US Politics: It’s Not A Crime If Your Feelings Got Hurt

[karaddin]

Especially given this started from me saying that the US working against human rights and liberties on the international stage is a very bad thing. Arguing that other nations aren't major doesn't in any way fill a void that the US may have been filling 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

13 minutes ago, DMC said:

I use the "please think of the children" line as much as anybody, but I have no idea how that relates to Russia still being a major power in terms of IR.

It was in regards to your comment that kids don’t vote. Seemed like a cheap way to sneak in a Simpsons clip.

[sologdin]

has the trump regime, incidentally, given fetal persons the right to vote yet by executive order?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

44 minutes ago, Which Tyler said:

Major power =/= Super power

There is only one super  - which is currently trying to reduce that number further. All G8 members are major powers (including Russia, despite their current suspension). There are also non-G8 countries that are major powers.

ETA, I think you could  (AKA "should") count all the G20 nations are major powers.

No, major does not mean super, but being a member of the G7+1 or the G20 does not make you major either. There are nation states like Japan and India where you can debate their status, but realistically there are only three real players: The U.S., China and the EU. The U.S. is a declining super power, China is a major power and an emerging super power and the EU is an unstable major power. Other countries could be considered major powers, but they’d all be clearly in a secondary status, and I don’t think Russia even clears that bar. Russia would be nothing without their nukes.

48 minutes ago, karaddin said:

I thought Brazil was another potential but with their current president that would be a less positive thing.

I think all decent people can agree that Bolsonaro is a disgraceful human being, but he’s not the reason why Brazil isn’t a major power. It looked like they were on their way to being one a decade or so ago, but a lot of crazy incidents have seriously derailed their trajectory. Wide spread corruption, economic decline and crime have sent Brazil spinning, but hey, at least they got their soccer stadium decaying in the rain forest!!!

[Zorral]

12 hours ago, DMC said:

No, the following wasn't written by DMC, but that other guy, but the quote function wouldn't go there!

 

I'm not aware of any pre-WWII large scale intervention by the US government to help students with paying their college tuition. Which program are you thinking of?

Well, here is some information that helps explain why you have framed your question incorrectly:

https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1988/Federal-Funds-Higher-Education.html

https://www.nap.edu/read/4980/chapter/2

https://www.lwv.org/role-federal-government-public-education-historical-perspectives

There is a very long tradition in the US for local, state and federal cooperation in funding in a variety of ways public education, i.e. to make education available to those who couldn't afford the fees of private education at any level.

 

 

 

[Which Tyler]

38 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

No, major does not mean super, but being a member of the G7+1 or the G20 does not make you major either. There are nation states like Japan and India where you can debate their status, but realistically there are only three real players: The U.S., China and the EU. The U.S. is a declining super power, China is a major power and an emerging super power and the EU is an unstable major power. Other countries could be considered major powers, but they’d all be clearly in a secondary status, and I don’t think Russia even clears that bar. Russia would be nothing without their nukes.

You're allowed your own definition of major (which still reads like "super") but you don't really get to call other people wrong for you g with the generally accepted definition.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, Which Tyler said:

You're allowed your own definition of major (which still reads like "super") but you don't really get to call other people wrong for you g with the generally accepted definition.

 

“Major power” is more vague than one might think, and it is often conflated with “super power.” I picked those three because they’re the only ones that impact the world in a serious way on multiple fronts, and then within that construct ranked them from super to just major.

[DanteGabriel]

33 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

 

“Major power” is more vague than one might think, and it is often conflated with “super power.” I picked those three because they’re the only ones that impact the world in a serious way on multiple fronts, and then within that construct ranked them from super to just major.

But what countries are Elite? And which ones are Aaron Rodgers Elite and which ones are just Matthew Stafford Elite?

[mormont]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

No, major does not mean super

But many Majors are super.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Force

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Victory_(DC_Comics)

Even Captain Marvel is a Major. Which is confusing.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

19 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

But what countries are Elite? And which ones are Aaron Rodgers Elite and which ones are just Matthew Stafford Elite?

I’m just going to have to come out and say it, Italy is Matt Stafford elite. And given the time of year, which country is getting drafted 10^th overall?  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

5 minutes ago, mormont said:

But many Majors are super.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Force

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Victory_(DC_Comics)

Even Captain Marvel is a Major. Which is confusing.

