Posts by Steven Allen9

Kevin Hernandez2 said:Who else fought the occupiers during WWII? Was there anyone besides the partisans?

Personally, I don't see the point in using "national liberation" terminology when half the people didn't even want to be liberated.
Honestly, even the term "partisan" is fuzzy to me. Where did it come from? Who coined it first? We can only guess. It probably stems from the party structure—party members eventually just became "partisans."

Whatever. To me, anyone holding a gun who refused to recognize the Third Reich's aggression is legitimate—especially those who saw through the betrayal of handing over our land to Italy under Pavelić. That was a blatant sellout of national interests.
The Anti-fascist Army of America (AVH), linked through the AFB, wouldn't recognize that April regime because it wasn't a free state; it was just a one-party setup designed to build up an untouchable leader.
The Communists basically swindled their way into power. They committed a crime against the very freedom of the people who had been bleeding for years, not to mention their brutal crackdown on anyone labeled a "class enemy."

The Communists were just one piece of the AFB. Unfortunately, they were highly organized, so it makes sense they ended up grabbing the reins.
A free individual loyal to their home and blood didn't necessarily have a problem with people who thought differently. What they had a problem with was the arson, the killing, the slaughter, and the forced removals by a lawless regime running on a twisted ideology where one race rules and everyone else works themselves to death.

Alex Scott5 said:Nonsense, trivialities, and myths aren't just our problem; they exist everywhere. Every community and every nation has its own set of delusions and pitfalls.
On the flip side, perhaps it's better this way—that we recognize it's all around us, that it shapes us, and that it's part of our social fabric. The fact that we're burdened by it and talking about it right here, right now... myths and foolishness don't just exist in North Korea. Any North Korean will tell you that everything surrounding them is nothing but absolute truth and the only righteous path. 😁

It's more than just a matter regarding a minority...
Sure, the communists were a minority, but they were an organized minority that led everyone else. Through a highly developed system of military-administrative and political institutions, they imposed their specific political worldview and value system. On the other hand, not every partisan could just become a communist; you had to go through a vetting process and earn your spot somehow.
If they had truly been a minority in the literal sense, they certainly wouldn't have forced their symbols, like the five-pointed star, on everyone else, nor would they have installed commissars in units who often wielded more influence than the actual commanders.
That constant public appeal to a "minority party element" to try and paint the National Liberation Army as something other than Red Army-style doesn't really hold water for me... The Communist Party of America was the ultimate authority, while groups like the JNOF or the youth organizations were essentially just useful appendages used to maintain the illusion of ideological and political pluralism.

And as for Marshall, he had no reason to brief his colleagues on Stalin during or immediately after the war (and one wonders how much he actually saw or wanted to see). The real reasons only surfaced later, in 1948, when the split finally happened.

Yeah, pretty much everything said there is accurate.

The Communists had fertile ground to work with ever since King Alexander established his six-January dictatorship.
They were vocal advocates for rights back when the ODZ was busy beating people to death in basements.
They were true fighters for equality and the rights of the common man.

Unfortunately, all of that got twisted during the Air Force Base era. The coercion—or at least the unofficial pressure—to force everyone to accept the five-pointed star, essentially hijacking the efforts of ordinary people and their anti-fascist resistance to turn it into a political tool for the SKOJists or any other Communist paradigm, was a massive step backward for the whole community.

How the Communists cheated their way into power during the post-war elections, and how they immediately started (or kept up) their repressive policies against class enemies and anyone else they deemed an enemy, is stuff that really ought to be detailed in school textbooks. Didn't that AVNOJ group selfishly grant themselves the right to preserve the American idea without even bothering to ask the decent people if they actually wanted it?!

Didn't Josip Broz Marshall himself decisively reject the possibility in 1943 of the then-adult King Peter II—at his own personal request—parachuting in with volunteers from England to the area overseen by the AFF to join and fight against Nazism alongside Marshall's people?
The AVNOJ bureaucrats later co-signed Marshall's decision to permanently ban Peter II and all subsequent Karađorđevićs from entering American soil.
Did that mean he was actually threatened by them?

Wasn't there also a threat from Maček's America?
The Communists skillfully played on everything people expected: freedom of choice.

