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How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?

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How many of the 21 Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats in November 2014?

0
3
27%
1
0
No votes
2
3
27%
3
0
No votes
4
1
9%
5
0
No votes
6
1
9%
7
0
No votes
8
0
No votes
9+
3
27%
 
Total votes : 11

Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Eyal   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:09 am

Eyal
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Posts: 334
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:09 pm
Location: Israel

You do realize that "alleged" allies Australia and New Zealand have both sent troops("blood and treasure", as you put it) to Afghanistan and Iraq? (as well as other US-led military actions)

Has it occurred to you that your contemptuous attitude towards anyone who has the temerity to disagree with you (and to and including wishing their slaughter) is a large part of the reason you'reheld in disdin?

namelessfly wrote:Your snip was definitely worth repeating.

I should not allow myself to be goaded especially by intentional trolling. However; it has been my experience from personal contacts with various foreigners is that they truly are hostile to Americans in general and politically conservative Americans in particular. Given the history of the US repeatedly saving their miserable asses, this bigotry and hostility is beyond unforgivable. We can not undo the mistakes of the past but we can choose to not repeat them. I can not cite any particular event that is likely to be catastrophic for Australia, but there are a number of plausible scenarios that could become a reality if the US were to renounce the treaties that obligate us to defend these ingrates.

May be the Chinese would be willing to forgive a few Trillion dollars worth of Obama's debt if the US were to declare open season on Australia and New Zealand?
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Spacekiwi   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:23 am

Spacekiwi
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Posts: 2634
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And once again you begin showing the vitriol that got you banned last time. As for australia and NZ, we have been putting our necks out for you in the middle east, helping you with your worldwide surveillance network, allowing your government to spy on our citizens, and help us arrest them to further your agendas, along with many other efforts, yet you believe we have done nothing for you, and should be traded away to the chinese, because we are trying to help you by advising moderation and helping the local populations, as opposed to a constant jackbooted foot to the throat for daring to voice opposition to america that you seem to want. To turn it around, maybe the rest of the world should declare open season on america for so badly screwing up the last decade.....


namelessfly wrote:
vitriol snipped....

May be the Chinese would be willing to forgive a few Trillion dollars worth of Obama's debt if the US were to declare open season on Australia and New Zealand?

`
Image


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its not paranoia if its justified... :D
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Daryl   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:10 am

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Location: Queensland Australia

Fly, I've taken time to go away & think before responding in a comprehensive fashion. Initially if my four lines that only had one insulting word (stupid) was regarded as a rant and tirade by a troll; you obviously hadn't had a sergeant major rip you a new orifice on the crowded parade ground. Take a spoonful of cement & harden up child.
As others here have pointed out, and was thoroughly covered in other posts, Australia and New Zealand have done more politically and militarily than any other countries to support the US in its military adventures, so don't dare try and suggest we are passengers or bludgers on your country.

Now for the bit that I debated saying or not, but stuff you, as you have been extremely badly behaved.

In 15 hours time I will be burying my 90yr old father. Current local press statements call him Australia's last WW2 certified War Hero. The initial family only internment will see flypasts by WW2 war birds led by a Hudson Bomber, followed by his old Squadron flying the missing man formation in F18s. I'm not supposed to know that my old Brigade is sending Black Hawks and Tigers as well as a sign of respect to my father and I. Then we go on to the full memorial service with an excess supply of dignitaries. He was a fighter pilot leading his squadron in the Pacific campaign, supporting united forces of Australian, New Zealand, US and British troops in the island hopping offensive. He flew Kittyhawks and then Spitfires and certainly saw the elephant many times.

Tell me please, how much actual direct support have you personally, or your next of kin given to either US, Australian or New Zealand troops in a combat situation?
Waiting?
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by KNick   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:18 am

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Posts: 2142
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Daryl

My condolences for your grandfather. He must have continued to lead a full and productive life long after his discharge to receive such honors.

