HeyYou

Lets be clear the last few flybys are the aviation equivalent of the middle finger. These incidents are only made possible by the perception that we have no red line that the current administration is not willing to back down over. Putin is a pragmatist and is willing to risk provocations for what he sees as negligible consequences. Pretty much. :) Wonder if the pilots feel the same way?

We are already engaging in proxy wars with Russia, in both Syria, and Ukraine, possibly other places as well...... And yes, the US is pressing their influence on places that used to be part of the USSR.... Still and all, that doesn't make Russias behavior excusable.......

Syria is a war zone though. Some losses are EXPECTED. The news really didn't cover the shoot-down all that much, and we have no idea what happened behind the scenes to prevent an escalation......

See, that's just it. Trump already has more money than god, so, he doesn't care about any of that. He financed his own campaign, so, if elected, he isn't going to be beholden to anyone. I really don't think he cares about a second term either, so it really doesn't matter what powers-that-be he pisses off. He can do pretty much as he pleases, insofar as the office allows. Should be interesting to watch. :D Yes, he is definitely very wealthy and powerfull man... in a sense, but I don't think he's immortal or stupid enough to mess up the "big game" and cross some other wealthy, powerfull groups, as it may result in the same tragedy, befell the John F. Kennedy in early 60s... Any president has the power to trigger WWIII. All it would take is one wrong decision, and away we go. Why do you think we have so far tolerated Russian fighter jets buzzing our ships, and other aircraft, in international waters/airspace? What they are doing (the Russians) is indeed justification to shoot down their aircraft, yet, we haven't. Yet...... How do you think Russia would react if we splashed a couple of them? They would likely want some tit for tat, and shoot at a couple of ours, which could rapidly escalate to full-blown war. Not necessarily tossing nukes, as most envision WWIII, but, even a conventional war between super-powers would unleash destruction on an epic scale. Every president also runs the risk of assassination...... It hasn't happened lately, as security for the pres has gotten much better, as have criminal investigation techniques. Should someone actually succeed at whacking him dead, chances are very good they would be caught..... and that's the end of their empire. Not to mention, I think Trump is far to arrogant to think anyone would actually make an attempt on his life. :) @Sunshinebrick: It's not so much the kids in combat growing tired of it, its the folks that are SENDING Them there. It's an easy decision for them, as none of THEIR kids will be involved. Now, make military service mandatory, and that becomes no longer the case. Sending THEIR OWN children off to war would lend them a whole new perspective on the decision.

Agreed, it's the folks with no 'skin in the game' that are the ones that are quick to leap to military intervention...... Maybe the Israelis have the right of it here, with mandatory military service for ALL men..... If those congressfolk advocating for war actually had kids in combat positions, they might be a bit more circumspect about sending them to war.

Right there wit' ya Waldo. :D

Nor should folks be able to dictate how folks practice their religion. Isn't that fair? How is forcing an institution to perform a religious ritual for a couple that violates the very tenets of said religion, in any way "the right thing to do"? See, I think the basic disagreement we have here, at least, between you and I..... Is our views on gay/lesbian/bi/trans being anything other than a mental imbalance, for lack of a better term, you may call it 'gender identity', I call it gender confusion. Folks with their six year old kids that are male, thinking they want to be female, when they don't even the the slightest clue about 'gender identity', or even the whole gender thing entirely. Some folks want to call it 'genetics', I have yet to see any real proof of that. The LBGT community tries to convince us it is anything other than a choice. I don't see it that way. And this particular belief is going to be what prevents you and I from finding any common ground on this issue. Our core beliefs are just far to different. Personally, what folks do in the privacy of their own homes, who they want to sleep with, etc, is none of my concern. I, quite frankly, don't care. It doesn't affect me. At all. When it comes out into public though, and it starts being forced on me, then, I have a problem with it. I don't hate anyone, don't hate the LBGT crowd either, I have friends that are gay. They just don't demand I change how I live my life, because they are gay. And on that note, I am going to bow out of this particular discussion, cause I don't see it going anywhere I really wanna be. :) It's been interesting though. Thank you for that.

