Armchairgeneral dot com : Great Reading
Current mood: Absorbed
Category: Absorbed News and Politics

Article on Georgian-Russian conflict

By Jerry D. Morelock, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief


(excerpts from readers' comments):

IMHO Russia is right to resist NATO, which should more or less be disbanded or at least have its aggressiveness toned down since it was originally created to counter the USSR, which doesn't exist anymore. Also, Putin may be somewhat tough and autocratic in our American eyes, but not every nation (read: Russia) needs or is suited for democracy. Also, democracy is not necessarily the single best form of government. We should always bear these thoughts in mind when dealing with other nations, esp. today's Russia.

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It's funny how nobody mentions what the author originally said about Russia inserting itself into another country's affairs, but you point out that NATO and the US are doing that very thing… with vehemence. Which hypocrisy is worse, yours or theirs?

Putin has reversed Russia's gains since the Cold War ended, whether or not it is admitted here. Sure he has found sources of income to fuel the Russian economy… at the expense of Russian citizens (as usual). Robbing people of their wealth under false pretenses is a Soviet tactic, fostered by Putin, who is a Soviet to his very marrow, Cold War or no.

Just because NATO is wrong doesn't make Russia right.

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Please allow me to say that I am not supporting Putin per se, and do not think that he is "right"—only that he is not entirely wrong and evil, like most people think. Pointing out that NATO is wrong does not necessarily mean backing Putin 100%…I only sympathize with him with regards to aggressive NATO encroachment and the missile shield, etc. I do not support any assassinations or rigged elections, etc. that have gone on in Russia…though I do support a more humble and less hubrisitic U.S. and NATO foreign policy.

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Since cold war ended with the breakdown of the mighty USSR empire is there any need of NATO to bring the former soviet republics under its umbrella by offering inducements to these poor countries. If these countries really need help this can be easily provided by moneytary and other means to prop up their economy than fortifying their military. Georgia, Poland and Czech Republics are good examples. Russia should be given all the help to recover from the aftermath of the breakdown of the USSR. Sadly, what we see is a well concerted move by USA and the NATO in their attempts to humiliate Russia. This can be very dangerous in fuelling ultra-nationalism the way Nazis came to power in Germany. There is also a definite double standard in the USA and its allies in its attitude towards Russia.
If Kosovo can seccede why not South Ossetia and Abkhazia?? If Milesovic can be tried as a war criminal why not Saakashvili?? Why Chechens are freedom fighters and Talibans are terrorists. When USSR had invaded Afghanistan for the same reason the USA and NATO did (to eliminate terrorism and tyranny of religious fundamentalism) why did USA create the Talibans and armed them to their teeth. Divide and rule policy can sometime backfire and can create its own Frankensteins!! Its time for USA and its allies to learn form their mistakes and do some serious introspection.

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1:29 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Republican’s Over-Use of Term MAVERICK
Current mood: BellyLaugh
Category: BellyLaugh News and Politics

The term "maverick" has been used dozens, perhaps hundreds of times by the Republicans to describe McCain.  With all of their wonderful vetting skills, I doubt if any of them realize that originally, "maverick" means a fat old cow.

But then, with all the bullshit flying around, it stands to reason that there is a cow around here somewheres, by crackie (nothing cosmopolitan about me, nosiree).

MAVERICK: Surname derived from a vocabulary word, originally meaning "unbranded range animal," transferred to forename use. It was the surname of Samuel Maverick (1803-1870), a Texas cattleman who refused to brand his cattle. The word's use as a forename first began in the early 1990s after the release of the movie "Maverick" starring Mel Gibson. The sense of "unconventional person," is first recorded in 1886, and seems to have developed by way of the notion of being "independent, masterless."

1:23 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Education: Civil Rights Issue of the Century
Current mood: ROFLMAO
Category: ROFLMAO News and Politics

Just now, on television, McCain said that education is the civil rights issue of the century. I totally agree. I believe that every minority member should be provided with the best education possible so that they too may be called cosmopolitan elitists.

2:43 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

How Does Canada Find Decent Prime Ministers?
Current mood: Puzzled
Category: Puzzled News and Politics

Being the good Americans that we are, we all realize the basic truth that a political leader who is not a war hero is, well, rather useless.  We have no shortage of war-hero candidates, because we are always at war.  But what in the world does poor Canada do?  Perhaps they send some people to help out in American wars?!  I am not certain.

I think we should take up a collection to help Canada liberate Greenland.  Greenland seems rather oppressed and in need of liberation.

2:20 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Good Grief! McCain Sounds Like A Saint!
Current mood: Nauseous
Category: Nauseous News and Politics

The saint and the goodie-two-shoes soccer PTA mom (who takes care to pose for pictures wearing animal furs).

I just watched a brief video of McCain's life.  He sounds too saintly for my tastes.  Obama seems more real and down to earth.  There is supposed to be a separation between church and state. I dont want a president who walks on water. 

2:13 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Palin’s speech, Republican Convention
Current mood: Amazed
Category: Amazed News and Politics

Palin's speech, video plus transcript
and, the transcript MOVES from paragraph to paragraph as the video plays,
AND, at the end, if you move your cursor in the transcript, the video repositions itself to that part of the speech, ready for reply.

5:11 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

McCain the Only Candidate to Fight For Us?
Current mood: Yeah Right!
Category: Yeah Right! News and Politics

That statement seems a little inaccurate to me.

