Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Coming in out of the cold - Iran is being recognized as a regional power



U.S., Basically Willing to Try Anything At This Point, Agrees to Invite Iran to Syria Talks


490116158-united-states-secretary-of-state-john-kerry-poses-with
United States Secretary of State John Kerry poses with Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran Javad Zarif during a bilateral talk at the United Nations headquarters on September 26, 2015.
Photo by DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images
Iran has been invited for the first time to international negotiations over Syria, due to convene on Thursday in Vienna. The invitation was extended by Russia, which like Iran is a backer of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but was agreed to by the United States. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be at the meeting along with several other top European and Arab diplomats.
Whether Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif or another senior Iranian official will make the trip, is far from certain. This would be the first major opportunity for U.S.-Iranian cooperation following the recently concluded nuclear agreement, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has forbidden any further negotiations between the two countries. Still, as was demonstrated repeatedly during the nuclear talks, there’s usually some wiggle room in Khamenei’s pronouncements.
The U.S. and Iran are both dedicated to destroying ISIS and are both assisting the Iraqi government, but things are more complicated on the Syrian side of the border. Iran and Russia are likely to reject a political settlement that involves removing Assad from power. The U.S. still maintains that Assad should step down, although more recently the Obama administration has suggested it may be willing to accept a temporary transitional role for the embattled Syrian leader.
Along with Russia, Iran has recently stepped up its involvement in the conflict, contributing hundreds of troops to fight alongside regime forces and Hezbollah fighters against rebels in Northern and Western Syria. The forces have reportedly suffered heavy casualties, including the recent deaths of two senior commanders in the Revolutionary Guards. Iran’s investment in the conflict has been much more substantial in both blood and treasure than the United States, and it certainly has an incentive to try to bring the war to an end. It potentially has the ability to put meaningful pressure on Assad.
At the moment, it’s hard to imagine a settlement that would satisfy both Washington and Tehran, never mind Moscow, but it’s not as if sidelining Iran from the process has really accomplished much either. Republicans will undoubtedly accuse the administration of another capitulation to Iran, but at this point Obama doesn't seem too concerned about that.

144 comments:

  1. I BELIEVE THAT OBAMA IS REALIZING THE DAMAGE DONE BY US POLICIES IN THE ME:

    WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department said Iran would be invited to participate in talks in Vienna Friday to discuss ending the conflict in Syria, as President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman affirmed the need to cooperate in fighting ISIS, the White House said Tuesday.

    U.S. officials would not say which power would pass the invitation to Tehran and did not know whether Iran would accept, but they said it would be welcome to attend if it did.

    The dialogue will be aimed at finding a framework for political transition in Damascus.

    An official in the region, however, told Reuters that Iran had already been invited by the United States and Russia, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would attend the talks, while the presence of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was still under discussion.

    Meanwhile, Obama and King Salman had discussed increased support for the moderate Syrian opposition in a phone call Tuesday.

    The two men also welcomed a commitment by the parties in Yemen’s civil war to a second round of United Nations talks, the White House said in a statement.

    “The two leaders pledged to remain in close contact on these and related issues, and reaffirmed the strong and enduring strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” it said.

    Earlier Tuesday, Zarif and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone call to discuss ways to resolve the Syrian crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Lavrov also spoke to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the ministry said.

    The United States also warned Tuesday of increased military action against ISIS. The Pentagon said it may launch more airstrikes and even direct ground attacks by special forces against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry would travel to Vienna and about a dozen participants were also expected in for the next round of discussions on Syria. The different countries hope to eventually reach agreement on a “multilateral framework for a successful political transition in Syria which leads to a government not led by Bashar Assad.”

    {...}

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  2. {...}

    Kerry had felt “optimistic” after talks last week with Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia that “progress was being made toward laying down the foundation of what a political transition could look like,” he said.

    “He felt it was important to continue that momentum,” Kirby added.

    “There will be bilateral and multilateral discussions in Vienna Friday and participation is very much still being worked [on],” Kirby said.

    But a Western diplomat said the decision on whether to invite Iran was first discussed with Saudi Arabia, which is financing some of the militants fighting Assad and is a bitter rival of Tehran.

    While Washington has opposed Iran’s support of Assad and Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Syria, it has insisted that Iran needs to be included in the talks on Syria’s future. A top U.S. military officer said Tuesday there were fewer than 2,000 Iranian troops in Syria helping Assad’s forces.

    “Iran will be asked to participate. Now, whether they come or not, that’s up to Iranian leaders,” Kirby said.

    Meanwhile, France’s President Francois Hollande and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Paris to discuss the fate of Syrian refugees pouring into Europe.

    Later, they held a dinner with key Western and Arab allies on the crisis, but not Russia nor Iran.

    Elsewhere, a French opposition lawmaker said, on a visit to Syria, that finding a solution to the conflict in Syria will require talking to Assad.

    “The settlement of the Syrian political situation necessarily requires a dialogue with the Syrian president who is in place and is elected by the Syrian people,” said Jean-Frederic Poisson, of France’s right-wing Christian Democratic Party. “It is not for foreign countries to decide who must lead Syria, it is for the Syrians to decide,” he said after meeting with Syria’s parliament chief Jihad al-Lahham.

    Poisson is visiting Syria with two other French lawmakers, and the delegation is due to meet Assad Wednesday.

    Their trip comes despite fierce criticism in France of a similar visit by lawmakers to Syria in February. France has been a firm backer of the uprising against Assad’s government.

    Poisson also said that a Russian aerial campaign launched on Sept. 30 had helped “stabilize things for now and gradually push back ISIS bit by bit.”

    Syria’s civil war has killed more than 250,000 people since it broke out in March 2011, sparked by a bloody crackdown on protests against Assad’s rule.



    A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on October 28, 2015, on page 1.

    ReplyDelete
  3. FUCK THE SAUDIS

    Robert Naiman - Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy

    Iran in Syria Talks? Let’s Not Care About What Saudi Won’t Allow

    Secretary of State Kerry said Friday he expects new talks on Syria to begin as soon as next week, and did not rule out participation by Iran, Reuters reports.

