Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Hannibal]

AOC is a horrifying example of what happens when a privileged princess is never told "no" and than grows up with a sense of entitlement without ever having demonstrated competence or intelligence in any endeavor. Concepts like humility and accountability are completely foreign to somebody like that.

[Hannibal]

I don't know who Foster Brooks is, but Biden just reminds me now of a grandpa or grandma who has gone senile and as a result has no filters. I don't dislike Biden but the guy is too old.

[WingsFan]

Seriously you have to watch Foster Brooks as an airplane pilot, stting with Dean Martin at the bar hilarious He played the stereotypical drunk

[lineygoblue]

[Ghengis Jon]

This might be unfolding into something larger than an isolated incident at the naval base in Pensacola. Besides the shooter, 1 Saud videotaped outside the building, 2 sat in a vehicle and watched, 10 are in custody and several are "unaccounted" for.

https://apnews.com/75a8adc71422596a54052540fabb7230

[lineygoblue]

Build the wall ..


::::runs::::

[Dr. Strangelove]

Wow. This is getting pretty messy for the Saudis. Our good friends!!

[Jeff Buchanan]

Wow. This is getting pretty messy for the Saudis. Our good friends!!

They are. It's no secret that substantial numbers of Saudi citizens oppose the Kingdom and are willing to kill to discredit and ultimately overthrow it. I'm not all-in with cuddling up to the Saudi regime but realpolitik is at play here. The Saudi royals hate the Iranians. As well, the circle of friendship that involves SA and other gulf states is key to the US military and particularly Naval strategy in the ME.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Jeff Buchanan]

I would concede that the BO strategy of mollifying the Iranians through the Nuclear Deal and otherwise improved relations with that country had it's positives ...... but I also think the correct appraisal is that the current Iranian leadership is a nothing but a den of thieves bent on the destruction of Israel and the elimination of any US influence in the ME.

If the Iranians actually became a full fledged nuclear power and assessed to be willing to use nuclear weapons to achieve dominance in the region, that would be a huge blow to US power and influence in that part of the world. Right now, there's somewhat of a power balance there. The Iranians (with the Russians behind them) are constrained by SA (and the US behind them), some of the gulf states and to a certain degree by a predominantly Sunni Iraq. Syria and Yemen have been the sand box in which the region's tensions between the US and Russia are being played out.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Looks like the inquiry will produce Articles of Impeachment that sound to me to be pretty well framed. I'm no expert on constitutional law so take my view FWIW.

The Dems appear to have done a pretty good job of identifying impeachable offenses according to the available facts and what legal scholars have surmised what the forefathers were most concerned WRT the powers of the presidency they were establishing. Good, clear and concise read summarizing the 55 page report released yesterday by the House:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...earings-report

[Ghengis Jon]

Oh the Saudis are our friends! It can't be terrorism!

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-shooting-pentagon/u-s-defense-secretary-cant-label-u-s-base-attack-terrorism-at-this-point-idUSKBN1YB0LH

[Jeff Buchanan]

It was a terrorist attack and looks like a well planned one. Perfect target, a US military base, not easy to access but neither were the cockpits of the 4 jets that did the 911 attacks.

You'd have to think this one out when the terrorist was in his early teens and groomed him for the mission. I don't think this was a lone-wolf act. There was a deliberate and well executed infiltration and subsequent attack.

I think Esper was simply saying let the authorities do their investigation before the US declares the act to be terrorism. The Kingdom is fearful of their own citizen's extremism that is directed both against the US military and the royals themselves. They'll cooperate but I bet this Saudi aviation student was part of well organized and capable member of a sleeper cell. These people are out there. They are haters that are smart, backed by Saudi extremist's money, well organized and well armed. Has the marks of an Al Qaeda op. Sorry for the deaths but this is a wake-up call

[Dr. Strangelove]

This was perpetrated by individuals hand-picked (I assume) by the Saudi military for training in the US. Seems like a colossal failure on the part of the screening process.

[Ghengis Jon]

Hand picked is a subjective term and varies state by state. Familial ties are uber important in the ME. In the US, skill and potential get you plum training assignments. Not so much in the ME. When in the USAF, I remember a couple of 19 year old Tunisian majors going through enlisted aircraft electrical school - their rank came with daddy's social position. Upon graduation, they were to return to Tunisia and be part of the training squadrons being reorganized in that country. Decent fellows, but major at 19? Its more family pull than earned opportunity for overseas assignment in the ME.

Something to think about when allowing foreign military members access to our nation.