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Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Leerstetten, Germany

Sometimes it sounds better than our 18 month long elections though...
   
Made in us
Fate-Controlling Farseer





Fort Campbell

 d-usa wrote:
Sometimes it sounds better than our 18 month long elections though...


18 months? I wish they were that short. Another 2 elections, I guarantee they'll be full 4 year affairs. At that point I'll just find a dark corner in the woods where cable and internet cannot yet reach.

Full Frontal Nerdity 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Not as Good as a Minion






Brisbane

The amount of time that goes into elections, wouldn't you guys be better off eliminating the second term and making it a 6 year stay or something, as opposed to 4 years which is really 2 because of reelections?

I wish I had time for all the game systems I own, let alone want to own... 
   
Made in gb
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

Having just watched a rather good drama about some British wartime-newspaper publicists set during the first world war... Yes it is fair to say that this is indeed the case.

The Somme - 60,000 British casualties in a single day. Absolutely. fething. insane.

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Welcome to weapon technology that blows current tactics out the water

Proud Member of the Infidels of OIF/OEF
No longer defending the US Military or US Gov't. Just going to ""**feed into your fears**"" with Duffel Blog
Did not fight my way up on top the food chain to become a Vegan...
Warning: Stupid Allergy
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend
DE 6700
Harlequin 2500
RIP Muhammad Ali.

Jihadin, Scorched Earth 791. Leader of the Pork Eating Crusader. Alpha


 
   
Made in ca
Excellent Exalted Champion of Chaos






Grim Forgotten Nihilist Forest.

Reading that was like getting stabbed man. But oh so eye opening.

I've sold so many armies. :(
Aeldari 3kpts
Slaves to Darkness.3k
Word Bearers 2500k
Daemons of Chaos

 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






 BaronIveagh wrote:
 xole wrote:

Point #1 isn't something I can lol over. In fact a lot of that was a little depressing.


What, that terrorism works? That's because the US has been trying to fight it like a conventional foe. It's not another nation state that can be battled. You can attack nations that support it, but then the terrorists just move someplace else in a never ending game of whackamole. To actually win the war on terror, you have to deal with the root causes and motives of terrorists. And that has been the one thing that the US has been singularly unwilling to do.


Well, I blame that on a few books.

But no, that is point #6. Point #1 was the privacy one.
   
Made in nz
Longtime Dakkanaut





 Ahtman wrote:
So much for one day of quiet introspection and unity. Couldn't wait till tomorrow to pour gasoline on the fire?


Since when is browsing Dakka Dakka quiet introspection?

What the OP said was correct and this is the only day when people are likely to pay real attention to what was posted.
Using 911 as an opportunity to point out fallacies in government dialogue is not the same as using tradgedy to effect war or percuniary gain.

Given that 12 years on the world is not a safer place, but sure is a less free one, the actions of governments since that day have not even resulted in the defeat of those responsible. 12 years, that's twice as long as WWII and no measurable success. For us at least. The opportunities that various governments were given as a result of that day have no doubt helped some very rich and powerful people, but the rest of us, the people in Iraq and elsewhere, none whatsoever.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Leerstetten, Germany

What color thread level are we on? I miss that constant graphic on every news station...
   
Made in us
Tunneling Trygon





Bradley Beach, NJ

 d-usa wrote:
What color thread level are we on? I miss that constant graphic on every news station...

I'm tired of not knowing how scared I should be

Hive Fleet Aquarius 2-1-0


http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/527774.page 
   
Made in us
Hangin' with Gork & Mork






cadbren wrote:
 Ahtman wrote:
So much for one day of quiet introspection and unity. Couldn't wait till tomorrow to pour gasoline on the fire?


Since when is browsing Dakka Dakka quiet introspection?


Did you just read the first post, the second, and then skip everything else?

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






We're all guilty of selective reading at times

Proud Member of the Infidels of OIF/OEF
No longer defending the US Military or US Gov't. Just going to ""**feed into your fears**"" with Duffel Blog
Did not fight my way up on top the food chain to become a Vegan...
Warning: Stupid Allergy
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend
DE 6700
Harlequin 2500
RIP Muhammad Ali.

