OT: Is America returning ;-)

I, like Jim, was raised to say Merry Christmas and I will do so until I die. However, I do not insist that others respond with the same greeting because I respect their background and beliefs. I expect them to respect my heritage as much I do theirs.

When invited to friends' homes and the prayer begins, I bow my head as they do and remain silent. Their God is not necessarily my God but I am a guest and I will respect their beliefs and customs. There is no pain to me in doing this.

In the Dr.'s office a week ago, I wished a couple Merry Christmas and the man responded "Thanks". That's all. Ok, that's actually a polite response. He could have glared at me and kept silent or gone bonkers or somewhere between those alternatives. But, he was apparently a gentleman.

It's all okay. I don't care that your beliefs are different from mine.

To be intolerant of others beliefs and customs and resort to violence because no one is catering to you is unacceptable. If you don't like it, find a place that you do like.

I apologize for my rant.

Is America returning to what? Institutionalizing the mentally ill?

It's obvious he was from NY and the Flight attendants and pilot were not ;D

Merry Christmas Jim.

Cheers

Den fredag den 26. december 2014 16.15.39 UTC+1 skrev Jim Thompson:

doubt it really had anything to do with xmas, just some nut case's excuse to flip out. On an airplane that is a bad idea, the captain is king and he'll rather kick someone off that risk the hassle of an unscheduled landing when it gets worse

-Lasse

Probably a disgruntled atheist.. cast him out!

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

No, here is more liberal foolishness:

Pay up, fools.

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

And to you and yours!

We just had lunch where the waitress was ex-Brooklyn... very nice people person. ...Jim Thompson

I guess you did not need to read the article:

Federal prosecutors alleged PacifiCorp Energy failed to make all reasonable efforts to avoid birds dying by colliding with wind turbines _despite prior guidance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. _

They were fined for not doing what they said they would do.

Just like Christians.

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Miller is a moron. They were fined under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act whic h is quite strict: The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanction for th e unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any manner, re gardless of fault. The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporate taking under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from t he offense, and five years' probation.

The "by any means and in any manner" makes this quite inclusive. The Fish a nd Wildlife Service Guidelines are "voluntary," and adhering to them does n ot confer immunity from prosecution under the MBTA, all it does is /possibl y/ mitigate the fines.

They haven't gone far enough. If the slaughter continues, they may have to pull the plug on the whole operation there.

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ich is quite strict: The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanction for the unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any manner, regardless of fault. The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporate taki ng under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, and five years' probation.

and Wildlife Service Guidelines are "voluntary," and adhering to them does not confer immunity from prosecution under the MBTA, all it does is /possi bly/ mitigate the fines.

o pull the plug on the whole operation there.

Seems excessive. Evolution will eventually select birds who won't fly into wind-turbine blades.

Sick birds may be less careful. Aircraft still kill birds at airport, thoug h jet engines seem to ingest fewer of them than they used to.

ote:

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which is quite strict: The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanction fo r the unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any manner , regardless of fault. The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporate ta king under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting fr om the offense, and five years' probation.

sh and Wildlife Service Guidelines are "voluntary," and adhering to them do es not confer immunity from prosecution under the MBTA, all it does is /pos sibly/ mitigate the fines.

to pull the plug on the whole operation there.

o wind-turbine blades.

It will select for birds that don't go anywhere near wind farms then becaus e the birds have a completely different sense of vision from us which makes it impossible for them to comprehend the danger. Windows have been around even longer but birds have not developed the sense to understand reflection and therefore fly into them all the time. There are window stick-on decals available that are invisible to the human eye but which stand out like a f laming torch to birds when illuminated by daylight IR.

ugh jet engines seem to ingest fewer of them than they used to.

The damned fools built airports in a wetlands wildlife habitat every chance they got so it's no wonder.

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t which is quite strict: The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanction for the unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any mann er, regardless of fault. The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporate taking under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, and five years' probation.

Fish and Wildlife Service Guidelines are "voluntary," and adhering to them does not confer immunity from prosecution under the MBTA, all it does is /p ossibly/ mitigate the fines.

ve to pull the plug on the whole operation there.

nto wind-turbine blades.

use the birds have a completely different sense of vision from us which mak es it impossible for them to comprehend the danger. Windows have been aroun d even longer but birds have not developed the sense to understand reflecti on and therefore fly into them all the time. There are window stick-on deca ls available that are invisible to the human eye but which stand out like a flaming torch to birds when illuminated by daylight IR.

Some birds do seem prone to see their reflections as real rivals, and fly s traight at them as threat displays. The parrots and kookaburras around our eighth floor flat do seem to have more sense, but the small song-birds arou nd our house in Nijmegen did fly into the big windows around the terrace fa irly regularly and one would kill itself (and have to be shifted into the n earest compost bin) every few weeks.

hough jet engines seem to ingest fewer of them than they used to.

ce they got so it's no wonder.

Airports need to be large, and on flat ground. Draining a swamp is usually the cheapest way of getting that near a city. Using dredging to build an ar tificial island just offshore from a coastal city works much the same way, and intercept much the same number of seabirds.

ote:

rbines

Act which is quite strict: The MBTA provides a misdemeanor criminal sanctio n for the unpermitted taking of a listed species by any means and in any ma nner, regardless of fault. The maximum penalty for an unpermitted corporat e taking under the MBTA is $15,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resultin g from the offense, and five years' probation.

e Fish and Wildlife Service Guidelines are "voluntary," and adhering to the m does not confer immunity from prosecution under the MBTA, all it does is /possibly/ mitigate the fines.

have to pull the plug on the whole operation there.

into wind-turbine blades.

cause the birds have a completely different sense of vision from us which m akes it impossible for them to comprehend the danger. Windows have been aro und even longer but birds have not developed the sense to understand reflec tion and therefore fly into them all the time. There are window stick-on de cals available that are invisible to the human eye but which stand out like a flaming torch to birds when illuminated by daylight IR.

straight at them as threat displays. The parrots and kookaburras around ou r eighth floor flat do seem to have more sense, but the small song-birds ar ound our house in Nijmegen did fly into the big windows around the terrace fairly regularly and one would kill itself (and have to be shifted into the nearest compost bin) every few weeks.

These are cheap and don't interfere with the view:

Then there is this:

though jet engines seem to ingest fewer of them than they used to.

ance they got so it's no wonder.

y the cheapest way of getting that near a city. Using dredging to build an artificial island just offshore from a coastal city works much the same way , and intercept much the same number of seabirds.

They could get away with this insanity in the past but present day traffic density has made it a very serious problem for both the industry and the en vironment.