    Asked if a meeting next week could include Iran, Kerry said he would not speculate on who might attend. But he added: "We want to be inclusive and err on the side of inclusivity rather than exclusivity."
    Iran has not been invited to previous international peace conferences on Syria, all of which ended in failure, while the war, which has so far killed more than 250,000 people and driven millions from their homes, has raged on.
    There is a strong correlation between the fact that Iran has been excluded and the fact that previous efforts have failed. If you want to end a war through negotiations, the key parties involved in the war have to be at the table - isn't that obvious? As Jeremy Shapiro of Brookings told NPR:

    A. SHAPIRO (Host): One important party is not at the negotiating table in Vienna, and that is Iran. Can any kind of a solution be reached without Iranian involvement?
    J. SHAPIRO: I don't think so. I think that the Iranians are too important on the ground in Syria. They have too much influence with the Assad regime and the various militias that are supporting it, and they have too much capacity to spoil any agreement that has been made without them. I think that whether we like it or not, if we're going to have a political settlement to the Syrian civil war, the Iranians need to be part of it.
    UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said during the UN General Assembly that five countries are key to a political solution: the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran. As the BBC reported at the time:

    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said five countries - Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran - were key to finding a political solution in Syria, but unless they could compromise, it would be "futile" to expect change on the ground.
    Why was Iran excluded from the Vienna meeting? Because Saudi Arabia said so, apparently. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Monday it was difficult to envision a role for Iran in ending the war due to Iran's military role in the conflict. That, of course, makes no sense at all. The other countries the Secretary General named - the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - have a military role in the conflict. That's why they're crucial to a solution. Saudi Arabia doesn't want Iran to participate because Saudi Arabia doesn't want Iran to have a say in the resolution. That's the same as saying that you want to keep the war going.

    The notion that the U.S. should defer to the Saudi monarch's insistence on excluding Iran, despite the fact that Iran is almost universally acknowledged to be crucial to a political solution, recalls what President Bill Clinton reportedly said in 1996 after his first meeting with then (and now) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

    "Who the f* does he think he is? Who’s the f*ing superpower here?"

    {...}

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    1. {...}

      Why should we take orders on Syria diplomacy from a king who still doesn’t allow women to drive? Let's not care what Saudi don't allow - let's talk to Iran anyhow. If you agree with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Brookings that Iran should be included in talks to end the war, you can tell President Obama and Congress so here.

      Follow Robert Naiman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/naiman
      MORE: John Kerry Syria Iran Saudi Arabia Diplomacy United Nations Brookings Institution

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/iran-in-syria-talks-lets_b_8374368.html

      Delete
    2. The US could not have more disastrous allies in the ME than Saudi Arabia and Israel. The combination has been ruinous for US interests and a tragedy for the region.

      Delete
    3. Sure they could. Iran and the Palestinians.

      Delete
  4. Without Saudi Arabia and Israel, there would have been no 911 nor the tragedies that followed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah a Day without Israel ?

      Deuce appeasing Iran and blaming Israel is your forte.

      Delete
  5. AND WHAT DO THE NEOCONS THINK?

    The U.S. administration should increase its military assistance to Israel, not only for defense shields but also provide them with weapons that would create a deterrence against Iran in light of the nuclear deal, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said on Saturday.
    Participating in a presidential forum hosted by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott on Charleston’s Daniel Island in South Carolina, Bush said he would push to give Israel “access to the most sophisticated military equipment” for offensive security measures, upping their capability of destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities.
    “Iran right now does not think we’re serious,” he said. “If we gave [Israel] the capacity to strike – I’m not suggesting that that happen – it would create a deterrent.”
    The idea of providing Israel with bunker busters was recently raised by Dennis Ross, the former peace envoy in the Obama administration, and David Petraeus, former Army general and CIA director. “While some may question whether we would act militarily if the Iranians were to dash to a bomb, no one questions whether the Israelis would do so,” the two wrote in a joint Op-Ed for The Washington Post in August.
    During the hourlong forum, Bush also spoke about the need of restoring the warm relationship with Israel.


    ReplyDelete
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    1. JEBBY BUSH CONTINUES



      I’ve been to Israel five times. I’m inspired by its people,” Bush told Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who joined Scott on stage as co-moderator. “The spirit of the place is incredible. That shared values of the State of Israel with this incredibly diverse group; their commitment to entrepreneurial capitalism and innovation. It’s an inspiring place.”
      “You know, everybody talks about the rowdiness of our political process. Wow. Go to Israel. That’s a contact sport plus. I mean, it’s like gladiators,” he joked.
      Bush claimed that the deterioration in the relationship between the U.S. and Israel is because President Barack Obama has gotten his “feelings hurt or something,” which has “destroyed the relationship with Israel.”
      Referring to the WSJ report on Saturday, the Republican presidential hopeful said the next president is going to have to restore the trust between the U.S. and its middle East ally. “When we have gaps between Israel and the United States; when there are doubts about our capabilities and our commitment to them, the rest of the Arab world looks and says, ‘Well, the United States can’t be a serious partner with us. They are not even going to support Israel. We’re going to have to take actions ourselves.’ And what we are going to see is the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Arab world as well, because the U.S. is no longer a trusted ally,” Bush asserted. “We have to restore this [trust]. If we want to create a more peaceful world, America has to lead.”



      This post originally appeared at Jewish Insider.

      Delete
    2. .

      Good lord, Jeb is stupider than his brother. G.H.W.B. must be saying, "Lordy, what have I done."

      Normally, I would say this is simply politics leading up to 2016, but this IS the Bush family.

      Saw a headline the other day saying that even Florida is rejecting Bush in favor of Trump and Rubio.

      Highly likely we won't need to worry about another Bush presidency for awhile or another Bush foreign policy.

      .

      Delete
  6. If it were only true that Obama destroyed our relationship with Israel...however the annual Israeli Haj to Washington is in the first days of the shakedown cruise to extract more billions in aid from US taxpayers.

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    1. Obama's cuckholding of America and it's appeasing of Iran has done nothing to improve the world.

      In fact?

      Obama is involved America in 7 wars (all unsuccessful) and under obamas watch the deaths to terror and war across the globe have increased 4 fold.

      Appeasing islamic nazis will not bring stability nor peace.

      Israel is what is right with the middle east.

      But not to be unhappy Deuce, your friends, the Iranians, have just tested a NEW icbm, in violation of UN sanctions.

      Should make you happy.

      Delete
    2. The only ass fucking being dosed out to America is from the Israeli Lobby. At least with the Saudis we get greased with cheap oil.

      Delete
  7. Israel faces a wide variety of threats ranging from Islamic militants wielding missiles and rockets to nuclear attack, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Tuesday during a visit to the United States.

    Yaalon was speaking with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the National Defense University in Washington. Carter emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Israeli security relationship and the United States' commitment to maintaining close ties.

    Carter and Yaalon are due to visit the Naval Air Station in Maryland on Wednesday for a demonstration of the F-35 joint strike fighter. The United States has said it will deliver the F-35 to Israel next year, making it the only country in the Middle East to have the top-flight aircraft.

