Hanaguma

I was in both, in Canada we called the Guard "the Militia". We did a lot of exercizes with Guard units from across the border in New York. Those guys were like me, weekend warriors. There was a certain core cadre in each Guard unit of full time regular Army to keep the place running, but the vast majority were very part time. Like Walz. He worked full time as a teacher while serving in the Guard. And yes, the National Guard is a part of the Army, but the soldiers invariably refer to themselves as "Guardsmen" to distinguish between themselves and professional soldiers. I guess it must be confusing to a person such as yourself, with no military experience. If you have any other questions so that you can fill in the gaps in your knowledge, feel free to ask.

Perhaps you may not know much about the subject. Americans take pains to tell whether they were in "the Guard" or "the Army/Regular Forces". To say one was in the Army for 25 years implies that you were a full time soldier.

No, he didnt. He served 24 years in the National Guard. It is a part time commitment, perhaps one weekend a month after initial training. He, like all other Guard members, were fully able to keep their standard civilian jobs and lives, just like every other citizen. And by all accounts he served honorably. Until the whole Iraq thing. He quit the Guard in the middle of his commitment, and the reasons/timing bear investigation. Possibly pure coincidence, but that remains to be seen. What is not up for debate is that he DID quit early, he DID fail to qualify for his terminal rank, he DID lie about serving in combat. We shall see. Americans have very little patience for potential cowards.

Actually, Trump was a draft dodger. And his final medical excuse was for bone spurs, after taking 4 student deferments. Much like Joe Biden, whose final medical excuse was asthma as a child, after taking 5 student deferments. Like lots of men in that generation, they took whatever steps they could to avoid the draft. Walz is at best a liar and at worst a coward. Time will tell which. The simple fact is that he signed a commitment to stay in the Guard until 2007 and broke it. Broke it at the height of the Iraq war when Guard Units from across the country were being activated and deployed. The reasons and motivations will be fascinating to discover. But failing to take a qualifying course to assume a promotion is very very suspicious.

... an yet he is dominating you. You just can't seem to discuss anything without bringing up his name. Trump for the win in Spider Mike's head. And Biden FWIW could teach about draft dodging too- 5 student deferments plus a medical exam that got him off the hook entirely. Both men avoided that misbegotten war. As for JD. as far as I know he at least served in the war zone (Iraq). He didn't renege on his military commitments and break his contract to serve.

Vance beat an incumbent Democrat in an otherwise poor year for Republicans. He is a great attack dog.

I would say that the cat ladies are the weird ones, not JD. Not sure if I trust the couch stores, but let's be honest - who among us never got 'creative' as a lad when we felt the urge to ...

Sorry, I forgot the comments. How it is weird for the government to support families. Gotcha. Maybe I DO need a few more pucks...

Ironic that the Marine veteran, who actually served in Iraq, graduated Yale law school, and is happily married with 3 kids is somehow the weird one. I can't figure that out. Walz was the consolation prize because Shapiro wisely decided to hold his fire and wait for 2028. Plus Kamala's ego wouldn't permit a VP who might overshadow her. Oh, and he's Jewish, which the radical fringe of the Democratic party would abhor. The GOP breathed a sigh of relief that Shapiro was not picked.

I was not a Trump supporter in 2016. I preferred almost any other GOP candidate. But when elected Trump actually governed fairly moderately. He kept the economy on track, lowered interest and inflation and unemployment. They were stable and prosperous years until the pandemic. That convinced me that about 90% of what he says is bluster and BS. But the policies were sound. Now, look at the policies of Harris/Walz. Abortion until birth, anti-semitic, terrible economy, bad on immgration, etc. Seems a no brainer choice. Not to mention that it is deeply suspicious how the Dems organized the coup against Joe Biden and the media just skips along past it. Plus the total lack of media access and interviews.... what are they hiding?

RCP has it as a basic dead heat now. Not surprising since Kamala/Tim are in their honeymoon period. Also the Trump campaign has been very slow and reacted poorly to the sudden change of candidate. They were over invested in beating Biden, but beating Kamala takes a different strategy. Too much waffling at the moment.

Good lord. This dude is one year, ONE YEAR older than me and Kamala. Just look at the photos- unbelievable. A man shouldn't age like that unless there is something behind it. Is this the Democrats attempt to add 'gravitas' to their ticket?

If that is the case, why was it not corrected in the MSM for 3 YEARS? THey and the administration gleefully allowed the title, however informal it may be, to be used for purposes of media reports and the like. Yet suddenly it is inaccurate? Please. Why didnt Kamala come out and say, "oh, I'm not the border czar" in 2021, or 2022, 0r 2023? It only became an issue when it was politically expedient for the Democrats.

Q: What's the difference between an infant and a husband? A: Not much, but at least you can leave the infant alone with your nanny.

According to her father, they were actually proud slave OWNERS. And no, she does not share much in common with most African Americans, whose ancestors have been in the country for centuries, lived through Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, etc. She was the pampered daughter of well-to-do academics, growing up in the safe lefty enclave of Berkeley California.

Nice way to ignore the topic. But the point is that we expect Trump to have the morals of an alleycat. It's baked into the pie. But Harris is supposed to be showing her virtue, a nice blended biracial family. Yet...her husband abused a young woman working for them (power harrassment is real as the young lady in question was working for the Emhoff family). AND got her pregnant, if the news reports are to be believed. What happened to the baby? And got her fired from her position as a teacher in a private elementary school. Makes you wonder about Kamala's judgement.

Not my leader of choice. If I'd had my druthers, I would have gone for someone like DeSantis or Christie. But we got what we got. And when compared to the Democrats' choice, the decision is easy.

Doesn't elude me at all. I come from a biracial family. But what we don't do is pander based on whatever racial identity is convenient or expedient at the time. What may drive away black voters is her inauthenticity, her background prosecuting/persecuting black men for petty crimes, and her lack of connection to the greater African American community through a common history.

I disagree, as you might expect. I recall it was the Democrats, with Hillary as Sec State, that showed off the "reset button" with regards to Russo/American relations. Putin would far rather negotiate with Harris than Trump, Russia tends to do its dirty business when Democrats are in office. And yeah, it IS possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Seems a lot of folks just like to vent their bile and have no other outlet than the safe anonymity of this forum. OR If you want to sling mud, at least be clever or original. Repeating the same trite accusations and phrases is a waste of time. At least provide a modicum of entertainment!

Oooops. After digging through Trump's personal life for years, the chickens are coming home to roost. So Mr. Kamala got his kids' elementary school teacher pregnant while still married to their mother? Interesting.

Translation; Putin wants Harris to win the election, so he pulled the trigger on this deal to give her and Biden some credibility. I mean, seriously. Can you imagine Kamala across the table from Putin, or Xi Jin Ping? They would be hard pressed to contain their laughter.

My God, your jealousy and obsession are palpable. In your dreams could you live a life like Trump has. Get over yourself.

I have. I have heard him speak for close to two hours, off the cuff, in a very entertaining way, with humour and intent. He's very entertaining. Now that your "what about..." has been satisfied, are YOU satisfied with how YOUR candidate speaks? Because she does have a certain reputation for being, how shall we say, salady.

Here is what you get when future-President Harris speaks without a prepared speech; "This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy." Trots out a few of her favorite buzzwords (significance, understanding, etc) and salads them together into a waste of oxygen.

I would prefer successful businessmen and successful presidents personally. Her record of achievements is paper thin.