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Ms. Yertle

Ms. Yertle's Journal
Ms. Yertle's Journal
November 15, 2015

NATO & the attacks in France

I've been seeing a lot of stuff speculating that France could invoke Article 5, which states that an attack on a member nation is an attack on all.

http://www.ibtimes.com/paris-terror-attacks-france-could-invoke-nato-collective-defense-clause-2184963
The defense clause of NATO’s founding treaty stipulates that if invoked, each of the members will assist the party attacked. NATO’s military resources include more than 3 million troops under arms, 25,000 aircraft and 800 oceangoing warships, according to Foreign Policy. Economically, the alliance is also an intimidating force, representing more than 50 percent of global GDP.

This country clearly has no appetite for war. What happens if we politely decline? Would NATO fall apart? Is there a reason why we should care if it does?

(I know nothing about the source--it was just the first article that came up when I did a Google search, so my apologies if it's a RWNJ article.)
October 8, 2015

Question about the Speakership

Sounds like anyone can be Speaker, if they can get the votes.

Any chance that there will be two R candidates to split the R votes, allowing a D to become Speaker again?

August 31, 2015

"You're one of us now"

(snip) It had been a decade since they arrived in Nebraska, a state they had known nothing about until Hurricane Katrina stripped their New Orleans home down to its floorboards on Aug. 29, 2005. They had traveled with their five children to shelters, church basements and an overcrowded motel, where one day a FEMA official announced that a church in Nebraska was offering to sponsor a family and asked whether anyone wanted to go. Nine hours later, they were on their way to the airport, a family of seven with a single carry-on bag and no idea where they were headed. They landed in Omaha, where the streets were wide and quiet; and then they were driven into the surrounding farmland, which started to smell of manure; and then they came into tiny Nebraska City, which at least had a Wal-Mart; and then they continued through 25 more miles of absolute emptiness until they arrived at what looked like nothing more than a junction in the road. One bar. Two gas stations. A main street of vacated shops and a squat municipal building decorated with a freshly painted sign. “Welcome Home Katrina Evacuees!” it read.

The town of Auburn, population 3,200, had provided them with a car, a four-bedroom house, job leads and free medical checkups. The Ladies Club stopped by with homemade casseroles. Goodwill delivered jeans and pearl-snap shirts.

“You’re one of us now,” a city councilman had written to them, even though no one else in Auburn was black, Southern, urban and poor. “We’re a close community that leaves no one behind in a time of need. You’ll be taken care of here.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/08/29/youre-one-of-us-now/

Really, really sad situation. The people of the town had very good intentions, but no real clear idea of how much help this family would need long-term.

The only bright spot is that their daughter is doing very well.
April 27, 2015

Baltimore

One officer "unresponsive." This won't end well.

April 8, 2015

True article about Wisconsin Badgers

http://www.buzzfeed.com/bobmarshall/23-reasons-the-wisconsin-badgers-still-won-the-ncaa-tourname?bffb&utm_term=4ldqpgp#.wnrbA20Xe

23 Reasons The Wisconsin Badgers Still Won The NCAA Tournament
U-rah-rah Wisconsin! Praise to thee we sing!

posted on April 7, 2015, at 4:30 p.m.
Bob Marshall
Bob Marshall
BuzzFeed Staff
Tweet
1. Because the Badgers were already champions before the tournament started.
Because the Badgers were already champions before the tournament started.
Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
A regular season school record for wins. Big Ten champions. Big Ten Tournament Champions. It was already one of the greatest seasons in UW history.

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Member since: Sun Apr 5, 2015, 05:12 PM
Number of posts: 466
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