    Yaalon ticked off a number of threats that he said Israel has faced, including from Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad's Syria, and Iran.

    "The threat has been changed dramatically from conventional type warfare to what might be called super-conventional...weapons of mass destruction, or sub-conventional like terror, rockets, and missiles," Yaalon said.

    Close U.S.-Israeli ties have come under strain in recent months over a nuclear agreement negotiated between Iran and the United States and other world powers, which Israeli officials have denounced as empowering Iran and endangering Israel.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Appeasing an Islamic nazi state, undoing sanctions and giving it hundreds of billions in cash?

      A set up for war.

      And war with the USA.

      Delete
    2. Rubbish. Substantiate the claim.

      Delete
  8. JUST HOW CORRUPTED IS THE US MILITARY AND POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT? READ ON:

    U.S. Military Chief Visits Israel, Pledges Closer U.S.-Israel Cooperation
    October 23, 2015

    On his first overseas trip as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford traveled to Israel on Oct. 17, where he pledged to bolster the already robust military ties between the United States and Israel.

    During his two-day visit to the Jewish state, Dunford met with several of Israel's top leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    ”I’ve been in my job for two weeks, this is the first country I’m visiting on my first trip,” Dunford said at the beginning of his meeting with the prime minister. "It reflects the important relationship the United States has with Israel. Quite frankly one of the foundational elements of that relationship is our military-to-military relationship.”

    Netanyahu praised Dunford's decision to make Israel his first overseas trip as "an expression of the tremendous alliance between Israel and the United States."

    During the meeting, Netanyahu and Dunford discussed tactics to counter Iran's malign behavior in the region and other challenges in the Middle East.

    "I'm confident that the solution to those challenges is our cooperation. And that's what I'm committed to, and that's why I'm here today," said Dunford to Netanyahu.

    Dunford also met with Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and other top Israeli military leaders.

    The chairman's visit also coincided with the biannual Blue Flag joint Air Force exercise between the United States and Israel.

    The two-week air force drill, which also includes other allies, is aimed at strengthening the military ties between the countries.

    Commenting on the latest military cooperation, Dunford said "the military-to-military relationship (between the U.S. and Israel) has remained strong ... the challenges that we face, we face together."

    (NOW FOR THE JUICE)

    Dunford’s trip comes in the wake of renewed defense aid discussions between America and Israel. The current security assistance package, worth $3.1 billion annually, is due to expire in 2017.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. from Aipac’s command center in the Israeli occupation zone in DC

      Delete
    2. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PROTECT ISRAEL

      JOIN AIPAC

      Delete
    3. What more do you need to read in order to understand that AIPAC has nothing to do with US interests?

      Why is the US Chairman of The Joint Chiefs, not 30 days in office, being summoned to Israel? For what US benefit?

      Name one thing that Israel has ever done to enhance US security.

      http://www.aipac.org/news-hub?id=%7B72E5CFD6-1D91-47E6-B0DC-8E55B1EF8127%7D#

      Delete
    4. Love you ask nonsensical questions like: Name one thing that Israel has ever done to enhance US security.


      It's absurd and shows your complete fear of Israel.

      Delete
    5. Naw.. We have wasted hours listing the thousands of things..

      You simply delete them.

      If you can't see the value that Israel adds to America's security it shows your blindness.

      Listen to Obama to Pelosi, Kennedy to Carter, Clinton to Bush and everyone in between.

      The facts are there that wish to see.

      You have made it clear, you hate Israel, zionists and any Jew that is not on their knees begging for forgiveness.

      SO why bother, you statements say it all..

      You stand with the Mullahs of Iran and Hamas, with Assad of Syria and with Hezbollah, with Fatah and their blood lust of knifing Jews

      Delete
    6. I'm wondering what interest Deuce has in Iran?

      Something to do with finances, maybe?

      Delete
  9. http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/27/un-executions-in-iran-could-top-1000-in-2015.html

    UN: Executions in Iran could top 1,000 in 2015
    A U.N. investigator says executions in Iran have been rising at "an exponential rate" since 2005 in a drug crackdown
    October 27, 2015 10:05PM ET Updated 10:17PM ET
    A U.N. investigator says executions in Iran have been rising at "an exponential rate" since 2005 and could top 1,000 this year as the country cracks down on drug offenders.

    Ahmed Shaheed said in a report to the General Assembly circulated Tuesday that Iran executes more individuals per capita than any other country in the world.

    He said the majority of executions violate international laws that ban the use of capital punishment for non-violent offenses and for juveniles and he urged Iran to impose a moratorium on the death penalty for all but the "most serious crimes.".

    Deuce's friends

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replies
    1. Tons, just look at the archives... Unless you deleted it.

      Delete
    2. Iran is a hell hole of oppression...

      Have you forgotten Neda so quickly....????

      Where was your Light Bringer then?

      Where was Obama when Neda was bleeding to death in the street ?

      Delete
    3. What has Israel ever done for USA ?

      They are the first line of defense.

      What I notice about these young girls these days......they know something..... (I know one.....from the other side of the earth).....they are not wishing to immigrate to Iran, Gaza, or the West Bank....neither Cuba or Venezuela.

      They wish to come to North America....to Canada, a wonderful county, or the USA, another wonderful country.....

      If they have a chance to make a choice...they choose....none are going to Gaza or Iran...

      Delete
    4. When was the time that Israeli provided first line defense for the United States? Give us the date and event please.

      Delete
    5. No fool, no one in their right mind would want to emigrate to the Israeli concentration camp in Gaza.

      Delete
    6. Your words are a wonder.

      Directly from the Hamas Idiots Guide.

      Delete
  11. the Israeli occupation zone in DC

    O come on Deuce.

    Such a statement is true madness.

    No one is going the buy that non sense.

    The Israelis 'occupy' DC.

    Quirk, Rufus do you really buy this pure propaganda product ?

    Quirk, do you really think the Israelis are 'occupying' Washington, D.C. ?


    Do even you, Rufus ?

    Please, no more total foolishness.



    ReplyDelete
  12. I have been listening to the 'female occupied' Country/Western station out this way......

    Our disc jockyette is really fun to listen to......but I would not want to be her 'ex' ----my God how she disses her 'ex' --- 'he wouldn't let me walk the dog to the fire hydrant ......... he totally dominated me...'

    She goes on and on and on...

    How would you like to be dissed on the public radio day after day ....?

    She is brutal.......

    Well, they didn't get along, so she got a lawyer, and divorced him.....'you're fired'.....but man alive does she know how to get revenge....


