wolfriverjoe

No argument from me there. I'd even go further and it's not just the government, but also private industry. Fear "sells." In some respects it's just capitalism, but in others it's pretty f'ed up. Agreed. Some people simply aren't "happy" unless they have something to be afraid of. Muslims, immigrants, homosexuals/transgenders (flip side - guns, climate change religious totalitarianism), and on and on. Some of the fears are not totally out of line, but they are blown completely out of proportion. Take terrorism for example. The chances of a US citizen being killed by a terrorist (of any kind, not just Muslim) are infinitesimal. Being killed in a car crash has about a 1 in 10,000 chance in a given year. Which one are people afraid of? Terrorists or texters? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Emphasis mine. Not state. Federal. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332a A "truck bomb full of ANFO and homemade thermite" falls well within the definition. You're right in a certain way though, when I was growing up and had cause to learn about such things, NBC warfare was pretty much it. Then again, everything changed after 9/11. Ok, my mistake. I didn't realize (although I probably should have) realized that it was the US Congress and Senate, not state legislatures, that was a bunch of over-reactive morons. You're right though. The attacks in 2001 changed everything. Idiotic rules, loss of due process, loss of privacy, all that shit because we got scared. Nothing really changed. The "Security Theatre" at airports is a joke. Something like 95% of tests are failures (stuff is missed). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

And then Lou Dobbs puts out the personal information of one of the accusers. Along with the incorrect claim that her phone number is the same as the Clinton Foundation. Ya wonder why these women didn't come forward earlier? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Funny. The story doesn't seem to mention the religion of the terrorists. Unless "asshole" is a religion. Most white supremacists call themselves "Christian", but follow the teachings of Christ about as closely as my mom's cat. And I don't care how many idiotic state legislatures pass laws calling this crap a "Weapon of Mass Destruction", a truck bomb full of ANFO and homemade thermite (not 'nano-thermite', mind you) is not nuclear, chemical or biological. Which is how WMDs are defined in the real world. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Actually he's swung back too far the other way. He appears to be arguing that politicians should effectively be immune from prosecution for corruption and electoral fraud. This would be just as damaging for a democracy as prosecuting political opponents for the purpose of vendetta. I agree. Ford didn't pardon Nixon because it would set a precedent of prosecuting public officials "for actions carried out in the context of his official duties" (which wasn't the case with Nixon at all), Ford pardoned Nixon because he felt that prolonging the whole situation with a huge trial and all the accompanying crap would be worse than allowing Nixon to retire quietly. There's a whole list of public officials in prison for misconduct. Rod Blagojavich of Illinois is one that comes to mind (4 of the last 7 governors of Illinois have been convicted and imprisoned). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Maybe not a "what" but how about a "whom"? Jimmy Carter. Truly a decent person. Also a liberal. His decency was actually a huge handicap during his presidency because he believes that all people are inherently good, and trusted foreign leaders to actually do the good things that they said they'd do. Khomeini in Iran is the most egregious example. Since then, however, he has traveled the world. In every case, doing what he could to leave where ever he was a better place than when he arrived. To imply that "liberals" have no morals is very similar to saying that "Everyone knows how black men are. I mean they brag about themselves and their booty calls and all." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

What's really funny is that Trump is threatening to sue the New York Times over the story about this. Gotta love the line in the letter to Trump's lawyer: Full Story And for Yoink: I'm not surprised in any way that none of these assaults were reported when they happened. They weren't "full rape", just groping (not that it's not still sexual assault and/or battery). There was no evidence, no witnesses. It would have been their word against Trump's. With his money and legal team, there's virtually no chance of a conviction. They legitimately feared reprisals from Trump. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not on a G3 (or other skydiving helmet), but on my motorcycle helmet and on the polycarbonate headlight lenses on my car. It works reasonably well as long as the scratches aren't too deep. There are also purpose-specific kits for car headlights ($15, $10 on sale if you keep your eyes open) that include several different sanding/polishing pads (different grit) and a polish. They may include a "prep" wipe and a "sealer" wipe that I would suggest not using on a visor. Not terribly hard, and can be done while watching TV or similar. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Because Trump said he has no ties with Russia. Despite all the evidence. Despite Trump expressing admiration for Putin. Despite financial reports detailing Russian investment in Trump projects. Despite Trump calling for Russian hackers to expose HRC's e-mails. The level of denial of the hardcore Trump supporters would be hilarious, if it weren't so pathetic. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Fixed it for you

