Politics

[deewayne2003]

I'm certainly not for A.) emboldening the left, nor B.) abandoning the rule of law....however...

It would do the world some good if a jury let that murderer get off scot free. United Healthcare was and is a diabolically crooked, too big to fail organization. A message of "watch your ass" sent to the boards of the healthcare companies would be helpful to society. They can buy all the politicians, but they can't buy off homicidal lone-wolves.

There, I've used up all my anarchy and leftism in my blood for fiscal year 2025.

P.S. - UHC is in the process of F'ing me as we speak. They required numerous delays in care, redundant tests, and triplicate referrals just so I could get coverage that I pay 100% for out of pocket until deductibles are met. (and won't be, hence they just prolonged suffering without any material benefit)

In my former career of heavy civil construction, regular drug tests & physicals came with the job title; part of the compensation was that 100% of my insurance premiums were paid for by my employer and the provider was UHC.

Everything was fine until I walked away from my career to start my own business doing excavation takeoffs and GPS models for earthmoving equipment.

When I tried to get coverage again through UHC I was denied for failure to disclose a pre existing condition….

It turned out that a nurse had accidentally entered the billing code for “drug test for ongoing opioid care” instead of the correct “routine drug test”.

So as far as UHC was concerned I was a drug addict, and I jumped through their hoops of providing 5 years of medical records as well as a note from the doctors office stating it was a mistake and that I had never failed a drug test let alone been on opioid addiction treatment and fully admitted it was a billing mistake on their end.

Resistance was futile, so I was stuck with $1,200mo blue cross blue shield; NOT good when you are trying to get a business off the ground during COVID!

So yeah in regards to the Luigi assassination of the UHC executive…..

In the words of Clarence Darrow

“I never wished a man dead, but I’ve read some obituaries with great pleasure.”

 

[deewayne2003]

Doubtful on both counts.

Agreed, he’ll get some symbolic life +9,000 years sentence; health insurance & pharma executives will continue their ways.

 

[Tanks]

I pay 100% of insurance costs of my USA employees (avg. cost $900 or so per) and they have a choice of a PPO or HMO through Anthem. I never heard of anyone being denied coverage.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Relieving her of command was exactly the right thing to do. One can assume the left will howl. I would remind that this is exactly the sort of behavior that resulted in the relief of LTC Stuart Scheller, USMC when he decided a battalion commander had the right to publicly criticize the then administration and his commander in chief about the Afghanistan withdrawal. Many on the right embraced him as a hero. Both richly deserved loss of their commands.

Two points:

1. For the love of all that is good and holy: Please remember Army Lieutenant Colonels are abbreviated as LTC. Marines, however, are abbreviated as LtCol. In the Air Force, it's Lt Col. In the Navy, it's CDR. Not everyone in the world has to follow Army rules, and contrary to popular belief, the word "Joint" is NOT spelled A-R-M-Y. In fact, in a joint environment, you can tell everyone's branch of service just by how they abbreviate ranks. It does make a difference. Pet peeve of mine.

2. Let the left howl. Ditto the Admiral that was until recently at NATO. From where I sit, it's time to start enforcing Article 88, UCMJ.

 

[rigbymauser]

More than likely well deserved…….. bad form to speak ill of your commander in chief……

Vance had no choice but fire Meyers because she had expressed “ sympathy” for perhaps for an upcomming enemy(Denmark). Where Meyers had expressed she whished to remain a good relation to the people of Greenland and Denmark VP Vance did not concure the “good relation” part. Vance and Trump wants a more hostile approach to the situation in Greenland( if there ever in first place has been a situation in Greenland?).

 

[Altitude sickness]

Rigby, as a US citizen. She can have her own opinion of the V.P. and Trump in private.

But she has no right to undermine their policies. Especially in front of her subordinates.

Heck even in the business world that would get you canned. I don’t know how many times while sitting in meetings, I completely disagreed with a strategy. But after my arguments were heard and denied, I left the room ready to support the decision made by my superiors.

 

[spike.t]

Presume this will add fuel to the fire with Donald regarding SA......

