Politics [Archive] - Page 3

LHutton

May 13th, 2014, 12:18 PM

Joe Biden's son Hunter to head legal unit at Ukraine's largest private gas company - Washington Times ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/13/joe-bidens-son-hunter-head-legal-unit-ukraines-lar/#ixzz31cXyfHd2')

Vice President Joseph R. Biden ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/joseph-r-biden/')’s youngest son, Hunterhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/13/joe-bidens-son-hunter-head-legal-unit-ukraines-lar/#'), has been appointed head of legal affairs at Ukraine ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/ukraine/')’s largest private gas producer.

Burisma Holdings said in a statement ('http://burisma.com/hunter-biden-joins-the-team-of-burisma-holdings/') that Hunter Biden ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/joseph-r-biden/') will be in charge of the company’s legalhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/13/joe-bidens-son-hunter-head-legal-unit-ukraines-lar/#') unit and will provide support for the company among international organizations.

Hunter Biden joins the team of Burisma Holdings | Burisma ('http://burisma.com/hunter-biden-joins-the-team-of-burisma-holdings/')

Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer, has expanded its Board of Directors by bringing on Mr. R Hunter Biden as a new director.

R. Hunter Biden will be in charge of the Holdings’ legal unit and will provide support for the Company among international organizations. On his new appointment, he commented: “Burisma’s track record of innovations and industry leadership in the field of natural gas means that it can be a strong driver of a strong economy in Ukraine. As a new member of the Board, I believe that my assistance in consulting the Company on matters of transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities will contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine.”

:smh:

Crazed_Insanity

May 13th, 2014, 12:51 PM

You have poor reading comprehension, an inability to understand cynicism and sorely limited analytical ability if that's the conclusion you came to after reading the quote on that image.

So what's new? If you don't know me by now, you'll never ever know me... woowooowooowoowooo ;)

BTW, you're really excellent at cherry picking things out of context. What exactly made you think that the sentences you quoted from my post are indeed my conclusion?

Do folks normally put conclusions in the middle of their posts? Can you share your awesome unlimited analytical ability with me? (Actually I was just being cynical and asked you a rhetorical question, you don't really have to respond, but you could if you want to... it's a forum in a free nation! :p)

Crazed_Insanity

May 13th, 2014, 12:54 PM

Joe Biden's son Hunter to head legal unit at Ukraine's largest private gas company - Washington Times ('http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/13/joe-bidens-son-hunter-head-legal-unit-ukraines-lar/#ixzz31cXyfHd2')

Hunter Biden joins the team of Burisma Holdings | Burisma ('http://burisma.com/hunter-biden-joins-the-team-of-burisma-holdings/')

:smh:

Oh well, what's new? If there aren't any conflict of interests that involved the US, US wouldn't be involved with such conflicts! ;)

LHutton

May 13th, 2014, 03:02 PM

Oh well, what's new? If there aren't any conflict of interests that involved the US, US wouldn't be involved with such conflicts! ;)
Pun?

I honestly cannot believe who seems to have been armed by the new Kiev government. Is the Obama administration really supporting this? Mother of all ironing boards. First we equip Syrian rebels with TOW missiles and now this, WTF!? It's like we've gone back in time and lost WWII.

Pravy Sektor and friends.

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/102956858730709893748821721357293219631299n.jpg

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/102653758719931794826633490914175029684250o.jpg

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/8235298719842661502215496536337538351690o.jpg

Oleg Ljashko 3 days ago

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/103659948719320894887726902736930972421961n.jpg

---------------------------

14. SS Galizien Division of Ukraine meeting on 10th May

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/103298008709817262504752008287137280163776o.jpg

---------------------------

Pravy Sektor / Dnepr in Mariupol

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/103133198709657595854058701231478162438902n.jpg

Maidan:

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/102600078675154499304367964254470415300231n.jpg

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/103393158669251766561309189533440728402127o.jpg

http://www.imgmlp.com/images/2014/05/13/102753558652780368208441077253835945431989o.jpg

overpowered

May 13th, 2014, 04:16 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/12/grace-mcdonnell-playgroun_n_5310928.html

:smh: :smh: :smh: :smh: :smh:

Rob

May 13th, 2014, 08:25 PM

What exactly made you think that the sentences you quoted from my post are indeed my conclusion?

What you say isn't your point, therefore what you say is pointless. Gotcha.

Obviously, we'll set aside how you referred to the Republican Party repeatedly, despite the quote being from a Democrat.

You didn't read it properly, have no concept of cynicism and promptly spun out a bunch of bullshit based on that. And you tell us you've read the bible....

Crazed_Insanity

May 13th, 2014, 09:41 PM

Rob, how does the bible get sucked into this discussion? Anyway, point is race has nothing to do with it. Republican Party will try to ruin you even if you're a white southerner like Clinton. Even if a democratic senators' trying to play the race card, reality is that everything is purely political IMHO.

LHutton

May 14th, 2014, 01:39 AM

Rob, how does the bible get sucked into this discussion?
That's a fair point but the rest of what he said is valid.

Anyway, point is race has nothing to do with it. Republican Party will try to ruin you even if you're a white southerner like Clinton. Even if a democratic senators' trying to play the race card, reality is that everything is purely political IMHO.
It's always political for sure but there is a kind of PC-cloaked racism in there too.

That said, Obama is doing a fairly good job of turning himself into another Bush all on his own.

Rob

May 14th, 2014, 03:01 AM

Rob, how does the bible get sucked into this discussion?

Because you can't read and comprehend the written word at an adult level and have just demonstrated that you misconstrue even simple statements to the point where you end up interpreting them in entirely the opposite way that they were intended.

Now extrapolate that concept up to the ridiculously badly written and contradictory book you claim to base your life and thoughts on.

Oh yeah, and judge others by.

LHutton

May 14th, 2014, 03:55 AM

You two --> http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?663-Religion

Crazed_Insanity

May 14th, 2014, 08:35 AM

Rob, if you want to talk about the bible, yeah, please use the religion thread. If you just want to follow me around, well, so be it. :p

It's always political for sure but there is a kind of PC-cloaked racism in there too.

That said, Obama is doing a fairly good job of turning himself into another Bush all on his own.

Well, that senator wasn't trying to be PC at all. He is out-right saying it's the color of his skin. He is purposely using the race card... basically accusing Republicans are racists. If we have a white president, then Obama would have a much easier job. That's just BS!

Anyway, like I said Republicans simply do not like Democrats. Clinton from the south didn't really get treated particularly well by the Republicans either.

And when it comes to matter of national interests/security, it seems like it doesn't matter whether if the president is republican or democrat. USA won't do anything that goes against its national interests. Morals/ethics/religious values be damned. Eventually they all become lip service. Founding fathers realized nobody can be trusted, that's why they designed check and balances in place to ensure nobody/agencies have absolute power..., but that's within US soil. When it comes to world politics, yeah, one really can't trust the US govt to become the world police simply because they want to do 'good'. Further, what/who can really check or look over what agencies like the CIA or the NSA is doing?

I had high hopes for Obama initially, but yeah, in terms of foreign policy, he's really not that much different than Bush. Well, he's not quite as bad as Bush, but I do agree he didn't really change or reverse much of what Bush implemented. I wonder if it's because there are some top secret reasons that forced him to not able to do much... or was he corrupted by the power he now has... I dunno. But I guess I will stay skeptical about the US government able to do 'good' around the world with pure intentions... Best policy is that we probably need to stay home and not mind other nations' business... unless the UN begged us to get involved.

Rob

May 14th, 2014, 09:33 AM

You two --> http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?663-Religion

You seem to have already forgotten how you invented a bunch of mad shit in the thread you just linked to whilst shitting it up with talk of cyclists, a topic that has its own thread.

The self-awareness fails just get bigger and bigger with you.

So yeah, take your ironic, passive aggressive suggestions, and shove them up your arse.

overpowered

May 14th, 2014, 10:09 AM

Rush Limbaugh Claims Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama 'Sympathize With Boko Haram' (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/rush-limbaugh-boko-haram-hillary-clinton-michelle-obama-nigeria-girls_n_5323164.html)

Crazed_Insanity

May 14th, 2014, 10:27 AM

Yeah, maybe Rob's right, I'm really at lost at trying to comprehend what Rush is trying to say... Is this slow news day that he can find nothing else to criticize about the liberals?

George

May 14th, 2014, 11:00 AM

Rush has to fill up three hours per day with something.

I'm a former Rush fan from the early '90s when he talked about ideals and concepts as a big part of his show rather than only blow-by-blow commentary of what happened in Washington yesterday. He bores me to tears these days. So do the lefties. I've opted out and now listen to audiobooks and music instead of political radio. But that's just me.

And speaking of audiobooks, I must recommend this book, especially for those who, like me, needed some help understanding what 21Kid said back during the Libertarian commentary above that I missed when it was going on. I don't come in this depressing thread very often.

It's funny how they say that with all of the main infrastructure now in place. If that type of government would have existed before the 20s we'd have no multi-state highway system, space program and subsequently satellites, no internet, no SSI, etc... There's so much stuff that wouldn't exist if that government was in control, it's laughable. It would basically be like the wild west.

This book really opened my eyes to how government involvement in the expansion of technological innovation can be beneficial, with several specific examples. That's not this book's agenda, I don't think, but it's something I drew from this audiobook from the library. I will eventually buy a hard copy for my home library so my kids can read it someday.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Men-Who-United-States/dp/0062079603

http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-men-who-united-the-states/9780062079602_custom-3ecea628d3c13d609e6ad8dc92be02f29b44566f-s2-c85.jpg

It has been said that "If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain", or something like that, but I'm not so sure I'm not going the other direction in some ways as I get older and seek facts on my own instead of accepting what the left and right US media feeds me. I prefer the BBC these days for no particular reason other than it's something new and fresh to me.

thesameguy

May 14th, 2014, 11:17 AM

It's also been said a liberal is a conservative who's never been mugged!

LHutton

May 14th, 2014, 12:07 PM

You seem to have already forgotten how you invented a bunch of mad shit in the thread you just linked to whilst shitting it up with talk of cyclists, a topic that has its own thread.

The self-awareness fails just get bigger and bigger with you.

So yeah, take your ironic, passive aggressive suggestions, and shove them up your arse.
No thanks.

LHutton

May 14th, 2014, 12:09 PM

http://www.voltairenet.org/article183316.html

Ukraine: Poland had formed the coup two months in advance

Lies have life shorter and shorter. Two months after the change of regime in Kiev, the Polish press published revelations about the involvement of the government of Donald Tusk in the preparation of the coup. These new information contradicts Western discourse and show that the current interim government Oleksandr Tourtchynov was imposed by NATO in violation of international law.

http://www.tvn24.pl/cypryjskie-akta-ukrainski-gaz-kwasniewski-w-spolce-czlowieka-janukowycza,428091,s.html

Son of U.S. Vice President, former associate chief of U.S. diplomacy and former Polish president. They sit on the boards of the gas company's former Minister Yanukovych - tells American website Buzzfeed.com. Aleksander Kwasniewski says he sees "no trouble".

neanderthal

May 14th, 2014, 01:40 PM

You decry the influence of money in politics. You say we can't outspend the billionaires who can fund SuperPACs and buy lobbyists?

Put your money where your mouth is (http://mayone.us/) and;

a Vote. Every time. Every election, from local judge/ sheriff etc to President.
b Fund a PAC dedicated to removing the influence of money from politics. I threw my donation in already.
c Share the link on your social media, and with your friends and ask them to do the same.

neanderthal

May 14th, 2014, 01:42 PM

If this can topple 5 seats in Congress and Bill Maher can turn 5 more, it might send a signal to the representatives that the people are fed up. That could lead to change.
Do your part.

Crazed_Insanity

May 14th, 2014, 01:52 PM

Hmm..., that is interesting. Will continue to read more on that site and consider pledging.