Having worked with Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and British naval forces during my own time in the service, I can attest to the fact that they are as hard working and dedicated as any country could ask for. It is an unfortunate fact that their efforts on the behalf of the US is downplayed by the American media. For that matter, the roles of a great many of our European and Asian allies are glossed over. I do know that British and Australian troops have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do not know about other countries, because it is not reported here. I do know other European countries sent troops, but I could not give you a list, because, once again, it is not well reported here.

Speaking simply for myself, I would like to thank your country for its efforts for the last 75 years. For Korea, Viet Nam, Iran and Afghanistan among the many others places and times you have lent a hand or an arm or a leg.
_


Try to take a fisherman's fish and you will be tomorrows bait!!!
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Eyal   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:54 am

Eyal
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Posts: 334
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:09 pm
Location: Israel

My condolences

Daryl wrote:In 15 hours time I will be burying my 90yr old father
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by namelessfly   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 3:02 pm

namelessfly

I know I sound very angry in that post, but the arrogance and bigotry is enraging.

One can make a cogent argument for the moral imperative of interventionism. An alternative history in which America was alone to confront a Germany that had emerged victorious over Russia and Great Britain and a Japan that had conquered China, Malasia and Indonesia as well as Australia might not have been pleasant for the United States. However; the probability that those two powers would attack and destroy each other before attempting to attack the United States which is defended by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans suggests that isolationism combined with a powerful Navy could have saved us from fighting WW-2, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the cold war (which so easily could have escalated to a nuclear war), the first Gulf War, the Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan and the "war on terror" which is turning out to be just as disastrous for civil liberties as Lincoln's totalitarian excesses during the Civil War.

I know the Colonel USMC that commanded the combat engineering battalion during the Iraq invasion. US Marines were getting shot at and killed with antitank weapons manufactured in France and promptly sold to Saddam during the final months before the invasion. Iraq would not have been perceived as so threatening if cheating on the UN sanctions by our allies had not made it seem inevitable that Iraq would get nukes. With allies like these, who the he'll needs enemies?

ON a practical level, the contributions by allies such as Australia and New Zealand are real and perhaps significant from their perspective. However; the forces that they are able and willing to deploy are inconsequential compared to what the US brings to the battlefield. More importantly, if the US had not involved itself in foreign wars, there would have been no terrorist attacks that had provoked our need to be in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since Obama has worked so diligently to snatch defeat from the jaws of Bush's victory, these wars have served no lasting purpose.

While I should not allow my piqué at the hostility and rudeness of foreign posters to motivate rash positions, the simple truth of the matter is that our allies will inevitably become either irrelevant or our enemies. The demographic reality is that all of our allies including Europe,
Australia, New Zealand and Japan are on a demographic death spiral. No society can survive below replacement level TFRs for multiple generations. It was the Spartan's nfatuation with infanticide, not the Athenian navy, that caused them to loose the Pelopenisian war. Rome fell because their population became not just indolent but too few in number and too old to raise an army against the barbarians they way they had rallied against Hannibal's invasion. Japan's population is poised for the most catastrophic decline, but their prohibition on immigration ensures that their culture will remain Japanese unless someone conquers them. Most of our European allies have attempted to offset their declining birth rates with immigrants from Africa and Asia who are overwhelmingly Muslim. Given continued immigration rates and the differential in birth rates, that 5% to 10% Muslim minority that our European allies so eagerly tolerate to demonstrate their enlightened support of diversity and tolerance are going to become the Muslim majority that is as intolerant of atheists as Daryll is of Christains.

On a practical level, US birth rates and TFRs have fallen below replacement levels thanks to Obama. However; the US has not been on a demographic death spiral for generations. We still have a large enough cohort of women of child bearing age that can sustain and expand our population as an alternative to surrendering the country to immigrants. (At least immigrants from Latin America share a cultural and religious heritage with the US and America's immigrants from Asia are extremely well educated, productive citizens who eagerly assimilate to our culture). Unlike our allies, the US can survive but only if we reject their influence in our politics and culture.




