Basically, I love the fact that you have illustrated this post so richly. But I went to art school, so I gotta be a critic.
Grumpy Combat Veteran Crying
This picture cannot possibly represent you. Clearly, you failed to tell the AI image generator that you live 5 miles inside the border of insanity. This man has clearly never lost his mind—I do admit he's somewhat worn out. Also, his eyes are dry. They should at least be red and swollen. Damn, his uniform isn't even dirty.
Putin's Grave
Why is no one pissing on Putin's grave? Why aren't there piss and shit stains all over the grave?
If you gave prompts to create these images, I suggest you might want to try again. Also, tell me what program you use to generate these images 'cause I want to try it out!
Pictures of Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris are good!
I love your writing. I am curious to know if you know that Josh Shapiro more or less helped cover up/ignored/tried to bury a prominent Republican aide sexually harassing (and retaliating against) an employee? It was huge nonstop news in PA for quite a while. Shapiro fired the guy (months later) and quietly settled for almost 300K (you know where that money came from). If Harris had picked him, it may have complicated the misogyny that is in many ways already driving certain voters to Trmp (I won't spell his name, he thrives on heat as The Bulwark has argued and I see no reason to make his online footprint bigger). My personal pick was Mark Kelly but I think you are being too critical of her not picking Shapiro. It was not as obvious of a pick as it seemed.
I thank you for your perspective on Afghanistan. To me Biden more than made up for it with the job he did with Russia and Ukraine, as well as the economy. But I understand it is personal for you and that makes sense. I would point out the horrors happening in Sudan and gently suggest that America (and her soldiers) cannot fix it all. I continue to be enraged that we have not processed all of the SIV recipients and gotten those who helped our military into America, but as to the rest I could drive myself insane imagining the way women and children especially live in various areas of the world.
I've never understood the military's support for Trmp. Your answer would be that the way Biden left Afghanistan trumps Trmp's blatant disrespect for veterans and for democracy?
Agree with some of this, disagree with some - guess we will have to agree to disagree. Our treaties are guaranteed by the United States as the party of the other part and, even though that party has violated the terms of every treaty we ever signed we live in hope that at some point the treaties (still the supreme law of the land, after all) will be honored at least in part. As it happens, this hope is manifest in the fact that we send more of our young men and women to serve in the U.S. military than any other group in the country. You very likely served with many of them, probably without knowing it since when I grew up in the 50's and early 60's we were punished for speaking our language and our religious ceremonies were routinely broken up by county sheriffs. Still, we persist and remain loyal to our little nation although suffering from the many betrayals since our ethnic cleansing from Georgia, the attempted theft of our lands and suppression of our government in the creation of the State of Oklahoma. Let us agree to disagree on many things, however, let us also remain steadfast in supporting the Constitution and Rule of Law principles of the United States. So long as these principles are maintained we may debate and litigate our disagreements freely without fear of retaliation and in hope of finding common ground to go forward.
Remember to vote, encourage others to do likewise, and wave as you fly over the Christian nationalist swamp of Oklahoma.
I agree with your analysis of the Doha Agreement - it was definitely not a treaty and President Biden could certainly have taken a different course with respect to it. I also consider the withdrawal from Afghanistan as a disaster which might have been avoided, however, we must find a way forward. Continued failures by the United States in regard to our Afghan allies are unacceptable. At this point I don't think we can say anything for certain except that the Taliban and their allies won - period. The point of the rest was to demonstrate that the United States government has never been a reliable ally, either domestically or internationally. YMMV.
Basically, I love the fact that you have illustrated this post so richly. But I went to art school, so I gotta be a critic.
Grumpy Combat Veteran Crying
This picture cannot possibly represent you. Clearly, you failed to tell the AI image generator that you live 5 miles inside the border of insanity. This man has clearly never lost his mind—I do admit he's somewhat worn out. Also, his eyes are dry. They should at least be red and swollen. Damn, his uniform isn't even dirty.
Putin's Grave
Why is no one pissing on Putin's grave? Why aren't there piss and shit stains all over the grave?
If you gave prompts to create these images, I suggest you might want to try again. Also, tell me what program you use to generate these images 'cause I want to try it out!
Pictures of Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris are good!
I'm using the AI generator on the substack. Solid points though.
Thanks I had fun with the generator. Some fair results with crazy veteran weeping. No good results with Putin's grave.
I tried with GCV punching Putin, but it didn't do that well.
I love your writing. I am curious to know if you know that Josh Shapiro more or less helped cover up/ignored/tried to bury a prominent Republican aide sexually harassing (and retaliating against) an employee? It was huge nonstop news in PA for quite a while. Shapiro fired the guy (months later) and quietly settled for almost 300K (you know where that money came from). If Harris had picked him, it may have complicated the misogyny that is in many ways already driving certain voters to Trmp (I won't spell his name, he thrives on heat as The Bulwark has argued and I see no reason to make his online footprint bigger). My personal pick was Mark Kelly but I think you are being too critical of her not picking Shapiro. It was not as obvious of a pick as it seemed.
I thank you for your perspective on Afghanistan. To me Biden more than made up for it with the job he did with Russia and Ukraine, as well as the economy. But I understand it is personal for you and that makes sense. I would point out the horrors happening in Sudan and gently suggest that America (and her soldiers) cannot fix it all. I continue to be enraged that we have not processed all of the SIV recipients and gotten those who helped our military into America, but as to the rest I could drive myself insane imagining the way women and children especially live in various areas of the world.
I've never understood the military's support for Trmp. Your answer would be that the way Biden left Afghanistan trumps Trmp's blatant disrespect for veterans and for democracy?
Pretty much agree with you 100%, except you're more optimistic about Harris' chances than I.
Yeah. I just. . I don't know. The country has changed.
Roger that.
Agree with some of this, disagree with some - guess we will have to agree to disagree. Our treaties are guaranteed by the United States as the party of the other part and, even though that party has violated the terms of every treaty we ever signed we live in hope that at some point the treaties (still the supreme law of the land, after all) will be honored at least in part. As it happens, this hope is manifest in the fact that we send more of our young men and women to serve in the U.S. military than any other group in the country. You very likely served with many of them, probably without knowing it since when I grew up in the 50's and early 60's we were punished for speaking our language and our religious ceremonies were routinely broken up by county sheriffs. Still, we persist and remain loyal to our little nation although suffering from the many betrayals since our ethnic cleansing from Georgia, the attempted theft of our lands and suppression of our government in the creation of the State of Oklahoma. Let us agree to disagree on many things, however, let us also remain steadfast in supporting the Constitution and Rule of Law principles of the United States. So long as these principles are maintained we may debate and litigate our disagreements freely without fear of retaliation and in hope of finding common ground to go forward.
Remember to vote, encourage others to do likewise, and wave as you fly over the Christian nationalist swamp of Oklahoma.
The Doha Agreement was not a treaty, and it was not ratified by the Senate. Sorry, that's just not going to fly.
Agree with all the rest.
I agree with your analysis of the Doha Agreement - it was definitely not a treaty and President Biden could certainly have taken a different course with respect to it. I also consider the withdrawal from Afghanistan as a disaster which might have been avoided, however, we must find a way forward. Continued failures by the United States in regard to our Afghan allies are unacceptable. At this point I don't think we can say anything for certain except that the Taliban and their allies won - period. The point of the rest was to demonstrate that the United States government has never been a reliable ally, either domestically or internationally. YMMV.
Glad you are writing about diverse topics inclduing this one.