And wasn't the primary face of that enemy the Soviet Union? They exported "socialist revolution" all over the world. And while the Soviet Union has dissolved, the current Russian government is very similar in most ways (at least most ways that matter). They are actively trying to re-acquire the former Soviet states. And Trump appears to be supporting them And is financially backed by them. Do you have any sort of issue with Trump's close ties with Russia? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No, it's talked about in lots of places. But the only one you frequent is here. Brietbart, Blaze, Fox, ect seem unable to find any of the (roughly) bazillion stories that illustrate how utterly horrible of a human being Trump is. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Don't forget Oxy Contin. Those pills are sold under all sorts of restrictions and controls. Yet lots of people (often teens) manage to get hold of them. And when the supply of pills runs out, they turn to heroin. It's one of the major driving forces behind the current "heroin epidemic." "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

On that basis alone I would have no choice in this election. I have to vote against HRC. DT is no Bill Clinton. True. I'm unaware of Bill Clinton being accused of running a sham "university", then bribing Attorneys General to stymie investigations in several states. I'm also unaware of credible accusations of sexual assault of a minor, nor taped admissions of sexual battery. Bill may have been a horndog, but he wasn't a rapist. And Bill isn't the Clinton on the vote anyway. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

No, it is not. They are charged with drug offenses. The ammo was seized, but the article does not mention any charges in relation to it. I'm not sure under what law it was seized, but the house was a large grow op. And it would not seem prudent to just leave it there. I'm guessing if someone can prove legitimate ownership they will be able to recover it. Well, first off, .223 (or 5.56 which is almost the same thing) is a long , long way from being considered "high powered." I don't know exactly what a "high caliber" is, but a lot of folks refer to ARs and other 223 stuff as "mouse guns." And it's pretty common for guns and ammo to be seized during drug raids. In the US, possession of firearms while engaging in other illegal activity is a crime, even if the guns would be legal if possessed without committing another crime. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I've actually hauled a load of ammunition out of the Federal facility in Anoka MN. All the pallets were standard sized (40 x 48), but none were stacked more than a couple feet high. 40,000 lbs of ammo. And it was not a placarded hazmat load either. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

And garbage trucks make pretty poor escape vehicles too. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

It always is. You're right about Russia being there to prop up Assad. They've backed him (and his father before him) for a long, long time. They may be helping out the rest of the world by fighting against Daesh,, but that's not what they are there for. They're there to keep Assad in power. Period. No matter what it takes. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

You don't say where you are, other than "up north." I'm in Wisconsin, and a bit of a "cold wimp." I generally don't jump if it's below freezing on the ground (others do). So I routinely take a few months off every year. Generally, with time off (how much depends on what license you have), you have to make a jump "under the supervision of an instructor". Some places require a coach jump, others allow simply going over the dive plan, EPs, landing patterns, ect. with an instructor and then doing a hop & pop. So taking some time off doesn't have to be unsafe. It just requires a bit of effort to return to the sky safely. Keep in mind that this sport has risks no matter what. That's part of the deal. As others have said, "the sky will always be there". Whether you will be willing and able to go back up is a different question. If your heart isn't in it, if you don't feel like it, stay on the ground. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yup.... a year when people cared more about someone "telling it like it is" and screaming about one issue won out. There were of course other factors that led to the cheeto winning. It was a perfect storm of Fu@#! Hoping that real conservatives/GOP leaders and the younger generation learn from this because it gave us President Hillary Clinton. Primaries are a very different thing as compared to a general. The GOP "base" doesn't get that I guess. It's kind of funny. Given what happened during the 12 primaries, the primaries this time shouldn't be that big of a surprise (Hindsight being 20/20, of course). Romney was a fairly well qualified candidate. Former governor, lots of experience. But he was from a 'political family', and was a 'rich, out of touch' Republican. And a Mormon. So the blue collar, conservative, religious base (you know, the ones 'bitterly clinging to their guns and religion') didn't like him much. So every time any new candidate popped up (Cruz, Perry, Bachman, Cain, ect) they'd have a big surge in the polls, until the base figured out that they were no better, and actually worse than Romney. And they'd fade in a week or so. So along comes Trump. And he tells that base exactly what they want to hear. No matter that it often goes directly against positions he stated prior to entering the race (guns and abortion are the two biggies). Not "political royalty" like Bush, not even an established politician like Cruz or Kaisch. So add up the "exactly what the bigots and xenophobes want to hear", along with the "Anyone but Hillary" crowd, thrown in with the fools and idiots that fall for his con job (Ryoder's comment about psycho/narcissist is dead on) and you have what we have. And while Yogi Berra was right... It ain't over 'til it's over. It's definitely swinging to HRC. She's even seeing rising numbers in Texas. Where a democrat hasn't won in a long, long time. And while it offends me rather deeply to see her take the WH, it doesn't scare me the way a Trump presidency would. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yes. I've studied it some (more than many, it was in an economics class). It was hardly the type of "SHTF" that you seem to be anticipating. And while the "big event" of the stock market crash in 1929 is what most people think triggered it, the banking crisis of 1932 was far more important. Interestingly, the housing collapse and subsequent banking issues of 2008 were arguably worse than the banking crisis of 1932, depending on a few different metrics. The big (and I mean huge) difference is in how the government responded. There was FDIC insurance, so unlike in 32, nobody panicked that their money would disappear if the bank closed (happened in 32) The Fed took a lot of steps to keep the banks solvent, so only a handful collapsed, and those were "rescued" by other banks (didn't happen in 32). There are also vast social "safety nets" in place that weren't there in the 30s. The Social Security check that you get each month is a big one, but only one. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Sure. People have been saying that for millennium. You've been saying it for as long as you've been on here. Ever hear of the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"? "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

