Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

DarkAudit · Dec 18, 2014

When the early morning news did their "GOP upset" segment on the Cuba story this morning, they only aired sound bites from Menendez and Rubio, both Cuban-American. Like I said, the Cuban lobby is dead set against the US having any dealings with Cuba, except on the lobby's terms.

Has anything really been gained from the embargo of the last 50 years? If Cuba had oil, you can bet your ass it would've been lifted decades ago.

jwhouk · Dec 18, 2014

Where's that old cartoon that has every president since Eisenhower saying "Cuba is about to fall any day now"?

Terrik · Dec 18, 2014

DarkAudit said:
When the early morning news did their "GOP upset" segment on the Cuba story this morning, they only aired sound bites from Menendez and Rubio, both Cuban-American. Like I said, the Cuban lobby is dead set against the US having any dealings with Cuba, except on the lobby's terms.

Has anything really been gained from the embargo of the last 50 years? If Cuba had oil, you can bet your ass it would've been lifted decades ago.

Have to agree with DA. What makes Cuba so especially murderous that it requires an embargo that we don't apply to other, more murderous countries? What's worse is people gobble this up. Someone said it's bad THEREFORE BAD.

I have no particular affinity for Cuba, but normalizing relations with your neighbor seems like a pretty strategically good move.

GasBandit · Dec 18, 2014

Terrik said:
I have no particular affinity for Cuba, but normalizing relations with your neighbor seems like a pretty strategically good move.

Except for the part where Obama traded 3 cuban spies, one of which was serving a life sentence for murder, for one hostage. That's the Beau Bergdahl reference. Enemy governments are being taught that they can reliably get concessions from the US by ransoming.

AshburnerX · Dec 18, 2014

GasBandit said:
Except for the part where Obama traded 3 cuban spies, one of which was serving a life sentence for murder, for one hostage. That's the Beau Bergdahl reference. Enemy governments are being taught that they can reliably get concessions from the US by ransoming.

It's more like they can count on it being possible if the president is having political problems. We're still a long way from trading cash for hostages, which is what every two-bit African warlord and terrorist REALLY wants.

GasBandit · Dec 18, 2014

AshburnerX said:
It's more like they can count on it being possible if the president is having political problems. We're still a long way from trading cash for hostages, which is what every two-bit African warlord and terrorist REALLY wants.

We seem to be a lot closer than we were. Maybe close enough for someone to try it and see if it works.

SpecialKO · Dec 18, 2014

Cuba is also releasing 53 political prisoners as part of the deal.

GasBandit · Dec 18, 2014

SpecialKO said:
Cuba is also releasing 53 political prisoners as part of the deal.

How many political prisoners do they have?

Was that all of them?

GasBandit · Dec 18, 2014

Well, Rand Paul, of all people, is on board for this Cuba normalization stuff.

jwhouk · Dec 18, 2014

Personally, I think the best way to deal with Cuba is to normalize relations. It worked for the USSR.

PatrThom · Dec 18, 2014

jwhouk said:
Personally, I think the best way to deal with Cuba is to normalize relations. It worked for the USSR.

Infect rather than amputate.
I like it.

--Patrick

jwhouk · Dec 18, 2014

You got it. Make 'em want blue jeans and iPods, and watch them kick Castro and company to the curb.

SpecialKO · Dec 18, 2014

They already play baseball, which means we're halfway there.

GasBandit · Dec 19, 2014

Greta goes full retard.

PS, I only learned today her face is that way due to bad plastic surgery. All these years I thought she'd had a stroke that left part of her face paralyzed.

PatrThom · Dec 19, 2014

TIL who Greta Van Susteren is.

--Patrick

Necronic · Dec 19, 2014

And once again the war on Christmas is alive and strong. A public official in Springfield just took a lot of heat for saying "Jesus is the reason for the season". I mean ok, it was a Chanukah ceremony, but Jesus was jewish right?

GasBandit · Dec 19, 2014

Necronic said:
saying "Jesus is the reason for the season". I mean ok, it was a Chanukah ceremony

jwhouk · Dec 19, 2014

I-43 is currently blocked in downtown Milwaukee due to protesters. This isn't over Ferguson; it's over Dontre Hamilton.

Krisken · Dec 19, 2014

There hasn't been a verdict on charges yet and the officer was fired. I'm confused.

And wow, the comments show why Milwaukee is the most segregated city in the country. Barf.

jwhouk · Dec 19, 2014

It's probably a response to Ferguson, and Hamilton is the excuse.

And as for the segregated city part: this just in - water is wet and the sky is blue.

GasBandit · Jan 8, 2015

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30735673

Russia bans people with "mental disorders" from driving.

List of "mental disorders" includes compulsive gambling, kleptomania, fetishism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, transsexuality and transgendering.

Blyat.

Ravenpoe · Jan 8, 2015

GasBandit said:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30735673

Russia bans people with "mental disorders" from driving.

List of "mental disorders" includes compulsive gambling, kleptomania, fetishism, exhibitionism, voyeurism, transsexuality and transgendering.

Blyat.

I'm surprised homosexuality isn't on that list, our is being gay there already illegal?

PatrThom · Jan 8, 2015

Ravenpoe said:
I'm surprised homosexuality isn't on that list, our is being gay there already illegal?

That's a list of things you can't do behind the wheel. Being gay is already something you're not supposed to do anywhere.

--Patrick

Gruebeard · Jan 9, 2015

Unless you're one of a pair of strippers at the bachelor party of a Party member.

redthirtyone · Jan 10, 2015

Or faking it to sell records

PatrThom · Jan 10, 2015

Gruebeard said:
Unless you're one of a pair of strippers at the bachelor party of a Party member.

Now, now. Everyone in Russia knows there's a huge difference between being "lesbian" and being "gay."

--Patrick

GasBandit · Jan 10, 2015

PatrThom said:
Now, now. Everyone in Russia knows there's a huge difference between being "lesbian" and being "gay."

--Patrick

The hot chick loophole.

mikerc · Jan 11, 2015

Fox News making shit up again.

Frank · Jan 12, 2015

Actually, and actually, and actually, and actually none of that is true.

GasBandit · Jan 19, 2015

Kentucky senator wants to put a $2500 bounty on catching transgendered people using the wrong bathroom.

http://theblemish.com/2015/01/kentucky-puts-bounty-transgender-students/

PatrThom · Jan 19, 2015

Isn't the desire to use the "other" bathroom an actual requirement for a diagnosis of dysphoria?

--Patrick

Covar · Jan 19, 2015

Not bothering to read the article, but which bathroom would be the wrong one?

PatrThom · Jan 19, 2015

Covar said:
Not bothering to read the article, but which bathroom would be the wrong one?

The ones in KY, apparently.

--Patrick

GasBandit · Jan 19, 2015

Covar said:
Not bothering to read the article, but which bathroom would be the wrong one?

The ones that you trans-identify with. If you have a weenie, you can't got in the no-weenies room, and vice versa, is the general idea.
Because this is how you enforce traditional family and gender roles - by giving students 2500 reasons go sneak surreptitious peeks at each others' "hopefully-same-sex" genitals.[DOUBLEPOST=1421700479,1421700464][/DOUBLEPOST]

PatrThom said:
The ones in KY, apparently.

--Patrick

GasBandit · Jan 19, 2015

Miss Universe is coming up, and Miss Israel snapped a selfie with fellow competitors Miss Japan, Miss Slovenia, and Miss Lebanon.

And Lebanon (the country, not the contestant) has COMPLETELY LOST ITS SHIT OVER IT.

The issue here is that- along with Miss Slovenia, and Miss Japan – Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, is also in the photo. And her country is not very happy about it, since they consider Israel to be an enemy state (they are technically still at war).

According to Lebanon's The Daily Star, some citizens want her to be stripped of her crown for such an atrocity.

"You could have avoided mingling with the Israeli contestant like previous Lebanese contestants have done throughout the years. And if you were harassed like you say, you could have at least avoided the huge smile [we see] on your face," wrote one critic on Twitter.