Open Thread – Weekend 16 Sept 2023
1,007 responses to “Open Thread – Weekend 16 Sept 2023”
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dover0beach
Sep 17, 2023 4:24 PM
It’s too hard to get rid of Xi from the outside.So the only way of avoiding a conflict over Taiwan is removing Xi. It seems that the analysis always revolves around individuals. It’s not as if the ‘one China policy’ only emerged with Xi.
Why, because Russia is preforming like a superpower.
Any other country, aside from China, would have already lost given the economic and military power arrayed against it.
Don’t digress.
I’m not.
If China attacked Taiwan who would you support?
At the moment, Taiwan, but I’m not watching events there that closely. The only thing that worries me are Westerners itching for something to happen around there rather than keeping there noses out of it.
Xi is the problem. The internal situation in China will hopefully keep him preoccupied. Many analysts are arguing an invasion won’t happen or if it does it will be a disaster for all concerned.
I too am worried about the hawks in the USA who keep beating that drum. They must be clones of Ed Teller. The MSM here makes me furious at times because it is always war war war! It would help if the rhetoric was toned down. If China does attempt an invasion I think the USA, Japan, and probably NATO, will respond. The big problem for China is that it takes months to prepare for an invasion and there will be no hiding that. Another big problem for China is that they have never fought a major modern war whereas USA has decades of experience in “saving” other countries through military intervention. It is probable China will strategically stumble.
Without a response China will be emboldened too much and encourage further expansion. It will also turn Xi into a god like figure, if he is not that already. China needs total domination of the South China Sea not just for security purposes but for economic and resource purposes. China stands to lose too much. Not just in war losses but every nation in the region and many around the world will seek to punish it in every possible way. But DB, Humans not Vulcans, Xi may go berserker on this. Hopefully someone is planning for him to have an accident. Recently another
Chinese minister has disappeared. I wonder how long Xi can keep getting away with that but then Stalin etc etc . -
Red red wine
Goes to my head … -
Do androids dream of this?
The Bureau – Only For Sheep (1981)
H/t to Wolfman for his recent take on Bladerunner.
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I think what I dread most about the prospect of WW3 is that the soundtrack is going to be shit.
WW1 was pretty bad – music hall ditties and whatnot. A Monopoly board and some blokes called ‘Bertie’.
It is amazing they went ahead with WW2
But, against likelihood, and like The Godfather, the sequel was better than the original. American swing and German classical – especially Beethoven – brilliant!
The Korean War had such a crappy soundtrack I think the Americans only built a memorial in the 90’s.
Vietnam was like hippies in general, telling you how cool they were. But as those people faded, so did their music. And no one plays that war any more.
A war in the late 80’s/early 90’s was an opportunity missed.
But now? It would be a human tragedy.
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That housing problem not limited to the Northern Territory either.
Any place where there was a mission that had housing. Balranald, Robinvale, Moulamein, Moonacullah outside of Deniliquin. Cummeragunga across the river from Barmah. All basically destroyed by the younger tennants who saw these houses as a roof over the head to drink piss and blue.
As you rightly pointed out Dragger, no self respect means no respect for your own shit, because you know that whitey will pick up the tab.
Cummera is where the devil walks now. Been there when I was a boy and now it’s a totally different feel. -
A li’l taut tummied Ozzie brunette – she’s the Sun in our eyes … 🙂
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Andrew Bridgen, someone I hold in the highest esteem, drawing the comparisons and showing the utter disregard for human welfare, then as now.
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Hunters & Collectors.
Not on my list, then or now.Hunters and Collectors – Talking To A Stranger (1982)
They’ve been an excellent Aussie band for a long time.
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John H
Another big problem for China is that they have never fought a major modern war whereas USA has decades of experience in “saving” other countries through military intervention. It is probable China will strategically stumble.
Their 1979 invasion of North Vietnam was a disaster, tens of thousands of casualties, and the Regular NVA didn’t have to intervene in force to assist the regional forces.
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Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Sep 17, 2023 7:23 PM
As you rightly pointed out Dragger, no self respect means no respect for your own shit, because you know that whitey will pick up the tab.I’ve heard it said that “if whitefella wants us to live in whitefella houses, it’s up to whitefella to look after those houses.”
