laurentja
Posts:122
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| 09/06/2013 12:20 PM |
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I was a VN refugee, but there doesn't seem to be much action here really. Where do all the hardcore roadies hang out these days? |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 09/06/2013 12:47 PM |
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| the old site had a feature where you could see whose online, this one does not, maybe it makes a difference. or maybe folks used the opportunity to kick the habit |
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6ix
Posts:485
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| 09/06/2013 01:03 PM |
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I was thinking the same thing recently. Kinda dead in here. I miss the OT discussions because it was always refreshing to read other's viewpoints on hot topics. Most of the time things remained civil.
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 09/06/2013 01:12 PM |
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ok i'll start
syria. should we launch some missles or not?
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 09/06/2013 01:23 PM |
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Forums need new blood now and then and I was a little surprised when this one didn't see any even during the Tour.
Hey Skinny, who said anything about invading? Bummer though that Americans don't like to do "nothing" but can't think of anything better to do than drop a few bombs.
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 09/06/2013 02:26 PM |
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its pretty much an open secret that the only reason to throw some missiles at Syria would be to make Obama (and the US at large) not to be seen as indecisive/weak on topic of chemical weapons. There's nothing else that could possibly be achieved if you're going into this with the notion that the object is no boots on ground and not an attempt to dethrone Assad. So why do anything then, clearly Obama has no end game or real plan? The whole situation is lose-lose, you either have a dictator clampling to power with backing from Hezbollah, or you get the rebels with a strong injection of Al Qaeda elements.
Syria conflict like many others in the region is a proxy for the Iran/Saudi Arabia "cold war" (Sunni/Shiite conflict). Best to stay out of it. |
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vtguy
Posts:298
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| 09/06/2013 04:37 PM |
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| I think it's more about sending a message to Iran, who has been encouraging and supplying the Assad govt. We have interests in the region -- mostly oil -- but getting involved in Syria is a really slippery slope. |
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thinline
Posts:323
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| 09/06/2013 04:38 PM |
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| Two things: 1. I like the irony of the original poster saying he is a VN "refugee" given the turn of topic. 2. I keep hearing Kerry, McCain etc. saying we need to intervene to stop the use of chemical weapons which are outlawed by a treat signed by 98% of the world's countries. Well, did Syria sign it? If not, it's not applicable to them and their use is not a violation. Not syaing it ain't a bad thing, just saying the rationale is thin. And yes, apparently it's a base 100,000 system so we're really only up to a handful of dead and we are responding immediately. |
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Pin0Q0
Posts:229
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| 09/06/2013 04:45 PM |
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| For two years we sat on our fat a$$es and drank while thousands died summing up to over 100k, now because the lunatic used chemical weapon and killed a few more you are asking if we should strike??? Dead is dead, it only appear terrifying to you and I because we have to look at it. Don’t get caught in the politics. If we really cared we would have done something two years ago. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 09/06/2013 06:06 PM |
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1. Back to the original post: seems like many did not make the migration to this forum, and some who did, eg KR, are quieter. I prefer quiet to the trolls.
2. Proxy war with Iran in Syria. Good idea or bad idea? I vote bad.
Obama can save face by getting Assad indicted for war crimes.
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laurentja
Posts:122
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| 09/06/2013 10:58 PM |
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Well I meant few postings on this website at all...I just put the topic in the most general section. I also joined roadbikereview, though I have been surprised how many cycling newbs post questions on there. When I post questions about higher end gear, it gets few responses.
Anyway, I get a very bad, bad feeling that it is already decided (Obama and company has) to launch both airstrikes and guided missiles. I was always an Obama supporter, but this latest really surprises me. Surely he knows better, so why is he being so hard-headed? You cannot start a war with these Muslim fanatics and expect it to ever end...it just propagates and spreads the American hatred over there. Focus our dollars & energy on fixing this country instead. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 09/07/2013 02:10 AM |
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vtguy, I find this "sending a message to Iran" confusing. They know well that we aided Iraq with intelligence on where to place their chemical weapons to kill the most Iranians as possible (delivered with US made warheads), then stayed quiet as Irag killed thousands of Kurd using those same weapons. For us, that was a long time ago. For a part of the world where time is measured in centuries and millennia, that was yesterday.
