If only France, the target of this terrorist attack, had some kind of elite military force composed (mostly) of foreigners...;-)
The Legion is only necessary when the operation and its cost would be unpopular with the French public. I don't think any mission targeting ISIS would be very unpopular with the French. The entire French military is eligible for this one.
Anonymous is not difficult to target. The Zetas drug cartel did it quite successfully.
Just brainstorming here, but you think we could hire the Zetas Cartel to go after ISIS?
The Zeta Cartels are probably already keeping ISIS types away from the US border. The last thing they want is an ISIS type to infiltrate into the US across the southern border and get the US population interested in securing the border. The US southern border is safe. An ISIS type will come to the US on a student VISA from an EU country, or infiltrate the northern border after getting into Canada on a humanitarian basis.
You forgot to mention taking it to a rifle range for fun or competitive matches. Recreational shooting is legal in Switzerland. Like the US its sort of popular.
Why couldn't a submarine-hunting drone be a small craft, say, 10 feet long? Such a small craft would be an order of magnitude less expensive, and quicker to produce, than a 130-foot-long vessel.
Because of the equipment it needs to carry. A propulsion system with the speed and endurance to follow a submarine; now add the additional equipment and structure (vibration isolation, etc) to be silent. Acoustic and other sensor systems to detect a submarine at depth. Today's technology requires the preceding equipment to be a certain size.
The Irvine Company is a commercial company not the government. What Orange County taxes are you talking about?
Around here, The Irvine Company's power is such that it might as well be the government.
Worse, more like a homeowner's association, which kind of makes sense since they are nearly everyone's landlord. Here are the three acceptable shades of beige you may paint your buildings. Here are the two types of outdoor metal tables and chairs you have outside your restaurant. You may think I am joking... but that just tells us you have not visited Irvine.
You don't think they'll get huge tax gifts? If not, then more power to them.
There are probably incentives from the local power company, also a private company not a government entity.
If there are tax breaks they would be state based, not county based, and would be little different from taxpayers subsidizing every solar panel a homeowner puts on their roof, etc.
"More power", yes. Because during peak hours where these batteries are going to be active is when buildings in Orange County have experience the occasional power outages. So reducing their draw during these hours is a benefit to the larger Orange County community.
In Switzerland it is a crime to carry a loaded firearm in public, except at a shooting range, unless you work in a security job and have been issued a permit. No conceal carry, no loaded carry, etc. Similarly, you can't store a loaded weapon. The safety culture is very strong, and people will turn you in for carrying or storing a loaded weapon. So is that what you are advocating for the US?
Background checks, safety training and safe storage are compatible with carry permits, owning semi autos with detachable magazines, the castle doctrine and various other red herrings that one might care to throw out. And to be clear the safety training does not need to be government run, a largely private system like hunter safety classes in most states would work just fine. Hell, the hunter safety classes are mostly general firearms safety so we basically have the private infrastructure already. Plus the fact that there is no shortage of classes/instructors that most gun stores refer people to.
Your example of Switzerland is flawed. While guns are ubiquitous in Switzerland, ammunition is not, especially for the government issued guns. For target practice with the government issues guns, one picks up the ammunition at the gun range and it is accounted for.
I am not referring to government issued guns at all. I am referring to privately purchased guns. That includes some formerly government owned guns that were demilitarized (full auto to semi, etc). Also the difference between military ammunition and civilian ammunition is often packaging. 7.62 and 5.56 NATO have very popular civilian counterparts. The military ammo working in civilian rifles, the civilian ammo working in military rifles.
Yes I had already read that. That was the basis for comment regarding rifles that would be considered "assault weapons" in some uninformed circles.
Surprisingly, the percentage of people killed by guns in Mexico is only slightly higher than it is in the US... and that's with all the drug cartels fighting it out in Mexico.
And many of those deaths in the US also involve the drug trade.
I am not a gun owner. I think gun ownership in general should be heavily restricted in this country, and most types of firearms should be banned outright. The only way to reduce gun violence in this country is to get rid of most guns. Less guns means less gun violence.
Two counterexamples to prove you wrong. Mexico. Switzerland.
