9/9     "Syria positive about giving up chemical weapons"
        http://www.csua.org/u/1165 (news.yahoo.com)
        Damn!  We did all the dirty work, and now Russia is going to get the
        credits.
        \_ Vladimir Putin for Nobel Prize!

4/25    Colombian special forces conducting a military exercise, really.
        http://preview.tinyurl.com/7a6huq6 (http://www.sfgate.com
        :-)

1/10    Want financial assistance from the government?  Go to Greece and molest
        a kid!  http://www.csua.org/u/v6j (news.yahoo.com)  (And I don't mean
        the free goodies in jail.)
        \_ That Penn State guy has a future!

2/18    Synchronized swimming of six Goldfish
        http://www.csua.org/u/slg
        Obviously the fish are driven by magnets.  Their fins aren't even
        moving when they "swim".

2/11    Iran declares itself a nuclear nation today:
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100211/ts_afp/iranrevolutionanniversary
        \_ Hurry up Kim Jun *THE THIRD*, you're way behind!
        \_ Iran also packed tens of thousands of rural poor onto buses,
           drove them into Tehran, and had them pose for pro-gov't. rallies
           by promising food, drink, and prizes, then declared themselves
           a popular, democratic country. And I declare myself king of the
           moon. Doesn't make it so.
        \_ Nuke it.

8/10    http://csua.org/u/osg
        "If the Iranians were to successfully mine these waters, the disruption
        to 40 percent of the world’s oil flow would be immediate and dramatic.
        The nastiest part of the equation would be that in mine warfare, it is
        very hard to know when all the mines have been cleared. It is the risk,
        not the explosions, which causes insurance companies to withdraw
        insurance on vastly expensive tankers and their loads. It is insurance
        that allows the oil to flow. "

7/24    Another plane crash in Iran in two weeks.
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090724/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_plane
        In both times the planes were Russian-made, and in both times they
        blamed U.S. sanctions.  Why don't they blame the Russian govt for
        cutting funding for manufacturers that make spare parts (as mentioned
        at the end of the article) that would have actually made a difference
        to the planes in the crashes?
        \_ Is this a serious question?
        \_ Has anyone noticed there's been an US carrier plane crash about one
           month since Jan.  Wtf?  Why no OUTRAGE.
           \_ What does this mean?

3/2     Iran arrested a US journalist on Feb 10.
        http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5831812.ece

12/8    "Military jet crashes in San Diego neighborhood"
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_re_us/military_jet_crash
        Gee.  Reminds me of the movie "Blast from the Past".
        \_ Turns out it's in University City, just off the 805. Lots of
           nice houses around there.
        \_ great, this didn't help the housing price any, isn't it?

11/2    http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AB1WG20081112
        megalolz.

9/26    Russia's a democracy. Iran's a democracy. Wouldn't they be
        members of McCain's League of Democracies?
        \_ Russia is definitely not a democracy.  Any decision may be
           arbitrarily changed by Putin.  Iran is not a democracy, at least
           no the US version.  any decision by the democratically elected
           not the US version.  any decision by the democratically elected
           leadership can be overruled by the chief cleric.
           \_ And yet they both hold reasonably free and fair elections, which
              makes them democracies, at least by definition. What McCain is
              proposing (and you are agreeing with) is an arbitrary club of
              countries we like. We currently call this NATO.
        \_ I still don't think you can really say Iran and Russia are
           democracies.  It stretches the bounds of credibility to say that
           Russia has free and fair elections.  The country is controlled
           by Putin.  Few would disagree with this.  Absolutely any decision
           in Iran can be modified by the Supreme Ruler I mean head cleric.

7/9     Iran photoshops missle launch photos
        http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/30597_Irans_Photoshopped_Missile_Launch
        \_ Bush and Ahmadi-Nejad should really be friends, not foes.  They both
           like to exaggerate Iran's military capabilities.

6/12    Brilliant! Police can bar recruits for having high IQ scores
        http://csua.org/u/lqs (NYTimes)
        \_ But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to
           27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored
           with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training.
        \_ This is VERY old news.  I've been talking about cops who clearly
           "passed the IQ test" for like 9 years.
        \_ "Judge Dorsey ruled that Mr. Jordan was not denied equal protection
           because the city of New London applied the same standard to
           everyone: anyone who scored too high was rejected."
           I don't understand.  How is this different from other kinds of
           discrimination?  Can my company reject certain candidates and claim
           that we are not discriminating because "anyone who is race X is
           rejected" or "anyone who is mute is rejected"?
           \_ It has to do with qualification for the job. People are often
              rejected from jobs for being "over-qualified", no?

