Is it illegal to flush your live fish down the toilet?
I won't tell. Go ahead and do it. It'll just cause a little thing I call GLOBAL WARMING and your house will burst into flames.
What should the Democrats do to keep the government open by February 15, 2019?
They should negotiate in good faith and agree to things they think are appropriate and not things they think are inappropriate, unless they feel they are getting something worthwhile in exchange. If this means they put additional funds toward various effective border security measures but still say no to a wall, so be it.Having been burned by his shutdown gambit already—gained absolutely nothing but lost 8 points of approval rating, damaged the economy, made himself look weak, made his opposition look good—he may have finally learned it's a losing tactic.He can try his “emergency” measure he’s been threatening for the past month and then fight in court, but that’s not something Dems should worry about in negotiations.The Dems will likely continue to have the same position on the wall they’ve had since before the shutdown. It’s unlikely staring him down and winning the battle is going to make them want to retreat from that. If anything, Trump has reinforced their resistance. Therefore, unless he offers them something big, truly compelling, not the sham offers he’s been doing, something that they really want, that the far Right would absolutely hate, and lock it into a written law with little wiggle room to convince them he’ll actually keep his end for once, it’s unlikely they will be authorizing his wall.He started this fight with both chambers of Congress, a stronger approval rating, a stronger economy, a stronger brand, more benefit of the doubt from the public, and more patience from the public. He finished it in a worst place on every one of those scores, so he’s in a decidedly weaker position, not a stronger one. Even he must now have an understanding of how another shutdown would hurt his standing.After politically weakening himself and his allies across the board for the past 35 days—while strengthening his opponents—there’s not much reason for Dems to suddenly cave on the main point of contention that they are unified against. They’re possibly willing to put more border security funds on the table, especially to avoid another shutdown, but they’re not going to suddenly capitulate on the central issue this whole thing was about after everything that’s happened. Their hand has strengthened and there’s no reason they’d fold it.
How do people die when they are burned by flame thrower?
You are partially correct, in that the fire would take all the oxygen in the surrounding areas, but no, you do not suffocate immediately. The human brain can survive up to 6 minutes without oxygen and a person passes out in 7 to 14 seconds without oxygen. This is enough time to react and run around (stop, drop, roll, etc.). Moving around moves the flames and pushes air into the lungs. So, in short, I person can still get oxygen while burning alive. Usually the fire will kill the person, burning their tissue and causing "death by loss of plasma" or heatstroke. All of this happens rather quickly, so it is actually quite accurate to say that "Burning by fire is the cause of death by a flame thrower." With napalm, a large area is burned at once, and individuals are much more likely to die by carbon monoxide poisoning (suffocation) if they are not caught in the fire itself. Flame throwers actually shoot out a flammable gel or gas that is similar in nature to napalm. In all, war, in all of its forms (whether death comes from napalm, flame thrower, bullet, or knife) is inhumane in that it's primary execution is the loss of human life.
"Off year" elections generally have a lower turnout. Do you think the major shifts in Washington might spur more people to vote?
Yes, I do think the turnout will be better than usual in a Mid Term election, and I think this will be true for both parties.The Democrats have been outraged at the antics of the Trump controlled Congress (no balance of powers now, despite the Constitution) and the Trump administration itself. Some Democrats (not enough) seem to have realized they’ve have three terrible election losses in Congress and most state gov’ts in a row and some have figured out that their poor election turnouts have been fatal to them; 35% of Registered Democrats didn’t even vote in 2016. They were more responsible for Trumps election then the Russians, voter supression at the state level or Comey. Finally, the Democrats are figuring out that protesting isn’t going to make a difference, only voting will.The Republicans are well aware of the above. The Trump base wants to protect their troublesome guy and will turn out en masse. Republicans who don’t like Trump will still vote for Republican positions in Congress. With 40+ Congresspeople quiting due to Trump (only a very few admit this is the reason but it’s obvious), the Republicans know they could lose one or ever both Houses. Their turnout will be very high.The Bottom Line; Those who could vote but don’t, don’t count. They deserve no respect, as far as I’m concerned. Many good people died in the Revolutionary War to give us this self determination to decided our own future. If most people don’t vote, those fallen brave patriots will have died in vain. Don’t let that happen; despite my obvious biases, I say it’s more important to vote than who you vote for.My wife and I went to Washington D. C. and nearby areas in 2008. This photo was taken from the window of the office of Representative Ed Pastor, my congressman at the time (he was back home campaigning, his executive assistant was giving us a tour. Any of you can arrange this thru your Congressperson). This office is now occupied by Representative Ruben Gallego (Arizona). Note the National Arboretum in the foreground, the Washington Monument in the upper left and the National Gallery in the upper middle.
Does Patriot really mean Idiot?
No. Incorrectly defining a patriot as someone who supports the government’s current policies, no matter what they are, degrades the concept. A patriot loves his or her country and supports its interests. A patriot may, however, feel that the best interests of the country are not being served by current government policies. A true patriot will consider it a citizen’s duty to carefully consider and think about the government’s actions and express his or her views, even if they are not in line with the government’s position. There are too many examples in history of citizens blindly following their governments' policies down the road to destruction because they considered patriotism to be a concept that required no questioning, no dissent and total unthinking loyalty.