I would be quite happy for them to live in “Traditional” wurlies, or even “Pascoe” farmhouses.
Indeed, this should be compulsory for the selected members of the “Voice”.
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I would be quite happy for them to live in “Traditional” wurlies, or even “Pascoe” farmhouses.
Indeed, this should be compulsory for the selected members of the “Voice”.
Yes if they want to cleanse themselves of colonialism (whatever it means in their minds) then they must alleviate themselves from the taxpayer sinecures they so heartily suckle upon.
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Ivan Katchanovski
@I_Katchanovski
Staggering losses in Ukraine: “Of every 100 people mobilized last fall, 10-20 remain, the rest are dead, wounded and incapacitated. This was stated by the head of the Poltava Regional TsK. According to him, Poltava is in last place in the region in terms of recruitment rates – it has fulfilled the General Staff plan by only 13%.”Another indicator that those high KIA/WIA numbers previously touted are plausibly accurate.
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So Bruce O Newk, will Angry Anderson allow the no campaign use of that song?
That’d be nice. We Can’t Be Beaten may be accurate but not especially helpful… 😀
If I had to choose…
Rose Tattoo – Get It Right (1986)
I bet you thought you had us beaten
I bet you thought you had it made
I’m here today giving you the warning
I’m gonna shake it up
Turn it round
Got to get it rightYou had you’re chance now we’re taking over
Cause we want the changes now
Living answers to the questions
Gonna call it people powerCHORUS
Hey-got to get it right
Turn it round
Got to get it right
Ya listenin’, got to get it rightAnthem!
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Makka
Sep 17, 2023 5:39 PMIf the parallels are as you say,
Zero parallels. A seaborne invasion over 130kms of of open sea against opposing air and sea power has zero parallels with Russia invading across the neighbor’s hundreds of kms land border. It’s a nonsense premise.
Nakkas, what’s a nonsense premise is the you can hold up a two figure IQ. We’re talking about something that not related to how a military adventure is conducted over water or over land. Remain silent.
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More titles for the jaded:
Come Play With Me: Marta Benson was rich, alluring, over-sexed and bored – extremely bored. Until she invented a titillating new diversion that involved half the town… the male half!
In Conference With the Boss; Robin was hip and realised she was hired for her alluring looks and not her typing skills. And although she was inexperienced she knew she would respond to her boss’s play for her. This is the penetrating story of what happened when Robin’s most exciting expectations were fulfilled!
24 Hours to Kill: sometimes death wears the face of a trigger happy punk; but in this case its face was of a young nubile girl with ideas too bad for her own good.
Bachelor Pad: his apartment house was a boiling pot of lustful women: a nymphomanic landlady, a married slut, a weird eyed lesso and one cool long legged sexy chick he couldn’t have.
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Hunters and Collectors (could be) singing about the current bunch of Labor flogs:
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It was a beautiful day at the Cafe. Sunny and wonderful! I got a second noisy chick to accept food from my hand. Only one more to go from the latest batch,
Beautiful Day (2000)
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Geoffrey Blainey and Warren Mundine on the subject of Bruce Pascoe, and “Dark Emu.”
Snork, snork!
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The Church – Under The Milky Way
Bugger that’s good. Only one answer to it…
Icehouse – Icehouse (live)
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dover0beach
Sep 17, 2023 7:00 PMIn other words, who controls Ukraine.
Avoided if it remained neutral.
It always was, but Russia doesn’t like a neutral Ukraine, Putin wants to control it and have his own puppet running he show.
And who controls the island.
China vs US?
The US doesn’t control the island. The US has no intention of controlling the island. Never has and never will. The most benign superpower in world history and all you do is rag on the US.
Of course it is. There’s no possibility that China wants to turn Taiwan into a Chinese bullwark.
I’m not sure Taiwan could be a bulwark for China.
About equal in terms of what Russia wants to do with Ukraine. Control it! I can’t believe you think Ukraine’s worth is to act as a “buffer” for the Russians. In other words, Ukraine to become simply an artillery bog. Ukrainian people would really love to be a buffer for the orcs.
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Quenthland news (the Courier-Mail):
The wife of a man who suffered stab wounds in a violent Gold Coast neighbourhood fight overnight claims the wild incident followed a running feud relating to pets.
Ah. That old chestnut.
Police were called to a home in a northern Gold Coast neighbourhood just after 11pm on Saturday, quickly declaring a crime scene.
Three men, all believed to be involved in the fracas, are receiving treatment at Gold Coast University Hospital.
This better involve an ocelot.
It is unclear what role each played in the incident. One of the men, in his 50s underwent emergency surgery on Sunday afternoon for a stab wound to his chest and a collapsed lung.
A second man in his 60s has stab wounds to his back, while a third person is being treated for serious head injuries after he was allegedly struck with a baseball bat.
An extremely valuable ocelot.
The wife of the man who underwent emergency surgery told the Bulletin that tensions in the neighbourhood had been simmering for a number of weeks.
“Our dog apparently clambered their cat in our backyard. Then all of a sudden they’re blaming (the) dog for killing the cat,” she said, referring to the dispute between neighbours.
Sensational. I have no idea why people would blame a dog – and/or the owners of said dog – for killing a cat in the dog’s own backyard, but it is Quenthland after all. A neighbour:
“There was a lot of banging and crashing for a few minutes” they said.
“I didn’t think much of it and then with all of the flashing lights I came out and saw a pile of clothes in the corner of the front yard and one of them was yelling ‘you killed me cat’ or something like that”.
A large splatter on the wooden fence and pool of blood mark where the violent struggle came to an end.
Brilliant. ‘Ya killed me cat ya caaaarnt.’
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It is unclear what role each played in the incident. One of the men, in his 50s underwent emergency surgery on Sunday afternoon for a stab wound to his chest and a collapsed lung.
A second man in his 60s has stab wounds to his back, while a third person is being treated for serious head injuries after he was allegedly struck with a baseball bat.Bloodee Yes voters, I tells ya!
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Knuckle Dragger Sep 17, 2023 9:56 PM
Quenthland news (the Courier-Mail):Apropos a recent chapter you posted in this series, where a chap was bitten by a snake & died on the scene, while in the act of removing/attempting to remove said snake from around a mate’s ankle.
Turns out the cause of death is unlikely to have been snakebite.
The episode gives me the willies just thinking about it. Most everybody I know has had a similar close brush with an unexpected or undetected deadly snake, though never one wrapping around – (pythons excepted, naturally)
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Cross-pollination via Samizdata:
Brownsword has recently been suggesting that we are rapidly advancing into the next iteration of law – Law 3.0 – in which law becomes essentially self-executing through technology and, indeed, the very exercise of subjecting human conduct to rules becomes subsumed by technological management. Here, the creation of rules itself will become seen as archaic, with technology providing us with better – more efficient, more rational, more effective – forms of justice than those available to the flawed system of law which we currently respect. The end result (the apotheosis of Law 3.0, as it were), will be the merging of technology with law, such that the requirement for rules to exist will disappear and human conduct will be more or less entirely managed by technology.
– David McGrogan
When people don’t have the power to choose what NOT to do, will they have any idea what they SHOULD do? When consequences take priority, will anyone know the value or principle behind the rule?
Rules as a database that you and your personal AI assistant can query to figure out what is allowed is fine, but taking the human out of the loop sounds rather horrid. -
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Sep 17, 2023 9:26 PMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDik61GZkcI
Geoffrey Blainey and Warren Mundine on the subject of Bruce Pascoe, and “Dark Emu.”Thanks for that, got the message, but a bit disappointed in the delivery.
Geoffrey Blainey, I can understand, age gets you, but I thought Warren M was a better speaker than that.
Maybe he wasn’t as prepared as needed?Never mind, the message was clear and anyone disputing it is denying history, lots of it about these days unfortunately.
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Holy shit. I’ve never seem lay down.
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Woof bark growl:
Cash 2.0 Great Dane at Ride To The Flags 2023 Malibu Bluffs Park (3 of 3)
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Quenthland Sovcittery Constitution News (the CM):
A Queensland judge has hit out at the “ideas promoted by charlatans, fraudsters, crackpots and racists” after a man appealing two traffic charges claimed to have “dual legal identities”.
Let’s work with ‘charlatans, fraudsters and crackpots’ here.
