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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
But it's one of the few, possibly the only, guaranteed ways to earn a retirement fund and get some good pay so you'll see a lot of deeply impoverished people signing up. Usually to secure some sort of future or to pay for college.
The problem is that deeply impoverished people tend to be uneducated and in poor shape. They're really not professional soldier material to be frank. But they're the only people who are willing.
._. Mix in a little patriotism and genuine desire to serve one's country, and you just described my entire experience with joining and failing out of the military.
So does the U.S. Witness the change in American opinions on Bush's wars in the Middle East.
- 2001: Yeah! F*ck these terrorists! Let's wreck their shit! AMERICA THE FREE, MOTHERF*CKERS!!!
- 2004: Jesus, this war sucks and is awful and nobody in their right mind would ever support it. This war is the most terrible thing ever to happen in American historyListen! ! Why are we involved in this?
- 2008: Oh my god, we are STILL doing this, what is wrong with this country?
edited 25th Feb '16 9:29:22 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.The Arab Spring was helped and fostered by U.S and UK based help from its people (not its government) through an undernet after the Arab nations' governments went on full on censorship. The Arab Spring may not have been as successful as everyone expected and hoped for, but it spurred change like no invasion ever did in the last 200 years in the region, and I would compare it to the dismantling of the Ottoman empire.
The repression in China and Russia has always been oriented towards the prohibition of European and U.S manufactured goods, which are hard to block considering you cannot treat companies the same way you can treat other nations. Coca Cola entered Cuba before the U.S could normalize air flights when its relationships were stabilized. This filters ideas and it spurs the thoughts that perhaps, just perhaps, the other people are not so fucking awful.
The legalization of Gay marriage in several nations spurred
and either more bitterly repressive, or accepting notion from other smaller nations, which is, socially speaking, a rather large change. Notice it wasn't particularly the poor, small nations that did this, but them that reacted.
Venezuela and Bolivia's hyper nationalist governments, as well as Argentina, have recently lost important elections, one losing its legislative assembly's majority by droves the other recently losing the chance for re election on its chavista government. This pattern may be more noticeable in Latin America, but it is also seen in the african continent
, in those nations more receptive to the foreign influence not necessarily spurred by governments, but by ideas. You may also notice China is more repressive than ever, too.
And North Korea is not an example: its got so many people trying to escape it and so many people in camps that it is not an example of how you can be successfully insular.
Distances and environment are vital, essential in defining access to things and economic growth but that is changing overtime, as it ever has. From the invention of the wheel, to writing, to printing, to journalism, ideas spread and so does education, and the powerhouse, unwitting perhaps in its influence, unable to control it, always come from the same sources: the superpowers centered in Asia (China, Russia), Europe, and the Americas (The U.S, which would suggest it stands alone but it really doesn't), and this now spreads virally through the easier access globally to the internet.
People in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Pakistan, and even India know of McDonald's and Mickey Mouse, and neither Walt nor Ronald themselves need to be aware that they are a cultural icon, and sowers of cultural integration to know they are fostering the idea of international cooperation without the necessity of war. They need not be leaders or politicians to create bridges. And as long as these bridges remain profitable, people will traverse them and influence each other far more than a guy in a suit and a fancy law and a wall can do. Your Merkels, Gandhis, Disneys, Refugees, Immigrants, Diasporas, Masses, Hitlers and Trumps mean nothing but a sidenote on human history defined by each individual seeking a better life for them and their families and objectively speaking, they can't be kept in the dark for too long before they discover there's a whole wide world out there full of things they can try and that other people they cannot necessarily hate and they will want to try and/or they will generate the opportunities for the next generation to have access to them
Why does this guy want this? Should I want it? Should I want it for my family? Would it make them happier?
And so they work to learn the others' language, their ways, their benefits...and then they grow too old to secure any of it for themselves and the task remains at their children's hands. But the children, at least, preserve the questions and knowledge.
I mean, I AM speaking English, from a way different country, am I not?
My statement is that the United states, China, Russia and Europe as a whole will remain superpowers because its economic and cultural power is gigantic, and its internal politics are rather important to that but their politics can neither isolate them fully, nor integrate them completely with one another. Its people gather under those names, those flags, but it is the people themselves and their interaction that will create the wild cultural variances and eventually through entropy reach a sort of homeostasis on a social, and cultural-ish level.
