robaus
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Posts posted by robaus
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to CS
>> No President has been perfect in terms of foreign policy and global affairs.
...I agree. Dubya was absolutely abominable.. a lost decade for the USA and the world.
Clinton was about 48 hours away from browbeating Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat into a peace deal in the Middle East at Camp David in July 2000, then sadly got called away to a G7 summit. How different the world might have been...no 9/11, no wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, a decade of prosperity and regeneration in a peaceful ME, no need for sabre rattling from Iran
On the other hand he (and the rest of the so called civilised world) sat on their hands while millions were butchered in Rwanda and Bosnia ..in Clinton’s own words, his biggest foreign policy regret.
Then I do give him credit for peace in East Timor. It was an Aussie initiative, but when the massacres started after the independence referendum, it was US sending a warship and threatening ties with Indonesia that clinched the deal.
>> If Obama is to blame for Libya
..latest I read it was a CIA cockup. But I suppose the buck stops with the Prez.
>> As a good will gesture to doing that we should shut down Guantanomo. Give it back. Open up communication. Cuba is no threat to us. They will want American tourism dollars.
...what a great idea..on condition that any remaining dangerous prisoners be resettled in Cuba and not allowed to leave. They can’t be tried in US courts because Dubya and Rumsfeld made any evidence inadmissible there due to water boarding, and it’s too risky to allow them to rejoin Al Qaeda.
My hope is that Obama wins next Tuesday and that he makes his second term memorable. Peace in the Middle East alone would boost the world economy. Imagine the reconstruction contracts flowing America’s way, goodwill from Arab countries, the mass tourism, and the wind taken out of the terrorists’ sails that would result.
The alternative under Witless Romney is too bleak to contemplate....another lost short sighted Dubya decade
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Not to worry, Joe Biden has already said he is running next time. Genius Joe for President!
Isn't it Hilary's turn in 2016?
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The girls in Soi BJ (Soi 6 Pattaya) would have their work cut out manoeuvring through that lot. Last time I was down there I had to repeatedly tell one girl that I was giving her just one hour to remove her hand from up my shorts or I was going to report her to the tourist police for sexual harassment.
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"Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said at a GOP primary debate last June that he would "absolutely" shut down FEMA and transfer its responsibilities to the states. "If you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better," Romney added."
What, another flip flop by Romney?
“I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters,†Romney said in a statement. “As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.â€
"Everyone that votes for me stated Romney will get a new puppy"
Watched an excellent programme on Aussie TV last night
http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/2294844598/The-Choice-S1-Ep2 (Maybe allows rerun outside Aus?)
Looking in depth at Obama and Romney. Obama came across as idealistic but naive that he could achieve consensus politics to get the country out its financial mess when he first came to office. But Romney...what a flim flam man..worse than a used car salesman. He'll reinvent himself anyway you like..tell you anything he thinks you want to hear. I haven't taken much interest in fact checking previously...not my problem...I can’t vote. Except that I do know something about global politics and I dread Romney being elected...he hasn't a clue.... a male version of Sarah Palin. There's a heap of trouble coming America's way..wars probably in which none of his children will serve just like chickenhawk daddy....and more how to lose friends and stop influencing people.
But I was appalled to watch with my own eyes the way he flip flops.
He won the Massachusetts governorship in his debate flooring his opponent with a blatant lie
"I respect and will protect a woman’s right to choose.â€
"You know, I never really called myself pro-choice" ""Look, I was pro-choice. I am pro-life. You can go back to YouTube and look at what I said in 1994. I never said I was pro-choice, but my position was effectively pro-choice. I changed my position."
Obamacare was based on Massachusetts' Romneycare, but now he wants to scrap it.
And now as Unit731 points out Romney the chameleon is trying to piggyback Sandy disaster relief.
I really fear for USA if Romney is elected. 47% of you don’t count anyway, and if you try to count we’ll take away your right to vote with bullshit photo ID requirements. How can you be so gullible?
Does anyone know who Romney really is?
