Top Ten Blunders of the Decade

madurobob · 21st December 2009, 11:11 AM

So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it.

Quote:

Every decade has its mistakes, of course, but one nice thing about the past 10 years' foibles, foul-ups and flubs is that so often they came with neat, two-word monikers, almost like keepsakes: "Wardrobe malfunction." "Mission Accomplished." "Balloon boy."

It goes on to list the top ten blunders:

SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff
Mission Accomplished
Obama Manhattan skyline photo op
Balloon Boy
O.J.'s "If I Did It"
Cheney's Hunting Accident
SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail"
Janet Jackson's nipple
Enron
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash"

Balloon boy? Really? Pluto Nash? Arrrggghhhh.... excuse me while I poke my eyes out with an olive fork...

I know, I know, I should cut them some slack. Trying to whittle all the worldwide stupidity over the last decade down to one list of ten items is a task doomed to failure from the outset. That being said - lets make our own top ten list!

What do you think should be on the list of top ten blunders of the decade (so far). And for the pedants among us, we'll define that decade as 01/01/2000 to 12/31/2009: The Aughts.

High on my list are:

Weak security protocols that made 9/11 that much easier to perpetrate
War in Iraq
McCain picks Palin
Patriots don't punt, lose to colts, Bob loses $25.

commandlinegamer · 21st December 2009, 11:15 AM

Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

madurobob · 21st December 2009, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

OK, I can accept that. The reaction was really, really stupid. The nipple itself - meh.

Eyeron · 21st December 2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

I've personally come to believe that Americans are prudish because of the influence of religion. Plus we're a bunch of control freaks.

theprestige · 21st December 2009, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by madurobob

So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it.

It goes on to list the top ten blunders:

SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff
Mission Accomplished
Obama Manhattan skyline photo op
Balloon Boy
O.J.'s "If I Did It"
Cheney's Hunting Accident
SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail"
Janet Jackson's nipple
Enron
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash"

Huh. If that's the list, I'd have to say the decade unfolded a lot more smoothly and successfully than I thought.

GreyICE · 21st December 2009, 11:46 AM

Very American list here from me, but lets roll.

Enron
Iraq
Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis
Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this.
9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it
Bhopal still not being cleaned up
The financial crisis and housing bubble
Madoff
Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure

Order these how you wish.

cwalner · 21st December 2009, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

I would propose the theory that Americans have no problems with boobs in general, just not on publc television, but cable is fine. This would also explain alot about cable news pundits.

varwoche · 21st December 2009, 11:52 AM

1. Iraq war
2. Re-electing Bush
3. Electing Bush

madurobob · 21st December 2009, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Very American list here from me, but lets roll.

Enron
Iraq
Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis
Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this.
9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it
Bhopal still not being cleaned up
The financial crisis and housing bubble
Madoff
Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure

Order these how you wish.

Your list mimics mine, but for Bhopal and Tsunamis. Not that I don't find them important - I just didn't think of them. I might also lump Madoff in with the financial crisis in general and call it extremely poor regulatory oversight.

But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view.

I Ratant · 21st December 2009, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

.
Yeah!
We elect so many of them!
Janet's, I'd love getting up close personal...

Cainkane1 · 21st December 2009, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by madurobob

So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it.

It goes on to list the top ten blunders:

SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff
Mission Accomplished
Obama Manhattan skyline photo op
Balloon Boy
O.J.'s "If I Did It"
Cheney's Hunting Accident
SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail"
Janet Jackson's nipple
Enron
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash"

Balloon boy? Really? Pluto Nash? Arrrggghhhh.... excuse me while I poke my eyes out with an olive fork...

I know, I know, I should cut them some slack. Trying to whittle all the worldwide stupidity over the last decade down to one list of ten items is a task doomed to failure from the outset. That being said - lets make our own top ten list!

What do you think should be on the list of top ten blunders of the decade (so far). And for the pedants among us, we'll define that decade as 01/01/2000 to 12/31/2009: The Aughts.