LHutton

May 15th, 2014, 12:32 AM

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-14/ukraine-just-issued-1-billion-bonds-backed-us-taxpayer

The bailout floodgates are open and the US taxpayer is footing the bill once again - whether through IMF loans or more directly. Today saw Ukraine issue $1 Billion 5-Year Notes at a stunningly low risk of only 28bps above US Treasuries and dramatically cheaper than the cost of capital in the public markets (and from the IMF) which yield over 10%. The reason for the 1) low cost, and 2) actual ability to raise debt... the bond is guaranteed by the US Agency for International Development and "assures full repayment of principal and interest" based on the full faith and credit of the US (Taxpayer).

LHutton

May 15th, 2014, 01:10 AM

Yeah, maybe Rob's right, I'm really at lost at trying to comprehend what Rush is trying to say... Is this slow news day that he can find nothing else to criticize about the liberals?
An alternative view:

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnS9JmdIMAAyy19.jpg:medium

Jason

May 15th, 2014, 04:43 AM

^ YUP

tigeraid

May 15th, 2014, 08:57 AM

Hard not to disagree with that. You can also add Bush to the list though. It's not "Obama," it's "The US Government and its foreign policy" as a whole.

Semi-related:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/13/ukraine-us-war-russia-john-pilger?%3F

Every year the American historian William Blum publishes his "updated summary of the record of US foreign policy" which shows that, since 1945, the US has tried to overthrow more than 50 governments, many of them democratically elected; grossly interfered in elections in 30 countries; bombed the civilian populations of 30 countries; used chemical and biological weapons; and attempted to assassinate foreign leaders.

Washington's role in Ukraine is different only in its implications for the rest of us. For the first time since the Reagan years, the US is threatening to take the world to war. With eastern Europe and the Balkans now military outposts of Nato, the last "buffer state" bordering Russia – Ukraine – is being torn apart by fascist forces unleashed by the US and the EU. We in the west are now backing neo-Nazis in a country where Ukrainian Nazis backed Hitler.

... Like the ruins of Iraq and Afghanistan, Ukraine has been turned into a CIA theme park – run personally by CIA director John Brennan in Kiev, with dozens of "special units" from the CIA and FBI setting up a "security structure" that oversees savage attacks on those who opposed the February coup. Watch the videos, read the eye-witness reports from the massacre in Odessa this month. Bussed fascist thugs burned the trade union headquarters, killing 41 people trapped inside. Watch the police standing by.

...The Pentagon currently runs "special operations" – secret wars – in 124 countries. At home, rising poverty and a loss of liberty are the historic corollary of a perpetual war state. Add the risk of nuclear war, and the question is: why do we tolerate this?

tigeraid

May 15th, 2014, 09:03 AM

LHutton

May 15th, 2014, 10:37 AM

And yes, that should be read with a grain of salt. Though I agree with the basic point that the US really has no business being there, funding yet another gorilla war. As if the Al Qaeda wasn't warning enough.
Oh they're giving Al Qaeda anti-tank weapons now.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/syria-rebels-us-made-missiles-160846503.html#A2L7ie0

Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad for the first time received at least 20 US-made TOW anti-tank missiles from a "Western source," a rebel official told AFP Tuesday.

Jason

May 15th, 2014, 07:19 PM

Hard not to disagree with that. You can also add Bush to the list though. It's not "Obama," it's "The US Government and its foreign policy" as a whole.

YUP

Rob

May 16th, 2014, 07:44 AM

Just got a brilliant European Election flyer through the door from the hilariously mental Liberty GB.

http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/about-libertygb/ten-point-plan

They want Britain out of the "undemocratic" EU by virtue of you democratically voting them into this undemocratic parliament...

They also want a First Amendment....despite not having a constitution (or anything resembling one) to amend in the first place.

thesameguy

May 16th, 2014, 09:34 AM

Sadly I think it's about time to face that net neutrality is little more than a fond, distant memory. There is no way the people are going to stand up to TW, Comcast et al nor stand in the way of money flowing to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, et al. The carriers get to make more money and the content owners gain tools they can use to squeeze out competition. A non-neutral net is win-win for corporate America, fuck the people, the startups, and the folks with good ideas.

LHutton

May 16th, 2014, 10:04 AM

Rob

May 16th, 2014, 10:11 AM

The EU is democratic

I know, hence my comment.

but the countries in it no longer operate as fully democratic or sovereign entities in themselves, e.g. Greece.

Greece is one country. The EU is more than just Greece. Which is all irrelevant to my post or the right-wing numpties I'm ridiculing. You're either ignoring the point or too dumb to have seen it in the first place.

Which tallies with your presence despite the lack of respect you get around here, come to think if it.

Tom Servo

May 16th, 2014, 11:33 AM

...funding yet another gorilla war.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130425163314/marvel-war-of-heroes/images/thumb/f/fd/Wizecrack-UR_Gorilla_Man.png/500px-Wizecrack-UR_Gorilla_Man.png

LHutton

May 16th, 2014, 12:23 PM

I know, hence my comment.

Greece is one country. The EU is more than just Greece. Which is all irrelevant to my post or the right-wing numpties I'm ridiculing. You're either ignoring the point or too dumb to have seen it in the first place.

Which tallies with your presence despite the lack of respect you get around here, come to think if it.
I fail to see how your post has sensibly responded to mine. It's definitely more than just Greece it's affecting, but yes, countries have lost sovereignty and internal democracy. Norway does just fine outside the EU.

What might make more sense is if Western Europe formed a free union and Eastern Europe formed another free union with Africa to help bring them out of poverty.

Crazed_Insanity

May 16th, 2014, 12:29 PM

...The Pentagon currently runs "special operations" – secret wars – in 124 countries. At home, rising poverty and a loss of liberty are the historic corollary of a perpetual war state. Add the risk of nuclear war, and the question is: why do we tolerate this?

Regular US citizens have plenty enough to deal with at home than to worry about what's going on abroad. Normally, what went on outside of our borders wont' really bother us anyway...

However, since 9/11, we now know that these operations can certainly backfire enough to cause trouble at home too! However, now, it's not that we still willingly tolerate these things, but we are powerless to stop these things from happening. Agencies such as the CIA or NSA or MIB or whatver... are not really accountable to anybody. Further, the secrecy also make it nearly impossible for the public to really know anything. Only a very few are daring enough to whistle blow against the part of the US government who doesn't actually have to answer to anybody.

Rob

May 16th, 2014, 01:43 PM

I fail to see.

We know.

Probably similar to how Sierra Leone is representative of the entirety of Africa. I'm not sure how you come to these, or any, conclusions. But then I'm not insisting on injecting myself into a community that proffers a wide range of emotions towards me, from indifference to pity and disdain.

And lying about who I am to stick around them.

LHutton

May 16th, 2014, 01:54 PM

We know.

Probably similar to how Sierra Leone is representative of the entirety of Africa. I'm not sure how you come to these, or any, conclusions. But then I'm not insisting on injecting myself into a community that proffers a wide range of emotions towards me, from indifference to pity and disdain.

And lying about who I am to stick around them.
Sierra Leone. Sudan. Somalia. Zimbabwe. In Johannesburg police tolerate drink driving because it's the safest way of getting home.

Rob

May 16th, 2014, 02:01 PM

Yeah, I figured you wouldn't understand that and now you're actively attempting to discuss the other topic in this thread.

Still didn't address the bit about lying to stick around with people who don't really like you. A common theme with your retorts ever since we spotted it was you.

I was sitting in a bar with one of the people from this forum I know in real life a couple of weeks back laughing at how fucking pathetic it must be to cling to a community that doesn't give a single fuck about your existence, like a haemorrhoid that can type lies.

LHutton

May 16th, 2014, 02:06 PM

overpowered

May 16th, 2014, 02:56 PM

Tens Of People Descend Upon The Capitol To Drive The Obama Administration Out Of Office (http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2014/05/16/3438826/american-spring/)

LHutton

May 16th, 2014, 11:28 PM

Tens Of People Descend Upon The Capitol To Drive The Obama Administration Out Of Office (http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2014/05/16/3438826/american-spring/)
Shouldn't that say, "ten people"? "Tens," seems to be an exaggeration.

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/mothers-names-should-be-on-marriage-certificates?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=61740&alert_id=IvgXGvZzEX_hi1OutVFKHhY%2FRKXEoDelFy1%2Fy u32cmKUBuMxpnERBHzyyOfULHWDX4ZME%2B7vD8H

Mothers' names should be on marriage certificates alongside fathers.

In England & Wales mothers' names are not on marriage certificates.

This is not fair.

This is 2014.

Marriage should not be seen as a business transaction between the father of the bride and the father of the groom.

This seemingly small inequality is part of a much wider pattern of inequality.

Women are routinely silenced and written out of history.

There is space for the name of the Father of the Bride and the Father of the Groom and their occupations. On civil partnership certificates there is space for mothers, and on Scottish and Northern Irish marriage certificates.

tigeraid

May 17th, 2014, 10:07 AM

Shouldn't that say, "ten people"? "Tens," seems to be an exaggeration.

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/012/132/thatsthejoke.jpg

LHutton

May 17th, 2014, 12:25 PM

Kiev forces using German language at 1:!0:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B2r1SWE-j8

Shooting at ambulance - 5:50:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK2YYaeIwPc

LHutton

May 18th, 2014, 09:35 AM

http://rt.com/news/159712-guerilla-war-ukraine-yarosh/

Television debates with three nationalist presidential candidates ended up in calls to pursue a guerilla war against pro-federalist Ukrainian citizens and conduct targeted assassinations of their leaders.

It means that they should be physically eliminated, he specified.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177113#.U3jfqPldUr0

As Ukraine's nearly three-month long revolution drags on, some observers are becoming increasingly concerned that far-right militias are "hijacking" the protest movement.

Same guy who threatened to blow up gas pipeline.

http://beforeitsnews.com/war-and-conflict/2014/03/ukraines-right-sector-leader-threatens-to-blow-up-pipeline-from-russia-to-eu-2451152.html

According to a recently published report, the report states The leader of ultranationalist group Right Sector, Dmitry Yarosh, has threatened to destroy Russian pipelines on Ukrainian territory if a diplomatic solution is not reached with Moscow.

LHutton

May 18th, 2014, 09:52 AM

http://rt.com/news/159716-germany-sanctions-russia-criticism/

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for restraint in imposing new sanctions on Russia, as politicians, businesses and the general public in Germany grow ever more skeptical of putting more pressure on Moscow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOsYXMjV9eM

LHutton

May 19th, 2014, 02:52 AM

The interim Ukrainian President:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleksandr_Turchynov

Oleksandr Turchynov was born in Dnipropetrovsk. He graduated from the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute in 1986, after which he worked at Kryvorizhstal, a large Ukrainian steel producer.[13] From 1987 to 1990, he served as head of the agitation and propaganda division of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Komsomol (Communist Youth League) Committee, which was led by Serhiy Tihipko.[13]

Turchynov was also director of the Economic Reforms Institute from January 1994 to March 1998 and was head of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences' Laboratory of Shadow Economy Research.[14][15]

In 1998, he was elected to parliament as a member of Hromada but after the scandal around Lazarenko, he left the faction and party (during May 1999) together with Yulia Tymoshenko's All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland". He was re-elected to parliament in 2002 and 2006 as part of the BYuT.

On 4 February 2005, Turchynov was appointed and served as the first‐ever civilian head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

In August 2007, Turchynov replied to the accusation that his stance on same-sex marriage is typically conservative, "I do not agree. If a man has normal views, then you label him a conservative, but those who use drugs or promote sodomy, you label them a progressive person. All of these are perversions".[16]

In February 2006 state prosecutors opened a criminal case against Turchynov and his SBU deputy Andriy Kozhemyakin for destroying a file about FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, organized crime boss Semyon Mogilevich, from the SBU archive. The case was dismissed four months later.[27]WikiLeaks documents mention Turchynov, then head of Ukraine's SBU, as having destroyed documents implicating Yulia Tymoshenko's alleged connections to Mogilevich.[28]

FaultyMario

May 19th, 2014, 07:35 AM

Oh Lord, as impossible as it might seem, this thread just took a nosedive since you took over, I hope the malady doesn't spread to the rest of the forum.

