OK, maybe not that urgent.
Sloopy had something come up this morning, so you get my rather terse style of linkings this morning. I am not sure exactly what was going on, perhaps the kids were executing a plot to take over the house. They do have sloopy and Banjos outnumbered…
Sports – not one team I have an interest in has won anything the past week. So sports can go hang. (Ohio State did win, and the Astros are going for a sweep – so sloopy has that going for him)
Birthdays – large numbers of humans have this particular day as their day of birth! …fine. Yo-Yo Ma and Vlad Putin were born today. Happy?!
Links!
- Despite left leaning media being desperate for a theater shooting…this is the best anyone could scratch up. Sorry, no pile of bodies to climb on to denounce whitecishetpatriacrchynationalisms. Oh, and call for gun confiscation.
- Well then – everyone should be safe now! Oh…what? We will have to keep an eye on this. I would laugh if Erdogan got handed the whole mess by Orange Man Bad.
- Winning friends and influencing people…to hate you. You want to live like a forest elf? Go ahead. But you aren’t taking civilization away from the rest of us. OK, maybe in the UK or Germany they will.
- BONUS HOBBYHORSE LINK. Catalans try to use EU as monkey wrench.
“I saw him pour a full bottle of tequila into his slushee b4 the movie started,” claimed Etai Benson. “S–t was scary – like a 4-D movie experience.”
I don’t do tequila, myself. I had a bad experience.
#MeToo
Just rub some dirt on it, Kid! You’ll be fine.
Etai’s right, 4-D movie experiences are crazy shit, man. I saw Stargate on acid and I thought the whole movie was in German. Imagine my surprise when it turned out the Egyptian alien-god was a glowing trap!
*fixes language settings on Bill’s DVD player*
There. Can’t do anything about the ending though.
It was in the theater. Really, it was all downhill after whatshisface touched the Stargate and the water effect happened. I honestly felt like I was on a rollercoaster.
Forgotten Weapons just re-uploaded a lot of videos dubbed in Russian, so when you search by newest it looks like he’s been hacked.
Don’t be silly comrade, am not Russian bot, am american as apple cake.
1982 remake of The Thing on LSD was interesting…
Oh, fuck that. Not for love or money.
^This.
It all depends on your mindset going in. I once dropped acid, waited for it to kick in, then watched Slayer videos for two hours. It was hilarious. I laughed so much my face hurt for days afterwards.
We had no clue what we were walking into. Back then it was poster art and word of mouth. The movies would hit town before the ‘zines.
Ah. Then yeah, you were pretty much up shitcreek then. Still, I bet that film left a deeper impression on you than most. 😉
Yes, yes it did. Amazing how the effects stand up after nearly forty years. Carpenter’s best film.
Man, it really is. To this day it’s a fine horror film. For all the schlock (which has merit in its own way) that late 70s to early 80s period was a sweet spot for horror.
Fantasia, dude. Fantasia.
Full Metal Jacket was pretty intense IIRC.
They should do a Vietnam movie about how the Democrats fucked the Vietnamese just to stick to Nixon.
One scene can have Democrats dancing sadly on the graves of dead soldiers celebrating macabrely the fact they started the war and they made sure they lost it.
Now that’s terror.
Ooooooh! Never considered that. Too bad I don’t do that shit anymore…then again…I guess my guy picked up shrooms recently…hmmmm….
I watched Apocalypse Now once while tripping. We were sitting in my friend’s living room watching it on VCR. Watching a movie with helicopter gunships while the ceiling fan is going overhead can be kind of unnerving.
That’s trippy enough sober.
Back in the early/mid 70s a bunch of us took acid to go see Fantasia. College town but also a state capital suburb. Turns out there were 3 distinct audiences, each of which laughed at different stuff, or at different times, and with different degrees of hysteria.
Little kids. Moms and [other?] non stoners. People tripping balls.
Pretty. Soon that became funny in and of itself.
Everybody loved the hippos in tutus.
Yellow Submarine is pretty good too.
Oh yeah. 20 or so years after the Fantasia escapade I was smoking weed with a couple of my former students and damn near blew their minds out with Yellow Submarine.
I’m a semi-pro bad influence 😉
“And I never touched another licorice rope as long as I lived.”
Jaws when I was nine or ten had that affect on me for a number of years.
The Shining and Creepshow for me.
You know, I coulda used some PG at 10 years-old.
But you’d be boring now.
I still remember watching the edited for TV versions of horror films as a kid, and the real versions when we could.
so underrated
^ This was noted.
Commuters’ fury as Extinction Rebellion protesters build a HOUSE on Lambeth Bridge and bring central London to a standstill by blocking Embankment, Downing Street and The Mall and police don’t have the numbers to stop them
Human residences are contributing to climate change. Climate alarmists can’t even follow their own rules.
police don’t have the numbers to stop them
Really? I think the truth is that they don’t have the will to stop them.
I’m pretty sure even an outnumbered force could beat this rabble. A mean, what else do they make riot shields and truncheons for?
Plus they don’t eat meat. So they have no strength or energy.
A fire hose works wonders
They don’t have the political willpower. Those people were on a bridge, so an easily contained area. The police have teargas and presumably water cannons. They also have river patrol boats to take care of anyone who tried to escape by jumping or climbing off, but perhaps it was the fear of jumpers that deterred them — “climate protester killed after fall from bridge.”
Fundamentally, the powers that be want them there. Otherwise they would be gone.
^This.
See also: “street homeless”.
Disruption. It’s all there in Alinsky’s evil little book and they’re just following the recipe.
“climate protester killed after fall from bridge.”
I would think that would be an example to deter others.
It’s could be an example to their dedication. That would be one less person spewing CO2.
Extinction Rebellion should carry tiki torches since they don’t want to be replaced.
It these people actually believed for a second that extinction was imminent but avoidable they would be fighting with whatever weapons they could get their hands on to include tooth and nail. It’s just grifter theater.
The whole movement is religious eschatology. I’m not sure it has the staying power of the Big Three, like it’s just a passing temporary fad or craze. But I’m sure the same things were said about early Christians or Muslims. All religions kind of started out as weird cults
“People are too fat and happy these days. This will not stand!”
I would laugh if Erdogan got handed the whole mess by Orange Man Bad.
Of course the usual suspects will be having hysterics over Trump’s “chaotic” foreign policy and his refusal to bomb the shit out of people.
Speaking of…
Sunday on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” former Secretary of State Colin Powell slammed the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
After describing himself as a “moderate Republican,” Powell criticized the GOP and described U.S. foreign policy as being in “shambles” under Trump.
“The Republican Party has got to get a grip on itself,” Powell declared. “Right now, Republican leaders and members of the Congress, in both the Senate and in the House, are holding back because they’re terrified of what will happen to any one of them if they speak out. Will they lose a primary? I don’t know why that’s such a disaster, but will they lose a primary?”
“And so, they need to get a grip, and when they see things that are not right, they need to say something about it because our foreign policy is in shambles right now in my humble judgment,” he continued.
And it was just peachy under Bush and Barry.
Powell needs to grow a pair.
Something, something, Dan Rather, something, trust in media
For sure. People who were lambasting Bush for an illegal war are chastising Trump for not invading Syria in the appropriate way. What’s that thing they said about Trump? His enemies take him literally but not seriously? It’s the same with these people. They’re so full of shit they confuse themselves, but they vote, they win elected office, they hold the reins of power in some cases, so you dismiss them at your peril.
Agreed but it is sad that America has been pulling a Lucy on the Kurds for decades now.
Yes, that is rather shameful.
Been standing guard over them since the “No Fly Zone”. The Kurdistan part of Iraqi is quasi-independent now. When is the US able to not be responsible for them? 10 more years? 20? 50? 100?
We should leave the whole mess to Assad, the actual least bad choice over there.
If Dave Roberts keeps micro-managing his pitchers to go to his blech bull pen, the Dodgers will find trouble.
Joe Kelly sees goblins in his head. Wtf?
Au revoir, Jay Gruden, et bon voyage!
It’s funny, they actually looked pretty good against the Pats for the first half. Then, as a local radio announcer put it, order was restored to the universe in the second half.
He may just start smoking up on the sidelines.
What Reich is doing with the Colts is pretty awesome. The Eagles offence hasn’t been the same since he left.
And in other news, the NY Giants are shocked to find that Daniel Jones can’t play defense, or block, or catch passes.
Appreciate the Giants for making the Vikes look like a somewhat decent team. Arm tackles will do that.
Alligator arm tackles at that. What a shit show.
If it were flag football, the Giants totally would’ve won.
I wonder if he might go work for his brother in Oakland
That’s come up as a rumor before. I mean, he’s not a bad coach, the problem in DC is the owner, and subsequently the front office, and by front office I mean Bruce Allen. Jay Gruden is no Bill Bellichick, but he’ll do just fine somewhere with rational ownership.
