ClearedHot

Come on dude....just be honest, you hate Miami almost as much as you hate me. Georgia has two LOSSES...not "squeaked out wins"...outright losses. They struggled with a Miss State team that is 2-10 overall and 0-8 on conference play. They squeaked past Kentucky by ONE point, a team that is 4-7 overall and 1-7 in conference play. Then comes the game against GT, the only team to BEAT MIAMI. GT took the Bulldogs to EIGHT overtimes. That was an epic game to watch, both teams had multiple chances to win.

If you want to increase sales a couple of quick changes in the code and you will have a porn star name generator...a far more lucrative market.

I like the combo for redundancy and the newer vertical axis wind generators are far less obtrusive and take up little room. Don't want to derail this thread but doubt there is enough interest for a new thread. There is a guy int he North East who built an solar hydrogen offgrid system that powered his entire house and provided for all of his transportation almost 20 years ago. Cool video on his set up. Tech has changed and prices dropped and it can be done for far less today.

I probably would not do a lot of off-roading. Mostly running errands, things from Lowes, hauling stuff back and forth to my hangar. Likely building a barndominiumn and compound soon with enough solar/wind/batteries to be off grid. Solar fuel cells have come WAY down so really want a system that powers the entire house for extended periods of time. Being able to charge an EV for free is a bonus. I need to go drive one and see what storage/hauling it allows.

Russia raised conscription age from 27 to 30 and it conscripting 150,000 troops every six months. Many Russian troops had only two weeks of training before being thrown into the meat grinder. In total it is estimated Russia has suffered 650,000 casualties with over 100,000 KIA. Us Defense officials estimate Russia loses 6 soldiers for every Ukrainian soldier they kill. Attrition warfare is horrific and Russia has been changed for generations by this war.

Anyone have or drive the Cyber Truck? It gets a lot of hate but would be practical for me.

MSNBC admitted it was "unaware" that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign paid $500,000 to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network nonprofit ahead of a friendly interview with the Democratic nominee ahead of Election Day.

Thanks to all who have spent the holiday in a far away place.

Whatever you choose for home defense I hope you practice with that weapon or "those weapons." I keep all of my weapons secure so for immediate reaction I can roll out of bed on the floor and put either hand on a biometeric gun case. I keep two pistols in there, a Beretta M9 (I know I know....but I can drive nails with the M9 and shot expert everytime). I also have a Glock 19 with a couple of 30 round mags. I picked the Glock because the 30 round mags are compatible with the Ruger PC charger which is 12 steps away in a closet safe. I also have the A300 and if the safe and if there is time I would prefer the A300 running slugs and 00 Buck. The A300 holds 8, I have another 7 on the gun and I keep a giant bandolier attached to the side of the safe that I can throw over my neck. On the range the A300 with 00 Buck is devastating out to 75', with slugs 300' is not out of the question but would not be my first choice for mid to long range. If there is no time the PC Charger is in the stowed position so I can move fast, almost as fast as a pistol. I keep several mags with the Charger and have them situated so I can grab them in the dark. If I have time to take a side step the brace on the Charger folds out quick and it drives nails. If I make it to my office and the big safe I have several choices but will likely grab one of several ARs with lights and red dots. Have a .44 Mag for dramatic effect and post fight taunting.

That is the hand-waving they will use to get a three loss Alabama team in. When you throw the non-conference argument on the table you overlook the fact that Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. When you peel the onion back you find out the conference losses should be pulling them down as a whole. Georgia lost to a now three loss Alabama and Ole Miss who got punked by at the time what was a very mediocre Gator team. The rankings of the SEC teams has been artificially high because well...$.

Great day of football if you watched it. One thing is certain, the SEC as a whole is overrated and they shredded themselves yesterday The Gators are out of their funk, they looked stout as they stopped Ole Miss and ended their chances of making the CFP. Indiana was exposed. Auburn started red hot and went up 21-0, only to let A&M come back and take the lead. Epic finish as Auburn wins in the 4th OT. Miami got by Wake 41-14, the game was closer than it looked. Miami's defense played better but the offense was not clicking until very late. Penn State got LUCKY and squeaked by the Gophers by one point. And my favorite game, Alabama got PUNKED by a mediocre Oklahoma team that ran all over them while holding the tide to a single field goal. No doubt the ESPN/ABC SEC homers will be working hard to justify five three loss SEC teams in the playoff.

