ClearedHot

Thanks to all who have spent the holiday in a far away place.

Whatever you choose for home defense I hope you practice with that weapon or "those weapons." I keep all of my weapons secure so for immediate reaction I can roll out of bed on the floor and put either hand on a biometeric gun case. I keep two pistols in there, a Beretta M9 (I know I know....but I can drive nails with the M9 and shot expert everytime). I also have a Glock 19 with a couple of 30 round mags. I picked the Glock because the 30 round mags are compatible with the Ruger PC charger which is 12 steps away in a closet safe. I also have the A300 and if the safe and if there is time I would prefer the A300 running slugs and 00 Buck. The A300 holds 8, I have another 7 on the gun and I keep a giant bandolier attached to the side of the safe that I can throw over my neck. On the range the A300 with 00 Buck is devastating out to 75', with slugs 300' is not out of the question but would not be my first choice for mid to long range. If there is no time the PC Charger is in the stowed position so I can move fast, almost as fast as a pistol. I keep several mags with the Charger and have them situated so I can grab them in the dark. If I have time to take a side step the brace on the Charger folds out quick and it drives nails. If I make it to my office and the big safe I have several choices but will likely grab one of several ARs with lights and red dots. Have a .44 Mag for dramatic effect and post fight taunting.

That is the hand-waving they will use to get a three loss Alabama team in. When you throw the non-conference argument on the table you overlook the fact that Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. When you peel the onion back you find out the conference losses should be pulling them down as a whole. Georgia lost to a now three loss Alabama and Ole Miss who got punked by at the time what was a very mediocre Gator team. The rankings of the SEC teams has been artificially high because well...$.

Great day of football if you watched it. One thing is certain, the SEC as a whole is overrated and they shredded themselves yesterday The Gators are out of their funk, they looked stout as they stopped Ole Miss and ended their chances of making the CFP. Indiana was exposed. Auburn started red hot and went up 21-0, only to let A&M come back and take the lead. Epic finish as Auburn wins in the 4th OT. Miami got by Wake 41-14, the game was closer than it looked. Miami's defense played better but the offense was not clicking until very late. Penn State got LUCKY and squeaked by the Gophers by one point. And my favorite game, Alabama got PUNKED by a mediocre Oklahoma team that ran all over them while holding the tide to a single field goal. No doubt the ESPN/ABC SEC homers will be working hard to justify five three loss SEC teams in the playoff.

Its not over yet...

Wanna bet? I predicted his nomination to AG. I now predict he is appointed to replace Rubio.

Huh? When did I say we have to fund the defense of Europe? Bringing up isolationism is not a "snarky jab" it is a reality when it comes to great power competition and an interconnected global economy. I was very much in favor of Trump's efforts to force NATO to meet their defense spending obligations. Ukraine serves as a great example of why NATO nations need to step up but if they don't you can throw your hands up in jest and say oh well that's their problem and think is doesn't have an impact to us on the other side of the pond. The punchline is we are going to pay one way or the other. Ukraine is a major exporter of agricultural commodities, including wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, barley, and other grains. Ukraine is the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil and the fifth largest exporter of wheat. Ukraine produces mineral fertilizers, sulfuric acid, synthetic fibers, caustic soda, petrochemicals, photographic chemicals, and pesticides. Turkey and Egypt rely on them for almost 70% of their wheat imports. Ukraine is also the top supplier of corn to China. Lets look at one commodity - wheat and the impact Russia taking Ukraine will have on the global economy and the prices Americans pay in the stores. When Putin attacked Ukraine What prices more than doubled just on the perception that Russia might take Ukraine. As the invasion stalled and the front "mostly stabilized" so did wheat prices. If Putin takes Ukraine he will own 20% of the world's wheat production. Another 32% is controlled by China and India meaning 50% of the world's wheat production will be in the hands of people that don't care for us. Thanks to regulation, costs and farmland availability, U.S. wheat production has been in steady decline for 34 years. As of 2024 we are down 61% from our heyday. Fortunately we are still self-sufficient but if Putin wins I guess we could thumb our nose at Europe and just feed ourselves, but prices will soar and it will impact every American's pocket. Our national debt is obviously a huge concern and probably the biggest threat to our country, but when making decisions in a globally connected world/economy we have to think about the 2nd and 3rd order effects.

Yeah that isolationism worked out great in the past. I certainly don't think we should be the world police or that we should pay for the defense of Europe. Clearly Most NATO countries have failed to meet the 2% Defense spending guideline. Thanks to Trump they now spend $50B more that they did before his first term. I am in favor of a policy that strongly encourages (arm twisting), them to meet their obligations with out us throwing up our arms and saying take it all Vlad.

AND they will own Europe's bread basket. If Putin owns the energy and the food...

