Mapping 46 - what should/will Biden do?

[Free]

Karl is a bit miffed because Biden is doing more than he thought he would.

 

[Romana]

Karl is a bit miffed because Biden is doing more than he thought he would.

Best response :
He's hawking a book on Trump, so....any publicity is good publicity, amirite?

 

[Free]

Biden to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

The move will likely prompt the Taliban to renew attacks on American forces there, which have largely halted since the February 2020 agreement.

www.politico.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Both we Brits and the Russians could have told them that occupying Afghanistan is not sustainable.

There's a reason it's called "the graveyard of empires."

Why Is Afghanistan the ‘Graveyard of Empires’?

A brief history of the empires that were broken in the Hindu Kush.

thediplomat.com

 

[Veritable Quandry]

"Those who fail to learn from history are probably Americans."

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

"Those who fail to learn from history are probably Americans."

Tinkering:

"Those who fail to learn from history are probably the empire of the moment."

Old man in whorehouse : You see, Italy is a very poor, weak country and that is what makes us so strong, strong enough to survive this war and still be in existence, long after your country has been destroyed.

Capt. Nately : What are you talking about? America is not going to be destroyed.

Old man in whorehouse : Never?

Capt. Nately : Well...

Old man in whorehouse : Rome was destroyed. Greece was destroyed. Persia was destroyed. Spain was destroyed. All great countries are destroyed. Why not yours? How much longer do you think your country will last? Forever?

Capt. Nately : Well, forever is a long time.

Old man in whorehouse : Very long.

 

[Romana]

Opinion | How Biden's decision to stay longer in Afghanistan could help Trump

The choice is likely between leaving Afghanistan peacefully in May or again putting American forces under fire — making a withdrawal much harder.

www.nbcnews.com

Damn Trmp, Biden wants to do it carefully, so the Afghan government doesn't collapse.
Goofus deliberately left him a damned of you do, damned of you don't, mess. I'd they stick to the May 1st deadline, the Taliban could well take over. If he extends it, they'll attack US troops and maybe civilians. Of course Trmp doesn't care, he didn't give a about the bounties on US soldiers.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Tinkering:

"Those who fail to learn from history are probably the empire of the moment."

God-fearing, traditional, conservative mountain men and women who don't much care for foreigners defending their, and their extended families' and their neighbours' territory when they're not raiding each other and feuding -- the Afghans have been doing that for a lot longer than some others, and they're also very good smugglers.

While some places cook meth in the woods, these guys, when they're not fighting invaders or feuding, produce some huge proportion of the world's opium crop, which tends to attract a certain type of criminal activity, too.

 

[danielravennest]

Both we Brits and the Russians could have told them that occupying Afghanistan is not sustainable.

There's a reason it's called "the graveyard of empires."

Why Is Afghanistan the ‘Graveyard of Empires’?

A brief history of the empires that were broken in the Hindu Kush.

thediplomat.com

The US had 3,500 troops there as of a month ago. That's hardly an occupying force in a country of 38 million. We have about twice as many in Guam, and 34,000 in Germany. There are 2440 Germans per US soldier, and 10,850 Afghans. So on a relative basis there are a lot more of us in those countries.

NATO had a combined 132,000 there in 2011, including 90,000 from the US. That might be considered an occupying force, but that wasn't their mission. It was to remove terrorists so the local government could function. The NATO force was down to 10,000 total as of last year, with their mission being mostly training, advice, and support of local security forces. So they are mostly gone. Now we are removing the last bits.

 

[Free]

Do we need a "#CHEERIJOE 2024 - It Comes Sooner Than You Think" thread?





37% is sort of where Trump was for approval a lot of the time...

 

[Free]

Interesting article, but I'm posting for the quote.

Welcome to the New Progressive Era

Progressives thought they knew what a Biden presidency would look like. How did they get him so wrong?

www.theatlantic.com

Something progressives admire about Biden is that he is a talented “reasonablizer” of their ideas. As Reich told me, “Biden is almost magical in his ability to make progressivism boring. He can say the same thing that Bernie Sanders has or AOC has and say it in a way that causes your eyes to glaze over.” From progressives who are used to even their more modest proposals being tarred as communism, this is a genuine compliment.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Evernote link because paywall

The battlefield for limiting climate change and delivering American racial justice is now government spending. The trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd is more emotive but less consequential. The main reason why African-Americans die an average of six years before their compatriots isn’t police violence but poverty, which Biden’s stimulus bill will slash. His infrastructure bill aims to bring about both a greener economy and racial justice. Look at the proposals to remove lead from drinking water in heavily African-American towns like Flint, Michigan, or the extra pay and benefits for home healthcare workers, most of them women of colour.

