All-purpose news and politics thread

[snarkbunny]

Having said that, I don't think the shit Mitt did as an idiot high schooler should be election fodder. Who among us would qualify for any position of responsibility if the stupid shit we did as teens was brought up?

However, he can't acknowledge today that he did stupid shit as a teen even when brought face to face with it, what does that say about his ability to take responsibility for his actions?

I mean I did stupid shit as a child/teen, and occasionally lapse into stupidity now, but isn't part of being a responsible adult to admit it when faced with it? For that matter, a friend of mine who was bullied in high school, recently got an apology from one of the people who bullied her.

That being said, if I were American, I would be far more concerned about Romney's current flipflops and inaccurate facts.

[Iangould]

I laughed at that.

Having said that, I don't think the shit Mitt did as an idiot high schooler should be election fodder. Who among us would qualify for any position of responsibility if the stupid shit we did as teens was brought up?

Well when the candidate and his wife bring the subject up and urge reporters to talk to people who knew him back then because it illustrates a different side to his character, it becomes fair game.

[Iangould]

Historically I can understand where the ultra-orthodox view on reporting crimes to the secular authorities came from (and its not just sexual crimes, the same attitude applies to fraud and various other crimes).

It's much the same as the "Don't Snitch" movement amongst some African-Americans.

It isn't "let's ignore this" it's "Let's deal with this ourselves because the last time the Goyim got involved it ended in a pogrom."

That attitude is no longer justified but I can understand why it evolved and why it persists, (Fun fact: today, in 2012, there are still Crypto-Jews in Spain and Portugal practising their religion in secret because they aren't convinced the contemporary tolerance for Jews will last.)

[Spike-X]

I laughed at that.

Having said that, I don't think the shit Mitt did as an idiot high schooler should be election fodder. Who among us would qualify for any position of responsibility if the stupid shit we did as teens was brought up?

I don't think I did anything nearly as horrible as to assault a classmate and forcibly hack off their hair with scissors when I was high school. But apparently I'm in the minority there.

And again, a lot of the heat he's getting is not just for doing it, but for absolutely refusing in any way to own up to it and properly apologise for it.

[StoneGold]

The ultra orthodox dont run the show when it comes to orthodox Judaism. They just get the most attention.

No one does. Decentralized religion. Which makes sense, when the latest pogrom happens, no one wants to be Jew Pope.

[dupont2005]

I laughed at that.

Having said that, I don't think the shit Mitt did as an idiot high schooler should be election fodder. Who among us would qualify for any position of responsibility if the stupid shit we did as teens was brought up?

Well I'm not running for office. If I was I wouldn't be running on some holier than thou moral high road family first platform. I think his lifelong contempt for homosexuals is completely relevant to the election.

[USArmyParatrooper]

I don't think I did anything nearly as horrible as to assault a classmate and forcibly hack off their hair with scissors when I was high school. But apparently I'm in the minority there.

And again, a lot of the heat he's getting is not just for doing it, but for absolutely refusing in any way to own up to it and properly apologise for it.

But yeah, what Mitt and his goon friends did was really bad. The level they took that to far exceeds the typical "boys will be boys" thing.

[Spike-X]

This is why people have a problem with for-profit health insurance: Liberty Mutual: Your premiums, his premium office

When this ($4.5 million office renovation) occurred in the fall of 2011, unemployment was at 9.1 percent and the stock market was plunging nearly 17 percent. Good, average people were poring over checkbooks trying to figure out how to pay car insurance required by law and homeowner’s insurance required by banks. David Long, meanwhile, was poring over swatches trying to figure out what kind of woven silk he wanted on his office walls.

[king mob]

People who vote Tory, Labour, or Lib Dem are not on the same level as voting BNP and Golden Dawn. Those parties have official policies of "voluntary" ethnic cleansing.

Much of the BNP support in Northern English cities mainly came from pissed off Labour and a section of Tory voters. I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to point out to potential BNP voters about their 'ship them back where they came from' policies.