Ben
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chooks
Posts:1
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| 09/07/2013 08:50 PM |
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To point #1: I too was a long-time lurker at VN. I had multiple issues trying to post here (login problems and so on and so forth) and the original formatting of the forum itself (gray text on white background) made it tough for me to read (and I wasn't very inclined to greasemonkey a css modification). In fact, if this post makes it through, it would be the first time I was successful in even posting at all...
I read CN forums occasionally, but the S:N is a little too low (or the volume is so high, you would need to spend all your time trying to read even one thread). I like the lower volume here, but it is pretty quiet.
Also with You-Know-Who admitting to You-Know-What, that might have taken a little bit of vitriol/steam/whatever out of things that created some epic VN threads. Of course there is He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named with 'the gap is obvious' as the French may say...
To point #2: If we really want to make a difference in a war zone, maybe we should take a look at Chicago or Baltimore before Damascus...
- Chooks.
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 09/08/2013 12:42 PM |
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It's been a busy summer for me. While I have monitored the forum, I have not posted much.
Killing a few people to make a point, is pointless. I voted for O, but think bombing Syria is a really stupid idea. |
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jacques_anquetil
Posts:245
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| 09/08/2013 08:16 PM |
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| we used up all the words? |
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DonnaMobile
Posts:71
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| 09/08/2013 09:27 PM |
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Hi all, I've been busy and have lurked but not gotten involved. I think having all the different categories contributes to the lack of discussion. I don't always have the time/patience to look in each category for topics of interest. The old forum, while less organized, was easier to peruse because you could just scroll down all the topics in one place, and immediately notice ones that interested you.
I flew back from Italy earlier than usual this year, arrived last Thursday. I left from Venice as usual, flew over my home town, then the Dolomites, and then the Stelvio Pass. I'd never seen those roads from the air before so it was a real treat and quite exciting for me. |
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JRH2
Posts:17
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| 09/08/2013 09:53 PM |
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I'm still around also. I've mostly been lurking all summer. Finished graduate school in May, moved my family back to the intermountain west this summer, started new work (first time I've worked in 7 years! I was a stay at home dad taking pre-reqs to get into PA school) so I have not posted much lately.
Donna - I find that keeping the "active topics" link in my bookmarks makes it easier to see what is most current over the past few days. You might find this helps.
I rode my bike for the first time in 2 years a few months ago. Gosh it was great! Felt horrible on the bike, still do, but it is so great to be riding again.
Cheers, JRH2 |
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CERV
Posts:151
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| 09/08/2013 10:34 PM |
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hey Donna.
have you tried the 'active topics' link in the grey bar right below the big 'Velonation User Forums'? That gives you all the most recent posted in topics. You can set the time frame you want it to search within. It gives you a list of the most recently active topic first, very similar to the velonews layout.
edit:whoops, didn't read JRH2's post before I responded to yours. |
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pikeHillRoad
Posts:95
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| 09/09/2013 08:21 AM |
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Still here too, and still lurking. Been busy lately, and there has not been much "new" Stayed out of the horner fray, because...
Still, Vuelta got epic on Saturday. Nibali going to win 2 GT in one year?
Anyhow, it is calmer here than before, with less asshattery. That is a net positive. No more need to resist (and fail) replying to internet idiocy. |
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 09/09/2013 08:51 AM |
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| Busy as well. Spending as much time as I can with the grandchildren, and out with the camera. Head back to Tucson next weekend. |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 09/09/2013 10:15 AM |
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I am with the others...life has caught up with me.
Work is busy. The kids are at the age where they dominate the computer at home or the need my assistance.
I am trying to restore this Spitfire in my garage.
Still healing up from my hand injury.
But I will be back...
For some reason, it seems that the TdF took with wind out of a lot of peoples sails. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Yo Mike
Posts:338
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| 09/09/2013 10:45 AM |
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I'm not sure what our goal IS in Syria. Assad is a bit like Tito was in Yugoslavia. Get rid of the dictator, and there is sectarian strife.
I'm still not sure who used the chemical weapons. It could very well have been those fighting against Assad, acting as agents provocateurs.
Obama has painted himself into a corner on this, and looks increasingly inept. A worthwhile goal would be to somehow secure the chemical weapons, but that seems impossible. Fortunately, chemical weapons degrade with time, tho they remain hazardous for years.
