OT WED 15 MAY 24 ~ Conscientious Objectors Day


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Beliefs which qualify a registrant for CO status may be religious in nature, but don’t have to be. Beliefs may be moral or ethical; however, a man’s reasons for not wanting to participate in a war must not be based on politics, expediency, or self-interest.
-- Per Selective Service System

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It is odd that the international community only started to recognize contentious objector
status in the 80's. This was after a slew of Viet Nam era guys moved to Canada to escape
the 'draft'. But it is a thing. My friend was drafted under the condition he wore a red cross
but was killed 'over there' anyway. Apparently bullets have no cognition of pacifism.

Wonder if the Exlinsky regime recognizes this in their meat grinder? Israel has begun to
notice some people in their military refuse to kill for zionist aims. Many military units in
the EU are facing similar abstentions in aggressive affairs. NATO is up against the wall.

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As is the way of open windows, threads and doors, let your breeze fly.

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Another beautiful springish day here. Hope y'all can find some good
in this May Wednesday. The lilacs are smelling sweet and the bees are
buzzing merrily.

Sounds like the Brandon team's jalopy wheels are coming off.
Exlensky is mad about delayed weapons, Niger is telling the
military to get the hell out, the law fare against Trump is falling
apart and students are really pissed at genocide support.

Not sure how much duct tape and string can hold them together
much longer. Wink

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Lookout's picture

I had one friend who went to Canada during the VN war. He was drafted and kept going AWOL, so he spent a lot of time in the brig. We joked he was in training to be a POW. He did finally escape to Canada, and was able to return when Carter allowed them back into the US.

He was a well paid musician in Atlanta, became an alcoholic, and finally committed suicide in later decades. Sad, but true story.

I always liked the poster, "What if they gave a war and nobody came"

rp200616-01-suppose-they-gave-a-war-and-nobody-came-1277421818.jpg

Thanks for the OT. Hope all is well in your world!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

One guy I dated in college was the first successful CO in Walker County, TX. His family was wealthy and influential, so that certainly played a role.
My Dad had a 150 mile mail route, and all along the way, he networked with poor farmers about how to raise money to get their sons to Canada. Ironically, he was an army combat vet, had fought in WWII.
I wonder if it will be a Democrat or Republican president that reinstates the draft, but I do not doubt it will happen.
A lovely day, but forecasts indicate the heat of summer will begin next week, with temperatures of 90s daily.
Let's loudly object to war today, shall we?
Thanks for the OT, dear friend.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp
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object-r-us. war is not good for anything but the arms trade
hoping the sun will dry you out some

cheers!

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A woman I dated told me her father who came from a farming Mennonite family declared himself a pacifist during WWII. Mennonites are historically known for that. He did not serve in any combat units but rather was assigned to a mobile x-ray truck. He followed the troops after Normandy but only as basically a medical technician doing x-rays.

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enhydra lutris's picture

falcon chicks. Link to livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nvCVS2TRRk. Not started yet, feeding just ending.

55 years ago in the early afternoon my brother answered the phone and was told to tell me to get my ass up the park because all hell was gonna break loose and there was pretty much nobody there with any street action experience. That was the start of Bloody Thursday; May 15, 1969. A rally at UC led to a spontaneous, unplanned and unorganized march on People's Park which had been cleared of people and fenced off that morning. We were met with tear gas and buckshot. One onlooker, James Rector, died from his wounds, one demonstrater was blinded, many were clubbed and many were wounded by buckshot. The sherrif later admitted that many of his officers were Nam vets who treated the demonstrators as if they were the Viet Cong.

That evening, Reagan sent in the Guard to sort us out pursuant to a declared "state of emergency". A strict curfew was imposed and a fed days later a guard chopper gassed the entire south of campus area, mostly shops, residences, schools and day care centers, a hospital and all like that. Even the WaPo thought that was maybe a bit much. On May 22, during a march in downtown Berkeley, the cops staged a mass bust of everybody anywhere in the area which was totally indiscriminate and arbitrary. It was such a fiasco that they screwed up the booking process and almost all of the charges against nearly everybody were eventually dropped on that grounds.