Also, the main parties adopting BNP policies (and they all have in some shape or form) is seen as a victory by them, and sadly it kind of is. That's one of the many reasons why I'll never vote Labour again.

[dupersuper]

Scared man calls cops on lady wanting way too much sex

http://now.msn.com/living/0413-woman-demands-sex.aspx

He could have called me (I reserve the right to edit this after seeing a picture of the woman in question).

[heretic]

So, this happened.

Fox News contributor laments ‘mistake’ of letting women vote

“I think that one of the greatest mistakes America made was to allow women the opportunity to vote,” Peterson says. “We should’ve never turned this over to women. And these women are voting in the wrong people. They’re voting in people who are evil who agrees with them who’re gonna take us down this pathway of destruction.”

“And this probably was the reason they didn’t allow women to vote when men were men. Because men in the good old days understood the nature of the woman,” he adds. “They were not afraid to deal with it. And they understood that, you let them take over, this is what would happen.”

Sad part is, this is what is being trotted out to prove that the Republicans are not bigots and Black people should flock to them.

The really sad part is that there are black people who agree with this clown.

The ultra orthodox dont run the show when it comes to orthodox Judaism. They just get the most attention.

That can be said about just about every distinct demographic groups out there.

Historically I can understand where the ultra-orthodox view on reporting crimes to the secular authorities came from (and its not just sexual crimes, the same attitude applies to fraud and various other crimes).

It's much the same as the "Don't Snitch" movement amongst some African-Americans.

It isn't "let's ignore this" it's "Let's deal with this ourselves because the last time the Goyim got involved it ended in a pogrom."

That attitude is no longer justified but I can understand why it evolved and why it persists, (Fun fact: today, in 2012, there are still Crypto-Jews in Spain and Portugal practising their religion in secret because they aren't convinced the contemporary tolerance for Jews will last.)

I understand the whole 'explanation, not excuse' aspect of this statement, but it is still stupid and dangerously counterproductive (ditto the Stop Snitching BS).

[Winslow]

However, he can't acknowledge today that he did stupid shit as a teen even when brought face to face with it, what does that say about his ability to take responsibility for his actions?

I read on Slate that he did apologize for the pranks he pulled in high school. It just wasn't specific to this situation.

That being said, if I were American, I would be far more concerned about Romney's current flipflops and inaccurate facts.

Exactly. This is an unhelpful distraction.

Well when the candidate and his wife bring the subject up and urge reporters to talk to people who knew him back then because it illustrates a different side to his character, it becomes fair game.

Not really.

I don't think I did anything nearly as horrible as to assault a classmate and forcibly hack off their hair with scissors when I was high school. But apparently I'm in the minority there.

And again, a lot of the heat he's getting is not just for doing it, but for absolutely refusing in any way to own up to it and properly apologise for it.

I used to drag race down Logan and Michigan avenue after high school dances with classmates that were either drunk or high. I could have killed someone in my recklessness. That's way worse than cutting someone's hair.

Well I'm not running for office. If I was I wouldn't be running on some holier than thou moral high road family first platform. I think his lifelong contempt for homosexuals is completely relevant to the election.

Key word being lifelong, not when he was a teen.

[Spike-X]

I used to drag race down Logan and Michigan avenue after high school dances with classmates that were either drunk or high. I could have killed someone in my recklessness. That's way worse than cutting someone's hair.

Which reminds me of the way I used to drive the first couple of years I had my licence. And I was well out of high school by then.

I'll be shutting the fuck up now.

[Charles RB]

Jeremy Hunt is accused of conspiring with News Corp when the hacking scandal broke:

A damning email released to the Inquiry yesterday suggests Mr Hunt asked the company to "privately advise" and "guide his and No 10's thinking" on the unfolding scandal. The existence of the previously secret email emerged during more than five hours of questioning of News International's former chief executive Rebekah Brooks at the Leveson Inquiry.

Brooks also revealed she got a "good luck" message from the Home Office...

[Charles RB]

More 'grooming' arrests in Rochdale - and this isn't to do with the recent case, this is a whole seperate thing. Lovely.