High on my list are:

Weak security protocols that made 9/11 that much easier to perpetrate
War in Iraq
McCain picks Palin
Patriots don't punt, lose to colts, Bob loses $25.

When the book "If I did it" was published O. J. lost the rights to the royalties and Goldman and Nicoles family got the money. The book was renamed "How I Did It." Its a bestseller.

Darth Rotor · 21st December 2009, 01:00 PM

Paul ****** Bremmer and firing the Iraqi Army and low level civil servants who happened to be low level Ba'athists.

Biggest screw up of the decade, in terms of its impact on the US, and on Iraq, where the intent (possibly QUixotic), after a quick little conflict, was to restore a more representative society.

Safe-Keeper · 21st December 2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Mission Accomplished

While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom. The carrier had been tasked with supporting the invasion portion of the OIF, and this mission had been accomplished. It was never the intention of the carrier crew that the banner be used as a backdrop for Bush's "we have won the war in Iraq" speech in the way that it was.

Quote:

Enron
Iraq
Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis
Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this.
9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it
Bhopal still not being cleaned up
The financial crisis and housing bubble
Madoff
Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure

Order these how you wish.

Surely none of those compare to a woman showing her nipple!!!1111

(sarcasm)

BenBurch · 21st December 2009, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Darth Rotor

Paul ****** Bremmer and firing the Iraqi Army and low level civil servants who happened to be low level Ba'athists.

Biggest screw up of the decade, in terms of its impact on the US, and on Iraq, where the intent (possibly QUixotic), after a quick little conflict, was to restore a more representative society.

Second ONLY to going in there in the first place.

Segnosaur · 21st December 2009, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis

Just out of curiosity, what exactly was the "blunder" here?

After all, there did seem to be limited options, none of which seemed to be decent:
- Military action (with the potential of many casulties)
- Appeasement/negotiations (with no guarantee that the country would abide by any agreements)
- Sanctions (which usually hurt the poor people without affecting those on top.)

So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight?

GreyICE · 21st December 2009, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by Segnosaur

Just out of curiosity, what exactly was the "blunder" here?

After all, there did seem to be limited options, none of which seemed to be decent:
- Military action (with the potential of many casulties)
- Appeasement/negotiations (with no guarantee that the country would abide by any agreements)
- Sanctions (which usually hurt the poor people without affecting those on top.)

So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight?

North Korea has no natural Uranium deposits.

Work that one out for a second. Oops?

madurobob · 21st December 2009, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom. The carrier had been tasked with supporting the invasion portion of the OIF, and this mission had been accomplished. It was never the intention of the carrier crew that the banner be used as a backdrop for Bush's "we have won the war in Iraq" speech in the way that it was.

Sure, its not the sailors who are to blame for the fiasco, its the administration. The blunder is not the existence of the banner, its the cynical exploitation of it.

daredelvis · 21st December 2009, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by madurobob

Your list mimics mine, but for Bhopal and Tsunamis. Not that I don't find them important - I just didn't think of them. I might also lump Madoff in with the financial crisis in general and call it extremely poor regulatory oversight.

But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view.

Credit default swaps dwarf Madoff.

Daredelvis

madurobob · 21st December 2009, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by daredelvis

Credit default swaps dwarf Madoff.

Daredelvis

No doubt. Madoff just put a public face on the unfolding scandals. Life is a lot easier if we have just one bad guy we can all recognize, instead of having to admit that its the unchecked greed inherent in the system that is the real driver.

Darth Rotor · 21st December 2009, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by BenBurch

Second ONLY to going in there in the first place.

Given "gonna do it," going out of one's way to set the conditions against success is the kind of blunder that leads to Vero versus Hannibal.

See also Joe Hooker at Chancellorsville. If you are gonna show up, don't be a screw up.

DR

GreyArea · 21st December 2009, 02:15 PM

I think GreyICE has a pretty good list.

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Enron ... Tsunami...
Order these how you wish.

But that looks like nine, GreyICE. You get one more!

