freshwest
freshwest's JournalGreat! Will all the workers be guaranteed a day off to go to church? BTW,
I think I can organize a ragtag army of the Meh Cat Brigade for a church. Over time, we will evolve. We may adopt the Ceiling Cat brand and use the Lolcat Bible as our Holy Writ.
Translation of the entire Bible are complete and can be read at:
http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
At first, we can meet at each other's homes and elaborate on how we don't give a rat's ass about organized religion, but nonetheless will seek a tax exemption for OUR organized religion. We'll begin with mandatory recitation of the Ceiling Cat Prayer:
http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Ceiling_Cat_Prayer
Eventually, we will be won over by greed and authoritarianism, and anyone who deviates from our faith by failing to believe in the existence of Ceiling Cat will be tossed out:
http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Proof_of_Ceiling_Cat
When we've gathered up enough money we'll buy a mega mansion as our base of operations. With high walls to stop people from viewing our cult initiations, where there will be much caterwauling while the resident fat cats reproduce.
Through donations from the guileless public, we'll have kitty litter delivered several times a week along with lots of kibble for vegetarian kittehs and tuna and salmon for fundamentalists who insist on carnivorism. Serving pickled rat's asses will be part of our Sunday service.
Then we'll start killing each other, no doubt, as most religions do. I think Arizona might become a good base for our worldwide operations. They have no gun laws at all and have given the green light to force people who don't want traditional church. In time we will be one, but no matter.
In recent history, there most certainly was:
NATO bombing of YugoslaviaOperation Allied Force
Part of the Kosovo War
Novi Sad on fire, 1999 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Date
March 24, 1999 – June 10, 1999 (78 days)[3]
Location
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,[4] mainly in the Republic of Serbia and Kosovo[5][6]
Result
NATO victory[7]
* Kumanovo Treaty initiated
* Withdrawal of Serb forces from
Kosovo
* Deployment of KFOR
* Heavy destruction of Yugoslavia's economy and infrastructure
Territorial changes
UN Resolution 1244; de facto separation of Kosovo from Yugoslavia under United Nations temporary administration
Background
After its autonomy was quashed, Kosovo was faced with state organized oppression: since the early 1990s, Albanian language radio and television were restricted and newspapers shut down, whereas Kosovar Albanians were fired in large numbers from public enterprises and institutions, including banks, hospitals, the post office and schools.[44] In June 1991 the University of Priština assembly and several faculty councils were dissolved and replaced by Serbs, and Kosovar Albanian teachers were prevented from entering school premises for the new school year beginning in September 1991, forcing students to study at home.[44]
With time, Kosovar Albanians started an insurgency against Belgrade when the Kosovo Liberation Army was founded in 1996. Armed clashes between two sides broke out in early 1998. A NATO-facilitated ceasefire was signed on 15 October, but both sides broke it two months later and fighting resumed. When the killing of 45 Kosovar Albanians in the Račak massacre was reported in January 1999, NATO decided that the conflict could only be settled by introducing a military peacekeeping force to forcibly restrain the two sides. After the Rambouillet Accords broke down on 23 March with Yugoslav rejection of an external peacekeeping force, NATO prepared to install the peacekeepers by force.
Goals
NATO's objectives in the Kosovo conflict were stated at the North Atlantic Council meeting held at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 12, 1999:[45]
* An end to all military action and the immediate termination of violence and repressive activities by the Milosevic government;
* Withdrawal of all military, police and paramilitary forces from Kosovo;
* Stationing of UN peacekeeping presence in Kosovo;
* Unconditional and safe return of all refugees and displaced persons;
* Establishment of a political framework agreement for Kosovo based on Rambouillet Accords, in conformity with international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Strategy
Operation Allied Force predominantly used a large-scale air campaign to destroy Yugoslav military infrastructure from high altitudes. Ground units were not used because NATO wanted to minimize the risk of losing forces, as well as avoiding public criticism related to its relative ineffectiveness[citation needed] against mobile ground targets. After the third day of aerial bombing, NATO had destroyed almost all of its strategic military targets in Yugoslavia. Despite this, the Yugoslav Army continued to function and to attack Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) insurgents inside Kosovo, mostly in the regions of Northern and Southwest Kosovo. NATO bombed strategic economic and societal targets, such as bridges, military facilities, official government facilities, and factories, using long-range cruise missiles to hit heavily defended targets, such as strategic installations in Belgrade and Pristina. The NATO air forces also targeted infrastructure, such as power plants (using the BLU-114/B "Soft-Bomb"
, water-processing plants and the state-owned broadcaster, causing much environmental and economic damage throughout Yugoslavia.
Commentators have debated whether the capitulation of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo War of 1999 resulted solely from the use of air power, or whether other factors contributed.
