Politics As Usual

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
The U.N. is incompetent for running "refugee camps" that are absolutely overrun with gun-toting members of terrorist organizations. As an umbrella, i believe the outrage can properly be stated that the U.N. is incompetent for not screening the recipients of their aid to determine the individual's justifiable and compensatable need for relief.

I generally despise public housing in this country, except that which provides for elderly (a bit broad), veterans, and families with dire and unexpected needs like handicapped children that are not the result of personal choices (like gangbangers who get shot into a wheelchair). Yet, while public housing is often overrun by guntoting thugs, just like Jenin, the guntoting thugs aren't frequently known to threaten the public housing officials with death if they don't provided better gigs.

Its hard to like guntoting thugs in either circumstance, but its hard to like the passer-outers of public money when they knowingly distribute the public money to the guntoters, especially if the aid is positively influenced in any way by the guntoting. Yet, the U.N.'s position seems to be, hey, just quit threatening us and we'll give you whatever we can. Of course, that wouldn't be providing aid and comfort to terrorists, would it?

With our money?

Whether gun-toting thugs can be screened from refugee camps or public housing is invariably a function, at the very least in large part, of the resources committed to the problem. I suspect that UN refugee camps are underfunded relative to Chicago Public Housing.

Surely the thugs in Jenin think they have better chances of extorting money from the UN. If it would work in Chicago, or San Francisco, someone might try it. Again, a question of law enforcement resources. As in so many other contexts, you get what you pay for.

In my experience, people living in public housing feel much the way you do about it. The difference being that they don't have a choice.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
In my experience, people living in public housing feel much the way you do about it.

Care to explain your vast experience with public housing residents?

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
The difference being that they don't have a choice.

Never mind. It is clear you don't know people living in public housing.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop

In my experience, people living in public housing feel much the way you do about it. The difference being that they don't have a choice.

Ironically, in my days as a... never mind, I knew many a public servant who felt like they didn't have choices. This will likely out me to an occasional reader who has heard this schpiel, but I'll say it anyway. 20-something HS grads I worked with would be asked, why don't you go to school like Hello... he's been going for 12 years in sometimes-tough circumstances.

Mind you, the people I describe are beloved friends of mine who perform incredibly difficult jobs. Seemingly across the board, they would mumble an excuse that always indicated nothing more than a lack of self confidence and motivation. Asked how they ever hoped to live past 50 (anecdotally, a cross-section of people in the profession starts dying at 35 and almost none live past 60), they would (across the board) mumble that they were trapped, or I can't do anything else, or whatever you will accept as being the equivalent of a belief that "they don't have a choice".

Few people have no choices. Few people are trapped. Few people have their back to a literal wall. Yet, whether its my friends or public housing residents, many will say they don't have a choice, and that they are trapped with no choices.

For a 17 year old without an adult record I have a very easy choice. Join the flippin army. Join the army and I'll support publicly housing you later if you feel like you don't have another choice.

And the lifelong public housing residents didn't join the army at 17 because why?

Hello

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Not Me
Never mind. It is clear you don't know people living in public housing.

Not true. Your mom lives in Cabrini-Green, and Ty hasn't always been so discriminating.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
As in so many other contexts, you get what you pay for.

And, on this note, what worse do we get if we pay nothing? Undying hatred compared to today's everlasting hatred?

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
Cabrini-Green

I don't think that is even in existence anymore.

[The Larry Davis Experience]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
On the one-in-a-million chance that you aren't joking with the alternatives (I'm willing to take even those odds to help you, my friend), I will clarify. The U.N. is incompetent for running "refugee camps" that are absolutely overrun with gun-toting members of terrorist organizations. As an umbrella, i believe the outrage can properly be stated that the U.N. is incompetent for not screening the recipients of their aid to determine the individual's justifiable and compensatable need for relief.

I generally despise public housing in this country, except that which provides for elderly (a bit broad), veterans, and families with dire and unexpected needs like handicapped children that are not the result of personal choices (like gangbangers who get shot into a wheelchair). Yet, while public housing is often overrun by guntoting thugs, just like Jenin, the guntoting thugs aren't frequently known to threaten the public housing officials with death if they don't provided better gigs.

