In view of the air strike against Iran, lets do some congressional math

Author: fauxlaw
WUMF

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#1
fauxlaw
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In view of the air strike against Iran, lets do some congressional math relative to a piece of legislation passed in 2001: the AUMF [Authorization for Use of Military Force], giving the president even broader power in using military force against terrorist regimes, of which Iran is and has been a ready and willing partner. These powers are in addition to the War Powers Act of 1973.

Let’s do some math. The average age of members of Congress by chamber:
House: 59 Senate: 65 Avg: 62   https://info.legistorm.com/blog/members-of-congress-by-age
However, though not completely accurate, because 24 years have passed since 2001, when the AUMF was passed and enacted, so members of Congress have changed. By today’s numbers, members would be, on average in 2001:
House: 35. Senate: 41. Avg: 38. These are numbers that should suggest that members of Congress remember passing the AUMF, but it appears Democrats have selective memory, and re tossing accusations. Again.. In the case of AoC, excessively vocal in criticism of the president's action last Saturday in the air attack of Iranian nuke facilities, is, today, 35. In 2001; 11. She was not in the House to pass the AUMF, so her ignorance is noted, and potentially excused, except for the fact that we should expect her research into the matter rather than her vocal outrage in accusation of constitutional violation and deserving impeachment of President Trump. Ah, the folly of youth.
#2
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@fauxlaw
Ah, the folly of youth
"Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden" - These arent youth. These are old people and war criminals.
#3
LucyStarfire
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The best age is around 30 for wisdom. If you are not this age, you should be irrelevant.
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#4
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@LucyStarfire
The best age is around 30 for wisdom.
I disagree. For physical capacity, yes, age 30 is good; I'm more than twice that and half again, but for gain of experience, potentially, as it should be, but sometimes is not, the older, the greater experience, and, hopefully, wisdom to use it properly.
#5
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@fauxlaw
No, old people lose desire for knowledge and become stupid as a result.

Average 8 year old knows how to use smartphone well. My parents dont know how to use a smartphone basic functions even after 10 years of using it every day for hours.

So intelligence of an old person is lower than that of an 8 year old. Old person is about as capable of learning as a 4 year old is, if not much less.
#6
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@fauxlaw
The problem with old people is that they think they have become all wise, and thus they lose curiosity. Once they lose curiosity, they are less able to learn new things. My parents only became dumber in past 10 years. Now they are incapable of even thinking logically. They literally just repeat what they hear on news.
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@fauxlaw
I asked AI if brain shrinks with age:

Yes, the brain does shrink with age, a process known as cerebral atrophy. This shrinkage is a normal part of the aging process, with the brain losing volume and density over time. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:
  • Normal Age-Related Shrinkage:
    Brain volume typically begins to decrease in the 30s and 40s, and the rate of shrinkage increases after age 60. 

  • Specific Areas Affected:
    Certain brain regions, like the frontal lobe and hippocampus, tend to shrink more than others. These areas are crucial for cognitive functions like memory, learning, and complex thought processes. 

  • Impact on Cognitive Function:
    While some cognitive decline is normal with aging, the extent of brain shrinkage and its impact on thinking and memory can vary significantly between individuals. Factors like lifestyle, genetics, and overall health can play a role. 

  • Not Always Severe:
    Not all older adults experience significant cognitive decline. "Super Ager" studies have shown that some individuals maintain sharp cognitive function despite age-related brain changes. 

  • Importance of Brain Health:
    Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and mental engagement, can help support brain health and potentially slow down the rate of brain shrinkage. 

  • Distinguishing from Atrophy:
    While some brain atrophy is normal with age, the term "brain atrophy" is often used when there are more significant and rapid changes than expected for age. This can be associated with various conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.

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#8
fauxlaw
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@LucyStarfire
No, old people lose desire for knowledge and become stupid as a result.
Not in my case. I've never had mores desire to learn new things than now. The urge is very strong, though I do admit, with regard to electronic gear, like my smartphone, I have little desire to use it to its full capacity. I much prefer addressing that need with my desktop simply because my smartphone is too small to use with any dexterity because of the size of my hands.
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#9
fauxlaw
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@LucyStarfire
The problem with old people is that they think they have become all wise, and thus they lose curiosity
Generalization, even if it happened to fit most people, in this case, again, my curiosity remains keen. I'm not sorry to disagree with you on this one, either
#10
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@fauxlaw
Have you meassured the size of your brain?
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@LucyStarfire
Brain atrophy
Being that my family has been directly involved in medicine for five generations, I am keenly aware, now, of the physical and mental unavoidable effect of brain atrophy, but, I also know that, like someone robbed of a particular sense, like sight or hearing, the other senses can be tight to compensate to address a desire to continue learning new things, effectively combatting the onset of brain atrophy. Case in personal point, my earning a linguistics B.A. last fall, early in my 75th year. 
I know sooner or later, this compensation will fail me, but, in the meantime, I strive to keep learning, reading books on as many subjects as interest me, So far, my ability to process new information remains keen.
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@fauxlaw
You shouldnt read books. Books are harmful.

Reading books means obeying.

