I have seen this thing about arresting people for giving away free food for years.

@#12 While I agree with your point in principle - I'm bound to say there are definite public health concerns surrounding unlicensed and otherwise non or under-regulated food distribution. For instance, only recently a so called 'food shelf' operation (down St. Paul way) was closed and responsible parties prosecuted based upon an investigation following reports of (potentially CWD 'infected') venison and long expired can goods (where's a
'barf emoji' when one is required!)...

That said -- I suspect the prohibition in question has more to do with taxation than food quality assurance

Very best regards
HP

 

There's no shortage of cops-shoot-and-miss stories on the internet. No one is safe!

With the exception, perhaps, of the intended 'target'!

Very best regards
HP

 

Hi IQ criminals are rarely violent offenders who go on shooting sprees...

While I concur with your observation that the majority of violent criminals are indeed ignorant, 'slow' or both - I would point to the fact that certain 'classes' of thuggery (e.g. serial killers and other violent psychotics) are generally possessed of markedly above average intellect (some contemporary examples being Dahmer, Berkowitz and Bundy) --- IMO it's a grave mistake (NPI) to offhandedly ascribe benevolence to 'intelligence' as said qualities are utterly unrelated -- e.g. Hitler, Torquemada, Stalin and their 'devotees' -- while among the foulest barbarians of recent history-- were no 'dummies' (from a 'raw intellect' standpoint)!...

Best regards
HP

 

While I concur with your observation that the majority of violent criminals are indeed ignorant, 'slow' or both - I would point to the fact that certain 'classes' of thuggery (e.g. serial killers and other violent psychotics) are generally possessed of markedly above average intellect (some contemporary examples being Dahmer, Berkowitz and Bundy) --- IMO it's a grave mistake (NPI) to offhandedly ascribe benevolence to 'intelligence' as said qualities are utterly unrelated -- e.g. Hitler, Torquemada, Stalin and their 'devotees' -- while among the foulest barbarians of recent history-- were no 'dummies' (from a 'raw intellect' standpoint)!...

Best regards
HP

I fully acknowledge the link between high IQ and psychopathy. I did only speak of high prevalence of psycopaths among politicians, but of course criminal circuit is basically the same thing. It is unfortunate that people in general get fooled so easily by simply being told what they want to hear. We are not comfortable challenging our beliefs and that is always our downfall. The majority will pick on the one who raises doubt and that is how it always was. There will be people around who know what is going on, but they will say nothing for fear of their own status. And the crowd just wants to see blood drawn, doesnt matter who it is or what it is for or whether it is just or not... Afterall how did Hitler come to power? Same as Trump, he spoke to the people. So democracy works, does it not? Now everyone has to live with the consequence...

p.s. unrelated, but I am in a strange mood - US, Canada and Western Europe harbored Nazi collaborators after the war (actually still do as some are still alive). USSR worked really hard to seek out traitors who worked with the Germans well after the war ended. There is a well known story of a woman who was responsible for executing russian prisoners. She was russian. She managed to avoid capture at the end of the war, changed her name and married a war hero who knew nothing about her past. The secret services caught up with her in the 70s. It was horrible what they had to tell to her family - she was responsible for death of over 1000 people... She was sentenced to death and shot.

So, where are we headed, as a society... and does anyone even care or are they all just waiting for the next Apple release (coming soon - we have taken away the stereo jack, we can now project sound straight to your brain as soon as you implant this chip...)

ok rant over

 

CWD 'infected') venison

Back to the dictionary for me.
You might appreciate the name of a school in Tampa, Florida: Universal Technical Institute, or UTI.

Back to the subject: I would hope all free food is healthy. I would expect restaurant food is healthy. Each of them fails occasionally.
I also think feeding millions of unfortunate people has more value than the occasional food born illness.
Would you leave 46 million people hungry, day after miserable day, to prevent all opportunities for failure?

Do those numbers sound incredible?
I checked Dogpile and Google. ["Food bank"+illness] got zero hits. What I did get was:

One in seven Americans – 46 million people – rely on food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families,
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/17/hunger-study-food/14195585/

For the properly licensed and taxed restaurants:
25,600 ill people each year) were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/10/1324.full

Should our government supplement the prison population with people willing to freely share their food while 70 people get sick from licensed restaurants every day?