R.I.P. James Rector, who died from his wounds on the 19th.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris
for your service.

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eot @JtC

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

@enhydra lutris
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is a crime
glad you were not in the line of fire

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enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

@enhydra lutris  
https://theconversation.com/why-is-new-caledonia-on-fire-according-to-lo...

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/france-declares-state-emergency-s...

Macron declares “state of emergency” — the more the elite ideologues of military empire supposedly change and become more enlightened and progressive, the more things stay the same.

From People’s Park to the vast Polynesian Triangle in the Pacific, the struggle continues.

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earthling1's picture

I reluctantly stood ready to go, but was lucky enough to be a loser in the SS lottery. Plus my only brother was already there somewhere in the jungle.
Had I gotten "The Letter" I could have invoked the Surviving Son clause but ultimately never had to choose.
My favorite poster from those days was of a child superimposed in front of a mushroom cloud with the epitaph;
"War is unhealthy for children and other living things".
Thanks for the OT.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1
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came in about 264 when only the top 150
were 'eligible' for conscription
Canada didn't seem like a bad option then
but now not so much

cheers

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A couple of weeks ago I was perusing the choices of a movie on tubitv (https://tubitv.com/) and stumbled upon:

Hacksaw Ridge

The true story of Desmond T. Doss, the conscientious objector who, after the Battle of Okinawa, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his incredible bravery and regard for his fellow soldiers. Following his upbringing and how this shaped his views (especially his religious view and anti-killing stance), Doss's trials and tribulations after enlisting in the US Army (trying to become a medic) begin, preluding the hell on Earth that was Hacksaw Ridge.

(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2119532/)

Quite an impressive man. You might enjoy the movie.

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It appears we are in for a change in direction in Slovakia.

Slovak prime minister in life-threatening condition after being shot, his Facebook profile says

PRAGUE (AP) — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.

The populist, pro-Russian leader, 59, was hit in the stomach after four shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) northeast of the capital where the leader was meeting with supporters, according to reports on TA3, a Slovak TV station. A suspect has been detained, the country’s president said in a televised statement.

A message posted to Fico’s Facebook account said that the leader “has been shot multiple times and is currently in life-threatening condition.”

https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-prime-minister-shooting-robert-fico-...

I'm sure Zuzana(?sp) is heart-broken as she is now faced with standing against Putin all alone. /s

Be well, please. There be monsters about. (ref: Something Wicked This Way Comes)

Very much enjoying Heart of Darkness by Conrad.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@exindy

Whose Toes Has Slovakia’s Wildcard PM Fico Stepped On?
Robert Fico has been injured in a shooting. The veteran politician returned to the Slovak prime minister’s seat last October, marking his fourth non-consecutive term as the Central European country’s leader.
The veteran populist politician – leader of the Direction –Social Democracy party, has racked up a long list of powerful enemies over his time in politics. Here’s a partial list:

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/slovak-prime-minister-fico-injured-in-...

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

enhydra lutris's picture

@exindy

Lead:https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/slovak-prime-minister-fico-injured-in-...

13 minutes ago
Assassination Attempt Politically Motivated - Slovak Interior Minister
The head of the Slovak Interior Ministry said that the assassination attempt on the prime minister was politically motivated. Robert Fico is still undergoing surgery and his condition is critical, he added. ...

29 minutes ago
Fico’s Surgery Successful, His Condition Stable - Reports
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent a successful surgery on Wednesday after being shot multiple times, and his condition now is assessed as stable, Slovakia’s TA3 TV channel reported. ...

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

That's really good news... particularly for the Slovakians. I saw where our concerned state dept is offering whatever aid we might "offer" (at reasonable interest rates).