He’s a bigger conman than Joseph Smith, once charged with selling fake jewels, who then went on to discover the Angel Moroni’s golden tablets that only he could read about Jesus visiting America and the Garden Of Eden being just east of Missouri. Completely wacko but Romney believes it and this man may have his finger on the button! Incredible...Hollywood couldn’t make it up!
More flip flops here.. http://samuel-warde.com/2012/06/list-of-mitt-romney-flip-flops/
“I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.†Source
“Roe v. Wade has gone too far.†Source
“I don’t line up with the NRA.†Source
“I’m a member of the [NRA].†Source
“I like mandates. The mandates work.†Source
“I think it’s unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front.†Source
“I respect and will protect a woman’s right to choose.†Source
“I never really called myself pro-choice.†Source
“I saw my father march with Martin Luther King.†Source
“I did not see it with my own eyes.†Source
“I supported the assault weapon ban.†Source
“I don’t support any gun control legislation.†Source
“I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation.†Source
“There’s no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs.†Source
“I will work and fight for stem cell research.†Source
“In the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise.†Source
“I would like to have campaign spending limits.†Source
“The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations.†Source
“I’m a strong believer in stating your position and not wavering.†Source
“I changed my position.†Source
“Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.†Source
“I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry’s come back.†Source
“I’m not in favor of privatizing Social Security or making cuts.†Source
“Social Security’s the easiest and that’s because you can give people a personal account.†Source
“I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.†Source
“Ronald Reagan is… my hero.†Source
“I’ve been a hunter pretty much all my life.†Source
“Any description of my being a hunter is an overstatement of capability.†Source
“If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a model for the nation.†Source
“What works in one state may not be the answer for another.†Source
“It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam.†Source
“I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there.†Source
“It’s a tax cut for fat cats.†Source
“I believe the tax on capital gains should be zero.†Source
“It’s not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.†Source
“He’s going to pay, and he will die.†Source
“Relative to the leading candidates, some people see me as being more conservative.†Source
“I’m not the most conservative candidate.†“I’m not the most conservative candidate.†Source
“The TARP program… was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures.†Source
“When government is… bailing out banks… we have every good reason to be alarmed.†Source
“These carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate progress.†Source
“Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.†Source
“This is a completely airtight kennel mounted on the top of our car.†Source
‘They’re not happy that my dog loves fresh air.†Source
“Those… paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process toward application for citizenship.†Source
“Amnesty only led to more people coming into the country.†Source
“When I first heard of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, I thought it sounded awfully silly.†Source
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has worked well.†Source
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I just came back from a gun show.
The Republicans were saying how great the Mormons are because
they are family oriented and take care of their own.
I told them if they belonged to a group that took 10%
of your gross you would expect the same.
Does that mean Witless Romney pays more $$ in his Mormon tithe than he does in Income Tax?
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Another fuckwit....
"Republican US Senate candidate has come under fire for suggesting that pregnancies caused by rape were "something God intended to happen".
Richard Mourdock, standing in a key race in Indiana, made the remarks in a debate with his Democrat opponent.
His comments come two months after those of Missouri Republican Todd Akin, who said women's bodies had ways of preventing pregnancy after rape."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20054737
What planet do these people live on? ..Sadly the same one as the people who elect them, I suppose.
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>>President Obama said: Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military's changed.†The audience laughed, Obama laughed, I laughed. It was funny.
Obama did NOT say ...the army does not use horses and bayonets any more. Read it again...FEWER.. and Obama is correct
Sounds like it's the Twitter twats who need their ears dewaxed..
>>But here’s why it was also a vote loser. For a start, Twitter immediately lit up with examples of how the US Army does still use horses and bayonets (horses were used during the invasion of Afghanistan)
It was Romney who was being dishonest, comparing the USA's modern fleet of 11 huge aircraft carriers to 1917 battleships.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_by_country
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So how else can Iran gain access to the Mediterranean? Not through the Suez Canal. Just hike across Iraq and there you are!
p.s. Never forget that Obama thinks there are 58 states.
