I asked my M.I.L. Brother in law why are you not in Florida picking crops.

[Duncanpup]

He and his wife they’re very conservative they are up here from Florida where they moved to in retirement visiting. They stopped round this morning to go breakfast with my mother in law years ago he was very agitated with me when I pointed out the fact that his support for W Bush and his invasion of Iraq was very in that I feltJohn was being hypocritical.

Reason John served gallantry in Pennsylvania national guard to avoid going to Vietnam. At the family thanksgiving dinner. John was saying how we now need to invade Iran.

The fuck you say I asked him and then pointed out that he did one hell of a job keeping Fort Indian Town Gap ( Pa National Guard HQ) out of the hands of the N.V.A.

I didn’t go to breakfast matter of fact I didn’t even get an invite this morning.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "why are you not in Florida picking crops?" is a great & universally applicable line. Noted. /nt

[Joinfortmill]

2. People sometimes take offense to the truth. Take care and 'may the force be with you'.

[oldsoftie]

3. Its hard for me to find anyone who doesnt now admit Iraq was a mistake

Most of those who were all in at the start of the war now say it was a screw up
Although some of them also put the blame on Bush being a "RINO" & "deep stater" and all that other bullshit.
Some of those say "trump would've gotten rid of Saddam without a war"

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "he did one hell of a job keeping Fort Indian Town Gap... out of the hands of the N.V.A."

I remember my mom talking about the German POWs that were (quietly) kept there during WW2.

One of my former coworkers who was a reservist before retiring from the military (and then from my agency), had been stationed up there at one time. She had previously been in El Paso (Ft. Bliss I believe) and hated it with a passion.

[Butterflylady]

8. Thanks for the link about Indiantown Gap

I live about 7 miles away from Indiantown Gap and never knew it's history.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. You're welcome!

I heard about it in my household much of my early life. During the base closure era in the '90s, the base itself was actually closed (along with the Phila. Navy Yard here in Philly) but the Indiantown Gap facility remained open for the PA National Guard deployments (and the navy base here is now a huge business complex, with the naval shipyard under private ownership but still doing shipbuilding through the company Aker).

[Seinan Sensei]

12. Right

Like George W kept the skies safe above Texas and Georgia, during Vietnam.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. I suppose that was better than

[2naSalit]

5. I'm sure you're devastated...

That they didn't invite you!

[marble falls]

6. Their loss. I don't think they take advantage of teachable moments.

[PCIntern]

7. I have a great story about Ft Indiantown Gap...

I used to be buddies with a guy who was a procurement officer with the Federal Government and he once told me that there were three trailers with materiel which were on the grounds BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND for nearly a month. That’s how big the place is and how much is stored there. He had said that it happened a lot -he intimated that the Warehouse at the end of the first Indiana Jones film was nothing compared to what is built throughout the USA

[Prairie_Seagull]

9. I have one immediate family member still alive and of course as life would have it-

we are of significantly opposing sides. We always promise to not talk politics, wine flows and this goes out the window sometimes, not always but frequently enough where we are not spending as much time together as we have for years. My sibling is cool, funny as hell and I love him. I am the older brother and have been looking out for him all our lives. We look so much alike that people always ask, are we twins? We are/were close.

So many topics are, at their heart political in nature. The the rule we made of not talking politics is a hard one to honor so instead we just don't spend time together. I personally blame limpdick and tfg. Started with limbaugh and recently it's tfg. In good conscience, if my brother says anything even quasi incendiary, I have to respond, have to. I am not equipped with the tools to stay out of it. Maybe it's the whole older brother thing but,,whatever. I can't.

This is what tfg specifically has mostly caused. I don't want to say it but,

brother against brother.

[70sEraVet]

10. Invasions never seem to be adequately appreciated by the Invaded.

While 'We will be greeted as Liberators' is the sunny forecast, it always seems to rain hatred on our parades.

[DownriverDem]

13. Everyone knew

that getting into the National Guard back then meant you excaped VietNam. My husband was lucky to get into the Michigan National Guard. His lottery number was low & he had gotten his draft notice. We should go back to the draft so more folks would be involved in our wars.

