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You very well stated exactly how many right leaning people feel about the left. So what does that say about our society in general? I think the underlying problem is politics has become a team sport and nobody is willing to admit other viewpoints may have merit, even if you don’t fully agree with them. Instead, everyone who doesn’t agree with you is immediately ignorant, biased, doesn’t fact check, use shitty sources, yeah but!....it goes on and on. You do it, I do it, we all do. Maybe the first step is admitting we as a country are at this point, and need to cool the jets and be able to have conversations that don’t end in total agreement.

Enough SNAP. Pull it together or move on.

Go back and read every disgusting thing you've written about people you disagree with in just the last 2 days. Running to China with secrets is just one. Hyperbole is cool and all, but you show your maturity. Maturity is critically important in the air. I wouldn't let you fly on my wing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for your service!

Has anyone ever seen Seadogs and General Chang in the same room? 🤔

Bro, do you really think people with different political views than you are literal traitors? I hope you are being hyperbolic...

The one bad thing about telework though is it creates the insidious problem of always being available to work, or at least that becomes the expectation. At least I know, and for others who have had iphones/blackberries, there comes this expectation that you are always available and always reading your email. This could turn out bad if its not steered the right direction.

Exactly. I don't like Donald Trump, I think he's the worst type of person. I think he lacks any sort of moral foundation, he certainly doesn't care about the issues, and he's addicted to the drug of power. But the only, and I mean only difference between him and the rest of the politicians who have lived in Washington for decades is that he lacks the veneer. His shell is completely transparent, and that's why the most established characters on both sides of the aisle hate him. None of his policies are new, so it can't be that. He simply exposes to the rest of the country how completely depraved the whole enterprise is. He's the first president who outwardly looks the way Washington inwardly acts. He campaigned on draining the swamp, and so the voters sent a swamp monster to clear it out. But many of the voters never truly understood what the swamp looked like until now. He's the portrait of Dorian Gray, except instead of one aristocrat, it's the entire political class.

Watching this sideshow is much more entertaining than the “Orange Man Bad” vs “Sleepy Joe’s Happy Smelling Time” slug fest. Please continue. And you’re a MQT stud in the 149th that think non-Republicans are Communist Chinese infiltrators? Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Trying not to fail out of MQT but these communist leftists and the election are distracting me a whole bunch. I don't know N730 but if I had to guess, I would but my wagers on him flying either the J-10 or J-20.

Oh great, MPF customer service is going to get even worse. It's already bad enough they never answer their phones as it is, now I won't be able to walk over there and corner them to get answers. They already appear to set their schedules around dropping off/picking up their kids from school, now they won't be answering their phones because they're helping little Timmy with his schooling during the work day. Yay customer service...

Looks like Tuscon interview notifications went out today. I'll be there in November and I'm hoping to see some of you all there as well!

The media is in the D's corner. That is for sure. That is exactly how a politician who has been in DC for 45+ years can look into the camera and say with a straight face that he will fix all of our society's ills if elected. I would like to address the "all of them will be factual" comment but I honestly don't even know what to say other than that is one of the most intellectually dishonest things I have read recently. Trump won in 2016 based on what he promised on the campaign trail paired with absolute disgust of career politicians. Trump has largely delivered on his campaign promises and Joe Biden is the definition of the DC swamp that the average american despises. You are right, this election will be about voter turnout. Trump's base has only grown. I would say the media and politicians on the left are grossly underestimating just how big his base has become. There are a lot of people out there who couldn't pull the lever for Trump in 2016 based on his personality and the fact that he had no political experience. These people are in the Trump camp now because he has done what he said he was going to do. Trump's personality and his past shenanigans are nothing new at this point. I don't see attacking his character this time around as a winning strategy for the Dems but that is what they are doing. And it seems to be the only thing they are doing. I have said it before on this forum, I don't see how the Dems can make a winning calculation with a Biden/Harris ticket. Especially given the civil unrest in today's society. Biden is the literal architect of the 1994 crime bill and Harris has been ranked as one of the most progressive politicians in the Senate. The Dems run the cities where this unrest is taking place and the politicians pushing the "defund the police" argument all have a D next to their name. The politicization of sports will have a negative impact on Dems too. You can't even turn on tennis without seeing BLM in the stands. Hell, the only news NASCAR has made this year is a fake story about racism and Bubba Wallace. The polls people need to be paying attention to are the number guns sales and major sporting viewership. Gun sales are through the roof and major sports viewership is down although I think the NFL is doing OK. I don't think you can ignore those numbers. Our family owns a condo on the Gulf of Mexico. Been there a few times this summer. There are Trump signs everywhere in people's yards but also on the beach, on the back of cars and hanging from balconies. These folks aren't local... Yes, they come from AR, LA, GA, MS and TX but a whole hell of a lot of them come from IL, OH and IN. Trump's base is there and it is strong.

