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Post by david on Aug 30, 2023 14:42:21 GMT -5
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Post by Russell Letson on Aug 30, 2023 14:57:47 GMT -5
There's a form of Parkinsonism that includes freezing up--a musical friend had it. Though I suppose there are other conditions that might manifest the same way.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 30, 2023 15:08:33 GMT -5
. . . ,
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Post by Marshall on Aug 30, 2023 15:08:52 GMT -5
Oops. I froze again.
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Post by david on Aug 30, 2023 15:12:35 GMT -5
There's a form of Parkinsonism that includes freezing up--a musical friend had it. Though I suppose there are other conditions that might manifest the same way. Yes, Mike and I have a friend with that symptom. I do not think it affected his thinking for many years. If it is just Parkinsonism, he will likely serve through the rest of his term (2027). I doubt he would want to resign early given that Kentucky's Democratic governor can appoint his replacement.
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Post by Cornflake on Aug 30, 2023 15:24:24 GMT -5
I'm not a fan but I don't wish him ill on a personal level. It's sad.
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Post by billhammond on Aug 30, 2023 16:20:53 GMT -5
I only just now learned of his amazingly brief military "career." From Wiki:
In March 1967, shortly before the expiration of his educational draft deferment upon graduation from law school, McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a private at Louisville, Kentucky. This was a coveted position because the Reserve units were mostly kept out of combat during the Vietnam War. His first day of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after taking the bar exam, and his last day was August 15, 1967. Shortly after his arrival he was diagnosed with optic neuritis and deemed medically unfit for military service, and was honorably discharged. His brief time in service has repeatedly been put at issue by his political opponents during his electoral campaigns.
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Post by millring on Aug 30, 2023 18:25:28 GMT -5
I only just now learned of his amazingly brief military "career." From Wiki: In March 1967, shortly before the expiration of his educational draft deferment upon graduation from law school, McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a private at Louisville, Kentucky. This was a coveted position because the Reserve units were mostly kept out of combat during the Vietnam War. His first day of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after taking the bar exam, and his last day was August 15, 1967. Shortly after his arrival he was diagnosed with optic neuritis and deemed medically unfit for military service, and was honorably discharged. His brief time in service has repeatedly been put at issue by his political opponents during his electoral campaigns. Probably cheated to get the coveted position. Probably an unscrupulous doctor gave the fake diagnosis to get him out of service. Probably traded favors against his future power in politics. Politicians. Cheaters, every last Republican one of 'em.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 30, 2023 18:43:34 GMT -5
Amen !
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Post by david on Aug 30, 2023 20:34:05 GMT -5
I only just now learned of his amazingly brief military "career." From Wiki: In March 1967, shortly before the expiration of his educational draft deferment upon graduation from law school, McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a private at Louisville, Kentucky. This was a coveted position because the Reserve units were mostly kept out of combat during the Vietnam War. His first day of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after taking the bar exam, and his last day was August 15, 1967. Shortly after his arrival he was diagnosed with optic neuritis and deemed medically unfit for military service, and was honorably discharged. His brief time in service has repeatedly been put at issue by his political opponents during his electoral campaigns. Probably cheated to get the coveted position. Probably an unscrupulous doctor gave the fake diagnosis to get him out of service. Probably traded favors against his future power in politics. Politicians. Cheaters, every last Republican one of 'em. I suppose John is trying to point out that both parties do this stuff, and if that is his point, I think he is right. I also suppose Bill was not targeting a party and that he is aware that democrat Clinton, like republicans Trump and Bush, dodged the draft. But I am aware of only one draft dodger who was stupid enough to criticize the military record of a decorated war hero. And yet many people love and currently support the draft dodger. Odd world.
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Post by theevan on Aug 30, 2023 20:58:20 GMT -5
Honestly, it's time for him, Finebaum and other doddering folks in office to step down.
Except our President, of course. Better the devil I know than the Kamala I don't know.
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Aug 30, 2023 21:02:45 GMT -5
Getting old sucks. No matter what party you ascribe to.
Mike
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Post by Cornflake on Aug 30, 2023 21:22:37 GMT -5
"Honestly, it's time for him, Finebaum and other doddering folks in office to step down."
