slackline

Kinzinger probably stopped posting in here because he lost faith with the amount of Trump Apologists in here. Dude's the real deal!

You shouldn't get it then. Clearly that individual is more informed than you😂

I disagree, with the caveat that it only matters if he's being genuine. We need leaders that talk more from a place of genuine care for the Airmen. Someone who explains a thought process will get more respect and buy-in than a GO who has a chance to talk to people and takes the tack you just laid out.

Dude, reread my first sentence! I've made no statement as to her awesomeness or not as press secretary... My comment was fairly straightforward, I took issue with your posting that specific link as if it were somehow damning evidence of her duplicity. I also allowed for exceptions with the "I don't know rule"... Same as you, I took issue with "I don't know" when working a SAR or CASEVAC, TIC, etc. I have faith you were an excellent leader and cared for your people deeply. It shows through still. That's what blows me away sometimes when you post that garbage clickbait link. Second link you posted, valid kill, first one hurts your credibility. I know you couldn't care less about what I think of you on some internet forum, but that was beneath your typical standard. That's my saved rounds for the debrief...

"That's the way we've always done it" were some of the only words that ever made me get angry with any of my peeps. People constantly bemoan change until gradually that change becomes the norm, and hence, the "way we've always done it". I used to ask anyone who told me that if there was nothing we could do better, why do things still suck in their ops/training/etc?

Don't know the guy, so no clue if he's genuine or not, but those are some great words at least. Regardless of his sincerity, people thinking about staying need to pay heed to the message.

Let me be clear, I'm not saying she is great, or even good. My comment goes more to the statement that this is the most cringe moment. Would you rather she rip into the press Corp, call them stupid, then lie to them? What am I missing here? Someone doesn't know a decent answer, tries to find it in the moment, acknowledges they don't have a good answer, then says they'll get back to them with it. That's cringe? I ask this sarcastically because I think I know the answer to this, but were you one of those WG/CCs that expected answers regardless? I don't know wasn't acceptable? Based on the character you've shown here I highly doubt you'd tear into someone over an answer like that. Maybe the timelines, but saying I don't know is acceptable with some exceptions. But you guys are right, let's get Conway, Spicer, Huckabee, or that last nitwit Trump had back out answering questions with lies... I'll add this caveat, maybe there's some context I'm missing here, but based on what you've shared, this looks ridiculously petty.

If Republican and Democratic reps didn’t blacklist each other for crossing the aisle and actually legislating we wouldn’t have this problem. They stopped actually doing their jobs a long time ago, so Bush, then Obama, then Trump, and now Biden have way too much authority to act via EO. Honestly, why not use the tools provided? That’s not a statement of support for Biden, just a simple observation. If one part of the government isn’t going to do anything, why not get as much of it done on your own as you can? Also, If he maintains the pace, ok, something to be worried about, otherwise, he has a long way to go before it’s problematic. Back to the legislature not doing its job, I don’t predict much will change... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Don't disagree with the evils of Wall Street. I went back to look at his text. He said some of these people probably committed felony market manipulation. I understand the big picture in those words, but I won't pretend to understand the nuances found therein

My buddy (big whig in the finance world) was telling me there's quite a few people in this little game that are going to have charges laid against them. Lots of 401Ks tanked for this, i.e., a lot of little people are going to hurt a lot more than the caught with their pants down hedge fund managers. I don't agree with some things happening on Wall Street, but usually what they do is backed by sound reasoning, not "Hey, let's screw Wall Street and pump fake value into this failing business model!"

No, just leave, letting them know we won’t tolerate terrorism coming from there. Only way we go back is with bombers... Never going to “win” there, even if we unleash the military completely.

Dude listed a fundraising event with a target of $50K, but he only raised $684 on his resume, and subbing in a high school film class. He sounds qualified, I don’t see the problem here... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

***Sorry, slow morning for me with no work, just realized what a long rant this is... You could say I’m on roughly the same page as Swamp Yankee. Regarding the EO on ethics for Trump vs Biden, you mean the one Trump rescinded just before leaving office? https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958710562/trump-revokes-administration-ethics-rules-on-his-way-out-the-door I seem to remember him using almost identical versions to Clinton and Obama used. https://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512201631/trumps-executive-order-on-ethics-pulls-word-for-word-from-obama-clinton I’ve already discussed my thoughts on climate accords. Not a fan of how it binds the US unfairly and once again, makes the US carry the lion’s share of the responsibility, but I am a fan of us doing something to address it. Ideally, I’d like to see us stay out of it on the principle of division of responsibility, but support it on the principle of “something has to be done” while working towards concrete steps. Similarly on the WHO. I think it was a good call to point out their numerous problems on many subjects. I also think it is ultimately smart to rejoin. Maybe they’ve gotten the scare they need to start acting in an even and fair way across the board. I have my doubts, but time will tell. I would have preferred a caveat be added to his rejoining making sure it was with the expectation that they hold the line... I’m on the fence about the pipeline. I agree with you mostly, but the tree hugger side of me is torn. Not necessarily a rational way to think about it, but the climate issues we face and the climate change deniers out there piss me off more than I should allow... Sorry. Most of your other points feel ( I know, using the word “feel” is dangerous in a political discussion) like the typical political answers regarding any topic out there. “Yes, but...” saying you’re open minded and unbiased, but really, it’s similar to the points Swamp Yankee has been making about the so-called liberal personalities out there that do nothing but slam the left. Begrudgingly acknowledging one tiny point or aspect so you can say, “see, I’m open-minded!” while digging in deeper on everything else. Your last paragraph is a perfect example of this. “The only positive things... However...” I’m often just as guilty as most, but I think my disdain for both sides gives me some clarity, at least right now. I hate the left equally to the right, honestly. Give it some time for the Trump effect to wear off (hopefully it does) and I’ll be attacking the hypocrisy coming out of their mouths too. I’m not saying it’s not happening right now, just that the noise coming from the right in this moment is so loud, it’s hard to hear the noise coming from the left. Politics is just one massive scenario of the pot calling the kettle black over and over again. Us Monday morning quarterbacks and internet experts are often no different. You know, it’s odd, they say you typically get more conservative the older you get. I have found that to be different in my case, still conservative, but definitely more open to social issues than I ever used to be. I feel like service in the AF has done that, helping the people that I’ve commanded has been a bigger eye opener than anything else. I remember listening to Sean Hannity back in 2003, and Bill O’Reilly, and even Rush Limbaugh. I used to think they were smart, on top of things, people. I have either changed a lot, or they have because I think they’re horrible people now, out for their own ratings much more than they believe in any of the garbage they spout. I still don’t like any of the personalities on the left (Don Lemon in particular is such a drama king I can’t stand him even when he’s making a valid point), but they don’t inspire the disgust those three do. BL: I bet the difference between you and I, ideologically, is so small as to not matter in the big scheme of things. I appreciate when I get called out for being off-target vs a valid shot.

