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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

michaelskis said:
I agree with most of that list. I think electoral college still has value, but not under the existing format. Eliminate gerrymandering from congressional district and popular vote per congressional districts get that district vote, and then the popular vote per state gets the last 2 votes.

As for 2nd Amendment.... what changes do you have in mind?

Everything else I am 100% in agreement with.
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2nd Amendment modification would state:
  • The right to own a firearm does not mean the government cannot regulate at any point for any reason the ability of a person to own, operate, or sell a firearm for any reason.
  • Guns kill people.
Okay fine, that is being facetious. My real modification would be:

Original: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Updated: The right of people to keep and bear arms shall be well regulated, heavily studied and reviewed, and modified as technologies change.
 
JNA said:
Border barrier of shipping containers snakes across Arizona wilderness
www.politico.com

Arizona Gov. Ducey stacks containers on border at term’s end

Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs said she hasn’t decided what to do about the containers.
www.politico.com www.politico.com


5f79d991b7ef2f9eed5f633405183893
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Stay classy Arizona. Also there are warnings not to go in that area because the container wall might fall over on top of you. Part of it already fell down
 
That's really isn't a wall, it's and environmental issue and eyesore. I like this paragraph that outlines the "security":

Still, yawning gaps remain in the new container wall, including an open space of several hundred yards on terrain far too steep to place the containers. In some low lying wash areas there are gaps nearly three feet wide.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
The big thing is that Griner was a political prisoner--her punishment was HIGHLY inconsistent with typical practices in Russia. A THC charge there is typically a fine, not a decade in a labor camp. Russia decided to play a game, and they have a distinct habit of treating LGBTQ and racial minorities far more harshly.
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I agree. This trade was political, but it's beyond just a 'WNBA' player given the unusual sentencing from Russia. One thing I have noticed though is that most of the responses/criticisms refers to her just as an "WNBA" player, and seem to omit that she's a two-time Olympic Gold medalist for the US. Not to imply that the the trade was fair or not, but that omission certainly skews the perception.
 
Like it or not that was the deal to be made. I have reservations about an arms dealer going free but I'm sure there are things we do behind the scenes to hopefully keep tabs on that joker.
 
mendelman said:
Sorry. Nope. Electoral college needs to be 100% scrapped.

It was simply a compromise bastardization creation and was problematic from the beginning.
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Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance. Or are you saying that voters in rural areas, and their needs, don't matter as much urban areas?

Hink said:
Original: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Updated: The right of people to keep and bear arms shall be well regulated, heavily studied and reviewed, and modified as technologies change.
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Can you elaborate on what "Well Regulated" and "Modified as Technologies Change" actually mean?

For example, both narcotics, nuclear power plants, and beef are all well regulated. But it is much easier to navigate the operations of a commerical beef farm than it is a nuclear power plant. Can you be more specific on how well regulated would be applied?

Can you also elaborate on the element regarding technology?
 
Planit said:
That's really isn't a wall, it's and environmental issue and eyesore. I like this paragraph that outlines the "security":

Still, yawning gaps remain in the new container wall, including an open space of several hundred yards on terrain far too steep to place the containers. In some low lying wash areas there are gaps nearly three feet wide.
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I'm sure the state didn't consider any of the fun environmental impacts like migratory animals that come across the border (including one jaguar) or how tribal land is being dealt with. I'm not sure how tribal laws work with state laws on shipping containers, but the tribe in the area hates it because it blocks access to tribal members south of the border. Damn that whole sovereign nation thing. Plus it blocks part of a road they consider and evacuation route. The list can go on for things that were not considered. What I do know, it hasn't slowed anything down so way to spend state money on something that doesn't work.
dw914er said:
I agree. This trade was political, but it's beyond just a 'WNBA' player given the unusual sentencing from Russia. One thing I have noticed though is that most of the responses/criticisms refers to her just as an "WNBA" player, and seem to omit that she's a two-time Olympic Gold medalist for the US. Not to imply that the the trade was fair or not, but that omission certainly skews the perception.
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I always see the "just an WNBA player as a way to diminish her or the trade. She was just a US citizen. It really doesn't matter what her job was. Granted the WBNA and the Mercury helped put on a little more pressure than you or I would get.
 
michaelskis said:
Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance. Or are you saying that voters in rural areas, and their needs, don't matter as much urban areas?
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Gotta disagree. What you're saying is the cities should bow down to rural states with less population?

