MarkRohfrietsch said:

Southern Baptists reject the real presence and also have believers (adult) baptism; there is no unity; to think that there is, is false ecuminism.

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So, Mark, nice to see you, BTW, are you suggesting here that people who call themselves Christian but don’t believe in the real presence aren’t really Christian?

eclipsenow said:

OK - I can see that. Thanks for explaining - and again - thanks for trawling through all that data.

I know I asked you to watch the Australian Four Corners - but you really might be more interested in Dan Carlin. He runs a podcast that many of my mates have listened to called "Hardcore History". I've listened to a fair bit as well. He has a dramatic edge for it! (But these days I'm appreciating the humour from the British "The rest is history" guys. They can be hilarious.)

Dan Carlin's "Common Sense" podcast takes a century long view of Presidential powers.
It quotes a book that about 15 years ago chillingly predicted the tone and character of the 2024 election!
It also includes some great quotes from Abraham Lincoln.
It's a podcast - so listen to it while you go on a walk or clean the kitchen.

After listening to that - ask yourself this question.

If the FBI and DOJ are the President's play things - what is left to keep him accountable?​

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It strikes me as a bit much to expect someone to watch an hour long video and listen to an hour and a half long podcast before they reply to a forum post. Either by itself is already excessive, but together is even worse. Spending two and a half hours watching and listening to stuff before one can even start writing up a response does not make much sense. In any event, I already did look at some of the 4 Corners video and explained my issues with the portions I saw. I continue to not see anyone able to explain how Project 2025 was such an extreme or anti-democratic thing (what set this off was your remark, although to someone else, that "As an Australian concerned for the fate of the world should America get a bit 1930's Germany, I should not expect someone who probably endorsed everything in Project 2025 as "Democracy" to have any concerns in the first place.") The pattern I identified before appears to continue: Unable to actually point to things in it that are so problematic--again, I'm not talking about what one could say is bad policy, I'm talking about the extreme accusations made against it--people just make stuff up or misrepresent it. Thus we end up with the claim that it says teachers who teach gender ideology or critical race theory should be registered sex offenders, when it was actually only making that statement about teachers who distribute pornography. It reinforces my belief that Project 2025 is actually rather a relatively benign and moderate wish list of the Heritage Foundation, because if it wasn't, why is it that people can't point to the actually outrageous parts of it?

Now, I suppose maybe somewhere in that 1.5-hour podcast they actually bothered to do that, but if so, it would save me a lot of time if you could simply say what those things were and point to where in Project 2025 they are.

But, to answer your question ("If the FBI and DOJ are the President's play things - what is left to keep him accountable?"), I suppose I should first point out that the FBI actually is part of the DOJ which remains under the President, so one really might as well just ask "DOJ". And in truth, the President already does have power to just fire the FBI director anyway. Trump wasn't even the first to do it! Clinton was, when he dismissed the director in 1993. So your "if" is describing the situation as it already exists, and has for a very long time--the Department of Justice had had that setup since its founding in 1870 (as has the office of Attorney General since its creation in 1789, long before there was even a formal Department of Justice for them to be head of). This isn't some new concept, it's how things always worked. When Project 2025 was suggesting that "The Director of the FBI must remain politically accountable to the President in the same manner as the head of any other federal department or agency" it was saying it should be treated like the other department heads where it's expected for new people to come in for each presidency, rather than continuing to hang on through different presidencies, which is what the 10-year term was doing (but, again, any President can end the term at their discretion).

In regards to who is supposed to hold the President accountable for things, the answer is, or is at least supposed to be, Congress (also the courts to an extent). (EDIT: My focus when originally writing this post was the time between elections, but there is also, during an election period, obviously the voters) It is also true that Congress generally doesn't do all that great a job of this. One of the big issues comes down to what's pretty easily the biggest problem with the US Constitution in terms of how the government is set up, which is them completely overlooking the effects that political parties would have on the whole thing, which inherently creates a much stronger link between the President and a significant portion of the legislature than was expected to ever be the case. I think a whole lot would be fixed if the veto power were to be removed, or at least weakened, by Constitutional amendment, as that would free up congress a lot to actually pass laws to curtail presidential powers, but it's the system we have now.

Mostly, it would be a change to everybody's letterhead stationery and signs on buildings that accomplishes nothing. We all understand that "defense" is a euphemism for "war". I don't see the point.

public hermit said:

View attachment 369288

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You got this painting at home?
It's well done.

