Obama Declares War On Syria

[AmScray 355]

The biggest mark against Obama's presidency it seems to me is his aggressive attacks on whistleblowers, and the domestic spying programs. The feds have charged 8 people under the vague, outdated Espionage Act under Obama, mostly on bullshit trumped up charges (the charges against Manning and Snowden could be argued to be valid). They're basically trying to scare people into keeping silent. Only 3 other people in history had ever been charged under that act since it was enacted 100 years ago. That, combined with the NSA spying revelations (which of course he didn't enact, but he sure as hell didn't reign them in either - quite the opposite), don't paint a great picture of America The Free under Obama.

 

It's the Chicago Way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ScvAJG51V4

It's how things have always been done here.

People think it's some amusing euphamism or just a silly movie quote. It's not. It's totally, very much a 'real thing' and it comes as no shock to see a grizzled Chicago politician bring it with him to Washington.

 

When you sue the police department here, best case scenario, code enforcement finds 7 things wrong with your house. Worst case, your dog gets shot or you get pulled over and they 'find' a bag of herion or a hard drive full of child porn in your car...

 

When you speak out against a politician, suddenly, medical records relating to your wife are published on the internet. Who did it? How the **** did they get them? All that counts is what you can prove.

 

There's a pretty famous blog here called Second City Cop http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com that is run by an anonymous Chicago Police Officer. It's standard reading for all Chicago Cops, the author is politically oriented to the right but that blog has been the cause of more anguish and screaming behind closed doors at 35th street than anything else out there. They've relentlessly- almost hysterically- done everything imiginable to unmask who it is... because that's how we roll.

 

Part of the whole 'Chicago Code' is you keep your mouth shut. The implicit understanding is that business cannot be conducted effectively mired by bureaucracy, so you play by your own set of rules. Whistleblowers? Expect MASSIVE reprisals.

 

This is the city where the mayor ordered city workers with bulldozers to destroy an FAA approved airport while privately owned aircraft were still in their hangars. The reason? Lots of speculation. Lets just say that the "Chicago Casino" that's been in the pipeline for years and will eventually, someday come to fruition now has a likely spot. Likewise, his "Olympic Plan" called for cutting a huge corridor between Bridgeport and South Shore, effectively getting rid of the ghetto that seperated the two otherwise desirable areas, tilling fertile soil for gentrification to take hold and reclaim a lot of desirable lakefront proprerty in South Shore that is currently situated in the ghetto.

 

The Chicago Way is what it is. It's kinda hillarious to see it in action at the Presedential level and everyone around the country just baffled at whats going on.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

I am really, really enjoying how ridiculous the republican pundits look attempting to take the anti-war stance in an effort to continue to disagree with Obama. there's hours of footage of every. ****ing. one. of. them. from Fox spouting pro-war justifications from the duration of Iraq.

 

yeah, I just admitted I only care about the news as long as it makes for good daily show clips. come at me.

[NickCave 194]

The Chicago Way is what it is. It's kinda hillarious to see it in action at the Presedential level and everyone around the country just baffled at whats going on.

 

I've got a college buddy who's Chicago born and raised. I read AmScray's post and texted him about Chicago politics and the whole Chicago Way thing. Here's an excerpt of his email response:

 

"You do what you want and you **** people up who won't let you. Then you can do what you want later. They key is be really good at just doing what you want and not giving a shit. Obama wasn't OBAMA until he hooked up with one of Daley's guys. In 2000 he was losing congressional races. By 2012 he was strongarming the IRS because he's a boss, and in Chicago that is all that matters. It's not a values thing or an ethics thing. It's just the way things are. We expect this stuff. Obama is a brilliant man, an eloquent speaker, and a well qualified politician. Nobody here took him seriously until he stopped trying to be "better" than Chicago. Either you're a Boss or you're a fag. Obama is just USA Boss now."

 

MAKES PERFECT SENSE

[CaneBrain 95]

 

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/07/obama-guantanamo.html

 

So, he actually tried fairly hard to close Guantanamo but he couldn't because Congress undercut him on the issue. And since he's a president not a king, he lost that fight.

