Clark Griswold

Then let's leave tomorrow. I hope the neo-cons are completely alone in Congress for this, I don't see anyone in their right mind supporting this and no matter how severe the case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, the D's won't support this. If we pay them off to keep them for overrunning Kabul for 6 to 9 months after leave, worth every penny. If we can keep the ANA and recognized gov together with money, duct tape and twine for a few years, worth every penny.

The Forever War has Congressional support: Liz Cheney Joins Democrats Opposing Trump’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

It's not a conversation now but a relentless propaganda stream that is only acceptable to one side if the other side is in receive only mode. Douglas Murray has it down, once it was about equality before the law but now it's some are better than others, some are have greater moral worth than others. 4 legs good, 2 legs better... the right didn't screw this up, the left did when they decided they would fix past racism with a type of caste system in the West designed according to their paradigm of history, race relations and biases that would "fix" everything. #reallyreallybadidea As to your question on the discussion of immutable characteristics on leadership, I would disagree with your premise completely, immutable characteristics have nothing to do with military leadership in this case. Everyone brings different perspectives, experiences and opinions to the table combined with their natural talents, knowledge and skills acquired and personal drive. Those things are influenced by our immutable characteristics but that are not solely determined by immutable characteristics, we have agency. If we are X majority percentage the result of our immutable characteristics then we should just drop the pretense of saying we are a egalitarian meritocracy and admit we are a formulaic caste system where based on mainly who you are and not what you can or have done will be used to assign, award and allow opportunities. To hell with that. No race, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity has a better or worse mix of that, attempting to ascribe value to that which we did not earn or produce but were merely assigned by the accident of our birth is a recipe for continual inter-group strife and likely poor leadership selection in the case of military leadership. That idea of using something not related to strategic insight, tactical skill and adaptive thinking is what the enemies we historically fight and defeat do. Party loyalty, ethnic heritage, etc... that's what they use often, to support typically corrupt and authoritarian societies. Is us using something that is like that but with a gentler facade on it and smooth language attached to it better? That is not a Pollyanna denial of the reality that some people are racists and use their power and position in life to be dicks to others and cause harm to them sometimes, it is just a statement saying that replacing one corrupt racial value assignment system with another is not a good idea. You don't fix one cut on a person by causing another, you stitch the wound, treat it and wait for it heal, albeit maddeningly slowly.

Around 2008 https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/news-desk/2008/03/21/obama-typical-white-person-comment-delights-clinton-aides

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_commissar#:~:text=In the military%2C a political,ideology) and organization of the

Sage advice from someone who saw their country devolve: I just hope her name is not Cassandra.

I am coiled up because I have to be, the shift in the conversation in this country has gone from policy, positions, opinions to values and more ominously to identity, immutable traits that I can't and don't want to change, nor will I mock and insult them by pretending that I am something else or deny them. My identity is of equal value, has no intrinsic fault, is no more guilty in the balance of history than any others and has built societies that despite being told are inherently evil, most people of other identities really want to live in, weird. Policies, positions, etc... are tradeable things. We can give and take on them, this tax rate up or down, this policy more stringent or lax and we can change our opinions on matters as time and circumstances change. We can't change who or what we are fundamentally (race, gender, sexual orientation, heritage) and the Left of late is WAY more interested and invested in setting up that oppositional construct where basically its all other identities against one/two others. What did "they" think would or will happen? That this COA of Identity Politics would not cause a defensive reaction in those one/two groups? Not all of the individuals in that group are willing to be put upon and as their strategy unfolds and the collaborators of said one/two groups will eventually realize they will just be the last horses in line at the glue factory, some of them are not going to be down with the program. They will fight back. Legal and political means thankfully for right now but if you follow the Intersectional/Critical Race Theory out to its logical conclusion, it will destroy this imperfect but aspiring to be democratic republic multiracial society. Maybe it's how it will end, fulfilling the cliche that like empires are never murdered, they commit suicide. There is no common ground with those who think you are inherently evil. Jewish people know this terrible and depressing fact of life very well unfortunately, some people will just always be your enemy. I'm not happy about division and I'm not about promoting it but I am realistic about accepting it. I respect your opinions and postings on BO, don't view you as a foe, there's a gradual spectrum we all fall somewhere on in the eyes of others who are reasonable. As to the country and the pledge you cited, it is indivisible but it is not immutable. If the people change, what they want changes, the way they live changes, what they believe changes then why not the order under with they live change?

