Politics

[VertigoBE]

French army has the best weapons on the battlefield “ never fired and only dropped once “
Except for several select units I wouldn’t trust France to step in for much in NATO ( most French citizens hate , us USA guys and have zero problem telling you straight up to your face in my experience)
IMO it might be a mistake to let French soldiers help police Venezuela !

I think your understanding of the current state of the French army is bullocks.

 

[VertigoBE]

Thoughts on the about half of the last 100 pages here:

1. I can see that you're very committed to your current level of understanding.
2. I'm jealous of people that haven't visited this thread.
3. Thank you for helping me, it was like doing it myself only harder.
4. Your food for thought leaves everyone still hungry.
5. Nothing lights up a forum like your absence.
6. I wish I didn't have common sense, you seem so happy.
7. It's impossible to underestimate you.
8. You've mastered the tone of authority without the inconvenience of depth.
9. I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man.
10. I now understand why instructions have pictures.
11. It's interesting what you've done with your education.
12. As an outsider, what are your views on intelligence?
13. We can explain it to you, but we can't understand it for you.
14. Don't let people's knowledge get in the way of your confidence!
15. You absolutely light up every room you walk out of.

Seriously, we need help. @mdwest @Red Leg @VertigoBE @Altitude sickness and others, can you please rescue this thread from the clutches of drunk raccoons?

When I check into the politics thread, and find more than 4x pages of comments, where x is the number of days since my last visit. I just skip.. because the likelyhood of someone having thrown a hissy fit is high and i know I’ll curse myself for the time lost and never regained for reading the likely much lower quality of comments

 

[sgt_zim]

I wonder is the rest of Europe will ever follow the lead of Denmark in safeguarding their culture. They have effectively closed immigration from Muslim countries and forced assimilation, especially in regard to children's education. They made a conscious decision knowing it flaunted the EU tripe. Poland and Romania have decided to be no pushovers either. If the meltdowns in the Middle East continue, resulting in a new flood of immigrants, the framework had best be there to prevent catastrophic over run.

As far as I am aware, all of the participants in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 - Poland/Lithuania, Hungary, Bohemia and Moravia, plus a couple others I don't recall - all except Austria, that is, have a very hard line on Muslim immigration and have done for a number of years.

They leared their lesson from the Ottomans.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

As far as I am aware, all of the participants in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 - Poland/Lithuania, Hungary, Bohemia and Moravia, plus a couple others I don't recall - all except Austria, that is, have a very hard line on Muslim immigration and have done for a number of years.

They leared their lesson from the Ottomans.

I see what you did there.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Is this Alex Pretti 11 days before the shooting?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/01/28/video_filmed_11_days_before_shooting_appears_to_show_alex_pretti_fighting_with_federal_agents.html

 

[coreydb]

Screaming Democrat Harpies?
View attachment 742246

Shirley you can't be serious?

She sure ain't praisin' the Lord!

 

[Tbitty]

When I check into the politics thread, and find more than 4x pages of comments, where x is the number of days since my last visit. I just skip.. because the likelyhood of someone having thrown a hissy fit is high and i know I’ll curse myself for the time lost and never regained for reading the likely much lower quality of comments

I often take a similar approach. Read the rest of whatever page it takes me to based on notifications of new posts, then skip forward to current page.

 

[skydiver386]

She sure ain't praisin' the Lord!

C'mon man.

The correct reply was

 

[coreydb]

C'mon man.

The correct reply was
View attachment 742330

That's too much

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Is this Alex Pretti 11 days before the shooting?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/01/28/video_filmed_11_days_before_shooting_appears_to_show_alex_pretti_fighting_with_federal_agents.html

Yes.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

And this is Trump still flogging the 2020 "stolen election" fantasy. Embarrassing himself and America. Daily. Guess we should be used to it by now. Sigh.

FBI searches Georgia county election hub in connection with Trump's 2020 election loss

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard visited an elections hub in Fulton County the same day the FBI executed its search warrant, according to a senior administration official.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Scott CWO]

Here's the true story about how estate taxes nearly ruined the poor Arnold farm family when Kristi Noem's dad died in an accident. She broadcast a whole lot of sensational bullshit and half truths to generate sympathy votes. The Arnold family did pay a lot of estate taxes ... because the estate was worth a lot. Quite a lot! Also her father knowingly chose the most expensive way to divide his estate. Kristi claimed her dad never signed the will but that was also BS. Her brothers and mom didn't complain.

Noem’s 1994 Estate Tax: $84,454, Due to How Dad Wrote Will

Ronald D. Arnold’s probate documents indicate that his daughter, Kristi Noem, has misrepresented the family’s 1994 estate tax situation. According to the inventory filed in Probate Case…

dakotafreepress.com

Kristi had to drop out of college in March 1994 and rush home to take care of the farm when her dad died. But her two brothers were already taking care of the farm. Maybe that's why dad left the bulk of the estate to them and her mom. One brother was with her dad when he suffocated in the grain bin. And Kristi had a baby the next month so unlikely she would have finished the semester at SD State anyway (if she actually was enrolled). She dropped out when her dad died at the end of her fourth year but somehow was never able to finish up what she needed for a diploma in spite of various attempts at other institutions. Not until she was able to garner enough "intern" credits from U of SD while sitting in Congress.

Yeah I know, I'm such a meany for picking on poor oppressed Kristi and her impoverished farmer family. Pffft. Her dad's death was a terrible tragedy. The bigger tragedy was Kristi milking it with half-truths and lies to get votes.

