BruceVC

Volo I know you joking in some ways but why do you think the possible collapse of the EU is fantastic? The EU represents an important foundation of Western ideology which you are part of. I find it odd you think this election is about people feeling "butthurt " I dont think Netherlands will vote for Wilders but it is something that should concern us

The best recommendation to vote Wilders. Go Wilders, go right wingers, go, go, go! You guys cant seriously want Wilders to win? Name one constructive thing that will come from this political outcome ?

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/15/europe/netherlands-election-populism-rutte-wilders/index.html Guys this election is important as its a barometer for how much impact right wing populism is making on the EU countries. Our friends in Netherlands are in the frontline of an ideological battle that could lead to the disastrous breakup of the EU...its unlikely but possible Anyway lets hope Wilders doesn't win as to me he represents a divisive and intolerant view for the future of the Netherlands

I read it on the Internet ? Isnt it true ?

Im surprised you would watch this? I have heard its very racist and condescending towards South Americans? Dont be a race hater .....remember the SJ code !!!

I really am enjoying it, maybe my standards are low but I am enjoying all the supernatural aspects But it obviously wasn't very good hence the show being cancelled

Depends, was it a good series? Let me put it this way, generally speaking I'd rather have 13 episodes of something I want to watch than 300 of one I don't. Ideally those 13 episodes won't end on a cliffhanger (but it has happened). Im glad you responded, I need your logic on this one because I am conflicted on why I get put off by one season series Yes sometimes the season is awesome but thats the issue, I dont get to see where it ends and I end up having unanswered questions which bugs me For example Im watching Aftermath at the moment and its excellent and Im on episode 6 but I see its been cancelled....and now I am not sure I want to carry on watching it? Do you think I should rather just focus on the fact Im enjoying it even if I will never know how it finally ends. For me the best series are the ones that have 4-6 seasons but then end at the right time like Dexter, Lost, Justified and Sons of Anarchy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_(2016_TV_series)

Guys do you watch a series if it is cancelled after one season? Normally I dont because I think " where is the longevity and point in 1 season " .....I want to know any series has a future and if it doesnt then I think there is no reason getting attached to the plot or characters

Cheap gas, in an economy wholly dependent on oil, is actually very good. That's what the "protecting our interests abroad" part in the US military readiness report WoD posted means. Otherwise a two war-capable military would make no sense -- unless you are the aggressor, you never need to fight more than one war simultaneously. Used to be wheat from Egypt, gold and silver from Bolivia and Mexico, etc. Now it's oil. If it weren't the US doing it, it would be someone else. Sucks for parents whose kids get blown to pieces by an IED and for homeless veterans crippled by PTSD, but hey, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Yes and there was a time where the ME controlled most of the oil production in the world and was going to use it to achieve political objectives by forcing the West to do what it wanted in respects to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict The world doesnt work like that, you cannot control a critical commodity like oil and then try to force certain countries to do what you want. It would be like a country that had the only supply of water threatening " either you drop sanctions or we dont supply you water " So the words " "protecting our interests abroad" use to be very relevant as the stability of the ME was paramount to how oil was supplied to the whole world Thankfully the days of the ME wanting to blackmail anyone over oil are over

Absolutely and we do through the UN The UN allocates tens of millions of dollars for relief efforts to various conflicts in the ME and this funding comes from donor countries, take a look at this link to see which countries contribute the most. Its the USA which contributes the most but I see Russia is on this list so good on them https://factly.in/united-nations-budget-contributions-by-member-countries/

Are you asking if I want the Kurds to have there own region? I would like them to but you also have to realistic, Turkey wont give up parts of there country. This is just not going to happen, Turkey is an important strategic country in the region and we need to recognize that I am not sure on what historical context the Kurds want parts of Turkey but its extremely unlikely any country will just give up parts of there sovereign territory So lets say hypothetically I controlled the military might of the USA I wouldnt get involved in the whole Turkey\Kurdish conflict because it would involve a bitter and violent outcome and Turkey is a friend of the West in certain ways Bennie nowadays when it comes to these interminable sectarian conflicts in the ME I believe the countries involved need to sort the issues out and the West should stay out

I also like the Kurds, they have been the most consistent and committed partner to the West in both Syria and Iraq The problem with their political objectives is they want there own autonomous region and they want parts of Turkey to be included, this is highly unlikely this will be possible so I dont think they are being realistic around there goals

