Peter

So sad. Do you remember who sings, “Do you know what I mean? Have your eyes really seen?” Love Song - Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection 7 of 10)

Fortunately, those "has beens' you mentioned above, Bush, Clinton, and Obama, and their "contracts with America" are terminated by . . . term limits. Whoever was elected after them may have tried to undo the damage they did. I don't put GW Bush in the demoncrat category either. I misspoke. I meant to say King Don and Prince Don. Those names sound a lot better. King Don will not show up for "the debates" either. Even the King only gets two terms. History will show him as President for two terms and exerting pressure on the political system for the four years in between terms. The debates are a way for Americans and President Trump to look for a VP and be entertained too. Hmmmm? I wonder if they will be saying bad things about President Trump? If they do, they may be booed in person and via TV screens across America. I saw an interesting story about how President Trump bristled at his arraignment when the judge called him Mister Trump. Somebody claimed to read his expression and body language.

King Trump? Prince Trump? Nah. That monarchy stuff is for you Canadians and Brits.

From Politico: Details of the first Republican presidential primary debate are here. The highly anticipated debate is set to take place Aug. 23 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention will be held in 2024. Fox anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the event. end quote So, it will be on Wednesday, August 23 from 9 til 11 pm and it will be broadcasted by Fox.

I liked Sarah Palin. I bought her bosomy poster. She was terrific in many, any way. Palm Beach, Florida - Donald Trump revealed that the first Republic Party primary debates coming up later this month "might" help him choose his next vice president. On Monday, the former president took to his Truth Social platform to share that while he is not planning to attend the event, he will definitely tune in to check out the competition. "Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President!" he declared. end quote We will know in the future who will be Veep! Of course, we know who it won’t be. Pike Mence. Mope nope. Fat guy from Jersey? Not ever. DeSanctamonious? Maybe not. Well, it's a long stretch. Indian / Amerian girl? Maybe. That’s all I got. Who you predict? Peter

Thanks!

We need a pro Trump movie! If you go to the “net” all they have to say is pro left, anti freedom, and verrrry negative Trumpism and freedom. Damn / Egad. He just might win again. So much criticism. So much slime. Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters!

I hereby dub thee Murky. Alexa? Why did the alligator cross the road? Because he wanted to be bayou.

