All_Pro_Bills

I recall an Eddie Murphy skit from SNL on "white privilege". This is from 1984 and I found a clip of it here on youtube. While its comedy it provides a glimpse into the mindset of the black community and their perception of how they are disadvantaged by what they believe is some covert social order working behind the scenes. If you're white I'm sure you'll find all the scenarios very familiar! Especially the bank scene...

This is a big part of it. The belief that individuals belong to "groups" and if the individual holds views that differ from that groups "characteristics" and "beliefs" then there is something fundamentally wrong with that person. This "group" view contradicts every principal of individual freedom. Freedom to think as we choose, freedom to say what we choose, freedom to do what we want to do. The entire concept of "America" is based on the principals of individual freedom. Group-think despises concepts like facts, critical thinking, and individual experiences and the concept of individualism. Despise it so much so at this point in time that people pushing grouping and categorizing everyone cannot every comprehend the concept of the individual. Things like: You can support parts of the administrations agenda and not like Trump. You can support police reforms but not support the entire BLM agenda. You can be socially liberal but fiscally conservative. You can believe we need to evaluate historical monuments but deplore the unilateral destruction of them by the mob. You can listen and behave in a civil manner towards people you don't agree with and still hold a different opinion.

The argument I keep hearing is America is systemically racist. Your response does provides nothing to dispute that the huge majority of whites are not racist and Americans society is not systemically racist.

Its really necessary for people to define was they mean by certain terms. Like "systemic racism". What does that mean? Are they saying the official public policy of America is to discriminate against African-Americans? But there are no laws on the books at the federal, state, or local levels legalizing this behavior. Contrary, there are laws like affirmative action and elements of civil rights legislation that grant privileges to minorities. The idea is to make up for mistreatment in the past. So the legal system is not "systemically racist". Or am I missing something? So then it must imply something about the behavior of private citizens. So what they must mean is white people are "systemically racist" in their interactions and associations with black people. This belief itself seems racist. Suggesting all white people collectively act in the same manner as a group. No doubt there are white people that are biased and hold stereotypes about blacks but to suggest they all act in some organized and coordinated fashion through some overt or covert mechanism is absurd. After all, just recently a majority of whites voted for President Obama and helped elect him President twice. If whites were systemically racist and colluding with each other to discriminate against blacks why would a majority of them vote for a black man instead of the white guy? In the seclusion of the voting booth who would know? So logically the majority of whites are not racist. White people frequent black businesses and attend sporting events where the majority of the players are black. Would racists spend they hard earned money to attend such an event if they were racist? What it comes down to is "systemic racism" is myth used to sell a narrative. And while there are a small percentage of white people that are racist it is no different than the biases held by other races. The other angle if I may be blunt is to continue to blame somebody else for all the problems. In this case liberal politicians that enacted programs to "help" blacks but ended up hurting them in many ways along with these communities blaming white people for their troubles. From a historical perspective after slavery, social conditions settled into a "separate but equal" society where legalized segregation was the order. As wrong as this set up was blacks developed their own support and social systems that were quite efficient and effective. The programs that started in the 1960's destroyed these support systems. And left those that could not or would not assimilate into the "common culture" in poverty and dependent on social support and other "help". And here we are now. When I pose the question to liberals why other minorities that come to America seem to thrive and excel while black communities don't they say because the echos of slavery are embedded in the minds and behaviors of white people. I suggest while their argument might have merit the main reason is because many blacks refuse to adopt or conform to the cultural norms of the dominant culture which is necessary for success. The alt-left and their politicians would rather stick their finger in a 240V socket and chop of their left hand than engage in any heart-to-heart conversations about this.

if you're meeting in a restaurant: "I have a coupon" "Order something below $10"

Most of what the far left and right believe and push are just one kind of hustle or another. Their arguments are drenched with emotions and anecdotal stories and myths. Push them for details through logic and critical questioning and they come up empty. The sad part is the 98% of us in the middle that got no problem or gripes with anybody and are just trying to beat out a living and take care of things get played back and forth. I was amused by your characterization of "back woods". Maybe that's why I never really liked camping much!

