HeyYou

Actually, military spending was on the decline, until 9/11/01... then it shot up pretty dramatically. Of course, that roughly coincides with starting two wars, and then later, getting involved in a few more. Unfortunately, our 'wars on terror' had decidedly the opposite of the intended effect. Terrorism is even MORE prevalent today, thanks to our 'intervention' in the middle east. Had bush refrained from taking out saddam, and simply sent a small team to kill Osama, how much different would the world be today?

There may be 'unprecedented unity', but, it still hasn't stopped, or even noticeably slowed, NK weapons programs.... So far, diplomacy/sanctions have accomplished none of the goals. Their weapons programs are procedeing apace, and they recently detonated an H bomb. They ostensibly have the capability to put warheads on some missiles.... but, it still questionable how good their accuracy is.... Though, with nukes, 'accuracy' isn't paramount, if you are 'close', that's going to be good enough to make a serious mess of the target. I still doubt that NK will actually resort to nuking someone though. Kimmie-boy HAS to be aware that such an action would spell the end of his regime, and likely his country....... He would have to be mighty desperate to go there..

Gots ta have that internets though. :D It was actually cheaper for me to do my phone, internet, and TV via the cable company, than it was any other combination. Cutting off TV, or switching to a different provider, actually cost MORE..... The kids loved it, I couldn't have cared less. Where I am now though..... Cable isn't an option. I am rather 'out in the sticks'. Which I love. :D Real internet didn't show up here until I had been here a bit over a year. (via the local telco) I don't use their phone service at all.... don't even have a phone plugged into it... (still get to pay for basic phone service though..... wonderful.) I use my Roku box for TV. But, we are WAY off-topic here. :D We still need to ban spoons.

Welfare is an entitlement. You are mixing terms there. While technically correct, by the definitions our government uses..... SS doesn't fit as an entitlement. But, once again, that's just semantics. If our government privatizes SS though.... it becomes a whole different ball game. Not one I want to play, so, I resist that idea with every fiber of my being, for exactly those reasons. Some faceless corporation would happily cut folks off, if it meant the upper management got bigger bonuses......

Cross your border into my state of West Virginia. We have lots of obese and overweight. Poor diets, processed food and almost no activity are the main contribution. Also if I watch a 30 min program on tv and lose count at how many food commercials there are (well I think the ahem...male erectile dysfunction gives it a run.) My grandparents ate lots of fatty foods (they cooked with lard) and I learned to cook from them. I cook "Southern" food a great deal. Ya know, like if you can put bacon on it or in it, then do so. If you can not, look to tooth picks to hang bacon on somehow. (lol) The difference is they worked hard. Lots of manual labor. They walked all over the place. My grandmother was the eldest of 7 kids. She helped raise the younger ones (my youngest great-aunt was the same age as my mother.) Exercising like most of us to doesn't replace the hard and manual labor that most of our parents/grandparents, etc did. Also a weird thing, the size of dinner plates, bowls, cups has increased by a great amount. Most of them have increased several inches (seriously google it.) I gave up on broadcast TV. Anything I want to watch is pretty much available online somewhere, WITHOUT commercials. I got seriously tired of five minutes of what I WANT to watch, then ten minutes of commercials. I don't listen to the radio for the same reason.

The repubbies like to see it as an 'entitlement', but, that isn't really the case. It's 'insurance'.... I paid into it for many decades, before I started collecting on it. And I didn't really want to. I would MUCH rather be able to work.... but, that doesn't seem to be in the cards. So, if I want a warm place to sleep at night, and a roof over my head, this is what I gotta do. Reagan just wanted the money to give to the military...... SS has been raided so many times, I am surprised the checks still cash. :)

Yeah, it seems that you and I are indeed on the same page. :) For the most part. Major problem I have though, is I am one of those 'perpetual teetsuckers' that only survives because of the federal government. (social security disability.... I have MS, and am not exactly capable of holding down a full-time job......) When the collapse comes, there goes my support structure, so, I will be just another casualty of the fall. Provided I live long enough to see it. (open for debate....) In any event, I know it's coming, just not when. Things simply cannot go on as they have, without something major changing. Eventually, our debt is going to catch up with us, and our money is going to become worthless. I suspect that when the fall does come, it isn't going to be JUST the US that suffers, we are going to take a good chunk of the world economy down with us.

