Comments by "Tim Trewyn" (@timtrewyn453) on "Forbes Breaking News" channel.

  1. Have they written their Articles of Impeachment? Have they formed their impeachment team?
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  2.  @James-sc9dm  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Not my words.
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  3. Did Hunter assault law enforcement?
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  4. Rubio's speech has a lot of good insight. But this can't wait for Donald Trump to find out the next election results. Congress is going to have to see if it can alter the law in a way that constrains the Executive as they think it should.
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  5. We don't have enough money to do that. Thus the discussion of prosecutorial discretion in this interview. And Pam Bondi showed that she understands that very well. When we frivolously go after political targets rather than violent criminals, the criminals win and more people die. Booker was admitting a Trump appointed federal DA he was initially concerned about turned out to be a DA that went after lethal criminals.
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  6. General assertions of violations without the citation of specific laws and actual behavior are not persuasive, and indeed suggest a weak case. Even if each speaker's time is limited, they should divide the presentation so the American people can hear for themselves the precise violations and lies of Secretary Mayorkas.
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  7. What if there was an American consulate within 100 miles of every person in Central America? That's the proper place to apply for asylum. These consulates could work with American contractors and developers and local labor to generate commerce and security and health care right where it is needed. This would take pressure off the US border. People come to make a living. They should do that at home. The consulates would be destinations for those to be deported from the United States. I have no idea if NYC hotels housing immigrants are breaking even on this or profiting from it.
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  8.  @uswvme862  The 1994 Budapest Memorandum is an historical marker in the relationship between the UK, US, Russia and Ukraine. Russia has set it aside. Until recently, the other parties had not set it aside. The current US administration has set it aside, but strangely wants to be involved. It is time for the UK and any coalition of the willing in Europe and elsewhere to say "Thank you" to the United States and advise it that no agreement it makes with Russia will be binding on Ukraine or the coalition. If you value America First, then all this diplomatic energy can be terminated and funds redirected to the American people. I'm obviously not sure what your values are.
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  9. If you look at the text of the grant, it was about fostering religious pluralism in Nepal because Nepal has a history of religious persecution. Atheism was listed as one of many possible thought paradigms. In essence, the United States was funding the kind of religious pluralism that exists in the United States. Should we do that on behalf of religious minorities in Nepal? Maybe we cannot afford that kind of program anymore, given our growing national debt.
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  10. Soviet Union broke up. NATO is still around. Russia acting more like the Soviet Union every day. No surprise. The KGB is still around.
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  11. Socialism is reserved for corporations that are too big to fail when they get themselves in trouble.
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  12. What Congress or the President needs to do is provide Walter Reed with a list of public officials when, if admitted, Walter Reed notifies the emergency contact on the list. It's something any hospital does. Sometimes the patient is in no condition to make that communication.
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  13. The Colorado Supreme Court did find Donald Trump guilty of insurrection, and it was necessary that they do so before they could invoke 14/3. The federal prosecution is ongoing.
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  14. Why is a bill endorsed by the Border Patrol Council (border law enforcement) a crap bill?
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  15. If you look at the text of the grant, it was about fostering religious pluralism in Nepal because Nepal has a history of religious persecution. Atheism was listed as one of many possible thought paradigms. In essence, the United States was funding the kind of religious pluralism that exists in the United States. Should we do that on behalf of religious minorities in Nepal? Maybe we cannot afford that kind of program anymore, given our growing national debt.
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  16. I always appreciate a legislator who cites multiple scientific studies. This was a well prepared speech that challenges critics to match it with other scientific studies. Rational arguments are refreshing.
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  17. What is new is that Russia has demonstrated the ability to sway enough voters through social media toward its interests. This happens in other open societies as well. Trump will age out. This vulnerability will remain. The US should consider its own social media posting capabilities, constantly countering falsehoods with truth.
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  18. Where is it docked? How often does he take it out? Surely the Russian navy has pictures.
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  19. I suspect if the American people were advised what operational control of the southern border would cost, they would direct the Congress to find some kind of affordable middle ground. The Members may be legally correct in their accusations of the Secretary, but they evade the practical details of achieving their objective. One might also suspect there are a number of cost and policy studies sitting on some government shelf, the contents of which the average taxpayer would gag on.
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  20. Maybe all corporations should pay a tax for border protection. This pits employers against each other. Use some of the tax to put bounties on employers who hire illegal immigrants. This will create a private enforcement industry. Given all the hoopla on this subject we should not have much of a problem finding bounty hunters. Then tax loopholes can be created for employers that can prove they have no illegal immigrants on their payroll. The bounty hunters would help bad actors decide illegal immigrants are not worth hiring. Then border protection costs go down and the taxes for it go down. Also use the taxes to build more consulates in countries where illegal immigrants come from so they can go to those consulates and do things properly. There are jobs in the US that need to be filled and there are not enough American citizens willing to fill them. Set up a border tax and incentives to get it right.
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  21. No, please, stop, don't. /s
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  22. Why just Ukraine? The security assistance bill Senator Kennedy voted for involves US border security and immigration, Israel aid, Taiwan aid, and Ukraine aid. Do you feel that Taiwan's resistance to China is futile? Do you feel Israel's resistance to the Islamic empire is futile? Do you feel American prosperity can continue to grow if the Russian and Chinese empires take more control of international trade? "Armies and navies exist to protect commerce" -- American philosopher John Dewey. The world is indeed sad. The world is often an outright street fight. Look how the Houthi's can raise the cost of shipping and stoke inflation. Do we just go turtle and stay out of the bullies' way?
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  23.  @ВладимирМозговой-л5э  No. I imagine a world in which all nations are able to trade with all other nations, without becoming Russia's or America's or China's "turf" or sphere of influence. Russia benefited from Western oil extraction technology and international pipelines to market its oil and gas to the world. It then used the economic power it gained to violently expand its jurisdiction over areas of other nations such as Georgia and Ukraine. Russia was not forced to use violence. That is pretext, a false excuse that Russian's use steal and kill. The world sees it, whatever Russia thinks. We are not giving in to Russian attempts at mind control. Russia's neighbors do not trust Russia, especially when it makes excuses for violent expansion. Inexpensive drones are demonstrating that the notion of a navy base on Crimea that is used to project violence is perhaps obsolete. The planet faces serious consequences due to the changing climate. Meanwhile Russian leadership harbors delusions of grandeur. Ukraine should be able to trade with all nations, and not be subject to Russian approval.
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  24. Musk and Vivek can just buy up government functions and turn them into profit centers or just permanently close them. Like air traffic controllers will get their pay cut and air traffic ticket fees will go up to raise profits. Their "efficiency" program is really about shopping for the best deals for them.
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  25. That is the business of the people of the State of Kentucky.
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  26. Indeed. Revealing.
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  27. The exchange is framed by the Congressman's limited time and his privilege to appear victorious to his constituents. What I can't understand are witnesses who have not figured out that they should probably respond by saying to the effect, "I will respond for the record" or in their opening remark give a keyword that stands for that like "writing." If a witness thinks the whole truth needs more than a yes or no, they should just say "writing." That would, however, erode a Congressman's opportunities to appear victorious.
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  28. I did. See my post. I have had the honor of hosting two Ukrainian families recently in my home here in Florida. Fine people. Good parents. Well behaved children. They don't want to live under "Russian mind control". Their words. If we are not going to help them keep their country, then how many of them will we allow to come to ours? If what makes Russia the inevitable winner of this war is its superior population numbers, as the Senator asserts, does it not make sense for America to increase its population to improve its security?
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  29. That's a fair balance between free speech and good order at an educational institution. The protesters violate good order with civil disobedience to get their message on the news. It's a flaw of journalism when it does not give attention to a large, peaceful assembly that has obtained permission to use the college stadium, which has plenty of room for lots of people. Universities can help themselves by making students aware of the proper avenues for assembly and petitioning the government and/or university administration for redress of grievances. States can help with plain clothes law enforcement tasked with identifying non-student actors inciting civil disobedience.
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  30. From Webster's Dictionary of 1828: 1. A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of a law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion. Example: It is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. Ezra 4:19. It follows reasonably that the writers of the 14th Amendment defined "insurrection" in the manner above. Indeed, the last sentence indicates "insurrection" to be a slightly more general and encompassing term that includes sedition or rebellion as explained in the definition. When a piece of legislation does not define all its terms, legislative rules typically resort to a recognized dictionary definition. Or is the legislature required to establish an official state definition of every word to be used in its documents? Well yes, and that is why they adopt a recognized, publicly dictionary. It is legislative and legal negligence not to do so. And how are people to better understand each other without some reliance on a common language of well-defined words.
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  31. He is cognitively struggling. He really needs to do everything he can to help his brain do better. He's old. Bernie's older but in better shape.
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  32. Hear, hear!
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  33. While the Senator makes some good points, I think he mischaracterizes the destination of $60 billion for Ukraine. The great majority of that money goes to the US defense industry to manufacture new weaponry for US inventory, while inventory about to expire and scheduled for decommissioning is instead sent to Ukraine. It is aid to Ukraine, but it is not cash to Ukraine. It is material to Ukraine. He also mischaracterizes the motivation of his fellow Senators. Stopping Russia in Ukraine means US troops will not have to stop them in Moldova or Romania or the Baltics or Poland or Finland. Also, delaying munitions deliveries to Taiwan increases the likelihood of a Chinese invasion. Would Putin have invaded Ukraine if Ukraine had a potent air force with several hundred F-16s and the munitions and services that go with them? He would be hurting a lot more if that had been in place. Senator, we are trying to head off foreign leaders who have publicly declared their intentions. The Senator is also incomplete in his characterization of strategy. He made no mention of sanctions and the realignment of the European economy away from Russia. Sanctions do not themselves end a war and they take time to produce effects. But effects are being felt. The Russian economy is being reorganized into a top heavy defense economy in the style of the Soviet economy. History shows how that worked for them. The strategy is to weaken Russia, discredit Russia, raise Chinese doubt as to its own strategy, solidify NATO, and improve the security of free Europe, Taiwan, and the United States global economy. That strategy is working. It's plain to see. Russia, like its Soviet predecessor, has put itself into a self-defeating level of stress. The Senator lays out no strategy for bringing the conflict to a diplomatic resolution. Russia is pressing its attack. Russia is not stopping. Russia's terms for settlement involve Ukraine surrendering land Russia does not currently occupy, Ukraine staying out of NATO and the EU, and Ukraine demilitarizing. It just tees up Ukraine for future losses. If he wants a fast, diplomatic solution, I am afraid the only way to achieve that is a significant Ukrainian capitulation, OR, a form of Western escalation that convinces Putin that he is on a steady trend of losing Ukrainian territory. The latter is perhaps too dangerous for the Senator's temperament. The Senator also, in making his case on Russian oil and gas sales, ignores Ukraine's agency to significantly damage Russia's oil and gas infrastructure, a program it has already begun, perhaps as far back as Nordstream 2. The Senator sees expanding the "industrial base" as not helpful if we send all the munitions made to Ukraine. Who were we going to use the munitions on? And is it not an improvement in capacity if a larger industrial base can make more munitions? More munitions can bring the war to a more favorable end for Ukraine. The Senator is indirectly advocating capitulation. In essence the Senator dismisses the superior population numbers and industrial capacity of Ukraine's friends vs. Russia and its friends. He acknowledges Russia's team, but is dismissive of Ukraine's team. He projects the same fatalism that is used in Russian propaganda. Are you ready to absorb millions of Ukrainians, Senator? As for time for debate, the selection of specific materials to be shipped to Ukraine has been the subject of months of dialogue between the Ukrainian military and NATO defense ministers. I don't think the Senator's expertise exceeds theirs. To the extent that there are certain clauses affecting the execution of the funded programs and monitoring the integrity of those programs, proper objects of the Senate's attention, again I would think that long ago standard language and procedures were formulated and should be found in the bill. How long does it take to confirm that? Time is of the essence on the battlefield. Yes, Senator, people are dying out there. Could we expect you to be keeping up on this for their sake?
