wolfriverjoe

In a further development of this, Boebert threatened to sue American Muckrakers for defamation, but never did. However, due to the backlash, American Muckrakers sued Boebert. The suit was originally filed in North Carolina, but was dismissed due to jurisdictional issues. Not due to merit, which Boebert tried but failed to do. So they've refiled it in Colorado. The 'discovery' aspect of it should be interesting. https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/03/18/defamation-lawsuit-against-boebert-heading-to-a-colorado-courtroom-muckrakers-president-says/

Yeah... Another lie from the right. Why am I not terribly surprised. https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/04/28/biden-mortgage-fees/

Kind of like the difference between the BLM protesters in Portland (arrested 'proactively') or the ones who sat on the lawn of the Kentucky AG in protest of the Brianna Taylor muder (arrested & charged with felonies) vs the ones who entered the Michigan Capitol building armed to the teeth (nothing) or the ones who stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6 (allowed to leave, although arrested later).

Well, it's possible you owe some amends to the ones you regret. Not always possible, and sometimes the best amend you can make is to leave them alone to live their life without you in it. You can also make the conscious decision to not behave like that in the future (although I have a feeling that you don't do that sort of thing anymore anyway).

Given the value he places on his soldiers at this point (basically zero), I don't expect it to be a whole lot.

Bakhmut has been in 'deep shit' since August. Didn't you say that the Russians were bringing the full weight of Wagner and that Bakhmut was going to fall real soon? Didn't you say that a week or more ago? The town is virtually flattened. One reason the Ukrainians are trying to hold it is because it's the only town currently being flattened. If they fell back, the orcs would destroy every other town, city & village they came across. Exactly like they did for the entire war. By holding Bakhmut, the rest of the towns in the area are spared. But the current reports show the Ukranians falling back some. Their supply lines are not as secure as they should be, so they seem to be deciding that somewhere over 20k Russians is a decent amount of damage to inflict. Especially at the cost of maybe a couple thousand Ukrainians. Plus the fact that they've had about 8 months to fortify lines just to the west, that they'll be able to hold pretty much indefinitely. Wagner is pretty much done. The Russians are backing them up with the 'VDV' paratroops (who are also pretty much done for). Fun fact: Russia seems to have deployed and destroyed all of its trainers. Many of the experienced soldiers who were training the new guys have been killed. So there's no one around to train the new guys. VDV & Spetznaz have the same problem. You can't teach a guy how to hold a rifle and walk in a straight line, then give him a silly hat and a stripey shirt and expect him to be an effective soldier. Currently, Russia has no operational reserves. Zero. So when the Ukrainians attack, the orcs will either have to weaken other areas, or just 'lay back and enjoy it.' Given that the Ukrainians are reported to have well over 20 brigades coming on line (some are still training, others are waiting for equipment), the next month or so should be... Interesting. We'll likely find out how fast Russians can run to the east.

Well, I'm not too sure about that. There were times when my life was not super great. But I never reached the point where I had to watch Jerry Springer (or any of the other ones like him) to be able to say "well, my life may be bad, but it's not THAT bad". I never enjoyed seeing other people's misery, with a couple notable exceptions.

I'd be willing to consider measures that would ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Unfortunately, I haven't seen a single proposal that isn't anything more than 'security theater'. It's the old 'Do something, do ANYTHING to make us feel safe!!!' Even if it doesn't make any difference. Someone mentioned airlines & the TSA a few posts up (not my sarcastic one). Remember October 2001? No toenail clippers, no lapel pins that were miniature guns, no nothing that even looked like it could be a threat. Even if it was totally harmless. Even Bic lighters. Totally fucking stupid, totally useless, total 'theater'. Remember also, how many people managed to sneak stuff like box cutters and knives on board? Remember the shoe bomber? So now everyone has to take off their shoes. Remember the plot in London to blow up the airliners over the North Pole with binary liquid explosives? And in the aftermath, liquids were sharply restricted. I'm somewhat surprised that nobody has attempted to smuggle an explosive device shoved up their butt. I don't want to see what the aftermath of that would look like. I haven't flown commercial airlines in over 20 years. Mostly because I have no reason to, but partly because of the stupidity. And, back to gun control, as I noted earlier - It's a dangerous issue for politicians to take up. If the Ds manage to pass restrictive gun laws (which is very unlikely to happen), they'd be in serious danger of getting voted out of office. Which would put the Rs back in control. The Rs taking both houses in 96 (and putting Gingrich in as Speaker) was horrible for the country. I supported it at the time because I was largely a single issue voter. I didn't see the danger the Rs posed to our country and our society. Not going to make that mistake again.