You mean the Las Vegas Nomads?
The At-Large Raiders?
I really hope the climate cult has jumped the shark.
Greta can’t possibly be a hit with the sane and sober.
Strombo on his show last week played the Greta clip in full and signed off that segment with “Go get ’em Greta!”
How am I not surprised?
Is he back on the CBC like a good comrade?
Runs an hours long radio show on CBC Two that I catch from time to time because he does get interesting musical guests. The skinny-jean wokeness is disgusting. Whointheeverfuck thought he’d be a good fit for HNIC?
I’m shocked.
“These aren’t the Yoga Milfs that you are looking for…”
New pose:
Spastic Trigglypuff
Not-hot Yoga.
Florida man
On Friday, the 911 call given by the student was made public.
“I don’t know if it was a real gun or not, but he kept pointing it at my car,” she said. “I literally sped off as fast as I could just because I was going out, and he first pointed it up at the sky.”
As a precaution, the campuses at Florida Atlantic University, Broward College and Nova Southeastern University all went into lockdown. The colleges warned students and other people who may be on campus to seek shelter in a secure location on social media.
Later on that night, it was confirmed that the lockdown has been cleared as the incident was ruled a false alarm.
“The police activity occurring at the Broward College baseball fields near the Davie campus has ended as of 11:18PM 10/3/19. All Clear,” Florida Atlantic University wrote on social media.
In the early hours of Friday, the Davie Police Department tweeted a picture of a toy gun which had been confiscated by a man seen in the area.
“After clearing the scene at the #Davie college area. A #DaviePolice officer located an individual with this toy gun walking on Stirling Rd,” the force tweeted. “They both matched the description given by the witness. The toy gun was collected and the investigation was turned over to detectives.”
The man in his 60s was questioned by police but not arrested.
Shouldn’t that have ended the “investigation”?
Why would it. Beat cop collects a bunch of information, detective works with DA to determine if any of that information indicates a crime was committed (and it sounds like it may very well be on here.)
Manic Monday: Maxine Waters’ Appreciation Thread (No Shit)
They forgot the descriptive in that last bit, “Grifter”.
I was expecting the Bee, but DU is not surprising. I can’t imagine being that divorced from reality.
No she didn’t. *Wanders off muttering to self*
That thread is one of the best arguments against any form of democracy I’ve ever seen.
Maxine Waters is not the stupidest member of Congress. She can thank Jackson Lee and Johnson for that dubious praise.
She needs someone walking a step behind her muttering in her ear “You’re just a crazy bitch.”
‘The demonstrators, who are also planning processions, marches and a sit-in at City Airport, *claim they are ready to face arrest, go to jail and go on hunger strike as they urge politicians to outline plans to tackle climate change.’
*Don’t threaten us with a good time, kiddos.
Activists say the protests could be five times bigger than those in April, which saw more than 1,100 arrests. They are part of an ‘international rebellion’, with action also taking place in Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam and New York.
If by International rebellion they mean, ‘we’ll leave our comfortable, modern, hooked up to whatever local power grid regardless how it’s fueled homes to LARP for a few hours a day, a couple days a week, max’, then yeah, I believe they are International rebels.
I was in Munich last month. I was sitting at a cafe on the plaza outside the residence museum. A large climate protest marched through. From what I saw it was 90% kids under 16, a few adults (probably teachers) and a few rainbow hair looking freaks. I’m thinking for the vast majority of them it was a fun way to blow off school.
The teachers are hijacking the youth and the parents are letting them do it.
It feels good to signal your kids virtue to your friends at cocktail parties.
Ugh, I have a college classmate who was doing that at our 25th reunion. On and on and on about how her teenage daughter was wearing pussy hats, parading, and standing up for SCIENCE.
I held my tongue, but it was difficult.
“So your kid is a moron, and you failed as a parent. I’m so sorry for you.”
How much had you had to drink, Scruffy? Serious question.
Nothing at that point.
But I was wishing I had one.
Oh you poor, poor man…
That has been true for half a century
I wouldn’t be shocked if it was a taxpayer funded school feild trip.
You and who else was in Munich last month?
You know who else marched through Munich?
“Occupy iPhone”
I’m to the point where my respose to a hunger strike is “Good, saves money on food.” I doubt they’ll last more than a day or two before begging to be fed again.
And then: “Is this gluten-free?”
Non-GMO, gluten-free, fair-trade, low sodium, non-fat.
Let them eat kale.
Organic only!
The police should plan a strike that day and let the commuters deal with the problem however they see fit.
Eh, they’re driving weenie eurocars that’ll bounce off of even vegans.
+1 Tire irons
Pie? Do not take that man’s advise, he comes from a family of morons.
Joe Biden’s son advised crooked Romanian businessman sentenced for corruption
Man gets drunk, makes an ass of himself, gets kicked out of movie; people freak out, guy who talked to drunk guy hailed as hero, an actual no shit newspaper gives it a full writeup.
We have become a nation of pussies and I for one welcome out future Russian and/or Chinese overlords.
Incels. They’re a national security threat.
When the Brits upstage us re: ranting lunatics in public…
Hey, Switzy, are you going to leave the sidebar there?
I called 911. Your wambulance is enroute code 3.
Dafuq? You up at a responsible human being hour Cali-boy?
I’m usually at the gym right now, but my wife went for a run. I’m making the kids cereal, which somehow involves the toaster.
You toast the milk before adding it to the cereal.
I know what I’m doing for breakfast tomorrow!
Pop-Tarts it is then! Go gettem, Tiger!
Cereal with toast, juice, milk, ham steak, turnip greens and shirred eggs is a complete breakfast after all.
I can’t eat that much early in the morning.
You did pretty well with the Irish Benedict.
How small are you making each of the constituents of your list because that spread is far larger.
And I need to cut back on intake anyway.
I’m probably going to get my cereal at Randy’s donuts. They put it next to the gym for a reason.
https://s3-media2.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/CrU1OpltcR8PC7kmkovC2A/348s.jpg
If you’re ever in Austin — Gordough’s Donuts. Bespoke donuts and craft beer.
https://gourdoughs.com
I’ll have the one on the right, please.
Not Adahn: Sounds like Brewnuts in Cleveland. They’re big donuts, but damned pricey when we’ve got a huge number of options around.
The… ahem… fruity pebbles?
I don’t see a section of CBD donuts on Brewnuts menu, thus they have been out-hipstered.
*pops collar, flips hair*
Donut sandwiches?
I don’t mix business and pleasure…
At the risk of allying with UCS on a matter of taste, buttermilk or plain cake> any other donut. Goop inside, or icing outside makes the donut too sweet and overpowers the perfection that is deep fried cake.
The perfect donut is raised glazed with water icing.
See photo for example of perfect donut:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7-r1jPCn6IY/maxresdefault.jpg
What did they do? Ice a spare tire?
It’s the donut from Lard Lard donuts at Universal Studios’ Simpsons ride.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/72/a7/09/72a7090c4d550edbf5c75c051bfc1b38.jpg
The donut is made by… Randy’s Donuts, which is what Lard Lard is modeled after.
Playa confirmed to be 7 year old girl.
The fake impeachment “inquiry” continues with fake “subpoenas” being issued using mumbo-jumbo meaningless language.
This latest round of impeachment theater makes me hate the MSM even more. The blatant collaborative reporting to make it seem as if Trump and his cabinet are defying the law is truly remarkable. I’m not sure this whole Rube Goldberg thing can keep working if the side pulling the strings knows no shame.
Oops, Brooks’ed it. that was supposed to be in reply to Drake…
They have no credibility to lose so they may as well take this angle. I’ve watched a few MSNBC clips on YouTube about the impeachment stuff and it’s obvious these people are just flat out lying but it’ll still convince the ignorant.
I feel akin to the early Christians in that I don’t dare reveal my political leanings lest I be fed to the metaphorical lions in my day-to-day. Gonna start inscribing top-hats and monocles to denote safe spaces.
Why does someone walking around with a sign warrant special attention? You don’t like “X”. Good for you. Maybe one day we can all walk around with signs stating our opinions on them. Anyways,
Caption Contest.
“Do you mind, officer, this is a private conversation.”
“I didn’t know there was a law against patchouli!”
“You know, this is roomier than my flat. I wonder what the rent is on one of these.”
“I was told that there would be wood shavings and a sippy bottle”.
“Do you have any Depends? I think I wet myself.”
“Can you drop us off at Home Depot?”
“My other car is a Subaru”.
“Officer, you have no idea how much ass getting arrested at a demonstration can get you at the feminist bookstore, worth it.”
Outgunned by the protester’s all natural revolver, a bobby slowly backs away to safety.
[golf clap]
“Liz Warren and Elizabeth May take one for the team!” Yaaassss Qweeeen!
