Play Nice Random Chat Thread IV

[Val Keating]

What is it with crooks and gangsters and sporting wear ?

Makes 'em run faster in a getaway scenario ?

it’s because the bikies started to bring in Lebos for muscle and the Lebs love that stuff.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

U.S. Unsuccessfully Tried Killing a Second Iranian Military Official

• • The U.S. military attempted to kill a senior Iranian military official in Yemen on the same day a drone strike killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani.
  • The plan shows that the White House had a broader aim in mind than was previously known: stopping Iran from carrying out proxy wars in other countries.

from nytimes.com



Trump said on Friday that a senior Iranian general killed by a U.S. drone strike had been planning attacks on four U.S. embassies, a claim made to justify the decision but that was at odds with intelligence assessments from senior officials in Trump’s administration.

I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies,” Trump said.
But a senior administration official and a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information, said they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot. Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies.

The senior administration official said that Trump has been fixated on not allowing an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility, out of fear of being compared unfavorably to his predecessor.
Trump is “totally obsessed with not letting something like Benghazi happen to him,” the official said, referring to the 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Libya that has achieved totemic status among Trump allies, who see it as evidence of former president Barack Obama’s alleged weakness in the face of terrorism.
The embassy in Baghdad did not receive an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described, said a person familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to comment publicly. When the U.S. government has specific information about threats to embassies, warnings or alerts are often sent to embassy personnel to be vigilant.

washingtonpost.com

He was always a target. Just after he was assassinated, my first thought was because he was finally out in the open and that he was a high value target of what the USA considers a terrorist organisation, rather than simple payback. Bolton is an offensive realist and has a strong voice in the administration.

My original assessment about the unlikelihood of a broader ‘world’ war was proven right, thankfully for us.

 

[giantroo]

 

[DesertRoo]

He was always a target. Just after he was assassinated, my first thought was because he was finally out in the open and that he was a high value target of what the USA considers a terrorist organisation, rather than simple payback. Bolton is an offensive realist and has a strong voice in the administration.

My original assessment about the unlikelihood of a broader ‘world’ war was proven right, thankfully for us.

I’ve heard Bolton called a lot of things an offensive realist is a new one.
he’s the ultimate war hawk, no compromise and he has had his sights set on Iran for years.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

I’ve heard Bolton called a lot of things an offensive realist is a new one.
he’s the ultimate war hawk, no compromise and he has had his sights set on Iran for years.

Offensive realism is an IR (theoretical) approach which informs many of Bolton’s Hawk actions.


In very basic terms, it is shifting power dynamics and balances through offensive actions and putting seemingly ambitious regional rivals on the defensive. But it’s up to you to research further if you are truly interested.

Trump shares some characteristics of offensive realism, in particular the emphasis on power, the international arena being more anarchical and distrust of internationalism.

 

[Istanbul Roo]

Australian scientists say it all again ... but will the Liberal Party listen?

Australia's top scientists urge government to do more on global warming

The prestigious Australian Academy of Science said a better response was needed to the unprecedented bushfire crisis.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Nate7]

We must live in some sort of alternative universe then.

( crim's running in thongs )

No comment, your honour!

 

[goalieboy82]

Tomorrow Morning (my Sunday)
for me:

 

[goalieboy82]

Tomorrow Morning (my Sunday)
for me:

 

[Val Keating]

Trump pimping out the US military. Is that normal?

 

[ferball]

Wait a minute... Did Iraq say "get your troops out" and Trump said to MbS- "you can have them back in Saudi but you'll have to pay us" ...

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

He’s a joke.

 

[ferball]

The latest generation of climate models is running hotter—here’s why

It largely comes down to their simulation of mid-latitude clouds.

arstechnica.com

 

[andana]

Trump pimping out the US military. Is that normal?

Troops were sent back in October after those rockets hit near the oilfields. Saudis will be paying for 9/11 for ever.

 

[andana]

Meanwhile


Jan12, 2020 at 11:06 a.m. GMT+8
At least a dozen Saudi military trainees in the United States could be sent back to their home country after an FBI investigation found connections to extremist rhetoric, possession of child pornography, and a failure by a small number of people to report alarming behavior by the gunman who killed three people last month at a Pensacola, Fla., military base, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal law enforcement and military officials are preparing to announce developments in the case in a matter of days. The FBI has been treating the shooting as a terrorist incident, particularly after discovering an anti-American screed posted by the gunman just before the December shooting, according to the people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss decisions by government officials.

washingtonpost.com

 

[ferball]

Troops were sent back in October after those rockets hit near the oilfields. Saudis will be paying for 9/11 for ever.

They started paying for it before 9/11 didn't they?

 

[DesertRoo]

Trump pimping out the US military. Is that normal?

Sounds like he’s getting his advice from Erik Prince.

 

[Val Keating]

Sounds like he’s getting his advice from Erik Prince.

True. He wants the whole military privatised doesn’t he? The US use Princes private army a bit already. Gives plausible deniability.

 

[DesertRoo]

True. He wants the whole military privatised doesn’t he? The US use Princes private army a bit already. Gives plausible deniability.

Trump being a libertarian puts an interesting spin on it, as you could argue the military is the last great bastion of state power.

privatise it and you’ve effectively nullified government.

 

[ferball]

Prince reckons he is a libertarian.

He's also heavily committed to China isn't he?

 

[DesertRoo]

Prince reckons he is a libertarian.

He's also heavily committed to China isn't he?

Prince is committed to two regions in China, HK and Xinjiang. The fact he openly stated he wants to restart the east India company is a pretty big give away, he’s a Wolfe in sheep’s clothing for Winnie the Pooh’s government.

So im not surprised at all, that’s where the trouble is..

 

[Waussie]

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Great cars!

 

[DesertRoo]

Iran militia members chant 'Death to England' outside British Embassy

Dozens of hard-line militia members gathered outside the British Embassy in Iran on Sunday, chanting “Death to England,” and calling for the ambassador to be expelled and the embassy closed.

www.foxnews.com

interesting development, British Iranian Ambassador arrested for being at anti gov protests..

there’s no such thing as grass roots movements when it comes to these things.

 

[Val Keating]

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Only Iranian woman to medal in Olympics defects from country

Kimia Alizadeh, the only woman from Iran to medal in an Olympic Games, announced Saturday that she defected from the country, saying that she no longer wanted “to sit at the table of hypocrisy, lie…

thehill.com