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John Jackson

I agree with Dave - Caroline Kennedy’s statement on RFK Jr’s qualifications was sobering.  And you have to wonder about a guy whose own siblings (Caroline is only a cousin) have all warned he is utterly unfit to serve as Secretary of HEW, or in any major role.

In his Senate confirmation hearings today for HEW Secretary (HEW is responsible for Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, FDA, NIH and CDC) he showed an appalling lack of knowledge about what HEW does:

• He claimed Medicaid which covers 80 million Americans (a quarter of the population who can’t afford private insurance) is fully paid for by the federal government even though the states are required to pay part of the cost.  Later, he talked about Medicaid’s “high premiums and high deductibles,” although there are no premiums or deductibles for those who participate.
• He was asked if people who were covered under Obamacare (which is different from Medicaid) were happy with their coverage and he responded that he thought most preferred to be covered under private plans.  News flash to RFK  – Obamacare provides subsidies for low and moderate income people to buy private health insurance plans.

It’s by no means a sure thing, but it’s possible a bird flu pandemic is looming on the horizon (something Trump has forbidden CDC to talk about).   Do we really want someone who has spent most of his life fighting against vaccines heading up CDC?

Ho-hum, just another Trump DEI hire.

Michael McLeod

I have been meaning to post the comment below, in quotes, from a leading psychiatrist.

First I want to say: Things swing. That includes historical eras. People like me who despise Trump and what we think he's done to this country tend to amateur-diagnose him, find a category of psychotic behavior that explains his behavior. That may be valid but  I think we're barking up the wrong tree. He may be crazy. He's certainly cold-blooded. But I think it's better to see him as a symptom.  I'm gonna lay off Trump. I like this expert's take on the cause of our situation a lot better -- and the cure for it. I'll be doing some reading and thinking along these lines. You've heard it said that we're a sick society.  I'm trying to figure out why.

"I believe that Trump is a mirror of the American soul, a surface symptom of our deeper societal disease. He may not be crazy, but we certainly were for electing him. We mustn’t waste this Trumpian dark age. If we don’t learn from it, we will keep making the same mistakes."

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Mike, I must call out this "expert's" attempt to label ALL Trump voters as "crazy". I am sick of having labels such as racist, anti-science, homophobic, zenophobic, "extreme" right-wing, anti-vaxxer, anti-abortion domestic terrorist and now "crazy" attached to my personal moral and political views. 

If you are truly serious about wondering why we are such a sick society, may I suggest that you begin by asking God.

Michael McLeod

I'm not surprised you took it that way mm.

no offense to God but I was just musing about the mood of the country, the sprawling and rather hard to define personality the usa has taken on. I'd call it heartless. Hence the investment in the poster boy of heartlessness and finger pointing and self aggrandizement. I'm not singling out any one group. We've got it good in this country. Just so saddened by the pall of acrimony and a figure who eptomizes overlooking what we've got and what we could better be doing with it.

In all seriousness it's not him I worry about.He's not the disease. He's a symptom of it. This country is....I'd call it fat and obnoxious. We've seen better eras. Not perfect and certainly not devoid of animosity but better. With a soul you could see, I'm oversimplifyng but that's the looks of the overhanging cloud I see these days. Lost our way. Bratty spoiled selfish kids we are. Harrumph I say, Harrumph!.

David Mitchell

almost forgot.......

Love the map Tim

Michael McLeod

sorry. i just retired. well, fully, first week. hence the ebullience and high-falutin judgementalism. trust me. it's temporary. have a grind of an entirely different sort ahead of me.tougher job than the one i had. tucking in the judgmentalism while i can.it's a luxury.

David Mitchell

You all may be asking the same question I am asking.

Why is an Army helicopter flying a training mission - or any mission - so close to a major airport traffic pattern?  Makes no sense to me.

John Jackson

Paraphrasing a piece by Sen. Chris Murphy on the standoff between the U.S. and Colombia over the deportation flights last Sunday:

President Biden made an agreement with Colombia back in 2022 for them to accept three flights of deportees a week. Biden was already regularly sending deportation flights to Colombia, as well as Mexico and other countries in Latin America. Most of the flights used chartered aircraft made for civilians.  