You mean like this...
18 February 2012
Iran warships enter Mediterranean via Suez Canal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17083791
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Secret Service 'Aware' of Threats Against Romney
Twitchy reports that "Post-presidential debate, Obama supporters renew vows to murder Mitt Romney." The threats are numerous--and explicit and graphic. Many call for Romney's murder or assassination.
The Secret Service confirms it is "aware" of the threats against Romney, a spokesman for the federal agency confirms.
"The Secret Service is aware of this and will conduct appropriate follow up if necessary," Brian Leary, a spokesman for the United States Secret Service, says in an email.
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You mean like the umpteen death threats against Obama before and after he took office....from white supremacist nutters to plain disgruntled cracked Tea pots. The world is full of looneys of all political shades. It's disingenous to make political capital out of it.
But this dishonesty doesn't surprise me coming from a party who wants to use photo voter ID to disenfranchise millions of low income, aged, and disabled voters in order to stop the 10 cases of voter impersonation in 12 years amongst 146,000,000 registered voters. The only voter fraud is coming from Romney's cronies in Republican state governments...but then again 47% of US citizens (including veterans like you, Plasher) don't count to them anyway!
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, has been the target of several assassination threats and alleged plots since he first became a presidential candidate in 2007. Secret Service protection for Obama began after the Senator received a death threat in 2007, when Obama was still serving as then the junior U.S. Senator of Illinois and running for president. This marked the first time a candidate received such protection before being nominated.[1] Security was increased early for Barack Obama due to fears of possible assassination attempts by white supremacist or other racist groups or individuals against the first African American major party presidential nominee.[2][3][4]
Some of the threats have been extended to members of Obama's family, including First Lady Michelle Obama. Obama and his officials have generally declined to discuss death threats against him since entering the presidential race.[1][5] Some commentators have suggested the unusually high amount of death threats surrounding Obama are at least partially tied to the use of racist imagery and words used by some of Obama's critics to describe the president.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_threats_against_Barack_Obama
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Presidential debate: Libya questioner says Obama didn’t answer
Al-Qaeda not behind Benghazi attack: report 20/10/12
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US intelligence agencies have found no evidence that last month's deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was ordered by Al-Qaeda, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Citing unnamed US officials and witnesses, the newspaper said the attack, which killed ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was "carried out following a minimum amount of planning."
"The attackers exhibited a high degree of disorganization," the paper quotes one of the intelligence officials as saying.
"Some joined the attack in progress, some did not have weapons and others just seemed interested in looting."
According to another official cited by the paper, "There isn't any intelligence that the attackers pre-planned their assault days or weeks in advance."
Most of the evidence suggested that "the attackers launched their assault opportunistically" after learning about the violence at the US Embassy in Cairo, The Times quotes the official as saying.
Top Republicans have said President Barack Obama's administration is reluctant to acknowledge the incident was an act of terrorism for political reasons.
But after five weeks of investigation, US intelligence agencies say they have found no evidence of Al-Qaeda participation, The Times said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/15170880/al-qaeda-not-behind-benghazi-attack-report/
Crikey, if it takes intelligence agencies 5 weeks to discover it wasn't a pre planned terrorist attack, it's a bit tough on Pres Obama to be criticized for failing to declare the source of the attack the same day. Obama called it "an act of terror" which it was, but didn't immediately point the finger at any organisation, because he simply didn't know and nor apparently did the intelligence agencies until 5 weeks later.
Whereas, Romney is inclined to shoot from the hip and think things through afterwards, which was Bushit's predilection too..resulting in the deaths of 1000s of allied soldiers' lives and millions of civilians'.
Who would you prefer as Commander-in-Chief: trigger happy chickenhawk Romney, who dodged the draft in Vietnam to save Mormon souls in France or sang froid Obama who actually delivered the goods eliminating Bin Liner and ending futile US involvement in Iraq and soon Afghanistan?
