Free Republic

So Dodge quality is going to get even worse? Hard to believe that is possible, but if it is this move will certainly accomplish it.

I guarantee SNC is not “design(ing) a successor to the E-4B”, unless it’s going to be a version of their Dreamchaser, and only carry a couple of people. SNC has no such capability to design and produce a jumbo jet. They will still have to choose either Boeing or Airbus, with SNC perhaps designing the internal systems.

Close. Right Color. Wrong Man.

Tim Scott.

No. Byron Donalds would be a far more effective communicator than Tim Scott. Plus, it’s much easier to replace a representative than a senator. Tim Scott is OK (ish), but he comes across as more of a typical pre-programmed politician .

Kirby must think that members of Hamas wear T-shirts with big red targets on them, and “civilians” wear T-shirts that read “CIVILIAN” in big bold letters. There is no such distinction in this battle, nor is it possible. There are no true civilians in Gaza, only Hamas terrorists yet to be identified as such, or members of the Hamas support network. Anyone not actively involved in Hamas, or indirectly involved by supporting them, has either fled or is dead. There are no anti-Hamas dissidents, just an entire population, every member of which is located somewhere on the spectrum of Islamic terrorism. They’re all responsible for October 7th, and every attack that has occurred prior to that.

Don’t ever forget that this is a population who gleefully strapped bombs to their own children and sent them into Israel to kill as many innocent Israeli civilians (true civilians) as possible. And once “successful” in their murderous mission, they would celebrate in the streets and hand out candy. Every last so-called “Palestinian” is guilty and deserving of Israel’s wrath. Let them receive what they deserve.

Which crusie ships DONT have buffets?

Modern cruise ships have buffets, spectacular formal dining rooms, dozens of specialty restaurants (from steak house, to Italian, to Mexican, to Japanese teppanyaki, to you name it), numerous quick service food spots, etc. And that’s all on one ship. It is impossible to eat at more than a fraction of all the dining venues on a single cruise.

And small pools that a bunch of other people get in?

Modern ships have multiple pools and even multiple pool areas, with water parks for kids, large general pool areas, and quieter solarium pools that are for adults only and designed to be more relaxing. I’ve found the solarium-type pool areas to usually be very quiet and not crowded, attracting more adults who just want to relax and maybe stretch out on a lounge chair and read a book. When my wife and I took a European/Mediterranean cruise, we spent an hour or two in the jacuzzi in the solarium pool area one evening and aside from one other person we were the only people in that entire area.

Which cruise ships can I be alone on a beach all day, every day?

OK, I can’t claim that a ship contains a beach, but most cruise lines have private islands that they visit once during a given cruise, and many of the other ports of course have beaches. The private islands do get crowded, but my wife and I have been able to find relatively quiet beach spots on some Caribbean islands (at least, as quiet as you’re going to find otherwise in any tourist hot spot). But, the type of experience you’re talking about is not so different from getting a balcony cabin on the ship and spending your days relaxing on the balcony and watching (and listening to) the water go by. It’s one of my favorite aspects of cruising, especially getting up early in the morning, ordering breakfast from room service, and just having a relaxing breakfast on the balcony as the ship glides slowly into some exotic port.

Which cusise ships don’t have lines and crowds?

Cruise ships have certainly been getting much larger and are carrying more passengers than ever, but space per passenger has actually increased significantly. The largest cruise ships are larger than a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, with many more decks, so while there are a lot of people onboard, they are also spread over a very large area. I hate crowds and my wife hates them even more, yet cruising is our favorite type of vacation. If you are someone who wants constant activities and socializing, you can find that in spades, but if you’re more of the introvert type (like me) you will also have no problem finding plenty of opportunities for solitude. On every ship we’ve been on, there were a number of areas that were very lightly traveled where you could get away from other people. And there’s your cabin and balcony, as I said earlier. Some choke points on certain ships can cause crowd issues, and certain events or venues may be more crowded at times, but in general people are so spread out because of the endless variety of things to do crowding just isn’t a big issue.

If you’re not aware of the latest innovations in the cruise industry, and especially if you harbor outdated notions of what cruising entails, you would be shocked by modern ships. They are floating cities, but in a good way with everything from onboard tree-lined parks complete with sidewalk cafes to cobblestone shopping streets and numerous dining and entertainment venues. They even have ice skating rinks and seaside-style boardwalks. There really is something for everyone, even those who just want to do nothing but relax.

Now waiting for the inevitable KILLJOYS to chime in with their WARNING messages about cruises. You know what? I DON'T CARE!!! Oh, and also most of those cruise warnings don't apply to a LUXURY cruise like the Celebrity Beyond.

Yep, most of the cruise horror stories occur on Carnival. Carnival is a classic case of getting what you pay for. They’re dirt cheap, but that cheap price comes with the antics of low-rent clientele, poor maintenance, and ships that look like the inside of a 1970s Vegas casino.

We’ve cruised a number of times, always on Royal Caribbean, and the experience has been nothing but fantastic. Celebrity is owned by Royal Caribbean, and so is also very well run. The non-cruisers who claim that any cruise ship is just a “floating Petri dish” should be ignored, because they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Extrapolating Carnival’s constant problems to other cruise lines, and using that as justification to avoid cruising in general is like refusing to buy any car because your neighbor’s 1975 Pinto breaks down all the time and occasionally explodes.

