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Your Sunday LOLcats (dial-up warning) Moves Like Santa Edition
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10182114097
Yup
Battle of the Bulge Law
25 December 1944
In the frigid winter of 1944, when the outcome of WWII was still far from certain, the Allied forces were in the battle of their lives. They were making their way toward Berlin to end the devastating WWII in the European Theatre.
The German Army surprised the Allied forces in mid-December 1944 in the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg. The Allied forces, comprised of soldiers from all parts of our country and elsewhere, were bogged down in the worst winter storm of a generation, completely neutralizing the superior Allied air forces in the last major German offensive on the Western front.
General George Patton, the Allied general in command and a deeply religious man, ordered the chaplain to deliver a prayer for clearer skies. The skies did clear, dramatically, in fact. The superior Allied air power enabled the Allied forces to break the stalemate. Eventually the Allied forces marched to Berlin by late summer, 1945 and victory in the European Theatre.
It remains one of the most remarkable turns in battle in recorded history.
The press back home gave credit to “Patton’s Prayer,” as it became known. So much so the Allied forces ordered that a reprint of the prayer be given to every soldier who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
One of those soldiers was Private C C “Buddy “Graham of Floyd, Virginia, my father-in-law. He and his three brothers enlisted in what came to be known by many at the time as The Great War. They served in the European and Pacific-Asian Theatres of WW II. One was shot down over France, and he was a POW in a German prison camp until the end of WW II. But they all survived the war.
Toward the end of the war, the United States Congress passed the first phase of the G I Bill. Over the next five years nine million veterans received financial aid to go to college and to buy a home. Most of them were the first of their generation to go to college or to buy a home. Provided to them by a grateful nation to give a chance to those who gave our nation and democracy a chance.
Like most all the soldiers who fought in that defining battle, Buddy Graham carried his copy of Patton’s Prayer in his wallet for the rest of his life.
Their copy of that prayer kept them close to the challenge of those times. A regular reminder that they made it through. And it kept that sense of gratitude close, that Dame Chance and more gave her sweet smile to their cause in those times of uncertainty.
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart,” says an old proverb which remains fresh when it is applied. It is this profound and humble sense of gratitude which is the indelible marking of the Greatest Generation.
Nearly all those brave soldiers are gone now, eighty years later. Those in the know, and we know, the days of those who still survive are narrowing. The news of the passing of the last one will soon come to us, and their bravery and courage will be forever cast to the silent shore of memory.
Historians, those of science, and the families of most people we know tell us that struggles, hardships, and other challenges often carry with them the markings of character, too. A through line to a life of the heart, spirit, faith, and substance as well. And we are wise to be on the lookout for their residual but lasting value. As a memory of those who gave us a chance, and as an example of character to give ourselves a chance, too.
An insight, too, maybe, which helps us see more clearly what matters, and what matters most. Those values and experiences which, in time, make us all free, as that enduring song of another great war instructs.
How grateful we all should be.
R. Michael Wells
Postscript.
After Buddy Graham passed away, Janet made a copy of her dad’s “Patton’s Prayer.” She gave our children a copy of the Prayer that Christmas, their grandfather’s last gift to them.
That was hilarious! But this is just disgusting:
🚨This is the full letter being distributed around Lincoln County Oregon👇
— Rachel Bitecofer (@rachelbitecofer.bsky.social) 2024-12-20T00:33:42.104Z
Even Speaker Moses Underestimated Donald Trump's Ignorance and Elon Musk's Contempt for Institutions
Why he should be surprised at this point that he presides over a festival of fools, being one himself, remains a mystery.
By Charles P. Pierce Published: Dec 19, 2024 12:35 PM EST
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a63238688/trump-government-shutdown-speaker-mike-johnson/
Speaker Moses has the Tesla of Damocles hanging over his head now. From the Washington Post:
Republicans on Wednesday rejected a plan by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) for a three-month stopgap funding extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, with more than $100 billion in aid for natural disaster survivors, bipartisan health-care policy changes and other unrelated provisions. House Republican leaders made no significant process overnight to fund the government and avoid a government shutdown this weekend, two people familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share private deliberations...Musk, sometimes boosting false claims on X, the social media site he owns, trashed the bill in an hours-long tirade, calling it “terrible,” “criminal,” “outrageous,” “horrible,” “unconscionable,” “crazy” and, ultimately, “an insane crime.”
Somebody needs to put his head down on his desk for a little quiet time.
Nonetheless, Musk got his way. The continuing resolution crafted by Speaker Moses—and perhaps, his Speakership itself—evaporated under the white-hot stupidity of a coalition made up of the Angry Children's Caucus, Donald Trump's ignorance, and Elon Musk's utter contempt for every human institution he cannot buy and ruin.
