General Political Thread

[John Smith]

I have no idea what an E-6 is because as I believe I've said before, I'm a total pussy, but thank you for your service.

Staff sergeant - scout section leader.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

No, the administration's original story was that it was a spontaneous reaction to a YouTube video, although they knew at the time that it was a lie.

Okay, so let's just say we accept your premise. The administration lied.

 

Bush lied (Iraq/WMD), and then 4,000 died.

Obama lied (Benghazi), after 4 died.

 

I'll take those odds. Hillary 2016!

[John Smith]

It would be better if you'd just stop trying to tell other people what they are thinking. If I'd wanted to "evoke an emotional response" I would have written something much frothier. As for scoring points in a discussion, I'm not sure it's even possible. This isn't a sporting match or contest and I'm not trying to "win" or change anyone's mind; I'm just voicing my opinion. It's understandable if you misunderstood the intent of my post, but you'll have to take my word for it when I tell you that you misunderstood. I'm not a liar.

Weather you intend to or not mention of 9/11 is usually used to provoke either an emotional or angry response depending on the circumstances. I find it unfathomable that anyone in America does not know that.

[Hixter]

Do you really believe that military spending is dwarfed by social? Try this take social security and Medicare out of the equation

It's rather ridiculous to remove Social Security and Medicare when we're talking about social spending.

 

By the way I am a veteran who left the army as an E-6, so it's not like I'm a guy who's never been there tossing in my .02 from the sidelines.

I spent 4 years in the Army, but I'm not sure where that gets us.

 

 

Re Benghazi, so that initial statement about the video still has your panties in a bunch? The intervening 13 months oh it being called a terror attack carries no currency then?

I don't like it when our elected leaders lie -- especially when they're lying to get elected. The same holds true for the president's infamous "If you like your current insurance you can keep it" fib that he told over and over, even though he knew it was a lie.

[Hixter]

Weather you intend to or not mention of 9/11 is usually used to provoke either an emotional or angry response depending on the circumstances. I find it unfathomable that anyone in America does not know that.

I find it unfathomable that you think that an historical event can't be mentioned without the intention of provoking an emotional or angry response.

[Guest Don Draper]

 

I don't like it when our elected leaders lie -- especially when they're lying to get elected.

I had a high school English teacher who used to say "expectations are just resentments waiting to happen." That really stuck with me.

[caliber66]

I find it unfathomable that you think that an historical event can't be mentioned without the intention of provoking an emotional or angry response.

You didn't mention a historical event. You called Benghazi a "mini-9/11."

 

Keep tap dancing, you might get somewhere.

[Guest Don Draper]

I find it unfathomable that you think that an historical event can't be mentioned without the intention of provoking an emotional or angry response.

9/11 can't. Sorry, but them's the breaks.

[Hixter]

You didn't mention a historical event. You called Benghazi a "mini-9/11."

And then offense was taken that I had the audacity to take 9/11's name in vain.

 

Both are historical events. Both happened on September 11th. It's a date. I can mention any or all of them without intending to provoke an emotional or angry response. Is it that difficult to understand?

[caliber66]

You didn't evoke a date. You inappropriately conflated two events.

 

If a German man kills a couple of Jews is it appropriate to refer to it as a mini-Holocaust?

[Sir Stewart]

[John Smith]

It is absolutely imperative that social security and Medicare be removed from the equation because those items both have dedicated revenue streams. It's really not fair since those two items fund so much of the rest. You have to look at general fund spending.

 

When we report our numbers we report as a whole but shareholders do not care too much about that they want segment reporting to see where revenues and expenses are lining up. If we didn't do that we could easily hide huge disparities. Just like politicians hide the huge cost of our security/offensive military machine by playing budget tricks like you are proposing.

 

I only point out my service to illustrate that I'm not attacking the military from some pie in the sky fantasy world. It seems that these days you have to put your bonifides on display or people don't take you serious. But I explained that already and you choose to ignore it.

[Guest Don Draper]

Hixter is being a mini-Custer about this.

[Guest Don Draper]

Staff sergeant - scout section leader.

That sounds fun, but it's probably a little outdoorsy for my tastes.

[John Smith]

I love the outdoors, my original career choice called for a life spent primarily out doors but that didn't pan out. Oh well.

[Hixter]

You didn't evoke a date. You inappropriately conflated two events.

I mentioned a date when two well-planned, well-executed terrorist attacks killed Americans. As I've already said, I'm not a liar. Anything else you might read into my post is a figment of your imagination.

