Afghan War ending, foretold by The Onion 10 years Ago [DT thread ruined by politics]

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

Lmao @ sleepy joe.

That might be my favorite clip. Don’t give a shit if it’s FACT CHECKED DOCTERED

Joes warm milk must’ve kicked in at the worst time

[mdmost 43,011]

Just now, Trey3216 said:

As doctored as “good people on both sides”.   That dopey motherfucker is asleep.    And you know it.  And you can’t defend it.    “But blah blah blah!!!!”   
 

 

 

they all suck shit through a straw.  None are better than the others.   

I accept you just realized you were wrong so you're flailing about and trying to redirect. Or you didn't even bother to click the link I provided because why would you want to see anything than the reality you've been spoon fed by right wing Twitter. It's cool. You and MN probably jerk off to the same Antifa clips.

[Muy Frio 182]

7 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

From the BBC. 

0:24
Drone strike eliminated airport threat - US
The US says its drone strike in Kabul today was successful in "eliminating an imminent" threat to the airport, where evacuations are winding down.

Capt Bill Urban of US Central Command said he was "confident" that the target, a vehicle carrying at least one person associated with IS-K and a "substantial amount of explosive material", was destroyed.

"We are assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time," he said.

"We remain vigilant for potential future threats.”

 

(Cross posting since the other thread does not update as fast.) 

More competence. Cross posting as well. 

 

[Guest Lobo]

Kinda true.  Four Presidents asleep at the wheel on Afghanistan.  I never met Trump or Biden or Obama.  Having said that, they are all at fault.  But it would be so fucking hilarious if Trump choked out and died in front of some of his kids.  Like, super fucking funny. Best thing ever. 

[The Ace of Aces 5,193]

Wait we now are focused on 6 civilian casualties after we have carpet droned two (or three, if you count Syria) countries for a few decades? Cool.

Edited August 30, 2021 by The Ace of Aces

[Surly Bevo 25,089]

22 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Shut up. This forum would be doing the same god damn thing if Orange man bad was in office.

Was I talking to you fuckface?

[Muy Frio 182]

7 minutes ago, Muy Frio said:

More competence. Cross posting as well. 

 

I guess there weren’t multiple Isis-K suicide bombers in the car. I wonder if they were fed faulty intelligence from the list they gave Taliban? Odd that it took out an interpreter’s entire family. 

[Trey3216 15,350]

10 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I accept you just realized you were wrong so you're flailing about and trying to redirect. Or you didn't even bother to click the link I provided because why would you want to see anything than the reality you've been spoon fed by right wing Twitter. It's cool. You and MN probably jerk off to the same Antifa clips.

I clicked it, still doesn’t dispute that the motherfucker fell asleep for about 45 seconds there.   

[aggie08 21,508]

1 minute ago, Trey3216 said:

I clicked it, still doesn’t dispute that the motherfucker fell asleep for about 45 seconds there.   

I mean...it absolutely does.

[Muy Frio 182]

5 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Wait we now are focused on 6 civilian casualties after we have carpet droned two (or three, if you count Syria) counties for a few decades? Cool.

Well, it’s the latest example, so yeah. Maybe we shouldn’t have jumped out saying we landed a precision strike on some suicide bombers. Hopefully the intelligence source gets reassessed. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Muy Frio

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

Was I talking to you fuckface?

Oh you were going to post it anyways after I bumped an idle threat that went 2 hours between posts?


lol. Fuckface.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

I clicked it, still doesn’t dispute that the motherfucker fell asleep for about 45 seconds there.   

These fucking losers (so far) have brought up the hurricane,George Floyd, covid and antifa to get the topic quickly off of the Afghanistan debacle.

[InkaUtexas 26,017]

8 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Wait we now are focused on 6 civilian casualties after we have carpet droned two (or three, if you count Syria) counties for a few decades? Cool.

Don't forget Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia to that. We never hear about drone hits in West Africa, but I am sure there are a few in the Sahel. 

[Surly Bevo 25,089]

2 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Oh you were going to post it anyways after I bumped an idle threat that went 2 hours between posts?


lol. Fuckface.

