The Recent Events/Controversies? Anyone?
 

I'm surprised there isn't a thread for this, seeing as how it's all over the place right now. What do you guys think about all this stuff going on with the IRS targeting Conservative groups, the Benghazi inadequacies, and the seizure of AP's phone records by the DoJ?

If links need to be posted, let me know. Although I would imagine most of you know about this stuff by now.

I just want to get a feel for how you guys are taking this stuff, since it's oddly quiet about these recent events around here.

Hmmm... I know fuck all about any IRS scandals, the Benghazi, and I have no idea who AP is :laughing:

I guess I'm not as informed as I usually am, hahaha.

Weird! I will see if I can compile some resources for those that live outside the US. I had just thought that since pretty much any major news seems to propagate up to you guys and also to western Europe pretty quickly, that the majority of us here would have some idea.

No. I just haven't been paying attention.

The Bengazi nonsense isn't really that surprising to me. Certainly, it is disturbing, but I wish the dialogue was focusing on why we involved ourselves in that conflict in the first place.

Regarding the IRS targeting conservative groups, I was about as shocked by that as I was by the AP issue. It seems to really unnerve people when you bring this up, but I don't see how these types of actions are surprising. Whether people recognized it in '08 or not, after his first term Obama's actions confirmed his major difference with Bush was not in regards to means but to the ends.

I can't say I was really "surprised" by any of it. What surprised me more is the apparent reaction to it all, or lack of one. Although I do applaud the more liberally-biased media outlets for actually reporting on it the way they are (I was surprised about that), I'm not getting a vibe that people as a whole are very concerned about what it is the government is doing.

It just makes me wonder if the whole "not being surprised because the gov can't be trusted anyway" thing is the reason, which is scary in and of itself, or if there is something else at work along partisan lines.

IRS: The part of the government that collects taxes investigating some anti-tax organizations who had filed for tax-exempt status so far hasn't struck me as very earth-shaking news. But admittedly I was in jury duty for over a week and that was sapping most of my mental energy so maybe there's something I've missed here. I'll have to read more about it.

Benghazi: Was certainly a tragedy. I know a bunch of emails about it were released recently and the investigation has been ongoing for a long time. I guess we'll see what comes of it.

AP: I've just seen the headlines, now that my brain isn't completely fried at the end of every day I'll have to read up on it.


Some other recent crazy stories that don't have threads on MB...

Bangladesh building collapse: The death toll now stands at 1127. It's a crazy situation and amazing that they found that one person alive after 17 days buried alive. Still there are 98 people still missing which means the death toll could end up well over 1200.

Ariel Castro: How fucked up is this story? These poor women were captive by the monster for a decade and none of the neighbors ever knew. Pretty horrific.

The Gosnell case: Extremely messed up stuff. It was also being tried in the same building in which I was serving jury duty in at the same time I was there so the camera crews and protesters became part of my daily commute. Crazy.

the castro thing is insane.
chains on walls, dog leashes.... being compared to POW .... I just hope that somehow, eventually they manage to get their lives back....

With Bengazhi, I really don't see why that's such a big scandal when it's just a bunch of speculation at the moment of an ongoing instigation that has been going on for awhile now.

I have to look into the AP story because I haven't heard of that one yet.

With the Ariel Castro thing, it's crazy that the kidnapper had impregnated one of the women and he must have delivered the baby on his own also he falcon punched another one of the women five times too.

Also another case not mentioned is the Jodi Arias trial. She claims that she wants the death penalty so that she can finally be free but I'd rather have her rot in prison for life. She could also be trying to use reverse psychology though.

The Emilie Parker thing from Sandy Hook still bothers me. I don't think it was some big government conspiracy or anything, but I think her parents did something ****ed up by claiming their kid was dead, and then having the gonads to have her pose with Obama after the shooting. That's ****ed up, to the nth degree. I don't think Obama is to blame, because he just came there because something awful happened. I don't think he was even paying attention to the kids he was posing with. But that nothing ever came of that still bugs me.

It also still bugs me that when I was watching the coverage, they'd arrested a man outside the school with firearms, handcuffed him, and taken him to a police car with numerous witnesses...and never mentioned him again.

It doesn't feel like a full conspiracy per say, but it's pretty obvious that a lot of details weren't divulged.