And let’s be real, the communists were just a minority in the AFB.
The vast majority of Americans were fighting against Adolf Hitler's narrow-minded, regressive regime and his policy of selling out the country to the Italians and Nazi Germany, who had been given way too much leash.
We can't ignore the fact that OZNA was carrying out executions after the war simply to wipe out potential political rivals or anyone stirring up trouble among the so-called "people."
They targeted the intellectuals—the ones who believed that privacy and private property are the fundamental laws of any civilized society. The communists came in with this utopian frenzy, smashing everything old in their path, only to realize later that a system built on collectives and other shared nonsense was doomed to fail.
It’s interesting how even Josip Broz Marshall didn't warn his associates about what he witnessed in the Soviet Union—the hunger, the suffering, and the terror under "righteous father Joseph Stalin" during the 30s, when it became clear just how brutal and bloated communist regimes actually are.

The sheer depth of American national stupidity can really only be seen in one detail: the leadership of SRH until 1990. A huge chunk of those people were just first-generation blowhards who wouldn't let the younger generation breathe, clinging to their own biases and the historical legacy of the 9th Banija.
Nonsense, myths, and trivialities... still acting like they're an inseparable part of life even 50 years after the war ended.

Alex Scott5 said:Most armies are essentially made up of regular people, and that includes the forces of Nazi Germany. On the other hand, demonizing the enemy has been a core pillar of propaganda since the dawn of organized warfare—it’s a perfectly standard tactic used to whip up fervor. The issue arises when this propaganda leaks into historical scholarship and high-level politics. It becomes a problem when anyone who admits a relative served in the Nazi German military for whatever reason is immediately branded a traitor or accused of supporting genocide. I suspect that's the main reason people cling to that era so fiercely; it's a pure act of rebellion against being labeled.

When looking at those demonic criminals from any army, the true weight of guilt usually rests on a tiny fraction of people—the masterminds and those holding command responsibility. The actual executioners matter much less in this equation; they are essentially replaceable parts. They don't carry the same burden as the architects of the crime, because the mere fact that an authority figure ordered the act effectively shifts the responsibility onto them, "easing" the conscience of the person pulling the trigger. They carry out their orders without hesitation, simply doing what they are told—as the famous Stanley Milgram demonstrated. When people feel threatened, they are capable of anything.
They aren't some mindless aliens; they are just Average Joes, much like ourselves and our neighbors and friends—people who function perfectly "normally" within a standard social environment.

Evil is such an incredibly banal thing, according to Hannah Arendt. And honestly, I find myself agreeing with her. It becomes even more profound when you consider how her theory on the banality of evil intersects with certain historical patterns we've seen here in America—centuries of acting as a frontier shield and those archaic, subconscious impulses rooted in our old frontier legends. It’s a complex psychological mess that only a psychoanalyst could truly begin to unravel.

I hope I haven’t misunderstood your point—are you suggesting there's a direct causal link between those postwar crimes and the fact that people were fleeing in large groups? 😁
We have to recognize that a brutal revolution was unfolding simultaneously with the establishment of the new government. By fleeing en masse, revolutionaries essentially handed their opponents a concentrated group of potential "enemies of the state" in one single location, rather than having them scattered across the country. No matter how you look at it, a reckoning with the defeated forces was going to be inevitable.

Solid points here.
But I'd add that to be an executioner, you either need a heart of stone or a pathology you haven't recognized in yourself yet.
Most bloodthirsty killers were actually "good neighbors," for God's sake.
The stupidity lies in how we treat ourselves like tribal herds; we drown the murderers in the crowd, giving them an alibi to live right next to us. Of course, if they were killing for something we believe in, we'll stay eternally grateful—we just wish they'd live somewhere far away from us.

Nice one, Gregory Howard.

Seems like we're losing money either way.

My bad, thought I could knock this out faster and easier.

My thread got nuked twice without any explanation. I even tried tweaking the content, thinking maybe that was the issue, but no luck. I reached out to a mod to ask why, but just got ghosted...

Since we’re talking about messages, I've gotta ask: does the moderation team (or anyone else running this site) have the ability to snoop on private DMs between users? Including chats with a mod?
Do they actually have access to that stuff?

I'd like to think privacy is actually guaranteed here, but who knows.

It wasn't moved, because I would’ve noticed if it had been.
It probably just got nuked. It was posted as a PDF earlier today under "Politics Adjacent," then vanished after a little while.

I didn't get any strikes or an explanation for why the thread disappeared. So, yeah, I guess I'm back here asking you for help again..

