Re: The Bigger, Badder, Even More Serious Thread [4]

[Pettytyrant101]

No but I would expect perhaps increased sharing of certain types of information. Increased joint operations by Black Ops on both sides- it not just in space we work with our 'enemies' or cold allies' Im sure.
And if it keeps getting worse year on year in more and more countries as it has been I then things might change.

And in genral the basic problem of how to you stop people from doing these things persists as if left without a solution then it will get very much worse in the future when todays rare weapons have become everyday to such groups and the potential damage one person can cause increased.
And war always has one effect at least on all sides fighting- it refines and hones technique and strategy over time. Making them better and deadlier.

[Eldorion]

I think much of that has happened between the US and its non-NATO allies, just not countries it has more of a rivalry with. I don't think the situation is getting worse, either. Russia in general and the North Caucasus in particular are far more stable now than they were in the 1990s, for example.

[Pettytyrant101]

I think there is difference between the old idea of military or socially stable and the modern.
In the modern context you can be considered perfectly stable militarily, politically and socially, as the UK and USA and many others are- and still get your civilians blown up inside your own borders.

[Lancebloke]

Unless something dramatic, and I mean incredibly dramatic, happens in the world then I dont think we will ever be rid of this kind of problem. It is basically just guerilla warfare on a global scale with generations of bad blood fuelling each new round of suicide bomber or insurgent soldier. Kind of self perpetuating really. The best we can hope for, in my opinion and in the short-medium term, is limiting the scale and frequency of these things.

[Pettytyrant101]

My fear Lance is if it keep happening if it increases in scale the knee jerk reaction to it by government will get equally worse.
9/11 is a classic example- 1 terrorist attack results in years of bloody war and the invasion of two countries all in a knee jerk reaction and for what?
The UK troops are about to pull out of Afghan leaving no better (and arguably) worse than when they arrived and at what cost in lives?

[Lancebloke]

War will continue with or without that as an excuse as it has always done.

[Pettytyrant101]

True, but my fear is that if things continue as they are the excuse will seem more and more plausible, to more and more people.

[Mrs Figg]

I am getting scared of Vesuvius.

[Lancebloke]

Come home. Stay away from them there explody hills!

[Mrs Figg]

I will. Only a couple of months to wait.   

[Lancebloke]

It is cold here though. And wet. And grey.

[Pettytyrant101]

One for the UShobbits this if any of you can help, as I cant seem to find the facts.

Now Obamacare is officially starting with the New Year are there any figures for exactly how many American citizens today have health coverage of some sort, who yesterday didn't?

I am tying to get a handle on what sort of percent of the population will be immediately better protected than they were.

[David H]

One for the UShobbits this if any of you can help, as I cant seem to find the facts.

Now Obamacare is officially starting with the New Year are there any figures for exactly how many American citizens today have health coverage of some sort, who yesterday didn't?

I am tying to get a handle on what sort of percent of the population will be immediately better protected than they were.

You'll have to wait till March or April to get a meaningful number. There are still a lot of us who haven't signed up but plan to.

[Pettytyrant101]

I take my hat off to, Imam Asim Hafiz.
Probably one of the bravest men in Britain as he is the British Armies first Muslim Chaplain (not sure we even have any Muslim soldiers but still).

"Referring to people like the men who killed Fusilier Lee Rigby, he said: "These individuals are misled. They are not educated. They haven't necessarily studied the Koran... and have no appreciation of what the faith is about.
"To consider an unarmed individual in a time of peace to be a legitimate target for murder is absolutely unacceptable." - BBC

We could do with more of his sort of thinking   

[Pettytyrant101]

Proof I guess that humans can find humour in almost any situation- Syrian rebels troll a government sniper with a dummy-

[azriel]

I had no idea what they are saying but, their laughter was SO infectious I was laughing too  .   Even there, they are using jokes, re; the dummy. We do it,I think,when we are most stressed ?

[Pettytyrant101]

Listening to it again I thin there is a certain nervousness under their laughter, a certain sense of underlying tensions masked by laughter.

Weird thing is I saw that vid with my little brother who is about the same age as the lad in the video- that was a frightening realisation.

[azriel]

Yeah, & my son is about the same, not just in age but, looks, build, goofyness ? Does make you think, That, could be MY son !  

[Pettytyrant101]

For Halfy-

[Pettytyrant101]

[Bluebottle]

Great.   

There's a reason Ian Hislop called him the most intelligent person he ever sat next too.   

[Pettytyrant101]

He is always entertaining, always funny and always makes you think- the holy trilogy of satire.

[Bluebottle]

"The point of satire is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."   

[Pettytyrant101]

I hope you southern English hobbits are doing ok, or have a dinghy!
I see its only getting worse with the Thames breaking its banks now too and the government, rather than helping, seem to have dissolved into calling each other names-

"First Communities Secretary Eric Pickles waded into the Environment Agency and its boss Chris Smith, suggesting he should consider his position and accusing the agency of "misjudgements."
Now Lord Smith has hit back, saying his staff know one hundred times more about floods than any politician and accusing ministers of "playing politics."
At the same time, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has protested to the prime minister over Mr Pickles' bruising criticism of the Environment Agency.
And for good measure the former Floods Minister Richard Benyon has rounded on Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger - who described Lord Smith as a "git who needed his head flushed down a toilet" - accusing him of being "silly" and "demeaning himself".- BBC


We might need to invent a new adjective to describe the levels of incompetence in the Cameron government.   


Stay safe down there folks and take care of yourself, as it doesn't look like the government are going to be any help.

[Bluebottle]

Haha, that's political discourse for you.  

Almost sounds like a parody.

And they wonder why people are giving up on politicians.