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Very American list here from me, but lets roll.

Originally Posted by madurobob

But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view.

I'll add my voice to this chorus. What would be included by those of you outside the U.S. and the primarily-English-speaking world?

GreyArea · 21st December 2009, 02:17 PM

I think that we will be better able to see the greatest mistakes of this decade in another ten years. Which leads me to a variant question:

What major blunders in the Aughts might we see then that we are not recognizing now?

(Maybe I should start a new thread, about the blunders of the 1990's?)

In 2020, things like Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" will be closer to forgotten and farther from having an effect on anyone's lives. OJ Simpson's troubles, for example, never effected me or anyone I know and never will (and I have never understood why so many people were so obsessed with this hill of beans.)

On the other hand, the effects of the Iraq War and the financial crisis of 2007-2009, will still be reverberating even then. Perhaps not on front pages, but certainly in the lives of millions of people.

Cain · 21st December 2009, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This has always been a lame excuse. Bush's handlers were masters at staging and the whole spectacle was intended to play in re-election commercials. Who cares if the crew put it up? Bush's people consciously used it and got burned.

zooterkin · 21st December 2009, 02:32 PM

h

Originally Posted by cwalner

I would propose the theory that Americans have no problems with boobs in general, just not on publc television, but cable is fine. This would also explain alot about cable news pundits.

Freudian slip, or deliberate no 'L' in honour of the season?

ETA: Darn, it's the 'i' that's missing.

Eyeron · 21st December 2009, 02:43 PM

What about the bailout?

GlennB · 21st December 2009, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by GreyArea

I'll add my voice to this chorus. What would be included by those of you outside the U.S. and the primarily-English-speaking world?

It's a fair question, but a mistake by any other country would need to be mega-catastrophic to compare with a US screw-up. No disrespect intended to the US, it's just a question of proportions.

Leveraging potential mortgage defaults to many times their original value, then trading leveraged bundled insurance packages of the same must take the cake though (even if I only vaguely understand what really happened)

When the worldwide ********* who created the economic mess said "Give us back our bonuses or we'll work elsewhere", not saying "Off you go then. Wreak havoc on someone else's economy. Oh, and make an effort to pay some taxes while you're there"

Afghanistan. Nobody gains from warfare in Afghanistan, except the vultures and crows.

Guantanamo. Achieved precious little that was positive, but wrecked the US image world wide.

BenBurch · 21st December 2009, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by Darth Rotor

Given "gonna do it," going out of one's way to set the conditions against success is the kind of blunder that leads to Vero versus Hannibal.

See also Joe Hooker at Chancellorsville. If you are gonna show up, don't be a screw up.

DR

Agreed. If this had been handled correctly, we would still be there, and it would still be a suck on the treasury, but it would be an environment more like our presence in Germany.

Ohmer · 21st December 2009, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by madurobob

OK, I can accept that. The reaction was really, really stupid. The nipple itself - meh.

Yes. Really stupid. As I recall, this was the first broadcast where we were told every commercial break that an erection lasting more than four hours required immediate medical attention. I just about spilled my beer when I first heard that one. The nipple seems a bit tame by comparison.

Segnosaur · 21st December 2009, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Quote:

So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight?

North Korea has no natural Uranium deposits.

Work that one out for a second. Oops?

They don't?

From: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html
North Korea maintains uranium mines with an estimated four million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore. Information on the state and quality of their mines is lacking, but it is estimated that the ore contains approximately 0.8% extractable uranium.

cwalner · 21st December 2009, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by zooterkin

h

Freudian slip, or deliberate no 'L' in honour of the season?

I wi not te you if I eft the out intentionay

geni · 21st December 2009, 03:56 PM

Georgia getting involved with the South Ossetia war. has to be in the top ten.

Skeptical Greg · 21st December 2009, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Very American list here from me, but lets roll.

Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this.

Are you talking about the people who chose to live below sea level in hurricane alley ?I've got news for you .. They moved back in ...

What do you suggest we do to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again ?

