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US Politics Mega-thread - Page 5528
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Now that we have a new thread, in order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a complete and thorough read before posting! NOTE: When providing a source, please provide a very brief summary on what it's about and what purpose it adds to the discussion. The supporting statement should clearly explain why the subject is relevant and needs to be discussed. Please follow this rule especially for tweets. Your supporting statement should always come BEFORE you provide the source. If you have any questions, comments, concern, or feedback regarding the USPMT, then please use this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/website-feedback/510156-us-politics-thread | ||
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KT_Elwood
Germany1179 Posts
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Jankisa
Croatia1625 Posts
USA wouldn't need a trillion dollar military budget or be 40 trillion in debt while it's citizens die from lack of healthcare if it didn't decide to act as a bully and bodyguard of Israel in the region. This kind of shit made much more sense when USA wasn't one of the biggest world oil producers, now it's a combination of bribes, back room deals and trying to push their authoritarian vision for the world, and it's going to end horribly. This is only going to accelerate the inevitable global economic downturn, the oil prices are shooting up, just like every time oil companies will push the prices up even more as compared to when the oil was $120 the last time and affordability crisis will get worse. Of course, if history is any indicator, right wingers will do all this insane shit, get voted out because of the obvious consequences and the relatively reasonable politicians who come after them will be stuck with the bill. Once they stabilize the situation everyone's going to forget who caused the crisis in the first place and that's the way the merry-go-round goes. But, as our "centrist" buddies here will tell you, at least there will be less brown people and they got to own the libs for a short period of time. | ||
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Uldridge
Belgium5201 Posts
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ZerOCoolSC2
9064 Posts
What happened to the Board of Peace? | ||
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KT_Elwood
Germany1179 Posts
On March 02 2026 22:14 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote: Quick question before I go back to lurking. What happened to the Board of Peace? It quickly became the "Bored of Peace". | ||
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Simberto
Germany11951 Posts
On March 02 2026 22:14 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote: Quick question before I go back to lurking. What happened to the Board of Peace? You mean the Bribe of Trump? | ||
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GreenHorizons
United States24253 Posts
On March 01 2026 07:37 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote: So a "guardian coup"? I think that's actually what most people are (perhaps subconsciously) expecting to save us.Generals, in my opinion, have an obligation to stand up to bullshit. That they are scared for their pensions and benefits after retiring is bullshit. They need to say "Sir, we do not agree with these orders and will not execute them." But some people will use the Nurembourg testimony and say "We were just following orders." They have a moral obligation to tell trump to go fist himself and hegseth to autoerotic asphyxiate asap. Should the US troops that were killed in Kuwait have gone AWOL to preserve their lives or was them sacrificing themselves for Trump's "glory" their only "reasonable" option? | ||
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ZerOCoolSC2
9064 Posts
On March 02 2026 23:29 GreenHorizons wrote: So a "guardian coup"? I think that's actually what most people are (perhaps subconsciously) expecting to save us. Should the US troops that were killed in Kuwait have gone AWOL to preserve their lives or was them sacrificing themselves for Trump's "glory" their only "reasonable" option? I'm going to need you to dumb this down. I'm not following what you're asking for. The questions seem like you're fishing for something, but at the same time, earnest. Sort of like when anyone asks oBlade to answer something and he goes on a random sidequest about ducks fucking dolphins and creating Hellen Keller. | ||
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KT_Elwood
Germany1179 Posts
Somehow that sound like en explicit demand to officers to jail people like Kegsbreathsky and Krasnov. With all the ordonance they wasted on Iran, they could have simply stopped the Invasion of ukraine.. but I think Putin has a Donald-Ivanka fetus on ice... so instead of Delta Force and Cruise Missles, he gets a red carpet in Alaska. | ||
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GreenHorizons
United States24253 Posts
On March 02 2026 23:58 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote: I'm going to need you to dumb this down. I'm not following what you're asking for. The questions seem like you're fishing for something, but at the same time, earnest. Sort of like when anyone asks oBlade to answer something and he goes on a random sidequest about ducks fucking dolphins and creating Hellen Keller. I'm mostly clarifying what you're actually saying/meaning. You've picked up on my excitement at somebody (seemingly seriously) suggesting anything (let alone something I like the sound of) about what can/should be done about the fascist fuckery we're all witnessing. You said: I wish the military canon fodder wasn't involved in this stupid shit, but hey, that's life. Hopefully the majority understand what it means and get out ASAP or just AWOL. Sounds like you are hoping/encouraging troops, like those that Trump sacrificed, go AWOL before they are next (and that those that died should have left). Is that what you are calling for? Mass desertions from the military due to this ongoing illegal operation? | ||
