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  4. The US as a banana republic

The US as a banana republic

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  • S Stan Shannon

    oilFactotum wrote:

    What defines such a republic? How about an executive that ignores the rule of law, commits war-crimes and then destroys the actual evidence?"

    And who will peacefully step down in another year and be subject to any investigations congress wishes to initiate. So your little 'simile' is as retarded as everything else you and Andrew typically yap about. If all you lefties want to impeach a president for defending the nation than you should grow some testicles and do it.

    The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

    I Offline
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    IamChrisMcCall
    wrote on last edited by
    #17

    We are doing it, we're starting with Cheney. Be careful what you wish for. And stop insinuating that being a liberal indicates some lack of manliness, it's ridiculous.

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    • B BoneSoft

      The one case that really talks about is Padilla. And his legal team seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture. And if that can be considered torture, I should be able to sue the bank and the DMV for making me stand in line.


      Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

      I Offline
      I Offline
      IamChrisMcCall
      wrote on last edited by
      #18

      BoneSoft wrote:

      And his legal team seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture.

      Sensory or sleep deprivation is torture. So are enforced stress positions. You know this, but you pretend it's no big deal to ease your conscience. If those techniques were not torture, why would they be used to extract information? Making someone slightly uncomfortable is not going to accomplish anything and you know that, too. But, sure, it's like being at the DMV. Whatever helps you get through the day as a torturer by proxy. Be careful, though, torture breaks down the torturer as surely as it breaks down the victim.

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      • B BoneSoft

        The one case that really talks about is Padilla. And his legal team seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture. And if that can be considered torture, I should be able to sue the bank and the DMV for making me stand in line.


        Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

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        O Offline
        oilFactotum
        wrote on last edited by
        #19

        BoneSoft wrote:

        seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture.

        They don't just 'seem to think it'. They are crimes under US law.

        BoneSoft wrote:

        I should be able to sue the bank and the DMV for making me stand in line.

        X| I honestly hope you don't really believe that.

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        • S Stan Shannon

          oilFactotum wrote:

          Doesn't excuse him for an instant. I'm not suprised that you somehow think it does.

          If he isn't impeached, he doesn't need an excuse.

          oilFactotum wrote:

          Unfortunately that is exactly what he is not doing.

          Fortunantely, no one elected you or Andrew to have a say in defining what is necessary for defense.

          The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

          O Offline
          O Offline
          oilFactotum
          wrote on last edited by
          #20

          Stan Shannon wrote:

          he doesn't need an excuse.

          He has no excuse. He broke US law, he did it in secret and destroyed the evidence.

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          • B BoneSoft

            First off you're wrong. Replace "WMD's" with "atomic weapons" and you're correct. But... Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives. They'll tell you that the Japanese government would not have stopped until every man woman and child had died fighting. They'll tell you it was probably the only way to end the war. It was horrible and disgusting, but circumstances are important to consider. I won't say it was the best decision, I wouldn't want to have to make it, but it may have been the only recourse, and may have even been the right move. And though far removed, I may have been touched by it more than most critics I've met that like to throw that around. My mother in law died as a result of the Nagasaki bomb. She was stuffed into a stone oven shortly before the blast, and died of a rare cancer years later.


            Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

            I Offline
            I Offline
            IamChrisMcCall
            wrote on last edited by
            #21

            BoneSoft wrote:

            Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives.

            You've got to be kidding me. Saved lives, maybe, but we dropped those bombs on civilian targets. The nation of Japan has been in a state of cultural mourning for the victims of the attack ever since it happened.

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            • B BoneSoft

              First off you're wrong. Replace "WMD's" with "atomic weapons" and you're correct. But... Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives. They'll tell you that the Japanese government would not have stopped until every man woman and child had died fighting. They'll tell you it was probably the only way to end the war. It was horrible and disgusting, but circumstances are important to consider. I won't say it was the best decision, I wouldn't want to have to make it, but it may have been the only recourse, and may have even been the right move. And though far removed, I may have been touched by it more than most critics I've met that like to throw that around. My mother in law died as a result of the Nagasaki bomb. She was stuffed into a stone oven shortly before the blast, and died of a rare cancer years later.


              Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

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              O Offline
              oilFactotum
              wrote on last edited by
              #22

              BoneSoft wrote:

              First off you're wrong. Replace "WMD's" with "atomic weapons" and you're correct.