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  34. I don't think he's fuming, but I do think he realizes he is in a serious bind. And he would get more grace and some military members back if he simply agreed and offered re-enlistment, time out of service penalty enough. Those who did refuse vaccination also need to face the fact that the COVID vaccine is very reasonably safe. I've had four of them myself without side effects. You get vaccinated for the well-being of the force as a whole, not just yourself. Military members have more cause to refuse to get into a V-22 Osprey. If they are finally willing to get the shot, then I think they should be able to re-enlist with loss of time in service.
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  35. First resort to dehumanizing semantics. Let's just be honest and say we are talking about the scheduled termination of a baby by a State licensed professional be it chemical or surgical.
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  36. From Webster's Dictionary of 1828: 1. A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of a law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion. Example: It is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. Ezra 4:19. It follows reasonably that the writers of the 14th Amendment defined "insurrection" in the manner above. Indeed, the last sentence indicates "insurrection" to be a slightly more general and encompassing term that includes sedition or rebellion as explained in the definition. When a piece of legislation does not define all its terms, legislative rules typically resort to a recognized dictionary definition. Or is the legislature required to establish an official state definition of every word to be used in its documents? Well yes, and that is why they adopt a recognized, publicly dictionary. It is legislative and legal negligence not to do so. And how are people to better understand each other without some reliance on a common language of well-defined words.
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  37. I support an amendment capping the age one can serve in these high offices. I poll people on this subject and age caps offered range from 65 to 90. The younger the person polled the lower the age they propose. Older people cite themselves or others who they feel fit for office in their 80s. A cap of 90 would end some terms in office before leaving by death. I think this starts with State legislatures enacting age limits if they do not already have term limits. States with term limits could pass simple resolutions signaling to other States a willingness to go forward on this issue.
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  38. Why is Russia spending 40 percent of its budget on rearming? Would you spend 40 percent of your budget at the gun store? Why would you be doing that? For peace? What does peace look like in this situation?
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  39. Senator Vance, did anything stop you from sending Senator Lankford a letter with your conditions for casting your vote in favor of a negotiated bill as soon as the negotiating committee was formed? Are you saying committee members refused Senate input? What an odd thing for them to do if they know they need to pass cloture. I guess they had the votes without you.
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  40. The Speaker from Louisiana might get his LNG permits when he brings the Security Assistance package to the House floor. Deal?
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  41.  @lawandagardner8048  I disagree that it is too late. Central and South Americans are going to keep having babies and some of them are going to grow up and try to migrate to America. We might as well get started on long term solutions because the people are going to keep coming. It's kind of a compliment to the US that people want to come here.
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  42.  @lawandagardner8048  I think Americans who live and work on the border would prefer that Central and South Americans apply for asylum in a US Consulate in their native land, not at our border. They can fly here safely once they have a work permit and an employer. In my work I have seen agricultural jobs that Americans do not want to do. It's Hispanics and Haitians out there. Americans like to eat, so they should like people that pick their food for them. The immigration system is currently putting American hotel corporations first.
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  43. Trump's best appointee.
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  44.  @GreyWhiteBlue  She's got Koch money. So she's probably in all the way to the convention, where she will kowtow to his heinous.
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  45. Russia's punishment of Mr. Fogel was disproportionate to the crime. Mr. Trump had four years to start getting enough air traffic controllers trained. We're still short. I would gladly pay more for a plane ticket. Now I'm not sure I want to take a plane. What agencies had too many employees? The FBI?
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  46. Russia needs to secure its southern border. NATO is not Russia's worst problem.
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  47.  @pieceful-pisslamist  Lots of quite talented people from the Indian subcontinent here in America.
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  48. Witnesses should just be able to respond with the word "writing" when a simple yes or no is not respectful of Congress and the public. The Members control their time and the platform. Interrupting the witness looks bad. It's disrespectful and undermines what should be a reciprocity of respect that can still contain disagreement. The unclassified portion of a written response can be posted publicly for all to see.
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  49. What is an insurrection, as defined in the 19th century in which the term was used in 14-3?
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  50. What an opportunity for foreign interests to simply purchase classified information from a larger pool of underpaid, disgruntled federal employees. It happens anyway, but do we need to make it worse?
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  51. Honestly, given what she's said and done, if I were some foreign CIA informant in some tough country, I'd be telling my CIA handler I have some family business to attend to and I'll be off grid for awhile.
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  52. So if Senators know that a committee of three fellow Senators is working on a border bill, they cannot submit written input to that committee upon its formation or shortly thereafter? Wouldn't the committee realize that being responsive to that input is necessary to obtaining enough votes? Senator Lankford is an experienced, smart Senator. I have no doubt he would entertain every input received. Now all of a sudden Senators have a bunch of new ideas for the bill? Maybe better late than never, but it sure seems to coincide with conversations with Mr. Trump.
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  53. Nope. Search for Ward Carroll, US Navy vet.
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  54. JD Vance (with a V please note) will not get in the way of American businesses who hire cheap labor.
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  55.  @easter_sunday  Don't help Putin for free.
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  56. Let him serve a term or two in the US Senate first. He's gotten the exposure now. Let's see if he can carry his home state for a lessor office. Awful big ego to go straight for the presidency.
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  57. In the House, it's "My District" first.
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  58. How about more consulates in sending nations to keep applicants in country but safe until they qualify?
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  59. Yeah. Good comment. 5% on defense is only necessary when a war is forecasted near or mid-term or underway. Otherwise, that level of spending is not good for an economy. Military equipment does not produce the economic multiplier effect that civilian goods and services do.
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  60.  @samesryals6952  They will choose the tyranny with the higher wages.
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  61. They left Congress before kids left school for Christmas break.
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  62. Senator, the F-16 is not our best aircraft. It is being replaced by the F-35. The F-16s will eventually age out of service. Sweden will likely remain in NATO for decades. Is it a pristine transaction? Certainly not. It is the world as it is.
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  63. Sanctuary cities around new American consulates on land donated in the sending nations by the local elite, and built by the migrants themselves under American supervision. We bring America to them or the sending nation elites start behaving decently toward their own people. Americans are hopping mad about this violation of their sovereignty. Take that anger to the sending nation elites.
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  64. Russia would say no to get more benefits from the US on the table.
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  65.  @tagsoneveryting  If climate change is real, then more and more individuals will have personal evidence of its reality because it will affect them personally. Fossil fuels should not be subsidized in any way. All the externalities they create should be in the price. That includes defense expenditures to protect fossil fuel production assets. Show the true price of fossil fuels and geopolitical influence can be more balanced.
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  66.  @ihatesignupsgrrrrrrr  If corruption is the metric, then Ukraine, not Russia, is the lesser of two evils. Ukraine did not invade Russia. Russian justifications are increasingly contorted and unpersuasive.
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  67.  @leojmullins  No. Russia invaded Ukraine, and it did not need to do that.
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  68. @ Consider the States can hire former federal employees, much to their benefit.
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  69. Well sir, when Mitch McConnell plays hardball on the debt limit, don't be surprised when the other team plays some tough cards. Ready to make some trades?
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  70. One day at a time.
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  71.  @shambo-rm8ql  Read the 2022 US Department of State Report on Religious Freedom in Nepal. That is the basis for my post. Take care not to bear false witness.
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  72. Touche.
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  73. So they can do a tax cut right after Trump is inaugurated.
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  74. There is taking questions, and then there is giving a forthright answer. The man is an experienced sophist, working with very limited material to make his case. Like many in PR, he reroutes questions to his talking points. To the discerning, that is obvious and a show of weakness. What the sophist knows is that a large number of people are not discerning or logical.
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  75. They work in the fields, in the hotels, in the sweatshops, on construction sites, loading and unloading freight trucks, and in childcare roles. And no American citizen will go to jail for hiring them. If their employers are in jail, and they don't get paid, then eventually they have to go home and tell potential migrants there is nothing for them in the USA.
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  76. I've negotiated on the union side and the management side. It's about quality supervision, which takes a lot of training because it's a different role. The military takes supervisory training a lot more seriously than most civilian employers because they have to and they can get the money to do it. Teachers are having more problems because working families are having more problems because the real value of worker pay has stagnated. I found that I could cultivate a relationship with the union that resulted in an efficient, mutually beneficial Memorandum of Understanding. A union essentially prevents amateur, emotional terminations, and prompts both sides to act more rationally and lawfully. It's the people, not the concept. A leader or principal always needs to be working with their people in a demanding, but positive way.
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  77. What happens then? I guess the stock market can just buy up government functions like they did in Russia. Look how that turned out.
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  78. Yeah, don't settle for being less than six States. I mean, look at Wyoming, less than a million people and they get two red Senators. Canada would not be allowed to be a State because it would tilt the US blue. They'll figure that out if they ever pay any serious attention to the matter. Long live Canada!
