UT alum

No, that’s how State TV reports it. It’s Donald Swamp who refuses to even acknowledge our fellow citizens’ deaths before the American public. That’s what leaders are supposed to do. Abject failure will be met with electoral repudiation. That’s basically what I said when I took off. I’ll be checkin’ in from time to time, but come November, I’ll be back. FOX said anything about the bounty Putin put out on our soldiers in Afghanistan to the Taliban? Swamp’s state department knew. Whether he had the time between rounds to hear about it is a whole ‘nother thing. What’s a Commander in Chief to do?

Hey guys. Just had to stop by a minute for a quick dose of apoplexy. National crises demand national leadership. I ‘tol ya’ll that Donald Swamp’s total lack thereof would sink his sorry ass. C-ya!

In Union There Is Strength I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly de- manding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our val- ues—our values as people and our values as a nation. When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitu- tional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to pro- vide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in- chief, with military leadership standing alongside. We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “bat- tlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we wit- nessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they them- selves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civil- ian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them. James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single sol- dier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign am- bition than America disunited, with a hundred thou- sand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to mil- itarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guarantee- ing that all of us are equal before the law. Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us . . . was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics. Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are wit- nessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children. We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one an- other. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafay- ette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitu- tion. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite. Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals— will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad. — Jim Mattis, former defense secretary under President Trump who resigned in protest in 2018 Jump on it, acolytes of mayhem

The biggest difference between President Abraham Lincoln and Trump: Lincoln supporters did not carry confederate flags. Now, you can call me a troll to your heart’s content.

I enjoy debating politics, but a debate assumes two sides to an issue. In the history of our nation every president, save possibly George Washington, could have been better. In Trump’s mind, he governs perfectly, and everyone who posts here save a couple, defend every claim of perfection he makes. I’m wasting no more energy stating the opposing position only to be viewed as a “demoncrat”, a “libtard”, or a “dim”. I don’t need that crap in my life. I’ll check back in after Trump gets his ass resoundingly rejected in November. Wish I could say it’s been fun. Adios.

Liquor stores because the risk of alcoholics flooding ER’s with the DT’s.

Because I’m done with you dunderheads.

Do you have absolutely no concept of scale? Highway miles driven in 2018: 3.2 trillion. 38000 deaths. 600,000 covid infections, 24000 deaths. You see the difference, surely.

Without a baseline, and with all numbers being mistrusted as bad guesses, what do you suggest we do to mitigate?

How do you know what testing would do? So far, about 10% of those tested in Texas have tested positive.

That’s THE media motto, regardless of the stream.

That’s called change, Hagar. And if society has no common interests that all must contribute in some way for the good of the whole, it ceases to be a society and the law becomes anarchy. To compare the obligations of citizenship to being a slave is ludicrous in my opinion.

No, I have an obligation as a property owning citizen to pay tax to support local public services. There may be a better way than ad valorem taxes to do it but then, you don’t want a state income tax either. How do you propose funding streets, water, sewer, and law enforcement?

I know someone who has it. Since you first posted on April cases have more than doubled. The mortality rate is pushing 3%, which is over ten times worse than common flu. That’s using CDC numbers. 20 - 30 thousand deaths from the flu are already baked into the system we have. That’s normal. 10 times the mortality rate for this new strain would break the system. That’s why I think we gotta err in the side of caution.

Slavery in the U S defined slaves as chattel property. Like cattle, or goats. Your comparison of that to having to get permission to drive or fish is juvenile at best, irresponsible at worst.

I don’t cry. What are you even talking about? I also have a pair that I swing when I have to make a tough decision, not for some two bit thread.

Criticism goes with the territory for a president. He scored his points with you guys for the China slam, then when it showed up here, it was as a “hoax” until it wasn’t. He squandered weeks before making any tough decisions that might affect him politically. He does not lead. He reacts. We needed pro action and he avoided it like the covid-19 until the truth could no longer be negated with his lies.

Atta boy!

You make something up to denigrate the Democrat, and him only. Partisan.

That’s a sad lie.

A wise man was he. The last great Roman emperor.

There it is. The Democrat was probably acting out of personal jealousy, not public interest. Can’t keep partisanship out of it, can you?

Yessir, perfesser.

Quite possibly...

You still don’t know the difference between whatabout and historical comparison.