My phone is acting up this morning, dropping messages and losing connections.? I don't know whether it's Verizon or Google.

Someone posted as a matter of fact that Reagan had Alzheimer's during his presidency.? Dave asked for a reference. ?

People didn't like Reagan used to claim it ad a matter of fact, but I've never seem any proof.? My recollections of Reagan was that he seemed on the ball and interacted with the press and off script a hell of a lot more than Biden is doing now.? I don't recall Reagan sluffing his words or shuffling in his walk or being consigned to the short stairs on Air Force One, while Biden is rapidly declining.? How long will it be before Biden needs a walker?

Ed

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1. Did you watch the Super Bowl

No, I work 3rd shift, so I slept through it. I probably wouldn’t have watched it anyway.


2. Will he Supreme Court overturn Colorado's attempt to keep Trump off the primary balllot?

In spite of experts claiming they know how the Supreme Court will rule, I think the Supreme Court is having a spirited debate about this. There are so many different issues at play. But ultimately, I think they will overturn Colorado’s ruling.

3, Should Biden be removed under the 25th amendment?

No.....because does anyone want Kamila Harris as president? Also, there is no indication that Biden's issues are affecting the country or in how he carries out his duties. We now know that Reagan had serious Alzheimer's during his the latter years of his presidency. While the president is certainly more than a figure head, it’s the people appointed by the president who carry out all the day to day work, which means on most days the president is essentially acting as figure heat.

4. Will the US go to war with Israel over the treatment of civilians in Gaza?

No, I can't imagine the US going to war with Israel for any reason. I think it is likely the US may up the behind the scenes pressure to get Israel to scale back, and at some point Israel will scale back in response to this pressure.


5. What concerns you the most at this point in history?

That most people have no ability to critically think--whether they lack the ability, or they lack the knowledge on how to critically think, or whether they just don't care/are too tired to critically think, I don't know. But this lack of critical thinking is increasingly being manipulated by evil people, and is destabilizing human society.

I think this is the best answer yet







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<<// ? ? ?We now know that Reagan had serious Alzheimer's during his the latter years of his presidency.?? ? ?//

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Could be, but I don't know it.? I'd appreciate a respectable reference or three.>>

OK, I don’t have 3 references, but here is 1:

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Rhonda

// ? ? ?U.S. citizens get shocked and angry over a school shooting by an isolated criminal?? ? ?//

Do they?? I wonder.? It's just something that most of us "know" only because mainstream media tell us.

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As Taoiseach, I had to deal with the painfully slow process whereby the Irish Republican movement came to recognise that killing people was never going to bring a United Ireland - or even a good life - for the people whose cause they sought to espouse.

This led me to reflect on how misconceptions about history can distort how people deal with present realities, and on how national myths need to be rigorously questioned. This is a major theme in the book. Violence is all too easy to glorify. It simplifies what is complex. It forces people to take sides rather than to think things through. It is far too easy to develop a cult around those who died young, and to ignore what was achieved by those who lived, rather than died, for their country. ?- ?John Bruton, Faith in Politics

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On Feb 16, 2024, at 11:13, Darrell King <DarrellGKing@...> wrote:

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1.? Did you watch the Super Bowl?

Yes. It was not quite intentional, but it was on and while I was primarily doing computer activities, I did scan the game some. It was actually interesting at points and I thought the teams matched well.

2.? Will the Supreme Court overturn Colorado's attempt to keep Trump off the primary ballot?

It certainly seems probable right now, but I wonder how much of that is a show? Is the circus?trying to ensure the decision appears to the?masses as weighed and deliberate? I will not answer this one with a strong yea or?nay?because it certainly seems that Trump's accusers are hitting him on every front as though swarming a target they are worried may not topple. This has me wondering if the various attacks are less than decisive and that leaves me wondering whether the case will hold up clearly and strongly in the highest court.

3.? Should Biden be removed under the 25th amendment?

I do not think that media evidence should be used to judge a person's competence. The smallest of gaffs can be emphasized, magnified, exaggerated to look catastrophic. Brainwashing and propaganda. Due diligence is required here, including medical assessments by neutral professionals (I know, I know...but in theory!)?

