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RomaVicta

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by RomaVicta

  1. I see you took the criticism hard. I think my closing paragraph likely was more pointed than it needed to be. I stand by the sentiment, though. I don't think I do try to tell you I'm the actual expert. I'm not one. Seems nobody is. I just laid it out as I see it. Your language did soft peddle reality. Glad you enjoy my Aggie posts. Written without rancor.
  2. I didn't say anything about "giving a fuck." I only point out the notion of "special relationship" that is commonly used to describe our chummy diplomacy towards the. Special relationship suggests an emotional link and history that sway diplomatic decisions. I don't think you would deny this representation of the relationship the US has with England and Israel. I'll make clear that I don't give a fuck about any of these countries myself. I increasingly dislike my country, but the interests of the US are foremost in my mind regarding these considerations. Saying we need Israel because of the anti-American sentiment in the area is perhaps misplacing the cart and horse. Anti-American sentiment arose because of our support, rightly or wrongly, for Israel when they were beset by the countries all around them objecting to their injection into the area. I can't argue with the American sentiment of not wanting to see Israel and the Israelis destroyed for being in a place that a bunch of bumblers from other countries opened up for them. I'd say installing the Shah and his bloody and cruel Savak may have been the start of real antipathy towards the US. The Iranians seizure of the US embassy and spilling hatred of what we'd done to their country may have been a watershed moment. From that point on, we have a a military presence in the area that rankles the shit out of everybody. Carrier groups in the Persian Gulf leading to the placing of an army in Saudi to drive back Saddam from Kuwait (I wondered about the country of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson spilling blood to re-instate a despot.) That military presence and our increasing use of it has fueled anti-American feeling in the area. We've fought in Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria with ground forces. Oh, and Afghanistan where the initial invastion I supported but not the ongoing mission once the special forces were pulled away for W's fiasco in Iraq. We've bombed a lot of people including having a force in Syria. I'm sure the Kurds love us for our routine betrayals of them. Our policies are generally stupid and brutal with non-European countries. Sometimes the fear of that stupidity and brutality has likely worked in our favor. The application of same has rarely worked in our long term interests. Another long fucking post from me. Thanks for the response to my post. If if nobody reads the long posts, it does me some good to write them out for further examination.
  3. Attacking Hamas as a military enemy is certainly justifiable. Trying to install a government is the kind of shit we do that just about always ends badly for the people. See America,Latin. Also see Iran, the Shah. I'll say again that I respect your intellect and knowledge. I think you're way off on this subject.
  4. Yep. They're sofenting the fuck out of the "enemy." Chill your own fucking self, Mr. Armchair War Expert. You seem to imagine that blasting civilian targets and killing women and children and babies and men who are not combatants in the thousands is something sterile like "softening" a target. You further seem to see the door to door campaign as something like a Jehovah Witness invasion. I think an hour in Gaza would rock your complacency. Maybe you're taking the posture of toughness or getting vicarious thrills watching a conventional army smash "the bad guys," but you need to get away from the TV more.
  5. In the first paragraph, you accurately describe the warlike actions as perpetrated by Hamas. I don't know how you can say their ongoing missile attacks are not ever mentioned. One, I'm only following this story with half-interest, and I'm fully aware of the attacks. Two, the attacks are generally recognized by anyone calling for a cease-fire because, as you say, cease-fire suggests two sides. Palestinian sympathizers clearly know attacks are mutual when they call for ceasefire. In the second paragraph, you slyly drift from referring to Hamas as the warring party to the "Palestinian side." You're very smart and well-informed, so I don't see this as sloppy referencing. This disposition towards including all Palestinians in the actions of Hamas is repeated by the reference to "the other side keeps shooting." You've transferred the identity of Hamas to all Palestinians. This almost deft transfer of responsibility allows a person to morally support civilian slaughter in Gaza. The "Palestinian side" is Hamas. Hamas committed crimes against humanity. Therefore, revenge for crimes against humanity may justifiably be directed against the "Palestinian side" evidently in the form of war crimes. QED I'm not following this story closely anymore because it's a shitfire of bloody-minded slaughter. I did see a headline in the NYT stating that the Israelis are having trouble finding evidence that Hamas was hiding under hospitals. They justified their campaign against civilian targets based on the claim that Hamas must be hiding there. I'm surprised Hamas wouldn't be using the hospitals as they clearly have no regard for innocent lives that can be spent to serve their bloody cause. I wonder at the credibility of other claims made by Israel to justify the criminal part of their use of high explosives in civilian-dominated areas. I don't see much difference between blowing up a family in their home or walking through the house shooting everyone. We Americans like to tell ourselves it's different because that's how we justify the rather sterile sounding "collateral damage." The dead make no such distinctions. Their surviving kin and friends make no such distinctions. I'm glad Biden is arguing for restraint, but it's not enough for me. I'd put the whole relationship between our countries on the line because we won't support unbridled attacks on Gaza. I've written and still believe that we should provide only humanitarian aid. I don't trust "special relationships." They often make one side a chump.
