brabus

Valid there are scammers, but I don’t believe that’s a large percentage. I know a ton of dudes, and have met many more, who have legit VA claims. It’s unfortunate dbags exist, but certainly don’t want random civilians thinking “it’s a scam” as the default when they meet a vet who has a VA rating.

@di1630 I look healthy - doesn’t mean my back, neck, hips, knees, etc. aren’t in constant pain and affect how I live my life every day. Appearance does not always tell the story, and probably doesn’t more often than not. That’s what you should tell your mortgage buddy.

SEAL gets drunk and punches somebody…so shocking.

There are plenty of books popping up that don’t belong in school libraries due to explicit, adult content. However, public libraries are completely different.

@ClearedHot That’s insane the library is shutdown. I also live in a conservative place, but when we had some pissed off people find an inappropriate-for-kids book show up in the local library; all the board did was move it out of the kids section and into the adult section/require an adult to check it out. Some people called for banning it, but I’m glad the library took the action it did. A town/city library is for every book, regardless of who it may offend.

Definitely. I mean a real guard squadron with its own iron.

@ClearedHot Good counterpoints, appreciate the response. I think @uhhello summed my thoughts up well - fairly standard for candidates (especially in a primary where the party base is all that matters) to say hyperbolic things that resonate with the base, which then dovetail into the realistic path forward come general election. Good example is “burn it down” actually translates into “significant reform.” Personally, I am very concerned with the current admin and would take any of the GOP field over the train wreck we have now. That doesn’t mean I love them all or don’t have a ranked preference, but I don’t see anybody running that I wouldn’t choose over Biden/his replacement. That’s not a R vs. D thing, it’s a that’s-how-low-they’ve-sunk-this-country thing and I have no faith that any Biden replacement would be different than him policy-wise.

@ClearedHot Overall, I think two things need to be considered when listening to anybody campaigning - what’s the actual point they’re making lying underneath whatever “base igniting” actions they propose, and understanding there will be ignorant statements made from those who have never been there, had a security clearance, etc. The latter’s approach to a problem change all the time once they’re afforded the opportunity to be fully informed, read in, etc. This is all par for the course. 1. 16 yr olds and illegals are voting in some states (locally). Millions of incredibly ignorant people vote all the time. These are problems. Will Vivek actually amend it to 25, probably not at all. But will he push for a civics test, maybe, and I fully support that. That’s not suppression, that’s a contract between the country and the citizens that they actually are informed enough to vote. I do not think anyone deserves to vote when all they know is their TikTok feed. If new citizens have to take this test, then no problem with people who were lucky enough to be born in this country have to take the same. Hell, the left should be arguing it’s racist to make immigrants take it and not make natural born citizens take it. Create a nice study packet that spoon feeds the answers, blatantly even. The actual point is people will read said study packet and actually learn even if they think all they’re doing is memorizing answers. 2. FBI, DOE, NRC, etc. He sees the massive problem of our govt agencies, and so do you. His comments are to fire people up, not literal. I do think he will push for significant reform, but it’s incredibly unlikely that a hypothetical president Vivek would actually put real effort into fully dissolving these agencies (other than DOE, that one should be dissolved). 3. You and Vivek are probably about lock step on this. Humans affecting climate is real, but the term “Climate Change” as defined by the left and currently used in the 2020s vernacular is a total lie. He could have phrased his response better by clarifying that important distinction. His following statement that more people have been hurt by “climate change policies” than actual climate change is completely accurate. He then follows up with how to make America energy independent…that’s the wheat (separated from the chaff) in this line of discussion…he wants to stop strangling current day American energy capabilities while simultaneously exploring and expanding nuclear energy for a cleaner future (to eventually replace those fossil fuels). That’s about as logical and smart as you can get on the topic of energy in a very simplified manner. 4. This is a problem as you said. Have to find ways to stop incentivizing people to not work and to not be a family unit. Unless I missed it, he really just highlighted this as a big problem in our society, but didn’t provide exact solutions. That will take some OJT before anyone could provide informed COAs. 5. See first comment and #2

Yep. Already multiple “swaps” publicly released. Several F-15 units to F-35 and EX, multiple F-16 to F-35, A-10 to F-16, additional F-35 standing up at Ft Smith, etc. Now will it all actually play out as it currently sits on paper, only time will tell. NGAD in the ANG any time in the next 15 years? Low Pk in my opinion, but we’ll see.

Huh? The bill put forward is to not lose any fighter squadrons. This is all hot air, no enormous changes are on the way, or at least in any predictable or credible way.

credit is probably higher, unless you are min running on purpose (time off vs. more pay). I’ve seen a lot of guys do that first year who have mil retirement - that supplements their lost wages when they work a no shit 50-65 hr credit month. However, plan for what you have above (which excludes PS and 401K) and you’ll have a solid, conservative plan to base your finances on.

@Pooter Generally agree, but there’s plenty of people also who will vote for the lesser of two evils with no regard for the letter next to the name. 2 party status quo sucks, but abstaining just to watch the worst option win is not helping the country one bit. Copy that “worst option” has subjectivity attached to it. Abstinence is not the answer (unless your my daughter) - there’s got to be a better way that actually has teeth vs. purely emotional “fee good.” I don’t have the answer, but I’d sure like to hear some that actually might move the needle.

