Wouldn't that make Mike Johnson the acting president?

"So they're going to wipe their a&^ with the Constitution."

It can't happen. the language in the 14th amendment is very clear. There is no ambiguity.

Their only real way forward would be to amend the constitution. It could be done, but it would be a huge lift. I don't know how much support it would get.

LIKUD is antisemitic?

I mean, if he's right-wing, he may be a "from the river to the sea" type of guy.

There is little gray space between the right-wing European antisemites and their Muslim counterparts.

"99.9% of all terrorist acts in Germany over the past 100 years that have led to the deaths of millions of innocent people have been perpetrated by far-right, anti-immigrant German nationalists, so this guy fits that profile."

100% of attacks on Christmas markets have been conducted by Muslims.

Who knows, maybe their right-wing cousins have recognized the effectiveness of the strategy.

"Especially for those so eager to pin it on some Islamic fundamentalist nutter-"

Well, when has it not been a Muslim that attacked a Christmas market.

The dude was a Saudi. By law, he was required to be a Muslim.

It is a very strange situation. A non-Islamic Saudi, maybe the only one ever, praises anti-immigration policies and commits terrorism using well documented Islamist tactics. And he's a psychiatrist. Who probably should have been talking to a psychiatrist.

I'm a bit surprised the UAE and the Saudis have not renewed their offensive against the Houthis. Thier sponsor, Iran, is on the ropes. It would seem like a good time for them to defeat the Houthis permanently.

"He is correct. Going full-bore in 2014 while they were invading Crimea, before the Ukrainians had a chance to build up their defensive capability, would have been the way to go. Not like the Western nations would have done anything about it."

He also ceded Ukraine eight years of time in which they were able to develop a seething hatred of Russians. In 2014, Ukraine may not have cared about being a Russian puppet state.

#24

That's partially true. As a contractor working in TS/SAR programs, I am required to report foreign affections (friends who are not US citizens), foreign travel, foreign bank accounts and investments, legal issues, financial issues, and any interactions with non-US government officials and authorities. Any sort of drug use, to include the use of marijuana, is prohibited. If I get a DUI, the clearances and accesses would almost certainly be pulled.

Were I an elected official though, I could be snorting coke off a Russian hooker's ass in my office. It literally takes an act of congress to revoke the security clearance for an elected official. I don't know if it is the same for officials appointed by the president. I'm guessing not, since technically every military officer is a presidential appointee.

The suspected terrorist is a Saudi who has been living in Germany since 2006.

New numbers are now four dead and at least 200 injured.

Just curious why the restaurants don't just demand a stiff deposit at the time of reservation...I am also curious as to whether or not the restaurants actually care.

Where were you on Jan 6, Nerfherder?

"CutiePie is a Zionist operative who supports the Israel-inspired, American police state currently unfolding."

Did you learn this at your Klan meeting?

"If they are violating restricted airspace, shootdown should be authorized."

Shoot it down? With what? a Patriot missile?

Truth in lending, I am not going to sign up for another news outlet to charge me money or pollute my in-container...so I only read that part of the article that was visible. That said, it is very misleading to monetize much of the aid that has been provided to Ukraine. Back when I was flying bombers, we would routinely drop hundreds of antiquated unguided weapons. Why? It wasn't for training. There aren't many circumstances in a modern conflict where bombers will be dropping unguided weapons. The simple fact is it was cheaper to drop them than it was to dispose of them through other means.

Ukraine is doing much of the same. Yes, an F-16 does have a $ value, but it doesn't have as much military value. These are assets that the US is planning on getting rid of anyways. In fact in some cases the cost may be neutral or even beneficial to the US. And that's just on a pure cost-basis. Disrupting Russian influence and force projection capability is immeasurable in value.

The F-35 is a revolutionary aircraft. The closest comparison I can come up with is the transition from propeller-drive aircraft to jet engines.

I do a lot of work with partner-nation F-35 integration. I tell them that they are no longer fighter pilots. They are ISR pilots.

#8

There is only one side that has codified the requirement to extirpate the other side.

And it is not Israel. As bad as they may be, they are not the ones who are openly stating that genocide is their endgame.

Like, not the little silly cosplay genocide that antisemites whine about, but real, National Socialist type ----. Like joining the other Arab nations in successfully eliminating their Jewish populations.

"But Hamas doesn't represent a country."

Hamas is the democratically elected authority in the West Bank.

"They represent an impoverished people living in a territory under Israeli control."

They represent a population that could have and should have had their own state, just like the Israelis. Instead, they couldn't accept living in the presence of Jews. Much like the German National Socialists, and much like every other Arab state in the region.

"Same thing the Saudis and Egyptians are, figuring out how to work with their neighboring nations."

They've had 80 years. All they have managed to come up with is "from the river to the sea."

"You're VSO is lying to you. Being "yelled at" doesn't make the basic criterion for PTSD, unless your VSO also states that the yells included plausible death threats."

I don't know if he was lying or not...but I can't come up with a good reason why he would have lied.

Can you?

And just for the edification of everyone here, when you retire or separate from the military, you are advised by the VA to consult with a VSO. They will request that you provide your medical record, and they will review it to see if there are any recurring or significant issues. If there are, they will file those on your behalf with the VA. In many cases, the service member doesn't do anything. This has to be done within a year of separation. You can still file outside of a year, but you will not receive any back pay, and the assessment phase is far stricter and requires far more evidence.

"I also know a person who was in the Army for only 2 years. He went to Iraq, came home and some how got 100% disability. Seemed as normal as everyone else, but for some reason, got alot of disability."

My VSO told me a story about a kid who got discharged while still in boot camp and gets disability payments for PTSD for having been yelled at while in boot camp.

"Why does the Social Security tax not go above a certain level of income?"

Because the payments do not go beyond a certain level of income.

"The wealthy, who garnered their wealth from the backs of Americans, do not appear to buy into any manner of "taxed the same percentage of income."

Walk me through that logic. How is it that I am less rich because someone else is more? If Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos die tomorrow, does that mean I will get a bigger paycheck?

"I could almost agree with you, if everyone was taxed the same percentage of income. And I'm talking about in addition to what we are paying now. But we know that wont happen."

First, what constitutes "universal healthcare" depends on who you ask, but there is no European nation that does not fund healthcare through Value Added Taxes, or VATs.

US progressives tend to differ from their European counterparts in that they generally believe that the rich should be paying for everything. I once posed the question here whether or not progressives would still support efforts like UHC, or free college, or any other entitlements, if they were funded through a VAT. A surprising number said they would not. Which really leads me to believe that many view these programs as punitive measures whose real value comes in punishing high income earners.