Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
Zeroisanumber
Oct 23, 2010

Nap Ghost
So, some vintage 2007-era Blackwater is in the news today.

Did any of you come into contact with these guys on a regular basis? Everything that I've read makes them sound like Tom Berenger in Platoon but with more money.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Snowdens Secret
Dec 29, 2008
Someone got you a obnoxiously racist av.
Reports are that Bob McDonald, former head of Proctor & Gamble, will be the nominee to head up the VA. Seems like a decent choice among the possible options, but the department is so far gone that unless his role is to basically dismantle it and shunt vets into the working private care system, he's just being set up for failure.

Speaking of the global caliphate, NYT also did a book review on "The French Intifada. The article author is pretty nakedly biased but considering it's the NYT some surprising amount of honesty comes through. Two points, though:

quote:

France’s public culture is resolutely secular: A citizen is a citizen regardless of religion or race. But if a young, poor Muslim feels, justifiably or not, that liberty, equality and fraternity are really what the French call “blah-blah,” extremist Islamism may become attractive.
...
The book’s title is slightly anomalous. “Intifada,” a word made famous by Palestinians, was apparently first used for the violence in Parisian banlieues in 2005. It means “shaking off” in Arabic. Yet, while faraway Palestinians aimed to “shake” Israelis out of territories occupied in war, it is implausible to imagine French authorities withdrawing from neighborhoods within France.

Yeah, that's bunk. I've been going in and out of France since the late '80s and at exactly zero point in there did white 'ethnic' French consider any of the Maghrebi, Subsaharan blacks or much anyone else from the former colonies to be actual Frenchmen. The banlieues have been a mess for decades in no small part because the mainstream French insist they're temporary homes for temporary workers who any day now will get the boot. I wouldn't put the outright racism as as strong as it gets in northern Europe only because 'ethnic' French are far more mixed and it's harder to distinguish an especially swarthy Parisian from a rebeu than it is in Amsterdam; the French don't come close to the begrudging acceptance of their former subjects that the Brits do. And that's across the spectrum, not just the right.

And it is absolutely plausible to imagine the authorities withdrawing from French neighborhoods, seeing as it's been happening for a while. When I was in Paris last in the mid-aughts, the worst banlieus were quite clearly off-limits and the rot was spreading to the city proper. Paris didn't have enough money for schools, so downtown youths and 'youths' were going to school in half-day shifts, which meant big hunks of the day where you just had roving gangs of troublemakers wandering with nothing to do (take a look at Euro minority youth employment numbers sometime if you want a schadenfreudian laugh.) The cops couldn't keep up with the chaos, didn't even bother trying; what remained of the old Jewish immigrant neighborhood had armed guards 'selling flowers' at the entrances to keep the hoodlums out, during the day, and I didn't stick around to see how it got at night. That was drat near ten years ago and every sign (including the steady Jewish exodus) are that it's only been getting worse.

Kung Fu Fist Fuck
Aug 9, 2009
charles martel wept

OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH
Sep 9, 2001
France, the only nation to lose wars to the Brits the Krauts, the Spainards, and the Slopes in the last 150 years and they still get to claim world power status because unlike the rest of super gay europe, they're down with nukes.

:cis:

OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH
Sep 9, 2001
How is :cis: not a thing? or :tranny:?

:tranny: should just be that stick figure guy loving a turtle.

RonMexicosPitbull
Feb 28, 2012

by Ralp

Obama Africanus posted:

France, the only nation to lose wars to the Brits the Krauts, the Spainards, and the Slopes in the last 150 years and they still get to claim world power status because unlike the rest of super gay europe, they're down with nukes.

:cis:

They've been riding that Napolean wave for too long.

Nostalgia4Butts
Jun 1, 2006

WHERE MY HOSE DRINKERS AT

Zeroisanumber posted:

So, some vintage 2007-era Blackwater is in the news today.

Did any of you come into contact with these guys on a regular basis? Everything that I've read makes them sound like Tom Berenger in Platoon but with more money.

They seemed like cool dudes with sick nasty equipment in 2004-2005. Never had an issue dealing with them, honestly.

Fojar38
Sep 2, 2011


Sorry I meant to say I hope that the police use maximum force and kill or maim a bunch of innocent people, thus paving a way for a proletarian uprising and socialist utopia


also here's a stupid take
---------------------------->
Anyone else remember that 4 year window between 2004 and 2008 where the villain in every video game was a PMC?

Mr. Nice!
Oct 13, 2005

c-spam cannot afford



Obama Africanus posted:

How is :cis: not a thing? or :tranny:?

:tranny: should just be that stick figure guy loving a turtle.

:bigtran: has been around forever.

Mad Dragon
Feb 29, 2004

Marine collapses, dies during PFT


Just...


one...


more...


pussssssssssshhhhhhhhh...



:angel:

EBB
Feb 15, 2005

Cause of death: lack of heart

Mr. Nice!
Oct 13, 2005

c-spam cannot afford



He was on the juice. He just had too much heart.

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!
Was expecting a fat redneck private; got an O-5.

quantumfoam
Dec 25, 2003

It saved everyone at the base from a relatively boring command change ceremony.
Someone's gotta have that pic of officer ranks & how they are seen..i recall O-5 being something about "still PTs with his unit".