I bet you didn't expect numbers like that. I surely didn't.
I hope I have shown you information you did not have yesterday.

 

Hi IQ criminals are rarely violent offenders who go on shooting sprees...

One of the "activist" activities is called, "First Amendment Auditing". They go to a public building or a crime scene and aim a camera at it. It has been decided all the way to the Supreme Court that there is no limit to filming anything obviously visible in public, including police officers doing their jobs. Still, cops will swarm the videographers. If they don't go straight for the clubs and guns, they repeatedly say that the present day conditions (of Media driven fear and Training driven paranoia) require them to make sure it isn't a terrorist drawing unwelcome attention to himself in broad daylight, because that's what terrorists do (when they aren't busy building bombs).

How much IQ is required for a LEO to know that Photography is Not a Crime?
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/
How much IQ is needed to figure out that terrorists don't come to the Police Station at High Noon with a video camera as part of their nefarious plots?
How much IQ does it take to read the First Amendment to The Constitution?
How much IQ does it take to be aware of Supreme Court rulings explicitly directed at Police Misbehavior?
How much IQ does it take to lose lawsuit after lawsuit for being willfully ignorant (stupid)?

$72,500 Settlement After he was Arrested Video Recording
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...wful-arrest-of-recording-cop-using-profanity/

agreeing to pay a $45,000 settlement to a man they arrested for recording them
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...arrest-thanks-to-video-they-tried-to-destroy/

Witness was Pepper Sprayed for Recording
New York City has settled the lawsuit for $614,500,
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...spot_im_comment_id=sp_jQk9Ix5C_68663_c_PiAbif

Man Files Suit Against Crazed Cop That Assaulted Him for Recording
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...t-assaulted-him-for-recording-police-station/


PINAC Sues Florida Judge in Federal Court for Criminalizing Videography
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...iminalizing-videography-of-county-courthouse/

North Carolina Cop Under Investigation for Threatening Man for Recording
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...tary-committed-for-recording-police-building/

Florida Film Crew Files Lawsuit Against Sheriff After Unlawful Arrest for Recording
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...-unlawful-arrest-recording-cars-public-space/

Alaska man was cited for video recording inside a federal building despite a 2010 settlement
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...obby-federal-building-despite-2010-settlement/

California Judge Dismisses Felony Charges Against Photojournalists
https://photographyisnotacrime.com/...sses-felony-charges-against-photojournalists/

 

Back to the dictionary for me.

Indeed -- Where prions are at issue 'contaminated' somehow seems the more appropriate term...

You might appreciate the name of a school in Tampa, Florida: Universal Technical Institute, or UTI.

But then that's too obvious a 'target' -- Using it against them would feel 'kinda like poaching À la the British Museum's acronym Ahem... Abbreviation

Would you leave 46 million people hungry, day after miserable day, to prevent all opportunities for failure?

While I cannot and will not speak for the 46 millions, I likewise cannot imagine a worse death than that owed to vCJD! -- IMO Starvation is far and away preferable to the slightest 'above background' risk of contracting said ailment! -- Thankfully, the options needn't be so limited...

Do those numbers sound incredible?

One in seven Americans – 46 million people – rely on food pantries

Incredible - No -- Tragic - absolutely!

I checked Dogpile and Google. ["Food bank"+illness] got zero hits.

Personal observation demands that I flatly reject any assertion that food pantries are anything like 'safe' ('tho I'll allow such may vary widely with region) -- As for said liability's 'below the radar' status? Perhaps there's no money in litigation with community outreach programs? Then too it seems many disadvantaged folks hesitate to 'bite the hand' that feeds (or, even, [inadvertently] poisons) them...

Should our government supplement the prison population with people willing to freely share their food while 70 people get sick from licensed restaurants every day?

It is my stance that they all (i.e. processing plants, restaurants, grocers, distributors [incl charities and HHS programs], etc...) have much to answer for! -- That the regulated handlers exhibit less than 'sterling' performance is a good argument for more and better regulation - As opposed to deregulation! 70 + N cases is still N worse than 70!