6/6     Ehud Olmert threatens Israeli attacks on Iran
        http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSL0625195820080606
        Of course, given the Olmert's circumstances, this seems a bit
        'wag the dog'.
        \_ Olmert has a single digit approval rating.  He has no political
           future.  This is unlikely wagging.  The real concern is his gvt
           will micromanage any strikes on Iran like they did with Hamas and
           make things even worse (if that's possible).

6/4     Obama promises to eliminate Iran
        http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSWAT00959220080604
        Nevermind, Obama is ok with me now. -motd ex-Obama hater
        \_ Where in the article does it mention eliminating Iran?
           \_ "The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be
              to eliminate this threat"
              \_ Eliminating the threat, not eliminating the country.
                 \_ So, he's just going to eliminate all their military
                    capabilities?
                    \_ Eliminating a threat does not always mean bombing
                       back to the stone age.  In fact, bombing back to the
                       stone age often doesn't eliminate a threat, see Iraq.
                       \_ So, he's going to give them WTO membership and
                          they'll learn to love the Jews and stop promising
                          to "wipe them off the map"?
                          \_ I didn't realize that was the only other choice.
                             Silly me.
                          \_ It is this kind of binary thinking that got us
                             into the mess we are in in the first place.
                             \_ Exactly!  We should just talk with them.  Use
                                the power of diplomacy and negotiate.  The pen
                                is mightier than the sword.  After Obama has a
                                chance to talk with Iran's leadership, they'll
                                come around and see this was all just a big
                                misunderstanding and it'll be just like Nixon
                                going to China.  We don't need binary
                                thinking.  We need Obama's fuzzy thinking.
                                \_ The world is more complex than you are
                                   capable of imagining.
                                   \_ I'm capable of quite a lot, thanks.  Are
                                      you saying we should not talk to anyone?
                                      It is hard to tell what you're trying to
                                      say since you said so little.
                                      \_ Your snarkiness does not really
                                         indicate a desire for a serious reply.
                                         If you are actually interested in a
                                         serious conversation about how
                                         International Diplomacy works (when
                                         not run by arrogant boobs, like the
                                         current Admin) I will be happy to
                                         have one with you. But you might be
                                         better off picking up a copy of
                                         Foreign Affairs first.
                                         \_ My snarkiness?  I made a statement.
                                            Your only replies were to insult
                                            me.  You have still added nothing
                                            to this thread.  Why did you even
                                            bother to post if you had nothing
                                            to add?
                                            \_ "We need Obama's fuzzy thinking"
                                                is a statement? Do you really
                                                believe that?
                                                is a non-snarky statement?
                                                Do you really believe that? The
                                                whole paragraph was snarky.
        \_ "Obama also vowed to vigorously support Israel's right to defend
           itself ......".  See, I told you, Obama is not black.  Only a day
           after he secured the Democratic nomination using support from black
           people, he's already letting out his 50% whiteness.
           \_ Black people hate Israel?  I didn't know that sterotype.
              \_ Yeah, and Latinos hating blacks is just another stereotype,
                 too.  Yeah, really.
        \_ And a politician *never* goes back on his promises, right?
           \_ If we're going to go with this assumption, then I'm voting for
              Obama because I like him better, no other reason.
                 \_ You are insane aren't you?
                    \_ Didn't Hillary dominate the Hispainc vote because of
                       racial tension between Lations and blacks?
           \_ In this country, you cannot win the presidency if you
              don't support the Jews. It's as simple as that.
              \_ Or any other group with more that accounts for 5% or more of
                 the people.  I'm sure you didn't intend to sound racist when
                 you said that.
                 \_ The GOP routinely wins office with less than 10% support
                    from Blacks, a voting block much larger than 5% of the
                    population. Not to detract from your main point though.
                    \_ This has been based, traditionally, on voter apathy
                       among blacks. See if this changes this year.
                       \_ Hello mr. clueless!

5/15    new War Nerd out
        http://exile.ru/print.php?ARTICLE_ID=19027&IBLOCK_ID=35

4/24    Oops, Mumbai caught supplying Iran with A-bomb material
        http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20080423103959&Page=P&Title=Nation&Topic=0
        \_ Really?  A Bangalorian newspaper was the only place you could find
        \_ Really?  A Chennaian newspaper was the only place you could find
           this story?
           \_ http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=iran+graphite+&btnG=Search+News

4/22    UNIFIL finds Hezbollah arms; gunmen scatter peacekeepers
        http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/976980.html
        \_ And?