Like family. Reminds me of a joke. What's the difference between in-laws and outlaws? Answer: Outlaws are wanted..

BLM in principal has some legitimate grievances but you called it out when identifying many of the groups key leaders as Marxist or if you prefer communists. They are also racists. Its no secret and its all out there for anyone with the curiosity to find out. Their goal is to erase history, erase culture, and replace it with their view of the world and society. They don't seek equality or justice. They seek revenge. They are not interested in negotiating and they are not interested in your views or expressions of support. While we definitely need a social and cultural coming together the leadership of this organization are not the people that are willing to make that happen. And all the politicians that have jumped on board are not interested in solving any problems they are interested in campaigning on them. Its a real mess and there is no real leadership from any point on the political spectrum for finding resolutions and solutions. Very troubling.

I saw the post and thought today was April 1st. Funny..

To me its more of a read and recognition issue than accuracy. If you're not mentally processing the options available to distribute the ball to the receivers and select an option with the best potential for a positive play then you're going to select a receiver that might not be open or the best choice which makes the throw a lot harder. Short version, make the smart throw.

I'm more interested to know who tests positive for antibodies since a large percentage of the population has been infected and isn't even aware of it because they never felt sick.

The NBA roster size is small compared to an NFL training camp roster of some 90 players. So any plan is more manageable. The NFL plan should include developing a detailed understanding of current treatment and testing options and what treatment and testing options are expected to be available by September. This and developing a customized and personal risk assessment for each player, coach, training staff, and other team personnel. So they can understand each person's specific risks of getting infected and the potential for serious illness since not everyone is going to feel sick and very few will have a high chance of dying.

The problems with the Sabres is they make bad trades, don't draft well past the obvious picks, sign expensive and unproductive free agents, and hire the wrong people. The team has no identity and no vision on what kind of style or image they want to communicate. When you think of Sabres what image comes to mind? For me its draft lottery. The problems facing the fracking industry were well articulated by many several years ago but ignored. More or less living on borrowed money and not generating enough income to service the loans, energy in greater than energy out, and very high depletion rates which required more and more drilling to just keep pace while seeing lower flow and production rates from new wells as fields got played out.

Your insights on the virus are headed in the right direction. The thing most people don't seem to understand is the risk of getting infected is distributed fairly evenly across the population but the risks of getting severely sick or dying are not. The risks of a severe case or dying are generally concentrated in older people and those that have conditions that impact their immune systems ability to fight the virus. This leads to a serious immune system response called 'cytokine storm'. This is why the virus is dangerous. Do we see cases of "healthy" young people getting very sick? Yes we do but its a rare situation and it's possible they have some undiagnosed condition they're not aware of. The key thing going forward is clearly identifying "high risk" individuals and taking actions to protect them or at least minimize their risk of getting infected. And better treatments and testing which are coming soon. A vaccine? I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. There's going to be football this fall. It might require some adjustments but the season will happen.

Its most likely deaths would occur among the coaching staff or other support personnel rather than the players. Fatalities from COVID are skewed towards old patients. My county has report 439 deaths and 97% have been in people over 50. 52% over 80 years of age. And of the 3% under 50 most had other health issues. This is consistent with state-wide data. I haven't analyzed national or international data but my guess is that's consistent too. These young athletes represent one of the most unlikely groups to catch a fatal case of COVID. At most, the majority that test positive might get the same physical impact of a cold or mild flu. Some that test positive may be asymptomatic and not even aware they're infected if not for being tested. Being infected might not even impact their abilities and performance. The issue is the potential to infect others that might be classified as high-risk. Is there a possibility of a fatal case? Yes, but the probability is very low. The fact lost by most people I speak with is the risk of contracting infection is assumed to be evenly (researchers don't know this) distributed across the population but the risk of impact (impact being how sick you might get) from the virus is not evenly distributed across the population. College and professional football players are a very low impact risk group when it comes to severity of illness and deaths. By September we'll see home COVID tests similar to the home pregnancy test. You spit on a stick and wait a couple minutes for the result . Positive or negative. Along with more effective treatments that will dramatically cut the duration of the infection and bring the fatality rate down significantly. A vaccine, that's a long-shot even by this time next year if ever. I say all this as someone that works with health care analytics and data which includes a large amount of information and data on COVID and having done 100's of hours of extensive research on testing, treatment, and vaccine work done by public and private researchers.