    Ouch

    ReplyDelete
  13. Supporting Israel is, absolutely, the worst mistake the United States has ever made.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, not killing ALL of your ancestors was

      Delete
    2. You are full of shit, Rufus.

      You are 100% emotional bullshit.

      Totally full of it.

      I'm for bringing back the literacy test as a qualification for voting in USA.

      My Niece would pass, you would not.

      Delete
  14. name a street after Muhannad Halabi, the 19-year-old terrorist who murdered two Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem at the beginning of this month.

    Palestinian Media Watch reported that the municipality where the terrorist lived on the outskirts of Ramallah took the decision “in order to honor Halabi, who carried out a stabbing and shooting operation against settlers in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.”

    Halabi murdered Rabbi Nehemiah Lavi and Aharon Benita, and wounded Benita’s wife, Adele, and their two-year-old son in the October 3 attack. He was shot dead by policemen who rushed to the scene.

    “This is the least we can do for Martyr Halabi,” Muhammed Hussein, Mayor of Surda-Abu Qash, stated about the glorification of the terrorist. He said that the naming of the street after Halabi was “intended to emphasize the national role played by Palestinian municipalities.”


    Deuce's pals..

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anyone that espouses killing whole Groups of people will get around to Your Group, sooner or later.

    First the Palestinians, then the Cherokee.

    Lutherans, next? Bet on it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are have right.

      The Moslems advocate killing the Cherokee, the Lutherans, but the Jews first of all.

      It is in their 'Book'..

      After this 'Commandment of Allah' is accomplished - it won't be -- they will get around to killing one another......in fact they are beginning now.......doing a good job of it too...

      Meanwhile the rest of us will get along....

      Delete
    2. Let’s stipulate that you are an idiot.

      Delete
    3. The Palestinians advocate the genocide of the jews.

      Delete
  16. Deuce: "Name one thing that Israel has ever done to enhance US security."

    Crickets

    The couldn't name "One."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Israel is a Western outpost, the very first one, against the killing, slaying, beheading, raping, slashing of the Mo monsters.....the women there in Israel have 'RIGHTS'....they are more than 1/2 a human being.....they are truly human......

      My Niece wishes to immigrate, not to Gaza, not to the West Bank.....but to North America !!!!!

      Delete
    2. Is it Israel's job to enhance our security?
      Is Mexico, a lot closer to US, enhancing our security?

      Delete
    3. Mexico doesn't take Billions / Year in Aid from us, Doug, while keeping us embroiled in wars, and religious strife with 1/5th of the world's population.

      Delete
    4. I can hear it in her voice.....she really is thinking of coming back to USA.....I am going to help her.....she was so bubbly the other day.......she doesn't want to have anything to do with Gaza, the West Bank, Islam in general.......she is an extraordinarily bright young women......she knows where her future lies....somewhere in The West.....anywhere in the West......somewhere she has her safety, her rights as a woman......this is not in Gaza, the West Bank, or anywhere in Islam...

      She chooses

      USA
      USA
      USA

      CANADA
      CANADA
      CANADA

      She ain't no fool, that young gal.

      Delete
    5. You don't think religious strife would visit the U.S. if not for Israel?
      Have you read any of the muslim texts?

      Delete
    6. Mexico minds its own business.
      Mexico does not attack its neighbors.
      Mexico does not drag the US into wars.
      Mexico does not sponge off the US for its military.
      Mexicans are in the US because we need them to do work others do not want to do.

      Delete
    7. We need Mexico.
      We do not need Israel.

      Delete
    8. We need Mexico like I need a hemmrarhoid.

      Images here -

      http://www.bing.com/search?q=hemmarhoid&form=SKY2DF&pc=SKY2

      Delete
    9. What war did Israel drag us into? I missed that.
      Mexico is corrupt as hell.
      Mexico doesn't actively keep it's citizens from breaking US law.

      Delete
    10. What war did Israel drag us into? I missed that.

      Iraq, Syria, Libya. Now watch this and pay attention:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7NsXFnzJGw

      Delete
    11. I watched it Deuce.
      There was no outright reference from the General to Israel dragging the U.S. into those conflicts.
      But it was very informative as to the thinking and motivation of the "Neo-cons"

      To be honest, I cannot support all the aid that Israel is getting from the Taxpayers when our veterans are being shorted, among plenty of other citizen's and programs to help the less fortunate.

      Delete
  17. Deuce, if you believe in 'freedom of speech' kindly quite with your tactic of vanishing comments by myself and WiO.

    It is irritating to our freedoms.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can post all the racist rants you want on Wio’s site with no damage as no one reads it. You are not posting them here. Your continued presence is only tolerated because I do not have the time to trash them.

      If you don’t like it, get lost.

      Delete
    2. If it were not for WiO and myself, you would be talking to, exactly, Rufus all day long.

      My 'rants' are not racist at all.

      I have a Hindu Niece, and I am supporting a truly black American for President of our Country.

      Go Dr. Ben Carson for President 2016

      Dad always said :

      Vote for the best person

      He is the best person.

      Delete
  18. There are sites on the internet that allow, even encourage, racist speech.

    Those that want the "freedom" to participate in such should take their ugly, hateful asses, there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most Decent people would like the freedom to not have to read such vile filth.

      Delete
    2. You are a total dumb shit, illiterate, uneducated, a Mississippi Moron that gets his rocks off on the Internet.

      Delete
  19. ...Israel is a Western outpost,

    No, Israel is a Western sponsored colony. It is of no strategic value to the US. It is a strategic liability, a money sink.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, it is not a Western sponsored 'colony'.

      Israel was created by Jewish people, who had enough of the glories of Europe.

      Delete
    2. You are, as is your way, re writing history.

      Delete
    3. Love the way you ignore the native Jews and the Jews expelled from the arab occupied middle east.

      says a lot about your bias.

      But again you live in a western sponsored colony...

      one set of rules for Jews and none for you Deuce?

      Delete
  20. Our resident Neo-Nazi speaks:

    What is "Occupation"Wed Oct 28, 11:29:00 AM EDT
    No, not killing ALL of your ancestors was


    I am still not convinced that you are a Jew.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never knew a Jew that was always calling for ethnic cleansing and genocide. None of the Jews I know.

      Delete
    2. I was speaking of the mistake that America made.

      I was not advocating genocide.

      I was saying by NOT directly killing all of Rufus's ancestors it was a mistake.

      That aint genocide. it's family specific

      I am not convinced you are a loyal American.

      I never knew an American with such hatred of America as you.

