🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I know, I know. Four letter words and all. But if there's one thing that should cut through all of the differences on these boards, all of the basketball opinions, all of the political opinions, all of our petty differences, it should be the hatred of the Islamic State and everything they stand for. The USA would not exist were it not for France allying with the colonies against the British. I knew a woman who taught my father French in college. She was a resistance fighter during the Nazi occupation in WWII. She sacrificed nearly everything she could, even enduring heinous torture for the love of her country and the love of democracy. I can say with the utmost conviction that I HATE everything that ISIS stands for and wish nothing more than to see them reduced to a smoldering ash.

I ask rather than taking this opportunity to lay political blame at the feet of one administration for destabilizing the region or another for their naivete in believing that we could somehow walk away from our obligations, that we make a stand here as Kansas fans/alums and as Americans and take a moment to show unity on a front that matters a hundred billion times more than an NCAA title. The price of freedom is beyond high. It is astronomical. Today our brethren in France paid that price. Tomorrow it could be you or I. But no amount of violence, no amount of fear, and no amount of life lost shall ever drive that price too high to make us give in to such a petty and inferior way of life. Pray for France. Pray for the people that gave us our liberty and our greatest monument, memorializing those values we cherish most. And pray that our way will win out against the vile and dehumanizing ways of all who stand against us. Pray for real Freedom.

@konkeyDong well said!🙏

@konkeyDong Thank you for your call to prayer. I'm joining you. Let's pray especially for the victims and for those fighting for their lives in Paris hospitals right now, as well as the medical personnel who are on the front lines.

Right now France is in a state of emergency, and military reinforcements are being brought into Paris and its suburbs. Lots of closings of schools, sporting events, open markets, museums, etc.

All security-related personnel have been working overtime and under stress all year long, since the "Charley Hebdo" attacks in January. Although the physical attacks are rare, the psychological warfare is constant.

We need to make sure it's ISIS too. Remember, "Charley Hebdo" was an Al Quaida hit.
[Edit: ISIS has claimed the attacks.]

@ParisHawk
They're all the same. This is a war on the West by ISLAMIC RADICALS. It doesn't matter if u live in the US, France, Britain, Germany, etc. They want us all dead. And in the midst of it all, our IDIOT in charge say this was an attack on "all humanity" and "universal values ". What the F@$k does that even mean! Since no one with any balls will call these mf's out and bring the fight to them, they will continue to think we are all weak and continue to terrorize us... May God bless Paris this day.

@konkeyDong I understand the sentiments here because I feel the same way. BUT, this is a basketball forum, specifically KU basketball. Can we keep the posts separated?

@konkeyDong I censored your F bomb. Let's keep our standards. I totally sympathize with the emotion.

@Lulufulu maybe just put it under general discussion. That's where our royals fan club goes.

@approxinfinity Even a bit too salty for this old dog but I have no room to cast the first stone. Thanks

Although this is a sports forum sometimes we need to take a stand against true evil, This event affects not only the French people but the rest of the world as a war has now been declared by "Islamic Terrorists" ...yes, Mr. President, I call them Islamic Terrorists which is exactly what they are, against the rest of the world and they are emboldened by leaders lacking intestinal fortitude and conviction in our beliefs....

Brace yourselves, things will not get better when we have leaders that refuse to call evil for what it is...

!Regan Meme.jpg ↗

I would agree with @Lulufulu -- I have absolutely no problem with this post, but perhaps under the General Discussion area.

Anyway, this sort of situation is quite simple. We need a president, a true leader, that is able to delineate good and evil, and who is willing to go on the offensive. George W. Bush may have gone too boldly into Iraq according to some, but it is that boldness that takes the fight to the terrorists. It was Obama who ceded Iraq back to the terrorists and ceded the hard fought gains.

If we have a pansy in the White House, ISIS will continue to grow.

And as @JayhawkFanToo just posted, they are "Islamic Terrorist" -- committing this terror based on their religious conviction.

Their influence with grow when confronted by weakness.

I just discussed this with my youngest son. Ronald Reagan stood and called the Soviet Union exactly what it was, an evil empire. Liberals gasped, wrung their collective hands, and mocked the boldness of the statement. No truer words were ever spoken. Further, Reagan, by the power of persuasion, consistently and eloquently called on the world to embrace freedom. Those words, and the actions of strengthening our military, drove the Soviet Union and its evil empire out of business.