US pastor Josh Sullivan kidnapped during church service in South Africa

Police say four armed and masked men abducted the pastor in his car on Thursday evening.

www.bbc.com

 

[rigbymauser]

Rigby, as a US citizen. She can have her own opinion of the V.P. and Trump in private.

But she has no right to undermine their policies. Especially in front of her subordinates.

Heck even in the business world that would get you canned. I don’t know how many times while sitting in meetings, I completely disagreed with a strategy. But after my arguments were heard and denied, I left the room ready to support the decision made by my superiors.

I agree. Thats why I wrote as I did. “Vance had no choice”. Its so true if she had kept her mouth sealed but merely in privacy expressed her opinion she still have had a job today. I am sure many colonels and generals have had second opinions to their “masters” but its comes with a certain danger to expose it.

Nevertheless. Vance has send a 360 degree message.

 

[Altitude sickness]

White House develops plan to bring Greenland under US control - NYT

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

Greenland will eventually come under a US agreement similar to the Marshall Islands and other sovereign nations agreements with the U.S.

U.S. Formalizes Agreements With the Marshall Islands | Arms Control Association

www.armscontrol.org

 

[rookhawk]

White House develops plan to bring Greenland under US control - NYT

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

Greenland will eventually come under a US agreement similar to the Marshall Islands and other sovereign nations agreements with the U.S.

U.S. Formalizes Agreements With the Marshall Islands | Arms Control Association

www.armscontrol.org

They probably will, but Trump's rhetoric is galvanizing Greenland against us. He should have just undermined Denmark stating they left Greenland vulnerable, under capitalized, and alienated. "The USA intends to work with the people of Greenland to provide mutual security, investment, and cooperation whether that means they are an independent nation, they choose to become a US State, or if they wish to receive benefits of a US territory"

But that isn't how it was pitched whatsoever and now Greenland has a less favorable opinion of us. Let the CIA do what they do. Influence all 44,000 Greenlanders to join us. Create papers that show the potential Russian threat and share them with Greenland. Yadda yadda. Peddle our influence.

Sometimes Trump acts in a manner that is 180 degrees opposite of achieving his desires and this is one of those times.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Two points:

1. For the love of all that is good and holy: Please remember Army Lieutenant Colonels are abbreviated as LTC. Marines, however, are abbreviated as LtCol. In the Air Force, it's Lt Col. In the Navy, it's CDR. Not everyone in the world has to follow Army rules, and contrary to popular belief, the word "Joint" is NOT spelled A-R-M-Y. In fact, in a joint environment, you can tell everyone's branch of service just by how they abbreviate ranks. It does make a difference. Pet peeve of mine.

How about we just refer to them as O-5?

And while most people pronounce "Lieutenant" as "loo-tenant," the Brits have their own way of butchering it and say "left-tenant."

The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning "place" as in a position (cf. in lieu of); and tenant meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is a placeholder for a superior, during their absence (compare the Latin locum tenens).

Class dismissed!

 

[Red Leg]

I

Two points:

1. For the love of all that is good and holy: Please remember Army Lieutenant Colonels are abbreviated as LTC. Marines, however, are abbreviated as LtCol. In the Air Force, it's Lt Col. In the Navy, it's CDR. Not everyone in the world has to follow Army rules, and contrary to popular belief, the word "Joint" is NOT spelled A-R-M-Y. In fact, in a joint environment, you can tell everyone's branch of service just by how they abbreviate ranks. It does make a difference. Pet peeve of mine.

2. Let the left howl. Ditto the Admiral that was until recently at NATO. From where I sit, it's time to start enforcing Article 88, UCMJ.

You are correct, but I can honestly say, I wasn't worrying about it when I was typing and will have forgotten about it again an hour from now. I would offer if such distinctions are that important to those members of the Departments of the Navy and Air Force they probably should not have taken the ARMY rank structure. At least the navy has its own structure and it is pretty clear the service of a CDR vs a LTC. Of course, on invitations and thank you notes we would write out the whole rank.

