Trump's Second and Third year in office

Quote: Tanko

You missed the point. My response was not a comparison of administrations.

The point is, there is no ‘mess’.

What you refer to as ‘ a little piece of the puzzle’, is the most important piece of all. The economy.

As far as the recovery, those numbers you mention followed one of the worst recessions in history. They had nowhere else to go, but up. They always do. Especially when the recovery was debt driven, where they borrowed $4.5 trillion to spend $4.5 trillion.

GDP growth was down in 2015, and down again in 2016, to 1.84%. In the first quarter of 2017, GDP only increased at an annual rate of 0.7%. Which could have led to three years of declining GDP growth. So, no, the numbers were not impressive.

But, we can focus on other things.

Trump is the first president since Eisenhower who hasn’t gotten us involved in a new war.

The Nobel peace prize winner bombed seven countries during his administration.

He caused the rise of Isis in Iraq, and got us involved in civil wars in Libya, Ukraine and Syria, with disastrous results.

Thanks to his mistakes, Russia annexed Crimea, and has a permanent naval base in Syria.

Your argument about the economy had nowhere to go but up(therefore Obama really didnt do anything) is specious. Cmon! Ive heard of twisting an argument but thats downright strangulation

Any CEO who inherits a struggling company gets credit when the company has re-emerged into a better fiscal situation. You wouldnt take any competing CEOs word that "well, the business was so bad it only could have gotten better so my rival didnt really do anything" as any type of serious argument

As for Trump being the first president not getting us into any wars since Eisenhower

Didnt Nixon inherit the Vietnam war (and get us out of it)

What war did Gerald Ford start?

Jimmy Carter? (There were military action like the Iranian hostage crisis but If You count those then Trump had a military action with bombing Syria so there goes your theory out the 25th story window)

Finally if you rationally see a problem with Russia annexing Crimea then why do you support a president who has already admitted his son colluded with the Russians.

Your answers need to be rooted in facts. Not made up presidential wars. Not made up economic automatic no leader required recoveries and no refusing to believe that POTUS has been working with our enemies the Russians

Quote: darkoz

Didnt Nixon inherit the Vietnam war (and get us out of it)

Jimmy Carter? (There were military action like the Iranian hostage crisis but If You count those then Trump had a military action with bombing Syria so there goes your theory out the 25th story window)

Finally if you rationally see a problem with Russia annexing Crimea then why do you support a president who has already admitted his son colluded with the Russians.

Nixon expanded the war into Laos and Cambodia.

Carter fought his wars through proxy.

"Carter proved remarkably generous at providing financial, military, diplomatic and ideological support for fascist dictatorships that tortured and killed millions of members of their domestic populations in an effort to crush popular movements for social justice. Some of the regimes he backed carried out mass slaughter that amounted to genocide." Blood Drenched Lagacy

Lastly. There was nothing wrong with Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary. Contrary to what the controllers want their winged monkeys to believe, it was not illegal. If it was, Mueller would have been more than happy to charge him.

And, contrary to what you seem to believe, it doesn’t compare to Russia annexing Crimea.

Quote: Tanko

Nixon expanded the war into Laos and Cambodia.

Carter fought his wars through proxy.

"Carter proved remarkably generous at providing financial, military, diplomatic and ideological support for fascist dictatorships that tortured and killed millions of members of their domestic populations in an effort to crush popular movements for social justice. Some of the regimes he backed carried out mass slaughter that amounted to genocide." Blood Drenched Lagacy

Lastly. There was nothing wrong with Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary. Contrary to what the controllers want their winged monkeys to believe, it was not illegal. If it was, Mueller would have been more than happy to charge him.

And, contrary to what you seem to believe, it doesn’t compare to Russia annexing Crimea.

So Carter nor Ford started any wars. Sorry proxy wars fought in other countries dont count

Nixon expanded the war means you agree he inherited the war like I said. He did not start the war like you initially claimed

Mueller is still investigating and he is collating data. What makes you think Don jr. Is magically safe?

