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[mainiac]

Dammit I learned all that bullshit conspiracy knowledge when I really needed was "cute".

[Strife26]

The world would be a better place if we all appreciated cuteness more.

[misko27]

Darn if simple answers aren't the best.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Wow she didn't know that a single c in a quote pyramid meant classified even though that is just one of three markings that are required to mean classified. When do we string her up?

Here, I'll join the Illuminati for the day. I'll expect my Clinton Foundation check and foreign worker serfs in the mail.

Reasonably, I'd expect that with sufficient internal dedication to the higher ideals of the concept, as well as strictly practical matters, there's some chance it would be stably positive. Our hypothetical MSF is never getting to be big enough to go toe to toe with a major power, because they always lack the kind of base of support that'd allow it. No native population or industry to fall back on makes taking over the world difficult. A fancy island as a base of operations would actually be perfect for this, big enough to allow the MSF organizational room, not enough to let them conquer the world more than our scope of knocking over especially questionable conduct from other militaries.

The big issue I see with this is not the risk of turning into roving marauders (accounting for that kind of thing is a known science), but that it's a reversal of the whole relationship of militaries with states. An organization capable of projecting force is inherently a giant resource black hole, entire societies are needed to support them. The trade-off is, of course, avoiding death.

PMCs obviously can function, but there's a good deal of emphasis on the "company" part and piggybacking on the logistics of state militaries. Going full Outer Heaven and protecting the weak from the strong comes with the territory of both the weak not having a lot to give in return and becoming a headache for nations with drone strikes and not a lot of restraint.

[Flying Dice]

*ducks head through door*

Ah, business as usual I see. Ciao.

[Egan_BW]

But if they're all ninjas, they won't need the backing of any nation, because ninjas just need pajamas, rope, homemade smoke bombs, and throwing knives to be effective.

[mainiac]

Here, I'll join the Illuminati for the day. I'll expect my Clinton Foundation check and foreign worker serfs in the mail.

Welcome to the team!  Please watch the training materials.

I gotta say, this "c is for cookie" idea is brilliant.  It sounds like a defense (in the mind of someone who thinks Clinton is an idiot a liar or both) but immediately invites not just one but countless arguments.  At the same time it creates a whole other bullshit scandal with the innuendo about her health.  Whichever spin doctor thought that one up deserves a raise.

[Strife26]

Wow she didn't know that a single c in a quote pyramid meant classified even though that is just one of three markings that are required to mean classified. When do we string her up?

Here, I'll join the Illuminati for the day. I'll expect my Clinton Foundation check and foreign worker serfs in the mail.

Reasonably, I'd expect that with sufficient internal dedication to the higher ideals of the concept, as well as strictly practical matters, there's some chance it would be stably positive. Our hypothetical MSF is never getting to be big enough to go toe to toe with a major power, because they always lack the kind of base of support that'd allow it. No native population or industry to fall back on makes taking over the world difficult. A fancy island as a base of operations would actually be perfect for this, big enough to allow the MSF organizational room, not enough to let them conquer the world more than our scope of knocking over especially questionable conduct from other militaries.

The big issue I see with this is not the risk of turning into roving marauders (accounting for that kind of thing is a known science), but that it's a reversal of the whole relationship of militaries with states. An organization capable of projecting force is inherently a giant resource black hole, entire societies are needed to support them. The trade-off is, of course, avoiding death.

PMCs obviously can function, but there's a good deal of emphasis on the "company" part and piggybacking on the logistics of state militaries. Going full Outer Heaven and protecting the weak from the strong comes with the territory of both the weak not having a lot to give in return and becoming a headache for nations with drone strikes and not a lot of restraint.

It's definitely a big resource drain, but the world subsidizing one independent division running around on its own isn't very much compared to all the money everyone spends on their national militaries, and a drop in the bucket compared to our old Cold War excesses.

Paying for parts and expendables would be a continuous headache for our Outer Heaven. While the nationalist in me cries at the thought, possibly earmarking their budget through the UN.

Or heck, maybe just give Outer Heaven enough nuclear capability or force projection (maybe via a kinetic orbital bombardment system? To extort their budget from the world. (this is a terrible idea. Please do not utilize seriously)

[Max™]

So basically what you're saying is we need to build a mobile weapon system capable of potentially launching and/or defending against a WMD strike anywhere in the world, huh...

[TheBiggerFish]

.....The thread title is a thing.

[mainiac]

Acting like outer haven is insane. 

[Helgoland]

Hey, nobody ever claimed that insane people only ever come up with insane ideas...

[martinuzz]

I daresay that most insanity happening around the world is acted out by those proclaimed sane.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

As they say, people outside asylums are dangerous: They're the ones who are good enough to fool psychiatrists.

[RedKing]

Getting the thread back on the blood-soaked rails that are the 2016 campaign season....


Polls are starting to tighten, which is pushing some "blue lean" states back into the toss-up category. Clinton is no longer considered a safeish bet to win 270+ without the tossups, as she was a few weeks ago.

Right now, RCP's electoral map has Clinton with 229 likely electoral votes, Trump with 154, and 155 up for grabs, although a lot of the toss-up states do show a slight Clinton lean in the polls.

Noted warlock Nate Silver now has Clinton as basically a 2-1 favorite over Trump, a far cry from her 9-1 advantage a few weeks ago.