This more than any other single thing disqualifies that rotten, indecent piece of shit from a leadership position in our country. And that's even before you get to all the post-hoc lying and re-writing of history.
Yeah, none of these things are going to work. At that age, they don't have the mental flexibility to deal with multiple "tuning" devices and a single screen. About the best you can do is simplify it to one device, preferably the TV itself. And that probably means an Amazon Fire TV or Roku.
I've dealt with vets associated with Vetcor, Thrive, and VCA (actually owned by Mars) and have been generally pleased. The first two were local vet practices that mostly retain their local character. VCA is the big vet hospital company in Dallas, and more or less where you go to see a specialist. You can sense a sort of "corporate ness," but the vets themselves are good. It's not the same shitty PE experience that comes with "service" companies, HVAC, plumbing, electrical.
Assuming that's true, they probably held off an "extraction" or other coup-type operation pending some kind of plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela, which seems conspicuously lacking here. And that whole pesky international law thing. Just encanting "Maduro bad" is some sixth-grade foreign policy.
No one is "glazing" Russia or China. Long experience has taught us the regime change without pretty exquisite post-coup planning opens us up to local resentment and for our enemies to make further inroads in supporting our opponents, or people who may become our opponents. This is showing all the earmarks of a hasty, poorly thought out even if militarily well-executed feat of clumsy international "diplomacy."
Oh, I don't even think it's even about oil reserves. That's a post-hoc justification. It's just an ego-fit by Trump that has some vague connections to something "good," and a whole lot of pretty bad outcomes. He took out a world leader, quien es mas macho?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/05/hegseth-mark-kelly-censure-pentagon-court-martial/88029585007/ According to this, they can't reduce his retirement without a reduction in grade. There is a hearing process for that. Whiskey Pete may be a bit over his skis here. Although I'm sure they think they have it rigged.
I suppose we should add that not guilty by reason of insanity is not the same as an acquittal. In most jurisdictions, those not guilty by insanity are instead committed to mental health treatment facilities for an indeterminate term, for release upon medical assessment that no longer a danger to themselves or society. See, e.g. John Hinkley. So, it's not like they escape "punishment" entirely, and, they are incapacitated for most purposes as if in prison. Prison is a notoriously bad environment for the floridly mentally ill, in terms of the prisoner's well being and that of the prison environment, let alone any conceptions of rehabilitation. I honestly think the definition of insanity for this purpose should be expanded given that it was conceived of long before psychology and psychiatry had reached their current state. That would entail more state hospitals that would probably converge to prison-like conditions. But maybe not. It seems a more humane and rational way to deal with this kind of thing.
Is that Obamacare or employer-sponsored? I'm self-employed and made the core decision years ago just to bear SE tax and insurance cost on Obamacare by myself. I'm toying with seeking an of-counsel arrangement that would include access to a group plan, but as a 1099, probably going to have to bear full freight on that, and, in the past, small group plans haven't been a whole lot better than Obamacare. They do tend to offer more comprehensive coverage.
Seriously, though. That type of government program fraud is pretty rampant everywhere, including right here in redass, MAGA Mayes Middleton, Texas. This is a complete right-wing con-job. A Chris Rufo hoax. A veritable witch hunt.
Usually, the lowest plans available are right at or under $1000/month for two, approaching retirement age, reasonable health, light to medium utilization. This year, they started at about $1600 for off-brand stuff. Went with Oscar, which I had had before and went ok.
For the same plan, year on year, up about 1600/month, or more than 100%. The original signing deadline was 12/15, so everyone should have seen it already. I am guardedly able to apply a small amount of tax credit (that I may or may not be entitled to depending on how the income year turns out). I don't usually take it, but this year switched plans and applied a couple hundred a month to keep the increase to about 30%. May regret that next April, we'll see.
It's not like Cuba was some picnic for lower-class Cubans under Somoza. Some landowners had a pretty nice life there, but I find it highly unlikely that they'd get their land back or be able to assemble anything resembling their old life under Emperador por vida del Estados Unidos Esteban Meeler.