Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Old Man]

Using d10s to game out post-election scenarios

 

The game was elaborate. The participants took on the roles of the Trump campaign, the Biden campaign, relevant government officials, and the media —generally, Democrats played Democrats and Republicans played Republicans — and used a 10-sided die to determine whether a team succeeded in its attempted moves. The games are not meant to be predictive; rather, they are supposed to give people a sense of possible consequences in complex scenarios.

 

No details on exactly what system was used, but based on the results, it looks like we're living in a Rolemaster campaign. ;)

[L. Marcus]

Those damned invisible turtles.

[Pariah]

Feels more like Paranoia.

[Old Man]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

Feels more like Paranoia.

Don’t be silly! At least Paranoia was funny. 😉

[L. Marcus]

And had no invisible turtles?

[IndianaJoe3]

1 hour ago, L. Marcus said:

And had no invisible turtles?

 

The possible existence of invisible turtles is above your clearance level, citizen.

[Matt the Bruins]

On 7/22/2020 at 4:24 PM, TrickstaPriest said:

 

That had been the only election in my living memory that I had been looking forwards to until that point. (edit: at=>until, for clarity)

 

That was the last time I felt secure that the country would be in good hands no matter who won. (Though my opinion of Romney has improved considerably since 2012.)

 

 

[Ragitsu]

 

[Starlord]

I've heard the vague, generic spin on Portland from both sides and I still don't feel like anyone can explain EXACTLY what the hell is happening there and for how long.

[Old Man]

Police are responding to protests against police brutality with... more police brutality.  I think that pretty much sums it up.

 

The total resistance to any actual dialogue about changing police procedures, or ending coverups for police misconduct, has been really eye opening.

[Ragitsu]

 

 

This video leans more on the political side.

[Cygnia]

[Starlord]

11 hours ago, Cygnia said:

 

 

Be careful everyone, apparently it's illegal to dislike him.

 

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

Apparently the saying is now, "If you can't stand the heat, piss all over the kitchen."

[Old Man]

Twitter actually deleted some of his hydroxychloroquine-pushing tweets yesterday, hence the anti-Twitter rant.

 

I've often wondered what would happen if Twitter just banned him outright.

[DShomshak]

As for Portland and the federalized response to protests -- including snatching peaceful protesters off the street by agents who do not identify themselves, using similarly unmarked vehicles, nowhere near the federal buildings the agents are allegedly there to protect: Last Sunday my local paper reprinted a column by Thomas Friedman on how Trump has adopted the Middle Eastern Dictator's Playbook, as exemplified most dramatically in recent years by Syria's Assad. Meet peaceful protests with brutality. This results in protests that are no longer peaceful. Which gives the excuse for even more brutality, as you tell the public that only your strong hand can protect them from the chaos and violence that you have caused.

 

I hope Trump is only trying to lok tough for his base and does not have some more extended plan, such as suppressing the vote in the liberal cities by lockdowns or just making it too dangerous to go out. (Which wouldn't work if everyone votes by mail. Huh.) Or even using a supposed insurrection as an excuse to cancel the vote altogether. Which is getting into paranoid conspiracy theory territory, but with this regime, I can't rule it out.

 

Dean Shomshak

[Tom Cowan]

Oregon is a vote by mail state. 

[Starlord]

I don't think Trump is capable of having extended plans.  At best, maybe he has 'things that he wants' or 'things he has wanted for a long time'.  Even if he made a plan, he would change it after a couple days.  He only seems to operate on instinct and lives completely in the moment.

[Old Man]

Trump has no extended plans. The same cannot be said for the people around him, however. 

[Old Man]

Here's what's in the GOP's proposed COVID-19 relief bill:

 

• $283,000,000 to the Army for new-build AH-64E Block IIIB attack helicopters.
• $375,000,000, to the Army for upgrades for its Double V-Hull (DVH) Stryker 8x8 armored wheeled vehicles.
• $1,068,000,000 to the Navy for P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
• $41,400,000 to the Navy for RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and launchers specifically for the service's Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
• $2,210,000,000 to the Navy, $1,450,000,000 for four "expeditionary medical ships" and $260,000,000 for a single Spearhead class Expeditionary Fast Transport.
• $49,100,000 to the Navy for sonobuoys.
• $686,000,000 to the Air Force for F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.
• $720,000,000 to the Air Force for C-130J Hercules airlifters.
• $650,000,000 to the Air Force for wing replacement kits for A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft.
• $76,325,000 to "defense-wide" spending to establish an eighth Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
• $243,270,000 to "defense-wide" spending for an AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar to go with the eighth THAAD battery.
• $40,100,000 to "defense-wide" spending to replace a modified de Havilland DHC-8 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft belonging to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that was destroyed during a terrorist attack in Kenya in January 2020.
• $20,000,000 to the Air Force to support the integration of the AGM-158 Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
• $65,800,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for hypersonic weapon defense.
• $39,200,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for cruise missile defense.
• $200,000,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for a Ground-based Mid-course Defense (GMD) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).
• $290,000,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor.
• $153,000,000 to the Navy for depot-level ship maintenance work.
• $800,000,000 for the "National Guard and Reserve  Equipment  Account."
• $20,000,000 to the Navy for "United States Marine Corps Force Design unfunded requirements."
• $19,500,000 to the Army for "Force Protection Upgrades."
• $882,068,000 to the Army for general operation and maintenance.
• $458,237,000 to the Navy for general operation and maintenance.
• $135,542,000 to the Marine Corps for general operation and maintenance.
• $969,357,000 to the Air Force for general operation and maintenance.
• $112,071,000 for "defense-wide" general operation and maintenance.
• $8,000,000 to the Army Reserve for general operation and maintenance.
• $30,000,000 to the Army National Guard for general operation and maintenance.
• $12,000,000 to the Air National Guard for general operation and maintenance.
• $48,500,000, to the Army for "other procurement."
• $34,823,000 to the Navy for "other procurement."
• $484,000 for "defense-wide" "other procurement."
• $5,300,000,000 for Defense Production Act purchases related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• $1,494,000 to the Air Force for research, development, test, and evaluation work.
• $20,931,000 for "defense-wide" research, development, test, and evaluation work.
• $1,783,500,000 for Defense Working Capital Funds.
• $705,000,000 for the Defense Health Program.
• $1,128,000,000 to the Army for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Army."
• $4,664,000,000 to the Navy for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Navy and Marine Corps."
• $4,273,400,000 to the Air Force for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Air Force and Space Force."
• $783,100,000 for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Defense: Special Operations Command and Missile Defense Agency."