The President is elected by the people through representatives. Let's cut out the middle man and just elect by the people. Yes the people live in cities which means more liberal people will vote. I guess the GOP will actually need to connect with voters to win.

The Senate holds the job of representing the states. Not that they do anymore, but that is their alleged job.
 
michaelskis said:
Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance.
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By this same logic, the size of the House of Representatives needs to be increased. Currently, each elector in WY represents 185k people, in California each elector represents 675k people. Effectively making each vote in WY worth 3 votes in CA.
 
michaelskis said:
Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance. Or are you saying that voters in rural areas, and their needs, don't matter as much urban areas?
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DVD said:
Gotta disagree. What you're saying is the cities should bow down to rural states with less population?

The President is elected by the people through representatives. Let's cut out the middle man and just elect by the people. Yes the people live in cities which means more liberal people will vote. I guess the GOP will actually need to connect with voters to win.

The Senate holds the job of representing the states. Not that they do anymore, but that is their alleged job.
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estromberg said:
By this same logic, the size of the House of Representatives needs to be increased. Currently, each elector in WY represents 185k people, in California each elector represents 675k people. Effectively making each vote in WY worth 3 votes in CA.
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One person, one vote is the most equal and fair.

A person's vote in Chicago, IL equals a person's vote in Saline County, KS.
 
michaelskis said:
Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance. Or are you saying that voters in rural areas, and their needs, don't matter as much urban areas?
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Given that one has a disproportionally higher representation per capita than the other, I disagree that urban areas have too much power, and more of the "We the People" are in those areas.
 
michaelskis said:
Sorry nope, absolute popular vote puts too much power in major metropolitan areas and ignores entre states like WY, MT, OK, UT. There needs to be some level of balance. Or are you saying that voters in rural areas, and their needs, don't matter as much urban areas?



Can you elaborate on what "Well Regulated" and "Modified as Technologies Change" actually mean?

For example, both narcotics, nuclear power plants, and beef are all well regulated. But it is much easier to navigate the operations of a commerical beef farm than it is a nuclear power plant. Can you be more specific on how well regulated would be applied?

Can you also elaborate on the element regarding technology?
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I have never understood why people think votes in California count more than those in Wyoming. One vote is one vote. Popular vote is how Americans should have a President elected in a society that has media overload. Electoral College is a relic used to keep elections close, when good policy should do that.

As for my elaboration, I am certain there is no value, because you will likely say - YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO TAKE GUNS!, but I will continue, as I am in a jovial mood this afternoon.

Well Regulated, means that the government has the right to regulate as it sees fit to assure this country is safe from itself and from epidemics that occur within our borders (like school shootings, gun violence, etc.). An example of this would be to limit the number of guns in the open marketplace. Another example would be limits the types of weapons available on the open marketplace. Another example would be strict enforcement of buying, ownership of guns, training, and serial numbers / tracking etc.

Technology is in reference to the ability to ban guns that we don't even know about yet. So we don't get into this BS loophole of saying that because we didn't mention it 200 years ago we can't ban assault weapons, when it is clear the intention was for musket loaded single shot guns, but we have bastardized the law to meet certain needs. Technology modification allows us to actually update the rules and regulations so they meet the needs of the 22nd century instead of trying to lock them in so our half human half alien great-great-great-great grandchildren don't have to pretend like the 2nd amendment is protecting them from space lasers.
 
DVD said:
I'm sure the state didn't consider any of the fun environmental impacts like migratory animals that come across the border (including one jaguar) or how tribal land is being dealt with. I'm not sure how tribal laws work with state laws on shipping containers, but the tribe in the area hates it because it blocks access to tribal members south of the border. Damn that whole sovereign nation thing. Plus it blocks part of a road they consider and evacuation route. The list can go on for things that were not considered. What I do know, it hasn't slowed anything down so way to spend state money on something that doesn't work.

I always see the "just an WNBA player as a way to diminish her or the trade. She was just a US citizen. It really doesn't matter what her job was. Granted the WBNA and the Mercury helped put on a little more pressure than you or I would get.
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I can't wait until they find some enterprising people who've turned them into condos. Or maybe someone could put a small gate in onside and drop off their product and have someone on the other side pick it up. The containers are great for storage.
 
