The governor of Texas has ordered that only people in the same household should associate with each other through April 30 and that they should not go to places that are not essential.

By Chuck Strong (Raider) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 08:36 pm: Edit

Ted:

One would have question penalizing folks (or chilling their rights) for going alone in a car, to go work alone, in a privately owned but publicly closed business. If one is being responsible about their actions then government should also temper their response to not chill citizen rights. It is good that we put a check on government and let them know we are watching as the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 09:19 pm: Edit

The Supreme Court addressed that one in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), where they established unequivocally that states have considerable authority for (among other things) enforcing quarantines; they have not make such a determination with regard to the federal government (beyond external border control).

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 09:23 pm: Edit

Federal Government only has one force to police a Quarantine, the U.S. Military, which was determined Unconstitutional 200 years ago.....
I would question, whether or not they have the legal right, even under Martial Law....

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - 10:54 pm: Edit

ADB reopens... As noted elsewhere, Amarillo government says going to work ar a small business with no public traffic is acceptable. ADB is officially back to work tomorrow.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Wednesday, April 01, 2020 - 08:39 am: Edit

Is Suicide painless. Lets see that accident happens while in your car alone, the building catches on fire, for some reason, Remember Murphys Law. Dont create chances for something to go wrong, because it will.

By Douglas Lampert (Dlampert) on Wednesday, April 01, 2020 - 10:27 am: Edit

In theory, the extension of most of the bill of rights to cover state actions as well as federal under claimed authority of the 14th amendment might mean that Gibbons v. Ogden is no longer a valid precedent.

In 1824, the IV and V amendments did not apply to state governments, today they do.

That said, I'd be shocked if the courts overturned Gibbons v. Ogden beyond (possibly) imposing a more skeptical standard for upholding individual actions as required for public health.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 05:40 pm: Edit

Hailing Frequencies for April has just been released! Extras include Federation Commander ship cards for the Klingon WD5 War Dreadnought, the history of the Iridani Catamaran, and the ACTASF Frax Charon-class Heavy Cruiser.

http://www.starfleetgames.com/federation/Newsletter/April-2020/index.html

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 05:44 pm: Edit

The links to the Hailing Frequencies extras seem to be 404.

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 05:46 pm: Edit

The link works for me.

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 06:23 pm: Edit

Richard, the issue got released a bit prematurely, but the links should work now.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 06:43 pm: Edit

They do.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, April 10, 2020 - 06:48 pm: Edit

All is well, then. (Jean, tell Samantha she doesn't need to come in about this. Next Friday should be fine.)

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 11:21 am: Edit

Company picnic rescheduled for 6 August 2020.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 03:27 pm: Edit

Yumy can I Come?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 03:38 pm: Edit

Gregory S. Flusche:

Subject species labor is always welcome. Make sure your personal agonizer is fully charged so that appropriate motivation can be applied ... when appropriate. (Trust me, it is better to have your personal agonizer charged than to have Jean apply a #9 Griswold as a motivator.)

By Thomas Mathews (Turtle) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 05:31 pm: Edit

SPP, you are being a downer. We know you above all others love Jean's #9 Griswold to motivate you.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 05:46 pm: Edit

Thomas Mathews:

I know from personal experience that fear is a powerful motivator.

For example, until an 81MM round from the mortar tube you are gunning rises up out of the barrel, hovers for two or three seconds, then falls nose first to the ground within three feet of you, you never know just how fast you can run. (Said very much from personal experience.)

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 06:07 pm: Edit

Fear will keep the rebellious employees in line, fear of this battle station!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 08:47 pm: Edit

Huff huff puff puff gasp wheeze...

Are you okay, Stephen?

Yeah, Steven, let me catch my breath. Huff wheeze gasp.

Wow, Stephen, we're lucky to be alive! I was afraid that shell would explode!

Well, Steven, it didn't blow. Huff wheeze gasp

I will call EOD to get out here and disarm it. Give me your cell phone, Stephen.

Nah, Steven, we can disarm it ourselves. Huff gasp wheeze.

Stephen, I am NOT going back to that mortar pit!

Steven, you silly goose. Huff wheeze gasp. We don't have to go back to the pit. Gasp wheeze huff. I brought the shell with me. Huff puff gasp. Do you want to borrow my multi Tool? Huff wheeze puff gasp. Steven! Steven? Where did you go?

By Michael F Guntly (Ares) on Saturday, April 11, 2020 - 11:35 pm: Edit

ST:TNG
S3,E12:The High Ground

Doctor Beverly Crusher: You've scared the hell out of me, Finn! You've controlled me through fear, just like you've tried to control this whole continent!

Kyril Finn: You haven't tasted real fear yet, Doctor.

Doctor Beverly Crusher: Is that the best you can do? Is fear the only weapon you have?

Kyril Finn: No, but... it's a good one.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 12:13 am: Edit

To add an appropriate amendment to a famous saying from FDR, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself and spiders."

(You Omega fans might say that's not a Vari nice thing to say.)

(Okay, I'm headed back to The Booth...)

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 01:41 pm: Edit

I've seen a US Navy Seal do the "spastic dance" when he walked face first through a spider web.

We laughed and laughed...

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Sunday, April 12, 2020 - 05:11 pm: Edit

I saw ten people run out of the laundry tent yelling "Camel spider! Camel spider!" One of the cops, big guy about 6'4", asks where it's at. They tell him it's crawling up the wall. He goes in, we hear the smack and see the tent wall move. He comes out in a hurry, picks up his bag of dirty clothes, and says, "I'll do mine later." Score one for the spider.


Garth L. Getgen

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, April 13, 2020 - 11:49 am: Edit

They used to have "cage death matches" between Camel Spiders and those nasty caterpillars when I was in Afghanistan in 2006. Camel Spiders usually LOST.