Understanding the US - Again

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 21 Sep 2018 19:20

once the meetoos are done there is also the small matter of the mysterious baseball ticket debts being cleared

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Sep 2018 20:27

IMO Trump's Eyeran deal will be a comprehensive one that makes NutNYahoo also back off. Given latest Russian plane disaster, I don't think anything else will work. It NutNYahoo sees Bear looming ahead, his enthu for war with Eyeran will get seriously dented. Note that Bear AF has essentially finished the Syria campaign, have plenty of experience and resources in the region, and is not very happy with NutNYahoostan. Also, oil prices are rising, so Putin is not bleeding on that front as badly as before.

Will NutNYahoo dare to spend weapons at a war spending rate, with the wonderfully reliable Al-Lie sitting in DupliCity? And with no hope of immediate aerial supremacy? With Turkey unlikely to participate on NATO side? Even he cannot be THAT wacko. By Day 2, the NutNYahoostan AF and Navy may be gone, which will open the beaches to the "irregulars" by the thousands.

So all said and done, I think an Iran-Israel-Syria-Russia deal is in the works.

BTW, note that hardly anyone is screaming about NoKo any more. Report is that KimThinOne is actually reducing weppuns and getting land ready for Trump Resorts.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 21 Sep 2018 20:48

I wouldn't write off IAF (Israeli that is) as easily saar. They have around 400 advanced fighters and missiles. It won't be a one day battle for RuAF against them, and don't think Putin will take Israel that lightly.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 21 Sep 2018 21:16

besides N-boi and P-dada are actually collaborating on some projects... so lafRa will not happen

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 21 Sep 2018 23:08

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nort ... SKCN1M01KE
North Korea's Kim wants another Trump summit to speed denuclearization: South Korea's Moon

Moon said he and Kim spent most of a three-day summit discussing how to break an impasse and restart nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, which are at odds over which should come first, denuclearization or ending the war.

Kim, who recently proposed another summit with Trump after their unprecedented June talks in Singapore, said the North was willing to “permanently dismantle” key missile facilities in the presence of outside experts, and the Yongbyon main nuclear complex, if the United States took corresponding action.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 21 Sep 2018 23:22

Lalmohan wrote:besides N-boi and P-dada are actually collaborating on some projects... so lafRa will not happen

u mean RAPE and Kim working together?

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 21 Sep 2018 23:56

US continues to warn India of sanctions over missile defence deal with Russia - Chidanand Rajghatta

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Thursday continued to warn India of sanctions for buying high-end Russian arms after making China the first target of such punishment engineered by American hardliners intent on punishing Moscow for its transgressions.

In a coordinated move, the US state department and the treasury department imposed sanctions on the Chinese military's equipment development department and its director, Li Shangfu, for purchasing from Russia the Su-35 combat aircraft and a S-400 surface-to-air missile system, the very armaments New Delhi too has its eyes on.

Describing it as a "significant transactions," administration officials held out the threat that India too could come under sanctions if it continued with big ticket Russian arms purchases, although the administration has acquired waiver powers to spare allies and friends such as India from sanctions, and officials have indicated the US will find a way to spare New Delhi the blushes.

But on Thursday, the Trump administration appeared to hedge on the waiver.

"As to other potential recipients of the S-400, we haven't made any determinations yet with respect to what to do about those, but you can be confident that we have spent an enormous amount of time talking about prospective purchases of things such as S-400s and Sukhois with people all around the world who may have been interested in such things and some who may still be," an administration official told journalists on background.

New Delhi and Moscow are on the verge of signing the agreement for India's purchase of the multi-billion dollar S-400 Triumf missile defence system from Russia during President 's upcoming visit, and Washington appears set on making India sweat as it moves ahead with the deal.

The big question is whether the Trump administration will treat India differently from China. Logically it should, since it is Washington that seeks a strategic relationship with New Delhi with the avowed intent to support India's rise and position it as a counterweight to China - something Indian interlocutors frequently remind their US counterparts about.

But the arms lobby in US also appears intent on using this opportunity to wean New Delhi away from Russian armaments and make a pitch for US arms, even as officials assure that sanctions are not intended to undermine the defence capabilities of any country.

