Search found 233 matches

by fnord123
Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:43 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: What a mess.... (Middle East related)
Replies: 4
Views: 3150

Re: What a mess.... (Middle East related)

Need I remind anyone that Iran is a third world country?  If they execute as well as a first world country...  remember the Iran-Iraq war?  It was WWI all over again. Both ISIS and Iran are our enemies, so a nasty war of attrition that kills many on both sides sounds like something in our interest,...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 25, 2015 1:00 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS Burns 8000 Rare Books and Manuscripts in Mosul
Replies: 4
Views: 4218

Re: ISIS Burns 8000 Rare Books and Manuscripts in Mosul

Barbarians doing what barbarians do. Very depressing :(
by fnord123
Tue Feb 24, 2015 9:11 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Dan Carlin's Common Sense
Replies: 8
Views: 4535

Re: Dan Carlin's Common Sense

Dan Carlin's stuff is great. He is one of only two podcasts I've sent money to. I wish more people would listen to him because he provides excellent historical context on many current events.
by fnord123
Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:59 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Defending Against Hackers of the Future
Replies: 18
Views: 9327

Re: Defending Against Hackers of the Future

A dictionary attack won't guess four random whole words that are in the dictionary?  I'm skeptical.  4^4? There are a lot of words in the dictionary - the combinations are astronomical. Maybe a silly question, but how do you keep track of all these unique, complex passwords for your various account...
by fnord123
Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:23 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Defending Against Hackers of the Future
Replies: 18
Views: 9327

Re: Defending Against Hackers of the Future

All to many people have weak passwords, or even worse, use the same password for multiple web pages.  The problem with that is a hacker only needs to compromise one and now they have your password for all of them. In addition to using long upper/lower/number passwords, another option is to use a pas...
by fnord123
Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:59 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria
Replies: 15
Views: 7195

Re: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria

MUCH better than letting a violent group of religious extremists run roughshod through an entire section of the world decapitating and burning people alive. I'm pretty sure the women of Saudi Arabia prefer their current state to living under ISIS rule. This is the "bad things are happening somewher...
by fnord123
Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:54 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Federal Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Amnesty
Replies: 74
Views: 25641

Re: Federal Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Amnesty

Guest workers (e.g. braceros program) in combination with severe penalties for employers who employ illegals would be a huge step to reducing the number of illegal immigrants we have - note how many of them left during the great recession.  Without jobs, there is much less of a motivation to come. T...
by fnord123
Fri Feb 20, 2015 9:27 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'
Replies: 35
Views: 17620

Re: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'

TennPaGa wrote: Or perhaps, just let them emigrate to the Middle East.
...and let the anarcho capitalist feminist Kurd paramilitary kill them.

Works for me!
by fnord123
Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:29 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: No Big Bang? Quantum equation predicts universe has no beginning!
Replies: 13
Views: 6707

Re: No Big Bang? Quantum equation predicts universe has no beginning!

So how would the four parts of the PP behave in the face of a no Big Bang quantum singularity?
by fnord123
Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:42 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Heavily-armed Kurdish feminist environmentalist anarchists
Replies: 7
Views: 4200

Re: Heavily-armed Kurdish feminist environmentalist anarchists

Nice pic, it reminds me of pictures of Israeli Army women, some of which are pretty damn hot.

If ISIS is a bunch of badasses who are going to conquer all the way to Rome, how come they can't beat a bunch of paramilitary women?
by fnord123
Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:34 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Reform Conservatives aka ReformoCons
Replies: 6
Views: 3633

Re: Reform Conservatives aka ReformoCons

So what do the reformocons believe, exactly? Are they the GOP’s answer to the New Democrats, a moderate faction devoted to making their party more electable by dragging it to the center? Or are they clever marketers trying to rebrand Reaganism for the 21st century? The simplest answer is that refor...
by fnord123
Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:18 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria
Replies: 15
Views: 7195

Re: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria

It's simple.  The Saudi Royal Family are not jihadists.  They may be inhumane to their citizens but they're not looking to take over the world. The Saudi Royal family themselves are a bunch of rich old men, they do not wage jihad themselves by strapping bombs on themselves.  However, they use their...
by fnord123
Thu Feb 19, 2015 7:26 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria
Replies: 15
Views: 7195

