# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 275
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5481 "2026-08-20T20:22:14Z")
I don’t remember Hare Krishnas at all. Lot’s of stereotypical people, though. As far as groups of people, there is a mariachi band out about town. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5482 "2026-08-20T21:29:44Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > He inherited soldiers and sailors and airman and marines. Now he want’s to call them ‘warfighters’. Pete is just a creepy child from FOX ‘news’ . Getting back to Hegseth: Turns out he and Donald hoped we wouldn’t learn WHY the USS Lincoln wasn’t getting resupplied. It’s because the Iranians took out _ **the main US resupply base in the Gulf of Oman** _: > **[Allison Gill (@muellershewrote.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/muellershewrote.com/post/3mtjn3td7y226)** > > NEW: Hegseth hid the fact that our main resupply base in the Gulf of Oman was destroyed. https://newrepublic.com/post/214510/hegseth-uss-lincoln-iran-war-base-destroyed > [@](#): > > The USS _Abraham Lincoln_ wasn’t able to be resupplied because the U.S. Navy’s main resupply base in the Gulf of Oman was destroyed by Iranian strikes—a fact that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose not to make public, David Rhode, MS NOW’s senior national security reporter, said on Tuesday. > > From late February until June, Iran launched extensive missile and drone strikes on Naval Support Activity Bahrain, causing devastating damage that was not acknowledged by the Pentagon. > > The U.S. Navy was forced to evacuate most personnel, and move supply operations to a U.K. naval base on Diego Garcia, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean 2,200 miles from where two aircraft carrier groups have been operating in the Gulf of Oman. > **[Hegseth Covered Up the Real Reason the USS Lincoln Wasn’t Resupplied](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/hegseth-covered-real-reason-uss-150306167.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACXoA2a_dyyx9jANth729KR_taNEbNEXE0A5ptv4qRPYKwhSS7bKOb8Ji88GalSLpsnIEJUYQ9zgZO_1tNKu0UtHHV9DfniuUBppiLCP3MNLcRXS3_PjAvlsSnH3otAZbGdXGoNwqWUofRKw3ZdTiHOPq9CB-LilVDkrJXLjmcS6)** > > According to a report from MS NOW, the USS Abraham Lincoln wasn’t resupplied because Iranian strikes destroyed a key Navy resupply base in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5483 "2026-08-20T21:47:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Ooh, but it was fun to steal a tank! Until your wanted status was high enough that the authorities sent _their_ tanks I often used to try to play “Friendly Tank”. It was amazing how hard it was to _not_ get a wanted level just by _accidentally_ crushing a few cars. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5484 "2026-08-20T23:54:47Z")
Something’s off in this article, though: It says at one point > the U.S. Navy’s main resupply base in the Gulf of Oman was destroyed by Iranian strikes but later: > From late February until June, Iran launched extensive missile and drone strikes on Naval Support Activity Bahrain But Bahrain is in the Persian Gulf, not the Gulf of Oman. Those two bodies of water are separated by the Strait of Hormuz. Which also means that even if the U.S. had been able to successfully defend NSA-Bahrain from Iranian strikes, _they could not have used it as a base of supplies_ unless the Strait was open to U.S. military traffic. Everything points to the central assumption of this entire war being that Iran would collapse quickly and everything would work out perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5485 "2026-08-21T00:13:25Z")
The other thing with using “time off when the new video game releases” as an incentive is that it means that everyone is going to be getting their time off then. I.e., all at the same time. Doesn’t a military base have some things that need to be staffed continually? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5486 "2026-08-21T00:18:09Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > But Bahrain is in the Persian Gulf, not the Gulf of Oman. Those two bodies of water are separated by the Strait of Hormuz. You are correct, but not only that, look at this article: > **[How Iran’s attacks on lone American naval base in West Asia made US ‘rethink...](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/how-iran-attacks-on-lone-american-naval-base-in-west-asia-nsa-bahrain-made-us-rethink-footprint-in-middle-east-101782726280885.html)** > > From late February until June, Iran launched repeated attacks on Naval Support Activity Bahrain (NSA Bahrain), the lone American naval base in West Asia. | World News And if that source isn’t reliable enough, here is the WSJ with essentially the same story around the same time (except it’s paywalled). [How Iran Devastated an American Naval Base—and Caused a