100% opposed to sending Marines, or any other military asset into Syria. And I have been since the get-go seven years ago. If Russia wants to wade into that quagmire then let them. There are no "good guys" in that mess and the people you help today will be sending suicide bombers against you tomorrow. Beyond honoring our alliances with Turkey & Israel (like them or not they are alliances) the US has no business intervening in the middle east of far east. We've been doing it for seventy years and no good has come of it. Muslims love killing and oppressing other Muslims. Nothing you can do about that. The only thing to do is leave them to it to sort out themselves. I agree with almost everything you say, the USA has no need to send ground troops into a hellhole like Syria and you right there really are no " good guys " especially with all the factions within Syria. Personally I think troops are being sent to Syria as this is part of the misplaced view from Trump and some in his cabinet that the " USA needs to do more in Syria "....I dont agree with that The only strategic benefit is it will hasten the end of the war, this means less Syrians trying to immigrate into the EU or USA Assad can stay in power, this is Iran and Russia's problem as they will need to fund his presidency as the Syrian economy is almost bankrupt

This is ironically such a Russian response through and through. Whenever someone in Russia exposes government corruption the typical response from pro-Putin camp is, "But in America/Europe/etc. they do this too. You're are targeting us. You're doing this to undermine our country. You're an American agent (just like Wikileaks is being labeled a Russian front) etc, etc..." No my friend its not that but I can understand why you think that is what Im doing My point has nothing to do with Russia or China, they were just examples. My point and issue is with Wikileaks, they claim to want to make governments more accountable and they are interested in " the free flow of information " yet they only and consistently release information about the USA How can this possibly be seen in anyway but a campaign to undermine the USA? So Wikileaks is not objective and who made them the judge and jury or what information the world needs to see about the USA ....and we dont even know what is true and what is not So send them data about Russians or Chinese, I am quite sure they will be happy to leak them as well, they leak what they got... I would never leak any information about any country through a medium like Wikileaks because I question their integrity and objectives They are not credible and have no legitimacy. If I did have information about China or Russia I would use the media like CNN or Reuters But its not my place to decide what confidential information about any country needs to be distributed around the world

This is ironically such a Russian response through and through. Whenever someone in Russia exposes government corruption the typical response from pro-Putin camp is, "But in America/Europe/etc. they do this too. You're are targeting us. You're doing this to undermine our country. You're an American agent (just like Wikileaks is being labeled a Russian front) etc, etc..." No my friend its not that but I can understand why you think that is what Im doing My point has nothing to do with Russia or China, they were just examples. My point and issue is with Wikileaks, they claim to want to make governments more accountable and they are interested in " the free flow of information " yet they only and consistently release information about the USA How can this possibly be seen in anyway but a campaign to undermine the USA? So Wikileaks is not objective and who made them the judge and jury or what information the world needs to see about the USA ....and we dont even know what is true and what is not

But we cant do anything about Assad, the West cant get involved in regime change in ME based on past history. The result is never appreciated or the change used constructively So yes Assad will stay in power but at least he doesnt represent Islamic extremism like ISIS but he is a dictator Hopefully more Syrians can go home after this or at least we can reduce the number of Syrians leaving Syria ?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/official-couple-hundred-us-marines-syria-225612067--politics.html Very interesting development, US marines are being sent to Syria...so its a modicum of " boots on the ground " What do you guys think? I think the USA should stay out of Syria, apart from its current commitments, and the let the Russians and other ME countries do the work The good news is this will lead to a quicker annihilation of ISIS in Raqqa which is there capital. Once this falls there utterly unrealistic objective of a " Caliphate " will be over

Except Wikileaks doesn't make " governments " transparent They typically only target the USA, where are all the leaks around Russia or China and these are much more intolerant and dictatorial governments than the USA So its not about keeping governments in check, Wikileaks is a personal campaign to undermine the USA and the West

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/07/wikileaks-releases-entire-hacking-capacity-cia.html Wikileaks has gone too far .....again They are in complete contempt for the security of the USA and its Western partners and something really needs to be done about them

So the military is 'unready' and you want to throw another 54 billion dollars at it, but our schools are 'nasty and dangerous' and so you want to take money away from them. Okey dokey. Can I get a voucher for sending money to a private security company? These guys get the job done: There are private schools, but no private military yet. Many people though hire private security when the police aren't doing enough. Private military might not be a bad idea, there was a story in some African country about 100 mercenaries doing more good than 15000 UN "peace keepers". This is true about mercenaries doing more good in some African conflicts than UN peacekeepers Executive Outcomes was a mercenary outfit that compromised of many ex-Apartheid special force units and they did some good things on the African continent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Outcomes

You always seem to state the undeniable truth

Is this true ? How many are we talking about and was the slowdown due to people being deported?

http://hillsidetavern.co.za/ Just got back from dinner with friends, had a delicious rack of ribs

Shady some potential good news, I may be coming to a conference for 7 days in Colorado If I do lets go out for dinner, I can treat you and your wife because they give me an entertainment budget. Maybe we can find a weed restaurant, where you can smoke and then eat? Im not sure if they exist but if not then something different ...maybe that Buckhorn restaurant ? And we can go large because I am allowed to use it twice to take customers out Check the menu for 3 guests http://www.buckhornexchange.com/suppermenu.php

This has become one of the major criticism from many circles Trump feels he needs twitter to defend himself from the media