Re: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria

Are you serious?  Comparing a modern Arab state like Saudi Arabia with an anarchronistic jihadist state like ISIS is like the difference between Humpty Dumpty and a cracked egg.  Why don't we attack Iran for sponsoring terrorism, Hezbollah, etc.?  Same reason.  Invading Iraq was a HUGE MISTAKE -- n...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:11 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Federal Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Amnesty
Replies: 74
Views: 25641

Re: Federal Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Amnesty

Irrespective of whether or not one believes in God, I think it is difficult to argue that the Judeo-Christian religious tradition is not the cornerstone upon which Western Civilization has built its moral/ethical values system. This is wildly off-topic, but I think one can argue that the Romans and...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:59 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Religion Of Peace Goes To Copenhagen. Free Speech, Religion Under Attack.
Replies: 65
Views: 20755

Re: Religion Of Peace Goes To Copenhagen. Free Speech, Religion Under Attack.

The whole place has been nothing but a source of consistent global trouble for tens of centuries . The geographic region has not produced "consistent global global troubles" over the tens of centuries.  Rome conquered much more in both extent and duration.  The mongols almost certainly killed many ...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:38 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'
Replies: 35
Views: 17620

Re: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'

fnord: I think you're overlooking the fact that ISIS is capturing, torturing and crucifying or beheading Western citizens, including Americans, not just the local Arabs.  We're going to nuke them more for the former than the latter. Seriously, people, CRUCIFIXATION with all the horror that entails!...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:22 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria
Replies: 15
Views: 7195

Re: From a Private School in Cairo to ISIS Killing Fields in Syria

I have yet to hear one good strategy for ending or even containing this problem that doesn't result in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dead people in the next decade. Other than small scale terrorism, what has you thinking there will be hundreds of thousands/millions of dead people? In te...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:02 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

I would argue that it's much easier just to kill a few hundred thousand terrorist (or terrorist wannabees) than it is to figure out a way to employ half a billion disaffected Muslim youth. I agree with you that killing a few hundred thousand terrorists is easy (well, as long as one assumes that the...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:57 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

Ok, so now we're going to win the war on terror with a Middle East jobs program? A jobs program is way, way down the list.  That sort of thing only makes sense after some level of stability has returned - e.g. the Marshall program after WW2 ended. In the near term we should provide equipment (and n...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:15 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

It's not just mystical religious people who are susceptible. Right-leaning survivalist types essentially believe the same thing with a government collapse Mad Max flavor in which naturally they will be the survivors. ::) Secular leftists believe the same "end times"-type happening, but to them, it'...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:13 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

I suppose it could even be argued that ISIS wouldn't exist without the West. I think the majority of the blame belongs to Britain in particular, with France deserving a lesser share.  After WWI they carved up the middle east along artificial lines to maximize the stability of their colonies and pro...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 9:54 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

If that all sounds silly there are many Christians who have similar views about the Middle East - just different battles fought by different people in different places before Jesus returns. I don't listen to such things any more but I suspect there is a lot of end time talk in churches right now ab...
by fnord123
Wed Feb 18, 2015 12:08 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Perfect Storm - Energy, Finance, and the End of Growth
Replies: 13
Views: 7540

Re: Perfect Storm - Energy, Finance, and the End of Growth

I agree that the oil/energy part is not the big problem.  Solar, wind, and other renewable energy forms are all benefiting from technological progress, just as oil has (fracking, horizontal drilling, etc.).  There isn't any clear indication that this progress will stop, which means that energy price...
by fnord123
Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:29 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'
Replies: 35
Views: 17620

Re: Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'

If there were credible evidence that the Saudis were behind 9-11 (so far its mostly conspiracy theories) I'd absolutely say bomb them. But I haven't seen it. True, but it was mostly Saudis that flew the planes in 9-11, and the mastermind (bin Laden) was Saudi as well. And as for the Saudis being a ...
by fnord123
Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:13 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq
Replies: 42
Views: 13740

Re: ISIS burns 45 more to death in Iraq

Because its the right thing to do? What precisely do you propose to do once we invade and kill a bunch of them?  Institute a democratically elected government that oppresses them until new terrorists form (hint: We tried that, it is called Iraq. Didn't go so well did it?)?  What was right about tha...