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nittany ram
ModeratorSaw it. Very dark. Very very good.
Prepare to root for the Joker – who in many ways isn’t responsible for what he became.
October 9, 2019 at 4:48 pm in reply to: Jacobin, on abandoning the Kurds and the annihilation of Rojava #106462nittany ram
ModeratorThe Kurds are holding tens of thousands ISIS members in captivity. If they suddenly find themselves in a battle with Turkish troops, they will likely be forced to set them free.
I wonder if the leftist ideology of the Kurds played a part in their abandonment? I know Trump incorrectly thinks ISIS has been defeated, but the infusion of thousands of formerly captive fighters could invigorate their fighting spirit.
I read that too. I haven’t checked back on this today, but it’s a guarantee that if Turkish forces go after the Kurds, whom they vastly outnumber, the Kurds have no choice but to stop guarding the ISIS captives and move to that new front. That means all of those captives escape prison, obviously, and find their way back to whatever organizational structure they may still have or can reform.
Aside from the obscene immorality of turning our backs on the Kurds yet again, this is going to cause major blowback. And the Kurds took the brunt of the dying in the battle against ISIS. I think these numbers are roughly correct:
More than 11,000 Kurdish fighters died in the battles, compared with something like a dozen Americans.
Good point about their ideology. I suspect that is a factor, especially for Erdogan. Trump’s alt-right whisperers too.
On the surface at least, there’s nothing that makes sense about abandoning the Kurds to the whim of the Turks.
No matter how he spins it, he knows ISIS isn’t defeated. Surely his military advisors have told him this. Ending US military involvement in the Mid East was a campaign promise, but only after accomplishing objectives that haven’t really been accomplished. Besides, his base likes that we’re over there killing brown people. There’s really no political pressure for him to do this.
October 9, 2019 at 3:21 pm in reply to: Jacobin, on abandoning the Kurds and the annihilation of Rojava #106457nittany ram
Moderatorhttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/10/rojava-syria-erdogan-turkey-united-states-military
Excerpt:
Following the rise of ISIS and its dramatic control of vast swaths of Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Kurds emerged as one of the key groups in the coalition constructed by the United States to combat the advance of the self-proclaimed caliphate. This alliance was always a marriage of convenience. In ideological terms, it led to the peculiar situation whereby US military support was facilitating the formation of a leftist experiment based upon Öcalan’s interpretations of the work of New York anarchist Murry Bookchin, Democratic Confederalism. More seriously from Washington’s perspective, this pact undermined relations with Turkey, a US ally, as Erdoğan grew ever more hostile to the Syrian Kurds. In short, the US’s partnership with the Syrian Kurds created unsustainable tensions in US foreign policy.
It seemed inevitable that, at some point, the United States would have to make a choice between Ankara and Rojava. While the war with ISIS continued, that decision could be delayed. But with the effective defeat of ISIS, the reason d’étre of the American presence in Syria came to an end. Now, with Trump’s announcement that the United States could withdraw from Syria — a decision previewed in December 2018 — that contradiction in US policy might be resolved in favor of Erdogan.
Tweeting in response to criticism, the president wrote, “WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.” Trump’s compromise with Ankara would open the way for Turkey to march into Rojava, clear out the population, and transform the demographics of Northern Syria.
Generally speaking, when I hear about a plan to remove American troops from the battlefield, I favor it. Bring ’em home!! But the more I learn about this particular sudden shift in US policy, the worse it sounds. Boiled down, Turkey has long wanted free rein to slaughter the Kurds. They see their drive for independence as a direct threat. Until last night, the presence of American troops in Syria was preventing a direct attack, and unless Trump changes his mind again, it looks like tens of thousands (or more) Kurds are in existential danger from Erdogan. As the above article shows, so is the leftist experiment in Rojava.
The Kurds are holding tens of thousands ISIS members in captivity. If they suddenly find themselves in a battle with Turkish troops, they will likely be forced to set them free.
I wonder if the leftist ideology of the Kurds played a part in their abandonment? I know Trump incorrectly thinks ISIS has been defeated, but the infusion of thousands of formerly captive fighters could invigorate their fighting spirit.
nittany ram
ModeratorI think they’re for real. They haven’t played a good team yet but they pass the eye test.
nittany ram
ModeratorVincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
The last time the #Rams and #49ers met at the Coliseum with both teams having winning records was in 1976. Jim Plunkett was the QB of the 49ers and James Harris was the #Rams QB. Sunday is going to be fun.
