WarGamer
WarGamer's JournalHoly Crap. India is getting clobbered.
275,000 new cases yesterday with 1625 deaths.
Damn... all the vaccine mfg need to quadruple production like TOMORROW... we need to get shots in arms, worldwide.
Look at these numbers:
From yesterday
France, 30k new cases and 140 deaths
Turkey 56k new cases and 318 deaths
Germany 13k new cases and 65 deaths
Brazil 43k new cases and 1583 deaths
Mexico 4k new cases but 535 deaths
This thing is headed in the wrong damn direction in some parts of the world...
The next time you're on vacation and your airplane lands successfully, thank Bill Clinton.
So yeah... let me start by saying, as a borderline Boomer/X'er I have an affinity for Bill Clinton.
The 1990's were awesome. My parents were making bank. I successfully started my career, received another Degree, got married, got divorced, had a son, dated a stripper...
Awesome. Love the 90's.
Clinton is underappreciated by many but I'm going to call him the Best POTUS of my lifetime.
The numbers don't lie... economy, unemployment, deficit... A++
Anyway about this Post. Noticed how ZERO US Commercial Airliners have fallen out of the sky in the last TWELVE years? Wonder how that came about?
Look back to TWA Flight 800 off of Long Island. President Clinton formed the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security.
The Commission suggested REAL changes and was risky... many were afraid of blowback from Airline unions, the Airplane mfg and shareholders. But they were implemented and BOY were they successful.
Within 10 years the fatality rate had dropped by 80%, beating a goal set by the commission.
"The magnitude of the improvement has far exceeded my expectations"
---Randy Babbit, head of the FAA from 2009-2011
So take that trip. Jump on that 777-300ER to Japan or a shiny new 787-9 to Europe on United, American or Delta... you'll make it there in one piece.
Europe set to pass a grim milestone, 1,000,000 COVID-19 DEATHS.
Some don't seem to realize how C19 has savaged the European Continent.
973K deaths and counting.
In Deaths/1M population, the top 10 worst countries in the world are all in Europe. 16/20 of the World's worst are in Europe.
13 European countries have worse Deaths/1M population numbers than the USA
If you balance for population, Western Europe has more Deaths than the USA. (meaning add the populations of some hard hit WE countries until = approx US population)
Some European countries are struggling mightily.
France currently has the most daily cases in Europe, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland are particularly struggling...
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
So what's the SOLUTION to gun violence?
I see people here and all over the spectrum blaming ALL KINDS of things.
Some come up with solutions that are unworkable or just impossible.
So... seriously, what are REAL solutions that will stop the kind of violence we've seen in the last few years?
Just a few I can think of (some not so possible)
1) Amend the Constitution. Abolish the 2A and go to a system that allows limited hunting rifles kept in State facilities and checked out then checked back in again.
Guns would have to be REQUIRED to be turned in. Door to door searches? Police searching vehicles during stops?
2) Eliminate ALL background check loopholes. No personal transfers, not even within families.
3) Since an AWB is unlikely and the current SCOTUS might find it unconstitutional... how about requiring a tax stamp and DEEP background check for a Semi-Auto Rifle purchase, similar to pre-86 NFA weapons?
4) Dissolution of the Union and a new country with Aussie/EU-like gun laws?
5) Institute a 25 year old minimum for purchases? Fuck the NRA, they've sued for that one before.
You know WHY you don't see many Mossberg 12 gauges with sawed off barrels? Because every gun owner knows that the mere possession of one will put you in jail.
Maybe we just need more laws and enforce them more rigidly? Automatic 10 year sentence for felon in possession?
So what are YOUR favorite ideas?
Keeping in mind that many of the common ones will NEVER happen?
One more note: The RW'ers often say "Laws only affect the law-abiding not criminals."
But let's look at mass shootings. Other than the inner city mass shootings (and there are many) the most pulicized mass shootings happened because someone without a public record was able to buy a gun. Make the gun harder to obtain and you name the mass shooting over the last 20 years and most wouldn't have happened.
Thoughts?
A great resource of workable (and not so workable) solutions.
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/
San Antonio TX, routine traffic stop erupts in gunfire.
Officer shot and wounded by driver, returns fire and shoots 3 in the car, 2 dead.
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/04/16/san-antonio-police-respond-to-shooting-reported-on-citys-west-side/
I know sometimes 3 Strikes laws and harsh prison sentences are frowned upon...
But why not ramp up the penalties for firearms offenses?
The VAST majority of gun murders involve a person with a violent rap sheet with GUN crimes on it.
Why is Felon in possession of a firearm NOT an automatic 10 year sentence?
Remove as many people from society as possible that use guns to terrorize communities, right?
Gun control and bans are not likely to happen.
Make guns sooooo risky to even own that people just don't.
EXAMPLE: the guy who killed the New Mexico HP officer with the AR15 recently
Omar Felix Cueva
06/1994 Vandalism
06/2000 Possession of a controlled substance
09/2001 Possession of Controlled substance
10/2002 Importation of a controlled substance
4/2004 Importation of Cocaine
8/2006 Fictitious Check, False check, Burglary
3/2007 Probation Violation
3/2008 Import of a controlled substance
9/2010 Possession with intent of Crystal Meth or ICE
'22 MidTerm. Between Redistricting and new Maps, a daunting challenge.