Trump's not president yet, and nobody voted for Musk, and yet there isn't a Republican in Congress who is willing to act on these self-evident facts on his own. Combine that with the antics of the Angry Children's Caucus, and we are confronted with another four years in which the Republicans are laughably incapable of governing the country.
Not that Speaker Moses doesn't carry some weight for this fiasco. He mismanaged the CR from hell to breakfast; if he'd put it to a floor vote earlier this week, it might have passed, even with all the add-ons to which Johnson himself opened it up. And he plainly misread the temper of his own conference, and not for the first time, either. Why he should be surprised at this point that he presides over a festival of fools, being one himself, remains a mystery.
Another interesting question is what will the Democrats do. (If you answered, reflexively, screw it up, shame on you.) For the moment, it seems, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is eagerly anticipating the tiny majority that will be handed to whoever the next Speaker may be. From The Hill:
In a brief statement, Jeffries invoked the growing conservative outcry over the negotiated continuing resolution (CR)—including opposition from President-elect Trump—and warned Republicans that they will “own” the economic and political fallout if a shutdown occurs.
“House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government. And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support,” Jeffries posted on social platform X. “You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow.”
This fiasco also has handed the Democrats a comic opera plutocrat for a villain whom they should exploit at every turn. If Thomas Nast were alive, he'd have Elon Musk on a spit, rotating, for the next decade, making him represent both conservative economics and conservative ignorance. One way I know this is that Musk's ascent into political influence has prompted Senator Rand Paul to say something stupid about him. Senator Aqua Buddha has proposed making Musk the Speaker of the House.
Oh, yeah, these guys are ready to govern.
GOP wasting NO time. Not so sneak a preview of the shit show soon to be visited on the country, including most of his mouth breathing, knuckle scraping, supporters. Where's our FEMA money, how come my son in the Army isn't getting paid, Polio, cavities, the cost of eggs, WTF?!
Johnson on shaky ground with Trump after spending fiasco
(Politico) The collapse of Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending plan illustrates a painful lesson that other politicians have already learned: Absolute loyalty to Donald Trump is a one-way street. As the U.S. teeters on the edge of a government shutdown, bitterly divided Republicans are struggling to find a way forward and Johnson’s hold on his job is in Trump’s mercurial hands. Multiple House conservatives, as well as Trump advisers and other people close to the incoming president, indicate Johnson’s hold on the speakership is far from stable just as Republicans are about to take control of the House, Senate and White House.
House Republicans regrouping after government funding bill fails
(ABC News) Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday night that Republicans will "regroup" and "come up with another solution" after the government funding bill they negotiated with President-elect Donald Trump that would avert a government shutdown failed to pass. The bill failed by a 174-235-1 vote with 38 Republicans voting against it.
Republicans Cut Child Cancer Research From Funding Bill After Musk's Meddling
(Rolling Stone) The new stripped-down funding bill proposed on Thursday is literally throwing out the baby with the bathwater: It will exclude $190 million for the bipartisan “Give Kids a Chance” program for child cancer research. Sam Stein of The Bulwark points out that the new bill also excludes funding for research on premature labor, sickle cell disease treatment, early detection of breast and cervical cancer, the Rural Broadband Protection Act, an anti-deepfake porn bill, and more.
Troops Won't Get Paid Over Holidays if There's a Shutdown
(Political Wire) “Republicans’ decision to abandon a congressional spending plan will cost troops their paychecks over the holidays unless some agreement is reached before Friday’s deadline to prevent a government shutdown,” the AP reports.
Jeffries: GOP led by wealthy 'puppeteers'
(The Hill) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) slammed GOP leaders Thursday evening after the Republicans’ Trump-backed plan to fund the federal government and raise the debt ceiling was trounced on the House floor. Jeffries accused Republicans of caving to the demands of Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump loyalist, whose opposition to a bipartisan spending agreement helped tank that deal and left Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) scrambling for an alternative on Thursday.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=digest&date=20241220
Thursday carTOONS
space aliens are eating Republican brains
it’s the only explanation for their panic over drones
Jeff Tiedrich
Dec 18, 2024
https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/space-aliens-are-eating-republican
it takes a special kind of stupid to see lights in the night sky and conclude that America is being invaded by space aliens from the planet China — but MAGA is just that kind of stupid.
it’s been a couple of weeks now since the sighting of what may or may not have been drones over New Jersey caused the dumbest fucking imbeciles on the planet to freak out. these panicky pantloads have now decided that every object in the sky — airplanes, constellations — is a clear sign that our country is under attack, and their overheated clownshittery shows no sign of abating.
let’s sample some of the fever-swamp theories being passed around the MAGAverse as to who’s behind all this treachery from above.