"They are instead aimed at imposing costs upon Russia in response to its malign activities," the unnamed administration official said.

This is the first time Trump administration targeted a third country with its Caatsa sanctions, designed to punish Russia for its seizure of Crimea and other activities.

The hardening of US stance towards India followed the visit of National Security Advisor to meet his US counterpart John Bolton and other interlocutors on the heels of the 2+2 strategic dialogue involving the foreign office and defence ministries of both countries.

Although, Washington seemed to have softened its stand during the dialogue, the engagement with Bolton, a hardliner in the administration, does not appear to have yielded any firm commitment about a waiver for India.

New Delhi has pretty much conveyed that it will do what it takes to meet its security requirements regardless of sanctions threat, including going ahead with the S-400 Deal.

Both Russia and China meanwhile have expressed outrage over the sanctions and warned the US of consequences.

Cheers

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Sep 2018 04:47

I think US should go ahead.
It ends the frenemy phase.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 22 Sep 2018 10:03

My mom used to tell a 'kunnathunadan' story.

There was this 'tharavad karanavar' (head of nair family) who had filariasis on his feet. (This parasitic disease used to be common here, where the victim will have massively swollen feet and calves). He used to threaten his farm workers that one kick with this swollen massive leg will finish them. The poor folk will be mortally afraid of this.

One day poor 'kOran' the farm hand fell asleep at his post of guarding the paddy from birds. The karanavar comes, sees the atrocity and aims a nice kick at poor kOran's poor posterior.

''thud" the swollen mass harmlessly splashes on kOran.

kOran startles awake, realizes what just happened, bows to the karanavar and says: "Now, gone is my fear and 'your lordship's craving"

I welcome the worst sanctions Mr. ToadStool can dish. It is time to end our fear and his craving.

mohaghna · Post by **mohaghna** » 22 Sep 2018 10:33

^^My thoughts exactly. This is not the 1950's anymore. What Mr trump fails to understand is that the relative gap in technology is a lot slimmer now than it was even 10 years ago. Any sanction now will be actually be a shot in the arm of the indigenisation lobby, and will actually strenthen India's desire for self reliance, along with hurting USA geopolitical interest.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 22 Sep 2018 12:53

Sanctions will actually benefit India over the longer term and finally put paid to the "available easy peasy pie purchases" lobby which has been pushing for "off the shelf proven" foren gear for everything and anything.
Short term, will roil the markets & create a lot of FUD.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 22 Sep 2018 19:01

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... bs/568624/
It’s Getting Harder for International STEM Students to Find Work After Graduation

Schools are competing to bring international STEM students to the U.S., but shifting policies mean that many students are prevented from taking open jobs that could allow them to stay in the country.

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 22 Sep 2018 20:29

Recently one girl who did MS from US joined our company. I was asking her how are things in US wrt work permit & job availability for international students. She said, in her batch, she is the the onlee one who came back. Rest of her batch mates were able to find work through consultancies on OPT. And they all got in to automobile companies not IT...auto industry etc (at least the major OEMs) usually do not hire employees on H1B. It is possible the above article might reflect the overall trend, but from what I am hearing, somehow students are still finding a way to stay back in US and drive to leave India is very much still alive in most undergrad students (at least in BLR). Further, I am finding that even with the current avenues of exposure, many students are unaware of the ground situation of visas etc....BUT they are willing to take the risks of landing in US/Canada/Germany with the optimism of something will work out.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 22 Sep 2018 22:17

The 2018-2019 international graduate student enrollment figures are not out yet, but in the 2017-2018 academic year, enrollment from India -13% and China -15%. The bulk of graduate engineering programs rely on students from these countries. When the 2018-2018 academic year figures come out, we’ll know what the trend is. The Atlantic article maybe FUD. It used to be graduate programs would offer a stipend or tuition reduction, and that has stopped as colleges and universities are milking their students more.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 22 Sep 2018 22:21

Karan M wrote:Sanctions will actually benefit India over the longer term and finally put paid to the "available easy peasy pie purchases" lobby which has been pushing for "off the shelf proven" foren gear for everything and anything.
Short term, will roil the markets & create a lot of FUD.