Quote: Tanko

What you refer to as ‘ a little piece of the puzzle’, is the most important piece of all. The economy.

No, the puzzle IS the economy. The puzzle PIECE that I was referring to was unemployment. You listed off like ten facts and figures regarding unemployment when that is just one area we need to be looking at.

EDIT: Trump falsely claims the economy, jobs best ever

Quote:

Trump is the first president since Eisenhower who hasn’t gotten us involved in a new war.

Yet.... How long did it take before Obama got us involved in something new?

Quote:

The Nobel peace prize winner bombed seven countries during his administration.

So has Trump.

Quote:

He caused the rise of Isis in Iraq,

ISIS was around in Iraq long before Obama.

Quote:

and got us involved in civil wars in Libya, Ukraine and Syria, with disastrous results.

What are these "disastrous results" and how were they Obama's fault?

Quote:

Thanks to his mistakes, Russia annexed Crimea,

What "mistakes" of Obama's specifically led to Russia annexing Crimea?

Quote: Tanko

Lastly. There was nothing wrong with Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary. Contrary to what the controllers want their winged monkeys to believe, it was not illegal. If it was, Mueller would have been more than happy to charge him.

Trump seems to think it's illegal, because he wants Hillary investigated for meeting with Russians to get dirt on him.

EDIT: Even some Fox News pundits think it could be illegal....

the rumor mill is gathering steam about Trump's Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
several news websites are running stories that basically say that he's a crook and a scammer
would anybody be surprised if there's another crook or con man among Trump's inner circle?
I don't think so

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2018/08/06/new-details-about-wilbur-rosss-businesses-point-to-pattern-of-grifting/

Quote: gamerfreak

A Narcissist’s Prayer

That didn’t happen.
And if it did, it wasn’t that bad.
And if it was, that’s not a big deal.
And if it is, that’s not my fault.
And if it was, I didn’t mean it.
And if I did…
You deserved it.

Have you been talking to my wife about me again?

Quote: lilredrooster

the rumor mill is gathering steam about Trump's Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
several news websites are running stories that basically say that he's a crook and a scammer
would anybody be surprised if there's another crook or con man among Trump's inner circle?
I don't think so

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2018/08/06/new-details-about-wilbur-rosss-businesses-point-to-pattern-of-grifting/

Drain the swamp, amirite?!

Quote: lilredrooster

the rumor mill is gathering steam about Trump's Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
several news websites are running stories that basically say that he's a crook and a scammer
would anybody be surprised if there's another crook or con man among Trump's inner circle?
I don't think so

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2018/08/06/new-details-about-wilbur-rosss-businesses-point-to-pattern-of-grifting/

No, see, Wilbur Ross was formerly a Democrat who served under Bill Clinton, so this is obviously all Hillary's fault for not warning Trump about him.

#LockHerUp

Quote: Tanko

Carter fought his wars through proxy.

"Carter proved remarkably generous at providing financial, military, diplomatic and ideological support for fascist dictatorships that tortured and killed millions of members of their domestic populations in an effort to crush popular movements for social justice. Some of the regimes he backed carried out mass slaughter that amounted to genocide." Blood Drenched Lagacy

From link,

"His Carter Center also has done extensive work studying voting systems and certifying the validity of electoral processes. In 2013, Carter debunked Secretary of State John Kerry’s description of the Venezuelan election of Nicolas Maduro as questionable by stating that that the voting was “free and fair.” This was an strong counterweight to American state propaganda"
Removing elected leaders and installing dictators is our foreign policy.

I think Carter has been trying to make amends for his aggression since he left office? He also returned Panama to Panama early. The US has been handling south America for corporations since Smedley Butler.

Quote:

Lastly. There was nothing wrong with Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary. Contrary to what the controllers want their winged monkeys to believe, it was not illegal. If it was, Mueller would have been more than happy to charge him.