Nancy Mace knows who’s behind the drones: space aliens from beyond the universe.
Does Trump want Putin to get Ukraine’s $26 trillion in gas and minerals?
Kyiv controls vast gas and mineral deposits. Does Trump want those flowing west, or to Russia and China?
Today at 6:30 a.m. EST
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/18/trump-ukraine-gas-mineral-russia-peace-deal/
Miners ride on a conveyor in the tunnel at the coal mine in Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine on April 7, 2023. (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
Donald Trump often says that liberating Iraq without getting its oil resources was one of America’s biggest foreign policy blunders. He has a chance to avoid a similar mistake in Ukraine.
Ukraine is not only the breadbasket of Europe; it is also a mineral superpower with some of the largest reserves of 117 of the 120 the most widely used minerals in the world. Of the 50 strategic minerals identified by the United States as critical to its economy and national security, many of which are quite rare yet key to certain high-value applications, Ukraine supplies 22.
Ukraine possesses the largest reserves of uranium in Europe; the second-largest reserves of iron ore, titanium and manganese; and the third largest reserves of shale gas — as well as large deposits of lithium, graphite and rare earth metals, according to a 2022 report by the Canadian geopolitical risk-analysis firm SecDev. These minerals are essential to the production of vital goods ranging from airplanes, cellphones and electric vehicles to steel and nuclear power.
The question for the president-elect is: Does he want Russia and China to get that treasure trove of natural resources? Or does he want to develop them with Ukraine to the benefit of the American people?
One of the main reasons Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine (aside from his delusional historical fantasies about how Ukrainians and Russians are “one people”) was to seize these natural resources, which are valued at an estimated $26 trillion, according to SecDev.
That effort nearly succeeded. In early 2022, Russian forces reached the outskirts of Kyiv and came close to taking the capital and installing a puppet regime. But with U.S. assistance — including the Javelin missiles that Trump supplied (reversing Barack Obama’s lethal weapons ban) — Ukraine forced Russia back. In so doing, it not only liberated its citizens from brutal Russian occupation; it also successfully defended roughly 80 percent of Ukraine’s known mineral deposits, according to the SecDev report — including 73 percent of its iron ore, 75 percent of its lithium and graphite, 90 percent of its titanium, and 92 percent of its uranium and other radioactive elements.
Early on, Russia seized control of an estimated 80 percent of Ukraine’s massive offshore hydrocarbon deposits. But over the past three years, Ukraine has wiped out roughly half of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet using explosive unmanned sea drones to drive the Russian navy from its territorial waters. With that successful offensive, Ukraine has reopened its shipping lanes and recaptured many of its Black Sea oil and gas deposits.
Today, Ukraine maintains control of 96.5 percent of its proven oil reserves and 96 percent of its proven natural gas reserves — as well as all of its aluminum, cobalt, copper, nickel, tin and beryllium deposits.
Natural gas
About 96 percent of Ukraine’s natural gas reserves remain under Ukrainian control.
Russia did succeed in seizing about 57 percent of the country’s known coal reserves (worth about $11.9 trillion) and about half of its deposits of certain rare earths (though many of those were captured in 2014 when Russia first invaded and seized Crimea). But those losses notwithstanding, Ukraine has prevented Russia from seizing $13.6 trillion in mineral and hydrocarbon wealth.
That has been a massive defeat for Putin — and a huge opportunity for the United States.
The American people have already invested about $183 billion to help Ukraine defend its mineral-rich land from Russian aggression. Though the vast majority of the military portion of that aid has been spent here in the United States — strengthening our defense production capacity and creating good manufacturing jobs for American workers — that amount remains a staggeringly large investment in helping Ukraine defend itself from unjust aggression.
Shouldn’t U.S. taxpayers get a return on that investment? Do we want Ukrainian titanium going into American planes, or into Russian and Chinese fighter jets that will threaten the United States and its allies? Do we want Ukraine’s lithium and rare earths powering American-made electronics and electric vehicles, or Chinese ones?
Trump has pledged to “bring Americans the lowest-cost energy and electricity on Earth” as well as expand artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining, which require data centers that consume vast amounts of electricity. The only proven way to lower electricity costs while simultaneously increasing electricity demand is to dramatically boost our supply of clean nuclear power. And Trump has pledged to approve the construction of nuclear plants powered by small innovative reactors.