Willard Romney = John Wayne...he was a phoney too!
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Facts speak louder than words! The chart of the Dow Jones Industrial average speaks for itself! Punters who put their money where their mouth is don't lie.
As a result of Bushit's completely disastrous mismanagement of the economy with his "the market will take care of itself" attitude with derivatives totally unregulated..which Romney wants to return to!!!!...the Dow Jones Index plummeted in January 2009 wiping $$trillions off ordinary folks’ lifesavings ...just before Obama took office. It recovered once the world had a steadier hand on the helm. And you want to return to that free for all...nuts! Only the tax-relieved rich will get richer shorting the market at the ordinary Joe Blow's expense.
Very hard finding a link to a stand alone 5 year DJI chart. Here's one that might work..otherwisae click 5 years in the link above. It's pretty obvious on which President real punters with real money place their bets.
maybe this one will work..
http://www.mudraa.com/trading/131896/0/dow-jones-5-year-chart.html
Republicans would have had...err will have... big automobile companies and banks go bust..no problem when they have their savings off shore!
Stock market back where it was 5 years ago..nah don't want it
Housing just recovering...nah don't want it
Unemployment decreasing...nah don't want it
Free healthcare....nah don't want it
Scrap programs that benefit the majority and veterans so that the rich can enjoy tax cuts...yes please!
Chance of another foreign war on the credit card in the Middle east...yes please!
Weird!
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The US economy has been down the tubes for quite a number of years. Upward mobility has decreased for everyone. Most people are treading water.
Facts speak louder than words! The chart of the Dow Jones Industrial average speaks for itself! Punters who put their money where their mouth is don't lie.
As a result of Bushit's completely disastrous mismanagement of the economy with his "the market will take care of itself" attitude with derivatives totally unregulated..which Romney wants to return to!!!!...the Dow Jones Index plummeted in January 2009 wiping $$trillions off ordinary folks’ lifesavings ...just before Obama took office. It recovered once the world had a steadier hand on the helm. And you want to return to that free for all...nuts! Only the tax-relieved rich will get richer shorting the market at the ordinary Joe Blow's expense.
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Will The Election Results Cause Massive Riots To Erupt All Over America?
Completely hypothetical....sounds like a desperado debate to me, when one has to make it up in order to have something to argue against.
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Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows Mitt Romney attracting support from 49% of voters nationwide, while President Obama earns the vote from 47%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and two percent (2%) are undecided.
I fear for the USA and the world's future under Romney... a double dip recession world wide, and more wars. But on the bright side, Romney's rich cronies will do well and his children will not be doing any of the fighting in the Middle East.
Buy gold.
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U.S. military declares Assange 'enemy of the state'
The U.S. military has designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as enemies of the United States — the same legal category as the al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Taliban insurgency.
..sounds like a sad reflection on the home of the brave and the land of the free.
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Hard to argue against the logic. Big Oil has too much of a stranglehold on Washington. The oil companies globally are very powerful. I do think we will see a shift though. China has a voracious apetite for oil. Just like America did during its great expansion when it happened to us.
Because of China's need for oil, they will take an increasing interest in the region to make sure the oil continues flowing. They don't have the navy to do that now but they are rapidly expanding theirs. We'll see Chinese ships in the Middle East in the future. Possibly near future.
For a fascinating insight into the history of Big Oil, view the excellent PBS documentaries "The Seven Sisters of Oil"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOMIY9yAbZw
and
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Disturbing stuff. How could anyone support such conmen who disingenuously would cheat their own citizens out of their right to vote?
It just shows more contempt for the 47%.
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p.s. I file US taxes, but pay nothing since I am well below the US$95,000 foreign earned exemption.
..you mean you are one of the 47% who dont pay US income tax along with quite a few other war veterans!
Dont fret, Flash....Mitt Romney probably doesn't pay either, but he won't show us his tax returns to allow the electorate to judge.
It's a worry isn't it...the man accusing Barack Obama of creating a divide amongst the people, just cut out one-half of America as not worthy of the effort.
