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OK, Slick what's your fucking plan other than throwing "follies" around? Wait you just want to throw rocks at everyone else's shit. Go play with the other kids - the adults want to have a conversation.

I just had my retirement request approved. Come Dec 1, I'll be joining the club!

Bullies talk shit until they get punched in the mouth.

Remember going into donut shops to pick up donuts for the office? Those old guys around the side, sipping their coffee and talking? That’s us, isn’t it… Wendy P.

Hi Bill, Re: He just wasn't capable of doing that and people were tired of hearing it He would not be Donald Trump if he stopped doing what he always has done. I absolutely agree that people were tired of hearing it He was and is, his own worst enemy. * Jerry Baumchen * Along with being a buffoon and immature.

She's more qualified than Kavanaugh, and she doesn't have a history of abusing people. Wendy P.

I suspect that if Thomas was to pass away the Heritage Foundation would immediately hire a taxidermist to turn him into something animatronic, like some Disney theme park character, so he continue to sit on the Supreme Court forever. He never asks questions during oral arguments, and his clerks could write his neolithic opinions in perpetuity, so no one would ever know. Then Biden would never get a chance to appoint some raving socialist in his place!

You have no plan.

I understand. In this case, I have lived it and seen it for too long. People are getting killed while we shake our finger. The only way to deal with a charging bear is with a large caliber weapon.

Well yes and no. After a bit consumers start to complain because it costs a bit more for a liter of gas. Then politicians start to waiver and say "its a Ukrainian problem". Issues like this require leadership and the only country that has the political power. Not specifically military power. Is the US. With leadership not a drop of "western" blood need be shed. But it will cost consumers in the pocket book. For some thats more painful, more horrific.

Looking from the outside it's fascinating how americans insist on being ruled by a minority. - Electoral college - Gerrymandering - Fillibuster

Sorry, I kind of like the thought of Biden spinning up the military. Won’t work (soldiers who haven’t been to war might see it as a chance to advance — ones who haven’t often see it differently) Wendy P.

I seriously am in favour of Canada having a nuclear weapons program. The day will come when we need to deter the southern aggressor. In the meantime I think that Biden should issue a statement encouraging the Russian military to overthrow the madman in the Kremlin. It would make him wild.

Russia was desperate for Western aid after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but they were largely rebuffed. Perhaps GHW Bush, Thatcher, et al were too wedded to their personal history of only knowing the Soviet Union as a mortal enemy. I suspect that the USA needed to have an antagonist to justify their giant military, and they couldn't adjust to the disappearance of communist Russia without another enemy at hand to switch to. It would have been too disruptive to the US economy to scale back the military/industrial complex and put their manufacturing strength into making products for the civilian world, not to mention employing all those ex-military personnel. So the opportunity slipped away, Yeltsin was replaced with Putin, and here we are.

Hi Ken, At no time were there 2.7 million American soldiers in Vietnam. Jerry Baumchen

True. Since CPAC is ongoing, great time to gauge what the conservative position really is. So far there has been very little said about Putin, Russia or Ukraine. Lots about the horror of masks, vaccines, CRT and gay kids. So far it would seem republican leadership doesn't care too much, other than doing exactly what BH is doing here: complain about Biden.

Check out the 2014 NDAA -- specifically the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI). We re-allocated a ton of money to security cooperation build-up to the eastern flank of NATO. It's been going on now for nearly eight years, and has shown significant growth in partner development programs. Its success inspired the corresponding Pacific Deterrence Initiative written into the 2020 NDAA. That one has yet to be funded, as we have had other emerging requirements in the meantime, but Congress has recognized the need for longer-term cooperation and development programs so our regional partners and allies can do the job themselves, with out relying on the major powers to come to the rescue in a crisis.

I'll let you know, when I get old.

I would agree. They are not natural allies, they are rivals who currently have reasons to do business with each other.

We fucked up. Without energy sales Russia is nothing, same as Saudi Arabia. We literally financed this war with our addiction to Hummers. That we are considering tapping our strategic oil reserve to control pricing at the gas pump in Topeka is evidence that on a certain level Brent is right about our energy policies. Ukraine is lost. It becoming Russian territory will not tip the balance of power in Eastern Europe significantly. Unfortunately now is a fine time to lick our wounds and live to fight another day. No, Brent, we do not need forward bases arrayed in an aggressive posture. We don't want world war and bluffing is for chumps. What we do need are terminals and ports dedicated to energy. What we do need is an energy alliance that includes a long term plan to supply gas and crude to Europe while we work coterminously to wean the western world from fossil fuels. We need to do whatever is realistic over the next decade to shrink the Russian energy market and the Chinese products market. Keith, we don't need to deploy divisions and threats. We need to boil frogs, seems to me.