What I find most interesting here is, your arguments for the LBGT community, parallel quite closely with arguments for gun control. Punish the majority for the infractions of a minority. In both cases, an insignificant percentage of the minority. And THAT is my chief complaint against the democratic party. Gun Control. The whole LBGT thing IS an issue, but, it's WAY down on the list of things that are important to me. Another major issue I have, is their plan to 'halt climate change'. Which in and of itself flies in the face of reality. The climate changes, that is a FACT. To think they can stop it, is blatantly stupid. The measures they want to implement, would have horribly bad effects on our economy, our quality of life, and the cost of EVERYTHING. Sure, going to some variety of renewable energy is all well and good, however, calling things like 'wind energy', and solar "green", is a major misconception. The path from minerals buried in the ground required for the construction, to the completed generator on its tower is absolutely terrible for the environment. But, that's all happening in China, so, as far as american politicians are concerned, it's "Green"..... Same for solar panels. I hear rumors of solar panels made from more common materials now though, so, maybe that is a possibility. Around here, where they installed windmills...... they ALSO installed "auxiliary generators", for when the wind isn't blowing..... Powered by.... Diesel fuel. In all reality, if they had installed another gas-fired generation station, they would have less of an environmental impact...... Humans are ostensibly thinking creatures. We have the ability to see a threat, and take steps to mediate said threat. However, what we don't seem to be able to figure out is: Some things are beyond our control, and while we may delay the inevitable, it is STILL gonna happen. We have a choice, we can adapt, or, we can die. I will grant you that adapting will be expensive, and will make lots of folks rather unhappy. Unhappy is better than dead. (for the record, I was AGAINST rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina, after all, with sea levels rising, and predictions of more, and more powerful storms ((which we still haven't seen, by the way)), rebuilding a place that was just wiped out by something you expect to see more often, is pretty farking stupid. No, I wasn't surprised at all when they rebuilt, in the same spot......) Do I expect anything to really change on that front? Nope. Not really. :D I am pleased you have a sense of humor. :) Some folks take themselves FAR to seriously, and wouldn't recognize a joke if it jumped up and bit them.

See, that's just it. Trump already has more money than god, so, he doesn't care about any of that. He financed his own campaign, so, if elected, he isn't going to be beholden to anyone. I really don't think he cares about a second term either, so it really doesn't matter what powers-that-be he pisses off. He can do pretty much as he pleases, insofar as the office allows. Should be interesting to watch. :D

The fences should already be scrappable..... I haven't found any so far that aren't. Not sure what happened there. Doesn't the bUseCombinedObjects trick cause other issues???? I seem to remember reading something about that........ Is that a setting that can be changed on the fly? Or would doing so while in-game cause some truly horrific consequences?

Right. So, it's perfectly fine for some swingin' dick to use the girls john...... Sorry, I just cannot agree. Now, I will grant you, I am sure it happens every day in any event, and folks simply don't notice, or, for the most part, they don't care. So long as it isn't brought to their attention, and rubbed in their face. What I really object to is the whole LBGT crowd seeming to think that their rights should be more important than anyone elses. They demand that folks violate their personally held religious beliefs, in order to cater to them. Whatever happened to freedom to practice our religion? Here comes uncle sam now putting caveats on that. WHY are LGBT 'rights' more important than everyone elses?? If the LBGT crowd would simply live their lives, quietly, like the rest of us, not demand attention at every turn, or scream discrimination because a farking CHURCH doesn't want to hold their marriage ceremony.... an act that goes directly against all their teachings/beliefs, we would all be much happier. The LBGT crowd MUST understand that not everyone is going to accept them, and passing laws to FORCE folks to is only going to breed MORE discrimination/hate, not less. Lets face it, the whole topic is HIGHLY controversial... (putting it politely.... :) ) So, how about we all try and NOT make it even more so. If you suddenly decide you are trans, and want to use the 'other' bathroom, and folks that actually have the correct equipment for that facility are uncomfortable with it, ACCEPT the compromise of using a gender-neutral facility. Going out and publicly DEMANDING that you be allowed to use the 'other' john, (jane?) regardless of other folks feelings isn't going to endear you to anyone, and is highly likely to make folks fight back tooth and nail, to make SURE you do not. And once again.... here we go wandering WAY off topic. It's YOUR FAULT! You should be ASHAMED! Violating the principles of good debate by dragging us off on a tangent. See how you are. :D (that is a joke. I am fully aware that expecting ANY thread to stay strictly on-topic, on an internet forum, is roughly akin to expecting the sun not to come up in the morning. :D I am kidding.)

Just like the democrats gun laws....... :D

If you don't want to respond to what I actually wrote, don't expect me to continue. You and I have very different views on this particular topic, and neither of us is going to sway the other, and I really don't feel like debating it with you in any event. After all, this thread is about who we are voting for. The dems have to many planks in their platform that I disagree with, for me to even consider voting for them, this is just one of them. It isn't even the one I take the most exception to. Are the republicans perfect? Oh hell no. It's just the stuff that I disagree with in their platform, doesn't raise my hackles nearly as badly. They are, for the most part, the 'lesser' evil......