I'll take you at good faith and yes my mind is made up about the Woke Movement. I would call them citizens of the same country but not fellows nor do I have any connection to them other than that. They believe in things anti-thetical to me, my beliefs and values. There is no common ground and we can not be friends. That does not mean we are enemies necessarily and mea culpa for that emotional language used above but we should keep our distance from each other. Not everything in life is meant to work out, some differences are not soluble and at least to my mind, there is a line between some groups of people that neither side can cross so that's just it. I'm not trying to start shit with you but I think your idea of de-escalation is cowering before them, letting them berate you, scream at you, dominate you, accuse you and your recent ancestors of being the cause of everything wrong for some people in this world and that they as the new moral arbiters of our society redistribute your wealth (not theirs btw) and restrict your freedoms and teach your children to despise you, your heritage and ultimately themselves. That's a somewhat f'd up way to say what I feel/think while trying not to insult you, to seriously discuss with you but I can't describe it any other way. The McCloskeys like Trump are not perfect and there is likely some room for critique in their response but IMO not for the response. How are the mistakes they may or may not have made in handling their weapons worse than what these goddamn animals have been doing setting fires, throwing bricks, looting, tearing down statues with no regard and vandalizing, jumping on cars and assaulting persons not down with struggle or sufficiently enough. I know that stealing TVs and liquor is the preferred technique to fighting systemic racism so we'll just overlook that but do you not find any fault with those people who were instigating the situation on that private street and private property? Like you I'm sad too that people in my country otherize me, excuse behavior I think they know is wrong and have lost the ability to hold people to account, even if they were dealt a shitty hand in life at the start, opportunities extended to them and a recognition of past mistakes. They still have agency though, they still have a choice. I can have a discussion about how to assist others so that to the maximum realistically possible we can give everyone a good start in life but I'm not gonna ever accept that it is all corrupt and evil from the roots up as they say now. If that is their position which it appears to be then we need to seriously discuss a new form of the United States, what we have now can not work. This is different than 1968, we may be like two train cars that just decoupled and drifting close for a short time before we just drift apart inexorably.

Not gonna argue about their personal techniques of weapons handling but when you are threatened with physical violence on your own property by an unruly mob violating private property you have the right to self defense to include deterrent actions like showing said violent illegal mob you have the capability and intent to use lethal force so go back to whatever shithole or x-grievance studies department you came from. They ignored Private Property signs, destroyed a locked iron gate, used vulgar and violent language threatening the couple and their property to include an innocent pet. If they want to protest the mayor fine but if the mayor lives on a private drive not open to the public then tough shit you’ll have to find somewhere else to be noisy, ignorant and delusional. Gun owner and homeowner myself and if they got any closer to them while gathered in numbers to intimidate and were threatening them they would have had every right to drop them. Cute move to try to belittle them by pointing out they were shoeless when they were surprised at home just as they were sitting down to dinner, there’s a photo of a soldier at a FOB fighting in pink boxers as the Taliban attacked and he was lionized and loved for it I wonder why that’s not the case now? you fight with what you have on when the enemy surprise you, they didn’t retreat and didn’t back down, I think that’s what’s really pissing off the D’s and media, someone finally pushed back, I hope it happens more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

God bless the McCloskeys

Relight on Seaplane sidebar: BRING BACK THE SEAPLANE And Guam got airmail: Airlifters Packed With Paratroopers Just Practiced A Sudden Long-Range Invasion Of Guam Messaging to China I assume but I as a taxpayer and seaplane junkie whole heatedly support ANG acquisition of seaplanes.