IMO There is no excuse for the increasing incidence of foodborne illness seen over the last two decades! -- Last I checked I did not reside in a 'banana republic' -- Perhaps I should check more frequently

I hope I have shown you information you did not have yesterday.

You've certainly shown me that the 'restaurant situation' is even worse than I thought!

Very best regards
HP

 

I fully acknowledge the link between high IQ and psychopathy. I did only speak of high prevalence of psycopaths among politicians, but of course criminal circuit is basically the same thing. It is unfortunate that people in general get fooled so easily by simply being told what they want to hear. We are not comfortable challenging our beliefs and that is always our downfall. The majority will pick on the one who raises doubt and that is how it always was. There will be people around who know what is going on, but they will say nothing for fear of their own status. And the crowd just wants to see blood drawn, doesnt matter who it is or what it is for or whether it is just or not... Afterall how did Hitler come to power? Same as Trump, he spoke to the people. So democracy works, does it not? Now everyone has to live with the consequence...

p.s. unrelated, but I am in a strange mood - US, Canada and Western Europe harbored Nazi collaborators after the war (actually still do as some are still alive). USSR worked really hard to seek out traitors who worked with the Germans well after the war ended. There is a well known story of a woman who was responsible for executing russian prisoners. She was russian. She managed to avoid capture at the end of the war, changed her name and married a war hero who knew nothing about her past. The secret services caught up with her in the 70s. It was horrible what they had to tell to her family - she was responsible for death of over 1000 people... She was sentenced to death and shot.

So, where are we headed, as a society... and does anyone even care or are they all just waiting for the next Apple release (coming soon - we have taken away the stereo jack, we can now project sound straight to your brain as soon as you implant this chip...)

ok rant over

+1000 -- With the single qualification that I'm still undecided as regards Trump -- I feel he deserves a chance -- 'actions speak louder than words' can work both ways (i.e. obnoxious words may be drown out by meritorious actions) -- Time will tell

US, Canada and Western Europe harbored Nazi collaborators after the war (actually still do as some are still alive). USSR worked really hard to seek out traitors who worked with the Germans well after the war ended.

You're preaching to the choir! -- I feel Russia/USSR has been dealt the 'short end of the stick' as it were! --Among other woefully under-appreciated realities is the fact that the Second World War could not have been won without them! Moreover, I find the current 'trend' of 'scapegoating' Russia by failed politicians both transparent and, quite frankly, flat-out embarrassing!

Very best regards
HP

 

Where prions are at issue

Enthusiastically agree! Hence my Personal Prayer: "Dear Dog, please let me be healthy until the day before I die, and if I can't have that, I'll settle for sane."

Now a personal opinion.
In my many travels repairing machines, I have found restaurants frightening. My peers tell similar tales. I have had one food-born illness in my life...from McDonald's. That building was bulldozed and replaced, but I still won't go back. Three days in Hospital is a bad price for a burger.

When I douche a restaurant air conditioner, I Frisbee the air conditioning filter out in the parking lot just to get it out of my way. When I come back to get it a few hours later, a dozen cockroaches scurry from under it. Not a surprise after I just watched several cockroaches feasting on a platter of tomorrow's bacon. Every nook and cranny is coated with long term grease film. It seems to me that it's the long time in operation which accumulates filth.

I go to a Food Bank and find rows of canned goods, some gallons of Milk, and a few fresh vegetables, but no meat (unless it is in a can). If they had any form of dead animal, I wouldn't touch it! (I rarely buy dead animal parts at the Grocery Store.) What's the worst that can happen? I have to rinse the dust off everything? A hundred fingerprints are going to be destroyed in my vegetable steamer? There is no cooking happening in the Food Bank. No grease particles coating everything.

I would make similar safe choices in either a Food Bank or a Grocery Store, but I don't eat at restaurants.

ps, Maybe part of the difficulty in communication is in the fact that I've never seen a food charity serving meals.

 

What's the worst that can happen?

