What if the shutdown were happening in another country?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What if the shutdown were happening in another country?

By Joshua Keating

WASHINGTON

The typical signs of state failure aren't evident on the streets of this sleepy capital city. Beret-wearing colonels have not yet taken to the airwaves to declare martial law. Money-changers are not yet buying stacks of useless greenbacks on the street.

But the pleasant autumn weather disguises a government teetering on the brink. Because, at midnight Monday night, the government of this intensely proud and nationalistic people shut down, a drastic sign of political dysfunction in this moribund republic.

The capital's rival clans find themselves at an impasse, unable to agree on a measure that will allow the American state to carry out its most basic functions. While the factions have come close to such a shutdown before, opponents of President Barack Obama's embattled regime allowed the government to be shuttered over opposition to a controversial plan intended to bring the nation's health care system in line with international standards.

Six years into his rule, Obama's position can appear confusing, even contradictory. Though the executive retains control of the country's powerful intelligence service, capable of the extrajudicial execution of the regime's opponents half a world away, the president's efforts to govern domestically have been stymied in the legislature by an extremist rump faction of the main opposition party.

The current rebellion has been led by Sen. Ted Cruz, a young fundamentalist lawmaker from the restive Texas region, known in the past as a hotbed of separatist activity. Activity in the legislature ground to a halt last week for a full day as Cruz insisted on performing a time-honored American demonstration of stamina and self-denial, which involved speaking for 21 hours, quoting liberally from science fiction films and children's books. The gesture drew wide media attention, though its political purpose was unclear to outsiders.

When only a few hours remained before the government of the world's richest nation ran out of money, attention focused on longtime opposition leader John Boehner, under pressure from both the regime and the radical elements of his own movement, who was thought to be the only political figure with the standing needed to end the standoff.

While the country's most recent elections were generally considered to be free and fair (despite threats against international observers), the current crisis has raised questions in the international community about the regime's ability to govern this complex nation of 300 million people, not to mention its vast stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

Americans themselves are starting to ask difficult questions as well. As this correspondent's cab driver put it, while driving down the poorly maintained roads that lead from the airport, "Do these guys have any idea what they're doing to the country?"

[Teddy B 17,252]

I have a feeling the gun aficionados will be scarce for a while, they're all locked 7 loaded in their bunkers.

Slim is at Defcon 1.

Readiness condition Exercise term Description Readiness Color

DEFCON 1 COCKED PISTOL Nuclear war is imminent Maximum readiness (Color White)

White DEFCON 2 FAST PACE Next step to nuclear war Armed Forces ready to deploy and engage in less than 6 hours

Red

DEFCON 3 ROUND HOUSE Increase in force readiness above that required for normal readiness Air Force ready to mobilize in 15 minutes Yellow

DEFCON 4 DOUBLE TAKE Increased intelligence watch and strengthened security measures Above normal readiness

Green

DEFCON 5 FADE OUT Lowest state of readiness Normal readiness Blue

Edited October 2, 2013 by Teddy B

[mota bhai 2,675]

America is a failed state. Not because we're overrun by Islamist militia or drug cartels but because we're overrun by lawyers and pimps.

[Teddy B 17,252]

America is a failed state. Not because we're overrun by Islamist militia or drug cartels but because we're overrun by lawyers and pimps.

[mota bhai 2,675]

And that.

[decocker 7,198]

yeah that hat really doesn't fit him well. pimp style must flow properly.

[RGinWA 816]

It's like the Right pines for chaos...so much they need to create crisis.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It's like the Right pines for chaos...so much they need to create crisis.

It's how they operate. They manufacture a potential default crisis causing the US to lose its tripple A credit rating to then turn around and complain that the US has lost its triple A credit rating. Then they shut down the federal government and turn around to complain about the impact of the federal government having been shut down. They create uncertainty thereby stifling economic growth and then turn around to complain about slow economic growth that's largely due to the very uncertainty they are purposely creating.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Then i guess Obama would threaten action, stumble,.say he does not need congress, ask congress,

then just when he screws it up so bad, he would get Putin to fix it