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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#182126: Apr 9th 2017 at 7:54:00 PM

And meanwhile the FSB moles within the Trump administration are safe and sound.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#182127: Apr 9th 2017 at 8:03:31 PM

What we have here is the difference between what one does vs. how well one does it. If Trump wanted to make a symbolic gesture in support of dead babies, he did that and it's time to walk away. There are other problems in the world. If he wanted to significantly change the Assad regime's behavior, then he needed to commit more force. Take a greater risk, but get the job done. If he wanted to topple Assad himself, then that will take boots on the ground. Own up to it.

But what he is doing now is called "Mission Drift." With no clear objectives, there are no clear parameters concerning what the US should do to achieve them. So now he appears to be slipping toward greater escalation with no clear end goal. Or, worse, deciding that since everyone is praising him for his "decisive action", he wants to keep on being "decisive", by making vague threats.

He needs to decide what his goal is, tell the world, and commit to a plan to make that happen.

edited 9th Apr '17 8:04:10 PM by DeMarquis

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#182128: Apr 9th 2017 at 8:41:32 PM

[up] Thing is, he's an egotistical greedy populist. He has no goals besides "staying popular so I can keep getting praise and get re-elected", "make myself even richer", and "avenging any slights to my ego."

Disgusted, but not surprised
Advarielle Homicidal Editor Since: Aug, 2016
Homicidal Editor
#182129: Apr 10th 2017 at 4:07:08 AM

Sometimes when I read about how America should stop intervening in the Middle East, this is what I read in my mind:

Sure, we come uninvited to your home and then, mess it up, set it on fire, kill "some" members of your family, etc. But, you should be grateful to us. We could do much worse than this, you know. You guys really should be grateful that we stop before we could do it.

Yeah, no. That isn't how things work. You should at least make up for all the damages that you've done instead of running away after setting people's home on fire.

Only an experienced editor who has a name possesses the ability to truly understand my work - What 90% of writers I'm in charge of said.
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#182130: Apr 10th 2017 at 4:32:52 AM

And meanwhile the FSB moles within the Trump administration are safe and sound.
Don't you mean SVR? FSB is the internal security agency.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#182131: Apr 10th 2017 at 4:45:51 AM

[up][up]That only works on the assumption that we don't cause more damage the next time we're over there.

i'm tired, my friend
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#182132: Apr 10th 2017 at 4:47:16 AM

It could be a clusterfuck if Iran is dragged next. O_O

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#182133: Apr 10th 2017 at 4:52:11 AM

It's not nearly as simple as, "Everything was happy and hopeful until the Great Western Satan came over and done fugged it up fer everyone." The Middle-East has been a hotbed of conflict for thousands of years. We're merely the latest global power to come in and mess around.

If we stopped all interference of any sort with those nations tomorrow: withdrew all our military, all our money, all our influence; went home and said, "You guys figure it out," there'd be enough hate left over for a thousand more years of warfare, fought with the hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons that we and other nations have already provided them. Meanwhile, Russia or China or some other power would happily step in to fill the vacuum.

It is simply unrealistic to expect us to pack up and leave, but more importantly, it would solve nothing.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#182134: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:06:55 AM

Ossoff is winning every poll in Georgia 6th district.

https://t.co/2L29NdGu9o?amp=1

And Trump is going to play go-I mean work at March al Lago over Easter.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328051-trump-im-at-mar-a-lago-easter-weekend?amp

edited 10th Apr '17 5:27:00 AM by megaeliz

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#182135: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:07:56 AM

I usually would be behind the "let every country figure out their own politics themselves" stance, but how many Jews could have been saved if the world had intervened earlier? And how many more would have died if the UK hadn't declared war on Hitler? Would the Balkan war still going on if not for foreign intervention? On the other hand we have the US intervening in other countries to protect above all its own interest.

The thing with Syria is that the country would have most likely managed to deal with its own issue of not for so many other countries - Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey above all - meddling. So it feels counter-intuitive to start meddling too, this is a war by proxy as it is, we don't need yet another party in there. On the other hand, none of the parties which do meddle currently care one bit about the normal citizens. Nor does Trump, though. Which pretty much leaves the UN to put together a coordinated effort to do something for the civilian population. But Russia is part of the UN and therefore keeps blocking it.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#182136: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:27:17 AM

New York is moving towards making all public colleges tutition free for students with families that make under a certain income cap.

https://amp.cnn.com/money/2017/04/08/pf/college/new-york-free-tuition/index.html

math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#182137: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:33:25 AM

[up] Genuinely great idea if they can couple it with a tuition program - low-income families are usually unfamiliar with higher education, so the students could use some help with their subjects.

