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For some reason, all of a sudden a bunch of folks who were fond of saying that we are a republic not a democracy have a problem with being a republic not a democracy.

Sad. As compared to the rest of the world where 1/2 is above!

...this is coming from an evangelical.

Republicans and democrats can nominate people by any process they want. The nomination process is not democratic; you don't get to vote for any candidate you want. Parties decide that. If you just now decided that this is NOT DEMOCRATIC!!!!!@@!@!! but all previous nominations were, you're being a bit of a drama queen.

This is why political awareness is a requirement of all intelligent people. Why dangerous ideas and people must be fought. Why the weak and the vulnerable in society must be protected from those who would abuse them.

He's not in the race any more. You might not have noticed.

I got curious about the current US demographic as it has been shifting over the years. I think this raises 2 interesting points. Firstly the whole DEI argument could backfire in a big way as it pits whites against ‘others’. If the entire block of ‘others’ feels alienated they will be driven to Kamilla and more incentivised to vote. Secondly it explains MAGA. I was born in Rhodesia prior to Independence. The UK had implemented a policy in Rhodesia of qualified majority voting. If you had a certain level of education or wealth you could vote. It was not based on race. The intention was a gradual transition of power. The Rhodesien Government driven largely by the farming and rural white communities saw the transition coming and in the sixties unilaterally declared independence and changed the rules. This whole process triggered the war and ultimately the formation of Zimbabwe and the installation of a dictator Mugabe. You can understand why uneducated, rural whites in the US are scared for their future, as the demographics shift and why Trump resonates with them. Unfortunately they are sorely let down by the GOP/MAGA as they feed on the fear and whip up hate. It’s a long term losing strategy and they would be better off fighting to improve the education levels and helping to allay their fears.

No matter what happens, it'll be possible to find a problem with it, and if it's a topic/person/cause you disagree with, you'll work hard to find that problem, and if it's one that you agree with, the problem will be "unimportant" or "unavoidable." Just like people who favor the Democrats think about things like the completely chickenshit way in which the Republicans both denied a Supreme Court justiceship because "it was too close to the election," and then ramrodded one through seven months later in the next election cycle because they could. The difference is -- Biden really didn't want to drop out; he was proven wrong in that want, and the circumstances changed. The Republicans in the Senate were consistent in the "whatever it takes" philosophy, including lying and cheating. Wendy P.

The 26th Amendment, signed by Nixon in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18 for all elections in the US. Some states already had that age. e.g., Georgia since 1943.

I was sorely disappointed years ago when the 10 man speed stars and large round stars declined, that was my only interest at the time and I told Steve fielding "I'm going to take some time off and see how this progresses"

One thing I've been hearing is that since it was the "Biden/Harris" campaign, Harris and her organization has full use of the money, even the PAC money for the campaign.

How about a comment on this: Court records are clear and specific sources. They indicate that: Trump is a fraud (3 different courts) Trump is a liar Trump is a thief Trump is a felon Trump is a sexual predator. Try to avoid hypocrisy.

Your one warning

That’s clutching at straws and a stupid argument that simply reflects racism and bigotry. Biden dropped out due to health reasons (age related). What do you MAGA guys want other than a Trump dictatorship and cult (which isn’t a democracy). MAGA is absolutely terrified that their cult leader isn’t a sure thing - hence the impeachment moves. The only valid argument I’ve heard - and it’s still a stretch, is that Biden finances shouldn’t be drawn on. The law is odd at times and I can see that being a potential issue. Seeing Christian radicals falling over themselves for a man of Trumps character is sad. As someone said recently, don’t call yourselves patriots if you support Trump, because you’re not. As a side note, I think the American idolisation of patriotism is part of the reason you’ve got here as a nation

Just a reminder: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/02/politics/john-kelly-donald-trump-us-service-members-veterans/

Biden’s speech was good. I love how he has flipped the age argument on Trump, without being mean or saying a word about Trump, simply acknowledging that it is time to hand the torch to a younger generation

New episode out now! DB Cooper's Black Box with my good friend Ned Dehan! https://thecoopervortex.podbean.com/e/db-coopers-black-box-ned-dehan/ Enjoy!

