Usa Thread

[Flashermac]

[unit731]

How many in this geographic area are now getting "combat" pay?

 

Not sure if the Drone pilots in Nevada - get combat pay.

[Flashermac]

<< The Pentagon is creating a new high-level military medal that will recognize drone pilots and, in a controversial twist, giving it added clout by placing it above some traditional combat valor medals in the military's "order of precedence."

 

The Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to pilots of unmanned aircraft, offensive cyber war experts or others who are directly involved in combat operations but who are not physically in theater and facing the physical risks that warfare historically entails.

 

The new medal will rank just below the Distinguished Flying Cross. It will have precedence over — and be worn on a uniform above — the Bronze Star with Valor device, a medal awarded to troops for specific heroic acts performed under fire in combat. >>

 

 

http://www.marinecor...nks-Bronze-Star

 

 

How about a medal for those who were almost drafted, but dodged the bullet? After all, they almost went to war.

[cavanami]

...well, we will almost give them a medal

[Steve]

Perpetual war. its something Hitler was actually going to do himself had he won. As I've said, America has had a military conflict in some form or fashion EVERY decade up to and including WW2. Ike warned about it. Its here. Hillary is more of a hawk. She wanted to go in on the ground in Syria. Obama started out idealistic (community organizer, etc.) and as so many others simply got bought. First by Wall Street then by anyone who could meet his fee. The biggest war chest in history in the last election. Eva Longoria got some wealth hispanic business men together and gave tens of millions and got immigration reform backing. Hollywood, specfically gay Hollywood led byGeffen and a few others got gay marriage.The scary thing is the Republicans in its present incarnation would be worse. The Koch Brothers have them lock, stock and barrell. It truly is a matter of lesser of two evils, so although I say, its perfectly right given the facts, to criticize Obama, its also negligent not to point out the right is worse.

 

McCain's idiotic statements comes from having to balance between the old maverick reputatoin and what he actually believes with the power of the far right in Arizona. Its very far right. They have fought anything that sniffs left of center going back decades including holding out on MLK's birthday as a holiday. Is Goldwater's state, so they have that history.

 

We are a corporacracy and have been for some time. They underwrite the elections and so they have the say.

 

Solutions? First, end the electoral college. Its a concept way past its time. The founders didn't trust the original voters to do the right thing so they put in that failsafe. The original people who could vote were white males who had land. Why? They were educated. Most Americans at that time were penniless immigrants who came over or were former indentured whites and slaves, uneducated and no land. Popular votes decide all over elections in America from senators down to city dog catcher. It works. Its insane that our elections are decided by the people of Florida and Ohio. 40 States are already decided. Roughly 10 are swing and thats where the money goes. Why let that happen? Why not the popular vote? All or none is past its time. That would at least weaken the money and force the candidates to address national problems.

 

We must kill the money in politics. Its holding us back. Its the reason our infrastructure is crumbling. We could halve the unemployment at a minimum. Economists say there are about 3 trillon dollors worth of improvements needed. If we spend just one trillon on ourselves, we create 13 million jobs. Why don't we? its a no brainer for either party so one has to ask why not? We're f*cking around with gay marriage which by the way, will help the economy. On average gay income is much higher than the national average. If those couples did what the same as hetero couples do, they will buy houses, get mortgages, etc. which builds economies. Housing impacts the whole strata of the economy. You need furniture, lawn care, cars, you pay property taxes to fund schools, construction to build new houses. We have been changing the concept of marriage since its founding.

 

Anyway, I think we are too far gone. Socially there are too many people who have bought into the 'us vs. them' based on color, religion and lifestyle for us to have any meaningful change. In the founding of the country the haves had the indentured servents, both black and white to prey on. The ingenious thing was to change the status and convince the indentured whites that its possible to be one of them if you act as a buffer to the indentured blacks who will change to slaves. Generations of poor whites in West Virginia and Kentucky and other places, going back 2 or 3 hundred years still believe that this and will vote against their own self interest just to maintain a social/cultural separation.

 

The women's movement got turned into a way to keep the corporate elite on top and us distracted. Its always been that way. Nothing wrong with companies. Nothing wrong with making money. But it should be all they do and not set policy. Policy is for everyone but truly, policy is for them. We work harder and longer than ever before. A family could once survive on the man's income alone. Now its mandatory both work if you want a middle class lifestyle. Who gets richer if both work? The big companies.

[Steve]

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1164794

 

A top researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr William Thompson, admits he played a key role in helping uncover data manipulation by the CDC. This fraud obscured a higher incidence of autism in African-American boys due to the MMR vaccine. The whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson, came forward after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for original data on an autism study was filed and these highly sensitive documents were received with the assistance of U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The CDC documents and discussions with the whistleblower reveal widespread manipulation of scientific data and top-down pressure on CDC scientists to suppress a causal link between the MMR vaccine and later autism diagnosis, particularly in a subset of African-American males who received their immunization “on-time†in accordance with the recommended CDC schedule.

 

The received documents from the CDC show that in 2003 a 340% risk of autism in African American boys related to the MMR vaccine was discovered and then hidden due to pressure from senior officials. The CDC researchers then recalculated their results by removing a population to get the results that were desired.

[unit731]

http://ireport.cnn.c...ocs/DOC-1164794

 

The received documents from the CDC show that in 2003 a 340% risk of autism in African American boys related to the MMR vaccine was discovered and then hidden due to pressure from senior officials. The CDC researchers then recalculated their results by removing a population to get the results that were desired.

 

 

Not sure where this fits in - in the debate of autism.

 

LINK

[King Kung]

Anyway, I think we are too far gone. Socially there are too many people who have bought into the 'us vs. them' based on color, religion and lifestyle for us to have any meaningful change.

 

I agree 100%

 

[cavanami]

Spot on!!!

[StoneSoup]

Now, about that work permit (or.... "Never Say Never"):

 

http://stuppid.com/grandfather-busted-prostituting-himself-young-women/

 

 

Grandfather Busted For Prostituting Himself… To Young Women

 

 

88-year-old grandfather, Edwin Venn, was arrested Tuesday night for prostitution, along with his "john ", Amanda Pearson, 23. Police had been watching Venn for several months and noticed a peculiar pattern.

 

“His johns were all young women. Twenties, thirties. Most quite beautiful. Never really seen anything like this dynamic, but strange things do happen.â€

 

Mr. Venn stood most weekend nights with cardboard sign on Hollywood Blvd that read: “I’m for sale.â€

 

Pearson admitted during her arraignment that when she found the 88-year-old Venn trying to turn tricks she and her friends decided it would be funny to sleep ‘with an old guy.’ Word spread and lots of girls paid Venn for sex. Pearson said he only charged five dollars and gave them lollipops afterward.

 

 

 

Lollipops!?! Man, what a class act!

 

Cheers!

SS