In particular in Switzerland target shooting is popular. There are many semiautomatics with detachable magazines, something that would be considered an "assault weapon" is various misinformed circles. However what does Switzerland have. Proper background checks, proper safety training and proper safe storage for one. Secondly they don't have much in the way of poorly educated and hopeless.
So no, its not the guns. Guns are just scapegoats for failed educational and socioeconomic policies here in the U.S.
The NRA supports this... So these shootings are a win for them.
Actually the NRA is the premier organization for firearms safety instruction, both for civilians and law enforcement. Preventing such accidents is the NRA's primary mission. Political activism is a secondary thing forced upon them.
The NRA believes that all firearms owners should seek competent safety instruction when buying that first firearm. They certify instructors, develop training materials, etc. They just don't believe in a government run system for such training since state government could deprive a citizen of ownership by failing to provide instructors or materials for mandated classes. Such things have been done in the past.
Hell, such games are still occurring, note the closing of all department of motor vehicle offices in some "black" counties in alabama just as drivers licenses will be required to vote.
With registration you can still have guns, so what is the purpose you refer to? The "A well regulated Militia the" part? We have a national defence agency that doesn't rely on guys with muskets any more. I don't see a no registration clause to the amendment in any event.
Actually we do rely on the "militia" for national defense. The "unorganized" component of the federal militia basically consists of all able bodied men of military age. Its something entirely different from the national guard, the federal law defining it specifically says so. You are in it by being an american citizen that meets certain criteria. The is no enlistment, no signing up, you are born (or naturalized) into it. During times of national emergency you can be transferred from the federal militia to the army or navy reserve. In other words conscripted, drafted, into the military. Such conscription is a major option for national defense.
As for "muskets". The colonial militia members sometimes had state of the art firearms for the day, better than standard issue military firearms, i.e. rifles rather than muskets. Rifles having greater range and better accuracy.
As for "well regulated", the 18th century usage of the word was referring to being equipped and practiced sufficiently to be useful. Its not referring to government imposed restrictions regarding ownership. Note that "well regulated" does not necessarily mean showing up on the town commons for drills. Owning a rifle and using it for hunting was considered sufficient, hence the "unorganized" part of the federal militia that has absolutely no obligation to enlist, show up for practice or training, etc.
Basically this topic is far more complicated than most realize.
Good thing we have the stuff that matters category too.
...
Perhaps you should include reading comprehension & logic in your awesomely broad range of studies, because nothing that you say invalidates my point that it isn't news.
Sorry, the reading comprehension and logic fails are entirely yours. That "stuff that matters" comment I made earlier. Guess where it comes from? Slashdot's self description: "Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters". Slashdot is widely characterized as a "science and technology" site. You are wrong that posts need to be news and you are wrong that its an intersection not a union.
As I mentioned elsewhere, its useful to point out to impressionable youth that the concept of "hacking" does not solely apply to computers and computer controlled devices. That elegant improvised solutions with materials at hand applies to a broad set of areas. So, this story is something that matters to nerds with respect to this notion and others.
This sounds like the required Federal testing for students. The Feds give out the information that children must know, and so the administration teaches the children that information.
Are you familiar with the FAA written exams for private pilots? Passing score is 70% and 80% of the questions are known ahead of time. These questions are from exams from previous years, unchanged, and these exams are available for study and practice. The 20% of questions that are "new", largely old questions with the given numbers changed.
Lets see how many people bring their VW in to have the ECU s/w updated. I mean without an EPA threat to brin them in or else. I'll bet that most people will weigh a little higher NOx emmissions against driving a gutless pig and not find time to get it in to the shop.
Their state could do it. Want to re-register your vehicle, show us your software update certificate. It could be another checkbox on the smog tests that many states require every year or two for registration.
How the software cheats is to turn off the emission controls if it looks like someone is actually driving.
Does that mean "wheels spinning" as opposed to just "engine revving"?
Not necessarily. It could mean looking for driver inputs. Steering wheel, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, etc. Things characteristic of actually being on the road.
FWIW if the emissions controls are controlled by software then disabling them to boost performance may be just as plausible a tactic for gasoline engines as diesel engines. Of course the payback may be smaller and so the risk/reward to an automaker may not tempt them so much. However some hobbyists may disable their emissions even for a minor performance boost when modifying their car.
