Saturday Open Thread [6.22.13]
It is *really* fun to have Delaware music events — Firefly and the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival — at the forefront of what people are talking about this weekend. I’m off to the Jazz Festival later today.
Republicans are responsible for the majority of voter fraud in the US. Interesting, if true. And I’ll note that none of it would have been stopped by Voter ID, either:
This past Tuesday, Adam Ward of Bassett County Virginia pleaded guilty to 36 counts of voter fraud and perjury in connection with an attempt to help Newt Gingrich reach the number of signatures required to appear on last year’s Virginia presidential primary ballot. Ward collected over 11,000 signatures on behalf of Gingrich, over 4,000 of which, according to investigators, could not be verified. According to RawStory, the Virginia campaign of Texas governor Rick Perry faced a similar dilemma, with almost half the 11,900 signatures collected on his behalf failing verification. No Perry supporters are currently facing criminal charges.
The NYT takes a look at What Else Could a $30 Billion ‘Border Surge’ Buy?
Regardless of where it’s going, $30 billion is a staggering figure. But Republicans want to use the money to almost double the size of an already robust Border Patrol, to 40,000 agents from 21,000. They want to add 700 miles of fencing. And for good measure, they plan to throw in some infrared ground sensors and thermal imaging cameras, along with a fleet of drones.
Given that these are not exactly boom times, recent investment in other projects of major national consequence has been seriously inadequate. Infrastructure spending, for example, is now at its lowest point in 20 years. Excruciatingly expensive trains can barely make their way at anemic paces along the northeast corridor without breaking down, and we’ve all but abandoned talk of expanding to real high-speed trains. In the past month alone two bridges collapsed — in Washington State and Minnesota — and countless others desperately need repairs. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave this country’s bridges a C+ rating for 2013.
You can argue that the ASCE’s rating is self-serving, but there is no doubt that American infrastructure is deteriorating and not being upgraded to meet increased demands. This is largely about safety, and making sure that people and goods can get to where they need to go in an efficient manner. But we apparently have the funds to build the Berlin Wall on our southern border, but not to ensure the safety of families driving over our bridges.
Edward Snowden is charged with espionage. Espionage? That seems an odd charge for basic whistle-blowing.
What interests you today?
So apparently we already have boots on the ground in Syria. We never learn here.
Well if you consider Jordan and Turkey part of Syria, then yes we’ve had boots on the ground for a number of years now.
Death to “boots on the ground” and the John McCain endless war mentality. Will we, as a nation, ever wake the hell up and refuse to let politicians play world policeman over and over again?
However those boots on the ground haven’t been training Syrian rebels for years now, right?
“However those boots on the ground haven’t been training Syrian rebels for years now, right?”
Yes, they have been training the Syrian opposition for years. Only the boots have been in Turkey and Jordan, not Syria. Having said that, there is no doubt that our intelligence folks have operated in Syria, but the term “boots on the ground” implying an occupational or agressive force doesn’t apply to intelligence operatives. Just keeping things straight.
Just for the record, my general opinion on Syria is to let the people settle their own mess and Allah can sort it all out later once they’ve collectively arranged a meeting. I am steadfast against contributing young American lives to deal with sectarian strife. In fact I wouldn’t even supply arms that we will probably facing later on once we transition from saviour to satan, which is the historical pattern.
Yes, they have been training the Syrian opposition for years.
For years, huh? Then you need to talk to this LA Times reporter, because even they aren’t reporting more than a year of training.
Only the boots have been in Turkey and Jordan, not Syria.
Can you guarantee that? Because Special Forces aren’t especially known for specific boundaries, and Special Forces on the ground has been the opening act for Afghanistan and Iraq. All while people were pooh-poohing the fact that boots were actually on the ground. And boots on the ground are still US troops in possible harms way in a definitely hostile part of the world — whether it is “occupational” or intelligence.
Well I would rather not get into a semantic based debates. “Boots on the ground” has an implied meaning. The original reference intended to mean that the military had a physical presencen in an area and could only be dislodged at the risk of war. “Training” on the other hand, is fairly ambiguous in terms of scope. Suffice to say we’ve had troops in countries neighboring Syria for years and who have been in contact with Syrians, also for years.
Every systematic development of any subject ought to begin with a definition, so that everyone may understand what the discussion is about.
Marcus Tulius Cicero. De Officiis, Book 1, Moral Goodness
That would be Marcus Tullius Cicero.
And the definition ought to be a definitive one, not one meant to bolster a precarious position. Especially for an idiomatic term that has had shifts in meaning since Vietnam.
Systematic development of this discussion ought to start with the reporting done by the authors of the piece I linked to.
Snowden is asylum shopping. On a plan for Moscow then on to Havana and possibly Venezuela. Wikileaks is helping him move, apparently.
I’m fascinated by how the entire media world seems completely engaged with where this kid might be today. NPR this AM was talking about his being in the Moscow Airport — with the Russians working on goading the US, journalists trying to figure out which car is from the Ecuadoran Embassy, and whether or not he was really on his Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Interesting that there isn’t anything else in the world going on, it seems.