Jihadin, Scorched Earth 791. Leader of the Pork Eating Crusader. Alpha


 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Leerstetten, Germany

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
 d-usa wrote:
What color thread level are we on? I miss that constant graphic on every news station...

I'm tired of not knowing how scared I should be


"A yellow coded curfew is in effect, this is for your protection."

When I volunteered for the Fire Department we would get our daily notice so that we could act accordingly. As first responders we were considered targets and if the level was high enough (always) we should leave the garage doors closed and the station secure.

The thread level was constantly ignored, the doors left open, the trucks pulled out on the pad. Letting the community know that the station was staffed and their equipment taken care off and that they could visit us was more important to our chief.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Mesopotamia. The Kingdom Where we Secretly Reign.

 Ahtman wrote:
 Manchu wrote:
What's all this about "quiet remembering"? I'm very suspicious about what is meant by "quiet" here. If anything, it should be a day of discussion.


That was badly worded on my part, and it should be discussed, but OP got under my skin.


Perhaps "dignified" would have been better than "quiet".

Either way, the article is trash and the OP is... well... that guy.

Drink deeply and lustily from the foamy draught of evil.
W: 1.756 Quadrillion L: 0 D: 2
Haters gon' hate. 
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

 MetalOxide wrote:
I forgot that today was 9/11 day


And you said you'd never forget.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in au
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 daedalus wrote:
Article is 100% accurate though, if tasteless, though I suppose for it to have meaningful effect, it would have to be presented today to evoke the emotional counterresponse toward the emotional response people may already be feeling. That doesn't change the fact that almost any tragedy, accident, or difficulty is always an opportunity for someone, somewhere.


There is perhaps, a point in the article, about how people in positions of leadership might end up behaving differently to the rest of us. But it loses that point in failing to understand that leaders are people like the rest us, but in a different circumstance. Instead it wanders off in to weirdo territory and does everything but call them lizard people.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Frazzled wrote:
How is that inconsistent? If he is an American citizen, and it happens to Americans, it is human nature to care more. Our policies impact that more as well.

Or do you weep for every child on the planet? If you say yes, unless you're Jesus, the Budha, or the Great Wiener, you're lying.


And if you claim you weep for every American, you're also lying. Polonius made the very good point earlier in the thread, that no-one weeps for every death to diabetes.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/12 03:28:01


“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”

Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something. 
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

 sebster wrote:
And if you claim you weep for every American, you're also lying. Polonius made the very good point earlier in the thread, that no-one weeps for every death to diabetes.


Well, there is only so much room in the Monkeysphere.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in au
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 Polonius wrote:
It's actually something I've been toying with, in that we are so obsessed with democracy that we forget that democracy is just a way to implement a deeper good: self determination of the people.

I think democracy is great. Ours has a few quirks I could do without (gerrymandering and wildly uneven access to voting), but it works really well for the US. But... the US had a long, long tradition of representative democracy, from early in the colonial period.

We took a lot of flack in the cold war for backing hated strongmen and dictators that opposed the communists. Now, we are worreid about elections in countries with strong islamist factions. Still, despite this, we thought that suddenly Afghanistan could bloom into a representative democracy overnight. The Taliban were terrible people, but like all regimes they had at least the silent consent of much of the population.


I agree with where your post starts but I really disagree with how your post ends.

Because I don't think its at all right to conclude that just because attempts at democracy have floundered, or seen governments espousing horrible ideas put in to power, that the answer is to just quietly accept that if a tyrant is in power then the people must be, on some level, okay with that. I mean, 'silent consent of the people' is a really weird way to describe the rule of the Taliban, who's rule was based entirely on military dominance maintained through Pakistani arms, was sustained only through increasing oppression of the general population, and lasted just 5 years, when it was overthrown by an afghani coalition force backed by US equipment.

Instead, I think what we need to do is realise that most of our attempts to install democracy showed a great deal of naivety in our own systems. We seemed to think that you can just give people a vote and expect liberal democracy to just appear. We need to realise that voting is something that only works once the basic ground rules are in play. Egypt showed that as long a there remain massive divisions on where government's right to impose religious morality ends and religious freedom begins, then just leaving that decision up to a vote isn't good enough. You need to have issues like that settled, and absolutely guaranteed one way or another, or else the losing side won't simply accept the result of a vote not going their way.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Polonius wrote:
Even those that realize that don't relize that other nations aren't like that. Russia elects a prime minister, but he's basically a Czar, with broad and virtually unchecked powers. there is minimal freedom of the press or due process of law. The government has few checks and balances.


