AU9377

3 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Please tell me how the war on drugs has improved America’s addiction.  The left’s example of America having a *gun addiction* is misplaced.  What would the left do as a result?  Look at Oregon, Washington and California.  They would make sure everyone had a gun just like those states are giving drug addicts free drugs or decriminalizing drugs.  California is even giving free alchol to alcoholics.

You might want to look for another analogy.

We would have been much better off had we not chosen to lie to people for decades about certain drugs.  All drugs are not equal in their impact, yet for decades we told young people that marijuana was just as deadly as heroin.  That was a mistake.

When someone does have an addiction problem, the solution isn't always to just lock them up.  Programs that provide needles to addicts help prevent the spread of diseases that are easily spread by sharing needles.  This is no different than the health department giving out free condoms.   Your view of the West coast is always negative.  There are some crazy ideas and some bad policy decisions that come from California, but sometimes they find something that works.  The goal is to impact a problem in a way that is good for the individual and for the community.  Finding a real solution.

6 hours ago, Cardin Drake said:

I've never understood the prosecution's theory of the case.  Even if everything Cohen said is true, where is the crime?  The defense shredded Cohen's credibility yesterday for sure, but I will be very surprised if this jury doesn't convict anyway.  The prosecution has  been planning on the opposite of jury nullification all along. 

Can you justify why Cohen served time for this and Trump should be given a free pass?  I have said repeatedly that this case should have been brought by the DOJ or by nobody.  They brought a similar case against John Edwards a few years ago.  The precedent is there.  They didn't bring this one, in part, so that the prosecution would not be viewed as political. 

Trump's other legal problems are anything but political.  His base simply doesn't care what he does and allows him to act in any way he likes.  That is what is cult like about the behavior.

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

One thing is if we get intel pass it on to our allies.

 

I think the war might have take a turn on this news if Israel knew about it.

Another President definitely would have passed this information along.

Everything that happens may not be within America’s control, but we have a President that thinks it does.  That President likes to straddle the fence and has no thought of what is right and what is wrong.  He needs to go.  He won’t take a stand and the world knows it.

As to the humanity issue:  let the country that is without sin cast the first stone.  From what I understand the ratio between combatants and civilian deaths is the lowest in modern times, but lets make sure we handcuff Israel and not hold the terrorist that use human shields feet to the fire.

I don't believe our intelligence officials would do that.

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Two things; 1, the feds wouldn’t prosecute Trump on this when given the chance.  Bragg had to dream up something to make this about a law that was broken in NY.  It didn’t work and 2, Cohen isn’t a great criminal because he has admitted to tax fraud and lying to Congress.  Now why would Bragg use him as his key witness?

Oh, the trial isn’t competed yet so we don’t know if Cohen lied to Congress at the direction and benefit of Trump.

I agree.  I have always believed that this should have been brought by the DOJ or not brought at all.  That said, you and I both know that the crimes Cohen spent time in prison for are the crimes that he committed for and at the direction of  Donald Trump.  To claim otherwise is silly.

You can make the argument that neither should be prosecuted for their actions.  I am fine with that, just don't pretend that one is not connected to the other/.

This is the same man that went around the country encouraging chants of "lock her up" directed at Hillary Clinton.  He apparently believes that karma is afraid of him.

10 minutes ago, I_M4_AU said:

You’ve known this for 8 years now.  It amazes me that Trump hasn’t been convicted of something in a criminal court.  Its like the left isn’t really trying.  Get with it man.

He leaves a noticeable wake.  This particular prosecution is not related to the Federal Govt in any way, regardless of the lies that the circus of those on the right keep repeating.  It is beyond preposterous to claim that Cohen is some great criminal, while not acknowledging that the crimes he committed were at the direction of  and to benefit Donald Trump. 

20 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Why not other allies like England, the Netherlands, France?  Why is Israel going alone in this?  Why are we not holding Hamas’ feet to the fire for the war crime on using its own citizens as shields?