There may be some other things, I'm not sure.

[Starlord]

Trying to replace all the military pork that Trump took to pay for his wall.  At least those poor, fragile defense contractors will have a future....

[Lord Liaden]

Do you think it's possible Trump is trying to bribe back military voter support lost to his insults and betrayals?

[Dr. MID-Nite]

3 hours ago, Old Man said:

Here's what's in the GOP's proposed COVID-19 relief bill:

 

 

  Hide contents

 

• $283,000,000 to the Army for new-build AH-64E Block IIIB attack helicopters.
• $375,000,000, to the Army for upgrades for its Double V-Hull (DVH) Stryker 8x8 armored wheeled vehicles.
• $1,068,000,000 to the Navy for P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
• $41,400,000 to the Navy for RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and launchers specifically for the service's Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
• $2,210,000,000 to the Navy, $1,450,000,000 for four "expeditionary medical ships" and $260,000,000 for a single Spearhead class Expeditionary Fast Transport.
• $49,100,000 to the Navy for sonobuoys.
• $686,000,000 to the Air Force for F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.
• $720,000,000 to the Air Force for C-130J Hercules airlifters.
• $650,000,000 to the Air Force for wing replacement kits for A-10 Warthog ground-attack aircraft.
• $76,325,000 to "defense-wide" spending to establish an eighth Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery.
• $243,270,000 to "defense-wide" spending for an AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar to go with the eighth THAAD battery.
• $40,100,000 to "defense-wide" spending to replace a modified de Havilland DHC-8 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft belonging to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that was destroyed during a terrorist attack in Kenya in January 2020.
• $20,000,000 to the Air Force to support the integration of the AGM-158 Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) onto variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
• $65,800,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for hypersonic weapon defense.
• $39,200,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for cruise missile defense.
• $200,000,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for a Ground-based Mid-course Defense (GMD) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).
• $290,000,000 to the Missile Defense Agency for the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor.
• $153,000,000 to the Navy for depot-level ship maintenance work.
• $800,000,000 for the "National Guard and Reserve  Equipment  Account."
• $20,000,000 to the Navy for "United States Marine Corps Force Design unfunded requirements."
• $19,500,000 to the Army for "Force Protection Upgrades."
• $882,068,000 to the Army for general operation and maintenance.
• $458,237,000 to the Navy for general operation and maintenance.
• $135,542,000 to the Marine Corps for general operation and maintenance.
• $969,357,000 to the Air Force for general operation and maintenance.
• $112,071,000 for "defense-wide" general operation and maintenance.
• $8,000,000 to the Army Reserve for general operation and maintenance.
• $30,000,000 to the Army National Guard for general operation and maintenance.
• $12,000,000 to the Air National Guard for general operation and maintenance.
• $48,500,000, to the Army for "other procurement."
• $34,823,000 to the Navy for "other procurement."
• $484,000 for "defense-wide" "other procurement."
• $5,300,000,000 for Defense Production Act purchases related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• $1,494,000 to the Air Force for research, development, test, and evaluation work.
• $20,931,000 for "defense-wide" research, development, test, and evaluation work.
• $1,783,500,000 for Defense Working Capital Funds.
• $705,000,000 for the Defense Health Program.
• $1,128,000,000 to the Army for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Army."
• $4,664,000,000 to the Navy for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Navy and Marine Corps."
• $4,273,400,000 to the Air Force for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Air Force and Space Force."
• $783,100,000 for a "Defense Industrial Base Resiliency Fund-Defense: Special Operations Command and Missile Defense Agency."

There may be some other things, I'm not sure.

 

 

This is...insulting. At a time when we need to invest in the American people....we get....this. I'm so fed up it's not even funny.

[Ragitsu]

That bill is to Jews and Muslims as crucifixes are to vampires.

[Old Man]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

Do you think it's possible Trump is trying to bribe back military voter support lost to his insults and betrayals?

Military voters care far more about pardoning war crimes and allowing Putin to put a price on their heads. That won’t be fixed by buying a few more expensive toys.