Pulls pin and tosses ad hominem grenade. Walks out. Right...Good talk, Russ.

I think the possibility of this article being factually correct is the same as its full of shit. Don’t take this to be a defense of trump, it’s not...but they could just put the tax returns out there without stating the source’s name (we already know it’s someone connected to the Manhattan DA’s office), so why don’t they? With so many political hit pieces flying around right now, the media has almost no credibility in my eyes; show me the source information/“show your work” or I put little to no stock in your claims. If it’s all true, then it sure seems like Trump is not nailing it in business like he has claimed. But, I also know a little bit about running businesses and writing stuff off (including losses) to significantly lower tax burden is not only legal, it’s expected, and you’d be a complete dipshit to not do it. Bottom line, I remain neutral on this until info/proof beyond a MSM “source” said so. Also, a friend talked to a lady the other day who said the reason she’s voting against trump is because he sterilizes immigrants. The news (her words) told her that; without any fact checking, especially of such an outrageous claim. For those who aren’t following, a nurse claims this is happening at ICE facilities, but for one it is alleged this has been occurring for a long time (well before trump even announced running), and two there’s no evidence (surprise surprise). Yet for Jane blow America, that headline was enough to turn her into a Biden fan. Be for a Biden/against trump all you want, but at least don’t have the bedrock of your reasoning be trash reporting from the MSM/social media.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/27/us/donald-trump-taxes.html So a few assessments of this: 1.) Huge dissapointment for Democrats. Nothing overtly illegal and no connections to Russia found in tax returns. Sure he moved money to avoid paying, but it was within the bounds and we all know rich people do that. (Working class too which is why we all file a standard exemption each year) 2.) FBI investigation of the NY AG office will probably start shortly as they are the only organization outside Trump's circle with the returns. Somebody committed a federal crime providing these to the times. The timing of the article lines up fairly with the surpreme court decision that made them available to NY state.

Every so often I get on here and wonder if little ol’ base ops has made the troll list in Beijing or Moscow. Today is one of those days 😂

Picked up in a guard unit. TBH I'm surprised that there are leftist fighter pilot's in the guard. Hopefully they only fly 4th gen fighters so when they defect to China they don't get all of our secrets.

You have some major projection going on. You need to look hard at your party and those associated with it. Pile on: Biden doesn't know Biden's policies. One of the biggest issues I have with "his" campaign is that it is being used to install a "vice" president who was so wholly rejected during her own primary that she was among the first to drop out. That worries me. It should worry all Americans.

Brownie, it’s a bit ironic... you coming on here and accusing people of not thinking for themselves... when that entire list was created two years ago by a Reddit user named “TrumpImpeachedAugust,” and you just copy/pasted it in here. Unless you moonlight as that guy, in which case bravo. However, I’ll dig through that info when I have more time and get back to you. But let’s be clear. I’d be doing more work than you did to post something that validated your feelings. Just saying.

Trim the fat. This covid debacle has shown me who’s job can be easily cut. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

There's a factual story I don't hear many on the left talking about. It's the story of how the top of the FBI literally conspired against an incoming president because they didn't like him. The stuff coming out of the Durham investigation is pretty appalling. I can't stand Donald Trump, but I'll support him 10 times out of ten if the opposition feels like using the might of the federal police to destroy someone against law, procedure, and the evidence is now an acceptable practice.

So someone committed a federal felony leaking tax information that revealed no illegal activity but a bit, perhaps, embarrassing to Trump. That information was printed on Sunday. As of this morning, less than 24 hours later, Biden's campaign has a completed and running ad using that material and swag for sale featuring the info. That sure is some coincidence in timing.

Hey dude, I just want to echo a bit of what's already been said. I'm currently an engineer, and it is by all means an awesome job and a blessing during the current socioeconomic situation. But I can totally relate to your feeling unfulfilled and wanting to do what you are really passionate about -- that's a story/sentiment I've heard a ton while on the circuit. That being said, I would also throw my 2c in and say now is not a great time to quit a stable job, especially when I think you can still be equally effective at rushing squadrons and going all out for that dream, while still maintaining some stability and financial flexibility. I was selected in early 2020 for a Guard squadron, and I am still going through all of the onboarding hurdles (haven't got OTS dates or FC1 scheduled yet). When I was first selected, I thought about resigning from my current job and just focusing on getting prepped for the next steps -- really glad I didn't, because this is definitely a hurry up and wait game. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat any more about this. Good luck!

