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

Nettacki Since: Jan, 2010
#53076: Apr 12th 2013 at 11:41:47 AM

Could the fibre optic cables have been to connect the main naval base and not the detention camp?

According to the linked article, closer reading indicates that yes, apparently it was supposed to be for the main naval base. CNN mentioned they're gonna start doing it within a couple of years from the time that article was written.

I'm still wondering: why bother supporting that base anyway? And what's taking so long in getting the actual detention camp closed? Oh yeah, the economy. [tdown]

edited 12th Apr '13 11:45:29 AM by Nettacki

Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#53077: Apr 12th 2013 at 11:49:26 AM

I'm still wondering: why bother supporting that base anyway?

Plenty of strategic reasons.

  • It gives the USA a valuable springboard in the Carribean, and helps the USN keep the Carribean what is effectively an American lake.
  • It's a useful staging area should we ever need to invade Cuba.
  • It's a useful staging area for other interventions, such as in Haiti.
  • Good training area.
  • Most importantly: It annoys the fuck out of the Cubans.

Schild und Schwert der Partei
Karkadinn Karkadinn from New Orleans, Louisiana Since: Jul, 2009
Karkadinn
#53078: Apr 12th 2013 at 11:51:08 AM

[up][up]We tried to close it, and everyone freaked out over having to house magical prison-destroying terrorist masterminds on their state soil, so it didn't get done.

Nothing to do with the economy as such, just good old-fashioned othering with a healthy dose of Red Scare style paranoia.

edited 12th Apr '13 11:51:35 AM by Karkadinn

Furthermore, I think Guantanamo must be destroyed.
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#53079: Apr 12th 2013 at 12:54:22 PM

Group using apparent al Qaeda recruitment video to slam Senator McConnell on guns

I'm really starting to question the intelligence of Kentucky liberals.

Obama defies Putin, publishes list of 18 blacklisted Russians

Don’t Send Them A Dime’: President of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins Urges Cutting Off Donations To GOP Until They ‘Grow A Backbone’

The House voted Friday to freeze the work of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a reaction to a federal court's finding that two of the NLRB's current three board members were unconstitutionally appointed by President Obama in 2012.

Their stats for voting third party seem to be consistently in the 15 to 20 percent range, whereas the USA's is more like 1 percent. If you consider lack of third party support to be a problem, then mandatory voting might be one of various ways to help alleviate it.

Remember Australia doesn't have an Electoral College.

edited 12th Apr '13 1:00:47 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#53080: Apr 12th 2013 at 1:06:08 PM

Remember Australia doesn't have an Electoral College.

Or a president...

edited 12th Apr '13 1:06:37 PM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#53081: Apr 12th 2013 at 1:31:38 PM

I love how christian groups want to hold the GOP hostage for even daring to compromise with godless liberal heathens

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#53082: Apr 12th 2013 at 1:32:43 PM

Please, while the federal Republicans rely on corporate donors, it's the local races that get small donor money. Kicking the GOP out of several governor's offices and state legislatures could be a great start to un-gerrymandering the House and turning shit around.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#53083: Apr 12th 2013 at 1:33:19 PM

[up]

Yep. And thats what makes it hilarious.

Karkadinn Karkadinn from New Orleans, Louisiana Since: Jul, 2009
Karkadinn
#53084: Apr 12th 2013 at 1:35:44 PM

Perkins is a hate monger with zero self-awareness. I knew that before. Yet, when confronted with how LITTLE self-awareness he actually has, I still manage to be surprised.

Yes, let's focus the Republican party back on 'defending core principles,' please. Let the party cannibalize itself so we can replace it with the greens.

Furthermore, I think Guantanamo must be destroyed.
Greenmantle V from Greater Wessex, Britannia Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Hiding
V
#53085: Apr 12th 2013 at 2:03:30 PM

We tried to close it, and everyone freaked out over having to house magical prison-destroying terrorist masterminds on their state soil, so it didn't get done.

Nothing to do with the economy as such, just good old-fashioned othering with a healthy dose of Red Scare style paranoia.

That's the Detention Camp, by the way, not the main, entire, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.

Keep Rolling On
Wildcard Since: Jun, 2012
#53086: Apr 12th 2013 at 2:35:00 PM

Anyone got the results of the republican party survey posted a while back?

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#53087: Apr 12th 2013 at 2:37:49 PM

Is it over yet? I expected they'd have it running up until the midterm elections started.