Viet Nam was not attacking the U.S.  Many Americans did not want the U.S. to be involved in a war in Viet Nam.   Today, Viet Nam is communist, so the war achieved nothing.

Yes, McCain fought in a war, but, NO I do not see that he was fighting FOR Americans, in the sense of defending Americans against the immanent threat of attack.  Perhaps I am missing or overlooking something.

3:54 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Abortion Issue pt. 2
Current mood: Befuddled
Category: Befuddled News and Politics

One way to handle prolonged deliberation over a complex issue, is to make a new post each day, and cite a link to the previous post.

Let us look at some special cases of unusual situations which highlight the complexity of moral/ethical decisions regarding human life.

Imagine the case of siamese twins who are so closely joined that some attempt must be made to separate them, if even one is to survive.  Of course, one could argue that God knows best, and that everything which happens, happens by God's will and allowance, and happens for a reason. Therefore, no action should be taken, and both twins should be allowed to die, since obviously such is the will of God.

This siamese twin scenario is appealing to us in our inquiry, since it bears a strong analogy to the situation in which a mother and her fetus are in mortal jeaopardy, and only one can be saved.

Obviously, if we follow the wisdom of Pontius Pilate, and publically wash our hands of the situation, and stand back, then no sin shall be upon our head.  Our action is to take no action, and let nature take its course.
.... ( I shall be adding to this during the day)
...

2:56 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Political Positions on Abortion Issue
Current mood: Stumped
Category: Stumped News and Politics

A Catholic priest told one Obama supporter that a vote for Obama would be a mortal sin, since Obama supports abortion.

She dislikes McCain, but now feels obliged to vote for McCain, or at least abstain from voting, in order to avoid committing a mortal sin.

I need to search and blog on these issues.

Here is the first useful blog I found.

Here are my personal thoughts so far.

Let us say I support and advocate freedom of speech/press (and I do.)

Now, let us say one person chooses to use that freedom to write pornography.

Does that mean that I advocate pornography.  Does that mean that I should change my policy to one of censorship, to make certain that noone says or writes something pornographic?

Suppose a pro choice bill was passed, and it just HAPPENDED that NOONE ever chose to have an abortion (I know this is unlikely). But it IS theoretically possible. So if NO ONE CHOSE to have an abortion, would the pro choice law be a mortal sin.

Drinking alcohol can be very destructive. Prohibition was an attempt to enforce laws which would make it difficult or impossible to obtain alcohol.  Prohibition was eventually repealed NOT because society discovered that alcoholism is good, but rather because society realized that bootlegging had become a trade cotrolled by criminals; mafia.

Our judicial system is set up so that it is very likely that 10 guilty people may escape conviction, but (in theory) very unlikely that one innocent person will be convicted.  This does not always work, but the idea is that we TOLERATE the inevitable escape of some guilty, to avoid the greater evil of convicting the innocent.   We repeal prohibition because it creates a criminal market place.

Abortions were illegal prior to Roe vs. Wade. What was the result?  The result was illegal abortion clinics where young women often died.

Now, killing is wrong. BUT, in certain cases of self defense, a killing is ruled as justifiable homicide.  If a ship sinks, and two men swim towards the same floating timber, and it can only support and save ONE of them, then under the law, each one has the RIGHT to fight for his life.  If one succeeds in securing the floating timber, and forces the other to drown, it is not reckoned murder, but self defense, since both men have the right to struggle to preserve their own life.

Let's take a look at the Bible. Did I mention that I am Fundamentalist (just kidding I am not a fundamentalist).  The Old and New Testaments mention suicide a total of 7 times, if I am remember correctly. The Bible never makes any mention of the immorality of suicide. The Bible remains silent.  The only passage in the Bible which touchs upon the topic of abortion, is in the Old Testament, where it states that if a baby dies BEFORE it is halfway out of the womb, then it is not reckoned human, but if it is MORE than halfway out of the womb, it is a person.

Since we presume God to be omniscient, knowing all future events, and since we presume sacred scripture to be inspired by God, then, one would think that God would forsee the need for some statements regarding future issues, like stem cell, abortion, smoking, genetic engineering, civil rights, etc etc etc.  What we find in the Torah are rules about how one should treat a slave. This would seem to endorse the institution of slavery. In fact, early America used the Bible to justify slavery.

2:22 AM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Charlotte’s Web as God’s Prophet
Current mood: OutsmartedByGod
Category: OutsmartedByGod Religion and Philosophy

I happened to see the movie version of Charlotte's Web on DVD last weekend.

It occured to me that, if God had wanted to impress mankind with the undeniable word of God, then, God would not use any bearded shephard, but, rather, a spider and its web.  The spider of God would spin webs with the world of God written right in the web.  The web would then become harder than titanium; indestructible.  People would collect these web scriptures.  Perhaps they would miraculously fit one inside another, as a set of beverage coasters.  Now, who could deny the miraculous nature of such a revealed scripture?

Such a thing should not be difficult for God to do.

Now, if God had really been clever, he would have left hints in various scriptures about things like smoking and cell phones.  There would have been mystical references to men and women who puff ..s, with visible breath.  There could have been hints left about cell phones.  They who talk into seashells and are heard in distant lands.

I humbly request that God take my suggestions under consideration before creating the next universe.

8:28 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment