mspart

I'm not following. Thread says Lahaina fires were on purpose. For what purpose? To weed out those with bad roofs? That was a disaster and made worse by the mismanagement of the authorities on the island. I lived in Hawaii and have heard what happened and I believe the reports, total mismanagement. A lot of people don't like to live in Hawaii because the government is corrupt and ineffective. It doesn't run like it does in the 48. And it is different. But we enjoyed it, just didn't worry about that. What are you going to do? But I was not surprised by how the event was made worse by the actions of the authorities. I feel very badly for the people of Lahaina. They deserve better. Even now, there are tiny houses on the island that cannot be constructed because that takes years of red tape to get authorized. mspart

I think we are all disappointed at not qualifying the weights. We have set up a system where the WTT/OTT is already finalized for those that medaled. They have no issue. It is for those weights that didn't qualify the weight at the WCs that is the issue. For 57, Zane finished way down. Lee did better but not good enough to qualify. There was a challenge and that was good. Nobody wanted to take out Zane, and only YD wanted to take out Lee and knocked his pecan for it. So there you go. I think US Nationals would have been a good place to incentivize everyone to participate with the winner being the guy for Pan Am qualifier. Right now there is not that incentive. The challenge didn't bring it out for some reason. I am just hoping whoever goes to the last chance finished top 3. I don't like waiting until the end like that. With our team as strong as it is now, it is just unthinkable that we couldn't get it done at Pan Ams. But Pan Ams arent what they used to be anymore. Much tougher. mspart

He took silver at Yasar Dogu at 70. He still has some juice with him. mspart

It's what he wants to hear. mspart

Still nothing concrete there Trip. mspart

I hate everyone, enough to kill them, if they disagree with me. Just kidding. I love all y'all. mspart

So you didn't watch it. mspart

Well I was wrong. Biden lasted the whole time. He does always seem to be up for the big events. Good for him. He is now not quitting, but my predictions are pretty worthless as we now all know . mspart

We had a decent contigent there. 61kg Nico Megaludis Bronze 65kg Joey McKenna Bronze 70kg James Green Silver 79kg Jordan Burroughs Gold, Chance Marsteller - Silver 97kg Kollin Moore Bronze Pretty good. mspart

Zane lost in the first round. He lost to somebody who lost to somebody who lost to somebody that lost to Micic. Lee made it to the quarter finals. He lost to a guy who lost to a finalist. Neither did stellar. And neither did what was expected at Pan Am Qualifier. Would it have been wrong to make the US National Champ the guy? I agree a number of challenge matches is not necessarily good. But we have had a bad experience in 2021 Olys and now 2024 Olys preps. It points to a change in our system is needed. With being the rep on the line for the US National Champion, we would get a much more participated in US National tourney. I would think everyone would want to be there, at least in the weights that were not qualified. We should never go to Olys not fully qualified for MFS. Period. But we did in 2021 and are in danger of worse this year. mspart

WA did something similar. 6 initiatives have been approved for a vote. The legislature took up 3 of them and passed them with true bipartisan fervor. 1. Parents right to know inititive - Parents have to right to know what is being taught in school. 2. No income tax by State, County or City. Period. 3. End the prohibition on police chase. This law by the legislature has done more to spur auto theft and running away at high speed than any other. Since police couldn't chase the bad guys usually got away. No longer. The other three initiatives the legislature did not even give a hearing. 4. Rescind the capital gains tax. This is an income tax that the state does not call an income tax because that would make it constitutionally illegal. 5. Rescind the W2 employee tax for long term care. This long term care totals 35K for lifetime and cannot be used if you move out of the state. This is not really a rescind the tax. It is to make it voluntary rather than mandatory. 6. Rescind the CO2 carbon emissions tax that has made WA state one of the highest gas prices in the nation. This also affects natural gas (the state told Puget Sound Energy that they cannot add that tax as a line item, it would confuse people), heating oil, electric derived from fossil fuels, etc. Prices are high here for sure. These have massive support and will win I think in the general election. And if people can put 2 and 2 together, they will vote out those legislators that put them in in the first place. mspart

Agreed. But this puts the hypocrisy into their situations if they don't follow this. Which I don't think they will and they will double down on their hypocrisy. They just need to keep receiving more and more illegals until they break. How long does it take for an idiot to finally admit he/she was wrong? A long time apparently. But it is happening in SF. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/decision-2024/voter-support-san-francisco-measures-drug-treatment-police-powers/3471581/ Voters show strong support for San Francisco measures to compel drug treatment, expand police powers San Francisco voters showed strong support for a pair of controversial public safety ballot measure that expand police powers and compel treatment for adult welfare recipients who use illegal drugs, two efforts Mayor London Breed said would crack down on crime and the city's drug crisis. Those are clear majorities. The No voters are those that just can't admit they have been wrong all this time. mspart