You don’t have to answer the first question, it obvious.  Biden is suggesting we take Palestinian refugees here in the US and no other nation wants them because of the militants.  Something like his open border policy.  I’m sure he would run them through the APP and parole them in the US.

The 2nd question has always been at the root of the problem.

What more could we do?  We have supplied Israel with the weapons that they are justifiably using to destroy Hamas.  We have now built a pier for food and humanitarian aid to be delivered, so that people don't starve. 

Our actions won't change with another President.  Everything that happens in the world is not within our control.  Our European allies have all voiced support for Israel.  They have also voiced concern that Israel not forget their own humanity while undertaking this task. 

6 hours ago, I_M4_AU said:

Of course he is.  Why wouldn’t Biden insist Egypt, Jordan and the other Islamic countries take those 50 thousand civilians in Rafah to protect them while the battle is finishing?  Why is it always on Israel to defend its position and Hamas skates?

Hamas wants those civilians right where they are, that’s what terrorists do, use human shields.  This thing needs to end.

Biden=just delay this until after the election please.  A true humanitarian.

We have no power over those countries accepting refugees.  They don't want them because they don't want the headache of filtering out the militants.  They still don't want them slaughtered. 

4 minutes ago, auburnatl1 said:

For all the panicked threads we do about perceived threats - from China to immigration to concerns about transgender ect - compared to the incomprehensible debt we have amassed (20% of the budget now is simply paying interest on it), all other issues are becoming trivial.

It ain’t bud light sexy, but the debt is existential.  Add to that Trumps gone bankrupt countless times (he’s an undisciplined fiscal disaster) and Biden may not know what day it is - it’s my biggest fear about this country’s future.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/05/16/business/jamie-dimon-ray-dalio-us-government-debt

Everybody wants the debt and the yearly budget deficit reduced, but nobody is willing to sacrifice whatever special interest they support.  We talk a good game about capitalism, but in one way or another we subsidize almost every type of industry, regardless of its ability to sustain itself. 

On 5/11/2024 at 2:49 PM, I_M4_AU said:

Yes,

There was a deal at one point, that is why we had maybe two Americans released, one of which was relative of a person that bought Hunter’s art.  It was in exchange for a temporary cease fire.  I do agree that any further deal was unlikely since Hamas is on the brink of losing Rafah until Biden stepped in to save them.

Why has the Biden administration been telling Netanyahu he was going too far?  Biden only came forward publicly after his gratuitous speech on the Holocaust Memorial Day as he preached unwavering support for Israel in that speech and you believe he isn’t a wind sock?

This is a winnable war for Israel against a terrorist organization and Biden is delaying the win.  Why?  Hamas uses human shields as propaganda and it is working on Biden.  The only way to save any hostage that still might be alive is to take out Hamas and that entails going into Rafah.  The negotiations are over.

Biden isn't delaying the win.  In order to maintain any legitimacy in our efforts to maintain good relations with Egypt, Jordan and other countries, the U.S. cannot be seen as advocating the mass slaughter of women and children in refugee camps.  We are still openly in support of the objective, which is the eradication of Hamas leadership in Gaza.  Israel is now down to an area that is roughly 20 square miles in land area.  Killing 50 thousand civilians in Rafah won't achieve the objective.  It will achieve a stronger cementing of Iran's position.

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

So, why did they come again?  To benefit our economy by contributing?  Most of those 54% that do not work will be a drain on our economy.  Can we afford that?

 

They are here for the same reason that Indian doctors come here.  They want to work and make a lot of money.  They also want their children to have a future better than the future they had where they came from.  That is the easy part, understanding why they come.  We simply have to do a better job at regulating immigration.  That includes understanding that we cannot accept everyone without consequences.

3 hours ago, auburnatl1 said:

1) I am ALL for locking down the border tomorrow - the current handling of the border is simply train wreck unacceptable 2) that being said, if there’s any silver lining - I agree, the work ethic (and price) that Hispanics display on every construction that they work on is very impressive. Atlanta has a housing boom going on and without Hispanic labor there’d be a total collapse and/or price explosion in the industry by lunch tomorrow.