However, just to be as provocative as possible, Trump decided to send a group of deportees on a much more expensive military plane to Colombia without clearing the change with the Colombian government. The White House posted a photo of people in shackles being led onto a military aircraft with the caption “deportation flights have begun.”

The president of Colombia took issue with the provocation, and instead of working it out diplomatically, Trump threatened sanctions and tariffs on all Colombian exports, and Colombia threatened reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods. By the end of the day, the U.S. and Colombia were back to the same deal that existed during the Biden administration - except dumber, because Trump reserved the right to use the much more expensive military planes.

This whole made-up crisis opened a major rift between the U.S. and a very important ally. Colombia is a key partner in the work to prevent the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. We rely on Colombia to take in millions of Venezuelan migrants to stem the flow of those people to the United States.

And of course, our adversaries gloat when Trump pushes nations in their direction. In the middle of this manufactured drama, China posted on social media that Chinese-Colombian relations are currently at a 45-year high.  China’s claim that they, not the U.S., are the low drama, stable partner for South American nations - many rich in the critical minerals the U.S. economy needs to succeed – got a lot more credible.

Bullying other nations is really bad policy  - almost always they figure out a way to pay you back.

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

 Welcome to the anti-Trump Message Forum!!  

Michael McLeod

sorry mm. seriously. I can see how aggravating it must be for you. the good news is your guy won. the bad news is you have to listen to some of us gripe about it for four more years. I'm sorry to be peeing on his parade so frequenty, and yours by assocation I guess,  but I'd feel bad if you didn't feel free to hang in there and stand up for, as they say, the one what brung you.

As for him, using this airline tragedy for ammo is the latest despicability. No that is not a real word I made it up I think.

Timothy Lavelle

Dave, Thanks for the coment. That cartoon came to me from Lynn Royer.  She sends a lot of funny stuff.

While I have not agreed with you on past subjects, as an ex-pilot of choppers you were the first person I thought of when watching the news this morning. My thoughts were just the same as yours...beyond all the "we've been doing this forever" type reports from the military side is the, I feel, normal reaction you voiced. "Why in the world...".

If the Dispatch released a story that Lockbourne was using the flight path of CMH for training exercises, the reaction would be some sort of outrge. D.C.'s airport is likely way more busy than CMH. There is something in this that really doesn't make sense

Now I see they are begining to alude to possible failure by air traffic control. Hopefully the crap doesn't get shoveled onto a person with little or no voice. This accident should never have been allowed to happen. 

David Mitchell

Tim, 

I concur. And I am still scratching my head over this crazy tragedy. 

Joseph D. McCarthy

After learning about the crash in D.C. my wife and I are almost afraid to contact my Brother-in-Law Joe.  During his high school years Joe was a Competitive skater.  in 1961 a plane carrying all 18 members of the United States Figure Skating National Team, along with some of the Russian Team, were killed in a plane crash in Belgium on their way to the Worldd Championships in Prague.  Joe knew many on the U.S. team and as a result he quit Competitive Skating.  He did, after that incident, join Ice Follies and skated Professionally for a number of years.  His statements to me "they knew nothing but Competitive Skating."

I pray for the souls of all who died on this latest plane crash.

Michael Boulware

Our society is hesitant to vote for women. I do not understand that. I taught for 37 years. My profession is dominated by females. I have had many jobs during my lifetime; none of my jobs involve the amount of work it takes to be a good teacher. The lady teachers always display an intense work ethic and serve as an example to the rest of us.

I blame the female population in our country for the lack of women in our government. The majority of our population is female. I believe that Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris were super qualified to lead our nation; obviously the majority did not agree with me. I also believe that women outwork men and are less likely to accept bribes. Why don't women vote for women?

Here is one Trump I can vouch for!!!! Mary Trump said that her uncle, " The only person I know without one redeeming quality". 

I look forward to anyone else's thoughts about this topic.

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Some people, men and women alike, look at the principles and agenda of the women running for political office  and accept or reject them as leaders based on whether those principles and agenda align with their own. If I were running for office Mike.....would you vote for me?  

