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One of my all time favourite jokes. Donald Trump is meeting The Queen, and he says to her: “As I'm the President, I'm thinking of changing how the country is referred to, and I'm thinking that it should be a Kingdom." To which the Queen replies. ‘I'm sorry Mr Trump, but to be a Kingdom, you have to have a King in charge - and you're not a King." Donald Trump thought a while and then said: "How about a Principality then?" to which the Queen replied, "Again, to be a Principality you have to be a Prince - and you're not a Prince, Mr Trump” Trump thought long and hard and came up with, "How about an Empire then?" The Queen, getting a little pissed off by now replied, " Sorry again, Mr Trump, but to be an Empire you must have an Emperor in charge - and you are not an Emperor." Before Trump could utter another word, The Queen said: "I think you're doing quite nicely as a Country."

OK. Please stop using videos as a source citation. I avoid them like the plague.

I joined dz.com back in 2002, as someone in my 20’s and still indoctrinated by my evangelical parents I used to argue with Kallend about merits of Christianity. Over the last 20 years I’ve come to detest evangelicals. They are truly a poisonous lot.

So we’ve gone and bombed Iran. Not sure whose wet dream that was, but I’m sure they’re rich and influential. I have one longtime acquaintance who said he feels safer already. Because there’s nothing like being the biggest guy in the room. At least until you remember you don’t own the house. Fuck me Wendy P.

Tom talked about this at CC23. Here is a video of the presentation in case anyone missed it.

I think claiming that "the left" all attack Christians is pretty similar; a painting of an entire group with a characteristic that you then use to denigrate them.

Not hate. That is your canard. I hate the influence of Christianity on our society including our military, not the adherents to the faith. What you do not want to see is how what you believe is being forced down the throats of your fellow citizens. You know, like teaching it in public schools underneath a plaque of the 10 Commandments. I get it that it is real to you but for others it is without any rational basis, is completely unprovable, and should have no role in our social and political processes.

Throw in a few felony convictions, sexual assault, raping underage girls, cheat, fraud, and a half dozen bankruptcies and you have a shining, strong, respected President. (ok ok, he's not strong and has almost zero respect) What the fuck have we become?

Morning, Paul. I can say with some confidence that Mary has moved along from needing a source 23 years ago.

Hi Keith, As do I. Jerry Baumchen

I make a point of never looking down at anyone merely for what they believe about the nature of existence. We all have to believe something. I believe that we can never know. I prefer to ignore beliefs and only judge on behaviour.

History remembers the Urban II's, not the Mother Theresas.

This worries me more: "It was supposed to be a routine appearance, a visit from the commander in chief to rally the troops, boost morale and celebrate the Army's 250th-birthday week, which culminates with a Washington, D.C., parade slated for Saturday. Instead, what unfolded Tuesday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, bore little resemblance to the customary visit from a president and defense secretary. There, President Donald Trump unleashed a speech laced with partisan invective, goading jeers from a crowd of soldiers positioned behind his podium -- blurring the long-standing and sacrosanct line between the military and partisan politics. As Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops directed at California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom -- amid the president's controversial move to deploy the National Guard and Marines against protesters in Los Angeles -- as well as former President Joe Biden and the press. The soldiers roared with laughter and applauded Trump's diatribe in a shocking and rare public display of troops taking part in naked political partisanship." Trump never misses a chance to spread division.

It’s arguable that Trump hasn’t hurt me personally. But he has most certainly hurt what I believe and for me that’s worse.

The only real conversation I remember having is that no one gives a shit about the linked videos… Wendy P.

Don’t regret your oath. You put your life on the line for the people and country you love and cherish. I’m not going to pretend that I think it will come right, but I hope that you’ll find peace and a way forward in the country you now live in.

Paragliding is worth a look. Just saying.....

Thanks. I know you are a Wes fan and should be were the coming contest one of choosing a swell human being. I would be a very happy camper if we lived in an enlightened land where a female with a german name could be elected leader by a nation of latino's but we are too backward and our founding documents are plainly insufficient in this more modern world. Look, by now we all should know that America would be a safer and more collaborative place if old white men would recognize that diversity and inclusion aren't just concepts but strengths to act upon. Or, better yet, if they would just take a hike. But that won't miraculously be the landscape in 4 years and definitely not in the 4 years we have to prepare. So we need to quit talking Moore and start talking less of what middle America and the boys and girls proudly waving Confederate flags will never vote for. Instead we need to focus only on what has the best chance to win the Presidency. Then we use the rulings of our current, corrupt Supreme Court to start the process of, 1. Ensuring the Right has no chance in 2028 and, 2. Jamming democracy down the throats of all of the ignorant motherfuckers who made this shitty, zero tomatoes, movie a reality.

