The Obama Administration Thread

[Adam]

One of the worst tendencies of the internet: using tragedy as a platform to draw attention to your unrelated personal convictions.

Kind of agree with you but then here's a Joker quote from The Dark Knight

You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds

[Dead & Messed Up]

Also, human beings suck balls at processing suffering in great numbers. Psychologically, we respond very well to a single person in trouble, like that old lady harassed on the bus. Once you get into the dozens, it gets a little tougher, and once you talk about thousands of people, or hundreds of thousands, our brains don't even bother.

Doesn't help that such things are distant to our personal lives, and I'm not excusing our silent complicity...but our brains can be pretty shitty sometimes.

[number8]

It's like he received the award more because he was a likeable guy, flush off winning the election. And for no other reason.

They said as much in their explanation for the award, didn't they? It was because his Presidential campaign received an unprecedented international support, rallying people of different countries to unite as one under his vision of the future. In Europe, people went bonkers and wanted to vote for him if they could. If you look at past laureates, the Prize is often given for effort rather than result.

I think the disingenuous part of the billboard is the time-shifting to make it seem like Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize after all these years of continuing Bush's horrible foreign policies. He hadn't done jack shit when he was awarded, because he just got elected like the month before. The Prize was for his campaign.

[number8]

Also, human beings suck balls at processing suffering in great numbers. Psychologically, we respond very well to a single person in trouble, like that old lady harassed on the bus. Once you get into the dozens, it gets a little tougher, and once you talk about thousands of people, or hundreds of thousands, our brains don't even bother.

Doesn't help that such things are distant to our personal lives, and I'm not excusing our silent complicity...but our brains can be pretty shitty sometimes.

Or, as eloquently put my Marilyn Manson:

The death of one is a tragedy
The death of one is a tragedy
The death of one is a tragedy
The death of a million is just a statistic

[bac0n]

Or, as eloquently put my Marilyn Manson:

Not to rain on your parade but the quote is originally from Stalin.

[number8]

Not to rain on your parade but the quote is originally from Stalin.

Allegedly. Russian historians say there is no record of him ever saying that.

In contrast, I have an MP3 proving Marilyn Manson did say it.

[Irish]

If you look at past laureates, the Prize is often given for effort rather than result.

Not really. They tend to give it to individuals or organizations that actively, ya know, work toward peace or human rights. Eg: Liu Xiabo, Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, Doctors Without Borders, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, etc. (Two of the most egregious examples are Henry Kissinger and Teddy Roosevelt, but hell, at least they negotiated important treaties).

It's a political thing, sure, but the stated reasons for giving it to Obama ("for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples") are vague at best. "We like you, we really, really, like you!"

[amberlita]

Kind of agree with you but then here's a Joker quote from The Dark Knight

You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan." But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds

You know, I always thought he was saying "mare". I feel stupid now.

[bac0n]

Allegedly. Russian historians say there is no record of him ever saying that.

In contrast, I have an MP3 proving Marilyn Manson did say it.

Well, hot shit. Learn something new every day.

[chrisnu]

86% Stein
84% Obama
77% Alexander
65% Johnson
42% Paul
23% McMillan
9% Goode
7% Romney

86% Green, 84% Democratic, 57% Libertarian, 7% Republican

[B-side]

Mitt Romney's tax plan:



What a piece of shit.

[shaun]

You know, I always thought he was saying "mare". I feel stupid now.

[MadMan]

Mitt Romney's tax plan:



What a piece of shit.

And yet pointing this out would be considered "Class warfare." You know what? The rich people haven't even seen "Class warfare," because if they really encountered such a thing it would involve the poor rising up and killing rich people like in the French Revolution. That would be true "Class Warfare," and it scares the shit out of someone like me who doesn't advocate violence in solving problems. But I can't see this not happening down the road if things do not change in this country.

[B-side]

Isn't the Brookings Institute conservative, too?

[MadMan]

Isn't the Brookings Institute conservative, too?

According to their website, they are a non-partisan think tank. They've been labeled everything from centralist to left-leaning centralist to even right leaning centralist over the years. Although granted my second source on this is Wikipedia. Regardless they are one of the most widely regard think tanks in Washington D.C., and they have both conservatives and liberals working for them, so that graph seems pretty legit.

[B-side]

According to their website, they are a non-partisan think tank. They've been labeled everything from centralist to left-leaning centralist to even right leaning centralist over the years. Although granted my second source on this is Wikipedia. Regardless they are one of the most widely regard think tanks in Washington D.C., and they have both conservatives and liberals working for them, so that graph seems pretty legit.

Sounds good.

[MadMan]

Sounds good.

Yep. I've heard of them repeatedly over the years, but being lazy and too trusting of most think tanks (because even the conservative or liberal ones do their homework pretty well, and many of them are highly influential for a reason) I just never bothered to investigate them further. Their website seems pretty cool-I might check it out at some point.

[shaun]

Nice Friday news drop. General Petraeus is resigning as Director of CIA over "an extramarital affair" which will keep him from having to testify before the Senate Intelligence committee next week about Benghazi.

I'm not sure why it would prevent him but everything I've read says the new acting Director will testify in his place.

[Acapelli]

Nice Friday news drop. General Petraeus is resigning as Director of CIA over "an extramarital affair" which will keep him from having to testify before the Senate Intelligence committee next week about Benghazi.

I'm not sure why it would prevent him but everything I've read says the new acting Director will testify in his place.

he could still be subpoenaed. there's nothing stopping congress from doing so

[Acapelli]

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/11...ir-resign.html

"COVERT OOPS" is my favorite

[number8]

The editor of the Post is really angry right now because they have to think of something else.

[shaun]

The editor of the Post is really angry right now because they have to think of something else.

They did a pretty good job.

http://www.nypost.com/archives/cover...5F14965AA0197F

[number8]

Well done.

[shaun]

Whoa. Check out the 2nd item and the date.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/ma...=tw-share&_r=0

[amberlita]