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Are the Chinese rational? Really? Do Xi's belligerent behavior and decisions smack of rationality? I think he's profoundly irrational. His over-the-top support for Putin is just one instance. He's managed to antagonize all the countries bordering the South China Sea. Who are they going to turn to for support?

"I don't think..." In other words, he doesn't know. As for the First Amendment claim...it doesn't cover death threats.

Wait a minute. Are you claiming that evenkeel is not a mindreader? I'm shocked!

Well, that decision was 5-4. All the conservative judges voted in favor of it.

Well, I stand corrected about that. And as far as China is concerned, Biden's strong stand against Putin has unpleasant ramifications for China as well.

That said, as the article I've linked to shows, there is a valid reason to connect Putin's dilemma vis a vis Ukraine to Xi's dilemma vis a vis Taiwan: Xi’s losing bet on Putin is backfiring "In geopolitical terms, however, Xi is incurring large and growing losses from his gamble on the Russian warlord... ...Skillfully led by Biden, the United States, Europe and key Asian democracies have rallied to Ukraine’s defense. NATO is recharged and expanded, and the logic of collective security is spreading to Asia. In fact, Chinese officials are loudly complaining about NATO’s strengthening ties with Asia countries. “ https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4147745-xis-losing-bet-on-putin-is-backfiring/

Are you denying you raised the issue? Did somebody hack into your account and post this?

Good point.

You're the one who raised the issue. Not me. You should write a post criticizing yourself for having done so.

You suppose wrong. Trump can run in 24. In fact, I think he's counting on it in case he needs to pardon himself..

Well, the could have waited him out. But that could have necessitated evacuating the neighborhood for who knows how long.

"The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned." That's from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Only one party has indulged in questioning the validity of the public debt. And I'll give you a hint as to who it is: not the Democrats.

So instead he filled it even higher?

You want to compare the mess Putin is in to the mess you allege Biden is in? Really?

I somehow lost the label for the second graph. That's corporate tax. It's actually at the lowest level it's been for decades. It shows a sharp decline. Here's a more inclusive graph that shows how steep the drop has been. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-kingdom/corporate-tax-rate

The issue you raised might be a fair point. But what about his neighbors? They would have to be evacuated for an indefinite length of time.

Only one of the 2 who are or were at the very top are facing criminal charges.

First off, no one denies that Biden knew who his business partners were? The question is does that constitute knowledge of Hunter's business dealings? If I meet socially with someone whom I know is a partner of a friend, do I know anything about that friend's business dealings? We know that when Hunter Biden approached his father about joining his Chinese enterprise the response was an "emphatic no". Since you have indulged in creating imaginary dialog between the Bidens, allow me to do the same. In this case the "emphatic no" went something like this" "No, as I've said before, I don't want to know anything about your business." As for the Pinocchio case, Kessler established that Biden told a falsehood. Not all falsehoods are lies.

Well, that was due to the covid pandemic. As were the conditions that faced Biden when he became President. I should note that it was thanks to the Democratic control of Congress at that time that the package was as generous as it turned out to be to most Americans. And it looks like the Democrats' package from 2021 is also greatly benefitting the country.

I think it's sad that you just offer an insult without a rationale to back it up.

You don't think "Rothschild Space Lasers" is entertaining? MTG may be my favorite comedian.

Can you tell us why young people aren't joining the armed services? Could it be due to fact that most of them are physically unfit? America Is so Out of Shape and Fat, It's Putting U.S. Army Soldiers in Danger The U.S. Army is struggling to find physically fit recruits and it's a threat to national security, according to a report from researchers at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, released Wednesday. The researchers found the issue is particularly evident in 11 Southern states–––Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas––where recruits were found to be "significantly less fit and/or more likely to become injured than recruits from other U.S. states." https://www.newsweek.com/america-so-out-shape-and-fat-its-putting-us-army-soldiers-danger-778840 What about pay? Are you aware that when jobs are plentiful in the civilian sector, it's a lot harder for the military to recruit staff?. Can the military solve its recruiting crisis? In no small part, military recruitment has dipped in recent years thanks to a more competitive job market in which the army "used to be the sole entity…that said 'Hey, we'll pay for your college,'" Army Recruiting Command Sgt. Maj. John Foley told the Army Times in 2022, the same year recruitment hit its all-time low. "Now lots of organizations — lots of companies — out there are doing the same," he added, calling it an increase in "their value proposition." With the labor market "the tightest it has been in decades," agreed the Wall Street Journal's Ben Kesling, "plenty of other options exist for young people right out of school." https://news.yahoo.com/military-solve-recruiting-crisis-162548401.html

You're the party who endorsed defending oneself with weapons when lawfully served a warrant by law enforcement authorities.

It would have been simple back then to make great lead acid batteries. Did they have the technology back them to make lithium batteries? What are you on about?

I agree.