  6. Needs more boxes of stolen state secrets. And a chandelier.
  7. If Durkin is not the best choice available to you, it would be foolish to keep him around as a patsy for problems he may actually generate himself. Sometimes we overthink things. A new coach's focus is on winning not plotting schemes to deflect blame. If things go poorly the first two years, the coach will still have assistants to fire if that's the best course for the program and keeping his job. No need to keep a dud around just in case.
  8. Billy knows his audience. He is his audience. Vainglory personified. And soooo articulate. Magnitude! Magnitude of the job! Or maybe it's the magnitude of an insane 10-year guaranteed contract for $80,000,000.00. Coaches today are likely as drawn to A&M as Jimbo was. He was dying to coach at A&M and would have done it for free! The Aggies rewarded his natural love for A&M with an astoundingly stupid money contract. The second highlighted part is the notion of the job being at least top ten and "probably significantly better than that." It's better than a top ten job. The top ten includes number 1? Then we have to move to using the alphabet because A&M exceeds any numerical ranking system. They're something like a +++A+++ REALLY FUCKING GREAT FUCKING JOB ranking. He said the same thing about Bisontis and many other shitty players they're starting. I suspect that there is a virus in College Station that weakens neck muscles to the extent that people can't keep their heads from randomly turning. Shameless name-dropping. Such a mover and shaker. Describing Campbell's love for A&M is just one of the many things Dull Billy struggles to put into words. Wise when you're lying your ass off. They, like all recruits and people in general, secretly long to be Aggies. They can't be Aggies though, because they break the honor code by lying about their interests even in the face of Billy's claims to the contrary. What an asshole.
  9. Such manly men these Aggies. It also occurs to me how much this is like the SEC inviting Texas to join. They puff up and start demanding consideration or else! Then it's a humiliating forced retreat to the reality nobody gives a shit about their outraged fainting spells. They may just stop showing people where the stadium is if this keeps up!
  10. It's more likely their recruiting will take a hit. Jimbo was bringing in highly ranked players. Their bet must be that Traylor will get more out the players, and success will help recruiting based on performance. He's bound to be a "sitting" something. A sitting coach who has never lost a conference game at his current job. There you go.
  11. They are so sure they're being kept down by outsiders. It's pathological.
  12. Bringing in freshman for the 2025 season to fill out the team as it is in 2023. That's some really thinkin' there, my friends. The 2022 class will be long gone. They're going to have to rebuild unless Elko can work the portal as ruthlessly as Deion Sanders. On Elko, I know everybody has been waiting breathlessly for my opinion, bringing Duke up to a level where they beat shitty teams they regularly lost to and plays competively in most games is notable. He deserves praise. I don't know if he has the recruiting skills to build a great roster or the coaching skills to do much more than beat many equals and look good against the betters. Yet to be seen. Sanders would have been their best hope for a quick turnaround. Of course, he's not a fit for A&M. Investing in a class two years away from enrollment and shelling out big bucks to hold onto to players that will be gone before that 2025 class gets there sounds like the usual shrewd investing that defines A&M.
  13. He wants a new presence but he prioritizes the collie, the fake army, and the yell leaders (yell leaders not cheerleaders; yell leaders sounds more masculine, and we yell not cheer because it's more manly, too.). The mounted cavalry is more goofy Aggie shit, as well. How exactly does that fire up the crowd or impact the visiting team? Where would they even put the cheerleaders if you've got the yell leaders leading cheers? Same with the dance line. This is meant to be radical and will seem so to the cult. They are hide-bound in their strange ways. No coach can change it.
  14. I was wondering if Elko would help keep together the remainder of the 2022 class because he recruited them. Now I see that he has been at Duke since 2021. There are a lot of Aggie players that don't know him at all. I'd like to know how Weigman is doing and what he's thinking about doing. He isn't the savior they think he is, but he's got talent and some experience.
  15. Interesting, indeed. It's funny how we're so used to them shitting in their own punch bowl that the fact that they are firing him because they're afraid he'll win a big game doesn't stand out so much. Jimbo has to go. We need to fire him. Okay, as soon as the season's over we'll make the move. Good headstart. We can start preparing the search. Not so fast. Oh? I'm worried he'll beat LSU with a third string QB. Worried? Isn't that a good thing for A&M. No. Not if he does it. If he does it, we can't fire him. You've already decided to fire him. Yes. But if he wins the LSU game, I'll be forced to change my mind. Annnnnd, why is that? You just don't get it, do you? What if he beats LSU forcing me to keep him and then he beats tu next year? Huh, smart guy? What then? These are not goals you want to achieve? The goal is to get rid of him. I've made up my mind. Are you paying attention? Especially if he wins. Now you're getting it, son. I knew that I shouldn't have taken this job.
  16. This is the answer to he's proven he's a good coach? He's succeeded everywhere he's gone. What more can he do? Maybe he's not ready for a big ass job. I don't know. It's a different game with different responsibilities, yet he was an asset at Texas and has done well since. I think the backlash against Traylor is at least as curious as people speculating he could succeed. The whole fucking thing is a crapshoot no matter who you get other than one or maybe two guys.
  17. They're pretty cocksure that they can just go out and get whoever they want because they're rich rich rich. A&M is the capital city of unjustified levels of self-confidence.
  18. That sounds even better than a buddy with friends close to the program.
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