LHutton

May 19th, 2014, 08:04 AM

Oh Lord, as impossible as it might seem, this thread just took a nosedive since you took over, I hope the malady doesn't spread to the rest of the forum.
Please don't let a European country in the grip of a civil war, with a rising right-wing faction, stop you from discussing the latest stupid comment from the Tea Party.

Freude am Fahren

May 19th, 2014, 08:04 AM

Yes, exactly and lots of shit is happening. You don't need to repost every single thing here without anything to actually add. Maybe you should just start your own Ukraine blog, and stop spamming this thread?

FaultyMario

May 19th, 2014, 08:25 AM

European country in the grip of a civil war

Care to add some context? I've noticed you possess extraordinary levels of proficiency in Foreign Affairs. Just make sure you don't leave anything out, like you did with the Mexican-American War. or the Sierra Leone Conflict. or the ongoing cultural war between Islamic Petroleum Capitalism and Capitalistic Petroleum Capitalism.

In fact if you're going to discuss Ukraine, I'd like to propose you do it in a comparative tone with other third wave democracies and with the current trend of seeing the rise of electoral authoritarianism as a by-product of post-colonial relationships of the peripheries to their continental centers in mind.

#kthxby

LHutton

May 19th, 2014, 08:47 AM

Care to add some context? I've noticed you possess extraordinary levels of proficiency in Foreign Affairs. Just make sure you don't leave anything out, like you did with the Mexican-American War. or the Sierra Leone Conflict. or the ongoing cultural war between Islamic Petroleum Capitalism and Capitalistic Petroleum Capitalism.

In fact if you're going to discuss Ukraine, I'd like to propose you do it in a comparative tone with other third wave democracies and with the current trend of seeing the rise of electoral authoritarianism as a by-product of post-colonial relationships of the peripheries to their continental centers in mind.

#kthxby
You mean philosophise about what's going on instead of posting news links and facts?

Is electoral authoritarianism like when you only have 2 parties and they both do more or less the same thing, except one guy is slightly cleverer about the way he goes about it compared to a previous spoon?* True freedom comes from a constitution and the adherence to it. It's very true that electoral authoritarianism can arise from voting for a limited set of parties, pre-selected by campaign funds, with no say in actual politics. Is a dictatorship that adheres to a good constitution better than a democracy that doesn't?

*E.g. this particular spoon has avoided direct involvement of the military and instead uses drones and various other kinds of back-door support. He was smart enough to disarm Syria before attempting to further Assad's overthrow. He was smart enough to know that the result of a coup in Ukraine would be a large portion of the opposition breaking away, leaving a majority over the remainder a la Northern Ireland. He's even smart enough to make it look like 'the other guy' has got the better of him, which the opposition loves and even the the other guy likes it, even though he knows he shouldn't (a bit like Ray Liotta on Revolver after Jason Statham takes his money and donates all his money to charity and he reads about it in the paper).

##

FaultyMario

May 19th, 2014, 08:55 AM

Is a dictatorship that adheres to a good constitution better than a democracy that doesn't?

Perhaps, why don't you further elaborate on that? It sounds like a promising debate.

#Can'tWaitToReadOnIt

FaultyMario

May 20th, 2014, 07:46 AM

PS: Bringing up water rights regarding the western US is the path to madness... Nothing good can possibly come of it since as far as I know, no-one on here is a legal scholar specializing in the field, which is wildly complicated, often counterintuitive, and frankly insane. I took an entire class on the subject- got an A, and still don't feel anywhere near competent enough to even begin discussing it. Even thinking about it enough to write this paragraph has given me the beginnings of a migraine.

It often ends in tears, sometimes of joy. (http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/19/a-sacred-reunion-the-colorado-river-returns-to-the-sea/)

That is absolutely great, great news. Thanks, Your Excellencies.

21Kid

May 20th, 2014, 08:22 AM

They should require water recycling and rainwater collection in that entire area. And no grass(lawns) in the desert. :mad:

JoshInKC

May 20th, 2014, 06:03 PM

It often ends in tears, sometimes of joy. (http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/19/a-sacred-reunion-the-colorado-river-returns-to-the-sea/)

That is absolutely great, great news. Thanks, Your Excellencies.
:up:
Yeah, I was pretty pleased when I read it was actually hitting the sea. Good pictures.

overpowered

May 20th, 2014, 10:09 PM

Bush Communications Director Admits They Set “Trap” For Obama That “Feels Pretty Good” (http://www.alan.com/2010/12/03/bush-communications-director-admits-they-set-trap-for-obama-that-feels-pretty-good/)

21Kid

May 21st, 2014, 06:18 AM

What's sad is that they're not even worried to admit to shady deals any more. Bribery is legal.
WTF is going on? :(

Crazed_Insanity

May 21st, 2014, 07:41 AM

Not sure if one'd consider it as a shady deal..., just irresponsible decision making. Playing politics over the interest of the nation(American people).

As appalling as the attitude of that Bush's director sounded, one also has to blame the democrats too. Didn't Bush have a 'Democratic' Congress? How the hell were you 'tricked' into passing a law that can later on get Obama into trouble? Similarly, a 'Democratic' congress also supported W to get into those wars. You can't go back to avoid all responsibility and blame W's administration as the sole culprit when things end in failure. As if America hasn't had enough failed war attempts.

Just as the VA hospital issues..., Obama was finding things unacceptable before he became president. Now that he IS president, situation did not improve. Even Jon Stewart is now bitching at Obama too.

Yeah, partisan politics suck, but it's not always Republican's fault. It's just that politicians suck in general.

I'd like to think the Obama's not changing things as rapidly because of Republican opposition, but who really knows...

Still, with that said, I do still think Obama is better than Bush. I was just hoping he's gonna be a LOT better than Bush.

BTW, that article was dated 2010!?!?!?

FaultyMario

May 21st, 2014, 07:51 AM

I just realized, just like the U.S. has two "west" regions Mexico has 2 "norths" for similar reasons. Wonder where else that's true. India, I imagine has multiple latitudes and 72 cardinal directions.

FaultyMario

May 21st, 2014, 06:38 PM

Democracy: (from Greek, demos, people, and kratos, authority) government in which the people exercise their sovereignity.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J1K-yV2KTAc/TxmhRKNt_-I/AAAAAAAABIg/4tYFroBxss0/s1600/mafalda003.jpgQuino was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize on Humanities today

LHutton

May 22nd, 2014, 06:35 AM

What's sad is that they're not even worried to admit to shady deals any more. Bribery is legal.
WTF is going on? :(
Don't worry, you can change all this simply by exercising your vote.....

:lol:

LHutton

May 22nd, 2014, 10:43 AM

Coup in Thailand - 19th in just 82 years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/22/us-thailand-protest-idUSBREA4J0HN20140522

FaultyMario

May 23rd, 2014, 10:49 AM

Apparently We are the Experimental Banana Republic of a Newly [incepted] Banana Republic

Imagine for a moment what the US public would think if the president of Mexico were to call for the end of Social Security and the privatization of the National Park Service in a keynote address at the Kennedy Center. Obama’s rhetoric, and more importantly his actions, have been equally imprudent. For instance, last December the Obama administration ordered the website host Go Daddy to close down a leading Mexican Internet protest and human rights site in response to a groundless complaint from the Mexican government. In general, the US Congress has appropriated over $2 billion in law enforcement and military support to Mexico since 2008.

http://www.thenation.com/article/179984/how-mexicos-new-president-turning-his-country-servile-us-client

thesameguy

May 23rd, 2014, 10:57 AM

Somewhere there is a yo dawg joke, but I can't put it together at the moment.

One thing I can say for sure, though, is that I can't imagine being a politician much less an official having to police the internet. Cyberherding cybercats.

LHutton

May 24th, 2014, 02:10 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/us-suspends-3-5m-military-aid-thailand-175404738.html

US suspends $3.5M in military aid to Thailand

21Kid

May 27th, 2014, 08:45 AM

That's not really big news...

LHutton

May 28th, 2014, 04:18 AM

That's not really big news...
Unless you were to compare it to the $5bn they gave to the coup government in Ukraine, along with the $3.2bn loan backed by US taxpayers. Different coups get different incentives/penalties it would seem...

Jason

May 28th, 2014, 04:36 AM

Ukraine = Cold War II hot spot, of course we're going to throw money at it.

LHutton

May 28th, 2014, 05:05 AM

Ukraine = Cold War II hot spot, of course we're going to throw money at it.
Well it honestly worries me when I hear UK news referring to South Eastern Ukraine fighting as, "on the edge of the EU," and I don't really see a need for 'Cold War II', or 'throwing money at it'. It's honestly an even worse use of money than tax cuts for the 1%.

What next? Loaning them money to re-stock their military using US/NATO defence contractors? <-- Rhetorical sarcastic question.

Even more disturbing that when the previous government was accused of shooting armed protesters, there was an outcry, even though subsequent investigations show that the ammunition used came from hunting rifles. Meanwhile, when this new government uses fighter jets and attack helicopters on their people, it's hey-ho business as usual.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/05/27/ukrainian-offensive-donetsk/

Ukrainian Air Force’s Gunships and Attack planes have been extensively involved in the offensive in Donetsk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY7rev5o9p8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v8mPGBpw1M

LHutton

June 3rd, 2014, 01:29 AM

Kiev airstrike in the middle of Lugansk.

http://puu.sh/9bPYK/71e0ae4ece.gif

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3wBXkR0rJ0

21Kid

June 3rd, 2014, 06:30 AM

Maybe you should start a separate "war" thread...

overpowered

June 3rd, 2014, 11:31 PM

What’s the Matter with Libertarianism? (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-fair-society/201108/what-s-the-matter-libertarianism)

Tom Servo

June 4th, 2014, 09:53 AM

So, Leland Yee, who's under investigation for ties to organized crime and gun trafficking, got ~9% of the vote yesterday despite the fact that he dropped out of the race (but it was too late to remove him from the polls). Paul Tanaka got 15% of the vote for sheriff here in LA, despite having a federal investigation into his role in prisoner abuse as Undersheriff under Lee Baca, who resigned after forcing Tanaka to resign to try to avoid the scandal.

I'm so proud of my fellow voters right now.

LHutton

June 4th, 2014, 09:54 AM

What’s the Matter with Libertarianism? (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-fair-society/201108/what-s-the-matter-libertarianism)
Libertarianism is great until two people disagree with each other.

neanderthal

June 4th, 2014, 07:53 PM

overpowered

June 5th, 2014, 07:36 AM

What century is it?

Black worker at Memphis cotton plant banned from 'whites only' water fountain, or 'we hang you' (http://boingboing.net/2014/06/04/black-worker-at-memphis-cotton.html)

FaultyMario

June 5th, 2014, 08:22 AM

It depends, Billi and Z07 will say that "they" have "bent" time, because it is like a Newtonian Fluid and we now are living in the alternative 21st century and these are #daysoffuturepast

Crazed_Insanity

June 5th, 2014, 09:34 AM

Can you just speak for yourself? Or you're just missing me too much?

FaultyMario

June 5th, 2014, 09:57 AM

I miss you like Tina misses Ike.

Crazed_Insanity

June 5th, 2014, 02:51 PM

You are comparing us to a divorced couple?

LHutton

June 5th, 2014, 03:21 PM

What century is it?
I thought it was the 21st until I read that story.

thesameguy

June 5th, 2014, 03:54 PM

I miss you like Tina misses Ike.

Are we talking Stockholm Syndrome or codependency?

FaultyMario

June 5th, 2014, 04:35 PM

Paranoid Chronophrenia, actually.

thesameguy

June 5th, 2014, 04:38 PM

Just because you're not a paranoid chronophreniac doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about having done it all before.

21Kid

June 6th, 2014, 11:24 AM

How sad is this comment. :|

Loyal fans of the hit HBO show “Veep” turn to the Beltway-based satire first and foremost for the sharp laughs it delivers at Washington’s expense. But the show’s creator and executive producer Armando Iannucci said the show’s success is also built in part upon the fact that it hits at certain truths about the ridiculousness of real-life Washington.