 

 

 

If a German man kills a couple of Jews is it appropriate to refer to it as a mini-Holocaust?

If several members of an organized Nazi party remove a couple of Jews from their homes and gas them in the name of Nazi Germany, yes, I'll allow it. But it should really be called a micro-Holocaust as detailed in my earlier post.

 

It is absolutely imperative that social security and Medicare be removed from the equation because those items both have dedicated revenue streams.

I said that spending on social programs dwarfs military spending. It's true.

 

Hixter is being a mini-Custer about this.

That made me do a mini- .

 

That sounds fun, but it's probably a little outdoorsy for my tastes.

I told the recruiter that I wanted the Army to utilize my intelligence instead of my muscles and that I'd prefer not to spend my time in a tent. I never expected it to happen, but I did 4 years of active duty without spending a single day in the field. I still can't believe that I got away with it.

[Guest Don Draper]

The Nazis were a political party. Terrorists is not a political party, or a single organization of anything. Conflating "terrorist" attacks would be akin to equating mass shooting gunman with Timothy McVeigh.

[Hixter]

Terrorists is not a political party, or a single organization of anything.

I think you'll find that al Qaeda are quite organized and have common goals, beliefs and methods.

 

Conflating "terrorist" attacks would be akin to equating mass shooting gunman with Timothy McVeigh.

I'm comfortable with calling them both terrorists as long as the gunman is doing it for political or religious means and not just because he's mentally ill.

[Guest Don Draper]

I meant that Timothy McVeigh and the gunman are not related in an organized fashion, nor are many terrorist cells.

 

From what I can tell, al Qaeda was not involved in Benghazi, so equating al Qaeda with "terrorists" is not always a true statement. (Well, that's true regardless of whether they were involved in Benghazi or not.)

[twoshedsjackson]

I think you'll find that al Qaeda are quite organized and have common goals, beliefs and methods.

Hmmm. Speaking of common goals and beliefs...Religious zealots who are fiercely anti-science, anti-intellectual, anti-gay, and anti-women's rights.

 

Good thing there's nothing like that in THIS country!

[caliber66]

I think you'll find that al Qaeda are quite organized and have common goals, beliefs and methods.

 

I'm comfortable with calling them both terrorists as long as the gunman is doing it for political or religious means and not just because he's mentally ill.

Al Qaeda is a very decentralized "organization." Many separate groups, under no control of anything that could be called a central al Qaeda authority, have co-opted the name for their own purposes, which are often at odds with other groups using the name.

 

I mentioned a date when two well-planned, well-executed terrorist attacks killed Americans. As I've already said, I'm not a liar. Anything else you might read into my post is a figment of your imagination.

 

If several members of an organized Nazi party remove a couple of Jews from their homes and gas them in the name of Nazi Germany, yes, I'll allow it. But it should really be called a micro-Holocaust as detailed in my earlier post.

 

And no. A loose band of skinheads in Slovenia killing a couple of Jews by any method ought to count under your definition.

 

The Benghazi attackers are not members of the same group that carried out the attacks on 9/11/01.

The Benghazi attackers struck a U.S. diplomatic compound in a foreign country, not multiple targets on U.S. soil.

The Benghazi attackers did not use airliners as missiles.

The Benghazi attackers did not target civilians.

 

Keep telling yourself that they're the same thing, but for the size.

[Atticus]

It's rather ridiculous to remove Social Security and Medicare when we're talking about social spending.

 

$1.076 trillion on "discretionary" and "other mandatory"?

 

that covers a lot of ground

[John Smith]

Instill say you can not count SS or MCARE because they fund the rest if the government and have dedicated revenue streams it's true. I'm saying you need to look at the remaining revenue apply that to the budget. The other reason I say hold those two out is because SS is the largest holder of US Debt if I am not mistaken. So the deficit spending caused by the remainder of the budget is funded by S S. But what the hell do I know I just work in tax and finance. But I can see there is no middle ground with you on this because I view these numbers the way I do in segments and not as a whole and never will. Enough on this I guess.

 

When I joined the service it was because I felt everyone should serve, I had just graduated from college and signed up for what I was told was a major need. I always knew a career was not my path and stayed as long as I enjoyed it getting out shortly before I got married.

$1.076 trillion on "discretionary" and "other mandatory"?

 

that covers a lot of ground

I think you will find a lot of non defense department security spending in that figure.

[Guest Don Draper]

Instill 

Smartphone posters represent.

[John Smith]

Smartphone posters represent.

Auto correct cuts both ways good and bad