The Frankish Reich

Good for you! No, really. I don't begrudge people making money on highly speculative investments trades. I do hope they understand the risks. It sounds like you do, in a way at least. At some point all of this is like the meme stock thing. The "greater fool" theory of investing. My prediction: I just saw a guy on CNBC saying he can't see what stops Bitcoin. I may have better vision. Here's what I see: something really, really bad will happen. We already saw it with the almost-collapse of Tether the first time around. Or there will be something like a terrorist attack on U.S. soil (or even European soil; sadly, nobody seems to care much about the soil of other continents) that was funded through big Bitcoin transfers. And then crypto will become subject to the same rules it has skirted so far - the rules that apply to all other money exchanges. So be careful out there!

Still relevant, 177 years later. Bitcoin as the newest, fanciest tulip bulb? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_Popular_Delusions_and_the_Madness_of_Crowds The first volume begins with a discussion of three economic bubbles, or financial manias: the South Sea Company bubble of 1711–1720, the Mississippi Company bubble of 1719–1720, and the Dutch tulip mania of the early seventeenth century. According to Mackay, during this bubble, speculators from all walks of life bought and sold tulip bulbs and had even declared futures contracts on them. Allegedly, some tulip bulb varieties briefly became the most expensive objects in the world during 1637.

What about Indian tribes? I'll be fair here: liberal constitutional scholars have always said we should examine the context in which an amendment to the constitution was adopted. So they say the 2nd Amendment was adopted in a particular time under particular circumstances, and a fair reading of it is that it wasn't about a wholly "private" right to bear arms, unlinked to the well-regulated militia language. The people who want to read the 14th Amendment as not granting birthright citizenship are following in this liberal tradition. Meanwhile, conservative constitutional scholars have been textualists. The plain words of the amendment are what control. Applying those principles, the answer is easy: the 14th Amendment citizenship clause applies to every baby born in the United States except members of Indian tribes (not considered "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States at the time; that's why we say, for example, "Navajo Nation") and children of diplomats (which is why diplomatic immunity is a thing). So be consistent. Is that too much to ask?

Exactly.

Frivolous lawsuit. The attorney who signed off on this should be sanctioned and the plaintiff assessed all costs/fees on dismissal.

The Bush Administration's rationale for allowing soda to remain food stamps (SNAP) eligible, c. 2007: One of the USDA's primary concerns with any new restriction on SNAP is that it could increase the embarrassment and stigma associated with SNAP use and thereby deter SNAP use. SNAP participants who are unaware of the new exclusion of sweetened beverages would attempt to purchase the excluded item, and it would be embarrassing to be told at the cash register that they cannot purchase it. This embarrassment, in the USDA's words, “has the potential to stigmatize participants by singling them out as food stamp participants, and may discourage some eligible low-income persons from participating in the program."

I'm not a TBD power user. Is there a way to do a global find and replace for all forum posts? Find: Rape[d] Replace with: Finger-Bang[ed] That should take care of any potential issues.

Because I finally gave in and bought the Sunday Ticket for the sole purpose of watching this game. (The NFL was forcing me to watch Broncos-Colts for free)

As usual these days, our assassins and would-be assassins can't be categorized as "left" or "right." They demonstrate the horseshoe theory of politics in action. Sometimes they are enamored of the radical socialist anarchist Unabomber. Sometimes the same guy is enamored of right-libertarians like Joe Rogan, or nuts like Jordan Peterson. One common theme: they overconsume, overidentify, overreact.

Exactly. The ill-informed OP seems to think that being named Time's Man (Person) of the Year means that you made a positive contribution to the world. Wait ... don't we also get to count that faked Time Man of the Year cover he used to display in Trump Tower?

Then what would all those Razorback hillbillies sell to buy their oxycontin? Short-sighted.

Julie is looking pretty rough. Ridden hard and put away wet.

The Springfield Haitian Diet. Future #1 bestseller.

I said that many here seem overly concerned with grocery prices. I will still feed your family of 4 a healthy, nutritious meal for about $15. But I'm gonna charge you to subscribe to my Eat Good n Cheap with Frankie channel.

Or to rephrase: will Biden follow his successor's advice and keep out of it and let this play out? Sometimes it doesn't make sense to always play the Biden vs. Trump card. There is no perfect response here, and almost certainly the U.S. will be involved in some manner. To be determined, not just now, but in the next months and years.

Think Von Miller. Not washed, but maybe not ready to compete at a high level in 2024-25. And then if he is back to form next year, there's no reason to expect him to be as big an impact player as he was pre-injury. Again, think Von Miller this year as compared to Von Miller pre-Bills knee injury.

I don't want Hegseth to become Sec of Defense. But why on earth would this matter? Dude got into Princeton, which is generally more stringent than West Point. Lots of athletes (in particular, as Hegseth was) get into West Point without stellar academic credentials ...

Julie Kelly loooves RFK Jr, except when he talks about the harmful effects of factory farming and high fructose corn syrup glop. The glop produced by ADM, which has made her husband a very wealthy man. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/us/politics/rfk-jr-corn-trump.html

Right. So let's say you're concerned about grocery prices. That certainly seemed to be the case here. Maybe you want an FTC commissioner who will stop behemoth Kroger from sweeping up all competitors? I guess not. https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2024/12/11/why-the-kroger-albertsons-merger-was-blocked/

Interesting analysis. For your convenience, it's all in one piece here: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1866032875348381907.html

Well, that's one way to get the technical "fiancee" out of the way. America's First Transbassador, the Honorable Kimberly Guilfoyle!

And I believe none of this happens without the incredibly evil, brutal, and stupid October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. That set into place a cascade of actions. Hamas and its Iranian overlords were shocked by the resolve of Israel to utterly destroy Hamas. They seemed to think that taking it to a 2-front war through Hezbollah/Lebanon would give them the advantage back. Wrong again. Not just evil, but an epic miscalculation. I don't think anyone knows how this will play out eventually, but the world of the Middle East is not returning to what it was on October 6, 2023. Meanwhile, Russia is looking at the same fate, emerging from its Ukranian flex as a much weaker power.

In what world should Lloyd Austin get 93 votes and Hegseth struggle to get 50? In a normal world. In a world in which accomplishment, experience, and expertise in your field counts for something. Austin: West Point grad. Completed Airborne and Ranger schools. Chief, Joint Operations Division. 3rd Infantry Division, Assistant Commander for Maneuver. Led troops from Kuwait to Baghdad in Iraq invasion. Awarded Silver Star. Commanding General of U.S. forces in Iraq. CENTCOM commander. Led effort to defeat ISIS. Hegseth: Princeton grad. National guard deployments to GTMO, Iraq, Afghanistan. Bronze star. Final rank of major. Asked to leave post at helm of a nonprofit. TV commenter.

And by the way, what moron signed that Executive Order that tried to ban Tik-Tok from the United States?