“Would ladies stop messing around and kindly get out of my van? I need to put some actual arrestees back here.”
“No mum, I can’t take you and Aunt Vickie to the Tesco. You’ll have to ride the tube like everyone else.”
Looking through the photos of the Extinction
RebellionRetards I see that the propaganda about the Amazon burning has been successful. And they want to “Burn capitalism, not our planet”. Uh huh…climate alarmism definitely is not a ploy for marxism…climate alarmism definitely is not a ploy for marxism…
Is anyone bothering to maintain this facade any more? Much like “nobody is going to take your guns”, once (they think) they have the numbers, they don’t need to lie anymore.
They tried to disguise their hatred of capitalism. They marketed their hatred as a critique of its perceived failures, but what they really hate are capitalism’s successes. They are control freaks to the highest degree and would rather doom the entirety of the planet to grinding poverty than cede the slightest decision making control to individuals.
Jealousy and stupidity are a hell of a combination. But they are indulged by (nearly) everyone who should know better, too.
There is a reason envy made the big 7.
I saw some little smart-ass holding up a sign that read “Destroy My Pussy, Not The Planet!” yesterday so you can guess how seriously most of these kids are taking this crisis. Day off school, socialize with your friends, meet cute boys.
“Destroy My Pussy, Not The Planet!” counts as affirmative consent, I booked the party bus, embarkation line starts over here.
“Destroy my pussy”? What does that even MEAN?
That’s not a rhetorical question. I really want to know what that is.
Some people seem to think that vulgarity, sex appeal, or shock value are acceptable substitutes for a coherent, logical position (see also: PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign).
I know it’s for shock value. It simply doesn’t make sense.
“I’d rather go naked than wear fur” makes sense.
I think its slang for having crazy monkey PIV sex.
This latest round of impeachment theater makes me hate the MSM even more.
I keep waiting for somebody to ask, “So you’re saying Joe Biden should be completely immune from any sort of scrutiny?”
Pelosi’s son is tied up in all this bullshit. So I fully expect her to keep the media in line and on message.
How do you get around the obvious truth that Hunter Biden was trading on his father’s name and influence? The only somewhat sane defense I’ve heard is, “They all do that!” Then how about we stop them all from doing that?
Once they’ve impeached, prosecuted, and crucified OrangeManBad, they’re totally going to go after their own. Yep. You betcha.
Oh, they will. Damn Kerenskyite and Trotskyite wreckers!
Essentially, they’re saying anyone who declares themselves a candidate for president can break any law they like, and if the current admin investigates then that’s interfering with an election.
I’m still trying to figure out why the media colluding with the Democrat Party to put out highly biased stories does not constitute unfair interference in an election.
What a bunch of dicks.
On April 17, 2018, Breitbart News reported that Dick’s was destroying its “assault-style rifle” inventory, rather than returning the firearms to their manufacturers. Fox News quoted a spokesperson from Dick’s saying, “We are in the process of destroying all firearms and accessories that are no longer for sale as a result of our February 28th policy change. We are destroying the firearms in accordance with federal guidelines and regulations.”
During his October 6, CBS News appearance, CEO Ed Stack said the company ended up destroying $5 million worth of “assault-style rifles.”
Stack also admitted the Dick’s gun control stance has resulted in “a quarter of a billion [dollars]” in loses. But Stack does not regret the gun control stance. Rather, he is considering taking the company even further down the gun control path.
As of right now, 100 Dick’s stores no longer sell guns of any kind. Stack is thinking about expanding that policy so that no Dick’s store sells a gun.
“We are taking on water and listing to the left. But see that rocky shoal? I bet I can hit it hard.”
We’re going right past business decisions and straight into political advocacy.
Dumbasses. Their shareholders should revolt.
Their shareholders should revolt.
Which shareholders would that be? The CEO, the mutual funds, the retirement funds, or the capital management companies? They’re all on board already.
Exactly. The largest shareholders are most likely public worker pensions, like CALPers, CALsters, etc. This is what fascism looks like.
As of right now, all Dick’s stores sell nothing to me. I bought some nice new ASICS trail runners at Khols over the weekend.
“a quarter of a billion [dollars]” in loses (sic)
Well, that’s revenue: the number reported is always chosen to elicit the most sympathy. Their entire profit is $300M out of $8B.
If those sales came in near the average corporate rate, net loaded profit from that segment would be 4% thereof: $10M. If guns have higher overheads, then it’s even less.
At a minimum, this is gilding the lily; if he’s a competent executive, then it’s just willful misrepresentation to jack up good will.
Behold the power of propaganda:
Let’s be honest. Propaganda is only part of it. Those class warfare fields were already quite fertile.
You have a point, vaping does resemble a thing that only the icky poor and Trump voters like to do.
I’d bet the number of people worried their children will get hurt by vaping devices is smaller than the number who are worried their children will look low class by vaping.
Nice girls don’t chew gum…
Because nice girls have something in their mouth already.
Retainers?
One thousand questionable cases in a population of 330 million people. *soaks hair in gasoline and lights match* It’s the satanic panic all over again. I’ve lived through too many of these things.
ALAR!!!!!!!!!!
I saw that CBS thing with the CEO of Dick’s. Slurp slurp slurp. The guy is just another self-important bloviating idiot (I’d bet he runs for some sort of political office soon)- “If it saves one life!”
He can sell (or not) whatever he wants, but when he starts lobbying the government to restrict my rights, I get concerned.
Doesn’t the CEO have a fiduciary duty to the shareholders? Is knowingly accepting huge losses in order to virtue signal grounds for some sort of legal action?
Seems rather old-fashioned these days.
Corporations have a duty to everybody who doesn’t own them.
Yep – particularly if you brag about it on the news. I almost wish I owned some Dicks stock so I would have standing to start calling lawyers.
You’d bet on the courts taking your side? I wouldn’t. They’ll happily read into the law (which already has concepts like “duty of care”) a justification for this. It’s just too important, CEOs have to put the public interest first, the other shareholders haven’t voted against it, yadda yadda.
He absolutely does have fiduciary duties, but we’re not in a position to say that he isn’t discharging them in a most excellent way. He’s jettisoned 3% of sales to position his firm better with his target customers so far as he understands it.
That might be an excellent play. I’m in the abandoned demographic, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t make a good play. Whether we like it or choose to patronize his establishments is a far different matter than whether he is doing the right thing for his stockholders.
Totally agree. I think if it were obviously a self-destructive move it would be one thing, but even if it doesn’t pan out in profits it’s reasonable to say that he did it thinking it would be a sound marketing strategy. I’m thinking of CVS stopping tobacco sales in its stores. I haven’t looked at the numbers but I’m almost certain they took a loss initially.
That’s a fair point. And I do think, for what it’s worth, that CEOs should be allowed to engage in risky moves that may result in short-term losses but have a potential for long-term development. They should not be forced beyond all reason to focus on quarterly profits instead of the general health of the business.
But, I do admit to having a bit of a skeptical eye when it seems like every business is trending in the same direction. Dick’s was in the vanguard, but this is increasingly looking like a fad rather than a business decision.
fad rather than a business decision
I hoped this helped: WTF asked the fiduciary question; that’s all I answered. He seemed to think these were huge losses and necessarily a bad play; I’m helping clarify that there is no reason to think so.
Lots of fads are wildly popular; per Glib notion #47a: it can be both things.
The commentary here can get apples and oranges quickly, so I’m just trying to roll out a better understanding of the figures and therefore the situation. There are levels in this discussion, and cars drift betwixt the lanes: It is one thing to say something is a bad idea, illegal, or derpy; it’s another thing to project from a conservative bent that people following their bliss, which should be Glib notion #1.0000A, is still somehow wrong. The guy is running his business as well as he knows how, and, as a remote speculator, I see no reason to second-guess him: I don’t have a better view of his future than he does.
As a purchaser, I find his decision to be mostly sad posturing of the sort that I would not reinforce; therefore: I don’t shop at Dick’s. But that has nothing to do with my libertarian notions or my evaluation of his business decision. I can hate and respect actions that are not in my best interest and that I abhor politically or commercially.
wildly [profitable]
ugh
“They all do that!”
Seriously. You can’t expect the sons of important politicians to mow lawns to make ends meet. Those poor Clintons, after a lifetime of service to the nation, barely had two nickels to rub together when they left the White House.
And now Chelsea somehow is a multimillionaire.
I condensed the tweets
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
The United States was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days, that was many years ago. We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight. When I arrived in Washington, ISIS was running rampant in the area. We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate, .including capturing thousands of ISIS fighters, mostly from Europe. But Europe did not want them back, they said you keep them USA! I said “NO, we did you a great favor and now you want us to hold them in U.S. prisons at tremendous cost. They are yours for trials.” They again said “NO,” thinking, as usual, that the U.S. is always the “sucker,” on NATO, on Trade, on everything. The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their “neighborhood.” They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!