11/15   Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women - Yahoo News!
        http://www.csua.org/u/k0a
        Oh, c'mon!  Gee.
        \_ MERRY NON-DEMONATIONAL COMPLETELY-SECULAR INOFFENSIVE WINTER EVENT!
           \_ "MERRY"?  Did I just hear "Marry"?  How dare you discriminate
              against people who prefer single lives!
              \_ Management sincely apologises for any offense and/or distress
                 and/or suffering our inexcusable and rude use of the "M"-word
                 may have caused.
           \_ That's what the politically-correct "Happy Holidays!" is for.
              Sucks.  I prefer "Merry Christmas!" even though I'm atheist.
              \_ BABY KILLER!  Don't you know that "Holiday" is derived from
                 "Holy Day"?!?@!111

10/29   This is an old article from NY Times a couple days ago. I find it
        extremely interesting and a bit surprised no one mentioned about it.
        This is an article about how Kurdish extremist were fighting against
        IRAN (not Turkey) and it seems that this Kurdish extremist group,
        P.J.A.K has US' blessing to do so.
        http://csua.org/u/jv0
        I think US just find its way to pick a fight against Iran: continue
        to encourage PJAK to conduct raid against Iran, when Iran respond, we
        can say Iran attack Iraq and thus we need to go all out again Iran in
        self defense... this is getting better and better every day.
        \_ Of course Iran is messing around in Iraq.  I don't know why we are
           so surprised.  If China invaded Mexico, you can bet we would have
           all kinds of covert ops going on down there stirring shit up.
           \_ Who said anyone is surprised?  Pissed off that Iranians and
              their proxies are killing Americans?  Yes.  Surprised?  No.
              \_ Are you less pissed off that Syrian and Saudi proxies are
                 killing Americans? Also, your assertion that Iranians are
                 attacking Americans is utterly baseless.
           \_ Er, no, we'd have very overt ops going on down there. We really
              don't like having other world powers mucking about in our
              continent, at least not militarily.
              \_ I agree with you.  I just don't think it should be a shock
                 at all that Iran might be messing around in Iraq.  They
                 are next door to Iraq.  Iran is 90 percent Shiite.  Iraq
                 is 60 percent Shiite.  All of the holy shiite shrines are
                 in Iraq.
                 \_ Agreed. Also: no surprise that Turkey intends to pursue
                    PKK across the border, that Saudi Arabia is funding Sunni
                    groups, and that Syria is smuggling weapons in.
                    \_ All entirely predicatable before the first shot was
                       fired. Someone is going to fill the vacuum left by SH.
                       \_ All the more reason to believe that there will be a
                          kind of detente if the US steps out of Iraq. The
                          powers that be in the region will _not_ allow each
                          other to step in.
                          \_ Detente?  You base this on what?
                             \_ On the unenlightened self-interest of the
                                powers in the region. None of them want the
                                pie so much as they want the rest to stay out.
                 \_ So you think the entire region can be reduced to population
                    percentage by religion?  That's the only factor?
                    \_ I am not pp, but as Iran is the only Shi'ite power in
                       the region and is dominated by a Shi'ite theocracy, I'd
                       say this works in this context.
                       \_ No, that's too simple.  Iraq is much more heavily
                          tribal than religious.  Iran is dominated by a
                          theocracy but the people are not all walking lock
                          step with hand on Koran every day.  Far far far far
                          too simple.  Thinking like that is no better than
                          the 'theyll greet us with flowers' plan.
                          \_ I agree with you that Iran is not in lock-step:
                             it's arguable that the main theocracy and the
                             President have diametrically opposed goals, and
                             the populace, particularly the students, isn't
                             really happy with either of them at the moment.
                             However, I agree with pp that it's not surprising
                             that Iran is interested/involved in Iraq. The
                             theocratic elements are, it turns out, primarily
                             motivated by sympathy with (and the opportunity
                             to manipulate) the Shiite population in Iraq; the
                             intel folks don't want yet another Sunni nation
                             on their border; and the Pres. wants anything to
                             distract the people from the promises he hasn't
                             followed through on. I think I get what you're
                             saying, though: Shia population as a percentage
                             of Iraqi population is not the end-all reason
                             behind Iranian interest, no?

10/24   so how is ISLAMO FACISM AWARENESS WEEK going?
        \_ David Horowitz would make the ultimate Motd troll.
        \_ http://www.newsweek.com/id/57346
           "Here is the reality. Iran has an economy the size of
            Finland's and an annual defense budget of around $4.8
            billion. It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century"
            \_ Does financing and supporting internation terrorism count
               as invasion?
               \_ Since the primary victims of Iranian funded terrorism are
                  Israeli jews, no it doesn't count, because as we all know
                  Hamas, Fatah (once headed by the democratically elected
                  Nobel Peace Prize winner, Arafat), and the rest are all
                  just Freedom Fighters working hard to liberate their
                  homeland from oppressive racist invaders.  <sarcasm off>

10/11   Man, why didn't I hear about this sooner?  We're sending bionic
        squirrels to Iran! http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007906268
        \_ You missed a zillion rocky n bullwinkle jokes.  Most of them were
           lame.

9/24    Wow, they don't have gays in Iran
        http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RS115O0&show_article=1
        \_ There are no gays in the US military, either.
           \_ Why pick on Iran?  How about Saudi Arabia?  How come we have
              no issue with Saudi chopping people's hands off, gauging eyes
              off, and stone women to death?  In fact, we love Saudi so much
              that we outsource our torture to there.
           \_ The difference between the USM and Iran being that the worst
              that happens in one is they kick you out, in the other they
              execute you.  So yeah, you make a highly valid comparison.
              \_ samething can said about WW2.  We only put Japs into
                 concentration camps, not gas chambers.  Thus, it makes us the
                 good guys.  Now, get back to your own drinking fountain.
              \_ To point out that the USM also ignores the existence of gays
                 in its ranks is not the same as to suggest that the USM
                 executes gays. It is possible to draw parallels in parts and
                 yet recognize differences in the whole: the USM is not Iran.
                 \_ Maybe I should have added 'sarcasm' tags to my post, above.
           \_ Tellingly, this is why Columbia U. says they won't allow ROTC on
              campus, yet the Iranian nutjob is there today.
  http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DineshDSouza/2007/09/24/ahmadinejad_is_in,_rotc_is_out
              http://urltea.com/1kup (townhall.com)
              \_ Is ahmadenijad recruiting students?
              \_ Dinesh D'Souza is almost as short as you.
                 \_ I'm 6'0".  You?
                    \_ A link to D'Souza is enough to dismiss you as a troll.
                       Take your failure like a man.
                       \_ Sometimes things are true even if someone you don't
                          like says them.
                          \_ Yes.  But not this time.  D'Souza is an imbecile,
                             his "point" puerile, and you ignorable for posting
                             it.
                             \_ What about his point do you find purile, and
                                why?
                                \_ What part of "ignorable" don't you
                                   understand? Eh, it's a slow day.  I'll
                                   throw you a bone.  Do you see any difference
                                   between an organization looking to recruit
                                   students and a foreign head of state
                                   attending a forum?  I mean, other than
                                   their clothes.
                                   \_ Well, the claim isn't that they're
                                      precisely the same.  In 2003 a majority
                                      of the students voted to have ROTC on
                                      campus.  The president says there should
                                      be a forum for all ideas, yet ROTC isn't
                                      allowed.  What is recruiting other than
                                      presenting your ideas and asking people
                                      to sign up?
                                      \- ROTC isnt an idea. An ongoing
                                         recruitment program is different
                                         from a one shot speech. [BTW, I'm
                                         not sure what I think about ROTC
                                         on private campuses which get public
                                         monies, so I'm just saying the
                                         comparison is bogus, not anti-ROTC].
                                         \_ I think it is quite clear that if
                                            you take the public's money you
                                            need to take the public's
                                            responsibilities which includes
                                            having the military around trying
                                            to recruit if that's one of the
                                            strings.  The Feds use highway
                                            funds all the time as a stick for
                                            totally unrelated State bashing.
                                            If that is ok then it should
                                            certainly be ok to pull Federal
                                            dollars from a school that directly
                                            opposes something harmless like
                                            ROTC.
        \_ "Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an
            event they had nothing to do with?"
           Please to be asking Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
           \_ Wasn't this a speech to the UN?
              \_ He was talking about the Holocaust. RTA.
           \_ I think he just points out the unconvenient fact.  Without
              Nazi, there will be no political will to establish a Jewish
              state.  By the way, there was a draft to settle Jews in Alaska.
              It never made out of committee.  No one in USA want Jews
              establish their homeland in US soil.
              \_ There is/was at least a tenuous historical basis for est. of
                 Israel in the Levant/Palestine.

9/5     http://www.csua.org/u/jge
        GOP Presidential strategy becomes clear.

7/23    Why aren't we just bombing this country already?
        http://urltea.com/11o5 (news.yahoo.com)
        \_ Yeah I bet those young women are just begging to be bombed.

7/23    Why aren't we just bombing this country already?
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070723/wl_mideast_afp/iranwomenfashion_070723175421

