SaintsInDome2006

Not that I recall. If a major social media and news platform crashes it's news. It's happened several times under Musk.

So apparently Twitter is no broken, courtesy of the ketamine snorting CEO who also blows up his own rocket ships.

The problem is Biden took it from Trump before he gave it back to Trump. The 2020 Dem field was long on candidates but short on younger candidates with charisma. But Biden won that then he won the general. Who wins the Dem primary in 2020 if Biden doesn't run? IMO not Sanders, Warren, Bloomberg or Buttigieg, and certainly not Harris. So while they can complain about him they need to think about who would've been president if he had not run. It could have been Trump but then he was so ludicrously incompetent vs Covid that perhaps almost anyone could have won against him. But again look at that roster from 2020 and ask again who. But DNC voters made that choice, and while Biden showed urgency in running he did not show it in governing, particularly in his pick of AG and his slow-walking of the Russo-Ukraine War. It is a tragedy.

Well they invented them after all.

Confusing reference, but good luck to you.

Yeah I saw it featured on the website, interesting. Thanks again!

Pfft, poor form. I will say that Trump Derangement Syndrome always did make a lot of sense as a term, just not in the exact way that maga folks like. Sort of like OMB (we all agree he's orange, that he's fairly mannish despite the wig & makeup, so 2 out of 3 ain't bad). Anyway, have a great weekend.

That place looks awesome, it's on the list. Many thanks!

I am a big Draak fan, there was a pizza place here in NO that served it on tap and the pizza was awesome. I miss that place.

I have planned to do mucho walking but the bike is an interesting idea, thanks!

I've managed to accomplish this, thank you!

FFT folks, thanks for the good discussions. I am heading to Amsterdam and Bruges at the end of the month. If anyone has any suggestions for hotels, breweries, restaurants or sites or museums (I'm already going to Anne Frank Museum) please let me know. I appreciate. I'm a big beer fan, the trip to Bruges is almost a pilgrimage for me. Thanks @jbychofor the reply in the other thread, I'm noting those places, I appreciate it and I'm checking them out soon. Cheers to all.

Ah man, now you're talking my language. Thanks & Cheers.

I'm going to pause on the politics again. It's been interesting but it's too time consuming. I am taking a trip to Amsterdam and Bruges soon, and I may post on that. If you have any recommendations especially beer wise please let me know (in another thread). Have a good one, and do try to be nice to people.

I don't think we've seen the deal yet though. The deal you're talking about is a rare earth (or as Trump calls it 'raw earth') investment agreement. But IMO what Putin wants is a lot more than just a cease fire. He wants US withdrawal from bases, territory, and all sorts of global influence and rights. We have butt in, we've been butting in since 1941 and maybe 1917 and it has been to our great profit, power and freedom. I think we should maintain that because we've earned it. That includes our defeat of the Soviet Union which took decades and really, actual, "focused" investment and effort. And I wonder about the whole conservative-liberal thing. We're talking about a country with an economy the size of Spain or Mexico, led by an ex-KGB thug who goes around smashing things to intimidate other countries. But we now have a president who loves him, praises him, even gets angry when he's criticized, and frankly has aligned the USA with him. I do think maga people are by and large good, hard working, patriotic people, so it's odd to me. This sort of thing was once desired by 1. far left socialist-pacifists and 2. the very far right of a very poor sort to put it politely (I know, I'm from Louisiana). Anyway I need to move on, I appreciate the conversations.

It may be, you’re right.

Thanks, I’m not criticizing you. But to me American power, security & freedom are increased by defending democracy & capitalism abroad as well as defending borders. We have generations of Americans & our allies who have sacrificed blood & treasure for this & I don’t think we should just surrender it, & especially for nothing in return from Russia. & btw Russia could just end this by retreating to its borders, well except for Kursk of course.

I don’t know, TPS asylum is frequently granted based on hardship.

IMO denigrating the Russian military & Putin’s power is well worth it. Halting Russian expansionism is even more worthwhile.

It’s not about cruelty or hurting Trump’s feelings. The action would severely burden Ukraine’s government at a critical time. It’s being done in an attempt to help Russia win the war.

It’s not much of a focus actually. It’s been a relatively small investment from the US with extreme limitations on the type & use of arms. The country which is desperately focused on it is Russia, or rather was. But that’s probably because our small investment has been almost devastating, until recently.

Yes the way they’ve surrendered Kursk & evacuated Sebastopol is very impressive.

I understand the math. We’re 11 years in & Ukraine occupies as much ofc Russia as Russia does it. IIRC Russia has 750K casualties, is employing WW2 era tanks & as noted above they’re the ones with a manpower problem. Ukraine’s problem is munitions.

Just for funz - you should check how these provinces vote - the policies are in line with Dems. It’s Puerto Rico on steroids.

Russia has had to scrape murderers & worse out of their prisons, have called on North Korea for manpower (cannon fodder) & hide their casualties from their people. Ukraine isn’t the country with the bigger problem in this department.