lucky
I got shingles from a roofer once.
R5,
you might be safer if you'd add an ice hockey goalie mask to your daily wardrobe.
And to complement the ensemble, an Uzi.
The Second Term of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America
- Thread starter sear
- Start date
I got shingles from a roofer once.
R5,
you might be safer if you'd add an ice hockey goalie mask to your daily wardrobe.
And to complement the ensemble, an Uzi.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
From a comment on my FB feed - note that I can't testify as to the accuracy of everything here because the author didn't cite sources:
===========================================
OMG.
The result is one of the most revealing looks into Trump’s sex crimes and friendship with Epstein that we’ve read in years:
Two dozen young women were flown to Mar-a-Lago for a private party with Donald Trump and two business partners. They were hoping for a chance to compete in a beauty pageant Trump and the partners were bringing to Atlantic City.
Despite having no involvement in the pageant, Jeffrey Epstein was also there.
According to a lawsuit filed four years later, Trump groped one of the girls under the table. Later that night, he “cornered” her in a bedroom usually reserved for Ivanka and “forcibly kissed, fondled and restrained” her.
Some time after he left her room, another potential contestant, 22 years old, awoke to Trump sneaking into her bed and groping her body. She was later present for a party at Jeffrey Epstein’s house that Trump attended. It’s unclear if she was a guest of Epstein’s or Trump’s.
The winners from that January night were flown to NYC and Atlantic City for a week of events to promote the pageant.
That week, Trump instructed the contestant he assaulted in Ivanka’s room to help him have sex with a 17-year-old European contestant. The lawsuit doesn’t give more details.
At a Trump Plaza event later that week, a contestant from Switzerland named Béatrice Keul was approached by Epstein.
He told her that “Don likes you very much” and offered her free flights and hotel stays if she would join them (Epstein and Trump) for upcoming parties at Mar-a-Lago.
When she refused, he told her about his wealth and the famous friends he could introduce her to, attempting to hook her with vague promises of fame and fortune. She felt “hunted.”
Shortly after, one of Trump’s employees directed her to meet the boss in a suite upstairs.
Keul entered the room and, within a couple minutes, Trump started groping and kissing her. When he tried to lift up her dress, she screamed and pushed him off of her.
That’s the version she shares publicly. Keul said she’s never gone public with what else happened in that room because she’s received anonymous threats, but friends confirmed to the Times that they’ve known Keul’s story for decades.
Nearly every victim who spoke to the Times for this story expressed fear that they would be targeted by Trump or his supporters if they weren’t granted anonymity.
Ford Models instructed 14-year-old Tina Davis to “dress sexy” for a party at Mar-a-Lago. Tina and eight or nine “really young” girls boarded a bus to meet Trump. Tina’s mother, Sandra, came along.
When they arrived, a waiter handed Tina a glass of champagne. Sandra took it from her immediately, but the waiters kept coming. Middle-aged men did, too, until Sandra intervened.
During a trip to the bathroom, Tina and her mom crossed paths with Marla Maples, Trump’s then-wife.
Sandra told the Times that Marla took her hands and said “Whatever you do, do not let her (Tina) around any of these men, and especially my husband. Protect her.”
This is the same year that one Epstein victim alleges she was raped by Trump when she was 14 years old.
Modeling agency Next Management, which had a well-documented relationship with Epstein, paid 24-year-old model Zoë Brock to attend one of Trump’s parties.
Brock and around 20 other models arrived by bus at Mar-a-Lago. They were each given a red-and-white striped wristband before entering the party, where they were met with men in tuxedos.
The wristbands were worn only by the models, advertising them as “meat,” Brock said. At one point, they were instructed to line up to meet Donald Trump, possibly so he could choose his target for the night.
Like Tina Davis years earlier, Brock was offered a glass of champagne. Upon finishing it, she felt sick and was certain the drink had been spiked.
A 17-year-old model and Epstein trafficking victim attended a party at Mar-a-Lago. She would attend at least five more parties there, always reporting back to Epstein about the events that unfolded if he didn’t attend himself.
She provided the Times with a photo of her and Trump at one of the parties to corroborate her story.
Ghislaine Maxwell recruited a young woman she met at New York Fashion Week. She introduced her to Epstein, portraying the monster as someone who could get her a job modeling for Victoria’s Secret.
