Etaoin Shrdlu

Here's an opinion that touches on some of the security issues this "g(r)ift" would present. https://www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/corruption-and-a-security-catastrophe-in-plane-sight-c5cd67a113caf678 Let the DoD accept the plane on behalf of the American people and put it on display at the Air Force Museum in Dayton. No American official should use this plane.

Loss of citizenship is a different matter. Would the 14th prevent a US citizen from being sent to a prison outside the US and beyond the reach of the US court system? Trump has said he's looking into including US citizens in his schemes to deport people. Perhaps a better word would be "involuntary expatriation".

Thanks. I'm an amateur compared to Trump.

What Trump doesn't realize is that this offer is just the Emir trolling him. The Emir is saying "you poor bastard, your country can't afford to provide you with a decent plane. Let me give you one that I earned on the backs of the third-world laborers who worked in 50C temperatures to build monuments to my autocracy. Sure is a shame that you can't manage that". And Trump is going to fall for this.

So you don't have proof it isn't a bribe. It sure looks like one on the face of it. The US Constitution doesn't require proof of bribery. It forbids "emoluments", which can take many forms. This is one of them.

Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, who reports to nobody, and whom nobody in Qatar dares contradict, makes an ill-informed offer of a plane to Donald Trump. His minions, who know this will never fly (pun intended) in the US, and who are keenly aware of the blow-back, are now gently trying to walk it back.

Do you have any proof it isn't a bribe?

Not sure whether you meant "wisened" or "wizened". I'm now the latter, not sure about the former, but I was born an expat.

No, I have no proof, but on the face of it this "gift" stinks. It stinks so bad that anyone with any morals or ethics would have loudly declined it.

If it is a gift to the Do D, then let the DoD put the plane in a museum on display for the general public. Trump can then purchase it from the DoD for display at his presidential library, next to his comic books, when he is no longer President.

I'm concerned with what effect this bribe would have on Trump.

I'm not concerned with the mind of the Emir of Qatar.

I can't imagine that Qatar would donate a $400 million plane to the President of the United States without the expectation of something in return, or perhaps it being payment for something already rendered but not yet publicly known. If congress were somehow to approve this, they would be complicit in this corruption. I think this would be a bridge too far for congress, with perhaps the exception of ultra-MAGAs. I doubt Trump will accept the plane, but then I always thought the President was sworn to uphold the Constitution, but since Trump says he isn't a lawyer......

The Emoluments Clause, specifically Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, prohibits individuals holding a "public office" or "office of profit or trust" under the federal government from accepting gifts, emoluments, offices, or titles from foreign governments or monarchs without the explicit consent of Congress.

I occasionally use some of my vintage Gillettes. Fatboy, Slim and a Super Speed from my birth year and quarter.

Feather AS-D2, Feather DEs, Mitchell's Wool Fat.

I have enough DE razors, both modern and vintage, that I won't need to buy another. Also have enough brushes. These were all acquired outside Thailand. A box of 100 Feather DE blades can be had for less than 500 baht on Lazada. That's cheaper than in the US. Some years ago I ordered a box of Arko shaving soap from Turkey on eBay. It was sent by post and did not attract customs duty. Postage was not that much. Inexpensive soaps and aftershave balms are available on Lazada. If I were to want something that would attract high import duties if shipped to Thailand, I'd buy it during a visit to the US or I'd have one of my children bring it in when they come to visit. But basically I tend to make do with what I can get here at a reasonable price.

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America is far from perfect and there are areas that cry out for improvement, some of which you have mentioned. I doubt that many of them are on MAGA's agenda, however. In fact, it seems that MAGA is actually against seeking workable answers to most of them.

And to think he was elected by the Cardinals! Edit: Turns out his brother is stating that he's a White Sox fan. Makes sense. Cardinals would never elect a Cubs fan. He grew up on the South Side, so that explains it, too.

The real issue regarding the new Pope comes down to this: Which team will have God on its side, the Cubs or the White Sox?

I think we checked the online queue on the DLT website first: https://gecc.dlt.go.th/dltsmartqueue/register and then my wife called the Bang Chak office and was told to make a booking online. Good luck.

Exactly. And those who say "make America great again" are implying it isn't great now. What losers!

Our son needed to go to the DLT to get his 5-year license while he was briefly back home a couple of years ago. The only appointments we could get at Bang Chak were well past the date he needed to return to his university in the US. Other DLT offices in Bangkok were also booked solid. We drove to the DLT office in Samut Prakan, walked in, and were able to get the new license. Not sure if this would work in all cases, but it did in ours.

The picture on the right. Were they furries, too?