 

What a promise breaking jerk!

[brvheart 1,752]

So, he actually tried fairly hard

 

lol

 

 

 

You might want to take a look at 2009-2011, and then watch this:

 

[CaneBrain 95]

Yep still not seeing your point. Even the democrat congressmen were too scared to put terrorist prison on American soil. Their irrational fear is not his failure.

[brvheart 1,752]

Yep still not seeing your point. Even the democrat congressmen were too scared to put terrorist prison on American soil. Their irrational fear is not his failure.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQXZoM__vU0

 

listen carefully to the question the interviewer asks at the beginning.

[CaneBrain 95]

No Sorry I'm done wading through an endless parade of videos and links. Use your words.

[brvheart 1,752]

[Cha! Cha! 628]

I'd actually also prefer you use your words since I can't watch the videos.

 

 

Edit: But I think actually linking the videos is good as a source.

[brvheart 1,752]

Cliff Notes:

 

Obama says he will close Gitmo about 100 times in a compilation video.

 

Cane says it's the GOP's fault

 

brvheart reminds Cane that the dems had total control of congress until 2011.

 

Cane says it's still not Obama's fault, but weak dems in congress.

 

brvheart posts 60 minutes interview where he specifically says he will use an executive order to close Gitmo immediately after taking office.

 

Cane says he wants me to tell him my thoughts, since Obama's own words destroyed his point.

 

Cane is currently constructing his new defense of Obama, which Obama will then disagree with, from video in 2007.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

any time a candidate says that the first thing they will do once in office is (insert pandering promise here) they will almost always be lying because they either can't do that thing because it isn't in their power or they will find out that there's a reason that thing is being done whether it's closing Gitmo, bringing the boys home from War, making gas $2.50 per gallon or repealing the Affordable Care Act.

[brvheart 1,752]

But he can do it, and it was/is in his power.

[CaneBrain 95]

I said it was Congress's fault. You are so hyper partisan, you just assumed I meant the GOP. That's on you, buddy boy.

 

All the congressmen wussed out including the Dems. That's not on Obama. Good try.

 

He wanted to transport the gitmo prisoners to the USA. Congress said no. He's not a king. He can pass all the exec orders he wants but if he can't find a state willing to house them, he's sol. He can't make Montana take them. He's not a king.

[CaneBrain 95]

But he can do it, and it was/is in his power.

 

Nope. Three branches of govt. might want to pay more attention in civics next time. The president can do a lot but he can't make a state take X number of prisoners without consent especially when congress passes a bill blocking any attempted transfer. I understand that you want to blame Obama for everything bc that's what Fox News says to do. But a basic understanding of the constitution would help you out here.

[AmScray 355]

"You do what you want and you **** people up who won't let you. Then you can do what you want later. They key is be really good at just doing what you want and not giving a shit. Obama wasn't OBAMA until he hooked up with one of Daley's guys. In 2000 he was losing congressional races. By 2012 he was strongarming the IRS because he's a boss, and in Chicago that is all that matters. It's not a values thing or an ethics thing. It's just the way things are. We expect this stuff. Obama is a brilliant man, an eloquent speaker, and a well qualified politician. Nobody here took him seriously until he stopped trying to be "better" than Chicago. Either you're a Boss or you're a fag. Obama is just USA Boss now."

 

MAKES PERFECT SENSE

 

It's basically all true.

 

For a long time, the best way to get a city job was to buy one.

Yep, that's right. Buy it. A decent 60K a year blue collar gig was going for about 30K up front.

Administrative and white collar stuff, 75K-100K.. and just how, exactly, does one "buy" a city job? If you're a long time Chicagoan, you know.

 

For ****s sake, our old-school Alderman had their own personal, on-staff HIT MEN.

Eddie Vrdolyak, who they eventually nailed for some bullshit 'bribery' case, had Joe Sallas, now serving in a Florida prison for killing a man mistakenly believed to be a police officer who had pulled over a couple dirty Chicago Cops smuggling 400 pounds of Marijuana down south. The cops overwhelmed him but didn't have the stones to kill him, so they left him alive. When word got back to 'whoever was in charge' up in Chciago, the hit went out and Joe Sallas went down to finish the job. Unfortunately, he got the wrong man and got caught.