Michael Boulware

Mary Margaret,

When I vote, I try to find out about the quality. of the character of the person. I try to select the person who would try to do the right thing despite being told what to do. I know that you are that type of person so I would not hesitate to vote for you as long as you were not running against Sue 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Mike, thank you for your vote of confidence in my character, however, Clinton and Harris both supported abortion on demand, same-sex marriage, illegal immigration, boys being allowed to participate in female sports thereby entitling them to enter the private domain of a female lockerrooms, the green new deal, etc. all of which I am opposed. so if you support these issues would you still vote for me?    

Michael Boulware

Mary Margaret,

You had to keep pushing. We certainly are opposed to each other politically. I respect you but I certainly disagree with your positions. Besides, we are way too old to run for office. Okay, you lost my vote .

Michael McLeod

Boys in the girls locker room?

That's one way to liven up a debate. 

Next thing you know the liberals will be saying dogs and cats should live together.

.

Michael McLeod

I have an observation and a question and a sad thing to say..

First: Is anybody out there?

So few people post here, just a handful of opinionated blabbermouths such as myself, ever take the stage so I was just wondering.

I've got a couple of empty bedrooms down here in Orlando so you guys could just come down once a year and we could hash out our liberal/conservative differences and various other chatroom topics in person and then you could all sit out back by my pool and go back home with tans.

In a more serious vein I am grieving for my sister, Mary Ellen, who died in a biking accident two weeks ago. She was a couple of years behind us at IC and Watterson. I don't usually see postings of this ilk on this chatroom and so I hope this is not inappropriate but I thought some of you may have known her. She was a dear, a giving soul who worked with disadvantaged women. I'm left with one living sibling, Katie, a devout soul who still lives near our old family home in Clintonville. 

We may have a memorial up north for Ellen, either in Wisconsin or Columbus, later this year. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike McL.,

Condolences on the loss of your sister.

Losing a family member is one of the most difficult and sad things we face in our lives here on earth. 

May she rest in eternal peace.

Jim

David Mitchell

Wow Mike,

I did not know her but that is so sad. My condolances to you. It's been a week of tragedy, but that hits a lot closer to home. 

David Mitchell

Mike,

You also asked if anybody is still on the Forum besides those 6 or 8 of us compulsive loud mouths?

I thought the recent exchange between M/M and Mike B. illustrated an interesting point that I have tried to make before.

It seems the political arguments comes down to a choice bettween "Policy" and "Character". 

If I were to argue policy I would come down on the side of Mary Margaret more often. But If I am to value "Character", I fall on Mikes side of the argument. And I consider character foremost - even over policies I disagree with. 

If I look at Trump's history, I see an egotistical, selfish bully. I see his friendship with sex-trafficking Epstein, his "University" scam (in which he fleeced thousands of families out of their savings), his calling an American war hero a "loser", his laughably shallow TV show, his multiple business failures, his womanizing outrirght immoral conduct, and his life-long devotion to self enrichment at others expense as a clear frightening warning to "AVOID"!

It a well known fact that many (if not most) Wall Street banks (with the exception of Deutsche Bank) have also labled him "AVIOD". 

With this in mind, I see a man who does not qualify for any public office (maybe other than jail cell janitor) whatsoever. These clearly supercede and question of policy before we ever get to that point. 

And sadly, I really resent (and fear) this so called "Chrstian Right" crowning him with this concept of being "God Ordained". As a Christian, Conservative, and patriotic loyal combat veteran myself, I say HOG WASH ! 

No policy can ever "trump" those character deficiencies in my book.

David Mitchell

Just a coincidence;

Long before these newer "Black Hawk" helicopters were dessigned by Sikorski - like 50 years before - my Air Cavalry squadron in Vinh Long (well south in the "Delta") was named the "Black Hawk" squadron.

With three (normally 4) "Troops" (Companies) - Apache Troop, Dutch Master Troop, and my own Comanche Troop. Aall named after the Black Hawk indian wars of the 1800's

Hearing the name of these new aircraft always rings a bell of familiarity in my mind, but with more positive memories.

Still scratching my head - and then another fatal crash.

Dear Lord, please give us some positive news.   

David Mitchell

Ahem!  

Isn't there some Forum policy that limits the number of "P"s used in any one post?