It's especially difficult to clean NOx from diesel engine exhaust because unlike gasoline engines, the exhaust contains lots of extra oxygen. Diesels need special NOx-cleaning devices which add cost and weight, and can seriously limit performance in some situations.
No. It is no longer especially difficult because VW and other diesel makers have already solved this problem. Every cheating VW diesel on the road can have low polluting exhaust. The hardware and software is there, already installed and operating. That is how they pass emissions tests, the software enables all the emissions controls. How the software cheats is to turn off the emission controls if it looks like someone is actually driving.
The fix is a simple software patch to stop turning off the emissions controls.
The downside is that performance and mileage will be reduced.
I always thought it was intersection, not union. Perhaps I should submit a story about Roman manipular tactics during the late republican period?
Man did that sarcastic remark backfire. I am in fact both a computer nerd and a history nerd, happy to read classics like Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language" and Titus Livius' "The History of Rome". Well, the 2,000 pages of Livy's work that has been discovered. So feel free, submit your work.
Hack either means security breach, or an awful clusterfuck, as in hackjob.
No, among techies, "hack" has for decades also meant clever and innovative and unexpected solutions to a problem or want/need. Your security breach definition evolved from the preceding definition.
Not sure TV, cable, or movies are places to learn our history. And sadly, History Channel has fallen apart.
The HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" are pretty good from a historical perspective. Very respectable adaptations of books written by a well regarded historian who did great research or written by veterans themselves. Read them all plus Winters' book. Sledge's "With The Old Breed" was probably the standout for me among the veteran's books. Very well written, of course he had been a university professor for decades by the time he authored his book.
HBO's "The Tuskegee Airman" seemed a respectable attempt at telling that story. It may have been a little more fictionalized given its time constraints, more composite characters and coalescing of events for example, but it certainly seemed far better than the Lucas "Red Tails" mess from a historical perspective. "Red Tails" went from beyond dramatic license and into cartoonishness IMO.
Um, who is getting shot at in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere? Dumbass.
If I remember correctly, the annual death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan is roughly the same as... one day on Omaha Beach, or about six hours on the Eastern Front.
I grew up around a WW2 paratrooper, Normandy, Holland, Bastogne (frostbite), Germany (shot). According to him it didn't matter if the war is big or small, popular or unpopular. Bullets and shrapnel do the same thing to a soldier. Getting shot at is getting shot at, whether you are alone, one of ten, or one of a thousand. If you went into harms way for your country you deserve respect, period. That was his lesson during the Vietnam war. Can't imagine him having a different opinion for Iraq or Afghanistan. Especially since I've seen videos of troops from his unit, then 502 PIR now 502 INF, doing room clearing in an urban settings. Something he did in Europe and disliked very much.
The problem is that there is a significant minority of Muslims who are willing to kill to spread or defend (including against the slightest of insults) their interpretation of Islam. Historically moderates who were quite happy to interact and trade with non-Muslims would keep these guys in check. Moderates who in fact considered these fanatics Islamic heretics. This is not my interpretation. This is how members of the Saudi royal family explained things to TE Lawrence during the first world war. According to these Muslim royals once or twice a century these heretics would rise and have to be put down by the moderates who correctly understood Islam. Lawrence was then advised to travel in Bedouin clothing with a Muslim guard because if spotted by one of these fanatics he would be killed for nothing more than being a Christian in Muslim lands, even though he was under the protection of the Saudi King in Mecca.
Now if the billions of moderate Muslims would do something about the hundreds of thousands of fanatical heretical Muslims causing trouble, then the narrative about Muslims would change very quickly. Right now these fanatics are allowed to thrive and expand and dominate the news, to create the misperception of Islam. Its not Fox news creating this misperception, its these fanatics doing so. It would also be beneficial to moderate Muslims to do so not only to correct the public misperception but due to the fact that Muslims are far more often the victims of these fanatics than anyone else.
A modern twist on things, some of the modern heretics in Saudi Arabia have access to oil profits and being a bit smarter than some of their peers have taken a more low key and long term approach. They have taken a path of evangelism rather than direct action. For many decades now they have used these oil profits to build mosques and madrasas and support like minded imams to promote their heretical interpretation of Islam. While these "educational" efforts are not necessarily producing fanatics who take terroristic actions they have been increasing the percentage of Muslims who while not fanatical themselves are somewhat more tolerant of fanatical interpretations of Islam, considering such interpretation old fashioned but valid rather than heretical. Tolerance for the heretics has been increasing over the decades. Admittedly still a minority opinion but a disturbing trend. A trend that should disturb and motivate moderate Muslims to actions as well.
