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usaf-vet

usaf-vet's Journal
usaf-vet's Journal
February 20, 2025

There is evidence that the banks & credit card companies have found a way to extract a few extra dollars from.....

....... us each month, even if you pay the bill in full each month.

For the complete discussion on that topic, see: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20046918

But that discussion got me thinking about this and where we are at this point in our history.

Think about this:
1. They force us all to get credit cards if we want to rent a car, take a trip, or fly.
2. They slowly but surely raise the interest rates.
3. That forces small businesses to charge a small fee to use a card.
4. Now that they have the entire buy public tied to a credit card, they make the next move of this long-term plan.
5. If you have paid in full on each credit card for years and are never late because of electronic bank-to-bank payments.

6. Then this is the good one. They FUCK UP the USPS mail system to control voting by mail so they have better control over whose votes count. But in many cases, your mail never arrives as it used to it is slower and unreliable.
NOW Louis DeJoy has resigned. His work is done. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0218-usps-announces-tenure-plan-of-pmg-louis-dejoy.htm?

7. They stack the Supreme Court to ensure right-wing control for years.
8. They hand this maniac IMMUNITY
9. Oh! And now credit card/banks are so greedy they bleed your bank balances by adding fees WHEN YOU PAY YOUR BILLS in full on time. See the link below.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20046918


I might have missed a step or two, but please join in and add your two cents worth. It's interest-free!
February 20, 2025

This is more a local story but given that the small liberal arts college....

..... in this town has served students from every corner of the United States I thought it was worth telling all those alum the sad news.

NORTHLAND COLLEGE IN ASHLAND WISCONSIN
HAS ANNOUNCE THEY WILL CLOSED DOWN THE CAMPUS AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR


Sorry I don't know the history of the school but I will try over the next couple of days. To add some text and pictures to the sad story.

We have lived in this town for 45 years and the college has been an important part of this community.

No news about what will happen to the wonderful campus. But a bunch of fine teachers and support staff have lost their jobs. Some within a stones throw of where we live.
February 13, 2025

Returning to my new tool in my quiver. This time regarding Gaza and how likely a resort would succeed.

A U.S. takeover of Gaza to build a Mediterranean resort would be highly unlikely to succeed without massive resistance and deep-seated generational tensions. Here’s why:

1. Geopolitical and Legal Barriers

International Law & Sovereignty: Any attempt by the U.S. to seize Gaza for economic development would be an outright violation of international law and sovereignty. The international community, including allies, would strongly oppose such an action.
United Nations & Global Reaction: The UN would almost certainly condemn any U.S. intervention of this kind, and it could lead to severe diplomatic consequences.
Existing Conflict & Governance: Gaza is governed by Hamas, a militant group that is in direct conflict with Israel. Any attempt to forcibly develop the region would require military occupation, escalating violence further.

2. Local & Regional Backlash

Palestinian Resistance: Even if the plan promised economic prosperity, the people of Gaza—many of whom have suffered under war, blockades, and displacement—would see such a move as another form of colonization. The idea of a foreign power taking over their land for commercial purposes would likely spark generational resistance and militant opposition.
Arab & Muslim World Response: The entire Arab world, including U.S. allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, would likely condemn such a move, possibly leading to severe diplomatic and economic repercussions.
Israeli Stance: Even Israel, which has its own complex relationship with Gaza, might not support a direct U.S. takeover because it could create further instability and unwanted American entanglement in the region.


3. Historical Precedents & Colonial Echoes

Colonial & Imperialist Legacy: The idea of taking over a region for economic development mirrors historical European colonialism in the Middle East and Africa. These past experiences have left deep scars, making any similar U.S. action deeply unpopular and widely resisted across generations.
Failed Attempts at Western-Led Nation Building: The U.S. has a poor track record when it comes to reshaping foreign territories for economic or strategic purposes (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan). Any attempt to impose such a vision on Gaza would likely face the same fate—prolonged insurgency and failure.

4. Economic Viability & Practicality

Destruction & Infrastructure Issues: Gaza has been heavily bombed and lacks basic infrastructure. Turning it into a luxury resort would require massive investments, all while navigating war-torn conditions.
Security Concerns: No tourist would visit a "resort" in a place with ongoing conflict, instability, and potential terror threats. The idea of a peaceful Mediterranean getaway in an occupied war zone is not realistic.
Alternative Locations: The Mediterranean already has thriving resort locations in places like Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel’s own coastal cities. There would be little incentive to invest in a high-risk area.