Agree. This and papu’s Rafale blathering should put the end on large foreign acquisitions.

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 23 Sep 2018 00:47

China’s sea control is a done deal, ‘short of war with the US’ - Hannah Beech | NYT News Service

NEAR MISCHIEF REEF: As the reconnaissance plane banked low near Mischief Reef in the early this month, a Chinese warning crackled on the radio.

“US military aircraft,” came the challenge, delivered in English in a harsh staccato. “You have violated our China sovereignty and infringed on our security and our rights. You need to leave immediately and keep far out.”

Cheers

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 23 Sep 2018 01:12

A_Gupta wrote:https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... bs/568624/
It’s Getting Harder for International STEM Students to Find Work After Graduation

Schools are competing to bring international STEM students to the U.S., but shifting policies mean that many students are prevented from taking open jobs that could allow them to stay in the country.

Not sure what the OPT situation is, but I hear a lot of folks worried about RFEs when filing. And also worried about extensions after 6th year. Some don't travel to avoid the anxiety.

And then there's this - revoking of H4 EAD.

There were quite a few Indians immigrants in US who were supporting Trump with the hopes that he will kick only muslims and mexicans and that will somehow make immigration issues better.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-ne ... NWi2M.html

The Trump administration expects to revoke in three months a rule allowing spouses of certain H-1B visa holders to work in the US, most of whom are from India.

This Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a federal court on Friday that its intention to cancel the rule remains in place and that it “anticipates that the rule (revoking work authorisation for H-4 visa holders) will be submitted to OMB within three months”. OMB, the office of management and budget, oversees US federal budget and performance of federal agencies.

The DHS said it had made “solid and swift progress in proposing to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation”.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 23 Sep 2018 01:41

Most Indians in the US didn’t arrive by H-1B. They came as graduate students and the OPT is the Optional Practical Training for 12 months following the F-1 in the student’s discipline of study.

vimal · Post by **vimal** » 23 Sep 2018 01:42

And then there's this - revoking of H4 EAD.

There were quite a few Indians immigrants in US who were supporting Trump with the hopes that he will kick only muslims and mexicans and that will somehow make immigration issues better.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-ne ... NWi2M.html
The Trump administration expects to revoke in three months a rule allowing spouses of certain H-1B visa holders to work in the US, most of whom are from India.

This Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a federal court on Friday that its intention to cancel the rule remains in place and that it “anticipates that the rule (revoking work authorisation for H-4 visa holders) will be submitted to OMB within three months”. OMB, the office of management and budget, oversees US federal budget and performance of federal agencies.

The DHS said it had made “solid and swift progress in proposing to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation”.

1. No, I don't think any Indian voted for Trump based on whether he is going to kick anyone out. There were some of us who thought that Trump will take a hardline approach towards Pak and terrorists and voted for him. A lot of people also thought Hillary's India policy would be a disaster (rightly so) and voted against her.

2. That H4 EAD ruling repeal drama has been going on for more than a year now. It was supposed to be done in Fall 2017, then Feb 2018, June 2018, October 2018 and now seems like 2019. H4 EAD revocation seems like a small fry to me. If Trump and his lackeys want curbs on legal immigrants then they need to clamp down on H/L visas which will automatically curb H4 EADs. H4 EAD seems to be a diversionary tactics used by the administration to keep idiots tilting at windmills while they deal with the root cause.

Also, there are certain pro-immigration groups who keep peddling a lot of nonsense in media to scare their the member and keep the donations flowing.

CalvinH · Post by **CalvinH** » 23 Sep 2018 05:23

OPT can now be extended to 3 years for STEM students giving them enough time to survive the H-1B lottery.

I dont think a curb on H visas will come. They are already at the lowest and used by tech industry heavily. L visas can't be abolished too as they are used by MNCs globally.

Trump admin is making it difficult to get both visas. Lots of checks are acting as deterrent and reducing the abuse that happened. RFEs have become frequent and I am hearing that 50% of all cases are receiving RFE. Heard B1 visa rejections are its highest too.

Lately lots of my friends have obtained GC through L1. Quick and easy if you are senior in Indian MNC and are sent to US.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 24 Sep 2018 17:51

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018 ... -for-trump

Few people, including Trump’s opponents, have publicly challenged the widespread belief that no obtainable evidence can prove that Russian interference changed any votes.....
....
The U.S. intelligence community, for its part, is prohibited from investigating domestic political affairs. James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, told me, “We try not to spy on Americans. It’s not in our charter.” He emphasized that, although he and other intelligence officials produced—and shared with Trump—a postelection report confirming an extensive cyberattack by Russia, the assessment did not attempt to gauge how this foreign meddling had affected American voters. Speaking for himself, however, he told me that “it stretches credulity to think the Russians didn’t turn the election.”
....
Politicians may be too timid to explore the subject, but a new book from, of all places, Oxford University Press promises to be incendiary. “Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President—What We Don’t, Can’t, and Do Know,” by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania, dares to ask—and even attempts to answer—whether Russian meddling had a decisive impact in 2016. Jamieson offers a forensic analysis of the available evidence and concludes that Russia very likely delivered Trump’s victory.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 24 Sep 2018 21:23

influence operations, not vote rigging
the objective is to create chaos and doubt

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 25 Sep 2018 02:47

I found a great typological table classifying the different Memetic Tribes of the present-day US. This should be a useful reference for those interested in this thread and its subject matter:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 25 Sep 2018 03:24

Explained in greater detail here:

https://medium.com/intellectual-explore ... 705c43f6bb

There is a shared anatomy between memetic tribes. We posit that each tribe has a telos, an objective to obtain or a state to attain. They have sacred values, values which are non-negotiable and inviolable within the memetic framework. If these values are transgressed it will trigger the tribal member. These will also influence the prime virtues that the tribal member will signal. They have master statuses, the dominant identifying characteristic of the tribe as a whole. Each is persecuted or haunted by an existential threat, which necessitates tribal affiliation for survival. Other tribes are combatants in the noosphere (i.e. sphere of human thought). They have campfires, online or in meatspace, where they communicate and cooperate. Each tribe has chieftains who either direct the tribe, provide the theoretical foundation for the tribe, or are apologists for the tribes. They each have mental models by which they conceptualize and navigate reality. And each tribe has forebears, whether they be progenitors of the tribe or personal inspirations of the chieftains.

...

Below are some further comments and our speculations on how the tribes will evolve in Culture War 2.0.

SJA: While this tribe engages in full-out war with other tribes, they continue to make gains in legacy media, corporate HR and PR departments, and government institutions. With increased embeddedness of SJA values in institutions and corporations, expect a right-wing countervailing response. Also watch for a fight to define leftism against class-first analysis.

Black Lives Matter: This tribe has made a large impact on the cultural landscape, but has not yet made an impact on government policy. Watch for potential conflicts with masculinist black nationalists and the “leaving the plantation” narrative of Candace Owens. Also, keep a look-out for BLM to distance themselves from white allies capitalizing on wokeness.

#MeToo: Perhaps the fastest growing tribe in recent times, it has moved quickly to redefine the social consensus. Watch for further revelations concerning men in power, followed by more conservative and reactionary backlash.

Gender-Critical Feminists: The feminists left behind by trans-inclusive feminists are fighting an uphill battle inside the left. Watch for future mixing with non-left tribes, and more offline culture war.

Modern Neo-Marxists. Neo-Marxists, while still alive and well in a critical capacity on University campuses, have lost significance since the fall of the Soviet Union. Communism is seen across the political spectrum as discredited. However, given the rising popularity of Democratic Socialists, the memes that Marx birthed could see a revival. If Neo-Marxists can offer a compelling narrative and escape the capitulation and nihilism of Accelerationist thought, then they might be able to piggy-back on the DSA’s popularity. Watch for Douglas Lain’s Zero Books imprint to capitalize on this opportunity.

Antifa: Even without identifiable chieftains, Antifa has played an important part in the culture war, and continues to benefit from people’s fear of Trump and dissatisfaction with mainstream responses. Watch for the normalization of a violent offline culture war.