With the show’s lovable but gaffe-prone Vice President Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, now vying to make the jump from VP to commander-in-chief in the third season, Iannucci said the sky’s the limit when it comes to making the silliness of the show conceivable to its Beltway fans. “It's interesting, no matter, how mad and how hard we push it into the ridiculous, someone from D.C. will tell us something far worse actually happened, so now it's sort of a challenge to try to beat reality—so that means anything can happen,” Iannucci told “Top Line” in a recent interview.

21Kid

June 10th, 2014, 10:37 AM

Do you think that they intentionally try to lie? Or are they just that dumb?

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), told CNN’s “State of the Union” anchor Candy Crowley that he “wouldn't release these [five Guantanamo Bay]” detainees to secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. What’s more, just a few months ago, McCain personally endorsed the plan to transfer these exact same Taliban prisoners. When he says he wouldn’t have completed the swap for “these men,” he’s neglecting to mention that he’d already expressed public support for swapping “these men.”

Not to mention that prisoners were also released for the return of McCain himself.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said the Obama administration has made Americans "less safe" by releasing five Taliban prisoners in exchange for the freedom of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Between 2007 and 2009, President George W. Bush released 520 detainees from the facility at Guantanamo Bay – at least that’s how many are officially recorded. One of those detainees was Abu Sufian bin Qumu, who is a suspect in the Benghazi embassy attack.

And at the same time the current headlines read:
*Police in Oregon say a shooter is dead after responding to reports of shots fired at a high school outside of Portland. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the situation is stabilized at Reynolds High School in Troutdale.
*Two Cops, Three Others Killed in Las Vegas Shooting Spree. Rampaging Las Vegas Couple 'Too Radical' For Bundy Ranch. Vegas police killer decried government on YouTube videos

Soooo... 5 prisoners getting release all of a sudden makes us unsafe? When over 500 have already been released? :twitch: Not to mention that there haven't been nearly as many terrorist attacks in the US. Certainly not as many as compared to what our own gun-toting crazies do. :smh: And the only reason that many Americans are dying over-seas is because we're in a war that we never should have been in, in the first place.
:sadbanana:

Crazed_Insanity

June 10th, 2014, 10:48 AM

They don't really care if you don't believe just as long as their constituents believe.

Forget about what those lying bastards said for a moment.

What do you think of what Obama did? Do you think he did the right thing for the right reasons in a proper way?

If you really think Obama did great, it doesn't matter what those bastards said.

If you agree Obama screwed up a bit, then just take it as constructive criticism. Hopefully Obama will do better next time.

thesameguy

June 10th, 2014, 11:31 AM

If everyone knew everything it would be okay to take a position and stick to it. But we don't, so it's fairly normal for one person to change his mind. I'm down with that. What I'm not down with is obscuring details during the process, whether by omission or by calling attention to other peoples' misdeeds while covering your similar or identical ones.

This is one area where resources like Wikipedia hold the promise to affect change, because they are essentially realtime and allow the population to really take a look at somebody's track record. Yeah, there will certainly be bias and it doesn't completely eliminate the opportunities for coverups and misdirection, but compared to where we've been - where anything a public figure says is totally temporal and has no context - it's a huge improvement. I don't think these resources are widely used in this way - we still have a really old population - but just in time learning is something younger folks are getting better and better at daily, and IMHO they truly hold the promise for real change. It'll take time for voters to adapt to this new type of information flow and probably even more time for politicians to understand that everything they say will be taken in context and across time, but I have high hopes we'll get there. Consider how relatively recently it's been true that what someone says in California will be compared against what they said in Washington! That wasn't always the case...

21Kid

June 10th, 2014, 12:03 PM

I agree. I don't think it's okay that Obama did it merely because Bush did it. I find it extremely misleading to say that NOW WE'RE IN DANGER because these 5 were released, when over 500 have already been released (no matter who released them). And with much more real threats locally, like gun violence, that effects many people (almost every day).

I don't know how I feel about the 1 American vs 5 terrorist release, honestly. I do think we should try to protect our own. However, if there's a clear idication that in bringing this one home, dozens or hundreds of people could get hurt by the acts of the people we release, it should be weighed and decided on cohesively. I've read some reports that they would have to be let go soon anyway. Not sure if that's true or not. :|

thesameguy

June 10th, 2014, 12:24 PM

This is some fucked up shit: I have real doubts that putting 505 terrorists in jail is any different from putting five in jail. Drops in the bucket. Would America crumble if the president was in jail? What about the entirety of Congress? Fuck no, some other douchebags would step forward and yet some other douchebags would elect them and everything would continue on. The only way to stop an activity is to stop the thinking behind the activity, not jail the people engaged in it. We have drug problems because people like to do drugs. We have terror problems because people like to be terrorists. We have crime problems because as often than not doing something against the law is easier than complying. The only way to stop these things is to get people to stop liking drugs, stop liking JIHAD HOLY WAR, and stop liking to do things the easy way. While I certainly can't argue that nabbing leaders and figureheads can be big setbacks, will buy some time, and will save some problems in the short term, Terror Cell A isn't going to say, "Shit, they got Tim, let's go back to school and get degrees in medical office management."

So I say let's trade prisoners and at least win a battle where there's a clear victory - getting a citizen back to his country and family. That's something to feel good about. We don't need terrorists clogging up our jails anyway. We should be saving them for drug dealers.

LHutton

June 10th, 2014, 02:58 PM

Aside from the acts which the released detainees may or may not commit, the real problem is that you've encouraged the taking of US and Allied military personnel as hostages. There's now an exchange-rate set up. One hostage equals 5 detainees released. Maybe next time they'll hold out for 6. So in getting this citizen back to his family and country you've increased the chance that other citizens will be separated from family and country.

thesameguy

June 10th, 2014, 03:12 PM

That is potentially true, but not certainly true. Maybe you've encouraged the taking of hostages - but would not exchanging them guarantee no further hostages were taken? Nope. The whole "we do not negotiate with terrorists" isn't true now and has never been true, and everyone knows it. Everything is a negotiation, up to and including the exchange of prisoners.

overpowered

June 11th, 2014, 09:35 PM

Oklahoma Tea Party Candidate Supports Stoning Gay People to Death (http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/06/11/oklahoma_tea_party_candidate_scott_esk_supports_st oning_gay_people_to_death.html)

LHutton

June 12th, 2014, 04:58 AM

Oklahoma Tea Party Candidate Supports Stoning Gay People to Death (http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/06/11/oklahoma_tea_party_candidate_scott_esk_supports_st oning_gay_people_to_death.html)

Related:

http://news.yahoo.com/perry-discusses-view-homosexuality-084840239--politics.html

He said: "I may have the genetic coding that I'm inclined to be an alcoholic, but I have the desire not to do that, and I look at the homosexual issue the same way."

Crazed_Insanity

June 12th, 2014, 08:20 AM

So basically Perry is saying it's okay to have a few homosexual sex casually when social events require it, just as long as you don't abuse and over do it like alcoholics do it or just make sure your wife won't find out exactly how many men you actually humped? ;)

Anyway, Perry's gotta watch his back for stones from Oklahoma may come flying right at him.

sandydandy

June 12th, 2014, 08:42 AM

Some Canadian politics...it's election day today in the province of Ontario!

Three parties struggling for power:

Liberals - just left of center, currently in power. Promising to waste our money as much as possible, with billion dollar boondoggles, one after the other.

NDP (New Democrat Party) - extreme left...no concept of reality, no concrete plan other than raising everyone's taxes and raising the minimum wage to $14/hr. This will make McWorkers very happy.

And lastly there's PC (Progressive Conservatives) - right of center. Saying all the right things, but not too sure how effective their strategy would be. They plan to create one million jobs out of thin air via corporate tax cuts. Uhh, good luck in a risk averse economy. Though one can't ignore past corruption among their ranks. Ie. a guy (who I voted for last time) living and working near Toronto, claiming travel expenses from Niagara Falls because he owns a house there. Such horseshit.

Anyway in summary, they're all shit parties and candidates. I'll lean toward PC because of past loyalty...but really I should just write my own name on the ballot.

overpowered

June 12th, 2014, 09:06 AM

https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/t1.0-9/10177906_689184947785871_8205479943968892268_n.jpg

21Kid

June 12th, 2014, 10:02 AM

OP... So true. :lol: :| :( :smh:

Though one can't ignore past corruption among their ranks. Ie. a guy (who I voted for last time) living and working near Toronto, claiming travel expenses from Niagara Falls because he owns a house there. Such horseshit.
LOL. That's your idea of corruption?!? ;)

sandydandy

June 12th, 2014, 10:49 AM

OP... So true. :lol: :| :( :smh:

LOL. That's your idea of corruption?!? ;) Well the way I see it is if you steal $10 or $10,000 from the public purse, you're corrupt. This guy was disgraced and forced to resign, and rightfully so.

Yw-slayer

June 13th, 2014, 11:42 PM

Subtlety. :lol:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/business/international/hong-kong-media-worries-over-chinas-reach-as-ads-disappear.html?_r=1

followed by

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2014-06/13/content_17583987.htm

overpowered

June 14th, 2014, 01:07 AM

Duh?

neanderthal

June 18th, 2014, 12:28 AM

Am I the only one who thinks that this kidnapping of the suspected mastermind for the Benghazi bombings could mean that they (terrorist groups) will try to do the same thing to Bush, Cheney et al?

Yw-slayer

June 18th, 2014, 01:56 AM

Duh?

Positive man is positive.

overpowered

June 18th, 2014, 10:13 AM

Can you find Benghazi?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/can-you-find-benghazi/?tid=sm_fb

I got 19 miles.

21Kid

June 18th, 2014, 10:49 AM

196 miles... meh.

I have been trying to ignore all of the bs "news" about this "scandal"

sandydandy

June 18th, 2014, 12:28 PM

I don't even know what it's about. Not sure I want to. One of those stories where I just read the headlines without reading the articles.

21Kid

June 18th, 2014, 01:04 PM

It's been 2 years of BS scandal stories about a huge cover-up(there's no scandal).

neanderthal

June 18th, 2014, 07:02 PM

I don't even know what it's about. Not sure I want to. One of those stories where I just read the headlines without reading the articles.

It's about Republicans (and their parrots/ dittoheads) tilting at windmills, crying wolf and screaming that the sky is falling. As they have done with every single issue they and their talking heads have done from day one.

Make the lie big. Repeat the lie. Repeat the lie. Repeat the lie.

Let's see;
He's not an American.
He's Kenyan.
He's Muslim.
He has a Kenyan Birth Certificate.
The Hawaiian Governor said they can't find his birth certificate.
He's not a Christian.
He wasn't born in the US.
Barack HUSSEIN Obama.
He's a socialist.
He's a communist.
He's a Marxist.
He ate dogs.
He's not a patriot.
He was educated in a madrassa.
He didn't wear a flag pin. (Really?!?! I mean really????)
He didn't put his hand over his heart.
He didn't say the oath.
He didn't use a Bible.
He's a Muslim.
He sold out Israel.
He dissed Netanyahu.
He didn't graduate from Harvard.
No wait, he didn't graduate from Occidental.
He's really Barry Seotoro.
He waited 8 days to react to the 2010 BP oil spill.
He gave Interpol the right to arrest US citizens.
He called US soldiers murderers.
He said small business owners didn't build their own businesses.
He bailed out the banks and car companies.
He banned incandescent light bulbs.
He's making us more dependent on foreign oil.
He's interfering with US oil production.
He said sub prime lending was a good idea.
He's responsible for the debt.
He's responsible for the deficit.
He's the reason why the economy crashed.
He got rid of a bust of Winston Churchill because he didn't like him.
He's hanging illegal art in the White House (or something like that. I can't remember the exact details)
He's a terrorist because the pastor at his church said controversial things.
He's a terrorist because he hangs out with terrorists.
His health care plan has death panels.
HE'S COMING TO TAKE YOUR GUNS!!!!!!

I could go on and on and on about all the lies, and how each one was magnified and amplified and repeated and parroted and echoed until every half wit in the country believed and or repeated it. Even though a simple Google search would have allayed those fears immediately.