Final Verdict

A U.S. takeover of Gaza to build a Mediterranean resort would be an absolute non-starter. The move would:


Face overwhelming local and regional resistance
Be condemned by the international community
Create generational resentment that would likely spark endless conflict
Be economically and logistically unfeasible

The only way economic development in Gaza could happen is through peaceful negotiations, local governance stability, and regional cooperation, not foreign occupation.


From a source more in formed the me
February 11, 2025

Kash Patel as FBI director? From multiple sources this looks like his intent is not to protect but attack.

In his 2022 book, Government Gangsters, Kash Patel lists 60 individuals he identifies as "members of the executive branch deep state." This list includes a range of political figures, government officials, and public servants from various administrations. Here is the complete list:

Michael Atkinson (former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community)
Lloyd Austin (Defense Secretary under President Joe Biden)
Brian Auten (Supervisory Intelligence Analyst, FBI)
James Baker (former General Counsel for the FBI and former Deputy General Counsel at Twitter)
Bill Barr (former Attorney General under Trump)
John Bolton (former National Security Adviser under Trump)
Stephen Boyd (former Chief of Legislative Affairs, FBI)
Joe Biden (President of the United States)
John Brennan (former CIA Director under President Barack Obama)
John Carlin (Acting Deputy Attorney General, previously led DOJ’s National Security Division under Trump)
Eric Ciaramella (former National Security Council staffer, Obama and Trump administrations)
Pat Cipollone (former White House Counsel under Trump)
James Clapper (Obama’s Director of National Intelligence)
Hillary Clinton (former Secretary of State and presidential candidate)
James Comey (former FBI Director)
Elizabeth Dibble (former Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, London)
Mark Esper (former Secretary of Defense under Trump)
Alyssa Farah (former Director of Strategic Communications under Trump)
Evelyn Farkas (former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia under Obama)
Sarah Isgur Flores (former DOJ Head of Communications under Trump)
Merrick Garland (Attorney General under Biden)
Stephanie Grisham (former Press Secretary under Trump)
Kamala Harris (Vice President under Biden; former presidential candidate)
Gina Haspel (CIA Director under Trump)
Fiona Hill (former staffer on the National Security Council)
Curtis Heide (FBI Agent)
Eric Holder (former Attorney General under Obama)
Robert Hur (Special Counsel who investigated Biden over mishandling of classified documents)
Cassidy Hutchinson (aide to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows)
Nina Jankowicz (former Executive Director, Disinformation Governance Board under Biden)
Lois Lerner (former IRS Director under Obama)
Loretta Lynch (former Attorney General under Obama)
Charles Kupperman (former Deputy National Security Adviser under Trump)
General Kenneth McKenzie, ret. (former Commander of United States Central Command)
Andrew McCabe (former FBI Deputy Director under Trump)
Ryan McCarthy (former Secretary of the Army under Trump)
Mary McCord (former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security under Obama)
Denis McDonough (former Chief of Staff for Obama, Secretary of Veterans Affairs under Biden)
General Mark Milley, ret. (former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Lisa Monaco (Deputy Attorney General under Biden)
Sally Moyer (former Supervisory Attorney, FBI)
Robert Mueller (former FBI Director, Special Counsel for Russiagate)
Bruce Ohr (former Associate Deputy Attorney General under Obama and Trump)
Nellie Ohr (wife of Bruce Ohr and former CIA employee)
Lisa Page (former Legal Counsel for Deputy Director Andrew McCabe at FBI under Obama and Trump; exchanged texts about Trump with Peter Strzok)
Pat Philbin (former Deputy White House Counsel under Trump)
John Podesta (former Counselor to Obama; Senior Adviser to Biden on Climate Policy)
Samantha Power (former Ambassador to the United Nations under Obama, Administrator of USAID under Biden)
Bill Priestap (former Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, FBI under Obama)
Susan Rice (former National Security Adviser under Obama, Director of the Domestic Policy Council under Biden)
Rod Rosenstein (former Deputy Attorney General under Trump)
Peter Strzok (former Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, FBI under Obama and Trump; exchanged texts about Trump with Lisa Page)
Jake Sullivan (National Security Adviser under President Joe Biden)
Michael Sussmann (former Legal Representative, Democratic National Committee)
Miles Taylor (former DHS official under Trump; penned New York Times op-ed critical of Trump under the byline “Anonymous”)
Timothy Thibault (former Assistant Special Agent, FBI)
Andrew Weissmann


February 10, 2025

No surprise Susan Collins will back R. F. Kennedy Jr's nomination as head of the Department of Health and Human Services

She's been bought again.