There will always be evil in the world. And evil does not react to hugs and kisses, and appeasement. Ask France, circa 1939.

We have a choice. I suggest we create thousands of martyrs. A dead terrorist is a terrorist no longer.

@ZIG
I feel your anger toward these evil lunatics & the idiots in the WH. This is ISIS's dry run getting ready for the US given the number of stadiums & arenas we have for our youth & sports fans. ISIS can't wait to get to us, the Americans. We are their target & should we continue to ignore so they'd simply go away from our eyes & lives?

@JayHawkFanToo
This is pure gold. PHOF!!!!

@JayHawkFanToo When thinking about all of the fantastic things Ronnie would do to ISIS remember Lebanon. After losing hundreds of men there he then attacks Grenada to show what a military genius he was. Right up there with Alexander, Napoleon, and Caesar. Let's get real!!

@sfbahawk Hmmm … insult the man that ended the cold war. It's what I'd expect. Liberals mock the very institutions and people that have provided them the freedom and liberty they enjoy. Clearly the second greatest triumph of the 20th century, defeating the Soviet Union, and your little liberal mind thinks that citing one error (Beirut) trumps that or diminishes it. It's pathetic and sad, really. But you are cut from a certain cloth apparently. And actually, no one said he was a military genius. He was a tremendous president -- a real leader. Something this country is sorely lacking.

What he did was protect our nation from the ultimate threat, which is job one as president. His policies and approach to leadership ended the greatest threat to our existence in the second half of the 20th century.

Why can't you acknowledge this simple fact? Much in the same way I would acknowledge Franklin Roosevelt's leadership during WWII?

It is the Stated Position of ISIS:
1. Kill all Muslims who believe in coexistence
2. Use actions to create a wedge between Islam & the West

The recent terror attacks in Baghdad, Beirut & Paris are part of their plans to achieve their stated goals.

The sooner the collective humanity realizes that we ALL are one side against these barbaric & evil people the better it is. Anyone in their justified anger tries to paint a FAITH, religion, a community with a broad brush and generate collective hatred is playing into the hands of ISIS.

Managing these menaces require collective unity, recognition of their evil desires, and building MORAL Resiliency against any kind of hatred, thoughtfulness & words.

Uniting with a passion for peace, acceptance and mutual respect is the true victory against the reprehensible plans of terrorists.

@sfbahawk

Really? and I mean REALLY? This all you have? Nothing personal since I don't know you from Adam...but your statement is so lame in so many levels that it does not even merit a response.

BTW, Reagan did not "attack" Grenada, he simply sent troops to rescue American students held hostage by an illegal government supported by Cuban troops there. The entire operation was over in hours with minimal casualties and was at the level of a multi-service military exercise.

Do you know that the date of the "invasion" is now a national holiday in Grenada, called Thanksgiving Day? I bet you think Castro is a great leader and Che Guevara was a hero...oh well.

"...it should be the hatred of the Islamic State and everything they stand for."

I have a problem with statement. If it were changed to ISIS or radical Islam, I would agree. Lets not lump all of Islam with this group that uses violence to further it's agenda.

Catholicism, Evangelical Christianity, Israel, the U.S. government and many others has it's black eyes as well. Lets not generalize an entire region into these kind of acts. How would Baptists feel if we looked at them through the lens of the Phelps?

But as others have said, maybe in the general discussion? I love reading about Kansas Basketball here.

Well folks, here we go again. Another opportunity to demonize and marginalize our fellow Jayhawks based on their political or religious views. Pathetic. But this is free speech, and so it goes.

Yes, WE ALL hate ISIS, and we all should be worried. But is this kubuckets.com or breitbart.com or mediamatters.com? And why is it that it ALWAYS seems to be a Conservative/Republican person who "initiates and interjects" their religious or political comments into this site,? And they do so knowing full well that it is bound to insult fellow Jayhawks? Something in the DNA I guess that makes them want to cast the first stone. Oh well, we Jayhawks have thick skin.

Anyone want to Google the # of terror attacks during Reagan's term, or the Iran-Contra scandal, or his arming and funding Islamic Jihadists Afghans, or his involvement with McCarthyism, or his supporting Apartheid, etc.?