Due to restrictive media laws, media in Yugoslavia carried little coverage of what its forces were doing in Kosovo, or of other countries' attitudes to the humanitarian crisis; so, few members of the public expected bombing, instead thinking that a diplomatic deal would be made.[46]
Arguments for strategic air power
According to John Keegan, the capitulation of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo War marked a turning point in the history of warfare. It "proved that a war can be won by air power alone". By comparison, diplomacy had failed before the war, and the deployment of a large NATO ground force was still weeks away when Slobodan Milošević agreed to a peace deal.[47]
As for why air power should have been capable of acting alone, it has been argued[by whom?] that there are several factors required. These normally come together only rarely, but all occurred during the Kosovo War:[48]
1. Bombardment needs to be capable of causing destruction while minimising casualties. This causes pressure within the population to end hostilities rather than to prolong them. The exercise of precision air power in the Kosovo War is said[by whom?] to have provided this.
2. The régime must be susceptible to pressure from within the population. As was demonstrated by the overthrow of Milošević a year later, Serbia's government was only weakly authoritarian and depended upon support from within the country.
3. There must be a disparity of military capabilities such that the opponent is unable to inhibit the exercise of air superiority over its territory. Serbia, a relatively small impoverished Balkan state, faced a much more powerful NATO coalition including the United Kingdom and the United States.
4. Carl von Clausewitz once called the "essential mass of the enemy" his "centre of gravity". Should the centre of gravity be destroyed, a major factor in Yugoslavian will to resist would be broken or removed. In Milošević's case, the centre of gravity was his hold on power. He manipulated hyperinflation, sanctions and restrictions in supply and demand to allow powerful business interests within Serbia to profit and they responded by maintaining him in power. The damage to the economy, which squeezed it to a point where there was little profit to be made, threatened to undermine their support for Milošević if the air campaign continued, whilst causing costly infrastructure damage.[49]
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. According to NATO the operation sought to stop human rights abuses in Kosovo,[40] and it was the first time that this military organisation used military force without the approval of the UN Security Council and against a sovereign nation that did not pose a threat to members of the alliance.[41] The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999. The official NATO operation code name was Operation Allied Force; the United States called it Operation Noble Anvil,[42] while in Yugoslavia the operation was incorrectly called "Merciful Angel" (Serbian Cyrillic: Милосрдни анђео
, as a result of a misunderstanding of nomenclature which was only temporary.[43]
The NATO bombing marked the second major combat operation in its history, following the 1995 NATO bombing campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 1999 bombings led to the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo and the establishment of UNMIK, a U.N. mission in Kosovo.
During the bombing that killed between 2,000 and 4,000 civilians, destroyed many bridges, industrial plants, many civilian buildings, public buildings and businesses, barracks and military installations. It should be particularly noted the destruction of two oil refineries, demolition Avala Tower, the Radio-Television Serbia, the Pancevo petrochemical, shooting bridge building, car factory Zastava from Kragujevac, in the buildings of downtown Belgrade, Embassy of the Republic of China and many other civilian targets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_bombing_of_Yugoslavia
Milosovich was involved in the Siege of Sarajevo and the Yugoslavian war and died at The Hague:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slobodan_Milo%C5%A1evi%C4%87
Had an intereesting life with a surprising amount of family members committing suicide. Seemingly did sgood things, not as bad as portrayed. The charges laid against him after his people threw him out of office when the war was over. But without any bloodshed, they just walked into the offices of government en masse and that was the end of it, IIRC.
But opinions on him, the civil war and the NATO action varies with whom you're talking. I conversed for several years with Russians who sided with the Serbs and claimed that when the Serbians and Milosovich lost control, the Muslims went about killing all the Christians and were intent on driving them all out.
I also talked a young Kosovan man on the other side, who was not religious. He was very glad NATO did what they did and when they finally got their independence, he was ecstatic. He showed me a lot about the area, and explained how they were still cleaning up from the civil war that had been ongoing for a long time. Things like how the hills and parks had been mined and they could not go hurting. He grew up in the era of the Siege of Sarajevo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo
Which was a major destruction of civil society and the unity of Yugoslavia. It was quite heartbreaking to see what was going at the time. But he was of the generation that was grew up then and he saw nothing but peace with the rebuilding going on. He was optimistic, also liked Americans very much. So who is to say?
I digressed, but I thought that would be an example of foreign countries ending a civil war for you, as it'd been going on for over 7 years and was ended in 78 days with some more minor events once NATO decided to contain the contagion.
My Russian friends felt the war would continue to engulf all of the Balkans since they believed it was another Islamic push into Europe. They said if Kosovo was allowed independence it would happen. They were exceedingly angry with the American and their allied bombing.
The warfare in the region did, however, stop there. That is likely too much information but that is just what came off the top of my head in replying to your question. The Saudis can indeed push the outcome of the events in Yemen to their favor. ISIS has promised they will destroy Mecca and the Saudis, and well, a lot of other Muslims while they're working to bring Heaven on Earth. Sounds depressingly familiar.
