The Philippine president Duarte probably thought Obama would try to pardon all of the drug dealers the Pilipino's are killing. ;-)Originally Posted by Arbninftry
http://www.militarytimes.com/article...ampaign=buffer
The Philippine president Duarte probably thought Obama would try to pardon all of the drug dealers the Pilipino's are killing. ;-)
http://www.militarytimes.com/article...ampaign=buffer
We know that fundamental institutions have been compromised or completely co-opted by drug money in a number of countries...making legal weapons essentially useless against them.
In circumstances where you are dealing with heavily armed organizations almost immune to any form of criminal justice and not the least bit averse to violence, there doesn't appear to be much of an alternative to just shooting people.
Unfortunately it's rare for that kind of violence to stay targeted.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Mr. Duerte doesn't seem to be a fan of US influence in his country full stop, so I'm not sure he's really a laudable figure even if he did call a president I don't like very much some interesting names. He's a socialist and seems to be making noises a lot like other shithead socialist leaders from Central and South America over the years...which hasn't really been a good thing for our interests.
So given that he's a socialist, I'm guessing his idea for a purge will end up in disaster.
Last edited by TCinVA; 09-06-2016 at 07:04 AM.
3/15/2016
I don't really have many issues with people taking the trash out of their neighborhoods. The ones who live there know full well who is and is not trash. Not too fond of the idea of vigilante gangs being employed to take out the trash; as there is a good chance these are folks eliminating the competition and then the payee who had the balls to rat out the last dealers. There should be some VERY serious consequences for those who take out the wrong person though.
Unfortunately, this IMO will turn into a circling drain event as it gets out of hand. And it will get out of hand. But then maybe the Socialist wants just that. He will use the population to purge as many shitheads as possible and then finish up the ones left standing. Kind of like Stalin did with Warsaw. Call out the resistance to fight the Germans and help liberate the city; then park his troops across the river and wait for the germane to wipe out the resistance. Then wipe the Germans out and insure that all resistance to his communist party were already dead.
I'm also totally OK with him calling Obozo as he sees it.
It is my hope that it burns itself out before it goes too far. Taz's point about factions using this to jockey for position is awfully plausible.
And they've got an indigenous separatist Muslim problem that is comparable to the British-Irish conflict; it's been going on in one form or other for over 400 years.
Those folks always get a vote in the proceedings, too.
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
Richard Fernandez is a Philippines-born US educated software engineer who spent a good part of his youth as an anti-Marcos operative. He has an interesting take on all of this: https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez...th-a-suitcase/
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
Summed up nicely...
The Era of Hope and Change has been one prolonged act of suicide. If anyone had said that Obama would manage to alienate Israel and the Philippines, lose Turkey, pay Iran a hundred billion dollars, preside over the loss of a won war in Afghanistan, lose billions of dollars in military equipment to ISIS, watch a consulate burn, restart the Cold War with Russia, cause Japan to re-arm and go the knife's edge with China would you have believed it? If someone had told you in 2008 millions of refugees would be heading for Europe and that the UK would leave the EU after Obama went there to campaign for them to remain would you not have laughed?
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
I have no sympathy for criminals but due process exists to protect innocent people even though it sometimes means the guilty go free. How many of these 2,400 killed were just targeted by mistake? Political rivals of the mayor? Some dude who stole the police chief's brother in-law's girlfriend?
Last edited by LorenzoS; 09-06-2016 at 10:57 AM.
Uhh...No what hasn't been good for our interests is getting involved. El Salvador, Columbia, Cuba? Problems that we exacerbated if not outright caused. Remember that the U.S. has literally been involved in an overthrow of an elected leader in every Latin American country, except French Guiana, since 1921. If we just let this shit burn, it eventually burns out (see: Venezuela). Right now the Philippines is the same story. Let it burn.
Duterte is a one-term leader at most. Already their Congress is moving to limit his powers. It's a statement about the point of deterioration of the Philippines prior to this that Duterte was able to mobilize the masses so quickly. Remember, we're talking about this is a trend that started in JUNE. It's only September. Long-term this burns hot, bright, and fast. If he is able to centralize power in the long-term he will remain. But my guess is that this will not happen overall.
As for Obama being a terrible foreign-policy president. He is literally the worst since JFK. Who was one of the worst foreign-policy presidents of all time. Unfortunately, the next 4-years is not going to find the return of quality foreign policy to the U.S. Neither Trump nor HRC has the political chops necessary to repair broken bridges. HRC will be distrusted like the snake she is. Trump will be treated like the idiot savant 5-year old at the playground. I sincerely hope that in 4-years we have much better options, otherwise our downward global spiral will continue. Unfortunately, we have a real dearth of candidates with any practical time in foreign policy...the days of people like Kissinger are gone.
I suppose the one thing I could say is...maybe HRC will be smart enough to select Bill as her Sec of State. Bill does have excellent decorum and history in foreign policy. You may not like the dude overall, but his foreign policy was certainly the best we've had in the past 20 years. And arguably on par if not better than Regan's foreign policy.
If the days of people like Kissinger are gone, good riddance.
These are not mine, but really fit here.
The positive, Bil is good at Relations! They can both take their vacations at the newly renovated Villa in Benghazi! They would have a blast!
Screw Killary!
Last edited by Arbninftry; 09-06-2016 at 07:01 PM.
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