Its not over yet...

Wanna bet? I predicted his nomination to AG. I now predict he is appointed to replace Rubio.

Huh? When did I say we have to fund the defense of Europe? Bringing up isolationism is not a "snarky jab" it is a reality when it comes to great power competition and an interconnected global economy. I was very much in favor of Trump's efforts to force NATO to meet their defense spending obligations. Ukraine serves as a great example of why NATO nations need to step up but if they don't you can throw your hands up in jest and say oh well that's their problem and think is doesn't have an impact to us on the other side of the pond. The punchline is we are going to pay one way or the other. Ukraine is a major exporter of agricultural commodities, including wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, barley, and other grains. Ukraine is the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil and the fifth largest exporter of wheat. Ukraine produces mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid, synthetic fibers, caustic soda, petrochemicals, photographic chemicals, and pesticides. Turkey and Egypt rely on them for almost 70% of their wheat imports. Ukraine is also the top supplier of corn to China. Lets look at one commodity - wheat and the impact Russia taking Ukraine will have on the global economy and the prices Americans pay in the stores. When Putin attacked Ukraine What prices more than doubled just on the perception that Russia might take Ukraine. As the invasion stalled and the front "mostly stabilized" so did wheat prices. If Putin takes Ukraine he will own 20% of the world's wheat production. Another 32% is controlled by China and India meaning 50% of the world's wheat production will be in the hands of people that don't care for us. Thanks to regulation, costs and farmland availability, U.S. wheat production has been in steady decline for 34 years. As of 2024 we are down 61% from our heyday. Fortunately we are still self-sufficient but if Putin wins I guess we could thumb our nose at Europe and just feed ourselves, but prices will soar and it will impact every American's pocket. Our national debt is obviously a huge concern and probably the biggest threat to our country, but when making decisions in a globally connected world/economy we have to think about the 2nd and 3rd order effects.

Yeah that isolationism worked out great in the past. I certainly don't think we should be the world police or that we should pay for the defense of Europe. Clearly Most NATO countries have failed to meet the 2% Defense spending guideline. Thanks to Trump they now spend $50B more that they did before his first term. I am in favor of a policy that strongly encourages (arm twisting), them to meet their obligations with out us throwing up our arms and saying take it all Vlad.

AND they will own Europe's bread basket. If Putin owns the energy and the food...

There is some nuance but in short it is known as the Budapest Memorandum - the Wiki Page does a good job of breaking it down. In short, when the FSU fell apart Ukraine had a large number of nuclear weapons and the west was looking for a way to secure those weapons and prevent proliferation. The west gave Ukraine "security assurances" but in the end the document is NOT binding. As Americans we have a very short memory, we basically made a promise to protect Ukraine thinking peace had broken out and Russia fueled by capitalism, was going to be a peaceful friend. Now that Putin has attacked Ukraine twice we are pretending like we didn't give our word. Yet another reason countries around the world don;t take our promises and foreign policy seriously.

To maybe draw this away from insults and back to rational discussion. For those who are against - do you think we should turn a blind eye to Russian aggression? If no what is your response, diplomacy and sanctions or just ignore it. Do you think he will stop at Ukraine? What do you see as the impact of Ukraine under Putin's control? For those who are in favor - How do you mitigate the potential for the conflict to spill over? What are the downsides of providing munitions and money? What do you say about Ukrainian corruption? I've stated many times I am in favor of the support we have provided, for a relatively low cost we have removed Russia as a near-peer threat for many years to come. That being said I do have concerns about striking deep into Russian territory with American made weapons.

How bad is FSU this year?

Rich isn't it. The double standard is astounding especially when you look at the case of Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell who actually WAS having an affair with a Chinese agent...no big deal according to Democrats.