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  79.  @ColoJan  Yeah, they had to play it cool as long as they were outnumbered. Then as more law enforcement arrived, they adjusted back into their enforcement role. Or did all the visitors see that visiting hours were coming to a close and just peacefully headed home? Didn't the visitors know those FBI guys are really sneaky? The President could have warned them in advance, but he didn't. Hmmm.
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  80.  @UnknownMoses  Read the court transcript.
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  81.  @mikeschnobrich1807  Just 14/3.
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  82. The Senator makes many valid points about incentives and the increased likelihood of overuse of asylum. It is an argument for relocating applications to enter the U.S. to large U.S. Consulates in sending nations. Part of the solution needs to include removing incentives for trafficking. But the majority of the Federal budget is spent on domestic issues, Senator, and the sense of the American people is not just that the border is a problem, but child care is a problem, health care and drug costs are a problem, domestic gun violence is a problem, Florida property insurance costs are a problem, etc. Our role in Ukraine is to be a consistent team member among many team members in proportion to our ability and in the context of our overall global trade and strategic situation. I know you study all this. It is inaccurate to equate the armed and violent Russian invasion of Ukraine with the economically and safety driven migration into America. On immigration, again, we should be a team member with migrant sending nations to improve the lot of people feeling it necessary to do something so profound as to leave their own home for the United States. It is a compliment by them of us in a way, but it needs to happen decently and in order. So Senator, you did or did not provide a letter with your preferences on immigration to the Lankford committee early in their negotiating process? The United States Senate could not organize itself to do a proper job on this issue? That committee needed a statement of views and proposals from every Senator in its first week if not sooner.
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  83. Translation: "Get in there and rig this election for me without getting caught."
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  84. Why would the people of Israel be OK with throwing Ukraine under the bus?
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  85.  @MrWannabeartist  Then the American people have reverted to monarchy, because Donny and his people will get rid of the 22nd Amendment. He'll be like FDR, President until death.
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  86. I wonder if he gets a rebuttal for speaking less than favorably of China.
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  87. No, he calls a loss a win. He cannot cope with loss. Real men can. Dear God, I grieve for the people of this country.
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  88. She could beat Biden. But Trump has done little to improve his case to the swing voters that will decide the general election.
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  89.  @kenebarb5377  Cite the scientific work and you will have performed a public service.
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  90.  @kenebarb5377  Cite the scientific paper and you will have performed a public service.
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  91. Mr. Speaker, you and Mr. Trump were the ones who failed to show strength to Mr. Putin for months. Better late than never.
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  92. He is a front man. He does a good job reading the prepared speech and the teleprompter. He looks a bit tough. Mind control seems to work on about half of a voting population.
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  93. Earlier in Afghanistan, there was that Chinook full of special forces going to rescue some SEALS and it got shot down by an RPG and they all died. There was also that mission in Somalia to take custody of enemy leaders. They made "Blackhawk Down" out of that mess. I am afraid it does take some brains to pull off an evacuation in hostile territory. And I am glad that armchair General McCarthy is not in charge of the mission over there.
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  94.  @nitagilbert1681  Sounds like two-week vacations to desert barracks, chow halls, and armories with pick-up truck rides to 12-hours shifts at firing positions and minefield work. Is that the thinking? I did two weeks at Fort Huachuca. Mighty hot there.
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  95.  @blaket1841  They have that power in Colorado unless they are overruled by the SCOTUS.
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  96.  @blaket1841  Colorado has not acted frivolously. January 6th was not frivolous. I have little doubt that those State justices knew the case would go to the US Supreme Court, in part because of the reason you state. They have forced the Supreme Court to take a case that they have been trying to avoid. Many States are watching for the outcome. This is in a gray area because our nation has not had to deal with this kind of conduct since the US Civil War, which led to the enactment of 14/3.
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  97. Take care not to bear false witness against thy neighbor. Especially if you believe this is a nation under God.
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  98. Oh yes there was, Donald J. Trump, and the Colorado Supreme Court, after due process, found him guilty. Read the transcript.
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  99. "We all know". No. The Colorado Supreme Court found that Donald Trump committed insurrection, and on the basis of that finding disqualified him from the ballot in Colorado. The Supreme Court did not dismiss their charge as frivolous or without standing. So lawyerly people do see an insurrection. Just like we might in a Bible study, we can look up the definition of insurrection in 19th century dictionaries that can be found online. I found Webster's interesting in that it sees insurrection as a broad term encompassing sedition and rebellion. That is the meaning of the word as those who wrote the 3rd section of the 14th amendment understood it. We should take care not to bear false witness against our neighbors in Colorado. Insurrection is in front of the Supreme Court, and being considered, right now.
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  100. Yeah. Awkward. But some folks need to do that to conserve their voice.
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  101. Why?
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  102.  @ambergrisetti3438  Except Medicare and Social Security and FEMA disaster assistance and free interstate highways.
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  103. Yeah that Jim can wrestle with anybody.
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  104. Administrations of both parties were negligent in the timely processing of Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans who assisted US/NATO forces in Afghanistan. Had that process been timely, loyal lives would have been saved, and the human aspect of the withdrawal would have been more decent and in order.
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  105. Is your Congress member OK?
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  106.  @HaroldWeimer  The team owner wants it.
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  107. Well get on over there General McCarthy, relieve the existing commander, and tell the White House what you need to do it right.
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  108. God has always been our only hope.
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  109. From Webster's Dictionary of 1828: 1. A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of a law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion. Example: It is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. Ezra 4:19. It follows reasonably that the writers of the 14th Amendment defined "insurrection" in the manner above. Indeed, the last sentence indicates "insurrection" to be a slightly more general and encompassing term that includes sedition or rebellion as explained in the definition. When a piece of legislation does not define all its terms, legislative rules typically resort to a recognized dictionary definition. Or is the legislature required to establish an official state definition of every word to be used in its documents? Well yes, and that is why they adopt a recognized, publicly dictionary. It is legislative and legal negligence not to do so. And how are people to better understand each other without some reliance on a common language of well-defined words.
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  110. I think I see American citizen contractors hire a green card subcontractor who hires illegals to do projects in the US. It's a profitable system for the American citizen contractor. Profitable enough to make campaign donations. Nobody seems to want to rock that boat too much. On the bright side, I think a bigger country population makes for a bigger economy. Helps the debt/GDP ratio. Yeah, gotta try to find the bad guys sneaking in, but most of these folks are here to make money and send some home. American kids don't want to do the jobs the illegals do. The system in a lot of ways is just the way American commerce wants it.
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  111.  @misssadied193  I have a good job in America, and I know other Americans who consider themselves to have a good job. I have had a couple of bad jobs. It took me years of effort and self-denial to get my present job, the need for which will not disappear when I retire. I am sorry you feel bad. I suggest you take a break from YouTube and work on getting a better job.
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  112. Is it productive to keep studying an issue and coming up with the same result while ignoring other hypotheses as to the cause of autism? Sounds like a special interest wanting to get funding for doing the same task over and over again. If you are a researcher and you think you've figured it out, by all means write your report and get paid for it.
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  113. The smart thing for this guy to do would be to switch to a Gubernatorial or Senate race while he can. Probably too much ego to do that though.
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  114. Mitt Romney thinks some of them are there for the "psychic currency", all the feelings they get from being a member of Congress, feeding the desire to stay for more.
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  115.  @PPE10210  Raise the price you charge Putin for your posts. He should be feeling a bit more pressure now and might be willing to pay more. Don't leave money on the table.
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  116. Dear God I grieve for people who imagine "everyone knows". What did those Cyber Ninja election auditors find in Maricopa County, Arizona? Over 350 more votes for Biden. Check it out.
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  117. So shutting down tens of millions of dollars a day going into Afghanistan was a good thing, right? Hey, we had a budget deficit going into FY2018, but we still did a tax cut, right? And if everybody was fully vaccinated by now our economy and our schools would be fully open to recover.
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  118. Russia is built on the premise of gaining power through conflict, and not just in Ukraine. It's why 1.8% of the world's population controls the largest land area on the planet. Yes, I think you are right that Russia will always be in conflict with its European neighbors. And so a lot of sanctions will remain in place for a long time.
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  119. Out with the civil service. In with a patronage system. The US has been there and done that.
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  120. The Congressman does a fine job of displaying his loyalty to former President Trump by using the former President's same vocabulary. Rather than establishing premises from a full timeline, the Congressman's mission is to fully exonerate himself and the Trump administration. He will be rewarded accordingly. What he will not say, is that a full evacuation of equipment and deserving persons from all of Afghanistan would have required thousands of more American and NATO troops with no guarantee as to the ensuing casualties. But the Congressman does not have to address that to accomplish his fealty mission. He does not have to take any responsibility for what would he himself needed to be doing during the Trump administration and in the few months leading up to a second term Trump administration's completion of withdrawal. He has been saved by the Biden administration and its mixed results in completing President Trump's program for Afghanistan. But he will not be weak and show any gratitude. He is strong, and he has Biden and Blinken on the ropes and he means to keep punching. It's about victory out of defeat. It's about payback for those impeachments and every slight from the Democrats. Having a good time?
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  121. Did Matt Gaetz get saved?
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  122. Send them an invoice.
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  123. What makes America different from the typical strongman state that ends up not being so strong? The nation that understands and represents the various personality types in its population can devise compromises that maximize the morale and effort of its citizens and thus achieve the maximum power, in all its various forms, that population is capable of. To do otherwise is to lower the general morale, leaving some feeling strong, but the state as a whole in a weakening trend. Governor DeSantis is failing to honor the COVID dead and their families. His detachment from suffering is excessive. While many see that as strong, they fail to see how alienating this conduct is to over half of the population. So do you really want to have an exceptional state and nation? Then, if you do not feel empathy, you need to develop cognitive or rational empathy, and act the part in the interest of strengthening the state.
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  124. Did your Senators express their views on the border to Senator Lankford when he began Senate negotiations on new legislation to improve control of the border? Do your Senators have an organized position on the subject? Could they make that clear to everyone now? Better late than never.
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  125. I don't know that there was ever a good withdrawal scenario. Did the absolute best one happen? Probably not. What the Taliban know is that after 9/11, which they indirectly supported, we punished them for 20 years. I think they know we could punish them again. I think we are too concerned with the "recognition" issue. Our conditions might have included a potent embassy and consulates plainly in place for monitoring Afghanistan, and that every incident of interference in that monitoring would result in punishment. They are the kind of enemy you keep closer to you than a friend. However, that is a scenario that would include casualties and tense situations, with risk of escalation always present. Being totally out has its advantages. We are saving money, and we have more forces available for the tension in the Pacific. China now has to be more mindful of Afghanistan.