7/2     So the bombers in England were doctors. Popular leftist wisdom is
        that Muslims are desperate because of the poor conditions they
        live in and their lack of education. If only we worked hard to
        improve their conditions, then they would not grow up to be suicide
        bombers, goes the thinking, because they would have something to
        live for. Now that MDs are blowing themselves up can we at least
        begin to consider that perhaps religious wars are not rational?
        \_ Popular leftist wisdom is that religious people are nutters,
           not that Muslim's are desperate because they are poor. Did you
           invent that straw man all by yourself?
           \_ Actually, I've heard many people (including my law profs) say
              that if there was more prosperity for the ordinary people in
              the middle east there would be less suicide bombings, &c. and
              thus the sol'n to the problem is to improve conditions over
              there for (i.e. create a middle class, to promote stability).
              I do not know what the factual, historic or economic theory
              basis is for this assertion, but I have heard it before from
              self-described "lefties." -!op
              \_ Isn't that the neocon argument? If we just give them the
                 trappings of US-style capitalism, they will luv us forever
                 and want to be just like us?
                 \_ You forgot the part where we knock the shit out of them
                    first to show them who's best.
                 \_ No, it isn't.  The left isn't saying they need our
                    economic system, just our prosperity.
                    \_ I guess you're right, although that makes no sense at
                       all. -!pp
                       \_ It makes sense if you believe that there are other
                          ways to achieve economic prosperity.
                          \_ Sure, but name one that's proven to work as well.
                             \_ It depends a lot on what you mean by "well"
                                and what you mean by "our economic system."
                                Does a Scandanavian-style mixed economy count?
                                How about a State authoritarian Singapore style
                                model? And not that I am prepared to defend it,
                                but there are plenty of people on the left who
                                think that State socialism is the way to go.
                                Many, many (probably most people worldwide) are
                                more interested in creating a base level of
                                prosperity for everyone, not just a mass of
                                phenomenal wealth for the top 1%. The US model
                                is not widely emulated for a reason.
                                \_ *Every* country has a top 1% with phenomal
                                   wealth.  Good luck changing that.  It would
                                   be a first in world history if it happened.
                                   \_ Uh, Cuba?
                                      \_ Looked at relatively, especially Cuba.
                                         \_ Any evidence for this statement?
                                            Everyone I know who has been to
                                            Cuba says otherwise, but maybe you
                                            have some hard facts to back up
                                            your opinion.
                                            \_ Oddly enough, I don't have
                                               Fidel's tax returns in front of
                                               me. Why don't you go ahead and
                                               tell us what "everyone [you]
                                               know who has been to Cuba says"?
                                               \_ They say that the standard
                                                  of living is very flat and
                                                  that no one lives
                                                  ostentatiously. They also say
                                                  that the hospitals are
                                                  missing every other light bulb
                                                  to save electricity.
                                                  \_ Did they travel in the
                                                     same circles as Castro and
                                                     that tier? I'll grant you
                                                     that it's flat for most,
                                                     but if Fidel needs the
                                                     latest/greatest tech for
                                                     his health, the slope is
                                                     steep.
                                   \_ Do you think the distribution of wealth
                                      is the same world-wide? Look at this
                                      graphical representation:
                                      http://www.lcurve.org
                                      In the US, the top 0.1% makes 8% of the
                                      overall income, in Sweden it is 1%. So
                                      I guess it depends on what you mean by
                                      "phenomenal". 10X average is a lot, but
                                      much less phenomenal than 80X, right?
                                      \_ 10X is phenomenal.  80X is too and
                                         doesn't make 10X any less so.  Would
                                         you think 10X your salary was
                                         phenomenal or just 'a lot' because
                                         it wasn't 80X?
                                         \_ I think 10X average salary is merely
                                            "a lot." At this point it is merely
                                            semantics.
                                            \_ So if you got 10X your current
                                               you wouldn't think that was
                                               phenomenal?  Okey dokey.  Not
                                               much to be said to that when 10X
                                               is the difference between doing
                                               well enough and being able to
                                               retire early doing whatever you
                                               want with your life while
                                               you're still young enough to
                                               do it after only a few years of
                                               10X.
                                               \_ I am already making 5X median
                                                  income, so no, doubling my
                                                  salary wouldn't really change
                                                  my life that much. You aren't
                                                  paying much attention to the
                                                  words you are using. And no,
                                                  even if my salary doubled, I
                                                  wouldn't be able to retire
                                                  soon.
              \_ Is your law professor a "leftist"?
           \- i think you also have to consider the thesis "there are things