The larger nations, culturally, economically and socially speaking, leave ideas in their wake to resonate within the other countries (On occasion, smaller countries' wakes also affect the larger ones). And this makes them superpowers, and just because their influence will not be seen directly with a clear leader and program behind it, it will still be theirs. Just because the U.S and the UK did not wave its flag during the Arab Spring in the streets of Cairo it does not mean that the UK and the US did not set up the ideological and technological opportunities for its people to foster and help the rise of the arab spring.
It is not direct use of power. Not anymore. But it is still influence from a superpower, and the economic disparity is another issue that will make it even stronger
edited 25th Feb '16 9:51:12 AM by Aszur
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothesThat still says nothing about if the world is going to be one dominated by the US or one where a variety of powers dominate at different level and in different places.
You're explains how power varies in forms, nobody disputes that, but the topic was if one nation/culture's power will allow it to dominate all/most other cultures/powers.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranI did mention that a country is defined by its internal stuff very much, and that they can never succesfully integrate with each other, but that this does not mean they cannot cooperate and that they will, in fact, tend to cooperate.
It's not about domination, it's about cooperation.
At that point, the "power levels" end up being irrelevant. No one talks about if the United States could kick Canada's ass, or if England could beat up Scotland anywhere short of football or hockey stadiums. They just engage each other normally.
edited 25th Feb '16 10:12:43 AM by Aszur
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothesWe totally could kick Canada's ass, though.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Please. The U.S. can fly and powerbomb Canada with super strength and super speed. We've got heat vision and ice breath, plus we're invulnerable. I don't think Canada's utility belt has anything that can hold up to that. And don't give me that prep time nonsense, either; Canada wouldn't have time to get out their bacon ring before the U.S. heat rays their skull from orbit.
edited 25th Feb '16 10:17:41 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Anyone, on less military stuff, Kentucky's new governor is already being accused of fraud
and a recall is being organized.
What is surprising is that it took less than 90 days for voters in Kentucky to start a petition to have Bevin removed from office. More than 8,000 Kentuckians have already signed. The petition includes a letter to the state senate and state house.
“Begin a formal investigation into the 2015 Kentucky State election that brought Matt Bevin in as Governor, and remove Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin from office if evidence shows him to be participating in fraud, or corruption on any level. In addition, begin a formal investigation into the Governor’s motives for cutting funding for public education, healthcare, and the very necessary departments that oversee and audit the ethics of decisions and actions in the governor’s office and election over site. We, The People of Kentucky demand straightforward answers and actions made by the lawmakers. We intend on being answered swiftly and truthfully, with every intention on creating the progressive change that Governor Bevin is working to destroy.”
Allegations of fraud around Bevin’s election as well as his proposed new budget, which cuts funds for “committees for ethics investigations and elections oversight,” Signers of the petition make it clear that they believe Bevin won the seat of governor fraudulently and is now defunding the programs that would investigate these actions.
Addicting Info reported on the suspicions of fraud shortly after the election.
“In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s election, polls consistently showed Kentucky democrat Jack Conway leading Tea Party extremist Matt Bevin by a margin of 3 to 5 points. But on Tuesday, the unofficial election results showed a shift so dramatic that it was almost impossible to believe. Bevin suddenly and inexplicably gained nearly 15 points on election day, supposedly winning the governor’s race by a nine point margin.
On closer inspection, another anomaly in the election results showed that democrats down-ticket of the governor’s race were elected over their republican opponents. As noted journalist and election integrity watchdog Brad Friedman points out here, that’s something that would very, very unlikely to happen.”
But then state lawmakers stepped in: Earlier this month, Rep. David Faulkner, a Republican from the wealthy Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook, introduced legislation that would prevent cities from enacting their own minimum wage rates. Faulkner did not respond to a request for comment.
The same day Faulkner introduced his bill, Birmingham city council members passed their own law that advanced the first phase-in of the city’s wage hike to March 1. The idea: Getting the pay raise in place before the state’s law takes effect would give the city’s minimum wage better legal standing.
The drama has only ramped up further: Faulkner’s bill passed the House last week and a Senate vote is expected as early as Thursday. Meanwhile, Birmingham lawmakers are still trying to stay one step ahead of their counterparts in Montgomery, the state capital. On Tuesday, the city council passed yet another bill, slating the entire $10.10 pay hike for Wednesday. It takes effect as soon as the mayor signs the bill.
