Politics Generations

[ManifestedISO]

lot going on today ...

one tiny glimmer of a speck inside a mote hidden in an atom

Quote

The opportunity afforded to Romney by Trump here is enormous. The first Republican officeholder of consequence ... who backs Trump’s impeachment and removal will have a chance to become one of the most pivotal figures in American history. Romney could lead some of his Senate colleagues to join him in calling for removal. For other senators, he could provide much-needed cover.

https://thebulwark.com/mitt-romney-to-the-rescue/

 

aww page break, sorry, can never remember to count posts so as to avoid

Edited October 8, 2019 by ManifestedISO

[BruceVC]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/turkey-syria-border-latest-updates-191008131745495.html

 

Turkey has began its invasion of Northern Syria with the objective of defeating the Kurdish " terrorists "  and repatriating Syrians who have been living in refugee camps in Turkey

Its understandable if you consider the Turkish position, I just feel sorry for the Kurds who helped fight against ISIS 

[HoonDing]

It's either allowing Lebensraum in Syria or unleashing 4 million rapefugees on Europe.

[Gfted1]

Warren sticks to story.  C'mon! Im counting on one of these people giving me bags of loot and she keeps being a pathological liar. So Bernie's got a bum ticker, Warren cant stop fabrication stuff, so I guess Im down to Yang. 

[Hurlshort]

I know Gfted is just playing his free stuff schtick, but talking about a bum ticker in the same sentence is pretty remarkable.

[Gfted1]

Wat? Its not a schtick, I really do want free stuff. Its owed to me. And I don't get the bum ticker remarkability?

[Hurlshort]

1 minute ago, Gfted1 said:

Wat? Its not a schtick, I really do want free stuff. Its owed to me. And I don't get the bum ticker remarkability?

I know you don't get it, that is why it is remarkable. 

On a similar pregnancy note, my wife went out on maternity leave with our second child with about 5 weeks to go in the school year. Since there isn't really a maternity leave in education, it is just sick days and then disability (in which the disabled teacher is paid minus the sub pay.) she decided to go back for the last week of school. When she returned, the principal had told her department, the district, and the office staff that she was not coming back. Her email had been shut down and stuff was boxed up. It was super weird. Thankfully she had tenure in the district, and was able to reverse everything, and filed a grievance against the principal. Long story short, he isn't in the state anymore and she continued teaching there for many years.  

[ShadySands]

I haven't been following that "scandal" very closely mostly because it seems stupid and not that hard to square. Or maybe I've just become numb from our president lying daily.

China escalates things with the NBA as now All of the NBA's official Chinese partners have suspended ties with the league

Quote

All of the NBA's official Chinese partners have suspended ties with the league as it grapples with the fallout from a team manager's controversial tweet about Hong Kong.

NBA China lists 11 wholly-owned Chinese companies as its official partners in the country on its website, all of which now say they have halted business with the league, according to a review by CNN Business of company statements and social media posts.

CTrip (CTRP), China's biggest online travel website, said Tuesday that it "dropped all NBA-related tickets and travel products" from its platform. Mengniu Dairy, one of the country's top milk producers, vowed to suspend "all commercial cooperation with the NBA."

Chinese fast-food chain Dicos also said it planned to suspend "all marketing and publicity activities" with the league, while the skin care brand Wzun said it would "terminate all cooperation with the NBA."

 

[Hildegard]

Kobanî, the city that resisted ISIS for months and paved the way for its defeat is now being shelled by Turkish army.

LINK

How goes that Turkish propaganda slogan when they roll into Syria to fight 'terrorists': Go tell the infidels, the army of the Prophet Muhammed has returned. 

Turkish state has directly and indirectly helped ISIS for years when they hoped they will be the proxy to overthrow Assad. Not to mention the oil from the black market they got from their ISIS partners. 

I think Tulsi Gabbard summed it up pretty much close on the pending situation:

Quote

Trump is not removing our troops from Syria. He’s just moving them from the northern Syrian border, allowing Turkey to invade Syria and slaughter the Kurds. He lied to the Kurds, promising them our support while simultaneously preventing them from reconciling with the Syrian government and coordinating a common defense against the Turkish invasion.

In short, the impending slaughter and ethnic cleansing of the Kurds in northern Syria by Turkey is happening because Trump refuses to end our efforts to overthrow the Syrian government. The Kurds are just another casualty of this regime change war which is supported by war-mongering Republicans, Democrats, and the corporate media.

