January Current Events: 50 is my favorite caliber AND my BMI

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > January Current Events: 50 is my favorite caliber AND my BMI

«‹›122 »

Bored As Fuck: Jan 1, 2006; Fun Shoe

Mr. Nice! posted:

For those who don't immediately recognize that name, he was an IRGC major general in charge of the quds.

Yeah. This guy was a huge piece of poo poo. Absolutely helped to enable the death of Americans in Iraq.

Good articles on the guy:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander?verso=true

https://foreignpolicy.com/gt-essay/irans-deadly-puppet-master-qassem-suleimani/

quote:

The decision not to act is often the hardest one to make—and it isn’t always right. In 2007, I watched a string of vehicles pass from Iran into northern Iraq. I had been serving as the head of the U.S. military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for four years, working to stem the terrorism that had devastated the region, and I had become accustomed to making tough choices. But on that January night, the choice was particularly tricky: whether or not to attack a convoy that included Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force—an organization roughly analogous to a combination of the CIA and JSOC in the United States.

There was good reason to eliminate Suleimani. At the time, Iranian-made roadside bombs built and deployed at his command were claiming the lives of U.S. troops across Iraq. But to avoid a firefight, and the contentious politics that would follow, I decided that we should monitor the caravan, not strike immediately. By the time the convoy had reached Erbil, Suleimani had slipped away into the darkness.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:24

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 1, 2024 01:06

ded: Oct 27, 2005; Kooler than Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__X6cYJDXOg

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:27

Icon Of Sin: Dec 26, 2008

Is this why army people are stalking my LinkedIn? :stonklol:

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:27

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

WaPo reporting it:

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1212907536833220608?s=20

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:27

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

I have a feeling that bagging Gen. Qassim Soleimani was a fuckup. They probably meant to drone strike the PMU guy or something, but not Soleimani.

Something stinks here. Donnie's still in Florida and there was zero poo poo about this coming anywhere. He didn't do this poo poo when Bolton was whispering sweet nothings in his ear for the better part of a year? It's just odd.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:31

colachute: Mar 15, 2015

https://twitter.com/dylanmatt/status/1212905890766053377?s=21

Is this an accurate comparison?

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:32

pmchem: Jan 22, 2010

Don�t forget:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-iran-tweets-obama/

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:34

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

quote:

Is this an accurate comparison?

Yeah probably.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:34

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

colachute posted:

https://twitter.com/dylanmatt/status/1212905890766053377?s=21

Is this an accurate comparison?

Yes.

In fact, Patreus in 2007 might not have been high enough ranking.

Mr. Nice! fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Jan 3, 2020

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:36

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

https://twitter.com/ErinBanco/status/1212909195445624833

This is one of the very, very few times that I hope that I'm wrong and the administration knows what the gently caress they're doing. I've seen no evidence of that, though.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:37

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

lol to be a fly on the wall at ARCENT G2 or CENTCOM J2 right now

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:38

FrozenVent: May 1, 2009; The Boeing 737-200QC is the undisputed workhorse of the skies.

Bored As gently caress posted:

Jesus Christ. Iran is going to strong arm Iraq and we're going to get forced out. Either that or we start another loving war.

�Por que...

No...

Los dos?

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:39

bird food bathtub: Aug 9, 2003; College Slice

facialimpediment posted:

I have a feeling that bagging Gen. Qassim Soleimani was a fuckup. They probably meant to drone strike the PMU guy or something, but not Soleimani.

Something stinks here. Donnie's still in Florida and there was zero poo poo about this coming anywhere. He didn't do this poo poo when Bolton was whispering sweet nothings in his ear for the better part of a year? It's just odd.

Pretty with you on the Soleimani being a little bit of an international "oopsie" but I don't give Trump any wiggle room on that. This is loving exactly the kind of poo poo that leads to an accidental escalation that anyone with two functional foreign policy brain cells has been screaming themselves hoarse about happening if piss baby keeps up his 'maximum pressure' jingoistic dick-waving. At this point he loving owns any accidents that happen.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:40

mlmp08: Jul 11, 2004; Prepare for my priapic projectile's exalted penetration; Nap Ghost

A better comparison would be if Iran killed the commander of JSOC. Or maybe even just commander of SOCCENT.

So still real serious.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:40

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

bird food bathtub posted:

Pretty with you on the Soleimani being a little bit of an international "oopsie" but I don't give Trump any wiggle room on that. This is loving exactly the kind of poo poo that leads to an accidental escalation that anyone with two functional foreign policy brain cells has been screaming themselves hoarse about happening if piss baby keeps up his 'maximum pressure' jingoistic dick-waving. At this point he loving owns any accidents that happen.

Well regardless, it appears they're going with the "gently caress it, we did it and we'd do it again" route.