You are wrong. Because the UPDATED Will was not signed, a Will from the 1970s was followed. Half went to her mother (tax free) and the other half to her two UNCLES, not brothers, in a trust. The trust (family) had to pay almost $90k in estate taxes. In addition, the farm/ranch had mortgage debt of 67% of the value and operating loan debt. The family had to pay off the debt and other expenses with life insurance and other money so the tax burden remained. Court probate documents don’t tell the whole story about debt.

In addition, it is quite common for Midwest farming families to all throw in together on farms and work. Sometimes land is deeded to several different family members but everyone works and farms the properties together and splits proceeds and expenses in ways that do not follow the deeds.

My paternal grandfather had a sizable farm in SD. He started having heart failures in his 40s due to a genetic disease that I also have called hemochromatosis. Nobody back then knew about this genetic condition, that it existed or how to treat it. It causes iron overload and interferes with heart beat signals and can cause liver cancer. My father was the oldest boy of seven siblings but too young to take over the operation so my grandfather leased out the farm to neighbors and other relatives until he died. Relatives in SD farm families generally help each other out. My grandfather’s Will gave equal portions to each sibling and my grandmother. As for the other side of my family, my uncle and my cousin on my mother’s side still farm my maternal grandfather’s land and they also have their own farms now. That’s how it works a lot of the time.

 

[Scott CWO]

You are correct. It was not the most expensive way to divide the estate. But, if the article is correct, it was also not the most efficient way for tax purposes to divide the estate:
"That will nonetheless divided the estate in a way that incurred $84,454 in federal estate taxes that could have been avoided by a different division."
Presumably the "avoided" reference is to a more eqitable division among the children? Seems the two boys got the lion's share after mom got her portion. Since Kristi's taxes amounted to only $330 of the total $85K, it would appear dad wanted her to receive less of the estate ... a lot less. I wonder why? Anyway, the point being even with the heavy inheritance tax which, according to the article could have been reduced, the family farm should not have been in dire straights when her dad died. Most substantial debts (mortgages, equipment, line of credit) should have been insured (usually required by loan institution) and paid off when he died. Presumably mom also received a substantial additional insurance payout from accidental death policy. It's typically a fairly cheap premium (but maybe not as cheap for farmers given the inherent danger of farming?). And life insurance payouts are not taxable ... as far as I know.

Wrong again. The amounts shown that were smaller were the STATE death taxes.

 

[Scott CWO]

So Pretti got in a fight with officers 10 days before he was killed. Why am I not surprised?

 

[observe]

'A picture is worth a 1000 words....'

Here is a picture of the battle hardened and decorated Chief of the old South Africa Army, vs a picture of the current, political connected Aunt Angi, instant millionaire, previously 3 month kindergarten highest qualification, with zero military experience, low IQ, Chief of the current army.......

And then you wonder why there are currently zero airplanes, battle ships, submarines and very few army trucks that are operational?

But dont worry, they are organizing themselves a merit party for R375 milj [+_ $24 milj US]!
Most of the CURRENT TROOP ARE UNEDUCATED, OBESE or HIV infected [undisciplined, untrained and criminals!]

Well......

Every fact are being denied at the highest level by our billionaire clown in office.....

 

[KJE81]

I wonder is the rest of Europe will ever follow the lead of Denmark in safeguarding their culture. They have effectively closed immigration from Muslim countries and forced assimilation, especially in regard to children's education. They made a conscious decision knowing it flaunted the EU tripe. Poland and Romania have decided to be no pushovers either. If the meltdowns in the Middle East continue, resulting in a new flood of immigrants, the framework had best be there to prevent catastrophic over run.

I think most countries allready have followed the Danish lead on immigration, there has been a realisation that it might be a good idea to integrate the immigrants allready present before bringing in more.

Here in Sweden for example we now have the lowest number of asylum related immigration in 40 years. The goverment has also recently introduced a Swedish repatriation grant of 350,000 SEK (about 36 000 USD) for any immigrant that choses to go back to their home country (and not ever come back again I assume).

Apparently it is cheaper to pay up instead of trying to integrate them, probably mostly targeted at those that do not desire to be integrated. The current policy is to mostly only extend citizenship/immigration status to people that want to come here to work instead.

 

[KJE81]

'A picture is worth a 1000 words....'

Here is a picture of the battle hardened and decorated Chief of the old South Africa Army, vs a picture of the current, political connected Aunt Angi, instant millionaire, previously 3 month kindergarten highest qualification, with zero military experience, low IQ, Chief of the current army.......

And then you wonder why there are currently zero airplanes, battle ships, submarines and very few army trucks that are operational?

But dont worry, they are organizing themselves a merit party for R375 milj [+_ $24 milj US]!
Most of the CURRENT TROOP ARE UNEDUCATED, OBESE or HIV infected [undisciplined, untrained and criminals!]

Well......

Every fact are being denied at the highest level by our billionaire clown in office.....

View attachment 742383View attachment 742385

According to Google Rudzani Maphwanya is the current chief of the army in South Africa? But perhaps this woman you are writing about is chief of some other branch of their military.

 

[Leadwood]

No need to explain further....

 

[Leadwood]

We do not have a defence force....or a navy....or an airforce.......anymore.

 

[spike.t]

I think your understanding of the current state of the French army is bullocks.

Think your autocorrect screwed you here....think you meant bollocks....