      Delete
  21. Deuce ☂Wed Oct 28, 11:06:00 AM EDT
    Nothing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    What is "Occupation"Wed Oct 28, 11:28:00 AM EDT
    Tons, just look at the archives... Unless you deleted it.

    Delete



    GIVE US ONE> ATTRIBUTION

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm signing off for a few hours of sleep before I go into work tonight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am with you, Dougman.

      We don't want any civil disobedience around these parts.

      The Voice of Sanity prevails once again.

      Delete
    2. FOR THE RECORD: NO EXAMPLE _ NO ATTRIBUTION\\

      THANK YOU

      Delete
    3. As a Jew I've always been troubled by Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Specifically the "settlements" in the disputed territories after promises were made in that regard. Netanyahu is another story entirely! Not a single day has passed since he took office that I HAVEN'T been ASHAMED of my culture for tacitly allowing this asshole to squander whatever International good will existed toward Israel. His latest comments absolutely shook me to the core of my being as the descendant of Holocaust victims. Though I generally loath Nazi comparisons in ANY respect, his comments, actions and general ill will toward non-Jews IS eerily reminiscent of that grotesque organization. He has single handedly turned a proud Jew into a pro-Palestinian "two state solution" supporter. Sadly, until Netanyahu and his ethnocentric ilk are shamed from office, such an outcome will never occur...

      Delete
    4. He sounds more Jewish than you.

      Delete
    5. Well coming from you?

      that don't say much..

      Delete
  23. Check Out Our Low, Low (Natural) Rates

    Via Mark Thoma — whom everyone interested in today’s economic debates should check out daily — Thomas Laubach and John C. Williams of the Fed have a new paper updating their estimates of the natural real rate of interest. For those new to the term, the natural rate is a standard economic concept dating back a century; it’s the rate of interest at which the economy is neither depressed and deflating nor overheated and inflating. And it’s therefore the rate monetary policy is supposed to achieve.

    Laubach and Williams find that the natural rate has plunged in recent years, and is now very, very low. The particular statistical method they use is reasonable, but in any case — as they document — the result pops out for pretty much any plausible methodology. Basically, we’ve had multiple years of very low rates, with no hint of a runaway boom or an inflationary takeoff, so any reasonable estimate is going to say that these low, low rates are close to (and maybe above) the natural rate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L-W attribute the decline in the natural rate largely to the slowing of potential output, which in turn reflects demography and what looks like a slowdown in technological progress. That’s more speculative. But the low natural rate is as solid a result as anything in real time can be.

      This in turn tells you several things. It says that all the complaints that the Fed is artificially keeping rates low are nonsense; rates are low because that’s what the real economy wants, and the Fed’s only alternative would be to create a depression.

      It also casts even more doubt on the wisdom of the Fed’s urge to raise rates. Nothing in the economic situation suggests that rates are too low right now. And don’t tell us that we need to start “normalizing”: all indications are that “normal” has changed a lot since 2008, and trying to set interest rates as if the old normal were still valid is a recipe for very bad outcomes.

      Finally, if the natural real rate is zero or less, a 2 percent inflation target gives very little room for interest rate cuts to fight recessions. The case for raising the target — which means not raising rates if and when inflation finally creeps up to 2 percent — just keeps getting stronger.

      In any case, the message about what the Fed should do now is clear: nothing.

      Delete
  24. On another topic, I was thinking about the GOP debate on CNBC. Here is where Trump could get in trouble. This whole debate will be focused on beating him down. If he gets through it....who knows?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) I think his bubble has already popped.

      Carson is probably the one in the most jeopardy, tonight.

      But, then, what sane person could possibly guess how the republican primary voter will react to "anything?" :)

      Delete
    2. .

      Saw Carl Quintanilla on CNBC this morning. He said that he intends to ask the hard question and follow-up to not allow the candidates any inconsistencies. Can we expect more 'Candy Crowley moments'? Is it the moderator's job to badger the candidates in a debate or should that be left to the other candidates? I have seen Quintanilla operate on CNBC before questioning various businessmen. I can't recall very much 'grilling'.

      Given CNBC's propensities, I expect Bush will get off lightly and Trump will get grilled.

      Let me know.

      .

      Delete
  25. You've got to pity a poor, ignorant motherfucker that doesn't realize that by killing "all" of my ancestors he would be killing all of "his."

    ReplyDelete
  26. .

    Sorry I missed the Dougman.

    Is it Israel's job to enhance our security?
    Is Mexico, a lot closer to US, enhancing our security?


    It is the Lobby here that is continually arguing that Israel is our greatest ally in the ME. When asked why? They simply say 'that is a stupid question'. That is not an answer. I noticed above that you insinuated Deuce has financial ties to Iran but you didn't bother to answer the question. Why don't you do it now?

    Is it Israel's job to enhance our security?
    Is Mexico, a lot closer to US, enhancing our security?


    Here, you pull a WiO, Dougman. Instead of answering the question, you ignore the original question and instead attempt to divert and change the subject. When asked a simple question try giving a simple answer without clouding the question with non sequiturs. Mexico may do shit for the US but what the hell does that have to do with answering the question, "Why is Israel our greatest ally?"

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think, though I may be wrong, that our shared interests make the U.S. and Israel natural allies. I don't know about her being our greatest.
      As much as atheists don't want to be tied at the hip with Israel, most of our society is of the Judaeo-Christian belief.

      Delete
    2. Here, you pull a WiO, Dougman...

      Oops, I'll try to not get off track next time.
      Direct questions deserve an answer.

      Delete
  27. .

    You don't think religious strife would visit the U.S. if not for Israel?

    Dougman, do you have any rational reason for making this statement? I am serious?

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I take what the Islamist's at their word when they say they want to spread their garbage and make everyone submit to their bullshit.
      Even the atheist that is above it all must submit.
      Israel has nothing to do with this part of the religion of coo-coo.

      Delete
    2. I put in a 12 hour shift tonight and will be watching the video that Deuce left a link to in the morning.
      Until then.
      Smile everyone, Christmas is just around the corner :)

      Delete
    3. Now that I've thought about it some more, The Arabs are supposedly the half brothers of Israel and blah, blah blah...
      You could say we are all caught up in a family feud.
      Until the end of such things, which is drawing near, imo.

      Delete
  28. .

    Yesterday, I put up a statement about the current situation in Israel. I pointed out the ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian over the past 65 years. WiO wanted to extend the conversation back to the beginning of the 20th century which I readily agreed to. As an example of the continuing hate, I pointed out that settlers in Hebron consider Baruch Goldstein, a terrorist, a hero and make pilgrimages to his grave site. I then went on to say that the Palestinians who consider those who are currently doing the stabbing mirrored that hatred.

