In a shocking twist, Obama supports armed citizens

[Doppel]

Given the behavior of some of these Syrians, it's reasonable to me to argue that Obama is committing some degree of war crimes with this move. I was for meddling in Syria a long time ago until the true colors of the rebels came out.

I assume part of the aid package to the rebels will be thousands of GoPro's so we can all get our daily fix of combat footage on youtube? These guys should provide some hilarious footage, deft trigger discipline, and a culturally diverse taste in "field rations".

I've seen some FSA vids on Liveleak. To a one they are all screaming allah akbar like robots. There is normally a crescendo that builds from a few whispered allah akbars to a chorus of allah akbars when they finally figure out how to get their weapon to fire.

HA! I went to liveleak now, plugged in FSA. I swear to God I have never seen this video before but I was on the lookout for the AAs, and there they start at :25. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=21a_1374614330 And another random one I pulled off: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=147_1374607057

 

[boomerang]

Honestly, I don't think it matters who we vote for anymore. Both parties spend money like crazy, erode our personal liberties, are rife with corruption, interfere with international affairs where they aren't wanted, and do what's best for their friends and themselves over their constituents and country.

We're fucked.

Read this. Ran across it this morning.

The Recipe

There is absolutely nothing from the Founding Fathers – and I mean nothing – in which they said your number one course of action in response to massive, repeated constitutional violations should be to “vote the bums out.”

James Madison said that when the federal government passes an unconstitutional measure – or even if they pass something that’s totally constitutional, but still unpopular – there are ways to successfully resist it.
Notice that Madison didn’t mention a single thing about elections or voting bums out.
Nothing.
He did, however, point to methods which are “powerful and at hand.” Two prominent examples that you should be doing today:
- “refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union”
- use “legislative devices” to create “very serious impediments”
Madison also told us that if several adjoining States would do the same it make things extremely difficult for the feds to deal with.

State legislatures have got to have big enough balls to pass legislation that will essentially neuter overreaching legislation that comes from our federal government. The author proposes that instead of contributing to national elections, that we funnel that money into our states to coerce lawmakers into passing legislation requiring the citizens of the state to refuse to cooperate.

 

[Scotteq]

Read this. Ran across it this morning.

The Recipe





State legislatures have got to have big enough balls to pass legislation that will essentially neuter overreaching legislation that comes from our federal government. The author proposes that instead of contributing to national elections, that we funnel that money into our states to coerce lawmakers into passing legislation requiring the citizens of the state to refuse to cooperate.

It'll never happen - with only a couple exceptions, our states are too dependent on Federal handouts.

 

[child of wonder]

Well said, but it's our own damned fault. One of the debates (forget which election cycle) a mother described her family as middle class with a mid-70K income and asked a question "What are you going to do for us?" Given that government has nothing it does not first take from someone else and her family makes roughly 150% median income, you'd think she'd be laughed out of the building, but both candidates and the media treated her question very seriously.

Whichever party is in power at the moment is guaranteed to be better than the next. We make them this way.

Didn't someone once say that once the people realize they can vote solely on acquiring benefits and financial gain from the government then democracy has failed?

 

[KB]

Didn't someone once say that once the people realize they can vote solely on acquiring benefits and financial gain from the government then democracy has failed?

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

 

[sm625]

They're not "rebels", they are al qaeda. Some of them could very well be cousins of the very same patsies - err Saudis - who flew planes into US buildings 12 years ago. Even if it was that blatant and that obvious, you would still have millions of idiot morons worshipping and bootlicking this criminal organization that has taken over the US government.

 

[bshole]

Given the behavior of some of these Syrians, it's reasonable to me to argue that Obama is committing some degree of war crimes with this move. I was for meddling in Syria a long time ago until the true colors of the rebels came out.

I was never for meddling in Syria. It is none of our damn business and never has been. Why do we have to fuck around in every third world shithole? What monstrous force is behind the scenes pulling the levers of our government? We leap from debacle to debacle like circus clowns... embarassing ourselves for no good reason.

 

[Genx87]

Seriously. I voted for him twice, and I certainly don't think things would be better with McCain or Romney, but my god every day that goes by he gets worse and worse.

I am embarassed to have ever supported McCain. The old man is off his fucking rocker.

McCain, who has long advocated arming Syrian rebels, said Tuesday he was disappointed by Dempsey's letter.

"Most military experts that I know totally disagree" with Dempsey's assessment of the size of the task and U.S. capabilities, McCain said. "The question should be is the status quo acceptable and obviously that is not."

Last month, McCain called for taking out al-Assad's air assets to create a safe zone for the Syrian opposition.

"I know that we have the military capability to impose a 'no-fly' zone, to crater their runways and their fixed installations where fuel and parts are, and establish a 'no-fly' zone with Patriot missiles," McCain said in June.

"And if we can't do that, then the question ought to be asked to the American taxpayer, to the Pentagon, 'What in the world are we wasting tens of billions of dollars for defense for if we can't even take care of this situation?'" McCain said.

