Comments by ObsTheTimes

Yes, I am the exact law abiding citizen you describe.
I believe we should go postal on these scu-mmy gangsters. They're ruined too many lives,they've assaulted and killed too many young innocents.
A quick surgical removal of the top 10000 criminal thugs would restore Guatemala to health. Sometimes, our fear of international courts and need to be admired by the west hampers our will to do what is right for our society. Forget what Hilary Clinton or the UN might say.

To quote this piece:'Formed in Californian jails and exported back to Central America by deported migrants' ?!
These guys illegally crossed the border and committed crimes in the United States. Somehow a few of them were deported but countless others remain in America.
Are we suggesting that they would've lived peaceful pious lives in central america? Or that they acquired the violence 'gene' in the US?

I never understood why Mormons are so defensive about their faith. They should be brimming with self belief!
I would rather believe in LDS then in conventional Christianity ,Islam or Judaism. I'm agnostic.
It makes much more sense to me. Approach this with an open mind: Mormons believe that the current 'God' of the earth sits on his throne on the planet 'Elohim' which probably is governed by a higher god. LDS beliefs account for and incorporate the vast cosmos. Compare this to the tripe that a single everlasting universal god created the earth in a 6 days and rested on the seventh. Second: Mohd is his only prophet or that a gentleman carpenter from Nazareth is his son, (he has no daughters of course)who saved us with his blood sacrifice.

Do not single out mormonism for being sexist.
In Islam, women can't pray alongside men, goes without saying they can't become imams.
Likewise for Chritianity, Judaism, sikhism, hinduium and buddhism.
Learn your facts.
Maybe you met a few mormons you didn't like but that shouldn't make you sweep all of them with the same brush.

AIPAC stands for 'All-out Intimidation of Puny American Congressmen'. or 'All-out Intimidation of President, action committee'
A full 3/4th of the US congress attended Bibi's address at AIPAC recently. Senators actually dressed up and drove to the event. Such is the Israeli take over of the US.

Previously Bibi came to the white house (2011) and glared at Obama from three feet away. He actually hunched forward right out of his seat and almost got into Obama's space. Later that same week when Bibi addressed AIPAC, obama ran away to Ireland with his tail between his legs to drink a pint in Dublin and forget it all. It was sick.

That would have been a truly file piece of legislation. Unfortunately such good fortune transpires only in films or after one's read a fortune cookie.

Congressmen Dodd and Frank always liked the sound of their voice a bit too much.
After miring Wall street in endless regulation, Dodd has become a lobbyist for hollywood but has failed to put a partial lid on the internet. Thank God!
Frank is retiring for good. One of the mentors for these people. Paul Volcker who also put forth vile over-regulation (the Volcker Rule) is still out in the public square.
Finally nobody is talking about repealing Sarbannes Oxley. These guys love immortalizing their names in bills, no matter how badly they hurt business.

Sure, the London cabs are quaint like the buses, but unlike tourists that's a luxury daily commuters can ill afford.

Well, they are superior in many ways to all of us. These guys have achieved so much while hanging on to a few tear drops of land teetering in the pacfic. But this is a shocking episode and they ought to reform detention practices. The stories about public officials demanding money is shocking. Obviously this is not the first time they have done this to someone. Easy fix: Break up the union and award a contract to a private operator.

No his story is important as awareness might nudge the opinion sensitive Japanese Authorities to change detention policies. That may help people like me who also hope to visit Japan someday. Once we're there, we might blog, take pictures or even be critical about a few things and hope to not land in jail while doing so.

Unbelievable!
The Economist has to have gotten this wrong. This is a story about this guy being caught up in China, the Congo or the 'La Familias' drug cartel in Mexico. It can't be about Japan?!

I'm sorry my friend tzatz for what I'm about to say. Going by this comment above, you're the epitome of the quintessential 'Ugly American' and because of people like you, the world believes everyone out here is exactly like you.

Obviously you know little or close to nothing about Iran's strategies for closing the strait of Hormuz. Surprising for someone who want them go down so badly.
Sea mines cannot be taken out by jets. They need minesweepers which means US navy ships will need control of the Strait.
And nobody's doubting that the US Navy shall prevail, but if the Iranians manage to close the strait for say 3 weeks, then that could result in a substantial oil shock.

You are absolutely right about most things. Except one, there are quite a few americans who are on the same page as you about useless war spending, but they've been disenfranchised by both the republicans and democrats. Some lobbies have been very successful in pushing through their agenda and they're going to take all of us down with them.

Use your own resources or soldiers to fight the endless battle against the 'islamists'.
Too long have you used us as an 'automaton' to fight your wars.
Hopefully, some day soon, the american people will understand this as well.

You are very mistaken. An aircraft carrier is a 20th century weapon, totally outmatched in the 21st by asymmetric enemies. To the cleaver Iranian strategy of swarming the battle group with 200 speed boats it presents a fat juicy target of blood and treasure.
Consider this scenario: The Stennis is moving through the strait at 3 in the morning when its radars and targeting are overwhelmed by 200 different moving targets. Just 20 of these targets get through and severely damage the ship with cruise missiles and torpedos. 3 manage to plant plastic explosive on the hull which is detonated remotely.
In a simulation carried out by the pentagon, the carried ended up at the bottom of the sea.
This is why the Pentagon should spend precious dollars for countering 'asymmetric' threats and not on stupid 20th century pet projects peddled by congressmen for their home states to protect legacy weapon systems and jobs.
The 'end game' for that strategy is that the United States will be slapped around and totally humiliated by an adversary such as China sometime during the first half of this century. Wake up! congress.

What's wrong with sitting on the street? I'd love to sit on the street or on a lawn. Lots of people in Europe go out nude with their families. That's not the lowest common denominator or international etiquette.
I say, the Chinese should do what they damn well want and forget about what other people think.

The most fascinating thing about Chinese is that a name can't be exactly translated into it. Or perhaps it can be but becomes nonsensical.
A friend of mine wrote out my Chinese name which is pronounced very differently from its english version.
In Chinese I am Gao-Un-Shin and proud to be. I'm waiting to introduce myself on the street if anyone comes up and asks...

In the modern age, all separatist movements are infuriating. Be it Quebec from Canada or Rick Perry griping about seceding from america.
Perhaps america should secede from Texas and let it fend for itself.
I say to the english, let them go!
Once on their own, they might remember the good old days fondly.

'India is growing at one of the fastest rates in the world': This is patently incorrect. Per the CIA website, at 1.34%, the indian population growth rate is 86th in the world. But yes, the Chinese rate is a lot lower at .5%.