    In response, from WiO

    Quirk you prove yourself to be a lying sack of crap when you selectively edit and distort the truth..

    I accused him of misreading my post and putting his own spin on it. Eventually the following exchange...

    QuirkTue Oct 27, 05:34:00 PM EDT

    .

    Quirk, you bait and lie.

    You've offer up this slander constantly; yet, I am still waiting for your proof. Normally, when challenged on the charge you just slink away.

    .
    Delete
    What is "Occupation"Tue Oct 27, 07:40:00 PM EDT

    I have proven it time and again, if you choose to ignore the written word?

    I can't force you.

    It's your character flaw, you have none.
    What is "Occupation"Tue Oct 27, 07:41:00 PM EDT

    But continue to lie, make false statements, edit and be specious, we expect nothing but crap from you...
    QuirkTue Oct 27, 08:19:00 PM EDT

    .

    You haven't proved shit.

    We have a perfect example right here, dipshit.

    Lay out for the audience the false statements. The edits. Get specific.

    Otherwise, shut the hell up.


    SOP. This is WiO MO, as well as that of his poodle, Spud. Now Dougman makes it a triangular circle jerk.

    .


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk, you r disinformation continues.

      You suggested that the Palestinians and Israelis are the same.

      I posted how the Government of Palestine incites and praises terrorists.

      And then I posted how the Government of Israel does not.

      You posted an edited post on B Goldstein. and deleted the part that was on the source material that showed that Israel in fact does not allow shrines to terrorists (jewish ones that is) It even went so far as to take off the placard that you referenced and covered up the grave with gravel

      Quirk you are not a seeker of truth, you are a distorter.

      You continue your slander and all that matters is that you win some bullshit blog argument.

      In the end?

      You suck.

      Delete
    2. Quirk "the distorter" says: Lay out for the audience the false statements. The edits. Get specific.

      I did, you ignored it. again.

      Delete
    3. .

      No you didn't you, ass. You put a post from some other source (no attribution) that only had half the information that I put up. If anyone was doing any editing it was you.

      It's the same game you are playing today while trying (or trying to avoid) the question, "What is you justification for saying that Israel is the US' key ally?"

      .

      Delete
    4. Get off your box quirk, you are as dishonest as the day is long in summer.

      I googled your NO ATTRIBUTED quote and went right to the page you quoted from, but I put up the whole page.

      You lie and you lie poorly...

      We all know you have a issue about losing an argument....

      It's quite "rat" of you....

      As for the question?

      Why is Israel a "key" US ally?

      The question is retarded.

      As are you for asking it.

      As I have said all sides of the political spectrum in the USA from Obama to Bush and back again recognize it and speak volumes about it...

      it has been answered scores of times here...

      Sorry but I won't waste my time answering such a retarded moronic question....

      You sir are a prick.

      do your own research lazy mother...

      Delete
  29. MariusVinchiWed Oct 28, 02:17:00 PM EDT
    As a Jew I've always been troubled by Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Specifically the "settlements" in the disputed territories after promises were made in that regard. Netanyahu is another story entirely! Not a single day has passed since he took office that I HAVEN'T been ASHAMED of my culture for tacitly allowing this asshole to squander whatever International good will existed toward Israel. His latest comments absolutely shook me to the core of my being as the descendant of Holocaust victims. Though I generally loath Nazi comparisons in ANY respect, his comments, actions and general ill will toward non-Jews IS eerily reminiscent of that grotesque organization. He has single handedly turned a proud Jew into a pro-Palestinian "two state solution" supporter. Sadly, until Netanyahu and his ethnocentric ilk are shamed from office, such an outcome will never occur...


    Who is this person?

    Sounds like a false avatar...

    Just a made up name...

    Not a real person..

    I suggest it's a fake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Specifically the "settlements" in the disputed territories after promises were made in that regard.


      What promises?

      By who?

      No new settlement has been built by Israel since the signing of the Oslo accord.

      In fact there were agreements that the major settlements would be encompassed into Israel, the Bush memorandum spoke to this agreement.

      But since you are not specific we can only wonder what that means? - " Specifically the "settlements" in the disputed territories after promises were made in that regard

      now this next self hating line: Not a single day has passed since he took office that I HAVEN'T been ASHAMED of my culture for tacitly allowing this asshole to squander whatever International good will existed toward Israel

      Him you are holding the Jewish people and culture responsible for the duly democratically elected leader of Israel?

      "His latest comments absolutely shook me to the core of my being as the descendant of Holocaust victims"

      Which comments, be specific..

      Now of your best line...

      "He has single handedly turned a proud Jew into a pro-Palestinian "two state solution" supporter"

      Israel and Bibi support a 2 state solution, it has been rejected numerous times by the President of the PA, Abbas, who in his 11th year of a 4 year term cannot compromise on anything.

      Are you a "proud" supporter of the stabbings?


      Delete
    2. Yeah this blog has so much palestinian and iranian bullshit on it it does beg to wonder how much does deuce make as a professional iranian/palestinain poster

      Delete
  30. I don't believe for a minute that 'Marius' is Jewish.

    I think this person is either

    1) A Screwball
    2) A Deucean plant

    ****************

    I do have some great news, though.

    I listen to Country/Western.

    I get the U of Idaho football games through this station.

    They report on U of I news.

    There is now a 'gender neutral' locker room down by the old book store on U of I campus.

    106.9 FM out this way.

    "The Outlaw"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Next time Quirk visits I will know where to park him.

      Delete
    2. I bought Shakespearean plays at that old bookstore when a young stupid student.

      Then I went farming to make a living.

      Delete
    3. A 'gender neutral' locker room on U of Idaho campus is a great societal advance, we all must agree.

      Only my very conservative Hindu Niece, a U of Idaho Master's Degree graduate in Psychology, might disagree.

      What do we do then ?

      She has her 'rights' here too............

      Delete
    4. Though she can't vote here, and we hardly ever talk politics, I know she is very concerned about the muzz.

      She says:

      "The One In The Middle East rte The Worst, Uncle Bob"

      That is what she says.

      Delete
    5. The ONES..................in the Middle East......... .are

      Delete
  31. QE, The Anti-Veg-O-Matic

    In his interview with Martin Wolf, Ben Bernanke expresses exasperation with claims that quantitative easing is a giveaway to the rich (at the same time that it hurts savers — go figure):

    This is the fourth or fifth argument against quantitative easing after all the other ones have been proven to be wrong.