Hi Joe, Well put; I absolutely agree. Thanks for taking the time. And, since we are dreaming: We need to get rid of the Electoral College. That old albatross is holding this country back. Jerry Baumchen

Too late now. I’m sure you’ve heard of that old barn door. You and yours fucked up and there is no going back.

According to Hesgeth, the Iran airstrikes were " “the most complex and secretive military operation in history.” So much for D-Day, breaking the Enigma codes, and the Manhattan Project.

Nailed it Wendy P.

The important thing to remember is that as long as we don’t make waves all that is lost is our dignity. It is still possible to be successful in an autocracy, just not as successful as the autocrats. Most people pay zero attention to their government and already expect their leaders to be as corrupt as possible so for most folks, as long as you see value in harming select others, it’s a change for the better.

I agree with the first two words, that is the only certainty when it comes to religion. Either you learn it on your mother’s knee or come to it by way of epiphany. But there is no explanation for it that agrees with rational explanation. What follows is simply not the case. It’s not about “hating “ no matter how many times you conflate race or sexuality with a belief system that is by any definition a matter of choice. And again no one hates the belief system or the believers, we hate having the precepts forced upon us and, to be honest, the free pass believers expect when asked to explain why they should own the allowance.

That "we" clearly does not include those who try to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else by enshrining them in the law of the land.

Nice try. Instead let’s use owning one and living next door to one for 30 years as the comparison. The neighbors opinion would have some value, no doubt, and even more if he was paying the rent so the kids could play. Try something easier: tell me why I should accept Jesus Christ as my savior based on currently available, and provable, information.

It’s a slippery slope. First you don’t allow nipples on TV, then you’re an authoritarian theocracy

Funny how so many self-styled "Christians" ignore verses like: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."; Lev. 19:33. "And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."; Deut 10:19 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."; Heb 13:2 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,"; Matthew 25:35

For myself the hypocrisy of US evangelical christians combined with Trump and their support of trump has festered this criticism. I recognize that one bad apple has spoiled the bunch. But the corruption of trump, his antithesis of everything christian paints everything. Most Christians are not evangelicals, most don't support trump or his policies.

I hate Nazis and fascists, rapists, murderers and child molesters, OK? All of those are choices people make.

A man and his girlfriend die in a car accident and meet Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter says, "Welcome to Heaven, do you have any questions?" To which the man replies, "Yes, my girlfriend and I never had a chance to get married while we were alive. Can we get married in Heaven?" Peter says, "That's a good question, I will be back when I have the answer." Left at the gates, the couple begins to talk about love and how long eternity is. Six weeks later, Peter returns and says, "OK, I've found your answer. Yes, you can get married in Heaven. So come right in and enjoy eternity together." The couple responds by saying, "We have another question. Eternity is a very long time and we are not sure if our relationship will last. If things don't work out, can we get a divorce in Heaven?" To which Peter replies, "Fucking Christ! It took me 6 weeks to find a priest up here, do you have any idea how long it'll take me to find a lawyer?!"

I suppose if they mine the Straits of Hormuz the price of oil might go up, might there be a few beneficiaries in that space? I don't think Russia uses the Straits. We do to ship gas to India, I think, but I will never believe this was anything more than dick swinging by President Hurt Feelings.

If you have to do good things out of fear of damnation, you're not a good person to begin with. There is both good and bad among believers and non-believers. Your point is starting to sound as disdain about an entire group of people. If that disdain were directed at Trans or Blacks . . .

As a refresher, here is one of Tom's early photos documenting bacterial activity on one of the bills - in response to the issue at the time: what made the holes in the bills.

He’s talking about digging a firepit. Slim had his arms full of wood for the fire. Brian didn’t so much dig into the sand but rather smoothed it out with his hand. Cattle had escaped and ran through the beach a few days earlier. The sand on the bar was pockmarked and uneven from the hooves of the cows. The Ingrams don’t have anything to do with the money other than finding it. This is just scurrilous bullshit from the Rackstraw grift.