As long as the fresh foods are truly fresh and all foods are within their 'sell by' dates it's as good as a supermarket - granting, of course, that you're certain any perishables have been properly handled -- Trouble is (around here, anyway) 'food shelves' are commonly stocked with supermarket's 'past date' cast offs (with, I might add, the blessings of the county and state HHS authorities!) -- Their (i.e. the politician's as opposed to health/food science professional's) mantra being of the form; "It's still good for x amount of time post expiry" -- BS! - If it's unfit for retail sale it's unfit for human consumption - period! -- Speaking about venison (ugggg!) a major newspaper recently carried an ad campaign entreating trophy hunters whom refused to consume the meat (for fear of CWD contamination) to donate same to food assistance programs! -- Said ads being a series of PSAs sponsored by - you guessed it - the state department of health and human services! -- Worse still (IMO) was the sound of 'crickets' (in response to said ads) where better days would have heard a public outcry!

I have found restaurants frightening.

I could tell myself that 'upscale' restaurants are 'different' - though I expect said difference is vested solely in higher prices and, dare I hope it? Contamination by a 'better class' of cockroach?

I have had one food-born illness in my life...from McDonald's.

Ah! Yes!!! I've heard of them! -- Home of the Annelid (AKA 'protein supplement') Burger <<barf emoji here>> -- IF the rumors were false, they (McDonalds) did little to quash them

I don't eat at restaurants.

Smart man! Methinks I may likewise be cured of that particular vice!

Maybe part of the difficulty in communication is in the fact that I've never seen a food charity serving meals.

--Emphasis added--

I dunno - Arguably, MacDonald's fits that 'bill'? -- 'Tho fairness compels my concession that, unlike the offerings of "Mickey D's" - the 'elongated forms' 'swimming' in 'mission-house' soup stand a better than even chance of being pasta

Best regards
HP

 

<<barf emoji here>>

http://www.dogpile.com/search/images?fcoid=114&fcop=topnav&fpid=2&q=emoticon+barfing&ql=&qlnk=True

 

The last food bank I was involved with did have a rapid turnover of supplies and people. They had a smaller facility, inside a church, so stuff didn't remain on the shelf. I know I drove to the local bread store and bought bread cheaply when they found out it was for a food bank. I made at least one trip per week.

Hunter's were known to drop off venison. The legion bought a bunch of turkeys around the holidays. The grocery store agreed to hold the stock and the food bank patrons got a voucher to get their turkey.

Can there be food banks that have spoiled items? Sure. Just like a business needs inventory turnover, so does the food banks. That also means more volunteers are needed to replenish the inventory. Some are needed to pick up the items from a regional food distribution center or other locations.

 

Bad drug testing strikes again.
http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/new...fter-3-days-in-jail-suspect-cleared/637136576

(KETK) A Houston man has been cleared of a drug charge after authorities realized he'd been arrested for possession of kitty litter.

"They thought they had the biggest bust in Harris County," Ross LeBeau said. "This was the bust of the year for them."

A traffic stop in early December led to the discovery of almost half a pound of what deputies believed to be methamphetamine.

The deputies arrested LeBeau and sent out a press release, including a mug shot, describing the bust.
...
Although LeBeau says the accusation caused him to lose work, he doesn't blame the deputies. According to LeBeau's attorney the field tests could have been the problem.

"Ultimately it might be bad testing equipment that they need to re-evaluate," attorney George Reul said.

 

As long as the fresh foods are truly fresh and all foods are within their 'sell by' dates it's as good as a supermarket

And the "sell by date" is just that, the "safe to eat date" is something else entirely. I'm sure your cook/hosekeeper knows this.
"Canned goods. Highly acidic foods like tomato sauce can keep 18 months or more. Low-acid foods like canned green beans are probably risk-free for up to five years. "You do not want to put cans in a hot place like a crawl space or garage," Peggy VanLaanen, EdD, RD, a professor of food and nutrition at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, tells WebMD. She suggests keeping canned and dry food at 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry, dark place." From - http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/do-food-expiration-dates-matter#2

Do you think food shelf/pantries are more unsafe than eating out of dumpsters behind a restaurant? For some out there that is the choice, sadly.

 

The population of the local governments who use that Wonderlic testing service can demand a change. I can tell you that there are plenty of Dallas PD Academy graduates do the minimum time of the academy and the two OJT periods to go to a force in a different locale. Some veteran PD officers move onward to other departments that pays more.

