costard
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Posts posted by costard
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It just seems to me that I've seen more reports of anti-semitism by notable persons in the news services over the last six months. I could be imagining it, of course. I'd need to do a proper search by numbers over years to establish a trend. meh.
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Why is it we're getting a rash of claims (proven or not) of anti-Jewish sentiment?
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Neo-libs are the new threat. At least you could rely on the neo-cons to go about things with some degree of competence.
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Yeah, well spotted Ron. I'm not really a nice person, but I do try to seem that way. Apparently it makes my life easier. On the other hand, it could be that I value dignity much more than pride, figuring it to be concommitant with respect and therefore useful in maintaining relationships. Pride can be a personal or organisational myth, but it doesn't serve in anything more than an analysis of the past. Rarely does it lend clarity to the analysis.
I've had a think about what I wrote above (well above) and I think I missed some important points (and am just plain wrong about others). The fact that you are a serving member of the USA means that you are subject to quite a few conditions that we civilians find very difficult to relate to: you're indoctrinated to understand that you are required to invest a position with not only your ego, but your life. So then an ignorant oik comes along and tells you what you should be... You're indoctrinated to accept information presented to you by certain sources as valid: it couldn't be any other way in an organisation where people's lives are going to be lost in pursuit of the mission. It is quite likely you have the integrity to maintain a secondary psyche to deal with civilians, but when the information streams available to the participants in the argument are so divergant as to be seen as deliberately engineered to be that way, the respect within the relationship must necessarily suffer. The problems you're experiencing with your relating to other members of this board are a microcosm of the problems facing our society around the globe: and they are all man-made problems.
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..like factual statements somewhat relating to the actual truth?
Did the US Army Engineers build the dykes and drains that emptied the Everglades and enabled the development of a greater part of Miami? Did the US Army fight at the Alamo and Little Bighorn? How about the various student riots and protests where US soldiers fired upon and killed US citizens? What is this... stuff... about the US Army not being legally allowed to operate, serve, whatever, in the US? If you are ignorant of the truth, rest assured we will call you out on it.
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Possibly this is all true. More likely, you've got tickets on yourself.
Anti-Ron doesn't mean anti-american, and every time I hear Anti-American I know its being used by someone not prepared to pay me the respect of comprehending my argument. How do I know this? Proof by inspection.
Anti-Ron doesn't mean anti-US Army. You'll find that few people here are prepared to value the institution and its history in the same way they value your presence on these boards.
Your debating style is mostly what brings you down: you won't entertain the defeat of your position as a possibility (an admirable trait for a fighting soldier, to a point). Don't invest your ego in an argument, or be prepared to see it blown away with the argument if you turn out wrong. When it happens (and if you can honestly tell me that you're never wrong I will honestly tell you that you're wrong) - don't whinge about the pain you feel. Welcome to the club. Savour the experience and add it to your store.
Respect is a two-way street, Ron. This board has some very, very intelligent people contributing to it and they all have experience at least equal to their years on this planet. Your willingness to provide material for the boards is very welcome, but if you think we're going to just roll over and accept your version of the world... well, how would, how do you react when that same expectation is levelled at you?
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.. oh, stuff. You know. Things, really neat things.
Face it, if we were readily able to change our minds to agree with you, you'd miss out on more than half the fun in your life. Of course, you could order lobotomies for us and claim the discount on a bulk rate.
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So you're saying that Fox has bought The Guardian? Not really news to me; cognitive dissonance an' all that jive. I only believe what I read in the bible and what God tells me personally and you, sir, are going to hell. Have a nice trip.
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I heard you eat the babies.
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If the informants were killed (I like the way you can't avoid using the emotional "beheaded") within hours of their being named then the people doing the beheading were not capable of extracting the information they were party to (in which case they are hardly to be regarded as high value targets), or were deliberately sacrificing the named in an effort to maintain and enhance their own cover. Again, if the US SD had entered into a dialogue with Wikileaks then they would not have borne any moral responsibility for those lives. If the US had been even half way serious about having a useful and secure information service then this episode would not have come to pass. Blaming Assange for your own ineptitude and lack of responsibility is moral cowardice.