As I looked at the changing political landscape in Slovakia I can see why there is concern by the west. I guess Zuzana is riding a dead pony. Looked for love in all the wrong places and she found out that her sugar daddy is close to having his credit card declined. Oh well, she can always hock her Goldman trophy.

Be well, I think there's hope for the future... even for we, the people.

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soryang's picture

If you are going to tell a bunch of huge lies, bolster your whoppers with claptrap about your religious faith. Yoon is a cynical opportunist, sociopath, and compulsive liar. He's fighting for his political life at this point.

Yoon vows to run country 'rightly' on Buddha's birthday

Yoon made the remarks in a congratulatory speech in observance of Buddha's birthday, a public holiday in South Korea, saying he will do all he can do to make a "warm and happy" society.

"I will do my best to carry out the state affairs rightly as I always keep the Buddha's teachings in mind," Yoon said during a celebration event held at the Jogye Temple in central Seoul.

"I will more warmly hold the hands of those in need, and meticulously attend to even the smallest aspects of the livelihood matters to bring happiness to our citizens," he said.

"We can only be at peace when we understand the differences in others. Buddha's merciful teachings will illuminate the country to help us move forward into a new, peaceful and happy world," Yoon said.

LOL I noted that the Democratic Party opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, a person Yoon has been trying to imprison for years on fake charges didn't attend. Nor did former Justice Minister Cho Guk, who is head of the new small opposition Innovation Party (12 seats). Yoon had Cho's spouse prosecuted and imprisoned and is still prosecuting Cho on bs charges. What goes around comes around, it's too late for Yoon's holier than thou act.

Cho Guk visited Dokdo Island in the East Sea yesterday, and gave a short statement criticizing Japan's claims to the islets as a lie. He also criticized Yoon's policy toward Japan as slavishly subservient to Japan, and worse than the prior conservative administrations of Park Cheung-hee, Lee Myung-Bak, and Park Geun-hye.

Mercifully, there was some rain yesterday and last night. The heat has been a problem since last Thursday, when the aircon crapped out. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved by tomorrow night.

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語必忠信 行必正直

earthling1's picture

@soryang
your updates from that corner of the world.
What goes on there always effects the RoW.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@soryang

political office, for starts ...

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@soryang
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makes sense though
jesus was given 25 DEC
although opinions vary on that

the pandering of Yoon is typical
of the political class

thanks for the Korean perspective

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rains and thunderstorms beginning tomorrow morning, and continuing through Friday afternoon.
We are expected to get a lot of rain.
Water levels in the Trinity river will far exceed the record set by Hurricane Harvey.
I am considering doing some strategic shopping this afternoon. highways will likely flood throughout the weekend.
This is incredible, and tragic.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
And stay safe.
Let's hope the weatherman is wrong this time.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@on the cusp

the coming deluge Don't forget fuel for the generator, lanterns, and such plus batteries.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

soryang's picture

@on the cusp

The wx has been such a source of apprehension lately. Wishing you and your community in South Texas well!

Luckily, the more serious weather has passed north or south of us lately. I'm anxiously awaiting the flood insurance renewal in the mail for the la nina hurricane season. We were going to move before this, but family plans changed. Wish we were on a higher elevation. We're doing the one day at a time thing now.

Good luck!

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語必忠信 行必正直

enhydra lutris's picture

@soryang

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@soryang as is the 2 miles of highway between my office and town proper. I worry less about power outages because my office is on the Homeland Security Headquarters electric grid.
We do not have the ability to get flood damage insurance. It simply is not offered, as hurricanes seem to find this a preferred corridor.
I am worried about the hurricane season, expect it to be very bad.
We do not have a generator, will haul the freezer to the office in a pinch.
Every time we have a chance to go shopping for one, it rains, or some other home project takes precedence.
As bad as it can get here, you are much more vulnerable in Florida.
At least you have flood insurance!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp
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good luck

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