Because the lie that aligns with your prejudices is a lot more comfortable than the truth.

TL; DR
It's been 2 years of BS scandal stories about a huge cover-up (there's no scandal).

sandydandy

June 18th, 2014, 08:26 PM

Oh ok, are you sure it's just that? LOL...I thought it was just somebody got killed in a place called Benghazi, and it's supposedly Obama's fault.

Yw-slayer

June 18th, 2014, 09:01 PM

306 miles, FUCK YEAH!!!

neanderthal

June 18th, 2014, 11:09 PM

Oh ok, are you sure it's just that? LOL...I thought it was just somebody got killed in a place called Benghazi, and it's supposedly Obama's fault.

4 people were killed, including the US ambassador. Obama has maintained that it was a result of Islamic fundamentalists displeasure at a movie that disparaged Islam. Of course, that led to Republicans and everyone on Fox News saying that he was hiding something. They made up reasons for the failure; he knew about the attacks and didn't send troops (that was discounted) etc etc never once acknowledging that they in fact (Republicans) had cut funding for consular security in the previous budget. They also roped in Hilary Clinton, who was secretary of State at the time, and hounded her too, trying to lay blame at her feet. She had clearly stated and it's on public record, that the budget cuts enacted by the Republicans would lead to American deaths. This led to inquiry after inquiry, investigation after investigation, all leading to the same thing, but based on the flimsiest of evidence, and contrary to facts and actual circumstance. (Some have speculated that it was a pre emptive attack on her presidential bid; an effort to discredit her in the eyes of the voters.)

This mantle was of course taken up by Fox and repeated ad nauseum by every single Republican leader and politician, every single talking head and pundit, and parroted by their followers and sheeple.

Either way they have conjured up a narrative that ill fits the facts. And tried to castigate Obama and Clinton over the whole affair.

21Kid

June 19th, 2014, 07:15 AM

IMO, the only mistake that he made was addressing it too quickly before getting all of the facts. I can't for the life of me understand what else they think they'll find.
It's been almost 2 years now and a lot more pressing matters have come up in the mean time.

Yw-slayer

June 19th, 2014, 07:19 AM

You think your politicians are morons? Check this out...

佔領中環 --- They can kill this city!: http://youtu.be/QEH_TdDwXjo

21Kid

June 19th, 2014, 12:11 PM

Madison — Prosecutors allege Gov. Scott Walker was at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups to help his campaign and those of Republican state senators fend off recall elections during 2011 and '12, according to documents unsealed Thursday.

In the documents, prosecutors lay out what they call an extensive "criminal scheme" to bypass state election laws by Walker, his campaign and two top deputies — R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl.

The governor and his close confidants helped raise money and control spending through 12 conservative groups during the recall elections, according to the prosecutors' filings.

The documents include an excerpt from an email in which Walker tells Karl Rove, former top adviser to President George W. Bush, that Johnson would lead the coordination campaign. Johnson is also chief adviser to Wisconsin Club for Growth, a conservative group active in the recall elections.

"Bottom-line: R.J. helps keep in place a team that is wildly successful in Wisconsin. We are running 9 recall elections and it will be like 9 congressional markets in every market in the state (and Twin Cities)," Walker wrote to Rove on May 4, 2011.

About time (http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/federal-judge-unseals-hundreds-of-documents-in-john-doe-probe-b99295017z1-263839791.html)

21Kid

June 19th, 2014, 12:23 PM

Wow...

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly is being applauded for grilling Dick Cheney over an op-ed in which the former vice president and his daughter harshly — and some say hypocritically — criticized President Barack Obama's handling of the crisis in Iraq.

In the op-ed, published by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Cheney writes, "Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many."

During her interview with Cheney and his daughter Liz on Wednesday night, Kelly introduced him as "the man who helped lead us into Iraq in the first place."

She read the quote back to the former vice president and then said, "But time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong in Iraq as well, sir."

"You said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Kelly told Cheney. "You said we would be greeted as liberators. You said the insurgency was in the last throes, back in 2005. And you said after our intervention that extremists would have to 'rethink their strategy of jihad.' Now with almost $1 trillion spent there, with 4,500 American lives lost there, what do you say to those who say, 'You were so wrong about so much at the expense of so many'?" Bravo!

tigeraid

June 19th, 2014, 12:35 PM

You know it's bad when even a Republican puppet calls him out on the bullshit. :eek:

speedpimp

June 19th, 2014, 02:50 PM

Got within 414 miles of Benghazi.

Mo, you forgot to mention that Obama is a Muslim.

overpowered

June 19th, 2014, 04:18 PM

Not the first time she's gone off script. Most of the time she seems like such an air head but sometimes she gets something right.

Crazed_Insanity

June 20th, 2014, 07:51 AM

Don't really pay much attention to fox news... so what was Cheney's response?

I heard on NPR that Rumsfeld still isn't very apologetic about Iraq. He actually believes that history will eventually be on his or Bush admin's side! Wonder what he knows that we don't know...

LHutton

June 20th, 2014, 12:12 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I

overpowered

June 20th, 2014, 12:36 PM

Megyn on 2012 election night with Karl Rove:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1lJ3tfQFpc

overpowered

June 21st, 2014, 12:30 PM

http://upw-prod-images.global.ssl.fastly.net/nugget/53a0892dc05df87e7b000045/attachments/TMW2014-03-19colorLARGE-49252bcadd273dc5bde952575ef107fe.jpg

LHutton

June 22nd, 2014, 01:03 AM

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/13/ukraine-us-war-russia-john-pilger

In Ukraine, the US is dragging us towards war with Russia
Washington's role in Ukraine, and its backing for the regime's neo-Nazis, has huge implications for the rest of the world

Why do we tolerate the threat of another world war in our name? Why do we allow lies that justify this risk? The scale of our indoctrination, wrote Harold Pinter, is a "brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis", as if the truth "never happened even while it was happening".

Every year the American historian William Blum publishes his "updated summary of the record of US foreign policy" which shows that, since 1945, the US has tried to overthrow more than 50 governments, many of them democratically elected; grossly interfered in elections in 30 countries; bombed the civilian populations of 30 countries; used chemical and biological weapons; and attempted to assassinate foreign leaders.

In many cases Britain has been a collaborator. The degree of human suffering, let alone criminality, is little acknowledged in the west, despite the presence of the world's most advanced communications and nominally most free journalism. That the most numerous victims of terrorism – "our" terrorism – are Muslims, is unsayable. That extreme jihadism, which led to 9/11, was nurtured as a weapon of Anglo-American policy (Operation Cyclone in Afghanistan) is suppressed. In April the US state department noted that, following Nato's campaign in 2011, "Libya has become a terrorist safe haven".

The name of "our" enemy has changed over the years, from communism to Islamism, but generally it is any society independent of western power and occupying strategically useful or resource-rich territory, or merely offering an alternative to US domination. The leaders of these obstructive nations are usually violently shoved aside, such as the democrats Muhammad Mossedeq in Iran, Arbenz in Guatemala and Salvador Allende in Chile, or they are murdered like Patrice Lumumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All are subjected to a western media campaign of vilification – think Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, now Vladimir Putin.

Washington's role in Ukraine is different only in its implications for the rest of us. For the first time since the Reagan years, the US is threatening to take the world to war. With eastern Europe and the Balkans now military outposts of Nato, the last "buffer state" bordering Russia – Ukraine – is being torn apart by fascist forces unleashed by the US and the EU. We in the west are now backing neo-Nazis in a country where Ukrainian Nazis backed Hitler.

Having masterminded the coup in February against the democratically elected government in Kiev, Washington's planned seizure of Russia's historic, legitimate warm-water naval base in Crimea failed. The Russians defended themselves, as they have done against every threat and invasion from the west for almost a century.

But Nato's military encirclement has accelerated, along with US-orchestrated attacks on ethnic Russians in Ukraine. If Putin can be provoked into coming to their aid, his pre-ordained "pariah" role will justify a Nato-run guerrilla war that is likely to spill into Russia itself.

Instead, Putin has confounded the war party by seeking an accommodation with Washington and the EU, by withdrawing Russian troops from the Ukrainian border and urging ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine to abandon the weekend's provocative referendum. These Russian-speaking and bilingual people – a third of Ukraine's population – have long sought a democratic federation that reflects the country's ethnic diversity and is both autonomous of Kiev and independent of Moscow. Most are neither "separatists" nor "rebels", as the western media calls them, but citizens who want to live securely in their homeland.

Like the ruins of Iraq and Afghanistan, Ukraine has been turned into a CIA theme park – run personally by CIA director John Brennan in Kiev, with dozens of "special units" from the CIA and FBI setting up a "security structure" that oversees savage attacks on those who opposed the February coup. Watch the videos, read the eye-witness reports from the massacre in Odessa this month. Bussed fascist thugs burned the trade union headquarters, killing 41 people trapped inside. Watch the police standing by.

A doctor described trying to rescue people, "but I was stopped by pro-Ukrainian Nazi radicals. One of them pushed me away rudely, promising that soon me and other Jews of Odessa are going to meet the same fate. What occurred yesterday didn't even take place during the fascist occupation in my town in world war two. I wonder, why the whole world is keeping silent." [see footnote]

Russian-speaking Ukrainians are fighting for survival. When Putin announced the withdrawal of Russian troops from the border, the Kiev junta's defence secretary, Andriy Parubiy – a founding member of the fascist Svoboda party – boasted that attacks on "insurgents" would continue. In Orwellian style, propaganda in the west has inverted this to Moscow "trying to orchestrate conflict and provocation", according to William Hague. His cynicism is matched by Obama's grotesque congratulations to the coup junta on its "remarkable restraint" after the Odessa massacre. The junta, says Obama, is "duly elected". As Henry Kissinger once said: "It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but what is perceived to be true."

In the US media the Odessa atrocity has been played down as "murky" and a "tragedy" in which "nationalists" (neo-Nazis) attacked "separatists" (people collecting signatures for a referendum on a federal Ukraine). Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal damned the victims – "Deadly Ukraine Fire Likely Sparked by Rebels, Government Says". Propaganda in Germany has been pure cold war, with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung warning its readers of Russia's "undeclared war". For the Germans, it is a poignant irony that Putin is the only leader to condemn the rise of fascism in 21st-century Europe.

A popular truism is that "the world changed" following 9/11. But what has changed? According to the great whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, a silent coup has taken place in Washington and rampant militarism now rules. The Pentagon currently runs "special operations" – secret wars – in 124 countries. At home, rising poverty and a loss of liberty are the historic corollary of a perpetual war state. Add the risk of nuclear war, and the question is: why do we tolerate this?

www.johnpilger.com

• The following footnote was appended on 16 May 2014: The quotation from a doctor who says he was "stopped by pro-Ukrainian Nazi radicals" was from an account on a Facebook page that has subsequently been removed.

overpowered

June 28th, 2014, 10:07 PM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10456467_906580592701922_5903944908350429496_n.jpg

Freude am Fahren

June 30th, 2014, 01:51 PM

Another unsurprising, and stupid result from the Supreme Court

"Would the exemption…extend to employers with religiously grounded objections to blood transfusions (Jehovah's Witnesses); antidepressants (Scientologists); medications derived from pigs, including anesthesia, intravenous fluids, and pills coated with gelatin (certain Muslims, Jews, and Hindus); and vaccinations[?]…Not much help there for the lower courts bound by today's decision."

"Approving some religious claims while deeming others unworthy of accommodation could be 'perceived as favoring one religion over another,' the very 'risk the [Constitution's] Establishment Clause was designed to preclude."

"The court, I fear, has ventured into a minefield."

21Kid

June 30th, 2014, 01:54 PM

yup. :smh:

Crazed_Insanity

July 2nd, 2014, 07:50 AM

Yeah, even as a religious person, I find supreme courts decision surprising.

Why should a corporation be allowed to infringed upon the religious freedom rights of its employees?

But hopefully Obamacare would solve this particular issue. Our employers really shouldn't also be our medical provider. They shouldn't dictate how we should receive medical care... nor should we lose our medical care when we lose our jobs.