This is a no win situation. How does the world community minimize the damage? |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 09/09/2013 11:46 AM |
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It appears that when they shut down the VeloNews forum a lot of participants did not make the move over here. I've been posting on a couple of forums for about 14 years and quite frankly I'm kinda burned out with the whole thing.
Attacking Syria is a bad idea. Undoubtedly it will kill/injure a lot of civilians. I don't know how that can be avoided. Yes, it is terrible and sad that over 1400 were killed by chemical weapons. Are we going to prove a point by killing more by "approvable" methods? Sadly, it is not our fight. Obama is being stubborn and unrealistic about this. Today I read that Russia is trying to persuade Syria to give up their chemical weapons stash, which might be a better way. But how will anyone know if they surrender all their chemical weapons? It's about saving face. Butt out and shut up. Listen to the American people.Attacking Syria will unlease the rath of militants that we can not imagine. Have our leaders learned nothing of our past mistakes in the middle east. I guess not.
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 09/09/2013 01:12 PM |
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| The whole global policeman thing is just not a good look. Simple as that. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 09/09/2013 03:03 PM |
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| Agree 100% KR! |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 09/10/2013 12:15 PM |
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| One beef I have about this forum is most links don't work. I'm not going to sit here and type in a link address in order to look at an article. Do you need to add a < > before and after a link? |
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pabiker
Posts:80
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| 09/10/2013 12:45 PM |
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Laurentja - In this case, I believe the Muslim fanatics are the rebels - which doesn't make the situation any easier for us.
I'll agree with Donna that too many topics makes for a less-enticing and easy-to-use forum.
KR - Global policing is very expensive and perhaps not worth the cost. However, we have a tiny ally over there who wields enormous power in our Congress and that is not likely to change anytime soon. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 09/10/2013 01:10 PM |
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| Wait, did Russia just throw Obama a lifeline? |
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pabiker
Posts:80
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| 09/10/2013 02:30 PM |
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| They sure as hell should - playing obstructionist must be getting old. We need to let China and Russia both join in the global policeman fun. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 09/10/2013 11:37 PM |
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Posted By pa biker on 09/10/2013 12:45 PM
KR - Global policing is very expensive and perhaps not worth the cost. However, we have a tiny ally over there who wields enormous power in our Congress and that is not likely to change anytime soon.
That tiny alley is one of the main reasons why the situation in Syria was ignored for so long. The US and Israel have not seen eye to eye on this, Israel was very much OK with Assad in power ("the enemy you know" bringing relative stability), same as w Mubarak in Egypt. Its probably different now that Hezbollah has become a strong presence, one of Israel's main enemies. Very convoluted.
Russia obstructionist? Its still cold war posturing, no one seems to have received the memo that the Wall came down.
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C2K_Rider
Posts:173
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| 09/11/2013 12:57 PM |
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The reason most of the "dictators" were tolerated by the US is that they are not fanatically anti-US and could get along, grudgingly, with Israel. With the "arab spring" the people of these countries see a different way and are trying it out. Whether it works remains to be seen in 50 years or so.
I'm sure Israel will bomb the crap out of Syria if they get any hint that stuff is coming their way - it
's kind of funny how Syria didn't make a peep when Israel bombed their new reactor. But they aren't going to take down Assad, or even promote that, because that is their only hope of stability. No Assad means a decade of civil war and opportunities for Iran to flood the region with weapons that can be directed towards Israel.
The Russian offer is the best thing going. Cool things off, make a show of taking away chemicals (though I doubt they would give them all up). But the end game is that Assad has to stay in power. There is no way the US comes out ahead if Assad goes. Then it is total chaos and Iraq looks like practice for the real thing. |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 09/11/2013 01:53 PM |
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Russia obstructionist? Its still cold war posturing, no one seems to have received the memo that the Wall came down.
The problem is that while the wall came down a long time ago, their military reach is still formidable. |
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| -----
It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 09/11/2013 02:57 PM |
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Posted By Keith Jackson on 09/11/2013 01:53 PM
Russia obstructionist? Its still cold war posturing, no one seems to have received the memo that the Wall came down.
The problem is that while the wall came down a long time ago, their military reach is still formidable.
"they" would say the exact same thing...and they'd be right. |
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pabiker
Posts:80
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| 09/12/2013 12:21 AM |
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| True. The perspectives from either side (US -vs- USSR) were essentially the same. The ones from East Germany were likely different. |
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