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1212908227450552320

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:41

bird food bathtub: Aug 9, 2003; College Slice

facialimpediment posted:

Well regardless, it appears they're going with the "gently caress it, we did it and we'd do it again" route.

https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/1212908227450552320

Welp. Even in incompetence I give that dumpy fat gently caress too much credit.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:43

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

I hope what I've heard is wrong, but if not there will be more strikes tonight.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:48

Hekk: Oct 12, 2012; 'smeper fi

I don't think I've ever been more lucky to have been hit by a car on the freeway and have fractured vertebrae and a broken tibia. I will be LimDu until the middle of 2020. By then I will be working on my final physical for my retirement.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:49

Syrian Lannister: Aug 25, 2007; Oh, did I kill him too?
I've been a very busy little man.; Sugartime Jones

Next story down from the printed gun homicide

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-considers-pardoning-blackwater-mercenary-convicted-of-murder?ref=scroll

quote:

Trump Considers Pardoning Blackwater Mercenary Convicted of Murder
BODY COUNT
An effort to clear a Blackwater merc doing life for murder in the infamous Nisour Square massacre may soon bear fruit, multiple sources tell The Daily Beast.

Asawin Suebsaeng
White House Reporter
Spencer Ackerman
Senior Nat�l Security Correspondent
Published Jan. 02, 2020 7:59PM ET

Less than two months after granting clemency to three convicted or accused war criminals, Donald Trump is considering pardoning a man convicted of murder in one of the worst atrocities of the Iraq war�someone who served under the command of an infamous for-profit army.

In recent weeks, the president has asked close advisers what they think of additional clemency, according to a source close to the president and a senior administration official. �He�s said he wants to do more,� said the administration official, who discussed this case, as well as others, with the president. �There are more warriors out there who he believes have been treated unfairly and whose [cases] need another look.�

Not all of those �warriors� are U.S. servicemembers, however.

The Daily Beast has learned that Trump is still quietly weighing pardoning at least one employee of the private army Blackwater, Nicholas Slatten. Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, Slatten, a former U.S. Army sniper, took part in the contractor�s infamous 2007 massacre at the Nisour Square traffic circle in Baghdad. Blackwater was founded by Trump ally Erik Prince, who has insisted for over a decade that the company was railroaded after Nisour Square by an American left gone insane.

The White House declined comment on this story on Thursday afternoon.

Should Trump go through with the Blackwater pardon, it would be a stunning denouement to a wrenching episode in which Iraqis watched ten men, two women and two pre-teen boys die violently despite being unarmed commuters. Ever since, U.S. diplomats have counseled the Iraqis to trust in the American justice system�which turned Nisour Square into a prolonged legal fiasco. And any clemency for Slatten would happen in the aftermath of angry Iraqis storming the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, which has raised questions about the Iraqi government�s willingness to continue the U.S. military presence.

�Nick is innocent, and recent revelations of government misconduct prove that prosecutors lied to the court, lied to Nick's jury, and have been lying to the American public for over a decade to obtain Nick's wrongful conviction,� Slatten�s sister, Jessica Slatten, said in a statement to The Daily Beast. �Without a pardon, Nick may die in prison for a war-zone shooting he did not commit.�

But Gary Solis, a retired Marine judge advocate, ex-West Point law professor and Vietnam combat veteran, said there �can be no good reason, legal or humanitarian, for exercising clemency in a case like Nisour Square and those who were involved in it.� Solis said Trump �knows nothing about these individuals, or what goes on on the battlefield. We�re talking about a multiple 4F-er,� referencing Trump�s Vietnam draft deferments, �and yet he wants to play the general and the Fox News hero.�

In November, President Trump pardoned or restored in rank Clint Lorance, Matthew Golsteyn, and Edward Gallagher, three convicted or accused war criminals. Their cases had become causes c�l�bres for MAGA diehards and several prominent figures in Trump-aligned conservative media. Trump�s Nov. 15 actions came despite an abundance of evidence for the grisly crimes and prompted anger from veterans who believe the three disgraced their uniform. Fallout from Trump�s decision resulted in the noisy firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.

Still, the president has remained proud and publicly boastful of the move, declaring it as a victory for America�s �warriors� and as a loss for those who desire a more �politically correct� United States Armed Forces. As The Daily Beast has reported, Trump had recently discussed with confidants the possibility of bringing some, if not all, of the servicemen to 2020 campaign events, even potentially bringing them on-stage for a big moment at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte.

It only took until early December for the president to welcome Golsteyn and Lorance on stage with him during a Republican fundraiser in Florida.

According to two sources familiar with the conversations, Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and informal Trump adviser who was instrumental in pushing the president on his previous round of clemency, and Lorance have already raised Slatten and others� situations with the president, with Trump expressing interest in �taking a look at� these additional cases, as well.

