BillsFan4

I don't believe in the bogeyman. lol I know. But that doesn't mean they automatically are given the same treatment. It has gotten much better than where we were just over 50 years ago when segregation was still legal, but we still have a long way to go. Huh? Are you mad that the protest has evolved from being mainly about police shootings? Be mad at Trump. Kneeling had more/less died out around the NFL until he opened his big mouth and purposely said some very inflammatory comments. He has to know this is exactly what would happen. Too bad he wasn't willing to willfully condemn the white supremacists and nazi sympathizers in Charlottesville in the same way. It took him days of being shamed into it to condemn them and then he pretty much immediately walked back his remarks condemning them.

Yes. I read the entire article. I get what you are saying, and I somewhat agree. They weren't illegally keeping kids out, but that judge also ruled that they weren't doing enough to desegregate either. But judge still did have to force them to combine school districts to finally desegregate. He said no more excuses. Before that the school was 99.7% black (or whatever the exact # was). I know what you're saying though and I do somewhat agree. I get that it wasn't against the law for those kids to go to each other's schools. Maybe it wasn't the best example... It's not an example of people fleeing poor neighborhoods though, because those people never lived in that neighborhood to begin with. I don't know why you assume the black neighborhood must be poor. Like the article said, white people live in on one side of the tracks and black people on the other. They've never lived together. The white people didn't want their kids going to school in the black schools because they didn't feel those schools provided the same level of education to their kids. To me, this is one of the points of the article - "The delay in segregation has deprived generations of students of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of an integrated education," Judge Debra Brown wrote. "Although no court order can right these wrongs, it is the duty of the District to ensure that not one more student suffers under this burden." And also that this has been going on for 50 years. The court has been trying to get them to desegregate. In just the 1980's, according to the courts, they built school districts designed to keep the schools segregated and they assigned faculty based on race - "But Cleveland agreed to allow black students into white schools, and vice versa. However, the federal government later alleged that the district established "dual residency" policies to cheat and send students to schools based on their race instead of their neighborhood. The district also built new schools in locations designed to keep black students in all-black schools, the U.S. said in a motion in the '80s, and assigned faculty based on race." Also, there was also more to my post than the thing you focused on. My overall point is that racial discrimination is a fight that has been going on for a long time and still continues to this day. That it only ended barely over 50 years ago and even then the laws to enforce it had no teeth. It wasn't until the years that followed that those laws were given the power to be truly enforced. That fight still continues to this day. We aren't that far separated from those days and many were brought up,in environments where it was normal to discriminate.

Because they hate inequality, they hate everything great in this country? Sorry, but inequality is not what makes this country great. What has made this country great and continues to do so to this day are the people who have fought and changed the problems in this country. From our founding fathers that fought for the freedom that we all enjoy & and the soldiers who fought to protect those freedoms, to the women and minorities that fought for equal rights in the 60's to those that continue to fight for it today. This country is not just love it or leave it. We wouldn't be the USA if that were the case.

Considering that in 2016 there were still school(s) in Mississippi that were segregated until a judge ordered them (once again) to desegregate, I'd say we aren't quite there yet... not IMO anyway. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/17/478389720/after-50-year-legal-struggle-mississippi-school-district-ordered-to-desegregate This is only one small example of stuff like this that still exists. Honestly, I'm not sure that racism will ever fully go away though (until the human race is one big mash up of all the races) But right now we are only barely over 50 years from segregation and legal discrimination. It was only in 1964 that the Civil Rights Act was passed to finally outlawed discrimination by race, religion, sex etc and it was pretty weak when it first passed. It wasn't given the true power to enforce these new laws until the years that followed. There were many court cases (supreme and otherwise) in the decades that followed to fight the discrimination that continued to happen. We still to this day see court cases concerning discrimination. There are still many people who were brought up in environments where it was normal to be prejudice toward minorities. It's going to take more time, but we are generally moving in the right direction.

And implied all the people who don't work or pay taxes are black and live in the ghetto...

