Comments Posted By Richard Bottoms
Displaying 111 To 120 Of 362 Comments
THE ABSOLUTE MORAL AUTHORITY TO ACT LIKE AN ASS
Since it is a tenet of our country that the military is under civilian control, this is foolish on its face.
I reserve Chickenhawk for the tough talking, I'd go kick Osama a** types who can't find the recruiting office.
We used to have a face off over Iraq every week at a park in my town near a VFW Hall. The antiwar protesters on one side of the street, the war supporters on the other.
Invariably the toughest, most gung-ho types were guys in the their 20's who had no intention whatsoever of going to fight the war or to ever put themselves in harms way.
Remember, we went in to Afghanistan with damn near universal support, even the lefties were for stomping Osama's rear. That was EIGHT years ago and certainly the distraction and debacle of Iraq has changed things.
No, what really frosts me and brings out the biggest Chickenhawk accusations from me is hearing these tough guys not only cheer on the war, but have them disparage Democrats using the idea that only Republicans serve and die for this country.
The hell with that.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 25.11.2009 @ 13:11
A fat lip?
It's either the policy of the United States Army to follow the Laws of Land Warfare as spelled out in FM-27-10 and the UCMJ, or it's not.
Every raw recruit is taught in Basic Training that adhrence to these rules is what separates the good guys from the bad guys.
Our outrage, fear, hurt, and even basic right to avenge the wrong of 9/11 doesn't erase a soldiers duty, DUTY, to follow the UCMJ and treat prisoners and non-combatants humanely.
They were the rules when I was a soldier. They are the rules now.
Period. End of frakking story.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 25.11.2009 @ 12:22
THINKING IMPURE THOUGHTS IS MORE THAN A MORTAL SIN IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN
I’m sure the move-on crowd threatening wavering Dems will lead to a more moderate Dem party?
Are we the ones issuing 10 point manifestos about who will be excommunicated from the party?
And, again. We. Won. Doesn't matter if it's by 1 or 1 million. Your guys have the uphill battle and its the teabaggers who will be making people on your own team miserable.
We already expect them to be hysterical and frothing at the mouth about about Marxism, concentration camps, FEMA, and death panels.
It's having at that crazy aimed at your own guys that's the issue.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 21:41
Third, there is a Conservative Party in NY, which has a line on the ballot, which is not the case in most other states.
And fourth, you lost.
Whatever comes out of it for the teabagger movement, the bottom line you lost a seat and we picked one up.
I think 2010 will have more of that outcome given similar circumstances (conservative ousts squishy liberal) than you think.
Not more than I think because I think it will happen more times than not if you continue to drive the party to the right.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 20:53
Whatever happened to the actual topic?
Purity Control is going to be what limits the GOP success in 2010. The teabaggers will demand it, moderates who might have been re-elected won't be and conservatives who win will be a detriment on 2012 as they enforce fealty during the run up to the elections.
They will take out the Republicans we'd have the hardest time beating with swing voters who like divided government and replace them with a dozen Michelle Bachmanns. These men and women will take positions and say things so outlandish over the next two years it will cause reasonable people to do a big wtf?
The wtf vote breaks the Democrats way.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 18:34
We’ll blow you away in 2010 so I’m not too concerned about immediate politics.
OMFG call the historians, the out party does will in Midterms. Yes, I stipulate you will do at least decently in 2010, of course this assume you don't manage to repeat NY-23 every damn place in the country. (We won that one BTW, first time since Christ was a corporal.)
In 2012 however, the pendulum swings our way again because you will have the craziest fire breathing teabagger nuts demanding impossible positions from all of your candidates.
And since not everyone believes in the reality of ObamaHitlerMao, it is very likely the GOP will scare the pants of of swing voters...again.
I am liking 2012 very much.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 18:03
You don’t even believe that Sotomayor won’t follow the party line, Richard, because you would be raising hell otherwise.
You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts. The facts are that NAARAL was highly critical of Sotomayor, the source of the link I just sent.
Obama won. You lost. Deal with it and do better at the polls next time. Or try, I know you go to the electorate with the flakes you have, not the ones you want.
Sarah "The Quitter" Palin/Bobby "The Exorcist" Jindal
Moose & Squirrely/2012
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 17:35
No doubt, Richard, all those pro-choice judicial nominees the Democrats put forth with Harry Reid’s blessing…oh, wait…
Ahh, the conservative expertise at moving the goal posts. First it was the Democratic party has no room for Anti-Choice members, of which Harry Reid certainly counts.
Now it's no Anti-Choice judicial appointments.
Hmm.
The New York Times released an article prior to the confirmation hearings stating that Sotomayor had only previously ruled on two cases related to choice and had sided with the anti’s on both occasions.
G. O. O. G. L. E.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 17:11
Next thing you know, the Democrats will have litmus tests for pro-life members and such. Oh, wait…
That's right, someone like Harry Reid wouldn't stand a chance. Oh wait...
Don't you guys Google anything before making such easily disprovable (ie. silly) statements?
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 24.11.2009 @ 12:17
'THE COST OF DYING:' FALSE CHOICES OR THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN HEALTHCARE?
Not if in another decade these decisions will be made for us by out of control budgets and massive debt.
ed.
I happen to think Mr. Obama's cautious nature is an indicator that he will turn his attention to the problem once we're past the current HCR debate, the terror trials, DADT, and a jobs recovery. Or, in other words in his second term.
BTW, if you are in the mood for deep thoughts about large institutions you have to read "Wired for War". There are some radical changes (should I use that word?) that have to happen with the US military as well.
Robotics, cyber-warfare, drone technology, and human engineering and leading towards a massive shift in war fighting that at the moment we are on the wrong end of.
Take for instance, do we build Skynet accidentally by meshing our battlefield robots with cellular technology? Do we need to be thinking about the Three Laws now?
Scary stuff, and even scarier China is miles ahead of us, not in planes or tanks but engineers and robotics expertise. The theater of war for 2025 will be vastly different and we aren't prepared.
Yet.
Comment Posted By Richard bottoms On 23.11.2009 @ 12:22