==========================Thats hard to believe. Wow.
I guess one of them usually sucks.
w
vThough VB’s point is, it’s the last time in the Coliseum. Both teams had winning records in 2001, but that was with the Rams in St. Louis.
They also met with winning records in the 80s but the Rams home games were played in what is now The Big A in Anaheim.
nittany ram
ModeratorIn my continuing and almost-futile search for ‘progressive fantasy’ in the West, (99 percent of English language fantasy stories might as well have been written by the CIA)
I began thinking the same thing when Gandalf waterboarded that Orc in Lord of the Rings…
nittany ram
Moderatorfrom:
Even when the Rams DO target Todd Gurley, his catch rate and YAC are indicative of the ongoing TG narrative. Is it time for third round pick Darrell Henderson to inject some life into the Rams’ screen game?Not sure the failure of the screen game has anything to do with Todd Gurley. I think it’s become easy to read. I mean, I see it coming from a couch in Vermont. No doubt a LB 10 ft away can see it.
nittany ram
ModeratorJust to be on the safe side here . . . with the absence of any follow ups:
Nittany, I was kid-ding!!
;>)
Except about the cheating part. The Terps would have crushed Penn State this year if not for that.
Double ;>)
Yeah, I know you were kidding. 😉 I just haven’t had the chance to check in on the board much today.
BTW, I’m only a casual PSU fan now. I mean, I still hope they win, but I don’t have much of an emotional investment in them anymore.
The Sandusky affair and the stuff surrounding it sorta extinguished my enthusiasm.
nittany ram
ModeratorNow, if you were to suggest that Nittany will “graggoksnorfle” the day, then I think he really would get antsy a bit and stop posting on behalf of Monsanto. But “rue”? It just sounds too nice a word to me.
Well, “Rue” is the name of a morgue where some murders took place in a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe.
What, exactly, is there about murders, morgues, and Edgar Allen Poe that you consider “nice”?
I may be a shill for Monsanto, but at least I’m not twisted enough to have warm feelings about a word so closely associated with the macabre.
nittany ram
ModeratorWell, fwiw, they lose ‘me’ when they put this kind of thing in the article. That causes all kinds of alarm bells to go off in my head. I mean, why add that last sentence? Where does ‘that’ come from?
w
vI actually wasn’t going to post the article because of that, but I liked the chart. Although because of that last paragraph this comes off as pro-corporate spin, I think the underlying message that the vast majority of cancers aren’t caused by some superfund site, but by normal human behavior that most of us deal with on a daily basis is important. Of course, that doesn’t absolve corporations of their role in creating the tobacco, obesity, etc problems…
Happily, the incidence rate for most cancers are on the decline.
nittany ram
ModeratorCowherd says Goff looked “like Brady in a playoff game”.
Wow.
I love that comparison.
As Pats fans like Zooey will tell ya, that’s about the highest praise a QB can get.
nittany ram
Moderator“The fact that we can find such a distinctive and medically important fungus like Poison Fire Coral right in our backyard shows we have much to learn about fungi in northern Australia,” Barrett said…
“It didn’t surprise me because I have been finding quite a few things over the years,” he said…”
===============Ok, this guy seems a little to pleased about the fact that a brain-eating fungus has been found in his country.
w
vHe got tired of waiting around for Ebola.
October 4, 2019 at 9:05 am in reply to: the one-shot tweets thread (diff'rent stuff, funny angry interesting) #106192nittany ram
Moderator— The OG Devil's Agvocate™️ 🇺🇸 (aka Michelle) (@MGigger) October 3, 2019
nittany ram
ModeratorWilson had a big game I see.
One thing I always liked about Greg Williams – he knew how to stifle Wilson. Of course, his defense would get lit up by someone like Mike Glennon the next week, but…
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nittany ram.
nittany ram
ModeratorInteresting. Thanks for posting it.
nittany ram
ModeratorNah.
Kickers age very slowly, and for the most part Greg’s been clutch.
nittany ram
ModeratorI’ve got a 12 hour shift tomorrow beginning at 4am so I won’t be able to stay up and watch the Rams tonight.
That means the rest of you are going to have to pick up your game.
