Politics

[ActionBob]

Huh..Guess I must have missed something..LOL

Crickets

Am I the only one?

www.africahunting.com

 

[ActionBob]

So back to business - what of the Middle East? Without a five page essay, what is the most likely outcome over the next two years or so? Personally I think the Israel-Hamas war has opened a lot of eyes in the Middle East; sabre rattling is fine until you go too far and then you face the music. I doubt anyone in the world doubts Israel’s resolve, they were threatened with annhialation and they are not going to be annhialated, thank you very much. Just how far would they go to defend themselves? All the way I think, and they are no minor power. Hamas will be totally defeated shortly, but what does the ‘day after’ look like?

And you expect that to be answered in 4 1/2 pages?

 

[Hunt anything]

Looks like us conservative minded people don’t have much to choose from in the upcoming primaries. This truly SUCKS, probably good news for the always Trumpers. I’ll vote in the primary for down ballet people but not Trump. In November in the general, like I’ve said before I’ll vote for him and then feel sick for about a week.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

I’ll vote in the primary for down ballet people but not Trump. In November in the general, like I’ve said before I’ll vote for him and then feel sick for about a week.

I agree! While The Donald is far from my favorite politician, we conservatives must band together and vote for the lesser of evils.

Otherwise, what will the USA be with the ultra left at the helm for another four years?

Please, please, please think about this.

 

[Red Leg]

So back to business - what of the Middle East? Without a five page essay, what is the most likely outcome over the next two years or so? Personally I think the Israel-Hamas war has opened a lot of eyes in the Middle East; sabre rattling is fine until you go too far and then you face the music. I doubt anyone in the world doubts Israel’s resolve, they were threatened with annhialation and they are not going to be annhialated, thank you very much. Just how far would they go to defend themselves? All the way I think, and they are no minor power. Hamas will be totally defeated shortly, but what does the ‘day after’ look like?

I guess I am somewhat more of a pessimist Kevin with respect to Israel's long term hopes for enduring normalized relations with its neighbors. I agree, that they will have dealt a major blow to the Hamas organization. But Hamas is just the latest Palestinian guerrilla movement to emerge from the founding of the state of Israel. I suspect Gaza will be quiescent for a time as the NGO's move in to start the rebuilding process. But how many new radical "soldiers" are being created by everyone of those collateral casualties caused by dropping thousand pound bombs in an area the size of Manhattan with almost twice the population? And make no mistake, there are thousands - no tens of thousands, of newly embittered children, husbands, and fathers in Gaza.

The most dangerous non-state threat is Hezbollah. They have suffered no meaningful casualties, and Iran seems content to maintain them for the moment as a source of influence and constant menace on Israel's northern border. Like a running sore, they will remain a drain on Israel's resources and because of their sophisticated missile stocks, a far greater strategic threat than Hamas.

Though Israel has made progress with many of its Arab neighbors, and hopefully the detente with Saudi Arabia will continue when the current operations conclude - if they ever do. They have no real answer for Iran. Unlike the IDF airstrikes against Iraq, Israel can't range anything that really matters inside Iran. Israel does indeed have a nuclear arsenal, but ............

Israel is benefiting to some extent from the Syrian civil war. But when that concludes, whoever emerges as in charge, what is the likelihood of it not again becoming Israel's most implacable Arab foe?

Population dynamics are another ticking time bomb. The 2024 birth rate for Israel is expected to be roughly 19 births per one thousand people with a total population of 9 million. Arab states have different metrics. Egypt , Israel's largest neighbor, has a population of around 113 million with a birth rate per one thousand of 23. The difference isn't vast but over time is inexorable.

Finally, Israel should be very, very concerned about shifting attitudes in the West and particularly the US. Western guilt over the Holocaust is fast dying if not already on life support. Millennials seem to be singularly ignorant with respect to history, and certainly you would search far and wide to find one that feels the remotest sense of responsibility for Israel. That will quickly spread into government as the last of the Boomers fade away.

I have made this comparison before, but the historical similarities to the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem seem profound and cautionary to me. Jewish or not, both represent tiny enclaves of Euro-western culture tacked onto the edge of a vast continent of Islamic belief. The Crusader Kingdom survived for almost 200 years. It maintained control of Jerusalem for just under 100 of those years. Israel has thus far managed just under a hundred with enormous US support.

 

[Red Leg]

And you expect that to be answered in 4 1/2 pages?

Lol, would indeed be the basis for a pretty good dissertation.