Quote:

Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure

Order these how you wish.

More news for you on this one.

Warnings and infrastructure wouldn't have saved anyone's home...

And how was the tsunami disaster ' Very American ' ?

I Ratant · 21st December 2009, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by BenBurch

Agreed. If this had been handled correctly, we would still be there, and it would still be a suck on the treasury, but it would be an environment more like our presence in Germany.

.
Five years after WWII ended, our family, and a few thousand others with fathers in the military moved to Occupied Germany to live. Germany regained its status as a free country while we were there... 3 years in my case.
At no time were any American dependents at risk from any retaliations by bitter German insurgents.
Nine, and soon to be ten years after "Mission Accomplished" only someone totally insane would decide to move to Iraq and live there outside an extremely fortified compound.
We, OTOH, lived in a couple of houses in the cities of Kitzingen and Wurzburg, were free to move around the country on foot, by bicycle, bus, whatever, and frequently did so.
That such a situation will never occur in Iraq is a fallout of our disgraceful and criminal invasion of that country, which however f****d up it was, is hardly any better now.

NoZed Avenger · 21st December 2009, 04:32 PM

I bought a boat.

GreyICE · 21st December 2009, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Segnosaur

They don't?

From: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html
North Korea maintains uranium mines with an estimated four million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore. Information on the state and quality of their mines is lacking, but it is estimated that the ore contains approximately 0.8% extractable uranium.

Huh. I did some research and assumed they didn't have any when it didn't show up on most lists, but if that's true, I'm completely wrong. Interesting. Maybe it's because they don't export any?

alfaniner · 21st December 2009, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by varwoche

1. Iraq war
2. Re-electing Bush
3. Electing Bush

Those can be summed up in one word...

I.E., a name.

Denver · 21st December 2009, 04:46 PM

A couple things that come to mind for the past decade:

- Y2K panic
- Hanging chads
- Windows ME
- Katrina response

I Ratant · 21st December 2009, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by GreyICE

Huh. I did some research and assumed they didn't have any when it didn't show up on most lists, but if that's true, I'm completely wrong. Interesting. Maybe it's because they don't export any?

.
They haven't yet, but when they get it into fissionable form, I bet they will!

bpesta22 · 21st December 2009, 07:49 PM

This forum's been around almost the whole decade-- what are the top 10 forum blunders / dumbest posts, whatever?

Mercutio · 21st December 2009, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by bpesta22

This forum's been around almost the whole decade-- what are the top 10 forum blunders / dumbest posts, whatever?

My guess is we will only be able to come up with 97% of them.

21st December 2009, 11:11 AM	#1
madurobob Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Blue Heaven, NC Posts: 5,519	Top Ten Blunders of the Decade So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it. Quote: Every decade has its mistakes, of course, but one nice thing about the past 10 years' foibles, foul-ups and flubs is that so often they came with neat, two-word monikers, almost like keepsakes: "Wardrobe malfunction." "Mission Accomplished." "Balloon boy." It goes on to list the top ten blunders: SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff Mission Accomplished Obama Manhattan skyline photo op Balloon Boy O.J.'s "If I Did It" Cheney's Hunting Accident SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Janet Jackson's nipple Enron "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" Balloon boy? Really? Pluto Nash? Arrrggghhhh.... excuse me while I poke my eyes out with an olive fork... I know, I know, I should cut them some slack. Trying to whittle all the worldwide stupidity over the last decade down to one list of ten items is a task doomed to failure from the outset. That being said - lets make our own top ten list! What do you think should be on the list of top ten blunders of the decade (so far). And for the pedants among us, we'll define that decade as 01/01/2000 to 12/31/2009: The Aughts. High on my list are: Weak security protocols that made 9/11 that much easier to perpetrate War in Iraq McCain picks Palin Patriots don't punt, lose to colts, Bob loses $25.
	__________________ Insert witty phrase or out of context post by another member here.

