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Old 01-07-2008, 08:40 AM   #26
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Hey I went and saw Snakes on a Plane.
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Old 01-07-2008, 02:04 PM   #27
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by Holy Emperor
Hey I went and saw Snakes on a Plane.
That was the best-worst movie ever.
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Old 01-07-2008, 09:56 PM   #28
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

"MANOS" The Hands of Fate is superior. Or inferior. Something.
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Old 01-07-2008, 10:11 PM   #29
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Having not seen Snakes on a Plane, I suppose I can't weigh in like Loki or Muyo. But I will say that it would be pretty tough for SoaP to beat the likes of HeMan - the Movie or Dune (the first film, by David Lynch). These were movies that were not only bad, but which fans of the originals expected and hoped would be great. As a kid, I was crushed by how awful HeMan's motion picture was. As a teen, I was disgusted by how idiotic the Dune movie was, even if (by reading in between the [strike:1x7vsrzp]lines[/strike:1x7vsrzp] cels) I could tell that the core plot was amazing. (The part where the big fat bloated villain floats off into the gaping maw of a sandworm, iirc, was one of the lamest parts of the entire movie. And it was the climax!)

I suppose that's why SoaP is the best worst movie of all time. Because, while it's a horrible movie, it's the best you could hope for while still being awful. Like an old B-movie. Whereas the movies I just listed have little (or, in HeMan's case, no) redeeming value.
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Old 01-08-2008, 10:26 PM   #30
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

damicatz:

I see you're not bellyaching too much over Duncan Hunter being excluded, but whatever. But you're voting the frickin' libertarian ticket (and your personal views seem to lean towards some bizarre form of libertarian communism when they don't directly contradict one another) and the free market chose Fox News, so the phrase "you reap what you sow" seems particularly apt for this situation.

Not that it really matters. According to the CNN the Revolution is polling below Gulianni, and Rudy apparently didn't even campaign that much in NH. Of course, I'm sure a sub-10% 5th place finish will be rationalized as some great victory (or a GIGANTIC CONSPIRACY OH NOES) by supporters on the Internet.
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Old 01-08-2008, 11:03 PM   #31
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

I think the whole "SUPPORTERS CAN'T BE BOUGHT HAH" mind-set teleported over from Iowa, since McCain was the last person I'd imagine to have done so well there - he's a tired old fool, a false maverick. Hard to believe people still take him seriously.

Hillary winning ties her with Obama, bye bye Edwards. I wanted you to win on the left side most of all.

And Blastoise, I think Rudy Giuliani campaigned pretty darn hard in New Hampshire, which says more about how little credibility he has over there than it does about Ron Paul's clout.
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Old 01-08-2008, 11:57 PM   #32
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Can you possibly be anymore of a fucking douchebag? Your insults aren't wanted here, get a life.
I would love to argue with you, believe me, but I'm typing on a fucking Wii at the moment, so I'll save that for a rainy day.
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Old 01-09-2008, 12:59 AM   #33
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
Can you possibly be anymore of a fucking douchebag? Your insults aren't wanted here, get a life.
I would love to argue with you, believe me, but I'm typing on a fucking Wii at the moment, so I'll save that for a rainy day.
Maybe someone deleted their post or something but... what? I don't see anyone making a post warrenting this type of responce. <.< You cant talk politics w/o debating and it seems fairly civil to me so far.
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Old 01-09-2008, 01:24 AM   #34
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

He was talking about Blastoise's post above mine.

Unless he was talking about my post, which is sort of strange.
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Old 01-09-2008, 04:12 PM   #35
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

I was talking about Blastoise's post, sorry I didn't make it more clear, but I was typing on a Wii >_>

And it's a pain in the ass.

And seriously, New Hampshire, WTF?! "Live free or die" huh? Sounds like you want to uh, die. Everyone in that state should be fucking ashamed. I read that 41% of the people said in the exit polls that they voted for McCain because "he wants to end the war". Surely they aren't talking about the same McCain, who, just a few days ago, asked why we shouldn't be in Iraq for a hundred years?