So, in essence, what I am seeing here is: We pretty much agree. Its just a bit of semantics that is the major bone of contention. :D The government might tell us 'this is only temporary'..... (kinda like the introduction of income taxes to pay for WWII.......) but, strangely enough, some of those 'temporary' measures become permanent in operation, if not in fact. Some parts of the patriot act were incorporated into permanent laws..... and there goes any expectation of our right to privacy. Not that we had any previously...... the government just passed laws to legalize stuff they had been doing for decades anyway. And then we have 'gun laws'....... The second amendment specifically states 'shall not be infringed', yet, we have how many laws on the books that do exactly that? All in the name of 'public safety', or 'public health'...... and we have the liberal left wanting to curtail those rights even more, in the forlorn hope that they can 'save lives'. Which really doesn't play out well, considering the laws they propose would not reduce 'gun violence' at all, and only make it harder for the law-abiding citizens to exercise their rights. And then they try and give it an 'appealing' label, by calling them 'common sense'..... when common sense will tell you that they won't do a damn thing to solve the problem they are working on. But then, it has come to my attention, that government isn't in the business of problem SOLVING..... If they solve a problem, they can't milk it for more campaign money, or use it to beat up on the 'other' guys..... The original intent of the founding fathers was quite good, but, even they KNEW that eventually, the whole system would come crashing down around our ears, and that is exactly what is happening. It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck. You can see it coming, know exactly why it happened, probably even pointed it out to the folks in charge, in the vain hope they would do something about it...... and all you get is lip service, and 'it was HIS fault'...... Yeah. It's sad to see a once-great country go down the tubes, because the government is filled with people that are only concerned about lining their own pockets, and securing more power for themselves....... But, that's a rant for another topic. :D

Do they? I can’t imagine what those purposes might be but perhaps you could draw me a picture or two to educate me? They use them to stuff their faces with all sorts of unhealthy goodness..... erm..... stuff. :D

Right, a warrant granted by a judge. You know, part of the court system.You're confusing the process with our government's obligation to follow the process. The latter is due process not the former, our due process rights like the rest of our constitutional rights are inherent and have absolutely nothing to do with courts or judges. The process itself, however, most definitely involves them.First, you only get the rights your government is willing to give you. There is nothing 'inherent', or 'god-given' about them.HeyYou, will all due respect your posts indicate a near-complete lack of understanding about even the basics of our government and our constitutional rights as citizens. Refer to our Declaration of Independence and you'll discover these rights are unalienable, i.e. NOT GRANTED BY THE STATE. It is beyond the power of any judge or court to deny any law-abiding citizen any of his or her constitutional rights. Not even one of these rights. Ever. For any reason. Because they are God-given and inherent. I won't continue wasting my or the forum's time correcting abject ignorance. You're intent on insisting your constitutional rights issue from our legal system instead of from your own Creator. Our government does not issue these rights, it simply recognizes them, and claiming otherwise imo is beyond sad and well into scary. Because in some countries such as China these inherent human rights are not recognized. If you honestly believe human beings have no inherent rights except for those that are explicitly given to them by their government, I wish you'd go spend a few months in a country where it's actually true, such as China, and get back to us with your opinion. Here in America we have the implied right to do quite literally anything whatsoever that is not explicitly illegal. It's the essence of American freedom imo. In theory, that may work. However, in reality, I am most certainly correct. If you take a good close look, you should be able to notice that over the last couple decades, the government has indeed curtailed our rights. What's worse is, the people excepted it. Take a close look at the 'patriot' act, or various gun laws passed. The government is indeed removing our rights. You can be as idealistic as you like, but, that doesn't change the facts. The government can, and will, and HAS, legislated away your 'rights', whenever it suits their purposes. Your example of lack of rights in China is a beautiful illustration of the point. Sure, we may have a 'different' governmental system, but, in the end, it works out to the same thing. Government is about CONTROL. The fewer rights your citizens have, the easier they are to control. Turning a blind eye to reality, and passing it off as 'ignorance', only shows your own willful ignorance in how things actually work in the real world.

