Government

Airstrikes

The left is losing their collective shit over Trump’s bombing of Iran. They are claiming that it’s unconstitutional. There are, as usual, Democrats claiming he should be impeached for it. DJT can’t take a dump without someone trying to impeach him for it. As far as it being unconstitutional, I would simply point out that every President since at least Eisenhower has taken military action without seeking the permission of Congress. The law simply says that he has to notify Congress within 48 hours. It doesn’t say HOW he has to notify them. I would send them a letter by certified mail. The courts have ruled that, when the law requires a notification be sent or given, that notification is complete upon mailing. Done. Keep the receipt.

There are also those on both sides who are making the claim that Iran is peaceful, not pursuing nukes, and the US shouldn’t be doing Israel’s bidding. Let’s talk about that. First, on Iran being peaceful. I was in the military for many of these incidents, and was actually there for some of them:

They are constantly holding the world hostage by capturing shipping as it passes through the Persian Gulf, mining the Persian Gulf, and supporting terrorism.

The claim that Iran isn’t pursuing nukes is simply wrong. They have enriched Uranium to more than 60%. There is no use for that level of enrichment, except for use as a weapon. Even the IAEA reports that Iran had 2700 centrifuges in place there, which was a violation of the Obama nuclear agreement. Sure, the Obama administration had the Iranians pinky swear that they wouldn’t make a nuclear bomb, and the Iranians would never lie, would they?

As you can see, Iran has been attacking US forces for more than 50 years. In this case, Israeli interests and US interests happen to be the same in this case, and I don’t have a problem with someone finally dealing with those assholes. Sure, we need to try for peace, but you can’t let other nations continually attack you and pretend that it isn’t happening.

Trump has used the US military exactly four times: Against Iran in 2025, Isis in 2025, ISIS in 2020, and LA in 2025. That’s far fewer than any of the last Presidents going all the way back to Herbert Hoover.

To those who would tell me that if I support this, I should go serve? I already did. I was in for six years, and did 2 combat tours. In the late 80s, I was in a bar less than an hour before it was bombed by terrorists. (I couldn’t find a link to the story.) I’ve been there. Look, most of the times that the US military has been used in the past 70 years, it was an unnecessary use of military force, and that includes the 1990 Gulf War. This case? I don’t have a problem with it. Iran needs to be brought to heel. Instead of taking half measures designed to “teach them a lesson” which they obviously aren’t learning, they need to have their war making factories destroyed.

By Divemedic, ago

There Goes the Jury Box

Florida passed a law making it illegal for illegal immigrants to enter the state. A Federal judge in Miami issued an order barring the state from enforcing the law, citing the supremacy clause, making the claim that only the Federal government can enforce immigration laws. When the Florida Attorney General told the court that law enforcement agencies weren’t subject to the order, the judge found him in contempt.

The courts are just as partisan and biased as the rest of the nation, and are becoming illegitimate as a result. The orders you get depend on the political stance of the judge in question, and not on the Constitution. I can prove it. Ask this same judge to put out an order telling the states that due to that same supremacy clause, no state can enforce any gun laws, because there are Federal gun laws. Likewise, drug laws, laws against murder, etc.

We all know what would happen.

By Divemedic, ago

Israel

I know that quite a few of my readers like to complain about “the JEWS” and think that they are involved in some sort of conspiracy. So what I am about to say here may not land well, but I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind.

Israel is a sovereign nation that looks after its own interests. For that reason, I admire them and wish the US would grow the same set of balls. For years, the Iranians have publicly stated that they want to get a nuclear weapon so that they can use it to nuke Israel. Top that off with the fact that Iran is sponsoring a huge terrorist organization that is busy shooting and stealing everything that moves in the region. I think that the Israelis have shown considerable restraint. They do, however fight to win. You won’t see them pulling out and leaving their enemies with enough weapons to supply an army.

Sometimes the interests of the US and Israel conflict, sometimes they don’t. In this case, the interests of the two nations are aligned. I think Trump played this well.

The Muslim nations are batshit crazy, and I say that after having done two tours over there. They are nutjobs who want all of us to either convert to Islam or die while living in the 14th century with their child brides and primitive attitudes.

By Divemedic, ago

Liberal Viewpoint

there are no “illegals.” That’s a word the Republikkkans use to dehumanize and demonize. People who are here without documentation, without legal permission, that’s a civil offense, not a criminal one. Crossing the border outside a checkpoint is misdemeanor trespass. They can claim asylum from anywhere in the U.S and whether you like it or not they have as much right to be here as you MAGAats do. Most of them are workers with families just like you. Once they have been there for over decades, they are protected by the statute of limitations.- Rando Lefty talking points

This ties in with my statement on Due Process. Read the clause again:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

So lets assume that you are right- illegally entering the country isn’t a crime. OK. What is the penalty? You get sent back to the nation that you came from. That isn’t depriving you of life, liberty, or property, so you aren’t entitled to due process.

If the government DID want to charge you with a crime, the law used would be 8 USC 1325: Improper entry by alien. The law reads:

Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

In other words, it’s a misdemeanor the first time, a felony each subsequent time.