Oh, you’re a DC fan?

I’m so sorry.   

[mormont]

No, I'm more of a Marvel fan. But weirdly, Marvel don't really have any superpowered Majors. Any number of Captains. I think there must be more of a superpower glass ceiling in the 616 armed forces.

(There's Nick Fury, who I guess counts as superpowered due to the infinity formula. But that's debatable.)

[Jon AS]

27 minutes ago, mormont said:

Marvel don't really have any superpowered Majors.

Marvel does have a Major Victory, too.

[Jace, Extat]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

I’m just going to have to come out and say it, Italy is Matt Stafford elite. And given the time of year, which country is getting drafted 10^th overall?  

Italy is Jamarcus Russell elite. I have over 100 years of evidence.

[DMC]

4 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

It was in regards to your comment that kids don’t vote.

Yeah, I know what it was regarding.  I was, like, there.  How senile do you think I am?  Anyway this shit's gone off the rails.  Usually I'd pull some article to bring it back it but right now?  Nope, y'all on your own.

[Martell Spy]

Quote

 

Stephen Moore is apparently upset that the media isn’t focusing on his economic ideas. I know this because he keeps bringing it up. “I was so honored when I got the call from Donald Trump. But all it’s been since then has been one personal assault after another and a kind of character assassination having nothing to do with economics,” the potential Federal Reserve nominee recently complained to a conservative radio station. “They’re pulling a Kavanaugh against me.” (Moore’s tax troubles, messy divorce, and back catalog of sexist magazine columns have dominated headlines about him lately.) This week, he even wrote to Politico with a reporting suggestion. “You should do a column about why no one wants to talk about my economic ideas, which is why the sleaze campaign is their only hope,” he told them.

As is often the case, Moore is spouting nonsense here. Plenty of writers have already panned his economic ideas. But since he’s so insistent, I’m happy to explain once again why his notions about central banking are a joke.

 

Stephen Moore Might Be a Slimebag, but Let’s Not Forget That His Economic Ideas Are Terrible Too

https://slate.com/business/2019/04/stephen-moore-economic-policy-terrible.html

[Darzin]

Russia qualifies as a major power based on their ability to project force and ideas, it's true that their economy is anemic and their military is obsolete compared to NATO but that doesn't matter since they can do stuff like intervene in Syria and the US elections. Russian propaganda and ideology have a fare bit of influence on the far right, see the Alt right's position on Syria for example. China by contrast doesn't strike me as nearly so threatening they don't want to export their model, nor do they have a particularly aggressive posture towards Liberal Democracy the way Russia does.

[Martell Spy]

Kamala Harris says she’d pardon low-level drug offenders if elected president
She addressed questions on criminal justice reform during a forum on Wednesday.

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/24/18514787/kamala-harris-criminal-justice

Quote

 

Sen. Kamala Harris may still face questions over her past record on criminal justice, but in an appearance Wednesday, she sought to focus squarely on future reforms, committing to pardoning low-level drug offenders if she becomes president.

“Absolutely,” she said when asked whether she’d use presidential pardon powers to release federal prisoners convicted of drug possession and drug-related crimes. “We have to have the courage to recognize that there are a lot of folks who have been incarcerated who should not have been incarcerated and are still in prison because they were convicted under draconian laws that have incarcerated them … for what is essentially a public health issue.”

During her remarks at a She the People town hall, Harris also condemned the war on drugs and reiterated her support for legalizing marijuana.

“There is the broader point about the failed war on drugs,” she said. “There is no question it was a failure, and part of the problem is that what was essentially a public health issue became a criminal justice issue.”

 

 

[Larry of the Lawn]

*wonders whether or not the hill I've just chosen to die on is major or or super*

[Zorral]

In the meantime they gave away one of the 'troika of terrorism', Cuba, lock stock and barrel to Russia (how does one separate this supposedly terrorist* member of the non-terrorist TROIKA from Russia???????), and love, love, love Saudi, where in just lately they beheaded at least 37 people, and even displayed one? on a cross -- they say, 'displayed,' because they don't actually, you know, crucify people they say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Trying to recall any terrorist action committed in the US by Cuba and failing ... while I can think of all kinds of bad acts including election stealing against the US by Russia and Saudi.