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#23 | Posted by SomebodyElse at 2026-06-27 04:13 PM
"A nuclear power plant produces power for decades; the nuclear waste it leaves behind will remain lethal for 10,000 years. Put on a blackboard the year the EPA has determined these materials will be safe, 11,993."
Daniel Ellsberg, 1993.

This scaremongering from the usuals old "doomers" and fear of anything "nuclear" is the kind of thinking that left us decades behind China and some other countries in energy buildout that is necessary if we want to have enough relatively cheap energy for all the things that need to be or we want to be electric: EVs, datacenters (AI-centric or plain old "cloud" data storage and servers) and just increase in commercial and consumer electric demand, including portable and wearable devices.

For example, a single ChatGPT query consumes 10x the energy of a Google search.

If we stupidly demand to keep TikTok datacenters in America, then we need plenty of stable portable energy, like nuclear, gas, green/blue hydrogen.

China is energy-abundant, in part, because in the last 20+ years they were also investing in and building nuclear plants and other energy solutions, like hydro, gas and coal.

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#8 | Posted by Nixon at 2026-06-24 06:52 AM
That said, there are plenty of jobs being lost to foreigners who will come in with advanced degrees and do the work for pennies on the dollar while telecommuting from India, Pakistan, etc.

Every single year 1040 preparation work is sent overseas to foreign nations where a return that would cost $1000 in time here to prepare and review will be done for $200 and still billed out for $1700 to the client.

If only there was something to stop those damn "globalists" and advances in "cheaper better faster" technology!


The next step is already happening with letting a business return that can be billed for $4000 will be prepared for $100 by AI. I've seen both the good and the bad with AI used in tax law research.

Like with most technologies, there is good and bad... "bad" mostly relates to eliminating or completely changing the nature of certain jobs affected by technology.

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Exceptionalism Can Be Lonely -- Ask Britain

There is nothing about "exceptionalism" in the headline or the article - Britain of "Rule, Britannia!" has not been "exceptional" for centuries.

Article is "exceptionally" anti-Brexit biased - not surprisingly, reflecting NYT point of view - but, also not surprisingly, plays fast and lose with economic data.

Brexit was supposed to let Britain return to a time when it still counted as a global power.

BS, UK is world's fifth largest economy and on course of overtaking Japan in near future; Brexit was about independence from politics and taxes of "Brussels" and independence of their economy and currency (GBP) from EURo... just like Canada not wanting to be "51st state" of the USA.

Brexit still holds majority of mindshare in Britain: "There is now a mountain of evidence that support for rejoining the EU crumbles when the costs and conditions are revealed. We Brits still value our sovereignty and do not want to hand control back to Brussels."
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2216906/rejoin-eu-campaign-faces-nightmare - Rejoin EU campaign faces nightmare - 2026-10-13


Mr. Starmer was the sixth occupant of the office during the past decade. In the previous two decades, there had been just three prime ministers.

Again, sleight of hand comparison - Britain's current social problems wouldn't be any easier had they stayed in EU - EU had and still has their share of turnovers / "flipping" of failed "conservative" and "liberal/progressive" governments and deep divisions in the last decade (see Italy, Greece, France, Germany, Belgium etc.) - this actually coincides more with the issue of "immigrants" and arrival of destabilizing Trump on the political scene than anything to do with Britain or Brexit specifically.

For example, relatively more stable 4-year USA system had 3 two-term presidents (changes of party in power) in 24 years since 1993, and 3 one-term changes during the past 10 years.

Starmer/Labour, in particular, won last election with the lowest number of delegates in the history of UK.

Now, to the real economics of Brexit:

UK's predicted "economic collapse" due to Brexit didn't happen; in fact, their average growth rate since is higher than many in EU, Canada and Japan:

Real per capita compound annual GDP growth rate change - (2016-2025) delta (2007-2016) in USD (data from https://data-explorer.oecd.org/?lc=en):
............... PPP ... nominal
Germany : -5.9% ... -5.4%
Japan :.. +3.2% ... -0.8%
France :. +6.4% ... +4.5%
Canada :. +0.9% ... +7.2%
UK :.... +3.2% ... +9.0%
USA :... +12.1% ... +11.0%

In 2015 UK exports to EU members were only 42.3% of total exports, least of any other EU countries;

Second largest importer of UK exports was the USA, and since 2011, US GDP grew by 40.0%, almost 2x of EU's 20.5% growth rate, increasing nominal value of UK exports.

Sure, UK has problems, their taxes and costs are higher and regulations have not eased, "green energy" policies are hurting their economy, NHS is a wreck... but none of that would be remedied had they stayed in EU.