Still searching the word “extinction” and here are a few quotes from a brief portion of a larger thread. This will be the last tonight. Peter From: "Dennis May" <determinism> Reply-To: Starship_Forum To: Starship_Forum Subject: [Starship_Forum] Re: End of Man Unless... Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 13:53:51 -0500 Monart Pon wrote: >In the article, Hawking was quoted as saying, "I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet." >The human species has survived many "accidents" and catastrophes in the past, from the World Wars of the last century, to the Plague in medieval Europe, ...It seems arbitrary to suppose that humankind will be destroyed by such catastrophes, rather than to suppose that humankind can survive or avert them. Mass extinctions have occurred many times in the history of the Earth. Some of these mass extinctions have yet to be explained. The extinction of individual species happens all the time, again often without explanation. It is known that a single species can become extinct in one environment or continent while thriving in another. Speciation often occurs as a result of separation into different environments over extended periods of time. Confinement to a single niche often results in extinction. Genetic variation tells us that modern humans were nearly extinct at one time. We have extraordinary little genetic variation compared to other Old World Apes. This small degree of variability means we are more prone to disease related extinction than many other animals. Dozens of offshoots of the human family tree are extinct much less the Old World Ape family tree. We are the survivors, hundred of our cousins didn't survive. Modern humans have included several racial groups which no longer exist. Our ability to cure diseases is offset by our ability to create drug resistant strains of disease and bioengineer new diseases. This doesn't even mention other weapons of mass destruction. The primary means of averting extinction is niche diversity. In the case of humans this would mean moving into space [the largest and most diverse niche possible]. The present large numbers of humans is certainly no guarantee. Passenger pigeons numbered in the billions and would black the sky for days during migrations. >Besides, is the danger of something wiping out the human race on Earth the main reason for going into space? I, as an individual, if I find that the future of humanity in a thousand years to be irrelevant to my own life now (recall the one and the many), why should I be motivated by that hypothetical danger to go into space? Niche diversification increases the possibilities for political diversification including the creation of freedom friendly governments or communities. Civilization confined to the Earth increases the likelihood of a dramatic swing towards collectivism from which civilization might never recover. How close did the Nazis/Axis come to conquering the world? How close the communists? How close various religious groups? What about the fanatics of today? Every pendulum swing brings us again to the brink of disaster, eventually we won't recover unless it becomes physically impossible for any one group to control all humans [in space]. The question of individual motivations can only be answered by individuals. Some companies founded in Europe four hundred plus years ago still exist today. If you were an individual working for such a company you might very well care about the long term vision of the company and its goals much less the big company called humanity. Short term thinking if applied globally would prevent many large projects from ever occurring. Space colonization is clearly one of those projects requiring long term thinking and investment. I could very well die today hitting a deer on the way home from work, I've seen it happen to other people. I might live to be 100 like my great, great uncle who kept a full time job till he was 93. Medical and technological advances might extend my age well beyond what people think is reasonable or even possible today. A single scientific breakthrough could bring disaster or glory to humanity depending on what it is and how it is used. Those who don't or won't live for the possibilities inherent in long term thinking won't be a part of the rewards should they come before expected or come in unexpected ways. I have worked on several engineering projects which were continuing improvement projects without a "finish" date. Others were projects which have been worked on several times over four decades or more and still are not completed. Difficult problems often must be approached many times before the promise of big rewards becomes real. There can be many small rewards along the way giving some satisfaction but the promise of a big payoff is the real motivation. I see the promise of space as very real and tangible. The impediments are primarily political not technological. Minor changes in our political environment in the late 1960's could have lead to hundreds of thousands of people living in space today. It didn't happen not for lack of technology but a lack of vision. I become very uncomfortable when I hear people talking about the long term future not affecting them today. It makes me want to go back to 1968 and spank Nixon for canceling nuclear rocket research. No long term vision means no future for yourself or anyone else. Dennis May Dennis May wrote (10/12): ". . . It would be a grave error to assume that everyone in space or everyone with WMD can be reasoned with. Nomadic technological societies are the only solution I see, I am open to the possibility of other solutions." Peter Taylor, in response, wrote (10/16): Nomadic existence is necessary only if we know the threat exists. We have no such information now but we certainly need to find out before we go forward or advertise our existence. If the information that alien civilizations do exist, is not available, then the most logical explanation is: they do NOT exist. Nonetheless, we should at least colonize at least one other planet, asap. Why colonize another planet when we could construct our own artificial planets? The gigantic, country-sized vessels envisioned and designed by physicist Gerald O'Neill (author of _The High Frontier_) are not only earth-like in environmental suitability -- but are more in human control as to gravity, solar radiation, climate, location, and locomotion, than being confined to the surface of a planet, even one as hospital as Earth. There are some who promote the colonization of Mars because it's the planet nearest to Earth's conditions, but the Martian conditions are far more severe than any area on Earth, worse than a combination of Sahara desert and Antarctica. It's understandable why people today easily think of space settlement in terms of planetary locations, since they were born on and accustomed to living on Earth. But why struggle to escape the gravity-well of a conducive planet like Earth, only to sink down another gravity-well of a nearly airless, waterless, arctic desert like Mars? If we had to live on a planet, we'd be better off staying on Earth. But staying on Earth or eking out a living on Mars, or crammed into space submarines, are not the only types of alternatives. Living in the high frontier of free space within environmental conditions superior to that of Earth -- that's a far more appealing alternative. See my other writings on this subject, including this post on the archives: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Starship_Forum/message/80> As to Dennis' concerns about space settlements being susceptible to attack by Weapons of Mass Destruction, some answers were discussed in another thread, starting with this one at http://groups. yahoo.com/group/Starship_Forum/message/101> Besides, a civilization consisting of these free-floating, free-flying space countries could be an excellent example of Dennis' suggestion of having "nomadic technological societies." Monart

I continued to look for “extinction” and I found a page of quotes from some guy. What was his name? All of the following quotes are from President Ronald Reagan. “Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem.” “One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” “Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.” “I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.” “We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much” “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.” “Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.” “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” “Today, if you invent a better mousetrap, the government comes along with a better mouse.” “Man is not free unless government is limited.” “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction” “Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer.” “They say hard work never hurt anybody, but I figure why take the chance?” “Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.” “We need you, we need your youth, your strength, and your idealism, to help us make right what is wrong.” “Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.” “Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.” “These young Americans sent a message to terrorists everywhere. . . . You can run but you can't hide.” “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” “When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” “To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last -- but eat you he will.” “There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” “Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.” I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp. (February 10, 1982)” “There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder” “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.” And I guess everyone remembers the one about tearing down that wall. Peter

