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Well, I just bought an EOTEC set worth well more than the rifle, nice now having a 5X magnifier. Windham Weaponry 5.56

Trump also said he doesn’t care about the midterms. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5897526-trump-paxton-texas-victory-midterms/

100% not #1. But, 4 and 5 are the most likely cases. 2 is possible, but I think 4/5 are significantly more plausible/likely accurate. On 5, all of us said the proposed timeline was absolutely undoable; the objectives are sound and achievable, but not on the initial timeline. Trump bought the timeline sales pitch, and now I think he wants out, primarily due to the midterms. Because that’s what the US does in modern history - make war-related choices based on politics, which is asinine.

If they want a credible nuclear deterrent they need also nuclear armed TBM or cruise missiles and a secondary strike capability, a nuclear sub. Basically mirroring the Israeli nuclear capability (allegedly), 100-150 weapons. If the Euros want their own deterrent, pooling resources, agreeing to sharing technology and buying common delivery systems could make this feasible. Also keeping the requirements tight and focused, i.e. not trying to deter anyone other than regional aggressors, weapons yields and delivery ranges focused on that. All nations agreeing to a minimum capability purchase and maintenance, also declaring these capabilities are in addition not in lieu of conventional capabilities. They could probably make this work within their political and philosophical boundaries: declare no first use, no threat of first use and no deliberate targeting of civilian population centers unless their civilian populations were struck first by a WMD.

Well now that we have the text of the MOU and know that it’s garbage, the obvious follow up question to ask is.. why? Why, if Iran was backed into a corner and we had all the leverage, did we just sign an agreement that so heavily favors Iran? A few possible explanations: Our position of leverage was greatly overblown by cheerleaders of this war We are in a position of leverage and our negotiators are just straight up retarded We’re using the MOU as a cover for more surprise attacks We’re taking a temporary L to preserve the midterms and then gonna get down to business for real after that Trump just wants out of this completely and will accept any terms necessary to do so I think it’s a combo of #1 and #5 but would be happy to discuss. At the very least I think this MOU should give pause to anyone who was previously glazing our strategic positioning in this war. Pretty unusual to totally wreck somebody and then sign a deal capitulating to their terms..

Parliament in Finland just passed a bill (2/3 majority) to lift a ban on nuclear weapons that had been in place since the 80s. This website indicates it'd most likely be fighters (F-35 or Rafale) and either US or French weapons. That said, Foxnews indicates the lifted ban would also repeal a ban on production. I would think Finland producing their own nukes is unlikely compared to the previous examples. But if they don't get some nukes on their territory, they might. In context with the UK defense minister's warning/resignment, it's going to be interesting in the coming years; to what degree will the European rearmament include nuclear weapons?

