Politics

[Wheels]

One of the better posts that has come out today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864478040438317390

 

[Corey0372]

Back to the Real life Rambo video. I think they referenced his eccentric behavior. And I think the narrator said he wore a Derby or Bowler hat. (But there were a-lot of irregularities and mistakes.


But this looks more like a Pith helmet than a bowler or Derby. Maybe he wore those also. View attachment 651086

Kinda looks like an NVA helmet

 

[Safari Dave]

IMO, Trump needs to pick a retired, vetted, General or Colonel to be Secretary of Defense.

I like Douglas Macgregor, but he might be too anti-Israel for Trump's taste...


As a Bible-Thumper Evangelical, I'm probably not supposed to like him, but I do.

 

[Safari Dave]

Back to the Real life Rambo video. I think they referenced his eccentric behavior. And I think the narrator said he wore a Derby or Bowler hat. (But there were a-lot of irregularities and mistakes.


But this looks more like a Pith helmet than a bowler or Derby. Maybe he wore those also. View attachment 651086

Definitely, a pith helmet...

He's one of us!

 

[VertigoBE]

Definitely, a pith helmet...

He's one of us!

It’s @Kevin Peacocke in his youth!

 

[sgt_zim]

JD Vance vindicated

 

[Red Leg]

IMO, Trump needs to pick a retired, vetted, General or Colonel to be Secretary of Defense.

I like Douglas Macgregor, but he might be too anti-Israel for Trump's taste...


As a Bible-Thumper Evangelical, I'm probably not supposed to like him, but I do.

The Russians would be thrilled. He and Scott Ritter have made themselves regulars over on the Russian television network news talk shows (which only provide Kremlin approved content) criticizing almost every aspect of the American government, support for Ukraine, NATO, and the US military in general. Before leaving Fox, Tucker Carlson, who also seems to have lost his way in his efforts to become a Putin apologist, was the only person who gave him and the nonsense he spews any airtime.

Some previous observations on Macgregor from this thread.

Post in thread 'Politics'

Jan 1, 2024

^^^This^^^ is what I can't get my "only Trump" friends and fellow Republicans to grasp. One of my closest friends buys into the Douglas MacGregor viewpoint whole-hog and is absolutely convinced that a massive Russian victory over Ukraine will happen at any moment. Needless to say, we have agreed to disagree.

MacGregor is the worst. I served at the same time he did. He is the sort of embittered retired military officer this country periodically produces. Self-indulgently convinced of his own brilliance, he concluded that the US defense establishment in general and the Army in...

• Red Leg

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Post in thread 'Politics'

Aug 22, 2023

Just started to listen to this interview with Col. Douglas McGregor by Tucker Carlson, but it clearly tries to establish the perspective that the Ukrainians are doomed and there will be a direct fight between the US/NATO and Russia. I am a neophyte on the geopolitical stuff, but this prompted me to dig up Red Leg's post on this from April to re-read it. I would be curious to hear the group's current thoughts on this:

I posted this with respect to the good colonel back in January.

Douglas Macgregor is a pathetic remnant of an American army officer. I should...

• Red Leg

• 

 

[Red Leg]

Kinda looks like an NVA helmet

Concur. Simply removed the star.

 

[Altitude sickness]

The NVA helmet makes more sense than a bowler or Derby as stated. There were other more glaring nonsensical statements. I’ll chalk up to decades of Lore.

 

[1dirthawker]

regarding Desantis as SOD pick:

the day after he gets nominated, there would be 1/2 dozen "anonymous" sources accusing him of rape, corruption, hate crimes etc.

that is the democrap play book. destroy somebody's life over baseless accusations, but hey...sometimes it works.

 

[Red Leg]

regarding Desantis as SOD pick:

the day after he gets nominated, there would be 1/2 dozen "anonymous" sources accusing him of rape, corruption, hate crimes etc.

that is the democrap play book. destroy somebody's life over baseless accusations, but hey...sometimes it works.

Perhaps. Though DeSantis has gone through the very public crucible of having run for both governor (against a very hostile democrat party) and president in the face of a hostile press. I personally think he would be a shoo-in.

The problem with Hegseth as SECDEF is that he has an actual paper trail and an admitted problem with alcohol abuse - see the Monterey police report and interview with Megyn Kelly above. He has never been vetted for anything. That makes his nomination more problematic than Kavanaugh. Frankly, no "normal" incoming administration would have ever nominated him.

