U.S. And International Politics

[Tom Graves]

Geez, if the KGB (sorry *SVR and FSB) has all the superpowers that Tom attributes to them, I almost hope he's right - Trump and the KGB (sorry *SVR and FSB) together should clean up this mess we call a country even quicker than I had anticipated! I already speak about 900 words of Russian, so me and missus will be OK. Does Putin play golf, I wonder?

Dear Lance,

Aww . . . never mind.

-- Tom

PS Since you love to share heartwarming anecdotes, here's one from my life that relates to your apparent obsession with that four-letter-word "sport" that you brought up in your post -- One of my in-law relatives (who became a plastic surgeon) was on the Stanford golf team about 25 years ago (IIRC). He volunteered to me at a family get-together a few years ago that he'd played a few rounds with Trump somewhere in the Northeast (I forget exactly where; please forgive me). I had the presence of mind to ask him if Trump cheated (I'd read a recent SI article about him that said he did), and low (sic) and behold, he said, "Yep."

PPS That same relative, with whom I'm no longer in contact, lost a bunch of money when he invested in one of The Traitorous Orange Bird's* "projects."

(Rhymes with Xxxx's.)

PPPS "The KGB* no longer exists," right?

PPPPS *Today's SVR and FSB

[Lance Payette]

Oh, The Donald's golf nonsense is legendary. I just read an article where he won his club's championship for the umpteenth time, and none of the other players recalled him even being there. Another time, the tournament was on a weekend, and he simply posted a score he'd shot on Thursday and demanded it be used. Another time, he claimed a 67; 144 professionals played the course in a tournament the same week, and there were only five 67s.

On the other hand, he can clearly hit a golf ball, damn well for someone his age. Here he is with Bryson DeChambeau:

[Tom Graves]

Oh, The Donald's golf nonsense is legendary. I just read an article where he won his club's championship for the umpteenth time, and none of the other players recalled him even being there. Another time, the tournament was on a weekend, and he simply posted a score he'd shot on Thursday and demanded it be used. Another time, he claimed a 67; 144 professionals played the course in a tournament the same week, and there were only five 67s.

On the other hand, he can clearly hit a golf ball, damn well for someone his age. Here he is with Bryson DeChambeau:

Dear Lance,

Some people say you can judge a person's character (or lack thereof) by how honorably they play a game (or whether or not they pay the people who work for them the amount they owe them, etc), you know, playing by the rules, that sort of thing.

Evidently, you don't.

Which, if true, ironically reflects poorly on your self-professed "real-deal Christianity."

Makes you sound like a charlatan, actually.

Hmm. Nothing worse than a naive, incredibly ignorant charlatan, IMHO.

Three strikes against you, if you know what I mean.

But wait . . .  maybe you just don't believe in "judging" other people!!!

"Drop THE BIG ONE, and let God sort it out"?

-- Tom

PS What a hoot you are!

[Lance Payette]

Dear Lance,

Some people say you can judge a man's character (or lack thereof) by how honorably they play a game (or whether or not they pay the people who work for them the amount they owe them, etc), you know, playing by the rules, that sort of thing.

Evidently, you don't.

Which, if true, ironically reflects poorly on your self-professed "real-deal Christianity."

Makes you sound like a charlatan, actually.

Hmm. Nothing worse than a naive, incredibly ignorant charlatan, IMHO.

Three strikes against you, if you know what I mean.

But wait . . .  maybe you just don't believe in "judging" other people!!!

"Drop THE BIG ONE, and let God sort it out"?

-- Tom

Oh, poor humorless Tom.

Golf is known as "the only sport where, if you actually play by the rules, you will get a reputation for being a bad sport and no one will want to play with you." Virtually everyone, including me and my golf buddies, play by "the rules as we think they should be" as opposed to the Draconian nightmares they actually are. Did you know that it's far better to WHIFF THE BALL COMPLETELY than to hit it 347 yards but 2" out of bounds? Draconian, I tell you. Like much else about The Donald, I find his over-the-top cheating at golf really kind of endearing.

"Naive, incredibly ignorant charlatan"? Golly, Tom is getting kind of nasty, even by the standards of internet forums. However, I like it! I'm going to have some letterhead and calling cards printed up: Brother Lance, Real-Deal Christian but Naive and Incredibly Ignorant Charlatan.

[Tom Graves]

Oh, poor humorless Tom.

Golf is known as "the only sport where, if you actually play by the rules, you will get a reputation for being a bad sport and no one will want to play with you." Virtually everyone, including me and my golf buddies, play by "the rules as we think they should be" as opposed to the Draconian nightmares they actually are. Did you know that it's far better to WHIFF THE BALL COMPLETELY than to hit it 347 yards but 2" out of bounds? Draconian, I tell you. Like much else about The Donald, I find his over-the-top cheating at golf really kind of endearing.

"Naive, incredibly ignorant charlatan"? Golly, Tom is getting kind of nasty, even by the standards of internet forums. However, I like it! I'm going to have some letterhead and calling cards printed up: Brother Lance, Real-Deal Christian but Naive and Incredibly Ignorant Charlatan.

Dear Lance,

I didn't say "Real-Deal Christian," I said, "real-deal Christianity."

Regardless, you forgot to put the scare quotes around it.

Although your "take" on the JFKA is pretty much spot-on, politically speaking I don't know for whom you're the better apologist -- "former" KGB* officer Vladimir Putin or the mobbed-up and undoubtedly compromised Traitorous Orange Bird* known as Donald J. Trump.

Bottom line, you're dang good at both endeavors.

(*Rhymes with Xxxx)

-- Tom

PS I posted a new Substack article based on our earlier conversation here. I titled it "Dear Xxxxx . . ."

PPS Check it out!  It's a real hoot!

PPPS *Today's SVR and FSB

[Richard Smith]

A magnificent week for Trump.  The stock market is roaring, inflation is dropping, job numbers are good, progress on the wars and with Iran.   He was treated with the full respect deserving the President of the United States on his trip to the Middle East where he cut deal after deal.   What a contrast with how they treated Old Joe.  Things are coming together.  Once the China deal is signed, the sky is the limit.

[Tom Graves]

A magnificent week for Trump.  The stock market is roaring, inflation is dropping, job numbers are good, progress on the wars and with Iran.   He was treated with the full respect deserving the President of the United States on his trip to the Middle East where he cut deal after deal.   What a contrast with how they treated Old Joe.  Things are coming together.  Once the China deal is signed, the sky is the limit.

You're full of high-fructose beans.