This is unironically one of the best Foreign Poilcy speeches I’ve heard in a long time.
Wow. That… that looks like an unalloyed good.
And he has my vote for 2020.
Go, Orange Man, Go!
I like the words, now pull us out completely, and I mean completely, or shut the hell up. He’s the CINC, he can do it and he could have done it long ago.
Over/under on an unfortunate accident?
I’ve soured considerably on Trump lately (the media’s inanity having little to do with it) but if he’s able to pull this off I’ll be genuinely impressed. I’ve said as far back as the early Obama years that the FP establishment gets its way by scaring the shit out of the President and cabinet (e.g., through daily intel briefings, where the juciest–not necessarily reliable or even plausible–morsels get spoonfed to the elected and appointed officials).
I’ve never been sweet on Trump even though I voted for the guy as the least bad option. If he does manage to pull this off it’ll be a feather in his cap, that’s for sure, but he has caved to the military and the intelligence community before even though he has the authority to override them. We’ll see I guess.
I know a few people who’ve worked in foreign policy, including a guy who worked in the IC and a lady who worked pretty high up as a civilian adviser in the DoD, and this is absolutely true. There’s only so much room at the trough, and every agency is a 15% budget increase away from preventing a major catastrophe. State and DoD have a fantastic schtick in that regard because they’re staffed by unelected subject matter experts who can lean on a military career or time as a spook to allude to scary things that only they really know about and only they can really handle effectively.
You left out fomenting scary shit with CIA operations. Whenever the CINC wants to end the pointless exercises, the CIA is there to stir up shit in another country without concern for American lives just so they can get retain their power and budget increases. Trump would cave just like the rest of them, except this time the CIA might have crossed the line with the whistle-blowing fiasco. Threaten the guy’s position, and he’ll threaten yours.
You can bet in a few weeks there will be news reports of some sort of ethnic cleansing going on – all planted by the CIA and their sycophants in the beltway and the larger media outlets.
*cue talking points about how this is just an attempt to deflect attention away from impeachment/wag the dog
*waves tiny American flag*
Clearly unfit. IMPEACH!
it is spelled I’m peach
“Nick Jack Pappas
Verified account
@Pappiness
2h2 hours ago
More
Replying to @realDonaldTrump
Donald Trump is sentencing our allies against ISIS, the Kurds, to death.
His Presidency is killing people.
137 replies 183 retweets 1,238 likes
Reply 137 Retweet 183 Like 1.2K
Nick Jack Pappas
Verified account
@Pappiness
2h2 hours ago
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If you ever wonder why Trump does what he does, ask how it benefits Russia.
Things become clearer after that.”
This guy can’t possibly be this insipid and stupid.
We were such good allies to the Kurds that we never let them have their own country. Meanwhile, Kosovo and East Timor wave hello.
just what are we Allied for? what common interest do we share with the Kurds?
Our shared appreciation for fried-cheese food items.
*handed a hastily scribbled note from off-camera*
It appears there are actually two meanings to the word “curd”. We regret the mistake.
Whey to embarrass yourself.
Here’s a plane ticket and an AR Nick, get cracking.
It benefits Russia to get bogged down in a middle-eastern quagmire? I guess that is the same thing as the NRA being Russian stooges. It apparently benefits foreign powers that the US populace is sufficiently armed.
His Presidency is killing people.
I think he is literally retarded.
Cool, Nick. Which American soldiers would you see killed in order to help the Kurds build their own sovereign nation? Why don’t you just go ahead and get on the horn with their families and explain why Kurdish statehood is more important than their spouses, children, and parents?
it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.
Crazy Orange Man is crazy.
#DemocracyDiesinDarkness
Learned a new term today: Peak Data.
As in….
“Unemployment is likely to increase. The historic low employment rate is essentially “peak data” and it will start to trend in the opposite direction soon.”
Well, that’s probably true. Of course, the same could be said of any of a number of things. It’s a vacuous statement.
Also, I’d say “peak data” is about where we are, in the sense that there are too many gamed metrics, nobody knows how to analyze them anyway, and sensible people just ignore most of them.
+1 A+ Tranche of Sub-prime mortgages
Been considering trying a write up on how the idea of “safety” is used in culture today to justify pretty much anything. Since I only get a chance to lurk during work hours, has anyone touched on this before? Or would it be something interesting to read?
I think only tangentially.
For my part, I enjoy “thought piece” articles like that because it tees up a good topic for discussion in the comments.
Even if the topic had been, your take on it hasn’t.
^^^ indeed
The underlying notion, rising somewhat to the level of an epistemology, is the precautionary principle: that no one should be allowed to do anything until everybody (read: the government) is certain it’s safe. There is a small amount of merit to the argument, as one person’s dangerous actions can unwittingly or negligently affect others. But, the unwritten rule is that the precautionary principle never gets applied to government itself. It’s always safe to ban things, and the attendant consequences are never the government’s fault (see: prohibition).
People have a difficult time imagining the loss of something they never had. It’s why bans and limitations on new products and services go over so well.
The precautionary principle is the ultimate expression of overlooking the unintended consequences of any course of action, it has no validity as a principle because inaction has every risk of harm that action has in the abstract. People want to rely on ‘rules’ to avoid having anyone exercise judgment, but at the end of the day judgment is all there is.
Choosing not to
chooseact is still a choice.+1 Permanent Waves
I think most of us probably lean away from the precautionary principle so I’d say you’d have a receptive audience. And It’s a much deeper subject than the silliness I’m going to submit this week, go for it!
I’m with Naptown: more think pieces is better.
But what are you really talking about? What would the the top three bullets look like?
Sidebar: safety is one of those interesting buzzwords that allow us to ignore first principles, like the way “gentrification” completely sidesteps the simple and manageable notion of property rights. So, if your article chases “safety” as buzzword and wrestles with it legitimately, I might not make it very far; if you couch how “safety” undermines our simple understandings of rights, then I’ll keep reading.
There is a lot “safety” that means the guys on the floor don’t want to do something.
Remember just when you think you are safe Kamala Harris is right behind you. Look now, but use a mirror. Beware the shadows.
Hah!
Oh my god she got Festus. Choked him before he could get beyond 3 letters
Sounds awfully dangerous to me
*narrows gaze*
Lacist?
I’d be very interested in such an article.
I’ve noticed how a lot of people (mostly “progressives”) seem to have the goal of zero deaths from any unnatural causes. They see freedom as some silly thing that doesn’t even come close to the importance of preventing deaths.
They don’t really see any difference between a society where 10% of people die from tobacco-related illnesses and a society where 10% of people die from murder. In other words, they treat every death the same regardless of why it happened. In my view, there are activities that carry risk of immediate or long-term health effects: rock climbing, smoking cigarettes, sexual promiscuity, etc… I’m not seeing why it’s a societal problem requiring government action if you undertake one of these activities and die or get injured as a result. The rejoinder from the mainstream view would probably be “these things affect the cost of government healthcare programs so they’re entitled to regulate them”. But that’s an argument against taxpayer funded healthcare more than anything. People might be incentivized to voluntarily live safer, healthier lifestyles if they knew that the cost would be on them.
Anyway, I’ll refrain from my bone-headed attempt to write the article for you and just reiterate that I find “safety vs. freedom” to be one of the most important arguments for libertarians to make.
Standard question which one of you…
https://twitter.com/skeletonspooky1/status/1181192297565900801
Why blur the dick? If he wanted it exposed, …
Because nobody wants to see it.
And yet I’d bet lots of people are Googling it.
Assuming this is for real, it’s more noteworthy that “dozens of people” stuck a random thumb drive they found outside into their USB ports.
People are dumb.
The newest initiative from Security is to place seals over all USB ports. Then it will be RJ45 ports, then floppy drives and anything else that could allow an interface with malware. They will be having managers send them daily progress updates.
We will only be safe once Security holds all input devices in a locked cabinet and only issues them after a properly filed request for access to network has been reviewed and approved.
“By the latest security directive, all electronic devices are banned from the office.”
“Where’s my work computer?”
“No exceptions.
Another “you think you’re joking….”
There is a certain Taiwan-based semiconductor company that forbids contractors from bringing digital devices/media into their production space. Software upgrades have to be done by typing them in manually. I am not kidding.
You think you’re joking, but you’re not.
We’re doing that. Only a very limited number of machines will be able to use USB drives.
Anyone who puts a USB drive they find on the street in their machine is so stupid its hard not to say they deserve whatever happens next.
I’ve thought if you want to hack into a companies network just leave virus infected USB drives in the parking lot. Just one or two every week or so and see if someone dumb enough, with enough rights plugs it in.
Draw the Bitcoin logo on the drive case.
Not news at all. Red team (teams you engage to test out your own security systems) have been dumping bag-fulls of malicious USB drives in parking garages, lobbies, and conference rooms for a decade.