Not only is this a potentially misused tool, but our culture allows those with "disabilities" to hold jobs as long as they can do those jobs with reasonable accommodation. While I am not a huge fan of President Biden, I am also protective of his right to hold the job as long as he is doing it in a manner no worse than the historical fumblings of a long line of predecessors. A few oral misspeaks and a couple of ambulatory stumbles are not?actual job performance mistakes.?If these are the worse?reasons for removal that can be brought to bear, I am unconvinced.?He has better accommodations than the average worker in the form of staff oversight.?

Let the voters decide if he presents the wrong image for a president, but do not set into motion a frivolous process precedent that will make removal that much easier down the line.

4.? ?Will the US go to war with Israel over the treatment of civilians in Gaza?

No. There is a lot of propaganda coming out against Israel's?performance in Gaza. (Just to be clear on my position, I find the tearful faces of Muslim children to be equally heart-wrenching as those of Israeli?children, or White American Suburban children, or Black African?children, or Chinese CPP children.) While I join with many in urging Israel to use compassion and selective care in rooting out the Hamas terrorist infrastructure and smashing it, I also will say (again) that historical precedent shows us this is a messy enterprise.

Hamas invaded sovereign Israeli space and murdered citizens before taking more citizens across the border. I can only imagine how horrifying this must be to those impacted. We do not have anything like this here except perhaps Cartels over the Mexican border kidnapping American citizens. We had the 911 attacks, which resulted in the U.S. invading a foreign country and spending years rooting out a terrorist organization with plenty of collateral damage, and we had the mess in Vietnam, but we have not been surrounded with enemies that can just push across a hundred yards of border defences and attack our towns. That is not a political TV media story, but rather an immediate and bloody survival reality.?

U.S. citizens get shocked and angry over a school shooting by an isolated criminal, but that situation is usually met by an overwhelming?and (typically) effective law enforcement?response. How would the populace react if Mexico or Canada sympathetically housed a well-funded, well-armed terrorist army that struck towns across the international?border and killed or kidnapped hundreds before retreating?back to the country involved and disappearing into comfortable bases camouflaged?by civilian infrastructure? Would we be content to negotiate with the country involved in an attempt to encourage them to root out their pet terrorists and return our people? Maybe offer them a few tanks, a nuke or a few million dollars to please be good?

Again, I am not?advocating?for indiscriminate civilian slaughter, nor am I intending to ignore the Palestinian side of the story. There are two sides, however, and for this question I am illustrating a possible explanation for Israel's actions. Hamas poked the bear and possibly expected to retreat relatively unmolested into the Gaza populace. Given Israel's history and?well-established?preparations, that was just plain stupid. Many other examples and studies have shown how difficult it can be to fight guerillas on their own turf. In Israel's case, surrounded by those who condemn the country and the people, it is a survival war. It is not a proxy war or a "conflict" or border skirmish. We are lucky that it has stayed mostly confined to one place.

No, the U.S. will not go to war with Israel. Given the nature of historical terrorist condemnation of the U.S., I would not be surprised to see this war expand to the point that we are fighting beside?the IDF in a wildfire guerilla nightmare.

5.? ?What concerns you the most at this point in history?

See above. I am equally concerned?with global warfare, climate change (in the geological and meteorological sense, not the political ridiculousness), expanding criminal activity?and the durability of my Social Security income. If I were strongarmed?into summarizing my perspective, I would say I am concerned with the social impact of a multiple-crisis crisis.

Pat,

<<Here is The Interview on YouTube, in case Tucker's website is paywalled (his response is).
?Tucker Carlson interviews Vladimir Putin. Absolutely fascinating.>>

What did you find fascinating about it? Putin didn’t say anything new that wasn’t already known from his writings. Tucker, as expected (as he is not ignorant of what happens to journalists in Russia who oppose Putin,) avoiding any hard-hitting questions or calling Putin out on his lies, and essentially kissed Putin’s behind. I can’t imagine what the purpose of the interview was even for.

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Rhonda ?

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