Concur. I like him, hope to see less canned statements next month. I think the main thing that pushed Vivek ahead last night was his ability to speak extemporaneously vs. cycle a bunch of rehearsed, canned answers. If Desantis can do that in the following debates, he absolutely crushes everybody. Bottom line at this point, either Desantis or Vivek are the most capable of crushing Biden in the general. As Haley said, Trump is the most disliked politician out there. He is the most likely to lose in the general election out of the top few GOP hopefuls. True conservatives see that, the progressive-like Trump cult refuse to see that. As Desantis said early on and last night, this is not about any one man, it’s about getting our country out of the dumpster fire it resides in. The “all in for trump” crowd are making it about one man, their cult leader. They are demonstrating they in fact do not care about the bigger picture and the betterment of our country. It’s the epitome of “if you don’t play what I want to play, I’m taking my ball and going home.” Really getting sick of these people who very well may end up directly responsible for foisting our country into another 4 years of this egregious bullshit. I won’t blame the Dems or their base if that happens, I’ll blame trump and all of his acolytes.

Russian advanced tech, sponsored by the Russian Home Depot.

My viewpoint is he didn’t start a single one of those pissing matches and actually kept his cool far better than the ones who started the BS in the first place, and certainly far better than trump would have. His answers are also well stated and thought out, especially considering it’s on the fly. I wish Desantis would have been more direct in addressing other candidates - he seemed a little quiet at times. Doesn’t affect my view on him though, still like him as a candidate who can crush Biden.

Watched the entire debate and trump’s interview. Trump’s, and the “only trump” crowd’s, behavior is identical to the progressive left. They are one in the same, just on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum. If you don’t support trump unequivocally, you are immediately dead to them, “a true Dem,” etc. Both groups lack all ability to critically think and apply logic. As far as the debate, I think the unsurprising top 2 were Desantis and Vivek. Overall I think Vivek crushed it, and is the top conservative candidate who can appeal towards independents, voters under 40, and even grab voters from slightly left of center who can’t stand Biden. I completely agree with his argument that it’s time for a new generation to lead this country; everyone under 50 is done being “led” by 75+ year olds (trump is 80 for God’s sake!) I see the same problem locally - most of the 50+ crowd active in the community are so out of touch with the under 50 crowd who are at the beginning to median point of their working career with kids at home. To them I say, “your experience and wisdom is valuable, but you need to step aside and be a supporting asset and not the supported asset. You are now ineffective by yourselves, put the 30-40s crowd in and let them move the ball down the field with your help.”

The rub in the current system, while extremely irritating, is a vote for one is an active vote against the other. At least you’re actively countering the worst of the two choices vs. making no difference at all, or indirectly helping the worst candidate win (depending on which one wins and who you consider the worst of the two). We all despise being forced into a lesser of two evils situation, and hope for a different situation in the future, but abstaining for voting for either in said situation is not a solution.

It will do nothing to solve the 2 party problem. I get it, you feel better about it, but your feelings don’t move the needle a single bit. I want 2 party to go away also, but I don’t have a good answer for how to do that. I do know me taking a “feel good” trip on the 3rd party road doesn’t do shit to fix it.

If the system worked, we’d probably be seeing trump, multiple Bidens and Clintons, Obama, McConnell, Fauci, etc. all swinging lunch trays at each other in a prison chow hall. If voters just admitted to themselves all of these people are crooks, we’d be better off. However, it is also logically undeniable that the current system (which includes MSM) is heavily targeting political opponents. And that’s what pisses people off. If Fauci and Hunter were going through multiple indictments right now, many people would cool their jets on what’s happening to trump, because at least justice was being administered evenly across the spectrum.

ISIS had their hands on all that many years ago, I’m sure the Chinese and Russians bought some from them. The concern is still valid, but it’s not the first round of our adversaries having access to our ground-based tech.

Nothing has changed - if you’re leaning on staying in regardlesss, then go for it. If you’re one foot out the door and this is what pulls you back in, you’re an idiot.

Interesting thought…possible, but unlikely.

Are what ifs open? What if trump told all of his supporters he’s not going to run, he endorses Desantis or Vivek, and he goes after the corrupt establishment as a “civilian” while Desantis or Vivek goes after it as a politician. The team up for a 2-pronged attack would be awesome…but instead trump is an egotistical asshat who just can’t think beyond himself. He could do a lot of good for this country from outside DC, but he can’t see that.

All we can hope for is you’re wrong, but I understand completely why you feel that way. It’s frustrating how many GOP voters can’t pull their heads out of trump’s ass to see the bigger picture. Hopefully that demographic sucks at voting in the primaries and the rest of us vote. It fundamentally comes down to, do you want to win, or do you want 4 more years of disaster? If you want to win, Trump’s the worst horse to pick.

@ViperMan Fair enough, thanks for the reply. Only thing to add… The courts did in fact find the NSA illegally violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. So yeah, they were illegal, at least in how they were being used.