21st December 2009, 11:21 AM	#3
madurobob Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Blue Heaven, NC Posts: 5,519	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies? OK, I can accept that. The reaction was really, really stupid. The nipple itself - meh.
	__________________ Insert witty phrase or out of context post by another member here.

21st December 2009, 11:29 AM	#4
Eyeron Guest Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,774	Quote: Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies? I've personally come to believe that Americans are prudish because of the influence of religion. Plus we're a bunch of control freaks.
Eyeron Guest Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,774

21st December 2009, 11:32 AM	#5
theprestige Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 8,569	Originally Posted by madurobob So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it. It goes on to list the top ten blunders: SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff Mission Accomplished Obama Manhattan skyline photo op Balloon Boy O.J.'s "If I Did It" Cheney's Hunting Accident SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Janet Jackson's nipple Enron "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" Huh. If that's the list, I'd have to say the decade unfolded a lot more smoothly and successfully than I thought.
theprestige Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 8,569

21st December 2009, 11:46 AM	#6
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173	Very American list here from me, but lets roll. Enron Iraq Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this. 9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it Bhopal still not being cleaned up The financial crisis and housing bubble Madoff Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure Order these how you wish.
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173

21st December 2009, 11:15 AM	#2
commandlinegamer Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mazes of Menace Posts: 5,889	Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies?

21st December 2009, 11:48 AM	#7
cwalner Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Deepest Darkest Indiana Posts: 5,693	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies? I would propose the theory that Americans have no problems with boobs in general, just not on publc television, but cable is fine. This would also explain alot about cable news pundits.
	__________________ Vecini - Inconceivable! Inigo - You keep on using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

21st December 2009, 11:52 AM	#8
varwoche Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Puget Sound Posts: 7,228	1. Iraq war 2. Re-electing Bush 3. Electing Bush
	__________________ To survive election season on a skeptics forum, one must understand Hymie-the-Robot (and/or Fat Jack)

21st December 2009, 12:00 PM	#9
madurobob Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Blue Heaven, NC Posts: 5,519	Originally Posted by GreyICE Very American list here from me, but lets roll. Enron Iraq Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this. 9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it Bhopal still not being cleaned up The financial crisis and housing bubble Madoff Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure Order these how you wish. Your list mimics mine, but for Bhopal and Tsunamis. Not that I don't find them important - I just didn't think of them. I might also lump Madoff in with the financial crisis in general and call it extremely poor regulatory oversight. But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view.
	__________________ Insert witty phrase or out of context post by another member here.

21st December 2009, 12:08 PM	#10
I Ratant Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15,305	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer Janet Jackson's nipple is a candidate, not for what she and Timbo did but for the reaction to it. What is it Americans have against boobies? . Yeah! We elect so many of them! Janet's, I'd love getting up close personal...

21st December 2009, 12:10 PM	#11
Cainkane1 Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The great American southeast Posts: 7,191	Originally Posted by madurobob So I was perusing the local news this morning and bumped into a story with the title "top-10 blunders of decade". I knew I shouldn't click on it. I knew it would be painful. Of course I clicked on it. It goes on to list the top ten blunders: SEC ignoring Bernie Madoff Mission Accomplished Obama Manhattan skyline photo op Balloon Boy O.J.'s "If I Did It" Cheney's Hunting Accident SC Governor "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Janet Jackson's nipple Enron "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" Balloon boy? Really? Pluto Nash? Arrrggghhhh.... excuse me while I poke my eyes out with an olive fork... I know, I know, I should cut them some slack. Trying to whittle all the worldwide stupidity over the last decade down to one list of ten items is a task doomed to failure from the outset. That being said - lets make our own top ten list! What do you think should be on the list of top ten blunders of the decade (so far). And for the pedants among us, we'll define that decade as 01/01/2000 to 12/31/2009: The Aughts. High on my list are: Weak security protocols that made 9/11 that much easier to perpetrate War in Iraq McCain picks Palin Patriots don't punt, lose to colts, Bob loses $25. When the book "If I did it" was published O. J. lost the rights to the royalties and Goldman and Nicoles family got the money. The book was renamed "How I Did It." Its a bestseller.
	__________________ If at first you don't succeed try try again. Then if you fail to succeed to Hell with that. Try something else.

