Terrorball 2010: Who's going to win this year?

[Tev]

I'm pretty sure that this is about the funniest analogy to terrorism that I've seen in a long while.

I'm not much of a basketball player. Middle-age, with a shaky set shot and a bad knee, I can't hold my own in a YMCA pickup game, let alone against more organized competition. But I could definitely beat LeBron James in a game of one-on-one. The game just needs to feature two special rules: It lasts until I score, and when I score, I win.

We might have to play for a few days, and Mr. James's point total could well be creeping toward five figures before the contest ended, but eventually the gritty gutty competitor with a lunch-bucket work ethic (me) would subject the world's greatest basketball player to a humiliating defeat.

The world's greatest nation seems bent on subjecting itself to a similarly humiliating defeat, by playing a game that could be called Terrorball. The first two rules of Terrorball are:

(1) The game lasts as long as there are terrorists who want to harm Americans; and

(2) If terrorists should manage to kill or injure or seriously frighten any of us, they win.

Anyway, the article goes on to show just how hysterical we get about terrorism when its statistical impact on our lives is really pretty negligible. In all honesty, I pretty much agree. When did we as a country go from a country of courage to a country of fear? Was it the Cold War? I'm willing to bet it was the Cold War....

Also, who’s your top pick for Terrorball 2010? We’ve fairly well grounded the competition in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m betting on a break-away victory from Nigeria while everyone has their sights on Yemen.

[Pip Boy]

I dunno, America's been fumbling with the ball pretty bad this season. We've only had the enemy score on us once or twice this whole time, but thats because we're playing all defense. It doesn't help that we just fired one bad coach for an even worse one. Somehow this is all communism's fault.

[CABAL49]

Cold War probably was it. People were afraid their neighbors were communists. The people who look just like you are coming to kill you! You can't trust your neighbors or family. The Soviets are going to invade any day now. If you look at any Cold War propaganda, anyone who didn't have a batshit crazy fear of the Soviets generally died. The Us vs Them mentality only causes more conflict.

[shiney]

It doesn't help that we just fired one bad coach for an even worse one.

Because it's definitely a better idea to invade nations under false pretenses and then later on be like "Oh but they were Bad Guys so we're still cool, also if you think that we did wrong YOU'RE a terrorist TOO.

I vastly, vastly prefer the softer more thoughtful approach to going in guns blazing. YEE-HAW GET 'EM BOYS mentality is one that probably should remain firmly entrenched in the 1800s Nevada.

Now if I am mis-interpreting your comments all apologies, but it almost looks to me like you'd prefer a coach that consistently derides and degrades constitutional liberties afforded to his people in the name of "safety". Those who trade freedom for security deserve neither.

[krogothwolf]

Originally Posted by shiney

I vastly, vastly prefer the softer more thoughtful approach to going in guns blazing. YEE-HAW GET 'EM BOYS mentality is one that probably should remain firmly entrenched in the 1800s Nevada.

And 2000's Texas.

It wasn't always the couch's fault. Those Offensive Coordinators had just to much say in the matter. And they had poorly trained Defensive Coordinators, they skimped out on that end.

[Amake]

I'd say it was definitely 9/11. The world has changed so much since then. . . the Swedish right won our last election on the promise of being harder on terrorism. So far their plans have included scanning all email and electronic conversation that comes near the borders, and mounting flamethrowers on streets that randomly shoot fire to check for spies. Because since Sweden has no declared enemies whatsoever, we must surely be under invasion of invisible terrorists.

Invisible Muslim terrorists.

The point is, America's messy game of terrorball makes ripples. This fear of terror in general and Muslims in particular is imported wholesale from USA, without any discernible local causes. It'd be nice if you guys could straighten up. The world, God help us, depends on you.

[Pip Boy]

Originally Posted by shiney

Because it's definitely a better idea to invade nations under false pretenses and then later on be like "Oh but they were Bad Guys so we're still cool, also if you think that we did wrong YOU'RE a terrorist TOO.

I vastly, vastly prefer the softer more thoughtful approach to going in guns blazing. YEE-HAW GET 'EM BOYS mentality is one that probably should remain firmly entrenched in the 1800s Nevada.

Now if I am mis-interpreting your comments all apologies, but it almost looks to me like you'd prefer a coach that consistently derides and degrades constitutional liberties afforded to his people in the name of "safety". Those who trade freedom for security deserve neither.

I never said bush was a good president, but he didn't pull the Patriot act out of hiss ass the first day in office. He pulled it out of his ass a few months in. Lets just give Obama a chance. I'm sure he'll turn out to be the nazi commie socialist that the media (*coughfoxcough*) portrays him as being before long.

[Marc v4.0]

I thought we were talking about football

[krogothwolf]

I think they would do alright if they brought out bo jackson for run#2

[shiney]

It'd be nice if you guys could straighten up. The world, God help us, depends on you.

Those in power tend to want to stay in power, and it easy if they can convince the people that their lives are in constant peril. Fear greases the wheels of subjugation.

I never said bush was a good president, but he didn't pull the Patriot act out of hiss ass the first day in office. He pulled it out of his ass a few months in.

Yeah, but a broad sweeping invasion of people's privacy and civil liberties is hardly the proper response to an externally planned attack. Months later or not it simply was not the right way to proceed - an opportunity was noticed and seized, and power entrenched.

Give Obama time, and I'm sure that while he will prove that he is just another politician, I am certain time will also show that he is hardly the horrifying monster that the GOP/FNC want to say he is. He was handed the worst mess a president has ever inherited and it's going to get worse before it gets better. I don't think he has what it takes to lead us out of it properly, and even if he does get re-elected he;'s going to have a hard fight. Unless the GOP continues self-destructing and failing in every way to find a party leader, anyhoe.

List of potentials:

Michael Steele Useless sniveling figurehead who apologized to Rush Limbaugh of all people.
Mark Sanford Probably shouldn't have had a huge affair that became a public whirlwind of negative press.
Bobby Jindal Lost a whole lot of credibility during that whole "Volcano Monitoring is crap & never worked why are we giving money to it (plus associated comments PS fuck Obama and his giving money to states" thing. If you can't accept the help being offered because the person offering is from the opposition party, you don't deserve to lead a nation.
Sarah Palin Too easy.
Charlie Crist? Maybe?
Rush Limbaugh It seems like he'd be a great potential in terms of popularity, but as a radio personality, once you realize you can't shut your opponent up by hanging up on them, you lose an awful lot of gusto.

So who can possibly lead the GOP right now? They are purging their party of anything considered a "dissident" and demanding idealogical purity in blatant disregard of the policies and foundation of their own party, giving way instead to the neocon religious right and stubbornly refusing to participate in any reasonable fashion with Democrat initiatives, simply because the Democratic party proposes them and not because they disagree with them. As a party of shiveling crybabies, I can not see any possible future where they can mounta reasonable opposition to anything, and so I have to put my faith in the spineless Chicago politician to fix this nightmare.

Other words and things go here.

I totally derailed the topic here: I believe the "war on terror" will go absolutely nowhere this year, because you can't fight a goddamn ideal, you can't fight something intangible.