Brexit (and keeping the GBP) was not the economic disaster many predicted, rejoining is not the solution to internal problems.
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#11 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-06-19 10:28 AM
... it's just baffling to me that modern-day Repubs rate Trump higher than Reagan. Or higher than anyone for that matter.

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#11 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-06-19 10:28 AM
There was a poll conducted recently. ... Trump was voted the second-most popular president in the last 40 years. ... No harm, no foul, but it's just baffling to me that modern-day Repubs rate Trump higher than Reagan. Or higher than anyone for that matter.

#14 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-06-20 10:18 AM
National polling shows a sharp divide on this topic, with different surveys reflecting varied results. In a Pew Research Center study examining which U.S. president over the last 40 years did the best job, Barack Obama ranked first (36%), followed by Ronald Reagan (21%), and Donald Trump (19%).

Close enough...


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#22 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-16 06:02 AM
Israel is Stern Gang and Levi, and nothing else?
Hahaha, Levi. You know what I mean.

No, I have no idea who/what you are referring to or WTH you mean... nor do I care.


"So, humanitarian aid is a "policy of propping up Hamas"?"
--- Giving money to a charity is propping up the people running said charity.

1. Hamas is not a "charity"
2. You just condemned the USA, EU and other donors for giving humanitarian aid intended for Gazans.


"Why Arabs Are Fed up With the Palestinians"
Did they get so fed up they killed 70,000 Palestinians, or was that somebody else?

According to your previous answer, Arabs countries engaged in "policy of starvation" of Palestinians - we don't know how many it killed.


Why is Netanyahu so adamant in maintaining Hamas as the Highest Governing Authority in Gaza?

Again, totally nonsensical "conspiracy theory" loopback because you didn't even try reading or understanding posts and links debunking the premise.

Hamas and Iran have been "maintaining" Hamas as "Highest Governing Authority" (that's what Gazans call Hamas) in Gaza, by brutal repressions and public executions of "Israel collaborators."


"How come there aren't any articles saying Netanyahu didn't support Hamas?"
--- "Because writing one would be stupid"
------ In the middle of writing that very article. Congratulations, you played yourself.

That's because I wasn't writing an "article" - I directly answered your illogical question.

So, congratulations... for "playing yourself"... and wasting even more of my time.


On that note, a couple of sincere suggestions that could make life easier for you, and anyone having to deal with your rambling, babbling posts and questions:

1. Lay off tequila or whatever else you're drinking these days, especially in the morning.
2. Ask your doctors to check you for ADD/ADHD - there are meds and therapies for that.
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#19 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-06-15 06:04 PM
Red Alert! Red Alert! CutiePie hit-and-run attack!
40,000 pro-Israel online operatives target Americans 24/7 with PSYOP.


At least 100,000 anti-Israel online operatives target Americans 24/7 with PSYOP!!

There... "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes"

Funny that a prolific online operative who owns and operates a web site under a different nom de plume and is spamming a blog site with anti-Israel misinformation 24/7, is preemptively "warning" about ("insert huge number pulled out of the a$$ here") of phantom pro-Israel "operatives" here. Better skills than troll-bot Effeteposer - which is not a high bar - but same MO and messaging.
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#15 - #18 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-15
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Israeli officials encouraged Qatar to support Hamas,[8] especially by approving the transfer of large sums of financial aid by Qatar to the organization.

I addressed that but you ignored it, as usual - it wasn't support of Hamas, it was humanitarian aid for Gaza via Qatar:

FTA: Israel has allowed suitcases holding millions in Qatari cash to enter Gaza...
Letting UN's Humanitarian Cash Assistance to Gaza program pass through Qatar has been a long-standing negotiated policy.

From 2014 to 2020, U.N. agencies spent nearly $4.5 billion in Gaza, including $600 million in 2020 alone... With Israel's approval, Qatar has provided over $1 billion in reconstruction funds and humanitarian aid for poor Palestinians in the Gaza Strip... **


So, humanitarian aid is a "policy of propping up Hamas"?

You've been peddling this nonsense here for years, despite clear rebuttals.


[9] Several Israeli intelligence officials have cited Qatari money as a contributing factor to the success of Hamas in leading the October 7 attacks in 2023;[10]
en.wikipedia.org

Money is fungible ("money is money"). Hamas, being the Highest Governing Authority in Gaza, was the receiver of any "humanitarian aid" from the USA and EU indirectly (because Hamas is a designated terrorist entity) through UNRWA and UN and was in position to [mis]use the money for any purpose...

