It's July 4th. It's early in the morning, and I'm exhausted. My neighbors decided they wanted to set off fireworks for most of last night.

I know I'm not the only one affected by this. There are people with young kids, animals, and other disabled veterans who are under an incredible amount of stress right now, much like I am. My physical conditions have flared up, including seizures and stomach issues that I don't need to go into.

And it's not because of the jump scares. It's largely because of the overwhelming feeling of dread and the awareness of the continued erosion of our constitutional rights. I'm depressed because it feels like too few people are standing up against the tyranny that's on display. So many flag-flying Americans swore up and down that they would resist a tyrannical government. Now many openly support it, pouring money into a billionaire who couldn't care less whether they live or die.

The stress is made even worse knowing it's the beginning of the month, the energy bills keep climbing, and I'm losing the ability to move forward with anything—let alone accomplish the basics. I feel like my legs have been cut out from under me by this administration, just like so many other Americans who are paying attention.

My anger has long since boiled away. Everything has evaporated as I watch people claim the title of "patriot" despite never having done anything selfless for their communities, let alone their country. And you don't have to serve in the military to earn that title. You just have to be you—a citizen, or someone striving to become one—going through your daily life and choosing to be better than the example our current administration sets. That's what it takes to be a patriot. That's what it takes to be an American: helping your neighbor, no matter who they are.

As far as I'm concerned, any celebration should wait until after the midterm elections—if enough of you show up and begin to set this country back on a better course.

So much for draining the swamp. Instead, they added bodies to it. Bodies of children, molested and murdered by elite. And only now are conservatives starting to pay attention.

As their bills increase to the points where they can't sustain, those of us that have been saying for over a decade that the direction they wanted ahead is not the correct one. Here we are, the weakest America has ever been because of one man in his temper tantrums.

More people have been arrested for being near the reflecting pool as compared to the zero goose egg of people that we have not arrested that we have evidence for abusing children.

Donald Trump is the single most corrupt president in American history. His own financial records have indicated that.

It's very telling that he is sued to keep his records sealed.

I will say it is refreshing to see conservatives actually start to pull their head on their ass and be mad about this.

Prices keep rising this Fourth of July weekend while the rest of us lose out and suffer, unable to pay our bills because of the continuous grift from the White House.

America has been at war my whole life. Every one of these wars has been started by a Republican. I fought in one of these wars. I fought in Afghanistan in the army and now am a total and permanent service-connected disabled veteran who struggles through life daily.

The conservatives were the ones throughout my career in the military who probably said they too served America and the American people. They waved flags, lined up through airport terminals, and frequently thanked us for our service. What were they thanking us for, though? It's 2026, and our Constitution is in shambles. The leadership in the Oval Office has enriched themselves with billions of taxpayer dollars at this juncture. They've ignored Supreme Court rulings and Federal Court rules alike, and continuously get shut down by both. America is in a sick place because it will not deal with the ultra-religious conservative movement that has been peaking its head since the years of Reagan. It is okay to be religious, but it is not okay to force religion on other people, and the Catholic and Christian movement has been fierce. Although now dying on their deathbed, they are lashing out in the last way they can.

I'm tired of this cycle, I'm tired of things starting to get better, and then things getting worse any time a Republican is in office. I didn't like Biden, but under him, many bills passed. Congress actually worked, I can't remember a time in the last year and a half where Congress actually did their job. How many times are they going to take a recess because they can't get together?

The conservative movement has been the most detrimental thing in American history.

As time progresses, notice how a few of these snowflakes still exist. They're still here, but fewer every day. However, these are few that exist, still bang on a bow all of the above. But we're completely okay with police officers getting assaulted, fecal matter getting smeared within our Capitol walls.

They talked so much shit online. They are the best at it. It's like They never grew up from the Call of Duty lobbies of the early 2000s. They still think that online mentality holds up. In person though, they crumble. Their women are more hostile and mouthy than any of the men, especially when confronted with someone like myself. I'm a disabled combat veteran, served in the army, something they sometimes still revere. It's wonderful to watch them twist themselves, not sure if they should attack or retreat. I've never seen anything other than them wanting them to thank me for my service.