Well said Anthony. I searched my saved documents for the word “extinction,” and I found a speech by someone famous. I just quote a couple of her thoughts. Peter Barbara's lecture delivered in 2006 at The Atlas Society summer conference (the link, posted elsewhere on OL by Ed Hudgins, to this article on The Atlas Society's own website has been broken). Objectivism and Rage by Barbara Branden. A lecture presented at the TAS 2006 Summer Seminar, July 4, 2006, Chapman University, Orange, CA . . . How much more difficult it is to see into other people’s minds. We cannot know precisely what information they possess or how their minds dealt with that information. We cannot know the degree of their intelligence or their context or their life experiences. We cannot know how or why they have arrived at ideas that we may find abhorrent and irrational. Yes, we may feel, when an opponent seems invincibly ignorant: “The world is racing toward disaster and we all face extinction because you refuse to think!”—but our emotions are not tools of cognition. Justice demands that we withhold moral censure where we do not have certainty. Life would be much simpler if the line between honesty and dishonesty, between intellectual integrity and evasion, were self-evident. But that line is not self-evident. . . . My own understanding of maturity is that it requires the ability to live with uncertainty. Because no matter how much we know, how much we learn, we always are faced with many uncertainties—uncertainties about ourselves, about other people, about the world. No one can once and for all tie reality into one pretty parcel for us and tell us we need never doubt or wonder again. If we cannot accept this fact, and live comfortably with it, we are in very deep trouble indeed. How wonderful it is to find answers in an area where before we had only doubts and questions and uncertainties. And it can be equally wonderful to find new questions where before we thought we had certainty—and then to leap into the unknown in the search for knowledge. Surely this is a substantial part of what the richly lived life is all about.

Interesting article. It was one of those articles you have to hit an arrow to go to the next person, so it was a bit tedious. I only copied the text for people who I am familiar with. Peter Celebrities with autism who are changing our perceptions Story by Stars Insider •17h. Susan Boyle Boyle leapt to fame when she appeared on 'Britain's Got Talent' in 2009, singing 'I Dreamed a Dream' from 'Les Misérables.'.. Now working behind the scenes after years of mistreatment, including being called Simple Susie, Boyle is worth about US $40 million... Dan Aykroyd was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was a 12-year-old, and was then diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the early 1980s when he was already in his thirties. Aykroyd wrote and starred in 'Ghostbusters' and 'The Blues Brothers.'.. "One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement—I carry around a police badge with me, for example," Aykroyd told the Daily Mail... Daryl Hannah was diagnosed with autism when she was a child, but only opened up about it to the public in 2013... Courtney Love described how she was diagnosed with autism when she was nine years old in her biography 'Courtney Love: The Real Story.'.. Tim Burton's partner at the time, Helena Bonham Carter, was studying autism traits for a TV show and said she believed Burton had the condition... The director has not publicly said if he's been diagnosed with autism, though he has reportedly been open about his Asperger's diagnosis.

From BBC: Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: the US, UK, Russia, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. From Bing: In addition, Iran is suspected of actively seeking nuclear weapons. From U.N. Agency: Speaking at a conference on tightening controls against nuclear proliferation, Mohamed ElBaradei said more nations are "hedging their bets" by developing technology that is at the core of peaceful nuclear energy programs but could quickly be switched to making weapons. ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, called them "virtual new weapons states." The warning came amid heightened fears that North Korea's nuclear test explosion and Iran's defiance of a U.N. Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment could spark a new arms race, particularly among Asian and Middle Eastern states that feel threatened. ElBaradei did not single out any country in his warning, but was clearly alluding to Iran and other nations that are working to develop uranium enrichment capability, such as Brazil. Other nations, including Australia, Argentina and South Africa, have recently announced that they are considering developing enrichment programs to be able to sell fuel to states that want to generate electricity with nuclear reactors. Canada, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Taiwan, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania are among nations that either have the means to produce weapons-grade uranium if they chose, could quickly build such technology, or could use plutonium waste for weaponization. All are committed non-nuclear weapons states, and no one has suggested they want to use their programs for arms.

Currently The World is experiencing a serious, nuclear problem with North Korea. Their chief potentate shoots his mouth off and also shoots off rockets that could contain nuclear war heads, and they could reach much of the globe. What can one country do, other than threaten retaliation killing him and his family and a million North Koreans? It is a tough dilemma, and not to sound too Scifi, I worry about this scenario being the end of the world "as we know it." I wonder why the universe of intelligent beings is not out there communicating with other entities? Could it be reaching the threshold of creating nuclear weapons is what kills off civilizations? That may be too pessimistic, but currently with several nuclear level countries I think the risk is steadily increasing. Woe is me. And everyone else.