 

[Hunt anything]

I agree! While The Donald is far from my favorite politician, we conservatives must band together and vote for the lesser of evils.

Otherwise, what will the USA be with the ultra left at the helm for another four years?

Please, please, please think about this.

I agree with you Mark but with me living in Alabama a very Trump state a non vote for Trump doesn’t really matter but in a contested state like Georgia it is a whole other kettle of fish, but only in the general, nothing is going to stop Trump from being the nominee except Trump. I don’t think his legal troubles will even derail his nomination.
We do need to band together in the general and elect good conservative people and try and turn this great country around.

 

[mdwest]

I guess I am somewhat more of a pessimist Kevin with respect to Israel's long term hopes for enduring normalized relations with its neighbors. I agree, that they will have dealt a major blow to the Hamas organization. But Hamas is just the latest Palestinian guerrilla movement to emerge from the founding of the state of Israel. I suspect Gaza will be quiescent for a time as the NGO's move in to start the rebuilding process. But how many new radical "soldiers" are being created by everyone of those collateral casualties caused by dropping thousand pound bombs in an area the size of Manhattan with almost twice the population? And make no mistake, there are thousands - no tens of thousands, of newly embittered children, husbands, and fathers in Gaza.

The most dangerous non-state threat is Hezbollah. They have suffered no meaningful casualties, and Iran seems content to maintain them for the moment as a source of influence and constant menace on Israel's northern border. Like a running sore, they will remain a drain on Israel's resources and because of their sophisticated missile stocks, a far greater strategic threat than Hamas.

Steel on target... this is 100% correct..

We (my firm) have had people living/working in Jordan and Lebanon for a very long time, working directly with various Palestinian organizations on behalf of the US Govt..

Talk to the typical Palestinian woman walking down the street.. she'll tell you that it is her DUTY.. her OBLIGATION to bear children and to raise the next generation of "freedom fighters" against "the jew"..

While every single palestinian woman certainly does not prescribe to this mindset.. the truth is A LOT of them do.. it is simply part of the culture... its what they know, how they have been raised, and is the standard that they are held accountable to by their families, their friends, their co-workers, their church, etc..etc..

While Hamas has been beat down significantly already.. the name of the organization that "leads" the palestinians in Gaza may change.. but the mindset and the culture very likely will not..

Remember.. the Palestinians admit they are their own worst enemies.. there is a reason the king of jordan has killed FAR more Palestinians than the Israelis have... there is a reason Egypt hasnt opened their doors and allowed a flood of refugees in.. while Hezbollah has a firm grip on infrastructure and much of the government of Lebanon... there is a reason Lebanon hasnt opened its doors either..

the Palestinians are not only internally divided (shia vs sunni over simplifies the division.. but is foundational to it ).. they also as a people refuse to assimilate.. and demand self governance, even when other countries.. bring 1M palestinians here and let them all live in one city.. and we'll have the same problem here.. it has nothing to do with "Israel".. within a decade they will demand that they not only control the municipal govt and laws.. but that none of the state or federal laws apply to them and that they have their own system of governance they will adhere to..

Modern society and modern warfare do not allow for or condone genocide in any way...

But until the Palestinians decide there is a better way to reach their goals than the path they have been following for the entirety of modern history.. nothing short of genocide is going to change much..

So.. back to the point above... Hamas may (or may not) cease to exist when this is finally all over.. but the problem will remain.. it will just have a new name.. and in 10-20 years once they have recovered their economy a bit and had the time to grow a new generation of young people willing to be martyrs and stockpile some weapon again.. we'll see the same thing play out again.. either in Israel, or Jordan, or Egypt, or Lebanon.. or anywhere else there are large groups of Palestinians living together..

 

[Hunt anything]

What’s other’s opinions on the primaries? They seem to becoming somewhat irrelevant to me, if many of the people that are somewhat competitive drop out after only one caucus and no state primaries. It seems to me some should stay in at least until Super Tuesday. This is just my opinion and am curious how others feel.

 

[Red Leg]

Participating in the uniparty and calling it apple pie is just one of the myriad toxic behaviors of the worst generation yet: boomers. Greed and ennui focused their attention squarely upon themselves, trashing our once great nation along the way. Now their fear and loathing shapes our days, but not necessarily our future. I for one advocate for abandonment of anything that props up the uniparty. And I call out what I notice. I boycott, denounce, and sanction. For the loathing boomers, I have a question: If the rule you have followed has led you to this, of what use was the rule?