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  126. Ukrainians outnumber Hungarians. Maybe they should regroup there. There would be a few changes.
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  127. Unless there is an impeachment and removal of Mr. Trump, allies must plan their defense without the United States. They will not risk purchasing American weapons, one of America's largest exports and source of high paying jobs.
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  128. Compared to other States, Florida does not stand out in COVID deaths, it's proportional. Compared to some other countries, Florida and the United States do stand out in COVID deaths. Right now, COVID is a significant source of untimely, early death, so it deserves our attention and the government's attention for the common good. We want the true, honest numbers, please. No manipulating for any purpose.
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  129. This press conference pushes Donald Trump to the side. Any one of these vets would make a better President.
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  130. It was proper for Trump to be impeached for January 6th. But Democrats set themselves up for these kinds of inquiries when they impeached Trump for his Ukraine phone call. A resolution of objection/censure would have probably had more bi-partisan political support and have cost less public resources. What we are seeing is Trump's power over a critical mass of Republican voters in each Congressional District. A part of that critical mass are single-issue pro-life voters who otherwise disagree with many of Mr. Trump's policies. If they had another pro-life choice, they would reduce Trump's power. That choice is the American Solidarity Party.
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  131. Write down gas and groceries prices on a monthly basis and post it on YouTube.
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  132. Is it great yet?
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  133. People fly over the border on a tourist visa and then overstay their visa. The wall does not fix that.
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  134. Check out how many different people served as DNI in his first term as President.
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  135. @ As a businessman, and as an autocrat, he is prone to fire or prompt the resignation of those who make recommendations contrary to his inclinations. My point is, he fires people readily.
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  136.  @muithai619  See variations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Lean on conscience.
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  137. Of all votes counted, Trump received 49.9 percent. The Electoral College spoke. The voters are very evenly divided.
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  138. Yeah. Don Jr. for VP. Then rescind the 22nd Amendment. Then Don Jr. takes office when dad dies. The kleptocracy will be fully entrenched by then. Trumps will poll like Putin. Get out while you can if you have notions of a democratic republic.
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  139. Banks get socialist bailouts when they get in trouble.
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  140. Meanwhile, China expands its military. Population of Russia about 145 million. Population of China about 1.2 billion. The same metric that gives Russia a sense of superiority over others must give it an inferiority complex about China. This is where the proclamations of "unlimited friendship" are raised. Xi is smiling in Putin's face.
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  141. Deliberately consuming time with diversionary comments should put the witness at risk of contempt of Congress.
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  142. I would rather smooth out the transition with a combination of smaller benefit reductions now along with raising the cap faster and tilting benefit awards to lower benefit recipients. That would be brave and give us more time to stabilize the trust fund going forward.
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  143. Actually Senator, Lloyd Austin spelled out the plan over two years ago: 1) support Ukraine's survival as a nation; 2) weaken Russia; 3) strengthen NATO unity. Today: 1) Ukraine survives; 2) Russia is weaker (see its economic stats, see Perun on its military stats); 3) Sweden and Finland have been added to NATO and European nations have increased their defense budgets. Why is it so easy to refute this Senator's accusations?
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  144. No, five percent is too much. It would be bad for all economies involved. See RAND Corporation paper on the counterproductivity of excessive defensive spending. The responsible bandwidth is 2 percent to 4 percent based on the security situation and prudent forecasts.
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  145. Yeah. Ocean won't stop the FSB. Tulsi probably won't either. See "The Americans" series.
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  146. Then all our schools can be charters with $150,000 a year CEO's and $29,000 a year teachers who teach for five years and then change jobs for better pay.
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  147.  @Alwayscatlike  And why would someone stay in teaching when they can make twice or more the money in the trades? You don't need a degree to do the trades. OK, some people, like my wife, actually like teaching kids, and will even substitute teach for minimum wage sometimes. But why dodge the administrator salary Deborah? Hey, why not take a business degree and make six figures heading up a charter school? Staff turnover? Hey, just enough salary to fill the slots with people too scared to question if a kid really earned that diploma. Charters are about the people who stay in the business long term. Teachers are secondary and expendable. If my kid said he wanted to be a business man, I would tell them to go to a charter school and study the principal, how they talk, how they behave, because that's where the money is. Follow the money.
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  148.  @Alwayscatlike  Supreme Court case Citizens United found that large campaign donations of money are an exercise of freedom of speech. If it's OK for multi-national corporations to help their political friends, then it's OK for unions to help their political friends. And I actually admire a school that refuses to lower its standards and give out feel good diplomas. When we see those statistics, then we see that some digging for truth is needed. Why did they fail? Rather than, good job kid, no matter what you did, cuz I need those stats for the Board. The relevant statistics are something closer to SAT and ACT scores, not a diploma based on closely held metrics. Prove charters don't have the right to cherry pick students when competing with public schools. Is it really a level playing field?
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  149. 3M N95s are now plentiful, so cloth masks need to be set aside. Available at hardware stores. I live and work in Florida with people with underlying health conditions. I have friends and acquaintances who have died. Just had to quarantine an employee for two weeks. Not productive. You write a decent essay whose thesis seems to be there is a game within the game within the game. The national power is being undermined here. Part of the way forward is taking personal responsibility for identifying and practicing good public health behavior. We do it for all of us, for the nation.
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  150. Many believe they face evaluation upon death. I'm not sure I would want to be in Putin's shoes at an "Oh sh*t I was wrong about materialism" moment like that. See near death experiences and observe your brain lobby for the idea they are all frauds.
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  151. Given Joe's age and abilities, do you think he would be able to micromanage something like this?
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  152. Maybe a State Supreme Court doesn't have the last say on what the US Constitution means, but in this unprecedented situation, it is reasonable and responsible of a State Supreme Court to raise the issue in a manner that prompts the SCOTUS to take up the issue.
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  153. Sixteen years' experience is a little on the low side for that position. It's not the equivalent of a military flag officer. There are plenty of law enforcement professionals with more experience. The first place to look for FBI Directors should be Deputy and Assistant FBI Directors, and if it is not, then yeah, there is definitely a problem at the FBI.
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  154. Clinton and Gingrich balanced the budget. Then came "W" and we haven't seen a balanced budget since. My conclusion is that the American private sector and its leadership are no longer politically or economically capable of balancing the budget or at least limiting budget deficits to the annual investment in long-term infrastructure assets (these are reasonable to amortize). Those forces finance the campaigns that persuade people to elect the legislators those forces want. Vote against the well-funded campaign. I applaud Mr. Roy for challenging these forces to the degree he does.
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  155. Getting public attention during the Trump Presidency is risky.
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  156. Give us a king?
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  157. Trump had five different Directors of National Intelligence in his first administration. He doesn't hesitate to fire people who do not satisfy him.
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  158. K-4th grade does not need to be traumatized by this kind of curriculum. Maybe some of it starts to come out in 5th and 6th grade but take care not to paint the world too horribly too early in life. Young people are less inclined to have children as it is. And I don't see any nation practicing communism. I just see dictatorship or oligarchy.
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  159.  @bobnunnemin1273  No nation is innocent. Türkiye is difficult to deal with, but it is better to deal with them. Why? Because we, America, are a nation of global commerce and our prosperity is connected to the stability commerce requires. If we get pushed out of, or "righteously" withdraw from more and more markets, our prosperity will be reduced. We are trending away from China, but just trending, because they have become so adversarial. I can understand a guy whose business inputs and outputs seem entirely American thinking isolation is OK. But international trade is a part of the American pie, and if gets reduced, that guy is going to see tighter finances somewhere in his inputs and outputs.
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  160.  @lesliewoinarowicz7018  You miss my point Leslie. Sweden in NATO is more valuable than virtue signaling about Turkiye. I'm an Air Force Association member and a USAF avionics veteran. I've done upgrades. Beware of posts poking your conscience. There's usually a hidden agenda.
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  161.  @bobnunnemin1273  "Armies and navies exist to protect commerce" -- John Dewey, American philosopher. Commerce is how humanity survives. Per capita GDP demonstrates that America is a commercial empire. This is in large part why people from all over the world immigrate to America. And we need them to grow out of the debt we have built up.
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  162.  @bobnunnemin1273  The demand is there, and our competitors will gladly step in. I'm not entirely proud of it either, but ambitious psychopaths are out there, and we cannot simply ignore them or we will be watching our words and thoughts like Russians and Chinese have to.
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  163.  @bobnunnemin1273  I am glad you do argue, and I hope it is a genuine argument from your conscience. How much have you studied psychopathy, or anti-social personality disorder as it is known in the DSM V? I am not saying you have the disorder. I am asking how much you understand it.
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  164. Number of US Border Patrol Agents: FY 1993 4,028 FY 2020 19,740 Source: US Border Patrol Uncle Sam wants YOU, for the US Border Patrol.
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  165. The danger of what Senator Rubio touches upon is that the inertia in American leadership's adjustment to the flow of intelligence could significantly contribute to a Chinese calculation to take Taiwan by force. Russia, likewise, can see that the US may not be agile enough to successfully intervene to rescue a border state. The Russians have already proved this under the watch of earlier administrations. e.g. Ukraine. Missing from the Senator's speech is any mention of human intelligence awareness of the state of Afghan government forces. One remembers quotes of numbers and equipment provided, but no mention of much awareness of specific Afghan military leadership actions or fighting spirit as it was evolving in real time. That we have so many SIV's is an indication that even after 20 years of involvement, foreign language skill within the Departments of State and Defense is wanting. We did not know what was happening because we lacked an ability to listen and understand. A few voices did predict a re-enactment of rapid changes in Afghan soldier perspective that had been seen before, e.g. Carter Malkasian. It seems his input was "averaged" into the analysis, if considered at all. And such round units of time "end of the year." Doesn't sound like much of a forward looking model of the battlespace was being used anymore. Whoever contributed to Taliban strategic planning, seems to have taken the change of administration into account. The GW Bush administration was still getting up to speed when 9/11 happened. We'll see how military leadership gets questioned about all this. I do very much appreciate that there seemed to be little, if any, partisanship in the Senator's remarks. He used his time well to focus the American people on the capability of its leadership to deal with a very difficult situation. Unique situations also lie ahead of us. This is not something a President resigns over, and VP Harris is not ready to assume that office. Changes in the Cabinet could be on the table.
