US Politics

Blodssvik said:
So anonymous intelligence sources have fed news outlets stories that Russia, China and Iran separately have been paying bounties for American heads in Afghanistan in the span of a few months. Evidence free as usual. Good times though for all the US security panic junkies here.
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I wonder how they would collect it? I mean surely anyone can say I did it but how do they show proof? Don't bounty hunters have to show proof?
 
Blodssvik said:
So anonymous intelligence sources have fed news outlets stories that Russia, China and Iran separately have been paying bounties for American heads in Afghanistan in the span of a few months. Evidence free as usual. Good times though for all the US security panic junkies here.
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Even is this is true, wouldn't that be all the more reason to get American troops the hell out of there?
 
berbatrick said:
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Wonder if they understand they’re loosely plagiarizing a 14th century Arab historian:

“Ibn Khaldun argued that each dynasty (or civilization) has within itself the seeds of its own downfall. He explains that ruling houses tend to emerge on the peripheries of existing empires and use the much stronger ʿasabiyya present in their areas to their advantage, in order to bring about a change in leadership. This implies that the new rulers are at first considered 'barbarians' by comparison to the previous ones. As they establish themselves at the center of their empire, they become increasingly lax, less coordinated, disciplined and watchful, and more concerned with maintaining their new power and lifestyle. Their ʿasabiyya dissolves into factionalism and individualism, diminishing their capacity as a political unit. Conditions are thus created where a new dynasty can emerge at the periphery of their control, grow strong, and effect a change in leadership, continuing the cycle.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asabiyyah
 
WI_Red said:
Obama should always be demonized for this (among many other things) as well, if not charged.
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For what exactly? I only learned of the Michigan water thing recently, didn't hear where Obama was at fault.
 
Simbo said:
For what exactly? I only learned of the Michigan water thing recently, didn't hear where Obama was at fault.
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For turning that press conference into a soundbite. All I remember from it, and I bet all anyone remembers from it, is him "not fake coughing" and then asking for a glass of Flint water to drink. Followed by telling people there kids would be fine if they got them tested for lead. Followed by Flint water still being deadly. Maybe the "charge him" was hyperbolic, but he should be ashamed by the performance. The sound bite overshadowed his rightful indignation from later in the speech. Kids getting lead poisoning from their drinking water is not a joking manner.
 
2cents said:
Wonder if they understand they’re loosely plagiarizing a 14th century Arab historian:

“Ibn Khaldun argued that each dynasty (or civilization) has within itself the seeds of its own downfall. He explains that ruling houses tend to emerge on the peripheries of existing empires and use the much stronger ʿasabiyya present in their areas to their advantage, in order to bring about a change in leadership. This implies that the new rulers are at first considered 'barbarians' by comparison to the previous ones. As they establish themselves at the center of their empire, they become increasingly lax, less coordinated, disciplined and watchful, and more concerned with maintaining their new power and lifestyle. Their ʿasabiyya dissolves into factionalism and individualism, diminishing their capacity as a political unit. Conditions are thus created where a new dynasty can emerge at the periphery of their control, grow strong, and effect a change in leadership, continuing the cycle.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asabiyyah
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You, pleb, learnt this by studying history and knowing things.
I, enlightened, learnt this from reading young adult fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartimaeus_Sequence#Ptolemy's_Gate

(Tbh, for the genre, they were pretty decent books)
 
WPMUFC said:
absolutely incredible that an ideology can be self-sustaining based off absolutely no understanding of economics or middle school maths.
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Agreed. Back in the late 90’s I worked in a union grocery store. Back then the checkers started at $15 an hour and could get up to $25. The leads made $30. Our milk did not cost any more than the non union shop down the street.

This myth is a fallacy spouted by the right and their pet “economists” to disused their base from voting in their self interest.
 
berbatrick said:


replies are fun
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The very golden example of repeat a lie often enough, it becomes truth.

It's literally proven to be not only untrue, but the total opposite. Everytime you put more money into the hands of poorer people, that money gets spent back into the local economy.

Because poor people are already cutting corners in their spending. Giving them an extra dollar means they can spend on something they need but have been ignoring.

Every dollar you put into the hands of rich people, it gets siphoned off to some Cayman Islands offshore account. Out of the economy. Hoarded like Smaug watching over his gold.

Because rich people already spend as much as they want. Giving them an extra dollar means nothing.
 
Trump's playbook

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism


Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
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