Its hard to like guntoting thugs in either circumstance, but its hard to like the passer-outers of public money when they knowingly distribute the public money to the guntoters, especially if the aid is positively influenced in any way by the guntoting. Yet, the U.N.'s position seems to be, hey, just quit threatening us and we'll give you whatever we can. Of course, that wouldn't be providing aid and comfort to terrorists, would it?

With our money?

Hello

Thanks for not being intimidated by the odds. Usually I'm pretty good about getting you, but I think all the weeeed I used to smoke is clouding my faculties again. I tend to agree with Ty's point about resources, but I don't know shit about the UN's admin of Jenin so that would be a guess.

So let's assume the UN can, but won't, screen the recipients of its aid. Are you saying that the US is screening those recipients in Iraq? I guess I'd be interested in seeing a cite on that one. If the US isn't, then I don't see your point on why the UN is so poorly suited to help reconstruct Iraq.

And what do you mean by "positively influenced"? I thought the article said they were stopping construction based on the threats, rather than speeding up construction on the complainer/guntoter's bungalow. I think you're putting words into the UN's mouth on this one, but I'm only going off of the story you posted.

Also I note that the story says that none of the money is really "our" money. Unless you are from the UAE.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
And, on this note, what worse do we get if we pay nothing? Undying hatred compared to today's everlasting hatred?

Why aren't the Arab country doing more to help other Arabs? That is what I want to know. Instead of giving money to fund suicide bombers, they should be helping these people to live decently.

[SlaveNoMore]

Not Me
Why aren't the Arab country doing more to help other Arabs? That is what I want to know. Instead of giving money to fund suicide bombers, they should be helping these people to live decently.

But they will live decently. With the raisins.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience

And what do you mean by "positively influenced"? I thought the article said they were stopping construction based on the threats, rather than speeding up construction on the complainer/guntoter's bungalow. I think you're putting words into the UN's mouth on this one, but I'm only going off of the story you posted.

From the article:

"We decided yesterday to freeze the construction until we can see that these irresponsible acts will not happen again,"

Now does that say, we're screening to make sure these guys get nuttin nuttin, or does that say, just quit point the guns at us and we'll give you what we can?

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
Thanks for not being intimidated by the odds. Usually I'm pretty good about getting you, but I think all the weeeed I used to smoke is clouding my faculties again. I tend to agree with Ty's point about resources, but I don't know shit about the UN's admin of Jenin so that would be a guess.

So let's assume the UN can, but won't, screen the recipients of its aid. Are you saying that the US is screening those recipients in Iraq? I guess I'd be interested in seeing a cite on that one. If the US isn't, then I don't see your point on why the UN is so poorly suited to help reconstruct Iraq.

I don't know 'bout that drug thing. After reading all the lucid junkies on this board, I'm convinced that drugs only harmed people in my neck of the ghetto.

As for resources, the last few paragraphs of the article detail how different people are getting different things. Apparently, they are exercising some discretion in the building. Contrast that to public housing's one-size-fits-all 8 room romper-pads.

Whereas, I'm not sure I've seen any articles about the U.S. bestowing such benefits on individual Iraqis. So, "I guess I'd be interested in seeing a cite on that one".

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
Also I note that the story says that none of the money is really "our" money. Unless you are from the UAE.

I'm not convinced its not, but I'll concede for the moment.

[sgtclub]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...NGHM74M911.DTL

[Shape Shifter]

How was the funeral, bb?

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
How was the funeral, bb?

Close. the guy does look ALOT like him, but it's not. bilmore is far too traditional to wear velcro shoes to a funeral.

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Close. the guy does look ALOT like him, but it's not. bilmore is far too traditional to wear velcro shoes to a funeral.

The velcro shoes are suprising, but that's clearly Bilmore's lucky shirt - the one Regan touched in 1980 that hasn't been washed since.

[SlaveNoMore]

Listening to Mulroney's eulogy, I withdraw my earlier classless comment about Canadian PMs.

The only ones that suck are the ones that are cousins of Pepe le Pew (Chretien, Trudeau, etc)