Are you high?  What are you talking about? I came off social media was annoyed and posted a rant, it had shit all to do with you, or whatever you may have posted.  And LOL "an idle" thread (not threat) that has almost 3K posts since July 6th.  

[Trey3216 15,350]

4 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

I mean...it absolutely does.

It’s a fucking genuine assbeating trying to meander through that link on a phone.    I can’t see one of their faces about 40% of the time because of some pop up ad or the other.   

[InkaUtexas 26,017]

1 minute ago, Trey3216 said:

It’s a fucking genuine assbeating trying to meander through that link on a phone.    I can’t see one of their faces about 40% of the time because of some pop up ad or the other.   

 

[aggie08 21,508]

Maybe this will bring attention to the overall shittiness of drone strikes. Even in a hypothetical, make-believe world where the intelligence is right 95% of the time, they still suck.

[InkaUtexas 26,017]

Sadly it will not. We will keep using them and most are never reported. 

[Trey3216 15,350]

39 minutes ago, mdmost said:

I accept you just realized you were wrong so you're flailing about and trying to redirect. Or you didn't even bother to click the link I provided because why would you want to see anything than the reality you've been spoon fed by right wing Twitter. It's cool. You and MN probably jerk off to the same Antifa clips.

I prefer nice looking ladies with their legs in the air.    

[Willfully Horn 8,039]

48 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

No more mean tweets.

Thanks for the confirmation. Lap, lap, lap dog. You don’t require peanut butter.

[Muy Frio 182]

2 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

 

 

What an embarrassment. Fuck him.

 

 

[InkaUtexas 26,017]

Reports of Rockets fired towards HKIA. AFP is a source. 

Not sure where they handed, etc.

[Muy Frio 182]

6 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Reports of Rockets fired towards HKIA. AFP is a source. 

Not sure where they handed, etc.

I saw videos, but posted by a Chinese Twitter account. Pretty crazy.  

[Homesickhorn 2,206]

I just could care less about the Taliban, ISIS or whatever they are. Why anyone this earth should advocate for these assholes is beyond me? I guess. My belief. My choice.  Hopefully, instead of 9000 virgins they all get 20 redncecks with bullwhips when the eat death. 

Holy fuck.

[InkaUtexas 26,017]

20 minutes ago, Muy Frio said:

I saw videos, but posted by a Chinese Twitter account. Pretty crazy.  

Yeah, I saw one from someone I do follow, former Afghan Journalist, but he had no verification of what they were or where they landed. Did see on twitter people reporting the CRAM's intercepted.

[Bullneck 19,185]

14 minutes ago, Homesickhorn said:

Holy fuck.

Nicole has turned this thread into her own personal statement of values.  

The rest of these fucks are here because they're giddy people are dying.  Using their logic, if more people die, Trump won't look so bad, and maybe he can come back for 2024.  DeSantis is going to be Sec of Defense.  So it's all worth it.  Only 610,000ish more lives to go!

[DonkeyCigars 143]

Biden is winning the Presidency game the last 72-96 hours.

[HenryJames 66,134]

Guess we should stick around to dig graves.

[Muy Frio 182]

This would go on DT thread if there was an open one. These are a couple independent reporters. Horrifying if true. Surely not. 
 

 

[lmao 178]

2 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

He can’t answer Afghanistan questions regardless of the hurricane, jackass

I'm not a Biden fan and get downvoted for criticizing him from a left leaning perspective but the man finally had the balls to get us out of this 20 year trillion+ mess. Everyone before him kicked the can down the road & he finally took it on the chin & is doing what needs to be done. 

[C-Man 27,239]

This would go on DT thread if there was an open one. These are a couple independent reporters. Horrifying if true. Surely not. 
 
[/url]  

[Bullneck 19,185]

^^^^ I understand Emily Miller is outspoken and had a rough time at the FDA

Quote

PANDEMIC PANIC

The Real Story about My 11th Day at the FDA (part 1)

Commissioner Stephen Hahn makes me his scapegoat for vaccine credibility

Emily Miller May 6 7 6

 

Paid subscriptions fund this work.