Saying the word “asylum” isn’t a magic word that gets you a free pass. First, asylum is for fleeing your home country because your life is in danger if you stay. Second, once you have left your home country, the threat is gone, and you are done fleeing. That means you can’t pass through 8 nations on the way to the US in order to claim asylum. That’s not how it works.

Also, sneaking into the country and staying here for a decade in violation of the law doesn’t mean that you can claim asylum after being caught.

The statute of limitations don’t apply in the event of a crime that continues every day. If I were to make an illegal machine gun, but I own it for 20 years, that doesn’t mean ATF can’t charge me with it. That also isn’t how crimes work.

By Divemedic, ago

Peaceful Protest Season

The left is lining up to complain that Trump didn’t need to call out the National Guard for what they view as “peaceful protests.” Let’s take a look at some of those protests:

Yeah, that looks peaceful. The press claims that it is “unclear” what caused police to fire crowd control munitions into the “mostly peaceful” crowd of protesters. You have a crowd of foreign nationals, waving foreign flags while they burn and destroy property, all while being supported and shielded by California state and local officials.

“We had individuals shooting commercial-grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you.” – LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell

Meanwhile, the President of Mexico is threatening to mobilize against the US, if the US institutes a tax on remittances from illegal immigrants to Mexico. This is a foreign invasion, and wars have begun over much less. So-called “sanctuary states” are in a state of rebellion.

By Divemedic, ago

Waste

Leesburg, Florida is the third fastest growing city in the United States. In fact, the city has increased in population by 18% in the past year. The city manager claims that 99% of that increase is due to The Villages, a nearby retirement community that is infamous for its frat house style elderly shenanigans. The houses in The Villages aren’t cheap- the average home in the area is selling for well over $400k.

Since Leesburg is located about an hour north of Orlando in Lake County, which is the county that wraps around the west and northwest side of the Orlando metro area, these new homeowners are paying school district property taxes, but the Lake county school district doesn’t have to provide any services. This is a huge cash cow for the county’s schools, with each home bringing in about $300 a year in school taxes. This means that the new construction is adding about $4.2 million in new tax revenue annually, and it’s being compounded each year as new homes are being built.

Other towns in Lake county are experiencing similar growth- Clermont, which is located about 20 miles south of Leesburg, has doubled in population in the past decade.

That’s why I was surprised to see that the Lake County School district is crying poor, claiming that they have a $35 million deficit, which they are attributing to a loss of 1,500 students. They said it’s partially because of the drop in birth rates in Lake County and the rise in private school vouchers. The county is claiming that they are losing $50 million a year to private schools. I say bullshit.

The county school board has an annual budget of nearly $730 million with a total enrollment of 48,500 students. If they are losing $50 million to vouchers, that represents 6,250 students, which is about 13% of total enrollment.

No, this deficit is due to mismanagement and waste, like most government money. For $15,000 a year per student, the taxpayers of Lake county should demand better. Our entire government, from the dog catcher to the President, is an exercise in poor management.

By Divemedic, ago

Protecting and Serving the Shit Out of You

A woman called police. When they arrived, she claimed that a man kicked in her door, beat her, and fled into the woods on foot. She named him, said he was her boyfriend who had just broken up with her, and was upset over the breakup. The police got a warrant for his arrest for domestic violence.

The only problem? He was a married paraplegic and had been confined to a wheelchair for the past 25 years. Instead of actually conducting a further investigation, the cops arrested him and told him that if he could bring proof that he was actually paralyzed to his trial, he could then prove his innocence. They arrested him and accused him of faking his medical condition to get out of going to jail. Watch for yourself:

The cops inform him 13 minutes into the video that he needs to get a lawyer so he can establish his innocence. Since when has that ever been the law? The cop even admits “She says you kicked down her door, but it doesn’t look like you can kick down anything.” So why are you still arresting him, you fucking idiot? This officer also admits that he spent nine months investigating this. How good is he at investigating when he didn’t even know that the guy he swore a felony arrest warrant for has been confined to a wheelchair for nearly three decades? He even says it’s been in his driving record that he requires a wheelchair and has a handicapped permit.

To make matters worse, the woman had an arrest record for lying in previous cases. This cop, his sergeant, and his lieutenant are all incompetent.

This is one area where Trump and I disagree. Cops don’t need more immunity, they need less. Qualified immunity needs to go away, and cops should be forced to carry malpractice insurance like other professions. I have a one million dollar policy that only costs me $150 a year, but then again, I am not an incompetent idiot who doesn’t know how to think for myself. They can get a policy, too.

To those who would say “Well, there was an arrest warrant, they have to follow it,” that is bullshit. I get written orders from doctors all of the time that I refuse to follow because they are stupid. Just last night, I had a doctor order me to conduct a pregnancy test on an 84 year old woman, and a second doctor wanted me to give a medication to someone when it was right there in the chart that they are allergic to that medication. I can use my brain and refuse to carry out an order that doesn’t make sense. So can cops.

It’s why they make us go to school and have a license. They expect you to not be a complete dumbass.

This story and others like it is why I won’t cry any time a cop gets killed.

By Divemedic, ago