Russia is a really interesting case. It is, I think, the classic example for showing the importance of local culture in controlling how systems work. I'm extrapolating my economics reading on the issue politics, as I only really know about this issue through reading about the IMF plans to install a new economic wonderland, and how those dreams tanked horrifically when they came up against the systemic corruption and graft of a society that had spent generations as a one party communist state, but I think many of the economic lessons learned in how culture is as important as the systems put in place could equally apply to politics.

What I'm saying, I guess, is that I agree that the incredible power of the President* is a major issue, but it's far from the only issue. I think instead the major factor in Russian politics is that there is simply no meaningful regard for basic law, and changing the law to restrict the powers of the president wouldn't actually do anything at this point. Putin has broken the law plenty of times, afterall.




*You said Prime Minister, and while that is a role Putin did serve as for a time to meet constitutional requirements in a purely legalistic sense, it isn't where power rests in the Russian system. The Prime Minister basically manages the civil service. In fact, thqat's kind of a good demonstration of why it's culture and not law that ultimately matters - in the US, if Obama were to say 'I can't stand for a third term, but vote for this random dill weed and I'll tell him what to do' then I really doubt Americans would go for it. But that worked in Russia.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/09/12 04:19:09


“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”

Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something. 
   
Made in us
Kid_Kyoto






Probably work

 sebster wrote:
 daedalus wrote:
Article is 100% accurate though, if tasteless, though I suppose for it to have meaningful effect, it would have to be presented today to evoke the emotional counterresponse toward the emotional response people may already be feeling. That doesn't change the fact that almost any tragedy, accident, or difficulty is always an opportunity for someone, somewhere.


There is perhaps, a point in the article, about how people in positions of leadership might end up behaving differently to the rest of us. But it loses that point in failing to understand that leaders are people like the rest us, but in a different circumstance. Instead it wanders off in to weirdo territory and does everything but call them lizard people.


A year ago, if you'd have said they were spying on our every email and phone call and sharing that information with other countries, a lot of people would have called that weirdo territory. At the end of the day, while they are likely entirely human, and just as horrified by the news, there's an element of opportunism there that you can't deny has been grasped.

I don't actually think Obama is a lizard man from Xenu.

Assume all my mathhammer comes from here: https://github.com/daed/mathhammer 
   
Made in au
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 Ouze wrote:
Well, there is only so much room in the Monkeysphere.


Yeah, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Well, not so much that there's nothing wrong with it, more that there's nothing we can do about it. We are as we are.

It's just that we should be honest about who it is that we do and don't care about, and not think it's as simple as caring about the people our own political borders. Because thousands die every day in our own countries, and we don't give a gak. But if they'd died in a way that gets put on the tv, like in a terrorist attack, well then we care a hell of a lot.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 daedalus wrote:
A year ago, if you'd have said they were spying on our every email and phone call and sharing that information with other countries, a lot of people would have called that weirdo territory. At the end of the day, while they are likely entirely human, and just as horrified by the news, there's an element of opportunism there that you can't deny has been grasped.

I don't actually think Obama is a lizard man from Xenu.


Yeah, there's opportunism. But the importance is to understand that that opportunism exists because of the situations our leaders are in. Not to empathise or accept it or any bs like that, but to understand how power actually works and why simply replacing the apparent lizardman leader with one of us regular human people won't change a damn thing.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/12 04:32:28


“We may observe that the government in a civilized country is much more expensive than in a barbarous one; and when we say that one government is more expensive than another, it is the same as if we said that that one country is farther advanced in improvement than another. To say that the government is expensive and the people not oppressed is to say that the people are rich.”

Adam Smith, who must have been some kind of leftie or something. 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






 sebster wrote:

And if you claim you weep for every American, you're also lying. Polonius made the very good point earlier in the thread, that no-one weeps for every death to diabetes.