And Hillaryous? What the hell? I'm sorry, but I've *officially* lost hope in America. Say what you will about Ron Paul, but you have to admit, this is just outright pathetic. I can't help but feel that "Iron my shirt" and Hillary crying were set up to make New Hampshire feel sorry for her. How pathetic. How pathetic.
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Old 01-09-2008, 06:17 PM   #36
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
And seriously, New Hampshire, WTF?! "Live free or die" huh? Sounds like you want to uh, die. Everyone in that state should be fucking ashamed. I read that 41% of the people said in the exit polls that they voted for McCain because "he wants to end the war". Surely they aren't talking about the same McCain, who, just a few days ago, asked why we shouldn't be in Iraq for a hundred years?
Yeah, that's crazy. That's like people who are anti-corporation voting libertarian.

Oh wait
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Old 01-09-2008, 06:33 PM   #37
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
I'm sorry, but I've *officially* lost hope in America.
Talon's going to be annoyed.
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Old 01-09-2008, 06:45 PM   #38
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

I don't see why massive amounts of immigration is a problem, considering we have a presidential campaign every four years to offset that.
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Old 01-09-2008, 06:55 PM   #39
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Okay pal. I'm not libertarian. I'm independent. In this case, Ron Paul is the best candidate in my opinion. And Ron Paul ran for the libertarian ticket ONCE. He is a republican, and he runs on SOME libertarian views. He is completely against big business, period.

And he isn't a fucking racist. That shit was published without his consent. I will admit that it's confusing why he didn't proof the newsletters before they were published.

Who do you want to win? Obama? The man is a nice candidate, I'll admit, but it really bothers me that he would start running for the presidency a year after he became senator. He's a great speaker...and that's about it. Face it, all politicians suck balls. Ron Paul is at least passionate about what he believes and wants to bring change. Face it, the value of the dollar is dropping, and we need to stop recklessly printing money before it gets us into deep shit.

Now, I don't really know about a north american union, but there has been evidence that there's a possibility of happening. However, upon further research, I've found things that debunk the north american union conspiracy theory.

What the fuck is your problem? I said nothing at all to offend you, yet you jump right in and attack dami and myself. If you wanted to have a decent discussion, you could have just done so without being such an asshat. Too late.

The way I see it, at this point, America is heading down a steep hill with no way back out. It's going to take a helluva lot to undo what Bush has done, and I'm not sure that anyone can do it.

I also started this discussion spontaneously, and I probably shouldn't have posted phone numbers, but I was really upset. No candidate should get kicked out of a debate, be it Gravel, Kucinich, Paul, or Hunter. They all have the right to speak out for their beliefs and let Americans decide for themselves. When something like this happens, it is viewed as censoring. Period. Especially when a certain Rupert Murdoch (owner of News Corp, fyi) admits to forcing his opinions on people.
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Old 01-09-2008, 08:19 PM   #40
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger
Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
I'm sorry, but I've *officially* lost hope in America.
Talon's going to be annoyed.
Why?
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Old 01-09-2008, 10:15 PM   #41
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
And he isn't a fucking racist. That shit was published without his consent. I will admit that it's confusing why he didn't proof the newsletters before they were published.
I wouldn't be against puting a racist in public office, so long as that racism didn't interfere with a president's ability to lead. We've had two, possibly three racists since 1945 and their leading ability wasn't impacted by their personal views.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
Who do you want to win? Obama? The man is a nice candidate, I'll admit, but it really bothers me that he would start running for the presidency a year after he became senator. He's a great speaker...and that's about it.
At the beginning of the campaigns last year, I made what I felt was an educated opinion that Mitt Romeny would win the Republican nomination, Obama the Democratic, and Obama the presidency, but that his administration would resemble Jimmy Carter's though we would manage to pull out of the War in Iraq by Obama's second term (if he lives that long), a la Nixon with Vietnam. Iraq in the future would have a stable, though theocratic (and corrupt) government. Most of the Sunni muslims will have been eradicated or banished to other Islamic nations, Kurdistan would be a seperate nation under the direct protection of the United States military, and we would be having a dispute over Kurdistan's autonomy with Iraq (later added Turkey).

