Except in Iraq and Afghanistan our troops actually practiced these techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) properly and well.

These half-assed Joe Donut clowns are trying to use the same gear without maintaining the discipline and repetitive training the military possesses. A lot of military guys get out and go police/security forces due to the somewhat similar nature of the jobs, but I find those guys are often the ones who didn't do much on deployment anyway...they're just trying to be tacticool, and are using their DD-214 in order to gain a cushy job.

There is no reason, at all, which a police force needs a fucking MRAP. Except to subjugate the population. Maybe not now, maybe not in 5 or 10 years even...but the unique function of that hardware can have no clearer statement. "Sooner or later, this will be used against all of you."

The militarization of police forces around America is an astounding thing to watch.

Since when has it been OK to conduct a no-knock raid on white-collar crime suspects? Or to use pyrotechnics and concussion devices in homes where there are multiple children living in a home with tight quarters?

There was a time where police officers used ingenuity, charm, and patience to disarm situations. This is an actual quote from my friend:

I wonder how well that would have gone with an MRAP, instead?

What is the risk in waiting another year for this technology to be developed and released?

If they rush it, the best thing we can hope for is something equivalent (plus or minus) to the current controller technology. Honestly, we don't need another Dual Shock or Xbox controller -- the ones we have are great, and there is relatively little improvement to make upon them. They also already work with Steam, nearly flawlessly.

Let Valve take their time and get this right. They might actually start something new, and possibly even innovative, in this rehashed, mundane world of cookie cutter consoles.

Go ahead. Make the guns smarter...we'll keep making people dumber.

Not popular in the DC metro area yet. We have tons of good food, but not that...

I don't particularly have a problem, but I also know where to go. I've just noticed the trend of butchers' shops becoming more centralized. It's more difficult to find a small business or butcher who isn't located in a large grocery store than it was in the 80s or 90s. Granted, I can still go to Costco and get things cut any which way. Availability is there, just not as readily as it once was. Could merely be my perception.

Current society focuses more and more on technology to make cooking easier, quicker, make prepared foods more readily accessible, etc. One area we have not really changed is butchering, except to say that there are far fewer butchers today than a generation ago. There could be no quality cuts of meat without them.

Do you think butchers are a dying breed, or will we see a resurgence within that profession?

The dishwasher will kill quality knives. Handles dry out, the blades are banged around against other knives & dishes or the racks in which they're held...the only thing worse you could do is to utterly neglect them.

I have a $60 Kitchen Aid set which has lasted me for years. Hone the blade on a honing steel every time you use it. Hand wash and dry immediately. Once in a while, maybe 1-2 times a year, get the set sharpened by a local butcher (if you use them regularly). The steel will last a lifetime or more; the handles can even be preserved for generations.

Indeed. YouTube is a great example.

You mistake my intent. I'm not saying these parents should be using violence, but I am stating that it may be worth considering, and that I would have very likely resorted to calculated violence in order to gain my own child back by this point. I consider means which these parents have obviously ruled out by this point.

And as for facts, we have wildly conflicting opinions from two regularly-reputable sources: Tufts and BCH (who was referred by Tufts). The former diagnosed Mitochondrial Disease, which makes sense given the symptoms we know. The latter diagnosed Somatoform Disorder, which is psychological in nature. If there is a dispute, then why have doctors at Tufts not asserted their opinion more fervently, or reconsidered their diagnoses? Why have the doctors at BCH not considered the possibility that Tufts may be right? Why hasn't a completely external review been done on this case, which has been an international headline? After all, most medical professionals consider alternate opinions a good thing.

You don't need a PhD to understand that something is wrong with the medical system, at least in this particular instance. One or more parties are obviously withholding information, being suppressed, or are lying. The real question is: why?

In the meanwhile, I side with the parents. Yes, I am biased because I am a parent myself.

If you think "going ballistic" is the only means of utilizing violence, then you're clearly not educated enough on violence and its potential applications.

I get that, but neither can you help your child if there is so much red tape binding your hands and so much bureaucratic process blocking the way.

Violence is never the preferred answer...but when it IS the answer, there is no other substitute.

If she were my child, there would be no way I would let them stop me from getting her back. If paperwork and appeals didn't do the trick, I would very quickly escalate the actions I took to ensure her safety and care under my responsibility. That might mean intimidation or violence...so be it. They threw the first stone.

The State has absolutely no reason to take these parents' child from them.

The lemonade lobby is powerful, indeed.

And to think...I moved from NJ to VA several years back. -_-