Around here you need to graduate from law enforcement classes, then you "volunteer" for up to a year or more at no pay. And the smart ones that can't support themselves with no income move on to a different career. The dumb ones that hang in there are then considered to be hired at the next opening.

They are held accountable like everyone else. They are investigated, and in some cases charged and terminated.

But that isn't a high percentage of cases. Most times they are either "no billed" or acquitted. Like I said before better to kill them than wound, killing usually gets them off.

 

This whole thing isn't about the food. It's about whether cops can be used to clear undesirables from public spaces. In this case they used the handiest tool they could find, some technicality they thought they could exploit.

It would be better if the locals were upfront about the laws they want in place. If they want the police to be able to clear an area without pretense, they should just pass an ordinance.

 

And the "sell by date" is just that, the "safe to eat date" is something else entirely.

That's as may be (IOW I'll take your word for it) -- All the same - I maintain my stance that where foodstuffs are concerned - if it's (for whatever reason) deemed unacceptable for retail sale - it should not be offered for human consumption...

Do you think food shelf/pantries are more unsafe than eating out of dumpsters behind a restaurant?

Personally, given that choice, I'd abstain even at extreme risk of death/permanent disability by malnutrition (Please rest assured - I know what that entails) But to respond to your question - I know I'd rather take my chances with aerobic bacteria (and/or their toxins) than with botulism - To wit: While I tend to agree that the risk attending consumption of past-date or otherwise questionable can goods is less than that of discarded 'opened' foodstuffs - the 'stakes' (of the former) are much, much higher...

For some out there that is the choice, sadly.

Again, I'll take your word for it IMNSHO There is absolutely no rationale for holding nutrition assistance programs to anything less than supermarket quality standards! -- I'd like to think 'USA' yet stands for something beyond mere designation of a region of N. America! - If/when we (as a nation) find it acceptable to 'slop' our unfortunates with rubbish (à la livestock) then that day is truly long past!


With very best regards and utmost sincerity
HP

PS
It occurs to me that anyone reading this post (sans cognizance of my other 'politically-themed' posts) will likely 'put me down' as a 'flaming liberal' -- Funny thing... Politics

 

There is absolutely no rationale for holding nutrition assistance programs to anything less than supermarket quality standards!

Oh my gosh, I disagree entirely. A supermarket is selling a product against competitors and by nature of having a large capital investment (brick and mortar store) and a brand name to maintain, sets high expectations of quality and safety. Customers judge whether the products are acceptably priced.

People giving away food to customers with few or no other options are necessarily held to lower standards. I think the expectation of the 'customer' would be that the donor is doing their best and not knowingly dispensing something harmful. I would also expect any known risks to be presented to the recipient so they can make a choice. "These canned green beans from Walmart are a day past their sell-by date" or "This is venison from local hunters", that sort of thing. Basically, if I'd eat it myself, I wouldn't hesitate to offer it to a needy mouth. And I'm not that picky! If it doesn't stink, it gets eaten.

Wasting edible food when people are going hungry is not something I could do.

 

There is absolutely no rationale for holding nutrition assistance programs to anything less than supermarket quality standards!

I also disagree.
How many people could one feed for free after paying for even a few regulations, requirements, certifications, insurance, etc. that a retail store pays?
Hint: The answer is zero.
So, how much do you expect for free?
You already answered that. "supermarket quality standards".

I disagree.
There is no practical way to do what you expect. The alternative is to do nothing. That isn't going to help anybody.

 

So, in the middle of discussing Nanny State regulations and The Milking of the Herd, more of the same into day's cop-news.

Didjja know...it is illegal to warm your car up before you get in it?
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/warming-up-car-driveway-citation/

Didja know...if a non-livestock animal chooses to include your house as one of its habitual visiting points, the police need to kill it and demand money from you?
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/vi...s-pet-deer-bambi-illegal-promptly-kill-front/

Still...another good day for police. That's two in a row with no humans killed (that I know of).
Probably, "too cold to get out of the car" means a lot less interaction with people.
Less opportunity for interaction, less opportunity for escalation, less people get shot.