Minimum Wage Fight: Alabama State Legislators Near Successful Block Of Birmingham’s New Pay Law
Hua was asked about China’s response to a possible Trump presidency and his announced plan to punish China for currency manipulation with a tax on Chinese goods.
“Since it belongs to the domestic affair of the U.S., I am not going to make comments on specific remarks by the relevant candidate,” she said.
“But I want to stress that China and the U.S., as world’s largest developing and developed countries, shoulder major responsibilities in safeguarding world peace, stability and security and driving world development,” the spokeswoman added.
“The sustained, sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relations serves the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and benefits the world. We hope and believe that the U.S. government will pursue a positive policy toward China in a responsible manner.”
The comments came as Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, is holding talks in Washington that include U.S. concerns about a Chinese military buildup on disputed islands in the South China Sea, and cooperation on dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations.
China Warns U.S. After Trump Wins Nevada Caucus
"Earlier today, I notified the White House that I do not wish to be considered at this time for possible nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States," the Republican governor said in a statement.
"The notion of being considered for a seat on the highest court in the land is beyond humbling and I am incredibly grateful to have been mentioned," he added.
Nevada governor rules himself out of Supreme Court consideration
edited 25th Feb '16 11:00:18 AM by SolipsistOwl
Damnit, Sandoval, stop refusing to be the political football! Friend Computer orders you!
Looks like the GOP establishment is losing their patience with Kasich, he's losing donors and there is some pressure on him to get behind Rubio.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/politics/john-kasich-donors-drop-out-2016-election/index.html
Ted Cruz is in trouble in Texas
.
As reviled as he may be back in Washington, Cruz has been adored here at tea party rallies and Republican conventions ever since he first upset the political establishment with a shocking come-from-behind victory in 2012. In his home state, Cruz often comes across as a rock star, a leader so admired by the grassroots that his endorsement in legislative primaries is the closest thing to a gold standard in state politics.
But thanks to Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, Cruz's shot at becoming President may end in Texas. Cruz, despite his appeal as a native son ideologically in sync with a ruby red Republican base, could very well lose the Texas primary next week, a setback that would strike at the core of Cruz's southern political strategy.
Both Trump and Rubio are squeezing Cruz in the Lone Star State, cutting into his lead by blanketing the airwaves and working side by side to engineer an upset. Trump continues to hit Cruz with claims the senator is a "liar," and Rubio wants to show he can win establishment and anti-Trump votes, which means taking from Cruz. Cruz aides remain optimistic that he can still compete elsewhere on Super Tuesday, but they have nevertheless sent stakes for his performance back on his home turf to new heights.
"This is make or break for Cruz. He has to win — no close second is good enough," said Bill Miller, an unaligned, senior Republican lobbyist here. "Unquestionably he's favored — and it has been in the bag — but the bag has a weak bottom."
Most political observers still give Cruz the slight upper hand and expect him to claim the plurality of the state's 155 delegates, which his team believes can put him close to even in the delegate race after March 1. And Cruz certainly is not taking Texas for granted — working the state's political machinery since the moment he announced and on Wednesday rolling out his highest-ranking endorsement yet anywhere in the country, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
The question, however, is whether of any of that will be able to stop the freight train of momentum that is Trump, who is planning a huge rally in Fort Worth on Friday morning. "Most people are just listening to the message, and they're not necessarily going to have loyalty toward Cruz just because he's our current senator," said Wayne Richard, a Dallas-area activist supporting Trump. Richard acknowledged Cruz's strong field program, but was skeptical it would make much of a difference and that Texas could have a "devastating impact" on Cruz's White House hopes.
Recent polling has shown Cruz with a solid, but not insurmountable lead over Trump. A Monmouth University survey released Thursday gave Cruz a particularly wide margin, putting him 15 points above Trump. And Cruz's vaunted ground game numbers 27,000 volunteers, which observers say gives Cruz even more of an edge. Cruz is doing virtually nothing to tamp down expectations. On Tuesday, he called March 1 "the single most important day in this presidential election."
