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

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#46677: Jan 9th 2013 at 9:16:05 AM

So, the fact that there are already decorated female soldiers in the military has nothing to do with it?

DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#46678: Jan 9th 2013 at 9:17:08 AM

Says the weedy, pale looking desk-jockey.

I know women, military and non-military who could hand him his ass on a plate.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#46679: Jan 9th 2013 at 9:22:25 AM

I find it strange its always a man who looks by all means like he's never spent a day in the military himself who gets this crazy idea he knows whats best for the military to do with females.

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#46680: Jan 9th 2013 at 12:02:09 PM

I'd say we organize a laser tag duel between him and a female marine...and then get popcorn.

(because doing it with live ammo would be wrong...)

More seriously, whenever i see politicans saying "study after study" I always want a rule that they have to source them like scientists have to. Meaning title, where it was published and who did it. Immediately.

edited 9th Jan '13 12:04:14 PM by 3of4

"You can reply to this Message!"
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#46681: Jan 9th 2013 at 12:36:40 PM

[up] I support both of these suggestions. No, seriously; the laser tag duel sounds terrific.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
DevilTakeMe Coin Operator from Wild Wasteland Since: Jan, 2010
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#46683: Jan 9th 2013 at 1:52:34 PM

UK risks 'turning inwards' over EU referendum - US official: Basically, the US want the UK in the European Union, and presumably within NATO, too.

edited 9th Jan '13 1:52:57 PM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#46684: Jan 9th 2013 at 1:54:20 PM

[up]

Well, at least that may dissuade DC from doing anything too stupid over Europe. Half the complaints that the Tories have over the EU could be effectively addressed if they just committed to it and stopped making themselves such a bloody nuisance.

Schild und Schwert der Partei
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#46685: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:16:19 PM

The UK's austerity program is an unforced error. If they joined the EU, it'd be a unforced forcing of an error. Or something. Whatever. I'm skeptical of the Eurozone as a monetary union.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#46686: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:21:11 PM

If the UK joins the EU, will they become constrained to the Euro? If so, that's just entering the same economic suicide pact as the rest of the member nations. Rather than enforcing a gold standard on themselves, they're letting someone else do it for them.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#46687: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:23:03 PM

UK is part of EU but not Euro.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#46688: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:23:54 PM

But Fighteer, don't you see? UK politicians don't want to save the UK's economy, they just want to avoid blame for its collapse. If they join the EU, then they can say "Yes Austerity is destroying us all, but we have no choice in the matter!"

In short, joining the Eurozone absolves them of all responsibility, divorcing their electoral chances from the state of the economy.

edited 9th Jan '13 2:24:31 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

cutewithoutthe Góðberit Norðling Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
Góðberit Norðling
#46689: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:33:12 PM

Anyone else see Jon Stewart's brilliant gun control rant last night?

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#46690: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:36:08 PM

GOD, YOU RUINED IT FOR ME. I HATE YOU SO MUCH <runs off crying>

Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#46691: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:39:12 PM

THE EU AND THE EUROZONE ARE NOT THE SAME THING.

The EU is a political union and trading bloc. The Euro is a single currency, a particular project of that political union. The UK has been part of the EU since 1973, but chose not to join the Eurozone under the Wanker in The '90s.

[down] EDIT: Apologies for shouting. I just hoped people would see it and thus not appear misinformed should this ever come up in future smile

edited 9th Jan '13 4:35:52 PM by Achaemenid

Schild und Schwert der Partei
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#46692: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:43:20 PM

Please calm down. The next person to start shouting in ALL CAPS will be thumped.

edited 9th Jan '13 2:43:30 PM by shimaspawn

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#46693: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:44:04 PM

^^

Gordon Brown did it. Then again, Brown was always more Eurosceptic then Tony Blair*

.

edited 9th Jan '13 2:44:15 PM by Greenmantle

Keep Rolling On
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#46694: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:53:45 PM

My understanding of the Eurozone crisis (or at least Greece and some of the other less-solvent nations) were that they had reached the point where austerity does make sense — that being when their interest rates are ruinously high, so it's too expensive to keep borrowing money for deficit spending. Is that wrong?

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#46695: Jan 9th 2013 at 2:53:54 PM

I apologize for confusing the EU and the Eurozone. I question the sanity of Britain's leaders if they seriously want to join the Eurozone given what's going on there now.

I should point out that we do have a thread for European economics.

[up] Very wrong, Native Jovian. We discussed this to death in the other thread, but in summary, austerity is never the solution to a crisis brought on by excessive private debt. In fact, it only makes it worse. Germany and its allies in the Eurozone are forcing deflation on Greece and Spain, at ruinous cost. The solution to the crisis was proposed by many economists, and even the IMF got in on it. It was ignored.

edited 9th Jan '13 2:55:45 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#46697: Jan 9th 2013 at 3:05:47 PM

I should point out that we do have a thread for European economics.
This one?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#46698: Jan 9th 2013 at 3:07:49 PM

[up][up] What are Lew's qualifications? If it's just a political appointment, I weep.

[up] That's the one.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Blueeyedrat Since: Oct, 2010
#46699: Jan 9th 2013 at 4:04:25 PM

Let's see...

- One of the main players in averting that government shutdown in 2011, and part of the team that dealt with the debt ceiling negotiations in '10 and '11.
- Helped write up the American Jobs Act, and has repeatedly called for higher taxes on the wealthy.
- Staunch defender of the safety net, but has been willing to make concessions every now and then.
- A former Citigroup banker; has noted that he wasn't sure that deregulation was the cause of the financial crisis, but also said that he would defer to people who were more well-versed in the industry.
- As with his predecessor, a completely illegible signature.

Doesn't seem too bad of a pick to me.

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012

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