Subscribe

 

 

“I’m removing you from your position immediately,” the FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said to me.  He was leaning toward me in the chair, with his elbows on his legs and hands grasped in front of him. Hahn looked so comfortable and pleasant that I didn’t grasp that he was giving me bad news and hurting me. 

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head back and forth. “What?” I asked, in shock. That Friday morning in August 2020 was just my second week as Assistant Commissioner for Media Affairs at the FDA. I still didn’t know where to find the bathroom. 

“I’ve decided to remove you from your position,” he repeated. “I have an email right there,” he said, pointing at his Apple laptop on the desk behind him. “I’m sending that to HHS as soon as we finish talking.” 

Share

Hahn is bald and has very big blue eyes that he kept focused on me, never looking away. He had been a cancer doctor for 30 years before he was appointed by Pres. Donald Trump to run the Food and Drug Administration. He only started his job in the beginning of 2020, right before COVID hit.

Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner for Pres. Donald Trump

Hahn was new to the nastiness of politics, but I guess all those years of telling patients they had cancer trained him in delivering unexpected, terrible news without emotion. 

“But I didn’t do anything wrong,” I pleaded, like a child. 

“Oh, I know!” he exclaimed loudly while sitting up straight. “But I was up all night on the phone with my commissioners, and they all agreed that this is the only way to stop all these media stories.”  

Hahn had screwed up and was making me his scapegoat.

The Convalescent Plasma Mistake and the Vaccines

The media stories Hahn referred to were all the reporters writing about how Hahn had falsely claimed five days earlier that 35% more COVID patients lived after getting treated with convalescent plasma.

Hahn said it at a live White House press conference, and Pres. Trump repeated it. I wasn’t at the White House to staff Hahn because my direct boss, Wolf Wagner, said he was going to it and told me to stay home. After the press conference, Hahn apologized and said he made a mistake. But he never explained why.

So five days later, we were still in damage control. That Friday morning I met with Hahn, The Washington Post editorial was about him. The headline was: “The guardians of public health are allowing Trump to undermine and humiliate them.” The editorial board wrote:

Such embarrassing mistakes can sink public confidence at a time when trust is absolutely essential for the success of a vaccine that will face FDA scrutiny and approval. Dr. Hahn’s error was strike two for the FDA after the White House earlier demanded and won an emergency-use authorization for the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which has proved useless in fighting the virus. The FDA later withdrew it.

I had been fielding calls all week from the major outlets -- The New York Times, The Washington Post, AP, Reuters -- who were writing what they called a  “tick tock” of what happened behind the scenes that led to Hahn’s now infamous 35% claim. The reporters kept talking about the negative reaction from the “FDA community” to the plasma announcement. 

This photo was on my bio page on FDA website. They removed my title from it after the meeting with Hahn.

The Washington Post was correct that Hahn’s exaggeration of the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment was not the real public relations problem. The underlying issue was if the FDA commissioner would — supposedly — lie about a COVID treatment to please Trump, then he could lie about the safety of the vaccines that were coming to him for emergency approval in a few months.

Vaccine hesitancy was at its worst levels. The percentage of Americans who were willing to take the vaccine at that point had plummeted over the summer from 70 percent to less than 50 percent. Public faith in the independence of the FDA was a serious problem.

“Going Home”

That meeting with Hahn was only the third time I had been to the massive FDA campus in White Oak, MD.  We had been working in the small FDA suite inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) so Hahn could be close to the White House and the other leaders during the pandemic. 

The first time I drove out to the FDA campus was four days after I started so that I could get my work computer and cell phone. I had missed hundreds of secure emails.

The second time I drove out to White Oak was two days earlier. Hahn held a meeting with the other White House appointees about how he was going to change things after the convalescent plasma disaster.

He declared that, from that day on, he would work from home or White Oak. He said that he would never again go to the White House or HHS unless he had a meeting. 

Hahn gave us a “Jerry Maguire” type speech.  He said he would fire anyone who was not  “on the team” and could not work together with the others. 

He also said that he wanted to be clear that we work for him directly, not the political appointees at HHS and not the White House. He added that, if any of us couldn’t go along with this order, then quit now or get fired. No one spoke. He asked us to say out loud if we could agree to his terms. We all did.

