Abc News: Officials: U.s. Army Told Of Hasan's Contacts With Al Qa

TheTastyGreek · November 12, 2009

Words mean things?

Yes. Yes, they do.

UNT90 · November 12, 2009

Yes. Yes, they do.

Obvoiusly not, or the Army would have done something about this guy long before the shootings occurred.

Stupid trying to argue that congress didn't declare "war", but only a "military action". That's kinda what war is. But, I guess that depends on what the definition of is, is.

Congress would make the same "Military action" declaration if we decided to drop an A-bomb on someone. That's just the way things are done today. The word "war" is just so politically incorrect.

yyz28 · November 12, 2009

Oh wait, he's not a man, he's not 40.

Underrated!

Cerebus · November 12, 2009

So... Congress didn't actually declare war on anyone? Something similar, but not actually war?
Because that's what I thought the deal was all along.

You might want to read the War Powers Resolution.

These are word games, Congress (arguably by some) holds the power to authorize force. Congress has authorized use of force in both the conflicts that they hand ringing about now, they could have not authorized the force, they could not have authorized the budget allocations for it. They did all of it.

Really, I know the root argument for this whole "congress didn't declare war!" is that the use of force was illegal or not authorized by congress, but they did in fact authorize it, they then reauthorized it every single year by special spending allocations.

And you can't ignore the specifics of these cases either, in Afghanistan, there was no US recognized government. In Iraq, there was already a UN and US authorization of force still in activation. The UN and the US still maintained no fly zones over Iraqi air space, the UN and still had embargo and shipping lane edicts in place. The Iraqi government routinely broke them, any one of which technically re authorized use of force.

Look, if you have problems with either of these wars, there are plenty of arguments against them, but this "no declaration of war" one is just illogical.

hickoryhouse · November 12, 2009

So... Congress didn't actually declare war on anyone? Something similar, but not actually war?
Because that's what I thought the deal was all along.

Arguing semantics. Clever and entertaining, however in this case not really relevant.

TheTastyGreek · November 12, 2009

Guys, don't jump to conclusions about my politics just because I have a pet peeve over what is and isn't appropriately termed a war.

You say "semantics", I say "constitutionally defined action that doesn't apply in any specific case since World War II".

Just be glad nobody misused the word "cynical" in this thread. That's probably my biggest linguistic hot button.

Cerebus · November 12, 2009

Guys, don't jump to conclusions about my politics just because I have a pet peeve over what is and isn't appropriately termed a war.
You say "semantics", I say "constitutionally defined action that doesn't apply in any specific case since World War II".
Just be glad nobody misused the word "cynical" in this thread. That's probably my biggest linguistic hot button.

This is grammar nazi level stuff.

The congress decided how it would authorize force, it then has decided to authorize force that way.

How cynical.

Censored by Laurie · November 12, 2009

Guys, don't jump to conclusions about my politics just because I have a pet peeve over what is and isn't appropriately termed a war.
You say "semantics", I say "constitutionally defined action that doesn't apply in any specific case since World War II".
Just be glad nobody misused the word "cynical" in this thread. That's probably my biggest linguistic hot button.

Go back to the commune. Hippie.

Cerebus · November 12, 2009

Go back to the commune. Hippie.

I always considered him more of a Philhellenist. But yeah, he's probably a hippie too. A tree hugging hippie.

He'll probably chain himself to a tree to stop stadium construction.

TheTastyGreek · November 12, 2009

This is grammar nazi level stuff.
The congress decided how it would authorize force, it then has decided to authorize force that way.
How cynical.

Just don't automatically think I'm opposed to the Iraq Authorized Force or the Authorized Force in Afghanistan.

Call me ugly or smelly again and we've got a problem, sir.

Edited November 12, 2009 by TheTastyGreek

Cerebus · November 12, 2009

Just don't automatically think I'm opposed to the Iraq Authorized Force or the Authorized Force in Afghanistan.
Call me ugly or smelly again, and we've got a problem, sir.

You people have been so uppity since the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Now that was imperialist hegemony.