Guard Dog

There is another prize to be had here though. If Gary Johnson can pick up just 5% of the popular vote, an altogether achievable goal, then the LP candidate in 2020 will automatically be on the ballot in all 50 States. It would not be necessary to expend time and resources on the state by state petition that every party not named Democrat or Republican is obligated to do. Plus they would be eligible for federal election assistance. Like I said before, it would take an act of God to win a state and even God Himself might not be able to make Johnson President but a good performance, say just 5 million votes, sets the table for better things in the future. It would get the LP something it has lacked and sorely needs: public attention.

I cannot in good conscience support either Hillary or Trump. But although I am a dues paying, card carrying LP member I've voted Republican more often than not. Actually, that isn't true. I voted AGAINST the democrat more often than not. And like Val and WoD tell me I understand that voting for the LP candidate means throwing away any say, however small, in the outcome. But I don't think of it as wasting a vote any more. And I'm done supporting people I don't respect because the alternative is so much worse. Bad is bad. So from now on I'm going to look at it this way: something done on principles cannot be a wasted act. Whether it's writing a check, casting a vote, whatever. Last night I went on their website: https://johnsonweld.com/donate/ and donated $100. I never do that. The last last political campaign I actually donated money to was my own. But I believe in this guy.

Tell me you would not rather have this guy than Clinton or Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2UP2mtSm4 First LP Campaign Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGD8gJt7weU

It appears the whole "extremely careless" thing is affecting Hillary. As of June 29 her avg in the battle grounds was +5, now it's Trump +3. Gary Johnson is now averaging 9-7 and is inching closer to that magic number 15. Jill Stein has gone from 2-3 up to 4-5. Forgot the link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/elections/ Just a note to those not familiar with how this stuff works here... don't expend any mental energy worrying about this. We haven't even had the conventions yet and November is an eternity away. In fact the most significant development in this is Johnson's and it would literally take an overt act of God himself for Johnson to actually win a state or two. But November is meaningless to him. August and September are the months that matter to him because that is when the debates will be so that is his deadline to get into double digits.

Well Gromnir put far more thought into that than I did obviously!

Wasn't it used as a staging point for BUFFs during the Gulf War? There was a lot of ops after the offensive began. Nothing was staged there it was just used for refueling and reloading from what I remember. I don't remember B-52s staying there. But we were not allowed to leave the south side. I remember someone telling me they would fly from Ramstein to Diego and do a drop on the way and refuel and reload for another op en route back to Ramstien. There were a lot of Vulcan B1s from the Aussie AF in an out of there. And lots, and lots, and lots of C130's, C141's and the odd C5.

If Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton really think the United States is a great country, as they say the do, why do they want to "transform" it? How would you feel if you wife tells you you're great and she loves you and she wants to "transform" you? If you are great and she loves you why would she want to change you into something else? And what do they want to transform the US into? Right now it is a free and prosperous country. What kind of transformation do they have in mind? One that isn't free?

Amen!