 

Atlanta prices are already at a breaking point.  The scary thing is that most people don't realize how little of a push that it would take to cause defaults and send a lot of homes into foreclosure.

On 5/14/2024 at 2:03 PM, SaltyTiger said:

Did think of you when I saw the place so took a pic. It is next to a Dollar Tree store that the wife wanted to run into. Thanks to Biden’s inflation most things in the Dollar store are now $1.25.

Yeah... that is Biden's fault too.  LOL  The sad thing is that there are people that actually believe that.

There is no chance whatsoever that our AD will fire Butch Thompson.  That is a good thing.  He will likely ask what he can do to help him get back to the standard Butch himself has set.

On 5/5/2024 at 11:11 AM, Mikey said:

Butch has had AU in two of the last four college world series. That's the final eight. That's better than Bruce Pearl has done. Pearl's team had a losing record in the '20/'21 season. Are y'all ready to fire Pearl?

The answer is a firm NO. Thompson's record at AU is far above mediocre. You don't get rid of an outstanding coach for one unfortunate season.

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

11 minutes ago, auburnatl1 said:

I can see Homer and Salty now. Just thinking about it gets me a little misty eyed

The only things that have ever brought us together have been wars and large scale disasters. Sad, but true.

4 hours ago, auburnatl1 said:

I think there’s some denial going on. Trump is Trump and maga is maga - but what’s happening/trending in the polls is concerning and is much bigger than that. IMO trump isn’t winning ground , Biden is losing it - from swing states (ie losing ga now by 10 pts) to minorities. The Dems are repeating the same mistakes of 2016 -  same tired narrative - trumps nuts, deplorables, democracy’s at risk ect.  It’s not 2020. Trump has been gone 4 years and for some - distance has made the heart grow fonder.

Biden  is a weak candidate due to age ect. But it’s more than that . The other problem is his policies - from the border to social issues.  Maybe you can explain trumps first 25% of the electorate as racist, cultish, unhinged, conspiracy personalities, ect. They’re an easy target. But not the next +25%.  They’re not all nuts too.  He’s losing ground in almost every demographic. Blacks, Hispanics, young voters.

My 2 cents - it’s about math and if the goal is to win, then the dems are at significant risk.  Sure Trump is a polling disliked metrics dumpster fire.   A comical candidate. And yet…  bottom line - the Dems have a fading by the day candidate that’s gone too far left on core voter issues. His brand simply sucks. In a race to the bottom - he’s pulling ahead.

Its getting close to panic time to consider a more viable and moderate candidate at the convention.  Should Biden be pushed hard to withdraw?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4661153-joe-biden-donald-trump-polls-wisconsin-pennsylvania-nevada-arizona-georgia-michigan/amp/

 

I agree.  He was also a weak candidate last election.  His saving grace was simply that he was viewed as more acceptable to never Trump Republicans and Independents than most of the other Democrats in the race.  He then pandered to the black caucus and picked Kamala Harris as his VP in hopes of churning turnout in minority districts in states like Georgia and Michigan.  One view is that it worked and the other is that it didn't matter who was on the ticket, they would have beaten Trump in a close race. 

Views on all of them are driven by the media people consume more than any other single factor.  The only thing the American public seems to have time for is fighting each other proving to the rest of the world just how entitled we have become.

They call Michael Cohen a liar, but won't acknowledge that his lies were on behalf of Donald Trump.  I'm certain that it plays well within the cult of adoration and helps them get on Fox "news" later today.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trumps-gop-allies-show-up-in-force-as-michael-cohen-takes-the-stand-in-hush-money-trial/ar-BB1mjQWu

10 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

I’ll start:

Insufficient population growth 

The debt/deficit

Social Security trust fund 

Super bugs

The cost of higher education 

Dying small town America 

The population growth issue is something that gets close to no attention, yet it impacts economic growth in a major way.  We aren't the first major country to deal with it, but it is something we have never had to deal with before.