              that matter to people other than job prospects" ... having your
              "homeland" under somebody elsese rule seems to be a good way to
              get people upset, for example. i am not too familar with what's
              under the hood of japanese suicider bombers [how willing they
              were etc], but at least it cant be glibly chalked up to
              religion, let alone islam. i dunno the socioeconomic status of
              the IRA, but they clearly werent desperately poor [not suicide
              bombers, but terrorists and willing to die (see eg BOBBY SANDS,
              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Irish_Hunger_Strike  I dont
              think all the TAMIL TIGER suicide bombers are in desperate
              straits financially. So consider looking at the "dual"
              ... rather than focusing on what one person being a suicide
              bomber says about him, what does a steady availability of them
              say about how fucked up things must be. I think usually there
              are better structural explanations for many things than the
              vague cultural ones [like the talk in the 8-s about "asian
              capitalism" ... hey guess what, the japanese economy looks
              different from the US one probably more because of corporate
              structure laws and finance laws, not these vague "harmony and
              patience" arguments ... the german economy also looks
              different, in part because they have firm level unions.
              finally, the islamic suicide bombers phenomena may just be
              testimony to a sosophisticated and expert system of brainwashing,
              like JIM JONES, DKORESH etc. Anyway, the most on point suggestion
              I have is YMWTGF(alan krueger terrorism). i am not saying
              islam nor general life conditions play no role, but it is
              more complicated than that.
              bomber says about him, what does a steady availability (and
              climbing income of the candidates) of them say about how fucked
              up things must be. I think usually there are better structural
              explanations for many things than the vague cultural ones [like
              the talk in the 80s about "asian capitalism" ... hey guess
              what, the japanese economy looks different from the US one
              probably more because of corporate structure laws and finance
              laws, not these vague "harmony and patience" arguments ... the
              german economy also looks different, in part because they have
              firm level unions.  finally, the islamic suicide bombers
              phenomena may just be testimony to a sophisticated and expert
              system of brainwashing, like JIM JONES, DKORESH etc. Anyway,
              the most on point suggestion I have is YMWTGF(ALAN KRUEGER
              terrorism). i am not saying islam nor general life conditions
              play no role, but it is more complicated than that.
              \- http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i39/39b01001.htm --psb
                 \_ So George Bush is a leftist now. This explains much.
        \_ This has been in doubt for some time: http://csua.org/u/j2r
           (Boston Globe article on book by Robert A. Pape). However, it's
           common sense that Muslim Fundamentalist groups are attractive to
           the disenfranchised, particularly in our ally countries (like
           Egypt and Saudi Arabia) where odds of bettering your situation
           through the status quo are vanishingly slim. Cf. Islamic Rev. in
           Iran.
           \_ And because SA and E are dictatorships it is a good idea to
              bomb Americans and Europeans?  I'm not following this line of
              thought.
              \_ Sorry, no, not my point. My point is that we still need to
                 promote good economics and democratic politics in these
                 countries if we don't want them to get taken over by religious
                 fanatics.
        \_ Anyone who seriously makes this claim (about Islamic radicals)
           hasn't spent much time studying or thinking about it. The leadership
           of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and
           the Wahhabiists in Saudi Arabia are all educated, mostly middle
           class men. Now it might be true that they find themselves
           marginalized and with little opportunity to change their lot, but
           they are certainly not starving and not even poor, by their
           countries standards. Palestine is kind of a different story,
           but don't you think that not having jobs, having your freedom
           of movement and your right of statehood taken away might tend
           to breed resentment?
           \_ No one has a 'right of statehood'.  Nations have always come and
              gone based on the (mis)fortunes of war, disease, natural
              disasters, etc.
              \_ Your opinion is in disagreement with the Universal Declaration
                 of Human Rights and the UN, but I guess you are entitled to
                 it. Who else in the world does not have citizenship rights?
                 People don't neccesarily have the right to the state that
                 they want, but everyone has the right to citizenship.
                 \_ That's a 'right' on paper.  It is not a natural right.  And
                    it is not my opinion that countries come and go, it is
                    historical fact.  Maybe you meant something else.
                    \_ The right to citizenship comes and goes? I don't think
                       so, but I guess if you want to bring back slavery, you
                       are welcome to it.
                       \_ No.  The existence of nations/states.  And no, most
                          conquered people were not historically made citizens
                          of the conquering state.  When the Maya fell apart
                          due to disease or whatever it was, there was no
                          replacement state.  If you lived behind the Iron
                          Curtain I guess you were a citizen of something but
                          that didn't come with any rights.  If you were born
                          in this country not that long ago as an Eskimo or
                          continental Native America, then no you weren't a
                          citizen.  And no, slavery is not the only alternative
                          to citizenship as I just demonstrated.
           \_ Stating it like that reminds me of the old historical cycle,
              middle class wants to be upper class so convinces lower class to
              fight for them.  Sometimes the middle class succeeds and trades
              places with the upper class, but the lower class stays at the
              bottom.
              \_ More like lowest classes rebel after being starved out, make
                 some idiot king and things are better for a short time until
                 they have to do it all over again.  Elected systems of
                 government implicitly acknowledge this cycle by giving the
                 people a non-bloody way to turn over the government every
                 so often.  That's why you'll *never* see a revolution in this
                 country or any other elective government system.
                 \_ Well, yes, elections _and_ a degree of complacency brought
                    about by a pretty good standard of living even for the
                    poor. The Upper Class would do well to remember that the
                    distance between Harlem and the Upper East Side is really
                    negligible-- and the distance between Compton and Beverly
                    Hills even more so.
                    \- See "great wall of grosse pointe" aka alter rd.

