Quote from: RE on May 26, 2025, 12:35 PMIt's all relative of course, but the point is he's eviscerating the programs that are supposed to combat and prevent terrorism.
RE

He is. Has anyone ever done an evaluation of whether or not the programs did combat and prevent terrorism? I seem to recall a brew-ha-ha in New Orleans and Vegas in the recent past. And there was this day, January 6 a couple years ago that seemed to involve some terrorism, folks getting killed and whatnot. And all those organizations were around and kicking then and it didn't seem to help....and then of course it turns out it wasn't terrorism but just a good ol' fashion celebration, and everyone was let go because it was a mistake.

If we redefine terrorism so we have less of it, we don't really need these organizations trying to stop something that isn't terrorism anymore?

Quote from: RE on May 26, 2025, 12:32 PM22s to start, 30-30s or 30-06 when you qualified Expert.  NRA Certification.

RE

Hell, what kind of summer camp was that, handing out NRA certs at the age of what, like 12? Was this something daddy funded or later, when you were working to support your mom and saving for European vagabond trips and Australian sightseeing?

Still have the NRA cert? Do they require updates through time or anything, or was it just like a badge of accomplishment in the moment type thing?

It's all relative of course, but the point is he's eviscerating the programs that are supposed to combat and prevent terrorism.

RE

22s to start, 30-30s or 30-06 when you qualified Expert.  NRA Certification.

RE

Quote from: RE on May 26, 2025, 11:44 AM

Quote from: TDoS on May 26, 2025, 10:25 AMHow does Trump set the stage for another 9-11?

From the article:

— Although the first two months of 2025 showed a shocking 25 percent increase in terrorism and politically-targeted violent attacks, with an average of 3 attacks a day and more than 400 people murdered by domestic terrorists during the past two years, Trump shut down 24 different projects tracking terrorist threats in the US.


— Almost half of the nation's FBI agents who'd been available to work on counterterrorism efforts have been ordered to drop their investigations and, instead, pursue undocumented aliens.


— Multiple state-based anti-terrorism programs, funded by DHS, have been gutted or ended entirely.


— The CIA is laying off at least 1,200 positions, many monitoring foreign terroristic threats, "along with thousands more [employees] from other parts of the US intelligence community."


— Trump defunded the State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) program, which since 1996 had trained more than 427,000 law enforcement and justice system practitioners to identify, investigate, and interdict domestic and international terrorism.

RE

9/11 wasn't caused by a defunding of intelligience services, but more a lack of creativity among analysts as to what some guys in a cave could do, and a lack of cooperation among the various agencies, from which MAYBE some outline of the plot could have been established. And then the morons who were training Muslim pilots who weren't worried about learning how to land aircraft, and didn't mention it in real time. And they weren't part of these agencies anyway, they were just people who had seen clues and hadn't opened their damn mouths.

All of the resources being decreased in size today would probably leave far more people watching....whatever...than there were during 9/11 times, so we can't assume that amount of resources available was a prime factor in 9/11 either.

And more entertainingly, if Timothy McVeigh is thought of as an American terrorist (as opposed to the hero some considered him post Ruby Ridge), he would now be some sort of MAGA enthusiast, and aimed at some DEI target or another.

And that isn't a 9-11 event, it is the natural outcome of politics demonizing one group over another, with plenty of nod/nod wink/winks until the event happens, and then grudgingly jail them....and pardon them afterwards when it turns out one of the justice department officials noted their MAGA affiliation, and lawyers can't be slandering people that way. Poor defenders have rights you know....as long as they have some decent MAGA credentials anyway.

Quote from: RE on May 26, 2025, 11:50 AM

Quote from: TDoS on May 26, 2025, 10:52 AMOh yes, and one quesiton for RE....when and how did you learn to be a first class shot with a rifle, being

Summer Camp.  Riflery & Archery were 2 of my electives,

RE

I did summer camp. They wouldn't let us have anything more than BB guns. But plenty of bows and arrows. What did they let you shoot, 22's or something more interesting?

Quote from: TDoS on May 26, 2025, 10:52 AMOh yes, and one quesiton for RE....when and how did you learn to be a first class shot with a rifle, being

Summer Camp.  Riflery & Archery were 2 of my electives,

RE

Quote from: TDoS on May 26, 2025, 10:25 AMHow does Trump set the stage for another 9-11?

From the article:

— Although the first two months of 2025 showed a shocking 25 percent increase in terrorism and politically-targeted violent attacks, with an average of 3 attacks a day and more than 400 people murdered by domestic terrorists during the past two years, Trump shut down 24 different projects tracking terrorist threats in the US.


— Almost half of the nation's FBI agents who'd been available to work on counterterrorism efforts have been ordered to drop their investigations and, instead, pursue undocumented aliens.


— Multiple state-based anti-terrorism programs, funded by DHS, have been gutted or ended entirely.


— The CIA is laying off at least 1,200 positions, many monitoring foreign terroristic threats, "along with thousands more [employees] from other parts of the US intelligence community."


— Trump defunded the State and Local Anti-Terrorism Training (SLATT) program, which since 1996 had trained more than 427,000 law enforcement and justice system practitioners to identify, investigate, and interdict domestic and international terrorism.

RE

Once upon a time....there was doom. It was good, it was scary, folks were convinced it was right around the corner and approaching like an out of control locomotive. And humanity was much like the damsel tied to the tracks...there was no escape.

Now...we talk about politics. Weather...how scary those hail storms are, and tornados? Tornados have been around since one snatched up Dorothy all those decades ago. Y2K is a quarter century old joke, peak oil is 7 years in the books and I don't know about the rest of the country, but where I am, I can order gasoline or diesel by the truck load and use it to build bonfires for the rest of the year for my neighbors if I want to.

Real doom never needed discussions on housing prices, did it? Buying a hunting/fishing cabin to hide from the suburbanites fleeing the cities for lack of food, sure, but insurance getting more expensive because someone lives in a hurricane landing zone? That is a given, and always has been. Company can't make a profit, can't find an under writer, they pull out of the market, less competition, other companies raise their rates. CFS.

Worse yet, because people don't study the history of doom...they just get scared, read whatever reinforces a preconceived opinion, rinse and repeat. Not all of us educated doomers of course, we all know that endless cycles of non-doom are the norm, having lived through a couple of them now.

So...when do those of us who have been in this game for decades now....figure this out...and warn others to not take this stuff (multiple cycles of which we geriatrics have lived through now) so seriously?

Oh yes, and one quesiton for RE....when and how did you learn to be a first class shot with a rifle, being a sort of forever city dweller type?

I'm trying to imagine....RE....La Longue Carabine.....stalking game in the wilderness of New England forests.

Quote from: RE on May 25, 2025, 12:05 PMThe signs are all there that the Trumpenator is setting the stage for another 9-11 level terrorist attack to salvage his flailing administration and declare Martial Law.
RE

How does Trump set the stage for another 9-11?

He is making happy-happy joy-joy with the Arabs....this time you figure he as President has irritated....the local Amish or some other cloistered group? And they are plotting something beyong the normal American drive-by or suicide bombing outside a casino?

McVeigh was the last home grown terrorist of much note, and even his protest with a car bomb would be unlikely to cause martial law to be declared.

Sorry RE but this idea ranks up there with Toyota going bankrupt.