True enough. Used to be, we were the only game in town, and we knew it.

Our smarter presidents tried to make sure we remained the best option, or at least a good option. Trump, as you have noted, makes is the worst option.

Does anyone in Washington understand that a “deal” generally includes giving the other guy something they want, not just demanding things that you want?

Pulling out for a reason is not the same as pulling out for any reason.

What kind of contract is “show up if you feel like it?”

The reality is ALL performing contracts come with a clause that allows the performers to cancel at any time, for any reason

Why would anyone sign such a contract? I thought the whole point of a contract was to guarantee the exchange of money, goods, and services?

I mean, as a worthless consumer, I agree to such things all the time, because I have no choice. I should think a performing venue has slightly more leverage.

No, if warp speed has to be maintained, then when it stops being maintained, you stop moving at warp. This is very well outlined in the show. It doesn’t work with our understanding of, well, anything, but that’s covered under “we have no meaningful understanding of FTL.”

You’re trying to impose real world physics on something that has no real world analogue.

We have no meaningful understanding of how FTL works. It is presented to us as an active process, something that must be maintained, unlike normal space velocity.

But, again, no meaningful understanding.

Exactly. We have a shared system of interests and values. The current regime silly does not participate in it.

Have you seen his competition?

Assholes, the lot of them. Children need access to this information in a child-friendly way.

Some adults could do with access to this information in a child-friendly way.

I mean, anyone looking at Win11 is gonna be skeptical about anything Microsoft is putting out.

They might as well. I can’t avoid buying EA games any harder than I already do.

No. That was a character explaining why crowns in the theater are so much more impressive than the actual crown worn by the king.

That’s kind of what I mean by “sane leadership.” Leaders that know they are there to serve the people, and that they will be removed if they don’t.

Of course, that requires sane voters, too.

I knew of this place from Master and Commander. Nice to see the images, though.

We can do that after we get rid of Trump. If we let Trump do it now, he will turn it into a circus, gain some political cover from it, and we will never know for sure who actually did what.

Once we have sane leadership again, then we can do it properly.

The majority of those problems go away if more people had their basic needs met.

Started up Honorverse again, with On Basilisk Station.

It’s a comfort series for me. Oddly enough.

If this was true, there would be no reason not to vote on it all together.

This happened under Biden. (Schumer then, too, I belive) Separated a bill, passed the parts the Republicans wanted, then the Republicans voted against the part the Democrat wanted.

Bend over, here it comes again.

The show clearly makes him out to be a loose cannon, dangerous even to his allies. He caused great factionalism in the rebellion.

And he died, having accomplished very little, because he believed that victory comes from purity of purpose, rather than from working together against the enemy of all.