Spoons. We should ban them. People use them for all sorts of unhealthy purposes.

Right, a warrant granted by a judge. You know, part of the court system.You're confusing the process with our government's obligation to follow the process. The latter is due process not the former, our due process rights like the rest of our constitutional rights are inherent and have absolutely nothing to do with courts or judges. The process itself, however, most definitely involves them. First, you only get the rights your government is willing to give you. There is nothing 'inherent', or 'god-given' about them. The government giveth, and the government can just as easily take away.... As they have done for over a century. I fail to see how you can separate 'due process' from our court system. They are mutually dependent on each other. You simply cannot have one, without the other.

I don't think the donald gives two hoots or a holler about his approval ratings........ That, and there are a selection of 'news' sources out there that just LOVE to Dump On Trump. If Donald found the cure for cancer, and gave it away for free, there are news organizations out there that would find a way to spin it to make him look bad. It looks a lot like Obama's first few months in office did, just different news organizations on the rampage.

Right, a warrant granted by a judge. You know, part of the court system.

I read the story. Yes, the cop was out of line. However, it isn't like this doesn't happen elsewhere, on a fairly regular basis. "due process" is the pervue of the court system, which takes over AFTER the cops are done with you.

Actually, due process worked here. The nurse knew the law, and stuck with it. The cops, that tried to circumvent the law, got their just deserts. Also, the cop that went to the hospital could have declined the order, as it was unlawful. (and he likely knew that too.....) Just like in the military, you are only REQUIRED to follow LAWFUL orders. If you make that decision, and are right, there aren't any repercussions. (at least, not technically, you instantly have a superior that hates you though....) If you are wrong.... well, then you are unemployed.

Yeah, generators are pretty popular here too... Though in the five years I have lived here, I think the longest I have been without power was about 3 hours one day after an ice storm. :) Jury is still out on just how much of an effect EMP will have on various computerized engine controls...... cars/small engines just don't have the long wire runs to act as an antenna for the EMP....... So, maybe they will still work, maybe they won't.

Emp effects can be more far-reaching than just a small area that is directly affected. In the early 2000's, the entire east coast power grid was brought down by one Raccoon. (no word on if it was a muslim raccoon....) Sure, the coon only trashed one transformer, but then, we ended up with a cascade failure, as other grids tried to 'fill the gap', were overloaded, and themselves failed. Once the reaction started...... there really was no stopping it. Most of the east coast was without power for 3 to 10 days....... (and I use 'coast' rather loosely, as I live in south central Michigan, and our power was out for 3 days......) Now, if you whack an area with a small air burst a-bomb, the immediate area will be instantly deprived of power, surrounding areas will try and fill the gap, and we will end up in the same situation as we did a decade and change ago. Use a larger bomb, and the effects become more widespread. And that won't be something you recover from in a few days either, the equipment directly exposed will likely need to be replaced, and that can possibly include the high-tension wires..... Not a small undertaking......

it doesn't take much of a bomb to trigger a fairly dramatic EMP event. A bomb as small as 10 kilotons could take out a good sized chunk of our electrical grid. Of course, that would have zero affect on our missiles, land-base, or sub-based. Detonating a nuke above the US would most certainly be considered an act of war, and we would most certainly retaliate. NK would essentially cease to exist. We may, or may not... use nukes in such a case.... but, even with conventional weapons, NK STILL would not win. Of course, neither would we......

Considering NK's dire poverty I doubt they would, or even could. The thing about military dictatorships is that they tend to collapse entirely when the dictators are removed. We didn't see any organized efforts by anyone (even Arabs) to bring Saddam Hussein back in Iraq. Or Qaddafi in Libya etc. So I'd be shocked if the NK people wished to destroy the other and far more prosperous/wealthy two-thirds of their own country. Again long-term imo it will look more like German reunification than an extended conflict. I would like to think so as well, however..... Kims 'people' supposedly consider him just short of a God....... one would think they would be quite annoyed if someone killed him.... of course, it isn't 'the people' making the decision to go to war or not either..... Of course, if we strike first, then NK will have the backing of China and Russia.... and that may embolden them enough to actually start tossing large quantities of ordinance at SK..... I think the trick here is going to be pissing off lil kim enough that he makes a misstep, that we can then use as an excuse to pound the snot out of HIM. Not NK in general, just kimmie boy in particular.

