Boners

Boner Candidates July 12, 2016

Boner Candidate #1: LET THE FIREFIGHTERS DO THEIR JOBS

It’s a sequel crews fighting the stubborn, month-old Saddle wildfire dreaded, and one that — after two more incidents this past weekend — renewed law enforcement’s hunt for the pilots of the remote-control aircraft. Sunday night marked the fifth illegal drone intrusion over the air-traffic exclusion zone above the still-uncontrolled blaze that has burned nearly 2,300 acres in southwestern Utah’s Dixie National Forest. The 6:30 p.m. incident again took air tankers and helicopters out of the smoky skies, where their presence has been critical to halting the fire’s spread toward hundreds of homes in Pine Valley, about 25 miles north of St. George. “[Drones] continue to be a problem,” said Megan Saylors, fire information officer. “Each time a drone is sighted in the fire area, all air operations are grounded until it is determined safe to fly again. … If you fly, we can’t, and the safety of our firefighters is greatly affected.” A 5-mile flight-restriction zone has existed over the Saddle Fire since shortly after it was sparked by lightning on June 13. Authorities, including Gov. Gary Herbert, have repeatedly warned drone pilots they face state and federal charges, from misdemeanors to felonies — along with hefty fines (up to $275,000) and years of jail or prison time — if caught and convicted for flying over the fire.

Saylors urged drone operators to check for restrictions before they send their aircraft aloft by visiting the www.knowbeforeyoufly.org website.

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Boner Candidate #2: O’REILLY KNOWS HOW DR. KING WOULD FEEL

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly claims to know how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have felt about the Black Lives Matter movement: The civil rights hero would want nothing to do with it. While President Barack Obama said well-meaning protesters shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of those who “say things that are stupid or imprudent or overgeneralized or harsh,” O’Reilly blameed the entire movement for the words and actions of a few. “Well-meaning activists do not associate themselves with a group that often commits violent acts and encourages violence through irresponsible rhetoric,” O’Reilly said. “Dr. King would not participate in a Black Lives Matter protest.”

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Boner Candidate #3: TIME FOR MR. MAYOR TO STOP TALKING

For a nation heartsick over the killings of black men by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota, and the ambush murders of officers by a gunman in Dallas, here comes Rudolph Giuliani, bringing his trademark brew of poisonous disinformation to the discussion. In his view, the problem is black gangs, murderous black children, the refusal of black protesters to look in the mirror at their “racist” selves, and black parents’ failure to teach their children to respect the police. “What we’ve got to hear from the black community,” said Mr. Giuliani, in a Sunday morning talk-show appearance that seemed to double as a lecture to black America, “is how and what they are doing among themselves about the crime problem in the black community.” He added, “We wonder, do black lives matter, or only the very few black lives that are killed by white policemen?” Here’s a better question: How, we wonder, will the country ever get beyond its stunted discourse about racialized violence when people like Mr. Giuliani continue to try to change the subject? Those who remember Mr. Giuliani as the hectoring mayor of New York know what he has to offer any conversation on race and violence — not a lot.

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