 

[skydiver386]

regarding Desantis as SOD pick:

the day after he gets nominated, there would be 1/2 dozen "anonymous" sources accusing him of rape, corruption, hate crimes etc.

that is the democrap play book. destroy somebody's life over baseless accusations, but hey...sometimes it works.

+1

They keep using this tactic because Republicans keep falling for it.

How many times do the Democrats have to be proven wrong before Republicans figure out this is the Democrats playbook, even when the person is 100% innocent?

 

[mdwest]

regarding Desantis as SOD pick:

the day after he gets nominated, there would be 1/2 dozen "anonymous" sources accusing him of rape, corruption, hate crimes etc.

that is the democrap play book. destroy somebody's life over baseless accusations, but hey...sometimes it works.

I dont disagree...

the difference between DeSantis and Hegseth though is.. Hegseth openly admits to being a habitual philanderer, drinking WAY too much, acting in a debaucherously manner most of his life, etc..etc..

he doesnt deny that he has cheated on all three of his wives on multiple occasions.. doesnt deny that he is ashamed of much of his past, that he was wrong, etc..etc..

his counter is that he has (somewhat recently) found God, changed his life, is now a good human being, etc..

the challenge I think much of America is going to have (not just the D's sitting on capitol hill that are going to try to grill him during his confirmation hearings).. is whether or not they believe him...

he is after all a MSM personality (no one trusts the media anymore.. whether they hawk a Fox agenda or an MSNBC agenda) that now wants to work at the highest level of politics (the only people trusted less than the MSM are our politicians).. so "trusting" Hegseth that he is now a completely different human being than the person he 100% admits he has been for the overwhelming majority of his life is going to be the hurdle he is going to need to figure out how to get over..

DeSantis on the other hand has been in the national spotlight as a politician for a pretty long time at this point.. about the best argument the D's have been able to come up with so far against him has been that hes a "racist" because he made some comments regarding historical facts related to slavery.. and that he is a "radical" because they dont like some of his hard right leaning policies that have been put into place in Florida... if they try to pull some bimbo that claims she was sexually assaulted in college when DeSantis was a sophomore 28 years ago at this point, no one is going to give more than 1/3 of a damn other than maybe Rachel Maddow and Joy Baehr... and their ratings have been dropping faster than an $8 hooker at a truck stop for the past 12 months..

Whereas if you bring out the same bimbo making the same accusations against Hegseth... whether its truth or fiction.. its going to get some traction, and its going to get the attention of the MSM and the people in general.. and there will be quite the fight that has to be engaged to disprove it (he will be "guilty" until proven innocent unfortunately in the court of public opinion, and the court of congress where facts dont matter nearly as much as showmanship..

 

[Red Leg]

I am also beginning to think Tulsi Gabbard may have a difficult time. MAGA world chooses to ignore it, but probably half of the republican party and their representatives in congress - and particularly in the senate - support Ukraine's fight for self-determination against Russia and our support of that effort.

Gabbard established a long running record on Tucker Carlson's then Fox program of opposing US support of Ukraine. She also has espoused a recurring diatribe against the "military industrial complex," whatever she believes that is. Her comments on Ukraine, like those of Douglas Macgregor, could have been written for her in the Kremlin.

This is Russian commentary on Trump's selections and Gabbard in particular. There are a number of similar clips.

I do not think that she is a "Russian asset" in the sense that she responds to Russian directives or propaganda. But I do believe she is dead wrong with respect to our national interests. What I personally believe is unimportant, but I am certain those concerns are shared by a number of republican senators. She can not lose four of them. And as a "traitor" to the democrat party, I think it is safe to say she will find no support among that caucus.

 

[deewayne2003]

I believe healthcare in the USA is a political topic, so I would offer as a topic of discussion the following.......

So the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson - who was already under investigation for taking part in selling off $100mil+ of stock 2 weeks before the announcement of a DOJ probe into United Healthcare. Was shot dead by a masked man with a suppressed 9mm @6:40am as he left his hotel.

What is known

The shooter waited outside the victims hotel and upon him exiting produced a 9mm handgun with silencer and shot the victim in the back; the weapon jammed and the suspect had to clear the 3 gun times in order to get 3 shots off.

The suspect then ran to a near by alley and used an electric bicycle to escape into central park, left behind at the scene were 3 empty casings and 3 live rounds(cleared from jammed gun); 3 of the casings had writing on them....."Deny" "Defend" "Depose"

Some say it was a disgruntled insurance claimant, others are saying it was a professional hit; which the details of the case so far look like a 50/50 of pro/rookie and leaves me weighing such things as.....

