News Stories

[MrTerrorist]

Cancun mayor Gregorio Sanchez faces drugs charges
No surprise there after all, Cancun is the US Summer Vacation capital where thousands of colleges kids party, get drunk and maybe do drugs.

Guillermo del Toro 'leaves' as director of The Hobbit
Well that's just great.

Ex-US Vice President Al Gore to split from wife Tipper
40 years together and now this. This is sad.

[Irenicus]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Guillermo del Toro 'leaves' as director of The Hobbit

This news make me a sad Hobbit.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

I think the problem is that most people don't have a good grasp for how much gigantic sums of money really are. Thus when they find themselves with one they're mentally working off the assumption that it's an infinite supply. Thus they spend without any regard.

You know what? The two valuable lessons he had made in his life, the first being that money isn't everything (and that the more you have, the more people who want it will be around choking you out of it), and that excesses costs him 8 years of his life, will make him a much happier man than he is with 9.7 mil.

I put my bets on that he is one of the most contented men in this world, and if luck permits, he will make it all back.

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

The issue isn't that we have drilling. The problem is that we have a regulatory system that was unwilling to make sure things were run safely. Ayn Ryandian lunatics who pushed that system because somehow they thought that would improve the situation. And an oil industry that was to short sighted to realize that there is a level of safety standards that it SHOULD be keeping to.

Forgive my "Yui-ness", but what has Ayn Rand got to do with a screwed up system?

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Prime Minister of Japan Tells Nation He Plans to Quit

This happened quickly. He loses on the base issue and falls on his sword.

Are there any recent scandals about money in politics, and about the Democratic Party and money in particular? I notice the Times article doesn't refer to any.

He shouldn't have quit. It is only one small setback, but he made the choice of the lesser 2 evils. Southeast and East Asia will stand to benefit from the comparative incentives as China and US compete for the Asian market, just simply that Japan has got a major US installation there.

That choice may be selfish to the Japanese, but it is responsible to Asia as a whole. We don't want a state capitalism market dominating and underpaying foreign outsources do we?

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Ex-US Vice President Al Gore to split from wife Tipper
40 years together and now this. This is sad.

I bet his wife was thinking, "He spent so much time campaigning for global warming and forgot about warming my body!"

[justinstrife]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

Have you ever even listened to any israeli government statements?

Here's one recent example. Just one of the countless attempts to curb any criticism as anti Semitic.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/de...ay&link=199722



They wanted to send a message to anyone who dared to send aid 'directly' to gaza. As is commonly known Israel treats the residents of Gaza like cattle and denies them basic food aid. Usually only allowing 1/3rd of what is required of aid supplies to gaza.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2...the_Gaza_Strip

Actually it's about 1/4. And what do you know... Egypt has a blockade against the Palestinians too. I wonder why.

http://blog.taragana.com/n/israel-sa...eapons-217495/

http://idfspokesperson.com/2009/11/0...ns-4-nov-2009/

I'm sorry, but when you have crap like this going on constantly, Israel has every right to make sure weapons that WOULD end up being used against it, don't make it to their destination. Just like American troops are facing Iranian bombs/weaponry in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel faces Iranian equipment in Gaza and the West Bank.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/u-s-navy...-gaza-1.268810

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...uwAVuHMjTvt59g

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=21354

We can go in circles all day. Until Palestine shows that it wants peace, and accepts the existence of Israel, there will never be peace between them.

Lets see what happens when the world tries to give Palestine the ability to care for itself shall we?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...aza/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9331863/

Palestine isn't looking to make itself a part of civilization. They only want to see Israel gone. Get rid of Israel, and Palestine will still be a chithole in the desert.

Until they want peace, they will get what they are getting right now.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by justinstrife

Palestine isn't looking to make itself a part of civilization. They only want to see Israel gone. Get rid of Israel, and Palestine will still be a chithole in the desert.

Until they want peace, they will get what they are getting right now.

So what alternate universe do you come from where bulldozing peoples homes while their still in them to build your segragated housing is considered a peace offering? It's stupid and trite when you pin all the blame on the Palestinians when the situation is not cut and dry, and all you do when you make these kind of remarks is just portraying you as a bigot and an idiot.

[MrTerrorist]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

I bet his wife was thinking, "He spent so much time campaigning for global warming and forgot about warming my body!"

Oh good one. lol!

[Agito Akiyama]

Will you be quiet already regarding the Gaza topic? I have a lot to say regarding it and a lot of anger to express against some people here who talk BS about Israel and keep on lying, but I won't because this thread got locked once already and xris told you all to stop and move forward, respect the rules.

