gearhog

That's a straw man argument. No one said or pretended there's been a time without any human conflict. You seem to be saying any conflict is acceptable because that's simply how the sausage gets made. Don't you see the irony in prefacing that with calling any other position "bold faced ignorance brought from a position of insulated relaxation"? I gotta give you credit, however. That's the strangest insult I've ever been given here, and many attempts have been made. You seem to be an astute student of history. Maybe review what you're calling an autocratic land-grab to avoid any appearances of ignorance or irony. I'm sure most of us here have seen the (if I may substitute) "freedom and democracy" getting made. One of my many memories is Capt Matt August. Three helos landed behind our Herc one night in Baghdad. His buddies carried him up the ramp and placed him into the HR container. The sight of 12-15 Army dudes, all arms around someone else's shoulders, crying standing there with my crew and I,while a Chaplain shouted his impromptu memorial service and prayers above the noise of the GTC (APU) is a memory I won't forget. I'm sure It didn't seem like a "little brush fire" to those who knew him and I would be hesitant to dismiss it as such. I just spent a day at the new WWII museum in New Orleans last Saturday. Absolutely fanastic. Highly recommended. It was good to be reminded how much resistance there was to enter the war until the pre-conditions crossed a relatively high threshold. And it when they did, it was a monumental effort of which the entire country was behind, designed to achieve a quick and decisive victory. I'm not a peacenik against all war. My contention is our current pre-conditions and thresholds for engaging, or continuing to engage, in foreign conflicts are often too low or for the wrong reasons, not that there shouldn't be any conflict.

Sorta makes you wonder if there's any middle ground between being isolationist and being continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for 20 plus years.

Pour three fingers of peated Scotch and give a listen.

I was attempting to mock that COA, but the resignation is starting to set in. Dont worry about it, I’ve never liked you anyway.

I know. You can see one of our Holstein steers in the background. They were purchased from a similar operation. I think factory livestock production is getting a little out of hand and I def thought “WTF” when I saw that vid.

There’s no saving the current financial system. Might as well stand on the gas.

I just never buy steak at all. https://twitter.com/JohnOberg/status/1681996424907735041?s=20

One of my favorite movie lines. https://youtu.be/9cjgYBaluLQ

This American goes by the name of Sarah Ashton-Cirillo. Sarah has been hired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to be its official spokesperson for Western/English speaking audiences. - that'd be you. https://twitter.com/SarahAshtonLV/status/1687759882294861824?s=20

Seems to be a lot of this kind of stuff happening. Same thing in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Given that there seem to be a lot of healthy young people who want to fight, how would you solve these types of societal problems?

LOL https://twitter.com/kanekoathegreat/status/1687208312218210306?s=46

You will be held accountable if you are a bystander to any kind of a situation and fail to report it. I would quote this line in my reports for every kind of situation. Every day. "Sir, I was in the SQ bar today at 1500 and witnessed a situation in which there was no alcohol. Thought you should know." Looking back at the thread, I missed this. So he won a legal case against the CMSgt for a Facebook ban? That's pretty funny. What ultimately happened to this guy? Did he make it to 20? I thought he either resigned or was booted from active duty over a drone issue. It's probably buried here somewhere, but didn't he post a vid of a sports car that he spent thousands on turning it into a James Bond anti-cop vehicle with electric shock door handles and a fog machine?

Here's something you may not have heard of: International Surrogacy Centers. Or, Underground Ukrainian Baby Factories. Products ship worldwide. Take my money. https://thegrayzone.com/2023/07/28/ukraines-baby-factories-profits-war/

https://twitter.com/CIA/status/1686048802489110528?s=20

I pulled a chair up to the window here in Crystal City, and I can see part of the puzzle palace, the monument, and the Dome. I'm not as impressed as I once was. Believe it or not, I'm constantly challenging my own thoughts more than anyone else and I don't like the feeling of, or giving the perception of, shytting on my country. But just when I convince myself that my concerns are overwrought, they get reinforced. Like this article from Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/509189/confidence-military-lowest-two-decades.aspx My career in service was a pretty big chapter in my life so I have an interest in whether my investment was a wise one. Yesterday, I saw a video of a 100 year old Marine Vet crying over America and how it isn't what he fought for. Pretty sad. I don't want to be that guy. But why is it average Americans have such a dim view of the military during one of the most dangerous times in recent memory?

Good graphic summarizing the current situation around Taiwan.

Hunter Biden, the "Private Citizen" arrives in Court to resolve his "Personal Matter". https://twitter.com/TheChiefNerd/status/1684963303611670536?s=20

This man is inspiring. Watch till the end. https://twitter.com/WesleyHuntTX/status/1684637952368848897?s=20

I was just reading the news story about LeBron James, son, Bronny (18) who had a heart attack during a workout. Then I found that someone compiled a list of all the recent news stories regarding young athletes who collapsed and/or died Apr 2023 and before https://goodsciencing.com/covid/athletes-suffer-cardiac-arrest-die-after-covid-shot/

How many lies have we been told recently? Recent government information on nearly every issue that has captivated the public fear and fascination has been suspect. COVID, climate change, vaccines, Monkeypox, Russia, North Korea, AFG, inflation, gov spending, DEI, elections, immigration, social issues, etc, etc, etc. Now UFOs. I have two theories: Either we have these non-elected "intelligence" services promoting narratives that either contribute to the expansion of authority, enrich DC elite, or distract from their failures.... Or, it's just a bunch of morons wasting time and money deliberating over rumors, fantasies, and gossip. "I want to believe." But, given the recent track record, I'm not buying the whole "Well, Sally said Peter knows a guy whose cousin saw a dead alien. Here's a 240p video of a white dot in the sky at night." Show up with a wrecked spaceship, head of an alien, or kick rocks.

Just doing a little reading. 20 July - Grassley released the FBI memo regarding the foreign bribery scheme. Three of the people mentioned are: the CHS (Confidential Human Source) Zlochevsky - Burisma CEO who claims to have text messages and proof of bribery. Ostapenko - Works in the Zelensky administration, connected the source and Zlochevsky. All three were associates working together. Sources are now claiming that Zelensky, through Ostapenko, has had possession of all information and materials related to the bribery scheme. Zelensky became president in 2019. Biden in 2020. In September 2020, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved Ukraine's new National Security Strategy, which provides for the development of the distinctive partnership with NATO with the aim of membership in NATO. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_37750.htm Jan 25, 2021 - The Biden administration immediately began spending billions on Ukraine - all before the invasion. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/biden-has-proven-track-record-ukraine-what-can-we-expect-his-administration Coincidence? What would you do if you were a foreign leader with proof of crimes committed by the current US presidential administration?

Brown did say that he had application goals. As long as the applicants fall into one of the targeted percentage groups he specified in his memo, he could reinstate them with rank and back pay just as Sen Schmidt wanted. Everyone's happy, right?

Same time?