The Zuckerberg story was in the Friday links, but this is an interesting quote that was left out before but in the article AOC links to:
“The suggestion that this should all be done publicly, I think, would deprive the market and world from a diversity of different attempts that can be taken,” he told employees.
Over/under on extreme-wealth worshipers outnumbering Easter worshipers?
I would like any of those billionaires to give me 10 million dollars. I take cash, checks, direct bank transfers, bitcoin
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC)
Screw her, give me the money. AOC can find some rich dude and lick his balls on his death bed like any other stupid THOT
Some of “those with extreme wealth” have been saying this stuff my entire life, and probably long before. It’s not like virtue signaling is a recent phenomenon, cookie.
A couple of days ago, I was watching Regular Car Reviews of the ’94 Viper. Laughed hard when they said the 1 safety feature was fear of death. This car will kill you.
Like.
“…Red rocket, like a greyhound’s erection…”
That’s Sugar-Free-esc right there
Been considering trying a write up on how the idea of “safety” is used in culture today to justify pretty much anything.
IF IT SAVES ONE
LIFEPOLITICIANEven billionaires are saying billionaires shouldn’t exist.I wonder if extreme-wealth worshippers will listen to the point now that those with extreme wealth are saying it, too?
Now quote a career politician who who has seen the light on term limits.
G’Night folks! Happy Glibbing!
Mornin festus, sleep tight in the knowledge we’re nowhere near you…. as far as you know.
This was not Festus it was a ruse.
*shoots Pie with Tranq dart*
*hides dart gun behind back*
Nothing to see here, carry on folks.
You didn’t use a silver dart.
Damn, I knew I forgot something.
Now I know we had previous discussions about the problems with a solid silver bullet, but would it work if we had a sabot or half jacket to engage the rifling?
There’s a problem with solid silver?
Solid copper work just fine.
According to Suthen, it doesn’t deform in the same way when fired, so you have issues with accuracy, possibly loss of gas seal and velocity, too.
Those where his experimental results with silver bullets.
Fill a hollow point with silver solder?
@sean, something similar had been discussed during the earlier thread, but not much attention given.
I also wonder if there is a difference between silver bullets cast to caliber and those cast large and machined to caliber. Of course, individually machined bullets are, well, even more extravagant than merely being silver.
Copper and silver have the same hardness, so you’d think they’d deform similarly if they started with the same geometry.
Do they work harden in the same manner?
I mean even with metals of the same chemical composition, differences in internal crystalline structure changes behaviour when subjected to force. I don’t know enough about the metallurgy of silver or the exact alloy Suthen used in order to say. Theory says it should be possible to make it work.
Don’t know about that, but silver is definitely used to make crush-sealing gas tight gaskets.
We need to convince someone to fund experiments to figure out this problem.
Find someone who loves you as much as Western elites love some sweet sweet Chinese barbarism.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/rockets-james-harden-apologizes-china-tweet.amp
This story is beyond fucked up. Houston Rockets GM expresses support for China, James Harden goes and apologizes to China. Houston Rockets GM is also apologizing for apparently believing that “freedom” was not a divisive position to hold in the West. China wins, because the elites in the West are beyond cowardly.
https://www.facebook.com/100001583307192/posts/2653378931391524?sfns=mo
The Brooklyn Nets owner is groveling to the Chinese communists and expressing “dismay” that anyone would think it improper for China to murder people. How offensive
The NBA boycotted North Carolina after they passed a bill that allowed private businesses to decide their own pee pee policies (the state legislation reversed Charlotte legislation mandating pee pee rules for private businesses).
The moral bankruptcy of wokism.
For reference, the Chinese own actual re-education camps; harvest organs of political prisoners; still engage in forced abortions, and have the most sophisticated police state in the world. North Carolina had wrong thoughts.
^This. But punishing NC for wrongthink is the kind of thing that eventually gets you to gulags and forced abortions.
If you want to destroy morality you can try denying the concept, but some people will still hold out. If you loudly attack people who act morally, and praise those who act immorally you get people to decide that morality is stupid on their own.
I saw that this morning. The NBA is a bunch of groveling cowards.
I might be the outlier on this but is it too much to ask for the NBA and other businesses to just shut the fuck up and deliver their product without political lectures.
*unless politics is an integral part of the business or product (Black Rifle Coffee, REI, etc).
Being pro-Chinese communist is a central part of the NBA’s business model
Saying “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” is not really a political statement, unless “freedom” is now a divisive idea in the West, which I think it’s fair to say it is among our elites.
Of course freedom is a political topic and it’s one that’s not accepted by the majority of the world. It’s also divisive in the West, including among all the population and not just the elite. Or have libertarians suddenly becoming the leading political party? Let me know when the majority of random sample at the mall/restaurant/etc agrees heroin should be legal and prescriptions should be abolished.
I’m a big BRC guy. It’s interesting how many companies are profiting from countersignaling in this day and age. Their marketing angle is literally, “We like guns and hate snowflakes; buy our coffee.” And it works like a charm. They’ve rolled out a new super-premium line of coffees that are limited edition and going for close to $30 a bag. Same thing Starbucks started doing ten years ago. And I’ll bet they make a profit.
I have been tempted to try them, but Death Wish is excellent in my coffeemaker.
So far, BRC is the only company that sold me a coffee I could drink. Before that, I was convinced there was no such thing as drinkable coffee.
But yes, it is pricier than it needs to be.
I do the subscription so that the shipping doesn’t kill me. Four bags a month winds up being like $10 a bag at the end of the day, which is a little higher than I’d be paying for local coffee. It’s a luxury, but $40 is a bar tab, so it’s not that big a deal.
I suppose that is reasonable if you drink enough to use those bags.
The thing is, I don’t drink that much coffee. The sheer uptick in caffiene was a shock.
Then avoid “CAF” and “Fit Fuel” like the plague. They’re blends with robusta beans included, which are higher in caffeine. I drink multiple pots of coffee by myself in a day and even I was overwhelmed by them.
Good point. I hadn’t really stopped to think about it, but I don’t find ab initio politically-charged companies very irritating. Apolitical companies going woke though… maybe it seems like a bait and switch to me?
As long as they insist on a political lecture at the opening of every game – playing the national anthem – the answer is “no”.
“As a Governor of one of the 30 NBA teams”
Stopped reading.
The General Manager of the Houston Rockets Angers China With a Tweet on the Hong Kong Protests
https://time.com/5694004/nba-houston-rockets-daryl-morey-hong-kong-china/
The backlash: The Chinese government, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and multiple Chinese businesses have severed ties with the Rockets.
The most shocking: Months after paying billions of dollars to extend its streaming deal with the NBA, Tencent Holdings has “suspended all reports/streaming of Houston Rockets.” For reference, nearly 500 million people in China watched the NBA on Tencent last season. It’s basically their “League Pass,” and now the Rockets are effectively banned.
As for the CBA severing ties, that was particularly notable since its president is Yao Ming — one of the best players in Rockets history and the man responsible for making them (and the NBA) so popular in China.
Meanwhile, on the Rockets’ front, The Ringer reports that ownership has “absolutely discussed” whether Morey should be removed, and 2 people I spoke with said they expect Morey could be gone by tomorrow unless the NBA steps up and supports him.
The NBA is the perfect encapsulation of moral bankruptcy
Well at least they don’t hit tiny objects with sticks
MLB isn’t bowing before tyrants. They win
because they are not that popular over there. If they were they would. Basketball is probably the only US sport with wide international appeal.
Well you have your hypothetical that you can neither prove nor justify. I guess you win in imagination land
Top counter right there. It is quite likely that big sports would accommodate the Chinese should this be needed. One can infer that based on what one knows of the world. Off course one cannot prove conclusively, but one can speculate. Unless you think basketball is somehow inherently corrupt and baseball somehow noble, I don’t see why this would be the case. You argument of not bowing to tyrants is like me refusing to have sex with Victoria’s secret models.
A sports organization that derives most of its revenues from domestic American viewership is probably less likely to bow before the Chinese. By your own admission, the NBA makes big money in China.
Yes. And MLB is trying to expand in China. Should that succeed, they may sing a different tune. Basketball happens to be popular world wide as a sport, MLB is yet to be seen.
The assumption that a sport that only really exists in areas that the US military has occupied would be just as likely to bow before the Chinese as a sports league that is probably the third most popular in the US and losing viewership, while growing in China doesn’t really make much sense unless all of your caveats were reality and not just hypothetical.
MLB is popular in Japan (I know because my wife’s relatives are Japanese and they follow it well) as well as throughout Latin America.
NBA though is really really popular in China. Like bizarrely popular. No one knows why exactly.
I’d say it’s ironic, but I have noticed that Chinese people on average seem to be getting taller.
