Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by James Lacey

I have a very close family member who is an officer in the Navy, and has been deployed multiple times on aircraft carriers, who told me that "laundry fires" and "malfunctioning toilets" are all too common on long, especially extended deployments. It's essentially sabotage committed by exhausted crew members. It's important to acknowledge that there is no evidence this happened on the USS Gerald Ford, but it's not unheard of either.

I suspect your impressions are correct. Among the various items clogging the toilets: 2 foot long linens...I don't think they developed legs on their own and then decided to take a deep dive into the basins...

That said, and while we're on the subject of toilets, theone on the Orion craft is problematic again:   "Artemis 2 astronauts halfway to moon, report 'burning smell' from toilet".

https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-4-2026

PS: I thought they have backups for every system. Seems like an oversight on a crew-intensive usage issue. Maybe they should have toted a good 'ol fashion made in the USA Andy Gump with free samples of Febreze floating around in it, courtesy of a local Costco!

Got the scoop on the poop! The Artemis toilet was kaput because the peepee from the wewe froze in the lines! (Should've brought a gallon of prestone along--ok, zerex.)
I don't think the engineer who designed this thing was any kind of a steely-eyed missile man but just consider the history behind the story:

Armstrong and the gang didn't have this kind of a problem with their relief tube and he and Buzz LANDED on the moon! I mean if there's anything to get the 'ol GI tract kicked into overdrive, that should have been it. Not to mention Cronkite and the whole world was watching, no pressure, huh?... 

Originally Posted by James Brown

Yeah, for me and you for sure.   But when one is negotiating with tyrants who have a track record of mass murder and terrorism, maybe threatening annihilation is effective?   Obviously this sort of threat is more credible coming from Trump than any other modern president.

These are idle musings of course.   I’m not arguing that Trump is a mastermind, not by a long shot.   We won’t have any idea of the various resolutions of all the issues for a long while, even though we all know Trump will declare that he saved Iran and the world in two weeks, and then move on to whatever is next.

Ex Faux News game show host "Pete" Hegseth gets in on the action, too:

"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday claimed “overwhelming victory” over Iran, hours after President Trump announced a 14-day ceasefire."

Trump, for his part:   “Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it,” Trump told AFP when asked if he was claiming victory with the ceasefire."

"However, the deal does not appear to include Iranian commitments on uranium enrichment or giving up its nuclear material, key aims of Iran hawks. It also leaves the hardline Iranian regime in place."

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5821402-us-victory-iran-ceasefire-hegseth/

PS: As of this morning, post cease fire, Iran fires missiles at the gulf nations:    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/international/iran-bombs-uae-capital-qatar-abu-dhabi-gas-facility-on-fire-as-doha-reports-injuries-watch/videoshow/130101853.cms

Originally Posted by James Brown

Yeah, for me and you for sure.   But when one is negotiating with tyrants who have a track record of mass murder and terrorism, maybe threatening annihilation is effective?   Obviously this sort of threat is more credible coming from Trump than any other modern president.

These are idle musings of course.   I’m not arguing that Trump is a mastermind, not by a long shot.   We won’t have any idea of the various resolutions of all the issues for a long while, even though we all know Trump will declare that he saved Iran and the world in two weeks, and then move on to whatever is next.

"President Trump on Wednesday said he is considering the formation of a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the Strait of Hormuz after the Trump administration and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire deal."

"Earlier Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that there was “big money” to be made by the U.S. aiding in the “traffic buildup” in the Strait of Hormuz."


https://thehill.com/policy/international/5821343-trump-us-iran-ceasefire-deal-joint-venture-strait-of-hormuz/


The master at his craft in the "Art Of The Deal"!!!

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

"President Trump on Wednesday said he is considering the formation of a “joint venture” with Iran to set up tolls in the Strait of Hormuz after the Trump administration and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire deal."

"Earlier Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that there was “big money” to be made by the U.S. aiding in the “traffic buildup” in the Strait of Hormuz."


https://thehill.com/policy/international/5821343-trump-us-iran-ceasefire-deal-joint-venture-strait-of-hormuz/


The master at his craft in the "Art Of The Deal"!!!

Oh wait, it looks like the strait is closed again!   Somebody better let Pete Hegseth know!

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-892378

Meanwhile, Bondi defies a subpoena before the House committee on the Epstein files. Only the Clintons had to show up...

Now Trump wants to set up a "joint venture" with Iran in order to get a cut in the toll to be charged for each ship passing through the strait, for what used to be known formally as an international waterway way. Perhaps he'll eventually offer it as an IPO and we can all get in on the action which will help offset the higher costs of transporting oil through the strait and eventually raise the cost of living for everybody.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5821343-trump-us-iran-ceasefire-deal-joint-venture-strait-of-hormuz/
 
And Dave thought this wasn't going to end well....

Originally Posted by James Lacey

I agree. You have to be wildly irrational to still be supporting or making excuses for Trump, who is, to put it colloquially, Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

First, concur on the outing of Orban as a repudiation of Putin & Trump.
That said, it seems James got it all wrong:

"President Trump told reporters Monday that the AI image appearing to depict him as Jesus Christ was actually an image of Trump as a doctor healing people."

“I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with the Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support,” Trump told reporters outside of the Oval Office.

“Only the fake news could come up with that one,” he continued. “I just heard about it, and I said how did they come up with that? It’s supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better and I do make people better.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5829046-trump-doctor-red-cross/

Next,   "President Trump on Monday received a McDonald’s delivery to the Oval Office to promote his “no tax on tips” law.

"He received two bags of McDonald’s, a longtime fast-food favorite of the president’s, from a delivery person in a “DoorDash Grandma” shirt."

“The reason for this is the fact that I heard you picked up an extra $11,000 … because the tax bill was so big, the refund was the biggest you’ve ever had,” Trump said as he received the order, in a video shared by the White House."

A comment at the bottom of the link:   "Here, Mr. President...have some more McDonalds. Have it every day, three times a day. PLEASE."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5829060-trump-mcdonalds-delivery-no-tax/

More than ample evidence that this guy is batshit crazy...

Originally Posted by James Brown

In January 2014, President Obama stated, "I've got a pen and I've got a phone"... Whether this sentiment signals bold, even heroic presidential action in the face of a recalcitrant Congress, or whether it signals a blatant disregard for the Constitution and gross executive overreach depends entirely upon one’s political point of view.

My point is they all do it, and the Supremes slap them down regularly (e.g.  tariffs, student loan forgiveness, no real difference.)

Hmm, quantity has a quality all of its own:     

"Single-term President Joe Biden signed 160 executive orders from 2021 to 2025, which is fewer than other recent presidents."

"President Trump has signed 252 executive orders so far in his second term: 225 in 2025, and 27 as of March 26, 2026."

I recall Rich Davis ranting about Biden being a tyrannical authoritarian expletive deleted so and so just about every time he signed an executive order along with the rightwing echo chambers. 

The one in question here seems particularly intrusive and a glaring example of governmental overreach, which it is and one of my points in posting it is that the GOP generally tries to project its image as the party that keeps big government out of your face...

"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that a proposed executive order that would require banks to collect citizenship information is “in process” in an interview this week with Semafor."

"Semafor reported in February that REAL IDs would not be considered eligible documents under this new documentation requirement, as they do not prove citizenship."

"...the Wall Street Journal reported that banks could begin requiring customers’ passports under this new policy..."

Nice comment at the bottom of the link: "Ban all US access to offshore accounts first then"

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5830266-trump-executive-order-banking-system-citizenship/