6/7     Iran caught red-handed arming the Taliban
        http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/document_iran_c.html
        \_ By "red-handed" you mean "senior white house officials" leaked
           some "intelligence."
           \_ I hear Saddam had WMDs
           \_ No, NATO officials, not white house officials.  And Richard
              Clarke is no friend of the Bush administration. -emarkp
        \_ Iran has every incentive to keep America busy because once US is
           done with Iraq and Afganistan, Iran will be next.
           Having said that, you obviously have absolutely no sense of history.
           Taliban was one of the biggest national security threat to Iran, and
           Iran is actually glad that US toppled Taliban.

5/22    Iran beating their women:
        http://urltea.com/lyp (gatewaypundit.blogspot.com)
        \_ Obviously we must invade them and convert them to Christianity.

5/22    Iran beating their women:
        http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-god-theyre-beating-their-women-to.html
        \_ Obviously we must invade them and convert them to Christianity.

4/6     Lebanese minster thanks Pelosi for her visit to Syria:
        "Her visit was a godsend to an isolated and beleaguered regime," says a
        Lebanese minister. "The Syrian regime, which had been thinking of
        bowing to international pressure, is now reassured: All it has to do is
        to wait until Pelosi's party takes over the White House in 2009."
        http://csua.org/u/ien
        \_ YA!!! now they can openly support terrorism in 2009!!
        \_ Yeah, that unsourced quote in a NY Post op-ed piece doesn't sound
           the least bit made up to me.
           \_ Now wait a second.  Are you accusing the Post of fabricating a
              quote from a Lebanese minster?
              \_ If pp's not, I am. -!pp
        \_ "...the region's current trend toward reform and liberalization
            would largely come to a halt." Typical delusional neocon
            fantasizing. Does he mean the election of Hamas, the civil war
            in Iraq, the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan or Iran's recent
            advances toward nuclear weapons and more belligerent attitude
            toward The West? Perhaps he means Mubarak's cancelling of
            elections and outlawing of opposition parties in Egypt. The author
            should just put on a flight suit and declare "Mission Accomplished!"
            \_ You forgot Lebanon's missile attacks on Isreal, and Isreal's
               subsequent invasion.  -tom
            \_ Just an FYI, Iran has not stopped working on their nuke program
               since it started ~20 years ago, nor has their attitude changed
               in the least since 1979.  The Taliban also dates back for about
               20 years also.  Mubarak has always been a thug but "he's *our*
               thug!" so it's ok.  And in additon to what tom added, you also
               forgot Intifada I and II which was the first time anyone
               strapped a bomb onto a child.  At no time *ever* in recorded
               history has the middle east ever been civilised or any less
               basket-casey than it is today.
               \_ Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the Kamikaze in WWII.
                  The Middle East was quite stable under Ottoman Empire rule.
                  \_ Are you suggesting that the Japanese strapped bombs onto
                     children and used them as kamikaze pilots? 'Cos I just
                     want to be clear on this before I call you an idiot.
                     \- re: "first time anyone ever strapped a bomb on to a
                        child" ... that's not correct. in the vietnam war,
                        is is supposed to have happened. also comparable things
                        happened like standing children in the middle of roads
                        so convoys/trucks would stop and could be attacked
                        [first they tried it with cattle, but later "escalated"
                        to people]. i dont recall if this has happened in the
                        sri lankan conflict ... certainly teenagers were
                        involved, not sure about young children. has it not
                        occurred to you instead of taking this only as a
                        lesson about "what kinds of degenerates are these"
                        that the take away might be "things are pretty fucked
                        up for people who'd resort to this kind of thing."
                     \_ There are documented cases of 16 year old Kamikaze
                        pilots. Sorry reality is such a bummer to you.
                        \_ Congratulations: you're half right, so you're only
                           half an idiot.
                        \_ Uh oh, you found other times where kids were
                           strapped to bombs and pointed.  Yeah, that makes
                           it ok in the middle east, too.  Ok, thanks for
                           the correction.  I'll mentally remove that from
                           my list of middle east insanity.  Glad you found
                           the trees.  Seen the forest yet?

3/29    My analysis of the Iran UK hostage situation:
        Iran was conducting war games.  UK rubber boats were close to border
        but did not cross.  Iranian navy commander orders capture of UK guys
        because he had orders to detain observers.  Iran calculates UK/U.S.
        won't do shit -- good.  Iran calculates even if UK/U.S. do something,
        it will drive up oil prices -- good.  Any way you look at it, win/win
        for Iran.
        Predicted end game:  Prisoner swap.  UK rules of engagement revised.
        \_ The UK isn't holding any Iranians that we know of.  They also import
           40% of their gasoline, which is somewhat ironic being one of the
           world's largest oil exporters, so a simple blockade would devastate
           their economy.  Not so win/win for Iran if things turn ugly.
        \_ http://www.csua.org/u/id7
           Iran grabbed the hostages in retaliation for American attempt
           to snatch Iranian senior intelligence officials.