Somehow you’re going to have to come up with enough mojo to make up for my absence, and will the Rams to victory.
Gawd knows it won’t be easy. But we’re Rams fans. If we cared about ‘easy’ we’d be Pats fans.
Your lies are as transparent as any teenager’s.
All of that was “double-speak” for, “I will be rooting for the Seahawks.”
4am shift {/eyeroll}.
A classic example of transference right out the text book.
What a fascinating clinical case study you would make.
“Transference describes a situation where the feelings, desires, and expectations of one person are redirected and applied to another person. Most commonly, transference refers to a therapeutic setting, where a person in therapy may apply certain feelings or emotions toward the therapist.”
nittany ram
ModeratorI’ve got a 12 hour shift tomorrow beginning at 4am so I won’t be able to stay up and watch the Rams tonight.
That means the rest of you are going to have to pick up your game.
Somehow you’re going to have to come up with enough mojo to make up for my absence, and will the Rams to victory.
Gawd knows it won’t be easy. But we’re Rams fans. If we cared about ‘easy’ we’d be Pats fans.
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“Doc,” he said, “Some time, when the crew is up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys, tell ’em to get out there and give it all they’ve got. And win just one for the Zipper. I don’t know where I’ll be then Doc, he said. But I won’t smell too good, that’s for sure.”nittany ram
ModeratorWhat you are describing sounds like the racist-nationalist part of his core. Maybe also the rightwing-evangelical-block but I’m not sure how many of them actually liked Trump.
w
vA venn diagram of racist nationalists vs right wing evangelicals would overlap. I think the circles would practically eclipse one another.
Racism is the one thing every Trump block has in common – from the most extreme white supremacists to the desperate working class folks who have bought the lie that blacks are living large on public assistance, and that programs like Affirmative Action are keeping “decent hard-working Americans” jobless.
Trump is their savior who’s going to restore the proper order.
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nittany ram.
October 1, 2019 at 2:11 pm in reply to: Judge rules jury can apply Castle Doctrine in Amber Guyger murder trial #106059nittany ram
ModeratorTo me the issue is how the Castle Doctrine is allowed to be applied to this case. I suppose the judge allowed it because the defendant claims to have believed she was in her own home.
But she wasn’t, so the Castle Doctrine shouldn’t apply because believing something is true doesn’t make it true.
“I believed I was sober even though I had a blood alcohol level of 2.5, so I shouldn’t be convicted of drunk driving.”
She is certainly guilty of manslaughter at least. But it’s possible she could get a much reduced sentence or even acquitted by a jury based on the Castle Doctrine.
nittany ram
ModeratorWell, this is what the Rams offense is going to look like until:
1. The o-line solidifies.
2. Goff calms down. I never believed he was a system QB but he’s seen the same defense for 5 straight games and still looks confused.nittany ram
ModeratorShow me the receipts of other candidates unapologetically supporting #LGBTQ equity and inclusion during the AIDS epidemic.
I'll wait. #Bernie2020 🌈 pic.twitter.com/VlKSX34fAI
— Brianna Westbrook (@BWestbrookAZ8) September 29, 2019
nittany ram
ModeratorThey’re in another league, entirely, in fact. I mean, when has the EPA gone after a state (California) for having higher anti-pollution standards than the Feds? When has the Interior department given away two million recently protected acres to fossil fuel giants? Obama just protected them a few years ago, and now that’s all been reversed.
This is where Trump sets himself apart. On stuff like foreign policy, he’s not that much different than his predecessors. On economic policies, he follows the same neoliberal playbook that’s been used by every dem and rep since Reagan. It’s like McVay’s offense…same personnel grouping every play but with different formations so it ‘feels’ like something new.
But nobody, not even the most conservative Republicans would have gone after The Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.
They would have liked to, but they wouldn’t have had the hubris to do it. They wouldn’t have dared to declaw the EPA to this extent, or silence EPA and CDC scientists.
He won’t be the last president to try and take away a woman’s right to agency over her own body or deport brown skinned people who are simply looking for a better life, but I pray to Cthulhu he’s the last president to invite destruction of the last few pristine areas on earth by opening it up to his fossil fuel overlords.
nittany ram
ModeratorI understand why some people don’t see the point of impeaching Trump when there’s little chance of him being removed from office.