They were able to eat more in their formative years than their forebearers. Mostly by buying from us.
Yeah, I see a lot of Chinese immigrants’ kids around here. They’re as tall as anyone.
Also
‘South Park’ Scrubbed From Chinese Internet After Critical Episode
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/south-park-banned-chinese-internet-critical-episode-1245783
Since 1971, alcohol advertising $$$ increased 400% – but per capita alcohol consumption barely budged
https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02650487.2015.1019961
why are you people not budging consumption?
Because drinking at work is one of the things that can get me fired.
So is being conservative, but you do that anyway.
The 70s were an artificially high decade for alcohol consumption since we could drink more without gaining weight. Then the government started cracking down on cocaine.
“cracking down on cocaine”
*narrows gaze*
He’s not wrong. When college kids drug of choice was coke the bar business was more profitable that a few years later when they were all rolling on MDMA. @#$%^&*(ing selling more water bottles than beers.
I was more dismayed by the pun.
Because we’re buying more expensive alcohol instead of larger quantities of it.
Excuses excuses. Seems like slacking to me
I will make it up for this on the weekend to come.
Interesting. Almost like there are diminishing returns on ad dollars.
Maybe if those advertisers paid Russians to post $150k of Facebook ads they could save a ton of money and turn half the country into raging alcoholics.
Imagine wanting to impeach orange man for pulling out of an illegal war that Congress never authorized.
https://twitter.com/melissadawes/status/1181061528868409345
“Ok GOP, will this qualify as a last straw? You know damn well this means the US is turning it’s back on our Kurd allies. What the hell is wrong with you people in DC enabling this behavior?! Grow some spines and stop this destructive behavior.”
There is a 100% chance that Trump will be the less hawkish alternative to the Democratic and LP candidates (again).
C’mon now, it’s hard to bomb Aleppo if you can’t find it on a map.
While this is true, once you are in you need to pull out with care. Because you already altered the situation.
Translation: “The US can never pull out of anywhere, regardless of how illegal and counterproductive the war is”.
Not really.
Or Translation “We can fuck up any place and leave when we get bored”
Yep, whatcha gonna do about it? A strongly worded letter?
I am not going to do anything cause I don’t really give a shit. I was just pointing it out.
Which is more like the US can fuck up anywhere at the behest of their junior junior junior junior partners in Europe and then be admonished for wanting to leave. See: Libya.
Europe does a swell job of holding our jacket, but when we have decided to leave perhaps they should shut up
Your hostility is leaking out again.
So we should continue to stay for the Kurds? I’m giving you the benefit that i’m sure i don’t understand what you mean.
Name one thing that is inaccurate about what I said.
TGA is getting a bit hostile – like last week. Just check below.
“And I’m saying that your contention is inexplicably retarded.” is not a dispassionate argument. Pie does not deserve that.
When HM got a bit of that directed at him, he asked about it. TGA admitted to being under a bit of pressure, said sorry and backed off. It appears to be happening again.
I think we have been in the area quite long enough. Nothing there for us, interest-wise.
I don’t think that was hostile in the least. If someone else had made the comment you would say nothing of it and we all know that
No, I would call them out too. I like it when this place is civil. I have already had it out with others that flounced off, or whackos like Eddie and John who got the hammer.
Why don’t you just take a moment of self reflection here. The past couple of weeks you have been really angry and bitter – which is not normal.
Pie is one of the good guys. Don’t be like that toward him.
All Pie said was once you go in you have a moral responsibility to leave in a way that does not leave your allies completely in the lurch. That is a perfectly reasonable position. It does not mean you can’t leave. What we did to the Hmong was despicable. Leave the Kurds weapons and make sure the Turks know that starting another genocide will have consequences.
In some ways, the Ukraine and the Kurds are in the same position. Both are relatively small and weak compared to their immediate neighbors. That dictates a measure of prudence on their part. The Kurds are doubly handicapped because unlike the Ukrainer, they are all subject to another sovereign – Turkey and Iraq, mostly.
In the bigger picture, sovereigns generally have an interest in an international order which mediates “might makes right”. That means counter-incentives are needed for invasions and arguably mass human rights violations (ethnic cleansing, genocide, etc.).
At that point, we are deep in the facts-and-circumstances weeds of inconsistent and/or conflicting interests and unknowable outcomes.
Well, the better option is to not be there in the first place, but there’s a saying–“Don’t throw good money after bad”–that applies to blood as well as treasure.
At least nuke Ankara or something on your way back
Hmmmm. You make a solid point.
I have several Greek friends who second that motion.
Restore Constantinople!
It’s Byzantium you Splitter!
Byzantium is just a step on the downward spiral of Rome in the East. Constantinople!
You’ve got your chronology out of order.
Hangs head in shame. Yeah, brain shut down for a minute.
A lesson learned
https://youtu.be/JTF2j0OWUi8
That makes it exceedingly simple to justify a permanent presence anywhere. By that logic the Soviet should have been forced to remain in the Eastern Bloc, Afghanistan, and every other place they screwed up.
Bullshit, there are no Rules in War, we can leave anytime we want for whatever reason, this isn’t school,,
While no one says you can’t leave, you cannot then wonder why half the world hates America. Then again you don’t care so there’s that.
Half of the world hates America for leaving wars? Maybe half of the world is full of shit.
Yes absolutely that is what I said.
And I’m saying that your contention is inexplicably retarded. Pretty sure people don’t like the US *starting* the wars. If the leaving part is the problem then maybe the rest of the world can put on some big boy pants and take care of their own problems.
Let’s start by disbanding NATO.
I am saying that starting wars and leaving a mess behind is part of a continuum. They are not different things. I never said don’t leave, just it matters how.
Pie, we are nice people, but very Dumb, always picking up the slack for other Countries, and other than vacations, we don’t need the rest of the world,
Half of the world is more retarded than average?
the question is which half…
Obviously the whole of Europe just to begin with. We appreciate having someone hold our jacket, but it is getting a bit old
Well how about pull your shit from everywhere and then it don’t need to be old.
If loving FREEDOM!! is ‘tarded, then just call me George Algernon.
yes loving freedom is totes the topic here.
Your contention is farcical on its face. When are things “stabilized”?
You make a strong neocon argument for the US to never leave Afghanistan or Iraq. Not so strong of an argument for Syria since that war existed with or without Americans.
you are imagining things again.
Now we agree. Maybe enforce the Monroe Doctrine in the Western Hemisphere and not worry too much about the rest. If somebody sponsors a terrorist attack again, break all their shit then leave.
Gimme the Monroe Doctrine all day. Now, granted, if you do that, you run into things like WWI, which kicked off with no help from us, but arguably we only got involved because Wilson and Churchill connived a scheme. And honestly, re-jiggering American defense and foreign policy to account for a single hemisphere is a problem I’d like us to have.
They hate us ’cause they ain’t us.
Seriously, though, it’s a little hypocritical that we catch so much flack from the rest of the world for our foreign policy when we go to war with coalitions of allies who make plans that depend on our military. And when Europe is basically on the dole provided by us for their defense. And when two weeks after a humanitarian crisis people start cajoling us to do something.
Personally, I’m all for pulling our troops back and letting the rest of the world figure its own shit out without us. God knows it would save us lives and money.
You need better PR. Europe has somehow managed that.
It’s easier to have better PR when you can have criticism wiped from the internet and imprision critics.
No, Europe has outsourced their defense to the United States at a subsidized cost. Not at all the same as letting the world figure out its own shit.
No, we need another superpower. The history of the world does not give me confidence that a European nation with US force projection capability would sit quietly at home typing up modest speeches to give at the UN. Until there is a power that can rival the US militarily while also managing to keep the nations living within its aegis content, I think the foreign policy of the 90s on up will remain the status quo. Way back when the EU was going to do that, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. I’m not so sure that you’d necessarily want Russia to take on that role again, and I don’t know who else is anywhere close to capable right now.
Naptown Bill: Isn’t that what China appears to be angling for? Although they don’t really seem to care too much about the nations that would be under their “protection”.
Yep, absolutely. They’ve gone around the globe for decades as the alternative superpower that will help any regime out without butting into internal affairs so long as they tow the company lion and grant them beneficial trade agreements. Since the 60s. That’s why they’re so embedded in Africa, and why they’ve got positive relations with India. During the Cold War they were the third alternative if you didn’t want the Soviets or the Americans sticking their nose in your business.
All they want is preferential trade treatment and free access to your resources and logistic capabilities. Other than that, they don’t care. That’s what the brochure says, anyway. It should be noted that this was the initial sale to the world regarding their attitude towards Hong Kong, so before anyone goes complaining about American hegemony, be careful about your other options.
Europe has somehow managed that.
Well, yeah, by getting us to do their dirty work. Seriously, do you think for a moment that the rest of the world wouldn’t hate Europe just as much as they do America if Europe was forced to engage in its own adventurism?