All that online bravado never exists in real life is all I'm saying. They're like puppy dogs.Fat, dejected puppy dogs that nobody wants, and it's by their own doing. I would prefer they join the rest of civilization and try to move forward and be the quote-unquote conservatives of yesteryear. But the conservatives of yesteryear don't exist anymore. The party's far past dead. It's been over a decade now, y'all. This isn't some fluke. This isn't just a blip on the political radar. They've been heading this way since Reagan. And now look at them. Warmongering religious zealots scared of absolutely everything from the green M&M to people with blue hair. It's astounding what triggers these small-minded people.

The least enlightened places in America are core conservative areas. There's no mistake in this. This is due to them Having the worst education in the nation. With that comes the inability to decipher what is propaganda and what isn't. These gullible folks fall for the most simple of scams. They double down and throw temptrums as they realize they've been had and then double down again in hopes that the world will change to their view or the view that they were sold.

Anti-intellectualism needs to die, which is largely what current conservative values are. The conservative of yesteryear has been dead for a decade plus.Conservatives, or those of you that think you're conservative, please adapt to the times and be the wholesome people that you claim to be, and separate yourself from this red hat bullshit.

Change the Bible Belt.Vote against the people that are continuously ripping you off and stealing from your communities. The Republican politicians that have been in power for decades. It's not the Democrats. It's not some boogeyman coming across the border. It's the politicians continuously lying to you like this administration.

I want you to go through this list one by one and compare and contrast there is no denying the list on either side each one of these have been proven so tell me what is it that the christians find so appealing about trump why is it that the mago are so compelled to stroke his ego and cuddle him?

Frankly, it's pathetic the leaps and bounds people will go through to try to make up excuses for him.

But go ahead, let's see you try.

In my previous post I mentioned that history is littered with examples of what happens and what comes next.

Anybody who denies that the Trump administration is a fascist-awigned regime held bent on authoritarian control using Christianity as its calling card.

This plot could not be more blatantly obvious if it was an action movie from the 80s. The bad guys are that obvious. Hell, they're on the ever famous Epstein list, which has been distributed across the world. There is no secret that these ghouls are the ultimate evil. Now, they're trying to reign in control. So I ask again, what are you gonna do about it?

I'm a disabled army combat veteran, an all-source intelligence analyst, a counter-terror, a targetter, an expert in geopolitics.

For years, people like me have been warning against what is happening. At this point, you cannot say the Constitution is intact, nor being observed.

Our courts are not listening. Our representatives are not following the will of the people. Our courts are not listening. Virginia is a fine example.

The midterms alone are not going to fix this. First and foremost, we all need to make sure that we vote in such numbers that our voices are heard. This means getting people that never vote, typically, that are legally allowed to show up at the polls.

Our Republic, the democracy that it supports is under threat from within. There are already far less Magum voices than there were last year. They know the writing is on the wall. Time is up for their twisted rhetoric.

Now they are using force. This is not the only instance. There are multiple. Should have been alarmed last year when masked agents were first in the streets.

Take the threats from the current administration seriously. They are going to try to intimidate voters at the polls, even though it's against the law. The law has not stopped them. And Americans need to be ready for that eventuality.

History warns us what comes next. It is up to the rest of you to be prepared and do something about it.

Well, folks, this is my cookie. This is a relatively newer piece that was a gift. So far, pretty awesome.

Cleans up really easy.

I use a glass screen to avoid suck through and it keeps the experience pretty awesome.

I hope everybody is heading towards a decent weekend. Personally not doing too great, but that's every day. Being a disabled veteran.(Don't feel bad. I signed up myself. Just did not expect it to go how it did.)

Happy Pride!

Be safe out there!

A friend of mine, Matt, lays out the Supreme Court's recent rulings that completely negate a lot of the checks and balances of our systems. America is no longer a democracy.

The constitutional republic in which that democracy operates has failed.

The conservatives are ignoring the courts and have been for a year and a half. They're setting precedents so they can continue to.

Tired of mouth breathers who still support this the very few of them that there are

The governing body, leadership, and military of Israel are evil. Just as evil as the Nazis of the 1930s and 40s. These people crush kids under tanks, mutilate them for fun, and cheer when accused of rape. This is the true enemy of humanity.

