K-9

The price of oil immune to laws of supply and demand? Nope. My point was that there are other hugely mitigating factors, chiefly speculation and the US dollar value worldwide, as the price is pegged to that. But I digress. With all due respect, your previous posts don't provide an answer to my question regarding how semantics impacts strategies and tactics. And as to your bolded sections of my post to indicate "name calling", I submit you haven't seen my brand of name calling. It is fully recognizable. Instead, I think you were simply offended by what I wrote. That was not my intention. More specifically, this is what happens when we let the only two world powers at the time, big oil, and a few powerful bankers and brokers draw lines. I've said it before here, people should read 'The Prize' by Daniel Yergin, the recognized preeminent work on the subject of oil and the geopolitical ramifications since its discovery and mass extraction.

This should be required reading for anyone questioning the role of Maliki's government in fomenting so much discord among Iraq's Sunni population and creating the environment for ISIS to form. If Patraeus was right about anything, it was his assertion that the problems in Iraq could only be solved by a political solution, not a military one. That will never change. And I hope we remember that in the face of the inevitable buildup of US military personnel in Iraq. It is at a trickle at the moment with Obama's decision to send in a coupled hundred marines as well as special ops "advisers" on the ground, but the torrent of troops is coming.

I couldn't have been more wrong about the entire Arya/Jaqen/The Waif arc if I tried. I will not miss The House of Black and White, the Many Faced God, or Braavos at all. But I really like your take on it here. And that look Jaqen gave to Arya at the end was perfect in support of it.

I am not calling anybody names. If it is terms like "ignorant" you are having an issue with, it is not used in a pejorative sense; it simply indicates a lack of knowing. We are all ignorant of things as nobody knows everything. I'm sorry, but the notion that Obama hasn't been aggressive in his prosecution of the war on terror is simply not supported by the vast array of facts that suggest otherwise. If you find that "childish" on my part, so be it. Are you going to take a stab at answering my question regarding how the use of the term "Islamic terrorism" is going to impact strategies and tactics in the fight against it?

There it is, the stereotypical right wing response that indicates the president of the United States doesn't know we are in a war and who the enemy is solely because of semantics. It is the epitome of uninformed rhetoric; a regurgitation of conservative media talking points, nothing more. A grossly ignorant position given the statements made and the actions taken by this administration in its prosecution of the war on terror. Everybody and his grandmother knows who the enemy is by name and by action, regardless of the right's shameful attempt to score political points by suggesting otherwise. There are numerous reasons not to use the phrase, I am still waiting for a coherent explanation by the right detailing how use of the phrase impacts strategies and tactics in the real world.

I disagree. ISIS was born of out al Qaeda in Iraq where they used the equipment and expertise of disaffected Sunni military leaders formerly loyal to Iraq. It helped that Syria spawned an uprising against Assad and al Qaeda in Iraq seized that opportunity to unite with Assad's enemies. But make no mistake, ISIS needed what it brought from Iraq and the footholds it established there in order to invaded Syria. No decisions the US could have made to stop ISIS from happening? Not invading Iraq was one such decision. Oops.

As bad as it was to ignore warnings from top security advisers like Richard Clark, the decision to invade Iraq phucked things up for us for the next hundred years and created the enemy we are now facing. Now the wingnuts will always come out of the woodwork and spout off about "troop withdrawal" or some other such crap to try to try to pass the buck to Obama, but smarter people aren't fooled. Removing Hussein and then installing Maliki, who PURPOSELY EXCLUDED THE SUNNI MINORITY FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE NEWLY CONSTITUTED GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ!!!, is what gave way to ISIS. Period. End of phucking story, no matter how much it galls them to think their conservative heroes had anything to do with it.

I'm still waiting for the explanation of how saying "Islamic terrorism" will lead to better action in the fight against our enemy. The point is, you and the right wing conservative media harp on this canard that unless Obama uses an exact phrase in describing the enemy, then he doesn't know who the enemy is. Why else insist on your preferred phrase? You don't have to say something verbatim to communicate the meaning of your statement. Go ahead and insist I'm putting words in your mouth if it makes it easier not to respond. But I've yet to hear anyone on the right give a simple answer to the question. Because it's a bullschit question in the first place. Saying "Islamic terrorism" doesn't in any way add to the strategic and tactical efforts to defeat an enemy that everybody and his grandmother knows by name and action. Not saying it curries favor in the very part of the world we need to be engaged. Like I said, the long game. Something you can't seem to grasp in your "everything Obama does is wrong" political blindness. Used to be a time in this country when an attack like this brought out the best in people. I guess anything short of a plane crashing into skyscrapers and killing thousands just doesn't rate anymore.

