Shocked I say! To think politicians believe they're above the laws they write! Next thing you'll be telling me is that they rearrange voting districts to prevent them from losing elections...
DCI - Director, Central Intelligence DDCI - Deputy Director, Central Intelligence USCINCPAC - Are you sure it's not USNCINCPAC? USN would be US Navy, CINC is Commander in Chief, PAC is Pacific Fleet.
The US Navy is reknowned for it's NAVSPECMILSPEAK.
Like I said, 20 years or more ago, you would have been right, but now there are too many here who are more afraid of ourselves than of any attackers. And do you really think China would sit back and allow NK to be nuked, if it meant irradiating a chunk of their farmland or their industrial base? Or that Russia or France would sit back and allow their bestest buds in Iran be nuked? Regardless of how much we would see ourselves in the right, if possible, there's no way the "international community" would go along with our counterstrike. Too many countries would be threatened by our "indiscriminate" use of nukes in retaliation. There would be carefully crafted communiques sent to our surviving government from those nuclear powers which would warn against "overreaction".
Believe it, we don't live in the 60's anymore, our world (and our "elites") are more "nuanced" now. The shades of gray people have taken over, and we're weaker for it.
You are exactly right, there will be enormous political pressure against the US retaliating for any nuclear attack against us. There will be demands from other nuclear powers for "calm" and for "rational response" and "understanding of the reasons" for the attack. Our own political system will work to prevent nuclear retaliation, since half of the government is against anything the other half wants to do.
Basically, 20 years ago the idea of massive US retaliation against a nuclear attack was possible, but now we're a paper tiger. There's no way the Congress would authorize the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, and any President who did use them would be impeached if the US survived the counterattack from the other nuclear powers.
...if you remember in the 90s we had mass issues with smog and dirty air in cities, surely hasn't improved any and cleaning up vechiles would do it a lot of good.
I remember in the 80's the air in cities was even dirtier, and I remember in the 70's the air was dirtier still, and I even remember in the 60's when the air in cities could choke a horse (literally). I remember when the Cuyahoga river caught fire. I remember when nothing lived in Lake Erie. In short, I remember a much worse world than you, because I was around when it was worse.
Anti-pollution laws, education, and companies realizing they could make a buck off of being "clean" has improved our air and water over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, this means that the rationale for the existence of pollution fighters has been reduced, and so there is a vested interest in defining the world as "the worst ever" in order to justify the continued existence of the environmental lobby. If the air and water are cleaner, goes the story, then by all means we need stronger anti-pollution laws, to the point where the EPA is demanding that soil be cleaned of dioxins to levels less than what naturally occurs, and arsenic be removed from water even though it naturally leaches from rocks.
It's taken a few decades of living, but I've learned not to "buy the hype" from anyone, especially not from anyone who predicts disaster from not following their advice or demands.
Now Disney movies will be sleek, easy to interface with, and pleasing to the eye! Disney toys will contain no small parts that could be snapped off! Disney rides will be stable, boring, and free of malfunction!
Unfortunately it also means that no one will go to see Disney movies anymore, except for a vocal minority that claim the movies are better than any others. And the majority of critics will pan the new Disney movies as being too expensive and obviously inferior to the more popular studios' movies.
There used to be an American culture, that was taught in schools and in media. It was called different things, "civics", "social studies", "history", and others. It was like the air, everyone knew what it was, immigrants picked it up and passed it along to their kids, and people believed it was worth passing on and defending.
Now, not so much. Unfortunately, I'm too damned old to stop believing in American culture, my history, my beliefs, my fellow Americans. I'm also too damned old to continue fighting to preserve it, if people like you can only see the bad in American culture. You're all younger and stronger than I am, and your beliefs will prevail, and you will bring about the end of American culture. I wonder what your kids will believe in, if anything...
Just don't harrass me if I hang a flag on the 4th, or thank a vet for fighting for me, or try to depend on myself instead of some faceless Federal bureaucracy. Remember, I'll be gone before you will, so any annoyance I cause by my stupid adherence to "the world's nightmare" will be short-lived.
BTW, in my opinion, season one ROCKED! So far, season two is boring. Too much story, not enough action. Looking ahead at the plot summaries, upcoming episodes may have more action. I hope so.