21st December 2009, 01:00 PM	#12
Darth Rotor Salted Sith Cynic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rat cheer Posts: 34,261	Paul ****** Bremmer and firing the Iraqi Army and low level civil servants who happened to be low level Ba'athists. Biggest screw up of the decade, in terms of its impact on the US, and on Iraq, where the intent (possibly QUixotic), after a quick little conflict, was to restore a more representative society.
	__________________ Helicopters don't so much fly as beat the air into submission. "Jesus wept, but did He laugh?"--F.H. Buckley____"There is one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth ... His mirth." --Chesterton__"If the barbarian in us is excised, so is our humanity."--D'rok__ "I only use my gun whenever kindness fails."-- Robert Earl Keen__"Sturgeon spares none.". -- The Marquis

21st December 2009, 01:09 PM	#13
Safe-Keeper Philosopher Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sogndal, Norway Posts: 7,123	Quote: Mission Accomplished While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom. The carrier had been tasked with supporting the invasion portion of the OIF, and this mission had been accomplished. It was never the intention of the carrier crew that the banner be used as a backdrop for Bush's "we have won the war in Iraq" speech in the way that it was. Quote: Enron Iraq Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this. 9/11, and the intelligence and security breakdown that lead to it Bhopal still not being cleaned up The financial crisis and housing bubble Madoff Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure Order these how you wish. Surely none of those compare to a woman showing her nipple!!!1111 (sarcasm)

21st December 2009, 01:13 PM	#14
BenBurch Gatekeeper of The Left Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Universe 35.2 ms ahead of this one. Posts: 32,091	Originally Posted by Darth Rotor Paul ****** Bremmer and firing the Iraqi Army and low level civil servants who happened to be low level Ba'athists. Biggest screw up of the decade, in terms of its impact on the US, and on Iraq, where the intent (possibly QUixotic), after a quick little conflict, was to restore a more representative society. Second ONLY to going in there in the first place.
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21st December 2009, 01:40 PM	#15
Segnosaur Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 6,072	Originally Posted by GreyICE Kim Jong Il and the nuclear weapons crisis Just out of curiosity, what exactly was the "blunder" here? After all, there did seem to be limited options, none of which seemed to be decent: - Military action (with the potential of many casulties) - Appeasement/negotiations (with no guarantee that the country would abide by any agreements) - Sanctions (which usually hurt the poor people without affecting those on top.) So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight?
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21st December 2009, 01:45 PM	#16
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173	Originally Posted by Segnosaur Just out of curiosity, what exactly was the "blunder" here? After all, there did seem to be limited options, none of which seemed to be decent: - Military action (with the potential of many casulties) - Appeasement/negotiations (with no guarantee that the country would abide by any agreements) - Sanctions (which usually hurt the poor people without affecting those on top.) So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight? North Korea has no natural Uranium deposits. Work that one out for a second. Oops?
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21st December 2009, 01:48 PM	#17
madurobob Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Blue Heaven, NC Posts: 5,519	Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom. The carrier had been tasked with supporting the invasion portion of the OIF, and this mission had been accomplished. It was never the intention of the carrier crew that the banner be used as a backdrop for Bush's "we have won the war in Iraq" speech in the way that it was. Sure, its not the sailors who are to blame for the fiasco, its the administration. The blunder is not the existence of the banner, its the cynical exploitation of it.
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21st December 2009, 02:01 PM	#18
daredelvis Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Houston Posts: 1,865	Originally Posted by madurobob Your list mimics mine, but for Bhopal and Tsunamis. Not that I don't find them important - I just didn't think of them. I might also lump Madoff in with the financial crisis in general and call it extremely poor regulatory oversight. But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view. Credit default swaps dwarf Madoff. Daredelvis
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21st December 2009, 02:11 PM	#19
madurobob Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Blue Heaven, NC Posts: 5,519	Originally Posted by daredelvis Credit default swaps dwarf Madoff. Daredelvis No doubt. Madoff just put a public face on the unfolding scandals. Life is a lot easier if we have just one bad guy we can all recognize, instead of having to admit that its the unchecked greed inherent in the system that is the real driver.
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21st December 2009, 02:14 PM	#20
Darth Rotor Salted Sith Cynic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Rat cheer Posts: 34,261	Originally Posted by BenBurch Second ONLY to going in there in the first place. Given "gonna do it," going out of one's way to set the conditions against success is the kind of blunder that leads to Vero versus Hannibal. See also Joe Hooker at Chancellorsville. If you are gonna show up, don't be a screw up. DR
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21st December 2009, 02:15 PM	#21
GreyArea Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,000	I think GreyICE has a pretty good list. Originally Posted by GreyICE Enron ... Tsunami... Order these how you wish. But that looks like nine, GreyICE. You get one more! Originally Posted by GreyICE Very American list here from me, but lets roll. Originally Posted by madurobob But, I agree it seems a bit US-centric. That's one of the reasons I started this thread - to get a broader view. I'll add my voice to this chorus. What would be included by those of you outside the U.S. and the primarily-English-speaking world?