There is some nuance but in short it is known as the Budapest Memorandum - the Wiki Page does a good job of breaking it down. In short, when the FSU fell apart Ukraine had a large number of nuclear weapons and the west was looking for a way to secure those weapons and prevent proliferation. The west gave Ukraine "security assurances" but in the end the document is NOT binding. As Americans we have a very short memory, we basically made a promise to protect Ukraine thinking peace had broken out and Russia fueled by capitalism, was going to be a peaceful friend. Now that Putin has attacked Ukraine twice we are pretending like we didn't give our word. Yet another reason countries around the world don;t take our promises and foreign policy seriously.

To maybe draw this away from insults and back to rational discussion. For those who are against - do you think we should turn a blind eye to Russian aggression? If no what is your response, diplomacy and sanctions or just ignore it. Do you think he will stop at Ukraine? What do you see as the impact of Ukraine under Putin's control? For those who are in favor - How do you mitigate the potential for the conflict to spill over? What are the downsides of providing munitions and money? What do you say about Ukrainian corruption? I've stated many times I am in favor of the support we have provided, for a relatively low cost we have removed Russia as a near-peer threat for many years to come. That being said I do have concerns about striking deep into Russian territory with American made weapons.

How bad is FSU this year?

Rich isn't it. The double standard is astounding especially when you look at the case of Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell who actually WAS having an affair with a Chinese agent...no big deal according to Democrats.

I am guessing and would not be surprised if there were bad things in the report and while I agree with you in principle, we've already lived through two years of a the system bending the rules to punish political opponents. Keep in mind, he was already investigated by DOJ and they decided NOT to pursue charges, seems like the system taking two bites at the apple to punish him politically. He is (or was), my rep and I do not care for him. But I do care for the rule of law and while I think he is the wrong choice for AG, I am vehemently against changing the rules simply because we don't like him.

Because some want to go outside the rules and release it to damage him. Since Gaetz has resigned, the probe has ended as the panel only has jurisdiction over a member when they are serving in Congress.

That is the rub, it will never come out. It was going to be released today but because he resigned effective Wednesday, the case is closed.

Interesting to see some second and third order effects from the election. The pendulum is defiantly swinging away from woke-ism and progressive messaging. Post election MSNBC, the #2 most watched news network saw it saw it's average daily viewership decline by 54%, CNN took it on the chin as well with a 36% decline. CNN was already circling the drain, in 2023 they hit a ten year low in ratings and earlier this year they laid off 100 employees. In recent days word has leaked that CNN is laying off and letting go some of their "top tier" on air talent as well as HUNDREDS of staff. Sad to see the decline, they were the gold standard for so long. Who else remembers watching the 1st Gulf War live on CNN. Bernard Shaw live in Baghdad when the bombing started. Sadly Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper turned the network into a progressive Trump hate machine and pulled them into the quicksand, now they are nothing more than a JV squad. Foxnews on the other hand saw a staggering 10+ Million viewers during its election night coverage, the network averaged 4.375 million viewers from last Wednesday to Friday. That’s a 34% increase compared to its October viewership (3.27 million viewers) as well as a 58% increase compared to its year-to-date average (2.775 million viewers). All of these numbers are reported as Nielsen figures. I am not defending Foxnews, they obviously are the screaming from the other side but their message, especially in recent years seems to resonate with more people. I still try to rotate around the networks, election night was tough to keep MSNBC tuned in...they started off believing it was going to be a Harris landslide and they kept hanging their hat on that Iowa outlier poll that had her leading Iowa by 10 points. When Iowa was called for Trump early, you could see the tone change. Maddow began her slow on air decline into had and the end of the world. CNN was not much better, Van Jones upon realizing Trump would win tried to label it a race backlash and nearly came to tears defending illegals and their "dream."

Most believe he resigned effective immediately to stop the House Ethics Investigation from being released. Huh? He has never been convicted of a crime. The DOJ declined to prosecute after their investigation. He was arrested in 2008 for DUI but was not convicted.

I knew I was not getting a far left progressive who was happy to take away the 1st and 2nd amendment, while paying for the sex changes of illegals and felons in prison all while cramming DEI up my ass.

I understand your point but disagree. I fully understand his optic and the relentless use of lies, deceit and government agencies to stop his candidacy. However, we are a nation of laws and if we simply go with people that are loyal to POTUS rather than the Constitution they we have stepped onto some very slippery ice. Think about the certification of the last election, Pence would not bend to the Trump will and was excommunicated for being disloyal. Like most of the people on this forum I swore an oath to the Constitution not the President. I don't like Trump but I am glad he beat was what clearly a far worse choice, going down a road of decision making that follows loyalty to POTUS over the rule of law and the Constitution is a non-starter to me. Trump has an epic opportunity to make meaningful change and to prove a lot of people wrong. I don't mind game changing picks like Hegseth and Elon, but we need people who will push back, even at the risk of being fired, when faced with choices that are more self-serving than legal.