Epstein and Maxwell coerced her into sex, then told her they filmed it. If she didn’t attend parties at Epstein’s house — parties where men would select women to rape — then they would publish the tape.
Afraid of her parents and pastor finding out what happened, the victim attended four parties at Epstein’s. Donald Trump was at one of them.
She showed the Times an old, handwritten address book where she kept contacts back then. It included Trump’s name and two numbers he gave her that night.
In addition to these stories, the New York Times piece details the level of communication between Trump and Epstein beyond what we’ve known before.
Trump was present at many of Epstein’s parties, despite Trump previously claiming he’d never been to Epstein’s house. Jeffrey’s brother Mark Epstein said Trump was there “all the time,” regardless of there being a party.
Assistants revealed that Trump and Epstein talked on the phone at least three times a week throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, sharing stories of their sexual exploits and describing their partners’ bodies to each other.
In one call, the two men discussed how much pubic hair a particular woman had, and whether there was enough for Mr. Epstein to floss his teeth with.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Only had a concussion once - Judo tournament and we were all vying for positions on the provincial team - in any case, "Sid" tried to throw me and I blocked him completing it- So I was basically upside down but five feet in the air and I came down from there. The refs did the usual how many fingers am I holding up thing and then the bout continued. I was out of it because I do not remember who won. That was in the morning - mid-afternoon I suddenly felt woozy and almost passed out. Only lasted a few minutes. Never gave it much thought until years later - for some reason I mentioned it to a doctor friend and he was the one who commented that I probably had a concussion.
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Shiftless2
Well-known member
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Read a newspaper Maria.
It surely is beyond convention.
President Trump has made a habit of disrespecting convention.
Some reports assert only an act of congress has the legal authority for such name change.
Whether the MAGA stranglehold on Johnson, & Thune is enough for that, not yet sure.
I'd like to believe they'd wriggle out of it if they can, even if their motives are impure,
knowing that allowing such insult to stand would invite a mirrored cascade from the Democrats. Imagine renaming the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library the Walter F. Mondale Vengeance Site, Marijuana e-tailer, & Porn Distribution Mega-Hub.
Ron - e
anagrams
Ronald Wilson Reagan = A long-insane Warlord
(or Insane Anglo warlord)
GOP coalescing behind Vance as Trump privately dismisses third-term run
Michael Wilner / Sun, December 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM ESTWhen Charlie Kirk was killed by an assassin this fall, Republican leaders credited the organization he founded for enabling President Trump's return to power.
Now that organization is mobilizing behind Vice President JD Vance.
Uninterested in a competitive Republican primary in 2028, Turning Point USA plans to deploy representatives across Iowa’s 99 counties in the coming months to build the campaign infrastructure it believes could deliver Vance, a Midwesterner from nearby Ohio, a decisive victory, potentially short-circuiting a fractious GOP race, insiders said.
It is the latest move in a quiet effort by some in Trump’s orbit to clear the field of viable competitors. Earlier this month, Marco Rubio, the secretary of State previously floated by Trump as a possible contender, appeared to take himself out of the running.
GOP coalescing behind Vance as Trump privately dismisses third-term run
Trump has floated Vance as his potential successor multiple times without ever explicitly endorsing his nomination.
Interesting how low the voter turnout was in the last election even compared to the election before it.
worldpopulationreview.com
I can't think of any possible candidate choice I would be enthusiastic about.
Voter Turnout by State 2025
Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.
I can't think of any possible candidate choice I would be enthusiastic about.
"Interesting"
Depressing.
Because ... ?
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease", and the worthy, silent ones evade notice, drown out by the unworthy?
The Biden / Trump generation is out.
Problem is,
those few that not only have the talent, but also the qualifications to be a superior U.S. president are generally sensible enough to avoid the office.
R5,
lookin' for work?
There's going to be an opening in early 2029. Room & board, PLUS expenses.
I guess I am not too optimistic about the "silent ones" because you would think everyone should have lots to say about what is happening.
And I think that was also true under Biden.
I was not enthusiastic about Kamala since she was so quiet about financing the Ukraine and Israel.
Serenity prayer (why speak if no improvement results?) + "Silence never makes mistakes." Hindu proverb
It may not rise above a vague suspicion, but I'd like to believe the U.S. has plenty of eligible talent available. *
Not sure it's too relevant, but I believe the presidency was Secretary Colin Powell's if his wife hadn't talked him out of it.