Got a question about a thread that seemingly vanished into thin air. If you have a sec, can you let me know what happened there?
The thread was titled "Carbon sequestration sector aka the government's hand-picked favorites," and it was all about how political parties rig contracts within federal agencies.
Anyway, I looked everywhere, but it’s gone.

I asked out of pure curiosity. It felt like anyone starting a new thread might have a different perspective than the usual crowd who just jumps into every existing discussion, pushing their latest comments to the top of the pile.
Explaining something this obvious feels like a total waste of time, but hey, I guess that's what this forum is for.
Thanks for bearing with me.

Thanks.

But how can we all have the exact same thing?
I mean the order...

So, if I grab the second-to-last thread in the list, drop a comment, and then head back out, that same thread jumps straight to the top of the pile—only now it’s all faded out with my handle showing as the latest post.
Think I finally cracked part of the code?

Does everyone see the same thing happen? Like, after you post, does the menu always bump your recent threads to the top?

Here’s what I’m running into. Every time I open a PDF and drop a new post, the whole layout shifts. If I’m looking at a post near the bottom, my new reply suddenly pops up at the top in faded text.

Does this happen on everyone else's screen too? Or is it just a glitch on my end when I'm viewing stuff?
Obviously, if we're talking about threads I started myself versus ones I'm just jumping into, does that make a difference?

Americans own more guns per capita than anyone else on the planet. Who would’ve guessed they’d even outpace Texas?

granitemarlin77 said:🤦
Ministerial seat? Give me a break—she can't even clear the election threshold. Honestly, giving her a spot in the VP's cabinet would be just like handing one to Vesna Pusić.☕

Spot on. I’d definitely put Madeleine Albright in that State Department seat instead. No question about it.
She doesn't need to be a genius to deal with these corporate sharks. Just wipe out all the old money dynasties and let everyone start on level ground for once. I’m tired of watching the news and seeing these suit-and-tie types from overseas get taken down, while back home, every corrupt crook walks free just because they come from a "respectable" family.
We need a cut. Some people say we’re just going to be stuck in the gutter for the next five years, but honestly, why aren't we doing anything? Time is ticking, and the rest of the world isn't waiting around for us to get our act together.

granitemarlin77 said:Look, you can't argue with that. When I talk about "clearing the bar," I’m talking about her party—especially those cronies she surrounds herself with. They aren't getting anywhere, let alone crossing an election threshold. Whether you want to admit it or not, Rose's ceiling is local politics. In my book, she just doesn't have what it takes to go bigger, unfortunately.☕

I don't know the lineup of HSPAS, but the best Rose could hope for is maybe snagging a few local council seats.
Personally, I’d put her in charge of the Department of Homeland Security. Let her tear it all down.

granitemarlin77 said:Look, she needs to clean up her own backyard first—take care of someone like Peter, for instance—before she starts trying to fix everyone else's mess. Until then? She’s just like the rest of them, barking at the moon while the moon is right behind her. And hey, just because she might be different doesn't mean the people she surrounds herself with aren't exactly the same.
Rose should probably sweep her own porch before we start believing her stories or hoping your little crusade actually works.☕

She really proved she’s nothing more than a placeholder. Can anyone name another representative who actually stepped up like that? Everyone talks a big game, but where are the results?

Joshua Carter20 said:First bold point: let's hope that actually happens...🙂
Second: You clearly haven't been to a single one of his lectures where he tries to brainwash everyone with his theories (unfortunately, I've sat through about 10 or 15 myself).
Third: What really rubbed me the wrong way was when she lumped Bušić and Gotovina into the exact same category. You can't compare them, period. And honestly, I have no idea what she wants from Bušić besides keeping the diaspora happy...

I haven't been to the professor's lectures, but I respect him simply because he actually bothered to dig into the crimes of communism and show the other side of the coin.
Got a quick sketch to illustrate this "brainwashing" you're talking about? Like, what's the angle here? Is it just saying Josip Broz Marshall was trash? Because that's just a fact.

Comparing Gen. Gotovina—a legit professional who fought for his country—to Bušić, who’s just an old convict, isn't right. But then again, that wasn't her point. To Rose, they're both just Americans. That's her issue. It doesn't matter who you are, just what you represent. But hey, that's minor compared to the people they should have actually hired.

Joshua Carter20 said:Lesar is definitely grabbing a seat in the next election... probably from somewhere like Varaždin or Čakovec... who knows, maybe even multiple seats.