Yes this time feels different. I'm not 100% sold on the OL coach or OC. But the O line and offense can tend to take longer to come together than the defense does (especially a less complicated scheme like McD's). I'm willing to give them some time though. Dennison and Kubiak's offense was good enough to win a Super Bowl with Brock Osweiller and the ghost of Peyton Manning after all so he deserves a little time at least. Overall, I just see a disciplined and well coached team. They seem to be executing the scheme very well on defense. Guys seem to have good fundamentals, technique and execution. Players are in proper position to make plays. Those are all very important things IMO. I love how they all swarm the ball on defense, too! That's more good coaching right there. He has these guys really buying in to what they're doing and actually playing like a true team. Everyone doing their jobs. "Be one eleventh" as McD says... They also seem to have done a good job, at least initially, of bringing in players who fit their scheme. Most of the guys brought in by this new regime have all made an impact. That gives me hope they know what they're doing... McDermott focused on bringing in coaches who were good teachers (of fundamentals/scheme/technique etc). That's something that Belichick has always excelled at. He's one of the best teachers of the game that there is. He doesn't (usually) have a team full of stars. He finds guys that fit his scheme/culture and he teaches them to out-execute the other team. Everyone does their job, usually very well and IMO it's one of the reasons they win so much (Brady is obviously another). I've been a fan of McDermott (and his defense) for years and have been on the hype train since day 1 though, so maybe I'm just a homer... lol. I've been impressed with our halftime adjustments in all 3 games so far. That's something mostl all of the good coaches do well and it makes me think that we may finally have one of those good coaches ourselves. Fingers crossed!

Wait, didn't Obama take all those away? Did that not happen yet?

Here's what an NFL spokesperson had to say last year - http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/nfl-national-anthem-trump-kaepernick-history-trnd/index.html In fact, in 2016 the NFL made clear that players were not required to stand for the anthem "Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem," the NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said last year after 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's protests gained attention. And here's what he said yesterday - http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/09/25/what-nfl-rule-book-actually-says-national-anthem/699886001/ "It’s policy, it’s not a rule. I think where people are getting confused is, rules, that’s like holding or defensive pass interference, that’s a rule. This is policy," McCarthy said. McCarthy confirmed that the league will not assess penalties to players who either did not take the field for the anthem or who protested.' A policy is like a guideline. That's why it says things like "should". Rules use words like "must".

Sucks for all sports fans in general. It's invaded every sport, from football to baseball to basketball. Even my beloved Hockey is weighing in on it. They/he took my safe space damn it! lol

I disagree with the way Jim Kelly went about making it, but I do think he has a point. I still fully defend his right to do so, but Lesean McCoy took it a little far for me and I am one who has been passionately defending the players taking a knee for days. I don't see kneeling with your head bowed with arms around your fellow teammate as disrespectful. But McCoy almost seems to be purposely trying to be disrespectful by rolling around and stretching the whole time, and it also bothers me that he was the only player on the team (that I'm aware of) that wasn't standing arm in arm or kneeling in unity with the rest of his teammates. He seems to have been the only one off doing his own individual thing when the rest of his teammates were trying to show unity. We all know McCoy likes being an individual but it would have been a good day to show your unity with the rest of the team. Anyway... Just my opinion anyway and I fully understand anyone who disagrees with it.

I was saying the same thing to a family member earlier. NFL players taking a knee was starting to die out around the NFL. Then Trump had to make his purposefully inflammatory comments and reignite the whole thing 10 fold. What was Trump honestly trying to accomplish? He had to know that it would cause exactly what happened. Was that his goal?

I actually agree with Jerry Hughes after listening to his interview. I don't see any reason why he should have just inserted himself on the field and yell at the players when he wasn't even there for their meeting to know what was going on. That doesn't mean I don't fully support Kelly's right to free speech, because I do. But the players also had every right to peacefully protest Trump's nasty comments calling them SOB's and I support them 100%. This is a man (Trump) that refused to willingly condemn a bunch of racist white supremacists and nazi sympathizers in what turned into a violent protest that killed and injured people in Charlottesville. It took him days of being shamed into it to finally condemn them, and even then he walked back his remarks after he did. Yet he had zero issue condemning a bunch of guys peacefully taking a knee.

Actually I think there might be some truth to that statement. Here is the law as written - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/227

What exactly does Baltimore having a black mayor have to do with the Baltimore police department asking the DOJ to do an investigation? And again, their investigation (which you obviously haven't even read) is based on much more than just profiling. Also, profiling doesn't just happen when there's been a crime. Stop and frisk has nothing to do with them looking for a crime suspect.

That's not true. Corporate subsidies are bipartisan. Both sides seem to like to blame the other but there's a long history of both parties supporting it. Trump himself used it to keep companies like Carrier here. He is actually a big (and vocal) supporter of corporate subsidies and tax loopholes, and has been for decades. The massive bank bailout happened under George W Bush, as well as the TARP program (which he signed into law). Republicans in congress have voted plenty of times to give out or continue corporate subsidies. Both parties have. Like in 2013 where the republican controlled house voted to slash $40B from food stamps while also voting to preserve massive corporate subsidies. At least the democrats try to help the poor as well. The Republican Party bases much of their current platform on giving massive tax breaks to the rich. Just look at their voting record in congress and the senate.