The killer waits outside the hotel.... How did he know which hotel?

Killer has a 9mm with suppressor .... Pretty good equipment if just a rookie

Killers weapon jams 3 times.... Wouldn't a professional test his weapon before such a high profile attack? If it's some disgruntled claimant with a home made suppressor, likewise wouldn't you test the weapon beforehand?

Killer clears 3 malfunctions and fires 3 rounds.... All 3 rounds strike the victim and he's dead, that seems like pretty salty behavior if he was a just a disgruntled insurance claimant. I mean he's killing someone on a city street in front of witnesses @ 6:40am and has steady enough hands and mind to follow through and the escape plan was obviously pre planned.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Killer clears 3 malfunctions and fires 3 rounds.... All 3 rounds strike the victim and he's dead, that seems like pretty salty behavior if he was a just a disgruntled insurance claimant. I mean he's killing someone on a city street in front of witnesses @ 6:40am and has steady enough hands and mind to follow through and the escape plan was obviously pre planned.

To clarify. Those were not 3 FTF's. That was a

Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round
Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round
Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round

My buddies and I initially speculated that maybe he was using the wrong ammo with the suppressor causing feed/cycle issues. Nope. As you mentioned, he was sending a message. He wanted those unfired rounds left behind.

I too was confused when I saw a pic of a complete intact unfired 9mm round.

 

[deewayne2003]

To clarify. Those were not 3 FTF's. That was a

Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round
Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round
Shoot
Rack slide expending unfired round

My buddies and I initially speculated that maybe he was using the wrong ammo with the suppressor causing feed/cycle issues. Nope. As you mentioned, he was sending a message. He wanted those unfired rounds left behind.

I too was confused when I saw a pic of a complete intact unfired 9mm round.

@HookMeUpII ... You are correct, I worded that poorly

Bang, racked the slide, Bang, racked the slide, Bang, racked the slide..... Then ran around the corner and hopped on an e-bike to escape.

Also - I believe the comments on youtube are pretty telling of the attitudes toward health insurance companies!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

IMO, Trump needs to pick a retired, vetted, General or Colonel to be Secretary of Defense.

I like Douglas Macgregor, but he might be too anti-Israel for Trump's taste...


As a Bible-Thumper Evangelical, I'm probably not supposed to like him, but I do.

Macgregor would be terrible!

Historically, the better SOD might have had some military experience, but then became corporate execs, members of Congress, or served as Sec of one of the military branches before becoming SOD.

One of the major things the Service secretaries and SOD have to ride herd on is new weapon systems and replacing old, worn out, obsolete systems (or upgrading them, such as 70 year old B-52s).

If you want to spend 30 minutes watching a good video about the US Navy budget needs to replace aircraft carriers. A carrier takes 4-5 years to build. I believe we have 11 or 12 and 15 are desired. Why 15? At any time, 2-4 carriers are in port getting maintenance.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Condolences to his family, friends, and co-workers.

 

[mdwest]

Macgregor would be terrible!

Historically, the better SOD might have had some military experience, but then became corporate execs, members of Congress, or served as Sec of one of the military branches before becoming SOD.

One of the major things the Service secretaries and SOD have to ride herd on is new weapon systems and replacing old, worn out, obsolete systems (or upgrading them, such as 70 year old B-52s).

If you want to spend 30 minutes watching a good video about the US Navy budget needs to replace aircraft carriers. A carrier takes 4-5 years to build. I believe we have 11 or 12 and 15 are desired. Why 15? At any time, 2-4 carriers are in port getting maintenance.

A key thing to note... 3 more aircraft carriers added to the arsenal is NOT just 3 more ships...

thats roughly 24-27 additional ships in the navy (no carrier floats alone... they travel as part of a carrier strike group that includes ships that enhance the carriers offensive and defensive capability...

and that adds roughly 28000-30000 additional sailors in the USN (each carrier strike group requires between 7000-8000 personnel while at sea.. plus additional sailors and civilian contractors at the ports to keep them maintained and battle ready..

With the US military going through a RIF (reduction in force), budgets being cut, and trump leaning into her next term with Elon and Vivek promising to cut fat, cut costs, etc... Im doubtful the USN gets what it wants in regards to additional carriers approved in the next couple of years..

I do completely agree with you though.. Macgregor would be about as bad as SECDEF as appointing Pee Wee Herman as SECDEF... there are very few people I can think of that would be worse in that role..