              I'm curious about your meaning. If atomic weapons are not WMD's then nothing is.

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              • I IamChrisMcCall

                BoneSoft wrote:

                Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives.

                You've got to be kidding me. Saved lives, maybe, but we dropped those bombs on civilian targets. The nation of Japan has been in a state of cultural mourning for the victims of the attack ever since it happened.

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                CataclysmicQuantum
                wrote on last edited by
                #23

                IamChrisMcCall wrote:

                we dropped those bombs on civilian targets

                They are part of the war machine, they are the foundation of it.

                Word, write letters and sh*t yo.

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                • I IamChrisMcCall

                  We are doing it, we're starting with Cheney. Be careful what you wish for. And stop insinuating that being a liberal indicates some lack of manliness, it's ridiculous.

                  S Offline
                  S Offline
                  Stan Shannon
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #24

                  Being all talk and no walk is typically considered a lack of manliness. Go ahead and impeach them for defending the nation, I have nothing to lose from that. If they are guilty they should be impeached, if they are not it will destroy the democrat party. Either way, I win.

                  The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

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                  • O oilFactotum

                    Stan Shannon wrote:

                    he doesn't need an excuse.

                    He has no excuse. He broke US law, he did it in secret and destroyed the evidence.

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    Stan Shannon
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #25

                    So impeach him. Whats the problem?

                    The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

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                    • 7 73Zeppelin

                      And when the U.S. economy melts-down, you'll have the economics of one too. Bush may be a war President, but he certainly isn't an economics President...


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                      L Offline
                      Lost User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #26

                      The World Bank is considering whether to make a huge loan to India in rupees rather than dollars. This is unlikely to inspire confidence in the US Dollar http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7133184.stm[^]

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                      • I IamChrisMcCall

                        BoneSoft wrote:

                        Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives.

                        You've got to be kidding me. Saved lives, maybe, but we dropped those bombs on civilian targets. The nation of Japan has been in a state of cultural mourning for the victims of the attack ever since it happened.

                        S Offline
                        S Offline
                        Stan Shannon
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #27

                        So FDR and Truman were at least as evil as Bush?

                        The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

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                        • I IamChrisMcCall

                          BoneSoft wrote:

                          And his legal team seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture.

                          Sensory or sleep deprivation is torture. So are enforced stress positions. You know this, but you pretend it's no big deal to ease your conscience. If those techniques were not torture, why would they be used to extract information? Making someone slightly uncomfortable is not going to accomplish anything and you know that, too. But, sure, it's like being at the DMV. Whatever helps you get through the day as a torturer by proxy. Be careful, though, torture breaks down the torturer as surely as it breaks down the victim.

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                          B Offline
                          BoneSoft
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #28

                          Some have argued that being nice to people is the best way to extract information. By your definition, does that make being nice to people torture? Or does any method of extracting information constitute torture? Does that make it wrong to extract information at all? Give me a break. Even with sleep and sensory deprivation and stress enforced positions, they're more comfortable than your every day homeless person. I sleep just fine knowing that that's happening to people that want me dead.


                          Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

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                          • O oilFactotum

                            BoneSoft wrote:

                            seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture.

                            They don't just 'seem to think it'. They are crimes under US law.

                            BoneSoft wrote:

                            I should be able to sue the bank and the DMV for making me stand in line.

                            X| I honestly hope you don't really believe that.

                            B Offline
                            B Offline
                            BoneSoft
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #29

                            Come on, I'll agree with you that water boarding can be considered torture, but sleep and sensory deprivation? That happens in prison daily and nobody has a problem with it. Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly.


                            Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

                            O 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • I IamChrisMcCall

                              BoneSoft wrote:

                              And his legal team seems to think that "sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation & enforced stress positions" constitutes torture.

                              Sensory or sleep deprivation is torture. So are enforced stress positions. You know this, but you pretend it's no big deal to ease your conscience. If those techniques were not torture, why would they be used to extract information? Making someone slightly uncomfortable is not going to accomplish anything and you know that, too. But, sure, it's like being at the DMV. Whatever helps you get through the day as a torturer by proxy. Be careful, though, torture breaks down the torturer as surely as it breaks down the victim.

                              B Offline
                              B Offline
                              BoneSoft
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #30

                              Yep, after reading that again, as written you are saying that torture is the only way to extract information. And if that were true I'd say torture the crap out of them. But if that were true, anybody that hands you a form to fill out or asks you what time it is is torturing you. I suspect that wasn't your intent, but what you write is all I've got to go on, and you definitely see things from a different perspective than I do so I don't dare guess at your meaning.