This Thread Is Far Better Without Pictures.

The president’s pardon power has no limits....................

I’m certainly not a Constitutional law expert, but since none of these illegals have been charged with any crime related to their illegal status, I doubt Biden could pardon them. Of course, this regime has well demonstrated that they are entirely lawless and are willing to ignore even Supreme Court decisions, so they’ll probably go ahead and try anyway.

At this point I’m seriously starting to believe that the ruling uniparty cabal is entirely made up of literal card-carrying satan worshipers, and anyone outside their orbit who tries to compromise and cozy up to them (Mike Johnson) becomes instantly demon-possessed.

I’m just fresh out of any other explanations for this absolute insanity.

They will control everything after this election. Law, the concentration camps in remote areas already waiting for us, the media shaping the stories, even the historians who already write how wonderful FDR and LBJ socialism has been for America.

And it will be because no one on the side of good was willing to admit what was actually happening, nor the guts to do what was necessary to stop it. This nation’s founders would have long since launched into another war if they saw what was happening today, erasing every vestige of the corrupted government and starting over with the right people and principles. In fact, unlike today’s timid blind sheep, they fully understood that a “reset” (quite the opposite of the “great reset”) would be needed “from time to time”, and that it would be far from cordial.

Anyone still believe we can coexist on the same planet with these demons? This evil will only continue to accelerate until the demonic Left is literally deprived of oxygen.

That’s OK, the Gazan “Palestinians” were frolicking on the beach in droves today, so apparently it can wait. None of them looked like they were in any danger of starving.

You mean the slow-poke, single-engine F-35 that isn't even stealthy from behind? That F-35?

You’re stuck in 1980s, F-14 Maverick and Goose thinking. The rapidly-approaching future is low-observable aircraft that act as powerful sensor platforms while quarterbacking attacks by swarms of stealth drones, and launching their own attacks from a distance with fast stealthy stand-off weapons. Among its many other capabilities, the F-35 will soon have a hypersonic missile that can fit within its internal weapons bay. Also, don’t forget that the F-35 is not intended to be an air superiority fighter. That role is currently handled by the F-22 and F-15, with the F-22’s 6th generation replacement on its way very soon.

Large numbers of F-35s, even if not yet accompanied by their “wingman” drones that are still in development, could easily overwhelm nearly any existing air defense system in the world with LRASM stealth cruise missiles and soon, hypersonic missiles (that weapon is said to be ready to deploy NOW). There have also been sightings of F-35s in flight testing new stealthy external tanks and infrared search and track pods. There is a lot of development happening on the F-35 front. There were reports that not long after receiving some of the first deliveries of F-35s, Israel flew two of them directly over Tehran without being detected. And Israel has made a lot of their own unique improvements to the F-35 since then. Israel doesn’t mess around, and they are heavily invested in the F-35. They certainly realize its value.

With what is apparently occurring tonight in Iran, just watch and learn.

They counted geothermal and hydro, which are legitimate and reliable energy sources, and tried to fool the reader into thinking that this “renewable miracle” was due to wholly unreliable windmills and solar panels.

From what they’re saying Iran has been caught flat-footed and are not able to intercept anything coming in.

We may very well be witnessing the true capabilities of the unwisely-maligned F-35.

40 minute mark, suggested the US was flying sorties over Iraq - not confirmed!

Why does that description bring to mind visions of Biden’s puppet masters, frustrated with their inability to start WWIII, ordering attacks on Iran and screaming at both they and Israel, “Fight damnit, fight!”

Branson, overall, is a blast

My wife and I enjoyed it. Aside from what I thought was the single best thing about it, people everywhere who are mostly conservative, Christian, and MAGA, the two attractions we enjoyed the most were the Sight and Sound Theater (just fantastic) and the self-guided golf cart tour at the Top of the Rock at Big Cedar Lodge. In fact, Big Cedar Lodge was a great place to just hang out and relax.

< Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that it would attack Israel’s nuclear sites and may pursue a nuclear weapon if the country strikes at Iran’s nuclear facilities.

So let me get this straight: Iran, which has totally not tried to pursue nuclear weapons, may decide to pursue them after all if Israel attacks their totally not a nuclear weapons facility, that is used to produce only peaceful electricity? Yeah, sure. That makes sense.

Well so much for “mighty” Irans ability to fend off missiles and planes.

Well, the Russian S-300 and S-400 are likely no match for Israel’s F-35s (which they’ve significantly modified and improved). Despite the skepticism and outright hate for the F-35 around here, it actually is a complete game changer, especially in significant numbers, and Russia’s SAMs are overrated. Soon after beginning to take delivery of them several years ago, Israel reportedly flew two F-35s over Tehran without the Iranians even knowing they were there, and with no anti-air response.

That said, at this point we don’t know much, so Israel could have used missiles instead of aircraft, but I don’t know if they have missiles with the deep penetrating capability that would be required to reach Iran’s buried nuclear facilities (though some facilities are on the surface).

So now we’re playing Concentration? Cool, I’ll play…Eye Pin?