I get a strong feeling the military industrial complex got far too complacent with all the years of the US being unchallenged by other countries militarily. The people in the military and the defense contractors must have been thinking that they could just coast on being number 1 and milk the government for more money while not caring about delivering results.

Not anymore. We have challengers now. Countries like Russia have militaries that are far more of a threat than any country the US has recently been involved in. The US is not used to fighting someone who can actually fight back, so if they do not fix things quick, then the US will not be a "superpower" anymore. But given the current trajectory, I don't expect the military to give up their DEI initiatives or the defense contractors to clean house and get serious. This sort of institutional rot cannot be easily reversed, as the rot has been going on for far too long.

Much of the world will heal, and much of Europe will suffer without having the US to be their military, as well as Israel. I don't see how Israel will make it very far if a bunch of other countries team up and the US is not there to back up Israel in the way that they have been in the past. Who knows which countries in Europe will struggle. That depends on if they want to go full on conscription mode and fight on hard or if they go the surrender route. Hard to say since those countries have far too many people used to a peacetime mindset.

@adam-l Men who would do so are either blissfully unaware of the issues that come with this sexual liberation and see no issues with how women are today or are hoping that they can find a woman who is the exception to the trend of women who have a hoe phase in their 20s. Perhaps a man who is a doctor can find this sort of exception, but the question remains has he prepared himself to be able to find this type of woman? This type of woman is rare to find, and there are many women who will attempt to deceive such men claiming to be one of these exceptions when her body count is by no means low.

Though there are some men who may still find motivation outside of being able to get someone of the opposite sex attracted to him. Though it would be foolish to think that this applies to most men and that men would not have as strong of a motivation to achieve if he was certain his efforts would not result in him being able to be paired with a low body count, high quality woman.

Sexual liberation for women has indeed created many downstream problems, including but not limited to men having less stake in society when being a good, high earning man is not rewarded by the opposite sex (where rewarding him is not merely seeking such a man when she is "finally ready to settle down in her 30s).

@Typo-MAGAshiv hopefully the numbers of adverse effects remain low overall. Because many were deceived or coerced into taking those shots. I have no confirmed cases of those I know who have major issues that can be linked to the vaxx, but I see no reason to take the chance. I saw all the reports of athletes having cardiac issues on the field. And me being in that age range (though not a professional athlete), I sure as hell do not want to find out that I will have heart problems that an 80 year old has.

My Dad probably took the shots (not a liberal but rather a Trump supporter who trusted the shots due to Trump touting operation warp speed). I cannot for sure say some of his current health issues are the vaxx, because frankly he has never take great care of his health. But I would not be surprised if it is exacerbating some issues, as I have found out through the grapevine each time he has some issue (he is hesitant to tell others about these things).

Either way, no plans to take the shots.

@Typo-MAGAshiv I will clarify that I am not deeply invested in either theory about the Obamas being true. But if it is confirmed to be true, I will not be startled or shocked. I am not itching to try and prove such theories as true, but I am simply open to the possibility of them being true.

Not to mention, there have been childless and even bachelor Presidents in the past. It would have been easier to leave him a bachelor than to go to all that ridiculous trouble

But with modern politics as they are, I don't think it will be as easy for someone to become President when they are childless or a bachelor. It is too easy to attack someone as being "not invested in the future" if they do not have children of their own. This is regardless of whether or not there is any merit to such attacks, they are likely to be used. And even without the attacks, the image of the first family with children makes for great PR.

t is not enough to understand that our government lies to us regularly. Many people realize this, but they are unaware of a bigger picture. That being the government is not just lying about small things, but much larger things.

Much of what we hold to be historical truth should be suspect. The moon landing? The official JFK assassination story? WWII history? You must be willing to accept that some of these accounts are lies if you think yourself truly skeptical.

Just what else is untrue? You need to be ready to accept other things that might seem like the obvious truth might not be as you think as well. Things that are not necessarily the most significant as well as those that are. On the sillier side of things, I do not care if Michelle Obama is really a Michael. Regardless if that is true, I have heard the theory that Sasha and Malia are not really Barack and Michelle's daughters. It would not be too hard for someone in political circles to put their daughters on loan so that the first family will not be childless, as all politicians know public image matters.

@Kevin

Why the fuck did god create an apple holding knowledge if he didn't want Adam to eat it? To torture him, to test him? But then why would he want to test adam? is he sadistic?

• The fact that you're saying "apple" shows that you're coming into this with presuppositions. Scripture never actually says what kind of fruit was on the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil, and the guess that it was an apple is relatively recent. People used to suppose it was a pomegranate.

• yes, it was a test. Adam and Eve failed.

• without free will, our worship means nothing. Without temptation, being sinless means nothing.

• if you think that test was sadistic (when it was actually ridiculously easy), then don't read the Book of Job.

Why the absolute fuck does god approve of killing and mutilating an animal corpse for tribute but not a cool work of plants. This makes god seem immoral.

• Abel offered unblemished firstborn lambs, gladly and with a pure heart

• Cain offered dregs of his harvest and kept the best to himself, reluctantly and with an impure heart

• even if God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice and rejection of Cain's had been about animals vs. plants, how on earth would that be "immoral"? What values, are you, an ignorant mortal, trying to impose on the Creator of the universe?

[the flood]

• The answer to your concerns is right there at the beginning of that story. Humans had become so terrible that God regretted making them. Only Noah and his family were remotely decent.

• The rainbow was a symbol of God's promise not to destroy the earth via flooding again, and a reminder to us rather than to himself. He made no promise not to wipe us all out again; just not to do it via a worldwide flood.

• re: "illogical, emotional, and irrational" - you're coming into this with presuppositions again, and of course God can be angry. Why would he not be angry when we sin?

[Noah being a dick]

Yeah, he was a dick on that occasion. He wasn't perfect. There are other biblical figures who are deeply flawed and/or made bad decisions, such as Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Jonah, David, Solomon, Peter, Judas Iscariot, Paul, etc. Only Jesus himself is held as blameless.

Tagging @lurkerhasarisen and @houseoftolstoy because they're both more proficient in Bible knowledge than I am, and I probably missed something