I'm still confident most of this will come to pass, though the New Hampshire vote was the first big surprise for me, even if Iowa wasn't.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
Face it, the value of the dollar is dropping, and we need to stop recklessly printing money before it gets us into deep shit.
US Institutions are tough enough to handle it, and many countries still consider the United States an extremely safe investment for their money. If our credit rating falls below AAA, I'll start to worry about the deficits.

And we enjoy some of the lowest inflation in the world, I don't get how you can claim we're printing money "recklessly".

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
Now, I don't really know about a north american union, but there has been evidence that there's a possibility of happening. However, upon further research, I've found things that debunk the north american union conspiracy theory.
You mean Canada, Mexico, and the US starting a monetary union? Uh-uh, not going to happen - our standard of living would fall to that of Mexico, as would Canada's, and our GDP would take huge hits. Not to mention there's no industry available there - it's not like Mexico is a Germany or Poland.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
What the fuck is your problem? I said nothing at all to offend you, yet you jump right in and attack dami and myself. If you wanted to have a decent discussion, you could have just done so without being such an asshat. Too late.
YHBT. Learn to brush it off, grasshopper. Blastoise has touched the line with his foot many times, but he's never lept over it while gnashing his teeth snarling, and drooling madly as he aims to bite the heads off of un-suspecting UPNers!

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
The way I see it, at this point, America is heading down a steep hill with no way back out.
We've been in decline since the 1950's.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dosuser
I don't see why massive amounts of immigration is a problem, considering we have a presidential campaign every four years to offset that.
Oh ho, I see what you did there!

Well played, good sir.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xuande
Why?
The whole, "getting one's hopes up, then expressing genuine (and melodramatic) surprise, disdain, and distress at a change of expectation". If you weren't annoyed, I know I was.
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Old 01-09-2008, 10:35 PM   #42
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Oh. I thought you meant, "Talon will be sad that somebody know longer has hope in America." I was like, "Pfft, yeah right. I'd say 'Good job opening your eyes there, chum.'" But now I see what you meant. You were saying I would be sad/consternated that VGM Hiero is getting his panties increasingly twisted as Ron Paul's imminent failure to win the GOP ticket becomes increasingly irrefutable. Well, I guess I wasn't as upset today as I might have been the day I ranted to him, dami, and any other "Paul Hopefuls" about being so overly optimistic.

I mean, seriously, if you think that elections in this country matter, you are naive. You are not only naive but blind if you believe elections in this country matter in spite of the fact that you are aware lobbying exists, how lobbying works, and just how powerful the people who hire lobbyists (i.e. corporations) are.

And before Blastoise gets his panties in a twist, I'll clarify that no, I am not villifying (nor do I intend to villify) corporate America for being so big and powerful. I'm simply stating it as fact: corporate America is uber-powerful, corporate America does run the show, etc. I never said I was for or against it. (If I must, I'll repeat that I am against extremism in either form -- extreme exclusion of market forces to mold our society [i.e. Fascism] as well as the other extreme where the free market is the sole determining sculptor of our society [i.e. anarchy]. I'd like to see people run their business and be allowed to, but I'm also up for civil laws that protect us from, y'know, being murdered in our sleep by some psycho who wishes to open up a human meat BBQ & Grill. Extremism, bad.) Anyway, digression. The point is:
- 350+ million Americans don't vote
- 75+ million Americans who bother to go to the polls don't vote
- the 20,000 largest corporations, not even in the country but in the world, vote. They vote with their dollars. Understand, the dollar-vote is the vote. And your dollar-vote is worthless next to British Petroleum's, Toyota's, Wal-Mart's, or RUSAL's.
- whether this is just or not is irrelevant; the only relevant point to what I am making is, quit acting like your vote IN TODAY'S WORLD counts. Maybe in yesterday's. Maybe in tomorrow's. But sure as fucking hell not in today's.