IMO thats somewhat correct. But Putin isn't afraid of anyone. Oligarchs have had every penny seized and been locked up in the gulags. The press conference with his military leaders and generals this week. Showed generals completely cowered by Putins position. His generals and appointees-oligarchs. Know Putin can order them killed just as quick as KIm of N.Korea can. Thats not to say he's not afraid of a rogue Russian patriot who might pull a Tokarev from his back pocket.

Anyway your position seems to be that the US can answer this on a military to military level. Although I am reasonably sure that you are correct, neither the US nor the world is willing to pay the price.

aaaah. Apologies. With the current events, my sarcasm meter is broke. But, my pissed off meter is fully calibrated.

all we really have to do is impose complete oil and gas embargoes on russia and stick to it. gas prices go up a little and puddin' is back inside his borders by next weekend, then overthrown a few weeks later.

Nice thread join Wendy P.

I'm surprised at this idea. It sounds a bit reactionary from you. Whatever Putin is he is a master of brinkmanship. Of the carrot and the stick diplomacy. He specifically and deliberately "tested" his nuclear forces in Belarus barely a week ago for a reason. NATO is an alliance and in that alliance is Germany and France. The EU is dependent upon Russian gas for about 50% of its needs. IMO The western alliance should immediately begin construction of three natural gas (LNG) terminals to supply the EU and other western allies. With the energy independence from Russia within a year. Institute laws to seize the monies from oligarchs and other Russians that have plundered Russia. Then moved those ill gotten gains to the west. Use those monies to fund reparations for Ukraine. Russia announced today that its ready to "hold talks" about a peace. Thats typical Russian/Putin conduct to wiggle a carrot to distract and divide.

Stop being lazy Joe! Go over to Foxnews and get that info yourself

How would you play this hand? You're superb at bloviating, denigrating, and Monday morning Quarterbacking but be brave and tell us just what you would do.

Putin controls enough nukes to make challenging him a wild gamble. He is gnashing his teeth and growling like a mad dog. Maybe it's too keep the west off balance or maybe he is off balanced. Hard to know. The only people who can do anything about it and make Russia pay the price are the Ukrainians themselves. Time will tell, but in a modern surveillance society run by former KGB/GRU security operatives it will be very hard to run a guerilla war. But you are wrong about how serious this is. Putin's goal is much larger.

Homicide is defined in the law as "when one human being causes the death of another." That's not a liberal definition, it's the legal meaning of the word. Homicide includes justifiable killing, murder, manslaughter, accident, etc without implication as to criminality. Castle doctrine long ago (centuries) established that you have the right to defend yourself, including with lethal force, in your "castle" (home). As lippy so eloquently put it, SYG laws (mostly written by the NRA by the way) extend that to the Denny's parking lot. It has always been legal to defend yourself, even with lethal force, to protect yourself against someone threatening you with lethal force, if that is the only reasonable way to defend yourself. To some people, though, SYG laws extend the concept of "self defense" to include lethal force to protect yourself against people wielding loud music, plastic bags, bags of popcorn, checking your power meter, etc. In some states SYG has been used to acquit defendants who started a confrontation or fight, then resorted to a firearm when the fight didn't go their way. Drug dealers having a gun battle over territory have successfully used SYG to defend themselves in court. Even if the defendant is eventually charged and convicted, the victim is still dead. Georgia is currently a "shall issue" state, meaning that the state must issue a concealed carry permit as long as you pass a background check. No training in firearm proficiency or the law regarding firearm use is required. Legislation has been introduced, and will certainly pass, to make Georgia a "constitutional carry" state with no requirement for a concealed carry permit or a background check. Whatever your opinion of lax training in SC, in Georgia there is no training at all, so people sometimes discover their misunderstanding of who/when the law allows them to kill someone only after it is too late.

There is a reason container systems are TSOed with drop testing and not static testing. Of course the Talon TSO was issued many years ago and probably was tested with velcro riser covers. The scenario with a total mal where the reserve risers need to pop the covers will always be high speed. The RI rpc with a nearly 3 ft long spring is a very high drag piece of equipment. The force generated is much more than that used in the video. I'm sure that by now Sandy, who is retired from the business is aware of this thread. He has come under personal attack by a man who is in a business dispute with him. Since it is unlikely that Sandy is going to dignify this with any sort of reply, which he absolutely should not do, I feel someone should point this out. There are not as many Curvs in the marketplace as some of the other brands. But there are many nonetheless. If there has been a problem in the field with riser covers not opening on reserve rides we would have heard of it by now. This whole thing just reeks of petty jealousy. Vive la France!

Hi Unstable, And, I think that is something the French should do. Jerry Baumchen

Eric has been going after both Aerodyne and more recently RI over his anger about a patent dispute for several years. He is not a disinterested party, he is a man looking for revenge and he is attempting to get it by smearing the companies and people he is angry at.