The hypocrisy of warmongers like Nikki Haley, Senator Graham and others who have demanded that we continue our regime change war in Syria, who are now crying crocodile tears for the Kurds, is nauseating. Starving the Syrian people through draconian sanctions, strengthening terrorists like AQ and ISIS, wasting billions of dollars, creating a refugee crisis, and now this impending genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Kurds — the warmongers consider these costs to be a small price to pay in their effort to change the Syrian regime.

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Hildegard

[smjjames]

The logic of some people just astounds me, Trump is saying that we shouldn't help the Kurds because they didn't take part in Normandy and other WWII battles, which he got from a conservative op-ed article (shown in the link). By that op-eds logic, we shouldn't be allies with Israel, because they didn't exist as a nation to take part in WWII! Or for that matter, any number of countries that didn't exist or directly take part in the battles mentioned in that op-ed.

Just some absolutely bonkers logic.....

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

The Kurds have a saying "only the mountains are our friends" because they expect to be betrayed. Trumps actions are absolutely vile and should be condemned, but the reasons for the betrayal go deeper than the buffoon currently squatting in the white house and isn't something that will be fixed by electing an ostensibly anti-war/intervention/ethnic-cleansing politico to take his place. biji biji Rojava

[Gromnir]

7 hours ago, Hurlshot said:

I know you don't get it, that is why it is remarkable. 

On a similar pregnancy note, my wife went out on maternity leave with our second child with about 5 weeks to go in the school year. Since there isn't really a maternity leave in education, it is just sick days and then disability (in which the disabled teacher is paid minus the sub pay.) she decided to go back for the last week of school. When she returned, the principal had told her department, the district, and the office staff that she was not coming back. Her email had been shut down and stuff was boxed up. It was super weird. Thankfully she had tenure in the district, and was able to reverse everything, and filed a grievance against the principal. Long story short, he isn't in the state anymore and she continued teaching there for many years.  

the warren story as spun from the right is also more than a little misleading.

The Elizabeth Warren pregnancy smear shows how poisoned the media world is

or

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elizabeth-warren-pregnancy-claim-democratic-presidential-candidate-stands-by-being-pushed-out-of-teaching-job/

"Warren also told CBS News that she was, in fact, officially offered the job for the following year as the school board minutes indicate. "In April of that year, my contract was renewed to teach again for the next year," Warren said. She also said she had been hiding her pregnancy from the school. 

""I was pregnant, but nobody knew it. And then a couple of months later when I was six months pregnant and it was pretty obvious, the principal called me in, wished me luck, and said he was going to hire someone else for the job," Warren said. 

"Asked repeatedly whether she meant she was fired when she said the principal showed her the door, Warren said, "When someone calls you in and says, the job that you've been hired for for next year, is no longer yours, we're giving it to someone else. I think that's being 'shown the door.'""

HA! Good Fun!

 

[Skarpen]

EA annual worst company award is in jeopardy

https://www.google.com/amp/s/reclaimthenet.org/blizzard-disables-authentication-user-accounts/amp/

[BruceVC]

5 hours ago, smjjames said:

The logic of some people just astounds me, Trump is saying that we shouldn't help the Kurds because they didn't take part in Normandy and other WWII battles, which he got from a conservative op-ed article (shown in the link). By that op-eds logic, we shouldn't be allies with Israel, because they didn't exist as a nation to take part in WWII! Or for that matter, any number of countries that didn't exist or directly take part in the battles mentioned in that op-ed.

Just some absolutely bonkers logic.....

Yes but Trump is correct, the Kurds didnt help the USA in WW1 or the American Civil War....what does America owe them anyway 

But this just confirms what we already know, Trump has a very limited understanding of history and current events based on historical precedent outside the USA . No surprise really 

Edited October 10, 2019 by BruceVC

[Gromnir]

2 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Yes but Trump is correct, the Kurds didnt help the USA in WW1 or the American Civil War....what does America owe them anyway 

But this just confirms what we already know, Trump has a very limited understanding of history and current events based on historical precedent outside the USA . No surprise really 

the US actual fought great britain in the revolutionary war and the war of 1812. enemies. all the more reason to betray those pasty-faced chumps at the next possible opportunity. no doubt the brits has been nursing a grudge since the drubing they took at the battle o' new orleans. far better if we turn on them before they get a chance to do same to us.