[Arbitres]

respect the rules.

Spoiler for Off topic.:

Certain members simply refuse to drop the topic. They wish to delve into it and or wish to change another user's views by (possibly aggressively) pointing out their own. Don't let it get to you; it's an effective way of weeding out certain things like a user's character, ideology, and so forth.

Though I guess it doesn't matter. Long as they remember to adhere to forum rules. Best to ignore them.

[Roger Rambo]

Is it wrong to believe that both sides are being moronic here?

-The Israelis are boarding ships under foreign flags outside of their territorial waters. Which as several people have said, could very well be classified as piracy.

-The activists on the ships engaged in violent that disqualifies them from claiming that they were practicing non violent non cooperation tactics and the specific moral high ground it offers, while claiming to still have it.


All I see are two sides trying to play themselves up as being the innocent party and the other one being totally at fault, knowing that they'll have supporters who will automatically take the position of their pet party involved in the incident.

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Forgive my "Yui-ness", but what has Ayn Rand got to do with a screwed up system?

Ayn Rand was the crazy libertarian role model of many of the old farts today who bassically went into various economic/political fields with an axe to grind against government intervention in the buisness world, such as financial/industrial regulatory safety standards.

While it'd be simplistic to say that Ayn Rand caused these probably, I strongly feel she helped influence the various people and institutions who DID.

[Poetic Justice]

Originally Posted by justinstrife

I'm sorry, but when you have crap like this going on constantly, Israel has every right to make sure weapons that WOULD end up being used against it, don't make it to their destination. Just like American troops are facing Iranian bombs/weaponry in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel faces Iranian equipment in Gaza and the West Bank.

Yes let's talk about israel's right to systematically starve an entire nation just enough that they won't die of hunger and to also punish them for democratically electing a government of their own free will.

Originally Posted by justinstrife

Lets see what happens when the world tries to give Palestine the ability to care for itself shall we?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...aza/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9331863/

Yes how dare those palestinans loot what israel settlers left behind!! What an outrage! A group of impoverished and deprived people resorting to scavenging and hunting for supplies! Blasphemy i say!

Originally Posted by justinstrife

Palestine isn't looking to make itself a part of civilization. They only want to see Israel gone. Get rid of Israel, and Palestine will still be a chithole in the desert.

Until they want peace, they will get what they are getting right now.

Am i even reading this correctly?? H-how does someone even respond to this without resorting to flaming?

And here's what israeli's did last night:

Obviously not the universal view all israeli's hold but still, People actually supporting and jeering the deaths of innocent people???

Also stop with the backseat modding please. If the mods feel the topic is not worth discussing then i'll stop talking about it.

[bladeofdarkness]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

And here's what israeli's did last night:

Obviously not the universal view all israeli's hold but still, People actually supporting and jeering the deaths of innocent people???.

i wasn't going to take part in this
but what you just said was a COMPLETE LIE , on a level i just CANT ignore.
that video was from a protest in front of the turkish embassy in tel aviv two days ago. (you can see the embassy in the video, its the building across the street with the turkish flag on top)
i was there.
no one was celebrating the deaths of the people killed on the boats.
the over all message of the protest was basiclly "turkey, stay the fuck out of our business", and "turkey is slowly becoming another iran"
people we're carrying signs with the picture of turkey's flag = iran flag, and of the turkish PM = iran's president
they were making as much noise, and drawing as much attention to the rally is possible, because it was right outside the embassy.
everyone was accusing the turkish PM of fanning the flames of the tragedy for his own political capital.
and accusing him of having been BEHIND that provocation in the first place (the ship was given to the flotila by the turkish goverment, most of the rioters were turkish, and the turkish "human rights group" IHH was a main force behind the whole thing)

you need to understand the background of the past YEAR in the relations between israel and turkey to truly get whats going on.
but suffice to say that despite the claim that it was an "international" flotila, the main state power behind it was Turkish

the POINT is, that no one was celebrating the tragedy on the boat, and you are either uninformed, or a liar for saying it.

[Agito Akiyama]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

And here's what israeli's did last night:

Oh hi, this is a protest again the Turkish embassy for it's provocative steps to start a holy war.
2ndly, I'm going to protest against Turkey as well, they are trying to be "peaceful" but actually moving into the Islam extremists side

Another thing
-The Israelis are boarding ships under foreign flags outside of their territorial waters. Which as several people have said, could very well be classified as piracy.