What if you're just depressed to the point of numbness at the realization of all the suffering in the world? Would that count?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/12 05:33:33


 
   
Made in us
Lord of the Fleet





Seneca Nation of Indians

 xole wrote:

What if you're just depressed to the point of numbness at the realization of all the suffering in the world? Would that count?


Some of us at least make a game effort to make the world a better place. Even if it's just removing undesirables from it. What I find truly frustrating is the apathy that pervades so much of the world these days. I swear you couldn't get people outraged if you set up a Puppy and Grandma fueled bonfire in the middle of town even. If fills me with revulsion and makes me want to start cleansing this world of such vermin.


Fate is in heaven, armor is on the chest, accomplishment is in the feet. - Nagao Kagetora
 
   
Made in us
Hangin' with Gork & Mork






 xole wrote:
What if you're just depressed to the point of numbness at the realization of all the suffering in the world? Would that count?


If you are going to do that you should also realize there is a lot joy in the world as well.

Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka




Kamloops, BC

I was too young to understand the tragedy of 911.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






BaronIveagh wrote:
 xole wrote:

What if you're just depressed to the point of numbness at the realization of all the suffering in the world? Would that count?


Some of us at least make a game effort to make the world a better place. Even if it's just removing undesirables from it. What I find truly frustrating is the apathy that pervades so much of the world these days. I swear you couldn't get people outraged if you set up a Puppy and Grandma fueled bonfire in the middle of town even. If fills me with revulsion and makes me want to start cleansing this world of such vermin.


Undesirable? To whom? You?

Ahtman wrote:
 xole wrote:
What if you're just depressed to the point of numbness at the realization of all the suffering in the world? Would that count?


If you are going to do that you should also realize there is a lot joy in the world as well.


Well, sure...but is there enough? Or, more importantly, do we need pain? Is not the majority of life some form of struggle? Is that not where all of our growth comes from, much like the drug resistant bacteria and viruses that will soon threaten us? Not that I mind this at all. A theoretical situation was declared impossible, so I decided to posit a similar theoretical situation that may or may not be more possible. It's not my personal position.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/12 06:36:05


 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Your working with your imagination on the broad spectrum of "Joy" to "suffering". I've seen some serious suffering of day to day living to the other side of "joy" that we take for granted.

Proud Member of the Infidels of OIF/OEF
No longer defending the US Military or US Gov't. Just going to ""**feed into your fears**"" with Duffel Blog
Did not fight my way up on top the food chain to become a Vegan...
Warning: Stupid Allergy
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend
DE 6700
Harlequin 2500
RIP Muhammad Ali.

Jihadin, Scorched Earth 791. Leader of the Pork Eating Crusader. Alpha


 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Well, it's a broad spectrum, subjective. Almost meaningless.

And joy can be pretty fething scary. Pretty. Fething. Scary.
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Damn Xole....we talking Dark Eldar joy here?

Proud Member of the Infidels of OIF/OEF
No longer defending the US Military or US Gov't. Just going to ""**feed into your fears**"" with Duffel Blog
Did not fight my way up on top the food chain to become a Vegan...
Warning: Stupid Allergy
Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend
DE 6700
Harlequin 2500
RIP Muhammad Ali.

Jihadin, Scorched Earth 791. Leader of the Pork Eating Crusader. Alpha


 
   
Made in us
Lord of the Fleet





Seneca Nation of Indians

 xole wrote:

Undesirable? To whom? You?


I'd like to think that the guy who had a taste for fried human ears was at least undesirable to most people, though he and Mike Tyson might have gotten along great, I dunno.


There is a lot of joy in this world. From the more mundane 'Nice scenery' to the more esoteric joy you get from crushing cars and bajaing around in 14 tonnes of French steel.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/09/12 06:53:23



Fate is in heaven, armor is on the chest, accomplishment is in the feet. - Nagao Kagetora
 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






@ Jihadin

Well, yes. But that's not something I've personally witnessed. The only sadist in my life I haven't seen during a session, and is within acceptable norms, so I can't speak with personal experience.

I was thinking more along the lines of bipolar in the manic phase, buy a hundred blank t shirts to start a t shirt company and decide you need to replace all of your dishes so you throw them all against the wall. They're incredibly happy. Inconceivably so. But incredibly disturbing, and, ultimately, harmful.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/09/12 06:53:37


 
   
 
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