That would dramatically increase U.S. demand for uranium. The United States is already the largest purchaser of Russian-enriched uranium, dependent on Moscow for nearly one-quarter of its supply. It is not in our strategic interest to allow Putin to seize control of the largest uranium reserves in Europe. The United States needs that Ukrainian uranium to lower energy costs for Americans and fuel AI and crypto innovation.
Trump has also set a priority of reducing America’s economic dependence on Communist China. Beijing is the largest source for more than half of the critical minerals the United States imports, including 72 percent of rare earth imports. China is trying to corner the global market on lithium, actively buying mines across the world, as well as mines for other critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel. And demonstrating its growing power over the U.S. economy, Beijing recently tightened export controls on critical minerals such as aluminum and titanium, banned the export of gallium and severely restricted the export of graphite to the United States. Ukraine has all of these minerals in abundance.
Were Ukraine’s mineral wealth to fall into Russian hands, it would be a strategic and economic boon to China, which has entered into a “no limits” partnership with Russia. Meanwhile, the United States needs friendly reliable sources of these critical minerals. If we help Ukraine secure and develop its natural resources, we can also deal a strategic blow to Beijing and Moscow, while bringing enormous financial benefit back to the American people.
But to do so, Ukraine needs Trump’s help to secure a just and lasting peace.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion, metallurgical production in Ukraine fell by an estimated 80 percent — from 20 million tons in 2021 to just 2.5 million by the middle of 2023. It is hard to mine for minerals while missiles are being fired at your critical infrastructure. It is impossible to develop offshore oil and natural gas in the waters Ukraine controls in the North Crimean Basin under the shadow of Russian forces who are within firing range.
Ukraine’s mineral reserves
Ukraine has some of the world’s largest reserves of minerals, such as lithium, titanium and uranium, that are considered strategic for growing technologies.
American businesses can develop those resources for the benefit of the American and Ukrainian peoples — but only if the fighting ends on terms that give investors confidence the Russian assault won’t resume.
The reality is Putin won’t willingly give up on his quest to conquer Ukraine and its mineral wealth. He will violate any international agreement Russia signs to achieve his objective. The only way to stop him is to make his objective impossible to achieve. Putin no doubt hopes to use any cessation of hostilities to pause, reconstitute his forces and resume his invasion in a few years’ time — just like he did after his 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea.
So, Trump needs to do more than simply stop today’s war in Ukraine; he must create conditions that make a resumption of war impossible.
That will require creating defensible borders. During this year’s CNN presidential debate, Dana Bash asked Trump if Putin’s demands that Russia “keeps the Ukrainian territory it has already claimed and Ukraine abandons its bid to join NATO” were acceptable to him. Trump responded “No, they’re not acceptable.” He’s right. A good deal that truly secures Ukraine and its resources requires that Kyiv get back critical areas in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. It will also need security guarantees backed up with Western military might — either through NATO membership for Ukraine, serious bilateral security commitments or a demilitarized zone enforced by an international peacekeeping force made up of European, not American, troops. (Poland will soon have the third-largest military in NATO and could lead a European peacekeeping operation.)
But another key to a lasting peace is a well-armed Ukraine, so that Kyiv possesses a military powerful enough to deter Russia. The United States will need to arm Ukraine regardless of what happens at the negotiating table — either to stop Russia from resuming the war once Trump has left office or to force Putin to the negotiating table if he refuses to agree to peace. So we must find mechanisms to increase the flow of U.S. weapons to Kyiv that do not require U.S. taxpayers to bear the cost. One way to do so? Loans backed by Ukraine’s mineral and fossil fuel resources as collateral.
By creating confidence that attracts private investment, a Trump-brokered peace accord will help the United States and Ukraine jointly develop Ukraine’s mineral and hydrocarbon resources, allowing it to provide for its own defense, just as Poland and the Baltic States do today.
A stable, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine will be an essential partner for America in extracting this natural resource wealth. An unstable Ukraine, under constant threat from Russia, will lead to a resumption of war when Trump leaves office, and ultimately allow Putin to seize that wealth for Russia and China’s benefit.
Who will benefit from Ukraine’s oil, gas and mineral wealth? The choice belongs to Trump.
Oh, Never Mind
You didn’t really think he was going to lower prices, did you?
So it looks like all those people who voted for him, despite all the reasons not to, will be abandoned on aisle 6, in the hoodwink section.
Dan Rather
and Team Steady
Do you remember when candidate Donald Trump said, “Grocery prices have skyrocketed. How can a family afford that? So, when I win, I will immediately bring prices down.” That was at a rally in August.
Or how about this: “We will end inflation and make America affordable again, and we’re going to get the prices down, we have to get them down.” He made that pledge in September.