You know I wanted to answer that survey but I was unable to complete it because I just couldn't answer one of the questions honestly and it was required.

edited 12th Apr '13 2:39:10 PM by Kostya

Wildcard Since: Jun, 2012
#53088: Apr 12th 2013 at 2:50:22 PM

Well you can't take the survey anymore. So I assumed it was either done or there just analyzing the results.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#53089: Apr 12th 2013 at 2:55:14 PM

Yep, it's over and it says over 50000 people responded. I wonder how many of them were genuine and how many just wanted to troll the Republicans.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#53091: Apr 12th 2013 at 4:23:39 PM

Re Feinstein: I like it that she says "Of course it's not the way it is in real life.". Yeah, Ms Feinstein, that's not true at all.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Blueeyedrat Since: Oct, 2010
#53092: Apr 12th 2013 at 4:27:13 PM

How to Be a Canadian, chapter 15 (discussing political parties):

Unlike the Liberals, the Alliance* actually believes in something. Unfortunately, what they believe in is capital punishment, public humiliation of their own leaders, and arming unborn babies. ("If every unborn child was given its own handgun, there would be no more abortions!")

This is a satire, written in 2001. It is no longer funny.

PhilippeO Since: Oct, 2010
#53093: Apr 12th 2013 at 8:04:52 PM

From post 53065 :

Okay, discussion point: local politics. .......

Why? Why does name or party recogniton apparently trump anything else?

because we don't have time and attention to care about every issue.

some big issue (abortion, civil rights, slavery, war) is big enough to be in everyone mind, but in most issue (gay marriage, darfur, curriculum, bridges, naval regulation) it would only affect very small number of people and not important enough in our daily life to care about.

so we rely on professional (politician, bureaucrat and interest group) who can decide this thing for us. Name and Party Recognition also not only local matter, even on regional and national level, it is convenient to use them.

You can compare this to medicine, in most case we use professional (nurse, doctor) and follow their advice. Only in extreme case (epidemic) public pay attention to it, in most case people who directly affected by it (patient and their close family) create interest group who care about it ( National Cancer Institute, Alcoholics Anonymous, etc ).

s it lack of money for campaigns, or that they can pretend to be everything to everyone if their position isn't written down in visible places?

No, even if local politics had more money in advertising, it doubtful people actually follow debates about local matter like where bridges should be built or which corporation should be appointed as garbage collector. There are few issues that can affect local election : NIMBY issues, important infrastructure (major bridge or factory), and others. But in most issues, people are indifferent.

And do you think this is a real issue or am I imagining it ?

I think its real issue, but it not need to be "solved". There is nothing wrong about relying on shortcut (press, interest group, party) on healthy democracy.

There will be a problem if democracy is corrupted by money, hereditary politician or separatist aspiration. but healthy democracy should have powerful enough institution to handle unimportant matter like local politics without people need to pay close attention to it.

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#53094: Apr 12th 2013 at 9:09:24 PM

OWNED.

Mitch Mc Connell can't seem to cut a break lately. His effort to find ways to discredit possible opponent in the senate race not only disclosed unethical behavior by using Ashley Judd's "Depression" to demean her, but now we find out that using taxpayer funded resources to pay staffers to dig up dirt isn't just an ethics violation, but a federal crime! He was eager to find something to pin on Democrats, had the FBI investigate how the tape was acquired not realizing that the investigation would require the FBI to look into whether Mc Connell violated the law.
OWNED.
A Tennessee lawmaker has relented and agreed to drop his bill linking academic performance to the family’s welfare benefits after an 8-year-old girl shamed him by following him around the state Capitol.
OWNED
In a candid moment, otherwise known as a “gaffe,” former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said the efforts of corporate-backed Fix the Debt and other debt scolds is to create an “artificial crisis” that would extract federal spending reductions to reduce long-term debt.

EDIT: Eh, I'm getting too full of myself. Something sobering.

edited 12th Apr '13 9:11:21 PM by RadicalTaoist

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#53095: Apr 12th 2013 at 9:45:02 PM

So the 2014 Kentucky Senate will be between these guys and these guys.

Nice.

Not that it matters, without Ashley Judd the Democrats have no chances of winning in the Red state of Kentucky.

Rove Slams Hecklers On O’Reilly: Liberal ‘Lunatics’ Promote Tolerance, But Hate Hearing Opposing Views

The bipartisan Senate immigration plan would deport immigrants who illegally entered the U.S. after 2011

edited 13th Apr '13 8:57:26 AM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#53096: Apr 13th 2013 at 1:37:06 PM

After 2011? Considering how "bad" an imigration bill can be, that is quite a reasonable timeframe.

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#53097: Apr 13th 2013 at 1:41:22 PM

So, who was saying earlier that no one wanted to mass-deport immigrants?

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#53098: Apr 13th 2013 at 1:42:44 PM

sounds utterly unenforceable given how hard it would be to tell when they arrived.

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.
#53100: Apr 13th 2013 at 2:37:01 PM

[up] Well obviously Barack Obama has his private drone, which he can control via PS 3-controller from the Oval Office.

"You can reply to this Message!"

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