Yeah but there is something to a nation state with the means to having the capability to secure and control your territory in all domains even if the threat is low National pride maybe or a reaction to Brexit? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Where Antifa is drawing its Revolutionary LARPers from: Authors: Antifa Rioters Are the Tech Economy’s College Discards Race, Identity, etc... all are distractions while the overclass sell out this and other countries. It's class warfare and "they" are winning.

Ha - that bad? That could work (second hand Vipers) or Mirages. I think Vipers would be cheaper to operate with a larger market of spares (frames and parts) as the 35 comes online.

That could be a possibility, Thunder beats it on price though but Gripen brings more capes and is from a fellow European neutral country. This would be a good customer for a light fighter version of the T-7 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/government-considering-purchase-of-military-jet-aircraft-1.4289801 So they are thinking, probably not gonna buy methinks but if they do decide to acquire Air Defense and Sovereignty capability and you were the decision maker, what air platform and air defense systems would you choose? As Ireland is not a member of NATO, there is no reason (technical compatibility, treaty or politically) they could not buy from Russia, China, whoever... JF-17 with Israeli or Italian avionics & weapons?

Cognitive dissonance thy name is woke... VIDEO: Protesters request police presence for 'defund the police' rally, citing their safety

Cool - I would say I agree being at the party is great but so is also knowing when to leave the party. Agree on better use of soft power and not every problem is a nail requiring a hammer, perfect example being Venezuela. Maduro is an a-hole, his cronies are a-holes and they do a-hole things, but they do them in their country for the most part, they do not pose a threat to us but are a nuisance therefore don't think they are a nail to be hammered. Staying out militarily but engaging diplomatically, informational and in targeted assistance to supportable opposition factions to them is the winning COA, which we seem to be doing, let's repeat more of this.

Respectfully disagree. Peace and Prosperity in Europe is preferred and while I know our current force footprint there is stabilizing, just my two cents it should be much smaller, focused only on defense of states in realistic danger of Russian hybrid warfare (cyber, little green men, intimidation ops, etc..) with some infrastructure to enable logistics to other nearby theaters and rapidly deploy an expeditionary force if a conventional fight against an external to NATO aggressor . Our power has declined in absolute terms (still greater than all others) but we no longer have the resources (financial and political) to expend to defend some of the largest economies on Earth with essentially equal technical capabilities. Curious as to your statement on our track record of disengagement with Europe that has had deleterious consequences, do you mean in reference to WW 1 and the eventual rise of fascism in Germany, Italy, etc? If so I would lay that on the Western Allies (GB, France) and not our fault due to the post conflict treatment of Germany and reluctance to confront in the mid to late 30s when the rise of Hitler and the obvious problem of that were still possible to stop. After WW2 we've never left, post Cold War we are still there, pulling out of Europe (sts) is not something we have really done.

Yes but IMHO that is not feasible, wise or fair (US providing security assurances from external aggression) for countries that demand we stay in NATO, keep forces forward deployed for deterrence on their soil and then do business with the nations that threaten European and ME stability. Reference Germany funding Nord Stream pipeline with Russia and INSTEX trade system to circumvent sanctions with Iran. They want our protection, do business with our enemies, chide us as we fight the barbarians and cheat us on trade. I don't really think they (Western Europe) deserve our protection anymore. Central, Eastern Europe are a different matter but if there is to be a trans-Atlantic defensive alliance with us providing the security guarantee, it should only be for those who can not afford to deter Russia on their own or collectively with a few other regional partners. There is nothing free in this life, the price for protection should be not be too high, but high enough to make the buyer value it.

Crap - they deleted the show Apologies and yes I watched it last night Here’s the monologue from FN’s YouTube account: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tucker was particularly good on the Woke Revolt tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8jTARMuMUA

Another Stavatti Machete variant: Seaplane Light Attack, brilliant...

Why this madness is probably not going to end soon: The Oberlin Mindset Has Spread to the Real World Until we cut the Woke weed off at its roots (schools infiltrated with indoctrinators vs educators, especially at the universities), it's just going to get worse.

Essay from D’Souza on where all of this self-destructive, self-hate and angry ingratitude comes from: Longer read but worth it https://amgreatness.com/2020/05/30/identity-socialism/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk