That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons bring us some web forums whereupon we can gather
http://garbi.online/forum/
After he took office in 2010, Christie (R) reappointed a two-star Army general — a childhood friend — to lead the Guard. But the married general was forced to resign in disgrace after staff members caught him having an affair at work, documents show.
The governor’s next pick, an Air Force pilot, was secretly reprimanded by the Pentagon last year for his excessive waistline and for repeatedly ducking physical-fitness tests, according to records obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.
More recently, several high-ranking officers have filed whistleblower complaints, alleging that the Guard’s leadership is plagued by cronyism, racism and a “toxic” command climate, among other problems. State and federal officials have opened independent investigations. Legislators have pledged to hold hearings.
“It’s like the mob,” said Brian K. Scully, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who says he lost his job because he refused to help cover up the general’s affair. “One minute you’re the made man. The next, you get a bullet in the back of your head. Only here it’s career assassination.”
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Christie declined interview requests for this article. His staff said he was unaware that Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, the commander who still leads the Guard, had been reprimanded by the Pentagon about his weight until The Post asked about the issue.
As the state’s adjutant general, Cunniff reports directly to Christie and serves in his Cabinet.
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Cunniff declined an interview request. In a statement released by the Guard, he acknowledged that he had not met the Air Force’s fitness requirements in recent years.
“Many people struggle with weight control — I am not immune from this,” he said. “However, I do recognize that military members and leaders, like myself, are held to a higher standard. I take this matter seriously and am taking the necessary steps to remedy this issue.”
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Dissent began to bubble up last year. In April 2014, a group of junior officers wrote a letter to Christie to complain about a “demeaning and toxic” command culture in the militia.
The junior officers accused Cunniff and his deputy, Army Brig. Gen. James J. Grant, of not promoting minorities into senior jobs. They pleaded with Christie to investigate and to keep their identities secret so they would be protected from reprisals.
Two months later, Col. Walter Alvarado, the Army National Guard’s chief of staff and the highest-ranking Hispanic officer in the state, wrote a similar letter to Christie. He charged that the generals had blocked his advancement while promoting less-qualified white officers.
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Discontent continued to spread. In December, Alvarado and three other senior officers, including the state chaplain, filed a harsher complaint with the Army inspector general at the Pentagon. That letter, which was copied to the governor, accused Cunniff and Grant of abuse of authority, fraud, waste, cronyism and other wrongdoing.
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In January, the mutiny reached the Internet. Parody videos were posted anonymously on YouTube, casting Cunniff and Grant as incompetent Nazi commanders. Messages posted with the videos begged Christie to investigate the leadership.
Michael Bobinis, a former Army major in the Guard, acknowledged to The Post that he posted the videos. He said he was terminated after his bosses found out.
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In February, whistleblowers tried again to get the governor’s attention.
Alvarado and Col. John Langston, the Guard’s top African American officer, wrote another letter to Christie saying that the troops “have had enough.” They said the generals were promoting “mistrust, secrecy, intimidation, deception, favoritism, cronyism and unethical behavior.”
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In May, the Star-Ledger uncovered more problems in the Guard, disclosing that four colonels had been convicted of drunken driving. The paper also reported that the adjutant general had been slow to hold the officers accountable, allowing two of them to keep their positions long after their arrests.
Not so sure. If they win the POTUS things will be fine. With the newly established POTUS power AND both houses they should be able to do whatever strikes their fancy.Fireball wrote:I agree with John Boehner on very little, but he is someone who actually cares about governing and is willing to compromise to make things work — which is an essential part of our process. The far-right fringe of the Republican Caucus will become more powerful from this. Things will get worse in Congress until the GOP does something to purge the Tea Party nonsense out of its system.
I feel a great deal of sympathy for Boehner. It's sad that he never got to be the wheeler dealer Speaker he was obviously well equipped to be. But also his fault, as that's the Devil's bargain he cut to get the gavel.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/US-wel ... oup-419127The United States said this week it was pleased to hear of Saudi Arabia’s leadership role on a United Nations Human Rights Council advisory group.
“We would welcome it. We’re close allies,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.
Well, its kind of symbolic in this case. If they go ahead with it, they're going to behead him first -- which is bad enough -- but not as torturous as being nailed to a cross while he's still alive.Moliere wrote:Crucifying (literally) someone who participated in Arab Spring certainly sounds like they have something to say about human rights.
Al-Nimr was accused of taking part of anti-government protests in the eastern part of the country in 2011 (involving the country's Shia Muslim minority and sometimes called "Saudi's Secret Uprising") and was arrested the following year. State media later reported he was found guilty of a long list of crimes including sedition, breaking allegiance to the king, rioting, using petrol bombs against security patrols, robbing a pharmacy and more. He was 17 years old at the time of his arrest. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Saudi Arabia is a signatory, forbids capital punishment for offences committed by people under the age of 18. UN human rights experts also say al-Nimr was tortured and did not receive a fair trial.
How the hell did a 9/11 Truther become leader of their party?Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that 9/11 was "manipulated" to make it look like Osama Bin Laden was responsible to allow the West to go to war in Afghanistan.
Trump is leading in GOP polls and you're surprised that politics can be weird?Defiant wrote:According to Jeremy Corbyn, the controversial (to put it mildly) new leader of the UK's Labour Party, 9/11 was manipulated by Bush and Blair to attack.... Afghanistan
How the hell did a 9/11 Truther become leader of their party?Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that 9/11 was "manipulated" to make it look like Osama Bin Laden was responsible to allow the West to go to war in Afghanistan.
The authors of the Constitution clearly, explicitly, and unambiguously planned for the document to change. That’s why the rules of change are designed into it. If historians have some other explanation for why the rules of change are included in the document, I am all ears.
We have a similar situation with laws passed by Congress. Look at the debate about illegal immigrants. You hear a lot of people arguing that the law-breakers must be deported because they broke a law, and we are a land of laws.
On a conceptual level, a nation must have laws in order to function. But again, the Constitution explains in great detail how to change laws. They change all the time. Change is the normal condition.
If you think illegal aliens need to leave because it is the law, that’s not an opinion. That’s stupidity, because we can change the laws any way we want. All that matters is what we want, and what makes sense, not what has already been written down somewhere. Let’s make wise decisions first, then force the laws to agree with us.
Americans aren’t rule-followers. It isn’t in our DNA. We are revolutionaries. We are entrepreneurs. Often we are total assholes. But I sure hope we never become a nation of obedient rule-followers.
The only laws I plan to respect, now or ever, are the ones that make sense to me and are a net positive for humans. That feels American to me. You won’t see me obeying any laws because someone I have never met decided it would be a good idea. I literally feel offended when anyone suggests that my life should be guided by the wisdom and fairness of dead slave owners.
The authors of the Constitution clearly, explicitly, and unambiguously planned for the document to change. That’s why the rules of change are designed into it. If historians have some other explanation for why the rules of change are included in the document, I am all ears.
We have a similar situation with laws passed by Congress. Look at the debate about illegal immigrants. You hear a lot of people arguing that the law-breakers must be deported because they broke a law, and we are a land of laws.
On a conceptual level, a nation must have laws in order to function. But again, the Constitution explains in great detail how to change laws. They change all the time. Change is the normal condition.
If you think illegal aliens need to leave because it is the law, that’s not an opinion. That’s stupidity, because we can change the laws any way we want. All that matters is what we want, and what makes sense, not what has already been written down somewhere. Let’s make wise decisions first, then force the laws to agree with us.
I'll point out that this kind of thinking can causes a county clerk to justify her repeatedly disobeying the courts because she thinks issuing same sex marriage licenses is a net negative for humanity.The only laws I plan to respect, now or ever, are the ones that make sense to me and are a net positive for humans. That feels American to me.
Gosh, there are so many Scott Adams with blogs hosted on dilbert.com that I might have linked to...Defiant wrote:The first question I have is which Scott Adams?
And I'll point out that following and/or enforcing stupid laws is stupid. At no point did Adams comment on consequences. If people are prepared to face the consequences of their actions, have at it.Defiant wrote:
I'll point out that this kind of thinking can causes a county clerk to justify her repeatedly disobeying the courts because she thinks issuing same sex marriage licenses is a net negative for humanity.
To be fair, jaywalkers deserve a good beating. As do cyclists who ride on the sidewalk. At high speed. On a bridge. Six inches away from the dedicated cycling lane on the road.GreenGoo wrote:In the meantime, your line of thinking results in people being beaten for jaywalking.
Pfft, following links is so quaint. And as this is a gaming site, there's another Scott Adams that comes to mind.Max Peck wrote:Gosh, there are so many Scott Adams with blogs hosted on dilbert.com that I might have linked to...Defiant wrote:The first question I have is which Scott Adams?
And reading an article before before putting forward a rebuttal? Très passé...Defiant wrote:Pfft, following links is so quaint. And as this is a gaming site, there's another Scott Adams that comes to mind.Max Peck wrote:Gosh, there are so many Scott Adams with blogs hosted on dilbert.com that I might have linked to...Defiant wrote:The first question I have is which Scott Adams?
Because all he says is what they want to hear. Nevermind whether it's the truth, or even possible. Consequences of stupid policies never cross their mind.Defiant wrote:According to Jeremy Corbyn, the controversial (to put it mildly) new leader of the UK's Labour Party, 9/11 was manipulated by Bush and Blair to attack.... Afghanistan
How the hell did a 9/11 Truther become leader of their party?Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that 9/11 was "manipulated" to make it look like Osama Bin Laden was responsible to allow the West to go to war in Afghanistan.
Except that he did. He says that we shouldn't want to deport illegal immigrants just because it's against the law. He implies that we shouldn't face the consequences of stupid laws. What do you think not "enforcing stupid laws" is?GreenGoo wrote: And I'll point out that following and/or enforcing stupid laws is stupid. At no point did Adams comment on consequences. If people are prepared to face the consequences of their actions, have at it.
Dogstar wrote:Boehner to resign from Congress in October. This is ... ... timing considering the possible government shutdown. Can the party move further to the right?
Dogstar wrote:Boehner to resign from Congress in October. This is ... ... timing considering the possible government shutdown. Can the party move further to the right?
P. J. O’Rourke's responseDefiant wrote:Stay classy, Ann Coulter
Not anywhere near as many as there would and should be if FDR hadn’t been as much of a jerk about immigration as you are, Ann, you etiolated bean sprout butt trumpet.
As to why Israel is important, to paraphrase John F. Kennedy, “Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ikh bin a Ishral.’ ”
And I mean it, even if, pope-kissing Mick that I am, my Yiddish is maybe sketchy.
Partly this is personal, Ann, you jangle-tongue, you all-clapper- and-no-carillon, you crack in the Liberty Bell. To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, “It’s not me, it’s you.”
But, first, my contempt is moral. Antisemitism is evil. Per se, as you lawyers like to put it. For the sake of argument, let us “stipulate” that you are not per se an antisemite. Instead of saying that’s true, let us stipulate it with all the snarky lawyer freight that “stipulating” carries.
Being so stipulated, you are damn rude. One does not say, “f—ing Jews.” One does not say “f—ing blacks” or “f—ing Latinos” or even “f—ing relentlessly self-promoting Presbyterian white women from New Canaan.”
Manners are the small change of morality. You, Ann, are nickel and diming yourself. And may all the coins in Scrooge McDuck’s money bin land on you and squash you flat. (Scrooge, by the way, is not a Jew, he’s a duck.)
Who was looking for a band name? The Inbred Sycophants has a nice ring to it.hepcat wrote:...band of inbred sycophants...
"False prophets," according to Boehner. That's hitting the evangelicals where it hurts.Jaymann wrote:Who was looking for a band name? The Inbred Sycophants has a nice ring to it.hepcat wrote:...band of inbred sycophants...
Are you sure? Perhaps he was saying False profits...........Kraken wrote:"False prophets," according to Boehner. That's hitting the evangelicals where it hurts.Jaymann wrote:Who was looking for a band name? The Inbred Sycophants has a nice ring to it.hepcat wrote:...band of inbred sycophants...
No one expects the Speaker's Inquisition!Kraken wrote:"False prophets," according to Boehner. That's hitting the evangelicals where it hurts.Jaymann wrote:Who was looking for a band name? The Inbred Sycophants has a nice ring to it.hepcat wrote:...band of inbred sycophants...
I liked how Boehner stood behind calling Ted Cruz a jackass.Kraken wrote:"False prophets," according to Boehner. That's hitting the evangelicals where it hurts.Jaymann wrote:Who was looking for a band name? The Inbred Sycophants has a nice ring to it.hepcat wrote:...band of inbred sycophants...
Things are about to get really shitty in the St. Lawrence River, with Montreal planning to dump two billion gallons of raw sewage into the water over the course of a week.
The untreated shit, sourced from residences, businesses, and hospitals, will make its way to the river's southern shore beginning October 18.
The amount dumped will be 13 cubic metres per second over seven days: that's eight million cubic metres in all, or eight billion litres — the equivalent of 2,600 Olympic-sized pools of raw sewage, from homes, industries and hospitals.
Up until the 1980s, it was common practice to clear the sewers this way, although it is no longer considered acceptable.
It's been six years since the city last had to dump untreated waste directly into the river, City of Montreal spokesman Philippe Sabourin said.
"There is no other possible choice," Sabourin said. He said the work is tied into the demolition of the Bonaventure Expressway.
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The City of Montreal said it has obtained the authorization of the provincial environment ministry to clear the sewers.
Do you even open the letters we write you?Moliere wrote:Shit really does float downstream. Thanks Canada! What did we ever do to you?