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Thursday’s Forum
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41 responses to “Thursday’s Forum”
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I’ve been in touch with Jax, and she asked me to post an update here for her. It is difficult news to share, but if you know Jax you know that she would want me to give it to you straight. She has pancreatic cancer, it is unresectable, and the chemo has not helped much.
She still checks in on OTB from time to time, although she hasn’t had the energy to post lately. I’ll let her know that this post is up first thing in the morning, so chances are she will see any messages you care to send in reply.
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Follow up on the Air Force Officer who protested on the Capitol steps.
Air Force major restricted to DC base, under investigation after uniformed protest
As Air Force Maj. Jason Watson ascended the Capitol steps last week wearing his military uniform and armed with one protest sign, he knew the risks and was prepared for the consequences, no matter how severe.
Watson, 40, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate with 17 years on active duty, stood on the steps of the House of Representatives in roughly 100-degree weather on July 1, silently holding a sign that read “Impeach Convict Remove” to call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
After standing on the steps for approximately three minutes, Capitol Police arrested Watson under Washington, D.C., code 22-1307 Crowding, Obstructing and Incommoding because he was demonstrating on the steps without a member of Congress to accompany him.
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Watson foresaw the possibility of arrest and was prepared for it, as seen through his calm demeanor and acceptance of the arrest in the video footage of the event.After his arrest, Watson was transferred from Capitol Police custody to the Metropolitan Police Department and was held overnight in jail at Central Cell Block in Northwest D.C., Denson confirmed.
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The D.C. Office of Attorney General confirmed to Military Times that the city’s charges were dropped but did not specify when.
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Agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations were also there, telling Denson they were only present to assure there was a warm handoff, which refers to the transfer of a case between OSI and other military agencies.
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Watson is currently on leave from his commission post as a logistics readiness officer in Bydgoszcz, Poland.From the D.C. courthouse, he was taken to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, located in Southwest Washington, D.C., which has a Level I confinement facility. Level I facilities are minimum security, short-term holdings and are meant to house inmates, both pre- and post-trial, serving sentences of one year or less.
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Mutimer, who is representing Watson alongside Maj. Heather Bruha of the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, told Military Times that as of Tuesday afternoon, no charges had been formally filed. But Watson is under investigation for several articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including conspiracy, contempt toward officials, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming of an officer and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.
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Mutimer said that Watson is restricted to the Air Force base but not in confinement.Overall, pretty straight forward and by the book.
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This is pure unadulterated bigotry, no matter how they dress it up.
Sailors with ‘unmanageable permanent’ razor bumps to face separation, Navy says
U.S. Navy service members with shaving waivers who are classified as having a permanent skin condition will face administrative separation, the service announced Tuesday.
Active duty and reserve sailors granted facial hair accommodations will be allowed to receive medical treatment for up to 12 months under new Navy grooming standards, but if the irritation they face from shaving is incurable, then they will be evaluated for discharge.
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“Mission accomplishment hinges on stringent compliance with standards and ensuring implementing policies are clear, unambiguous, and compliant with law and regulation,” a Navy administrative message said. “Grooming standards add to sailor and mission safety and ensure the safe and proper utilization of protective equipment in all naval environments and operational conditions.” -
In discussions with MAGA liberals elsewhere on the internet this morning, I noted that more registered voters didn’t vote than voted for either Harris or Trump.
Any normal system would see that and realize this means there is room for another party, perhaps a far-left party, if somebody wants to stop complaining on the internet and create one.
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But there are any number of alternate parties, and they have never caught fire with the voters. And what’s the purpose of a new party anyway, other than having a new party for its own sake? But if you want to accomplish things like, say, environmental rehabilitation, are you going to do more by working for the Green Party candidate, or working for a Dem with environmental credentials?
Still, if you feel that in order to accomplish your goals, a new party is the best way, then the path is clear: pick a lane (environmentalism, competence, etc), then start at the most local level and demonstrate the ability to deliver. Gradually work your way up, and have the party officials maintain enough control over the direction that they can be a reliable source of a few votes in a crucial spot, and then more and more votes. Exact meaningful and public support of specific goals in exchange for those votes. Eventually demand chairmanships with real power, and continue to use that power to demonstrably attain your goals. Eventually, once you have a reliable 15% of the Congressional votes, maybe a VP slot. And by the way, that strategy should be followed at the city hall and state house level too.