 

[rookhawk]

How about we just refer to them as O-5?

And while most people pronounce "Lieutenant" as "loo-tenant," the Brits have their own way of butchering it and say "left-tenant."

The word lieutenant derives from French; the lieu meaning "place" as in a position (cf. in lieu of); and tenant meaning "holding" as in "holding a position"; thus a "lieutenant" is a placeholder for a superior, during their absence (compare the Latin locum tenens).

Class dismissed!

Class reopened! Nowhere did you explain where a Kentucky Colonel ranks compared to a Lieutenant, thus you didn't give us the whole picture!

And of course, where does a Colonel Angus rank across all service branches? Women find he ranks quite high:

 

[Red Leg]

White House develops plan to bring Greenland under US control - NYT

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

Greenland will eventually come under a US agreement similar to the Marshall Islands and other sovereign nations agreements with the U.S.

U.S. Formalizes Agreements With the Marshall Islands | Arms Control Association

www.armscontrol.org

Of course that whole Marshal Islands thing came about as a result of the US having just a bit of leverage. After all, we invaded the archipelago, destroying the Japanese military garrison in the process and occupied them. Then, for just over a decade we tested nuclear and chemical weapons on several of the islands. I am fairly certain the population considered anything we suggested as an offer they couldn't refuse.

 

[skydiver386]

Presume this will add fuel to the fire with Donald regarding SA......

US pastor Josh Sullivan kidnapped during church service in South Africa

Police say four armed and masked men abducted the pastor in his car on Thursday evening.

www.bbc.com

Found out about this very quickly after it happened. He is a Missionary supported by my Church, and we communicate regularly with our overseas missions.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

How about we just refer to them as O-5?

NO! O-5 is a pay grade. Only pencil pushers that haven't sluged it through tough times use that terminology.
Lieutentant Colonel is a rank that is earned and is to be respected, regardless of the service.

May I offer the Naval Correspondance Manual.
Appendix A lists the abbreviations for the ranks of all services.
I have my copy from 1984 when my LtCol instructed me to study it. Better direction was never given.

Even thought the link below states "Requested Rejected", it will pull up the subject document.

Request Rejected

 

[Red Leg]

As most of you know Bill Maher broke bread with the president a few days ago. This is his report on the dinner/meeting. He was accompanied by a mutual friend, Kid Rock, and Dana White was in attendance. I gives one hope there are some sane centrists left in the world.

 

[barryk]

More than likely well deserved…….. bad form to speak ill of your commander in chief……

Decades ago, you didn't have to tell commanders that......shouldn't have to tell them that today either.....dumbasses.

 

[Red Leg]

This, not stocks, is the real worry from the self-inflicted economic chaos of the last two weeks.

https://archive.is/MbZlN

Someone has to explain this grand strategy to me. It looks like the President shoots from the hip, the base applauds, non-economic advisors roll out supporting rhetoric, and then Scott Bessent seems to go have a quiet talk with him and the roll back two-step begins.

Attack Mexico and Canada!

Huge reciprocal tariffs on everyone from the Falkland Islands to China!

On second thought let's do 10% tariffs on everyone.

On third thought lets pause the 10% tariffs for ninety-days.

Huge tariffs on China - very bad people!

On fourth thought guess it will be just Nike bearing the brunt of his ire?

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/12/trump-exempts-phones-computers-chips-tariffs-apple-dell.html

Treasuries are in essence a vote of confidence in the stability of the US economic model. That vote on the 10-year note has moved it over 50 basis points in a matter of days to 4.4-46%. That has been combined with a drying up of liquidity due to the collapse of the market and destruction of highly leveraged value which doesn't simply rebound with an increase in the DOW.

It would be nice if just a tad of coherence entered the picture rather than simple the latest twitter tantrum or "what the boss meant to say appearance by Bessent.

 

[Longwalker]

Here's a Canadian explanation of what happened to the markets last week. Many of you will not like the message, and will attack the messenger, as usual. I think it is a worthwhile read. https://open.substack.com/pub/deanb...adas-quiet?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email