It has been attempted, to sue any manufacturer If the manufacturer is 'linked' to a crime or accident. I kid you not, They are trying. They want to also sue alcohol vendors and alcohol manufacturers for the decision a drunk driver makes. This of course, means they don't believe WE as a nation are allowed to think for ourselves. Also you said: "And then there is the whole topic of using the restroom of the gender you identify with..... If you don't think that various and sundry perverts aren't going to use these new laws to expand their 'hunting grounds', you are delusional. There is no way on god's little green acre on want someone with a penis sharing a restroom with my granddaughter." I submit to you, YOU are delusional. FACT: up to this year, there is not a single case of a transgender woman/man molesting people AT ALL, REGARDLESS if a bathroom bill was passed. FACT: People of ALL groups have been found to violate the trust. They are WOMEN teachers, priests, men teachers, coaches, fire fighters, soldiers, Subway sandwich promoters, police and so on. FACT: Approximately 1.5 percent of the American population identifies with a gender disorentation. The highest estimate is 3 percent. Take that percentage, then deduct the ones that know exactly who they identify with. The ones that are not 'fluid'. Take into consideration that they want protections too and it is IDENTITY they are struggling with, it is not SEX. So, the point is.....it is TOO LATE to be afraid of a dismal opportunity that someone in the transgender community, which is less than 1.5 percent; might take. Breathe easy. It isn't the trans folks I am worried about. It's the folks PRETENDING to be trans, that are just looking for their next victim that I worry about. Also, I am curious why the majority (97-98.5% of the population) should have to sacrifice their privacy/comfort, for a tiny fraction of the population?

I don't know of anyone that completely agrees with every plank in their parties platform.... At least, I hope they aren't very common. :) I know I have serious disagreements with both parties on various things......

More like Tempest in a Teapot. :D

Well god knows the media carrying the campaign ads are making a killing.......

And now it seems John Kasich (sp?) has dropped out as well. That leaves...... Trump. The republican party is just going to love that.....

Yeah, getting the money out of politics would be nice, but, I don't ever see it happening. Short of a revolution..... The only folks that CAN change the system, are the very same folks that benefit most from NOT changing it....... How's that for fun? And also, yes, this is NOT the same country I grew up in.... We have become a pale shadow of our former selves.

Well, Cruz dropped out of the race. That pretty much leaves Trump as the republican candidate.....

I wouldn't mind him opening every door, if he would only check for traps first....... :D

The US government has demonstrated time and again, that they are NOT trustworthy, do NOT have the best interests of the majority of their citizens in mind when passing legislation, and are motivated more by who can pay them the most, then by what they should be doing for their constituents. I think this has only gotten worse in the last couple decades...... Not that I ever expect to see armed insurrection here.... Americans, by and large, are too lazy to put that much effort into bringing their government back in line...

My major malfunction with the dems is their stance on "Gun Control". A topic on which I am fairly sure you and I won't see eye to eye on. :) They seem to be of the opinion that taking weapons away from law-abiding citizens will solve all the problems. Nothing could be further from the truth. They also seem to think that Arms manufacturers should be 'held accountable' for what folks do with their products, when NO other industry is held to such high standards. When is the last time GM was sued because a drunk driver killed a family? (never) It's this kind of idiocy that permeates their policies, and I want nothing to do with them. And then there is the whole topic of using the restroom of the gender you identify with..... If you don't think that various and sundry perverts aren't going to use these new laws to expand their 'hunting grounds', you are delusional. There is no way on god's little green acre on want someone with a penis sharing a restroom with my granddaughter. The dems seem to think they can make everyone happy, and 'safer' by passing more laws. Sorry to disappoint guys, but, the fact of the matter is, Criminals, by their very definition, do NOT obey those laws. Disarm the law-abiding, and only the criminals will have guns. Gun Free zones are merely target-rich environments for mass-shooters, who know for a fact that there won't be anyone there with the ability to shoot back. Magazine size limitations, restrictions on semi-auto weapons, and some of the other lunacy they have in mind, will do absolutely nothing to make anyone safer. Washington D.C. has some of the severest gun laws on the books, yet, was still the murder capitol of the US for quite some time. Same with Chicago. Yet the dems insist their policies will work, even though it has been demonstrated time and time again, that they don't. Telling the same lie over and over again will never make it true. Now, I will grant you, some of The Donald's policies are pretty far out in left field... (right field??) But, I am not so much voting FOR Donald, as I am voting AGAINST Hilary. Assuming she makes it that far. She still has a few minefields she is stomping thru, that she needs to survive...... We'll see what happens I guess. :D

Well, as of today, it looks a LOT like it's going to be Trump Vs. Clinton...... Barring unforeseen circumstances, and the river don't rise..... Talk about a scary proposition... I don't really want to vote for Trump, but I REALLY don't want to vote for Clinton....... Hobson's Choice?

I think you need to update NMM to work with the 1.5 update.