I wasn’t the original person you were calling out. I was simply pointing out how absurd it was to complain about the “record amount” of EOs he’s signed one week into his term. Let’s see if he holds pace, then it is significant, otherwise it’s simply one guy trying to undo all the crap he feels was done poorly by the guy who left things a mess. Some I agree with, some are pandering to the left, and some are stupid, and will probably suck for the country. Since you’re so big on keeping track, how many last second things did Trump try to do on his way out, seemingly to simply create work for the next admin?

You wanna go that route. Trump holds the record.

^This! We have a ways to go, but we've also come a long way. This is an example of incredibly poor leadership, not an example of finding dudes/dudettes who wouldn't be able to hack it in combat. I know there are people that slip through the cracks and somehow make it to UPT, but that "wheat has been shifted" by the time they get to UPT. You only make it there if you've shown yourself to be a fairly capable individual. Anyone denying it, sorry, not trying to put a dent in your memory of how awesome you were in UPT, and how you'd have held up better the scrutiny the IPs determined to see you wash out.

You're right, 420K+ deaths means this isn't that big a deal. 34K deaths from the flu. Yep, no big deal... I guess if you're not affected, who cares right? Gonna whip out some BS about conflated numbers? Ok, go for it. Probably right, the world got together to conspire against their own economies... I agree, it's time, past time, to be smart about opening up, but this is real. Maybe that's not how you feel, that's for sure how your post came across.

Family is in Spokane, I’m in class in DC, weed smell is everywhere, all the time. It’s worse in DC, go figure. When my teenagers come visit they notice how much more you smell it in DC, and it’s not rare smelling it in Spokane...

Oh, you're raising the BS flag? Well, now I just feel silly... You know why YMMV means right?

Friends I have at hospitals in AZ and CA say majority of med personnel are getting it. YMMV

Nope, was agreeing with you on 1-3. Context of me then explaining my thoughts on 4&5 makes it fairly obvious I wasn't agreeing with all three bills. I could have been more clear though.

Great questions, and they go to my point about the conversation. Refuse to have it, and we get what the ignorant masses force on us. Take part in the conversation and maintain some say in what those measures/definitions are.

I didn't say remove guns. Also, I hate how this lame argument about guns only making it easier to hurt people... Yeah, a lot easier! Why don't you go pull up statistics on mass shootings vs mass stabbings or cars used as a weapon. The latter happen infrequently because you can't do the same amount of damage without getting up close and personal. Difference between pickling a JDAM and pulling the trigger in CQB is similar. One is much harder to do, and that's in a justified situation. The ability to be somewhat removed by using a gun vs having to do it up close and personal is just one aspect limiting people trying to stab everyone at school. Lock guns up in your home, and that pissed off kid, wanting to commit violence has to really think a lot more about how he is gonna go about it. We have a right to guns and ammo in whatever qty we feel we want. I'm not ever going to back up anything that tries to change it. This seems like a no-brainer to put a dent in (while it won't eliminate them) mass shootings, especially at schools. One of the dumbest things gun rights advocates can say is, "guns don't hurt people, people do!" Problem with the right is acting like they're trying to take away our guns the second the conversation even comes up. Engage in the conversation in good faith, and we should be able to find a compromise because you're kidding yourself if you think nothing needs to be done...

Why? Because I don't agree with some of the points on the right, and I'm not willing to blindly jump on board with everything spouted by people on an internet forum? I'm a moderate, leaning conservative. And like I said, very clear definitions need to exist. Engage in good faith in the debate, and we get a say in those definitions. Act like they're trying to steal our guns, refuse to engage, and we're stuck with whatever they decide. That's a bad strategy...

1-3 I'll agree with 100%. 4 and 5, I have zero heartburn with. I honestly think if you can't store it properly, you're too irresponsible to have it. Definitions need to be laid out based on familial circumstances like whether or not you have kids, or someone struggling with mental health, drug, etc. issues with regular access to your home, but otherwise, storing a weapon properly is a good thing. We're all trained at the squadron, some of us with many shooter's courses under our belts because of the job, yet our weapons need to be in a secured location. Average Joe citizen has nowhere near the training we do, but they shouldn't secure their weapons? Maybe that makes me a communist, but how many accidental deaths would have been avoided? How many school shootings by deranged, pissed off kids? That's an easy way to prevent those deaths. For 5, I could be convinced it's a bad thing, but on the surface I don't have an issue with it.