Another interesting search? Atlas Shrugged the movie was in three parts. Search for who was in any of those movies. Very interesting, like Robert Picardo who played the hologram doctor on Star Trek Voyager was in one of the three.

Real Clear Politics. General Election match up. Averaged. Biden 44 percent. Trump 43.6. Presidential job approval. Approve 41.4 Disapprove 53.4

See any good movies lately? Are you having a time getting those catch phrases out of your frontal lobe? I think Geek Tyrant had 150 of these so I just cut and pasted the one’s I liked or just remember. Peter From Geek Tyrant: ““They’re heeeere!” – POLTERGEIST – Carol Anne Freeling, notifying her parents of the spirits present “Good morning, Vietnam!” – GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM – Adrian Cronauer’s greeting on his radio show “Say ‘hello’ to my little friend!” – SCARFACE – Tony Montana, shouting his battle cry before an ambush “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” – THE PRINCESS BRIDE – Inigo Montoya, to the 6-fingered man, before his final battle with him “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” – THE SHINING – Jack Torrance, maniacally calling to his wife with the intent to kill l“A martini…shaken, not stirred.” – GOLDFINGER – James Bond, ordering his signature drink “Alrighty then!” – ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE – Ace Ventura, acknowledging a confirmation Surely, you can’t be serious.” – “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.” – AIRPLANE! – Stryker, reacting to a request to land a plane (pilots incapacitated) “You talkin’ to me?” – TAXI DRIVER – Travis Bickle, practicing a confrontation in the mirror “You’ve gotta ask yourself a question: do I feel lucky? …well, do ya, punk?!?” – DIRTY HARRY – Harry, speaking to a criminal suspect before arresting him “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!” – NETWORK – Howard Beale, broadcasting to the nation, to get mad and scream “Go ahead, make my day.” – SUDDEN IMPACT – Harry Callahan, to a small-time restaurant robber “Resistance is futile.” – STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT – The Borg, to the USS Enterprise crew, informing them of the impending invasion “Get off my plane.” – AIR FORCE ONE – President Marshall, to Egor Korshunov, before throwing him off the cargo bay “Get away from her, you BITCH!!!” – ALIENS – Ellen Ripley, to the Alien queen, rescuing Newt “Run, Forrest, run!” – FORREST GUMP – Jenny, to Forrest, running from school bullies “I’ll be back.” – THE TERMINATOR – Terminator, to a police front desk clerk before breaking in “Ding-dong, the witch is dead!” – THE WIZARD OF OZ – The Munchkins, celebrating the Wicked Witch’s death “SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!” – JERRY MAGUIRE – Jerry, to Rod Tidwell, obeying him in order to stay his agent “Excellent!” – BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE – Bill & Ted, reacting to the King’s command to take them to the iron maiden “You can’t handle the truth!” – A FEW GOOD MEN – Col. Fessep to Lt. Jr. Grade Kaffee on ordering a Code Red “We’re on a mission from God.” – THE BLUES BROTHERS – Elwood Blues, explaining why they need Mr. Fabulous “Shaa, and monkeys might fly out of my butt!” – WAYNE’S WORLD – Wayne, reacting to hosting Wayne’s World for a living “Yipee kayaye, motherfucker!” DIE HARD – John McClane, spewing out a phrase after Hans Gruber predicts him doing it “I feel the need…the need for speed.” – TOP GUN – Maverick, preparing for flight “If you build it, he will come.” – FIELD OF DREAMS – A whispering voice, encouraging to Ray Kinsella to build a baseball field “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” – JAWS – Martin Brody to Robert Shaw, warning of the shark’s size “Badges? We don’t have no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have . to show you any stinking badges!” – THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE – Gold Hat, reacting to Dobbs prompting him to prove they are policemen “I am your father.” – STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK – Darth Vader, revealing his true past to his son, Luke Skywalker “I see dead people.” – THE SIXTH SENSE – Cole Sear, revealing his secret to Dr. Malcom Crowe “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” – THE WIZARD OF OZ – Dorothy, to her dog, realizing where they are “My momma always said, . ‘Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get.”