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  166. I"ve visited Central America. It's fine for some people. I could also see why some could want to get out. I've made a friend from Honduras who has come to America, legally. They speak both English and Spanish and have a productive job. They have two daughters that are doing very well. They say most people they know come here to build a better life for their family. So I think Senator Rubio is right, there are mostly good migrants, but there is also a lot of bad ones. We catch the bad ones and send them back, where they become gang members, which just incentivizes poor people who can't afford to live in a gated and barbed wire protected community to get away from them even more. If you want to call this an invasion, then you have to admit that we are in a fight, in a war with every migrant sending nation. We could say those nations would like us to bear the cost of maintaining their criminals in our prisons. This is an argument for the United States to, forcibly if need be, establish very large consulates, in effect, military bases, in the migrant sending nations. Its a consulate with a prison, but also with training areas to prepare native born forces to put pressure on the migrant sending nation's government to work on making their country a better place to live. This could all cost a lot of money. I've also been to our southern border. It's a very longer border that takes a lot of effort to monitor, much less close. This could all cost a lot of money.
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  167. My son had stuff fall on his head twice unloading a shipping container. I sure wish he had made $300 k a year for that.
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  168. That's right. President Trump can sign the bill that raises the debt ceiling. The ceiling didn't need to raised until June. So why bring it up now? So Joe Biden signs it or shuts down the government and Trump can say Biden did it. It's all about blaming the other guy.
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  169. Senator does catch witness in misrepresentation. Senator significantly exceeds time. Is there such a thing as contempt of the chair? There is an opportunity to demonstrate time management skills to the public here.
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  170. Yup. Then they just go to Musk for more money. Money takes over. I imagine every State having a State embassy in DC that houses its members of Congress where their Governor can get them all in a room and discuss what the State needs from the federal government. It's also a place for State citizens to go and get heard by somebody. Might cultivate a little more loyalty to States instead of Musk.
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  171. The real issue here is that it is going to be much harder than in the past to justify using federal debt to finance the next tax cut. That is always high on the agenda when Republicans win the Presidency. We'll see.
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  172. Tulsi runs out the Senator's clock. That's evasion.
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  173.  @tonykirby4809  So Senator Vance serves your interests?
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  174.  @ВладимирМозговой-л5э  1994 Budapest Memorandum does not require Ukraine in NATO. It called on Russia to respect Ukraine after Ukraine turned over Soviet nuclear weapons to Russia. The US and UK could have converted Soviet nuclear weapons to Ukrainian nuclear weapons. US, UK and Ukraine respected Russia's concerns and did not do that. Russia does not respect the US, UK or Ukraine. Do not be surprised if they fight back until they are respected.
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  175.  @ВладимирМозговой-л5э  With the world's largest nuclear arsenal, Russia should not be afraid of defensive forces on its border. What is plain for everyone to see on a map, is that Russia seeks to weaken its neighbors so it can expand its territory when it chooses to do so. Russia is like the Republicans in the US Congress. You give them what they ask for and then they tell you that you did not give them what they asked for. I do not deny that the UK and US were seeking their own interests in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, but they were also showing respect for Russia's security concerns by removing nuclear weapons from a neighboring nation. I appreciate that you present a thoughtful position, but we seem to be talking right past each other. I wish you well as a person. I am sad for Russia and Ukraine.
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  176.  @ВладимирМозговой-л5э  I hosted some Ukrainians in my home for awhile. To run his business in Ukraine, tribute needed to be paid, both to a Ukrainian official and a Russian official for protection. There is jurisdiction over territory, and then there is power over economic "turf" or "sphere of influence". That's not the same as independence. Obviously the current Russian regime disagrees with the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Ukraine. That does not mean the UK and US disagree with the Memorandum. It was a statement that Ukraine was not a gift, but an independent nation to which the UK and US pledged support. There should be no surprise that Ukraine is fighting for its jurisdiction and the US and UK are supporting them. It is now a fight like Korea. I think Russia will always be trying to take more control over Ukraine. It will only stop when something else takes priority. Chernobyl had that kind of effect. A strong economic recession in Russia could have that effect. Yes, the West is doing many things to try to start a recession in Russia to bring the war to a stop.
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  177.  @legaleeblonde4310  Everybody is biased. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Only God can be objective, anyone else who claims objectivity is a "know it all." That doesn't mean I stop debating. Why was there no uproar when thousands of Ukrainians entered the United States? I hosted a Ukrainian family that came over the southern border. Nice people. Good parents. Well behaved kids. Visited our church more than once. I have a friend from Honduras, hardworking in a profitable business. Smart. Do we have to weed out the spies and criminals? Yes, that's been an ongoing task for decades. Why were there, twice, recently and long ago, Spanish speaking young men putting a new roof on my house, a process plainly visible to aerial surveillance, but no official came by to deport them and fine, much less prosecute, the citizen contractor who hired them? Tell me Republican businessmen do not like cheap labor. We have had that southern border for over a century to work on. Ukraine didn't start fighting for its life until 2014. Time is of the essence for Ukraine. We have decades ahead of us to scale up control of our borders. Take a look at the history of staffing of the Border Patrol. Looks like it plateaued. I hear they have a recruiting problem. Know anything about that? Yes, both Republicans and Democrats have been in a race to see which party could use up America's credit for its own policies since Reagan cut taxes and raised defense spending at the same time. There was that blip when Gingrich and Clinton balanced the budget, but then W fixed that with another tax cut and more defense spending. You are right and wrong, because the only way out of a looming debt crisis is Ronnie Reagan's way out, grow the economy. Part of how you do that is grow the population with energetic young people from abroad. They made quick work of my roof. I say the crisis at the border is manufactured for political purposes, and the purpose of politics these days is who gets the government's borrowed money. Dig for better premises for your short arguments if you want to be persuasive. Or just be a venting YouTube commenter. It's a free country.
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  178. If I were a CIA informant, I would be very glad my handler never knew my real name, where my other dwellings are, nor how much money I have saved in different forms. I'd be off the grid by now or pretty soon. I'd say I had to take time out to care for a family matter. Gabbard is going to be getting a lot of NRO pictures from space and other harmless stuff. Her handler will give her questions to ask. She'll start firing people. States and big corporations should pick up those people. The Presidential brief could be quite short, "Everything is fine." I suppose there are selected groups that can be focused on without much risk to informants. A big hole just opened up in the American defensive line, and the FSB will be running right through it.
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  179. The answer to the congressman's question was that daily infections need to be reduced to a level that clearly does not risk another surge in infections. I was able to glean that out of the brief period of time the congressman gave Dr. Fauci to respond. The congressman's conduct showed he was more interested in repeating himself than getting a thorough answer, which probably would have required most of the congressman's time. Mr. Jordan decided it was more important to speak. I sincerely doubt his speech altered Dr. Fauci's methods of arriving at public health recommendations. Does not the congressman agree that a balance needs to be struck between liberty and a fellow American's right to life? I have seen plenty of businesses and churches adapt to the situation rather than close down. Give Mr. Jordan his way and the pandemic will worsen and linger. At our business we are waiting to see how the vaccine progresses and what Dr. Fauci has to say when the number of daily vaccinations has become very low. I recollect he has said that is sometime in the summer.
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  180. If Trump wins, Schedule F will be implemented. Any member of the swamp that is good at what they do but not loyal to Trump will be laid off and replaced with a Trump loyalist who may know a thing or two about the job. The more federal positions are loyal to Trump, the more the word "swamp" will be replaced with "my people". The process will then be extended out into the broader population, probably with the help of the "2nd Amendment people". Loyalty will mean rescinding the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Trump will be like FDR, President for life. He, not Putin, will become the richest man in the world, because everybody will have to pay to play. There will be some brain and money drain to Canada or Europe I suppose. Trump will say good riddance. He and Putin will get along just fine. They understand each other. The world will be their oyster. Maybe they'll take care of Europe and Canada. I imagine Trump Junior will take the reins of power in due time. Barron perhaps later. We'll be back in monarchy, Animal Farm.
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  181. In a free society, can we impose any responsibility on a citizen? The drunk guy in the truck who crossed the double yellow line and killed my daughter observed how her car just appeared in front of him. We are talking early death for some here, folks. How personal do the consequences of unrestrained freedom have to get before we agree to abide by a new law or rule or even a suggestion? Can we listen to others' stories and thereby avoid misfortune ourselves by restraining our freedom?
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  182. In the interest of national security, the necessity of the government's ability to identify any person within its jurisdiction justifies the government issuing legal identification to all persons without charge at issuance, funded by each State's general sales tax, with provisions for penalty charges for excessive loss of such identification. Such a system would render voter ID generally moot.
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  183. She'll fire good people and they will work for someone else.
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  184. He doesn't' hesitate to fire people. He had five different DNIs in his first term.
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  185. @ How stable is that? What does that indicate about his ability to pick the right people?
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  186. @ Again, what does that indicate about his ability to pick the right people?
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  187.  @mikeb6384  By persuading others and rallying their help?
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  188.  @JD-Defenders  Trump says nothing about Navalny. Why? Does he owe Putin? That's treason and bribery.
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  189. Tax cuts have to have supporting spending cuts. We cut taxes and then complain the debt is too big. If Republicans want to spend more money on immigration, and border security is just one part of that, then I find it irresponsible that they set out to do that without even a modest tax increase to at least partially fund it. A modest tariff on border trade could be one source of funding. The problem is all the private interests that like things they way they are, like cheap illegal and willing and subservient immigrant labor. It's an affront to the dignity of every human being.
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  190. "The mutability in the public councils, arising from a rapid succession of new members, however qualified they may be, points out, in the strongest manner, the necessity of some stable institution in the government" -- Federalist Papers. Term limits for lobbyists first.
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  191. What is the performance metric here? In 2020, the population of the planet was about 7.8 billion people. In 2020, the population of the United States was about 330 million people. So the United States in 2020, had about 4 percent of the planet's population. Various sources place total COVID deaths on the planet at about 7 million. Of that 1.2 million were residents of the United States. So with 4 percent of the world's population. the United States suffered 17 percent of the COVID deaths. If we were just as good at dealing with the pandemic as everybody else on the planet, we should have had only 4 percent of the world's COVID deaths. Was that because we were too strict about masks and social distance and vaccines? I don't think so. I think the results show the American people did not do a very good job of taking care of themselves during the pandemic compared to other nations. But if anybody wanted to, they could have asked Dr. Fauci why American COVID deaths were so disproportionately high.