It's one of the best ways to assure their future. That or a trade school.

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#182138: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:34:26 AM

Good as long as it doesn't lead to "educational tourism" — people relocating to New York in order to take advantage of free public tuition.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#182139: Apr 10th 2017 at 5:56:25 AM

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-democrats-can-be-progressive-without-being-irresponsible/2017/04/09/c8128cf6-1bb1-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html?utm_term=.dfd6821121ee

This article is cathartic.

Basically talking about overpromising free stuff is a terrible long term strategy.

What I wouldn't give for every Democrat to be Jerry Brown.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#182140: Apr 10th 2017 at 6:03:08 AM

[up][up]The program does require students under the program to work in New York for a time equal to the duration they benefited from the program, so I suspect that's not going to be too much of a problem.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
math792d Since: Jun, 2011 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#182141: Apr 10th 2017 at 6:13:07 AM

Good as long as it doesn't lead to "educational tourism" — people relocating to New York in order to take advantage of free public tuition.

This has been somewhat of a problem here with Swedish and Norwegian students. Even though tuition is free in all three countries, students in Denmark get a stipend (around 700-ish dollars a month) that's higher than it is in Sweden or Norway. Plus it's cheaper to live in Denmark than either of those two if you don't live in Copenhagen.

So as a result there are a lot of Norwegian and Swedish students at the more outlying universities like mine.

Of course considering how tightly the Scandinavian countries are interwoven economically, it's not that big of a deal, generally speaking.

edited 10th Apr '17 6:13:34 AM by math792d

Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#182142: Apr 10th 2017 at 6:13:08 AM

[up][up][up] This. A thousand times, this. [awesome]

edited 10th Apr '17 6:13:16 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#182143: Apr 10th 2017 at 6:57:00 AM

Betty Price hits airwaves to urge Republicans to defend her husband’s turf

State Rep. Betty Price took to the airwaves on Monday to urge conservative voters to defend her husband’s U.S. House seat, as antsy Republicans aim to prevent a surging Democrat from notching an upset victory.

The Roswell Republican is featured on radio spots airing through the April 18 election calling on supporters to ensure a “strong conservative representative” succeeds her husband, Tom Price, who is now Donald Trump’s health secretary.

“It’s so important that we elect a conservative to fill Tom’s seat, to continue Tom’s fight for lower spending, lower taxes and a strong defense against America’s enemies,” she said.

The ads are the latest salvo from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to House leadership that has spent $2.2 million on ads – and $3 million overall – trying to rev up GOP voters and deflate Democrat Jon Ossoff’s candidacy.

Betty Price, who like her husband is a physician, has not endorsed any of the 11 Republicans in the 18-candidate contest but urged conservatives to elect a “proven Republican.” She also considered joining the field, before announcing about an hour before qualifying ended that she would not mount a campaign.

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#182145: Apr 10th 2017 at 7:02:22 AM

Oh, so we shouldn't listen to experts who operate in the real world, and things can just happen if we ''want' them hard enough.

🙄🙄

New Survey coming this weekend!
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#182146: Apr 10th 2017 at 7:02:42 AM

Those "soulless" technocrats know how society works. And incrementalism is historically the most reliable way to achieve peaceful reform.

And just throwing money at healthcare or education is not going to help.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
YamiVizziniX Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
#182147: Apr 10th 2017 at 7:13:44 AM

Whatever you think of Trump's policies, the more I listen to one of my favorite songs from the Sucker Punch soundtrack, the more it sounds like it's from his POV:

There is no beginning. There is no end. There is only... Hooty.
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#182148: Apr 10th 2017 at 7:45:04 AM

Say guys...mind if I can discuss a typical Sci-Fi scenario involving beings of outer space but this time when it applies to the current situation in American politics and demographics?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#182149: Apr 10th 2017 at 7:46:13 AM

[up] We generally want things like that taken to Writer's Block. It can be fun, but this thread is for "on-topic" posts about politics.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017

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