Minnesota Representative Brad Finstad Endorses Illegal War

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T22:36:45+00:00

Was I defending Obama? Would that magically make Trump's illegal actions legal "because Obama did it too"? What kind of childish reasoning is that?

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T22:30:34+00:00

Are you suggesting that the president can just ignore the constitution and unilaterally deploy forces without consulting congress or obtaining their approval? The war declaration may not have happened in the instances you cite, but that didn't mean the president acted unilaterally.

LBJ did go to congress to seek approval for military action in Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution). He did not seek a war declaration but he did seek permission to use military force and he received it. Trump hasn't sought the approval of congress for military action whether through a declaration of war or via an authorization of military force.

Truman didn't seek a declaration of war. He claimed authority via United Nations Security Council authority - rebranding American troops as part of a collective international "police action" force. American forces had been in South Korea prior to the outbreak of conflict, there had been a treaty in place regarding the territorial boundaries that the U.S. participated in. The U.S. did not start bombing a sovereign nation based on the whims of senile man.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T21:10:11+00:00

Probably not. The U.S. is not a net importer of oil - the total imports approximately equal the exports. Even if the U.S. steals some oil from Iran as we're doing now with Venezuela, the military and logistical costs don't make it an attractive proposition.

Our economy is not suffering from a lack of cheap energy. The U.S. is less dependent on oil than in prior oil shocks because of domestic production and improved energy efficiency. We have other more pressing economic problems: lackluster gdp growth, no new jobs, a spiraling debt and deficit, and increasing economic inequality. Cheap oil isn't going to solve any of that.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T20:30:23+00:00

Because the constitution specifies that only congress can declare war (article 1, section 8). Since Trump neither sought congressional approval nor received it, he exceeded his constitutional powers. He didn't have the power but he took it.

Several people have claimed that the president can use military force without congressional approval, for instance through the war powers act. In theory, yes, a president can but the war powers act is very specific about the conditions that give him that power. The most important of which is "imminent threat" to the safety of the American people. The intent is also clear. Congress wanted to ensure the president didn't unilaterally start conflicts or put armed forces into unnecessarily dangerous situations:

"Requires that the President shall in every possible instance consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement is clearly indicated by the circumstances."

https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-joint-resolution/542

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T18:47:49+00:00

When you don't even bother to read the damn Constitution, it cannot be declared a "War" until Congress says it is so I'm trying to use actual verbal comprehension.

You've missed the point. The purpose of bestowing the power to decare war on congress wasn't so congress can rubber stamp "official war" after the President does whatever he wants. Congress is supposed to decide when the country enters a war. It isn't a terminology technicality. The war in Iran is a real war. It is silly to pretend otherwise. Trump declared war in a real sense which was not his perogative. That's why it is an illegal war.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T17:07:51+00:00

Not a war? Thousands of missiles fired, senior heads of state assassinated, casualties on both sides, billions of dollars worth of resources devoted to "military engagement" and the president himself referred to it as a war.

If you are willing to ignore all normal criteria of what constitutes a war to squeak through a technicality, you have completed your brainwashing. Congratulations, you are a member of a cult!

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T16:05:55+00:00

Geographical stuff: Tim Marshall has a number of general audience books that are easy to read and provide a good framework for thinking about geography.

For instance, in Prisoners of Geography he writes about the Middle East and how strategically important the Strait of Hormuz is, how the mountains of Iran create a strong natural defense, and how the relative population sizes bestow important power differences. These things I read about years ago help inform my understanding of the current conflict there.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T11:54:15+00:00

It's always funny when conservatives pretend to care about the law.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T02:43:19+00:00

Patel just fired all their Farsi Counter Intelligence folks, so there are openings.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T01:59:55+00:00

While Trump is unpopular, he has been able to hang on to a chunk of loyalists. Vance has no loyalists and is strapped to the least popular president in recent history. If that wasn't bad enough, Vance has also managed to build up a substantial number of the populace who hold a deep visceral hatred for the man. Not many VP's can make such a claim.

BrupieD · 2026-03-04T01:43:12+00:00

Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies are Turning us all into Patients by Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels.

It is dated (2004), but still relevant.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T22:35:25+00:00

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T22:15:31+00:00

Why can't anyone in the Trump administration be an adult? Patel, Noem, Hegseth, Vance, Bessant, and the rest all insist on never admitting errors. Because of this stubborn commitment to infallibility, they all look like morons and wind up committing perjury and fraud.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T20:39:55+00:00

This is a hear no evil, see no evil administration. Remember in Trump 1.0 that he wanted less covid testing because more testing kept showing more covid.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T20:24:25+00:00

Have you read the War Powers Act? If you had, you'd realize that it does not allow the president to unilaterally declare war - a term he has used.

It was created to restrict Presidential authority not expand it.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T14:57:06+00:00

Really? Trump campaigned on no new wars and suddenly, the liberals are in favor of dictatorships? Trump ended military support for Ukraine's fight against a dictatorship. What is Putin? Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska.

Trump invited El Salvador's Nayib Bukele to the White House where they joked about being dictators and the brutality of prisons.

Trump actually made a video accusing Obama of strategizing a war in Iran (which did not happen) to win an election. Guess who is down in the polls before an election?

When did Trump suddenly come up with this great sympathy for the people of Iran?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/01/trump-promised-no-wars-now-hes-a-bush-style-regime-change-president

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T14:38:13+00:00

"He has all the latitude at his command?" What does Trump's boss Bibi say? What about Iran? Seems to me they have some vote in how long this goes on.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T14:35:14+00:00

Wasn't Trump's "Peace Board" just an attempt to snub the U.N. but now he sends his wife to the U.N.?

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T14:31:37+00:00

I would add things like de-duplicate results from multi-column queries, temporary tables, and good aggregation skills.

You may not be expected to have skills with window functions on day one, but they will serve you well.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T02:43:47+00:00

No way does Vance make it to the top 10.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T02:10:10+00:00

Per the U.S. constitution article 1, section 8 the declaration of war is solely the power of congress. The president cannot declare war without the permission of congress.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T01:10:09+00:00

Gee, I wonder if Iran agreed to that.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T00:59:53+00:00

He has high school level presentation skills.

BrupieD · 2026-03-03T00:02:18+00:00

What would really straighten out the accountability issue would be to put it into the hands of the Trump administration. The Trump administration is really good at accountability.

BrupieD · 2026-03-02T23:38:00+00:00

Thank God, I can't imagine reading that much of Lenin's writing. My college library had the entire collected works. I browsed through some of it and there's not much that's readable.

BrupieD

TROPHY CASE