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  192.  @janesylvaniausa6680  Vivek doesn't have a real estate empire to suck up bribes with. If he spends the next ten or fifteen years doing that, then he might have a chance against Trump Junior.
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  193. The alternative was patronage appointments. It was worse than today's civil service. Maybe the new bureaucracy will be like the private health care plans we have.
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  194. Sorry. With Tulsi at the helm, if I were a CIA informant in a tough country, I'd be telling my CIA handler I will be off the grid taking care of a family matter.
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  195. Congressman Mast has maintained a relationship with Israel and the Jewish community in his District. He's going to tell Israel's side of the story. Should he be a bit more evenhanded? Maybe. His constituency is more Jewish and Israel-supporting than it is Palestinian. I would suggest Rep. Aguilar sit down with the constitution of an Islamic Republic and the US Constitution and have a window on compatibilities and incompatibilities. My college history professor was a mullah. He said there is no separation of mosque and state. So what is a devout Muslim in the US obliged to do?
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  196. The top 20 percent also have most of the income. So of course they pay more income tax. How would it be otherwise? is this their way of saying they don't want their taxes raised? What would happen if their raise was smaller and those they employ got a bigger raise? That would prop up Social Security and Medicare.
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  197. Do we even know what the American economy needs to address the effects of the growing debt? We need to grow the economy. I don't know how we do that without immigration. American young people look around the country and world and at this government and their prospects and they don't want to have children. The world is starting to question America's credit. Budget deficits and borrowing for contingencies could become much more difficult. Living standards could decline. The Republicans are not telling the whole story and the story they tell seems to revolve around the political power of a troubled man who turns out to not have billions in equity. Buffet, Gates, Musk and others could call in a wire transfer for $450 million if a few days if they had to. I don't want our country governed by a con man. Republicans better swing to Haley or they are going to watch Putin and Xi unravel our economy through Trump. Any President can create happy days borrowing trillions of dollars.
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  198. A proper test of leadership.
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  199. What's Trump's adjective for you?
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  200. The Colorado court is defending the Constitution.
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  201.  @valstewart6661  So how much power should one person, a Governor or President, have? How big a body of legislators does it take to require anybody to do anything? You can write in anyone you want on a ballot, but every named candidate on a ballot has to meet State requirements. How is 14/3 not common sense?
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  202.  @TIMedWork  Donald Trump received 49.9% of votes cast for President. Look it up. That is a plurality of those who voted, not a majority, and many Americans of voting age feel voting is pointless and thus do not vote. Tell yourself the truth. You live in a nation where millions live in quiet desperation. You live in a nation that is quite evenly divided politically.
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  203. @ I'll have to check the DOGE website myself.
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  204. Proportional consideration of a Senator's State or a House Member's District means compromise in the amount of consideration and at least a rough equity of consideration. Good will in the past must be remembered, or the good will of more fortunate States and Districts will end. We must send people to Congress who understand this. I am always troubled when I hear such provincial advocacy accompanied by badmouthing the considerations required by others for a yes vote. Everybody needs something, nobody should get all they want. Disaster relief should be funded in part by raising the various excise taxes on the cause of more potent storms, fossil fuels.
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  205.  @susiepingleton3614  A plan to do what?
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  206. Could you give us here the executive summary of the plan in your own words?
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  207. Recommend you drive in your lane, wear a seat belt, and stop at red lights. Just saying. I know you'll do what you darn well please. I'll drive defensively.
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  208.  @usffan5775  Oh yes. Keeps foreign empires from telling you what to do.
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  209. Every four years, half of the country gets to count days.
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  210.  @wot4922  If people in Nepal were able to sort out their own spiritual issues without Nepalese legal interference, then that would be perceived as a high level of religious freedom, and it is unlikely that the US would fund a program to promote religious freedom in such a country. I would say to any Nepalese who imposes boundaries on the spiritual inquiries of another Nepalese citizen, "You shouldn't do that. You should let them sort out their own issues no matter how long it takes." But that's not the law in Nepal. The law imposes unreasonable boundaries on styles of worship and interactions between faiths. A good education system equips its citizens with good skill in logic and critical thinking. They should be able to sort out what life means to them in a context of free inquiry, not have some insecure, ethnocentric agenda forced upon them by authorities or local zealots. The reality is there is a wide range of human thought. It's oppressive to tell everyone they are required to think the same.
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  211.  @personalelorenzo6922  No. That would be Russian or Chinese mind control. Western values include access to a wide spectrum of views, even self-critical views or critical views of authority, and an ongoing conversation about them.
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  212. How do you know she didn't see that coming if she didn't resign? She was a high officer of the United States, with a long record of successful protection, she deserved a chance to bow out. I think she knew she had to resign or face dismissal. She was offered the honorable route and she took it. She set a decent example for her successors.
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  213. Booker did an excellent job of reconnecting Pam Bondi to her own good, past behavior. This is a man fit for the Office of President.
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  214.  @grg131  In its 2022 report on religious freedom in Nepal, the US Department of State lays out its case for religious persecution existing in Nepal.
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  215.  @rayoflight39  It is not too difficult for a report writer to confirm a burned down religious building.
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  216.  @jwclau1  I cannot vote for Nepalese politicians. I cannot own Nepalese land.
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  217.  @legendunited152  Three recent resignations by people of conscience. It's not perfect, but it is not all bad either.
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  218.  @shambo-rm8ql  An American value is freedom of speech, which includes religious apologetics and discussion. It is the freedom to have a full spiritual journey, which I believe involves having one's faith or lack of faith challenged in rational debate. Atheism is not illegal in the United States, nor is any religious faith. Religious killing and assault and battery is a crime. Religious property damage is a crime. I am not surprised by Nepalese ethnocentrism because that is part of human nature. But limiting spiritual inquiry in the public forum is an indication of a particular religion being used by political power for social manipulation. See the Russian Orthodox Church.
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  219.  @aiadmasri1298  YouTube has not blocked either you or me yet.
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  220. Three administrations and more Congresses prior to this one had the opportunity to fund and administer a just SIV program starting as soon as Afghans working with the United States came under Taliban threats. However, those SIVs and their families would probably be Muslim, and a large percentage of the American population does not want Muslim immigrants. In the last administration, Steven Miller worked to slow this immigration, even while Secretary Pompeo negotiated a withdrawal agreement. How much simpler it would have been to get many SIVs out while the US and Afghan government controlled more of the country. But the speakers in this press conference are mostly focused on the evacuation of Americans, a problem with unique circumstances for each (including mixed feelings about leaving), that will probably stretch into the 2022 election campaign and perhaps beyond if relations with the Taliban deteriorate and American nationals living in Afghanistan become hostages. This is selective and partisan rhetoric, not the whole truth.
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  221. Johnson would like to start having Harris making decisions Republicans can criticize and reduce her available campaign time. The Democrats are not going to fall for it. Joe is down to six months. The American people can handle that, and Joe can too now that he doesn't have to campaign. The Republicans would like to keep Trump off of the air, because his age is showing. Johnson has to step into the void, and I don't know that he's the best guy for that job. Vance is no rock star.
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  222. Bear in mind in Trump's first term there were five DNIs. He doesn't hesitate to let people go.
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  223. Russians are poor marksmen with artillery. Then they overuse the tubes. A 3:1 advantage probably is not enough. Lots of useless craters in open fields.
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  224. The reality is that Russia is spending 40 percent of its government budget on military rearmament. What are they getting ready for? Peace? Really?
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  225. As a Florida resident, I am sincerely glad to hear of the success of monoclonal antibody treatment and reduced cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Florida. I do sometimes wonder if the Governor practices medicine without a license sometimes by making some of the statements he does. But certainly hats off in gratitude for all the efforts to tamp this pandemic down and get back to a more normal life. He seems to appreciate that outbreaks can still happen, and that is properly cautious of him.
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  226. We are safe enough to build the world's largest economy with the world's third largest population. We can do that because we are United States. May the Spirit of Christ transform us all.
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  227. Expanding Chinese Navy building the capability to control the first island chain off of its coast.
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  228. Just as much as it seeks to deter the United States from interfering in its objectives, China is increasing its arsenal to balance the Russian arsenal on its border. For all their claims of unlimited friendship, there are old turf wars in the region, and China wants to have the nuclear standing to assert its interests. Ukraine and Taiwan are both efforts by the Russian and Chinese empires to increase their strength to deal with their future. It's quite telling to use Google Earth to compare development on each side of the Sino-Russian border. It often looks quite natural for Chinese development to expand into undeveloped territory on the Russian side. Russia actually looks rather negligent and underpopulated given its land area. In China's case, Taiwan and the US serve as a very plausible pretext for a military buildup that is actually intended to strengthen its negotiating position with Russia. I don't dismiss a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, I just see it as risking another humiliation given the logistical difficulties of succeeding in it. I think it more likely that China will feel confident in asserting claims to recover lands previously taken from it by Russia, perhaps land purchases at favorable prices. Russia is always looking for revenue streams. When you are land rich and cash poor, then maybe it's time to sell some land, e.g. Alaska.
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  229. You offered no solution other than accurately describing the issue, sir. But if you declare a crisis you must have some accurate information. Build reasonably secure sanctuary cities around new American consulates in the sending nations. For all our trouble on this matter, demand the sending nations provide the necessary land at no charge. All these migrants can learn to build the city and make it work. We bring America to them, or the sending nation elite can lead their people into decency.
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  230. Your right Jennifer, for the last 5 years the American people do not seem capable of nominating and electing a fluent, coherent President. But Trump and Biden were agreed, it was time to take the US presence in Afghanistan way down to a light diplomatic presence. Gosh I hope we keep some operations in that big, expensive embassy.
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  231. I suppose it's more fun to not provide questions in advance and make bureaucrats under oath to speak accurately look unprepared. As a listener, I would have preferred the questions were provided in advance because like the Senator I am actually curious as to at least ball park numbers on this issue. I have little doubt these witnesses could have walked in with a three ring binder of such metrics.
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  232. Join a movement to amend the Constitution. The higher the age cap the easier it probably would be to get passed. It might say one cannot be a candidate for a term in office in which they would reach 90 years of age. That would mean Dianne Feinstein would not be a Senator now, and I don't think she should be. The lower the age limit set, the harder it will be to pass the amendment. It is the intent of the Constitution that the Senate be older and wiser. The Amendment should also raise the age to be in the Senate, probably to something like 45 or 50. Same for the Presidency. Thirty was understandable in the 18th century. With longer average life spans and the complexity of the 21st century, I don't think it helps to elect less experience.