Does that mean that USA and EU have a policy of "propping up Hamas" or "making Hamas stronger"? You understand now how ridiculous that line of thought is?

Unless your argument is that Gaza had to be deprived of all humanitarian aid because they are governed by Hamas (BTW, all Arab countries finally ended aid **), it still is absolutely contrary to "policy of making Hamas stronger" - anyone but you understands that.


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#13 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-15 08:41 AM
"Was "uniting" them a job of Netanyahu's or any other government of Israel?"
Why ask a rhetorical question so disconnected from history.

The question is not rhetorical if you know the history - I provided links and facts, you ignored them, because your entire worldview depends on "faith" in "alternative facts" on this subject.

Dividing Palestine politically was the policy choice that Netanyahu chose.

Again, ignoring the facts, because because they will shatter your "faith" in something.

You either didn't read the posts and links, which disprove this with facts, or just have to go with "faith" and this is your shibboleth - I understand that.


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Trump (Again) Claims Deal to End Iran War Near

And now, the end is near...
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this...
When I bit off more than I could chew...
I ate it up and spit it out...
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside...
I did it my way



And now for something completely different:

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#12 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-12 01:26 PM
Because Trump is a transactionalist.

This is not about being "transactional" where you exchange something of value to someone for something of value to you - that's exactly how commerce or barter works.

It is because Trump is a lifelong scammer and grifter, "at the highest level" - and people just keep falling for the "value" of his cultivated "reputation" and business persona as a "winner / not a loser" on all things with his name on them. **

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Trump Family Gains $2.3 Billion in Crypto While Investors Lose $2.3 Billion

By Satoshi, if this isn't a definition of "balanced trade"...
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#9 | Posted by Twinpac at 2026-06-07 06:43 AM
In your opinion, what makes the difference if the "deal" needed a few adjustments? In fact, under the current condition, I'd be surprised if it didn't.

You bet it would, and need more than just "few adjustments" - "under current circumstances" it's essentially null and void, given that Russia is also under sanctions.


The main point, with or without, Mr. Putin just put BFF Trump in a most awkward position and a badly bruised ego.

That makes no sense.

This didn't "just" happen, as I explained... and there is no such thing as shameless Trump finding himself in "awkward position"... and if anyone couldn't care less about Trump's ego, it's Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi, for different reasons.

In fact, Trump keeps trying to "normalize" the US relations with Putin's Russia by emulating Nixon's China "ping-pong diplomacy" by sending hockey team to Moscow... Very "original", no?


Both he and Netanyahu left holding the bag, so to speak.

Don't conflate the two - for Trump it's a matter of ego, for Israel it's a matter of existence.

Even if this eventually happens, if it's a nuclear energy reactors agreement there would be at the very least an IAEA observation and monitoring regime.

If not, what difference does it make, except proving that Iran is a client state of Russia and intends to have WMDs, which Saudi Arabia and most of Iran's neighbors do not want but have no ability to stop by themselves?

Was Biden "left holding the bag" when something similar happened in Iraq in 2022-2024?

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#10 | Posted by Hughmass at 2026-06-07 07:19 AM
Legally, why is it that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons? Not arguing the advisability, but the legality

Good that you don't argue advisability of Iran (and some other countries in the Middle East) having nukes.

Legality: UN's NPT is the general basis in principle for non-proliferation of nuclear WMDs, otherwise what have IAEA inspectors been doing in Iran all these years?

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#18 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2026-06-06 11:44 PM
Yawn... Another brick in a Wall.... of Text. There should be word limits to cut back on this type of thing.

Appreciate you having an issue with the "wall of text" and not with the information. "Wall of text" objections made no sense and never worked as intended because they were only conceding that the info was correct and "biting" - so smarter people here have recognized and stopped using it long ago, they always had a choice to plonk my posts.

Even smarter people were actually reading them and stopped repeating false arguments or posting links to stupid articles with debunked information... trolls and bots excluded.

Your bosses/handlers must be even bigger dumbasses than I thought, since they keep you making these reflexive "wall of text" comments... but I welcome confirmations that they are obsessively and compulsively irritated by content.

Thanks again for letting everyone here know who you work for... and keep up the good work.
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Iran, Russia Sign $25 Billion Nuclear Cooperation Deal

Sure, but it's very outdated information - the 'deal' was in September of 2025, the world has changed slightly since then:

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#7 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-04 10:02 PM
... Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in a renewed bid to end the war.
In an open letter to the Russian president, the Ukrainian leader said it would be "wrong to simply wait" until the war in Europe becomes the focus of the US's attention once more, adding peace could only come "through direct engagement between" Ukraine and Russia.