Thank you so much for this link. I am reading it right now. I have been meaning to give AOPA a call, and maybe I can try to do that on a business day this week. But regardless, I am 99% sure I will have to answer yes to 18v, if nothing else, due to the fact that my driver's license was suspended for 30 days for a driving offense committed when I was 14 years old, even though it involved zero alcohol nor drugs (part 3 of 18v says "even if it involves no alcohol or drugs") Not really any more than ten years, but yes, about ten. Don't feel obligated to read this, it is absolutely ridiculous and never-ending, but all these people said I probably need to do HIMS, including a super controversial, but seemingly-beloved-by-many HIMS AME named Dr. Bruce Chien (who is a former Navy flight surgeon, I believe): https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/should-i-consider-a-consult-with-and-or-fully-undertake-the-hims-process.154058/ I'm not sure if Doctor Chien is a Seventh-day Adventist and/or Jehovah's Witness or what, and frankly it's none of my business, but I heard he is one of those affiliations. I would not think any less of him regardless of his affiliation, or piety, or lack thereof. What I have heard with more certainty is that he is an alcoholic in a long-term state of successful recovery, and a teetotaler in general, and he doesn't believe anyone should drink ever for any circumstances, purportedly. I also see him say over and over again on multiple forums, "the FAA will charge you with a Class 4 Felony if you do X or Y", but Google says Federal Felony Classification classes are lettered, not numbered (I.e., supposedly Classes A, B, C, D, etc., not Numbers like 'Class 4'). Also, I've heard a lot of people report Dr. Chien has an abrasive personality, and if you offend him even by accident, he will drop you as a client mid-submittal. Also, if you navigate to his website, he enumateres all the different misteps or faux pas's a client can make which will irritate him and you should be sure to avoid doing (some of them are totally reasonable, like "if you ever lie to me or conceal anything from me I will drop you as a client"). I am nervous, although it was very kind of him to comment on my thread. I was also told that Dr. Chien actually wrote the HIMS policies for the FAA. Although I've also heard the HIMS study is a privately owned or at least privately operated for-profit entity. I cannot remember if I already mentioned it, but I spoke with some people at an organization that fights and petitions the FAA, and they were telling me/alleging some pretty sketchy things about HIMS. I won't claim to have an opinion worth any salt; I barely know anything. All I know is if I do spend thousands of dollars on HIMS, I do not have the money to fail to get it correct the first try/go-around. I definitely am unlikely to ever interact with any of those same AMEs, nor anyone else in their offices again. If a medical professional or other super-educated-professional tells you basic facts, and they turn out to be incorrect, even if they have nothing to do you with the particular situation, run-for-the-hills is my opinion on the matter. In regards to the attorney, I am less sure whether him/they are good or bad, but @brabus, you and I both share the same suspicion. The firm is Ison, and some people seem to allegedly say good things about the firm online. The attorney was admittedly generous with his time; Albeit I paid him some money, he went over the allotted time without charging me further. The attorney claimed that he has seen or had people or clients who haven't drank a drop of alcohol in years for any reason, neither abuse nor responsible occasional drinking, but still, the FAA makes the applicant do AA and treats them totally like an alcoholic who is fully abusing. I asked the attorney if I was gonna have to admit in writing that I am an alcoholic, because I am adamant I am not and never have been an alcoholic, and the attorney said "maybe." The lawyer advised I just don't even bother ever trying to fly, but he explained what I should do if I want to attempt to get a medical certificate and which medical people he recommends. The lawyer recommended I first go see a doctor who is purportedly some type of FAA medical expe.rt, but NOT an AME, if I understand correctly. Maybe this expert is some type of HIMS expert; I'm not sure. And only once that is complete and if they write good things then maybe supposedly I go to a HIMS AME. Well, actually, there might be an expert or two more before I finally get to the first AME, who happens to be a HIMS AME. He described a complicated process, and I did write down the names. Maybe that lawyer sucks, or maybe he's 100% right; I have no idea. I will try to be cautious regardless. I was under the impression that 1: I should NOT immediately first fill out a MedXPress; But I should instead first do a paid initial consultation with AME(s) before I do anything (I have never yet met an AME in-person, nor had a phone call, nor paid any AME(s)). I spoke to one AME office that told me that is not allowed but everybody else says that the office was wrong and full of baloney and that with my crazy set of drama, I should pursue a paid consultation without a MedXPress, to do a game plan. Unsure if the conventional wisdom is to do this with a normal AME, senior AME, and/or HIMS AME I was under the impression that not approaching it via HIMS from the get-go could result in a denial and/or deferral that would make it more expensive in the long run. I was told that a denial can be very expensive to appeal and make your life more difficult. Regardless, I was told that not approaching it correctly, sometimes they say "okay you filled out your MedXPress, you have sixty more days to submit all these documents, and if you don't have your application complete and ready and fully submitted by day sixty, you automatically get a denial". Thank you so much

I would not waste my time with that lawyer or either of the AMEs you talked to. HIMS is for when the FAA determines you have an abuse problem, which would be hard to argue when it’s been 10+ years since those incidents. In the end, just set up an appointment with an AME for a 3rd class and see what happens. You’ll create a MedExpress account and fill out the pre-appointment questions. Read them slowly and carefully before you answer. The question that probably pertains most to this subject is 18v. Read this website before answering that question: https://pilot-protection-services.aopa.org/news/2022/april/01/the-notorious-18v If you have to answer yes to 18v, and that causes consternation with the AME and he says you need HIMS, etc., then the worst financial case is you’re out $150 or so. Don’t get sucked into paying thousands to lawyers.