Went to a talk last night with George Takei and John Cho (both Sulus from the Star Trek films) at UCSD. George was very eloquent. They both talked about the role a bit. Then the moderator asked them about their childhoods, and George talked about growing up in an internment camp. Then they went over to John who didn't say anything for a second. "I have no idea how I follow _that_" he finally said. George Takei was taken from his home in LA to a Japanese internment camp when he was 5, because he was Japanese and the Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor. All his family's money was taken. Their house was sold. All their possessions were taken. They were stripped naked. They were first imprisoned in a horse stall; their family of four was in one stall. They all got sick from sleeping on dung, but fortunately survived. They were then moved from camp to camp over the next five years, ending up in a mosquito infested camp on a bayou in Arkansas. And every morning they'd line everyone up in the mud and forced them to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. And every time he got to the "with liberty and justice for all" part he'd look around the prison camp they were in and think that perhaps that America was fibbing about that part. He also talked about growing up as a gay man, and how he had to hide who he was for decades from a Hollywood that would have fired him instantly if they had known. Finally he was able to come out in 2005 and admit to the relationship he'd had for the past 20 years. In 2008 they were married, and when they re-outlawed gay marriage in California later in 2008, they were both amused, thinking about what a fun court case it would be if republicans tried to forcibly divorce them. Then Prop 8 was overturned and it was a moot point. His unique perspective - a man who has had his rights taken away TWICE by America - has led him to be very politically active. When the US government finally paid him reparations for throwing him in jail for four years he donated it all to an Asian civil rights group. He's also very aware how tenuous people's rights are and how easily they can be taken away. He talked about FDR, a guy he otherwise respected, giving in to fear and starting up the internment camp program. And he cautioned that if you start with a guy that does NOT have the sort of morals that FDR had, then the damage he can do to civil rights will be that much greater. His words - “I consider it my responsibility as an American citizen to actively participate, particularly because I know my childhood imprisonment - the unjust imprisonment. If we don't participate, if we don't educate our fellow Americans to the vulnerability of our democracy, how fragile it can be, then we're not being responsible citizens.” Sometimes we forget how fragile our rights are.

Canada did no better and in some ways worse during both of the world wars.

Hi Wendy, About 4 yrs ago I was in Arizona visiting friends & decided to stop by Rigging Innovations & talk to Sandy Reid. As we talked, I told him about the first time that I met him. It was in 1976, he was travelling around the country with some woman in a fairly large van with some sewing machines setup in the van. He was out, on the road demo'ing/selling SST's. I think Sandy had been a member of the Exitus team. As I recall, they all used SST's. Ah, the old days. Jerry Baumchen

Where is the "Skydive 024" dropzone. Rules in that country may be radically different than the USA. It might be that 100 octane low-lead gasoline is becoming scarce in your country. Last week I was looking at an electric-powered Pipistrel trainer that works at a flying school in Campbell River, B.C. Canada. If I were you, I would start by talking with Pipistrels' engineers. Another source would be the engineers at Harbour Air (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) who test-flew an electric-powered DHC-2 Beaver a couple of years ago and are hoping to convert a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans to electric power. Harbour Air's short scheduled flights best match the mission profile of jump-planes. Most of Harbour Air's scheduled flights from Vancouver, Nanaimo, Victoria, Seattle, etc. are last less than and hour. Their chief advantage is landing their floatplanes (Cessna 208 Caravans, DHC-2 Beavers, DHC-3 turbine Otters and DHC-6 Twin Otters) in the inner harbour, close to major businesses, tourist attractions, courts, provincial legislature, etc.

And I had a Super Swooper Tandem as a backup rig for awhile; it flew well. Blue Skies, John Wendy P.

Trump prefers veterans with all their arms and legs. And she CERTAINLY won't be invited to any parades if Trump is president. "“Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade. This doesn’t look good for me.”

Challenge accepted! Harris: started with an education, no money Trump: started with a "small loan" of $60.7 million Harris bankruptcies: 0 Trump bankruptcies: 6 Harris loans forgiven: $0 Trump loans forgiven: $287 million # felonies Harris convicted of: 0 # felonies Trump convicted of: 34 # people Harris raped: 0 # people Trump raped: 1 Felons created by Harris administration/campaign: 0 Felons created by Trump administration/campaign: 11 Harris: Supports US Constitution Trump: Wants to "terminate" "phony" US Constitution Harris stated desire to be a dictator: No Trump stated desire to be a dictator: Yes Harris experience: DA, Attorney General, Senator Trump experience: Real estate, reality TV Harris: Worked on PACT act to help veterans exposed to toxic materials in the line of duty Trump: Thinks veterans are "suckers" and "losers" Harris: Healthy, fit, sharp, young Trump: Morbidly obese, senile, too old

Who's meat?

Hi Phil, His acceptance speech says it all. He stayed on script ( sounded somewhat rational ) for about 15 minutes; then, could not help himself. The old Trump that we all know so well. As I continue to say: He is his own worst enemy Jerry Baumchen

Of course he's a coward he's always trying to bully people.