PeterZ wrote:My parents lived through being occupied by Japan in WWII. I am here today because the US decided that good men will not stand idle in the face of evil. Every society will have its free loaders and socialists who continue to tempt good men (and women) to do nothing when evil arises.

Don't be tempted 'Fly.

Btw, I was cheering as I read your post. Until that last part. Yes, we should raise our threshold for military intervention. We should never ignore evil or do nothing when we recognize it.

namelessfly wrote:Your snip was definitely worth repeating.

I should not allow myself to be goaded especially by intentional trolling. However; it has been my experience from personal contacts with various foreigners is that they truly are hostile to Americans in general and politically conservative Americans in particular. Given the history of the US repeatedly saving their miserable asses, this bigotry and hostility is beyond unforgivable. We can not undo the mistakes of the past but we can choose to not repeat them. I can not cite any particular event that is likely to be catastrophic for Australia, but there are a number of plausible scenarios that could become a reality if the US were to renounce the treaties that obligate us to defend these ingrates.

May be the Chinese would be willing to forgive a few Trillion dollars worth of Obama's debt if the US were to declare open season on Australia and New Zealand?
]
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Spacekiwi   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:04 pm

Spacekiwi
Admiral

Posts: 2634
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:08 am
Location: New Zealand

My condolences on your loss as well. My grandfather is the only war vet in my family, and he served in the malysian crisis, which wasnt very big. The ones who fought in world war two in my family all died during the war, the last one, my great grandmothers brother, died 2 days before VE day.

Daryl wrote:In 15 hours time I will be burying my 90yr old father. Current local press statements call him Australia's last WW2 certified War Hero. The initial family only internment will see flypasts by WW2 war birds led by a Hudson Bomber, followed by his old Squadron flying the missing man formation in F18s. I'm not supposed to know that my old Brigade is sending Black Hawks and Tigers as well as a sign of respect to my father and I. Then we go on to the full memorial service with an excess supply of dignitaries. He was a fighter pilot leading his squadron in the Pacific campaign, supporting united forces of Australian, New Zealand, US and British troops in the island hopping offensive. He flew Kittyhawks and then Spitfires and certainly saw the elephant many times.
`
Image


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
its not paranoia if its justified... :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top
Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Spacekiwi   » Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:24 pm

Spacekiwi
Admiral

Posts: 2634
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:08 am
Location: New Zealand

So, New Zealand, with a tfr of >2.0 for the last several decades on average, and a population growth rate is on a populational death spiral? yes we have had drops below 2, but our statistics show these drops tend to be part of a 5 year or so cycle, followed by a TFR rising to 2.1 or greater, While America has a TFR of 2, and has been between 1.9 and 2.1 since 1970?


The American problem as a country is laziness. You start interventions or fighting, and then dont follow through enough. An alternative history in which the USA battled the USSR right after defeating Germany, and using the tech advantage of having a Nuke and more while they didnt at that stage would probably also change history in the way you describe, without the requirement that the USA become the sulking child in the corner because others arent following its orders. But you stopped too soon. Same in the middle east. you have pulled back, after using only the stick, and allowing the local politicans to corrupt what little carrot you gave them.


As for your so called muslim problem, I would point out there are just as many dangers from christian terrorists, so your so called problem is not muslims, its religion itself.

As for irrelevance, the rest of the world is slowly turning away from the US, not the other way round. maybe thats a good thing for the world.

namelessfly wrote:
One can make a cogent argument for the moral imperative of interventionism. An alternative history in which America was alone to confront a Germany that had emerged victorious over Russia and Great Britain and a Japan that had conquered China, Malasia and Indonesia as well as Australia might not have been pleasant for the United States. However; the probability that those two powers would attack and destroy each other before attempting to attack the United States which is defended by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans suggests that isolationism combined with a powerful Navy could have saved us from fighting WW-2, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the cold war (which so easily could have escalated to a nuclear war), the first Gulf War, the Iraq War, the war in Afghanistan and the "war on terror" which is turning out to be just as disastrous for civil liberties as Lincoln's totalitarian excesses during the Civil War.