Huh? How did you get that from everything I typed? What I was saying is that I don't approve of corporate welfare and that it is costs the average taxpayer much more than poor people on welfare and food stamps. Way to just totally skip over and not address any the information I presented you though. Edit - actually, I didn't even realize that you were referring to "the ghetto" with your comment below. So you are saying that all the people who don't pay taxes live in the ghetto and are black? Sure sound like it... yikes!

But one of the problems with your theory is that this investigation wasn't asked for or initiated by Obama. The Baltimore police department asked the DOJ to investigate. And in Chicago, it was initiated by thr DOJ after that fatal shooting and it was a collaboration by 3 different departments of the DOJ. They also spent over a year doing all sorts of research and interviews with police and many others. It wasn't just looking at data. There was a whole,lot that went into these reports besides just looking at numbers.

Totally agree with everything you said. I think I've said in every game day thread so far how I love the way the defense just swarms the ball! lol It's very noticeable IMO, and nice to see. I also love McDermott's "Be One eleventh" of the defense concept as well. He has those guys playing as a true Team, and one that looks to be well coached. McD focused on bringing in coaches who were good teachers and IMO it's showing... in everything from fundamentals to scheme & execution to discipline (etc).

What gives me the most hope is that all 4 guys were brought in by the new regime and they look to be a strength of the team right now. All fit very well into the new system and all have had a big impact. Really makes me think these new guys might know what they're doing. Many of the players they've brought in are having an impact.

So, you have no proof and yet you just assume they messed with the data and you presented your interpretations things to me like it's a fact. Sound alike what you accuse CNN of doing. Again, show me any proof of this or it's just "fake news". It's silly to just assume the data is wrong because you say so.

Look up corporate welfare before you go getting mad about people not paying taxes. Bet you also don't care Trump hasn't paid taxes in years. He said it himself, that he used a $918M loss in 1995 to avoid paying federal taxes for years (up to 18yrs he can use it, but he wouldn't say how long it's been and he won't release his tax returns, so...) The rich get far far more tax breaks than the middle class and poor. There are some massive corporations that don't pay any taxes! Here's a list of corporations in the US that did and didn't didn't pay federal taxes. 18 of the largest corporations in the US didn't pay any federal taxes from 2008-2015. Rhere were 100 that didn't pay any federal taxes in a single year between that time period. You are talking Billions of dollars of federal tax revenue lost from just 1 corporation alone, let alone what's lost from all of them combined over this 8 year period. https://itep.org/the-35-percent-corporate-tax-myth/#.WMGvmBIrLUZ Oh, and welfare + food stamps only cost the average tax payer around $40 dollars per year. Where as the most conservative estimate I could find on what corporate subsidies cost the average tax payer shows a cost of $2436 per average taxpayer, per year. http://thefederalist.com/2013/09/30/calculating-the-real-cost-of-corporate-welfare/

It wasn't just about profiling though. There was more to it than just that. I only quoted one small paragraph from 2 separate 160+ page reports. You get mad at CNN for twisting facts yet you do it to fit things into your agenda. Why was it clearly an agenda by the DOJ? and how did a president distort data by stops and arrests made by the police department themselves? Where do you think the DOJ data came from? Were the police in on it too? What about the judges? The president told them all to pull over, search, arrest and sentence people to fit his agenda? Show me even a scrap of proof from a valid source that shows what you claim. Otherwise your just completely making things up. These are valid reports. Not fake news.

Same here. Depending on the 3rd and short situation there are actually times I'd prefer Tolbert in (like when you can't afford to lose yardage (not getting knocked out of field goal range or needing to pound it in there for 2 yds), as Shady at times has that tendency to run backwards and that can be dangerous when you're on the edge of a kicker's FG range. But when running the ball on 3rd and long, I'd rather have shady. He has a (much) better chance at getting the yardage.

I posted this in another thread here, but here's a couple links to investigations done by thr US Department of Justice on the Baltimore and Chicago police depts. - https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/925846/download https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/883296/download "We find reasonable cause to believe that BPD engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against African Americans. Statistical evidence shows that the Department intrudes disproportionately upon the lives of African Americans at every stage of its enforcement activities. BPD officers disproportionately stop African Americans; search them more frequently during these stops; and arrest them at rates that significantly exceed relevant benchmarks for criminal activity. African Americans are likewise subjected more often to false arrests. Indeed, for each misdemeanor street offense that we examined, local prosecutors and booking officials dismissed a higher proportion of African-American arrests upon initial review compared to arrests of people from other racial backgrounds. BPD officers also disproportionately use force—including constitutionally excessive force—against African-American subjects. Nearly 90 percent of the excessive force incidents identified by the Justice Department review involve force used against African Americans."

Gilmore and Darby who? lol