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!
Ya he saved a bunch of time from now not needing a Change of Command ceremony. I applaud his selflessness.

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
Alternately, he decided he'd rather die than command a bunch of goddamned marines.

Cole
Nov 24, 2004

DUNSON'D
God this is gonna give those little shits who can't run faster than 20 minute two miles an excuse for being so slow.

Wait I'm out I don't give a poo poo suck it.

Bolow
Feb 27, 2007

Cole posted:

God this is gonna give those little shits who can't run faster than 20 minute two miles an excuse for being so slow.

Wait I'm out I don't give a poo poo suck it.

Max Max Relax human being

Victor Vermis
Dec 21, 2004


WOKE UP IN THE DESERT AGAIN

Bolow posted:

Max Max Relax human being

Try Lie Die =*(

Kung Fu Fist Fuck
Aug 9, 2009

Cole posted:

God this is gonna give those little shits who can't run faster than 20 minute two miles an excuse for being so slow.

Wait I'm out I don't give a poo poo suck it.

sorry but real men run 3 miles during a pft, tracking? smeper

Cole
Nov 24, 2004

DUNSON'D

Kung Fu Fist gently caress posted:

sorry but real men run 3 miles during a pft, tracking? smeper

Marines have bigger hearts tho

Snowdens Secret
Dec 29, 2008
Someone got you a obnoxiously racist av.
We're back, boys: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-sending-200-us-troops-iraq-24372122

Obama notified Congress today he's sending combat troops back into Iraq:



Just 200, so far. I guess those SF we sent earlier weren't 'equipped for combat' because they had the wrong helmet liners or something

Snarkier voices have mentioned that it hasn't even been two weeks since the President said "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq" but I guess history has other ideas.

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!
Do we pop champagne or laugh? I'm so confused.

EBB
Feb 15, 2005

holocaust bloopers posted:

Do we pop champagne or laugh? I'm so confused.

We laugh, contractors pop champagne. Anybody out and collecting on GI Bill and/or Disability says "gently caress you, got mine."

Flying_Crab
Apr 12, 2002



Those of us who are still in. :getin: :smith:

Anyone wanna take bets on where this rabbit hole leads?

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!

EVA BRAUN BLOWJOBS posted:

We laugh, contractors pop champagne. Anybody out and collecting on GI Bill and/or Disability says "gently caress you, got mine."

Rrail is so happy.

Snowdens Secret
Dec 29, 2008
Someone got you a obnoxiously racist av.
I'd go with laugh, but in a very Seinfeldian "you have got to be loving kidding me" kind of way

EBB
Feb 15, 2005

Snowdens Secret posted:

I'd go with laugh, but in a very Seinfeldian "you have got to be loving kidding me" kind of way

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!
There's a real clear battered spouse thing going on between Iraq and the US.

Mike-o
Dec 25, 2004

Now I'm in your room
And I'm in your bed


Grimey Drawer
"gently caress you, got mine."

Whip Slagcheek
Sep 21, 2008

Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night


holocaust bloopers posted:

Rrail is so happy.

Sorry man, but he was laid to rest two weeks ago. Congestive heart failure. Poor guy weighed 400 pounds, took 8 pallbearers just to carry him to his grave. Really sad story, they really need to put warning labels on fast food bags.

EBB
Feb 15, 2005

The saga of Israel and Palastine continues

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/30/world/meast/israel-missing-teenagers/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

bloops
Dec 31, 2010

Thanks Ape Pussy!

Whip Slagcheek posted:

Sorry man, but he was laid to rest two weeks ago. Congestive heart failure. Poor guy weighed 400 pounds, took 8 pallbearers just to carry him to his grave. Really sad story, they really need to put warning labels on fast food bags.

I wouldn't really be sad about that.

Whip Slagcheek
Sep 21, 2008

Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night


Remember when the media was jumping on John Kerry's dick because he was supposedly sealing a peace deal between Israel and Palestine? :laugh:

Bolow
Feb 27, 2007

Victor Vermis posted:

Try Lie Die =*(

I ran faster than 21 minutes once and I was like gently caress that never again, and just did 25 minute jogs the rest of the time I was in. Not like my poo poo MOS was promoting anyway.

Dead Reckoning
Sep 13, 2011
Somewhere deep in the CAOC, and at ops buildings across the land, planners and office bitches are opening file cabinets that just barely had time to get dusty, and pulling out binders labeled "Operation Iraqi Freedom New Dawn".

iyaayas01
Feb 19, 2010

Perry'd

holocaust bloopers posted:

There's a real clear battered spouse thing going on between Iraq and the US.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqi3TpE0FGI

Dead Reckoning posted:

Somewhere deep in the CAOC, and at ops buildings across the land, planners and office bitches are opening file cabinets that just barely had time to get dusty, and pulling out binders labeled "Operation Iraqi Freedom New Dawn".

You laugh, but...

Godholio
Aug 28, 2002

Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?
Most of us (platforms represented in the CAOC) didn't do much differently between Iraq and Afghanistan. AWACS in particular did almost nothing different. The planners basically just had to print off a different ATO depending on which one we were flying to that day.

Dead Reckoning
Sep 13, 2011

iyaayas01 posted:

You laugh, but...
What makes you think I was kidding?

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Baloogan
Dec 5, 2004
Fun Shoe

  • Locked thread