If it has shifted it has done so in the direction of "less freedom". Sounds to me like it's time to stockpile weapons, ammo, gold coins and canned food again, What am I saying? It's ALWAYS time to do that! Yes thats true, I remember when I first noticed you about to have a break after the second Obama victory ... I didnt know you well then so I thought " this guy is really depressed. He is even buying gold always known as safe bet in economic uncertainty " Well buying a "real" commodity is never a bad idea. It's not always the best idea but it's never wrong because while real assets may lose value they will never be worthless. In fact I started buying gold in 2008 when it looked like Obama might win. The very first thing he did was bail out the banks (really finishing the process GWB started), GM, and other things. How do they do that? Giving them money that doesn't actually exist. So there is twice the dollars chasing the same number of assets. Economics 101, what happens to the price of a widget when suddenly there are twice as many widgets but the demand for widgets stays the same? Smart investors started buying gold & silver. Which drove up the prices. Which caused the dumb investors to think the world was going to end so they start buying which drove the price even more. A few years go by, the economy isn't collapsing, the gold I bought at $800 is now $1900 and I got to thinking "hmmm this looks way over priced, and Greshams Law is a real thing sooooo.... sell!" So I did. Best move I ever made. Now however, it's right about where it should be, $1300 give or take. But it looks like Hillary might win. Now, follow me on this. Obama & Clinton are not stupid people. They are aware that the level of debt and spending of the United States is not sustainable. Unless something is done there is a huge and awful comeuppance in the future. Well they can't stop spending because they are literally buying their electoral victories with tax dollars. And once you mount that tiger you can't dismount. And the "wealthy" are already paying some 70% of all the tax dollars so you can't get a lot more from them. Skinning the middle class only buys you time before the inevitable so what do you do? Monetize the debt by devaluing the currency. In fact some steps have been taken in that direction already. Here is the problem. We have trade deals with countries we do not share a common currency with. As the value of the dollar is intentionally weakened the buying power of American citizens goes down and although that does make American goods cheaper, an increase in volume won't help Americans because those same trade deals allowed all those jobs to go overseas. So American products sold by American companies are beyond the reach of American citizens because their dollar is worth less and the jobs they used to have MAKING those products is not being done overseas. Something happens in an economy when buying power is reduced, it's a bad thing, begins with an "i". Now of course the US Dollar is still the standard trade currency in the world so it won't become wotherless (right way) but here comes Russia and China talking about replacing the dollar. If that ever happened then Thier's Law becomes a thing and there will be two kinds of people: those who owned gold before it happened and those who wish they did. Anyway... enough about all that.

If it has shifted it has done so in the direction of "less freedom". Sounds to me like it's time to stockpile weapons, ammo, gold coins and canned food again, What am I saying? It's ALWAYS time to do that! Freedom and liberty don't exist under the state, if it has the power to guarantee them it has the power to take them away. You know the beauty of the US Constitution is that it does not affirm the existence of any right, rather it prohibits the government from doing things that intrude and the natural rights all free people are presumed to have. But you are correct. If a right is granted by a government then that government gets to dictate who enjoys it and how. Which is exactly why people like Barack Obama lament the restrictions it engenders and leftists work so hard to undermine it. After all, what's the fun of having absolute power when you don't have absolute power?

Yep. It was a conveniently located refueling point for C130s & C141s flying between Australia and Saudi Arabia. Which is why we were there. We used to joke it was like Gilligan's Island only the skipper, Gilligan and the Professor were British and there were no Gingers or Mary Anns.

If it has shifted it has done so in the direction of "less freedom". Sounds to me like it's time to stockpile weapons, ammo, gold coins and canned food again, What am I saying? It's ALWAYS time to do that!

I just LOVE this quote on Gary Johnson's page:

I don't know whether he believes it or not, but I do think that, up to a certain point it doesn't matter. His xenophobic speech is still inciting hatred and extremism right here and now, indelibly associating the Republican base with it. Additionally, if the snowball happens to have its day in hell and Trump ends up winning, it will be seen by many racists and xenophobes as open confirmation that their views are accepted in the US, at large. Given the relationship Americans have with violence in general and guns in particular, I can't help but see that as a potent recipe for disaster. I don't think it would go that far. Even if Trump is elected. Generally speaking people treat each other pretty decently if you give them a chance. And to tell the truth either candidate would be pretty neutralized if Congress were in the control of the opposite party. Which I desperately hope happens no matter who wins. I do think Hillary could get long with an opposition Congress better than Trump. He would be ground down to a stand still. Not that is a bad thing necessarily. I'd rather have four years of gridlock than four years of bad law any day.

I know we've talked about this before but I thought this video did a pretty good job of highlighting some of the differences between the US and the rest of the world. It was really for folks visiting the US from elsewhere but it's worth a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT_-viaUegI I know the folks in Europe in particular forget that despite the fact that we share so much in terms of history, ancestry, and common interests and culture the US is actually a very different place that anywhere in Europe I think.