Ya gotta realize that 'those people' don't actually READ the Bible. They just worship it.

I got a better idea. Replace the TSA with the 'T&P'. Set up small chapels for all the religions, plus a non-denominational one for the agnostics, plus a simple lounge for the atheists to relax. Obviously, since 'thoughts and prayers' are such an appropriate response to kids getting murdered, it should be an appropriate way of keeping terrorists out of the skies. Right?

Right. Really shitty and inaccurate 'mobile artillery'. Because most of the 'regular' artillery has either been destroyed or doesn't have any ammunition (because the ammo storage areas have been destroyed). And short lived artillery too. Tank gun barrels aren't super long lived. They wear out fast. And once worn, need to be replaced. And since the orcs aren't very good at proper maintenance, they'll keep shooting them... Until they blow up. And, again, the T-54 is super vulnerable to attack. Gotta love the excuses and rationalizations you keep creating.

Oh please. Russia invaded Ukraine. Twice. For the unpardonable sin of refusing to allow Vladolf's stooge run the country. You know, like Belorus did. And the T-14 is an AWESOME tank. On paper. Or in Vladolf's imagination. Which is the only place it exists. This is the same tank that had to be towed from the "Victory Day" parade a couple years ago. (helpful hint: take the parking brake off before trying to tow it) Maybe five or six actually exist. Russia can't manufacture a single one. They can't even make new T-90s without them leaving the factory minus just about every modern system. Western sanctions have them stripping computer chips from cars, microwaves and washing machines (maybe that's why orcs are stealing washers from Ukraine). Russia's incredibly capable and modern manufacturing capabilities are why they're pulling T-54s out of storage and sending them to Ukraine. For those who don't follow this sort of stuff, the number in the tank designation is typically the year it was designed. The T-14 was first designed in 2014. The T-90 was started in 1990. The T-54 was designed in... 1954. Nearly SEVENTY years ago. They're so 'advanced' that a standard RPG-7 can destroy one. Edit to add: Did you actually read the link you posted? The Russian army refused them back in January because they are 'so wonderful'. Russia ordered a couple thousand of them, but 'production is in the low tens'. That's from your link.

There's also the fact that Germany had rearmed themselves (against the Treaty of Versailles) to a much greater degree than what became the allies had. The Germans had been getting a lot of practice in Spain. The 'appeasement' was a simple recognition that Germany, at that point, could have likely taken over most of Europe. OTOH, Vladolf has been trying to reconstitute the "Russian Empire". He doesn't want just Ukraine under his jackboot. He wants ALL of the old Warsaw Pact back. He's rather delusional. Anyone trying to show him what 'reality' looks like gets fired. Or tossed out a window.

Russia doesn't give a fuck about 'saving lives'. Ukraine is now reporting that captured Russians are telling them that they've been ordered to leave the wounded out on the battlefield and not to count the dead. One reason for this is that 'officially dead' soldiers generate death benefits for their survivors. "Missing" don't get that. Remember the little old lady who was handing out sunflower seeds back at the beginning? Telling the orcs to 'put these in your pocket so when you die and your body rots, it will feed the beautiful flowers'. Seems that she was right. Ukraine's 'negotiation position' is pretty clear. Russia leaves. They know full well that without a resounding defeat of Russia, they'll be back. They went through the Holodomor. They know what Russians do to those under their rule. They'd rather die than subject themselves to that... Again. At least by fighting back, they get to take a bunch of orcs with them. Nearly 200,000 at this point.