I recall Jamal making noise last off-season about wanting out. Maybe this is some annual rant or something. Being down here in "enemy territory" I know a lot of Jets fans. As a group they have a very depressing mental state towards the team. Even more depressing than we Bills fans had at our low points..

Count me among those supporting the players right to protest. I did some investigation on police shooting statistics and this is what I found. Stats on people shot to death by police: 2017 White 457, Black 223, Hispanic 179 2018 White 399, Black 209, Hispanic 148 2019 White 370, Black 235, Hispanic 158 2020 White 172, Black 88, Hispanic 57 We can adjust the number proportionally to population or per capita view but these are the raw numbers. I didn't generate the numbers as they come from a data service called Statista and while I have no reason to suspect the source is unreliable I haven't validated that assumption.

The idea of eliminating traditional police departments and replacing them with some sort of community patrols is an intriguing idea but city officials and people that support the idea are letting their emotions outrun any real thinking about the consequences of making such a change. As every action has a reaction people will evaluate the environment and adjust to the changing situation. If you eliminate the police force then: 1. residents with the ability to leave the city and concerned about their safety will leave the city. 2. businesses with the ability to leave the city and concerned about the safety of their business and their employees will leave the city. 3. insurers will cancel policies or raise premiums as their assessment of risk rises. 4. independent truck drivers and teamsters will refuse to deliver goods inside the city limit because the danger of hijackings and personal injury will increase. (happening already) 5. tax revenues will crash and cities will be forced to cut services and lay off employees. 6. non-residents will avoid the city decreasing business revenue and tax receipts. I could keep going and for reference some or all of these things happened to cities after the 1968 riots and some never recovered.

The Post writer has developed a chronic drinking problem from being stuck at home for the past 12 weeks. I'm bookmarking his prediction with the intent to send it back with a little holiday note at the end of December.

I agree with your take here. I've done a lot of listening and had discussions with people that have views on the issues from one end to the other. All while keeping judgement out of the discussion and respecting everyone's view. I think that's going to be a key thing to finding some solutions that everybody can agree to and that are realistic. Respect and actively listening. At the end of the day I believe I have no right to decide who's right or wrong as you need to walk in somebody else's shoes to get a real taste of life from their perspective. As for the police, I think it boils down to which of these two statements you believe is true or maybe you fall somewhere in between or in the middle. People that support the protests see the police as a tool of state oppression that enforces a formal social order which benefits whites and keeps targeted ethnic, racial, and religious groups from progressing economically, socially, and politically. They see actions by the police as enforcing this social order targeting specific communities and ignoring similar transgressions elsewhere. People that don’t support the protests see the police as a mechanism for enforcing laws and a social order that protects citizens from harm that is caused by other citizens. They see the police actions as responses to crime. They may or may not see situations where bias is involved but they generally feel it is not the primary motivator of law enforcement. One of their dominant themes is that if you don't commit crimes the police won't bother you.

The issue with Cam seems to be his injury history and the inability of team's to have his health evaluated because of the circumstances created by COVID. But as those problems move closer to resolution I could definitely see Newton as a legitimate option for some team seeking QB help.