The Tachikoma skits appear at the end of each episode on the DVD, just like they did during the original Japanese broadcasts. Most of the time they are humorous takes on the events of the episodes they follow, but sometimes they really go off the end. Supposedly they take place in a virtual world where they are sharing data after the end of their missions. And they've continued them on the GitS:SAC:2nd Gig DVDs, as well.
It really matters to me that the Gallileo-equipped Airbus passenger jet I'm riding in can navigate US airspace safely, even if the EU gets into a snit over US foreign policy.
The point is, what assurances can the EU give that they won't behave like the US, and why should we believe them?
Not to mention that it won't be turned off or degraded in times of war, or on the whim of one country's military - quite a necessity for a technology that people and corporations will come to rely on more and more.
And we know this how, exactly? The EU has "assured" us that they won't be as petty, vindictive, and politically motivated as the US, even if the US does something the EU doesn't approve of?
Will they cheerfully sell centimeter-accurate receivers to all buyers, even Iran and North Korea?
...because I don't think there is any bird alive today that doesn't fly away the minute we get anywhere near them, no matter how large.
Go ahead, screw with an owl nest or eagle nest. I'd make sure your insurance is up to date before you do.
I was parking my car in a lot where a pair of Canada geese were nesting, and as soon as the car stopped, the male came towards it, honking and wings flapping, preparing to attack. I decided to avoid stressing them out, and parked further away.
Plus my car is so old, I'm not sure the gander would have lost...
Slashdot Mirror
Shocked I say! To think politicians believe they're above the laws they write! Next thing you'll be telling me is that they rearrange voting districts to prevent them from losing elections...
And of course all the New Agers will be saying "See? We told you!"
Oh, and don't forget, in Star Treknolgy, three warp engines is bad, but two or four is good.
Just like numbering the movies...
And you think so 3-dimensional. I'll take a hypercube...
You gotta be careful with those. You think refolding a roadmap is tricky...
I refolded my hypercube in the wrong order and ended up in Poughkeepsie in 1878. That was embarrassing.
If I used an iPalm as an eBook reader, could I read the iPalm and predict the future?
Not sure about INR, but
DCI - Director, Central Intelligence
DDCI - Deputy Director, Central Intelligence
USCINCPAC - Are you sure it's not USNCINCPAC? USN would be US Navy, CINC is Commander in Chief, PAC is Pacific Fleet.
The US Navy is reknowned for it's NAVSPECMILSPEAK.
Wasn't there a memo about that?
Like I said, 20 years or more ago, you would have been right, but now there are too many here who are more afraid of ourselves than of any attackers. And do you really think China would sit back and allow NK to be nuked, if it meant irradiating a chunk of their farmland or their industrial base? Or that Russia or France would sit back and allow their bestest buds in Iran be nuked? Regardless of how much we would see ourselves in the right, if possible, there's no way the "international community" would go along with our counterstrike. Too many countries would be threatened by our "indiscriminate" use of nukes in retaliation. There would be carefully crafted communiques sent to our surviving government from those nuclear powers which would warn against "overreaction".
Believe it, we don't live in the 60's anymore, our world (and our "elites") are more "nuanced" now. The shades of gray people have taken over, and we're weaker for it.
I wish I had mod points.
You are exactly right, there will be enormous political pressure against the US retaliating for any nuclear attack against us. There will be demands from other nuclear powers for "calm" and for "rational response" and "understanding of the reasons" for the attack. Our own political system will work to prevent nuclear retaliation, since half of the government is against anything the other half wants to do.
Basically, 20 years ago the idea of massive US retaliation against a nuclear attack was possible, but now we're a paper tiger. There's no way the Congress would authorize the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, and any President who did use them would be impeached if the US survived the counterattack from the other nuclear powers.
...if you remember in the 90s we had mass issues with smog and dirty air in cities, surely hasn't improved any and cleaning up vechiles would do it a lot of good.
I remember in the 80's the air in cities was even dirtier, and I remember in the 70's the air was dirtier still, and I even remember in the 60's when the air in cities could choke a horse (literally). I remember when the Cuyahoga river caught fire. I remember when nothing lived in Lake Erie. In short, I remember a much worse world than you, because I was around when it was worse.
