Former Individual 1 and Charlie Kirk associate Adam Hagerman sentenced to 5 1/2 years for possession of child abuse porn.
CPAC are Russian operatives.
I posted about that yesterday …
They wish. At best they are running dogs.
It is a literal translation of the Chinese pejorative 走狗 (pinyin: zǒugǒu), meaning a yes-man or lackey, and is derived from the tendency of dogs to follow after humans in hopes of receiving food scraps. Historian Yuan-tsung Chen notes that “In the West, a dog is a man’s best friend; but in China, dogs are abject creatures. In Chinese, no idiomatic expression [is] more demeaning than the term ‘running dogs.’”[1]
Matt “If probable cause was a person” Gaetz wants to defund the VA.
Remember when Republicans actually pretended to support the troops?
Idiot Islamophobe Laura Loomer had been ordered to play CAIR $125,000 in attorney fees and court costs for a frivolous lawsuit she had filed against CAIR that was thrown out of court. That order was upheld by the 11th Circuit this week.
I can never quite wrap my head around R’s doing anything to alienate vets*. They’re going to drive away a huge chunk of their base that way. Plus, democrats have to do exactly no mental gymnastics to pick those votes up. The left might be against war, but they’ll unfailingly make sure our vets are treated as well as possible.
I assume it’s because the VA is essentially a social service, and they can’t be having that. But even if that’s your POV, I don’t think it would be all that tough to “support out troops” while still denying essentially that same support to the rest of the population.
Gaetz, I think, is saying “everyone should be treated exactly the same, the vets can seek out care just like anyone else”. But I have to assume there’s some lobbyists writing checks to him to lay the groundwork for moving the VA into the private sector.
I wonder how long it’ll take him to start going after Tricare.
In any case, I hope if R’s were to try and move forward with defunding the VA the D’s pick it up and run with it. More funding, more support, clean up the bureaucratic mess it’s become and actually get these people the help they need. Interestingly, if that were to work well enough and help enough people, it would be a good proof of concept that if you actually support the people that need support, they’re more likely to become an asset to society rather than a liability. That could directly translate into giving more money to schools and social services in order to require less money for law enforcement.
*OTOH, the R’s don’t seem to have any problem alienating any group. That may end up being their undoing. They seem to forget that in order to continuing lining their own pockets, they need to grease a few palms.
Oh, they’ve got their own Pit thread.
Well, not an entirely awful idea - that would mean the end of carlson and fox “news”, as well as similar garbage.
Dan
Something else I’ve been thinking about lately, and this ties in.
A couple of generations ago virtually every adult man served in the armed forces. There was the draft, and there was World War II. Any two guys from the so-called Greatest Generation who met in the course of daily life would have military service in common. A generation later, all of my male boomer college friends (late 1960s) knew their draft number and sweated about being sent to Viet Nam. Many joined up, but military service was out of favor. It didn’t come back into favor until the First Gulf War (c. 1990). That was when my Viet Nam vet husband finally would talk about his experiences. That was a gap of about 30 years. (This is not set in concrete-- I’m sure there are counter-examples. I’m describing my impressions as a military brat, a boomer, and a military widow.)
I’m not saying we should still have a draft (that’s a subject for another thread, probably in GD), but the abolition of the draft and the period of disfavor that the military in the USA underwent changed some long-standing factors of adult male society.
Back when there was almost universal military service I’m betting that virtually every member of both houses of Congress was a veteran. Or the child of a veteran. Their and their fathers’ and brothers’ (yeah, mostly men in those days) experiences engendered awareness of and respect for the armed forces and veterans’ issues.
Are most members of Congress veterans any more?
I’m just sharing my impressions. And trying to explain why veterans’ affairs seem to have slipped down the list of gummint priorities.
Are those troops working for Blackwater?
The short answer is no, not by any stretch.
According to Military Times:
Here’s a look at the group, by the numbers:
• 91 total veterans in the 117th Congress.
• 17 will serve in the Senate, 74 will serve in the House.
• 28 are Democrats, 63 are Republicans.
That’s about 17 percent, if my math is correct.
(The website of the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs states that there are 77 House members that have served in the military.)
IMHO this goes a long way toward explaining the decreasing interest in taking care of veterans-- over and above the “socialist” taint.
Speaking only for myself, the fact that I couldn’t serve (I’m functionally blind in one eye) makes it all the more important to support those who did.
I think it’s reflexive action. “The Demonrats are fer it so we have to be again’ it!!”
The DNC should run ads endorsing Trump for President in 2024 and watch their heads explode.
How about a non-stupid Republican Idea of the Day?
At least one Republican running in a contested race this fall has praised core components of the far-reaching health care law, which passed with only Democratic votes.
“I’m opposed to repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said Joe O’Dea, the Republican candidate facing Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in blue-leaning Colorado. “There were real problems with Obamacare the way it was originally enacted, but a lot of those problems have been addressed by Congress and the courts, and the ACA’s protection for individuals with pre-existing conditions was one of the most important reforms passed in a generation.” …
The pivot away from Obamacare comes after Republicans suffered a backlash in 2018 for trying to undo popular provisions…
Still, Democrats say they are taking nothing for granted.
“We also thought Roe v. Wade was here to stay,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “So my view is: Always remain vigilant.”
From that excellent link:
…
The number of veterans in Congress has declined almost steadily since the mid-1970s, as the military shifted from an end strength of largely drafted individuals to an all-volunteer force. In 1973, nearly three in every four members of Congress had some type of military service. In 2021, it’ll be about one in every six members who have military experience.That’s the lowest since at least the start of World War II. Information on congressional members with veteran experience before then is incomplete, making comparisons difficult.
…
From 75% to 17% in 48 years. That’s a steep decline.
There are a lot more interesting stats on that page, but here’s the punch line:
But for now, the shrinking cohort of veterans elected to the House and Senate this session will be charged with sharing their knowledge of Defense Department operations and Veterans Affairs procedures with colleagues who lack direct personal experience on the topics.
But the Porn and the Pole Dancing are the only things making that boring Critical Race Theory interesting!
And what doers he have against Polkas and Mazurkas, anyway?
Communist Slavic dances?
With the new anti-abortion law in effect in Arizona, a 14-year-old girl who has relied on methotrexate for years to treat her debilitating illness now can’t get it because it can also be used for abortion.