The school that gave me my bachelor's degree is not a particularly prestigious institution, and my major was non-STEM. The institution is fully accredited. However, I graduated summa cum laude with a 3.92 GPA. My community-college GPA years earlier was only 2.7, so I'm not sure how pilot/commissioning boards evaluate that. I got a D in one class at the community college and have wondered whether retaking it would materially change how my academic record is viewed. Does the USAF primarily look at the bachelor's GPA, or do they calculate some sort of cumulative GPA across all institutions? Regardless, my final transcript showing the 3.92 also reflects the earlier community-college coursework (and my degree accepted some non-accredited credits as well from the USMC and study.com). As far as legal history goes, I have no adult criminal history. I have had a few minor civil traffic matters, including a recent citation related to vehicle registration/equipment issues and an older junior enlisted seatbelt citation that was ultimately dismissed. No adult substance-abuse issues of any kind. The alcohol and marijuana use was limited to my teenage years before age 18. No, I do have other medical issues. I've discussed the full story in other forums, but it's lengthy. Remember when I mentioned malpractice earlier? That's part of it; there are lots of lawyers involved. I'd tell you the whole story if you want. It's all potentially waiverable but it's a headache (and there is the issue of a stranger's record being mixed in with mine when they pull it up on Genesis, and we had to get BUMED (US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and a Marine Corps General to do a report to prove I wasn't fraudulently hiding my medical history - part of it was someone ELSE's medical history!). My understanding is that it's probably that none of the issues are necessarily permanent disqualifiers, but they would likely require significant review and potentially waivers. I've spoken with a couple FAA Aviation Medical Examiner offices, and they have generally told me that the FAA side may be what sounds even considerably more complicated than the military side. I've also spoken with an aviation attorney, who felt there could be substantial challenges to obtaining a first-time-initial FAA medical certificate, and it could cost me tens of thousands of dollars to get an initial medical certificate, or it may not even be possible, but he can't guess until I pay him thousands of dollars more to read all the documents. Two of the medical examiner offices I've talked to seem pretty clownish; I posted some of their redacted words, and I talked to some pro bono people, who said the one Aviation Medical Examiner was dead wrong, so I am steering clear of anyone who is confirmed to have told me anything untrue. One thing literally everyone agrees on, because supposedly in the last few years, the Federal Air Surgeon has tightened FAA rules, is that I would presumably have to do months of alcohol and drug testing, and Alcoholics Anonymous, because I drank some alcohol and smoked some weed when I was 15 and 16. And of course I have to pay for all that The biggest immediate issue in my unique situation may actually be FAA medical certification rather than military standards. At the same time, even if everything is technically waiverable for USAF and/or military purposes, I don't know whether a squadron would want to take on a complicated applicant when there are plenty of applicants who require little or no waiver work. I'm trying to spend extensive time trying to find appropriate competent FAA aviation medical examiners because even if I can't fly in the military, I want to put myself on the trajectory to do so, and critically, the medical certificate is step one

The worst part is this sheriff has zero skin in the game - there will be no accountability when his decree gets destroyed in court. There needs to be real penalties for public “servants” decreeing wildly anti-constitutional bullshit with reckless abandon. They’re like monkeys throwing shit at the wall constantly to see what sticks.

@17D_guy I doubt this MOU goes anywhere, including an actual deal. But if somehow a deal is reached, and it looks anything like this MOU, it’ll certainly negatively impact our standing in the region and in the world (like you mentioned - NK, etc.) This is a big fail for Trump currently, and I hope any deal reached doesn’t look like this MOU.

I’m not defending anybody so calm down. I was asking for a specific example where he extended his executive power further than others have. You gave an example of a court action, but many administrations have sued to get thing done or undone. I didn’t like the whole $1.8 billion fund either so chill out. You spun up pretty fast for just being asked for clarification.

How does this impact our relationships with the other Arab countries? Is our "defensive shield" worth anything to Saudi, UAE or Qatar? They took the vast brunt of the damage outside of Iran. Thinking that those relationships maintain through this MOU (doubly so with Israel fucking things up) is naive at best IMO. Will this require additional treasure in the region to hold this status quo? Iran has proven their strategic capability to control a vital resource and not surrender to the most advanced military in the world. Who gets froggy next with the "winning?" North Korea? China?

The 1911 takes two actions, initially. 😉 And tactical lights help prevent shooting at the wrong thing. My dot is green, so I'm good. Seriously, someone will file suit and lawyers will spend citizen money because, dumbassery.

Best superhero move ever!

Sure. Let me check Fox News... standby... I don't think Obama or Biden sued their own government for $10B (thats billion with a B) then ordered their own DOJ to settle the case before a judge ever got a proper proceeding going. I think thats a first. And when a D pulls that shit in the future, I'll be standing by for your outrage. PS. Its only a matter of time before Pres OJ Man is hunting strawberries and his staff gets the autopen warmed up.... IMO.

I know there are relatively recent posts about what I’m about to ask, but is there any updated gauge on the -46, -17, MC/HC-130? I drop within the next few months and would love any updated information on how these communities have reacted to all the stuff going on with Iran (particularly the rescue community with all the stuff that happened in getting the 15 bros back home). Thanks in advance.

Meins!! 🤗🤗

How do you say dibs in German?

The scale of rot in the governing quarters of the UK staggers the mind https://notthebee.com/article/op-ed-the-sentence-that-should-shame-a-nation?from_social=twitter The grooming gang report was released and the royal family releases this, they really need something to happen there, sometimes you have to abandon the approach, it’s too f’d up and just go around https://notthebee.com/article/the-royal-family-is-touting-its-efforts-to-curb-sexual-violence-in-africa-and-the-middle-east-the-comment-section-is-approaching-regicide?from_social=twitter Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ahhh California where a local sheriff has decided on his own that he can ban legal concel carry permit holders from carrying the following items: 1. Pistols equipped with red dots. 2. Pistols equipped with tactical lights. 3. Single action weapons to include the 1911. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdQ6q2W9kLU

Military TimesNot just a ‘flawed design’: Charting a new course for the...Opinion: A GWOT Memorial Foundation founder argues in this op-ed that concerns over the proposed memorial extend beyond design and into organizational priorities.