Politics

[John Wasmuth]

He never said when hell would be released, just that it will be………..

 

[Red Leg]

Wondered about that also.....could be wrong, but my bet is Trump wasn't bluffing....I'm sure he knows he cannot "draw the line" and not follow through...hope civilian casualties are minimized.

He obviously was.

The ultimatum passed at noon Israeli time and only three were released. Trump posted,

“Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” he continued. “The United States will back the decision they make.”

I think that reads "Just kidding. Let the IDF deal with it."

As I noted earlier, why would Xi, Putin, or the Ayatollah believe him in the future?

I would suspect Netanyahu was as dismayed by Trump's recklessness as his own national security staff. I rather imagine there were a flurry of confidential phone calls over the last few days.

 

[Red Leg]

One of the reasons the US has enormous leverage should it have the sense to use it against Putin in the pending negotiations is the scale of Russian casualties. Interesting article on the facility where they are processing the hundreds a day that aren't left to rot. I highly recommend the imbedded videos.

Geolocated: Processing 1000 dead a day.

WhereIsRussiaToday lifts the lid on Russia's casualty logistics disaster.

whereisrussiatoday.substack.com

 

[John Wasmuth]

One of the reasons the US has enormous leverage to use against Putin in the pending negotiations is the scale of Russian casualties. Interesting article on the facility where they are processing the hundreds a day that aren't left to rot. I highly recommend the imbedded videos.

Geolocated: Processing 1000 dead a day.

WhereIsRussiaToday lifts the lid on Russia's casualty logistics disaster.

whereisrussiatoday.substack.com

The only good Rooskie is a dead rooskie

 

[Hunt anything]

Wondered about that also.....could be wrong, but my bet is Trump wasn't bluffing....I'm sure he knows he cannot "draw the line" and not follow through...hope civilian casualties are minimized.

I had thought about this as well, I think he gave himself an out when he said one day last week that he would take “the gloves off of the Israelis”

The shoe fell on the CDC today, chicken shits sent emails on Saturday night. They should at least have the stones to tell people they’re fired face to face.

 

[flatwater bill]

@Red Leg Your disdain for President Trump's administration (and him) is almost palpable in each of your posts. We will soon see if your pessimism is borne out. Curious, after 20 consecutive negative posts, have you seen ANYTHING that you like? .....................FWB

 

[barryk]

He obviously was.

The ultimatum passed at noon Israeli time and only three were released. Trump posted,

“Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” he continued. “The United States will back the decision they make.”

I think that reads "Just kidding. Let the IDF deal with it."

As I noted earlier, why would Xi, Putin, or the Ayatollah believe him in the future?

I would suspect Netanyahu was as dismayed by Trump's recklessness as his own national security staff. I rather imagine there were a flurry of confidential phone calls over the last few days.

Hope your wrong, General....this could open another can of worms.....will keep my faith in Trump for action.

 

[Jeff505]

A question to those of you who are veterans.

I have two family members (Korea and Vietnam) who felt they received excellent medical care from the VA. I have another family member (Vietnam) who was shuffled around and feels like the medical end of the VA has taken years of his life. I have a good friend (Vietnam) who has dementia and will be in a VA facility the rest of his life. The family feels the care is good but probably not the equivalent of some private facilities. I know individuals that live hours from a VA medical facility and have to wait months sometimes for an appointment then waste a full day to spend 15 minutes with a medical provider.

Could the medical component of the VA be farmed out with vouchers to the private sector in the form of VA provided insurance?

I have thought the same thing, I have heard some veterans say they are satisfied with the VA hospital in their area. This is not the case where I live, the VA hospital is substandard for numerous reasons. The VA benefit should be health insurance to be used at the medical facility of your choice.

 

[Red Leg]

@Red Leg Your disdain for President Trump's administration (and him) is almost palpable in each of your posts. We will soon see if your pessimism is borne out. Curious, after 20 consecutive negative posts, have you seen ANYTHING that you like? .....................FWB

Sure. I should note I even held my nose for the third time and voted for him.

I fully support his efforts to reinstitute control on our borders. I fully support his efforts to end birthright citizenship. I fully support his efforts to redevelop our production base. I fully support his natural gas and petroleum initiatives.