Because you won't ever make any head on discussions like this in an internet forum. If you want to change someone's mind you can't set out to do it in the course of a conversation. You need patience and the attitude that you will change it over the course of a decade long friendship. This needs to be done in person. Everything on the internet is just venting and sport.

This specific case is not whistle blowing. There is nothing immoral, unethical or criminal on his tax returns. Embarrassing? Maybe. But embarrassing doesn't meet the threshold for whistleblower. Some of the other things we've seen leaked are also not whistleblowing. Policy decisions, etc... There needs to be a very clear violation of law. Not just "I think this is going to be a bad move for America and people should know about it."

No. There's no chance he's remotely as rich as he portrays, nor is he the businessman he claims to be. He is, I'll confess, a brilliant marketer. But I knew that going into it. The best and most concise explanation I've ever read came from the Atlantic: It’s a familiar split. When he makes claims like this, the press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally. Liberals spend so much time agonizing over how Trump has the conservatives fooled. He's not fooling anyone. Like brabus said, it's team sports now, and Trump is wearing the right jersey. You think conservatives are downplaying his insanity? You're right. They are. Liberals are currently downplaying the rising Marxist movement in their party. But his insanity is just a collection of character flaws, whereas marxism is a societal death sentence. I wish we could simultaneously denounce sociopathic character flaws and socialistic tendencies at the same time in the same political party. But you play the cards you're dealt.

What gets to me is just a few years ago. All these people who now think Trump is this century’s Adolph Hitler. Couldn’t suck up to this guy any more. They all took his money, stayed at his hotels. Played golf together. Shit they all flew on Epstein’s plane And The folks at NBC loved him for his hit TV show. Joe and Mika had him on every couple of days. Basically helped get him elected. So either it’s all an act for ratings. Or these people are really demented.

Let's talk about the leak for a minute: at what point are we going to hunt down and hold people accountable for committing federal crimes because they don't like their elected officials? This case has 0 whistle blower implications. This was likely an sworn state AG, who released a lawfully filed tax statement with 0 incriminating information on it, because he wanted to diminish the image of the sitting President. That is a big deal IMO. We can't continue to promote a government made up of people who won't obey laws when they dislike their political leadership. Democracy will never survive that.

Taxes are based on income and transactions, not net worth. Unless you are wealthy and live in California.

No, I don't think if you're not a Republican you're the enemy. But I think people like AOC and Ilhan Omar would like to see a country that doesn't align with the constitution and the founder's ideas.