It's not the job of the President to "represent you". That's what Congress is for (you know, the "House of Representatives). It's the job of the President to lead the country. And doing that with anger is pretty poor leadership. Trump has demonstrated that he has just about every trait of the stereotypical "bad boss". Lashing out in anger, refusing to listen, refusing to admit when he is proven wrong, claiming credit for stuff he didn't do, all that stuff. His version of the speech vs what really happened (and is available on video) at the church in Flint MI is a perfect example. Trump would have a hard time leading a three year old to the toilet, let alone the entire country. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Just to be clear, my post was about ( IMO ) how she felt in '08. I, today, feel that she has earned the nomination due to her hard work as Sec of State. Jerry Baumchen Apologies for the lack of clarity. Even if she did earn the nomination this time, she still cheated. She conspired with the DNC (against their own rules) to beat Sanders. Either she didn't think she could do it fairly, or she felt that all the work she has done entitles her to the nomination. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Oh HELL YES, Trump is worse by at least an order of magnitude, probably several. But a 3rd party vote isn't a vote for Trump in my case. I've voted for the Republican candidate for pres since Reagan's 2nd term, except for the last one. Romney & Obama were indistinguishable to me, so I voted Libertarain. So in my case, a vote for Gary Johnson is a vote for Clinton, because it's one less that would have otherwise gone for Trump. E-mails should be. It's part of a long pattern of disdain for rules and transparency. I'd also include the shameless carpetbagging in NY, but that's a personal peeve of mine. No question she's got the experience and intelligence for the position. It's the character bits....if the GOP had put up a non crazy person, I wouldn't be voting for her. (Of course, in living in California, it doesn't really matter. Shrub pissed on the state so badly that the GOP is unlikely to ever win here again, despite dominating it up until the Clinton win in 92.) I don't have a problem with the E-mails. Both Powell and Rice did the exact same thing, and have received zero criticism. Everyone at that level picks and chooses which rules they follow. Stuff that would get a lower level staffer fired with enough black marks on their record that they would never hold a clearance or a civil service job again get a pass once above a certain level. As Jerry noted, some of this stuff goes back a while. But what I see is that she feels entitled to what she wants. I don't dispute that she has worked very hard as First Lady with Bill, as Senator (reverse-carpetbagger overtones there) and as SecState. But the fact that she does just about anything to get what she wants overshadows the good that she has done. I see a "pattern of behavior" that, as Jerry put it, seems to say she feels entitled to the nomination and election. And that she will pull every trick in the book to get elected. That's one of the main reasons I rejected the "birther" crap almost immediately (other than the fact that it was stupid). If there was any good evidence that BHO was not a citizen, HRC would have been over that like (insert favorite "A on B" metaphor here). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo