51 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(6 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Welcome back, Alan. My best to you and Diana.

Bill

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52 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(4 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Absolutely hilarious. I've seen this elsewhere, but seeing it again just makes it funnier.

Bill

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53 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(144 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

As an experiment, for the last two, I only Suspended the accounts. Both times, I got kicked off and had to log in again. However, if I Delete an account, this does not happen.

There is a lot of code for that page. Most of which I can't see to evaluate. It could be that since the person being Deleted MIGHT be logged in at the time, the site simply removes the page (and account)--catching the moderator as well. It could also be that the page refresh is doing something wrong by kicking anyone currently reading the page off the system while it rebuilds the page without the offending account on it.

Bill

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54 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(144 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

There is something wrong with the "Suspend Account" button for Moderators. Every time I suspend an account, I get logged out and have to log back in again. If there are more than one new account to suspend, then it gets really frustrating.

Bill

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55 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(7 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

That's outstanding, Randy. Your career as a writer seems to have taken off quite well. Congratulations.

Bill

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56 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

A welcome change. Thanks, Sol.

Bill

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57 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(2 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Haven't heard that one, but I wouldn't put it past him. He's started so many fires all over the place, one or more is sure to flame up and burn our butt. If he tries this, I'd bet we would have a civil war within a month.

Bill

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58 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(5 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Mid-terms are our best (and only) hope for changing the Congressional makeup. If we can get a nose under the tent flap, we'd have a much better chance at reform.

It would have something to see if the entire Democratic side of the house got up and walked out instead of just a few brave souls.

Bill

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59 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(10 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Thanks to my 20-year career in the armed forces, I have Tricare for Life. Whatever Medicare doesn't pay, Tricare does. My quad bypass cost around $600K. I didn't pay a dime of it. Tricare also picks up my medications, and I get them from the base pharmacy. Having said all that, I would still be in dire straits if SS goes away. My wife gets less than I do, but I've been paying into it since 1961, when I enlisted, until 2004 when I finally retired (at 62). Now that both of us are octogenarians, we'd both get hurt by the loss of ANY of these programs.

Bill

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60 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(10 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Oh, that's hilarious, Dirk! I watched the whole fiasco from its (late) start, to the rousing, red, white, and blue big finish. All he needed was a brass band in the background. [Can I get a rah-rah!]

Zelenski has already said he wouldn't sell or give away mineral rights to Felon47 after the way he was treated in the Oval Office, and I don't blame him. Greenland and the Panama Canal Authority are probably mobilizing their own forces to keep his mitts off their respective countries/properties. And how about that "plant our flag on Mars" bullshit? Out of sight.

Bill

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61 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(5 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Here's a really hilarious juxtaposition: Felon47's speech follows, at least on the East Coast, the game show "The Price is Right." How fitting!!

Bill

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62 Topic by B Douglas Slack

(5 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Since the Muskrats are pretty much screwing everyone in the country, I propose a new name for them as DOGE just doesn't seem sufficient enough to cover the damage. From now on, I will refer to them as DOGGIE (Department of Gutting Government In Extremis).

I do plan to watch, keyword "watch," Felon47's wanderings in front of Congress this evening. The closed captioning will be on as usual, but I'll read it using the Swedish Chef's voice. I've found that his "speeches" are much more enjoyable that way.

Bill

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63 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

The military mind is an odd mix of duty and conscience. In the majority of situations, the duty will kick in and without doubt they will run to the sound of guns. Length of service, amount of satisfaction they have with their environment, compensations when off-duty, and the support of family--either accompanying or remote, will determine the outcome of their course of action.

If I were still in the saddle, I would definitely be in the "no way" corner. My security clearances were the highest in the land, and I would do nothing to jeopardize them. Having said that, it would take a force bigger than just my immediate superior to get me to betray my oath to the Constitution and NOT to the Felon in Chief.

As you postulate, MJ, should the order come down to fight FOR Russia (not the bad, old USSR) against the beleaguered Ukraine, I would have to decline. Turkey has the right idea. Go in, finish the conflict, and get the Hell out. We should have done that in Vietnam, and probably would have had not Johnson sent those two destroyers (I was ON one of them) into the Gulf of Tonkin and forced North Vietnam to retaliate. This was his aim, to force Congress to allocate more men and equipment as targets. But I digress.

Russia is, by far, even more dangerous than the USSR was. They now have only loose control of all their firepower. They've lost their satellite countries, and are now desperate. Putin viewed Felon47 as an ally his first term, working to get him elected. Then, the second round was orchestrated by another oligarch who wants nothing more than to tear our government apart in order to make Felon47 even stronger.

The effects are even now being felt down at my level. Every contract doctor/nurse at the base hospital has been terminated. They're kicking every one of us who have been accepting care from the base (In my case for 32 years) out into the cold world of Medicare, which is itself under bombardment from Felon47.

Sorry. I rambled a bit, but to summarize: No way would I fight FOR Russia. I would fight as a common guerrilla FOR the Ukraine before I'd do that.

Bill

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64 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Your post was only 40 minutes after mine. It does appear to be working now. Thanks.

Bill

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65 Topic by B Douglas Slack

(2 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Any attempt to log in only refreshes the login page. No other action is discernible. Glitch, or is the site down, again?

Bill

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66 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(144 replies, posted in TheNextBigWriter Premium)

Like NJC says, it isn't the computer. Computers are absolutely dumb machines. They do what they're told. AI notwithstanding, someone had to program the AI. I started programming back in 1962 using punched IBM cards fed into the computer that filled the entire wall. It's memory was four 32K units and external storage was magnetic tapes. We've come a long way, but still the programmer is the guiding force behind any computer.

Bill

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67 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(17 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

I'm not so sure Putin has anything on Felon47. It could very well be that Putin is a role model for him. He wants to be set up a dictator just like Putin.

Bill

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68 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(17 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Biden already knew, or could have figured out quickly, that he had no backing in the court system, as well as Congress. If he'd tried imprisoning Felon47, then things would have turned even nastier than they already were. On the other hand, I do agree that justice took its own sweet time going after Felon47, dragging her feet all the way.

Bill

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69 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(5 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

I plan to do the same. No nothing except stay at home and do some reading.

Bill

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70 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

I've seen a few clips of Sen. Murphy. He's a dynamic speaker and if anyone can rally supporters, it's him.
Bill

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71 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Felon47 should have been there before the election. If the court system hadn't been handcuffed by big business and the like, this would have happened. The biggest problem would have been the Supreme Court, already bought and paid for my Felon47.

Bill

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72 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

One would hope that a good, solid majority (better than 98%) of military members would refuse an illegal order to suppress any civilian disturbance simply at the order of one person (the President). The legislative branch must pass an approval vote to such use before I'd ever lift a finger.

Bill

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73 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Well, there is a "check and balance" that takes effect if Felon47 attempts this. It is called "Posse Comitatus" and, so far, it is still a law firmly embedded in our land.

Take a look at this: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ … -explained

Bill

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74 Topic by B Douglas Slack

(9 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

Just today, I read the following by Representative Mikie Sherrill, a format Navy pilot. I am reposting it here in its entirety. I totally agree with it.

QUOTE:
So much for a “meritocracy.”
Last night at the Pentagon, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismantled a core principle of American democracy: the apolitical military. Let me explain what’s going on and why it is deeply dangerous for our country:
Secretary Hegseth announced that he is firing some of our nation’s top military leaders — including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and a number of three and four star Generals and Flag Officers.
You don’t rise to our military’s highest positions without decades of leadership and commitment to serving missions across the globe. Four-star General C.Q. Brown has been serving our nation since 1984. Four-star Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been serving since 1985. Both of these individuals earned their barrier-breaking positions because they devoted their lives to taking on our nation’s toughest challenges — and they have the resumes to prove it.
Yet, Secretary Hegseth called Admiral Franchetti a DEI hire in his book, and criticized General Brown because of his commitment to promoting diversity in our armed forces. This move isn’t about strengthening our armed forces, and it isn’t about merit. It's about Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump implementing their political agenda.
Additionally, Trump and Hegseth fired the top Judge Advocates General, who are the military’s top lawyers. These are the individuals who interpret law for our commanders, and ensure that we’re fighting in accordance with our values.
Normally, our military’s top leadership serves under multiple administrations — Democrats and Republicans alike. At the beginning of a presidential term, the leaders in these positions typically stay in place — some of the leaders fired yesterday even served in Trump’s first administration.
Now, Trump and Hegseth are trying to gut the military’s leadership so they can use the armed forces to carry out their personal, political agenda. This move will threaten America’s national security, show weakness to dictators worldwide like Vladimir Putin, and give Donald Trump unchecked power to abuse our military.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I joined my veteran colleagues to demand answers from Hegseth and hold him accountable for this brazen, dangerous abuse of power.
In the United States Armed Forces, you swear an oath to the Constitution — not a person, not a political party. It’s an oath I took for the first time at age eighteen when I entered the Naval Academy, and have taken numerous times throughout my career. I will never abandon that oath, and I will always fight to protect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country. 
– US Representative Mikie Sherrill, Former Navy Pilot.

END QUOTE

Bill

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75 Reply by B Douglas Slack

(33 replies, posted in We're All Ears)

It is a sorry state of affairs when the good citizens of any country begin thinking of moving to anywhere else purely due to political pressures and outright hooliganism. My ties are here. My father fought in WW2, not directly against aggressors, but monitoring weather conditions in Alaska and analyzing their physical contents to see if the Soviet Union had developed nuclear energy. He remained in service for a total of 31 years, retiring as a full colonel is what was now being called the Air Force. I was born in 1942, so I've never been a civilian. To my way of thinking, no right-minded military man could even think of signing up for a cup of Kool-Aide from Felon47. It runs against my grain every time I hear his comments that we are losers and incompetents. I worked damn hard for my twenty years, retired with honors, and I'll be damned if I'll just knuckle under. I'm here, and here I plan to stay. If I have to use the storm shelter, so be it. But, Felon47 isn't digging me out of my position. I think I can handle four years. If he ever gets that third term, then all bets are off.

Bill

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