Bullington-win-rural-report-Edited_01c8ac7cc3b849e525e370bc51344120.jpg


This is why I think we should do something other than popular vote. Here is an election were Biden won (and yes it was a fair election) but when you look at the map, it shows that the urban areas, even under the current system, carry the votes. *Note, this is a county map, not gerrymandered congressional districts. Growing up in Michigan I saw it all the time. What they decided in Detroit and the Grand Rapids carried the entire state. Downtown Detroit and Downtown Copper Harbor are extremely different places.


Overall, I think the conversation while entertaining is moot. I don't think that this, or the 2nd amendment, will be changed anytime soon.
 
michaelskis said:
Bullington-win-rural-report-Edited_01c8ac7cc3b849e525e370bc51344120.jpg


This is why I think we should do something other than popular vote. Here is an election were Biden won (and yes it was a fair election) but when you look at the map, it shows that the urban areas, even under the current system, carry the votes. *Note, this is a county map, not gerrymandered congressional districts. Growing up in Michigan I saw it all the time. What they decided in Detroit and the Grand Rapids carried the entire state. Downtown Detroit and Downtown Copper Harbor are extremely different places.


Overall, I think the conversation while entertaining is moot. I don't think that this, or the 2nd amendment, will be changed anytime soon.
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Three words for you...

Land. Doesn't. Vote.

Frankly, I'm surprised you'd make use of such a garbage map. I mean it conveys a clear (albeit incorrect) point to people that don't understand population density, but not likely that there are many folks like that in this forum, at least I hope not. A better map would be one like this:

Picture3.png
 
estromberg said:
Land. Doesn't. Vote.
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I don't know, based on the map the Grand Canyon is kinda liberal and Yosemite a lot more conservative.

The argument of Detroit running the state or in my case Phoenix running the state always comes up. Those poor rural cities just can't get funding for things. Maybe because the majority of funding is going to where the majority of people are. Then again, politics being what it is, my state is overrun by conservative rural folk who hate cities. So it's the rural folk running the state. Thanks gerrymandering.
 
DVD said:
I don't know, based on the map the Grand Canyon is kinda liberal and Yosemite a lot more conservative.

The argument of Detroit running the state or in my case Phoenix running the state always comes up. Those poor rural cities just can't get funding for things. Maybe because the majority of funding is going to where the majority of people are. Then again, politics being what it is, my state is overrun by conservative rural folk who hate cities. So it's the rural folk running the state. Thanks gerrymandering.
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I 100% agree that we need to do away with gerrymandered districts and have realistic boundaries.

estromberg said:
Three words for you...

Land. Doesn't. Vote.

Frankly, I'm surprised you'd make use of such a garbage map. I mean it conveys a clear (albeit incorrect) point to people that don't understand population density, but not likely that there are many folks like that in this forum, at least I hope not. A better map would be one like this:

Picture3.png
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Ok, use your map... still does not change the polarity between urban and rural areas. But I think that your map further proves that those in rural areas don't have a chance of getting their ideas across being that candidates will not campain in their states. The concentration of votes does not matter, which implies that they don't matter. Is that the what you are trying to say?
 
michaelskis said:
I 100% agree that we need to do away with gerrymandered districts and have realistic boundaries.



Ok, use your map... still does not change the polarity between urban and rural areas. But I think that your map further proves that those in rural areas don't have a chance of getting their ideas across being that candidates will not campain in their states. The concentration of votes does not matter, which implies that they don't matter. Is that the what you are trying to say?
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Those rural states have a built in advantage thanks to our bicameral legislature. The Senate helps ensure South Dakota gets as much representation in that body as does New York or California. And legislation has to pass both houses as you know.
 
michaelskis said:
The concentration of votes does not matter, which implies that they don't matter. Is that the what you are trying to say?
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One person, one vote is equal and fair given that the Electoral College only applies to the Presidential election and that is the only election that every voter votes.

If people want to live in low population places and self select for political ideology then that's their choice.

I think it's a travesty that my vote in a high populous urban county is less proportionate the to voter in a rural Montana county with 99% less population.

Our votes should be treated equally. They are not now.

When a candidate loses the election, but wins the popular vote, I think that is not a representative government. It's a political perversion created as a compromise by the Founders to keep all 13 states united in 1789.
 
michaelskis said:
I heard a theory yesterday that the negotiation was for Griner were because of political reasons.
She is a homosexual, African-American, female, liberal, where as Paul Whealan is a white straight male that did not fit the political agenda. His brother came out in defense of the President yesterday on the news and my wife pointed out that of course he is not going to criticize Biden when he is the only hope of his brother's release.