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Assange has stepped up, and he's hitting well above his weight. His take on the fallout from his actions may be a little naive - he is human, he is flawed - but his courage and sense of fairness aren't to be called into question. As far as I'm aware, he hasn't used the information that came to him for the purposes of blackmail or financial gain. His organisation gave the US State Department the opportunity to enter into a dialogue regarding the effect of the releases and was refused.
Someone in the US wanted this information published, knowing that releasing it to the normal chanels of distribution (i.e. the commercial media) was going to be playing into the hands of the people identified in the information as liars, cheats and morally reprehensible. The hope that real change could be effected from the release of these documents has proved to be a vain one.
I really don't think Assange is an insult to my country, whatever my Prime Minister might say publicly. I think, rather, that he's an indication of what an outback Queenslander educated in the seventies and eighties is capable of doing - upsetting an awful lot of people by doing the right thing.
Ron, I know you say you're worried about the fallout for your buddies in war zones. Trust me, that's crap - it's a soundbite designed to garner hostility towards the messenger. The fallout is in the shift that might have been generated in the political sphere and I can't see that it will have any effect whatsoever: we know our leaders are a bunch of lying, incompetent thieves and we know we're bought and sold for their personal gain. There doesn't seem to be much we can do about it. The idealist thought it might just be possible to turn this ****fight around. Too bad he was wrong.
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Regarding the alleged sexual assault, it's going to be judged in the Swedish courts: there's little to be gained in pleading non-bias if you're going to predict the outcome. Too, it brings up the philosophical question of regarding isolated behaviours and extrapolating to an entire personality, particularly where a soldier's behaviour might be examined. Regarding the "bias" of the article writer and his association with The Guardian, if the story came from a reliable source it wouldn't have been written by this particular author. I'm sure there were (probably still are) competent, capable journalists working for Fox - they don't write the crap that appeals to the lowest intellect capable of forking over money in return for sensate reward. I agree that the Guardian does tend towards bias - but usually to a factually verifiable or intellectually rigorous analysis of events.
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Not sure what that means....Assange claims there is a Jewish conspiracy against him and his organization, because of someone mentioning his associate..they did not need to mention his associate, granted, but that does not take away the fact he is deluded if he believes there is a Jewish conspiracy against him, brought on by people who themselves in every other thing they do, are mostly anti-Jew.
-established that Assange denied having made the claim of "Jewish conspiracy"
-established that the journalist making the report is of questionable integrity and has a history of publishing rubbish
Given that any thread examining the influence/behaviour of the Jewish people quickly degrades to lockdown, and is therefore an effective tactical choice when seeking to arouse emotional argument, how about we call this **** for what it is and agree not to discuss such propaganda again. Eh?
Have a look at Assange's stated motives: they aren't about harming others. If you wish to ascribe motive to him that he hasn't indicated in his behaviour, you're either claiming to be able to read minds or are being deliberately dishonest with what intellect you claim to posess.
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Pesadija - where are you that the future looks no worse than the present? In a time warp? DT is getting older and crankier, intimations of mortality infect his very being. Plus, he lives in Britain and suffers from being surrounded by the inhabitants of that gloomy isle.
It's spring - his posts should start to get more upbeat as the year progresses.
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meh, the Kiwis don't hate Aussies, we're not worth the effort. One day we'll win the Bledisloe and be worthy. 'til then, we're the idiot cousin.
DT, if your media is dying for want of advertising revenue, you'll pass a law to enable it to get what it can.
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Who cuts the holes in the pointy hats for you?
"Look, a long-eared unicorn!" Virgin gnomes need only apply.
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A long time ago I told my voices to organise themselves into a committee and report any stuff I might be interested in. Works a treat - they're so busy I hardly ever get bothered any more.