A list of any 10 of one's preferences (anything from career choice to favorite foods and ice cream flavor) would be enough to test for personality changes. Changes to self-identity would be even easier to measure, e.g. when looking in a mirror does one recognize their own body as themselves or not etc. It's why imo Di0nysys' view, while popular and maybe even predominant, is absurd. It reminds me of the disdain the first heart transplant doctors got in the 1960's, because a sizable number of other doctors (and even some religious denominations) believed the operation would replace peoples' souls. Any of those things can, and do... change over time. In my view, 'personality' is how you interact with the world around you, people/places/things, more than what you really want to be doing for a living.....

Maybe you should wear short-sleeved shirts?

It all depends on what the goal is in the beginning, and how we set out to accomplish it. If all we want to do is get rid of lil kim, then a quick surgical strike on a select few targets should accomplish the goal. Once he is dead, are the NKs STILL going to want to get into a dust-up that they KNOW they will LOSE? I don't think it really needs to be an 'all-out' invasion. That would indeed guarantee massive casualties on both sides.... From what I have read, NK has something to the tune of 8 THOUSAND artillery tubes that are in range of Seoul....... If they decide to start crankin' on those, they are going to make a serious mess, in short order. We can destroy them with counter-battery fire..... but, in order to know where to fire, THEY have to fire FIRST...... They can't fire the gun, then move it back into cover before the counter-fire shows up..... But even so, if each tube only gets one shot, (wildly optimistic) and only 10% of those actually hit the target, (again, wildly optimistic) that is still 800 rounds coming down in a densely populated city. Yeah, casualties will be high, to say the least. Trouble is, NK is ALWAYS going to have that capability. Their ability to inflict massive casualties is only going to INCREASE over time. Geometrically....... if they have the ability to put nukes, even poor-performing ones, on even short range missiles, it's a whole new ballgame. Just a couple of those would dwarf the damage the artillery would be able to do....... So, what do we do? Do we continue with our 'strategic patience'.... knowing full well that once lil kim has the confirmed ability to strike pretty much anywhere he wants with hydrogen bombs.... he is going to be 'negotiating' from a MUCH stronger position. (which is likely exactly what he wants......) You think his demands are outrageous NOW? Wait until he can threaten to drop an H-bomb on a large city...... He is going to be absolutely impossible to live with, and taking him out at that point will be MUCH more expensive.

Terribly sorry, but, "rational" actors don't regularly threaten everyone and their cousin with wiping out their country with nuclear weapons. Especially when everyone KNOWS it is an empty threat. Currently. So, shall we allow NK to develop their weapons/missile programs to the point that the can back that threat up? We have been negotiating with NK for decades, and if follows a familiar pattern. Belligerence, negotiation, concessions, quiet for a while, then right back to belligerence. Not a single agreement with NK has lasted more than 2 years. Not. One. So, let me ask you this. Would YOU continue to negotiate with someone that you KNEW FOR A FACT would NOT honor the agreement?

No one WANTS a war. But, that doesn't mean there isn't going to be one. Lil Kim is already indulging in nuclear blackmail, the longer we wait, the worse it is going to get. At this point, he may, or may not... have warheads he can actually put on missiles, the longer we wait, the higher the likelihood that he WILL have them. And yes, IF there is a war, folks are going to die. That is just the way things work. However, if we fight him NOW, we can quite likely limit the war to conventional arms. That is not going to remain the case for much longer. If Kim starts tossing nukes, the casualty count will dwarf the damage he can currently do. We will go from 10 of thousands, to millions...... Personally, I would MUCH prefer that damage was limited to the Korean peninsula..... I would just as soon not give kim time to get his weapons program to the point he can actually hit Japan, Guam, or the US.