Occupy: The tribe that coalesced around radical leftism, hope, and physical presence has been shattered. Dormant, it lives on in the 99% meme and in the pages of Adbusters.

DSA and Dirtbag Left: The drama of the Bernie campaign and dissatisfaction with the lack of leftism in the Democratic Party has led to a surge in a radical wing of the American left. The ironic fringe still rests at the top of the podcasts, and the push for mainstreaming socialism has been growing ever since Trump’s election. Watch for further infighting with Social Justice Activists.

Optimists: In reaction to the polarization and catastrophizing they see on both the left and right, this nascent tribe has coalesced around the idea that the world is in fact improving, and whatever challenges society faces can be solved through the institutions and values we currently hold. Watch for an increased presence as neoliberalism converts libertarians and shifts to be embraced as a contrarian ideology.

Establishment Left and Right. The zeitgeist of our times gives the palpable sense that the establishment left and right are dramatically on the decline, especially amongst millennials and Generation Z. Those in power within the establishment are experiencing increased pressure from rapidly rising elements within their parties. Democratic and liberal parties worldwide are contending with socialist and far-left elements. Conservative parties have seen populists and illiberal democrats take over. And everyone, everywhere, has been blindsided by the rise of white identitarian and nationalist elements. Watch for these tribes to make a last grasp at power during the 2020 elections in America.

New Atheists and Street Epistemologists. The atheist tribes are indirect participants in the culture war. Their shared objective is to attack the religious truth-claims and plant doubt in the epistemic methodology of believers. The New Atheists lost the relevance they had during the Bush Era when the “Four Horsemen” had great popularity, but their impact has been felt in the noosphere. They contributed to the religious right’s defeat in Culture War 1.0 by weakening it on philosophical grounds. The Street Epistemologists are the New Atheists potential successor in Culture War 2.0.

Rationalist Diaspora: Incubated on Overcoming Bias and LessWrong, this is an observer tribe in the culture war. Though similar to the New Atheists in that they prize rationality, they do not define themselves in opposition to religion. Thanks to the strength of Eliezer Yudkowsky and Scott Alexander’s writing, and the beliefs and epistemic virtues of the diaspora, they command increasing respect in the culture war. Watch for a popularity boost to Effective Altruism, a struggle with the downsides of increased attention, and possible pressure by the SJAs for the Rationalists to commit to progressive values.

Post-Rationalists. This is another observer tribe, and possibly the most interesting one. If the rationalist motto is “the map is not the territory, but it is important to create the most accurate map possible”, then the post-rationalist motto is “the canvas is not the territory, but it is important to create the most interesting canvas possible.” This observer tribe has the potential to generate innovative solutions to the seemingly intractable problem of the differend.

Integral Theorists. Ken Wilber, who lost some momentum in his “Wyatt Earp” incident, is steadily gaining a strong following amongst cultural influencers. Like the Rationalists and Post-Rationalists, Integralists are an observer tribe. Unlike them, they have a teleological narrative that instills existential hope. This will be a tribe to watch for if it moves away from its observer capacity and becomes more active in the war.

Sorters and Intellectual Dark Web. Jordan Peterson is the common denominator with these two tribes. One of the most important figures in Culture War 2.0, his central message in the war is an emphasis of free speech and the importance of truth-speaking. His followers, which we dub the Sorters, mostly comprised of young men, are attracted to Peterson’s style and his message of personal responsibility. The “Intellectual Dark Web”, coined by Eric Weinstein, consists of a group of thinkers who have experienced what they view as thought policing by political correct elements of the left. With the ever-increasing popularity of Peterson’s brand and platforms such as Quillette, the Rubin Report, and the Joe Rogan Experience, watch for both of these tribes to gain further members and make a strong push for a return to a classically liberal centre in the culture.

Benedictines: With a religious right increasingly subservient to Trump, it is becoming incumbent for Christians who put faith first to organize collectively. This memetic tribe is aware of its own mortality and is putting survival before the culture war. Watch for a siphoning of disillusioned Christians and rightists.