Can we all please, please try to show some respect here when we comment or debate issues? Is that too much to ask? Geesh.

@HighEliteMajor So Ronnie defeated the Soviet Union. According to most economists the Soviet Union would be defeated by capitalism and had been on its last legs for decades. Yeah the old boy almost spent this country in the ground and he is a hero. What do you think of book by Bill O'Rielly , a hero to faux news fans, who has claimed that Ronnie was not able to function on many occasions after the attempt to shoot him? Is Billo a liberal?

What is pathetic and sad is your lack of any knowledge of what went on during his term. By the way, his policies and approach would remove him from a sniff of the current Republican nomination. He raised taxes a half a dozen times, signed a bill giving amnesty of illegal immigrants, and had little or nothing to say about abortion and gay rights. Let's not go back to his term as governor of California where he performed similar actions.

You might not like the cut of my cloth (whatever that is supposed to mean) but at least I learned something during my time at KU. Sorry that you cannot say the same.

@JayHawkFanToo Is that all? How about Iran/Contra. That was a pretty sight. Selling munitions to the same people who were calling us the "great Satan" was a master stroke. It seems that breaking the law by sending the proceeds of those sales to the Contras was just dandy. It was during his term that the middle class started its' slide into its' current economic state. I could go on and on but to no affect on someone living in a state where the Laffer curve is thought to be the cat's pajamas by the current governor.

And not to be too picky but you might want to spell your hero's name correctly.

To quote the immortal Rodney King, "can't we all get along?" I have my strong opinions on this tragedy too but I just don't want this to be a wedge.

We've got a game to prepare for!

What I REALLY think is we all need to save some whales or spotted owls, fire up some toasty marshmallows & sing an ever-so-appropriate folky by Joan or Joni... Hey @wissoxfan83, go ahead & give ol' Rodney a call. What ? No sweat bro...he's immortal.

@HighEliteMajor" If we have a pansy in the White House, ISIS will continue to grow."

Your words are way too kind.

@sfbahawk I'm curious, how old are you? I'm 49.

When I was about 30, I went into a little tirade about the new deal programs of the 30s, how they were unnecessary socialism, etc. My wife's great uncle listened, and told me that I had not lived through the depression. He was born in 1922. It made me appreciate a bit why Roosevelt took that path. Sure, some argue that World War II ultimately delivered us from the depression. It's debatable. But what isn't debatable is Roosevelt's leadership then, and through World War II. Roosevelt was a great leader. He inspired.

With Reagan, you have to understand the time and the context. We had been through the embarrassment of Watergate, the conclusion of Vietnam, and the Carter presidency. Interest rates were at 18% or in that territory. My folks had a mortgage at 13%. Economic conditions were horrible. The auto industry was in disarray and on the verge of collapse. The recession of 2008 didn't come close. But worse, there was a mass feeling of despair in this country unlike anything since the depression. But there was a different element. The Soviet Union was at its peak and it had invaded Afghanistan. Carter had considerably depleted our military and our world standing was embarrassing. Our very existence was in question. I recall my social studies teacher in 8th grad worrying out loud when Reagan got shot that it might be precursor to a nuclear attack. The Soviet's attacking was a very real fear. I remember a meeting at my school in 1979 and the discussion by the parents. It began as a PTO meeting, and transformed into a political discussion. The anxiety and despair of folks stuck with me.

Reagan came into office and changed all of that. You may want to mock him, and disrespectfully call him "Ronnie" -- that is truly a disservice to what he did for this nation, whether you agree with his politics, or not. I'd ask that you rethink that approach.

President Reagan did bring down the Soviet Union. He created conditions that led directly to their downfall. He had the confidence and conviction to call them for what they were -- a murderous and corrupt regime. Evil. He didn't mince words, he didn't back down. He demanded that the Berlin Wall be torn down. He targeted the hearts and minds of the Soviet bloc. He boldly implemented SDI, or "star wars", which was the trigger for significant increased in Soviet defense spending. Soviet era documents and information have supported that proposition pretty clearly. And very importantly, the Soviets feared him. Whether the Soviet Union would have fallen if Carter continued as president and won in 1980 is unknown of course. But i sure as heck would not have wanted to find out. In hindsight, I doubt most Americans would want to roll that dice.

