Doug's Views

September 30, 2013April 18, 2020

Why Does Ohio State University Need A Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected Vehicle?

image showing OSU's new armored personnel carrier

I came a across a report that the Ohio State University Police has acquired a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle for their fleet. Why is the Department of Defense selling a heavy duty military vehicle like the MRAP to a college police department? I know cops like new toys but is the MRAP really needed on a college campus? The reasons OSU give just don’t hold up to examination.

MRAPs are armored personnel carriers used in hostile environments like Iraq and Afghanistan where they are needed to reduce causalities due to mines and ambushes. This is frankly overkill for any police department to have and continues the troubling militarism of the police.

September 23, 2013April 18, 2020

‘Last Man Standing’ Tells You To Break The Law And Read The Bible All In One Episode

Kristin (Amanda Fuller) arguing with her father Mike (Tim Allen) on the ABC show Last Man Standing

This past Friday was the season premiere of the sitcom ‘Last Man Standing’ starring Tim Allen on ABC. He plays Mike Baxter. His character reminds me of a tamer Archie Bunker where he believes and says some ignorant and/or bigoted things but by the end of the 30 minutes it shows his views were wrong and he changes his views or he comes to understand the “other side”. But in the episode ‘Back to School’, one character is told to break the law so her child can go to a ‘good’ school and another character agrees that only god can give one a purpose in life. Did I just watch a Kirk Cameron movie? I need a shower now.

If you aren’t familiar with the show here is a blurb:

September 21, 2013April 18, 2020

Republicans Prove Again They Are Hypocrites, Hate The Poor, And Are Terrible Christians

The GOP can now cross “punch a poor person” off their bucket list of asshatery when the US House passed a massive cut in food stamps on Thursday. Most used the false excuse of abuse of the system to justify taking food away from 4 million people. Some of them, claiming to be Christians, used Bible quotes as their justification. These are the same guys who never had to worry where their next meal was coming from. The GOP are so gung-ho about fraud when they can smear poor people but when their corporate buddies are robbing people blindly, the Republicans are NOWHERE to be found.

September 15, 2013April 18, 2020

There Is More To The ‘Unions Hate Obamacare’ Than You’ll See On FOX ‘News’

My conservative friends, on Facebook, love posting articles mentioning how much labor unions HATE Obamacare as if that is enough to demand it be repealed. Some Unions did send a letter asking for an exemption to the Affordable Care Act. Friday the White House announced it had denied the request. There is more to the story than you will see on Fox ‘News’ or read in the Wall Street Journal.

September 12, 2013April 18, 2020

Tea Party Member Of Ohio School Board Wants To Ban Books

image of Ohio Board of Education President Debe Terhar

Ohio Board of Education President Debe Terhar supports gun rights but wants to ban books

Pretty ironic when a Tea Party member, who screams about the right to bear arms, doesn’t see the irony in wanting to ban books in public schools. Ohio Board of Education President Debe Terhar, who is a member of several Tea Party groups and who once compared President Obama to Hitler, sees nothing wrong in violating the civil rights of students and their families by wanting to ban books used in schools.