I was impressed until I saw that they had battery swap pit stops.  I would have expected the point of it being a half marathon rather than just a generic demo would have been how long they can operate untethered.

Meanwhile in Britain...

Well, Cs all you'd ever want
C's the kind they'd like to flaunt and take to dinner
Well C always knows her place
C's got style, C's got grace, C's a winner

C's a lady
Whoa, whoa, whoa C's a lady...

Meanwhile in French Guiana…

Prison business is growing in the lower Americas.

France to build jungle prison to hold drug kingpins

Maybe the USA can get on a waiting list in case they have vacancies.

…Iran,

Big bada booms.

Well, let’s not be hasty and rush to judgement, let’s wait and see what Kamala Harris has to say about it. Let’s hear about what would have been done differently had she become President. Her Jewish husband notwithstanding, her unconditional support of Biden’s contribution to genocide in Gaza notwithstanding, things would obviously have gone differently had there been a pretty face in the White House to charm (wow factor) the drawers off Iranian leaders. No one else would have chosen the current course of action, for sure.

You served in Vietnam. Did the US declare war on North Vietnam; or, were you just being a good Nazi? Did the US declare war on North Korea in the conflict before Vietnam? The reason Presidential military engagement powers exist is because by the time the US Congress gets around to declaring war, the US could already be put on the defensive or be wiped out.

I get the impression you’re letting your dislike of an individual cloud your judgement. What happened? Did Trump deport your room and board + 20 pesos ($1) a day housekeeper and now you have to clean the place yourself? Have things gotten so bad in your little town of Almost Mexico that you need to disparage and label Presidents (Biden - genocidal, Trump - Nazi); or, is it just residual animosity from when you served your master Nixon? You seem to be pining for yesteryear when the US last declared war during WW2.







 

Happy Monkey wrote:

Were your examples of wars supposed to be supporting your premise?…

What wars? 

Happy Monkey wrote:

…or were you just saying that we haven't declared wars…

I specifically said we declared war during WW2.

Happy Monkey wrote:

…AND ALSO if we were in actual danger Congress couldn't act fast enough?

Congress declared war on Japan AFTER the attack on Pearl Harbor. Waiting until we’re in actual danger is not a viable option in the nuclear age.

 

Anon wrote:

You served in Vietnam. Did the US declare war on North Vietnam; or, were you just being a good Nazi? Did the US declare war on North Korea in the conflict before Vietnam?  

Righteous extremists rhetoric lives on.  He forgets that the UN authorized a military defense of South Korea.  When the Soviets, being just as emotional, withdrew from the UN.  Returned only after they discovered their mistake.  Moderates learn from history before posting soundbite rhetoric.

Vietnam was a massive disaster.  A total waste of 50,000 Americans.  Starting with the only reason the US was lying even to itself.  It was a war authorized illegally.  And done only because extremists promoted their emotions - and lies.  And then other exrremists, also with contempt for America, believed it was good.

Cronkite even demonstrated the Vietnam war was wrong.  So the extremist CBS president Stanton ordered that Cronkite could no longer report on Vietnam.  Extremist using same reasoning, used here, to justify a lie.

Anyone, who is moderate (intelligent), knows how much worse that could have been.  Nixon (who was loved by anti-American right wingers) almost nuked North Vietnam. Yes.  He decided to drop nuclear bombs on North Vietnam without any authority. Because he was using Anon's invalid reasoning.  Sanity returned when virtually every college from Boston to California walked out on strike.  Nixon changed his mind.  He only wanted to be popular - being an extremists.  With contempt for the nation.  He suddenly, at the last minute, discovered that unilaterally attacking another nation without Congressional authority would harm his image.

Being an extremists, he also kept the Vietnam war going.  As he said to Kissinger, he did not want to be the first president in history to lose a war.  He was loved by extremists because that was his attitude.  Extremist use confirmation bias.

A moderate learns why unilateral and unjustified actions are wrong.  A moderate also learned that Trump tried to attack Iran in his first term.  To wag the dog.  Without any Congressional authorization.  An extremists even forgets that fact.

An extremist also forgets how many times Iran tried to restore good relations with the US.  Only to have every effort quashed by dumbest (right wing) extremists in the US.

Extremist - one who intentionally ignored facts to justify their emotions.  Deja vue Nam.  It was always obvoius.  Trump loves conflicts and wars. Anything to advance his popularity among the most easily duped.

 

Last edited by tw (6/23/2025 9:53 am)

Happy Monkey wrote:

Not supporting your premise then.

What premise?
 

Now to discuss what we are really dealing with.  Trump loves anything that advances only himself.  "Wag the Dog" is Trump's fascination with war.  However his people are telling him that we do not want a 'regime change'.  That translated into his staff does not want a war.  Only a 'tit for tat' military exchange.

Careful study for decades of military exchanges between Iran and the US indicates that Iran has always tempered their military replies.  By even stating, in advance (sometimes), what they were going to do.

Can Trump's advisers corral a wild stallion?  Can they keep Trump from creating a full scale war?  At this point, it looks like they are the only ones talking to him.  Apparently Trump's need to always escalate may be suppressed.  Meaning war is averted.

 

Diaphone Jim wrote:

…I was out of the Army and in SDS by the time my "master Nixon" was president.

Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy… you went, you invaded, you attacked without a declaration of war by the US Congress, the only body authorized in the Constitution to declare war. What happened in Iran is minuscule compared to what happened in Vietnam. Declaring war made no difference to you then; so, why bring up declaring war now?
 

Anon: "Declaring war made no difference to you then; so, why bring up declaring war now?"
I was in the process of being drafted at the time of the Gulf of Tonkin deceptions.
I did not realize the Resolution was flawed and did not comprise a Declaration, so I invaded and attacked.
I regretted it and still do, so I bring it up.