 

Read about it here.

http://www.ipsn.org/vrdolyak.html

 

He was suspected in a half dozen other murders, probably at the behest of his 'political sponsor'.

 

When a neighborhood paper wrote a mean-spirited column about Eddie, someone reportedly tried to whack the editor in the parking lot with a fire ax, who barely escaped.

 

In the old days, things were surreally corrupt. It's a bit different now, they can't get away with the hardcore Soviet shit like they used to. The US Attorney's Office basically has a dedicated "Chicago Politician" unit whose only reason for existing is to ensnare dirty city politicos (most recently, Jesse Jackson Jr) That quited things down a good bit, but 'the Chicago Way' remains in full effect. It's basically the exact same mentality cops have with one another, the 'code' and very legitimate reprisals if one breaches it, but extended to politicis.

 

People totally cannot even begin to understand this. Most cities and towns have political offices filled with cling-on bureaucrats and impotent little turds, quarreling over municipal pedantry and fearing getting sued. In Chicago? Our politicians will HAVE YOU ****ING KILLED.

 

There is, however, a gigantic flip side.

 

When a long time neighborhood resident, frustrated with a drug house down the block that was owned by an out-of-city landlord, went into Alderman Vrdolyak's East Side office and requested he talk to the cops and have them investigate, they didn't just investigate. They promptly performed a full raid, arrested all parties, then had code go in there and positively decimate the landlord with citations. Drug acvitity in his ward was beaten deep, deep into the undergroud since he had no tollerance whatsoever for people endangering or lowering the quality of life of 'his people' in the 10th ward.

 

When the woodwork shop at the community center needed a new lathe because their old one was worn out and someone went to Eddie to apply for a community garage sale permit so they could raise the funds, new lathes (plural) started raining from the sky... and new jigsaws, a brand new bandsaw, workbenches, hand tools...

 

If you had any sort of legitimate problem- sewer, sidewalks, in need of police service, funding community events- the guy was like a benevolant king who listened to anyone who requested to be heard and did his level best to make shit right.

[brvheart 1,752]

I could read those posts all day long.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

yeah, that was really good

[GWCGWC 83]

Yeah enjoyable post to read but **** Chicago and the Chicago way.

[Roll the Bones 74]

IMO, Kerry's comment was disposable and rhetorical.

The fact that they basically snap-called a comically bullshit proposal demonstrates that they know we are absolutely serious and there will be no chest puffing about how unafraid they are (because a puffed chest just makes a bigger target for the drones)

 

Syria is critical to Russia for many different reasons.

http://en.wikipedia....Syria_relations

 

Putin is in bed with Assad but Putin, unlike Assad, realizes that we are dead ****ing serious about removing Assad from this world if he gasses innocent people. Assad suffers from crappy little dictator superiority syndrome. His enjoyment being king of his bubble has caused him to lose perspective of just how easy his bubble would be to pop should he piss the wrong people off, which he has now done. He will not 'win' this. At this point, the best they can do is save face. As with Kennedy in Cuba, Russia was the key player here, they just blinked and Obama made them do it.

 

You mindless conservative ideaogues can chant your stupid mantras all you want but Obama is knocking shit out of the park left and right.

Health care, Bin Laden, Syria, economic recovery... Fox News talking points do nothing to undermine conclusions drawn from objective analysis on each of those issues.

 

His presidency compared to that of Bush is a spectacular embarassment for you clowns. Were it not for his apathy on reigning in domestic spying and shoring up privacy rights- also, on a more personal note, kind of appaled that he's used his executive clemency powers less than any other president in history, when there are more people than ever in need of post conviction relief given the ridiculous expansion of Federal prosecutions over the past 20 years- I'd say he would go down as an All Time Top 5 President.

He's a stone-cold lock for Top 10.

 

That was uhhh, really good. I mean really really good.