If anybody didn't see this coming with this kind of thing, they're hopelessly naive. When they brought this in people were saying this is exactly what would happen.
Doubly so since this was a United Nations scheme.
Here's an idea, let these same people, the United Nations, come up with an unpublished scheme for nuclear weapons inspections. Oh wait, we're already doing that.
What's the problem with selling dead baby parts? I could see there being a problem with killing the baby after it's born to get those parts, but otherwise, what exactly is your problem?
I believe women have the right to choose, however this issue has several problems. History and economics prove that you often get what is rewarded, and what is being reward here is parts. So Planned Parenthood has an incentive to produce parts. Back to the idea of women having a choice, abortion is one of several choices. Now if the people presenting the options to a woman have a financial interest in one of those options then that one option will be presented as the preferred option. In other words there will be a persuasive element by Planned Parenthood for the financially advantageous choice. Planned Parenthood is supposed to be a neutral party fully informing a woman of all her choices.
Plus there is the treatment. There are many ways to perform an abortion. The problem with selling parts is that Planned Parenthood has been choosing methods based on what will best produce sellable parts, to avoid damaging parts. The only considerations in choosing a method should be the woman's safety (avoiding damage that could impair reproduction in the future) and recovery (faster recovery time, fewer side effects). As a matter of fact federal regulations mandate this, selling parts can not be a consideration in choosing a method. Planned Parenthood seems guilty of violating these regulations.
Furthermore the negotiating of prices for parts, maximizing payment, is evidence that there was a profit motive not simply a recovery of harvesting costs. Harvesting costs would be a known cost to state to parts buyers.
Planned Parenthood needs some serious reforms and likely new leadership. To defend them in a case where there is absolutely wrongdoing is political zealotry. Wrong is wrong. Fix the problem, no financial gains for one particular choice.
Slashdot Mirror
If only France, the target of this terrorist attack, had some kind of elite military force composed (mostly) of foreigners... ;-)
The Legion is only necessary when the operation and its cost would be unpopular with the French public. I don't think any mission targeting ISIS would be very unpopular with the French. The entire French military is eligible for this one.
Just brainstorming here, but you think we could hire the Zetas Cartel to go after ISIS?
The Zeta Cartels are probably already keeping ISIS types away from the US border. The last thing they want is an ISIS type to infiltrate into the US across the southern border and get the US population interested in securing the border. The US southern border is safe. An ISIS type will come to the US on a student VISA from an EU country, or infiltrate the northern border after getting into Canada on a humanitarian basis.
You forgot to mention taking it to a rifle range for fun or competitive matches. Recreational shooting is legal in Switzerland. Like the US its sort of popular.
Why couldn't a submarine-hunting drone be a small craft, say, 10 feet long? Such a small craft would be an order of magnitude less expensive, and quicker to produce, than a 130-foot-long vessel.
Because of the equipment it needs to carry. A propulsion system with the speed and endurance to follow a submarine; now add the additional equipment and structure (vibration isolation, etc) to be silent. Acoustic and other sensor systems to detect a submarine at depth. Today's technology requires the preceding equipment to be a certain size.
The Irvine Company is a commercial company not the government. What Orange County taxes are you talking about?
Around here, The Irvine Company's power is such that it might as well be the government.
Worse, more like a homeowner's association, which kind of makes sense since they are nearly everyone's landlord. Here are the three acceptable shades of beige you may paint your buildings. Here are the two types of outdoor metal tables and chairs you have outside your restaurant. You may think I am joking ... but that just tells us you have not visited Irvine.
You don't think they'll get huge tax gifts? If not, then more power to them.
There are probably incentives from the local power company, also a private company not a government entity.
If there are tax breaks they would be state based, not county based, and would be little different from taxpayers subsidizing every solar panel a homeowner puts on their roof, etc.
"More power", yes. Because during peak hours where these batteries are going to be active is when buildings in Orange County have experience the occasional power outages. So reducing their draw during these hours is a benefit to the larger Orange County community.