Personally, I think there is more to the picture than politics of the situation being that Whelan is former military.
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Suburb Repairman said:
The big thing is that Griner was a political prisoner--her punishment was HIGHLY inconsistent with typical practices in Russia. A THC charge there is typically a fine, not a decade in a labor camp. Russia decided to play a game, and they have a distinct habit of treating LGBTQ and racial minorities far more harshly.

Whealan is a more open question. His charge is espionage, and his treatment is consistent with that (whether the charges are legit is the question). As former military with 4-country citizenship and then working in the security industry in multiple countries, his circumstances are far different than a ballplayer.

Of note: Trump was unable to do shit about either of them despite being besties with Vlad.
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On the trade of Griner for Bout, I agree with the administration that in this case you take the deal that was offered to bring home an American when possible even if it means returning a convicted arms dealer (who did already serve more than a decade of his prison term and who the sentencing judge said years ago would have given less time in prison than 25 years if the sentencing guidelines allowed it).

As for Paul Whelan... As a native of this area his case has been in the news here regularly since 2018 and I never understood how somebody who got served the Big Chicken Dinner from the Marine Corps was able to get a job as a security director for a massive, global company. At the time of his arrest, he was working at BorgWarner, a Tier 1 OEM supplier to the automotive industry with more than 50k employees across the globe and nearly $15 billion in revenue. So his "security director" job wasn't just sitting at a desk greeting people coming into the building but likely involved overseeing things like security threats in overseas locations for traveling employees, in-depth background checks of potential high-level hires, vetting meetings with foreign economic development officials, and damage control for personnel issues that may arise. From the day the news of his detainment hit the local news here back in '18, something definitely seemed off about the situation.

Edit for something I initially intended to include: I recall reading the Griner was likely on the downward side of her professional basketball career and probably wouldn't have been on a 2024 U.S. Olympic team, but IF she makes the team and IF Russia (or some form of Russia) also competes in the Olympics in '24, and IF the U.S. were to play Russia... I pity the fools who have to go up against her on the court in that game. That's a lot of "IFs" but it would be fun to see.
 
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^ That is one thicc trophy! (I think I'm using that term correctly)

The BorgWarner HQ is not far from my office. Maybe I should be looking at some job openings, you know, in case the trophy model works there as well!

I do not really care about auto racing and had no idea that the Indianapolis 500 trophy was called the Borg-Warner Trophy. Briefly going down the Wikipedia rabbit hole, here's a picture of racing legend (and local resident) Roger Penske holding his "Baby Borg".

1280px-Roger_penske_will_power_%2847966327853%29.jpg
 
You know why Republicans keep talking about voter fraud?
They done done it. Remember this? Now its potentially moving forward.
 
Planit said:
You know why Republicans keep talking about voter fraud?
They done done it. Remember this? Now its potentially moving forward.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA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the king and i GIF by dani
 
Planit said:
You know why Republicans keep talking about voter fraud?
They done done it. Remember this? Now its potentially moving forward.
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I've always said...okay sometimes say...the one who protests about it is probably guilty of it (methinks he dost protest too much). It's because if you think everyone is guilty of something you have thought often about doing it yourself. That preacher who is just way to anti gay...might be a little gay.

On the other side, we did bust one lady down in Yuma for "helping" people to vote. She was going around to nursing homes and collecting ballots to put in the drop box. I think there's nothing wrong with that, but it's illegal here. She crossed the line when she started helping people vote. It's one thing if they can't write and you're their official guardian or something, but she was encouraging people to vote left.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
On the trade of Griner for Bout, I agree with the administration that in this case you take the deal that was offered to bring home an American when possible even if it means returning a convicted arms dealer (who did already serve more than a decade of his prison term and who the sentencing judge said years ago would have given less time in prison than 25 years if the sentencing guidelines allowed it).