Those abroad, like those in New York, who share a similar, but not same faith, reject this evil notion in action, even here in America, meaning that it is very possible to separate oneself from a genocidal maniac mindset, and a faith that could bring peace and love to a community. And this isn't just a Jewish faith. This is about all Abrahamic religions, Islam, Christian, Catholic, and others, not listed.

It is okay to be religious. It is not okay to use your religion to destroy cultures or even individuals.

Know the difference.

Yet again we have another example of the conservative mindset. They can't admit they're wrong, so blame somebody else and move on to the next big grift. Currently so much legislation is locked up due to the POTUS's temper tantrum that America is, once again, at a standstill. And since the conservatives have been in power, no meaningful legislation that helps the American people has been passed, in fact, quite the contrary. The House has gone on vacation more than it has worked. I might remind you that we pay these people's salaries. Moving forward, in the image shown here, we see that the reflecting pool has been gated off because a petulant man-child who's leading the world's purported strongest nation cannot admit that he is wrong. Overall, this is the psyche of the conservative ideal, and in itself, there lies the problem.

American conservatives and MAGA are the embodiment of idiocy. They believe that a failure of a businessman, a pedophile, a rapist, has their best interest at heart.

I really wish some of these idiots would wake up. Now, some of them are trying to say that somebody, under full observation, in a two-foot pool of water, used a box cutter to cut a straight line down through concrete.

Conservatives have to be embarrassed by this. They have to be embarrassed by their grandfather-aged, dementia-riddled leader, making us the weakest America has ever been on the world stage. This isn't anecdotal either, but you can see world leaders ignore him in advance, anywhere there they go.

Conservatives, MAGA, and their leadership are all pathetic traitors to the U.S.

This lumbering asshole is bought and paid for by Israel.

Just a reminder, Israel is a genocidal warmongering nation that Donald Trump thought he could control.

Every other US president, both Democrat and Republican, had been propositioned by Israel to start these wars. Every other president knew it was ridiculous and would spiral the world into chaos. Here we are, and Congress has finally limited Trump's war powers. But, lo and behold, those paid by the genocidal Israelis still try to push the issue to allow this religious, zealot, murder spree to continue.

I got gently accosted by this little creature on a walk today. It's the first time I've seen one.

It crossed my path and then proceeded to warn me that I should not come near its hole. And I assure you, I did not. But I did take this footage because I've been waiting to see one of these for a while.

Spotted in southeast Minnesota.

Well folks, I got into DCS a little over a year ago and have struggled to stay with it. I started with the A-10C II, moved to the F-16, and then spent a little time in the A-4.

​

What the A-4 showed me was something I had already gotten a taste of in the A-10C II: a more raw experience. The Scooter really started to show me the hands-on side of putting bombs on ground targets. (Frankly, air-to-ground is why I'm here.)

​

The F-100 recently released and, well, I grabbed it. I only have maybe two hours in the A-4, but something about the challenge of compressor stalls, the infamous Sabre Dance, and recently finding out that a relative I never knew about quite possibly flew in Korea and Vietnam—and at one point instructed in the F-100—has really pulled me in.

​

Even though it's Early Access, it already has so much of what I wish ED modules had. Side note: this is the first non-mod module I've owned. The in-game manual, the checklists with different setups, and the gun camera are all features I'm quickly realizing I don't want to live without.

​

Anyway, I just wanted to drop this in from the perspective of a noob who doesn't have nearly as much time in DCS as most of you.

​

My question is this: what multiplayer server would be a good place to test out the F-100 on ground targets?

​

Another question for those of you who picked up the F-100: what are you planning to fly with it? What are you liking—or hating—the most about it so far?

​

SIDE HELPER TIP: If your trim isn't working, make sure all FFB settings are turned off in the options menu. This was a huge headache for me when I first got into this.

​

-This is the footage from the first time I successfully dropped munitions on the target. Nothing flashy, but still a neat feature.

​

If we're not clear by now, Israel's government, in way of thinking, is the largest enemy to peace on earth.

