The worst part of that is that politicians and the public opinion in general opposed having the perpetrators punished. And by the way My Lai was not the only one there was at least another one well documented and who knows how many properly covered up.
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Yes the Admiral in charge has plenty of responsibility in the murders. His resignation should be expected with apologies to the American people and the rest of the world, along with the remaining the chain of command that didn’t stop this shit.
The real responsibility lies at Sec of War (sic), and his boss that set the policy and environment, but no one underneath is free of guilt.
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I remember the nuns telling us that there are pupils and students. Pupils fill space. Students learn.
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A less discussed aspect of the Kushner-Witkoff 5-hour meeting was the coincidental visit of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, ostensibly to talk with Lavrov about Japan. While in the West this silly spectacle of self-dealing and greed was a nothing-burger, it may actually have been Putin’s annual job evaluation. Putin did the usual heel-cooling protocol, requiring Witkoff and Kushner, described by Yuri Ushakov as “two persons”, to wait three hours before meeting The Man. This was followed by a bladder-busting meeting barely mentioned after the fact by the Russians. Putin’s post-meeting comments were mainly threats to Europe about how short a war with them would be (i.e. nukes). Wang Yi, who has served since 2013, was on his third trip to Moscow this year. What China does not want is Russia collapsing or even a major upsetting of the existing order in Russia, which is currently pro-China, pays top-dollar (top-yuan?) for sanctions-skirting products, and provides China with raw materials. Russia’s war economy, however, is running Russia into the ground, meaning that it might be time to replace Putin with somebody younger and more dependable. Since the meeting, Putin has been lashing out at Europe, announcing this morning as he headed to India to beg Modi to buy Russian hydrocarbons that all of the Donbass belongs to Russia, and no EU peacekeepers or NATO. He also freaked out about seizure of the CBR’s $300 billion in stranded assets in Europe to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction. China likes the idea of the geopolitical distraction provided by a frozen war, much like the situation in the first years of the Trump administration. I think Putin just had his annual performance review from China and got low marks. Ironically, dialing back to a cease-fire keeping current battle lines is not a problem for Ukraine, which still would have to negotiate about territorial concessions. Cease-fire is a nightmare only for Putin. China just wants to keep attention focused away from it. Moreover, exports to China’s largest market, Europe, thanks in part to the Trump sanctions schtick, are booming.
Putin, in contrast, fears off ramps as demobilized soldiers could be security and social risks when they return to their home regions.
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It’s hard to detect the Signal Gate among the noise of all the other ‘gates
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The GOP talking point about offering menu healthcare options at Costco and Walmart doesn’t really address the problem. Nobody should be without basic health insurance. Indeed, if you are debating about “high-risk pools”, you are having the wrong discussion. Since the US rejected universal healthcare nine decades ago, it has fumbled with a defective adoption of the Swiss private-insurer model, which works because basic health insurance is mandatory, and paid for by the state for those who can’t afford. Switzerland thus has no high-risk pools. It is also competitive, allowing users to change provider or plan every 12 months if they wish.
In Switzerland, individuals can change their health insurance provider annually to find lower premiums, as basic coverage is the same across all licensed insurers
To switch, you must cancel your current policy, typically by November 30, to have new coverage begin on January 1. While basic insurance benefits are standardized, you can also choose a different insurance model (like HMO or Telmed) or add optional supplementary insurance to customize your coverage, which is where insurers differ significantly in price and terms.
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Looks like government funded healthcare for everyone to me! In a VERY stupid way mine you
No tax on health care? Senate Republican unveils new proposal to solve expiring subsidies
WASHINGTON — You’ve heard of the proposal “No Tax on Tips,” followed by “No Tax on Overtime.” Now one Republican senator wants to expand the concept: no taxes on certain medical expenses.
“Why not no taxes on health care?” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the formal rollout. “I mean, just allow people to deduct all of their health care expenses that are paid out of pocket. That would be hugely helpful, and move that above the line.”
Hawley officially began pitching the idea on Wednesday, which would allow taxpayers to deduct up to $25,000 in personal medical expenses as well as additional deductions for out-of-pocket premiums. Specific details on the plan, such as how to pay for those deductions, have not yet been hashed out.
But Hawley told Politico he had already pitched the idea to President Donald Trump, who he said has backed the idea.
The Missouri Republican framed the proposal as a way to expand medical expense deductions that already exist so that more families would be eligible for the benefits.
“In other words, make it such that anybody can add that to their standard deduction, so that most families can get it,” Hawley said. “Right now — and this and this is going to get really technical, really fast — you can deduct certain medical expenses, but only if you itemize, which is like 3% of taxpayers. And only if it’s above 7.5% of your income. So it’s really, basically, for rich people, so almost no middle-class family can use that
OH SORRY JUST THE RICH!
**
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New York Times sues Hegseth, Defense Department over new press rules
The New York Times and its intelligence reporter Julian E. Barnes have sued the Trump administration, saying the Defense Department’s new press rules violate their free speech and due-process rights.
The lawsuit names as defendants the Defense Department, as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. It says the policies, enacted earlier this fall, are unreasonable and chill protected speech that Department officials may not like.
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I had an Aunt and Uncle who dedicated their lives to missionary service, building and running schools, first in Peru and later in Chile. After retiring, they joined a church in SoCal that became both a sanctuary church and later a reconciling church. They were properly termed evangelicals, in that they were spreading their faith through their acts.
The so-called “Christian” right is not evangelical, it is fundamentalist.
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Fixed it.
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What bullshit! Convince the hospital not to sue you until you can file your taxes?
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I encourage TPM journalists to continue always using the real statutory names: Department of Defense/Secretary of Defense. Congress is the only body that can change the name and they have not. Let’s not give in to this regime’s pretensions; it only encourages them if the media plays along.
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You mean, you can drive the getaway car for a murderer and face a death penalty. 
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Nice! 
It kinda reminded me of our old Chief Engineer once telling us that there was a big difference between someone with 30 years of experience, compared to someone who had one year of experience 30 times. 
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My wife and I decided decades ago that if you survived, you wouldn’t have enough to be able to deduct your medical expenses. 
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It’s not just the unwelcome ICE thugs will receive in Minnesota, it’s they will freeze their asses off. I don’t think many of them are from the north. Rural south is their hatching ground.
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Let’s hope that the further Trump declines in the polls, Republicans discover spines and start saying no to him. His megalomania increases daily. He’ll want a month named after himself soon. Why not a planet?
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