The day before the election, he promised that “a vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper.” He said that while standing at a podium emblazoned with the words, TRUMP WILL FIX IT.
Are you sensing a trend?
Trump clearly knows how to appeal to the electorate. He understood that high inflation and the promise to bring prices down were the most important issues facing Americans. He exploited the fear of economic uncertainty to win. Of the 70% of voters who said they were “very concerned” about prices, 6 in 10 cast their ballot for Trump.
On December 8, Trump crowed about it on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I won on groceries. A very simple word, ‘groceries.’”
Four days later, he backpedaled.
“Look, they got them up. I’d like to bring them down,” he told Time magazine. “It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard.”
So let’s get this straight. The president-elect is reneging on promises six weeks before he takes office.
Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger brought some levity to an otherwise hard-to-swallow reality.
Trump isn’t wrong about it being “hard.” Curbing inflation, slowing the rate of price increases, is difficult enough. But Trump is talking about deflation, actual price drops. Those usually happen only during an economic downturn like a recession or a depression. Trust me, we don’t want either.
So it looks like all those people who voted for him, despite all the reasons not to, will be abandoned on aisle 6, in the hoodwink section. Because not only will Trump be unable to bring prices down from the day he “takes the oath of office,” most economists say his proposed policies, like imposing tariffs and deporting undocumented workers, would actually drive prices up — way up.
Trump, an Ivy League-educated, trust-fund billionaire, is an unlikely populist. A member of the 0.1% who has likely never been grocery shopping figured out how to appeal to Americans at the bottom of the economic ladder, with, it turns out, empty promises.
That bottom rung is getting larger. The wealth inequality in our country is astounding and worsening. In 1970, 61% of the U.S. population was considered middle class. It’s now down to 50% and shrinking. Today, the top 1% of Americans hold 31% of the wealth; the bottom half holds just 2.6%. We all might want to pause to fully consider those percentages.
Then there is this: According to the U.S. census the median household income in the United States was just over $80,000 a year in 2023. Half of all Americans earn less than that. No wonder the price of eggs, which has soared 37.5% in part because of an avian flu outbreak, is a big problem. Grocery prices have risen 28% in five years, according to the USDA. That is a stunning increase. Besides bird flu, supply-chain disruption and pent-up demand from the pandemic are among the problems. So is the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is normally a major grain supplier to the U.S.
Another factor is “greedflation.” Corporate profits have increased by 29% since the start of the pandemic; grocery prices have risen by almost the same percentage. According to the Groundwork Collaborative, this increase accounts for a large portion of the higher prices we are all paying. By their assessment, as much as 53 cents of every dollar spent can be attributed to corporate profit-taking.
Corporations are entitled to make profits, of course. Indeed, in our economic system we need them to be profitable. But how much is too much — especially considering the astronomical salaries of many corporate executives? According to the Economic Policy Institute, over the past 45 years, top CEO compensation increased by 1,085% (not a typo) while their typical worker’s salary inched up by just 24%.
Bending the truth and overpromising on the campaign trail are as American as cherry pie. Basing a campaign on something you know you can’t make happen is a low reserved only for Trump. It will be worth watching what happens during the 2026 midterm elections if prices continue to rise on the most basic of necessities. Control of Congress could again hinge upon the price of eggs.
https://steady.substack.com/p/oh-never-mind?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=247881&post_id=153235982&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=6zfhm&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
The IHub Crypto Trump Supporters.....
The BTC XRP DOGEcoin Army
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Try and post something intelligent. If you can't then it sucks to be you.
There are posters who still don't seem to understand the above. Posting nonsensical posts are simply thread disruptions when it comes to
the main topic of the board. However other topics of the day such as sports, weather and trivia are certainly allowed considering that we all need
a little break now and again.
At a formal cocktail party 2 things that should never be discussed are religion and politics. Consider the dress code here semi-formal. You can discuss religion (in context with the news of the day) but preaching to the choir/heathens will get you sent off. No one here is looking to be converted.
And by all means please read this post. No explanation is needed.
How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=124646062
Please do not post links to boards where posters here can not respond to the referenced link. It is frustrating not to be able to refute the original post.
A 4-Step Guide to Ranting Productively
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=141041965
The 25 Words You Need to Stop Saying to Improve Your Communication Skills
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=140233496
Congratulations!
You have finally reached the end of the internet!
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=144506693
Journalists are not the enemy
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=142942649
You Have a Right to Weariness
The struggle for goodness and decency is an eternal struggle, not a seasonal one.
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=144842805
All people are welcome to post here and I'll put a moratorium on banning and the inmates have been set free. I don't think banning in hindsight was the right way to go.
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