And, contrary to what you seem to believe, it doesn’t compare to Russia annexing Crimea.

The msm has poisoned the minds of many posters and Americans at large.

Can anyone that thinks Russia is our "enemy" point to any event where Russians have killed Americans?

Quote: petroglyph

Can anyone that thinks Russia is our "enemy" point to any event where Russians have killed Americans?

Why do Americans need to have been killed for Russia to be considered an enemy?

Quote: TigerWu

Why do Americans need to have been killed for Russia to be considered an enemy?

You help me understand why they put safe places on campuses.

Quote: petroglyph

You help me understand why they put safe places on campuses.

So you are okay with our democracy being undermined by russians as long as no americans lose their lives

I guess thats MAGA

Putin has talked about two weapon systems recently aimed at attacking America. The most recent was hypersonic nuclear missile capable of flying through our current defenses. Friend you say?

Quote: Tanko

Lastly. There was nothing wrong with Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary.

Nothing wrong with it? That's probably why the Trump administration has repeatedly lied for months about the meeting, about the subject, about who knew, about who was there, about who dictated the statement, because they had nothing to hide.

If there was nothing wrong, how about just tell the damn truth about it?

Oh, because...well, they don't tell the truth about ANYTHING.

Quote: rxwine

Putin has talked about two weapon systems recently aimed at attacking America. The most recent was hypersonic nuclear missile capable of flying through our current defenses. Friend you say?

Russia has always built a defensive military. The US violated every treaty and arms agreement with them, promising not to "put one foot further east", which we violated putting missiles in Poland and now NATO is setting up bases in the Balkans.

Russia does now seem to have superior missile technology, which they discovered, trying to defend themselves against our aggression.

I don't believe I called Russia our friend, but they haven't killed near as many Americans as Israel or Saudi Arabia has. Which anyone would declare as our "allies".

Does Russia not have the right to defend itself?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident

Whereas we have aligned ourselves with Russia to defeat ISIS in Syria, we rent space flights to the ISS from Russia, we trade billions of dollars in oil with them. I don't get why everyone is so afraid.

We are the ones that started destabilization in Ukraine, and Crimea willingly joined Russia. There is no there there. Russia has repeatedly offered us intel on terrorist threats, ie Boston Marathon, the towers etc.

We need Russia's friendship to survive China's OBOR.

Quote: petroglyph

You help me understand why they put safe places on campuses.

I have no idea, and furthermore I have no idea what that has to do with the topic at hand.

Is this something a friendly nation would do?

'The documents described the fighters as a “pro-regime force,” loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. It included some Syrian government soldiers and militias, but American military and intelligence officials have said a majority were private Russian paramilitary mercenaries — and most likely a part of the Wagner Group, a company often used by the Kremlin to carry out objectives that officials do not want to be connected to the Russian government.'

(emphasis added)

Quote:

I don't believe I called Russia our friend, but they haven't killed near as many Americans as Israel or Saudi Arabia has. Which anyone would declare as our "allies".

Just for the record, I'm not too hot on Israel or SA, either.

Well said, Comrade.

South Carolina manufacturer says it's closing its plant because of Trump's tariffs.

43% of Republicans want to live in a fascist state.

M....MAGA?

Quote: TigerWu

Is this something a friendly nation would do?

'The documents described the fighters as a “pro-regime force,” loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. It included some Syrian government soldiers and militias, but American military and intelligence officials have said a majority were private Russian paramilitary mercenaries — and most likely a part of the Wagner Group, a company often used by the Kremlin to carry out objectives that officials do not want to be connected to the Russian government.'

From your link:

"Commanders of the rival militaries had long steered clear of the other by speaking through often-used deconfliction telephone lines. "

Yes, we and the Russians have open military communication lines so we don't accidentally shoot each other out of the sky. It seems to have worked as planned in Syria. We haven't shot down each others government forces.

" Russia and the United States were backing separate offensives against the Islamic State in Syria’s oil-rich

Yep, it looks like Syria hired some mercenaries, just as we now do round the world. Trump has suggested replacing entirely our forces in Afg, we have had Blackwater/Xe/ Academi on the gov payroll in Iraq since the beginning, all these would be leaders, hire mercenaries. That is why Eric Prince [Academi] has been paid obscene wealth, for doing dirty jobs, so the US military can claim deniability as contractors are immune from FOIA requests.

" but American military and intelligence officials have said a majority were private Russian paramilitary mercenaries — and most likely a part of the Wagner Group, a company often used by the Kremlin to carry out objectives that officials do not want to be connected to the Russian government.

Same exact thing we do. Saudi and Israel, Egypt etc. as I type, are paying mercenaries in Yemen. Plausible deniability.


“ “The Russian high command in Syria assured us it was not their people,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told senators in testimony last month. He said he directed Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “for the force, then, to be annihilated.”

Our military commanders spoke before hand, Russian leaders said, those aren't our government forces, so we killed them, and Putin made no stink about that event at all. Thats war [i/]

We have no business in Syria, they have asked us repeatedly to leave. Assad has invited Russia and Iran to help them defend THEIR country from the western occupiers. We are committing war crimes as per the UN for out operations there, mercs on the Syrian side or not. Israel has bombed Syria over 100 times since this "faux" civil war started 7 years ago.

Anyway that's how I read your link.

Quote: petroglyph

Anyway that's how I read your link.

So it sounds like you don't think we're on good terms with Russia, either...

Quote: TigerWu

So it sounds like you don't think we're on good terms with Russia, either...

I think good enough. I guarantee Russia or Russians don't want war. It is sinister to keep pushing that genre as the msm does.

Quote: petroglyph

I think good enough. I guarantee Russia or Russians don't want war. It is sinister to keep pushing that genre as the msm does.

What media outlets are pushing war with Russia? I haven't seen that...

Quote: TigerWu

What media outlets are pushing war with Russia? I haven't seen that...

Hostility's then, and sanctions. sheesh

edit; "war" isn't necessarily kinetic. There is economic conflict going on with the sanctions, and world bank locking Russia out of the swift payment system.

So, war by other means.

Quote: petroglyph

Can anyone that thinks Russia is our "enemy" point to any event where Russians have killed Americans?

Putin definitely wants to kill Bill Browder and certainly would if given the chance. And Trump said he would turn him over to Russia if allowed.

I wonder if Trump and his supporters include the National Review as fake news and the enemy of the people: https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/helsinki-summit-trump-bites-on-putins-incredible-offer/

Quote: TigerWu

What are these "disastrous results" and how were they Obama's fault?

What "mistakes" of Obama's specifically led to Russia annexing Crimea?

ISIS was around, but Obama himself admitted he misjudged their capability. “Not on my intelligence screen” and “Surprised”


Libya. Ghadafi was behaving himself. His economy was good. He wasn’t causing trouble, and he prevented migrants from entering Europe. That wasn’t enough. It was the war monger Hillary who convinced Obama to join Nato an overthrow him.



25,000 dead later, migrants are invading Europe, and Libya has returned to the sixth century. Complete with outdoor slave markets, selling African slaves, thanks to Hillary and Obama.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner admitted his handling of Libya was his worst mistake. What gave him the right to overthrow and kill Ghadafi in the first place? The Washington Post called it “illegal as well as badly managed.”

Sirya had a good economy. Which was why Syrian immigrants were rare. Assad took in 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, with no assistance from any other country. The worst drought in 900 years hurt his economy, and that’s when the civil war started.

Obama wanted him out, so he began arming the rebels. Even though half of them were foreign fighters and Jihadists. He knew exactly who they were.

Here is RINO McCain meeting with members if Al Qaeda. No doubt, to discuss arms shipments. He denied knowing who they were. In one photo, he is shown meeting with Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS.

500,000 dead and millions of war refugees later, the war is still ongoing, and the Christian population is facing genocide. Assad could have wrapped it up in a year if Obama didn’t supply the ‘rebels’ with weapons.

The West wanted a solidly pro-west president to lead Ukraine. So they started a civil war to replace him. No thought that Putin might not agree.

Here is presidential candidate Oleg Tsarov talking about US plans to start a civil war, six months before the war began.

‘Clear evidence that within our territory, with support and direct participation of the US Embassy... under which preparations are being made for a civil war.”



Here is the assistant Sec. of State Nuland discussing who we were going to install as the next president of Ukraine:



10,000 dead, and an airliner shot out of the sky. In addition to that, Obama's blunder cost Ukraine the Crimea. Putin is not finished. He needs rail access to Crimea, so expect him to take more of Ukraine.

All of it illegal, poorly planned, poorly executed, and totally unnecessary.

I suspect this read much more fluently in the original Russian. It loses something in translation.

Quote: Tanko

ISIS was around, but Obama himself admitted he misjudged their capability. “Not on my intelligence screen” and “Surprised”

Right, so he absolutely nothing to do with its creation or rise to power. Obama can not be blamed for ISIS.

Quote:

Libya. Ghadafi was behaving himself. His economy was good. He wasn’t causing trouble, and he prevented migrants from entering Europe. That wasn’t enough. It was the war monger Hillary who convinced Obama to join Nato an overthrow him.

LOL... no, no.... The Libyan Civil War had begun before we even got involved, and foreign military intervention was spearheaded by the UK and France. Ghadafi would have been overthrown regardless of who the President was, and even if the U.S. had never gotten involved.

Libyan Civil War

Foreign military intervention in the Libyan Civil War

Quote:

500,000 dead and millions of war refugees later, the war is still ongoing, and the Christian population is facing genocide. Assad could have wrapped it up in a year if Obama didn’t supply the ‘rebels’ with weapons.

And what magical crystal ball did you use to determine this alternate version of history?

Quote:

The West wanted a solidly pro-west president to lead Ukraine. So they started a civil war to replace him.

The civil war started before the West even got involved. You're spouting Russian conspiracy theory.

Ukraine Civil War

Quote:

All of it illegal, poorly planned, poorly executed, and totally unnecessary.

Civil wars usually are. None of the above are directly the fault of Obama or Hillary or the U.S. Your version of events is severely dumbed down and incredibly misleading, if not outright false.

NY Congressman Collins, trumps biggest NY supporter, just indicted on insider trading charges. The evidence seem pretty conclusive.
He found out a drug in testing was going to flop and made phone calls that resulted in his family selling their shares before the news was made public and the stock dropped 90%.
How is it legal for a sitting Congressman to be on the board of directors of a foreign corporation?

Quote: billryan

NY Congressman Collins, trumps biggest NY supporter, just indicted on insider trading charges.

Maybe Trump just added another name to his pardon list, or he never heard of the guy. Chis who? Never met him.

Quote: billryan

How is it legal for a sitting Congressman to be on the board of directors of a foreign corporation?

How is it legal for Congressmen to be dual citizens? Over 80 are citizens of a foreign country.

No one can be equally loyal to two country's.

Quote: billryan

NY Congressman Collins, trumps biggest NY supporter, just indicted on insider trading charges. The evidence seem pretty conclusive.
He found out a drug in testing was going to flop and made phone calls that resulted in his family selling their shares before the news was made public and the stock dropped 90%.
How is it legal for a sitting Congressman to be on the board of directors of a foreign corporation?

You mean the state where Supreme Leader Cuomo created a corruption task force which only found that he himself was corrupt, so he disbanded it?
They don't call us the Emperor's State for nothing. We do what we want and f@#$ you.

Quote: petroglyph

How is it legal for Congressmen to be dual citizens? Over 80 are citizens of a foreign country.

No one can be equally loyal to two country's.

Has the Kremlin released the names or is that a closely held secret?

