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Sure, but that's why we have a Coast Guard. Tracking the speed boat and intercepting it would have been a no brainer and if they were drug runners and resisted with deadly force then tough shit. This was cold blooded murder not legitimate border protection.

Speaking of cowboys: "Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US will "blow up" foreign crime groups if needed, possibly in collaboration with other countries. "Now they're gonna help us find these people and blow them up, if that's what it takes," Rubio said during a visit to Ecuador...."The president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they've been waging war on us for 30 years and no-one has responded." The US Department of Defence in now renamed the Department of War to better reflect the war on domestic jaywalkers in Washington. Together with the war on high speed boats in international waters. Too bad many CIA officers hired in the last two years were fired in May. They might have come in handy identifying all the new gangs who have waged "war" against America for the last 30 years.

Trump might have soldiers in Humvees in Washington. Here in Aus when we deploy the military in a city we do it properly:) They’re practicing for the upcoming air display day - and not my photo.

I can see why you asked that. I didn't communicate that very well. In the US; due process.

Hi Mark, I've been in a fair number of foreign countries. IMO it's pretty easy to identify US citizens. I do not care what you are wearing. Jerry Baumchen

You have no idea.

But you . . . took the flag off your boat, right?

I refuse to hide from being American, I'm just not especially proud of it for the time being.

Hi Keith, Re: If it was a nuclear weapon Those suspected drug runners did not impose an immanent threat to anyone. Everyone should get access to due process, even mass murders. Do you not agree? Jerry Baumchen PS) And, IMO this should be part of this conversation: The massive drug bust that wasn’t: How 50 million ‘fatal doses’ turned out to be mostly water

It's hard being brave, especially when it hurts personally. Myself, I took the flag off our boat the morning of November 6. When I get asked about it I say it blew off in the election, end of questions.

I think Cooper is a guy that likes McGyvering. Control freak. In a strange way he is also trying to maintain 'isolation' - as little interaction with the outside world as possible. He is demonstrating his tactical priorities. It may not be logical but it is his way of fostering the illusion that he is in control. He also has confidence in his McGyvering! Arrogance. Manager type. If something goes wrong he only has himself to blame ? A loner mentality. Loners have lots of grudges... its a personality type. Myopic manager type. ? Conflict archetype. Saw these personality types when I worked for Voc Rehab. They just could not accept that a stroke of some other event had changed their lives. They turned to crime as a shortcut thinking they could not be caught ... a pathetic situation common in the rehab profession. They always forget or overlook something crucial. Cooper may be a guy who decided to solve a financial problem by an elaborate parachuting solution few others would even conceive. The FBI might have looked for Cooper in the social welfare system.

I've said it a million time. It's weird that he decided to spend an hour and a half McGyvering the money bag instead of simply demanding that a knapsack be brought.

That makes about as much sense as justifying the invasion of Iraq because of WMD. Made up bullshit.

Hence the justification to kidnap US citizens by Russia, N.Korea, Iran, etc. Governmental regulations of these countries sets aside the "right to life", due process, etc, I guess US included. The US constitution says that only Congress has the power to declare war. Article II - which lays out the president's powers - says that "the president shall be Commander in Chief of the Army" and some constitutional experts have suggested that this grants the president the power to authorize strikes against military targets Drug traffickers are not military targets no matter what Trump states.If they are then every vessel operating anywhere could be a target not for boarding and search but instead for summary sinking. If this is allowed to stand Trump directing predator drone attacks on Mexican soil. Air to air shootdowns of "smugglers aircraft" is next. Labelling any group, any country, any individual an "enemy" will be enough for Trump to order a military kill command. "Trump was asked by host Maria Bartiromo about how he would handle bureaucrats who might seek to undermine him in a potential second term. "I always say, we have two enemies," Trump said, adding: "We have the outside enemy, and then we have the enemy from within, and the enemy from within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all these countries." Trump added that a "smart president" could handle outside adversaries "pretty easily," but "the thing that's tougher to handle are these lunatics that we have inside, like Adam Schiff." "I call him the enemy from within," he added."

I'm surprised that the entire US chain of command has not made a peep in protest.

If you seriously believe that there are arguments in favour of rape that are compelling, then apparently you really don't find rape as repellant as everyone else here does. Another good explanation of your vote for Trump, I guess. Along with the fact that he promised DEI hiring would be reserved for white people, which you’re all in favour of.

Hi folks, 'Fraud will not be tolerated in President Trump’s housing market.' Really: Oregon’s Lori Chavez-DeRemer, other Trump cabinet members claimed 2 primary residences - oregonlive.com Trump 2.0 business as usual. Jerry Baumchen

Hi Mark, This might be why: The Nazi's first came for the Communists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me. Rev. Martin Niemoeller Jerry Baumchen

Do you know the details of that? As I understand it, those stairs down and locked are meant to be able to support the plane, since all three engines are on the tail making it tail-heavy, it risked being able to tilt back as passengers are loading. If that is true, then those stairs down and locked could prevent the plane from rotating on takeoff, and that could potentially cause damage to the tail section in the attempt?

yes, he's a confounding combination of seeming to know what's he talking about at certain times but then other times he's obviously full of shit. I think about him scoffing over them not being able to take off with the stairs down. "Yes they can..." There's absolutely no way he could have known that. As far as I know the only time a 727 has ever taken off with the stairs down was during the evacuation of Da Nang in 1975 and that was obviously an emergency.

I would assume it would have been big enough to elicit a response from Cooper if he cared. Thinking about this in conjunction with his earlier "aircraft radio should be used as little as possible" direction, it's another example of surface level stuff that's said to increase the gravity of the situation that he completely abandons basically after it's said. So much of what he said feels like window dressing to add a layer of legitimacy and impact to his requests. I am constantly going back and forth on which of his words actually matter.