                              Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

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                              • I IamChrisMcCall

                                BoneSoft wrote:

                                Ask virtually any Japanese about that and they'll tell you that it was justified and it almost certainly saved lives.

                                You've got to be kidding me. Saved lives, maybe, but we dropped those bombs on civilian targets. The nation of Japan has been in a state of cultural mourning for the victims of the attack ever since it happened.

                                B Offline
                                B Offline
                                BoneSoft
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #31

                                Yes they make it a point to always remember, but more in the context of 'this is what happens when we do horrible things to other people'. And they still recognize that it was probably the only thing that would have ended the war.


                                Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

                                I 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • S Stan Shannon

                                  So impeach him. Whats the problem?

                                  The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

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                                  O Offline
                                  oilFactotum
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #32

                                  When did you come up with the quaint notion that I am the House of Representatives?

                                  S 1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • B BoneSoft

                                    Come on, I'll agree with you that water boarding can be considered torture, but sleep and sensory deprivation? That happens in prison daily and nobody has a problem with it. Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly.


                                    Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

                                    O Offline
                                    O Offline
                                    oilFactotum
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #33

                                    BoneSoft wrote:

                                    water boarding can be considered torture,

                                    Not 'can be considered', it is torture. The other two, I'm not going to research whether or not they are considered torture, but they are both illegal under US law as I stated, so it doesn't matter that they rise to the level of torture.

                                    BoneSoft wrote:

                                    Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly.

                                    No, they aren't. And like I said before, I can't believe you actually believe that.

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                                    • O oilFactotum

                                      When did you come up with the quaint notion that I am the House of Representatives?

                                      S Offline
                                      S Offline
                                      Stan Shannon
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #34

                                      What do you think the term "representative" means?

                                      The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

                                      O 1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • O oilFactotum

                                        BoneSoft wrote:

                                        water boarding can be considered torture,

                                        Not 'can be considered', it is torture. The other two, I'm not going to research whether or not they are considered torture, but they are both illegal under US law as I stated, so it doesn't matter that they rise to the level of torture.

                                        BoneSoft wrote:

                                        Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly.

                                        No, they aren't. And like I said before, I can't believe you actually believe that.

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        Stan Shannon
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #35

                                        oilFactotum wrote:

                                        but they are both illegal under US law as I stated

                                        So lets change the that law. Stupid laws need to change.

                                        The only conspiracies that concern me are the ones I am completely unaware of. By the time I find out about it, its probably a done deal. Nothing in the entire universe is more useless than morality without authority. A morality free of hypocrisy is no morality at all.

                                        B O 2 Replies Last reply
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                                        • O oilFactotum

                                          BoneSoft wrote:

                                          water boarding can be considered torture,

                                          Not 'can be considered', it is torture. The other two, I'm not going to research whether or not they are considered torture, but they are both illegal under US law as I stated, so it doesn't matter that they rise to the level of torture.

                                          BoneSoft wrote:

                                          Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly.

                                          No, they aren't. And like I said before, I can't believe you actually believe that.

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                                          B Offline
                                          BoneSoft
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #36

                                          oilFactotum wrote:

                                          they are both illegal under US law as I stated

                                          I've never heard of any law against them, which granted doesn't mean much, but sensory deprivation is done in every prison in the country every day. And sleep deprivation is on page 1 on the interrogation manual, sensory deprivation is on the cover. You may be right, and if so I'd like to know, but I have a hard time believing it. But I certainly wouldn't consider them torture, they're not harmed, have no permanent effects, and there's no chance of them dieing from it. If you want information from bad guys, and smacking them around isn't OK, what other option do you have? You do want information from bad guys don't you?

                                          oilFactotum wrote:

                                          BoneSoft wrote: Anybody with a child under 2 is subjected to that, constantly. No, they aren't. And like I said before, I can't believe you actually believe that.

                                          Spend 3 - 4 hours in the dark every night with a baby on your shoulder. 4 hours of sleep every single day for months on end is pretty serious sleep deprivation. I think I'd rather be forced to stay awake for 3 or 4 days in a small empty room while being asked the same questions over and over again than go through that again. That would probably be healthier too.


                                          Try code model generation tools at BoneSoft.com.

                                          B O 2 Replies Last reply
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