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The elephant in the room.

Started by Dave, April 14, 2018, 08:36:53 AM

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Dave

That has many of the rhetoric of a typical Soviet propaganda speech. I am actually surprised by the many visual hangovers from the Soviet era as well, if all that scrabbled egg on his uniform is meral it must wegh a lot! It is all part of propaganda imagery.

I do have a niggling concern about the alleged chemical attack being staged. As I have said before the Muslim, and especislly Islamist, mindset can include a "justification" for martyring innocents for a cause. That there has been none of the screaming rhetoric, that I would expect, reported from the rebel side goes two ways: they are either two stunned to make propaganda out of it or content to let the western powers do it for them. Neither sits comfortably with me.

I do not trust either side . It seems very suspicious that the Russians deem it safe enough to allow journalists into the area but not safe for the OPCW team. If the rebels, or Daesh or whoever, staged this in an attempt to put blame on the Syrian regime would they want inspection or see the OPCW team as a legitimate target? I see Daesh as capable of planning this well, to the point if "seeding" evidence. However I do not see them as good enough to fool a proper forensic investigation - but will we get such?

However I do not see the western powers as falsifying this, despite the new level of stupidity reached with Trump. There has bern a resl campaign to divert attention and blame, sometimes contradictory, prevent adequate investigation by as near objective an authority as we can expect and waste essential time by the Russians.  Overt, "'public", ntrigue and deviousness are, from my understanding of history, far more characteristic of Russia than the average western regime.

But then, history has mostly been written from the winner's pov, with propaganda in mind or at least skewed by bias. I am biased enough to lean towards most of the prevarication coming from the Russian side.
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Bad Penny II

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2018, 12:05:25 AM
How would the US economy fare if there was no war? :notsure:

Possibly better... no no I'll start again.

Measurement  of economies is pretty dodgy, a natural disaster that kills a million, leaves millions homeless but misses the factory towns is good for the economy, good=bigger.

Ye weapons research has spin offs but there's so much wasted.  If the US had used the money it borrowed from China not on militarism, but to build the country, infrastructure, human resources, I think the people would have benefited, the economy might of got bigger too.





Take my advice, don't listen to me.

Bad Penny II

Quote from: Dave on April 18, 2018, 06:28:14 AM
However I do not see the western powers as falsifying this, despite the new level of stupidity reached with Trump.

In Orwell's 1984 life's pretty shit in Oceania, I wonder how life was in the other two power blocks.

It's easier for me to believe Russia is playing a no holds bared game.
Vlad doesn't like a reporter, they die.
I see reporters bothering our politician all the time.
But maybe I am living a shit life in Oceania
and it's all rosy in Vlad land,
and there never was no moon landing...
Take my advice, don't listen to me.

Dave

Quote from: Bad Penny II on April 18, 2018, 12:28:15 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 16, 2018, 12:05:25 AM
How would the US economy fare if there was no war? :notsure:

Possibly better... no no I'll start again.

Measurement  of economies is pretty dodgy, a natural disaster that kills a million, leaves millions homeless but misses the factory towns is good for the economy, good=bigger.

Ye weapons research has spin offs but there's so much wasted.  If the US had used the money it borrowed from China not on militarism, but to build the country, infrastructure, human resources, I think the people would have benefited, the economy might of got bigger too.

Yes, there are spin-offs from weapons resesrch, but the major impact eould be in jobs I think. Not only your Borings and Lockheeds etc but all ghe firms that supply and servuce them and the raw source companies, mining and processing etc. Would enough new jobs be found for them sll or would the stste have to support them at a basic level? How long would it take to turn the companies round to produce other stuff?

What would all the investing fat-cats and pension funds have to say about it?

It would possibly mean ecconomic collapse. There was a sci-fi short story where cars had to be recycled after two years by law. Basically to keep millions of people employed proceseing the old obescand making new.

Many weapon systems actually have quite a short safe shelf life before they have to be stripped, refurbished, comprehensively inspected and tested and then refilled. Not worth the effort for dumb bombs and shells, use them (in ordinary target practice prefferably) or scrap them at further cost.

Oh, and you would probably have to build lots more secure psychiatric units for all the paranoid people who finally flipped 100%!
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74