I am only cautiously supportive of his tariff policy because I am simply unsure of the second and third order effects on prices in this country. I would feel better if I thought the administration understood them.

Assuming his monetary policy follows his first term, I am supportive of that.

I absolutely support finding and eliminating fraud and waste in our budget process. I am very concerned about the chaotic approach the administration is taking to do it.

I could not be more mistrustful of his foreign policy instincts. I frankly think he is arrogantly ignorant. At least Vance, unlike Trump and Hegseth, sounds like an informed adult. Sadly, he has no real power. I think Trump's confidence in Putin is beyond comprehension. I fall into the Senator John McCain camp who criticized Bush's naivete with respect to the dictator in the Kremlin. Bush remarked that he had looked into the eyes of Putin and seen a man with whom we could form a relationship. McCain replied that he had looked into Putin's eyes and only seen "three letters - KGB."

I believe that the most immediate responsibility we have in thwarting China's ambitions is to halt in its tracks the reemergence of a powerful EuroAsian military threat against out West European allies on our Eastern flank. Creating that threat was clearly Xi's goal when he and Putin shook hands at the Olympics greenlighting the invasion. To date the only thing that has prevented that threat gaining momentum has been the bravery of Ukraine and the support, however pitiful, we have provided. It is beyond my comprehension that at least the advisors around Trump can't see that - or perhaps - they simply don't have the courage to tell him.

 

[gbflyer]

Army redirecting millions collected from soldier BAS pay meant for food services elsewhere: report

Hundreds of millions of dollars taken out of U.S. Army soldiers' Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) pay that is meant to help with food costs is being redirected elsewhere, a report found.

www.foxnews.com

Here’s for a couple of you who pulled the BS flag on me a couple weeks ago.

 

[WAB]

Curious if anyone else is watching the Canada/US hockey game? Canadians booing the US national anthem, three fights in the first minute of the game, a bunch of Canadian fans wearing Trump wigs. May be nothing, may be an indication of how Canadians actually feel about Trump’s ridiculous comments.

 

[YancyW]

Sure. I should note I even held my nose for the third time and voted for him.

I fully support his efforts to reinstitute control on our borders. I fully support his efforts to end birthright citizenship. I fully support his efforts to redevelop our production base. I fully support his natural gas and petroleum initiatives.

I am only cautiously supportive of his tariff policy because I am simply unsure of the second and third order effects on prices in this country. I would feel better if I thought the administration understood them.

Assuming his monetary policy follows his first term, I am supportive of that.

I absolutely support finding and eliminating fraud and waste in our budget process. I am very concerned about the chaotic approach the administration is taking to do it.

I could not be more mistrustful of his foreign policy instincts. I frankly think he is arrogantly ignorant. At least Vance, unlike Trump and Hegseth, sounds like an informed adult. Sadly, he has no real power. I think Trump's confidence in Putin is beyond comprehension. I fall into the Senator John McCain camp who criticized Bush's naivete with respect to the dictator in the Kremlin. Bush remarked that he had looked into the eyes of Putin and seen a man with whom we could form a relationship. McCain replied that he had looked into Putin's eyes and only seen "three letters - KGB."

I believe that the most immediate responsibility we have in thwarting China's ambitions is to halt in its tracks the reemergence of a powerful EuroAsian military threat against out West European allies on our Eastern flank. Creating that threat was clearly Xi's goal when he and Putin shook hands at the Olympics greenlighting the invasion. To date the only thing that has prevented that threat gaining momentum has been the bravery of Ukraine and the support, however pitiful, we have provided. It is beyond my comprehension that at least the advisors around Trump can't see that - or perhaps - they simply don't have the courage to tell him.

What would a non-pitiful amount of support look like to you?

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

What would a non-pitiful amount of support look like?

World war three

 

[flatwater bill]

Assoc. Press 2/14/25 "Europe quietly works on a plan to send troops to Ukraine...."
Reporter, "Do you plan to attack Europe"?..........President Putin, "Are you mad?"
Russia helped us defeat Germany in WW2..........perhaps they will have to do it again someday.
It is crazy to want more war.....Russia, with an economy smaller than Italy, is no threat anymore. We need to include them in the World of prosperity, instead of driving them into the hands of China.
I salute VP Vance for his speech in Germany, and I cannot even imagine a World where...."the prospect of peace in Ukraine marks a dark day"........German Chancellor. A parallel and non-sensical universe. .......FWB

 

[Wheels]

Just curious the take on this from those in the military or former military. Taking a food allowance out of a soldiers paycheck and only spending a relatively small portion of those funds on food. Should the food allowance taken out of paychecks be reduced.

Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army

The money is collected in what amounts to a tax on troops -- taken from their Basic Allowance for Subsistence payments, roughly $460 per month that is automatically deducted from the paychecks of service members.

www.military.com

 

[Red Leg]

Just curious the take on this from those in the military or former military. Taking a food allowance out of a soldiers paycheck and only spending a relatively small portion of those funds on food. Should the food allowance taken out of paychecks be reduced.

Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army

The money is collected in what amounts to a tax on troops -- taken from their Basic Allowance for Subsistence payments, roughly $460 per month that is automatically deducted from the paychecks of service members.

www.military.com

Yes.

 

[chuckwellington]

Sure. I should note I even held my nose for the third time and voted for him.

I fully support his efforts to reinstitute control on our borders. I fully support his efforts to end birthright citizenship. I fully support his efforts to redevelop our production base. I fully support his natural gas and petroleum initiatives.

I am only cautiously supportive of his tariff policy because I am simply unsure of the second and third order effects on prices in this country. I would feel better if I thought the administration understood them.

Assuming his monetary policy follows his first term, I am supportive of that.

I absolutely support finding and eliminating fraud and waste in our budget process. I am very concerned about the chaotic approach the administration is taking to do it.

I could not be more mistrustful of his foreign policy instincts. I frankly think he is arrogantly ignorant. At least Vance, unlike Trump and Hegseth, sounds like an informed adult. Sadly, he has no real power. I think Trump's confidence in Putin is beyond comprehension. I fall into the Senator John McCain camp who criticized Bush's naivete with respect to the dictator in the Kremlin. Bush remarked that he had looked into the eyes of Putin and seen a man with whom we could form a relationship. McCain replied that he had looked into Putin's eyes and only seen "three letters - KGB."

I believe that the most immediate responsibility we have in thwarting China's ambitions is to halt in its tracks the reemergence of a powerful EuroAsian military threat against out West European allies on our Eastern flank. Creating that threat was clearly Xi's goal when he and Putin shook hands at the Olympics greenlighting the invasion. To date the only thing that has prevented that threat gaining momentum has been the bravery of Ukraine and the support, however pitiful, we have provided. It is beyond my comprehension that at least the advisors around Trump can't see that - or perhaps - they simply don't have the courage to tell him.

I never understood the sentiment that Putin is anything but adversarial to American interests.

 

[chuckwellington]

Just curious the take on this from those in the military or former military. Taking a food allowance out of a soldiers paycheck and only spending a relatively small portion of those funds on food. Should the food allowance taken out of paychecks be reduced.

Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army

The money is collected in what amounts to a tax on troops -- taken from their Basic Allowance for Subsistence payments, roughly $460 per month that is automatically deducted from the paychecks of service members.

www.military.com

Article seems to skip some details. The military gives everyone BAS and then takes it back out for those in the barracks. Chow hall is free to those individuals. But yes. One would think that all of that money should go toward sustenance.

 

[Red Leg]

What would a non-pitiful amount of support look like to you?

World war three

No, It would have been preventing it. I have gone through this a dozen times already in this interminable nonsense and will not again.

Simply, the vast majority of the military support we have provided has been in kind. No dollars exchanged hands. We have hundreds of Bradley IFVs and M1 tanks moldering in desert storage. They will never ever be used by US troops again. When we made the decision to provide Ukraine with thirty tanks and 80 Brads, we could just as easily provided 300 tanks and 800 Brads. When we gave Ukraine 6 HIMARS launchers, we could have provided them with sixty. We could have started training their pilots for F-16's over two years ago. We did none of those things because the feckless Biden response was led by a national security advisor whose only real expertise was election law. In spite of that, the Ukrainians have fought the Russians to near collapse almost achieving what is in our critical national interests. But, with Vietnam and Afghanistan as backdrops, I suppose it is appropriate that we abandon them now and once again seize defeat from the jaws of victory - a defeat our grandchildren may pay for very dearly.

 

[Brent in Az]

Can't wait until we get rid of this stain.