Hanaguma

No, they are not. You are living in a fever dream of paranoid leftist fantasy if you believe that. What mechanism could possibly make that happen? The checks and balances, plus the natural freedom that courses through the veins of every American, make that completely impossible. Besides, it didn't happen the first time round with Trump. How could it happen now? Please relax and take a deep breath. If nothing else, Trump will die before any of that can happen. He's already pushing 80 and a fat bastard. If he survives his second term it will be a surprise.

The GOP is evolving and growing. They are becoming the true Big Tent party. From Teamsters to TikTok. I am very curious about the DNC convention, how they can top this.

Barak was a state senator in a very blue state, then Senator. Not much of a challenge. Vance defeated an incumbent Democrat in a difficult year for the GOP. I honestly wonder whether Democrats like Shapiro (or Kelly, or Wes Moore) will want to get involved in the race this year. Not saying they are terrible candidates, they are all reasonable IMHO. But....If they do accept the job as VP to Harris, they are potentially putting their own run off until 2032. Assume Harris wins, she is President til 2028, then runs again. They wouldn't challenge her for top job in 2028, so it would be until 2032 at least. If Harris loses, which is very possible, they are tied to a losing campaign. However, if they stay to the sidelines, they can save their political capital and make a full effort in 2028.

Nice try. The fear is palpable. Compare him to the opposing VP pick and it is clear who is qualified to lead. The man who grew up in rural America and had to fight to make something of himself is the obvious choice. Hell, the US elected a PRESIDENT with less than a full term in the Senate, and not much else. It is painfully obvious that the Democrats have zero confidence in Kamala, otherwise Joe would have been gone and she would have been elevated long ago.

Ah yes, anything to deflect from the issues that Americans actually care about. You could make it a quiz question; Name issues that most Americans don't give a rat's a55 about; a/ Project 2025 b/ Presidential immunity c/ the makeup of the Supreme Court The correct answer is "d", all of the above. If Biden were such a successful president, the Democrats would be busy running on his record of success. Yet they don't. All they can do is fall back on the old playbook of fearmongering and hate.

So... your source kind of agrees with me. Whether he supports a 'federal' 15 week limit or not, depends on who you talk to. But he also supports the states to do their own thing. Personally, I think a federal law is not workable. But to most Americans, this is not the most important issue anyway. People are more worried about inflation, the economy, border security, and crime. Abortion is way down the list, in spite of attempts by the Democrats to pump it up.

In Japan they are called "towelkets". Basically, a towel that is the size of a bedsheet or blanket that is used in place of traditional sheets or blankets. Single size are 150cm x 200cm. They are very comfy in the heat of summer, absorb body heat and do not stay damp. Some of the better ones have a lining of heat and moisture wicking material. We are bringing a set over to use this summer. They cost about 10,000 yen each in Japan (something like 2200 thb) for single size. My wife also uses towels as pillow covers because they are easy to clean, cool, and are very soft.

Maybe Joe should start going after all those trillionaires, they are the real greedy ones!

Well, Elon Musk paid $11 billion in federal taxes last year, so there is a small flaw in your assertion. Not to mention that you could seize ALL the assets of every billionaire in the USA, leave them all penniless and homeless, and the money still wouldn't be enough to run the federal government for one year. One year. So the problem obviously isn't revenue, it is spending. You are merely arguing from a position of jealousy, as so many lefties do.

All of what you say is true about my cousins to the south. And those are the reasons that Republicans do love their country. They value the potential and the freedom and the majesty. But at the same time they do see it being despoiled by the whinging bratlings of the left who feel entitled to take the gains and property of those who are smarter, faster, and harder working. It will be interesting to hear and watch the Democratic convention next month.

More senseless personal attacks and guilt by supposed association. It actually shows that you, Jing, are mortallly afraid of JD. And are scared witless about how he would eviscerate Harris in a debate. He has a genuinely touching and deeply American life story, raised by a number of powerful and influential women who shaped him into the man he is today. It resonates in a country devastated by drug overdose and absent fathers.

Lovely to see more of the usual character attacks and lack of substance. Anyone who has been to the US knows that there is no chance for a rail system to be successful. Just look at the insane waste of money happening in California with their pet high speed rail project. The cities are too far apart, the terrain is nasty, gaining property for the rails is difficult, and the cities are not designed to support a central rail station. Oh, and Americans love the freedom and peace that comes with car ownership. IMHO a continuation of horse ownership from their history.

The wooden grips and stock were far better for us- the plastic parts got brittle in the cold. Plus, wood is far better when going in to butt-stroke someone- no fear of the stock cracking on impact.

We could...adjust... the C1 to fire full auto by jamming the sear with tinfoil. Played hell with the barrel though. Each infantry section got an Fn-C2 to play with- the squad automatic. Heavier barrel, bipod, 30 round magazines. Bitch to carry though.

The 5.56 was developed so soldiers could carry more ammo and fire on full auto. In terms of hitting power, the 7.62 is roughly double the strength. The advantage of 5.56 is negligible recoil so you can go rock n roll if needed. Our rifles were strictly semi-auto. I used the Belgian Fn-C1A1. It was a beast to carry around but had serious stopping power.

Not really. AR style rifles aren't that accurate. The bullets are small and easily thrown off course by wind, passage through trees or leaves, etc. Not to mention the sights on a standard civilian issue semi-automatic rifle aren't good past about 200 yards. I didn't see any indication that the shooter had a scope on his gun. You have to be very good to shoot accurately at 400-600 yards without advanced optics on your rifle. I was a pretty good shot back when I was in the military and used a NATO grade 7.62 mm rifle. For me, 500 yards and I could hit a man-sized target on a non windy day, but no more accurate than that. And a sniper generally uses a bolt action rifle of a high calibre. The bullets hit harder, travel in a true line, and are easier to aim.

Exactly. Same as Biden and Clinton and Cheney and too many others.

In the US, lawyers who have a Juris Doctor degree generally do not take the title of "doctor". But they ARE entitled to write "esquire" or "esq." after their names. So the Vances are a double esquire couple.

I think we may be listening to the same podcasts...

Who has been disenfranchised? Certainly not the women of California, New York, Illinois, Massachussetts.... I do wish with all my heart that the Democrats would make an effort to challenge Trump on the economy- it is the number one issue to voters. Yet they don't. Instead, they double down on hateful rhetoric and scare tactics. Why is that?

NO, it is "convicted business document falsifier". Let's at least be accurate here. You call someone by the crime they committed, don't you know anything?

"Convicted felon" is redundant. Usually, "convicted" is followed by the actual crime. So how about we go with "convicted business document falsifier"?

I work in an academic setting where more than half the people are PhD holders. None of them expect to be referred to as "doctor", nor do they refer to themselves as "doctor". It IS used when citing academic papers or doing research, but generally as "NAME, PhD in (specialty)", rather than simply "doctor". It is thought of as gauche to insist on the title. If any title is used at all, it is "professor", but only when talking to students and referring to another faculty member. As in, "you should talk to Professor Jones about that..." But amongst peers? Never.

Good job avoiding the actual important part of your post, which was the draft dodging accusation. Now tell us all about Joe 'Six Handicap' Biden....

Feel good now that you have gotten that all out of your system? Lots of 'money quotes' from 8 years ago, before Trump was even elected, before anyone had any idea how he would govern or whether he would even win the election. Now, if we can get back to the present day? Because if all you have against Vance is that he has not been a Trumper since he was in diapers, then you got nothing.