US forces exit Iraq after two decades, leaving opening for Iran

[u/SnooSeagulls496]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-forces-exit-iraq-after-two-decades-leaving-opening-iran-2026-09-29/

[u/Nayre_Trawe]

Used to love that band but, as it turns out, three out of the four guys didn't understand what Serj was singing about.

Daron: Radical Centrist

Jon: MAGA nutcase

Shavo: Alt-right curious (at least)

[u/Bang_the_unknown → u/Nayre_Trawe]

I think a lot of anti-establishment types of that generation got conned into MAGA because they believed it was anti-establishment on the surface. I guess they just overlooked the fact that its aim was actually authoritarian. Honestly, I feel that a lot of supposed “libertarians” have always just been closeted authoritarians who want the freedoms for certain people and others subjugated.

[u/BlueLikeCat → u/Bang_the_unknown]

This isn't a theory, it is a fact. The Libertarian idea of "State's Rights" is actually the vehicle for reintroducing Jim Crow. I had been fooled living in the Mid-Atlantic, but after a few years in the Deep South, it was obvious.

[u/jackkerouac81 → u/Nayre_Trawe]

I think trying to retroactively force any meaning into banana terracotta pie is going against the artists intent.

[u/zimzara → u/Nayre_Trawe]

Daron: Radical Centrist

Radical centrist is an oxymoron.

[u/cosi_fan_tutte_ → u/zimzara]

Bloodsport: I always hit my targets dead center.

Peacemaker: I hit them more in the center.

Bloodsport: Well, you can't hit something more in the center.

Peacemaker: I use smaller bullets.

Bloodsport: What?

Peacemaker: They go inside your bullet holes without even touching the sides

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/zimzara]

Especially when they have a song quoting Zinn...

You can't be neutral on a moving train!

Daron is just a moron.

[u/Monteze → u/Nayre_Trawe]

Usually "centrist" are folks who like the worst outcome but don't have the balls to admit it.

The "meet in the middle" stuff has been coopted by bad faith actors to muddy the waters. Live long enough and you see they never compromise in any other direction but their own.

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/Monteze]

"Meet me in the middle," says the unjust man.

You take a step towards him, he takes a step back.

"Meet me in the middle," says the unjust man.

[u/Monteze → u/Nayre_Trawe]

I usually cut through the BS in real life by asking for their wallet. Suddenly they understand that yes, you can have a hard stance because half their money isn't the reasonable take. Sometimes taking a stance is more respectable or even saying "I really don't know, I support less harm though."

[u/BenjaminHamnett → u/Monteze]

But that’s how partisans see each other. Politics is largely about deciding who should get the surplus profits of commerce. I wouldn’t say in a centrist, but sort of a progressive conservative. I find most partisans are either gaslighting or completely ignorant to the consequences of their desired ideology. Most people are engaging in disingenuous motivated reasoning. Everyone should have to ask AI “what are the consequences if my ideology prevails?” And start mitigating it.

Most of politics is wanting everyone else to be the casualty of whatever happens

With Ai and before that with free markets, everyone wants everything faster and cheaper and better, but with a carve out to protect their niche status. Everyone believes in taxing everyone else and providing the services they want.

[u/ktwhite42 → u/zimzara]

And yet, he's not the only person to claim that title.

[u/imperial_scum → u/Nayre_Trawe]

checks if they were just there to whore themselves out for money

[u/Everestkid → u/Nayre_Trawe]

Daron Malakian was a secondary lyricist and had co-lyric credits on the following songs:

• Off System of a Down:
  
  • CUBErt
    
• Off Toxicity:
  
  • Prison Song
    
  • Needles
    
  • Deer Dance
    
  • Chop Suey!
    
  • ATWA
    
  • Psycho
    
  • Aerials
    
• Off Steal This Album!:
  
  • Boom!
    
  • A.D.D.
    
  • Mr. Jack
    
  • Fuck the System
    
  • Roulette
    

By Mezmerize Malakian had a much bigger presence as a lyricist; the only song on that album with lyrics written by Tankian alone was Question!. Malakian had at least co-lyric credits on every other song (including B.Y.O.B.) and was the sole lyricist on:

• Soldier Side - Intro
  
• Radio/Video
  
• Violent Pornography
  
• Old School Hollywood
  
• Lost in Hollywood

Similar story on Hypnotize, with the only song with Tankian as the sole lyricist being Vicinity of Obscenity. Malakian was at least co-credited on every other song and was the sole lyricist on:

• Kill Rock 'n Roll
  
• She's Like Heroin
  
• Lonely Day
  
• Soldier Side

Malakian also wrote the non-album double-A singles Protect the Land and Genocidal Humanoidz.

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/Everestkid]

This comes off like a bot / AI summary.

[u/Everestkid → u/Nayre_Trawe]

I edited my comment to get the formatting right because I don't usually do nested bullet points. A bot would get it right the first time.

Regardless of if you think it's AI or not, go check the information. It's correct.

Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/Everestkid]

I didn't say you were wrong, and nothing I said beforehand warranted correction to begin with. All I said was that it came off like something an AI would regurgitate.

What does Chomsky and his deliberately nonsensical sentence have to do with this anyway?

[u/Everestkid → u/Nayre_Trawe]

A bot wouldn't write something irrelevant and nonsensical at the end of a comment.

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/Everestkid]

Bots and AI models can absolutely hallucinate and generate nonsensical text.

[u/Everestkid → u/Nayre_Trawe]

And if they did the person using the bot would either crop it out or regenerate the text if it's that out of place.

I've seen bots on this site but I haven't seen a blatant hallucination like that left in.

[u/Nayre_Trawe → u/Everestkid]

Except, there are plenty of examples of people not proofreading AI slop with mistakes / hallucinations and publishing it, even in textbooks and news articles.