The ships headed our directions, by international law we are ALLOWED to stop the ships and making an army maneuver, if the ship has passed the border between the international waters and ours we were allowed to sink the ships because they are going against Israeli sovereignty and disrespecting the law, though they already did that.

Another thing someone mentioned here is that I called the "Palestinians" shepherds, of course, if an Israeli person mentions a fact this is prejudice and racist, it's easy to play games and to distort the truth, just like in the beginning of the 90's, only then no one actually believed that, but as they keep on lying and changing a small detail without anyone noticing it eventually people will believe it.

"The victory is written by the historian"

[Agito Akiyama]

I'm not going to say add a single word after this link:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/...ael/index.html

Read it, don't like it? Don't bother to respond, I'm not going to answer or respond to any of this nonsense anti-semi hypocrisy against Israel.
And I'm asking all the other who try to help, please don't bother arguing with them, they won't change their mind and will still claim it's Israel's fault, always.

[Nosauz]

LOL, the only thing I have to say is anti-Israeli policies does not make a person anti-semetic. You can be against policies that are clearly morally wrong, it's ridiculous to say that being against government sponsored assassination, settlement construction, forced migration makes you antisemite, I mean a certain level of humanity needs to be maintained. I just think it's asinine to equate anti jewish sentiment with anti human rights governments. It's using newspeak to manipulate the masses and punish dissent with a label.

[ChainLegacy]

^And I should add that fervent nationalism never did any good for anyone. It is fine to like where you live, it is not fine to turn a blind eye to the problems with your country.

[Nosauz]

http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/06/01...-million-fine/

This is the end of America... the rich are not held accountable for their action, the poor are treated on a different standard and corporations have human rights. I can see why republicans hate government so much, although they probably love it now for being the crippled ineffective P.O.S it is now. How can the SEC even contemplate letting Goldmansachs off without an audit, and a trial where they and their cronies basically held the nation for ransom. It just baffles me.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

Yes let's talk about israel's right to systematically starve an entire nation just enough that they won't die of hunger and to also punish them for democratically electing a government of their own free will.

They didn't try to systematically starve a nation. It is just that practically any Muslim state that sent aid took it as a pretext to send in 85mm mortars and RPG-7s.

That is what made Egypt close their borders : to prevent arms proliferation. The reopened their borders due to the embargo preventing sea aid in, which apparently Iran also used to send weapons.

Obviously not the universal view all israeli's hold but still, People actually supporting and jeering the deaths of innocent people???

Also stop with the backseat modding please. If the mods feel the topic is not worth discussing then i'll stop talking about it.

That is a protest outside the Turkish embassy for making "anti-semite decisions". It is a big fucking misunderstanding, meaning paranoia on the Israelis' side, and a bad attempt to protect wayward civilians who break international law under the Turkish side.

Regarding the backseat modding, they already did once last night. Please do us a favour, be more civil and back up your posts with facts. It is not like somebody won't click that report button for volatile posting.

Originally Posted by Agito Akiyama

The ships headed our directions, by international law we are ALLOWED to stop the ships and making an army maneuver, if the ship has passed the border between the international waters and ours we were allowed to sink the ships because they are going against Israeli sovereignty and disrespecting the law, though they already did that.

That is within the UN Law of the Sea, Part 2, Section 2, Article 19, :

Article19

Meaning of innocent passage

1. Passage is innocent so long as it is not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal State. Such passage shall take place in conformity with this Convention and with other rules of international law.

2. Passage of a foreign ship shall be considered to be prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal State if in the territorial sea it engages in any of the following activities:

(a) any threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of the coastal State, or in any other manner in violation of the principles of international law embodied in the Charter of the United Nations;

(b) any exercise or practice with weapons of any kind;

(c) any act aimed at collecting information to the prejudice of the defence or security of the coastal State;

(d) any act of propaganda aimed at affecting the defence or security of the coastal State;

(e) the launching, landing or taking on board of any aircraft;

(f) the launching, landing or taking on board of any military device;

(g) the loading or unloading of any commodity, currency or person contrary to the customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations of the coastal State;

(h) any act of wilful and serious pollution contrary to this Convention;

(i) any fishing activities;

(j) the carrying out of research or survey activities;

(k) any act aimed at interfering with any systems of communication or any other facilities or installations of the coastal State;

(l) any other activity not having a direct bearing on passage.