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Notice Type:
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Recently I saw a link to a US Air Force advertisement for trolls - people paid to inhabit discussion forums for the purpose of disinformation. The idea that the USAF has a requirement for this is plainly ridiculous; more likely they were deliberately bringing into the light a practise they see going on in other arms of the US security apparatus. Meh, it makes no difference: apparently people can't find jobs as engineers or teachers or canine manicurists, but can find jobs as domestic spies. I thought I'd take a look at why this makes me so uncomfortable.
The informant, the domestic spy, is universally loathed. He usually gives the game away by being dumb enough to believe that no-one can figure out what it is he does: he doesn't understand that the awkwardness he generates (by way of being incapable of taking part in an honest relationship) is felt by everyone else in the group, that someone with true ability in melding for the purpose of deception is being paid a much higher rate to perform in higher priority circumstances. As it is, he isn't bright enough to understand the reason for his being shunned and resents it: he becomes the perfect subject for a positive feedback cycle of corruption and power abuse. The domestic spy unit, when overfunded and thus represented by these bottom dwellers, has to protect itself from the populace it surveils: it does this by denouncing anyone brave enough to speak their minds, it chokes the channels of communication within the community, thus necessitating the establishment and maintenance of "approved" channels. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera... economic decline... fear... apathy... violence... despair...
Do us all a favour: quit your jobs. Thanks.
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With all due respect, the execution was ****ing atrocious from my viewpoint.
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Bloody 'ell. I misspelled challenge.
Nup, you misspelled winkers.
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Well, if I were a cynical depressive (read: realist) I'd argue that we'll see more repression backed by the military. The level of repression will be determined by the over-arching culture of the military in question: if it sees itself as coming from the general populace and having a mission to serve the populace of the nation (i.e. it fights for a symbol: a flag), it'll prove less harsh in dealing with the unhappy masses ("harsh" is extremely relative here). Where the military is selected from distinct ethnic groups (for example, the desert tribes in Libya (Bedouin?)) with strong hierarchies based in feudal relationships, we'll see a stronger military presence in the solution: less regard paid to the commonwealth and more to the maintenance of power structures.
I don't think the west is prepared to put a "peace-keeping force" in each and every middle-eastern/north-african nation: a pity, because it could be argued that this is precisely the situation the US pledged to address (militarily) when it started down this road with the invasion of Iraq. It could be that we're seeing the final refutation of that strategy and it's effectiveness.
Other foreign aided solutions include shipments of food to stem price rises and panic behaviour, but it has been shown (i.e. proven through inspection) that unless the people of the suffering nation are prepared and capable of helping themselves, all you manage to do is promote the status quo (e.g. the Untied Nations Aid programs in sub-saharan Africa). Unfortunately, other solutions usually require a deal of investment and time in cultivating international relationships: bringing the putative leaders of the nation in question to an understanding of how to get it to work (else you require on the happenstance of a revolution capable of putting high quality, competent individuals into power structures prepared to back them - about one in several trillion, I'd guess, of that happening). One of the great truths of the exercise of WJunior's new paradigm was that he systematically trashed decades of work in the diplomatic sphere. A fairly constant theme coming through from the older generation (from his parents, for example) was about the waste and destruction happening to their lives' work. The perception of WJunior's team was that they didn't work anywhere as near as hard as their parents and they didn't have anything like the intellectual capability: the conclusion to be drawn was obvious to anyone who actually had an education and could think.
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(insert IMO here if you are prone to doublethink)
abneo3sierra is deserving of respect. He does an absolutely awesome job at respecting other's views whilst partaking in stressful conflict. JonS, you are a knowing instigator of conflict. Jon, I think you're just getting old and cranky. Hey, no biggie, you can do something about it. I might have come across some philosophy for you.