21st December 2009, 02:17 PM	#22
GreyArea Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,000	I think that we will be better able to see the greatest mistakes of this decade in another ten years. Which leads me to a variant question: What major blunders in the Aughts might we see then that we are not recognizing now? (Maybe I should start a new thread, about the blunders of the 1990's?) In 2020, things like Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" will be closer to forgotten and farther from having an effect on anyone's lives. OJ Simpson's troubles, for example, never effected me or anyone I know and never will (and I have never understood why so many people were so obsessed with this hill of beans.) On the other hand, the effects of the Iraq War and the financial crisis of 2007-2009, will still be reverberating even then. Perhaps not on front pages, but certainly in the lives of millions of people.

21st December 2009, 02:22 PM	#23
Cain Straussian Join Date: May 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,933	Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper While the list is fairly... stupid in and of itself and probably shouldn't be taken very seriously, it's worth noting that the "Mission Accomplished" banner referred to the aircraft carrier's mission, not Operation Iraqi Freedom. This has always been a lame excuse. Bush's handlers were masters at staging and the whole spectacle was intended to play in re-election commercials. Who cares if the crew put it up? Bush's people consciously used it and got burned.
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21st December 2009, 02:32 PM	#24
zooterkin Nitpicking dilettante Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Berkshire, mostly Posts: 24,556	h Originally Posted by cwalner I would propose the theory that Americans have no problems with boobs in general, just not on publc television, but cable is fine. This would also explain alot about cable news pundits. Freudian slip, or deliberate no 'L' in honour of the season? ETA: Darn, it's the 'i' that's missing.
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21st December 2009, 02:43 PM	#25
Eyeron Guest Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,774	What about the bailout?
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21st December 2009, 02:44 PM	#26
GlennB Jellied eel and offal fancier Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arcadia Posts: 8,925	Originally Posted by GreyArea I'll add my voice to this chorus. What would be included by those of you outside the U.S. and the primarily-English-speaking world? It's a fair question, but a mistake by any other country would need to be mega-catastrophic to compare with a US screw-up. No disrespect intended to the US, it's just a question of proportions. Leveraging potential mortgage defaults to many times their original value, then trading leveraged bundled insurance packages of the same must take the cake though (even if I only vaguely understand what really happened) When the worldwide ******* who created the economic mess said "Give us back our bonuses or we'll work elsewhere", not** saying "Off you go then. Wreak havoc on someone else's economy. Oh, and make an effort to pay some taxes while you're there" Afghanistan. Nobody gains from warfare in Afghanistan, except the vultures and crows. Guantanamo. Achieved precious little that was positive, but wrecked the US image world wide.

