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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Yes, it's absolutely possible.
No, it absolutely isn't.
The Supreme Court's power lies solely in its legitimacy, the only election they could alter would be one that's extremely close. A landslide or solid win would defacto strip them of any opportunity to change it because the victor would be undeniable.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 10th 2020 at 5:57:28 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangThe problem is I'm not 100% sure it's a war we can afford to lose. I mean, unless we're fighting them, what's to stop the terrorists from pulling another 9/11?
Leviticus 19:34“Wait it out” is the goal, the problem is framing Afghanistan in the context of win or lose.
I'm all for the long term perspective, but we should avoid the sunk cost fallacy. Afghanistan is a failure of nation-building, at some point we have to recognize how little progress we've made.
The problem is I'm not 100% sure it's a war we can afford to lose. I mean, unless we're fighting them, what's to stop the terrorists from pulling another 9/11?
This is probably one of the more convincing reasons to avoid leaving.
But I think, or would hope, that our security apparatus has improved enough to stop such a thing.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 10th 2020 at 6:07:33 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangReally, the US staying is not going to prevent terrorism. It sure didn't prevent various terrorist attacks in Europe. And occupying a country just because they might someday commit terrorism is a terrible motivation. With that reasoning, the US would never leave. There would always be a non-zero risk.
The US just needs to accept that there will always be a risk of terrorism, and that occupying entire countries is not going to stop it. Far from it.
Hope shines brightest in the darkest timesReally, the US staying is not going to prevent terrorism. It sure didn't prevent various terrorist attacks in Europe. And occupying a country just because they might someday commit terrorism is a terrible motivation. With that reasoning, the US would never leave. There would always be a non-zero risk.
I agree with most of this but I have to disagree with the "it doesn't stop terrorism" bit, a victorious Taliban could very well shelter terrorism. After all, they did before. Thus stopping a haven for terrorists was a legitimate benefit of the occupation.
That doesn't mean that it outweighs the costs, I don't think it does, but it's not non-existent.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 10th 2020 at 6:20:08 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangHaving not made much progress yet isn’t a good reason to take our ball and go home. The optimal strategy for Afghanistan is a long term one, and we still have time to turn it around.
They should have sent a poet.That overweight dude with the buzzcut who makes you do that cute piece of performance art where you take off your shoes and raise your hands above your head in a glass tube at the airport, is my understanding.
Having not made much progress yet isn’t a good reason to take our ball and go home. The optimal strategy for Afghanistan is a long term one, and we still have time to turn it around.
I don't know, but right now I'm not interested in continuing our discussion.
So I'll disengage with a resounding maybe.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Oct 10th 2020 at 7:35:55 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangSpeaking of Florida, a lot of retirees seem to have come out at once to vote for Biden.
Which also for some reason means all the golf carts.
How does fighting in Afghanistan relate to 'preventing another 9/11'?
For reference, 9//11 was planned in Pakistan and executed by suicide terrorists who were largely Saudi Arabian. The only involvement Afghanistan had with 9/11 was that the leader of the organization that planned it happened to have been hiding in Afghanistan at some point before 9/11 and Afghanistan refused to extradite him, probably because they physically couldn't (Evidence suggests Bin Laden was already in Pakistan by that point, where he stayed until Seal Team 6 found him and killed him there).
Angry gets shit done.“Permanent military occupation of a foreign country” is not a reasonable objective.
You cannot turn Afghanistan into a liberal democracy by force of arms. The US has been there for two decades, and it has failed to achieve durable political change. Continuing to keep troops there will not change that fact - it just makes the place an effective training ground for extremist groups, in the same way that Iraq was.
US troops in the Middle East play into the hands of anti-American terrorist groups. I’d wager that baiting you into it was a notable part of the motivation for 9/11.
Edited by Galadriel on Oct 10th 2020 at 10:57:17 AM
Compromise position: We pull out of Afghanistan, but we also guarantee that all Afghanis, especially those of Religious Minorities (Shi'ites, Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus, Sikhs), have the right to legally migrate to the United States. Similar to how Cubans could just migrate to the US the minute they set foot on US Soil, but not as easy.

According to Real Clear Politics, Biden is still polling similar to or worse than Clinton was in the midwest swing states:
Michigan: Biden +6.7, Clinton (2016) +10.7
Wisconsin: Biden +5.5, Clinton (2016) +6.7
Pennsylvania: Biden +7.1, Clinton (2016) +8.3
This is despite nationally being +9.6, whereas Clinton was +5.3 at this point.
I don’t trust the Midwest.
Edited by Galadriel on Oct 10th 2020 at 8:41:32 AM