What's new
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

IF it's true, and I'm mixed as to whether or not I believe it, the CEO of the American Bankers Association is claiming that the DOJ has instructed them to shutdown accounts that are connected to people in industries it doesn't like. One industry allegedly listed as being so very nefarious - porn.

https://news.vice.com/articles/is-the-doj-forcing-banks-to-terminate-the-accounts-of-porn-stars



And no, I don't normally read that site. I ended up there by way of someone's blog post, and it had more to do with the "choke off" line and porn stars in the same story.

Ever seen Vice on HBO? (I know the magazine has been around for quite a while and the TV show is relatively new.) I have to ay they are doing some of the best reporting on world events I have seen in years.

Edit: Or at least I'm assuming this is the same organization that does the show and magazine.
 
Last edited:
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

Yeah...yeah. We know. ;)

This has been an increasingly used tool to parse justice for some time. Can't speak to this issue, but its a front page story on either Newsweek or US News in how the treasury department has been financially blacklisting quite a few Russian banks/organizations and people related to the Kremlin from using dollars since the whole Ukraine incident began.
Well, that's freaking BS. It will feed the anti-Obama rhetoric as well.
Why is it BS, Scooby? The Bank Secrecy Act and Anit-Money Laundering acts, for both of which I take these little "mini" courses each year by my large bank employer, could potentially be used as the method to this sort of abuse. Every day banks have to secretly report financial transactions to the Feds and the public can't be told by the banks that it's happening. They were designed to stop terrorism and mob activity, but could easily be corrupted into other uses, such as going after those in "unsavory" but legal professions. Besides, it's not like the Feds haven't pressured banks into doing things in the past. My company was forced to take bailout money back in 2009 in order to keep us from saying within our advertisements that we escaped the mortgage meltdown in good health; they were afraid banks such as us would create a run on those banks that were in peril.

Ever seen Vice on HBO? (I know the magazine has been around for quite a while and the TV show is relatively new.) I have to ay they are doing some of the best reporting on world events I have seen in years.

Edit: Or at least I'm assuming this is the same organization that does the show and magazine.
No, I've not watched the show. I've not really seen any advertising for it, so just assumed it was a follow up to something like their Real Sex shows that used to air back in the day.
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

What I was saying was the abuse was BS. Its' disappointing that any administration would allow that kind of underhanded crap to go on. We have a severe underfunding of law enforcement in this country and them wasting their time on this crap is BS. Chock this one up as a negative on Obama.
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

Obama will go down in the middle 50%, on a sliding scale depending on your point of view. He didn't go far enough domestically and went too far internationally for the serious liberals, but most will still peg him somewhere around 15 out of 44. He went too far domestically and didn't go far enough internationally for a majority of conservatives, who will place him somewhere around 30-35 out of 44. Split the fringe difference to get the moderate majority, and he's about the 20-25th best POTUS - H.W. Bush/Ford/Jackson/Adams range. He could be in much worse company, including manic depressive James Buchanan (whose policies and wishy-washy nonsense were major contributors to the Civil War), or noted alcoholic and Confederate traitor Franklin Pierce. ;)

Historical rankings are tough, but I'd rank him more amongst his contemporaries. There aren't a lot of people walking around who remember FDR too well relatively speaking (you'd be in your late 70's to remember him at all, and around 90 to remember his whole Presidency). So, if you think of Administrations past the Legends who served from 1933-1963 (FDR-Truman-Ike-JFK) where would Obama rank? Really, probably 3rd behind Clinton and Reagan (however you want to order those two). Over that time, you have 4 disasters (LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Bush II), one uneventful term (Ford, serving out Nixon's 2nd) and then the mediocre 1 term of Bush Sr. How he ranks vs James K Polk is pretty irrelevant. :D

Regarding the GOP capturing the WH due to Putin, the American people have little to no appetite for any more military adventures. The problem anybody has criticizing current US policy in the Ukraine is this: what is your alternative? In this country, neo-conservative hawks are a fast dwindling breed, even in the GOP itself. Simply put, after Iraq people don't buy that bullsh !t anymore. When Mitt Romney declared we should STILL be in Iraq, he was thought of as a clueless laughingstock on foreign affairs. Anybody who even today believes Vlady Putin is more dangerous than Al Quada is a fool. You can make that argument in front of timid CNN reporters or on friendly Fox news, but in a debate watched by 50M people? Good luck. 1982 called, and it wants its foreign policy back. ;)

Now could the GOP win in 2016? Not against Hillary, but if she doesn't run, sure. A lot of that depends on their nominee however, so be careful of the Republican Jesus phenomenon when assessing their chances (meaning, look at who they will actually nominate, not the mythical candidate out of central casting). Also recall that a potted plant can get 250 electoral votes as a Dem nominee given the electoral map and demographic changes. I know this because the Dems DID nominate a potted plant in 2004, and that's about the total he ended up reaching. ;) President Cruz?!?!? :eek: I don't think so...
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

What I was saying was the abuse was BS. Its' disappointing that any administration would allow that kind of underhanded crap to go on. We have a severe underfunding of law enforcement in this country and them wasting their time on this crap is BS. Chock this one up as a negative on Obama.

Yeah there is no excuse for that kind of abuse of power.
 
No, I've not watched the show. I've not really seen any advertising for it, so just assumed it was a follow up to something like their Real Sex shows that used to air back in the day.

Give it a shot. It's good stuff. Tends to lean liberal (full on liberal for a number of stories) but it's good reporting.

Bill Maher is the executive producer FWIW. Again, if you have on demand HBO, go back and watch a couple episodes. But be sure to watch more than just one or two.
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

Sure there is. The porn companies in question might be a front for terrorists. Osama did have a pretty extensive collection... ;)

If that's the case I know a couple of USCHO posters who just bought themselves a visit from the FBI! :D :eek:
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

Interesting factoid.....

The GOP has not won a presidential election since 1928 without a Bush or a Nixon on the ticket...
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

I'm surprised no one brought up the Benghazi e-mail kerfuffle from yesterday/today. :D
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

I'm surprised no one brought up the Benghazi e-mail kerfuffle from yesterday/today. :D

Back in the 90's (I think) we used to have an expression that something was "played out". Ben Gazi is "played out" in the public mind, hence the no coverage. Perhaps CNN would have done something in their never ending quest to not be labeled as being biased, but they're too busy with Breaking News stories about the missing plane. :eek:
 
Re: 2nd Term Part VIII - The Thin Red Line

The only way Jeb Bush makes it through the primaries is if the crazies (Cruz, Paul, etc) all cancel each other out, and he pulls a Romney: the last guy standing due to his money advantage that nobody is happy about. That will leave him to flip one state from Mittens total in 2012: Florida. Other than that he has little ability to put VA, OH, PA, CO, NH, IA, NV or any of the other mishmash of swing states back into play, while he gets peppered constantly over every stupid decision his brother made.

Really, who misses the Bush II Administration? Anybody?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top