OlDawg

Trump needs to pipe down some. If typical, there are still assets in country who will be pursued by Maduro loyalists, and cartels. They will have their heads on a swivel. This is why I said ‘speak softly.’ @Reagan

China is all over it, and has been. They have an increasing presence, and have put a block on exports of their own rare earth minerals while trying to gain control over all others. Today’s militaries and space programs can’t function without rare earth minerals. I’ve also mentioned their military involvement. Russia is there as well. This is the closest major communist enemies/adversaries of the U.S. have been to us in our own hemisphere since the ‘80’s. [Hidden Content]

Now, if he’d only follow the speak softly part…

It’s justified. Just wait for the screaming from Cuba, Putin and Xi. That will tell you all you need to know. (My info caveat) Maduro was actually guarded by Cuban military as he didn’t trust his own people for security. His arrangement was to supply Cuba with at least one tanker of oil per month. Cuba will now be the next domino to fall as they’re on the brink already. The Venezuelan oil was keeping them barely afloat. The Trump Administration needs to play this carefully, and they can assist the Cuban people in regaining their freedom as well. Continue with the Monroe Doctrine return. Get China and Russia out of our direct sphere and proximity. Don’t let the liberal mindset deter. This action was foretold for those experienced, and paying attention.

For those that believe this debate began recently with Trump, this opinion is from 2015 in the NYT. [Hidden Content]

Mamdani was sworn in just after midnight, in a private ceremony, underground in the subway, on the Quran.

Not the same ‘jurisdiction’. Please read the link below for a better understanding of the arguments ‘for’ and ‘against’ automatic birthright citizenship for anyone on U.S. soil. [Hidden Content] A really simple explanation about citizenship is found in the final act of an immigrant becoming a citizen the LEGAL way. The last thing they have to do? Say the Pledge of Alllegiance, or the Oath of Allegiance. Now, they are fully under the jurisdiction of the United States. (Remember the Pledge of Allegiance? What we all had to say in school before the liberals decided they’d prefer a multicultural, non-cohesive country with no identity, pride, or patriotism because it was all offensive to someone?)

Been expecting this for a year. Assume he was taking one more chance while he had C Mack. He's 61 with plenty of years to get full retirement bennies.

I like to think about political discourse like being a member of a church. If you only go to Christmas, Easter, and/or the occasional Sunday service, the church seems very typical of the community. I’d say that’s akin to the typical voter experience who only votes every 4 years. Then, there’s the church member who is also a member of the steering and business committee of the church. This member sees the ugly underbelly of the church as a business. This can disillusion the member if they don’t remember the real reason they attend anyway. I’d say this is akin to the voter who is more informed, votes even in local elections, and participates in political discussions. Both members are valuable to the congregation. One is much easier to deal with, and causes no qualms for the most part. But, the church couldn’t function without the more involved member. There’s a need for a place to discuss politics, as unsettling as it may be sometimes. Many of the topics, I wouldn’t know anything about if it weren’t for this forum. This forum actually makes me investigate things. I become more informed, and whether I agree or not is irrelevant. That—to me—is a very big positive.

AI still has too many issues right now. People who use it without back-checking are foolish. As an example, type in the below two questions EXACTLY as typed: How many illegal aliens in Texas 2025? How many undocumented immigrants in Texas 2025? We know the questions are asking about the exact same subset of the population. But, the AI answers—and sources—you receive will be quite different. AI isn’t smart enough to figure that out. It’s merely going on key words. Not really intelligence in my book. A big misnomer.

The thing that bothers me more than anything else lately, is the amount of posts obviously strictly using AI. I’ve researched quite a few of them, and they are coming from obviously biased source material. Makes sense since most media has a more liberal slant. I wish people wouldn’t just use AI generated answers, and think for themselves. AI seems to already be taking critical thinking out of the equation for many people.

I think most debates on this particular political forum are fairly robust. It’s a lot better than most places. Personally, I do a lot of data checking before I get too deep into discussion. Unless it’s something with which I have personal experience. Even then, if someone asks, I’ll try to provide data to support.

Only if someone checked what she posted. I’m not sure the issue is a big surprise to people. The numbers may be off. But, the occurrences of misuse, overuse, and outright fraud are pretty well known. Her statement of “if all benefits were cut off, they would leave” is pure conjecture. Nothing wrong with that as her opinion. But, it is pure conjecture.

I was waiting to see how long it took for those who said they didn’t trust a single source—or the government—for data/information, to realize the X post was partially created using government data.

Looked up. She’s just a MAGA social media influencer. I wouldn’t trust her data unless she shows where it came from.

It's a real issue, and ties back into the birthright citizenship question before SCOTUS. Not just who people think either. There are thousands of Chinese nationals who are paying surrogate American mothers to have their children for access to benefits. [Hidden Content] Friedman succinctly stated--paraphrased--you can't have open borders and a welfare state. That's one of the reasons why I (as a conservative libertarian, for lack of a better definition) have always been against the Libertarian Party position of open borders unless we do away with the welfare state first. Which will never happen...

I'm not going to go line-by-line through census data right now. But, SIPP (Census Bureau) numbers do show a majority of households receiving SNAP and/or WIC benefits are headed up by illegal immigrant 'heads of households' applying for their children. Of all immigrant-headed households (naturalized citizens and non-citizens) with young children, 43 percent are dependent on at least one of these programs. [Hidden Content]

The effect on food and welfare support to the poor in the government shutdown has revealed that the noncitizen and illegal immigrant community has been benefiting from the taxpayer-funded programs more than American citizens — by far. [Hidden Content]

I think we should go back and look at 1836. There’s no way Van Buren won. Let’s rehash it, and have a do-over.

Hoping everyone enjoys the reason for the season, and is able to spend a joyous time with those they love! Merry Christmas from the DawgHouse

The biggest lie of all? Who was running the last Administration? All the others kind of pale in comparison.

Something really interesting about your link that is in the background. As of May 2024, the stock market was 39,470.00. It stands--as of this time the morning of Dec 22, 2025--at 48,248.59. Anyone who invests in a company 401k, 503b, or similar is experiencing good growth in their gross wealth. That's around 22% in about a year and a half.

Wrong year to boot! That'll confuse 'em. lol

When someone tells you they have experience in the matter, and that Trump didn’t lie on this one, it would be wise to check sources deeper than the lying Washington Post , an author who has no idea what they’re talking about, and who also has a definite agenda. I’ve kindly attached a summary of the international court rulings for your review. I know you won’t read the actual court documents. So, the link provides an easy to read, directly documented overview with dollar amounts, and judgements. If you click the source tab up top, all the references will be available for your review. It should be noted that international courts aren’t usually sympathetic to American companies. So, the evidence was without question or factually disputable. [Hidden Content] I may not have voted for the man. I may not even be a big fan of his character. But, I don't just dismiss everything as a lie due to pure, unreasonable hatred of him.

Trump’s been signaling a return to Monroe Doctrine since his first term. That’s why he’s been pressuring Europe to spend more on their own defense. That’s pure MD philosophy. Like I said, people just can’t seem to connect the dots. I’ll admit to having a little advantage in some government activities. But, it should be becoming pretty clear to all by now with a minimal amount of effort.