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President George H.W. Bush has died, age 94.
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I'm sure by our standards the abolitionists had their own problems.
We do this in our own lives all the time, every time we look back and cringe at a younger version of ourselves. It's how we know we made progress. Hating the past might as well mean hating the present, yourself and everything in it, because doubtless all this will one day be the past as well.
I'm glad he's dead. Piece of shit.
Just another privileged asshole who got away with being a complete monster because he was a rich white man who went to Yale.
and the gengars who are guiding me" -- W.S. Merwin
It's not much, I admit, but it's kind of all I got.
Its easy to make sure no one is happy when you die. Bush chose otherwise.
Same. For me, he called trickle down economics exactly what it was. And he raised taxes and took the political beating that came with it.
Well yes, British abolitionist would hold meetings talking about the moral evil of slavery whilst drinking tea extracted from China by force and opium.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
It’s not easy, being a good person. We have to hold ourselves and our leaders to an honest moral standard. I’m not saying we have to hate the past, but we shouldn’t excuse it.
Respectful, insightful, and a fine post. Kudos grumblethorn
On the other hand war crimes were bad then too. As was letting people die of a terrible disease because you didn't like them.
We cringe at '80s fashion, we don't cringe at '80s war crimes. We don't go "but see at the time war crimes weren't considered bad" because that is obviously bunk and not in the slightest an excuse.
We're still having arguments about whether slavery is really so bad that the Spaniards were having in 1550.
"Orkses never lose a battle. If we win we win, if we die we die fightin so it don't count. If we runs for it we don't die neither, cos we can come back for annuver go, see!".
Meet Sully, the service dog. Sully joined the Bush household after Barbara’s death, to help George around the house. He will be traveling to DC on Air Force One and will be keeping George company as he lies in state.
After this, it’s expected that Sully will go to Walter Reed, where he will continue to help veterans.
Good dog, Sully.
https://abcn.ws/2HxVUsN
I first saw this tweet on the news with the caption sans context and thought "Like did he kill the old man, or?"
Come Overwatch with meeeee
It always kind of irks me that people have a tendency to take "This person/people did awful things," all the way to "They were a monster, theirbtouch was poison, everything they did-even the things that have clear positives- are irredeemably tainted, and they have zero redeeming qualities whatsoever."
Yeah some people deserve that to be said about them, but You do not have to do the later to get across the former, and acknowledging any good they did shouldn't diminish the criticism of the bad.
Look back to the past with pride, both in what we have accomplished, and how we have improved over our forbears as a society. Just keep in mind how much further we can still go.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Counterpoint:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiriyah_shelter_bombing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_of_Death
Bulldozer assault
And the US and coalition forces were heavily criticized for targeting Iraqi civilian infrastructure to increase the effect of sanctions. They essentially destroyed the countries entire electrical capacity, along with most of its refineries and factories. The resulting crisis in Iraq caused far more deaths than the war itself (100k in a conservative estimate). With the continued sanctions and no-fly zones that is hardly surprising.
If it seemed generally positive, that might be because it was cheap, quick and the media was censored.
With the exception of the Amiriyah bombing all of those are/were legitimate targets in war, using legitimate methods. If it had been WWII they would have done even worse things (as back then the methods were this or flamethrower tanks when it was possible to avoid infantry assault).
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
The man was also part of the CIA during the de-democratization of South & Central America. There's a good amount of blood on his hands.
This whole thing is maddening. He was a dedicated public servant for most of his life, doing the best he could in the given circumstance. He also made some terrible decisions in that capacity, some of which have had lasting effects to this day.
Attacking soldiers fleeing back to their own country after a cessation of hostilities is declared are considered legitimate targets in war? Indiscriminately bombing said soldiers while they're surrounded by civilians is legitimate methods?
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
His erection probably busted a hole in the podium.
No, he is saying it would have been worsein WW2.
The technology of guided munitions has saved -probably- millions of lives at this point vs using large bombing campaigns that were done just 20 years earlier in Vietnam.
That moment in time was crucial to creating a world where it feels like coffins will still be coming back from the Mideast, Afghanistan, and Africa when our grandchildren start having grandchildren.
There is a reason the Geneva Conventions got updated in 1949.
Attacking soldiers who have laid down their arms or can otherwise be considered out of combat is illegal. Attacking civilian targets unless military necessary is illegal. (Wanting to speed things up is not a legitimate reason.) You will note that the Bush administration was accused of war crimes by several parties, including Ramsey Clark. These things were internationally condemned, on account of being fucked up. Again, the infrastructure destruction caused, by a conservative estimate, at least 100.000 civilian deaths. Hospitals had no power, medicine could not be kept refrigerated or even transported to places it was needed, water purification was impossible. The basic functioning of a modern, industrial society was halted, the destruction called near-apocalyptic by an UN survey.
That is not legitimate.
It wasn't an attack, it was a slaughter. It was completely unnecessary and done only out of a combination of spite, malice, and a sort of callous joy.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Wait, what? John motherfucking Adams would like to have a word.
Mike Pence's nickname as governor was Mike Dense for a reason
Otoh millions of lives may have been saved by strategic bombing not being terribly accurate, leaving infrastructure much more intact.
Regardless, I don't think the allied bombardments were all entirely justified then either. And the Axis were doing the same things and they were a huge threat and drastic measures were likely needed to win or prevent continued atrocities.
The coalition obliterated the Iraqis. We lost 147 men in combat. They lost 50k. The ground campaign took less than a week. (it is very likely that, based on a misunderstanding, Saddam invaded because he thought the US would not get involved. It was called an act of madness at the time because it was mad to think they could win if the US did intervene. The US military so far outclasses other armed forces that there is no other outcome than loss.)
Edit: But I think we're getting off topic so unless anyone wants to do a thread about military strategy and war let's leave it.
I mean, he's the first VP elected President immediately after since like... Van Buren or something
It's been a while, it's possible that was the original comment. I dunno, I don't make a habit of watching Pence talk
Yeah I haven't seen the eulogy but I imagine there were a lot more important things to get mad at than this small mistake.
I'm glad that the US is not doing to Afghanistan what it did to Vietnam and Korea - unconscionable atrocities from any reasonable perspective - but to describe US bombs as "saving lives" is post-Orwellian levels of doublespeak.
Reduced the number of casualties vs. had we used older tactics is far more accurate than thinking these bombs, once they land, purify water, build schools and grow crops or something.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
It cracks me up that they sent Pence in there to deliver the remarks because Trump can't be relied on to not fuck it up/make it all about himself. And then Mike Pence goes and does the same shit anyway.
Wait, Trump didn't even speak?
Wow. I was really hoping for a headline about how he called JEB low energy at his own father's funeral.
Why do you think I'm mad? I'm laughing if anything.