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ZerOCoolSC2
9064 Posts
I know there are troops there that don't want to be fighting and don't agree with it, but they'll go along with it anyway. Those are the troops that should just not show up when called for deployment. We won't get mass desertion, but we need something to happen within the military. In 08-12 when I was in, I wouldn't have gone overseas if they deployed me. I would have just not shown up for deployment. There's consequences for that (losing earned pay and honors is really, really big) but you have to weigh that against your conscious at some point. Refusing orders can lead to court martial or being kicked out with less than honorable. That's not horrendous, but it looks bad and has some effects long term on careers and choices going forward. And for what it's worth, those troops that were killed weren't sacrificed. They didn't die a noble death like fighting an enemy. They were killed by 2 idiots waving micro-penis energy around. Didn't see this: On March 03 2026 00:11 KT_Elwood wrote: Aren't US soldiers vowing to follow the president's orders and the laws, while officers only vow to follow the laws and protect the laws/country they create from enemies outside and within? Somehow that sound like en explicit demand to officers to jail people like Kegsbreathsky and Krasnov. With all the ordonance they wasted on Iran, they could have simply stopped the Invasion of ukraine.. but I think Putin has a Donald-Ivanka fetus on ice... so instead of Delta Force and Cruise Missles, he gets a red carpet in Alaska. All military personnel take the same oath. I don't know any officer or senior enlisted that had a different oath (we all start more or less from the same boot camps). The order to protect from enemies outside and within doesn't mean much these days, otherwise trump and co would be facing military coup. General Mattis was probably the last real OG. Everyone now...I don't know enough about them. | ||
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Legan
Finland581 Posts
The real problem is that orders are usually structured so as not to include actual motivation or intended effects. "Take control of that building" does not include the potentially illegal reasoning or expected action. | ||
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Billyboy
2146 Posts
On March 02 2026 07:24 ChristianS wrote: You’re missing the point, and I’m not totally sure what your motivation is. Imagine two cars are coming towards me on the road. The first driver has absolutely no care whether I live or die – he won’t even brake or swerve if I’m in his path – but has no desire to steer his car just to hurt me. The second driver is planning to pull over in front of me, get out, club me over the head, throw me in the trunk, chain me in a storage container, and force me to manufacture cheap crafts for him to sell on Etsy. Which one “values my life more”? The second one, I think pretty obviously. To him I’m a resource to be exploited, to the other I’m literally nothing. But that mostly shows “which values my life more” is not a useful framing for comparison. They’re each different types of threats to my well-being. But if the former starts setting off explosions in the storage park I’m chained up in, mostly so he can brag to his friends about it, that’s not *good news* for me. If he happens to kill the second guy in the process, I might cheer, even if his son will just take over there Etsy slave empire; fuck that guy, I’m glad he’s dead. But it certainly doesn’t make “second guy is the bad guy, first guy is the good guy“ a useful understanding of the situation. Your analogy is incredibly flawed compared to what is actually happening. You have 3 groups A B and C. B is in the middle and is a huge number, A and C are on the outsides with far fewer numbers but all the power. C has been using its power for a long time to kill, rape, torture and jail B. C takes there tank and runs over as many of B as possible. A on the other hand is only interested in destroying C. If people from B end up getting run over on the way, they are not slowing down. Well you are correct that on a 1-1 ratio there isn’t a big difference for those who die. But to the survivors there is a pretty big one as A is killing people they hate as well and C is only killing those they love. And then of course the ratio, at least now, is not 1-1 it’s closer to 1-1000. Then the next part you seem to be missing is that Iranians are willing to sacrifice themselves to over throw this ultra repressive theocracy. I know this because hundreds of thousands protested with rocks against guns and grenades. To the point that 30,000 or more died. So it is not hard to see why many of them would be happy to see some bombs get dropped on those who have inflicted so much pain on them. I’m not saying that the Iranian people all the sudden love the US. But in the short term there is an enemy of my enemy thing going on. | ||
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ZerOCoolSC2
9064 Posts
On March 03 2026 00:38 Legan wrote: Democrats should openly promise pardons for people who are prosecuted for not participating in illegal wars. Maybe even some compensation, too. A pardon and reinstatement of their benefits from honorably serving would suffice. The money from that isn't insignificant, trust me. Look at VA benefits for people who get Honorable Discharge (look at VA disability ratings as well). | ||