As for Paul Whelan... As a native of this area his case has been in the news here regularly since 2018 and I never understood how somebody who got served the Big Chicken Dinner from the Marine Corps was able to get a job as a security director for a massive, global company. At the time of his arrest, he was working at BorgWarner, a Tier 1 OEM supplier to the automotive industry with more than 50k employees across the globe and nearly $15 billion in revenue. So his "security director" job wasn't just sitting at a desk greeting people coming into the building but likely involved overseeing things like security threats in overseas locations for traveling employees, in-depth background checks of potential high-level hires, vetting meetings with foreign economic development officials, and damage control for personnel issues that may arise. From the day the news of his detainment hit the local news here back in '18, something definitely seemed off about the situation.

Edit for something I initially intended to include: I recall reading the Griner was likely on the downward side of her professional basketball career and probably wouldn't have been on a 2024 U.S. Olympic team, but IF she makes the team and IF Russia (or some form of Russia) also competes in the Olympics in '24, and IF the U.S. were to play Russia... I pity the fools who have to go up against her on the court in that game. That's a lot of "IFs" but it would be fun to see.
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Someone I know IRL loudly pronounced that the US left behind a Marine. Of course he's never served in the military. He got incredibly pissed off when I pointed out that Whelan was courtmartialed and convicted of attempting to steal currency while deployed in Iraq and has a bad conduct discharge. He tried to argue that "Once a Marine, always a Marine!" I asked my future SIL (4 active + 2 reserve) and he was like absolutely not, that guy shouldn't have any kind of connection with national security even on the private side.
 
kjel said:
Someone I know IRL loudly pronounced that the US left behind a Marine. Of course he's never served in the military. He got incredibly pissed off when I pointed out that Whelan was courtmartialed and convicted of attempting to steal currency while deployed in Iraq and has a bad conduct discharge. He tried to argue that "Once a Marine, always a Marine!" I asked my future SIL (4 active + 2 reserve) and he was like absolutely not, that guy shouldn't have any kind of connection with national security even on the private side.
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Agree with your future SIL 100%. "Once a Marine, always a Marine" only applies when they're not an absolute sh!tbird.
 
kjel said:
Someone I know IRL loudly pronounced that the US left behind a Marine. Of course he's never served in the military. He got incredibly pissed off when I pointed out that Whelan was courtmartialed and convicted of attempting to steal currency while deployed in Iraq and has a bad conduct discharge. He tried to argue that "Once a Marine, always a Marine!" I asked my future SIL (4 active + 2 reserve) and he was like absolutely not, that guy shouldn't have any kind of connection with national security even on the private side.
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A Big Chicken Dinner (Bad Conduct Discharge) is an instant disqualification. The title "Marine" no longer applies to such folks.
 
kjel said:
Someone I know IRL loudly pronounced that the US left behind a Marine. Of course he's never served in the military. He got incredibly pissed off when I pointed out that Whelan was courtmartialed and convicted of attempting to steal currency while deployed in Iraq and has a bad conduct discharge.
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Did not know this information (I hadn't really tried to find out either), so the Right's fake outrage about Griner over Whelan is even worse.

Purely oppositional politics is so disgusting.
 
Well this is interesting.

Earlier this fall, e-mail notifications were sent out to people indicating that they were approved for the student loan forgiveness program, but fund distribution was on hold pending the appeal of the court's determination that it was unconstitutional and put a hold on it.

Recently they sent out a second e-mail saying that the first one was not correct and that they have received the requests, but could not review them until after the appeal process is successful.

 
michaelskis said:
Well this is interesting.

Earlier this fall, e-mail notifications were sent out to people indicating that they were approved for the student loan forgiveness program, but fund distribution was on hold pending the appeal of the court's determination that it was unconstitutional and put a hold on it.

Recently they sent out a second e-mail saying that the first one was not correct and that they have received the requests, but could not review them until after the appeal process is successful.

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Yep, I got those emails. I think part of the confusion might be different forgiveness programs. Mine was the established public service program. So no law suit is going to hold that up. Plus I have a nice letter that says this has been discharged and I'll be damned if I let you put that debt back on me. I think this was only to apply to those loan forgiveness programs Biden was trying to do.
 
michaelskis said:
It has been in the news for two weeks and CNN only posted on it 24 hours ago?
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I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make. It's really a non-story. I'd imagine CNN had something about it before and now it's cycled back because these sites have to keep posting content to get those clicks.
 
It's also been reported that some of the images were "lifted" from small clothing websites. For instance, the sheriff card has the same duster with the same folds/creases/tabs just in a different color as one that is on some clothing website.

The company selling this stuff address is a UPS Store mailbox in Utah. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!
 
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