Politics Trump invokes emergency powers to sidestep Congress and sell arms to Saudi Arabia

I beg your pardon sir, but that was not feelings, it is a fact.
Then I would credit the Constitution with providing me the freedom to express my views, fact or not.
A marvelous document and basis for our rule of law. Designed to counter the likely tyranny of the majority.

 

Well, post of the day to Lanny!

 

Trump is the most rational President since Eisenhower, therefore no rationalization is needed.

So your first memory of politics was Kennedy's assassination by the Deep State?

 

Back in the day when I live in West Linn, I used to go Dirt Biking with my neighbor and some of his buddies. Not that I liked the guy especially, actually he was an insufferable ass, but you know, you sort of need to do that kind of stuff with other to cover you own fuckups that are bound to happen. Anyway this guy was the son of a local TV personality in Portland at the time, and when I say insufferable, I can't think of another word that would be a proper replacement.

This dude would get on his bike, a 450 Husky and just go balls out, fuck the tactics or what. Time after time, damn hard to understand how he lived to be 30. One day riding on the dunes near Heppner, I watch him and his closes buddy about 75 yards ahead of me doing the propeller,
Bike below doing endos, guys above switching ends in the air! When I got there, I could see they crossed a road with a sand burm on both sides, just like they had hit a double ski jump. This dude, Chuck was out but nothing appeared broken so I let him lay, sort of straightened him up but let him lay. The other guy was ok, smarting but ok. When Chuck came too in a few minutes, I told him not move, for Christ sake don't move!!!

About 30 seconds latter, he began asking, whats wrong? Then I started laughing, You put on the god damnedest dumb ass show I have ever seen, I just wanted to savior it awhile.

I can imagine only few others in this same way. Damn few you can enjoy seeing in a bike wreck! But they do exist.

 

My war, Vietnam, the media was pretty far from hawkish...depends upon the media...you include the BBC? I sure don't remember reading gushing commendations about Vietnam by any stretch of the imagination. My father's and uncle's war...WWII...they showed patriotic pro war pep talks before the movies started. Told everyone how good things were going and how brave we were...didn't happen for my watch.

 

News Flash to Lannyinabubble!

Hawaii is part of America.

 

Eisenhower was my commander in chief during my years of service. I thought the man an idiot for shit he had us do. Sending us into harms way without anyway to defend ourselves with the rules of engagement. But it did back the dictator he had chosen against the dictator he opposed without actually starting a war. That is a good thing, it took 50 years to see it that way but it is a good thing. Still he was not a genius.
But then not a ass in history either.

 

You’re right. There was a huge anti-war movement during Vietnam. Bigger than there’s ever been before or since. The problem today is that there is no anti-war movement to speak of. None. Everybody says they don’t want war, followed by a “BUT”. The anti-war liberals of past are extinct, the Democratic Party has sold out, like the Republicans. They have succumb to the pressure of lobbyists and the new scheme is to dupe the masses into wars using the guise of humanitarianism. Gotta get rid of those dictators, even if we have to kill a couple hundred thousand civilians to do it. People say “yeah but it’s complicated.”
It’s not. War is bad and that is it.

 

It is often asked, what would make a Trump supporter stop supporting Trump.
I see nothing of what you guys complain about. For the most part, I see, that you can not see what I see.
I do not see Trump doing any immoral acts as President.
I do not see Trump failing to enforce the laws of the land.
I do not see Trump starting feel good wars over feel good emotional causes.
I would cease support of the man in a moment if he starts a war by going on offense outside the interests of the US, no matter how emotional the triggering event.

 

Vietnam was a war for profit, the MIC/Deep State's profit. There was no moral battle or even sane reason to participate.

President Eisenhower warned us it was coming.

President Kennedy was murdered for resisting it.

The media still had remnants of the free press hanging on, and college papers were a large part of it. The college papers were written by young people who didn't want to be used as pawns of death.

There was no legitimate threat to America, and 18 year old males were forced into the "choice" of murdering strangers in a strange land, or forsaking the country they loved and running to Canada, or serve time in prison and be labeled a felon for life.

Every single day from the age of nine until shortly after my second non-selection in the draft, I made this decision in my head.

Most of the time I chose prison, which cast a pretty dark shadow on my dreams for my future as an adult.

A few times I chose Canada, and as my mother was a Canadian citizen I could have declared dual-citizenship but would still have been unable to return to the country I love.

Not once was the easy path of no resistance considered. Not once did I consider handing over responsibility for my own actions to the government.

Thankfully, kids today aren't faced with such nightmare choices, and those who join the military do it for their own reasons with no punishment if they're not interested.

 

I do not see Trump doing this sort of folly.

 

well said

 

I agree with you about the profit of war...the "deep state" I define as the arms dealers cranking out those Huey's and blowing through gazillions of rounds of ammo....then the black market coming back the other direction with "heroin" following. I ran a teletype machine and message processing...the military had a tendency to cook the books on stats and supplies. You might remember the 75 dollar toilet seat bolts?

 

Outside the interest of the US needs clarity here in the context of offense in warfare. As I have stated before, Offense should never be undertaken until the sovereign can define victory in justifiable terms and the General knows how to achieve the victory. But all too often the sovereign can not define victory beyond the military victory as the General must achieve. Such a victory can only be momentarily achieved and probably lost with the first party. Afghanistan historically has been of this nature. The US, regardless of the persuasiveness of the leader should never play this roll.

Where will this be seen possible in the future?

Iran and N. Korea

Sending US troops to Iran in occupation would be about like Afghanistan.
The people there must free themselves no US leader will ever have the charisma to extend that far. Support from afar perhaps, but not lead. The leaders there could begin the conflict and we could succeed in the conflict but not an occupation. They do not seem to choose democracy and we can not install another Shaw.
No! Kick their ass if we must, but do not take up residence.

N. Korea

US interest are at least one thing, eliminate long range missile being targeted on the US population.
Taking down a regime like this is in our interest, it would leave no vacuum with S. Korea filling it immediately.
But at what cost? Probably way too high and can't be done with the US in the lead without massive losses. We can only support Asians in the effort. If the dude there begins the conflict, it would be short, terrible losses but short.

 

If life was fair, I could have simply been allowed to not participate as my conscience would not allow it.

Regrettably, I would have had to lie and claimed I believed in a mythical super-hero as "a conscience" is only something religious people are allowed to have under our laws.

As someone who now has bone spurs, they're quite debilitating and nothing to laugh about.

 

I was a purchaser for a few years of my Federal career. In the 90's computer parts were a favorite source to defraud the government.

A simple machine screw that you could buy at Radio Shack for 20 cents might cost $45 each from a government contractor. Reported a few, but don't know if they were prosecuted.

 

The anti-war movement died with the free press, whose death was verified the day Nixon was forced from office and the media spoke in a single voice proclaiming he should not be prosecuted because "our Democracy could not survive such a prosecution".

Since that day (at the very latest), America has had no media that was not owned by the Deep State.

 

I don't believe in waging war. Wars kill the innocent and the underprivileged, and the bad guys usually survive. I don't believe in "measured response".

I do believe in the quick, complete and total annihilation of any specific person, group or government that seriously threatens Americans.

When possible, I prefer to assassinate a dictator and his circle who threatens the US as opposed to bombing the cities his victims live in.

If a country actually declared war on America and their military attacked, I'm fine with nuking them into glass as a first strike response.