OUR HEROES Native American Soldiers in Our Midst

additional noteworthy, 10,000 native americans served in ww1 in spite o' fact they were not afforded an opportunity to be citizens at the time.

am perhaps too close to the issue, but am thinking if there is one population which deserves to hold a grudge 'gainst the US, is the indigenous people o' what is now the USA. some still do. nevertheless, am betting more than a few folks is surprised by just how well represented has been native peoples serving in uniform during US wars.

and while the US and vietnamese were allies in ww2, clearly the relationship soured. nevertheless, is worth considering a counterpoint to trump's notions o' international relations, using vietnam as an example.

How Vietnam fell in love with John McCain

trump says stuff which is inane to the point o' nonsensical, but all too often such dogrel, bordering on evidence o' aphasia, resonates with his base.

HA! Good Fun!

[Zoraptor]

5 hours ago, smjjames said:

Just some absolutely bonkers logic.....

He's trying to find something, anything with traction to cover a deeply unpopular decision which has managed to unite Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Syria, Republicans, Democrats, Pelosi, McConnell, Graham, Sanders, neocons, neolibs, anti war people, left, right, Europe, Russia and more in opposition; many of whom usually have diametrically opposed views.

The general point that the YPG was not primarily helping the US but helping themselves is valid enough- and true, as realpolitik- but advertising your approach as being purely transactional certainly isn't a great idea even if it is (though to be fair to him, about the only thing Trump's been consistent about is viewing everything as transactional). He's probably right about it not being mostly a massive issue with beltway types and not so much with general voters as well. End of the day though, running away so one of your allies can ethnically cleanse a different ally is not the easiest sell in the world for very good reason.

If you want some really absolutely bonkers logic though, here's the Turkish Defence Minister's statement on Operation Ludicrous Propaganda Name which reads like an attempt at parodying what a Minipax press release would be.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EGeIxz2WoAEICKz.jpg:large

4 hours ago, KaineParker said:

The Kurds have a saying "only the mountains are our friends" because they expect to be betrayed.

Unfortunately, there are no mountains in northern Syria as they clearly didn't expect to be betrayed this time. They let the US escort Turkish troops around the border and demolish their border fortifications, and had an antagonistic attitude to the Syrian government (largely mandated by the US, but really, that makes it worse so far as the government is concerned) which if backed by Russia was the only other group that could have stopped Turkey. PYD is philosophically/ theoretically the closest group to me in Syria by absolute miles, but their conduct has been so naive as to be indistinguishable from stupid and they've massively overestimated their own leverage, and after Afrin that also needs an 'again' at the end.

[Gfted1]

@Hurlshot: Cool story but unless your willing to explain your point youre just pissing into a fan.

[BruceVC]

57 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

@Hurlshot: Cool story but unless your willing to explain your point youre just pissing into a fan.

Im also a little confused by what Hurlshot is alluding to, if I had to guess its because he thinks the way you described  Bernies heart attack was callous and insensitive ...but Im not 100 % sure because I thought your comment was fine?

Thats one of the reasons  why I love the Internet and forums like this , ostensibly I can get involved in so many discussions and read interesting viewpoints from people who normally in RL I might feel it would be rude or lack decorum to participate in a certain debate because its not about me at all. This is what a community is guys 

[Gfted1]

It wouldn't be the internet without the reddening and swelling of someones buttock.

In other news, I guess we all have to smash our iPhones now, in solidarity.

[smjjames]

6 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

He's trying to find something, anything with traction to cover a deeply unpopular decision which has managed to unite Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Syria, Republicans, Democrats, Pelosi, McConnell, Graham, Sanders, neocons, neolibs, anti war people, left, right, Europe, Russia and more in opposition; many of whom usually have diametrically opposed views.

Uh, I'm pretty sure Iran and Russia would be very pleased with the partial pullout. Whether they are happy with Turkeys actions though are another matter entirely.

[Elerond]

Limo driving in Ireland seems to be quite profitable these days

https://www.citizensforethics.org/mike-pence-doonbeg-cost-nearly-600k/

Mike Pence’s controversial visit to President Trump’s resort in Doonbeg is slated to cost taxpayers $599,454.36 in limousine service alone, according to State Department contracts reviewed by CREW. 