But it's not just Trump that poses a threat: Cruz is also confronting an increasingly dangerous Rubio, whose campaign would like nothing more than to kneecap their arch-rival in his home state. The Florida senator's super PAC has made its largest investment on Super Tuesday in Cruz's home state, sinking millions of dollars into territory it might not win with the hopes of embarrassing the candidate who really needs it.
Rubio also stands to benefit from the Bush bundler network, which is particularly deep in this town, migrating over into his camp. "Rubio or bust," said Jacob Monty, a former Bush fundraiser here. "No one from Bush has gone anywhere but Rubio. Rubio is the only hope for rational Republicans who would like to win the general." Monty, like other Latino Republican leaders in Houston, have also gravitated to Rubio. He was introduced at a rally in a hotel ballroom Wednesday afternoon by two of the country's most prominent Hispanic Republicans, and his crowd was more solidly Latino than most Cruz crowds.
"You're from Texas," Rubio told his supporters when someone interrupted him to shout something in Spanish. "You know what he said." Rubio's team recognizes it is unlikely to win as many delegates in Texas. But although some of Texas' 155 delegates are awarded statewide, most are distributed via congressional district: a candidate who earns more than 50% in one of the state's districts wins all three delegates in the district, and anyone who earns below 20% wins zero. So if Rubio's camp can surgically target Cruz and minimize his vote percentage in key districts, they can keep him from building a delegate lead on Super Tuesday.
"You can get nowhere near first place in Texas and still vacuum up a whole lot of delegates just because of the size of the state," said Todd Harris, Rubio's chief strategist. "We're under no illusions that there won't be a resounding Ted Cruz victory, but there are things that we think we can do on the margins to sweep up some delegates — and we're going to do it."
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, will submit the draft sanctions to the Security Council on Thursday, said Kurtis Cooper, the acting spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the UN. "We hope and believe this resolution will curb the further development of nuclear missiles in the DPRK," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters. "China is willing to work with relevant parties to promote denuclearization of the peninsula."
The text of the draft is not yet available but the document will likely be voted in by the full Security Council "in a couple of days," once other nations have an opportunity to weigh in on the language, according to the diplomat. "There were a significant number of blockage points between the (United States and China) ... but there is an agreement between those two countries," the diplomat said.
In January, Pyongyang claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb in its fourth nuclear test. U.S. officials were initially skeptical of the claim, but later assessed that there may have been a partial, failed test of some type of components associated with a hydrogen bomb.
Then on February 7, Pyongyang said it had successfully launched an Earth satellite into orbit via the long-range Kwangmyongsong carrier rocket. Both the test and the launch were carried out in defiance of international sanctions.
Also Wednesday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the White House. They agreed "on the importance of a strong and united international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a U.N. Security Council Resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions," read a statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price. "They agreed that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state."
I am a bit miffed that the UK lost it's superpower status and was reduced to America's lackey after WW 2. I can understand why we lost our superpower status, but it annoys me hearing Americans mock us over not being a superpower, when we use to be the biggest empire in the world for hundreds of years.
edited 25th Feb '16 12:36:31 PM by Bat178
I read an article that suggested that Cruz beating Trump in Texas would be awesome, for Trump. It would kill Rubio's momentum to place third there.
In other bad news for the robot: Trump is ahead of him in Florida according to one poll. By double digits.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/25/politics/donald-trump-marco-rubio-florida-quinnipiac-poll/index.html
Ex-Calif. State Sen. Leland Yee, gun control champion, heading to prison for weapons trafficking
The irony is overwhelming.
Inter arma enim silent leges

The Conservative Establishment Turns Against GOP Voters
From The Daily Caller, which is quite right wing, we get an editorial about how the Republican establishment is pissing off the people who are voting for Trump, and stupidly thinking that most rightists are as conservative (on the same issues especially) as the Republican establishment is.
Two conservative think tankers — Henry Olsen and James C. Capretta — offered just such a thing in an article published by Real Clear Policy this week.
Claiming it would be dangerous to abandon conservative economic dogma, Olsen and Capretta say they can win over working-class whites with tax cuts for millionaires, international trade deals that send their jobs overseas and comprehensive immigration reform which grants amnesty to illegal laborers.
That agenda is about as smart as trying to reach out to gays with the pitch to bring back anti-sodomy laws.
It does seem to me as if "he's not a conservative!!!!!" is all the establishment Republicans have. As if Trump supporters care.