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The legality of owning a flamethrower by state
  • A weed or roofing torch puts out about 500,000 BTUs. You need to think a little bigger.

    These put out about 60 times as much, around 30 million BTUs, and a 30' flame. The pilot light on a hot air balloon burner is a 12-18" flame.

    The burner cans weigh about 20 pounds, so a bit large to shoulder, but pretty easy to sling.

    They burn liquid propane, not vapor, so you'll probably want a forklift tank rather than the usual 20# barbecue bottle.

  • When Kamala wins the popular vote but the electoral college (whatever the fuck that is) says "no" and picks Trump and the dems just go "ah! well. nevertheless,".
  • Read the original comment again. Americans will tolerate an EC win without a majority. But Congress refusing to certify, the supreme court backing them, and the presidency being decided by the legislature instead of the votes? Has it ever happened?

    Again, we've seen two whackadoos go after him just for running. If he "wins" this way?

  • Locked
    First class
  • My thoughts exactly. The right side says commercial flights are available and they will have to book those commercial flights. The left side says commercial flights are not available to all, and they will help those who can't book one.

  • TIL miniblinds with pull cords to raise and lower them are now illegal to sell in the United States
  • One string pulling up the left side, one string pulling up the right side. They are separated in the "down" position, so they have to be separated in the "up" as well.

    If you use only one string in the middle, they will never stay level.

  • Trump wants an "American Iron Dome." Experts say that's ridiculous.
  • That is pretty much exactly what they were saying. They put it as far north as possible, so the missiles would be fired upon as far north as possible, which means they would be shot down as far north as possible, and as far away from their targets as possible.

    You're saying almost exactly the same thing as they did, and arguing that they were stupid for saying it.

  • How do I know if a medical issue should be addressed by a Clinic Visit, Urgent Care, or the Emergency Room?
  • If you already know what is wrong and just need a doctor's note (and maybe antibiotics), go to the clinic. While their staff are significantly more skilled knowledgeable than the general public, their policies limit them to only simple diagnostics and treatments. Your medical knowledge is certainly less than that of the Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants that staff these clinics, but likely exceeds the scope of practice they are limited to by their employer. If you don't know what the problem is, the clinic is going to refer you to your PCP or urgent care anyway, so you should only visit the clinic to appease HR or get access to basic prescription medications.

    If something is bothering you, but you can tolerate it for a couple weeks, schedule an appointment with primary care.

    If you don't know what's wrong, or you need something more than a note and a prescription, and you can transport yourself, go to urgent care.

    The only time you should go to the ER voluntarily is if urgent care sends you there. Any other trip to the ER should be because someone dragged you there without giving you a choice.

  • Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
  • Judicial review stems from the very first line of section 2, discussing "all cases arising under this constitution". The part you cited says that Congress can determine that certain cases must be first heard in certain courts, such as federal district courts, or state courts. Only a few types of cases are first heard in SCOTUS.

    Nothing about that prohibits courts at any level from making a ruling on constitutional grounds.

    Judicial review is just the idea that the courts are empowered to declare legislation to be in conflict with the constitution. Appellate and original jurisdiction are irrelevant to judicial review. Judicial review is not limited to SCOTUS. Every court has the power to determine whether a law under their jurisdiction follows the constitution, but only if a claimant presents a case.

  • Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
  • Are you suggesting that Congress has passed a law declaring someone other than the supreme court to be a final arbiter of the constitution?

    Are you claiming that they even can?

    If you're not making the former, your point is, at best, an interesting hypothetical. Like, "what would chairs look like if our knees bent the other way?". Interesting, but ultimately irrelevant.

  • Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
  • Again, Judicial Review is the term to search for.

    Judicial review begins where a person harmed by a law or executive order believes that the constitution does not convey to the government the power to enact such a law or order. They are in disagreement with the government. That disagreement is known in constitutional terms as an "case arisen under the constitution", which places it squarely within the jurisdiction of SCOTUS and the rest of the judicial branch. Judicial review is the act of hearing and ruling on that question. Any response, including ignoring the case entirely, requires the courts to interpret the meaning of the constitution.

    What part of "judicial review" have I misrepresented? What part of my understanding of "judicial review" is in conflict with your understanding?

    However, it has been a topic of disagreement of experts for literally hundreds of years. If it was clear this wouldn't be the case. You seem to imply that they're wrong for this. If you want to know the reasons, look for their arguments, not random Lemmy users.

    My disagreement isn't with the people you have declared experts: the historical figures cited by the essayist, and alluded to by you and the other person in this conversation.