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  233. You have to go with what the 14th Amendment authors defined as an insurrection. There are 19th century dictionaries online you can check out for yourself. The world insurrection was considered broad in scope, including sedition and rebellion.
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  234. AWOL first offense gets an Article 15. The commander adjusts the punishment to the circumstances. Congress should pass a law requiring Walter Reed and maybe other key military hospitals to communicate with listed emergency contacts when patients of this level are admitted. A patient may not be in the best physical and mental condition to carry that out.
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  235. Maybe more like Jesus People mode?
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  236. It's Section 201 (f) (1). Excellent point.
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  237.  @SilverFox-1212  No sweat. It's a really important point you make that could shut down that path of evasion by the SCOTUS. It's classic "stand up to the bully" time.
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  238.  @justinmiller5660  No. The Senate has the power to not ratify Presidential appointments and Congress has the power of the purse to defund any executive office. You try to grant the President unchecked power. We the People are the United States with OFFICERS and OFFICES under US. Also listen to the citation of Morrill in the original 14/3 debate on the President and Vice-President. The evidence of Trump's intent and efforts to remain in OFFICE after losing the election has been established. On January 6th, he incited a riot, the purpose of which was to retain him in OFFICE against the certified will of the States. That's an insurrection per 19th Century American English dictionaries. Our 21st century semantics do not apply.
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  239. No. Schumer is just as tough as McConnell.
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  240. Florida has done well on COVID compared to most other States because we have the highest average age of persons and the wisdom that goes with that. Vulnerable elders and the acutely compliant understand there will always be incorrigible people who will refuse to do the right thing, be it wash their hands, stay home when sick, wear a mask inside assembly spaces, observe social distance, or get a vaccination if their doctor says it is safe to do so. Of course don't get the shot if your doctor tells you not to get it. But this speech is an indication that the eradication of polio and small pox and tuberculosis has been so thorough in the United States that no one has any memory of what a blessing the polio and small pox and tuberculosis vaccines were and are. I had an aunt who spent her life in a wheelchair after getting polio. The guy who helped me start my business died of COVID. Now we have a culture of politicians and their supporters who do not understand public health nor really care. We, of all nations, with an abundance of vaccines and economic power, had a chance to snuff out or very significantly suppress COVID and get this disruption over with and our lives in a better place. Others seem to have found a new cause for disrupting the nation and dragging this ordeal out for political gain. If you can, get the shot, keep up on the other virus countermeasures, and let's get this over with.
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  241. The Palestinians and Israeli's, through a sequence of both intended and unintended actions and reactions, stumbled and stepped into this heightened conflict. Both sides saw opportunity in it: Hamas saw a chance to increase its influence in the West Bank and Israel to reduce Hamas and its infrastructure and advance its own settlement of the West Bank. The stumbling was the cancellation of Palestinian Authority elections in the West Bank and Israeli police actions associated with the Al Aqsa mosque. Always remember that members of Congress are representing the interests that support them. They will frame events to favor those interests. This is a deep seated ethnic and fanatically religious conflict which contains a high probability of escalating into a future nuclear confrontation between Israel and its neighbors. It is really a bad idea to play politics with a powder keg like that. Hamas just proved they can get a few dumb ballistic missiles through the Iron Dome. The day they will have access to maneuverable missiles with nuclear warheads is out there in the future. Stoking anger and ethnic hostility is not helpful. These two enemies of each other have proved to the world that they can step and stumble into conflict. We need to be shock absorbers and peacemakers as best we can. Same goes with our own ethnic and cultural divides here in America. Watch out for these politicians. They step and stumble, too.
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  242. Playing the violin while the ecosphere burns. Build sanctuary cities around new American consulates in the sending nations. It will be a shorter trip. We bring the America they seek to their own land. They'll have a job building and maintaining the new cities. Sending nations don't have the money, but they have the land. If a sending nation cannot help its own people, then it needs to come to terms with the nation(s) it is imposing upon. They don't have to like the terms, but they had better accept them for at least a time.
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  243. $113 billion divided by 583 days is $193.83 million per day, not $223 million per day. Try yourself twice. God help this country. So the proposed next fiscal year US budget deficit is $1.5 trillion. Yes, that is concerning. Aid to Ukraine in one year would be 366 days (leap year) times the average of $193.8 million per day equals $70.94 billion. So aid to Ukraine is 4.73% of the budget deficit. (Not really, the authorization is for only $24 billion he says). So what is over 95% of the budget deficit for? Problems here at home I hope. I vote America stays on the international team that is supporting Ukraine. Also bear in mind that a lot of aid to Ukraine has been old stock due for disposal that was already paid for long ago. Instead of sending the old A-10s to the boneyard they ought to let DARPA try out flying some of them with artificial intelligence and see what they can pull off in Ukraine. Finally, Senator, if aid to Ukraine is cancelled, will you still vote for a $1.5 trillion dollar deficit and use the Ukraine loan proceeds to buy supermarket gift cards for those struggling to put food on the table? Or will you vote to borrow a bit less money from China?
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  244. Yeah, like Texas did not have the energy for a cold snap and people froze to death? That kind of tyranny? Texas should have borrowed a bit more money for a few more power plants. Gobs of investors will lend money for a power plant. The weather is getting a bit wilder. Be prepared.
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  245. Another tax cut.
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  246. Trump 45 had 5 different DNIs. But they were all men.
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  247. Know the feeling. You count the days and your blessings.
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  248. And now the State of Florida is in the business of counterintelligence? I thought that was the FBI's job. All of a sudden we have a staff of experienced counterintelligence professionals? Did we offer FBI agents higher salaries? Do we have some kind of State academy that trains agents now? Will the State make up the loss of out-of-State tuition payments when it cuts back on foreign enrollment? Will the State make up the loss of corporate donations to education? Will the State be telling retailers to stop selling mainland Chinese products? China is an empire to be very concerned about, but its the American appetite for more that often gets us into compromising situations. And will 50 separate counterintelligence agencies coordinate information? Wasn't that part of the problem that led to 9/11, nobody was connecting the dots? Looks like State officials expanding their job descriptions. Pass all the laws you want. What are you budgeting for these efforts?
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  249. Yeah. He's got two more years in the House, and his District probably likes him enough to send him back again in 2026. Then again, if Musk funds his primary opponent, then he is done. That's how Musk takes over. He funds primary campaigns. Enough people believe signs and slogans that their votes are essentially purchased.
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  250. He told us church people we didn't need to worry about voting anymore. Is that nice?
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  251. In his first term, President Trump had five different DNIs. He doesn't hesitate to fire people.
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  252. @ My Ukrainian friend said a lot of Ukrainians are willing to fight, kill and die because they don't want Russian mind control. You seem to believe that there is such a thing as "brainwashing". Step back and look at what you wrote. Do you understand how that comes across?
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  253. Do we have years of data that make it clear that COVID has no long term effects on people under 50? How would we? Follow this guy's logic and forced vaccinations to enter school go away. Will there be consequences for that, like polio and mumps and measles and tuberculosis just like in the good old days?
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  254. How many DNI's did Trump have in his first term as President?
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  255.  @theallseeingeye9388  The fact that Germany is in NATO did not prevent Germany from purchasing Russian oil and gas for billions of euros every year. Let that sink in. Why would Ukraine in NATO necessarily mean that Russia would not have had access to Ukrainian markets? The obvious reason for Russian opposition to NATO is that NATO limits Russian control of markets and resources in adjacent nations. That is, they cannot over time be brought under a greater degree of Russian influence, control, or ultimately jurisdiction. The security of any small nation bordering Russia without being in a sufficient security alliance is, demonstrably via the war in Ukraine, precarious, whatever has been said on paper. It is a chronic feature of comments in support of Russia that they evade Russian responsibility for anything. Neurotypical human beings see this to varying degrees as a failure of the Russian psyche. To quote the text held dear by the Russian Orthodox Church, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Christians are, or should be, honest about their mistakes. America has made plenty of mistakes (U-2, Bay of Pigs, Zaire, My Lai, derivatives, OIF, too many years in Afghanistan, etc.). But the success of our economy, our space and military technology, and our culture indicates that we sometimes learn from our mistakes. The Russian psyche seems so terrified of the shame of error that they do anything to evade dealing honestly with error and honestly with other nations. That is a nation that is very uncomfortable to live next to, a nation led by the "perfect" wielding nuclear weapons and a clear willingness to callously spend the lives of its lesser residents. Any sane person is going to seek help protecting themselves from such a mentality. And Russians can keep proving that point by continuing to assert Russian innocence, Russian infallibility, Russian expansion, and Russian infinite capability. The Western ideal is the conversation, and here we are on YouTube.
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  256. The dark money power caved, Charles Koch, etc. Republican senators are simply their front men, well, maybe not Romney or Sasse or Langford or Collins or Murkowski, sometimes. After they discerned Schumer would succeed in painting them as the bad guys, and the economic losses they themselves were going to sustain, they caved. Money power uses brinkmanship. Schumer laid out his public relations plan to Mitch McConnell, and it came across as likely to succeed.
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  257. Please include health care workers among Florida's heroes. On the stats, that's why the CDC puts out a 7-day average. Yes, the case count goes up and down in a few days and that is why county residents would like their health departments putting out daily hospitalization status reports so we know what the local health care situation is. The State shut down the dashboard that posted those reports back in April. Not helpful. When we hear hospitalizations are up, we adjust our activities to avoid the virus because ICUs might be full. If you don't tell us, the result can be an ICU crisis for our already exhausted health care workers. The Governor performed a great service in calling attention to the now available monoclonal treatment. My understanding was that 70% immunization would moderate the pandemic to a level our health care system could sustainably cope with, as we cope with influenza. I give the Governor a "B" on this presentation.
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  258. She has said she will do the job for about a year. She wants more time with her family.
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  259. Fundamental human dignity should mean that safety standards apply outside of prisons and inside of prisons. A sentence may include a modification of labor standards, such as compensation. But I get really irritated when the Senator risks bearing false witness against his neighbors. I like to think he is a God-fearing man.
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  260. Hey, trim any increase in my Social Security benefit if that will help. If it was going to be 2%, then make it 1%. That's a start.