He is part of a very special clique, one that regards the value of life in a very real and immediate way - his friends, mates, whatever, their lives are on the line. His mission requires that he view other lives as important, too: the people of the country he serves in. The immediacy of the decisions he needs to make (and has made, apparently) gives a true urgency to his viewpoint. These decisions shouldn't be confused with the types of decision an emergency surgeon might be required to make, but we're talking the same intensity, the same adrenalin and equally important outcomes to be aimed at. We, on the other hand, live our lives with the leisure to distance ourselves from the place he is at - even thought we require him to be there, by the commonly held understanding of the laws we follow. Certainly, Jak-don't-know-your-real-name-so-this-one-will-do-why-would-you-make-us-type-abneosierra3-how's-'bout-subbie?, that is subbie, would understand this to be the case: a large part of his meaning is tied to that being the case. It needs to be, or he isn't fighting for the flag - he's just a paid thug.
I think one of the problems we have, as civilians, is knowing where we can expect a true argument to be coming from the mouth of an arguer - in this case, subbie needs to know that he isn't just a paid thug (Jon, what's the value of a volunteer?). He isn't. The end. OK, how do we formulate an argument that caters for this necessity? It is true that (if he survives, not always a given in his chosen line of work) his personal viewpoint will change. With time, and hopefully in times of peace, and to an understanding that is different, but still allows him his dignity if not his pride. But the value of his sacrifice needs to be lauded - it is a theme that has graced our civilisation in legend and deed longer than the written word has been around.
The specifics: ABNS3, why are you so sure these leaks emanated low? How is it that you are so sure, given that the most likely path of this documentation was through a high official in the diplomat caste? Would it not be better to focus on the fact that your (the Army's) information needs to be better protected? If you don't have an answer to that one, resign yourself to knowing that it's situation normal and adapt your protocols accordingly. No need to kill Assange - it won't solve anything, at all, ever.
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Tepid... Costard?
Is there any other kind?
Just out of curiosity, since, in our present game, your big, bad 150mm gun can't reach my men, will you continue to shell your own men?
I find it a curious pastime.
This same gun, would this be the one that just wiped one of your squads off the face of the earth? I'm fairly hopeful about your tank, granted, but he can't be too happy about having six inch shells landing anywhere near him. Anyway, my guys were so panicked they did the right thing - they ran and survived: their intimations of mortality were most truly represented by the machine of the great game. Your guys just accept their doom, as ever Boo's forces do.
Don't do it friend Boo, or I shall be forced to post the results.
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And, to be truthful, between the awful state of the people in developing countries and the denied economic stability in the supposedly developed countries, I find the latter more jarring exactly because we, relatively educated people (politically and economically), seem unable to defend ourselves against the predations of those ******* neomanchesterian vultures.
Sorry for the rant.
BTW, hasn't this thread gotten quite political, in spite of forum rules?
Moon has the power to shut down any thread he's not particularly intererested in. If we don't descend to calling each other names and manage to keep the observations factual, it is probable the thread will survive. Besides, at what point does any discussion of values or global events not touch on politics? I figure we're in the hands of the judiciary, we might as well make it worth their while reading the evidence. Also,
1.The thread has the word President in it's title, it's bound to be political.
2. I figure by this time everyone hates all politicians equally, so any vilification of one or another is unlikey to cause lasting damage to any reader.
We did have the means to defend ourselves: they were present in the laws that were deliberately and progressively repealed or subverted in the interests of the people now sitting at the top. Glass-Steagall is the most obvious, perhaps. Corruption has become far more accepted in the west than when I was a child: then, it was a sin against the rest of the community (and the economic and moral damage it causes was understood). Now, it is expected behaviour and is far more rarely prosecuted to an outcome acceptable to the victims (an instance of both the corruption and it's downstream effects).
One more thing: it wasn't just the JP Morgans and Goldman Sachs that brought this on. The people who bought houses in the knowledge that they were taking a punt on the future value so that they could achieve quick wealth were displaying the same impatience and ignorance as our leadership. The same goes for those who borrowed against their houses to play the stock market - a working knowledge of statistics and probability, history and current affairs is all required to succeed at the game (if the game is any good).
The real secret weapons against terrorism??
in General Discussion Forum
Posted
Self interest - not self interest posing as altruism.