U.S. Recalculation](https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-us-naval-base-bahrain-e87bbca3) Those articles are from a month ago, so the suggestion that this is some new revelation being hidden that just now got out is wrong. We’ve known about that base being demolished for a while now. Heck, this article is from the beginning of May. > **[CENTCOM boss wants military families evacuated from Bahrain back ASAP](https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-05-05/centcom-bahrain-families-return-21580798.html)** > > Hundreds of U.S. military families who left Bahrain under drone and missile fire this year may return soon but timing and transport plans are unclear. The Trump administration does a lot of terrible shit and has badly mismanaged this war, but this seems like one accusation that isn’t accurate. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5487 "2026-08-21T00:30:02Z")
**Smapti** ’s [original post](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5455) stated that this was an incentive given by one battalion, so maybe about 700-900 troops (I’m not up on the current US Army Table of Organization & Equipment). And any of the slackers who aren’t re-enlisting can be the ones to fill the duty roster for those four days… ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5488 "2026-08-21T02:30:18Z")
I’m wondering if [this](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/republican-house-rep-caught-doorbell-231151413.html) is why pubbies think voting by mail is not secure > [@](#): > > [Rep. Randy Fine](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/randy-fine-social-media-muslims-dogs-b2921854.html), a Florida Republican, was caught rifling through a homeowner’s [mailbox](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/2020-election-mail-box-removal-trump-ballots-voting-postal-service-a9671951.html), but he will not face charges, according to a new report. > > [Ring camera footage](https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/gadgets-tech/best-video-doorbell-camera-uk-b1806100.html) recorded Sunday afternoon shows Fine campaigning door to door in Florida’s 6th Congressional District ahead of [Tuesday’s GOP primary](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/florida-elections-trump-byron-donalds-ashley-moody-governor-congress-b3035021.html), [TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/18/randy-fine-looking-inside-stranger-mailbox-on-ring-camera/) reported. > > In the video, Fine — wearing a campaign shirt — stands on the homeowner’s front porch after apparently ringing the doorbell. He then opens a wall-mounted mailbox and sorts through several pieces of mail. He does not appear to remove anything from the mailbox. > > Fine’s office confirmed to TMZ that the man shown in the video is the congressman. > > Federal law prohibits anyone from “willfully or maliciously” injuring, tearing down or destroying a letter box or other receptacle used to deliver or receive mail, according to U.S. Code Section 1705. > > The homeowner whose mail Fine examined will not press charges, an Ormond Beach Police representative told [TMZ](https://www.tmz.com/2026/08/18/randy-fine-wont-be-charged-for-going-through-voters-mailbox/). The homeowner, who was not identified, watched the encounter remotely through her Ring camera and called police, the outlet reported. > > A dispatch report obtained by TMZ said the man in the video went through the mailbox “letter by letter.” ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5489 "2026-08-21T08:25:57Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > If it helps, it’s like somebody from an older generation giving out $100 Applebee’s gift cards as an incentive not to leave a job. It’s more like bringing in pizza. I turned down $10,000 1978 dollars to re-up in the navy. If they’d offered it as a lump sum so I could invest it I’d have been tempted but it was parceled out for the enlistment period. They’d had too many sailors using it to buy a hot car then wrapping it around a tree. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5490 "2026-08-21T12:04:53Z")
> The homeowner whose mail Fine examined will not press charges I’m assuming we’re missing some nuance, but I didn’t think the homeowner would have a choice in the matter. Once they’ve reported it to the police (and provided video evidence), I’d assume whether or not charges are pressed would be entirely up to the USPS or whatever state/fed prosecutor has jurisdiction here. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5491 "2026-08-21T13:34:00Z")