The Soviet Union was the greatest threat to humanity in the latter half of the 20th century, certainly on par with the Nazis in the first half, and with more firepower. And they were defeated by boldness. The same way you beat the bully in the school yard. Great lessons there.

Reagan spoke eloquently about the greatness of America, the power of the individual, the value of hard work, and the need for uncompromising principles and values. He was a great leader. I kind of think we need a bit of that right now.

@HighEliteMajor
"Take no prisoner" - Reagan to the Soviet & Truman to Japan. What happened to our leaders? Obama declared ISIS was contained on Friday right before the Paris Attack. What planet is he from? Per dailymail.co.uk, "Jihadis sneaked into Europe as fake Syrian refugees: Killer's passport was used by 'migrant' who arrived in Greece just weeks ago". Do you think Barack the Brick now realizes why we need BORDERS? If he doesn't, he will get many of us Americans killed in our own soil.

@hawkmoon2020 What I find humorous/hypocritical is that you assume blame on the republicans and push our own agenda in the following comments,

If you want to stick to basketball, awesome. But don't stick to a passive aggressive comment how another conservative makes a point and you simply want to talk basketball while making a political statement. Stop it.

Talk politics. Talk basketball. But taking the "high road" then taking a job at a political party seems a bit weird, \

I agree it can seem hypocritical, but I tried to tone it down. Wish I would have taken the high road, and not input my little "zinger." You are correct, and my bad, but I do wish more here would take the high road too. I do get tired of all the "Liberal" bashing here on a "sports site," but my main point is this: When speaking about our political or religious beliefs, do we really have to throw out words like crazies, idiots, pansies, fools, dummies, nut-jobs, morons, a-holes, etc. to describe those we disagree with or don't like? I may defend my side, but I REALLY try not to be outright rude and disrespectful to my fellow Hawks.

Back to Basketball. Rock Chalk!!

@JhawkAlum said:

@hawkmoon2020 What I find humorous/hypocritical is that you assume blame on the republicans and push our own agenda in the following comments,

If you want to stick to basketball, awesome. But don't stick to a passive aggressive comment how another conservative makes a point and you simply want to talk basketball while making a political statement. Stop it.

Talk politics. Talk basketball. But taking the "high road" then taking a job at a political party seems a bit weird, \

PHOF !

@HighEliteMajor Yet another PHOF- Thank you for the crucial refresher in World History events. You are correct about real (simple) interest rates at 18%. Inflation was also at that same level, & revolving consumer interest, which was still governed by the "rule of 78's", was commonly in the ridiculous 30-33% range. I also recall how swiftly Mr Regan was re-elected in 84' because of his bold leadership. By the time I was able to get to my location to vote between 6-7 pm. the election was already a complete landslide & effectively over. He was the right leader at the precisely the correct moment in time. We are presently needing that "tenacious & bold" leader to emerge once again, but so many in our Nation do not have the acuity or periphery to realize or comprehend the urgency & magnitude of our Nation's dilemma, or the quandary of the World with relevance to evil that is continually spawning & morphing such terror with absolutely no regard to any human life. Apathy by such masses with special interests is something I have a very difficult time tolerating. JMO

I'm older than 49 and I can tell you that fear of nuclear war predated the Carter era.

Ever heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

What was new in the late '70s? Not fear, but the lack of pride in our country after years of demonstrations, loss of a war, Watergate, the Iran hostages, etc.

Reagan, among other things, was lucky: the Iran hostages were freed the day he was inaugurated, which belittled Carter and helped Reagan start afresh. The first space shuttle landed safely soon after, and pride began to swell in our breasts again - two things that Reagan didn't do, but inherited.

The French sometimes asked me what we Americans saw in Reagan. I always answered "he was the only President in my lifetime who, when he said 'I don't remember', we believed him."

I guess when you can't support the actions of your guy in the White House it becomes easier to attack the past than to deal with the present.

Wow, I log in to read about my favorite sports team and get this. I guess I would have been okay with an expression of horror at the recent events, I echo the emotion... but still that's not why I come here.

