The New Coffee Room

@George-K said in "A Diminished Biden":

@taiwan_girl said in "A Diminished Biden":

Can you predict how President Trump will act? 55555

Of course not. However, I'm fairly confident that he will be aware of these actions.

That's a hell of a lot more than we can say about the last 4 years.

Dont disagree.

However, if (and I know it is a pretty big hypothetic) President Trump (starts to) lose his mental abilities in the next four years, I would say that the odds are much less than 50% that the people in power will react any differently than the people today.

@George-K said in Mr. Clemency:

It's a matter of law. These people were sentenced to death in a legal process. To change it carte-blanche without chaining the law undermines the validity of the courts.

Agree. Pardons overall should be eliminated.

@George-K said in "A Diminished Biden":

How do you know they were basically the same? You're going to trust them?

I realize it was a hypothetic.

Can you predict how President Trump will act? 55555

@LuFins-Dad @Jon @George-K Somewhat similar to a guy named Stanley Jordan

Well, the three branches are supposed to be independent of each other. I think that this the whole basis of teh checks and balances.

Yup, humans are pretty good about innovating when needed.

@George-K said in Mr. Clemency:

If their death sentences were commuted, the prisoners, all convicted of murder, would serve life without parole

I dont have a big problem with this. The death penalty does not reduce crime, and while I think some people deserve it, it often takes decades or longer for any death sentence to be one. Life in prison is a pretty severe punishment.

I do think that while Presdient Biden is mentally unfit, there were handlers who kept him in the lane. I am not sure that handlers for President Trump will/would keep him in the lanes.

On another note, are you looking for a president (or an administration) who will implement the policies you want, or are looking for a personality.

For example, lets assume President Biden was incompetent and his handlers were making the decisions. But, if the decisions were basically the same regardless, does it really matter?

Looks like they are spending the first six months of 2025 on a Australia/Europe tour.

Good choice.

I have hear that song before, but not by them. Fun song!!

( I like the "overacting" from the two backup singers. Lots of fun. LOL)

Good for you. You can't be more clear.

@George-K said in Government Shutdown -- Winter 2024:

Can Johnson wrangle all the GOP?

Nope

https://apnews.com/live/government-shutdown-congress-spending-trump-updates

The House of Representatives has rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown.

Almost three dozen Republicans joined Democrats to vote against Trump’s sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by GOP leaders. The bill fell 174-235, failing to earn even a majority of votes.

Still clueless. LOL

@George-K Who is that?

@jon-nyc said in Mr. Clemency:

It’s true they didn’t review the individual cases when they decided to grant clemency to all the folks on home confinement

Absolutely no excuse for that!!!!!!

@George-K said in "A Diminished Biden":

Funny how we went from "Sharp as ever" to "Diminished" 6 months.

But to be honest, it would have been surprise if they have said he is failing? There is some "self preservation" among his staff. I would have been surprised if they announced he was failing.

I think that there are odds the president Trump will show signs over the next four years, and the word from the White House will be that "all is normal"

Money talks. I doubt that Speaker Johnson regularly texts with "regular citizens" about how he is going to vote on the budget bill like he does with Mr. Musk

A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday.

The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase.

The military is to receive a shipment of 42 Abrams tanks and another of 42 tanks over the next two years, Ministry of National Defense records showed.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2024/12/16/2003828564

SpaceX lawyers advised executives not to attempt to secure higher security clearances for the mercurial CEO, since that would force him to disclose information about his frequent contacts with foreign nationals, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, as well as his much-rumored drug use.

Musk currently holds a "top secret" security clearance, giving him access to "some national security secrets," but not the full clearance required by staff who work on classified programs, sources told the WSJ.

Even his current security clearance took years to obtain after famously smoking weed with Joe Rogan in 2018. SpaceX lawyers are also reportedly considering his ketamine use, a hotly debated subject in the media.

Worse yet, by seeking an even higher security clearance, Musk may risk losing his current "top secret" clearance, the lawyers worry.

Without permissions for "sensitive compartmented information," which several hundred SpaceX employees have, Musk is reportedly unable to access certain information about his company's spy satellite program, called Starshield. According to the WSJ, he isn't even allowed to enter most facilities where related work is being done.

Earlier this year, the WSJ reported that Musk had a long history of using psychoactive drugs, including LSD and psychedelic mushrooms. His lawyer, however, later disputed the report, arguing that he had "never failed" a drug test at SpaceX.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-drug-use-government-security-clearance