No, no, no! America needs to see how batshit he and CPAC really are:
The cognitive dissonance at CPAC at seeing this billionaire spew is mind shredding:
Please guys, join ISIS already. You know you wanna. I've never been exposed to this level of studied, fully embraced depravity, not even when I was churched. Never. But then, I always kept an eye on the EXIT door sign to get out quick. I never trusted all of it.
I'm sick of attempts to steer this nation from principles evolved in The Age of Reason to hallucinations derived from illiterate herdsmen.
~ Crashing Vor
http://www.dailykos.com/blog/crashing%20vor
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141048404#post17
to Adenoid_Hynkel:
Phil Robertson Of 'Duck Dynasty' Reveals Bizarre Atheist Rape And Murder Fantasy
See the thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141048404
Pretty brutal fantasies the guy has. And Cruz wants to starve the 47% to death by default. As did Rand Paul. But nothing new from the crew with bumper stickers about Obama:
Pray for Obama ~"Psalm 109 : 8.
Which starts off with:
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.
About the election, huh, but no, there's more:
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
What a nice bunch.
Just a few million dead bodies and a radioactive landscape, I suppose. Just sayin'
It's time to put all the cards on table and see who is going to fold. Hopefully they'll come to their senses and walk away from MAD.
Everyone knew and acted accordingly, like Pakistan as unofficial members of the nuke club
But Pakistan's government has doesn't seem to want to bring Kingdom Come. The Iranian Ayatollahs, like ISIS appear to want it, along with Christian Dominionists. Everyone is walking a tightrope around all of these guys.
Only Putin brags about his manly nuke bits.
Obama is letting the truth out for world peace, which will not be necessarily be pretty to some. Bringing the Kingdom of Heaven by force has been a big no-no for most people:
It's Armageddon's Wet Dream!
By Pablo - March 6, 2012
Unleash Hell?
“This is not a game,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference at the White House timed to coincide with Super Tuesday voting in the Republican primaries in a number of crucial states.
Mr. Obama gave a staunch defense of his administration's actions to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions and said tough sanctions put in place by the United States and Europe were starting to work and were part of the reason Iran had returned to the negotiation table.
“The one thing we have not done is we have not launched a war,” Mr. Obama said. “If some of these folks think we should launch a war, let them say so, and explain to the American people.”
http://pavlovianobeisance.com/
The cat is out of the bag:
They heard it from the dog:
As I said, they ALL spy on each other. But Israel is the eternal bad guy.
Recall the wildly hyped stories of how Germany was 'shocked' the USA was spying on them last year?
But never a peep was heard when it was revealed that Germany had been spying on Kerry and HRC this year already.
All that outrage, wasted! Now, pull my other finger!
Yes, it's not about their egos. It's about the people. Here's the pic when the ACA passed:
Hillary Clinton embraces Obamacare at White House meeting with president
Former secretary of state tweets image of hug with Barack Obama in support of Affordable Care Act while Republican candidate Ted Cruz promises repeal
?@HillaryClinton
#ACA@5: 16m covered. Young ppl. Preexisting conditions. Women get better coverage. Repeal those things? Embrace them!
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/580132218166726656
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/23/hillary-clinton-embraces-obamacare-white-house-meeting-barack-obama
to kpete:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6405389
A lot of joy in that room...
Women are half the world population and give birth to males and females. Both sexes benefit.
Women are unlikely to withhold education and other tools to ease poverty for religious or the other reasons it's done to them. And a 'rising tide lifts all boats.' Why not make these steps to lift up half the human race, in some nations where girls are not even given birth certificates, as if they are non-persons?
I think something must be done, no matter how disdained the solutions may be. Because of the forces arrayed against equality, we must not just leave the solution as an it's not worth doing, or a 'do nothing' and leave it there. I think we can trust women as well as men to solve this problem.
Saul Alinsky, a well-known and effective community activist, said this:
These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.
Alinsky wrote these books that are considered standards:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rules_for_Radicals.png
Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals is the late work of community organizer Saul D. Alinsky, and his last book, published in 1971 shortly before his death. His goal for the Rules for Radicals was to create a guide for future community organizers to use in uniting low-income communities, or "Have-Nots", in order to empower them to gain social, political, and economic equality by challenging the current agencies that promoted their inequality.[1] Within it, Alinsky compiled the lessons he had learned throughout his personal experiences of community organizing spanning from 1939-1971 and targeted these lessons at the current, new generation of radicals.[2]
Divided into ten chapters, each chapter of Rules for Radicals provides a lesson on how a community organizer can accomplish the goal of successfully uniting people into an active organization with the power to effect change on a variety of issues. Though targeted at community organization, these chapters also touch on a myriad of other issues that range from ethics, education, communication, and symbol construction to nonviolence and political philosophy.[3]
Though published for the new generation of counterculture-era organizers in 1971, Alinsky's principles have been successfully applied over the last four decades by numerous government, labor, community, and congregation-based organizations, and the main themes of his organizational methods that were elucidated upon in Rules for Radicals have been recurring elements in political campaigns in recent years.
Democrats know something that is imperfect ideologically is better than nothing.
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