Started with something simple today, 5 supersets of chest presses with curls, without resting.
Using the Gymproluxe, I got a great deal on EBay, it’s really convenient and easy to use
Also going to physical therapy twice a week

Vambram said:

None of those statements bothered the banks and the loans were fully paid off on time. There was no fraud and those banks have said in court that they would gladly do business with Trump again. There was no fraud.

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Your personal interpretation of the law seems to be incorrect. I suggest you read the full decision, it explains, in detail, exactly how the law applies:


-- A2SG, this way, you don't have to depend on my layman's opinion on the matter, you can go right to the source....

rjs330 said:

Anyone who disparages these great people should be punched in the face.

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So, when do we punch Trump?

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized Sen. John McCain’s military record at a conservative forum Saturday, saying the party’s 2008 nominee and former prisoner of war was a “war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

Trump calls dead soldiers Losers and suckers

An Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” in an altercation with former President Donald Trump’s staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.

Interesting move from the “no new wars” president.

RileyG said:

I really like going on emulator sites to play old games like Zombie ate my neighbors, old power rangers games, sonic etc. It's all fun!

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I've played some old C64 games that way. Was on Blue Max a few weeks back.

Hans Blaster said:

This statement makes no sense. Biden was the actual president. He didn't need a "shadow government".

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Conspiracy theories never do. They only reflect what the theorist wants the world to be. Any relation to the truth is purely incidental.

Michie said:

The Divine Mercy chaplet. Everytime. Or the Miracle Prayer. Plus some of my poorly put together interior prayers.

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I have a question about St Faustina. Did she predict or receive a message from Jesus or Mary that the end of the world is imminent?

Krumiri, latte are terrific

RIEL

Gene2memE said:

If I can parse your language correctly, this is wrong.

Individual income taxes are about 50% of total federal tax collections (49.3% of total revenue in FY2024, and 50.7% in FY2025). Those aren't taken out of paychecks by employers though, unless you're on a Pay As You Go witholding scheme.

Payroll taxes (which are taken out of paychecks) are about 25-30% of total US tax revenue.

Corporate tax is about 9-11% of total revenue and excises and other taxes are about 8-12%.

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True. I was focusing on payroll taxes. And I assumed that most employees paid in that manner, which is a good percentage of the workforce.

I think for those of us watching the recent changes in some parts of American Christianity, this is part and parcel with certain influential pastors favoring a repeal of women's suffrage, a return to traditional gender roles, and the demonization of empathy and the 'dumb moms' who foster such attitudes.

rambot said:

1) Get rid of Red Dye 40
2) Get rid of Vaccines
3) Everyone drink whole milk



I remember when health experts didn't view healthcare as a quaint collection of soundbytes.

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you mean raw whole milk.

A New Dawn said:

It isn’t the people that collect the taxes from the vast majority of the people, it is the employers who take it directly out of our paychecks.

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If I can parse your language correctly, this is wrong.

Individual income taxes are about 50% of total federal tax collections (49.3% of total revenue in FY2024, and 50.7% in FY2025). Those aren't taken out of paychecks by employers though, unless you're on a Pay As You Go witholding scheme.

Payroll taxes (which are taken out of paychecks) are about 25-30% of total US tax revenue.

Corporate tax is about 9-11% of total revenue and excises and other taxes are about 8-12%.

Michie said:

It kind of weird with me. I tend to navigate towards things that intrigue and edify me by what inspired the chaplet or I just feel an unexplainable draw to it. Although that can change over time at different points of your life.

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I felt a draw to the St. Dymphna Chaplet. And I wear her medal. (not the medal that includes Satan on it, a different one).

narnia59 said:

And when there is an urgent family issue at home or one in your congregation, which wins out? I just know from the words of my own pastor -

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Priests don’t have families?

What is the priest has a brother or sister or mother or father that has an urgent family issue at the same time? A member of his congregation does, is that any different?

Hans Blaster said:

This statement makes no sense. Biden was the actual president. He didn't need a "shadow government".

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He obviously did since Jill and Hunter sat in on cabinet meetings and made decisions in his stead. Biden was nothing but a figurehead for most of his presidency.

essentialsaltes said:

Well, given what else Senator Kennedy had to say, I should have questioned his statements about NOAA.

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Much better photo than the one I saw earlier:

zoidar said:

Don't you think a believer can do a carnal thing? To be consistent with Ignatius words this should be the case, since you believe it says a carnal person can't do a spiritual thing.

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Yes, a believer still sins, the difference between a believer and a non-believer is that believers have been regenerated and have a redeemed nature and the presence of the Holy Spirit to help conform them to the image of the Son, whereas non-believers still have a heart of stone and a fallen nature. A non-believer sins unrepentantly while a believer agrees with God that sin separates us and repents.