I think the rest of the world still hates Europe anyway. Weren’t there just a plethora of terror attacks last year?
Pie, when you call in a contractor and halfway through the job you stop paying him, he leaves with the work unfinished. Pay up or shut up.
this is more like your drunk buddy calling you to help him get back at his neighbor than a contractor situation
*grabs chain and tire iron*
LETS GIT ‘EM!
No. No, we really don’t.
Most Americans are going to work, minding their own business, mostly completely unaware of how the world sees us because we’ve all got our own problems.
It’s not like our government has ever done what the people really wanted and we would rather NOT be traipsing all over the world spending our blood and treasure for…what, exactly?
Churchill dinged us for waiting so long to get into WWII, and then we only did it because we were attacked. But … why should we have gotten into it before then?
We long ago gave up any hope that our government “by the people, for the people”—HA!—would do what we want and what we want is to not be anywhere.
So the rest of the world sees us as uneducated rednecks and feels free to mock us—as if the entire population is all on board with our traipsing around, as if we are a monolith. Pffft. Americans. Assholes. Too self-centered to get a passport, too stupid to be interested in the rest of the world, as if every one of us is rich enough to travel outside the country—a country of a size Europeans can’t fathom.
Except, no, we don’t care. And that pisses the rest of the world off even more.
Mojeaux,
One other point. Most of the Europeans know less then dick about the US on top of it. When the girlfriend and I were over in Dublin a while back, someone at a bar was arguing with us about US geography (specifically Midwest geography). The girlfriend finally got him to put his money where his mouth was and bet on it, it paid for a round for us at the bar. One couple I met at another bar had the girlfriend explaining to her boyfriend how big the US was and how much room there was for everything (she had spent a couple years bartending in the DC area). The line that stuck out to me the most was, “They have a different room for their laundry machines in their houses!”
Right?
I’m just sick of the USA bashing all over the net. We hand out money like candy to countries that hate us. Don’t like us? Don’t take our money.
Citizens might not know about or care what the rest of the world does or thinks about us but we DO know and care that OUR MONEY goes to other countries.
Hey now, Europe has good reason to bash the US. The US only provides them with protection and helps them oust leaders that they don’t like, such as in Libya. I mean, they drink wine. They’re very sophisticated and certainly not a dying continent, despite all the evidence to support that contention.
@ Tulsi Gabbard Apologist:
Indeed, and they probably discuss arts and philosophy while drinking their wine. There’s definitely nobody in Europe who has ever gotten drunk and acted rowdy over a sporting event like Americans do. Also, racism doesn’t exist in Europe.
In reality, Europe would be no more than a fart in the wind on the international stage if it wasn’t for the US backing them. Last time I went to Europe they were bitching about the War in Iraq. I told them that I agreed with their criticisms and I thought the US should disengage from all its responsibilities in the world. They nodded in agreement until I said we should start by closing bases in Germany and Italy. That’s different, they went on to explain.
Ending NATO was Trump’s best idea that he stumbled into and still doesn’t understand what he meant by it.
Exactly! When the Royals won the world series, there were 800,000 people gathered in one place and we had a BUNCH of arrests (2) and a BUNCH of people who had to go to the hospital (~5).
Totally uncontrollable.
pull out with care. Because you already altered the situation.
STEVE SMITH ALTER SITUATION…
“pull out with care”
Thousands of unplanned pregnancies agree.
The analogy works, pulling out quickly is the way to go.
While this is true, once you are in you need to pull out with care. Because you already altered the situation.
I don’t have much patience for this argument because it has been the justification for further and further alteration of the situation, which means we can’t leave more. If the idea is that the United States can single-handedly impose stability on a region of the world, it is beyond pipe-dream. I’m sorry that the Kurds are getting screwed, but the US needs to return to a policy of Neutrality. It’s logic like this from the rest of the world that drives Americans mad. We’re evil when we go in and invade Iraq to remove a Dictator (one mind you you slaughtered the aforementioned Kurds), but then when we pull out of the region and it goes back to instability and dictatorship, it is our fault as well. The United States Government is not some crusading Paladin for the downtrodden of the world. If the European powers are so upset by this then they can go and sell their blood, treasure and moral fiber for the cause. But i am personally tired of being told we “have to do what is right” when “right’ means waging horrific war on behalf of elites, and to the detriment of peoples who have no desire for us to be there.
This
but the US needs to return to a policy of Neutrality – fine. Do that. But I doubt it.
Yeah, as an American, I find that frustrating. Here’s what happened: after two world wars, the European powers were flat broke, the US had a massive industrial capacity and troops all over the world, and there was the Soviet Union scaring everyone. Wilsonian foreign policy, the Truman doctrine, and the requests of our exhausted allies established an international paradigm that has existed to this day. In essence, we support NATO militarily, and the NATO countries agree to not turn Communist. Within that paradigm, the EU happened, the Cold War ended, and the Soviet Union dissolved. We’re viewed as the world’s policemen now. We have this massive military, so the rest of the world gets upset when we don’t use it to solve humanitarian crises or regional flare-ups. Then when we do, we catch flack for being trigger-happy imperialists. We’re the bad cop for the rest of NATO. We’re the stick that Europe uses to back up its moral statements, and we take the heat (even from them) when that goes pear-shaped. And worst of all, our politicians and a lot of our citizens want it that way.
And worst of all, our politicians and a lot of our citizens want it that way.
Being in control of the “Big Stick” certainly brings some benefits, which accrue to the said politicians and their friends.
I really don’t think that’s true.
Well, sending American troops to intervene in local conflicts polls about as well as a root canal. On the other hand, Using American military resources to protect vulnerable minority groups from violent, autocratic regimes seems to be a winner. I can’t think of a president in the past thirty years who lost an election because of being considered too interventionist.
Engaging in the Syrian Civil War was so unpopular that the Democratic controlled Congress could not pass authorization for it under President Obama.
So there are popular conflicts and then there is Syria.
Well, Obama seems to have had a knack for sending American troops into action on the down low. Africa springs to mind.
More seriously, I get Pie’s point, but the first rule of holes is once you find yourself in one, stop digging.
Syria was a basketcase before we got there, it’s arguably more of a basketcase now, it’s not going to stop being a basketcase once we leave.
The US has not been in a justifiable international conflict since WWII.
And before then it wasn’t in one since The War of 1812 (possibly).
since The War of 1812
Er, no. The British had already conceded to just about all of our war aims before a shot was fired. It was only because communication was a lot slower that we wound up in a shooting war with them. And then we mostly got our asses kicked until the Battle of New Orleans when Jackson took credit for the successful maneuvering provided by pirates.
Hence Possibly. The outbreak of war was mostly unjustifiable. I was mostly thinking about repelling the invasion of the States.
I think Afghanistan is and always was a lost case. Probably Irak too. I think Syria is less so than those.
So what’s the positive resolution in Syria? Restore the Assad regime? Because as much as I hate to say it, that’s the most stable game in town. I think that was less true of Iraq, but I don’t think the US invasion was a good idea, hindsight being 20/20.
the solution in Syria was do nothing in the first place, right now Assad is probably the lesser demon. Creating a kurd state and telling turkey to fuck off would be good, but that ain’t happening. I would say try at least some diplomatic pressure when leaving to avoid an all out massacre… Or nuke Ankara
Well, nuke Ankara, sure, granted.
And I agree that becoming involved in Syria was a massive mistake. One that we keep making over and over again because we have politicians who think Woodrow Wilson was the best president ever and was a foreign policy genius. The problem with diplomatic pressure as I see it, though, is it doesn’t really mean anything in that context unless there’s a military threat behind it, which gets us right back where we started. I also think that after Libya (thanks, Obama!) actors in the region have very little reason to take the US at its word in diplomacy.
I mean I feel for the Kurds. I really do. But…
The US has not been in a justifiable international conflict since WWII.
I would count the removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11 as justifiable.
So what’s the positive resolution in Syria? Restore the Assad regime?
Done and done.
I think you mean “attempted removal”
Well, they were removed from control of the government, which is what I was getting at.
War is armed conflict between sovereigns. The Afghan government (controlled by the Taliban) provided a safe harbor for an attack on the United States, which is an act of war. The government was removed, which was the end point of the war. Everything since has been illegitimate.
“The Taliban” is a bit of a misnomer. The original government of Afghanistan that sheltered AQ is all gone. Mostly dead, some imprisoned.
They did have a lot of their second-in-commands get killed.
^this. The real problem with our military actions since WWII is that we are either not going in with a clear idea what the end state should be, or we are defining end states that are impossible to achieve militarily. You can remove a government and destroy a nation’s ability to harm you. You cannot make them nice.
Roughly the same life span as a Spinal Tap drummer.
At least she is mostly getting roasted in the replies.
Getting out of war is destructive……….