Can't believe Gleason and Harrington haven't won several Pulitzers between them.

It was when the evangelical Moral Majority co-opted the party in the early 80s that I quit it. For any religious organization to hold such sway in the matter of national governance is anathema to what the founders established, imo. I never really considered other similarities before. But it's interesting.

More than semantics? Really? With all due respect, I don't buy that at all. Please elaborate on how the right semantics are going to lend itself to how to "tackle the problem." You and others are convinced Obama doesn't know who the enemy is? Really? I submit that the right wing media and their shills don't know by choosing to advocate positions that play right into our enemy's hands. And the pathetic thing is, I don't think they really believe the crap they spew on the issue; it's just political rhetoric. And it's beyond shameful.

The long game.

Please explain how the term "Radical Islam" changes anything. He has referred to "Islamic radicals" and "Islamic extremists" in the past on several occasions. Why is it the right insists on making this a semantic argument? Do you honestly believe you, me, the president or anyone else with a sane mind and grasp of current events, doesn't know who the enemy is? Really? Obama, as all presidents, has to play the long game. I am continually amazed at the lack of appreciation, let alone understanding, of that aspect.

How dare you insult trash like that.

Canada is offering sanctuary to Americans wishing to flee if Trump gets elected. What country is offering the same for disaffected Americans if Hillary wins? Where would upset Republicans feel most welcomed? Hmm.

Why do I run hot and cold on Tkachuck? Is he that good or more fortunate to have played with dominating line mates? Dvorak and Marner toyed with Canadian Juniors all year. GO SABRES!!!

Dick Morris? Really? Just when I thought this thread couldn't be any dumber.

Having a hat trick named after you says it all. RIP, Mr. Hockey.

Did Arya get all three lives owed to her from the many faced god when she freed Jaqen, Biter, and the other dude from the burning jail cart? I can't remember. I think Jaqen only killed two for Arya. She jokingly told Jaqen to kill himself as the third life owed, but she took it back as I recall. Maybe that all comes into play somehow.

I won't be surprised to find out that wasn't Arya. My money is on Jaqen H'ghar.

I appreciate this perspective, thanks for sharing it. Those were interesting times and I can remember the tear gas clouds emanating from the UB campus during the protests. My dad, a WWII vet, was ready to disown my older brother for participating in the protests and threatening to burn his draft card. Other vets, including our neighbors, helped their sons get to Canada to avoid going, such was their opposition to the war in Viet Nam. Ali took as principled an approach as one could take on the matter and the term "draft dodger" always rankled me given how it didn't apply to him in any context. Dodgers left the country or otherwise became fugitives here, Ali said fine, send me to jail as I'd rather fight this unjust system that had jailed him for 400 years, to paraphrase how he put it. And we never got to see the best fighter Ali was or could have been as a result.

Yeah, Guhle has the athletic chops and can skate with anyone. If princess Dion didn't concuss him last preseason, I'm convinced he would have gotten his 9 game look-see in the bigs. He was having as good a camp as anyone, really, especially the rookies. GO SABRES!!!

Ali didn't "dodge" anything. He faced up to the consequences of his decision and paid for it. Dearly. In the form of being robbed of his athletic prime. Anyone drafted could have done the same thing if they were willing to pay the legal price. He didn't run away.

That seven inch reach advantage of Ali would have clinched it, imo. The Ali between '63-'67 is the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time in terms of sheer athletic ability and boxing intelligence. In fact, I don't think I've ever witnessed a better tactician in any class. On a side note, today I reheard the story of how he tossed his Olympic gold medal into a river after being refused service in a restaurant down south. I still can't believe that occurred in my lifetime.

Ali in his prime, before he was stripped of his title, with a 7 inch reach advantage? Tyson wouldn't stand a chance. I am not underestimating Tyson's quickness so much as you are underestimating Ali's in his prime, before his first comeback.