3 Americans held by NK released

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by widebody911

It's great that they're released, but what did it end up costing us? What kind of 'tard goes to North Korea in the first place? It takes a special kind of stupidity to willingly travel to a place that has a history of snatching people to use as bargaining chips.

Trump desperately needs something to distract us from the legal 5hitstorm that's brewing around him.

The ones Bill Clinton brought back were way hotter.

it did not take long, 3rd post.


lets see, what did berhgdahl cost us, a few American lives to start with and 5 gitmo detainees that will kill how many more americans? thanks Obama,
but yet trump is the bad guy

there is no ****storm, wishful thinking from the left

[speeder]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

What’s really sad is that I have sat down with people whose viewpoints are diametrically opposed to mine and still had an intelligent and civil conversation. Often times I learn something new about the alternative viewpoint even if I still don’t agree. In my opinion if you bring emotion or petty name calling into a discussion that means that you are either not educated enough in your perspective to defend it, or too stupid to have an intelligent conversation.

It also could mean that you're posting on the internet anonymously as opposed to speaking face-to-face. Not to discount the stupidity of plenty of the trolls here.

In real life, (IRL), it's pretty rare to hear someone speak in mocking or trolling fashion, looking for a fight. When it does occur, it's usually accompanied by plenty of alcohol and/or mental illness. People holding signs and screaming on street corners kind of thing. People tend to move away from such people in a hurry. It also occurs in mob situations, like marches and rallies.

But on boards like this, you have people who cowardly toss insults and call names that they'd never say face-to-face. I've recently been called a pussy by someone who would never dare say it to my face in a 1000 years. Also have had all kinds of weird, made up stories posted about myself, all by cowards hiding in secure bunkers w plenty of guns and liquid courage handy.

So yeah, this garbage belongs in PARF.

[Baz]

Some people care about how they come across - whether in person or online.

Some people also go to the trouble to groom themselves in a certain way, whether they will be out in public....or they are home.

Others do not.

There's also the aspect of manners....which are not mutually exclusive to a certain circumstance.

Having good manners is having good manners. It is what it is.

And you know what? It's so true that a leopard cannot change it's spots.

YMMV.....

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

What’s really sad is that I have sat down with people whose viewpoints are diametrically opposed to mine and still had an intelligent and civil conversation. Often times I learn something new about the alternative viewpoint even if I still don’t agree. In my opinion if you bring emotion or petty name calling into a discussion that means that you are either not educated enough in your perspective to defend it, or too stupid to have an intelligent conversation.

and you are a poopyhead

[javadog]

Originally Posted by speeder

Are you referring to post #1 or #2?

“A win for Trump...”

“Liberals are gonna whine...”

What part of this forum don’t you understand? Thank god you are not a moderator, you’d be completely incompetent. PARF was created to get Island911’s endless, stupid memes and the idiots from the VFW Hall out of this GD forum. People don’t want to see it.

I was thinking of the original post, that would be number one, which is why I said "original" before "poster." I wasn't focused on the political aspects of it, merely that it was good news for the US, in general.

PARF was created to move certain topics, that tended to get heated, out of this forum. I don't think that it should be a free-for-all, with no rules. There are half a dozen members here that contribute virtually nothing and those would be the ones I would give the boot. Some of them have been booted before and come back like a herpes infection.

I'm not sure why you think I would be ineffective in moderating PARF, any moderation would be helpful. I think most of us enjoy a certain level of discussion, we could all do without the mindless pissing contests.

[speeder]

If there was any active moderation here, this thread would be moved.

[sammyg2]

[speeder]

Originally Posted by javadog

I'm not sure why you think I would be ineffective in moderating PARF, any moderation would be helpful. I think most of us enjoy a certain level of discussion, we could all do without the mindless pissing contests.

I don't think that you're a bad guy but I also don't think that you could be even-handed with people whose politics you disagree with as opposed to those you agree with.

PARF actually had very even-handed moderation at one time in terms of people being banned.

[javadog]

Actually, I think you might be surprised. For me, it's not so much about politics. I would simply get rid of the people that show up in most threads just to throw insults at one another, completely off-topic. I'd list their names, but I'm sure you know who I'm talking about.

There are people that make an attempt at discussion and I have no problem with them, whether I agree with their politics or not. Then there are people that make no attempt at discussing a topic.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by speeder

Whom do you consider intelligent on this thread?

Tidybuoy

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Tidybuoy

Tidybuoy

Touche'.

[Por_sha911]

So far, the most whining has been by one person going on and on about how worried that this thread is going to go down hill to name calling and bickering. I don't see either. The most divisive statements are being made about a problem that hasn't happened. Maybe "lighten up Francis" is in order?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Does anyone know why North Korea is willing to discuss denuclearization?

[javadog]

One possibility is that they believe they (the regime) will cease to exist at some point, because we will take them out.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

why would they think that?

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Does anyone know why North Korea is willing to discuss denuclearization?

Either their nukes program isn't that successful, or Kim Jong-un finally got around to watching the movie Wargames.

[javadog]

Because they have been told by our government that if they get to the point where they have a deliverable nuclear weapon that can hit US soil, we are not going to accept that. The implication would be that we would strike them to eliminate the weapons, and they know from history that cutting the head off the snake is also a good idea. Whatever resistance to an attack they could muster wouldn't last long, if they were getting no direction from the top.

Perhaps china has played a role, I don't know. Their position may be that an intact, defanged North Korea is preferable to one that has been blown apart. The last thing they want is millions of North Koreans crossing the river as refugees.

Or perhaps they are running out of money and that has factored into their thinking. Whatever it is, I'm fairly certain that we have been telling them behind the scenes that they don't get to play the games of the past and maybe they're finally realizing they have no choice.

I'm cautiously optimistic that we might actually achieve something here.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Does anyone know why North Korea is willing to discuss denuclearization?

Near as I can tell, Shaun, it has more to do with economics than anything else. Part of it is the upcoming new dynamic between us and China in trade. All of which makes sense to me. Money really does make the world go round....

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by javadog

Because they have been told by our government that if they get to the point where they have a deliverable nuclear weapon that can hit US soil, we are not going to accept that. The implication would be that we would strike them to eliminate the weapons, and they know from history that cutting the head off the snake is also a good idea. Whatever resistance to an attack they could muster wouldn't last long, if they were getting no direction from the top.

This is fantasy.

Originally Posted by javadog

Perhaps china has played a role, I don't know. Their position may be that an intact, defanged North Korea is preferable to one that has been blown apart. The last thing they want is millions of North Koreans crossing the river as refugees.

Of course China has played a roll. To what end we won't know for years since China plays the long game while the US plays to the next 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by javadog

Or perhaps they are running out of money and that has factored into their thinking.

The end of the Cold War paradigm. Doubtful in the case of NK.

Originally Posted by javadog

Whatever it is, I'm fairly certain that we have been telling them behind the scenes that they don't get to play the games of the past and maybe they're finally realizing they have no choice.

Extremely doubtful. NK's come to Jesus moment? No. With us scolding them. Really? They are giving up their nuclear program because we have scolded them?

Originally Posted by javadog

I'm cautiously optimistic that we might actually achieve something here.

Something is definitely being achieved here.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Baz

Near as I can tell, Shaun, it has more to do with economics than anything else. Part of it is the upcoming new dynamic between us and China in trade. All of which makes sense to me. Money really does make the world go round....

Hey Baz, vague but interesting assertion. It is well known that NK has many illegal activities to fund it's various ventures including its own economy. And it has China.

It's possible China has created a long game scenario and is using NK as a pawn but NK is inconsequential to either China or the U.S. in terms of trade.