That's a simple yet fundamental question about what drives human behavior and thinking. I'm going to play the cynic here and rather than say yes or no I suggest people act and behave in a manner that's consistent with whatever they determine is in their best interests. In this case white NFL players that claim they now see the light, were wrong to not see this earlier, and support kneeling for the anthem to protest racism are lying or misrepresenting their motivations. What really happened is circumstances have changed that require them to change their view in order to support their best interests. In this case not being viewed as opposing actions and beliefs held by the majority of their teammates. How would you feel if you had to walk into a work environment every day where you pissed off 70% of your co-workers? Do you really believe all the blood sucking politicians that knelled in the capital were expressing real and genuine support and compassion over the killing of George Floyd and the issues facing African-American communities? The truth is its in their best interests to deceive people into believing that and they could care less about the man and see it as an opportunity to get more votes and support. It really was a nauseating display of patronizing. Or that white liberal academics that are the brains behind Antifa and other leftist causes have any real concern for inner city communities? It's all a ruse to try to wrestle political power from others. They are just using the BLM movement for cover to execute their street level operations (and deflect any blame or negative consequences on them too). If you hated white bikers would you go into a biker bar and shout out "white bikers suck" because you believed it even though you'd get a real ass kicking? I have my doubts. Do you think all the citizens of North Korea really support Kim Un? If they don't they get shot or imprisoned. So they go along with it. So if people are really changing the views, opinions, and beliefs its not out of compassion or desire to help others its because they've evaluated the circumstances and see it in their best interests to alter the views they express (even if they really don't believe it). Humans learn to lie at a young age and we are all very good at it which gives everyone reading my post justifiable cause to believe I'm a liar too!

This isn't another George Floyd killing. That was homicide, murder, or whatever they want to call it. That was clear. The incident in Atlanta was an entirely different situation. Did they have to shoot him? Perhaps no. Did he have to engage in a physical confrontation with the police? Well no to that too. So maybe, just maybe we need to stop making excuses for bad behavior. A balanced view would be looking at both parties and assigning some shared responsibility for the outcome. But right now everybody is automatically inclined to just place 100% of the responsibility on the cops. They didn't stop this guy to hassle him because of his race. They were called to the scene to check on some guy that fell asleep in the drive thru line of a Wendy's and was found to be driving drunk. And what did the crowd that gathered do in response? Well burn down the Wendy's. Simply brilliant.

I did watch the video and am familiar with some of these practices like red-lining and school funding. In reading your story I found some common themes with my life as I also had some issues to work through when I was younger and perhaps got a break from the cops that you didn't get. I also had a strong pair of parents and through listening to stories of others and sharing mine through cultural workshops and events I've come to find that it's a common theme for most people that manage to navigate effectively through life whatever their race, ethnicity, religion, and so on might be. Something to think about, in pursuit finding common ground to discuss and define solutions in an environment of civility, honesty, and respect to move forward. I heard it said once there's three sides to every story, yours, mine, and the truth. So while I agree systemic racism exists to some degree I also believe some of the problems faced by African-American communities are self-inflicted. I'd be interested in hearing some feedback. They are: Crime and violent acts committed by members of the community against other member of the community. A dysfunctional educational system to leaves students without the basic skills needed to start life as young adults. A social services system that fosters dependence and discourages the formation and maintenance of family units. A self-serving political system that provides power, money, and prestige to members of the political class but produces no real benefits to their constituents in the community.

I had an interesting conversation with a successful African-American business person I know about the current state of race relations and one topic was kneeling before the flag. Their views were a lot different from the dominant narrative being played out almost everywhere. And while they would hesitate to say these things publicly for fear of being attacked their insights opened my mind to viewing things from a lot of different angles. Its goes like: "From the perspective of a minority person I think blaming white racism for all the problems faced by African-American people and communities is blacks saying the white man has the power to decide our fate. And the only way things are going to get better for us is if white people become less racist and treat us better. And white people joining in kneeling isn't so much joining us in the fight but rather them giving us their permission to try to improve our conditions. The entire concept ignores the principles of free will & control of your own destiny and replaces that with a mindset of dependence. Other minorities that prosper in America don't have this mindset. Think about that?"