Shrewd move, he is both preempting and "freezing out" more attempts by Putin to put pressure on Ukraine by "negotiating" through third parties and more specifically, his "messenger pigeons" Trump-Witkoff-Kushner et al.

He also knows Putin wouldn't accept it, but he is sending a much stronger message to both Putin and flaky European allies that "times, they are a-changing" and that Russia is in much weaker position to dictate terms of combat and what's acceptable for "peace deal" and ceasefire(s).

From the letter:

"When you led Russia more than 26 years ago, many in Ukraine had a positive attitude towards you. ... That is already in the past.

Now the absolute majority of Ukrainians perceive positively the fact that our long-range drones visited the opening of your forum in St. Petersburg, having overcome a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers. As you well know, this distance is not the limit of our capabilities.

... Almost half of your 26 years of power in Russia you have spent in the war against Ukraine.

Whatever you say about NATO, geopolitics and the Russian language, this war is your personal choice - a war without a real reason. This is how history will remember it.

We often hear that war suits you. Of course, not when it comes to the safety of your residence in Valdai or the parade in Moscow. Your own life is valuable to you.

But now we all see that this finally ceases to suit the Russians...

They do not like our drones and missiles.

They do not like the shortage of gasoline and the constant rise in prices...

They do not like your intention to organize a second wave of mobilization to expand the war...

They do not like the fact that there is no end in sight to your war.

Yes, you can still force the Russians to exist like this.

But your resources are significantly reduced.

You will not have enough money and political power to continue buying the loyalty of the Russians, as you have done for 26 years. We will do everything to ensure that the world takes care of this.

It is not that we in Ukraine are worried about the Russians. ... But I care about the Ukrainians.

... You are the first Russian ruler who was forced to turn to Pyongyang for help.

And today you are completely dependent on China - also for the first time in Russian history.

We have seen intelligence documents that you are now considering war plans for 2027 and 2028. We also know that you hope that ballistics will do for you what everything else has not.

Everyone has heard your representatives, smiling, saying that I can come to Moscow. But after such 26 years, there is nothing for the Ukrainian leader in your capital, as well as the Russian leader in Kyiv, to do.

There are countries that traditionally receive leaders to resolve issues of war and peace. Switzerland, Turkey... - many can and want to host this meeting.

... If you personally do not agree that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue to fight for its existence...

But you will also have to fight much more for your existence - not Russia's, but your own. ... These are facts of Russian history that you know well: when Russia gets tired, changes happen."

We can work on such fatigue. ...

Glory to Ukraine!"
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#4 | Posted by Corky at 2026-06-03 05:16 PM
Also, after the ship hits, the hits on the St Petersburg oil facility are dramatic... and telling; Moscow has tons of air defense systems, cities like St Petersburg have a guy with an AK trying to hit drones flying 80 mph from 500 yards away.

Not really - Moscow and St Petersburg are Russia's only two federal cities, too most significant "historic and cultural centers" and are most defended and best supplied with food and necessities compared to anywhere else in the country, which keeps them mostly isolated economically from consequences of war. St Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad) is also an important industrial hub, and has at various times been a capital of Russia; it's also birthplace of Soviet Revolution and hometown of one Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

To give you an idea of how significant and important, in one of the demands in December 2025 28-point "Trump's peace deal plan" that was crafted by Putin to pass to Witkoff-Kushner clown show to hand out to Zelensky, they were specifically singled out:
"10. The U.S. guarantee: ... If Ukraine launches a missile at Moscow or St. Petersburg ... the security guarantee will be deemed invalid.

Besides real damage these strikes caused, it was also meant to send several messages to Putin and his guests at scaled down International Economic Forum:
a) increasingly longer range and stealth capabilities and increasing mass production capability of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces
b) Ukraine no longer considers Moscow and St Pete "untouchable" or sacrosanct** as Putin has increasingly targeted civilian structures in Kyiv
c) expect reciprocity as Russia often conducts missile strikes on residential buildings in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown


** May 9, 2026 - Zelensky: Ukraine will hold back "long-range sanctions," strikes on Russian military targets if Moscow continues to avoid launching mass attacks: "Going forward, we will respond in kind."



The latest: June 6, 2026 - "Ukraine just carried out several large-scale overnight drone strikes across multiple targets near St Petersburg, reaching 1000km into Russian territory, ahead of Putin's economic forum finale."
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FTA: Protest crowds have echoed that sentiment, chanting "Thieves!" and demanding Rama's arrest by SPAK - Albania's Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutors, who opened a formal investigation into the project this week.