‘ – FORREST GUMP – Forrest, telling someone at a bus stop his mother’s musings “It’s alive! It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!!!” – FRANKENSTEIN – Henry Frankenstein, reacting to his creation coming alive “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” – SILENCE OF THE LAMBS – Hannibal Lecter, telling Clarice Starling what he did to a census taker “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – THE GODFATHER – Don Corleone, to Johnny Fontane, about his plans for a Hollywood director “Soylent Green is people!” – SOYLENT GREEN – Detective Thorn, to a surrounding crowd, about the secret of soylent green “You don’t understand! I coulda had class! I coulda been a contender. I coulda . been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” – ON THE WATERFRONT – Terry Malloy, to his brother Charley, on what could have been without fixing fights “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.” – CASABLANCA – Rick Blaine, to Ilsa Lund, cheering her up while breaking up “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take…OUR FREEDOM!” – BRAVEHEART – William Wallace, to his army, before going into battle “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” – GONE WITH THE WIND – Rhett Butler, to Scarlett, answering her question of where to go, what to do “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” – THE GODFATHER PART III – Michael Corleone, commenting on the impossibility to escape from mob life “They’re back!” – POLTERGEIST 2 – Carol Anne Freeling, informing her parents of the spirits’ return “E.T. phone home.” – E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL – E.T., the alien, declaring his desire to make contact with his native alien race “There’s no place like home.” – THE WIZARD OF OZ – Dorothy, performing the ritual of returning back to her home from Oz “Yo, Adrian!” – ROCKY – Rocky Balboa, giving a “shout out” to his then girlfriend, Adrian Pennino “Hey Stella! HEY STELLA!!!” – A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – Stanley Kowalski, calling to his wife, Stella Kowalski “You…complete me.” – JERRY MAGUIRE – Jerry Maguire, to Dorothy Boyd, expressing his love for her “You had me at ‘hello’.” – JERRY MAGUIRE – Dorothy Boyd, to Jerry Maguire, reciprocating Jerry’s love “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.” – WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? – Jessica Rabbit, to Eddie Valiant, on how hard it is to be a sultry, cartoon woman “Ssssssssssssmokin’!” – THE MASK – “The Mask,” greeting the night with an expression of excitement “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me!” – THE GRADUATE – Ben Braddock, calling Mrs. Robinson out on plying her wiles “I’ll have what she’s having.” – WHEN HARRY MET SALLY – A female restaurant patron, to a server, asking for whatever Sally Albright ate “My precious!” – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS – Gollum, answering Faramir’s question, “What did they steal?”, referring to the ring “Is it safe?” – THE MARATHON MAN – Dr. Szell, to Thomas “Babe” Levy, as he drills into his teeth without anesthetic “Hey! I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” – MIDNIGHT COWBOY – Ratso, angrily responding to a taxi driver honking his horn “I’m the king of the world!” – TITANIC – Jack Dawson, expressing excitement at the front end of the Titanic “Feed me, Seymour!” – LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS – Audrey II, to Seymour Krelborn, asking him for more food, asking for blood “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!” – THE WIZARD OF OZ – The Wizard, to Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tinman . upon discovering he’s not a big, scary figure, but a man hiding behind a curtain “Live long and prosper.” – STAR TREK – Spock, to the Vulcan Science Academy, expressing his farewell “May the Force be with you.” – STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE – Jan Dodonna, to the Rebels, wishing them luck before attacking the Death Star “Hasta la vista…baby.” – TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY – The Terminator, to T-1000, before shattering his liquid nitrogen frozen body “After all, tomorrow is another day.” – GONE WITH THE WIND – Scarlett O’Hara to herself, convinced she can get Rhett Butler back