Or, I don’t know, you could demonstrate you are completely unserious and consider it all a game by going right to the presidency and nominating this guy
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I up voted your point, but still will point out that I’m not saying party officials’ control is sufficient, just necessary. The Libertarian Party is never going to accomplish anything positive because they are a joke, with a “philosophy” based on nonsense. They have no real goals, just slogans. Wherever they have obtained real power absolute disaster followed, and they just walk away with their hands in their pockets, never looking back and never thinking about what could have led to their failure.
The problem with all these third parties is that they just want to have a President and have no real agenda.
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Alternate parties will always come up against the Electoral College. Until we revamp the way Presidents are elected, third parties will almost certainly act as spoilers. A far left party will split the Democratic vote, Republicans will remain party loyal, and that’s enough to get them to 50%+1, as most states are winner takes all for electors.
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Planned Texas data centers could emit more greenhouse gases than many countries
Texas regulators are allowing AI data centers across the state to start up hundreds of new pollution sources with no public notice or environmental reviews.
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And despite lofty promises to fuel data centers with renewable energy, data shows AI companies are mostly relying on gas to satisfy their insatiable energy demands. Nationwide, nearly 60 data centers are planning to build their own gas plants to avoid connecting to the grid, according to research by energy analytics firm Cleanview released last month.
Including Stargate’s Abilene campus, at least 15 gas plants tied to data centers are planned for Texas, according to Cleanview. Available permits reviewed by Floodlight show that nine of them combined could emit more than 130 million tons of greenhouse gases every year. That’s the equivalent annual emissions of 35 coal-fired power plants, according to an Environmental Protection Agency calculator.
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World Cup play resumes today after the first day off since the tournament started on 11 June. Of the eight teams remaining, one is from South America, one from Africa, and six from Europe. Four of the countries form a contiguous geographic area, and six of the countries would be considered contiguous if you count the boundaries of the territorial waters at the straits of Dover and Gibraltar.
Five of the eight teams represent NATO member countries.
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A normal Supreme Court would have a good laugh at the do-over request from Trump and simply move on. This crew? Clearly 4 of them would like to keep this ball in the air – precedent be damned – and ignore their feigned allegiance to originalism to get the result they (and their Epstein Class masters) prefer.
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Haberman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that while she and Jonathan Swan were reporting on Trump’s plan to turn the gifted Qatari jet into a new Air Force One last year, sources said the plane could not be properly fitted with the defense capabilities needed to protect the president.
Do any of our aviation experts have any idea what she is fering to?
Allegedly this is why he flew the old AF1 to Turkey…with all window shades down as if it were a war zone.-
The air force doesn’t list all systems included in AF1, nor how they operate.
Part of the issue is defense against missiles. Large commercial aircraft, and for that matter other large military planes like AWACS, transports, and tankers, are not exactly agile and capable of maneuvering nimbly at high speeds.
So AF1 probably carries defensive equipment capable of active measures, like jamming and spoofing, to defend against being shot down.
My understanding is about the twin new AF1s languishing in refurbishing hell at Boeing, is that they were already finished, and therefore it was necessary to remove pretty much all the wiring and other internal systems to accommodate the air force specs. Also that this would be easier, faster, and cheaper, to do during construction of the aircraft.
If so, then a very finished bribe plane couldn’t possible be made ready any faster, and therefore must lack a lot of what a true AF1 requires.
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It’s all classified but here’s an article of semi-informed speculation.
I would add the extensive plumbing for mid-air refueling to the concerns about comms, likely have to rip it down to bare bones to install that. And maybe a changing table…
ETA: As the plane is planed to be the first floor centerpiece of his 50 story “library” it would seem Trump views it as a toy, not a real AF1.
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And there it is:
It should be embarrassing that Iran, a second rate regional power, has a much better grasp of the strategic situation than the world’s preeminent superpower.
BTW, this looks like a new type of war of attrition.
Sure, keep up the bombing, maybe throw in some ground troops at crucial areas where they can also be fairly easily extracted, and eventually Iran will lose the ability to keep Hormuz closed.
That might take years, certainly several months
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Atrios posted, under the title Popularism, a poll of Independents on what would cause them to vote D. Entertainingly, raising taxes on the wealthy and Medicare for all top the list. Raising the min wage and cutting off military aid to Israel do surprisingly well. Interesting.
Atrios concludes, “Sorry, I forgot, “popularism” means do popular stuff as long as the people funding my fake think tank like it, too.”
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Housing is a leading economic indicator and these numbers are not good basics.
Combined with all the other weak indicators……
But Fatso will keep bragging about the Stock Casino