I know the Colonel USMC that commanded the combat engineering battalion during the Iraq invasion. US Marines were getting shot at and killed with antitank weapons manufactured in France and promptly sold to Saddam during the final months before the invasion. Iraq would not have been perceived as so threatening if cheating on the UN sanctions by our allies had not made it seem inevitable that Iraq would get nukes. With allies like these, who the he'll needs enemies?

ON a practical level, the contributions by allies such as Australia and New Zealand are real and perhaps significant from their perspective. However; the forces that they are able and willing to deploy are inconsequential compared to what the US brings to the battlefield. More importantly, if the US had not involved itself in foreign wars, there would have been no terrorist attacks that had provoked our need to be in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since Obama has worked so diligently to snatch defeat from the jaws of Bush's victory, these wars have served no lasting purpose.

While I should not allow my piqué at the hostility and rudeness of foreign posters to motivate rash positions, the simple truth of the matter is that our allies will inevitably become either irrelevant or our enemies. The demographic reality is that all of our allies including Europe,
Australia, New Zealand and Japan are on a demographic death spiral. No society can survive below replacement level TFRs for multiple generations. It was the Spartan's nfatuation with infanticide, not the Athenian navy, that caused them to loose the Pelopenisian war. Rome fell because their population became not just indolent but too few in number and too old to raise an army against the barbarians they way they had rallied against Hannibal's invasion. Japan's population is poised for the most catastrophic decline, but their prohibition on immigration ensures that their culture will remain Japanese unless someone conquers them. Most of our European allies have attempted to offset their declining birth rates with immigrants from Africa and Asia who are overwhelmingly Muslim. Given continued immigration rates and the differential in birth rates, that 5% to 10% Muslim minority that our European allies so eagerly tolerate to demonstrate their enlightened support of diversity and tolerance are going to become the Muslim majority that is as intolerant of atheists as Daryll is of Christains.

On a practical level, US birth rates and TFRs have fallen below replacement levels thanks to Obama. However; the US has not been on a demographic death spiral for generations. We still have a large enough cohort of women of child bearing age that can sustain and expand our population as an alternative to surrendering the country to immigrants. (At least immigrants from Latin America share a cultural and religious heritage with the US and America's immigrants from Asia are extremely well educated, productive citizens who eagerly assimilate to our culture). Unlike our allies, the US can survive but only if we reject their influence in our politics and culture.

`
Image


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
its not paranoia if its justified... :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top
Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by Daryl   » Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:08 am

Daryl
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Posts: 3562
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:57 am
Location: Queensland Australia

Thanks to all for your PMs and public messages of condolence regarding my father's passing. The funeral has concluded and all went as well as could be hoped for.
I wouldn't have mentioned it at all except for sheer rage at the ongoing bagging of any country by a certain person.

An overused term is paradigm or world view. One poster here has an extremely different one than most, although he does have a couple of fellow travellers who tend the same way.

In regard to population growth or otherwise he said "The demographic reality is that all of our allies including Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are on a demographic death spiral"
Yet the actual situation for Australia is "an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minutes and 23 seconds". Population graphs for us show a constant upward growth. Sure a very small percentage are Muslim migrants but they become good citizens, and like Spacekiwi I regard all those holding strong religious beliefs of any kind with puzzlement anyway.
The bits about how our military contribution is miniscule compared to the US is contemptible, tell it to the war widows, tell it to our SAS who are always assigned the most difficult jobs (perhaps not if you enjoy having teeth to chew with), per head of population we do more than our share.
I repeat my challenge, tell us what actions you personally or near kin have done to directly support our combined troops in a combat situation? Apart from my Dad who risked his neck providing air cover to GIs, I spent many years planning and supporting combined operations in many locations. Have you worn uniform, or done anything apart from insulting those brave enough to protect you and yours?
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Re: How many Democratic Senators will Lose Their Seats?
Post by biochem   » Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:04 pm

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Posts: 1372
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@ Namelessfly

You are extremely intelligent and write well written arguments in support of your positions, which cause me significant thought even when I disagree. However, when you lose your temper and write vicious angry name calling posts, the discussion becomes not about the topic in question but about you. You are hurting your own arguments when you lose your temper.