Stephen Angus Woodhead was found guilty of driving without due care and attention and fined $600 by a magistrate in March after he tailgated a motorist then passed him and a truck by crossing double lines along Pomona Kin Kin Road at Pinbarren on the Sunshine Coast last October. Some of his driving was caught on camera.
Woodhead appealed the decision the same day of his Magistrates Court hearing on the grounds of “error in fact, error in law”, Maroochydore’s District Court heard.
Uh huh:
Judge Glen Cash, in a decision published Friday, said Woodhead’s submissions contained “some breathtakingly wrongheaded assertions”
“Outside of the usual pseudo-law nonsense, the appellant cherrypicks from irrelevant and inapplicable material,” he said.
Here it comes:
One “extraordinary assertion” was Woodhead’s claim that no state can make a law contradicting section 79 of the Constitution.
The Consty!
“It is a curious submission to make, not least of which because section 79 of the Constitution is a provision concerned with the number of judges of a Court exercising federal jurisdiction,” Judge Cash said.
The self-represented Woodhead “sought to maintain the discredited fiction” that he was not the appellant or person who committed the traffic offence “because he has dual legal personalities”.
Probably due to him being a ‘living person travelling in his conveyance’.
“There were the further usual references to equity and trusts. It was impossible to comprehend much of the speech,” Judge Cash said.
Equity, trusts, birth certificates, maritime law, tunnels. Notably, the beak referred to them as ‘usual’.
“Not for the first time, I am moved to observe that it is sad to see a person such as the appellant, who is seemingly capable of industry and thought, diverting his time and effort in the fruitless pursuit of ideas promoted by charlatans, fraudsters, crackpots and racists.
Ringing bells? Fraudsters? Scamming the gullible?
“Those who wish to stand outside that law and ignore long recognised processes must realise they bear the onus of rationally explaining why these almost universally accepted understandings are wrong. Until such time, the claims of such people will continue to be summarily dismissed.”
‘Bear the onus of rationally explaining’. You listening to this, Trickler?
Oh my lord that’s good.
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It always was, but Russia doesn’t like a neutral Ukraine, Putin wants to control it and have his own puppet running he show.
This has everything backwards.
The US doesn’t control the island. The US has no intention of controlling the island. Never has and never will. The most benign superpower in world history and all you do is rag on the US.
The US wants to call the shots in the region as it does in Europe through NATO.
About equal in terms of what Russia wants to do with Ukraine. Control it! I can’t believe you think Ukraine’s worth is to act as a “buffer” for the Russians. In other words, Ukraine to become simply an artillery bog. Ukrainian people would really love to be a buffer for the orcs.
Ukraine isn’t a buffer if it remains neutral. It simply isn’t a bulwark for the West on Russia’s border.
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This has everything backwards.
You’re obviously thinking in reverse, which is why it looks backwards to you. Russia wants its neighbours to act as buffers. It’s neighbours, particularly Ukraine don’t appear to want to become a rifle range.
The US wants to call the shots in the region as it does in Europe through NATO.
Wanting to call the shots and calling the shots are two entirely different things. If the US carries a great deal of influence in NATO, it’s because it spends the vast bulk of the money keeping NATO afloat. If the Europeans were all deadset against providing support to Ukraine, the current support would have been much more limited. Stop focusing on the big, bad US all the time. Currently, the bulk of support reaching Ukraine is coming from Europe, not the US, no matter what your Twitter sources suggest.
Ukraine isn’t a buffer if it remains neutral. It simply isn’t a bulwark for the West on Russia’s border.
You’ve been droning on about the history and how the US and NATO have done in Russia; even now, Ukraine is not a member of the EU and is also not a member of NATO irrespective of what the links you provided have said about US posturing in the past.
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Criticize the drug companies, question the war in Ukraine, and you can be pretty sure this is going to happen.
And then this
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The US doesn’t control the island. The US has no intention of controlling the island. Never has and never will. The most benign superpower in world history and all you do is rag on the US.
The US wants to call the shots in the region as it does in Europe through NATO.
With respect to Taiwan, calling the shots means means that the US wants to ensure Taiwan remains a free and independent nation. Calling the shots also means it doesn’t want to see China controlling vitally important waterways.