He deserves prison.  Nothing worse than someone that was able to skate by the first time and instead of changing his behavior, he decides to go all in.

6 hours ago, SaltyTiger said:

Didn’t Sean Spicer point out that Trump’s inauguration crowd was largest ever? Believable pic Tex. 

It was, if you don't count Reagan's, Clinton's or Obama's.  That must make it true....

15 hours ago, AUDub said:

Neither of which kills with a flick of the wrist and the pull of a trigger. You’re comparing apples and airplanes. Not all rights can be inherently equivocated. It’s  fallacy to try and do so. Well meaning people are dying or killing through no inherent fault of their own because there’s no squaring that circle.

I would argue it’s an inherent result. No normal person wants to pick between dying or killing someone under the kind of pressure the police (law ENFORCEMENT, mind you) has to weigh with mere seconds, usually less, to decide.

We did to ourselves. Until we come up with police drones (lol) this will be the result. 

I actually agree with you more than i disagree when it comes to the cause.

4 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

I assure you I can take a loaded pistol from my side to a shooting position in a milliseconds. If the gun is locked and cocked I can have a couple of rounds in a target in 1-2 seconds. 

 

Great to know after the fact. He was dispatched to a call about domestic violence. He knocked on the door and announced himself as ‘Sheriff’s Office’ twice, in uniform, in broad daylight. He wasn’t kicking in a door in the middle of the night. 

 

Good for your dad. I take a different approach. If I get pulled over by a cop for instance, I feel no need to reach for my pistol and have it in my hand when he comes to my car.  I go out of my way to show hands. Shows respect for the officer, minimizes escalation, and maximizes my chance of not being shot by stubbornly clinging to ‘my rights’. 

 

Zero evidence he wanted to enter. Cops knock on doors legally all the time, simply gathering facts. 
 

This whole situation is tragic. But you’ve got this cop tarred and feathered. If he ends up needing a defense attorney, they will have plenty to work with. Like the picture below and the 4 LEOs massacred last week in NC. 

The body cam footage is what has the cop in hot water. What is happening around the country is unfortunate, but this case isn't about that.  This is about a young man needlessly losing his life at the hands of law enforcement.  The officer is allowed to stop and detain someone on the street.  He is allowed to carry a weapon anywhere and he is given the authority to detain and imprison someone.  The public places trust in the officer.  The officer has a responsibility to not abuse that trust. This type of shooting makes the lives of police officers more difficult, not less.  These type of shootings erode that trust.

I am not anti cop and 8 times out of 10 defend their actions.  This particular shooting is simply difficult, if not impossible, to defend.

2 hours ago, aubaseball said:

I would add that there is also a narrative out there that says, the hell with what a policeman tells me, I’m going to do whatever I want.    
He very well might be charged with something or lose his job.   If any sensible human being answers a door with a gun in hand when a policeman knocked and announced and still came to the door with gun, that screams defiance and stupidity.   And he knew why the police were there, it was known that he and his girlfriend had domestic issues.   
It was bad police tactics (101) and he at minimum , in my opinion, will be fired.   

She wasn't there. We will never know what he actually heard or what he knew because the policeman chose to kill him rather than simply telling him to put the firearm down and asking him to step outside the apartment.  He was only there to ask if everything was ok in the apartment.  There was no active disturbance and there would have been no arrest or probable cause to enter the apartment.

Just now, AUDub said:

**** that noise he will not. The city will pay a settlement, but a conviction? Get your head out of your ass, counsel. 

We will see.  The facts here are much worse than any other case I can recall like this. The body cam footage is crystal clear in showing that Fortson made no aggressive move toward the officer or acted in any manner that suggested unloading into his chest could be justified.  Unfortunately, we have promoted the gun culture that is now eating at our core.