Quote: Face

You mean the state where Supreme Leader Cuomo created a corruption task force which only found that he himself was corrupt, so he disbanded it?
They don't call us the Emperor's State for nothing. We do what we want and f@#$ you.

He was indicted in Federal Court but why bother with facts when deflection and innuendo is so much easier.

Quote: billryan

He was indicted in Federal Court but why bother with facts when deflection and innuendo is so much easier.

Dunno if I'm misunderstanding you, or vice versa. But I'm not deflecting; I don't play the games present in this thread, I'm just commenting that what you showed as "corruption" is what we here call "Wednesday". Whole state's f@#$ed, red or blue matters not.

Quote: Face

Dunno if I'm misunderstanding you, or vice versa. But I'm not deflecting; I don't play the games present in this thread, I'm just commenting that what you showed as "corruption" is what we here call "Wednesday". Whole state's f@#$ed, red or blue matters not.

Only upstate NY

NYC is pretty sane. Thats why we all knew how nuts Trump was and is

Quote: darkoz

NYC is pretty sane.

You, sir, have just won the award for the most preposterous thing said in this thread.

Quote: mcallister3200

You, sir, have just won the award for the most preposterous thing said in this thread.

Thank you thank you thank you

Truthfully we have a lot of sanity. Its the rest of the country who comes here and cant figure us out

If lights red and no cars nearby please cross the street. Out-of-towners just hold up traffic

If you are on an escalator stand to the right side if you want to be lazy. Stay on your left if you want to rush up them. Out of towners standing on the left are gonna get yelled at. Stop holding up traffic

Out of towners should take mass transit. Get that car mentality out of your head

Please dont give change to panhandlers

And keep your guns home so no one gets shot

Quote: rxwine

Maybe Trump just added another name to his pardon list, or he never heard of the guy. Chis who? Never met him.

Oh, didn't you know? In the Trump administration, there's just the President, and everyone else in the government is just a coffee boy/girl that Trump met like once.

Collins made the calls tipping people to sell while at a picnic at the White House. You can't make this stuff up. There's a photo of his fellow Congressman watching trump speak as Collins fiddles with his phone.
Or can you?

Quote: darkoz

If lights red and no cars nearby please cross the street. Out-of-towners just hold up traffic

If traffic is such that I can evade, I'm crossing. Vehicle presence and/or light conditions matter not. Check.

Quote: darkoz

If you are on an escalator stand to the right side if you want to be lazy. Stay on your left if you want to rush up them. Out of towners standing on the left are gonna get yelled at. Stop holding up traffic

If you need to go up, take the stairs. If on an escalator, walk up it. All others hug the right and make way. Check.

Quote: darkoz

Out of towners should take mass transit. Get that car mentality out of your head

Drove into the city, parked it. 5 days later I grabbed it and drove out. Check.

Quote: panhandlers

Please dont give change to panhandlers

Was never even approached. Check.

Quote: darkoz

And keep your guns home so no one gets shot

Never brought a firearm east of I-87. Check.

Happy? I imagine it feels nice being home, and it must feel nice having an outsider respect it. I can even say it was nice to respect it, despite "it" being wholly contrary to everything I think is right and just. But it's all nice, it feels good, and makes me happy.

Now you try =)

I spent thirty plus years living and working in NYC, another fifteen on Long Island.
How many days have you spent there?
Lived in the Rochester area for two years. Left in 1983 and returned only for a couple weekends of reunions. Wouldn't claim to know much about the area 35 years later.
I live in Nevada, but my heart is New York. Except for tax purposes, of course.

Quote: Face

If traffic is such that I can evade, I'm crossing. Vehicle presence and/or light conditions matter not. Check.



If you need to go up, take the stairs. If on an escalator, walk up it. All others hug the right and make way. Check.



Drove into the city, parked it. 5 days later I grabbed it and drove out. Check.



Was never even approached. Check.



Never brought a firearm east of I-87. Check.