Some conservative allies of the president have attempted to rebrand Slatten and three other Blackwater contractors convicted of manslaughter as �the Biden Four.� The entirety of their connection to Biden is a January 2010 press conference in Baghdad where the former vice president pledged to appeal a judge�s unexpected dismissal of the contractors� indictment due to prosecutorial misconduct. �Joe Biden sided with Iraqi politicians over America�s own. This is why I am calling these veterans �The Biden Four,� Duncan Hunter, a soon-to-be former congressman since convicted of campaign-finance violations, explained in a June Fox News op-ed.

�Some conservative allies of the president have attempted to rebrand Slatten and three other Blackwater contractors convicted of manslaughter as �the Biden Four.��
Blackwater, the most infamous private security contractor of the 21st century, held lucrative contracts to protect U.S. diplomats in war zones during much of the war on terrorism. While many of the firm�s contractors came from the U.S. military, discipline often did not follow, and Blackwater earned a reputation for trigger happiness. In September 2007, a Blackwater tactical support team known as Raven 23 acted in what the Justice Department later called �disregard of an order from Blackwater�s command� and blockaded the bustling traffic circle of Nisour Square hours after a car bomb detonated nearby. When a white Kia sedan moved forward in a traffic jam, Blackwater contractors opened fire with machine guns and even grenades out of fear the Kia was another bomb.

The carnage left over a dozen unarmed Iraqis dead and another 17 injured. Nisour Square became a signature atrocity of the Iraq war, representing to Iraqis the impunity with which they saw Americans operate. Blackwater presented Nisour Square as a tragic example of the confusion present in an insurgent war, not a crime. The U.S. refused to permit Iraq to prosecute the Blackwater guards and confronted a swell of protest by assuring Iraq that its own justice system could handle the case. But a subsequent indictment of five Raven 23 guards, including Slatten, relied on statements they provided the State Department soon after the shooting, without protections against self-incrimination. It prompted Judge Ricardo Urbina to dismiss the case in 2009, sparking another international furor.

A subsequent trial, however, saw several Iraqi witnesses travel to the U.S. to testify. They disputed the Blackwater guards� claim to have taken fire from insurgents at Nisour Square, and presented instead a scene of unprovoked horror that escalated as panicked motorists tried to flee. Mohammed Kinani, whose 9-year old son Ali was shot dead in the head, compared Blackwater to Saddam Hussein. Majed Salman Abdel Kareem al-Gharbawi, who survived a gunshot wound to the abdomen, testified that he watched his friend Osama Abbas die from a hail of Blackwater bullets as Abbas attempted to run away.

Three Blackwater contractors were charged with manslaughter, and another pleaded guilty and testified against the others. But prosecutors charged Slatten with first-degree murder for being the first Blackwater guard to fire, sparking the incident and killing Ahmed Haithem Ahmed al-Rubia�y, the 19-year old behind the Kia�s wheel. Slatten has for years denied being the first to open fire. When federal judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Slatten to life imprisonment in 2015, Slatten replied, �You know I am innocent, sir.� One of Slatten�s attorneys nevertheless apologized to al-Rubai�y�s family.

But it was far from an end to the case. To secure the convictions of the Blackwater guards, federal prosecutors brought machine-gun charges dubiously applicable to a warzone. An appeals court voided the conviction in 2017 and ordered a new trial, which resulted in a hung jury and mistrial the following year over the question of who shot first. A third trial before Lamberth ended in Slatten�s conviction in December 2018. Slatten had rejected an offer to plead guilty to manslaughter and received a life sentence in August amidst rumors that Trump would pardon him.

Lawyers for Slatten last month sought a fourth trial for the ex-contractor, calling him a �wrongly convicted, innocent man whose constitutional rights were violated� by repeated prosecutorial misconduct. The defense team claims one of the other Raven 23 contractors, Paul Slough, confessed to being the first to open fire and charged the government with withholding evidence that exonerates Slatten. Lamberth denied Slatten�s motion on Dec. 23, according to court records.

Slatten�s lead attorney, Amy Mason Saharia of the Williams and Connolly law firm, declined to comment on Thursday. Slatten�s relatives and advocates have urged Trump to pardon him, even writing the White House counsel in August.

�Think about how this looks to Iraqi civilians who�ve been asked to trust U.S. forces, including contractors, to protect them,� said Sarah Holewinski, a former human-rights adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a board member of the humanitarian group CIVIC. �If they can�t rely on a U.S. court decision, where can they turn?�

Tim Parlatore, an attorney for Edward Gallagher, said on Thursday, �I have spoken with one of [the former Blackwater employees�] lawyers. It is one of those cases where they did make a tough decision in combat, and I think they should be given the benefit of the doubt.�

Parlatore added, �It�s not the sort of thing you should be in jail for for the rest of your life. Whether it�s through a pardon or clemency, I think releasing them from prison would be an appropriate thing for President Trump to do.�

It is unclear if the president will follow through after �taking a look at� these cases and grant Slatten and others� wish. However, he�s insisted publicly that he will �always� have the backs of convicted American war criminals who he believes have fallen victim to a supposed squishiness in the military. Indeed, the president has made such promises a part of his reelection campaign.