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Trump Still Demands IRS Audit Immunity
"We're talking about family members that have had almost a doubling of their net worth in the last year and a half," [Republican Senator Thom] Tillis told reporters at the Capitol. "How can you not at least have them be subjected to the same thing I'm subjected to and every one of you?"

Trump: "You should have stopped me at the dinner roll."

But... after 2016 Trump's campaign where he violated "ethics" by not disclosing his tax returns because they were "under audit" did the Congress pass the LAW that every presidential candidate MUST submit their tax return to be eligible to run for the highest office in the land?

Why not make "ethical" standards/rules into clear, unambiguous LAWS when we already know that "ethics" (and even some ambiguous laws) can be easily ignored with no consequences?

Maybe even make that requirement for anyone seeking high enough public office, like House or Senate member... or maybe that's exactly what they are afraid of?

So they can keep bitching about someone who is not afraid of violating "ethical" rules, "appearances of impropriety" or "conflicts of interest" but not making it clearly illegal, so it could be prosecuted or at least, challenged in courts?

As long as someone from the other party can be brazen enough to get away with "seeming" corruption, they think, it would be OK later for them to do the same, if the only penalty may be at worst, a political one - just look at TX Ken Paxton.

Just like gross abuses of unconditional pardons are passed over because they can suit the next King. At least excuse in this case, however feeble, is that it would require a constitutional amendment... and people are just too tired for that, so... "Le Roi est retraite, vive le Roi!"

So, would anybody start asking the Congress critters about making some simple, but obviously toothless, ethics standards/rules/restrictions into civil and/or criminal laws?

Should be a 100-0 bipartisan no-brainer, yet I didn't hear or see any reporters or Congress critters of either "tribe" asking these questions.

Or we have to [finally] accept that a government corruption, regardless of the party, is a built-in feature of the governments and their unchecked ("unfettered") power must be limited, the way it's done in some states.

SPY (S&P 500 Index ETF):
1yr - +27.04%
3yr - +76.92%
5yr - +79.15%

NANC (Dems Trading ETF):
1yr - +26.30%
3yr - +88.10%

GOP (fmr CRUZ - Reps Trading ETF):
1yr - +34.90%
3yr - +78.19%

.

#13 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-06-03 12:36 PM
It wouldn't surprise me if all of America needs to be pardoned after every election from now on.
Or we could just have a Purge every four years for a few days when the law doesn't apply and we can get our "revenge and retribution" on all the A-Ho's from the previous administration.

Purge is an interesting idea, except it may really depend on whether there is anyone left to do the new Purge after the previous Purge and whether (mixing metaphors here) the "new" pitchforks are bigger and better than the "old" pitchforks. Given that the "old" pitchforks know the Purge is coming when they lose power, do you think they will be passive or proactive, either by trying to keep the power (J6?) or starting their own Purge early lest lose the power in the first place?

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#8 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-06-03 09:07 PM
#7 Why do you care?

#7 | Posted by Effeteposer ... - Effeteposer "cares" because it's his job - he is a directly paid low-level "script chatbot" troll for Putin's Internet Research Agency (founded by Evgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC).

Effeteposer has been running the same stupid Russian script for years now, with very slight variations, depending on how things were going in Ukraine. Initially it was to justify Russian invasion and promoting "Ukraine Nazis" and "everything wrong with the world is USA+NATO fault" and equating "both sides" pablum... basically - "Russians / Putin are well-intentioned but stupid fools that are trying to save the world from Nazis, like the great Soviet Union did in WW2, but fell for evil cunning USA and NATO trap in Ukraine because they justifiably feel threatened by NATO's expansion..." yada, yada, yada.

That no longer working, since 2024 the trolls were instructed to "mute" Russia and their efforts have been directed towards Israel-USA relations, so pretty much to turn any thread into bashing Israel, Jews ("ZioNazis"), Netanyahu, AIPAC, etc. and "mute" the words Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah, Hoothies replacing them with "Palestinians," "people of Gaza," "Muslims," etc., while and emphasizing the usual "grievances" and agitprop KGB used against Israel since 1950s.

Anything to separate US allies from the US, though Trump is doing much more real damage on his own, but they are serving the same masters. There are now much better-skilled trolls than Effeteposer on this site alone, no doubt because many of his "ideas" have been well accepted here.

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#17 | Posted by madbomber at 2026-06-04 03:46 PM
Donny is out of his element. That's not a decision he is capable of making.

He is entirely in his element of a lifetime of making decisions he is incapable and unfit to make... and blaming everyone else for consequences.