedite our demise.  

nepa wrote

Right... but now we have Call of Duty, and viral videos of kids kicking the shit out of each other.  Glorified violence has become mainstream.

1000 years...We'll all be gone long before that.  There will be nothing look back on.  I'm giving the earth the upper hand.  The Earth is pissed.  I think we have less than 100 years left as a species.  We have abused the Earth so much, that it is poised to destroy us as a species.  IMO: We're doomed!

completely concur.  

ml242 wrote

I didn't mean to get all ranty, it seems like whenever you say anything about guns usually people get crazy about their rights and I guess I have the opposite reaction and got a little over the top. But there has to be some middle ground, make it still legal but not quite as convenient possibly and keep them out of the hands of people that don't deserve them.

And yeah, in 1000 years WE will all be gone for sure, haha. I think the species is good for a few more, i'm an optimist.

No worries ML... just good conversation.  I understand your position.  For me, I respectfully disagree with any type of prohibition in our society.  We are Free!!  Hell, I have all of the guns I need.  At this point, like many gun rights cry-babies... I would only make a fuss if they tried to take them away from me.  

ml242 wrote

I didn't mean to get all ranty, it seems like whenever you say anything about guns usually people get crazy about their rights and I guess I have the opposite reaction and got a little over the top. But there has to be some middle ground, make it still legal but not quite as convenient possibly and keep them out of the hands of people that don't deserve them.

And yeah, in 1000 years WE will all be gone for sure, haha. I think the species is good for a few more, i'm an optimist.

I get a little touchy about it as well, but for different reasons than you might think. I'm an avid hunter, period. Everything about the hunter lifestyle is me! I love being out in the woods,I don't care if it's raining, snowing, cold, hot, windy, whatever, if it's hunting season I'm taking my gun for a walk. To me it's the biggest rush I can get. Bigger, better than skiing POW, that's just me. The thought of a monster buck being just over the next knoll, right on the other side of that brush pile  is what keeps me going. I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world.

That said, I think it's too easy to get a gun as well. I'd be all for a longer wait and a better background check for people to get their firearms. All for it! Hell, I can walk into my gun shop right now and walk out with a new shotgun in 20 minutes. Shouldn't be that way. My fear is when this shit becomes political it starts hurting the law abiding citizen, the tax payer, the land owner, and not the criminal. My fear is by putting more gun laws into place it will start to trickle down to the point where some fucked up politician will start to ban hunting or some crazy shit like that.  My comment regarding flags was point and case. It starts by taking one thing away.  Whether you or I agree with that one thing doesn't matter, that's where it starts and when it's gone it will take an act of God to get it back. I support the NRA all I can. I don't agree with everything they stand for but they are the only ones fighting for my right to hunt. They are my support group.

ScottyJack wrote

nepa wrote

Right... but now we have Call of Duty, and viral videos of kids kicking the shit out of each other.  Glorified violence has become mainstream.

1000 years...We'll all be gone long before that.  There will be nothing look back on.  I'm giving the earth the upper hand.  The Earth is pissed.  I think we have less than 100 years left as a species.  We have abused the Earth so much, that it is poised to destroy us as a species.  IMO: We're doomed!

completely concur.

That's no shit right there. Start making all those stupid goddamn video games illegal. 100% guarantee kids test scores start going up. Get outside and play. When is the last time you saw a kid gettin godforsaken muddy.

I actually found that video because I was trying to see if liberal VT had more or less heroin addiction than conservative NH.

With regard to Christie, like I said I really don't like him. And I have no problem with the idea that he made it all up. I was just surprised to find him saying those things to primary voters in NH.  He was challenging some core beliefs. Don't see that much, in the primaries, on either side.

With regard to the rest: Camp for President. Of the NRA. It's our only hope.

ml242 wrote

I also feel like there is some real hypocrisy here in that now white people are getting addicted to opiates the reaction is "we have to save them", but when it was black people and crack (or even marijuana) the answer was to "throw those animals in jail".

I hadn't thought of this. If true it sucks. Maybe a good thing will happen for a bad reason.

I read that the CDC estimates that as much as 75% of new heroin addiction is related to the legal use of prescription drugs.  It appear that NH, where that video was shot is especially unprepared for the dramatic rise is cases. Four times as many H overdose deaths in 2014 vs 2013.

ml242 wrote

I also feel like there is some real hypocrisy here in that now white people are getting addicted to opiates the reaction is "we have to save them", but when it was black people and crack (or even marijuana) the answer was to "throw those animals in jail".

Neither black nor addicted to any drugs, but I thought I'd comment on this anyway.  Also, having watched my alcoholic parents suffer through their addiction I do believe in attempts at recovery (worked for my mother, not my father).

That said, I think there could be reasonable room to view the crack versus opiates addictions differently.  I'll leave the black/white thing out of it as it adds a potentially distracting race element.  Really, is there anyone out that that ever thought the white crack heads should stay free while the black ones were locked up?  

I think there is an element of initial intent that could be part of the differentiation for some.  It's probably likely that many people addicted to opiates started down the path via innocent means.  An injury or some other chronic pain that brought someone to a doctor who prescribed pain killers.  At some point for many of those that became addicted physiology and psychology took over, the science of addiction working its evil after someone innocently sought relief from their physician.  Sure, their subsequent addiction might have led them to commit potentially criminal acts, but criminality was not their intention.  Isn't that a little different from someone who gets addicted to crack and blow simply because they were looking for a way to get their rocks off?  

It comes down to choice.  Many opiate addicts don't choose to use an illegal substance.  They may not realize the potentially addictive nature of something legal their doc prescribed.  Nonetheless, they get hooked, not of their own choice.  On the other hand, many/most/some(?) crack addicts likely got their through a progression of substances they knew were illegal yet still chose to use.  I may be off base on that, I'll admit, as I don't personally know any crack addicts.

Harvey wrote

With regard to Christie, like I said I really don't like him. And I have no problem with the idea that he made it all up.

This I think is the core problem with American politics today... we accept the fact that a politician can say anything (in other words lie) to get elected. If the story is fabricated, then it is a lie. If he's lying now, then he will most certainly lie if elected president. Obviously, this is nothing new... I bet we could find a web of lies in every past presidential campaign.

We need authenticity... We need leadership... We don't need bullshit stories.

This is authenticity... this is leadership. No bullshit

#bern1down2k16