Well, whatever kumbaya crap that's happening in here right now, that's what needs to happen on the big stage. Honestly, I appreciate your viewpoints and it gives me a lot to consider. We don't have to come to a rock solid agreement, but understanding that the other "side" is coming from a place of genuine concern and care for the whole is critically important. We need more of it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Trigger warning** You know, sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall when I'm trying to have legitimate philosophical discussions with republican leaning dudes on this forum and in the real world. I will point something out, and you will just say "no." What do you believe in? What policies do you support? Why is there no consensus? Is there a moral compass that guides republican policies or opinions? Why can't you give me a solid answer to any of these questions? Why must you consult with your news sources to determine what your opinion should be? You see it with everything from Coronavirus to Police Reform to Global Warming to Iran/Syria/China to healthcare to religion to fiscal policy. It's simple: you don't think for yourselves. The only thing that you guys agree with is that the "republican policies are better than the alternatives." You guys are voting for Trump just to not vote for Biden. Not that you actually know any of Biden's policies. The problem, here, is that you guys are not arguing in good faith. It means you're not arguing to come to a mutual understanding. In a true debate, both sides must be willing to acknowledge if the other side has good points and be open to changing their minds. Arguing here is the equivalent to arguing with sheep, even if you guys are some well-educated, well-employed sheep. Whatever the party, whatever fox news, whatever the memes say - that is what you will believe and vehemently defend. Think for yourselves is easy for me to say, but I know it's not going to happen, based on the actual data: Exhibit 1: Opinion of Syrian airstrikes under Obama vs. Trump. Source Data 1, Source Data 2 and Article for Context Exhibit 2: Opinion of the NFL after large amounts of players began kneeling during the anthem to protest racism. Article for Context (viewing source data requires purchasing Morning Consult package) Exhibit 3: Opinion of ESPN after they fired a conservative broadcast analyst. Article for Context (viewing source data requires purchasing YouGov’s “BrandIndex” package) Exhibit 4: Opinion of Vladimir Putin after Trump began praising Russia during the election. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 5: Opinion of "Obamacare" vs. "Kynect" (Kentucky's implementation of Obamacare). Kentuckians feel differently about the policy depending on the name. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 6: Christians (particularly evangelicals) became monumentally more tolerant of private immoral conduct among politicians once Trump became the GOP nominee. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 7: White Evangelicals cared less about how religious a candidate was once Trump became the GOP nominee. (Same source and article as previous exhibit.) Exhibit 8: Republicans were far more likely to embrace a certain policy if they knew Trump was for it—whether the policy was liberal or conservative. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 9: Republicans became far more opposed to gun control when Obama took office. Democrats have remained consistent. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 10: Republicans started to think college education is a bad thing once Trump entered the primary. Democrats remain consistent. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 11: Wisconsin Republicans felt the economy improve by 85 approval points the day Trump was sworn in. Graph also shows some Democratic bias, but not nearly as bad. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 12: Republicans became deeply negative about trade agreements when Trump became the GOP frontrunner. Democrats remain consistent. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 13: 10% fewer Republicans believed the wealthy weren't paying enough in taxes once a billionaire became their president. Democrats remain fairly consistent. Source Data and Article for Context Exhibit 14: Republicans suddenly feel very comfortable making major purchases now that Trump is president. Democrats don't feel more or less comfortable than before. Article for Context (viewing source data requires purchasing Gallup's Advanced Analytics package) Exhibit 15: Democrats have had a consistently improving outlook on the economy, including after Trump's victory. Republicans? A 30-point spike once Trump won. Source Data and Article for Context

1. The numbers of single, childless, and in many cases white young adults participating in the riots indicates more that just hopelessness. Given a green light to destroy, many will. 2. Which leaders? Many of the thought leaders on the left, cited and lauded by media and political figures, are doing no such pleading. And I'm not sure a single (D) politician has condemned Antifa. How many Republicans have condemned the white supremacists? (All of them, including Trump, who is awful). 3. When you define racism as "far right" it becomes hard to find racist leftists. If you include "the soft bigotry of low expectations," as Sowell describes, the left is overwhelmingly racist. It doesn't help that we are redefining racism to fit a progressive narrative. Couple all this with the fact that the data completely disproves the narrative of systemic police racism targeting and killing black people, and the whole thing becomes impossible to resolve. You can not, under any circumstances, have a productive discourse if the facts are treated like lies, or worse, if presenting the facts makes you racist. Unfortunately, the public figures of "your side" are not engaging honestly in the debate, as you are.

Oh yeah, also when your side repeatedly and constantly calls black men uncle tom's when they aren't inline with the the leftist group think, women who vote for Trump aren't real women, and gays/LGBT who vote Trump are deplorable, you defeat your own cause. Constantly going against the Constitution, using arms of the government as clubs against the other side, I can go on and on. We were already sick of you in 2016, it's going to be much worst for you in 2020. The silent majority is real and we are all sick of your bullshit.

Don't bother interacting with him. All he does is post shitty memes that add nothing to the conversation. Sent from my SM-N975U using Baseops Network mobile app

Hey man, I’m not going to sit here and say that Trump is a saint. But you can’t sit there and criticize the morality of Trump while claiming Biden is a “decent man.” Most intelligent Trump supporters would never try to convince you that Trump is some kind of saint, but in a government where most politicians are scumbags, we will take his policies which even his most ardent opponents would agree have been beneficial for the country.

When the Democratic Vp nominee Harris proclaims that the riots should continue, then I think we have our answer on which party represents the rioters and looters best.

Ever send an email to finance or comm and your issue get fixed right away? Compare that to going into said office and standing there in front of the person’s desk till it’s fixed? Virtual is good but it can’t replace the impact of face to face.

More than the guy who just straight up grabs them by the pussy? Yes.

FLEA has it right. Y'all are sounding off on a story recycled from 2016 in the ny times. Nothing new here, just another smoking gun, GOTEM. nytimes.com/2016/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html

At the rate Democrats are moving to the left, why would you think it's hyperbolic? You seem to love your idea of America, not what the founder's wanted.