Anti-pollution laws, education, and companies realizing they could make a buck off of being "clean" has improved our air and water over the past 30 years. Unfortunately, this means that the rationale for the existence of pollution fighters has been reduced, and so there is a vested interest in defining the world as "the worst ever" in order to justify the continued existence of the environmental lobby. If the air and water are cleaner, goes the story, then by all means we need stronger anti-pollution laws, to the point where the EPA is demanding that soil be cleaned of dioxins to levels less than what naturally occurs, and arsenic be removed from water even though it naturally leaches from rocks.
It's taken a few decades of living, but I've learned not to "buy the hype" from anyone, especially not from anyone who predicts disaster from not following their advice or demands.
Then my job here is done!
Thanks for the comments everyone, it's both comforting and disturbing that others share my twisted sense of humor!
^___^
Man, it would be great to add a recording of whale hork to one of those insipid 80's "Songs of the Whale" collections...
"And now we will record the haunting sounds of these gentle***HOOOOOOOORRRRRKKKK***Splat*** Dear God in Heaven, what was *that*?"
What a boon this will be to those anime fansub groups who can't find decent translators, or at least translators who aren't overworked.
Ted Williams is Zaphod Beeblebrox?
Now Disney movies will be sleek, easy to interface with, and pleasing to the eye! Disney toys will contain no small parts that could be snapped off! Disney rides will be stable, boring, and free of malfunction!
Unfortunately it also means that no one will go to see Disney movies anymore, except for a vocal minority that claim the movies are better than any others. And the majority of critics will pan the new Disney movies as being too expensive and obviously inferior to the more popular studios' movies.
I wonder if they would sell MickeyMacs?
^___^
You beat me to it.
And it's "Debris Section," thank you very much!
^=====^
There used to be an American culture, that was taught in schools and in media. It was called different things, "civics", "social studies", "history", and others. It was like the air, everyone knew what it was, immigrants picked it up and passed it along to their kids, and people believed it was worth passing on and defending.
Now, not so much. Unfortunately, I'm too damned old to stop believing in American culture, my history, my beliefs, my fellow Americans. I'm also too damned old to continue fighting to preserve it, if people like you can only see the bad in American culture. You're all younger and stronger than I am, and your beliefs will prevail, and you will bring about the end of American culture. I wonder what your kids will believe in, if anything...
Just don't harrass me if I hang a flag on the 4th, or thank a vet for fighting for me, or try to depend on myself instead of some faceless Federal bureaucracy. Remember, I'll be gone before you will, so any annoyance I cause by my stupid adherence to "the world's nightmare" will be short-lived.
that France was looking to invent a "circular transportation facilitation device." Could I get someone to confirm that?
I heard about it, I think they're calling it "la roue."
All Capitalist Warmongering "companies" are Running-dog Lackeys of the Imperialist Western Military-Industrial Complex.
Boy, you sure didn't pay enough attention in Dialectics, huh?
BTW, in my opinion, season one ROCKED! So far, season two is boring. Too much story, not enough action. Looking ahead at the plot summaries, upcoming episodes may have more action. I hope so.
Hang on to your hat...
The Tachikoma skits appear at the end of each episode on the DVD, just like they did during the original Japanese broadcasts. Most of the time they are humorous takes on the events of the episodes they follow, but sometimes they really go off the end. Supposedly they take place in a virtual world where they are sharing data after the end of their missions. And they've continued them on the GitS:SAC:2nd Gig DVDs, as well.
It really matters to me that the Gallileo-equipped Airbus passenger jet I'm riding in can navigate US airspace safely, even if the EU gets into a snit over US foreign policy.
The point is, what assurances can the EU give that they won't behave like the US, and why should we believe them?
And we know this how, exactly? The EU has "assured" us that they won't be as petty, vindictive, and politically motivated as the US, even if the US does something the EU doesn't approve of?
Will they cheerfully sell centimeter-accurate receivers to all buyers, even Iran and North Korea?
...because I don't think there is any bird alive today that doesn't fly away the minute we get anywhere near them, no matter how large.
Go ahead, screw with an owl nest or eagle nest. I'd make sure your insurance is up to date before you do.
I was parking my car in a lot where a pair of Canada geese were nesting, and as soon as the car stopped, the male came towards it, honking and wings flapping, preparing to attack. I decided to avoid stressing them out, and parked further away.
Plus my car is so old, I'm not sure the gander would have lost...
Don't forget the Carlin Correlary:
"Nail together two things that have never been nailed together before, and some schmuck will buy it."
Words to make money by...