Am I saying elections are rigged? Try again, conspiracy theorists. I'm saying that it makes one rat turd of difference whether Obama, Huckabee, Clinton, or Romney in the Oval Office come January 21, 2009. Whoever wins the US Presidency (even if we believe the vote is fair, honest, and representative of the nation's wishes) will be made to submit to the powers of the world. Barack Obama is a man -- RUSAL is the world's aluminum. PseudoReverend Huckabee is a yokel -- OPEC is the world's energy pricer. A President may do a bunch of dick-weaving in front of the national media and call it "his success at getting OPEC to lower prices," but the reality is that no global company bows to the President of the USA. Anymore than you would accept the notion that one of our largest companies bows to the President of China or the Prime Minister of the UK.

...... digressing too much again. Cutting it off here. And one last edit to clarify: I am aware that OPEC is not a "company" in the general sense of the word, but I'd rather not use loaded phrases like "companies, cartels, moguls, and mad scientists."
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Old 01-09-2008, 10:43 PM   #43
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Just to add a bit onto that digression, there is one politician in the international system who can make corporations bow to him; the soon-to-be-former-and-future-president Vladamir Putin! At least as far as petrol is concerned.
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Old 01-09-2008, 10:48 PM   #44
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by VGM Hiero
Okay pal. I'm not libertarian. I'm independent. In this case, Ron Paul is the best candidate in my opinion. And Ron
Paul ran for the libertarian ticket ONCE. He is a republican, and he runs on SOME libertarian views. He is completely against big business, period.
Ron Paul is a libertarian whether he chooses to call himself that or not. You can argue this however you want, but fundamentally most of his justifications come from the libertarian camp (and he associates himself with "libertarian" think tanks, albeit the ones who refer to the Civil War as "the war of northern aggression.").

And why do you think Ron Paul is going to do anything about big business? A man who favors what comes pretty close to (if it isn't) lassiez faire capitalism and little federal government intervention is going to help...how? You have yet to provide an answer to this question.

Quote:
And he isn't a fucking racist. That shit was published without his consent. I will admit that it's confusing why he didn't proof the newsletters before they were published.
There is no facepalm.jpg big enough for this quote.

To even argue that Ron Paul had no knowledge of these newsletters is completely absurd. Some of the issues carried his signatures, and some were produced by companies in which Ron Paul had a stake. And it's not like the content changed radically over the decades: many of the conspiracy boogeymen that were in an early issue popped up repeatedly throughout the decades.

So that leads us to two reasonable conclusions (not the only ones, but most likely):
1. Ron Paul is bullshitting us.
2. Ron Paul was completely ignorant of statements being published under his name monthly for decades.

If it's 1 and Ron Paul's newsletter honestly reflects his views, then that alone is damning enough.

If it's 2, it's little better: you have to accept that Ron Paul did not even bother to check a newsletter published under his name for decades (and many of the statements aren't the work of some rogue writer as the Paul camp implies: you can see inflammatory statements consistently appear throughout the publication's history). If he can't keep oversight over an 8-page monthly newsletter, what does that say about his potential as a president?

Quote:
Face it, the value of the dollar is dropping, and we need to stop recklessly printing money before it gets us into deep shit.
http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/arc ... _stand.php

Quote:
In short, you don't get anything out of a gold standard that you didn't bring with you. If your government is a credible steward of the money supply, you don't need it; and if it isn't, it won't be able to stay on it long anyway. (See Argentina's dollar peg). Meanwhile, the limitations on the government's ability to respond to fiscal crises, the necessity of defending against speculative attacks in times of crises, and the possibility of independent changes in the relative price of gold, make your economy more unstable. It's a terrible idea, which is why there are so few economists willing to raise their voices in support of it.
Quote:
What the fuck is your problem? I said nothing at all to offend you, yet you jump right in and attack dami and myself. If you wanted to have a decent discussion, you could have just done so without being such an asshat. Too late.
I'm starting to believe that all of damicatz's political posts are really an elaborate form of trolling, but that's neither here nor there. If you're upset that I've taken your arguments point by point and said things that shatter your worldview, go cry about it to someone who cares, because after dealing with so many Paul supporters on the Internet I've had my fill of adventures in cognitive dissonance.