When did NATO promise not to let Ukraine join? And to whom was that promise made? Putler? Don't make me laugh even harder. Ukraine started the membership process back in 08, but decided to be 'nonaligned' in 2010 with the election of Putler's lapdog. Funny. If they'd been in NATO in 2014, Russia never would have invaded. And you seem to forget that Ukraine gave up it's nukes a while back. In exchange for guarantees that Russia would respect their borders. You know, that Russia wouldn't invade them. Which is why negotiations are not super likely to happen. Ukraine isn't stupid enough to believe ANYTHING Putler promises. And your video is pretty silly. Russia has advanced a couple blocks. Whoop de friggen do. They've been trying to take Bakhmut since AUGUST. OTOH, Ukraine has managed to achieve a crossing of the Dnipro River near Kherson. Reports are saying they've established a beachhead, expanded the territory they control and established and maintained supply lines for a week or so. You keep claiming Russia should negotiate for peace. How about simply having Russia stop killing people?

Pffft. Carlson was already Putler's biggest cheerleader in the US. And was routinely featured on RT. Why do you think Slim is so bent out of shape about him being fired?

Trump pardoned a bunch of people who committed REAL CRIMES. However, he pardoned NONE of the people accused of crimes related to the Jan 6 insurrection attempt. ZERO. He can't pardon people anymore. He's not president. Just more lies & broken promises. Same as always. Just because the crimes were committed for political motives doesn't make the person a 'political prisoner'. Many of them have publicly apologized for being stupid and getting conned into believing they were 'helping Trump' and falling for the stupid lies about the 'election being stolen'. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Wagner is getting ground to hamburger trying to take Bakhnut. So badly that elements of the VDV (paratroopers) and even Chechen Akhmat 'irregular' troops are there. But they still have a ways to go to take Bakhmut, or even encircle it. In some areas, Ukrainian forces are pushing the Russians back. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is one source I've found fairly reliable. They have daily updates and some of the better maps (the maps other media uses are often sourced from ISW). https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-23-2023

Not my idea, but I think it's funny as hell. Have the LBGTQ community start touting how great AR-15s are. Get a bunch of videos of trans folks & drag queens shooting them. Watch the alt right lose their minds.

Fair enough. I probably should have said "full charge" instead of 'typical charge'. My life and requirements mean that a full EV wouldn't work very well. But a plug-in hybrid probably will work nicely. I'd want to plug in at a few different places that I go, but that's not an issue. And a standard 110 wall outlet would suffice for most of what I'd need. And the gas engine would allow me to go distances and to places where I couldn't plug in (which is the whole point).

They've been doing that from the beginning. And even before that, since they invaded back in 2014.

It looks like a typical Tesla charge is 50kwh (that may or may not be correct, I just did a quick search and went with the first answer that had a number). I'm paying a little under $0.10 (ten cents) per kwh. So it would cost me about $5 in electricity for a typical charge on a Tesla. I'm considering a plug in hybrid for my next vehicle (probably not this year). A Toyota Rav4 takes about 16kwh to charge. That would cost me less than $2. The actual cost to charge would depend on the cost of the electricity (Captain Obvious, at your service).