The thing is, I don't know if Trump really believes the xenophobic/nationalist stuff he's shooting off or if this is just the horse he's picked to ride. He's been in the public eye his whole life nearly and has no history to indicate he's thought this way all along. Remember until very recently he's been a pretty vocal supporter of the Democrats and leftists politics in general. So it begs the question does he believe his own rhetoric or is this a device to inflame the electorate by rallying them against "enemies". . The problem is neither is good. The former is small minded and the latter is cynical and manipulative. I will give him credit for one thing, He has been a vocal supporter of trade protectionism so that much of his platform he comes by honestly.

the NY Post was weighed in on RBG: http://nypost.com/2016/07/11/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-unhinged-assault-on-trump/

I might be called many things and I hope "consistent" is one of them! I'm guessing you dating profile just states you love dogs and individual rights. It feels weird sometimes, having been on the forums for so long. You kind of count as a guy I know even if we don't really know each other. You too Brother! I like coming to this board because there is such a wide variety of people and opinions from all over the world. That is hard to find. Most forums tend to become monolithic over time. Not here.

Dammit THIS is why it f-----g sucks to get liberal justices on the court. It should not make a s--t all difference to her that the decision would be a set back to a President she supported. And the plight of the immigrants shouldn't even have entered into her thinking. This case came down to two things, did the 26 states have standing to bring the case and did the Executive violate the law. Well the US Court of the southern district and 5th Circuit Court of appeals said "yes" and "yes". The effect of the outcome should not be a thing she troubles herself over but it's clear she was worried about how this made Obama look and the poor benighted immigrants. The only thing that matters is what the law says. The only way we will all be equal before the law is when the law is equally applied. Here she is ready to turn the law on it's head because that way she will like the outcome better. Another problem with this is if Trump actually manages to get elected every time his SG needs to argue a case before the court there is a whiff of bias from RBG towards the President. It might lead to something embarrassing like demands she recuse herself. She really should know better than to talk ill of a Presidential candidate. No offense GD but hearing some Americans saying things like " if Trump becomes president I will leave the USA" is getting annoying and is just hyperbole and theatrics, Trump is a man, he is not going to destroy the USA The USA has fought world wars and has been through decades of Cold War and is overall considered the greatest Western nation in the world. The USA has great fortitude and resilience and has always persevered over external and domestic threats Yet suddenly " people cant handle living in the USA if Trump wins " .....I'm sorry but people are sounding like real drama queens. Where is that famous US equanimity and commitment to the country ? Oh I agree it is absurd. Usually it comes from celebrities. And it is even more absurd when none of them make good on it. But this is a sitting Supreme Court Justice. She is expected to comport herself with both dignity and neutrality. Of course she has opinions. Of course she has biases. But you don't tell them to the world via the NY Times if you are a Supreme Court Justice!

I might be called many things and I hope "consistent" is one of them!

Well, I don't think that was what she was doing. Her and Scalia were actually good friends away from the Court.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she will move to New Zealand if Trump wins. Oh I DO hope she means that. The only, and I do mean ONLY reason I'd support Trump is I DO NOT want Hillary Clinton choosing Supreme Court Justices. But if he wins and RBG makes good on her comment (she won't) then Trump would get to replace 2 justices. If he chooses names off that list he released that would be a big win. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/us/politics/ruth-bader-ginsburg-no-fan-of-donald-trump-critiques-latest-term.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1 Really RBG should know better than to comment on an election. That is pretty low class for a justice. Dammit THIS is why it f-----g sucks to get liberal justices on the court. It should not make a s--t all difference to her that the decision would be a set back to a President she supported. And the plight of the immigrants shouldn't even have entered into her thinking. This case came down to two things, did the 26 states have standing to bring the case and did the Executive violate the law. Well the US Court of the southern district and 5th Circuit Court of appeals said "yes" and "yes". The effect of the outcome should not be a thing she troubles herself over but it's clear she was worried about how this made Obama look and the poor benighted immigrants. The only thing that matters is what the law says. The only way we will all be equal before the law is when the law is equally applied. Here she is ready to turn the law on it's head because that way she will like the outcome better. Another problem with this is if Trump actually manages to get elected every time his SG needs to argue a case before the court there is a whiff of bias from RBG towards the President. It might lead to something embarrassing like demands she recuse herself. She really should know better than to talk ill of a Presidential candidate.

Hillary is NOT better than Trump. It's just a different variety of bad.

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