Amen. But they won't.
"Except our President, of course. Better the devil I know than the Kamala I don't know."
Amen again. Kamala Harris must have fans somewhere but I don't know any. I don't think she's anyone to be scared of but I don't think she'd be a very good President.
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Post by james on Aug 30, 2023 21:38:00 GMT -5
Finebaum? Meaning Dianne Feinstein?
Kamala Harris seems a quite formidable and appealing character to me, with it seems IMO many knowable and obvious qualities and accomplishments.
(She's no Katie Porter though)
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Post by jdd2 on Aug 31, 2023 5:23:00 GMT -5
One comment I saw: it's how nonchalantly, unsurprised, and practiced his staff react to it, that apparently this is the norm and and they're used to it--not at all like this is only the second time it has happened.
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Post by millring on Aug 31, 2023 5:45:35 GMT -5
I suppose John is trying to point out that both parties do this stuff Sort of, but not really. It bothers me that the assumption is that McConnell did something wrong in the 60s. The implication (proven out by subsequent comments here) that he was a draft dodger -- the implication that the sequence of events ending in him being diagnosed with something that ended what little military service he had was done fraudulently. And all THAT because he is a Republican. All three of my older brothers were drafted. Just like McConnell, they all "dodged" the draft too. They enlisted in the Air Force in hopes of diminishing the probability that they would end up in Vietnam, in the infantry, on the front lines. The dodge worked for two of them. Cheaters. The third ended up in Vietnam, in the radio corp, on the front lines. Beyond that, the thread's fascination with a doddering old man is just too rich for words. Doddering only matters when it's a Republican like McConnell or Reagan. And the comments are made with Biden in office. The hypocrisy is just too rich for words.
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Post by jdd2 on Aug 31, 2023 8:15:58 GMT -5
Getting into the reserves then was like winning the lottery. Nothing particularly wrong with that if you had the connections. (and iraq certainly changed that!)
As for air force and navy, maybe you 'dodged' being infantry, or being drafted into the marines, but you still served.
I had a cousin who joined the navy and became a corpsman. He was on a ship for most of it, but was then sent to vietnam, where he worked in a morgue prepping bodies for return to the US. (He's listed in the credits of Hearts and Minds.)
Safe work tho. No guns or even bullets nearby, and it was air conditioned, too
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,910
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Post by Dub on Aug 31, 2023 8:42:55 GMT -5
I don’t think of McConnell as a doddering old man. Sure, he’s aging, but he’s only five months my senior and I’ve seen no evidence of incompetence. I still don’t think of him as a draft dodger, though I was unaware of his circumstances. I don’t often agree with him but I still think of him as an astute and masterful politician with a deep and practiced understanding of Congress, the electoral system and American politics in general. That he often works against the things I hold dear doesn’t detract from the artistry he often employs. In some ways, he’s LBJ as a Republican.
I’d be happy to see him gone from the political scene but, except for job loss, I don’t wish him any misfortune.
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Post by Marshall on Aug 31, 2023 8:52:00 GMT -5
No political party will mount a challenge to their incumbent who wants to run again. All the polls say the public thinks Biden is too old to run. But he wants to "finish the job," and thus the party will step aside and let him shoot himself in the foot.
Personally I give him a C+. But he's neglecting domestic issues while he pursues his international agenda. And I have little faith that he'll make it through 5 more years. He's better off than Mitch, but the odds of lasting aren't in his favor.
I have no idea what Harris would/will be like as Prez. She's not a good public speaker. But she's a smart lady. A bit on the acerbic side.
Mitch and Feinstein need to go. We need age limits.
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Post by Cornflake on Aug 31, 2023 9:31:15 GMT -5
"I don’t think of McConnell as a doddering old man. Sure, he’s aging, but he’s only five months my senior and I’ve seen no evidence of incompetence." I agree, Dub. I think both Biden and McConnell are still quite competent, as far as I can see. But so are a lot of people who are younger and more in touch with current realities. Competence isn't everything. Personally, I think Biden has done a surprisingly good job. For a lot of voters, though, doubts about how long he'll be alive and competent are a significant minus. Why not run somebody who doesn't have these problems? I think both parties would be better off with someone other than their front runner. But neither party has sought my advice.
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