In Switzerland it is a crime to carry a loaded firearm in public, except at a shooting range, unless you work in a security job and have been issued a permit. No conceal carry, no loaded carry, etc. Similarly, you can't store a loaded weapon. The safety culture is very strong, and people will turn you in for carrying or storing a loaded weapon. So is that what you are advocating for the US?
Background checks, safety training and safe storage are compatible with carry permits, owning semi autos with detachable magazines, the castle doctrine and various other red herrings that one might care to throw out. And to be clear the safety training does not need to be government run, a largely private system like hunter safety classes in most states would work just fine. Hell, the hunter safety classes are mostly general firearms safety so we basically have the private infrastructure already. Plus the fact that there is no shortage of classes/instructors that most gun stores refer people to.
Your example of Switzerland is flawed. While guns are ubiquitous in Switzerland, ammunition is not, especially for the government issued guns. For target practice with the government issues guns, one picks up the ammunition at the gun range and it is accounted for.
I am not referring to government issued guns at all. I am referring to privately purchased guns. That includes some formerly government owned guns that were demilitarized (full auto to semi, etc). Also the difference between military ammunition and civilian ammunition is often packaging. 7.62 and 5.56 NATO have very popular civilian counterparts. The military ammo working in civilian rifles, the civilian ammo working in military rifles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Switzerland
Yes I had already read that. That was the basis for comment regarding rifles that would be considered "assault weapons" in some uninformed circles.
Surprisingly, the percentage of people killed by guns in Mexico is only slightly higher than it is in the US ... and that's with all the drug cartels fighting it out in Mexico.
And many of those deaths in the US also involve the drug trade.
I am not a gun owner. I think gun ownership in general should be heavily restricted in this country, and most types of firearms should be banned outright. The only way to reduce gun violence in this country is to get rid of most guns. Less guns means less gun violence.
Two counterexamples to prove you wrong. Mexico. Switzerland.
In particular in Switzerland target shooting is popular. There are many semiautomatics with detachable magazines, something that would be considered an "assault weapon" is various misinformed circles. However what does Switzerland have. Proper background checks, proper safety training and proper safe storage for one. Secondly they don't have much in the way of poorly educated and hopeless.
So no, its not the guns. Guns are just scapegoats for failed educational and socioeconomic policies here in the U.S.
The NRA supports this... So these shootings are a win for them.
Actually the NRA is the premier organization for firearms safety instruction, both for civilians and law enforcement. Preventing such accidents is the NRA's primary mission. Political activism is a secondary thing forced upon them.
The NRA believes that all firearms owners should seek competent safety instruction when buying that first firearm. They certify instructors, develop training materials, etc. They just don't believe in a government run system for such training since state government could deprive a citizen of ownership by failing to provide instructors or materials for mandated classes. Such things have been done in the past.
Hell, such games are still occurring, note the closing of all department of motor vehicle offices in some "black" counties in alabama just as drivers licenses will be required to vote.
With registration you can still have guns, so what is the purpose you refer to? The "A well regulated Militia the" part? We have a national defence agency that doesn't rely on guys with muskets any more. I don't see a no registration clause to the amendment in any event.
Actually we do rely on the "militia" for national defense. The "unorganized" component of the federal militia basically consists of all able bodied men of military age. Its something entirely different from the national guard, the federal law defining it specifically says so. You are in it by being an american citizen that meets certain criteria. The is no enlistment, no signing up, you are born (or naturalized) into it. During times of national emergency you can be transferred from the federal militia to the army or navy reserve. In other words conscripted, drafted, into the military. Such conscription is a major option for national defense.
As for "muskets". The colonial militia members sometimes had state of the art firearms for the day, better than standard issue military firearms, i.e. rifles rather than muskets. Rifles having greater range and better accuracy.
As for "well regulated", the 18th century usage of the word was referring to being equipped and practiced sufficiently to be useful. Its not referring to government imposed restrictions regarding ownership. Note that "well regulated" does not necessarily mean showing up on the town commons for drills. Owning a rifle and using it for hunting was considered sufficient, hence the "unorganized" part of the federal militia that has absolutely no obligation to enlist, show up for practice or training, etc.
Basically this topic is far more complicated than most realize.
Sure. But it's not really news, is it?