"Ron Paul will stick it to the corporations!" they cry.
How I ask? I get no answer.

"Ron Paul will take us back to the Constitution!" they shout.
I ask them what that means, and how many of them have actually read the Constitution. No answer.

That's usually where the conspiracies about how the media is conspiring to bring Ron Paul down begin. My personal favorite was someone calling the Daily Kos a tool of the Guiliani campaign.

Quote:
The way I see it, at this point, America is heading down a steep hill with no way back out. It's going to take a helluva lot to undo what Bush has done, and I'm not sure that anyone can do it.
You can see the future? That's so awesome.

Quote:
I also started this discussion spontaneously, and I probably shouldn't have posted phone numbers, but I was really upset. No candidate should get kicked out of a debate, be it Gravel, Kucinich, Paul, or Hunter. They all have the right to speak out for their beliefs and let Americans decide for themselves. When something like this happens, it is viewed as censoring. Period. Especially when a certain Rupert Murdoch (owner of News Corp, fyi) admits to forcing his opinions on people.
And what is Ron Paul going to do about it? I hear all about grand media conspiracies but strangely little on how Ron Paul will break the stranglehold. Apparently on Ron Paul's inauguration day the sky will part, God will descend from the Heavens declaring, "this is my son with whom I am well pleased" and the power holders/brokers/whatever will all be struck dead.
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Old 01-09-2008, 10:52 PM   #45
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

That is because Putin (who is the one politician I respect power-wise, very nice psychic call!) is more powerful than Russian oil. As in ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiki
One of the most controversial aspects of Putin's second term was the continuation of the criminal prosecution of Russia's richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, President of Yukos oil company, for fraud and tax evasion.
What's Yukos Oil Company, you ask ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiki
Yukos Oil Company (ОАО НК ЮКОС) was a petroleum company in Russia which, until recently, was controlled by Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky and a number of prominent Russian businessmen. Khodorkovsky was imprisoned and sent to Siberia, and others fled Russia. Its headquarters was located in Moscow. On August 1, 2006, a Russian court declared Yukos bankrupt.
For those who still don't get it, I have two things to say:
1) Follow Russian politics more, and
2) Here :

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiki
The biggest Russian oil company is Rosneft followed by Lukoil, TNK-BP, Surgutneftegaz, Gazprom Neft and Tatneft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiki
OAO Rosneft Oil Company (Russian: Ð*оснефть) is an integrated petroleum company owned by the Russian Government. Rosneft is headquartered in Moscow’s Balchug district near the Kremlin, across the Moskva river. Rosneft became Russia's leading extraction and refinement company after purchasing assets of former oil giant Yukos at state-run auctions.
Putin is more powerful than Russian oil. Q.E.D.

For those still too thick / not in the loop enough to see it, Yukos was one of (arguably the) wealthiest Russian oil companies, and its acquisition pushed Russian state-owned Rosneft up over the edge and into Position #1 for "richest, most powerful, and all-around most productive oil company in Russia."

For those who are thinking "Russia Schmussia," stfu + Russia is the world's #2 exporter of oil.
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Old 01-09-2008, 11:00 PM   #46
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xuande
And before Blastoise gets his panties in a twist, I'll clarify that no, I am not villifying (nor do I intend to villify) corporate America for being so big and powerful.
Why would I care? I know that corporations act douchey, I'm not that naive. My main argument is that Ron Paul's answer seems to be "I won't take money from them" (but he'll take money from white supremacists, go figure). Well good for him, but that's not going to be enough.

Quote:
- 350+ million Americans don't vote
- 75+ million Americans who bother to go to the polls don't vote
- the 20,000 largest corporations, not even in the country but in the world, vote. They vote with their dollars. Understand, the dollar-vote is the vote. And your dollar-vote is worthless next to British Petroleum's, Toyota's, Wal-Mart's, or RUSAL's.
- whether this is just or not is irrelevant; the only relevant point to what I am making is, quit acting like your vote IN TODAY'S WORLD counts. Maybe in yesterday's. Maybe in tomorrow's. But sure as fucking hell not in today's.
Holy shit, 350+ million Americans don't vote? I'm sure that might not have anything to do with America not even having 350 million people.