I was not surprised by the Jerry Maguire meeting because he’d already told me most of this on the phone earlier that day. He said he had decided that he was “going home” -- meaning working from his FDA office in Maryland. He also told me we had to “get away from the evil”, referring to both HHS appointees and the White House.

The “Deep State” at FDA

Since I had not broken any of his terms — taking orders from HHS appointees or not working as a team, I did not understand why Hahn would fire me. I knew it wasn’t personal. We got along well.

So when he explained that his advisors inside the FDA were telling him that getting rid of me would stop his bad press, I was back on comfortable ground. I’ve been doing crisis communication most of my career, from Capitol Hill during 9/11 to the State Department when we were at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Steve, that is a terrible idea,” I said calmly. “You’re going to end up with days of gossipy stories about me and you — and you and Trump — and nothing about the announcement today on Remdesivir or get back on track with plasma donations. Reporters love stories with people and narratives much more than policy.  If you do this, it’ll make things much worse for you.”

He shook his head and insisted, “They all said this is the only way to handle it.” I assumed “they” were all career FDA employees. Hahn and I were among the 10 or so at the FDA as presidential appointees, which means our loyalty and orders came from the White House. The so-called Deep State did not like any of us. 

“You’re making a big mistake,” I said, still thinking professionally and not yet about the impact on my own life.

“It’s done. I’m sending out the email about it. But I wanted to tell you face to face first,” he said cooly.

Now I was scared. I was about to get hit by a tidal wave of bad press. I’d been through this before, and I felt the familiar knot in my stomach and shaking in my legs. (Read the section called “Emily Posts Newsletter” in this story to understand what it feels like to go through a public political scandal.)

Then Hahn smiled. “But, hey, I would really like you to stay on as my senior advisor. You don’t have to say yes right now, but I would really like you to stay on to help me. I’m using you.”

I must have made an expression because he caught himself. “I don't know how to say it — well I’ll just say it — I just mean I’m using you because I need your skills. I don't have anyone else here who knows how to do communications like you do.” 

A compliment on my professional skills while being fired in a publicity stunt was hard to absorb all at once. I just wanted to avoid the public humiliation as long as possible.

 

[Bullneck 19,185]

How exactly to you acquire 7 busloads of women, anyway? Asking for a friend.

 

And there's a congressman there, too? Which one?  Didn't a couple of them get bitched out this week for flying to Afghanistan on their own?  Someone else did it after them?

Edited August 30, 2021 by Bullneck

[Bullneck 19,185]

Michael Yon seems more credible:

Quote

Yon grew up in Winter Haven, Florida, where he says he essentially raised himself. As a child and as a young adult, he was a prankster who got in trouble for, among other things, making homemade bombs.^[2] 

 

Quote

Yon has had vocal feuds with the United States military hierarchy, and the nature of his reports is also controversial.^[2] However, Yon at one time enjoyed "rock star" status among individual soldiers, according to Brian Williams of NBC.

 

[Muy Frio 182]

I guess it could happen. These were different buses that were turned away. 

 

[The Ace of Aces 5,193]

Emily Miller is less trustworthy than Tom Herman on a 3rd and 6. 

[Bullneck 19,185]

35 minutes ago, Muy Frio said:

I guess it could happen. These were different buses that were turned away. 

 

OK, it's in the NY Times, so the reporting has credibility.  

It's unfortunate they waited until today to try to leave.  That's really all I can think of to say.  

[WhatTheBuck 28,794]

4 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

that a new strain? you know where I can get it?

It’s an old strain and reportedly not very good.

[956 Worldwide 34,737]

2 hours ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Emily Miller is less trustworthy than Tom Herman on a 3rd and 6. 

This person was hired to do coms at the gotdamn Trump era FDA. She has teh dumbz.

 

 

 

[956 Worldwide 34,737]

3 hours ago, Muy Frio said:

This would go on DT thread if there was an open one. These are a couple independent reporters. Horrifying if true. Surely not. 
 