Somebody please call this old farts bluff and defund a significant portion of the military. It would keep him from wielding its power like a kid in a sandbox crushing ant hills.

And has anbody read the proposal Dempsey has presented? It appears it includes an assault on Syrias stockpiles, creating a buffer zone within Syria with our troops protecting it so we can train these religious assholes, and a billion a month in costs. He even said that would be an act of war. But that isnt a problem for McCain.

 

[Doppel]

I am embarassed to have ever supported McCain. The old man is off his fucking rocker.



Somebody please call this old farts bluff and defund a significant portion of the military. It would keep him from wielding its power like a kid in a sandbox crushing ant hills.

And has anbody read the proposal Dempsey has presented? It appears it includes an assault on Syrias stockpiles, creating a buffer zone within Syria with our troops protecting it so we can train these religious assholes, and a billion a month in costs. He even said that would be an act of war. But that isnt a problem for McCain.

What he really means to say is "We spend all this money on the military--can't we blow more shit up?".

 

[disappoint]

I was never for meddling in Syria. It is none of our damn business and never has been. Why do we have to fuck around in every third world shithole? What monstrous force is behind the scenes pulling the levers of our government? We leap from debacle to debacle like circus clowns... embarassing ourselves for no good reason.

hehe this is a very funny post. Made me laugh, thanks. There is a reason why we do this. The exponential function.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

+1


Well said, but it's our own damned fault. One of the debates (forget which election cycle) a mother described her family as middle class with a mid-70K income and asked a question "What are you going to do for us?" Given that government has nothing it does not first take from someone else and her family makes roughly 150% median income, you'd think she'd be laughed out of the building, but both candidates and the media treated her question very seriously.

Whichever party is in power at the moment is guaranteed to be better than the next. We make them this way.

That IS politics now. It's very sad. What was a question of "What can we do for our country/government?" has turned into "What can the government do for me?"

Heeeeeeeeeey, I heard a democrat once said that.... but screw him and his dumb logic!

 

[fskimospy]

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

There's no evidence Tocqueville ever said that. It's a widely misattributed quote.

 

[nehalem256]

You know from a certain point of view this actually makes sense from the liberal perspective.

After all every gun we send to syria is one less gun in America right?

 

[Harabec]

This is fucking insane.

You're just creating future 9\11's with every move you make.

Where the hell is obama's common sense? Stop meddling with stupid shit like Syria!

 

[StrangerGuy]

This is fucking insane.

You're just creating future 9\11's with every move you make.

Where the hell is obama's common sense? Stop meddling with stupid shit like Syria!

The inner muslim compels him to bleed his heart for the middle east.

I guess?

 

[Racan]

Syria: disillusioned rebels drift back to take Assad amnesty



Syrian rebels defect to government

"I used to fight for revolution, but now I think we have lost what we were fighting for," said Mohammed, a moderate Muslim rebel from the northern town of Raqqa who declined to give his last name. "Now extremists control my town. My family has moved back to government side because our town is too unsafe. Assad is terrible, but the alternative is worse."
The prevalence of extremist Islamist groups in rebel-held areas, particularly in the north, has caused some opposition fighters to "give up" on their cause.
Ziad Abu Jabal comes from one of the villages in Homs province whose residents recently agreed to stop fighting the regime. "When we joined the demonstrations we wanted better rights," he said. "After seeing the destruction and the power of jihadists, we came to an agreement with the government."

 

[Exterous]

You're just creating future 9\11's with every move you make.

Where the hell is obama's common sense?

*puts on tin foil hat* Nothing diverts America's attention from oppressive invasion of privacies and trampling of civil liberties like a good ol fashioned war.

If the terrorists attack because of it then that just one more reason we need to give up more in the name of safety.

*tries to take tin foil hat off. Pauses. Not sure if I should....*

 

[woolfe9998]

I don't agree with arming the rebels. Even though we are supposedly arming the "moderate" faction, and assuming that is true, the AQ linked faction is attacking the moderate faction in addition to fighting Assad and slaughtering shiites. There is no telling whose hands our weapons eventually find their way into. We should supply humanitarian aid only. Otherwise sit and watch.

 

[child of wonder]

“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville

Thank you. Reading some of his musings about the future of America, he seems to be pretty spot on.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I don't agree with arming the rebels. Even though we are supposedly arming the "moderate" faction, and assuming that is true, the AQ linked faction is attacking the moderate faction in addition to fighting Assad and slaughtering shiites. There is no telling whose hands our weapons eventually find their way into. We should supply humanitarian aid only. Otherwise sit and watch.

Who is to say those "moderates" isn't another MB with a different flavor of fundie-islam that would turn their country into a theocratic shithole when they have the power? All ME clowns had their chance for good PR and they screwed it big time by killing the Libyan ambassador and the Morsi fiasco.