Christian Right: The religious right is quickly transitioning into a nationalist right. The culture war goals of the Moral Majority have largely been set aside in favour of punishing the left via Trump. Unless there is a public evangelist revival, watch for this to dissolve into Trumpists and Benedictines over the next few years.

Tea Party: Since its decline began after the 2013 government shutdown, this tribe has largely been subsumed by the Trumpists. Watch for a continued decline in libertarian activism as believers drift towards Trump or neoliberalism.

Trumpists: This new tribe makes up for a lack of experience and policy through power and “high-energy”. They are engaged in a fight for control over the mainstream perception of conservatism with a blindsided establishment right. Watch for a push for votes from racial minorities and a scramble to stay in line with Trump’s thought.

InfoWarriors and QAnoners. These are the conspiracy theory tribes of the Culture War. Alex Jones and InfoWars represent “established” conspiracies such as the New World Order and Illuminati. With his manic energy, Jones has successfully turned conspiracy into a profitable business. QAnon is a grassroots emergence of conspiracy theories originating on /pol/. Given the intense passion their reality tunnel engenders, we speculate that QAnon will grow amongst Trumpists and will be censored on social media platforms, which will only further fuel its growth.

Alt-Lite, Alt-Right, and Modern Neo-Nazis. These three tribes are concerned with issues surrounding white people and are often lumped together by the mainstream media, but they are actively fighting amongst themselves (“punching right”), in order to create distance and avoid conflation. The Alt-Lite would be quick to point out that they are less defined by white identity and more by western chauvinism, an unapologetic view that western culture is the best. Watch for massive fluctuations and changes in the composition of all three of these tribes and a continued fight amongst themselves to gain adherents.

Neoreactionaries: This semi-dormant tribe has partly been subsumed into the Alt-Right. Lack of public direction from its key figures has led to a decline in influence. Watch for Nick Land’s return to the blogosphere and keep an eye on Social Matter and the Hestia Society for a potential revival.

MRA, Manosphere, MGTOW. Like the dissident right tribes, these masculine tribes are usually lumped together. Like the far-right tribes, these masculinist tribes also signal to create distance amongst themselves. The Manosphere, the largest of the three tribes, reached its peak around Gamergate and has lost momentum due to their lack of a non-hedonistic strategy, and due to men’s attention being drawn to the message of Jordan Peterson. See a continued declined with these three groups unless new voices emerge.

Incels. These self-described involuntary celibates could be placed in the masculinist cluster, if not for their view of themselves as “black-pilled” instead of “red-pilled”. They agree with most of the descriptive views of the masculinist tribes but see their situation as radically hopeless and unfair. The belief space of more extreme adherents has more in common with the violent rage of terrorist groups like ISIS than any of the memetic tribes listed above. Copycat attacks mimicking Elliot Rodger and Alek Minassian might grow in number unless a memeplex emerges that can inspire and provide meaning to sexually unsuccessful males in society.

Did I not say this is a time of Manthan for America?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Sep 2018 07:15

superb read.

ArjunPandit · Post by **ArjunPandit** » 25 Sep 2018 11:47

Peregrine wrote:China’s sea control is a done deal, ‘short of war with the US’ - Hannah Beech | NYT News Service
NEAR MISCHIEF REEF: As the reconnaissance plane banked low near Mischief Reef in the early this month, a Chinese warning crackled on the radio.
“US military aircraft,” came the challenge, delivered in English in a harsh staccato. “You have violated our China sovereignty and infringed on our security and our rights. You need to leave immediately and keep far out.”
Cheers

The japanese seemed to control almost entire asia pacific forever, untill yamamoto was bruised and his fleet at the pacific bottom

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Sep 2018 23:27

Rudradev, Are the Brett Kavanaugh assault allegations reverse Contra Power?

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 25 Sep 2018 23:45

the power of metoo to shutdown people like CK louis, kevin spacey, charlie rose etc was a bit surprising to me...these weren't in the rape/assault category (like cosby etc) iirc but still were shut down..