 

Not all are but about 7/10 “independent journalists” are either professional bullshitters or are just bad. Even when you follow the rare professional ones, you’re taking the good (immediate, “unfiltered”) with the bad (lack of organizational support to verify facts and consider credibility). AP, Reuters, NYT, Atlantic, etc… they have serious standards of credibility and fact checkers, and sourcing requirements before they report. And when they do screw the pooch, it’s a big deal and you hear about it. These jokers just bury it further in the Twitter feed. Passing on DMs you get from war zones mixed in with political attacks isn’t “journalism.” 

[956 Worldwide 34,737]

Got damn I can’t imagine the bullshit the commanders in the field are facing. 
 

Billy Badass: Hey DoD, I know you’ve got a lot going on what with the suicide bombs and rockets and murdered personnel and still airlifting the population of Abilene out from a fundamentalist controlled Central Asian wasteland. But I’m gonna need you to let me use the Kabul Airport just a bit, m’kay. And also open the gate for this bus that’s outside. I promise it’s cool. I’m gonna help.

DoD: WTF, no. 
 

Billy Badass: BUT WE’RE RETIRED MILITARY. WE’RE TAKING THIS TO TWITTER! 
 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by 956 Worldwide

[Anastasis 23,480]

10 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Maybe this will bring attention to the overall shittiness of drone strikes. Even in a hypothetical, make-believe world where the intelligence is right 95% of the time, they still suck.

If you sat through the last three admins and weren’t disgusted by our drone wars, this isn’t going to move the needle. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Anastasis

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

Is there anything more on brand than us taking out a family of innocents on our way out?

Oddly no manufactured rage from the brainworms crew on this one.

[Muy Frio 182]

8 hours ago, Bullneck said:

OK, it's in the NY Times, so the reporting has credibility.  

It's unfortunate they waited until today to try to leave.  That's really all I can think of to say.  

Mitt had binders full of women. Joe has buses full of women. 
 

6 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Not all are but about 7/10 “independent journalists” are either professional bullshitters or are just bad. Even when you follow the rare professional ones, you’re taking the good (immediate, “unfiltered”) with the bad (lack of organizational support to verify facts and consider credibility). AP, Reuters, NYT, Atlantic, etc… they have serious standards of credibility and fact checkers, and sourcing requirements before they report. And when they do screw the pooch, it’s a big deal and you hear about it. These jokers just bury it further in the Twitter feed. Passing on DMs you get from war zones mixed in with political attacks isn’t “journalism.” 

agree to an extent, but let’s not act the media has covered itself in glory over the last few years. And I don’t remember many consequences there. Hell that drone attack was universally reported as a success taking out suicide bombers. Not so much. 
 

I shared this because there’s a lot of smoke out there about these private ops going on, some confirmed. I don’t recall there ever being a large scale involvement of private citizens before. That’s noteworthy. 

[aggie08 21,508]

1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

If you sat through the last three admins and weren’t disgusted by our drone wars, this isn’t going to move the needle. 

Yeah, I know. Just wishful thinking. At least the general public is finally coming around to the "Hey, maybe we shouldn't be in countries that require constant drone strikes." line of thinking.

[Guest Lobo]

I noticed that we acknowledged that we're leaving behind over 100 fixed wing and rotor aircraft to the Taliban.  

However, we are taking every single drone back with us.  

I found that curious.  

[babysdaddy 2,725]

40 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Is there anything more on brand than us taking out a family of innocents on our way out?

Oddly no manufactured rage from the brainworms crew on this one.

I just finished watching Homeland and I swear I'm watching a bonus season right now.  

[Nivek 16,948]

I noticed that we acknowledged that we're leaving behind over 100 fixed wing and rotor aircraft to the Taliban.  
However, we are taking every single drone back with us.  
I found that curious.  

Makes too much sense to drone strike those.

[bluto 4,934]

I noticed that we acknowledged that we're leaving behind over 100 fixed wing and rotor aircraft to the Taliban.  
However, we are taking every single drone back with us.  
I found that curious.  

I can’t imagine a more effective means of killing taliban than letting them try to fly our choppers

[Anastasis 23,480]

7 minutes ago, bluto said:

I can’t imagine a more effective means of killing taliban than letting them try to fly our choppers

Figure that the maintenance requirements in that environment will ground them in short time.  The drones on the other hand might have some tech that we don't want getting shipped over to Iran.