Collins – famously a swing vote – had previously declined to say how she would vote on Kennedy’s nomination. However, after speaking with Kennedy about her “strong opposition” to “arbitrary” cuts to parts of the National Institutes of Health budget earlier today, Collins said Kennedy had promised to “re-examine” the cuts.

Her statement suggests that the former presidential candidate, who has no training in public health, may clear his confirmation vote before the Senate.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/10/trump-aluminium-aluminum-steel-tariffs-china-us-politics-live?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67aa80038f0807c383876e91#block-67aa80038f0807c383876e91

February 9, 2025

Election loss IMHO pre-election VOTER Suppression efforts in key states including Wisconsin, PA, OH, GA ........

......... and others targetting MINORITIES.

Blacks, Hispanics, and other non-white voters.

See: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220001252

Or here for broader distribution:

February 9, 2025

Early Sunday morning coffee had a new twist re: the Secretary Of Transportation. How has the internet missed this?

These podcasters and DU posters have some interesting connections. Check out their latest post and share it with others.
The right-wing hounded Pete Buttigieg when he was Secretary of Transportation. Where is the republican outrage now?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/132259861

For broader distribution.

February 6, 2025

The take over of Gaza will require military troops. The current numbers for the U.S. is estimate 1,300,000 active duty.

Here are the most recent numbers:

Active-Duty Military Personnel: 1,290,000

Army: 453,551
Navy: 332,322
Air Force: 318,698
Marine Corps: 172,577
Space Force: 8,879
National Guard and Reserve Members: 767,238


It is clear that the only option to increase the number of active duty military members is to re-implement the DRAFT.
During the Vietnam War, the United States drafted approximately 2.2 million men through the Selective Service System. This occurred between 1964 and 1973 when the U.S. relied on conscription to meet military personnel needs, as volunteer enlistments were not enough to sustain the demand for troops. THAT draft was highly controversial and faced increasing opposition as the war dragged on. In 1973, the draft was ended, and the U.S. military transitioned to an all-volunteer force.


As a voluntary enlistment active duty military member from 1965-1969 USAF. I have always contended that bringing back a military draft would put millions of families in the streets, protesting NOT WITH MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS!. Not for an unnecessary war. In my long-held opinion, The protests would stop a draft before it could be implemented.

Presidents since 1973 have realized that the citizens of the U.S. would not support a draft, particularly for unnecessary incursion into places like Gaza, Greenland, and Panama. All targets Trump appears to have on his delusional agenda.


The following is a transcript from today's SEASON 3 EPISODE 95: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN
https://www.democraticunderground.com/132259414
https://omny.fm/shows/countdown-with-keith-olbermann/how-do-we-get-elon-and-his-mutant-turtles-arrested#sharing

"All of a sudden, those million, three hundred thousand active duty American troops they're just not going to be enough, now, are they. So now Trump's backed himself into the next corner bringing back the draft. Hasn't said it yet, Wait for it. If there is one thing that will guarantee riots in the streets that, oh, by the way, the rioters will win. It's another draft. The last one was expanded for Vietnam in the sixties, at a time when the nation still largely believed its government meant well and had judgment, and when parents would actually willingly let the government take their children to send them to die meaninglessly in a conflict we could not win or even influence, when we still believed in large part that the government's judgment on such things could be trusted. And still within three years there were daily protests and draft card burnings and violent underground terrorist organizations, and enough chaos to end Lyndon Johnson's presidency and force an end to the war and the draft within the decade. If Trump, if any president, for Gaza or Greenland or Panama or whatever else he pulls out of his own ass, If Trump or any president tried a draft, except in the event of something on the scale of World War Two, in these days, when the idea of people agreeing to be forced by the government to risk their lives in an optional war is met with only rage and uncontrollable laughter. If Trump actually tried a draft, and to clean out Gaza, he'd have to have a draft. If he actually did it, I'd give his presidency it a week to ten days before he and everybody in it were forced out of office. It may not have occurred to Trump yet that to do just Gaza, maybe just Greenland, or just Panama, it would require a draft.
February 4, 2025

Think of this my friends and fellow DUer. When Musk has ALL of your data. How safe do you think you, we are......

..... from retaliatory attacks from vindictive felons and his personnel "army" of billionaire and ex-J6 convicts.

Why can't you find the private information of any government official anywhere online? They don't want the US to disrupt their privacy.

Just think how long it would take for an unknown individual to call your bank and identify themselves as a government representative working for a specific agency. They want ALL your bank accounts frozen until further notice.

Would your bank say HELL NO? Would you have to hire a law firm to free your assets? How long could you survive without money?

Seriously, try calling your Senator and ask him or her for their private data, JUST IN CASE!!

JUST ASKING !!

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