�I will always stick up for our great fighters,� Trump said at a Florida rally in late November. �People can sit there in air-conditioned offices and complain, but you know what? It doesn�t matter to me whatsoever.�

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:50

Woodchip: Mar 28, 2010

Flying_Crab posted:

https://twitter.com/RanjAlaaldin/status/1212897766994796544?s=20

If this is accurate poo poo is about to go down.

wat

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:52

Crakkerjakk: Mar 14, 2016

My wife's dumbass nephew is only two years into his USMC contract as a fuel pumper.

Goddamn it.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:53

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Mr. Nice! posted:

For those who don't immediately recognize that name, he was an IRGC major general in charge of the quds.

Good.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:53

facialimpediment: Feb 11, 2005; as the world turns

Two recaps of basically where everything is:

https://twitter.com/ilangoldenberg/status/1212913079115272192

https://twitter.com/mkoplow/status/1212913809637158914

Risky as gently caress if done by a competent administration with multiple plans and options. With this administration? Oy.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:54

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; bone shaking.
soul baking.

Viva Miriya posted:

Good.

I will shed no tears for the man. However, imagine the reaction if one of the joint chiefs (who had been in that position for more than a decade) was killed in a targeted strike while in another country.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:56

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

Thread subtitle delivers

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:57

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Mr. Nice! posted:

I will shed no tears for the man. However, imagine the reaction if one of the joint chiefs (who had been in that position for more than a decade) was killed in a targeted strike while in another country.

Let's see how they bang out.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:57

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

Thread subtitle delivers

Within 48 hours to boot.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:58

Suicide Watch: Sep 8, 2009

This is in response to the Khamenei taunt to Trump. The PMF will be pissed, I bet Iraqis are real happy and we've just prolonged the forever war :smithfrog:

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:58

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

Mr. Nice! posted:

I will shed no tears for the man. However, imagine the reaction if one of the joint chiefs (who had been in that position for more than a decade) was killed in a targeted strike while in another country.

He for sure had the blood of numerous Americans on his hands and was an extremely formidable & worthy adversary, but killing him is only going to lead to more deaths on both sides.

More confirmation:

https://twitter.com/farnazfassihi/status/1212912024772104193?s=20

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:58

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

What we really want to do as pro-western elements in Iran are gaining steam is start a loving war with Iran.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 02:59

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

Godholio posted:

What we really want to do as pro-western elements in Iran are gaining steam is start a loving war with Iran.

You do realise this is what's being unironically said in the Pentagon right

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:00

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Godholio posted:

What we really want to do as pro-western elements in Iran are gaining steam is start a loving war with Iran.

You think they give a gently caress? Donnie would nuke these motherfuckers for the ratings, unless Putin said chill.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:01

Godholio: Aug 28, 2002; Does a bear split in the woods near Zheleznogorsk?

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

You do realise this is what's being unironically said in the Pentagon right

I actually doubt it.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:02

Viva Miriya: Jan 9, 2007

Actually I'm lying. I don't think he really knows how to bang, just how to do dumb poo poo.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:02

Stravag: Jun 7, 2009

Hekk posted:

I don't think I've ever been more lucky to have been hit by a car on the freeway and have fractured vertebrae and a broken tibia. I will be LimDu until the middle of 2020. By then I will be working on my final physical for my retirement.

Sorry for your injuries happy you wont be dying in the sandbox.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:04

Flying_Crab: Apr 12, 2002

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/141604554855825408?s=20
There really is a tweet for everything.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:04

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008

https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/1212915689750716416

If this is true then Lebanese Hezbollah will retaliate as well; probably by hitting Israel. This is how a big regional war can start.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:07

Syrian Lannister: Aug 25, 2007; Oh, did I kill him too?
I've been a very busy little man.; Sugartime Jones

https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/1212916447791501313?s=19

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:10

Smiling Jack: Dec 2, 2001; I sucked a dick for bus fare and then I walked home.

pantslesswithwolves posted:

https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/1212915689750716416

If this is true then Lebanese Hezbollah will retaliate as well; probably by hitting Israel. This is how a big regional war can start.

Almost every county in the region is already at war, in a civil war, or fighting a proxy war, this is just gonna ramp it up to Full Clancy.

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:10

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 1, 2024 01:06

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

Well, a Great Die Off is one way to reduce climate change

# ? Jan 3, 2020 03:12

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Internet VFW > January Current Events: 50 is my favorite caliber AND my BMI

«‹›122 »