The choice to stay at Trump’s Irish resort in Doonbeg was both highly inconvenient, and extremely expensive. Located 181 miles away on the opposite side of the country from Pence’s meetings in Dublin, Doonbeg was far from a convenient location. 

Pence’s complicated itinerary included meetings with Irish political leaders in Dublin on Tuesday, bookended by two nights in Doonbeg and about 4 hours of transit on Tuesday alone. His itinerary included flying into Shannon Airport on Monday, driving with a motorcade for roughly an hour to Doonbeg, staying overnight, driving to Shannon, flying cross country on Air Force Two (and back), driving for more than an hour back to stay at Doonbeg again, and then back to Shannon on Wednesday. With a schedule like that, it is no wonder the trip was so expensive. But did it have to be?

On past trips to Ireland, members of the executive branch and their families have used the same funeral service company for transportation, When Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama visited Ireland for three days, they did not rack up nearly the same bill. The same company that chauffeured Pence to Doonbeg was paid $114,000 for limo service for the Obama’s visit. While Pence’s bill was extraordinarily high, it was not out of the norm for a visit to Doonbeg. The U.S. government paid the same company nearly $1 million for transit during Trump’s 2-day trip to the property in June, 2019.

Quote

The logic of some people just astounds me, Trump is saying that we shouldn't help the Kurds because they didn't take part in Normandy and other WWII battles, which he got from a conservative op-ed article (shown in the link). By that op-eds logic, we shouldn't be allies with Israel, because they didn't exist as a nation to take part in WWII! Or for that matter, any number of countries that didn't exist or directly take part in the battles mentioned in that op-ed.

Just some absolutely bonkers logic.....

Considering that Syria and Kurds in Syria were part of France during Normandy... 

Edited October 10, 2019 by Elerond

[smjjames]

Wait, it's a funeral service company? lolwut. Aren't there other limo operators? heh.

[Amentep]

3 hours ago, BruceVC said:

Im also a little confused by what Hurlshot is alluding to, if I had to guess its because he thinks the way you described  Bernies heart attack was callous and insensitive ...but Im not 100 % sure because I thought your comment was fine?

Gfted1 complained that Elizabeth Warren sticking to her claims of being fired during pregnancy was going to prevent her chances at winning and that, combined with Sanders recent health problems would prevent the democrats winning and enacting the "socialist" policies that Gfted1 has become so enamored with availing himself to.

Hurlshot complained that he thought it was tasteless to link real problems (Warren's claims, Sanders' health) within the context of what he feels is Gfted1's hyperbolic and facetious trolling of any candidate within the democratic party by pretending its some sort of socialist plan that will give him "free stuff".

Gfted countered that he wasn't being facetious and wanted free stuff and that he didn't understand how Sander's heart factored into it.

Hurlshot illustrated his feeling regarding the seriousness of Warren's claims by illustrating his own families experience with an attempt by school administrators to end the employment of a pregnant teacher (his wife), the implication to reinforce why he feels that these serious issues shouldn't be brushed aside by users being flippant about getting "free stuff".

[At least as I read it, relevant parties may agree/disagree with my interpretation]

[Gfted1]

Ah, that clears it up.

Erdogan threatens release of millions of refugee into Europe.

*Narrator*: And suddenly Europe went quiet.

[BruceVC]

3 minutes ago, Amentep said:

Gfted1 complained that Elizabeth Warren sticking to her claims of being fired during pregnancy was going to prevent her chances at winning and that, combined with Sanders recent health problems would prevent the democrats winning and enacting the "socialist" policies that Gfted1 has become so enamored with availing himself to.

Hurlshot complained that he thought it was tasteless to link real problems (Warren's claims, Sanders' health) within the context of what he feels is Gfted1's hyperbolic and facetious trolling of any candidate within the democratic party by pretending its some sort of socialist plan that will give him "free stuff".

Gfted countered that he wasn't being facetious and wanted free stuff and that he didn't understand how Sander's heart factored into it.

Hurlshot illustrated his feeling regarding the seriousness of Warren's claims by illustrating his own families experience with an attempt by school administrators to end the employment of a pregnant teacher, the implication to reinforce why he feels that these serious issues shouldn't be brushed aside by users being flippant about getting "free stuff".

[At least as I read it, relevant parties may agree/disagree with my interpretation]

Thanks for giving your opinion, I am not I see everything in the same way but its insightful and reasonable