Aren’t you supposed to be starting your new job?
Hot_Takei
@Hot_Takei
2h2 hours ago
Replying to @melissadawes
Diversity will be the Kurds strength. Maybe they don’t need a Kurdish ethnostate.
Diversity will be the Kurds strength.
The depth of ignorance behind this mindless prattle is hard to fathom.
I do believe that this was a use of a rhetorical technique know as “sarcasm”.
Could be. My working assumption these days is otherwise.
Oh sure, YOU would say that!
I read it as a critique of the “Diversity is Strength” crowd, that also seems completely on board with the idea that every middle eastern tribe deserves it’s own Apartheid Ethnostate individually guaranteed by these United States.
emperorsnewclothes
@Empnew
10h10 hours ago
More
Replying to @melissadawes @KatrinaHagen2
Can he really do this without congressional approval?
*Stares blankly*
*blinks*
Is…is this person for real?
You only need congressional approval to withdraw from a conflict now. To go in, you’re fine without it
Yep
Obama was Emperor King and could do whatever he wanted without Congressional approval and it cannot be legally undone.
Some judges agree…
I mean Congress could absolutely make us keep troops there if they were so inclined.
How? I am interested in the mechanism.
There’s some stuff they can do I think but I forget what it’s called.
Can a President Veto a declaration of War?
what’s that?
President is CinC. If he says “the conduct of the war is such that I am withdrawing our troops, so that they can defend American soil” Congress cannot make a law dictating they remain in a geographic location outside the US.
Not sure that’s true.
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States
vs
10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
13: To provide and maintain a Navy;
14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
Urthona – what law could Congress pass mandating specific deployment of troops in a war?
Congress can authorize the use of military force overseas and has done so throughout history.
I suppose the president could defy that and refuse to deploy troops if we wants to be swiftly impeached and replaced.
“Authorize” is not “command”.
What High Crime or Misdemeanor would be used to impeach a defensive posture?
This is classic of course. What if Congress declared a war but the president refused to comply? Technically he can. And it would be very interesting.
But he wouldn’t. If Congress passed a veto-proof resolution that we dick around in Syria for the next 10 years that’s exactly what Trump would do. We all know it, and that’s what I mean.
What if Congress went out and found people who would agree to invade if granted letters of marque and reprisal? They have that authority, and letters of marque can be extremely specific historically. What authority does the President have over privateers?
AFAIK, the only think Congress could do in that situation is impeach down the line until they get a CinC who will execute the war the way they want.
I think that’s how we should fight all our wars.
What if Congress declared a war but the president refused to comply? Technically he can.
He has endless scope for not quite committing troops to battle. Without Congress adopting a very comprehensive order of battle and set of orders, by a veto proof majority, it would not be hard at all for the President to drag out preparations for war until the war was over.
I would think if Congress tried to mandate such, even our torpid Supreme Court would say “um, no.”
Regardless, the overall point was… this wasn’t germinated by Congress. This was an executive act from the beginning that was possibly itself of questionable legality. If Congress wanted us in Syria, then by all means it should be their nuts on the line and I strongly believe Trump would be way less likely to to withdraw troops if it was backed by Congress.
They can kvetch all they want, but they absolutely did have the power to be involved and chose to make it all the executive’s responsibility.
Congress would set the rules on privateers…at least as far as for “Captures on Land and Water”.
I think that the authority to grant letters of marque would necessarily include the ability to draft such letters, and geographic limits on letters of marque were traditionally enforced. Now, obviously the privateer wouldn’t have to exercise their rights, so we are back to the same situation as with your President choosing a defensive posture, but it wouldn’t be the President choosing, and you could set rules for captures and loot that were pretty tempting.
I don’t think we have issued a letter of marque since the war of 1812, have we?
“This was an executive act from the beginning that was possibly itself of questionable legality. If Congress wanted us in Syria, then by all means it should be their nuts on the line and I strongly believe Trump would be way less likely to to withdraw troops if it was backed by Congress.”
Congress had a resolution to support the conflict in Syria and then never brought it to a vote, because the administration would have lost the vote. So, it was pretty clear that there was no support in Congress.
I’m sure that at this point we can do a lot of good in Syria. Like when we were arming ISIS. That did a lot of good. Assad won the conflict so I’m not even sure what people still want to accomplish there
I think we should do all military action this way:
Oh you want to fight the Taliban? Tell me what weapons and financial assistance you need. I’ll be happy to help you.
Article 1 of the United States Constitution lists issuing letters of marque and reprisal in Section 8 as one of the enumerated powers of Congress, alongside the power to tax and to declare War. However, since the American Civil War, the United States as a matter of policy has consistently followed the terms of the 1856 Paris Declaration forbidding the practice. The United States has not legally commissioned any privateers since 1815, although the status of submarine-hunting Goodyear airships in the early days of World War II created significant confusion. Various accounts refer to airships Resolute and Volunteer as operating under a “privateer status”, but Congress never authorized a commission, nor did the President sign one.[38]
Wikipedia says yes, last letter of Marque was issued during the war of 1812. Most Eurpoean nations outlawed the practice.
God, Sid Meier’s Pirates was a fantastic game.
https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/congress-syria-vote-096806
FTA:
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) temporarily pulled a limited, 90-day strike on Syria on Wednesday from the floor of the Senate. A GOP aide said Saturday that any renewed effort in the upper chamber would likely necessitate another direct ask from Obama, who has said that he told the Senate to temporarily shelve the measure.
“We’re ready to bring it to the floor at a moment’s notice,” a Senate Democratic aide said. “But for the moment, we’re letting the diplomatic process play out.”
I would think yes, since it’s an action of Congress. Congress could then override the veto.
But perhaps a better way to deal with it would be simply to refuse to order a deployment. Congress cannot order troops into battle.
I would think yes, since it’s an action of Congress.
Yup:
Thanks. Wasn’t sure if a Declaration of War was a separate action of congress.
I might be the outlier on this but is it too much to ask for the NBA and other businesses to just shut the fuck up and deliver their product without political lectures.
How long can you wear that onion on your belt before you have to swap it for a fresh one?
Mammary Monday is a jiggly, squishy start to your week.
https://tinyurl.com/y5d4fq42
Hold out hope that maybe, just maybe, this week will make you feel something… anything.
Didn’t make it past #1.
Ikr?
Hey, Swissy, do you have a Twitter account?
No. Some time way back, I reserved my slave name account….I can’t remember the password. I created a Swiss Servator one, but have not used it.
my slave name
“My name is… Pupils.. Clinch-ay!”
Sounds lovely.
https://www.showbiz411.com/2019/10/06/review-controversial-slave-play-opens-on-broadway-begins-with-graphic-sex-play-ends-with-a-rape-critics-love-it
STEVE SMITH BROADWAY HIT!
STEVE SMITH NOT END WITH RAPE, STEVE SMITH BEGIN WITH RAPE!
STEVE SMITH ALPHA AND OMEGA OF RAPE.
STEVE SMITH NOT CONTROVERSIAL. EVERYONE LOVED BY HIM. AND BY LOVED MEAN …
That sounds like godawful pretentious dreck. How much are tickets?
So in the end I did not buy a new phone I changed the display on this one. It was a used one cost 700 lei, less than any decent phone. Hope it lasts one more year.
364 days to go?
It’s war!
Disney Bans Netflix Ads as Streaming’s Marketing Wars Intensify
They told us that if Net Neutrality wasn’t enacted ISPs would try to censor competitors.
Good thing neither Disney nor Netflix are ISPs, then.
I mean, it’s almost like Leftists enjoy the luxury of making fantastical predictions to gin up support for their policies, but when those predictions don’t come true, they are just buried by a compliant media.
There’s no reason why anyone should have to run adverts for their competition. I don’t even see anything odd about this.
damn. I was too slow.
Some people don’t think about these issues beyond “corporations aren’t people” and “fairness”.
(Fairness = your immediate emotional reaction after thinking about the issue for no longer than 10 seconds)
Isn’t “ban” kind of a sensationalist term too? Like they’re a totalitarian government cracking down on dissent.
I think they’re just not running their competitors ads because they’re introducing a new product.
This seems not at all that big a deal.
Does ABC get to advertise on NBC?
Broke: End the wars
Woke: End none of the wars started by my Messiah
Bespoke: Only Russian bots want to end wars
I like this series of comments (as your other serial formats). You should compile a list and submit an article.
Joke: Oh, what a lovely war.
Best I could do on short notice. Carry on.
::goes back to drawing board::
Stroke: War to End Wars
Toke: Hell No! We won’t go!
Coke: Just Cause
This took my mind into a sketch that has a couple of men in suits walking through a battlefield as soldiers are killing each other and bombs are going off and the one man says to the other (in a British accent, of course) “What a lovely war!” and the second replies “Oh, thank you, it’s the best we could do on short notice.”