Now that Julia Letlow has been sworn in, the Democratic majority margin in the House stands at TWO.
What do we know about how the Census will affect the races?
With the pandemic, the Census was delayed but it looks like data will be mostly released by the end of this month. A number of States have statutory deadlines for Census data to give time for redistricting and map drawing.
17 States stand to lose/gain seats.
Ca, Il, Mi, Mn, Oh, Pa, RI and WV are set to lose ONE SEAT EACH.
New York could lose TWO.
Texas will gain THREE, FL +2, and +1 for AZ, CO, Mt, Nc and Or.
Due to State laws, there will be a rush to draw new District maps at the State level. This will be done over the Summer.
Redistricting will give GOP a boost of over TEN seats considering the gerrymandering sure to follow.
Add in Voter Restriction laws... be ready!! GOTV!!
Disappointed in the office of Sen. Feinstein.
Over the years, I've reached out to contact Senators, State/Congressional Reps and Governors...
80% of the time I get some sort of response, if even a form letter or email response.
A month ago I wrote an email to Sen. Feinstein to repeat one of my pet peeves.
I stated that a primary focus of the new Democratic "Trifecta" in D.C. should be taking a good hard look at minimum Social Security payments. If someone worked a lot of years at home caring for children or elderly, if they were self employed reporting low income or worked low wage jobs there is a strong possibility that they will only qualify for around $600 per month at retirement.
That reinforces the trope of the Senior eating cat food.
I think we need a really simple piece of legislation, increase the minimum Social Security benefit AND lower the number of credits required to get it.
I think, in 2021 the minimum payment should start at 1200/mo.
And yes, I Know that the Senator doesn't read emails but her staff could have at least pushed the "send boilerplate response" button.
Unarmed cops.
How about the cop who pulled over Timothy McVeigh?
If the cop was unarmed, would have McVeigh shot him with the gun he had on his person?
Would McVeigh have ever been caught?
Just one example in 1000's...
In a more peaceful compliant society, armed cops might not be necessary. But look at the local news. We have a REAL violence problem here and the tool of choice is the gun.
Training, psych screenings, careful hiring and prosecutions when they go bad. That's really all we've got right now.
EDIT: And ya know how the SEC addressed fraud after Madoff? They regulated the industry so that no single person in an investment firm had too much autonomy. They structured teams of people to watch over each other. Checks and cross checks. Policing should be the same way. Discourage the Blue Wall of silence and reward Team behavior.
Could Trump have beat the hell out of Covid-19 AND won the election?
To preface this... in wargaming, you take past historical events and assume the opposite conclusion... then work out the details how it happened.
We might look at The Battle of Midway and then work out HOW the Japanese could have won the Battle.
What I've done here is laid out what would have been a winning strategy from Trump starting in January of 2020.
Fortunately, Trump wasn't intelligent enough or skilled enough to pull it off.
Here's how he could have:
By mid-January, Trump was getting mixed briefings from advisers. Some put too much trust in the reports being distributed by the Chinese government and some saw the legitimate danger involved.
January 28. Trump warned by his NSA.
“This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency...This is going to be the roughest thing you face"
THIS is my first intercept point.
Trump SHOULD have seen this as a crucial point in his Presidency. He should have looked down the road and seen the possibilities. He SHOULD have played this like a seasoned politician.
Trump should have quietly reached out to Presidents Obama, Clinton, Carter and Bush using the "National Security" excuse. None of them could have refused, politically.
Let's say on a secure video-conference, Trump would have thanked the former Presidents for attending and announced the grave threat facing the country and the world. He could have humbly said "I know we haven't always been friendly but I'm here, as a fellow American to ask you all for your help".
Next, he would have proposed that all 5 of them make a public plea to the public to "shut down, mask up, distance and prepare for the worst". He could have had all of them film PSA's. They could all write editorials to be published in the nations greatest newspapers, TV appearances.
Bringing the former POTUS's on board would have been BRILLIANT. Yes, it could potentially lost TRUMP some of the credit if all went well, but if it would have gone upside down, all would share the responsibility.
In addition, none could have refused. It would have been a PR disaster for ANY of them to say no.
It would have created a "9-11 like" 90% public support for the gov't, including Trump.
The media would have been shocked by Trump's humble and Presidential attitude.
Next, Trump made HUGE mistakes by allowing himself to be the star of those daily briefings.
The "group of 5" could have been pushing the upcoming vaccine for the last year. Call it the US vaccine, whatever... and when the vaccine WAS available, ALL 5 would get the vaccination on a live stream ZOOM conference with millions watching.
"Go get your TRUMP vaccine, today"
Of course, when wargaming you can't change 1 battleship into 10 and turning Trump into a bright and politically savvy leader might have been just as unlikely...
Trump only has himself to blame. As usual, his arrogance and narrow minded attitude sank him.
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Name: JGender: Male
Hometown: SoCal
Home country: USA
Current location: Socal
Member since: Mon Feb 1, 2021, 09:27 PM
Number of posts: 12,483