​

This is followed second by their enemy religious extremist on the other side of the same Abrahamic cloth in the form of the IRGC and all of their satellites that they support.

​

Trump is just a puppet of Netanyahu and the Israeli genocidal takeover of the Middle East. They do not want peace. They want to rule the world.

​

​

This is a follow-up to my first post.

First and foremost, thanks for all the comments and conversation on the original one. Once again, the Elite Dangerous community has shown why it stands out from so many others, both inside and outside the genre.

I’ve been taking notes on my experience and figured, why not share them?

Somebody might enjoy watching a new CMDR stumble through this as organically as possible. Another disabled veteran friend told me this game was supposed to be “therapeutic,” so apparently I am working on anxiety by creating smaller, more specific space anxiety.

Makes sense.

I am CMDR Grid Squares.

Licensed. Mildly reputable. Occasionally explosive.

My button binds are starting to make sense, too. For me, having something physically tied to each action helps pull me into the experience. I’ve been gaming since the early ’90s, and I have burned myself out on a lot of games by optimizing the fun out of them from the start.

Trying not to do that here.

Last time, I had just gotten my Cobra Mk III set up to travel and mine. Even had a nifty scanner that supposedly shows where the good stuff is.

Supposedly.

Because even in the hotspots, platinum has remained elusive.

Probe. Wait. Scan complete.

“More space gravel.”

Move to the next rock.

For the first bit of this mining experience, I was giving myself a neck cramp from constantly looking right.

Vent.

Vent.

Vent.

It somehow did not dawn on this CMDR that the ship has comfort systems built in.

I’m guessing the technical manual would have mentioned that, but hey, I wanted to flex my “understanding” of the task I had assigned myself.

Did you know the Cobra Mk III lets you set up an ignore list?

Yeah.

I do now.

The next few runs went well enough. Some money came in. Systems got upgraded. A decent chunk of change was left over for the mistake that was absolutely going to happen.

Sooner than expected, as it turns out.

In the military, complacency from misplaced comfort is something we train to mitigate.

Well.

I got comfortable.

Then I had a bad time.

The bad time

On the way back, I was within about 5km of the station gate.

Clearance granted.

Traffic looked normal.

Ray Gateway was right there.

Something felt different, though. Security was heightened.

Then suddenly, beams start flying between a security vessel and someone making a very poor life choice.

Now, this is where I misunderstood some advice.

The advice was...

Let security weaken the attacker, then poke the attacker yourself and profit.

What I missed was the very important part where that does not mean “open fire inside the No-Fire Zone.”

(I would like to pause here and say at the time of this all my partner had been watching. Moments before I made the very fatal error of deploying my hardpoints and pulling fire one- and fire two. )

"You shouldn't---" Shots fired, rounds out---- "Zap dead---- "Do that...."

The lesson arrived immediately.

Like a fly hitting a bug zapper.

Ray Gateway deleted me faster than I could even process what had happened.

One second, I was a proud little space miner.

The next, I woke up confused in a penal system, technically free to go but spiritually violated.

After climbing back into the new cockpit, the full weight of it started to settle in.

The lead I had gained.

The cargo I had.

My first large load.

My first non-auto landing attempt.

Gone.

Bad choice made. Lesson learned.

Now I had to find my way back home with no fuel scoop, stock systems, and defeat sitting in the passenger seat.

Eventually, I did make it back to Ray Gateway.

This time, I turned a blind eye to whatever drama was happening outside and made my way in like a responsible adult. Somehow, I even managed to land the much larger craft manually.

It was not as hard as I had built it up to be.

Naturally, this led to another decision.

I walked over to my Sidewinder, yanked out the landing guidance system, and slammed it into the Asp.

Then came a long session of sitting in the station, pulling parts off the Asp and putting them back into the trusted Cobra Mk III.

Turns out I should have listened to the CMDRs on the Reddit communication system.

They told me to hang on to the Cobra Mk III and wait a bit.

They were right.

Another lesson learned.

Time wasted.

Pride lightly damaged.

At this point, I was ready.

Or at least, I thought I was.

If you read this far, I appreciate you all. The help, advice, and occasional “yeah, don’t do that” from this community has genuinely made this experience better.