(quoting the article) > [@Monty](#): > > Federal law prohibits anyone from “willfully or maliciously” injuring, tearing down or destroying a letter box or other receptacle used to deliver or receive mail, according to U.S. Code Section 1705. I would have thought any charges would focus on tampering with the mail itself, not damaging the mailbox. Although given that he didn’t appear to steal or damage any of the mail, anything he could potentially be charged with would likely be extremely minor. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5492 "2026-08-21T14:25:20Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Once they’ve reported it to the police (and provided video evidence), I’d assume whether or not charges are pressed would be entirely up to the USPS or whatever state/fed prosecutor has jurisdiction here. Yes, it’s up to the authorities to decide to press charges or not. And sometimes they do even when the victim is uncooperative. But in nonviolent, low-level crimes like this, it’s not worth the hassle if the victim and primary witness doesn’t want to cooperate with the prosecution. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5493 "2026-08-21T14:45:36Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > They’d had too many sailors using it to buy a hot car then wrapping it around a tree. When I was friends and coworkers with a bunch of sailors in the 90s that was still pretty common for them to do. Lump sum signing bonuses clearly came back into place at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5494 "2026-08-21T14:55:38Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > But in nonviolent, low-level crimes like this, it’s not worth the hassle if the victim and primary witness doesn’t want to cooperate with the prosecution. IMHO, this is a case where I think they should press charges regardless of what the homeowner wants since it was a politician. It’s too easy for a politician to use what they find in a mailbox against the recipient. If they want to make it easy, hit him with a fine for a few hundred dollars. Something he’ll probably just pay rather than fight, but will hopefully prevent him or others in similar positions from doing the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5495 "2026-08-21T15:43:02Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > They’d had too many sailors using it to buy a hot car I was never in the Navy but I toured Groton while trying to get in. I was impressed with all the hot cars parked along the docks. Then I thought of them rusting in the salt air while the crew was underwater for two months. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5496 "2026-08-21T15:55:57Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I was never in the Navy but I toured Groton while trying to get in. I was impressed with all the hot cars parked along the docks. Then I thought of them rusting in the salt air while the crew was underwater for two months. QFT. That’s why I always parked my car at my girlfriend’s house across town while I was at sea. And two months is a walk in the park. Six months, on the other hand, really sucks. That’s long enough to get an unexpected bill in the mail and have it go to collections before you can get back to address it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5497 "2026-08-21T17:27:03Z")
Trump is going full Soviet style Command Control Economy. He’s going to get the government to import 300,000 tons of beef, and then set the prices. Of course, I’m sure there is plenty of opportunity for the usual Trump Grifting. This part made me laugh: > When pressed by _The Independent_ about who Trump had been negotiating with, the source of the imported beef, the identity of the person or persons who’d committed to impose a price control on the imported beef, a White House official would only say that it was with “foreign beef exporters” and that Trump would “formally sign an executive order” to execute the agreement “within the next two weeks.” “Two weeks” Good one! [Trump claims deal to flood US market with beef as prices skyrocket](https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/trump-claims-crack-of-dawn-beef-import-deal-as-prices-skyrocket/ar-AA2aE66K?ocid=BingNewsSerp) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5498 "2026-08-21T18:09:48Z")
Trump Beef is made with Soylent Green. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5499 "2026-08-21T18:15:20Z")
“Now with extra screw-worm larvae!” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5500 "2026-08-21T18:26:15Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Trump is going full Soviet style Command Control Economy. He’s going to get the government to import 300,000 tons of beef, and then set the prices. Of course, I’m sure there is plenty of opportunity for the usual Trump Grifting. I was trying to figure out how much that compares to existing production. I found a [USDA site](https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/cattle-beef/statistics-information) that said that in 2024 28.7 billion pounds of beef were used “in the domestic market on a carcass weight basis.” That’s 14,350,000 tons; I think 300,000 tons is roughly two percent of that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=274) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=276)