Good thing we have the stuff that matters category too.
Perhaps you should include reading comprehension & logic in your awesomely broad range of studies, because nothing that you say invalidates my point that it isn't news.
Sorry, the reading comprehension and logic fails are entirely yours. That "stuff that matters" comment I made earlier. Guess where it comes from? Slashdot's self description: "Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters". Slashdot is widely characterized as a "science and technology" site. You are wrong that posts need to be news and you are wrong that its an intersection not a union.
As I mentioned elsewhere, its useful to point out to impressionable youth that the concept of "hacking" does not solely apply to computers and computer controlled devices. That elegant improvised solutions with materials at hand applies to a broad set of areas. So, this story is something that matters to nerds with respect to this notion and others.
This sounds like the required Federal testing for students. The Feds give out the information that children must know, and so the administration teaches the children that information.
Are you familiar with the FAA written exams for private pilots? Passing score is 70% and 80% of the questions are known ahead of time. These questions are from exams from previous years, unchanged, and these exams are available for study and practice. The 20% of questions that are "new", largely old questions with the given numbers changed.
Lets see how many people bring their VW in to have the ECU s/w updated. I mean without an EPA threat to brin them in or else. I'll bet that most people will weigh a little higher NOx emmissions against driving a gutless pig and not find time to get it in to the shop.
Their state could do it. Want to re-register your vehicle, show us your software update certificate. It could be another checkbox on the smog tests that many states require every year or two for registration.
How the software cheats is to turn off the emission controls if it looks like someone is actually driving.
Does that mean "wheels spinning" as opposed to just "engine revving"?
Not necessarily. It could mean looking for driver inputs. Steering wheel, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, etc. Things characteristic of actually being on the road.
FWIW if the emissions controls are controlled by software then disabling them to boost performance may be just as plausible a tactic for gasoline engines as diesel engines. Of course the payback may be smaller and so the risk/reward to an automaker may not tempt them so much. However some hobbyists may disable their emissions even for a minor performance boost when modifying their car.
It's especially difficult to clean NOx from diesel engine exhaust because unlike gasoline engines, the exhaust contains lots of extra oxygen. Diesels need special NOx-cleaning devices which add cost and weight, and can seriously limit performance in some situations.
No. It is no longer especially difficult because VW and other diesel makers have already solved this problem. Every cheating VW diesel on the road can have low polluting exhaust. The hardware and software is there, already installed and operating. That is how they pass emissions tests, the software enables all the emissions controls. How the software cheats is to turn off the emission controls if it looks like someone is actually driving.
The fix is a simple software patch to stop turning off the emissions controls.
The downside is that performance and mileage will be reduced.
I always thought it was intersection, not union. Perhaps I should submit a story about Roman manipular tactics during the late republican period?
Man did that sarcastic remark backfire. I am in fact both a computer nerd and a history nerd, happy to read classics like Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language" and Titus Livius' "The History of Rome". Well, the 2,000 pages of Livy's work that has been discovered. So feel free, submit your work.
Hack either means security breach, or an awful clusterfuck, as in hackjob.
No, among techies, "hack" has for decades also meant clever and innovative and unexpected solutions to a problem or want/need. Your security breach definition evolved from the preceding definition.
Sure. But it's not really news, is it?
Good thing we have the stuff that matters category too.
Not sure TV, cable, or movies are places to learn our history. And sadly, History Channel has fallen apart.
The HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" are pretty good from a historical perspective. Very respectable adaptations of books written by a well regarded historian who did great research or written by veterans themselves. Read them all plus Winters' book. Sledge's "With The Old Breed" was probably the standout for me among the veteran's books. Very well written, of course he had been a university professor for decades by the time he authored his book.
HBO's "The Tuskegee Airman" seemed a respectable attempt at telling that story. It may have been a little more fictionalized given its time constraints, more composite characters and coalescing of events for example, but it certainly seemed far better than the Lucas "Red Tails" mess from a historical perspective. "Red Tails" went from beyond dramatic license and into cartoonishness IMO.
Um, who is getting shot at in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere? Dumbass.
If I remember correctly, the annual death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan is roughly the same as... one day on Omaha Beach, or about six hours on the Eastern Front.