21st December 2009, 03:02 PM	#27
BenBurch Gatekeeper of The Left Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Universe 35.2 ms ahead of this one. Posts: 32,091	Originally Posted by Darth Rotor Given "gonna do it," going out of one's way to set the conditions against success is the kind of blunder that leads to Vero versus Hannibal. See also Joe Hooker at Chancellorsville. If you are gonna show up, don't be a screw up. DR Agreed. If this had been handled correctly, we would still be there, and it would still be a suck on the treasury, but it would be an environment more like our presence in Germany.
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21st December 2009, 03:40 PM	#28
Ohmer Muse Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Portland Oregon Posts: 678	Originally Posted by madurobob OK, I can accept that. The reaction was really, really stupid. The nipple itself - meh. Yes. Really stupid. As I recall, this was the first broadcast where we were told every commercial break that an erection lasting more than four hours required immediate medical attention. I just about spilled my beer when I first heard that one. The nipple seems a bit tame by comparison.

21st December 2009, 03:45 PM	#29
Segnosaur Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 6,072	Originally Posted by GreyICE Quote: So where exactly did the U.S. (or the rest of the world) "blunder"? What actions did they take that made no sense, either at the time, or in hindsight? North Korea has no natural Uranium deposits. Work that one out for a second. Oops? They don't? From: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html North Korea maintains uranium mines with an estimated four million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore. Information on the state and quality of their mines is lacking, but it is estimated that the ore contains approximately 0.8% extractable uranium.
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21st December 2009, 03:49 PM	#30
cwalner Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Deepest Darkest Indiana Posts: 5,693	Originally Posted by zooterkin h Freudian slip, or deliberate no 'L' in honour of the season? I wi not te you if I eft the out intentionay
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21st December 2009, 03:56 PM	#31
geni Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: UK Posts: 26,561	Georgia getting involved with the South Ossetia war. has to be in the top ten.

21st December 2009, 03:59 PM	#32
Skeptical Greg Agave Wine Connoisseur Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Just past 'Resume Speed' Posts: 12,873	Originally Posted by GreyICE Very American list here from me, but lets roll. Hurricane Katrina. Basically everything related to this. Are you talking about the people who chose to live below sea level in hurricane alley ?I've got news for you .. They moved back in ... What do you suggest we do to prevent a similar disaster from occurring again ? Quote: Tsunamis killing hundreds of thousands, millions more being homeless, thanks to really lousy warning systems and bad infrastructure Order these how you wish. More news for you on this one. Warnings and infrastructure wouldn't have saved anyone's home... And how was the tsunami disaster ' Very American ' ?
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21st December 2009, 04:21 PM	#33
I Ratant Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15,305	Originally Posted by BenBurch Agreed. If this had been handled correctly, we would still be there, and it would still be a suck on the treasury, but it would be an environment more like our presence in Germany. . Five years after WWII ended, our family, and a few thousand others with fathers in the military moved to Occupied Germany to live. Germany regained its status as a free country while we were there... 3 years in my case. At no time were any American dependents at risk from any retaliations by bitter German insurgents. Nine, and soon to be ten years after "Mission Accomplished" only someone totally insane would decide to move to Iraq and live there outside an extremely fortified compound. We, OTOH, lived in a couple of houses in the cities of Kitzingen and Wurzburg, were free to move around the country on foot, by bicycle, bus, whatever, and frequently did so. That such a situation will never occur in Iraq is a fallout of our disgraceful and criminal invasion of that country, which however f****d up it was, is hardly any better now.

21st December 2009, 04:32 PM	#34
NoZed Avenger Bitter Whiner Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 11,313	I bought a boat.

21st December 2009, 04:41 PM	#35
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173	Originally Posted by Segnosaur They don't? From: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/dprk/nuke/index.html North Korea maintains uranium mines with an estimated four million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore. Information on the state and quality of their mines is lacking, but it is estimated that the ore contains approximately 0.8% extractable uranium. Huh. I did some research and assumed they didn't have any when it didn't show up on most lists, but if that's true, I'm completely wrong. Interesting. Maybe it's because they don't export any?
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173