Kamala impressed me as a fizzle from the start.
* I believe there are some assistant managers on the night shift (Piggly Wiggly? 7/11?) that would be better presidents than Trump.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Colin Powell lost me when he did that commercial for war by showing a fantasy drawing of Tora Bora that had everything in it but a bowling alley.
Since I was aware the CIA had recruited the Taliban and Osama bin Laden back in 1979, his presentation did not impress me.
I hadn't ever seen that one R5. BUT
I saw the U.S. government drawings of the mobile WMD labs ostensibly shuttling about Baghdad endangering the planet,
"evidence" Secretary Powell presented to the U.N. General Assembly in the Bush administration's casus belli against Saddam / Iraq.
During the 8 years of the GWB administration UBL killed 3,000 innocent Americans, and was #1 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List as a result.
During those same 8 years U.S. President Bush (the lesser) killed over a thousand more innocent Americans than UBL did. GWB did so for a lie. BUT
UBL fed the fish.
GWB gets Secret Service protection for life, and a generous pension.
You tell me which of the two did more harm to the U.S.
Yes the Bush administration lied.
It is totally impossible to make bio weapons in a mobile lab.
You need sterile conditions and total containment since you would not want your own population to get infected.
The reality is that all those mobile lab trucks were proven to be for generating hydrogen for balloons used to monitor winds and carry cameras for use by artillery battalions.
What was so frustrating is that Bush pretty much had bipartisan support for his claims that seems so obviously false to me.
Obviously false to me as well.
At the U.N. Sec. Powell showed U.S. government drawings as "evidence".
Pres. JFK showed aerial photographs, taken from U2 iirc.
The obvious question: why would Bush lie?
I've puzzled over that for nearly a quarter century.
I know of no more plausible explanation than the younger President Bush attempted (& failed) to teach his pappy President Bush (elder) about not halting Desert Storm at the Kuwait / Iraq border, but press Schwarzkopf and company to Baghdad for regime change.
Stupid idea, as it would then have destabilized the region by upsetting the balance of power. It didn't, because Schwarzkopf didn't. GHWB was right.
Schwarzkopf didn't.
Abizaid did.
The resulting destabilization inflicted consequences. Trump bombed Iran's nuke infrastructure. We didn't have to do much of that when Saddam was around. Saddam helped keep Iran in check.
If not that, why lie U.S. into War? So VP Cheney's Halliburton could make a $killing?
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Cheney wouldn't have benefited personally regardless from Haliburton's results - forget the details but he'd purchased an insurance policy that guaranteed him exactly the same income regardless of whether Haliburton made a fortune or tanked.
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Who the fuck wants to rest their arm on a rock hard, freezing, uncomfortable hunk of stone for 2+ hours while trying to enjoy the show??
Shiftless2
Well-known member
Who gets to be born? Dr. Oz just revealed Trump's strategy | Opinion
Opinion by Regina Davis Moss“We’ve dropped (the price of) the infertility drugs to make lots of Trump babies, I’m hoping by the midterms.” That bizarre remark was made recently by Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
After four years of the first Trump administration and nearly one year into the second, many of us have become desensitized to this kind of commentary – but not Black women. We know the quiet part spoken out loud when we hear it.
Dr. Oz’s remarks may get written off as a joke, but there is nothing funny about the undercurrent of what his words actually mean. This administration will stop at nothing to ....
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Shiftless2
Well-known member
On a Viking river cruise this year, we had dinner with an Iraqi engineer living in Germany. Brilliant man. Soft voice. Nervous hands. He told me he fled his country with nothing but a suitcase and a head full of equations.
He came to America because that was where ideas were fed, not feared. He spent thirty years teaching at a Midwestern university. Published papers that quietly changed the world. When I asked him why he was back in Europe, he smiled and said, “Because America no longer wants me.”
That is how decline begins; quietly. With plane tickets.
Economists call it “brain drain.” The phrase is tidy. The reality is not. It is the steady evacuation of the people who make a country function beyond slogans and flags.
Universities are not powered by speeches. They are powered by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The invisible workforce.
According to data cited by The Independent, nearly 75 percent of foreign born researchers working in the United States say they are actively considering leaving. Not someday. Now. Exit plans. Timelines. Backup countries.
Among postdocs, more than half no longer believe they have a future here. That is catastrophic. These are the people who run the labs, write the code, and keep experiments alive while ....
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