Well they tried to argue on the mindset of piracy but under Part 7, Section 1, Article 111

Article111

Right of hot pursuit

1. The hot pursuit of a foreign ship may be undertaken when the competent authorities of the coastal State have good reason to believe that the ship has violated the laws and regulations of that State. Such pursuit must be commenced when the foreign ship or one of its boats is within the internal waters, the archipelagic waters, the territorial sea or the contiguous zone of the pursuing State, and may only be continued outside the territorial sea or the contiguous zone if the pursuit has not been interrupted. It is not necessary that, at the time when the foreign ship within the territorial sea or the contiguous zone receives the order to stop, the ship giving the order should likewise be within the territorial sea or the contiguous zone. If the foreign ship is within a contiguous zone, as defined in article 33, the pursuit may only be undertaken if there has been a violation of the rights for the protection of which the zone was established.

2. The right of hot pursuit shall apply mutatis mutandis to violations in the exclusive economic zone or on the continental shelf, including safety zones around continental shelf installations, of the laws and regulations of the coastal State applicable in accordance with this Convention to the exclusive economic zone or the continental shelf, including such safety zones.

and also Part 10, Section 1, Article 125

Article125

Right of access to and from the sea and freedom of transit

1. Land-locked States shall have the right of access to and from the sea for the purpose of exercising the rights provided for in this Convention including those relating to the freedom of the high seas and the common heritage of mankind. To this end, land-locked States shall enjoy freedom of transit through the territory of transit States by all means of transport.

2. The terms and modalities for exercising freedom of transit shall be agreed between the land-locked States and transit States concerned through bilateral, subregional or regional agreements.

3. Transit States, in the exercise of their full sovereignty over their territory, shall have the right to take all measures necessary to ensure that the rights and facilities provided for in this Part for land-locked States shall in no way infringe their legitimate interests.

For the last part, Palestine never made the effort to make themselves recognised as a legitimate state under the UN. And secondly, the aid deliverers never even made the bloody effort to come up with terms or modalities for the shipment of aid. So akin to Sea Shepherd in Japan, Freegaza's actions are contravening the international law!

So who is committing piracy and smuggling now?

Originally Posted by Nosauz

http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/06/01...-million-fine/

This is the end of America... the rich are not held accountable for their action, the poor are treated on a different standard and corporations have human rights. I can see why republicans hate government so much, although they probably love it now for being the crippled ineffective P.O.S it is now. How can the SEC even contemplate letting Goldmansachs off without an audit, and a trial where they and their cronies basically held the nation for ransom. It just baffles me.

Take heart bro. Warren Buffett is testifying!

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

<snip>

It isn't anti-semite. It is just the way of "Monkey See, Monkey Do".

That is how politics are run. When majority agrees upon something, no matter how fucked-up the decision is, the majority is right. You probably see all the UNCLOS stuff I posted, nobody ever cared, and Freegaza even has the cheek to call the Israeli commandos pirates. US is simply joining on the side of the freegaza people because it is to maintain good international relations, and get more countries on their side against China, meaning it is another geopolitical issue.

This is probably the reason why the way older members of this forums aren't posting about this issue : there isn't any point in arguing against something so FUBAR like this and everything is about politics for personal gain. Vexx posted. I take this back.

Then again, the Turkish government made a speech condemning the "acts", meaning which they don't support their own citizens' moves too, but the speech is crafted in a way to appease both sides.

[Vexx]

This is probably the reason why the way older members of this forums aren't posting about this issue : there isn't any point in arguing against something so FUBAR like this and everything is about politics for personal gain.

Exactly... there are really no "good guys" in this mess - just a lot of conflicting self-interests and poor planning.

Random thoughts:
1) Looks like plenty of mud and assessments of incompetence, arrogance, etc to throw in many directions (both tactically and politically).
2) For some reason, this resonates with the Kent State (Vietname era protest shootings) fiasco in my head (poorly planned mission at the strategic level, some panic on the ground, deaths).
3) I'm wondering if Turkey will pull the NATO trigger.... that would be interesting.
4) Pragmatically, Israel's problem is that the US now has other "permanent bases" in the region (Iraq). The US is no longer "stuck with Israel" no matter the situation. The interests are more complicated ... not comparing the types of countries other than as geopolitical chess pieces, but we saw recently that China's multi-lateral interests are resulting it in telling North Korea indirectly that "No one will be protected..." by the naval ship sinking investigation's results. For China, that's a major policy change.
5) Having the action occur in international waters makes for interesting complexity as SaintessHeart law post notes.

[MeoTwister5]

"Before embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" - Chinese Proverb.

That is all I have to say about this entire forum and geopolitical shitstorm.