Happy? I imagine it feels nice being home, and it must feel nice having an outsider respect it. I can even say it was nice to respect it, despite "it" being wholly contrary to everything I think is right and just. But it's all nice, it feels good, and makes me happy.

Now you try =)

While im upstate

Red traffic lights and no traffic. Not crossing. Check. Those cars upstate dont care. They come at you fast (if its a looong road i can see down maybe i cross

Escalators - never seen one upstate where i go. Buildings dont go high enough. Check I guess

Dont have license to drive so public transportation for me. Semi-check

Panhandling. Seen that. Dont give. Sorry NY habits die hard. No check

Guns. Dont own any. No check

How'd I do?

I lived in Queens for about a year. Didn't much care for it. Driving SUCKS in NYC. You'll get parking tickets for breathing wrong and the DMV there are MAJOR a**holes. The dating scene was awful, as well. I had to go into Jersey to find girls.

It's a cool place to visit, though; tons of stuff to do, but I'd never want to live there again. I met a lot of cool people, too, from lots of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I miss that aspect of big coastal cities.

Quote: darkoz

How'd I do?

XD

Honestly, I was being an a-hole in my head, then settled down and set out to make a point, and then I forgot to make it lol. But I'm glad I did, because your comments on the driving made me chuckle out loud. I was thinking how one from NYC could possibly think that anywhere Upstate had bad traffic, but then I remembered that in NYC, folks probably follow ped laws and such, whereas most crossings around here are just areas that have lines on them that you still blow thru at 45. You can always tell the urbanites, they're the ones who just walk because "peds have the right of way". And we just don't play that lol.

"No buildings high enough" also made me giggle, though I could show you an escalator that goes up one half floor. Bet you don't have that in your Big City =p

Quote: TigerWu

I lived in Queens for about a year. Didn't much care for it. Driving SUCKS in NYC. You'll get parking tickets for breathing wrong and the DMV there are MAJOR a**holes. The dating scene was awful, as well. I had to go into Jersey to find girls.

It's a cool place to visit, though; tons of stuff to do, but I'd never want to live there again. I met a lot of cool people, too, from lots of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I miss that aspect of big coastal cities.

Best part of living in Queens is its diversity. I think it has the most immigrants in the country and the best ethnic food anywhere I've seen. As a bedroom community for Manhattan, it's got vibrant nightlife and family activities. Lots of parks and open spaces, but Manhattan is twenty minutes away.
It's far from perfect, but I think it's the best part of the city to live in if not super rich. I have a rental property there and if it were ever vacant I wouldn't mind going back for a few weeks.

Quote: rxwine

Maybe Trump just added another name to his pardon list, or he never heard of the guy. Chis who? Never met him.

I’ve met him. Liked him in person. I can tell when a politician is actually listening to what I’m saying. I doubt he survives this. Probably will need to take a plea to do a short stint in minimum security. He was a big Trump supporter if I remember correctly. If Trump doesn’t get re -elected I can easily see this being an end of his Presidency pardon.

Quote: darkoz

Truthfully we have a lot of sanity. Its the rest of the country who comes here and cant figure us out

Ah, the old "I'm not crazy, everyone else is" argument! =)

J/K Oz, I like visiting NYC. Hopefully another trip is coming up next summer.

Quote: Joeman

Ah, the old "I'm not crazy, everyone else is" argument! =)

J/K Oz, I like visiting NYC. Hopefully another trip is coming up next summer.

We're all crazy. If we weren't crazy, we'd all go insane.

Quote: TigerWu

What "mistakes" of Obama's specifically led to Russia annexing Crimea?

THE SETUP

As a U.S. senator, Barack Obama won $48 million in federal funding to help Ukraine destroy thousands of tons of guns and ammunition – weapons which are now unavailable to the Ukrainian army as it faces down Russian President Vladimir Putin during his invasion of Crimea.

In August 2005, just seven months after his swearing-in, Obama traveled to Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine with then-Indiana Republican Senator Dick Lugar, touring a conventional weapons site.

The two met in Kiev with President Victor Yushchenko, making the case that an existing Cooperative Threat Reduction Program covering the destruction of nuclear weapons should be expanded to include artillery, small arms, anti-aircraft weapons, and conventional ammunition of all kinds.

After a stopover in London, the senators returned to Washington and declared that the U.S. should devote funds to speed up the destruction of more than 400,000 small arms, 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles, and more than 15,000 tons of ammunition.

Then-Senator Barack Obama inspected decommissioned artillery shells in a warehouse in Donetsk, Ukraine, and argued that Congress should allocate money to speed up the destruction of thousands of tons more.

Then-Senator Barack Obama inspected decommissioned artillery shells in a warehouse in Donetsk, Ukraine, and argued that Congress should allocate money to speed up the destruction of thousands of tons more

Obama, then a junior senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, worked with then-Republican committee chair Dick Lugar (L) to oversee destruction of Soviet-era war materiel through an agreement that Lugar had brokered years earlier, covering only nuclear weapons

Obama, then a junior senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, worked with then-Republican committee chair Dick Lugar (L) to oversee destruction of Soviet-era war materiel through an agreement that Lugar had brokered years earlier, covering only nuclear weapons

Photographs from the trip show Obama inspecting a plant where Soviet-era artillery shells and shoulder-fired missiles were collecting dust, leftovers dumped in Ukraine after the USSR withdrew from Eastern bloc nations after the once-mighty communist nation fell apart.

The United Nations had already identified some 7 million small arms and light weapons, and 2 million tons of conventional ammunition, warehoused in more than 80 weapons depots spread across the country. . . .
In August 2005, just seven months after his swearing-in, Obama traveled to Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine with then-Indiana Republican Senator Dick Lugar, touring a conventional weapons site. The two met in Kiev with President Victor Yushchenko, making the case that an existing Cooperative Threat Reduction Program covering the destruction of nuclear weapons should be expanded to include artillery, small arms, anti-aircraft weapons, and conventional ammunition of all kinds. After a stopover in London, the senators returned to Washington and declared that the U.S. should devote funds to speed up the destruction of more than 400,000 small arms, 1,000 anti-aircraft missiles, and more than 15,000 tons of ammunition. --Daily Mail

THE BETRAYAL

The downing of Flight 17 is of a piece with Putin’s lawless aggression. Having already absorbed Crimea, he seeks to further dismember a European country for the offense of seeking to govern itself in keeping with its values and interests.

So far, he hasn’t paid enough of a concrete price, despite repeated warnings from President Obama. When they go unheeded, Obama simply issues new warnings. They have marked each step of Putin’s escalation, and never made a difference. What Teddy Roosevelt was to gunboat diplomacy, Barack Obama is to the ineffectual demand.

Putin is surely counting on the urgency of the latest outrage fading with time and with his inevitable obfuscations and lies. President Obama said on Monday that if Russia persists in Ukraine it “will only further isolate itself from the international community.” But isolation isn’t an autocatalytic process. Someone has to do the isolating.

The U.S. has been more aggressive on sanctions than the Europeans yet has stopped short of cutting off broad sectors of the Russian economy from our financial system. That is within our power to do, even if the Europeans balk at going so far, and there also is nothing stopping us from providing the Ukrainian military with the heavy arms to win the Putin-instigated civil war.

The Ukrainian military was starved of funds by pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country earlier this year. Ukrainians have been holding bake sales to support the army. Our initial response was to send the Ukrainian military Meals Ready to Eat, which would have been a fearsome response if Russian-backed rebels could be defeated by Spam. A report in the Wall Street Journal in April captured the administration’s mindset when it noted that we were reviewing Ukrainian requests for medical kits and military socks because “you want to calibrate your chest-thumps,” in the words of a senior military official. The nonlethal aid is now flowing, but who thinks of socks as a “chest-thump”? --NR