- From the “Get A Rope” Department – An Army Specialist in El Paso, Texas, has been arrested and charged with murder after allegedly beating his two year old daughter to death with a belt because the child soiled her diaper. Details are sketchy, but it is apparent that at least two other adults, including the child’s mother, were present during the attack. He’s being held by civilian law enforcement, but I disagree with that. He needs to be handed over to the military and court-martialed. Military justice grinds just as fine as the civilian version, but it grinds much more quickly, and a trial by his peers might just let justice be done. It’s been a long time since the gallows at Leavenworth have been erected, but every so often they need to be brought out and exercised.
- From the “Thorny Issue” Department – The water company in Detroit, Michigan, is taking fire after it began shutting off water service to over 15,000 customers this spring and summer for non-payment. It seems that the bankrupt city cannot afford to provide water to the almost 40% of its customers who do not pay on time. Contrary to popular belief, things like clean water and electricity cost money to make and transport to homes and businesses, and when a significant number of customers do not pay, the entire system can grind to a halt due to lack of adequate funds. On the other hand, it can be argued that access to clean water, either from a tap, a well, or from a body of water, is a basic human right. Life in a modern, urban or suburban setting can become pretty hellish when the taps run dry. This one is a hard one because I can see both sides of the argument. What do you all have to say about it?
- From the “Fuuuuuuuuu” Department – A 22-year-old security vulnerability in the popular Unix and Linux bash shell has exposed millions of computers, routers, cell phones, and embedded devices to exploitation. The dog whistle term here for me is “reverse shell”. Makes the “Internet of things”, in which a bunch of things like thermostats, refrigerators, and light bulbs are given a light Linux OS and a network connection, sound like not so good an idea. For the non-tech people out here, this is like discovering that the people who built the walls of your house forgot to make sure there weren’t any hidden doors on the outside that would allow just about anyone to walk right in. Patch early and patch often, guys.
- From the “Sigh” Department – During a Fox News segment on the first female fighter pilot from the United Arab Emirates, two male co-hosts of the “The Five” program made rather ignorant remarks about the pilot and her ability. One host quipped that after her mission to bomb Syria, the pilot was unable to park her jet fighter. The other host joked that she could be considered “boobs on the ground”. I’m proud of the female host of the program, who merely looked irritated and shook her head, rather than slapping the stupid out of the two dolts she works with.
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News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on September 25, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/09/25/news-roundup-228/
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7 Comments
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 
wyowanderer
/ September 26, 2014I have a tough time having compassion for people who won’t pay their bills. What’s next-people whining when the electric and or gas companies shut them off? No one is entitled to free utilities, but I suspect there’s a reason these folks feel entitled…
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daddybear71
/ September 26, 2014Like I said, I’m sort of conflicted. I don’t like when people don’t pay their bills, and the rest of us shouldn’t have to take up the slack, but at the same time shutting off utilities like water, gas, and electricity should definitely be the last, extreme step.
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Wing and a Whim
/ September 26, 2014Speaking as someone who knows landlords, you don’t have to worry about the electric bill. If the power company comes to shut off their apartment (and they do), then that means the cable and the internet don’t work. So tenants of a certain culture are scrupulous about paying the power, the cable, and the cell phone bill. Water, rent, trash, gas, credit card… not so much.
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Dan
/ September 26, 2014I think Detroit should give water free to those who cannot(or more likely just don’t want to) pay for it. All they have to do is come down to the water plant and get it. Don’t forget to bring your own containers!
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daddybear71
/ September 26, 2014Not a bad idea for a compromise. Pay to have it piped to your house, or get jugs and bring it back yourself.
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Wing and a Whim
/ September 26, 2014On the one hand, I have compassion for folks that are struggling to make bills meet.
On the other, I have none for people who decide they’re not going to pay the utilities so they can make the cable bill, and get pizza and beer.
On the gripping hand, if you don’t enforce the billing out of compassion for the first group, you ensure that everyone in the second group will fail to pay you.
Any privilege given for long enough becomes an assumed right.
Hand pumps within walking distance would about do it to make sure it cuts down on 1.) dying of dehydration, 2.) deciding to run a stolen car into the nearest fire hydrant so they can get “their” water.
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daddybear71
/ September 27, 2014That’s pretty much how I feel. And yes, make water available, but not by turning on a faucet.
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