    It is, indeed, kind of amazing. In the eyes of critics, QE is the anti-Veg-O-Matic: it does everything bad, slicing and dicing and pureeing all good things. It’s inflationary; well, maybe not, but it undermines credibility; well, maybe not but it it causes excessive risk-taking; well, maybe not but it discourages business investment, which I think is a new one.

    Brad DeLong spends what may be too much time on the latest; it’s an argument that doesn’t make any sense, deployed to explain something that isn’t happening (business investment isn’t any lower than you’d expect given the relatively slow recovery). I’m not surprised to see Kevin Warsh going down this road: he’s both a permahawk, who used to warn about inflation but simply changed arguments when the inflation failed to materialize. When Brad complains that there is no coherent argument offered in the article — not a bad argument, but no argument at all — it’s pretty much what one might have expected from Warsh. Back in 2010, I reacted to one of his speeches thus:

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So what we’ve got here is an assertion that bad things will happen if you do certain things, without either any evidence to that effect or any explanation of why those things should happen. Yes, maybe bond markets will punish us if we don’t slash spending right now; also, maybe we’ll have bad luck if we step on cracks, or fail to turn aside when Basement Cat crosses our path. But why does this pass for judicious policy discussion?

      What I don’t understand is why Mike Spence wants to associate himself with this sort of thing.

      But let me say, as I have before, that this whole aversion to easy money, on grounds that keep shifting and don’t seem to have much to do with any coherent economic argument, evidently has deep roots in the conservative psyche — and it’s in the id, not the rational mind.

      PK - NYT

      Delete
    2. .

      Why would Bernanke admit that he screwed up?

      Admittedly, there was a need for for the steps the FED took after the 2007/2008 crises just as there was need for the steps the Treasury and FDIC took. However, after 2013 the FED was shooting blanks with their QE. It was Bernanke's supply-side number 42 approach. It kicked up corporate profits and the stock markets but the benefits did not trickle-down to economic, job, or wage growth. Though profits improved investment lagged because the policy could do nothing to improve the demand side of the equation.

      The FED says they stopped QE at the end of October, 2014. Others argue that FED QE continues as long as they keep their bloated balance sheet. On the day they officially ended QE, the FEDS balance sheet was a bloated $4.5 trillion. It is the same today.

      As for quoting PK on interest rates, remember it was Krugman who stated it was actually the rich who were taking it in the ass because of low interest rates. Really, Paul? Seriously?

      .

      Delete
  32. The Jews, the Americans, the Europeans do not threaten her.....the muzz do....always.....

    She is concerned about this.......


    ReplyDelete
  33. As she should be.....;

    She would not last long in Gaza......neither would Quirk, or Rufus, or Deuce...........

    ReplyDelete
  34. So Quirk, Deuce, Rufus all have something in common with my Hindu Niece....

    Go to Israel.

    They ain't gonna kill your ass.....

    ReplyDelete
  35. Why in the hell would any rational human being want to go live in the middle of a bunch of religious crazies - of any stripe?

    ReplyDelete
  36. Deuce, Rufus and Rat all claim that Israel is the biggest mistake in US history.

    Quirk want to KNOW how Israel is America's GREATEST ally...

    Deuce says: Deuce ☂Wed Oct 28, 06:10:00 AM EDT
    Without Saudi Arabia and Israel, there would have been no 911 nor the tragedies that followed.

    Deuce ☂Wed Oct 28, 10:44:00 AM EDT
    The only ass fucking being dosed out to America is from the Israeli Lobby. At least with the Saudis we get greased with cheap oil.

    Deuce ☂Wed Oct 28, 06:33:00 AM EDT
    from Aipac’s command center in the Israeli occupation zone in DC

    Deuce: Name one thing that Israel has ever done to enhance US security.


    Israel derangement syndrome.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Only 24% of NC Republicans would be against Impeaching a President HIllary Clinton "On Her First Day in Office."

    ReplyDelete
  38. .

    Get off your box quirk, you are as dishonest as the day is long in summer.

    I googled your NO ATTRIBUTED quote and went right to the page you quoted from, but I put up the whole page.


    Once again, WiO, you prove you are either felony stupid, a liar, or just piss poor at googling.

    Here is the post I put up yesterday...

    QuirkTue Oct 27, 10:31:00 AM EDT
    .

    You and Deuce are two sides of the same coin. He justifies everything the Palestinians do. You justify everything that the Jews do.

    Your argument that actions in other countries justify crimes by the Israelis shows the moral relativism of the propagandist hate-monger. You are like most in Israel on both sides, after 65 years of fighting each other the hate and vitriol is overwhelming.

    As for separating the two, it has already happened in Hebron and it hasn't worked.

    He was 21 years old when, in 1994, the US-born Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein — still revered as a hero among Hebron’s settlers — massacred 29 Palestinians inside the city’s Ibrahimi Mosque.

    The settlers have turned Goldstein's grave site into a monument. The memorial on the site reads, “The revered Dr. Baruch Kapel Goldstein… Son of Israel. He gave his soul for the sake of the people of Israel, The Torah, and the Land. His hands are clean and his heart good… He was assassinated for the Sanctity of God”

    Every Purim, there is a procession of settlers to the grave site to memorialize their 'hero'. They sing, "Dr. Goldstein, there is none other like you in the world. Dr. Goldstein, we all love you… he aimed at terrorists' heads, squeezed the trigger hard, and shot bullets, and shot, and shot."[37]

    It echoes the same thing Arab leaders are saying about the Palestinian knife wielders.


    The first bolded quote was from the Juan Cole article Deuce put up earlier on the stream. The second bolded quotes came from this article titled A Visit to the Grave of Baruch Goldstein

    http://mondoweiss.net/2013/07/murderer-baruch-goldstein

    This is what you put up

    What is "Occupation"Tue Oct 27, 11:24:00 AM EDT

    As for your cut and paste of Goldstein's grave?

    Goldstein's gravesite became a pilgrimage site for Jewish extremists.[8] Upon the tomb, the following words are inscribed: “He gave his life for the people of Israel, its Torah and land.”[7] In 1999, after the passing of Israeli legislation outlawing monuments to terrorists, the Israeli Army dismantled the shrine that had been built to Goldstein at the site of his interment. The tombstone and its epitaph, calling Goldstein a martyr with clean hands and a pure heart, was left untouched.[9] After the flagstones around it were pried away under the eye of a military chaplain, the ground was covered with gravel.

    Here is the unedited version...


    From the various footnotes in your version, I would guess it came from Wikipedia. I know they are not from where I got the quotes. Had you plugged into google the quote from Goldstein's grave that I put up, the first link that pops up would have been I listed above.