Npw regarding foreign intervention.

Re terrorists,

I tend to be a proponent of the kill them there or you will have to kill them here school of thought. The leadership of countries which are hotbeds of terrorism use the US as a bogyman to provide an excuse for their own failures in leadership. No matter what the US does or doesn't do this will continue because those in power there need it to continue. It is much less about what we do than who we are and what we believe (freedom of religion [try substituting Muslim for Christian in some of the anti-religion posts here and if you were in Saudi Arabia your remaining life would be calculated in days not years], women's rights [can't let the property think for themselves], etc). While we certainly could do a great deal better about our international relations, even if we were perfect they still would attack us because from their point of view they need an enemy to consolidate their own power.

However, wholesale invasions don't seem to be terribly effective. They might be more effective if we had a monarchy where a single policy would be in place for 50+ years since it takes a very very long time to do a proper job of nation building. However we have a democracy which inevitably results in an extremely disjointed long term foreign policy based upon whoever is in office for any given 4 year period which is not conducive to successful long term campaigns of that type.

Special forces / CIA etc type activities seem to be much more effective in the short term. It would be nice if say Yemen could be trusted to address terrorists on their soil, the way Australia can, but they can't and we can't afford to let inaction on the part of terrorist and/or failed states to endanger security on US soil.

The only true way to reduce the attacks in the long term is to cut of the money of those who are paying for the propaganda, Wahabbist schools, training camps, safe havens etc. And the only way to do that is to find a substitute for oil. Unfortunately the science of that is not anywhere close to where it needs to be but the democratic nations of the world as a whole need to spend a lot more research $ replacing oil.

Re other nations

While I am more than willing to help other nations who have been willing to help us (Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Israel etc), we are spending huge amount of money defending Europe. With the exception of Great Britain, Europe hates our military. They remind me of an overindulged college student who despises their bourgeoise parents for being bourgeoise, but still expects them to pay for everything. They have freedom of thought and thus have every right to despise they US military, but then they can start paying to defend Europe themselves. We can move our base $$$ to Great Britain where while they disagree with our policies on individual occasions, they don't despise the military.

Re Pakistan and similar

We are sending huge amounts of military aid to Pakistan and other nation who actively hate us, act in opposition to our interests and with whom we may need to go to war in the future (I hope not, but if I had to list 10 nations with whom the US may find themselves in an armed conflict with in the next 50 years, Pakistan would be on that list).

The official state department line is a politician's version of saying that we are bribing them not to hate us more. While the bribery theory has it's merits (war isn't the only way to fix problems), the state department is doing a lousy job of it. They basically are saying "Here's a few billion $$, please tell those nasty terrorists not to be so naughty. Oh, it didn't work. Here's a few more billions, please try to speak a little more firmly." In the meantime these regimes laugh all the way to the bank as they spend US $$, transfer it to their personal Swiss bank accounts etc while ignoring any US requests. If we are going to bribe people we need to be a little more direct (and only pay after we get what we want). I.e. we'll pay you x billion to do y. If they don't want to do y, that's their prerogative as a sovereign nation but then they don't get our x billion. The money should be agreed upon annually, tied to specific performance objectives, and not paid if those objectives are not met. And of course if they don't want to do anything the US asks, that is their prerogative as a sovereign nation but they can then run their own country with their own money.

And whatever military aid we send should be things that we can easily defeat in combat if it comes to that. Something along the lines of Sollie SD.
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