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 26 Sep 2018 00:34

Gus wrote:the power of metoo to shutdown people like CK louis, kevin spacey, charlie rose etc was a bit surprising to me...these weren't in the rape/assault category (like cosby etc) iirc but still were shut down..

Charlie Rose was a quid pro quo to advance a person’s career. That has been verboten for ages. Not really #metoo. Kevin Spacey is a child predator, again already verboten.

CK Louis and Matt Lauer is more #metoo. In desh we have the casting couch in Bhaiwood. I wonder when such stuff will happen there.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 26 Sep 2018 01:24

Gus, Do look into what those unworthies were doing before being surprised.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 26 Sep 2018 02:24

Incredible, the news headlines in the Yoo Ess Ay. What next?

Hilary C Mooned Classmates In DayCare Center?

At the end of the movie "Animal House" they explain that the worst offender became a Senator. If you open the season on all COTUS senators and House people, who will be left that wasn't a frat boy or sorority gal, who didn't participate in drunken orgies in high school and college? It would have to be maybe an Abdul who was too busy bu****ing goats. Or maybe a Reverend.

Where is the question on what 15-yr-old wimmens were doing at these drunken orgies? Shouldn't Professor Ford get kicked out of her professor post for violating the law and going to a frat party where alcohol was being served? Don't they have ethics at her college or what? Why did she go there anyway? To eat cake? And the one who says the guy exposed his mijile takes the cake.

Sad to see old Cosby dragged off to 3-to-10 yr jail term at age 90 and basically stripped of all his lifetime earnings, including being force to pay costs of prosecuting him. That's like making someone dig the grave before machinegunning them into the grave.

kit · Post by **kit** » 26 Sep 2018 02:42

ramana wrote:I think US should go ahead.
It ends the frenemy phase.

better that way , the earlier that happens

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 26 Sep 2018 03:47

India a free society, successfullylifting millions out of poverty: Trump tells UN

UNITED NATIONS: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday lauded India's efforts to lift millions of its citizens out of poverty as he addressed world leaders at the 73rd session of the U N General Assembly.

"There is India, a free society (of) over a billion people, successfully lifting countless millions out of poverty and into the middle class," Trump said in his second address to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly that opened here Tuesday.

According to a UN report, India has made tremendous progress in pulling its people out of poverty.

Over a 10-year period between 2005-06 and 2015-16, as many as 271 million people were lifted out of poverty, with the country’s poverty rate nearly halving — falling from 55% to 28%.

In his about 35-minute address, Trump said that over the years, history has transpired in the halls of the UN General Assembly. "We think of the many before us who have come here to address the challenges of their nations and of their times and our thoughts turn to the same question that ran through all their speeches, resolutions and through every word and every hope."

"It is the question of what kind of world will we leave for our children and what kind of nations they will inherit," Trump said.

He said the dreams that fill the UNGA hall today are as diverse as the people who have stood at this podium and as varied as the countries represented in the United Nations. "It really is something. It really is great great history."

Trump also cited Saudi Arabia's bold new reforms and Israel "proudly celebrating" its 70th anniversary as a thriving democracy in the Holy Land.

Cheers

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 26 Sep 2018 03:59

Instead of YYY it is now YYUY? (U 4 Ummah)

g.sarkar · Post by **g.sarkar** » 26 Sep 2018 14:22

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/25/world/ro ... index.html
Donald Trump's worldview was laid bare at the UN -- and it should worry anyone who understands history
Analysis by Nic Robertson, CNN, September 26, 2018
US President Donald Trump came late to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning. And within moments, he had the gathered world leaders laughing.
By the time he finished, it was a far more somber mood in the hallowed chamber, in which Trump himself said "so much history has transpired."
But on this day, he was making a history of his own.
The levity he sparked so soon into his address came, perhaps, because he was doing exactly what his audience had come to expect -- plenty of ego; little humility: "I stand before the United Nations General Assembly to share the extraordinary progress we've made. In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country."
He boasted that America is stronger and more powerful than ever before: "Our military will soon be more powerful than it has ever been before. In other words, the United States is stronger, safer and a richer country than it was when I assumed office ... We are standing up for America and for the American people."
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He praised Poland, whose right-wing President Andzrej Duda met with Trump a few days ago, offering to help build a new US military base that he would call "Fort Trump. "The Polish leader, who faces possible sanctions from EU leaders for firing judges as part of sweeping political meddling in the country's judiciary, got a double helping of praise. Trump explained that Poland found favor with him for the way in which it is standing up to Russia: "We congratulate the European states such as Poland for leading the construction of a Baltic pipeline so that nations are not dependent on Russia ... Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course."
There was a ringing endorsement of India's tough leader, Narendra Modi. Trump highlighted Modi's efforts on poverty, rather than his record of failing to curb sectarianism in India.
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Gautam