    Yet, you accuse me of using a quote I didn't, of editing that quote, of lying. Once again, you prove the value of your comments here.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  39. .

    Why is Israel a "key" US ally?

    The question is retarded.


    Only to someone that lacks an answer.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bull Shit.

      It is a question of civilization versus savageyou MORON.

      Delete
    2. That should read, exactly, YOU SAVAGE MORON.

      Delete
    3. The questioner is retarded.

      Is that better?

      the question has been asked and answer so many times already.

      If you are too lazy to anything for yourself?

      there is no hope for you...

      But then again?

      you can't see any difference between some private israeli citizens and the government of the palestinians.

      no wonder you are fucked in the head/

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    5. .

      you can't see any difference between some private israeli citizens and the government of the palestinians.

      Of course, I can; but that wasn't what my original post was about. That is something in your defensiveness that you read into my post. My post was about the antipathy that has built up between Israelis and Palestinians over the past 65 years, or as you pointed out, over the last hundred years.

      I used Hebron as an example.

      .

      Delete
    6. .

      the question has been asked and answer so many times already

      It's funny that only you and Spud seem to be able to remember those many times.

      .

      Delete
  40. If YOU had a brain tumor to whom would go for treatment ?

    Dr Malcolm X ?

    Or Dr Ben Carson ?

    I'd go to Dr. Ben.

    If you had a brain tumor to whom would you go ?

    What say you, Quirk-O ?

    What say you, Deuce ?

    Dr. Ben Carson for President



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YOU go, of course

      If I possessed a 'medical power of attorney' for Deuce, or Quart, I might be hard pressed to make the decision, but in the interests of general human well being...............I''d choose Dr Ben Carson.

      With Rufus, I can't see it would make no difference on way or the other in the long or short run so I'd say basically fuck it......flip a coin....

      Delete
  41. If I needed a new President I would go to the same Democratic Party that the Plurality of the People of the United States have gone to in 5 of the last 6 elections.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Pope Francis marked the 50th anniversary of the turning point in the Catholic Church’s relations with Jews on Wednesday with a sharp condemnation of anti-Semitism, saying attacks on Israel’s right to exist were a form of hatred.


    “To attack Jews is anti-Semitism, but an outright attack on the State of Israel is also anti-Semitism,” Francis told a delegation from the World Jewish Congress (WJC). “There may be political disagreements between governments and on political issues, but the State of Israel has every right to exist in safety and prosperity.”

    ReplyDelete
  43. Video of Ben Carson touting Mannatech (a company that paid him several times for "speeches") . . . . . . . . and, a company to which he - tonight - denied having any connection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then, there's this:

      The suits accused Costco’s board, and in particular members like Ben Carson who served on its “compensation committee,” with essentially cherry-picking the issue dates for Costco’s incentive and nonqualifiedstock options. By changing the option grant date to a previous day on which the company’s stock price was exceptionally low, the board guaranteed that these stock options would have a greater profit margin once Costco’s executives chose to exercise them (i.e. sell shares). These cheap stocks—real bargains in direct violation of the company’s own policies—were then passed on to Costco’s senior management and, in some cases, bestowed upon the discount retailer’s rank-and-file employees. It was like an elite Costco, inside the Costco.

      All told, the beneficiaries of this scheme allegedly wrested over $173 million away from the company in pumped-up stock sales and unrecorded compensation during the 10-year-period covered by the two civil suits. And, incidentally: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington state came to similar conclusions after conducting a two-year investigation into Costco’s executive compensation practices. The U.S. Attorney’s Office investigation was looking at backdating from 1996-2003. But this shareholders’ derivative suit covered a slightly wider . . . . .

      Crooks and Liars

      Delete
    2. .

      I expect Carson like Trump will be fading by Super Tuesday. I just read Bush didn't do much in the debate but I wrote him off some time ago. Paul and Huckabee? No way. Fiorina is feisty and her message may appeal to the GOP base but I don't know if she has any staying power. Of the rest of them, (and heck I didn't even know Santorum was running), other than Rubio (possibly Cruz?), I don't see any of the bunch getting the GOP nomination.

      Any one of them will likely lose to Clinton; although, I would love to see Fioriana go up against her. Nothing like a god cat fight.

      ,



      Trump 22, Carson 26, Rubio 8, Bush 7, Cruz 4, Fiorina 7, Huckabee 4, Paul 4, Kasich 4, Christie 1, Graham 2, Santorum 1, Jindal 0, Pataki 0

      Delete
  44. Meanwhile, our Rufus continues his 100% total lack of accomplishment in life and passes horse farts criticizing those who have....

    ReplyDelete
  45. I still can't believe Deuce put up that crap about Malcolm Shit X.

    Try gardening, Deuce,

    Grow roses.

    ReplyDelete
  46. 2016: The GOP’s Four Faces A data-based look at the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Why Ben Carson Can Win fullscreen Share article on Facebook share Tweet article tweet Plus one article on Google Plus +1 Print Article Email article Adjust font size AA by Henry Olsen October 24, 2015 1:25 PM I’ve written nary a word about Ben Carson. That changes today, because underneath the quiet, soft-spoken image is a man with a plan, and that plan is working. Dr. Ben Carson is doing something no one has done in decades, combine a values-laden conservative message with a soft-spoken, humble persona. Others who have sought Reagan’s mantle have emulated elements of the Gipper’s approach, but none have spoken the language of freedom and the morality of the Bible with such eloquence and calm until now. He talks about moral decline without the rancor or anger that typified other past favorites of the party’s religious conservative faction. He talks about the loss of American freedom without the sense of foreboding and doom that characterize all too many who seek to lead the tea-party wing. He talks about fiscal restraint and tax cuts without seeming to care more about numbers than people, as too many have who’ve sought the favor of the party’s fiscal-soft libertarian faction. And he so far has projected the calm, deliberative nature that somewhat conservatives crave. It should be no surprise, then, to learn that Carson runs well among all of these factions. All recent national polls with subgroup data show that Carson runs better among conservatives than moderates, but only Public Policy Polling breaks down the GOP electorate into enough subgroups to let us see clearly what’s at work............

    Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/2016-gops-four-faces/426028/why-ben-carson-can-win

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice pic of Ben, who spent his entire life working for us in the operating room.

      Delete
    2. Rufus, per his own claims, has saved "uncountable lives" by selling insurance.

      Delete
    3. (Ben is one hell of a good man, Rufus is a 'gizzard')

      Delete
    4. And you are funny b00b. Really, I've begun to enjoy some of your posts these days, because, they are 'funny' - laughably funny.

      Delete