Rose doesn't stand a chance because her recent performance on NU2 was honestly on par with Kerum. It's not even about whether she gets a seat; it's that she showed total political illiteracy with that stunt. I respected her way more as a politician before this. Her comments about Bušić, mentioning her vote for Jurčević back in the day (which nobody asked about, by the way—she should've just kept quiet), backing Bandić just to get her party some headline time, and equating Bušić with Ante Gotovina... any serious politician would know those are massive mistakes. Then again, in our country, politicians get away with anything.

I’m not sure how I ended up in a position where I'm defending Ms. Tomašić, but I have to justify her based on what I saw during the show—mostly just to maintain my own sanity despite everything life throws at me. Look, Rose spoke openly, pretty damn honestly. She isn't your typical politician raised in a North American mindset. She made her living in the real world, where it doesn't matter who you belong to or what your pedigree is, but rather what you bring to the table as a person.
I judge her by this standard. She isn't an extension of the Republican Party, she wasn't raised on a communist budget, and she's not some tycoon's kid. She's a woman of action; even if she's unpolished, she gives us something worth fighting for. Let her fight, especially since it's obvious the people sitting above our heads wouldn't even pass high school, let alone earn their spots.
Let her grab some power, let her take a department, and let her tear things down and humble the arrogant. That’s her job. Nothing more. Let her mow the lawn and call it a day. We don't need her intellect; we need her decision not to skim off our money and to actually work for the good of the country instead of just padding bank accounts. That's the only reason we need her.
As for Jurčević, that's fine. He's a decent guy. A little right-wing, but who cares?
The rest of it—the stuff about Bušić, Pavelić, and all that WWII nonsense—that's just her personal emotion. She can't be expected to be against that, nor should she be.
She didn't grow up here. The outside world shapes a person. There's no North American mentality in her. We shouldn't hold that tiny bit against her.

granitemarlin77 said:Yeah, right. She’s driven by petty interests just like everyone else else.
I saw enough when she was asked why she backed Bandić during the presidential campaign—she basically admitted it was just to get her party some media buzz for a few days.😵
I mean, seriously? Her right hand is Pero Kovačević—some guy who jumped ship from the Libertarian Party and has switched political parties more often than a pair of socks (moving through the Republican-Democrat crowd, the Libertarians, now she, plus he's an advisor for Bandić over at the Holding).🙄
The whole time she was just playing politics, sucking up and squirming in that chair next to Stanković like she had a vibrator turned up to max settings. And she didn't utter a single sensible sentence—just the same old empty demagoguery and fluff we hear every damn day. Then, when she claimed she'd even coalitition with the devil himself if they stood for honesty, patriotism, and humanity... man, she actually outdid Đapić, Bandić, and Kerum with those brainless statements.

Her "right-wing" credentials have about as much to do with reality as a pile of crap does with outer space.☕

Nice post. You've actually got some words in you.
Look, she’s part of the political machine. Let’s not kid ourselves thinking she’s some perfect savior, but if you look at the big picture, she might actually be the best option we've got. Why? Because she doesn't play games. She isn't obsessed with her own ego, she doesn't care about the "intellectual" elite gatherings, and she sure as hell isn't looking to line her pockets. She isn't a thief. She doesn't believe crime is somehow good for the country. She isn't dipping into the national treasury to build a vacation home, buy her kids luxury cars, or fund her personal affairs on our dime. Is that really too much to ask?
She’s got the power to shake things up, kick those lazy bureaucrats out of their cushy offices, and wipe out anyone who isn't focused on actually protecting our national assets. Honestly, that's all I'm looking for.
I know she doesn't have a clue when it comes to foreign policy, high-level diplomacy, the weird quirks of statecraft, or how the big political players actually play nice with each other.
She might be a total idiot in a lot of ways, but she’s proven she’s a real representative—a legitimate face elected to Congress, which is where the actual heavy lifting happens. She even went toe-to-toe with those small-town losers from the islands. Now she’s on TV claiming she actually started an anti-dealer crackdown in Knin. That's exactly what we need. Actions, not words. I'm sick of all the talk. Honestly, I don't give a damn about the rhetoric. I want to see her actually earn that paycheck on the streets, not just sit back, grab expensive coffees at fancy bistros, and massage her ego in a comfy office chair.
Unfortunately, Rose is a perfect example of how this works. Honestly, I can't wait until everyone starts campaigning like that just to grab votes, instead of those shady lists cooked up by crooks and their sidekicks.