Polls show that less than half of the country wants him to be impeached. The same was true for Clinton’s impeachment and it backfired on the Republicans. His approval rating shot up to 60% as a result. Impeachment could be the best thing that could happen to Trump.
nittany ram
ModeratorNote that the logo has no yellow in it.
Only blue and white.
September 28, 2019 at 11:22 am in reply to: RAMS TV Map for game 4 & informal poll — will the Rams get untracked v. Tampa? #105840nittany ram
ModeratorTampa has a tough run defense. They’re 2nd in the league in yards per run allowed. SF got 98 yards on them in 32 carries, and SF is 4th in the league rushing. McCaffrey got 37 yards on them in 16 carries one week after running all over the Rams. They held the Giants to 72 yards on 19 carries.
They don’t have a good pass defense. It’s a hair or 2 below average in terms of yards, but they are 10th in sacks.
The Rams have a pretty good yds/carry average. Tampa’s been great at stopping the run. I suppose Tampa will try to stop the run and force Goff to shoulder the load without the advantage of play action. It seems doable. The Bucs have a good defensive front led by Suh, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the offense continues to struggle a little this week.
Winston is dangerous but erratic. I’m pretty confident that Wade’s defense will confound and harass him the whole game.
nittany ram
Moderator(On the status of OL Austin Blythe and TE Tyler Higbee and how their status influences their practice plan for the upcoming week)
“They’re both (OL Austin Blythe and TE Tyler Higbee) making good progress. They’ll still be day-to-day, but the anticipation, the hope is that they’ll be able to play this week.”Let’s hope Blythe is back or we’ll have to contend with the nightmarish prospect of a motivated Suh lining up over Demby.
nittany ram
ModeratorI disagree with Bate and Ruiz.More and more these national writers that don’t actually follow the Rams they write from a fantasy owner standpoint which isn’t relative. Ruiz doesn’t even mention that we are three games into a season in which the entire interior OL is in the first year starting. Higbee and Blythe not playing, Woods Cooks and Gurley all having uncharacteristic drops. The running game was doing next to nothing till the second half adjustment when they ran it up the middle then surprise surprise the passing game opened up. I am not saying that Goff has been perfect but he’s 3-0 including 2 3000 mile road trips against a very tough schedule so to say he’s not executing and it’s all on him,
that’s just over the top sillinous .I agree for the most part.
However, it is true that Goff hasn’t looked comfortable in the pocket since after the Chiefs game. He hasn’t had a great game from start to finish since then. He’s had stretches during games where he looked totally in command, but in almost every game since KC he’s had long stretches where he’s looked lost.
I think there are a lot of mitigating factors (poor protection at times, lack of running game, etc) and I’m not worried yet, but so far this season he looks like he’s regressed. He’s having accuracy issues and seems to be struggling reading defenses. I think opponents have discovered what he doesn’t do well and are taking advantage of it.
But he’s only 6 months older than Baker Mayfield. He’s still very young. He’ll learn. What are weaknesses in his game now will become strengths. I fully expect him to return to the elite level of play we saw against the Vikings and Chiefs.
nittany ram
ModeratorOh btw. The Browns modern ‘progressed-forward’ Uniforms made me Gag.
I assume the NFL’s giant-corporate-brains did some focus-group-studies and polled a bunch of American Teenagers and came up with those atrocities.
Cant wait to see how bad the new Progressed-Forward Rams Uniforms will look. I bet they glow in the dark. I bet they look like a Salvatore Dali painting of the interior of a McDonald’s restaurant.
PS — the New Rams Progressed-Forward stadium will have plastic grass. I think that is Unconscionable. I could go on and on and on about it. But I will spare yall.
w
vActually, those crappy unis the Browns wore were their “color rush” unis. The Rams color rush unis are the all yellow ones they’ve been wearing once or twice a year for the past few years.
My understanding is that the players chose the color schemes. So your communist corporate-bashing mantra doesn’t apply here, Chairman Mao.
nittany ram
ModeratorFirst PFF says this…
“Goff rarely pushed the ball downfield and struggled to create enough big plays through the air to put the Browns away earlier in the game.”
Then they immediately say this in the next paragraph….
“Cooper Kupp was the main target man, as the Browns played with two deep safeties for the majority of the game and allowed the Rams slot receiver to take advantage in the middle of the field.”
They answered their own question as to why Goff wasn’t “pushing the ball down the field” and didn’t even realize it.
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