..at best insensitive, dopey and unstatesmanlike... at worst downright callous indifference.
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Then why do I always hear the Brits blaming Tony Blair for the war? Sounds like he had company in making that decision.
Because he was the leader of the party that made that decision. Others who disagreeed with him resigned from cabinet.
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There is a big difference between being "the boss" and being in the armed forces. (As it happens, Truman was a combat veteran of WWI, but that is irrelevant to his being the boss.) Fortunately we have civilian control in our countries. It is civilian politicians who send the military off to die.
Are you going to tell me that Tony Blair is a military veteran because he sent the troops to Iraq and Afghanistan? After all, he was the boss
I suppose Maggie Thatcher must be a military veteran too.
British PMs do not have the same powers as a US President...their cabinet jointly make decisions. The Queen is UK Commander-in-Chief..she, her husband, her sons, her grandsons have all served in the armed forces too..unlike Mitt Romney, when he had his chance!
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I am also a LIFE MEMBER, son of a VFW member, grandson of an American Legion member. My post only allows military veterans who have served in combat or in support of combat to belong. It has to be backed up with a 201 file.
So tell Obama what he has done for veterans that exceeds that provided the WWII vets. I'm willing to be convinced.
>>So tell me what he has done for veterans. I'm willing to be convinced.
..how about..kept them alive! He ended the completely unnecessary war in Iraq, which was based on a pack of lies and started by a gung-ho Republican President Bushit and his neocon cronies, that cost 1000s of US and allied lives, and the US taxpayer $billions, looking for non existent WMD.
Is this deja vu in 2012?...Romney wants to do the same again in Iran...except none of his sons will be doing the fighting, just as he himself didn't when he dodged the draft by being a Moron missionary in France during the Vietnam War.
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Give me a farking break. What uniform does the CIC wear? What kind of training did he go through. Since when is a civilian a member of the military? Will Obie qualify for VA benefits? Does Bill Clinton?
Laugh away ...
p.s. If Obie tries to join my VFW post, I will blackball him.
I guess if President Truman could sack the highest ranking uniformed officer "General of the Army" Douglas MacArthur, then he must have been his boss.
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'Devoid of charm, offensive and a wazzock': Romney's disastrous day in London
Thanks Mitt..at least I've learnt a new word "wazzock" possibly derived from the French "oiseau" meaning "bird". Interesting linguistically that Aussies use a similar ornithological expression "galah" for the same meaning.
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I still think that a decision not to serve in wars like Vietnam shouldn't disqualify someone from public services, or for that matter be an excuse not to vote for him.
Would my father have volunteered for Vietnam?
I think not, but he went willingly and unconscripted to fight in WW2, because he saw that the world as he knew it was under threat.
Millions were like him, in 1942 even film stars and business executives joined the army.
Clinton had a choice, stay at school and miss the war.
Bush chose to play with expensive toys at the public expense and gets brownie points at election time.
>> Millions were like him, in 1942 even film stars and business executives joined the army.
...except hypocrites like the “all American icon†John Wayne who sat out WW2 snapping up roles that much decorated true patriots like Jimmy Stewart missed out on.
From wiki..
“By many accounts, Wayne's failure to serve in the military was the most painful experience of his life.â€
..yeah, but not half as painful as the poor buggers who died in the Sands of Iwo Jima, while the Duke was agonising over his possible Oscar.
“His widow later suggested that his patriotism in later decades sprang from guilt, writing: "He would become a 'superpatriot' for the rest of his life trying to atone for staying home.â€"
... another conservative Republican hypocrite, keen to whip up war fervour in later conflicts, but not so enthusiastic at the time his draft papers arrived.
Usa Thread
in Non-Thailand News
Posted
Just out of curiosity, do politicians use the term "working class" in USA? Romney and Obama were constantly appealing to the "middle class". Is it just a euphemism for "working class" in an attempt not to relegate voters to the lowest rung. Or were they truly appealing to middle income earners?