Hence the number of people that are "god fearing". How about the fake prophets spoiling it for the majority who live with pure intents?

Religion continues to be the deadliest thing on the planet. I can never understand celebrating death over the beautiful life we somehow get to experience.

“More than 10,000 people came together in a powerful and peaceful demonstration. Your commitment to exercising your First Amendment rights with respect, dignity, and unity reflects the very best of our city,” the post read. “No arrests. No serious injuries. Just one strong, united message — delivered peacefully.“

And we did it all to ourselves and the country we ostensibly love so much. We could have packed the courts, Biden could have stepped down and Harris could have said not me not a chance, our ossified leaders in the House and Senate could have ended their own thievery and self aggrandizement and gone home, we could have read the room a lot better and moderated the message, but we didn’t. Instead we whined, cried, deplored, and jumped up quickly to turn off Fox News instead of countering with our own propaganda. Maybe seeing US Marines threatening by their presence US citizens will wake up those who still insist on only going high and gripping their principles.

Not a war. It’s a Special Religious Operation.

Trust me, he's not the only one. Your parameters for "attack" are different from many people's. That's fine, but that doesn't make someone else any more wrong about it than you. Wendy P.

Because those countries began shifting to a republic in the 20th century with a monarchy as mostly ceremonial, whereas the US seems to be shifting from a republic to a monarchy?

I'm not clear why these "no kings" events and slogans are so popular. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Japan . . . all have monarchies and democracy seems to be doing better there than here in the US right now.

Welcome to The First Amendment. I have never appreciated seeing our flag burned, it's emotional and hits me pretty deeply. That's the intent. I support the First Amendment FULLY. I'm angered to see it being attacked. I think this will get significantly worse. I will fully place the blame for what happens on the current criminal administration.

Does anyone understand why the Mexican flags in the LA riots? It seems like the most idiotic move you could make. It gives credibility to Trump’s argument of an invasion and undermines the message of “we are here as Americans and for the American way of life” I’d imagine it would be confronting and possibly even offensive to many Americans seeing a foreign flag being waved as American flags are burnt, regardless of your views on Trump and immigration?

I know you have a wide view, no worries.

Yeah well with base698 mostly gone, brent gone, and @dogyks reduced to adding clichéd comments trying to make himself sound wise (having blocked almost everyone to avoid actually having a discussion), there's not really much to say except we see the news and agree that it sucks? They can't really defend their positions so they basically just left.

Since the US has the highest number of inmates in the world by far and the highest per capita of any functioning democracy, I'd say those folks are called Americans - wouldn't you?

Quick maths check: 400,000 times 8 is 3.2 million. So yeah, Obama must have deported way more than 400,000 per year in that 3 year period if he was deporting fewer than that for the other 5 years. Or, just maybe, your numbers are bullshit. So yeah - do you think you might want to check whether the reason why some of your numbers sound so crazy is because they are all a work of fiction?

Why would Cooper demand a flight to Mexico with no stops in US. To keep law enforcement off his back. The problem with that theory is "time" becomes a real factor. Anything can happen. The Air Force can even decide to shoot the plane down! Cooper's best strategy for escape is a quick in-and-out before LE can even organise. LE and the pilots wont have time to even know where or when Cooper has bailed! Instinctively Cooper takes that route. Its a good tactical decision. A flight to Mexico with no stops in US may be a strong political stance by a guy with a grudge to express, but it is not a sound tactical escape decision. If Cooper does not know where he is he does have a sense of time, and he can see he is over land. He knows he is somewhere over Washington or Oregon and he can see the lights of cities coming up ahead. By identifying Tacoma from the air he has already told us he knows the geography of Washington. That is a given. The lights he is seeing ahead in the air will give him bearings on the ground. The tactical issue for Cooper is time. Staying two steps ahead of anything LE can do. Cooper's decision to bail NOW has given him time, the most precious asset he needs right now. Cooper jumps and vanishes into history - literally! Cooper has used the opportunities available to him to write a page into the history books. Cooper knows. It is ourselves guessing fifty years later! By that standard Cooper escaped ... and won. Claims of a Bayesian analysis are superfluous. (not real) Cooper is a man with priorities. Escape is a higher priority to Cooper than the money. That's what the bomb is all about. I think Cooper would prefer destruction to being caught. That may be why money was ever found on a sandbar miles from his LZ years later.