Normally I would ignore a post like this, but I take some exception to it and you did ask a question.

First of all the post reads like sloganeering - the sort of broad brush nonsense that makes its way into various movements to be repeated without any real understanding - like a some sort of catechism. History is replete with it from the Hitler Youth to Mao's Little Red Book.

I am uninterested in trading phrases with you, but would be happy to discuss the facts supporting your assertions.

But let me provide a few of my own.

The Baby Boomer generation has presided over the largest economic expansion of any nation on the planet. That innovation and growth has fueled worldwide increases in standards of living.

The same generation presided over the most dramatic period of technological development in the history of the planet. A tiny piece of which you are enjoying as you type your manifesto.

That generation has led transformational cultural changes , the most dramatic of which were the Civil Rights and feminist movements which have enriched our society. Regrettably, Gen X and Z seem determined to undo much of that.

Boomers typically have an extremely strong work ethic. It has actually become a well documented issue in a workplace slowly becoming dominated by Gen Z.

Boomer contributions to the arts, including music and the stage, are profound.

That generation created the focus on personal health and wellness. I suppose that can be considered a form of indulgence as well, but it is a healthy one.

Boomers have been the most entrepreneurial generation in our nation's history. That too was driven by a personal sense of wanting to achieve or of responsibility to family.

No generation has valued education more. Admittedly, the whole university construct is a bit out of hand, but I'll lay some of that blame at the foot of Gen X as well.

Boomers also have been the most generous generation to date. They have provided more charitable monies than any generation before them. Naturally, part of that is because they were generally so successful.

Finally Boomer commitment to family has been far higher than any subsequent generation. Out of wedlock marriages, single parent environments are causing enormous stress and change in our culture. You and your fellow travelers may wish to hold up a mirror about that issue.

Finally, throughout the Boomer era, they served. We have had the most powerful military in the world without the need for a draft because Boomers and many of their children were willing serve their country. They have done it in a host of different ways besides defense.

So if you would like to factually debate the assertions you made, I would be delighted to do so. I would just urge you to be certain about terms like uni-party. Define it for me. Remember every one of those elected representatives you seem to loathe were put there by their constituents. Between us, I believe that the term was created as a bit of election sloganeering by a candidate who needed to leverage his total inexperience at governing, The Swamp, Rinos, etc fall into the same category. People jump on board without really understanding what they mean and how little any candidate can do anything about it. Remember, all those evil Rinos in the uniparty have their own loyal constituents - and most aren't Boomers.

One other thing. How do you apply "sanctions" against something that displeases you.

 

[sestoppelman]

Normally I would ignore a post like this, but I take some exception to it and you did ask a question.

First of all the post reads like sloganeering - the sort of broad brush nonsense that makes its way into various movements to be repeated without any real understanding - like a some sort of catechism. History is replete with it from the Hitler Youth to Mao's Little Red Book.

I am uninterested in trading phrases with you, but would be happy to discuss the facts supporting your assertions.

But let me provide a few of my own.

The Baby Boomer generation has presided over the largest economic expansion of any nation on the planet. That innovation and growth has fueled worldwide increases in standards of living.

The same generation presided over the most dramatic period if technological development in the history of the planet. A tiny piece of which you are enjoying as you type your manifesto.

That generation has led transformational cultural changes , the most dramatic of which were the Civil Rights and feminist movements which have enriched our society. Regrettably, Gen X and Z seem determined to undo much of that.

Boomers typically have an extremely strong work ethic. It has actually become a well documented issue in a workplace slowly becoming dominated by Gen Z and millennials.

Boomer contributions to the arts, including music and the stage, are profound.

That generation created the focus on personal health and wellness. I suppose that can be considered a form of indulgence as well, but it is a healthy one.

Boomers have been the most entrepreneurial generation in our nation's history. That too was driven by a personal sense of wanting to achieve or of responsibility to family.

No generation has valued education more. Admittedly, the whole university construct is a bit out of hand, but I'll lay some of that blame at the foot of Gen X as well.

Boomers also have been the most generous generation to date. They have provided more charitable monies than any generation before them. Naturally, part of that is because they were generally so successful.

Finally Boomer commitment to family has been far higher than any subsequent generation. Out of wedlock marriages, single parent environments are causing enormous stress and change in our culture. You and your fellow travelers may wish to hold up a mirror about that issue.

Finally, throughout the Boomer era, they served. We have had the most powerful military in the world without the need for a draft because Boomers and many of their children were willing serve their country. They have done it in a host of different ways besides defense.