Power doesnt obey. Power disrupts.
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#13
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@LucyStarfire
Have you measured the size of your brain?
Did not ever and have not, so I have no reference point to draw conclusions now. Never the less, as I continue to learn new things, and as I continue to maintain a healthy diet, because we are what we consume, I do all I can to combat the general effects of aging. However, I once held in my hands the brain of a dead man of 72 when I was 19, assisting my older brother in med school doing autopsies in the med school hospital as a summer job. The man literally drank himself to death, and I easily noted the physical atrophy of this man's brain, literally eaten by excessive alcohol consumption. I weighed it. My brother advised it had lost 40 percent of its expected weight for his age. That taught me a valuable lesson that my decision made at a much younger age - I was still in grade school - that I would never drink alcohol was a valuable decision.
#14
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@fauxlaw
Drinking some alcohol is fine. Also, remember to drink plenty of water. Water makes brain grow.
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#15
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@LucyStarfire
You shouldnt read books. Books are harmful.
Bullshit. Depends on the book, and my own strength of will to avoid some suggestions from some books. Once one gets the hang of that attitude, it's easy to interpret what should and should not be accepted. So, I keep my copies of Marx's Communist Manifesto, Chairman Mao's Little Red Book,  the Malleus Maleficarum, and others right next my volumes of various religious holy writ. I trust myself to not be influenced to action from books of unsavory report. Don't get me wrong, I read classic literature, too, along with my forays into ancient Egyptian lore. I am sitting here in my office/library, literally surrounded by books.
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#16
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@LucyStarfire
I probably drink 70-80 fl oz of water daily, and OJ, and grape juice. I am never without some liquid refreshment - never alcohol - at my desk. I cook with wine, and maintain a decent wine cabinet of reds and whites and rosés, but never drink direct from the bottle or into a glass.
#17
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@fauxlaw
Books are harmful because they are slow. If someone needs 2000 pages to explain something, it is probably stupid.
#18
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@fauxlaw
I prefer educational videos and notes rather than books. One book takes days to read and you dont get much information from it, and some information you get is false too.
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#19
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@LucyStarfire
Anyone who reads less is probably slow.
I told you my library surrounds me, and I halve read them all; some multiple times. And like I've said, some things people write is, indeed, what comes from back-end of a bull, but it is still. window into that person if only to reveal that they, too, re full of it. now you  enemy is not bad advice.
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@fauxlaw
Anyone who reads less
I dont oppose reading. I oppose reading books. I read a lot, just not books. There are only few books out of many I read in past which were useful to me. Books about magic are useful, but I am forced to skip boring parts. "Win every argument" was a decent book, but I would say trash compared to what I learned from AI and educational videos. Also, most useful knowledge was revealed to me in my dream from Gods. For example, natural selection strategy which I learned didnt come from any book I read.
#21
ultramaximus2
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@fauxlaw
the President is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.
-2001 AUMF
I don't think Iran had much to do with 9/11. I don't see how it applies.
#22
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@LucyStarfire
The best age is around 30 for wisdom. If you are not this age, you should be irrelevant.

No, old people lose desire for knowledge and become stupid as a result.

Average 8 year old knows how to use smartphone well. My parents dont know how to use a smartphone basic functions even after 10 years of using it every day for hours.

So intelligence of an old person is lower than that of an 8 year old. Old person is about as capable of learning as a 4 year old is, if not much less.

The problem with old people is that they think they have become all wise, and thus they lose curiosity. Once they lose curiosity, they are less able to learn new things. My parents only became dumber in past 10 years. Now they are incapable of even thinking logically. They literally just repeat what they hear on news.
Dude. The guy's like 75 or something. You're just being mean. That stuff's not even true.
#23
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@ultramaximus2
Stay wrong then.
#24
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@LucyStarfire
You are wrong.

#25
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@ultramaximus2
Google it.
#26
FLRW
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  Dangnabbit!
#27
Greyparrot
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Voting for Kamala: A Masterclass in Feeling Smart Without Actually Reading Anything

Picture it: You’re standing in line at the polling station wearing a blazer you borrowed from your mom, sipping a $7 cold brew named something like “Truth & Lavender.” You’re about to vote for Kamala Harris, not because you’ve read her policies (what are those?) but because she feels like a good idea. She checks the big feel good boxes:
Woman ✅
Person of color ✅
Has said random words on television ✅
Knows the Orangemanbad rhetoric ✅

Policy positions? Not important. You saw a TikTok once where she laughed really loud and mentioned “equity,” with a Venn diagram, and that was enough. Who needs facts when you’ve got dem vibes?

In this brave new era, voting for Kamala isn't about competence. It’s about aesthetic. She’s not a candidate; she’s a brand. Think Apple, but with more cackling and less software support. Her entire platform is essentially an Instagram caption: “Be the moment, unburdened by what has been"

And when someone asks, “Wait, what did she actually accomplish as VP?”
The answer is clear: “She… existed, and breathed air”
To the average Kamala voter, that’s more than enough.

Kamala makes you feel like you did something brave by checking a box.
Voting for Kamala is like taking a selfie in your bathroom. You don’t actually do anything cause it’s the performance that matters.
No real policy, risks, or meaningful investments in yourself, just filters and confidence that your lighting is perfect.

#28
AdaptableRatman
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@Greyparrot
Because the poor getting healthcare is evil. Amirite
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#29
fauxlaw
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@ultramaximus2
I don't think Iran had much to do with 9/11. 
They provided aid, comfort, financing, and transport of at least 8 of the 9/11 terrorists in the US.
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@AdaptableRatman
Nothing is free. Lazy people don’t deserve the same care as those who carry the weight. A surviving society isn’t built on handouts. It endures by punishing the idle and rewarding the people who keep it running.
We lost the meaning of charity the moment people started throwing around the word “rights” like a commodity, instead of what it really is: a social contract, earned through duty, sacrifice, and upheld by responsibility.