Ted Rall for November 14, 2012

PhD = Phoney Doctor

Source: Dr Issac Asimov

Do you really want to explore exactly what IMA is???

Doc and Dred:If you are interested, my reply from our previous conversation is on the preceding page.

Doc and DredHow refreshing! To have people you can honestly disagree with without name calling. Could I persuade you two to run for office?

A drone is nothing more than the latest form of cannon ball. If you oppose one, you must oppose the other. If you oppose both you can either ban bombs (let’s see you enforce it) or ban war (a lovely but impractical idea). If we are at war, I favor ANYTHING that ends the conflict without getting more of my men killed. As for Bush and Chaney, if they had ADMITTED, committing acts of war against another country (which Osama did), I would hand them over. That is exactly what Afghanistan refused to do. As for defending them if someone came to get them -NO and I would oppose any government that refused to hand them over. Criminals are criminals.

@Dr CanuckI admire your principals, but reality is that innocents die in every war. All we can do is try to minimize their losses. And yes, if it’s a choice between mine and theirs, I choose theirs.

Would it not just be possible that many scientists that go to all that trouble to go for a PhD in their specialty might just be idealistic enough to want to be of some benefit to mankind?

And wealth (although in most cases they are going to at least make reasonable middle class wages) is somewhat secondary?

When I was in my 20’s during the 1960’s we had genuine heroes for our idols, they were the fantastic astronauts, that were doing great things without even worrying about wealth at all.

And just what do the young have today as heroes? The vastly overpaid entertainment and sports figures.

Sad, truly, truly sad!!!

College (and this includes JC’s especially) are for exploring, and hoping to figure out what resonates with you, what “lights your fire”, and then go work in that, study at the library (or if the U still has a library, use that) and become the BEST at it. They don’t tell you that, since it cuts into profits. It took me years (and that AA) to figure it out!

If you are in service the lives of your men come first. When you lead, your country comes first. Otherwise, no one can rely on you. (BTW I played Hopkins years ago.) And Adams was unpopular because A) he stood by his principles and B) he told the truth. So you are in good company.,

Adam: That should read, “Isaac Asimov, Ph.D.”

Careful, your grammar showing.

Bawahahahaha

You seem to have omitted the age old practice of laying siege to cities, the very practice which castles were built to withstand. Actually, we’re much better about killing civilians now than they were then.

If you start something do you have the right to self defense if the other guy fights back?

“Run for office? I’m FAR too intelligent to do anything that stupid.”If all the intelligent feel that way, what do we have left to run the gov"t? Doesn’t leave much room to complain, does it?

So because the “heroes” of the Old Testament killed the women and children individually rather than by large explosions that is an improvement?Sorry, at least we TRY to avoid civilian casualties.

So, we were at fault for 9/11?

By your logic it would be permissible for me to blow up downtown Cleveland as payback for what whites did to my ancestor at Wounded Knee.That sort of thinking seems to make you more an apologist for war than you accuse me of being.Bush, for whom I have no use, nevertheless, declared war and targeted military and governmental locales. The same can not be said of 9/11. Was he right to do so? I think not, but I ASSUME that he had information contradicting his accusation. (I make that assumption because I thoroughly detest him.)Can the US be wrong? Indian Wars, MexicanWar, Spanish American War…I’d say so. (Not to mention several elections.) But then hindsight is always 20/20. (If we all waited to be 100% sure there would be far fewer marriages.)When you deliberately target civilians instead of governmental or military targets you have exceed the bounds and can not then plead that your treatment, whatever it may be, is unfair.

It was you who chose David as an example. If I remember your Bible correctly on at least one occasion troops were sent back (by Moses?) to finish off the women and children who had been spared. And we both know that the only reason bomb were not used by both sides was because they had yet to be invented. Please don’t wrap our forebearers in some cloak of purity we both know they don’t deserve.What seems to be our sticking point is how to end a war. You take the position that it should be ended admirably. I take the soldiers position that it should be ended with minimum damage to my people. As a soldier, if your morality costs even one of my men’s lives then it isn’t worth it. The idea behind fighting the enemy is to insure that you won’t have to do it again. If killing 50 civilians prevents later losses of 100 civilians,is it worth it? That’s for philosophers. The soldiers job, my job, was to protect my country and my men the best way I know how. If you expect an apology for that you are dreaming of a dry rain. And I have neither the time nor the inclination to let you or anyone else use the 20/20 hindsight to determine right and wrong. We deal with the here and now.My impression, which may be wrong, was that most civilians were used as shields by these "heroes’ because they we seen as of little value (a woman being worth 1/2 a man for instance) and I pity them, But if the choice is them or my people, it’s no contest.My job was to stop the enemy. Sometimes that cost lives, theirs ours, military and civilian. Just as sometimes it costs a leg to save the patients life.I do not/did not like Bush. His attack on Iraq was nothing more or less than an ego trip…BUT we found that out later (that ole hindsight again). Either way, it does not give the Al Kookoos in Afghanistan permission to attack a CIVILIAN target WITHOUT warning. And had the Afghans turned them over we wouldn’t be there now. Or do you regard it as permissible for a country to hide admitted murderers?To assign the cause of 9/11 and the resultant Afgan war to what happened in Bush’s is the same as blaming WW2 on our entry into WW1.I feel for the civilians in Afghanistan, but not as much as I feel for the civilians in the tower or even the men and women pledged to protect and defend our country who have suffered in this conflict. As for our fights since WW2 being to deprive people of their rights, I don’t remember us invading North Korea.If you have a problem with XOM (and their stooges in government) then take it up with them…NOT my men.To paraphrase a ’60’s slogan “If you have trouble with our military next time we’re attacked call a hippie.”

Trying to stay just slightly on topic…. I know a lot of people (myself included) that would like to earn as much as the average PhD student. Considering that they’re getting that salary while furthering their education and (theoretically) increasing their future earning potential, it seems like a decent gig for a 20-something.

@Walruscarver2000

You don’t remember us invading North Korea?

NK invaded South Korea. The US landed in SK and pushed them back. While doing so we (the US) invaded NK, which got the Chinese involved, to keep NK from falling.