But then when it turned into yay Ronnie, boo Obama partisan politics... IMHO this is absolutely the wrong place to slam the beliefs of our fellow jayhawks regardless of their political leanings.

I can turn on any news media outlet and get that, I come here for the camaraderie of sharing one's views on college basketball. Take it somewhere else guys, please!

Without getting into partisan politics, we see what happened in France with their "open" borders, relatively speaking. We see a fellow western nation targeted because of their "western" lifestyle. If they counted on France to be "passive"...they counted wrong.

What is the appropriate response when your opponent professes nothing but ideological hate for you, and only wishes to kill you or your family or your countrymen? Do we turn the "other cheek"? Will we still be alive to be able to turn the other cheek? Do we lie down on the traintracks in Gandhi-style non-violent protest? I don't think the ISIS train conductor would stop the train, as by us laying down, his job to kill us just got easier. Or do we fight, in the classic borne-of-self-defense/unprovoked attack (like Pearl Harbor or 9/11)? Will America awaken? France just awakened, it appears.

Do not minimize the foe by calling him a coward, as he proves over and over that he is willing to die for his cause. These aren't people, they are monsters. You could also call ISIS pretty arrogant and grandiose, as they have succeeded in galvanizing one helluva coalition against themselves...(US+France+Britain+Germany+Russia+Israel, etc...).

Even the Pope called this a "3rd World War". There is 1 little, small, but inescapable fact from World War 1: the US wins it, ending it. And that small, sordid little reality of World War 2: the US is the only nation on earth to have used atomic weapons. Twice, as it was thought the only way to overcome the Japanese fanaticism...it did that indeed, and thus the US wins WW2, ending it.

Now we have WW3? Aka, "jihad"? Methinks mushroom clouds may END this little jihad, if they want to start one. Make the jihadi martyrs line up with fanatical fervor--> then quickly, efficiently, and totally show the entire world that Jihadist Lives Don't Matter (no matter how many line up).

Cinch-up that superpower helmet, folks! Its time. The world is too small a place to go run and hide. Plus, such behavior from us, just doesn't make us look good. SaveTheWorldAgain, Part 3...

ISIS is indoctrinating afghani children in the schools, showing beheading and torture videos to 4 year olds. There's a PBS special that will come out about it called ISIS in Afghanistan. It's incredibly sad. They're also offering almost 4 times the military salary (the military salary is not enough and not as reliable) , to people who will fight for them. The people who are conducting these attacks were 4 years old once. How can we stop this cycle of indoctrination? Part of what is needed is a strong Muslim anti terrorist voice. And yes we can provide military support, but I'm afraid this will take a long time to heal and the situation is far more complex than we can imagine.

@approxinfinity keep us posted, I'd like to see that. Awful!

@approxinfinity I've a family member that served 22 yrs in SEALS who's told of these very indoctrination a in many African & Mid East countries $ that it has gone on for decades. Never watched any videos & not sure I could, but just the knowledge of this should be enough to motivate one to be vigilant as possible in all walks of life. Even when I enter a restaraunt, bar or business I'm looking for an exit & never ever sit with my back to the main entry. Some of that is habit from getting in so many scrapes in bars as a kid.

Also it should give one a renewed & true respect for the special ops men & women that put it all on the line every day to protect us from the bad guys. They are nothing but pure evil.

@globaljaybird

I give thanks and prayers every day to our brave individuals that have chosen to serve our country. I come from a big military family and my God son is a Marine (currently) who will be stepping foot in Syria here in the coming weeks.

The pay sure doesn't match the hard work and risk of life these brave people face every day. We are always quick to take verbal jabs at our youth for not being willing to make sacrifices and work hard... but here are the fine examples of our youth who do!

@globaljaybird Also my nephew informed me that another extremely important element of the all about Allah Jihads is that they often pay their followers & nut case suicide bombers very well- with heavy doses of opium & heroin. Makes it easier to enter paradise I guess. What else do they have to look forward to? A full set of teeth & a new razor?

@ParisHawk 2 Reagan was lucky in the same way Obama could have been lucky...but different approach, different results.

@ParisHawk

The Iranians released the hostages the day Reagan was inaugurated because they knew that, unlike Carter, he would not have hesitated using force to free the hostages. Their choice was release the hostage or be sent to meet the virgins in heaven on short notice.