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 26 Sep 2018 17:58

UlanBatori wrote:Where is the question on what 15-yr-old wimmens were doing at these drunken orgies? Shouldn't Professor Ford get kicked out of her professor post for violating the law and going to a frat party where alcohol was being served? Don't they have ethics at her college or what? Why did she go there anyway? To eat cake? And the one who says the guy exposed his mijile takes the cake.

no means no. maybe means no.
been there could have done a BK, but didn't. its important to know the difference
BK belonged to a club with the motto: "no means yes, yes means anal"

Sad to see old Cosby dragged off to 3-to-10 yr jail term at age 90 and basically stripped of all his lifetime earnings, including being force to pay costs of prosecuting him. That's like making someone dig the grave before machinegunning them into the grave.

he drugged and took advantage of incapacitated people - that's really not a good thing under any circumstances

btw: a former president of Zimbabwe used to do the same thing - but with his aide-de-camps

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 26 Sep 2018 18:13

https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2018/ ... un/571342/

But two things were unusual about Trump’s speech on Tuesday.

It was, to the best of my knowledge, the first presidential UN speech that challenged the very idea of international cooperation and standards. (Ronald Reagan, 1985: “America is committed to the world because so much of the world is inside America…. The blood of each nation courses through the American vein and feeds the spirit that compels us to involve ourselves in the fate of this good Earth.” Donald Trump, 2018: “America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.”)

And, it was the only one, ever, to be greeted by openly mocking laughter, including from representatives of America’s closest allies, as David Graham described here. Criticism and disagreement, yes — they go with the territory of representing America’s enormous power. But ridicule is something new. The moment is too obvious to belabor as a symbol, so I simply note it as a fact.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 26 Sep 2018 19:26

Trump foreign policy - what might lie ahead:
https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... ia/571339/

About a year ago, Trump was resentful of being managed by the so-called adults in the room—Rex Tillerson, H. R. McMaster, Gary Cohn, James Mattis, and John Kelly—and he began pushing back by issuing orders over their objections. Since then, he has rushed through his presidential bucket list. He moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, imposed tariffs on China, had his summit in Helsinki with Vladimir Putin, went to the brink with NATO over defense spending, and effectively normalized relations with North Korea.

On many of these issues, he has declared victory. Of course, that’s a fiction. North Korea has no intention of denuclearizing. NATO nations will not reach the defense-spending target of 2 percent of GDP. But as Trump portrays it, he fixed it and it’s time to move on. As he candidly confessed after his summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, if it turned out that he was mistaken about North Korea, he would not admit it.

But move on to what? Most presidents would outline a plan to deal with Iran after the nuclear deal, or to transform NATO to cope with the threat from authoritarian states, or to resolve the trade war. But Trump is not one for detail or course correction. In his world, there was a problem, so he did something quickly. And now it’s solved. To say anything else is to suggest the unthinkable—that he is not a magician.

The other thing we do not know is how this ends.
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Trump’s speech to the UN General Assembly shed light on these two unknowns. ....

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 26 Sep 2018 19:35

Trump is 'nationalist' so he has no desire to transform NATO to deal with authoritarian states.

Pompeo just announced another summit with Kim Young Un.

The Atlantic is still shell shocked and looking thru globalist glasses.
Off course vision will be distorted.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 26 Sep 2018 22:21

The Kavanaugh pile-on continues:
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/ ... ang-rapes/

New Witness Accuses Brett Kavanaugh of Setting Up “Gang Rapes”