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  261. The comparison is apples and oranges. The cost of the electricity for car charging should be compared to the cost of gasoline for the same number of miles driven.
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  262. We spend, by far, more money on defense than any other nation, yet we alleged to be "weak". Well then we look "weak" because we look corrupt.
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  263. Donald Rumsfeld did not resign as SECDEF after 9/11. CJCS Shelton was allowed to retire as planned in the October after 9/11. CIA director George Tenet did not resign after 9/11. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice did not resign after 9/11. Secretary of State Colin Powell did not resign after 9/11.
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  264. What about foreigners that get a 6-month tourist visa, fly over the border on a commercial airliner, and never leave?
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  265. The guy is almost 80 years old. Can we move on please?
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  266. No. The gentlewoman is not doing her job. She is there to trade consideration with the other Districts to obtain a compromise that maintains the government, and, if possible, advances the nation and her District. Instead, this Member is dictatorial. She seeks victory, instead of the compromise made necessary by the Constitution. Her speech fails.
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  267.  @yashamaga13  Wow. The ABA was wrong to endorse her?
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  268. Biden will veto the bill because of the debt ceiling component. Trump gets to do that.
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  269. Try telling the US business community that the US will no longer issue any kind of entry visa (tourist or otherwise) because too many people overstay their visa and become illegal aliens. That's when the gentry gets on the phone and starts discussing a reroute of their campaign donations. People with a visa can legally fly into the US over any kind of border barrier.
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  270.  @rowlandkrause5930  Russia now has a weaker economy and military. Sweden and Finland are in NATO. Ukraine survives. These were the objectives of the US stated over two years ago. Search for "Lloyd Austin on weakening Russia." See Perun on the weakened state of the Russian military.
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  271. I sense a view that the capacity of our health care professionals and hospitals, and even the lives of tens of thousands of our fellow Floridians, are subordinate to "individual freedom." Whatever happened to the Republican principle of "personal responsibility", and the responsibility of businesses open to the public for public safety? This isn't just a few people dying before their time here. This is a mass casualty event including over 40,000 deaths and still to be discovered long term ramifications. Yes, it is hard to herd cats, but a Governor is obliged to try.
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  272.  Eric Hanbury  Why no casualties? Why? Explain.
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  273.  @dede4004  So your husband has a PhD in education. So he knows that Donald Trump probably had Conduct Disorder as a child and graduated into full blown ASPD as an adult. And so, knowing that, your husband is recommending to us all that we always elect a sociopath for President? I prefer a President with a conscience, thank you. In a free country I get to vote for that, although I voted for Brian Carroll, American Solidarity Party. And what, exactly, is Common Core in your mind? Jeb Bush advocated for it. I thought the most developed part of it was what math kids needed to know, wherever they live, because money exists in most places in the United States. Math is also a way to learn the basics of logic, which is a part of common sense. A = A. If A = B and B = C, then A = C. Not all conclusions are self-evident. False premises do not produce valid or sound arguments. "Still, it's the math component that has drawn the most criticism. In order to help students develop problem solving skills useful in many areas of life, the Core's focus on "conceptual" math requires students to understand the reasoning behind the correct answers to math problems. It's a major shift, and many parents are finding it near impossible to help their children do their homework." -- Harvard Ed. Magazine. What does this mean? It means many parents are unable to express to their children how to reason, which means many parents do not themselves possess common sense. Which to me, explains why so many people would vote for a sociopath for President. Makes sense.
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  274. Well said.
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  275. Not found by who? The Colorado Supreme Court did find Donald Trump guilty of insurrection, and, having themselves taken an oath to defend the US Constitution, they ruled him ineligible for Colorado ballots per 14/3. They could not rule for any other State. Per the language of 14/3, the US Congress can override the Colorado court ruling by a 2/3 vote. 14/3 is a deterrent to insurrectionist behavior and a self-defense of the Constitution. Candidates need to be of good moral standing in this respect.
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  276.  @Dr_Tripper  The finding of insurrection was made after due process in the Colorado Supreme Court. Check it out. Do you know how to do your job? Should we just all assume that nobody knows what they are doing?
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  277. So they can do a tax cut right after Trump is inaugurated. Raising the debt limit and cutting spending allows a bigger tax cut.
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  278. We saw mixed results. For deserving people that did not get out, its a fail. For those that did, its a success. We did not see a C-17 and its passengers shot out of the sky. Senator Rubio got to the proper subject. Many others just see a partisan opportunity, and speak with as much hyperbole as Biden does sometimes. This is their chance to get the Kurds behind them, and their own role in Afghanistan. Nice try, but I see it. And when did a Republican since Gingrich care about balancing the budget? And is McConnell sure his debt ceiling stance won't come back to haunt in 2022 and 2024? Because he just might succeed in defeating programs to build up things here at home.
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  279.  @skratch-do9nd  Religion is a bit less violent form of social control. Look at Stalin's godless methods of social control. That empire reverted to controlling its church but allowing certain church practices today. After decades of analysis, the leadership concluded it could be more powerful if it had a religion. We have evolved over millennia with religion, and I take exception to characterizing it with words like "fairies" and "ogres". And no less than Jesus offered "the Kingdom of God is within you", which of course lends itself to the "born in the minds of men" argument. In the face of individualism and anecdotal experiences, I find that argument a bit Newtonian. It works most of the time in the observed material world, but that world continues to present us with mystery, such as anecdotal near-death experiences before that became a con/book industry. I advocate an open and respectful mind, but imposing some constraint on religion when a consensus finds it out of hand is not out of order. The US First Amendment is still a good thing.
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  280. Mr. Crane, the Colorado Supreme Court found Donald Trump committed insurrection as the basis for its ballot disqualification ruling. I am not aware that the SCOTUS has effectively rebutted that finding. The US DOJ is bringing a different charge of obstruction because the prosecutor is extra cautious given the limited case history on insurrection in America. There is much more case history on obstruction of official proceedings. Resorting to "we all know" and "everybody knows" is a giveaway, an appeal to cave in to an imaginary peer pressure. I reject that pressure and your attempt to impose it. I hope citizens in Mr. Crane's District will reconsider his re-election.
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  281. Too much time reeling himself in. Hopefully he is learning where his lane is.
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  282.  @lancefulbright2685  Look at the price of oil, which drives other prices. It is historically moderate at this time. What job is Trump going to give you when he gets elected? Trump's game is to be the richest man in the world, and he could do it if he runs the US like Putin runs Russia or Orban runs Hungary. Go study how those mafia dons run their turf. Open your eyes to Trump's game. It's monarchy. Hey, if you're his buddy, you'll be fine. The rest of us, not so much.
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  283. Indicates a lack of rehearsal. Not a good sign.
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  284. Angry? Venting? Try addressing the person who actually hurt you.
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  285. Oceans don't stop the FSB.
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  286. I think the FSB would agree that she has the potential to be a legend.
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  287. If parents were competent to medically care for their children, then we would not need doctors. I take my child to a doctor because I am not competent to care for them in that way. My freedom does not include the right to put others at foreseeable and preventable risk. I have a personal responsibility to safely drive my vehicle. I am not free to drive it any way I want to. Personal responsibility applies to public health measures demonstrated by research to have a positive impact. If your child needs their appendix taken out, do you start studying how to do that yourself, or do you take them to a surgeon? We educate and pay surgeons to be ready to help us when we need it. Same goes for understanding all the research that goes into the practice of public health. Each of you has probably developed expertise that other people rely upon to help them keep going. We survive and thrive as a nation by being a team. We will fail as a species if we do not accept the personal responsibility to each do our job.
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  288.  @billbeeb1803  I do too, Bill. Earlier, this year, my wife told our daughter not to drive on a particularly dangerous undivided highway, even though its posted speed limit of 35 MPH was also posted as being "strictly enforced". She did what she pleased anyway. A 19 year old man, doing as he pleased, and who later tested DUI, drove his 4 door F150 over the double yellow line at over 70 MPH straight on into our daughter's car. She was dead within an hour, leaving behind a one year daughter of her own. He's in jail. I suppose that is dramatic, Bill, but it is true. Love your kids while you can.
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  289.  @billbeeb1803  He said ""Parents should be making those decisions." It's the last thing he says and where I feel he is wrong. And he talks about data, but neither he nor anyone has time in the context of a press conference to quote it sufficiently to support their propositions. This is why you don't bet your child's health on what the Governor says, because he is an attorney by profession, a busy man with a wide set of responsibilities, and we should not defer to him over a child's pediatrician as to that child's medical history and their vulnerability to a serious reaction to COVID. I've seen enough people who refused vaccination, contracted COVID, had their survival instinct overcome their reticence to go to the hospital, and admit it would have been prudent to get vaccinated. As a parent, I want to know if my child has a low risk of long-term consequences if they catch COVID at school, because they probably are going to catch it while not being vaccinated. If you think that is over sensitive, perhaps it has to do with my experience as a foster parent, when I was taking care of children of parents with a criminal background. Not a good situation in which to commit a serious parenting error.
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  290.  @billbeeb1803  A parent does have jurisdiction over what their kids do on their own property and when in their direct custody. A man's home is his castle. Neighbors who both have kids who are friends who play together can come to an agreement on shared rules, or they cannot, but there needs to be at least a one-time conversation. They are public property, subject to the jurisdiction of a combination of the elected school board and the State and the Nation per the laws. Schools can have dress codes to enforce decency and the common good, in this case, public health. School districts might consider setting up mask free school spaces for teachers and students who are OK with that. I am concerned for them, but clearly some want that choice accommodated, and we should do that when we reasonably can. But likewise, schools can also set up school spaces with strict public health rules for those who can agree with that. The Governor should restrain himself and let parents and local districts work this out. That approach is called subsidiarity, a principle of Catholic Social Teaching, something the Governor, as a Catholic, should take seriously. He draws undue attention to himself on this matter.
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  291. This is what happens when voters send dictators to Congress. They can't make deals.
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  292. If you look at the text of the grant, it was about fostering religious pluralism in Nepal because Nepal has a history of religious persecution. Atheism was listed as one of many possible thought paradigms. In essence, the United States was funding the kind of religious pluralism that exists in the United States. Should we do that on behalf of religious minorities in Nepal? Maybe we cannot afford that kind of program anymore, given our growing national debt.
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  293. And the daily Presidential intelligence briefing will read, "You've done it. Everything is fine. Great job, Mr. President." Cuz all the smart informants are going off the grid. The other informants . . .
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