Much like Obama now, Carter had a wet noodle for a spine and when he finally decided to act, he tied the hands of the military and the ensuing rescue operation was a complete and utter disaster.

How about this gem by our leader in his statement after the Paris terrorist attack.

" I don’t want to speculate at this point in terms of who was responsible for this..."

This after it was widely reported by the press that the terrorists were yelling 'Allahu Akbar' and the President of France had already identified on the record the attackers as Islamic terrorists...

His press conference yesterday was an utter embarrassment and it likely encouraged Islamic terrorists to attack the US. I hate to say this but I am afraid that the next attack will be here, our homeland.

I respectfully disagree with your statement. I'm not defending Obama, just pointing out some facts. Here's another explanation of went down:

Behind Carter's back, the Reagan campaign worked out a deal with the leader of Iran's radical faction - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini - to keep the hostages in captivity until after the 1980 Presidential election.

This was nothing short of treason. The Reagan campaign's secret negotiations with Khomeini - the so-called "October Surprise" - sabotaged Carter and Bani-Sadr's attempts to free the hostages. And as Bani-Sadr told The Christian Science Monitor in March of this year, they most certainly "tipped the results of the [1980] election in Reagan's favor."

Not surprisingly, Iran released the hostages on January 20, 1981, at the exact moment Ronald Reagan was sworn into office.

The "October Surprise" emboldened the radical forces inside Iran. A politically weakened Bani-Sadr was overthrown in June of 1981 and replaced with Mohammed Ali Rajai - a favorite of Khomeini's. These radical forces today are represented by people like former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, hard-liners who oppose any deal with the United States and, like Khomeini in the 1980s, will jump at any chance to discredit the current moderate presidency of Hassan Rouhani.

The October Surprise also led to the deaths of thousands of innocent people around the world, and in Central America in particular. Reagan took money from the Iranians and used that money to kill nuns in Nicaragua.

@HighEliteMajor To answer your question I am 69 soon to be 70. Make of that what you will.

Has anything actually been accomplished in this thread other than ticking people off?

@Texas-Hawk-10 said:

Has anything actually been accomplished in this thread other than ticking people off?

EXACTLY WHY IT SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN POSTED HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

Can this thread be deleted entirely? It is useless here.

@hawkmoon2020 Daniel Ortega. Communist. Different era, different time.

@Lulufulu I respectfully disagree - I think it's quite useful to.identify ideologies of certain posters that we may or may not want to discuss ANYTHING with in the future. I do agree that it should've been under gen discussion, but I recall at least 2 rats posting here came after a couple of us on a gen disc thread abt a DOG once when someone made a joke abt global flippin warming...
A friggin JOKE! Lulu, Ive said it a hundred times- Some people have got something to say & some just have to say something. I fall into both categories cause the wife says I even talk in my damn sleep!!!! Take a deep breath & relax. If that doesn't do it, I'll pm a recipe later to ya when I get home . We got HOOPS tonight bro... Catch ya on da rebound if I don't get dunked.

@globaljaybird 🎶nobody says it better🎶

This isis thing is making me crazy! When I wake up all I can think about is isis, isis, isis! This discussion is going to give me PTSD and who the heck is going to pay for my treatment? We need to take this down before I go all crazy on my neighbor and beat my children! lol chill out Buckets! This is not the place to air out political views unless you are trying to poison our current body of posters! Lets put this post to bed! Quit posting here...

Jamari Traylor would kick ISIS's a**!

@hawkmoon2020 Your “October Surprise” is all conspiracy theory that no one has ever been able to prove. In fact, CNN, far from being a bastion of conservative ideals, didn’t even mention it in their “Six things you didn't know about the Iran hostage crisis” story. Fact is, Carter was told by the embassy staff if he allowed the Shah into the US the Iranians would take the embassy. Carter allowed the Shah into the US and Americans were taken hostage. The Iranians, even after a deal was brokered a month before Reagan’s inauguration, because they hated Carter so much they wouldn’t release the hostages while Carter was in office. Even Carter questions the so-called "October Surprise".

@hawkmoon2020

The so called October Surprise is the standard go to line by all that did not like Reagan...and yet there is no evidence whatsoever that it ever happened as described.