Leaderboard

I said it a couple months ago and I'll say it again: Once you separate and go through the VA disability process, you can do damn near the bare minimum and easily end up with 40-50% disability. That's $1000-$1300 a month, tax free depending on how many parents and kids you have. The bonus is $35K/yr taxed, which depending on your bracket, will probably come out to roughly $2000 a month. So handing your balls back to Big Blue for 3/5/8 years will net you roughly $1000 per month over just getting VA disability. This doesn't even account for the piles of money you'll be making at your major of choosing if you separate. Bottom line at bottom: taking the bonus will be the worst financial decision you'll ever make. You'd be financially better off buying a boat, airplane, and a 2nd wife. If you love your job and want to continue to serve, I respect you. But don't, for one second, think it's a good financial move to take the bonus.

I still don't know what an assault rifle is and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. (just kidding...nobody knows what an assault rifle is).

Ukrainians got a good strike on a Russian ammunition depot

Shack. I've decided, though I haven't seen any evidence of chicanery, that I'll make it a point just to go sit in on a school board meeting. And make it a point to vote in school board elections. Again, not because I think there is anything nefarious afoot in my little ISD, but because it is clearly important for parents to show up and be visible; if only to shake hands and thank the board members that have taken the time to step up and serve. Message sent.

That’s awesome. While some places are definitely better than others, nowhere is safe from this crap. It is directed to the states from the federal level, so it is there in some form, even if “minor” in comparison to off-the-rail places like CA, etc. Bottom line is parents need to be vigilant and continuously demand full transparency and understanding of curriculum their kids are under. If there’s the slightest pushback from teachers, admin, or school board when you ask pointed questions and demand to see things for yourself - you have a much bigger problem than you think.

My kids school has a sign in the parking lot that reads something to the effect of "Staff is armed and will use lethal force to defend students." I'm not saying that stuff isn't at my kids' school. But maybe not.

You know who else offers $35k bonuses…the guard.

https://www.axios.com/boris-johnson-ukraine-zelensky-2283122f-3d5a-487a-91df-95eb62d81f5b.html I'm going to guess that some very top-shelf and seldom used UK capes were dusted off in order to arrange this meeting. Ballzy, Boris, ballzy indeed.

https://sofrep.com/news/4-airmen-awarded-the-distinguished-flying-cross-for-rescue-and-evacuation-153-us-citizens-and-afghans-from-kabul/

Good video of Russians burning

PROPORTIONALITY is key here. While civilian casualties are an unfortunate reality of war, it is still not ok to commit murder. Have a look at the multitude of evidence of Russians executing civilians with their hands tied behind their backs & tell me they’re not guilty of war crimes. How about deliberately targeting hospitals and clearly marked shelters? How about raining down artillery on residential areas with no military targets in sight? Not exactly proportional now is it? Have the Ukrainians been operating 100% in accordance with LOAC? Probably not. But it’s their neighborhoods, their cities, their farms that have been invaded here. They can’t possibly be guilty on the same scale as the Russians because they aren’t ransacking Russian neighborhoods, raping their women and killing their children. Putin and his enablers are absolutely responsible for all of this reprehensible activity & frankly a hanging at The Hague is far to easy on them. Once again I’ll remind you that there is no gray area here. Only one side is guilty of a violent invasion & subsequent atrocities. There is NOTHING that justifies that. Not an expanding NATO, not an actor turned president who Putin doesn’t like, not Ukraine defending its own claims to Donbas. NOTHING JUSTIFIES RUSSIA’S ACTIONS. NOTHING. Fuck Putin and all of the Russians (and anyone else) supporting him by covering their eyes and ears to everything but the absolute garbage the Russian state is spreading. One final note here: It’s sickening and offensive to those of us who have served and still believe in our country that we have American military members making a moral equivalency between our own targeting processes which, while less than perfect, are NOTHING like what the Russians have done in Ukraine. It literally turns my stomach.