Calling the shots means that the US has kept the peace and ensured that international waterways are kept open. Obviously, you oppose this.
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Just listen to yourself, Dover.
If any NATO member wanted to leave NATO it would be free to do so. Former Soviet Bloc countries ran over themselves to join NATO because of their history associating with the Orcs. They ran, no bolted, as fast as they could. The only way Russia has kept some of the old Bloc within the Russian orbit is either through attacks or serious threats of invasion. Now, two countries that weren’t associated with NATO have joined because of Russian aggression.
But look, there’s the big bad US controlling NATO. How about that, hey!
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FMD!
10 million views in one month.
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Peter Santenello:
The Man With No Legal Identity – Off the Grid in Appalachia ??
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You’re obviously thinking in reverse, which is why it looks backwards to you. Russia wants its neighbours to act as buffers. It’s neighbours, particularly Ukraine don’t appear to want to become a rifle range.
Well, if that were the case Ukraine failed miserably.
Wanting to call the shots and calling the shots are two entirely different things. If the US carries a great deal of influence in NATO, it’s because it spends the vast bulk of the money keeping NATO afloat. If the Europeans were all deadset against providing support to Ukraine, the current support would have been much more limited. Stop focusing on the big, bad US all the time. Currently, the bulk of support reaching Ukraine is coming from Europe, not the US, no matter what your Twitter sources suggest.
My twitter sources have been far better than Forbes and WSJ.
You’ve been droning on about the history and how the US and NATO have done in Russia; even now, Ukraine is not a member of the EU and is also not a member of NATO irrespective of what the links you provided have said about US posturing in the past.
Please, JC. Now you’re telling us that Bush Jr inviting Ukraine to NATO in 2008 and all the subsequent maneuvers were all just ‘posturing’, that they never meant to follow through with any of this and accept them? They were just gagging.
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With respect to Taiwan, calling the shots means means that the US wants to ensure Taiwan remains a free and independent nation. Calling the shots also means it doesn’t want to see China controlling vitally important waterways.
Calling the shots means that the US has kept the peace and ensured that international waterways are kept open. Obviously, you oppose this.
China isn’t going to close waterways vital to its trade.
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Well, if that were the case Ukraine failed miserably.
Yea, Poland failed miserably too. France failed and so did Norway, Belgium and Netherlands etc. All miserable failures.
My twitter sources have been far better than Forbes and WSJ.
Who cares about Forbes. You have a sub to the WSJ?
Please, JC. Now you’re telling us that Bush Jr inviting Ukraine to NATO in 2008 and all the subsequent maneuvers were all just ‘posturing’, that they never meant to follow through with any of this and accept them? They were just gagging.
Ukraine isn’t a member of NATO. It didn’t join in 2008, 2009, nor 2010. So much for US control of NATO.
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Just listen to yourself, Dover.
If any NATO member wanted to leave NATO it would be free to do so. Former Soviet Bloc countries ran over themselves to join NATO because of their history associating with the Orcs. They ran, no bolted, as fast as they could. The only way Russia has kept some of the old Bloc within the Russian orbit is either through attacks or serious threats of invasion. Now, two countries that weren’t associated with NATO have joined because of Russian aggression.
But look, there’s the big bad US controlling NATO. How about that, hey!
I’m sorry, JC, I just find Mearsheimer’s, etc. accounts of the last thirty years far more convincing than the above.
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I’m sorry, JC, I just find Mearsheimer’s, etc. accounts of the last thirty years far more convincing than the above.
No need for an apology. You’ve been linking to sites saying this and that but the reality is that Ukraine is not a member of NATO and hasn’t gained membership to the EU since it became independent. Perhaps it’s not the case in the parallel universe where in fact it is a member in good standing 🙂
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No need for an apology. You’ve been linking to sites saying this and that but the reality is that Ukraine is not a member of NATO and hasn’t gained membership to the EU since it became independent. Perhaps it’s not the case in the parallel universe where in fact it is a member in good standing
The problem for your argument is that nothing depends upon Ukraine being a member of NATO. Waiting for that to actually occur would be too late if you are Russia. All that Mearsheimer or I are required to show is the intent to join NATO, demonstrated by the invitation and material efforts to bring that about.
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