[jaxexpat]

17. We should absolutely reinstate the draft.

So long as the politicians don't abuse it for some imperialist theoretical, it would be a formidable backstop. The professional military we're saddled with is a lair for scoundrels and way too expensive.

[roamer65]

25. Good luck with compliance.

The wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq have destroyed most of the trust Americans had for the use of our military in foreign conflicts.

[jaxexpat]

26. The solution? Simple, elect no Republicans.

The trust factor will figure itself out soon enough.

It really is just that simple, I think.

[DFW]

14. I am SO glad my brother and I see eye to eye on almost everything.

It makes visits so much easier. He has even written the lyrics to at least five of our Freedom Toast/Parody Project videos. You can‘t get any closer than that. Our sister is a little further out in left field, but not so far off the deep end that we avoid contact. That‘s just a sad thing when that happens.

[Freddie]

16. Me too

My brother (last remaining of immediate family) and I are very close and agree on almost everything political. I have to watch my mouth around my son-in-law’s numerous relatives but I only see them a couple times a year at kid’s birthday parties.

[DFW]

24. Could be worse, I suppose. At least your sibling is in the right place.

Our German family is right about where we are. My wife's parents were/are (she lost her dad 25 years ago) conservative, but with a small "c," as in English, not as in Republicanese. They were/are old-fashioned and practicing Catholics, but perfectly liberal in their daily lives. For example, they accepted me immediately, even though I was a bearded unkempt hippie foreigner in their eyes. What was important was that I behaved like a normal person, spoke German (though I hadn't yet learned her Dad's dialect, which most Germans can't understand), and made her happy. That was more important than any exotic traits I may have superficially possessed. My sister and her husband are more Sanders types, although they are perfectly happy to share in what we offer them in the way of trips with us, meals and entertainment that we would not be able to afford at the 90% tax bracket they advocate for everyone else that makes what we do. We accept it, and no one is fanatic about any of it.

[Duncanpup]

19. 84-87 2/325PIR 82nd

[Duncanpup]

20. You missing my point

Hero hid out in national guard to avoid the war. My old man lost leg my father in law had his legs really tore up. So the dude is a coward hypocrite it’s ok for others to suffer yet not him

[BlackSkimmer]

28. I won't call anyone a coward for avoiding Vietnam.

Not for a skinny minute.

[Hortensis]

21. "I didn't go to breakfast matter of fact I didn't even get an invite this morning."

And they get to have your opinions about them at Thanksgiving, too?! Or did Thanksgiving together end years ago?

This was supposed to be a nice morning, of course. Perhaps from now on your MIL will arrange to be picked up at the curb.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

22. Ron DeSantis's bigotry will destroy Florida's economy

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Deuxcents]

31. It's gonna get worse, I'm afraid. Crops need picked, construction will slow way down

And we have plenty of work but few to help since Hurricane Ian destroyed so much. After over 7 months and hurricane season starting June 1st, we’re not in good shape and the governor has many leaving. Our lawns and landscaping depends on these folks he’s chasing away. I was talking with my sister today and twice she mentioned how the migrant situation is getting out of hand. I hung up. She’ll be squawking real soon about the empty shelves and her grass not getting cut.

[DoBotherMe]

23. I get it.

I confront these hypocrite types too, even though my kids disapprove.

[BlackSkimmer]

27. Do you dislike these people?

Aren’t they related to your late wife? I found some of this hard to follow, so perhaps I missed a crucial point other than the Bush administration?

Not sure what I’m missing, but why the hostility toward them?

If you dislike them still for Bush-era stuff, why entertain them?

This seems like a very sad story to me.

[Duncanpup]

29. He's pasty white

And an opinionated magat who had opinions on Iraq and expanding the war yet did everything in his power to cut out and save his hide doing Vietnam.

Like we used to say in the infantry everyone wants to call themselves a grunt until
It actually comes to doing grunt shit. To me he’s a punk a coward and over years I’ve rode him every chance I get.

[BlackSkimmer]

30. "Pasty white"?