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Billyboy
2146 Posts
On March 02 2026 14:50 doubleupgradeobbies! wrote: This. I don't think people realize how galvanizing these strikes are going to be for the existing regime. The west might not remember, or care, about the history of their interference in Iran, but the Iranians do. Even the current regime is in some sense, the consequences of the actions of the US. After Operation Ajax, the Pahlavi regime was deeply unpopular (and had been since before the 1952 Iranian uprising), and the Iranians certainly knew it he was put there by CIA action. Another popular uprising was inevitable, as Pahlavi was never popular enough to take back the throne without the US literally putting him on it. The Islamists was just one of MANY factions(which included basically everyone) that wanted to topple the Pahlavi regime, which was widely seen as (and frankly was) illegitimate. They just happened to be the first and best positioned to turn on all their allies and purge them after the revolution. So as much as people hate the current regime and the IRGC, they very much know how much they have been fucked around with by the US, and even consider the regime at least partially the fault of the US. The West (mostly the UK and the US) might not accept this reasoning for their blame in this, but I assure you the Iranians definitely lay the blame at their feet. I'm sure the current regime has been running the narrative of constant US interference so the Iranians never forgot. So between the existing theocracy and the US, the Iranians, even those already opposed to the regime are definitely going to hate the US more. They think you are responsible for their current situation to begin with. You toppled the much more popular and much more stable (and democratic) government to begin with, and this regime was the result. The current regime was just the botched result of 'fixing' the problem of the US putting Mohammad Reza Pahlavi back in charge. If they ever had any intention of helping overthrow the existing regime, this is not the way to do it. Further US interference in Iranian politics was always just going to make the US their common enemy again. It appears much more likely for this to galvanize the Arab world against the Iranians than what you are speaking of. This is not a popular government, the people are not mad about them being bombed. | ||
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Billyboy
2146 Posts
On March 02 2026 23:58 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote: I'm going to need you to dumb this down. I'm not following what you're asking for. The questions seem like you're fishing for something, but at the same time, earnest. Sort of like when anyone asks oBlade to answer something and he goes on a random sidequest about ducks fucking dolphins and creating Hellen Keller. Jump off the hamster wheel. He is not asking you questions because he is interested in what you have to say. He is asking leading questions to try to bring you his world view. He has no interest in mutual understanding. | ||
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Manit0u
Poland17831 Posts
On March 03 2026 00:11 KT_Elwood wrote: Aren't US soldiers vowing to follow the president's orders and the laws, while officers only vow to follow the laws and protect the laws/country they create from enemies outside and within? Somehow that sound like en explicit demand to officers to jail people like Kegsbreathsky and Krasnov. With all the ordonance they wasted on Iran, they could have simply stopped the Invasion of ukraine.. but I think Putin has a Donald-Ivanka fetus on ice... so instead of Delta Force and Cruise Missles, he gets a red carpet in Alaska. Typically soldiers follow the president's orders because president is made the highest ranking member of the military by default. In 99.9% cases it's mostly symbolic for democracies but in the US the president has a lot of power and exerts it unlike in other countries. In theory most modern militaries have a clause that you may disobey stupid orders and should be apolitical but in practice they're typically very political as attaining higher ranks pretty much requires you to play in the salons. I would really enjoy all the irony regarding Trump and matters of war if it wasn't all so sad and tragic. Calling himself a great negotiator and an agent of peace while threatening allies and throwing military operations without congressional oversight. Praising US soldiers and their sacrifice while telling them there will be more deaths is also quite rich coming from a guy whose family has dodged military service for 5 generations now. His grandfather didn't take part in WW1, his father WW2 and Korea nor did DJT join in Vietnam. | ||
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Gorsameth
Netherlands22519 Posts
On March 03 2026 00:41 Billyboy wrote: the people are not mad about them being bombed. Really? Has anyone actually asked them? | ||
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oBlade
United States6394 Posts
On March 02 2026 21:49 Uldridge wrote: I think time has come to stop letting them forget who fucked up. That would be the great James Earl Carter, Jr. | ||
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Doublemint
Austria8760 Posts
I don't think those crazies in power cheering on another quagmire in the Middle-East - especially so close after razing gaza to the ground - are aware of how all of this actually looks... Trump won’t rule out sending US troops into Iran ‘if necessary’— tells The Post war is progressing ‘way ahead of schedule’ "special operation progressing as planned." US clown edition! | ||
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