So if you would like to factually debate the assertions you made, I would be delighted to do so. I would just urge you to be certain about terms like uni-party. Define it for me. Remember every one of those elected representatives you seem to loathe were put there by their constituents. Between us, I believe that the term was created as a bit of election sloganeering by a candidate who needed to leverage his total inexperience at governing, The Swamp, Rinos, etc fall into the same category. People jump on board without really understanding what they mean and how little any candidate can do anything about it. Remember, all those evil Rinos in the uniparty have their own loyal constituents - and most aren't Boomers.

One other thing. How do you apply "sanctions" against something that displeases you.

Thanks for an eloquent defense of our generation Joe!! Well said.

I get real tired of hearing how Boomers are the bane of all existence!

 

[mdwest]

I think when facts are the basis by which we determine our opinions as opposed to emotion being used as a basis... that Gen X will actually be who is judged incredibly poorly by history... not the boomers

FWIW.. Im a Gen X'er.. (although I consider myself different than many in my generation)..

We love to bitch and complain about the participation trophy generation (millennials).. but the millennials didnt create themselves.. they are a product of the helicopter parenting models propagated by Gen X.. We love to point fingers at the "greedy" boomers.. but it wasnt the boomer generation that decided that the american family would transition to a 2 income model (that didnt happen because things got more expensive.. it happened because we suddenly thought that "middle class" was a 3000 sq foot house in the suburbs, every person over the age of 16 having their own vehicle, and that you had to be able to eat at a restaurant at least twice a week rather than cook at home, etc..etc..).. We love to point to liberal policy changes brought forth by Kennedy and others when the boomers became voters.. but fail to acknowledge that Bill Clinton was the first president born as a boomer.. and that he was largely voted into office by Gen X voters... and that Barak Obama.. an early Gen X'er was also largely voted into office by Gen X voters..

If we must blame someone (I personally dont.. I think its all a sum of the whole type equation rather than any one generation being at fault).. Gen X has far more shit on its shoes than the other generations IMO..

 

[Doubleplay]

I'm a boomer and I believe in this:​

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”​

― G. Michael Hopf

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

But guess what? To know the child, see the parent. And my parent's generation is the destroyer of worlds.

This tail end Boomer is sorry that your parents were didn't teach you respect for self, family, country, and just being a part of this great world. Shame on them!

Maybe I am wrong. Are you some new type of AI bot troll that is commenting on this site just to "stir the pot"? Hmmm?

 

[SaintPanzer]

Exactly my point in my previous post...

who is responsible for millennials?

Gen X...

Not the boomers..

I normally don't subscribe to the "generational mantra"... but I have to point something out here...

If the first GenXers were born in 1965, and the first millennial in 1980, either you had some very busy 15 year olds out there, or you're blaming the wrong people...

 

[spike.t]

Thanks for an eloquent defense of our generation Joe!! Well said.

I get real tired of hearing how Boomers are the bane of all existence!

Well as I have never understood, or really given a fk about all these generational classifications....thank you for letting me know I am a boomer.....all I can say to @SvenHoek is sit on it and swivel....as I am being good and trying to abide by the rules.....which for me is really fkn difficult....... ...and p.s. you sound like you have a redwood on your shoulder...not just a chip.........can't be told off for that as its available in the smiley section...just saying....

 

[mdwest]

I normally don't subscribe to the "generational mantra"... but I have to point something out here...

If the first GenXers were born in 1965, and the first millennial in 1980, either you had some very busy 15 year olds out there, or you're blaming the wrong people...

Gen Y / Millennials range from 1980 to 1992..

So yes.. some older boomers birthed the youngest millennials..

But Gen X would have started producing millenials in numbers by 1986.. and would be responsible for almost all of them from 1987 forward (while also producing a few of them prior.. getting busy at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, etc..)..

Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964.. and as a generation had their children earlier than Gen X (married younger, started having kids younger, etc..).. by 1980 the majority of boomers had the overarching majority of their children..

Each generation after the boomers have gotten married later, started producing children later, etc..

 

[mdwest]

I normally don't subscribe to the "generational mantra"... but I have to point something out here...

I agree with you.. like I said earlier.. I dont think our problems are solely to blame on one generation or another..

they are the sum of the whole.. building blocks that have simply made a larger and larger and more complex problem to solve over the course of numerous generations..

 

[mdwest]

.thank you for letting me know I am a boomer....

you old bastard!

 

[spike.t]

you old bastard!

Come over here and say that!!!