You can oppose Biden’s bills and argue that they won’t achieve their aims or will cause inflation. But that’s the debate that matters. To obsess about tweets and culture wars now is intellectually dishonest.

Today’s identity-based point-missing is often deliberate. Every morning, nativist politicians scour the news for a wokeist outrage — in a big world, there’s always one — and then spend the day banging on about it. This is an old phenomenon, explained by the sociologist Stanley Cohen in 1972: a conservative attempt to drum up a moral panic about a group of young people defined as “folk devils”. The “woke brigade” is only the latest in a lineage of folk devils that stretches back through Islamist terrorists, “superpredators” and hippies to early 1960s Mods and Rockers. Rightwingers exaggerated the dangers of all these groups.

Trying to make sense of our times requires choosing the right battlefield. For now, that’s economics.

 

[Romana]

Evernote link because paywall

They will never admit that the strawmen they create don't exist. "The woke brigade". No one calls themselves that, certainly not a cohesive group. "Antifa", not a large organization with chapters, like the Proud Boys, etc, and not a terrorist group. The "Green New Deal" had nothing to do with outlawing Ted Cruz ''s BBQ. "Cancel culture". And of course, "election fraud".
They will fight their battles against their phantom armies as long and hard as it suits them.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

They will never admit that the strawmen they create don't exist. "The woke brigade". No one calls themselves that, certainly not a cohesive group. "Antifa", not a large organization with chapters, like the Proud Boys, etc, and not a terrorist group. The "Green New Deal" had nothing to do with outlawing Ted Cruz ''s BBQ. "Cancel culture". And of course, "election fraud".
They will fight their battles against their phantom armies as long and hard as it suits them.

This is the major trend I've noticed among my conservative relatives... tons of false flag arguments. I've tried explaining to a few of them that many of the bigger, fatter lies told to them by right wing media is how they misrepresent liberal positions. Right wing media isn't trying to convert liberals, they are trying to make sure their base stays convinced liberals are crazy and stupid. They may as well just claim liberals want to kill all dogs and we have to vote Republican to save the puppies!

 

[Romana]

This is the major trend I've noticed among my conservative relatives... tons of false flag arguments. I've tried explaining to a few of them that many of the bigger, fatter lies told to them by right wing media is how they misrepresent liberal positions. Right wing media isn't trying to convert liberals, they are trying to make sure their base stays convinced liberals are crazy and stupid. They may as well just claim liberals want to kill all dogs and we have to vote Republican to save the puppies!

Oh, that one wouldn't work. The Bidens have dogs. And IIRC Gym Jordan is on record saying Major should be put down.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Oh, that one wouldn't work. The Bidens have dogs. And IIRC Gym Jordan is on record saying Major should be put down.

But you get what I'm driving at... they'd claim ANYTHING bad is part of the liberal agenda... lol.

 

[danielravennest]

But you get what I'm driving at... they'd claim ANYTHING bad is part of the liberal agenda... lol.

Maybe we need to push liberal agendas that sound good to them, but with a twist:

"Liberals want to stop abortions" (with access to contraceptives)

"Liberals want faster and more powerful cars" (electrics have more torque and therefore accelerate faster), etc.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Oh, that one wouldn't work. The Bidens have dogs. And IIRC Gym Jordan is on record saying Major should be put down.

People are saying ... many people think... it anyone should be put down, it's Jim Jordan.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The US had 3,500 troops there as of a month ago. That's hardly an occupying force in a country of 38 million. We have about twice as many in Guam, and 34,000 in Germany. There are 2440 Germans per US soldier, and 10,850 Afghans. So on a relative basis there are a lot more of us in those countries.

NATO had a combined 132,000 there in 2011, including 90,000 from the US. That might be considered an occupying force, but that wasn't their mission. It was to remove terrorists so the local government could function. The NATO force was down to 10,000 total as of last year, with their mission being mostly training, advice, and support of local security forces. So they are mostly gone. Now we are removing the last bits.

What did 20 years of western intervention in Afghanistan achieve? Ruination | Simon Jenkins

Britain’s justifications for invading were having influence and deterring terror. They are just neo-imperialist platitudes, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

www.theguardian.com

 

[Free]

Biden to raise Trump's refugee cap after blowback

The president has been facing heat in recent days for not following through on his February announcement to raise the previous administration's limit.

www.politico.com