I grew up around a WW2 paratrooper, Normandy, Holland, Bastogne (frostbite), Germany (shot). According to him it didn't matter if the war is big or small, popular or unpopular. Bullets and shrapnel do the same thing to a soldier. Getting shot at is getting shot at, whether you are alone, one of ten, or one of a thousand. If you went into harms way for your country you deserve respect, period. That was his lesson during the Vietnam war. Can't imagine him having a different opinion for Iraq or Afghanistan. Especially since I've seen videos of troops from his unit, then 502 PIR now 502 INF, doing room clearing in an urban settings. Something he did in Europe and disliked very much.
The problem is that there is a significant minority of Muslims who are willing to kill to spread or defend (including against the slightest of insults) their interpretation of Islam. Historically moderates who were quite happy to interact and trade with non-Muslims would keep these guys in check. Moderates who in fact considered these fanatics Islamic heretics. This is not my interpretation. This is how members of the Saudi royal family explained things to TE Lawrence during the first world war. According to these Muslim royals once or twice a century these heretics would rise and have to be put down by the moderates who correctly understood Islam. Lawrence was then advised to travel in Bedouin clothing with a Muslim guard because if spotted by one of these fanatics he would be killed for nothing more than being a Christian in Muslim lands, even though he was under the protection of the Saudi King in Mecca.
Now if the billions of moderate Muslims would do something about the hundreds of thousands of fanatical heretical Muslims causing trouble, then the narrative about Muslims would change very quickly. Right now these fanatics are allowed to thrive and expand and dominate the news, to create the misperception of Islam. Its not Fox news creating this misperception, its these fanatics doing so. It would also be beneficial to moderate Muslims to do so not only to correct the public misperception but due to the fact that Muslims are far more often the victims of these fanatics than anyone else.
A modern twist on things, some of the modern heretics in Saudi Arabia have access to oil profits and being a bit smarter than some of their peers have taken a more low key and long term approach. They have taken a path of evangelism rather than direct action. For many decades now they have used these oil profits to build mosques and madrasas and support like minded imams to promote their heretical interpretation of Islam. While these "educational" efforts are not necessarily producing fanatics who take terroristic actions they have been increasing the percentage of Muslims who while not fanatical themselves are somewhat more tolerant of fanatical interpretations of Islam, considering such interpretation old fashioned but valid rather than heretical. Tolerance for the heretics has been increasing over the decades. Admittedly still a minority opinion but a disturbing trend. A trend that should disturb and motivate moderate Muslims to actions as well.
If anybody didn't see this coming with this kind of thing, they're hopelessly naive. When they brought this in people were saying this is exactly what would happen.
Doubly so since this was a United Nations scheme.
Here's an idea, let these same people, the United Nations, come up with an unpublished scheme for nuclear weapons inspections. Oh wait, we're already doing that.
What's the problem with selling dead baby parts? I could see there being a problem with killing the baby after it's born to get those parts, but otherwise, what exactly is your problem?
I believe women have the right to choose, however this issue has several problems. History and economics prove that you often get what is rewarded, and what is being reward here is parts. So Planned Parenthood has an incentive to produce parts. Back to the idea of women having a choice, abortion is one of several choices. Now if the people presenting the options to a woman have a financial interest in one of those options then that one option will be presented as the preferred option. In other words there will be a persuasive element by Planned Parenthood for the financially advantageous choice. Planned Parenthood is supposed to be a neutral party fully informing a woman of all her choices.
Plus there is the treatment. There are many ways to perform an abortion. The problem with selling parts is that Planned Parenthood has been choosing methods based on what will best produce sellable parts, to avoid damaging parts. The only considerations in choosing a method should be the woman's safety (avoiding damage that could impair reproduction in the future) and recovery (faster recovery time, fewer side effects). As a matter of fact federal regulations mandate this, selling parts can not be a consideration in choosing a method. Planned Parenthood seems guilty of violating these regulations.
Furthermore the negotiating of prices for parts, maximizing payment, is evidence that there was a profit motive not simply a recovery of harvesting costs. Harvesting costs would be a known cost to state to parts buyers.
Planned Parenthood needs some serious reforms and likely new leadership. To defend them in a case where there is absolutely wrongdoing is political zealotry. Wrong is wrong. Fix the problem, no financial gains for one particular choice.