Ideally we should be able to afford to buy our own insurance... and allow govt to subsidize for the poor and perhaps companies can give us additional benefits(or just give us higher pay so that we can pay for our own damn insurance), then problem solved.

But medical insurance aside, I disagree with the court's ruling that employer religious belief trumps employees' religious belief. Isn't it the govt's job to protect the rights of the weak/poor? I know govt shouldn't force companies to do stuff, but likewise, companies shouldn't force workers to do stuffs either. Perhaps Supreme court just lost sight of the individual people since it only sees this as the big government picking on a relatively small company? It is kinda wrong to force a company owner to provide something that he believes is morally wrong, still, I think it's more wrong to allow the boss to force his religious belief onto his employees too.

Anyway, for now I guess the easiest fix is just to let taxpayers pick up the bill for birth control. Hopefully eventually, we can all choose the kind of medical insurance we want by buying our own insurance.

LHutton

July 6th, 2014, 03:10 PM

Germany - the latest member on the US axis of evil watch list.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10946155/German-agent-arrested-for-spying-for-US.html

German agent arrested for spying for US

thesameguy

July 7th, 2014, 02:16 AM

The dude was spying for the US, not on the US. Maybe.

I think it's delusional to think everyone isn't spying on everyone all the time. Especially "us" - we spy on "you" all the time. Snowden was fairly reasonable proof of that. The only surprise here is that dude got caught red-handed.

overpowered

July 7th, 2014, 08:25 PM

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/the_slatest/2014/07/07/hobby_lobby_jihadist_photo_side_by_side_of_two_ver y_different_ideologies/screen_shot_20140707_at_2.09.43_pm.png.CROP.promov ar-mediumlarge.09.43_pm.png

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/07/07/hobby_lobby_jihadist_photo_side_by_side_of_two_ver y_different_ideologies.html

Yw-slayer

July 8th, 2014, 09:00 PM

:lol:

Extremists are all the same.

Denetti

July 8th, 2014, 09:25 PM

It's even more of a fail because she hung the flag backwards.

overpowered

July 9th, 2014, 11:04 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10513337_912948892065092_2025578255267731111_n.jpg

LHutton

July 9th, 2014, 01:53 PM

There are no drugs on Mars either.

21Kid

July 9th, 2014, 04:03 PM

That's got to be made up... My 5th grade daughter knows better than that.

Jason

July 9th, 2014, 05:13 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/08/brandon-smith-mars-climate-change_n_5568058.html

overpowered

July 9th, 2014, 07:38 PM

So Kentucky state senators are not smarter than a 5th grader.

LHutton

July 10th, 2014, 01:21 AM

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10513337_912948892065092_2025578255267731111_n.jpg

Was he trying to imply that the change in temperature has been the same, or really saying that the temperature is the same?

tigeraid

July 10th, 2014, 09:46 AM

These people run your country.

THESE PEOPLE RUN YOUR COUNTRY.

LHutton

July 10th, 2014, 12:09 PM

These people ruin your country.

THESE PEOPLE RUIN YOUR COUNTRY.
^Subtle correction made, wee if you can spot it.

MR2 Fan

July 10th, 2014, 01:06 PM

I have nothing but disdain for a lot of republicans...but John Boehner...I don't hate him for some reason...mostly because I can never understand him. He seems to be forever teetering from being a normal guy who might actually do something once in a while, to being anti-everything, like his fellow republicans want.

I feel like he is an empty suit that's being puppeted around like no one's business, and I actually feel bad for him sometimes. Am I wrong?

Jason

July 10th, 2014, 03:47 PM

Yes.

Because if he is an empty suit being puppeted around, it's because someone is lining his pockets. This makes him a piece of shit.

Unless someone has his family at gun point or something.

21Kid

July 11th, 2014, 09:57 AM

I'm still baffled how (legal) bribes are thought to be okay in politics. Didn't bribery used to be illegal? And now it's not only allowed, but there are laws protecting it. Don't other countries prosecute politicians who take bribes?

I often debate going into politics, just to undo all of the politics.

I wonder if I could start a kickstarter campaign stating that I will:
never accept a bribe
work towards the benefit of all of my constituents
work to undo citizens united and similar things that hurt the average people's voice

FaultyMario

July 11th, 2014, 11:35 AM

LHutton

July 11th, 2014, 02:10 PM

Russia writes off $32bn Cuban debt in show of brotherly love (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/10/russia-writes-off-cuban-debt)

Taking notes, Washington?

Vlad's no sister of mercy, he's doing biz-niz.
Apparently they're going to be setting up a military base and drilling in exchange.

The US fucked with their hemisphere, now they are fucking with the US hemisphere.

George

July 11th, 2014, 02:18 PM

Nice to see some light-hearted news...or has the Fox news crowd crucified the president for this?

Obama whips out roll of twenties to pay for BBQ lunch, then realizes he must use a card (http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Free-lunch-in-Austin-after-Obama-cuts-in-line-5612934.php#photo-6579434)

"Mmmm, that looks good!"

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579436/3/622x350.jpg

"How much for one rib?" (old joke from obscure movie)

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579438/3/622x350.jpg

"Wait, how much does that cost? I'm a little short until payday."

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579440/3/622x350.jpg

"Hi. Nice to see ya. Say, can you spot me a twenty?"

http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579441/3/622x350.jpg

"Thanks kids. I'll see if that will work."

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579444/3/622x350.jpg

Secret Service Agent: "Uh, Mr. President..."

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579439/3/622x350.jpg

"Yo! I got this!"

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579434/3/622x350.jpg

"Later, suckahs!"

http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/31/06/23/6579431/3/622x350.jpg

LHutton

July 12th, 2014, 01:29 PM

Palin would have bought stockings.

speedpimp

July 12th, 2014, 06:53 PM

She has the legs for them, Barack doesn't.

Yw-slayer

July 13th, 2014, 03:52 AM

I'm sure he doesn't have chicken legs, though, RIGHT BRA?

speedpimp

July 13th, 2014, 03:51 PM

That's racist, dude.

Yw-slayer

July 13th, 2014, 04:59 PM

It's a gym reference. Do you even lift?

MR2 Fan

July 13th, 2014, 05:04 PM

It's a gym reference. Do you even lift?

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/DO+YOU+EVEN+LIFT.+I+FUCKING+LIFT...+my+fuzzy+blank ets_161148_4083672.png

speedpimp

July 14th, 2014, 03:27 PM

It's a gym reference. Do you even lift?

I was yanking your chain, Lord Barrister.

Yw-slayer

July 14th, 2014, 06:20 PM

PROTEIN, BRA

speedpimp

July 15th, 2014, 02:41 PM

Yes, Lord Barrister, protein sources usually do reside inside of bras, bra.

LHutton

July 16th, 2014, 06:34 AM

Russia writes off $32bn Cuban debt in show of brotherly love (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/10/russia-writes-off-cuban-debt)

Taking notes, Washington?

Vlad's no sister of mercy, he's doing biz-niz.
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-agrees-reopen-cuba-spy-110458401.html

Russia 'agrees to reopen Cuba spy base'

The base was set up in 1964 after the Cuban missile crisis to spy on the United States. Just 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the US coast, it was the Soviet Union's largest covert military outpost abroad with up to 3,000 staff.

FaultyMario

July 16th, 2014, 10:18 AM

In other news: Sweet financial deal clauses cause ethical dilemma! (noshit.sherlock.com)

LHutton

July 16th, 2014, 12:25 PM

In other news: Sweet financial deal clauses cause ethical dilemma! (noshit.sherlock.com)
The website, "No shit Sherlock cannot be found." I get the feeling you're trying to tell me something, except with URLs.

FaultyMario

July 16th, 2014, 04:10 PM

The website, "No shit Sherlock cannot be found." I get the feeling you're trying to tell me something, except with URLs.

You must be confusing me with someone else, zed. (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mental-health-helplines.aspx)

LHutton

July 17th, 2014, 03:12 AM

You must be confusing me with someone else, zed. (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/Pages/mental-health-helplines.aspx)
I was quite interested in the one that said 'Beaverment' until I realised it said 'Bereavement'.

Jason

July 17th, 2014, 04:54 PM

Between Russia/Separatists downing a passenger plane, and Israel invading Gaza... today has been interesting.

LHutton

July 18th, 2014, 01:53 AM

Between Russia/Separatists downing a passenger plane, and Israel invading Gaza... today has been interesting.
Got to love Israel. Quick, a plane has come down, invade now, while no one is watching.

thesameguy

July 18th, 2014, 12:07 PM

Ha, classic misdirection!

George

July 18th, 2014, 12:39 PM

Heh. Maybe the Israelis shot down that plane!

LHutton

July 18th, 2014, 12:44 PM

Heh. Maybe the Israelis shot down that plane!
I wouldn't go that far.

21Kid

July 18th, 2014, 02:06 PM

Neither would the missile.

LHutton

July 19th, 2014, 12:56 AM

Neither would the missile.
Theoretically SM-3 Block IIA will, although Israel don't have that.
http://breakingdefense.com/2013/10/why-russia-keeps-moving-the-football-on-european-missile-defense-politics/

http://breakingdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/10/EPAA-JOan-op-ed-figure2.jpg

As for Block IIB, theoretically >60% further.

LHutton

July 19th, 2014, 12:44 PM

http://theaviationist.com/2014/07/16/russian-radars-back-to-cuba/

http://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Pechora.jpg

Putin is about to reactivate a Russian radar reconnaissance center in Cuba.
The radar station is to use the existing infrastructure located just 100 miles off the coast of Florida used by the Russians until Jan. 27, 2002 to intercept the data from the U.S. satellites and U.S. Navy communication systems.

Raul Castro, who in 1993 was Cuban Minister of Defense, said that about 75% of the intelligence gathered by the Russians in overall, was collected by means of Cuban radars.

Nevertheless, at the beginning of the century, the infrastructure, which employed circa 1,000 people, was too expensive to maintain: 580 million USD (20 billion Rubles), including 200 million USD paid just for the presence of the Russians.

The situation and aims of the Russians have changed significantly since then, and according to the Polish defense outlet Dziennik Zbrojny, Putin is planning the reactivation of the Cuban radar installation, most probably to put some more pressure on the U.S. in the region, more than 50 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Havana is going to take advantage of the renewed relationship: according to some media outlets, the Cuban outstanding debt towards Russia has been reduced by 90%, which equals 32 billion USD; the remaining 10% are to be paid by 6-month installments.

LHutton

July 19th, 2014, 01:42 PM

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/19/putin-sanctions-abu-ghraib-soldiers-and-guantanamo-officials.html

Moscow has retaliated against Obama in an awfully odd way – by sanctioning the abusive soldiers of Abu Ghraib and the officials in charge of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
If former Abu Ghraib prison guard Lyndee England ever wants to vacation in Russia, she is set to be disappointed – Russian President Vladimir Putin just banned her from ever entering the country.

overpowered

July 23rd, 2014, 11:49 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb62fpsyhC4

http://aattp.org/in-their-own-words-white-conservative-men-explain-why-they-hate-obama-and-the-government-video/

tigeraid

July 23rd, 2014, 09:07 PM

That is horrifying.

"I don't care for government. They don't show me anything." "But you're on food stamps!" "Yeah but I think I deserve food stamps, cuz I'm unemployed!"

thesameguy

July 23rd, 2014, 09:34 PM

Hard to say if that's better or worse than Congressmen who oppose ACA on principal while getting health benefits from the government.

overpowered

July 24th, 2014, 12:07 AM

That is horrifying.

"I don't care for government. They don't show me anything." "But you're on food stamps!" "Yeah but I think I deserve food stamps, cuz I'm unemployed!"Have you ever been to Mississippi or any other deep southern state?

I have. I have relatives in Tennessee. Nothing in that video was even mildly surprising to me.

For that matter, you can find people exactly like that right here in San Diego.

thesameguy

July 24th, 2014, 12:32 AM

Yeah - and let's be honest - stupid, uninformed people aren't a deep south problem and aren't even an American problem. There are stupid, uninformed people everywhere, in every country. Our collection in the deep south just might be the funniest is all.

overpowered

July 24th, 2014, 02:27 AM

I would guess that the concentration of people like that is higher in the deep south, but by no means exclusive to that area.