As Ayn Rand infamously said, For two bucks, I would buy a lottery ticket worth billions if I won. joke Someone in California, I think, just won the Powerball tonight. Take home 280 m. The Mega Millions lottery’s take home 369.6 (one lump sum after taxes times 55 percent) is just over $200,000,000. The next drawing for that is Friday July 21st. So, I will play the Mega Millions. I usually get two tickets per drawing. In other news, a “fan of Rand,” Fox’s Trace Gallagher has moved to weeknights at 11 pm from his 12 o’clock slot. If I have seen the news at six to seven, I don‘t care to see it again at 11 pm so this is a good alternative. From Wikipedia: Gallagher grew up in the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California, where he was the quarterback for the Mammoth Huskies high school football team. He graduated from high school in 1979. Gallagher studied at the University of San Diego and he majored in business playing quarterback for the Torero football team.

I like that Ramaswamy is saying he is Trump 2.0. And he could get 10 percent of the vote in a primary. Is he VP material? He name sounds a bit comical to me . . . swamy? Peter From USA TODAY. Vivek Ramaswamy, rising in the polls, talks pardoning Trump, ending the FBI, more Story by Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY • 2h ago Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is doing all he can to take a bite out of Donald Trump's base in his pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The 37-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio-area native has pledged, if elected, he would pardon the former president for alleged federal crimes. He has proposed raising the legal voting age to 25 unless you pass a citizenship test or serve in the U.S. armed forces. Just this week he released a Supreme Court nominee list that included conservative lawmakers such as Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah. Ramaswamy's pitch that he will be Trump 2.0 appears to be working, according to national polls. A recent Echelon Insights survey in June found 49% of GOP respondents said they favored Trump followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16% and Ramaswamy at 10%. That is well ahead of better-known candidates, such as former Vice President Mike Pence.

The guy who plays former President Trump on SNL is funny but my favorite Saturday Night Live skit is Celebrity Jeopardy with Will Farrell as Alex Trebec, Sean Connery played by Darryl Hammond, Burt Reynolds played by Norm Macdonald and that squinty eyed guy from Third Rock From the Sun played by Jimmy Fallon. I didn’t remember Jimmy until I just took another look at it, but Jimmy appeared in several variations of the skit. There are other variations, one with Icelandic singer Bjork played by Winona Ryder, Robin Williams appeared, etc.

Trey Gowdy is on Fox News at 12:44. He mentioned that President Biden insisted that Ukraine will eventually join NATO. But Trey pointed out, Ukraine must therefore win their war with Russia first. Other gruesome news. From Ukrainska Pravda: 500 Russians killed in Ukraine and dozens of vehicles destroyed Yesterday 1:21 AM Over the past 24 hours, the Armed Forces of Ukraine killed 500 Russian occupiers and destroyed 5 tanks and 18 artillery systems. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces from 24 February 2022 to 16 July 2023 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses – ed.]: ・approximately 237,680 (+500) military personnel; ・4,107 (+5) tanks; ・8,026 (+7) armored combat vehicles; end quote From The Guardian: Two killed in bridge 'emergency', governor of Russia's Belgorod region says Two people from Russia’s Belgorod region, a mother and father, were killed in the “emergency” on the Crimean bridge and their daughter was injured, the region’s governor has said on Telegram. “This morning we all started with information about the emergency that happened on the Crimean bridge. We all saw a video on the internet of a damaged car with Belgorod number plates,” Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote. “The girl was injured, moderately injured … The hardest thing is that her parents died, dad and mom.”

So, the best moral outcome would be for Ukraine to surrender and be occupied by Russia? Ukraine was invaded by Russia and I am not implying that Ukraine is holier than thou. But an invasion is what occurred and a belligerent country like Russia just may want to expand their territory as did The Soviet Union. Hence the countries near Russia are joining NATO, Not to invade Russia but to protect themselves from Russia. Sweden, Finland . . . who's next? The news has some whoppers circulating that Putin's generals want to get out of Ukraine and will depose Putin unless he buggers off. Hopefully that will occur. Russia does not need another Czar and the world doesn't need Putin.

I picked on that it was a parody and not AOC's words in the first post and I have been playing off that, ever since.

From “Apocalypse Now:” You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. From the site “1945”: The former speech writer elaborated: “The Russian economy is deteriorating,” Gallyamov said. “The war is lost. There are more and more dead bodies returning to Russia, so Russians will be coming across more difficulties and they’ll be trying to find explanation why this is happening, looking around to the political process and they’ll be answering themselves: ‘Well, this is because our country is governed by an old tyrant, an old dictator.’” Additionally, Gallyamov outlined how Moscow’s abysmal war efforts in Ukraine are creating tensions among Russia’s military leadership.

Maybe she’s not the only one slightly off. I typed in “RFK in the news” and noticed the “news” doesn’t have much good to say about him, at least for democrats. From The Hll: Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised former President Trump on Friday, saying the leading GOP candidate is “probably the most successful debater in this country since Lincoln-Douglas.” From Fox News: Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. claimed that President Biden's mobilization of troops to support Operation Atlantic Resolve is preparation for a "ground war with Russia." From The New York Times: He has promoted a conspiracy theory that coronavirus vaccines were developed to control people via microchips. He has endorsed the false notion that antidepressants are linked to school shootings. And he has pushed the decades-old theory that the C.I.A. killed his uncle, former President John F. Kennedy.