    My disagreement is with the essayist who has misrepresented their positions. I claim that their historical arguments do not support the modern, unnamed and unknown essayist. I make this claim, knowing that the "experts" agree that the various branches and entities within those branches should and do interpret the constitution as it applies to their functions.

    I make this claim knowing the breadth of Article III Section 2. I know that the scope of SCOTUS function includes "all cases arising". The only circumstances under which the court can act are where there is a disagreement; a case. They cannot and do not interpret the constitution outside of a "case", but where a "case" exists, they are granted the power to decide it.

    If the mayor serves you the contents of his septic tank and calls it "stew", the courts will not intervene in the slightest if you agree that it is a "stew". They have no power to interpret the meaning of "stew" until you suggest that the mayor's definition is wrong. When you formally ask whether fermented sewage constitutes a stew, you give the courts the authority to answer that question.

    Likewise, if the mayor raises an army, throws you out of your house, and gives it to them to use as a dormitory, the courts don't care at all if you are satisfied with the mayor's decision and allow him to do it. But when you reject the Mayor's interpretation of the powers conveyed to him under the constitution, and you tell the courts you think he doesn't have the authority to make that interpretation, you trigger Article III and grant the courts the power to make their interpretation.

  • Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
  • The other person commenting linked this, which you subsequently ignored

    No. I read it. I found no examples mentioned that contradicted the viewpoint I have presented.

    For example:

    One view, espoused by Thomas Jefferson, among others, is that each of the three branches of government may interpret the Constitution when it relates to the performance of the branch’s own functions.

    That is perfectly consistent with my viewpoint, and contradicts the other person's argument that the court oversteps its bounds.

    The court's function is to resolve "cases". Where two parties come to a disagreement, the court is, indeed, the final arbiter of that disagreement. Where that disagreement is related to constitutionality, the court is requested and required to provide a ruling. That is their job.

    Similarly, when he vetoed the reauthorization of the Bank of the United States, President Andrew Jackson argued that the President was the final interpreter of the Constitution for executive functions.

    Again, not a problem, until there is a conflict between the executive branch and someone else: where a case arises between the executive branch and another party, the court is specifically empowered to resolve that case. Until such a conflict arises, the executive branch is, indeed, empowered to interpret the constitution. But, once that "case" has arisen, Article III puts the ball in the courts.

    For example, in Nixon v. United States, the Court held that the Constitution gave the Senate alone the power to determine whether it had properly "tried" an impeachment.

    That very ruling is an example of the court interpreting the constitution at the behest of the parties to a "case". The court would have no ability to respond to address that issue without the parties disagreeing on who was constitutionally empowered to determine what was "proper". If everyone has agreed that the Senate was charged with that duty, the courts don't get involved in the interpretation. If everyone agreed the president, or a magic eight ball was charged with that duty, the courts don't get involved because no case has arisen.

    On and on, the essay repeatedly tried to show that there was some inherent problem with the judicial branch doing exactly what Article III empowered it to do: to hear cases. The essay doesn't seem to support the other person's initial claims about the court taking powers it wasn't assigned. But, despite repeated queries, I could get no further context for their claim other than an essay that doesnt support such a claim.

    I still can't get you to challenge my own understanding, other than to point at the same essay that doesn't seem to support your position, nor can I get any information from you about what your position actually is.

    Address some part of your claims that Article III doesn't mean what it says on the tin. Show me what you are talking about and how it differs from my own understanding.

  • Sweeping Bill Introduced by Ron Wyden (D) Would Completely Overhaul Supreme Court as We Know It
  • It would save a lot of time if you'd get around to demonstrating a flaw in my understanding, or actually offering the explanation and clarification I'm requesting.

    I have clearly explained why I think SCOTUS is constitutionally empowered to rule on constitutional issues. Show me the flaw in my comprehension.

  • "Could not determine post to comment to"

    Gripe #1: From inbox, replying directly to a comment, I get the error "Could not determine post to comment to". I don't have this problem when I am viewing a comment in a post's, thread, only when viewing it from the inbox.

    Gripe #2: Tapping the comment in the inbox takes me to the comment thread for the post, but does not take me to the specific comment within that thread. In a long thread, I can't always find the specific comment I am trying to reply to.

    Edit: version 0.2.4

    Edit2: Gripe #3: haven't figured out how to edit posts within Thunder; had to switch to Connect to make these edits...

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    Error: "could not find comment key xxxxxx for navigator"

    I am getting this error pretty regularly. I'll see a message in my inbox, and when I tap through to view it in context, it's missing. Can't find a cause or a workaround.

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    InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)RI
    Rivalarrival @lemmy.today
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