LHutton

July 24th, 2014, 10:31 AM

In other news: Sweet financial deal clauses cause ethical dilemma! (noshit.sherlock.com)
This wasn't the kind of ethical dilemma I was expecting.

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-agrees-reopen-cuba-spy-110458401.html

Russia 'agrees to reopen Cuba spy base'

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/air-algerie-crash-fidel-castros-3907484

Air Algerie crash: Fidel Castro's niece Mariela 'was on doomed Flight AH5017' with 115 others

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608010877912157548&pid=15.1&P=0

FaultyMario

July 24th, 2014, 01:51 PM

It's really funny, how, no matter how hard you try, you.are.not.funny.

LHutton

July 25th, 2014, 12:35 PM

It's really funny, how, no matter how hard you try, you.are.not.funny.
This is definitely among the poorest posts I have ever read. It's difficult to have a civilised conversation when you resort to such petit insults.

Have a nice weekend on separate note.

speedpimp

July 25th, 2014, 01:00 PM

The difference between Indiana and Alabama is that Indiana gets snow.

FaultyMario

July 30th, 2014, 04:10 PM

House greenlights the lawsuit against the former constitutional theoris (http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/obama-a-constitutional-law-professor/)t.

Jason

July 31st, 2014, 04:28 PM

Technically, the Republicans are probably in the right on this... it's just fucked up, because they are suing him for doing exactly what they asked for originally.

Then today, they decide to not vote on funding for improving the border... another thing they have been asking Obama to do.

It's a real load of fuckery.

thesameguy

July 31st, 2014, 06:36 PM

I propose we rename it Washington RLF right now.

August 1st, 2014, 02:04 AM

Care to expain something.

Who/what is Jody Hice?
Is Supreme Court actually just an extension of political parties?
What is generally happening there?

LHutton

August 1st, 2014, 05:35 AM

I hear the NSA is being sued in connection with not releasing the financial transactions of its former chief following allegations of selling state secrets. Privacy was stated as the reason.

LHutton

August 1st, 2014, 05:37 AM

I hear the NSA is being sued in connection with not releasing the financial records of its former chief following allegations of selling state secrets. Privacy was stated as the reason.:assclown:

FaultyMario

August 5th, 2014, 12:00 PM

USAid pays $5.24/hr to untrained moles. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/04/report-u-s-aid-used-hiv-program-in-cuba-to-foment-rebellion/)

overpowered

August 5th, 2014, 12:01 PM

Rep claims ‘war on whites’ being waged (http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/rep-claims-war-on-whites-being-waged-315067459646)

thesameguy

August 5th, 2014, 01:13 PM

I've been feeling very victimized for a long time, so I'm happy to have an explanation.

21Kid

August 5th, 2014, 03:02 PM

:erm:

LHutton

August 6th, 2014, 07:39 AM

I've been feeling very victimized for a long time, so I'm happy to have an explanation.
I thought it was about washing powder.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardstiennon/2014/07/03/is-there-a-second-nsa-leaker/

Is There A Second NSA Leaker?

LHutton

August 7th, 2014, 02:41 PM

http://nypost.com/2014/08/06/netanyahu-asks-us-to-help-israel-avoid-war-crime-charges/

Netanyahu asks US to help Israel avoid war crime charges

overpowered

August 8th, 2014, 01:54 AM

Local Kansas GOP official: ‘Offending Muslims is the duty of any civilized person. Especially with a .45.’ (http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article1160420.html)

21Kid

August 8th, 2014, 10:22 AM

Local Kansas GOP official: ‘Offending Muslims is the duty of any civilized person. Especially with a .45.’ (http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article1160420.html)
Told that the words were explosive, Ellzey said, “You’re right,” and said at another point, “I’m not trying to give offense to anybody.”

:erm:

overpowered

August 9th, 2014, 09:59 AM

Koch Brothers Exposed: 2014 Edition (http://www.bravenewfilms.org/koch_brothers_exposed_2014_edition)

LHutton

August 10th, 2014, 01:55 AM

This is the most diabolical thing I've ever heard of, the final nullification of democracy.

http://news.abnxcess.com/2013/08/under-tppa-corporations-can-sue-governments-in-international-arbitration-tribunals/

Under TPPA, corporations can sue Governments in international arbitration tribunals

thesameguy

August 11th, 2014, 03:01 PM

I like it. Obvious marker that we're on the path to destruction - no room for interpretation.

FaultyMario

August 12th, 2014, 06:35 AM

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Wikileaks-Ban-Ki-Moon-Worked-with-Israel-to-Undermine-UN-Report-20140809-0020.html

Wikileaks released documents on Friday that revealed that Ban wrote a letter to the UN Security Council asking its members not to take recommendations by the UN Board of Inquiry about Israeli bombings in Gaza into account.

LHutton

August 12th, 2014, 12:49 PM

Wiki Leaks has been busy lately:

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/australian-gagging-order-issued-over-political-bribery-allegations-1.1882530

Australian gagging order issued over political bribery allegations

A sweeping gagging order issued in Australia to block reporting of any bribery allegations involving several international political leaders in the region has been exposed by WikiLeaks.

The Australia-wide gagging order is a superinjunction, which means it also contains a clause insisting that the terms of the order itself should remain secret.

In a statement published with the leak, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, said the gagging order relates to a case that “concerns the subsidiaries of the Australian central bank”.

overpowered

August 12th, 2014, 08:29 PM

CO Republican: Fracking is okay, it’s natural for water to burn. ‘Indians’ used it for warmth. (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/12/co-republican-fracking-is-okay-its-natural-for-water-to-burn-indians-used-it-for-warmth/)

George

August 12th, 2014, 10:13 PM

His hat and and moustache should more than make up for any opposing political beliefs.

LHutton

August 13th, 2014, 04:51 AM

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/12/white-house-will-allow-lobbyists-to-serve-on-federal-advisory-boards/

White House will allow lobbyists to serve on federal advisory boards

thesameguy

August 13th, 2014, 11:21 AM

They allow lobbyists to have appointed positions, why not advisory boards?

LHutton

August 13th, 2014, 12:33 PM

Advice is supposed to be sound and impartial I guess.

thesameguy

August 13th, 2014, 01:50 PM

I would hope government positions are as well - even moreso since they're directly tasked with creating or enforcing law, not just talking about it.

JoshInKC

August 13th, 2014, 08:01 PM

So, am I the only one on here paying attention to what's going down in Ferguson, Missouri?
Cause it seems flat-out nuts how little coverage it's getting in the corporate media.

MR2 Fan

August 13th, 2014, 10:14 PM

plenty of coverage on MSNBC right now

thesameguy

August 13th, 2014, 10:26 PM

Turds.

I'm sorry.

JoshInKC

August 14th, 2014, 05:25 AM

George

August 14th, 2014, 07:16 AM

Sadly, this is nothing new.

Yeah, flag-shirt man with the bag of chips gets my vote as American Of The Week.

LHutton

August 14th, 2014, 10:38 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-got-american-weapons-behind-161002818.html

An amazing Wall Street Journal story today reveals just how bad US-Israel relations have gotten during the Gaza crisis: Israel is going behind President Obama's back, to the Pentagon, to get restocked with American weapons.

How can this happen? When Congress passes bills funding foreign military aid, it doesn't always itemize every item that every country gets. Look at the 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act, for instance, and you'll find that it says "not less than $3,100,000,000 shall be available for grants only for Israel" with only a little more qualification. It's up to the president and the Pentagon to figure out what the Israelis should have and give it to them.

Netanyahu commanded that Obama was "not to ever second-guess me again" about the Gaza war

LHutton

August 14th, 2014, 10:41 AM

Apparently I spoke too soon. I guess arresting journalists is the way to draw the media's attention.
Having been paying attention to it since sunday morning, it's just kind of shocking how little coverage the whole thing was getting - What with it looking like Belfast '84 in a suburb less than 4 hours from my house.

Also, there have been some incredible images coming out -
752
Citizen wearing a flag shirt and throwing a burning teargas canister back at police. AND STILL HOLDING THE BAGS OF CHIPS HE WAS EATING.
Seriously, this is one h@rdc0re son of a bitch.
Didn't you turn your camera off?

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/reminder-you-have-a-right-to-record-the-police-94721403794.html

Around 10 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday night, a St. Louis County police line demanded that a crowd of protesters turn off their cameras. Minutes earlier, the police had ordered what appeared to be a peaceful crowd to disperse, firing smoke grenades and rubber bullets. But none of them have to turn their cameras off.

overpowered

August 17th, 2014, 10:52 PM

How Piketty's Bombshell Book Blows Up Libertarian Fantasies (http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-pikettys-bombshell-book-blows-libertarian-fantasies?akid=11757.312752.f1jAeE&rd=1&src=newsletter986714&t=2&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark)

tigeraid

August 18th, 2014, 06:39 AM

Interesting read. I look forward to the neo-con and libertarian rebuttal.

LHutton

August 19th, 2014, 10:26 AM

I could also post this in the science thread:

http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2014/aug/fracking-redacted.cfm

"What I'm concerned about is it looks as if the government has got something to hide,” she said. “This is a report that purports to be about looking at the impacts of shale gas exploitation on rural economies and yet huge amounts of it have been redcated. Were it not so serious, it would almost be comical."

Apparently there's a section on the potential dangers with 12 whole paragraphs censored.

overpowered

August 20th, 2014, 05:28 PM

http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/08/20/cop-ferguson-aims-gun-photographer-will-fucking-kill/

overpowered

August 20th, 2014, 09:07 PM

Todd Starns of Fox News is saying that Obama staged the Michael Brown tragedy.

https://www.facebook.com/ToddStarnesFNC/posts/696845167056985

tigeraid

August 21st, 2014, 01:46 PM

:rolleyes:

http://biasedreality.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/alex_jones_shouting.jpg

Godson

August 21st, 2014, 03:28 PM

The Ferguson thing is nuts.

TheBenior

August 21st, 2014, 07:34 PM

TBH, when I read multiple sources reporting that the Department of Justice tried to convince Ferguson police not the release the robbery video, I did think, "Greeeeaaaat, now they're lending credence to right-wing conspiracy theories..."

overpowered

August 21st, 2014, 11:31 PM

Another black man shot to death by police in St. Louis. WARNING: This video shows a guy getting shot to death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-P54MZVxMU

And of course, the police lie their asses off about it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/20/kajieme-powell-shooting_n_5696546.html

Yes, the guy was belligerent, but he didn't get as close as they say and he doesn't appear to have anything in his hands. If he has a knife, it couldn't be a big one. The call to the police said that the guy had a knife. They could have tazer'd him. There were two cops. If one tazer didn't work, a second probably would have.

Crazed_Insanity

August 22nd, 2014, 08:46 AM

It's obvious that officers used excessive force, but it's also obvious that black young man was asking for it.

When police officers have guns drawn and pointed at you, you better comply to their demands instead of acting aggressive and moving toward them.

From police's point of view, a man acting erratic possibly under the influence... with possible concealed weapon was called out over the radio... you show up to the scene... adrenaline pumping... with the suspect acting crazy and moving toward you... It'd definitely possible adrenaline and fear could alter your perception and think that you're in danger. Or it could be that the black dude gave a couple of racist cops good reasons to just kill him.

Anyway, based on just that video, I don't think police deserves 100% of the fault. However, yeah, do they really have to shot him so many times?

neanderthal

August 22nd, 2014, 10:47 AM

It's obvious that officers used excessive force, but it's also obvious that black young man was asking for it.

Fuck you. Gently. With a rusty chainsaw!

The Police are not judge jury and executioner dumbass. They are supposed to apprehend suspects, not execute them.

Twit.

neanderthal

August 22nd, 2014, 10:48 AM

There are plenty of videos of cops shouting "stop resisting, stop resisting, why are you reaching for my gun" when the person they are beating to a bloody pulp is lying prostate on the ground. Maybe you should educate yourself

JSGeneral

August 22nd, 2014, 10:51 AM

No on all counts.

