News of the Day III

[the_narrow_way]

I had some numbnuts come up to me at work tonight and after seeing I was wearing a mask, said 'I see you're got your mask on. They didn't get you, huh?'. I gladly told him that I had been vaccinated and that we all have to wear masks right now. Afterwards I kicked myself for not rolling up my sleeve and showing him one of my car accident scars and telling him that that's where they put the microchip.

[RSchmitz]

Don’t kick yourself, you should know that there is no good that can come from engaging random people on their opinions.

[ChaseSpace]

But you can fuck with them pretty good.

For example, a few years ago I was out for a jog and I was waiting a crosswalk and an older couple flagged me down to get my attention(had earbuds in) and told me my tattoos meant I would go to hell and don't I know that God frowns on them?

I told them "Not my God" threw up the horns and yelled "HAIL SATAN" as I crossed the street.

Fun times.

[RSchmitz]

Welp the Afghanistan withdraw has been an unmitigated disaster, and with the covid resurgence this has been a horrible start to the Biden presidency

[Puckhead]

Welp the Afghanistan withdraw has been an unmitigated disaster, and with the covid resurgence this has been a horrible start to the Biden presidency

Can't disagree on the withdrawal. He planned on the gov't and military holding on for a few weeks or months. The failure there, imo, is not knowing how quickly the military would fold after the air support was removed*. That's on the CIA and other military Intel, OR, his failure to heed the warnings. We'll find out eventually. The evac by the military is/was stellar. But, what a cluster otherwise.

*Apparently, Afghan ground forces hadn't been paid for months, and they all knew the systemic corruption at the command layers. Not sure we can blame them for "melting" but seems to me we should have known it!!

[RSchmitz]

I think it was the right choice because I am assuming the withdraw was mostly a non-partisan military recommendation considering it was initially a Trump decision, but the outcome couldn't have been worse.

[the_narrow_way]

Welp the Afghanistan withdraw has been an unmitigated disaster, and with the covid resurgence this has been a horrible start to the Biden presidency

Not starting the wholesale transfer of people out of Afghanistan earlier was a stupid mistake, but when your advisors mostly agree that the Taliban will be able to hold off Isis and other threats on their own Biden shouldn't shoulder all the blame. We should never have been there for 20 years in the first place. Also, the never forget that disastrous withdrawal was set into motion by the Trump Admin.

As for the Covid spike, you're not blaming that on the Biden Admin are you? They have promoted mask-wearing and vaccine-getting since before Biden even took office. It's certainly not their fault that so many idiots refused to be responsible citizens. I understand there are some valid reasons for not being vaccinated but there aren't any for at least wearing a mask to do your part to help your country.

[RSchmitz]

Not starting the wholesale transfer of people out of Afghanistan earlier was a stupid mistake, but when your advisors mostly agree that the Taliban will be able to hold off Isis and other threats on their own Biden should shoulder all the blame. We should never have been there for 20 years in the first place. Also, the never forget that disastrous withdrawal was set into motion by the Trump Admin.

As for the Covid spike, you're not blaming that on the Biden Admin are you? They have promoted mask-wearing and vaccine-getting since before Biden even took office. It's certainly not their fault that so many idiots refused to be responsible citizens. I understand there are some valid reasons for not being vaccinated but there aren't any for at least wearing a mask to do your part to help your country.

As I said it doesn’t actually matter if the decisions were correct, he will take the blame because it was on his watch. His approval ratings have taken a nosedive because that is how humans think

[Hoek]

A nosedive from 60 to 50%. Still way better than Trump's approval ever was.

Withdrawal was always going to be a clusterfuck. If we evacuated people earlier it would have accelerated the collapse that way too. People would know shit was hitting the fan then.

Similarly, Delta was always going to be a clusterfuck as long as we have so many fucking idiots not taking basic precautions.

[dannybolt]

This. Afghanistan was never not going to be a clusterfuck. I see a lot of fingerpointing from all corners trying to hot potato the blame. You can't nation build in an area that doesn't see itself as one nation. As soon as Bin Laden was killed we should have called it job done and hopped the next flight out.

As for the Rona, this has nothing to do with Biden; he's done everything within his power. It's 100% the window lickers reading bullshit on the internet and deciding they are smarter than the experts. My man Darwin is taking care of that problem, albeit a little slower than I'd prefer.

[the_narrow_way]

Biden should shoulder all the blame

This of course should have been 'shouldn't'.

[the_narrow_way]

If we evacuated people earlier it would have accelerated the collapse that way too. People would know shit was hitting the fan then.

I understand why our Afghani partners wouldn't be able to move out quickly but what about the US citizens? Everybody knew the ball was rolling and it was only a matter of time before it came thundering down. And then there are the cases where Americans have recently gone to Afghanistan. That's just stupid. The one story about the school-children who are stuck after going there to see family a few weeks ago. WTF? Why would you do that?

[the_narrow_way]

As soon as Bin Laden was killed we should have called it job done and hopped the next flight out.

/signed

Thank the military industrial complex's stranglehold on us for staying there for so long.

[Hoek]

I understand why our Afghani partners wouldn't be able to move out quickly but what about the US citizens? Everybody knew the ball was rolling and it was only a matter of time before it came thundering down. And then there are the cases where Americans have recently gone to Afghanistan. That's just stupid. The one story about the school-children who are stuck after going there to see family a few weeks ago. WTF? Why would you do that?

Yep absolutely moronic. I don't know if Americans are just that blissfully unaware of foreign events or they're just so entitled they figure our army will bail them out of anything. Just stupid.

Not to mention we're in the middle of a global pandemic right now. No huge surprise these variants keep moving around so fast when people just HAVE to fly somewhere to see family instead of staying put. Annoying.

[RSchmitz]

A nosedive from 60 to 50%. Still way better than Trump's approval ever was.

Withdrawal was always going to be a clusterfuck. If we evacuated people earlier it would have accelerated the collapse that way too. People would know shit was hitting the fan then.

Similarly, Delta was always going to be a clusterfuck as long as we have so many fucking idiots not taking basic precautions.

A 10% drop in approval rating is very significant and not something to gloss over, regardless of who we are comparing it to