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Winston Houston on "Publication: A New Book 'Pakistan's Strategic Culture and FP Making"

Winston Houston — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:40:34 +0100

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Hobbes on "McCain-Palin: A winning ticket for the GOP"

Hobbes — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:24:14 +0100

Quote:

he has a fance post suck up his **** ?!!!!

So nice to see how sodomy brings the boys together. Shades of Abner Louima.

Quote:

Perhaps that's why Palin questioned what responsibility a "community organizer" exercises?

So nice to see, too, how you can turn a display of ignorance into a rallying cry. Palin doesn't know what a community organizer does because Idaho and Alaska between them don't have a city worth mentioning ("Anchorage is also the most ethnically diverse city in Alaska: the ethnic makeup of the municipality is approximately 72.23% White ... African Americans, 0.93%). With the Federal government picking up most of the tab, being governor is pretty much an extension of high school ("I put in on Ebay!"). There's leadership for you.

Quote:

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.

Kathie Welch on "An Islamic State? A Proposal from Turkey: Aristocracy of Intellectuals!"

Kathie Welch — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:11:47 +0100

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Iron Mike on "Georgian Conflict in a nutshell"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:48:00 +0100

Quote:

Obviously, a huge threat exists, in that it appears fairly certain that Iran can seriously inhibit or perhaps stop completely the flow of oil through Hormuz, for a period of time difficult to estimate. Also Iran can attack ports and other facilties of oil exporters in the Gulf, causing even bigger delays in resuming supplies. Given the fragile global economic situation (caused in part by American corruption relating to the mortgage meltdown) such disruption of oil suplies might be more devastating than any Iranian nuclear weapon, real or imagined. Also, a high ranking Iranian military officer has threatened to attack any or all of 32 American bases nearby (I presume in Georgia too. Or perhaps the friendly and gracious Russians might do it for them, or have already neutralized that capability.)

Cherif, Seems you have a good grasp of the threat. You make a great argument in favor of the US deployment of Patriot missiles in Poland and the Ukraine. I appreciate your sensible approach to a very real threat.

Iron Mike on "Republican family values"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:03:00 +0100

Quote:

Killing the people to save the people never really made much sense to me. Also, I was never a believer in that we could make any last lasting change over there in the first place, and in fact would only make things worse.

Yeah. I know what you mean. After all, killing Nazis never had much effect on WWII, did it? And certainly it did not result in any lasting change over there, did it? Nope, killing the people to save the people never really makes much sense. Come to think of it...it never really worked in Japan either. Look at them now! Yes, I can see how being a pacifist nation would really be appealling...to an Islamic Terrorist seeking a country to receive their message of death.

Iron Mike on "McCain-Palin: A winning ticket for the GOP"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:57:00 +0100

Quote:

So basically Obama has sat on the fence so much he has a fance post suck up his **** ?!!!!

That pretty much sums it up...which is woefully short of executive experience. Thankfully, he has all that "community organizer" experience which includes....er,..actually...what does it include? Perhaps that's why Palin questioned what responsibility a "community organizer" exercises? Not even as much as a small town mayor it would seem.

Iron Mike on "America: the land of the precautionary and the home of the risk-averse"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:30:00 +0100

Owly,

You are absolutely right. The situation was largely created by local and state governments and exacerbated by their refusal to call in federal assistance.

Many people confuse the roles. Local government has primary "first responder" responsibility and authority, supplemented by the state and EMAC which is a framework for state-to-state mutual aid. Federal assistance from FEMA, etc. and federal military aid under DSCA (defense support to civil authorities) are secondary responders that cannot be activated without state request. Smart state governors get an early emergency declaration to access federal assistance when the scope of the disaster is projected to exceed state capabilities. Some states want to wait because some federal aid must be paid for by the state afterwards. But you take on the risk when you do so, as the LA governor learned the hard way.

We learned afterwards how poorly prepared the state really was. FL and TX sent military planners to work with the LA guard for a year afterwards, teaching them how to organize air control plans for search and rescue, logistics, even help them develop the grid maps which they lacked. It was pathetic. But it was gratifying to see it come off so well this time. Most people have no idea of what it took to pull off this evacuation or the planning and training that took place since Katrina to "make it look easy." State and federal participants should be proud of their performance.