3/25    http://www.csua.org/u/ib9
        Iran says they have signed confessions from the Brit soldiers to
        "to aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters" and that
        they'll trade them for Iranian spies captured in Iraq.
        Will this be an Archduke Ferdinand moment?
        \_ This situation is beyond crazy. Has anyone seen analysis that
           clearly shows whose territorial waters these sailors were caught in?
        \_ No, Bush would clearly love to "double down" in Iran, but his
           hands are tied now. Two years ago, this would have meant war.
           \_ These are british soldiers, not americans.
              \_ And?
                 \_ And?
              \_ British->NATO->US, says Bush.
        \_ Who exactly is "Iran" and what did they say?
        \_ Wonder how the Brits'll react?  Freeze Iranian funds?  The
           Iranians are pretty clearly in the wrong.
           \_ how about grabbing an iranian vessell from iranian waters, taking
              the crew prisoner, and claiming they are all spies with signed
              confessions.
           \_ Are you sure that the Brits were not in Iranian waters? All I have
              seen are "he said - she saids" claims. I assume the Brits
           \_ Are you sure that the Brits were not in Iranian waters? All I
              have seen are "he said - she said" claims. I assume the Brits
              will escalate until the Iranians back down. We shall see.
              \_ There is concensus.  They were in Iraqi waters.
              \_ 3/27 Update:
                 http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070327/wl_nm/iran_dc
                "Blair's spokesman said the next step London could take would
                be to publish proof, in the form of global satellite
                positioning (GPS) records, that the sailors had not entered
                Iranian waters."
                But of course Iran could claim that the GPS records are fake.
                BTW, if Margaret Thatcher were still the PM, the Brits would be
                planning to nuke Iran by now.
                \_ At least sending the fleet in that direction, but Briton
                   doesn't have much of a fleet anymore.

1/14    Guys, I am a bit nervous.  I think we are going to attack Iran next...
        Well, in a way, we've already did.  Last time I checked, embassy is
        considered as sovereign territory of a nation. As we have raided the
        Iranian embassy in Iraq, we are in effect attack Iran territory.
        http://www.payvand.com/news/07/jan/1131.html
        Under normal circumstances, this would considered as an act of war.
        On top of this, we are moving a carrier strike group to Persian Golf.
        http://csua.org/u/hvx
        I am no military expert, but my knowledge tells me that carrier strike
        group is not the best tool to fight insurgency in Iraq.
        \_ That wasn't an embassy.  Although if it was an embassy that
           would just be karmic anyway.
           \_ I just think Bush's secret plan B is to escalate the war with
              Iran.
        \_ Bring it on!
        \_ Hey, you mean like we were supposed to have a military draft in
           2006?
           \_ if we were doing things right, we supposed to have a draft in
              2003, blanked Iraq with one million draftees, commit entire nation
              into this Iraqii mess.  Then again, may be you still think the
              war is going well.   I am still waiting to see that beacon of
              democracy in the middle east.
              2003, blanked Iraq with one million draftees, commit entire
              nation into this Iraqii mess.  Then again, may be you still
              think the war is going well.   I am still waiting to see that
              beacon of democracy in the middle east.
        \_ There have been numerous connections between the Iraq insurgency and
           Syria & Iran (weapons, personnel, etc.).  Stopping Iran from
           supplying weapons could very well help fighting the insurgents.
           \_ This is true. However, invading/waging war on Iran with the
              forces currently available to us is not likely to produce the
              result of "stopping Iran from supplying weapons" in the long run,
              unless we swallowed our pride and asked for help from Syria in
              pacifying Iraq. And hell, if we're going to go that route, why
              not just negotiate with Iran in the first place?

12/29   Man, Germans are STUPID. They don't know the difference between
        Sydney Australia and Sidney Montana in US of A.
        http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/29/germany.tourist.reut
        \_ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16389973
        \- E_RATCHET
        \_ I wonder how many American people think the Sydney Opera House is
           in Austria, the capital of classical music; Thai is the language
           spoken in Taiwan; there are grand casinos in the Principality of
           Morocco; etc.
           \_ I've met tons of people who think Taiwanese restaurants serve
              Thai food, and that Taiwanese is the language spoken in Thailand.
              I've also met tons of people who think Persians and Iranians are
              from different continents and that Iran and Iraq are the same.
              I do have to admit that over the past decade or so, people are
              slowly realizing that Iran and Iraq are not the same. This is
              from my experience in California of course. I wonder how much
              smarter/dumber people from other states are.
              \_ Since you mentioned Iran, here's another one: "Iran is an Arab
                 country."  -- PP