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4516658-house-passes-immigration-bill-named-after-slain-georgia-student-laken-riley/ The House on Thursday passed a bill that would require the detention of any migrant who committed burglary or theft, legislation that House Republicans named after a Georgia student who police say was killed by a man who illegally crossed the border. The measure — dubbed the Laken Riley Act — cleared the chamber in a 251-170 vote, with 37 Democrats joining all Republicans present in voting “yes.” It was the latest move by GOP lawmakers to put a spotlight on the situation at the southern border, which has emerged as a key issue in the 2024 campaign cycle and a top vulnerability for President Biden heading into the general election. Now that is what I call a bi-partisan bill. 37 Ds voted for it. Hopefully the Senate can do similar and give this to Joe to sign. Won't do any good, sanctuary states and cities don't follow the law anyway. mspart

What else would be expected? Armed forces are there to win wars. By any means necessary within the Geneva conventions. Hand to hand combat if necessary. It would be hard for an enemy to believe we have hardened soldiers who at the same time have to be called by the correct pronouns or they have a mental breakdown. Which gives more confidence? or or mspart

I'm sure he is ecstatic for your help in this. Thank you for doing that. I'm sure Bob feels the same way. Tough to know because he is in the ether but I'm sure of it. mspart

Price here in Seattle area is $4.09/gallon this morning. Cheapest Diesel I've seen in the last month was $4.45/gallon. I filled up at that one. We are almost winning the gas war here in WA. https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/ mspart

Interesting Trip, but this doesn't answer my question. In fact it doesn't answer anything. Which makes me think you have no idea what Trump did to sell out the country. And that is good, because he did nothing to sell out the country. You responded correctly in a round about way. mspart

She will but I don't think she will be there in case of emergency. Let me see if I can do a preview; Kamala - Oh look there he is, my President. Did you know that he has called me President a few times he he he he. I have to tell you it felt good to be called President. What's he saying? Oh. Wait. Of course. Trans people are the backbone of our country. Why are they called Trans people? Because they are transforming the way we do business in this country. Before the trans people came we did business one way. Now we are beginning to do it another way. It's really quite wonderful to see this happening in the here and now. Not in the past, but in the today of our history. And it is in that history that we can look back and see that today, we were history. Oh wait, he's on to something else. Oh yes, getting Trump off the ballot is the most democratic thing that can be done in this country because Trump wants to rip my access to the White House away from me. When has there been a powerful black woman whose ancestors owned slaves had this kind of opportunity? We must protect our democracy by keeping Trump off the ballot. That's a good thing. What - The SCOTUS said what? Oh, that's just wrong. They will be found to be on the wrong side of the history that we are developing right now. People in the future will look back at the people in the past and wonder how we got it so wrong in the present. If I have said it once I've said it, that the future is our present for those who are in the past. We are so fortunate to be living in our present future so that our past people can look forward to something really good in the future of our present. He he he he. Oh he got Trump with a good one there calling him a convicted criminal. Oh Trump has been convicted many times and our DOJ is going after him with everything they have both in the present and in the future because we all know that the future will be the present of our children...... mspart

Hoping beyond hope, I am hoping for a listing of the good and the bad without a bunch of commentary. But commentary will be inevitable like when someone says he did that and someone else comes in and says no, it was this way. Well, I'll start. Cons 1. He came in on inauguration day and EO'd that no more drilling would be expected. 2. He came in on inauguration day and EO'd the Trump EOs on immigration that has now ballooned illegal immigration into the US to record amounts 3. He came in and got two spending bills passed that were completely out of scope and caused the country to go into a massive inflationary period. One of which was ironically called the Inflation Reduction Act. mspart

I may. But no guarantees. He will blather on about this and that. He will ask for money so he can bribe votes. It will be generally the same nonsense it always is. Except Johnson won't tear up the speech in front of the whole country. mspart

And that folks is the state of the Democrat party. One way in which Biden has made us a less secure country. Priority number one for the federal government is to enforce sovereignty and that is done by controlling who comes into the country. There is no control currently. Biden got rid of the control on his first day EO. He cares about our country? Not by what he has allowed to happen to our country. All of the sudden because NYC and Chicago are complaining is this something that needs to happen now and he blames Rs for this. This is his fiasco pure and simple. And the legislation allows 1.8 million to come in and be declared legal. That's how much he cares about this country. He has put himself in the position of having to do something about the damage he has foisted upon the country. What leader who cares about the country does that? Trump didn't. mspart

Really? What indication do you have that Trump will sell us out. In the 4 years he was President when did he sell us out? mspart

It's pretty easy, just head to the open border. Lots of that stuff there. And it is more potent with THC than ever before. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6312155/ The Problem with the Current High Potency THC Marijuana from the Perspective of an Addiction Psychiatrist mspart

They will load up Joe and uppers and hope they last. Again, my prediction is that he will physically fail and it will be apparent to all. He will shortly after suspend his campaign for becoming President for a second term or quit outright. That's why all the states are now trying to get D primary voters to vote uncommitted or write in. mspart

Under Biden we are in Banana Republic territory with his DOJ going after his #1 rival with as much ferocity as they can muster. Plus he has other jurisdictions doing the same. This is what happens when you get ideology in the justice and court systems. Under Biden we have weathered the highest inflation in a generation and he still does not recognize it and continues to state it is all better. But the prices have not come down and most people (as can be seen in the polls) are not feeling like anything is getting better. In fact they think things are getting worse. There is a cause and effect here. Biden is the cause and the discontent is the effect. mspart