It's obvious that officers used excessive force, but it's also obvious that black young man was asking for it...

No.

I don't need to read anymore. It's not the cops' job to interpret who deserves to die.

overpowered

August 22nd, 2014, 11:10 AM

I count 9 shots and he's clearly falling to the ground by the 3rd shot; maybe slightly before.

They flat out executed him. They had no interest in apprehending him.

SupraDupra

August 22nd, 2014, 11:32 AM

What boggles my mine is: With ALL that has been going on. Particularly in that area, WHY are either side acting that way?!

21Kid

August 22nd, 2014, 11:46 AM

Wow, even with CI blocked he continues to piss me off.

Sounds like you are asking for it to me! BLAM, BLAM, BLAM. :smh:

overpowered

August 22nd, 2014, 11:52 AM

What boggles my mine is: With ALL that has been going on. Particularly in that area, WHY are either side acting that way?!The guy that got shot is clearly mentally disturbed, to put it mildly. He was yelling "Shoot me!" at cops who had guns drawn. There's little to no accounting for why someone who's insane does what they do.

I don't understand why the cops are doing that though, especially given that it was broad daylight and there were a lot of people around and everyone's got a cell phone camera these days.

TheBenior

August 22nd, 2014, 12:01 PM

If he had a knife in his hand when approaching the police (I can't tell at that distance), that was a completely legal shooting. The general minimum knife length I've read that's capable of doing serious damage to vital organs is 4", but good luck gauging that when the adrenaline is flowing.
It was stupid to make things up in the report, which they presumably did due to ignorance of what constitutes lawful uses of force. I've had more than one co-worker think that we can only shoot if we're "in fear of our lives," when courts have ruled that police can use lethal force on fleeing criminals armed with a deadly weapon, or those who have committed offenses involving death or great bodily harm.

I also can't tell if both or just one of the officers have a Taser, or if it's the single-shot X26 or the 2 shot X2. Departments vary; some train and equip everybody with Tasers, some equip one per car, some have Tasers that have one shot, some have Tasers that have 2 or more shots. I can tell you from experience that a guy with a loose jacket is not a good candidate to tase from the front, especially if they're armed with a lethal weapon. The X26s in particular are bad at that. The X2 is a little more advanced as it will divert more amperage to the dart that's not ideally anchored, and has a second shot in reserve if that fails.

The incident looked like a classic suicide by cop to me, where the individual usually isn't going to hurt anyone else, but they definitely want to make it look like they will. There was one in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood a few years back where the guy had two realistic replica air pistols. He had tried the same thing unsuccessfully the previous year with a toy AK-47, but the responding officer could tell that it wasn't real by the lack of weight/momentum when he moved it, and subsequently tased him. Sadly, instead of getting help, he figured out to get more realistic replica guns and probably to do so on a different shift so that he wouldn't run into any of the same officers who might recognize him.

If it looked like a guy was unambiguously trying a suicide by cop with me using a knife, I'd probably try to tase him since I almost always work a 2 man car and the CPD has switched over to the X2, barring complicating factors like a puffy down jacket which could make a taser ineffectual. I'd like to think that I'd shoot him in the pelvis then, but precision shots get difficult when you add stress. If he's got what looks like a real gun, then he's getting some .45ACP 230gr +P hollowpoints.

One thing I've seen people take offense to out of ignorance is handcuffing of people shot by police. Despite what is commonly seen in movies, handguns do not function like death rays. Only shots to the medulla oblongata are guaranteed instant incapactitation, and those are pretty hard to pull off unless you're sniping a stationary target from behind. 6 years ago, a suburban Chicago police officer (http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/) had a shootout with a bank robber, whom he shot 17 times and who still had vitals when he arrived at the hospital. 6 shots penetrated the heart, both lungs, diaphragm, right kidney, and liver, which are all lethal eventually, but didn't incapacitate him in the short-term. The bank robber was finally dropped by 3 shots to the head, only the last of which was a lethal location.

SupraDupra

August 22nd, 2014, 12:01 PM

There's little to no accounting for why someone who's insane does what they do.

Hard to say if he was blinded by anger/aggression, or, insane. I mean, if he was insane, wouldn't the video have shown him doing what the cops claimed? Looks more like he was hopped up on adrenaline and was trying to "showboat".

overpowered

August 22nd, 2014, 12:13 PM

Cop points gun at journalist and threatens to kill him.

http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/08/20/cop-ferguson-aims-gun-photographer-will-fucking-kill/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zbR824FKpU

TheBenior

August 22nd, 2014, 12:28 PM

That guy's already been suspended indefinitely.

Kajieme Powell Died Because Police Have Become America's Mental-Health Workers (http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2014/08/22/st_louis_police_killed_kajieme_powell_without_unde rstanding_his_mental_illness.html)

Crazed_Insanity

August 22nd, 2014, 01:01 PM

I remember when I was in driver's ed, teacher taught us to put our hands on the steering wheel (so that they're visible) and don't make any sudden moves if we're ever pulled over by the cops. Never get out of the vehicle and approach them. Is that so hard to do? Must we make the lives of cops that much harder? Acting crazy and aggressive on the cops and then when accidents happen, then it's all cops' fault?

For sure it is wrong for the cops to point their guns at unarmed citizens, no argument there. Shooting unarmed citizens and killing them is even worse. Yeah, cop in the above video is suspended indefinitely. You don't need to escalate tension when tension is already freaking high...

However, when cops are pointing their weapons at you and you continue to act aggressively, you ARE asking for it.

Cops' job is to protect and serve. When they violate that public trust, then they deserved to be punished.

However, from a citizen's point of view, we really have no right to provoke cops. Cops have inadvertently shot little kids with toy gun. Does it automatically makes that cop a kid hater?

Whether you agree with me or not, if you're ever in the US and get pulled over by cops, I'd advise you to stay calm and don't make any sudden moves. If you really want to insist that you have the right to act crazy in front of cops simply because you are unarmed, rest assured that even if those cops don't kill you, they'll probably hurt you real bad 9 out of 10 times. US cops have it hard enough already. Don't make their lives anymore difficult for them please.

If it can be proven that those cops are racist killers, for sure they need to be fired and charged with murder. But citizens really shouldn't provoke cops like that. That young men clearly had a death wish and ASKING to be shot. Review the video again if you guys want.

sandydandy

August 22nd, 2014, 01:03 PM

I'd definitely possible adrenaline and fear could alter your perception and think that you're in danger. Then they shouldn't be cops. Period. They have no business carrying guns and badges if they're going to be so easily prone to basic human emotions and fears. They're supposed to have the psychological and neurological training to help them anticipate and adapt to any situation, rather than just reach for the gun and say fuck it. So outrageous...they're insane. Gotta be something in the water in Missouri.

Crazed_Insanity

August 22nd, 2014, 01:06 PM

Canadians really should shut the fuck up about being a cop in the US.

Go judge your own canadian cops.

Crazed_Insanity

August 22nd, 2014, 01:17 PM

No on all counts.

No.

I don't need to read anymore. It's not the cops' job to interpret who deserves to die.

It's also not in the cop's job description that you are never allowed to pull the trigger when you feel endangered faced with an uncooperative aggressive suspect.

In this incident, clearly the cops over-reacted. Why do they have to pull out their guns so soon? Was there a radio msg telling them about a crazy armed suspect? If that were the case, then it's understandable why the cops behaved that way. If the cops were just couple of racist cops and abused their powers, then they ought to be charged and thrown in prison.

That young man didn't have to act crazy like that... and he also didn't have to ask the cops to shoot him.

Yes, I also don't believe the cops had to shot him so many times like that too. It's a tragedy that can be easily avoided had 1 side think more rationally.

Crazed_Insanity

August 22nd, 2014, 01:31 PM

...
The incident looked like a classic suicide by cop to me, where the individual usually isn't going to hurt anyone else, but they definitely want to make it look like they will.
...

I think I'd agree with that assessment. That kid certainly looked like he had a death wish. He seemed pretty calm earlier and it's not until police arrived that he began to behave aggressively. Not sure what agitated him to go nuts in front of the cops like that... there must've been a underlying reason...

JSGeneral

August 22nd, 2014, 01:41 PM

That young man didn't have to act crazy like that...

Actually, he DID have to act that crazy. That's because he was mentally ill. That's NOT a life-choice.

Look at the article link TheBenoir posted.

And thanks to TheBenoir for being a calm and responsible voice regarding all of this. I know that I was emotionally charged entering this conversation, and reading what he has posted the last few times has guided me towards a more rational approach towards processing these situations (and this conversation thread as well.)

sandydandy

August 22nd, 2014, 02:12 PM

Canadians really should shut the fuck up about being a cop in the US.

Go judge your own canadian cops. There's really no difference between the two...in terms of the training they receive.

LHutton

August 22nd, 2014, 02:35 PM

Well I'm posting on Friday night, but I saw the second shooting and I couldn't understand why they fired 9 bullets. Yes the guy was an idiot but it looked more like a mob hit.

neanderthal

August 22nd, 2014, 03:17 PM

Canadians really should shut the fuck up about being a cop in the US.

Go judge your own canadian cops.

One of the more idiotic things i've seen you post, and that's saying something. I see your dumbassery and RAISE; Asians should shut the fuck up about blacks being killed by cops?!?!

Godson

August 22nd, 2014, 08:49 PM

Then they shouldn't be cops. Period. They have no business carrying guns and badges if they're going to be so easily prone to basic human emotions and fears. They're supposed to have the psychological and neurological training to help them anticipate and adapt to any situation, rather than just reach for the gun and say fuck it. So outrageous...they're insane. Gotta be something in the water in Missouri.

It has nothing to do with the water in Missouri. It has to do with poor training, tense situations around the surrounding area, and most importantly poor judgement. Take the broad generalizations elsewhere.

Godson

August 22nd, 2014, 09:04 PM

Actually, he DID have to act that crazy. That's because he was mentally ill. That's NOT a life-choice.

Look at the article link TheBenoir posted.

And thanks to TheBenoir for being a calm and responsible voice regarding all of this. I know that I was emotionally charged entering this conversation, and reading what he has posted the last few times has guided me towards a more rational approach towards processing these situations (and this conversation thread as well.)

He did not need to act that aggressive. I have worked with some very dangerous mentally ill people in the past, some who were placed in a mental hospital due to the violent actions they have done. He may not have had the ability to control himself, but mental illness is not an excuse to allow a person to act out as your sentence structure implies. When he puts his hand in his pocket, he pulls it out clinching something, it may just be his fist, or it may have been a knife. I don't know and I honestly don't care what it was. A young man died in what The Benoir describes as possibly suicide by cop. Should they have tazed him, you bet.

What this boils down to is what I previously stated. Poor judgment. This may have been controlled with tazing or a number of other options. That is in the past, what needs to be done is to figure out what can be done in the future to prevent this from happening again, not pointing fingers. End of discussion.

JSGeneral

August 23rd, 2014, 07:05 AM

He did not need to act that aggressive. I have worked with some very dangerous mentally ill people in the past, some who were placed in a mental hospital due to the violent actions they have done. He may not have had the ability to control himself, but mental illness is not an excuse to allow a person to act out as your sentence structure implies. When he puts his hand in his pocket, he pulls it out clinching something, it may just be his fist, or it may have been a knife. I don't know and I honestly don't care what it was. A young man died in what The Benoir describes as possibly suicide by cop. Should they have tazed him, you bet.

What this boils down to is what I previously stated. Poor judgment. This may have been controlled with tazing or a number of other options. That is in the past, what needs to be done is to figure out what can be done in the future to prevent this from happening again, not pointing fingers. End of discussion.

Emphasis mine... but I never think that the victim should be blamed. You stated that we shouldn't point fingers... but before that, you point them at both the cops and the dead man. I get what you're saying Godson, and I agree that a taser should of been used. But I will never understand why someone will get any share of the blame if they were suffering from mental illness and the police make the decision to use lethal force. I just don't share that point of view, but I still will try and understand it and not roll over that viewpoint if I post further on the issue.