In all fairness, the feds screwed up during katrina plenty too. And Bush was right to take on the blame for the feds portion of the monumental waste and poor coordination. But the scale of death and displacement would not have been a fraction, had the city and state done their jobs in the first place.

Iron Mike on "Education and Democracy Thread"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:21:35 +0100

Nice try Chris! ;-)

I'm still Jeffersonian in that I believe the best government is the least government. Where you and I may differ is what is how much government we are willing to accept. You are willing to accept (and even embrace) more government control than me provided there is sufficient benefit.

The fact that I agree with you (and Obama) on an underlying assumption about the worth of education (and wellness) to society, does not mean we agree on the means to achieve it.

But I give you points for the argument!

chris9234 on "Education and Democracy Thread"

chris9234 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:52:19 +0100

'but there is always the underlying
assumption that education is necessary for the survival and health of a
society and since everyone benefits from a healthy society, all have a
stake (and fiduciary responsibility) in contributing to its welfare.' IM

Mike,

What leftist rubbish! Next thing you know you'll be telling us that the general health and well being of our fellow citizens is also a good thing for a society, and since everyone benefits from this 'goodness', all have a stake (and fiduciary responsibility) in contributing to its welfare, i.e., health care for everyone, paid for by everyone.

Better vote for Obama if you have philosophical inclinations like these.

Iron Mike on "Education and Democracy Thread"

Iron Mike — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:43:00 +0100

Am I willing to question the basic assumption?

Okay...but it seems pointless. For instance, I would argue an underlying assumption that education is necessary for survival and health of a society from which ALL members of the society benefits. It seems self-evident, does it not?

You would argue what?

1. Education is NOT necessary for survival and health of a society?

2. Everyone does NOT benefit from an educated society?

3. Everyone does NOT benefit equally?

4. Everyone does NOT benefit proportionally?

5. Those who derive a benefit from society have no responsibility for its support?

owly on "America: the land of the precautionary and the home of the risk-averse"

owly — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:23:05 +0100

IM,

Isn't it true that the President cannot deploy troops save at the invitation or at the request of the State Governor ? Bush got all the blame for Katrina, but actually the blame ought to have been directed at the Governor. Isn't this so ?

owly on "Georgian Conflict in a nutshell"

owly — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:18:07 +0100

Quote:

How do you feel about injustice and oppression?

Does that include Muslim injustice and oppression ? Islam is/was a ruthless aggressor as we see on a daily basis.

owly on "McCain-Palin: A winning ticket for the GOP"

owly — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:10:27 +0100

Ah, you can't do that here. In the Commons it is the 'Ayes to the right' etc. In the Lords it is 'Content'.

So basically Obama has sat on the fence so much he has a fance post suck up his **** ?!!!!

Hobbes on "McCain-Palin: A winning ticket for the GOP"

Hobbes — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:07:40 +0100

'I will reach out my hand,' McCain vows

To pick your pocket, while my pit bull bites your ankle.

Quote:

those in the executive branch like governors and presidents have to make real yes or no decisions

Well, as we know from the fine governor of Hawaii, any mayor of a 10,000 person town has enough experience to become President, so clearly the job's not that tough. Plus, as we know, Alaska being the highly developed place that it is, there are lots of tough choices to be made

Quote:

Alaska, whose population of 670,000 is smaller
than that of all but three states, has no income or sales tax,
few manufacturing jobs and even fewer illegal immigrants. And
its economy is based almost entirely on natural resources and
tourism.

So, between moose hunts, it seems like Palin's job was mostly deciding which pen to use to sign those rebate checks for every citizen in the state.

And speaking of jobs:

Quote:

John McCain has completed his makeover from the greenest Republican
to run for president to just another representative of big oil.

Given the fact that Senator McCain deliberately avoided voting on all
eight attempts to pass a bill extending the vital tax credits and
production subsidies to expand our wind and solar industries, and given
his support for lowering the gasoline tax in a reckless giveaway that
would only promote more gasoline consumption and intensify our
addiction to oil, and given his desire to make more oil-drilling, not
innovation around renewable energy, the centerpiece of his energy
policy — in an effort to mislead voters that support for drilling today
would translate into lower prices at the pump today — McCain has
forfeited any claim to be a green candidate.

owly on "Education and Democracy Thread"

owly — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:07:33 +0100

IM,

The debate could lead there, but you have to question the basic assumption. Seems even you are not quite prepared to do that. Why ?