The concept of "Castle Doctrine" is that you don't have the 'duty to retreat' in your own home, and that forcible entry into an occupied dwelling constitutes 'intent to kill or do great bodily harm' to the occupants. That 'presumption of intent' allows the occupants to legally use deadly force. That doesn't mean there won't be consequences, it just means the burden of proof that deadly force wasn't justified falls on the cops & prosecutors, not the occupant. First off, cops aren't lawyers. And the only place to get valid legal advice is from a lawyer. Note: I'm not a lawyer either, so keep that in mind if you decide to follow anything I say (write). Also, laws and policies vary from state to state, and even within states. But you're absolutely right that any use of deadly force will be very costly. You will likely get arrested. IIRC, AggieDave once quoted that for a 'no bill' civilian use of deadly force in Texas ('no bill' meaning the grand jury choses not to issue an indictment), the average cost to the shooter was around $20,000. Twenty thousand dollars. For a case that doesn't go to trial. This is one reason that a decent training class is a very good idea for anyone contemplating carrying a gun. And why the 'no permit concealed carry' laws are REALLY stupid.

Right. All of those parts have proper names. None of those proper names include the word 'joint'. And while the trigger does 'control' the hammer, I've never heard of a part called the 'trigger control'. Kind of like how you can spot a whuffo because they use incorrect terms, you can spot a 'firearm ignorant' writer the same way. I'm not saying the report was incorrect, I'm saying the news story had a lot of terminology errors. Not unlike the news reports of airplane or skydiving accidents. That's why I'd prefer to see the actual report, not just news stories about it. Not super likely, but it's really hard to figure out what happened & why with crappy information.

Wagner is spent. They've lost most of their 'experienced' thugs and almost all the prisoners. That was a brilliant move by Putin, by the way. Empty the prisons, send the convicts off to Ukraine where they die. The costs for running the prisons plummet. More to plunder and loot. Funny how you've been claiming that Wagner thugs are 'just about to take Bakhmut' for most of a week. Hasn't happened yet. It's really Wagner & the Russians who are being 'grindered'. You had some of your stats a bit backwards. Depending on the source, Bakhmut has seen Russian casualties between 5 and 17 times (yes, seventeen times) higher than Ukrainian. And while the Hindustan Times is an Indian 'news' source, they're a LOOOOOOONG was from an 'independent third party'. Well, actually it's RUSSIA that is sacrificing all those children. Murdering more than sacrificing, but it's the same result. However, I think it's up to UKRAINE to decide what they do. I don't think they want to try to 'seek peace' with a murderous, lying thug. Why sign an agreement for 'peace' when you KNOW that Putler is going to just tear it up and wipe his ass with it. You know, like the Budapest Memorandum. I think Ukraine has a pretty good future. Far more than what Putler wanted. He openly stated that Ukraine was going to 'cease to exist' if he won. Somehow, those sorts of statements tend to make the defender willing to fight to the last man. Far preferable to die fighting a thug who's going to kill you anyway than to 'make peace' and inevitably die. Russia, however is pretty much fucked. Nobody's going to do much business with them. India & China will buy their oil and other raw materials (at a deep discount). China will either absorb them or turn them into a vassal state (kinda like Belorus is now to Russia). Putler wanted to bring back the 'glory days' of the Russian (or Soviet) empire. He instead brought about it's death. All that has to happen for this war to end is for Russia to stop fighting. Either because they choose to stop being murderous thugs (unlikely) or because they are no longer able to. Once the spring offensive starts, thing will become a lot clearer. It's not certain, but if Ukraine can repeat what they did last fall, Russia's fate will be sealed. And you know full well why he won't suggest Russia stop fighting.

I'd love to know what that 'autopsy report' REALLY said. I know quite a bit about guns. I know how they function and operate. I'm not aware of any mechanical "joints", and I don't know of any part called the 'trigger control'. It's possible the sear was worn to the point that the hammer would drop without the trigger being pressed, but there's supposed to be a 'half cock' that prevents the gun from firing if that happens. Most modern guns (or modern replicas of older guns) also have an 'interrupter bar' that prevents the hammer from hitting the firing pin (or the firing pin reaching the primer on the cartridge) if the trigger isn't all the way back. But, as noted previously, there should NEVER have been a live cartridge in the gun. Period. Most instructors don't allow ANY live ammunition in the same room when using real firearms in a training situation.