Snark aside, there are really only a couple ways to change this status quo:
1. get more people to vote, people who will educate themselves on the issues and make informed, reasonable opinions
2. Reduce the impact of money on political campaigns, to the point where having corporate donors' hooks in you is a hindrance relative to the return you get from campaign donations. If Wal-Mart wants to give you money for influence, but that money gives you little relative to the influence Wal-Mart wants, why take it or feel overly beholden?

1 is unlikely to ever happen at the scale necessary, so that leaves 2. Unfortunately, all that's been proposed for 2 has been circumvented so far, so we still have a ways to go.

Quote:
...... digressing too much again. Cutting it off here. And one last edit to clarify: I am aware that OPEC is not a "company" in the general sense of the word, but I'd rather not use loaded phrases like "companies, cartels, moguls, and mad scientists."
They're a cartel in the economic sense, so you're not being harsh.
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Old 01-09-2008, 11:05 PM   #47
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Forgot to wrap it all together in an important way.

- Is Bush more powerful than ExxonMobil? Fuck no. They keep crashing off the coast of California and we just keep smiling.

- Is Gordon Brown more powerful than BP? Ex Fucking Dee.

- Is Vladimir Putin more powerful than the wealthiest oil tycoons in Russia? Yes. He stole their enterprises right out from under them, sent them to the gulags, and added their wealth to the Russian-owned oil enterprise.

Putin is without a doubt the most intelligent (and perhaps the only intelligent) member of the G8 summit. He's a genius. Love him or hate him, fear him or admire him, he's a genius. Leagues above the other world leaders.
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Old 01-09-2008, 11:10 PM   #48
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastoise
Holy shit, 350+ million Americans don't vote? I'm sure that might not have anything to do with America not even having 350 million people.

Snark aside ...
Thanks. Dunno why I thought we were that high already. Could have sworn we were at 300 million when I graduated high school, and 325 million while at Purdue. Oh well.

Other points: disappointed to see less text, happy to interpret it as lack of violent disagreement. You point out I'm preaching to the choir in your case, but still.
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Old 01-09-2008, 11:16 PM   #49
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

I don't mean just Russian oil, I mean the international oil companies as well. There was this incident where Shell built a refinery plant in Russia and was "pressured" by the government to allow Gazprom to participate; suddenly, Putin goes "WHAT'S THIS, YOU BRITISH BASTARDS, THIS PLANT IS CAUSING POLLUTION!" and seizes the whole endeavour. Shell protests, then Putin decides to take it to court for its alleged "environmental damages". Shell gets the short end of the stick and Gazprom buys out the plant.

Since when does Russia care about the environment? Considering how Putin weakened environmental laws during his term, this kind of prosecution seems a tad strange, no? The secret is while Russian oil companies might have a lot of oil (counting all the Russian companies, Russia has more oil than all of OPEC combined) they lack the technological refinement of the top corporations to make it more efficient. Technical innovation was a problem during the Soviet years and continued to plague Russia in the 1990's, and here we have Putin stealing a state of the art refinement plant for Gazprom, which among all the companies has the most Russian oil!
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Old 01-09-2008, 11:20 PM   #50
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Re: Ron Paul EXCLUDED from Faux News Jan 6 Debate

Some would say Putin is a rascal for raping Shell. I'd say Shell was a dumb blonde whore for walking into a dark, sleazy bar with her oily boobs hanging halfway out of her shirt. Distracting metaphor to the side, I mean to say, "Shell asked for it." The same way a hot woman who dresses like she's easy "asks" to be raped, certainly (and to clarify, I believe rape is horrible), but it changes little. Women who dress like skanks and then find men groping their buttcheeks and fondling their breasts get less sympathy than other women; and companies that go to Russia and expect to be treated fairly are only one Stupidity Point shy of the companies that do the same in Nigeria.
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