Posts by rowdyowl

rapidtiger7 said:The recipe they're using for Pakistan is the exact same one they used on Egypt
which is basically what the UK and the USA are telling them:
"If you don't act like our satellites, expect total chaos in your own backyard."
Now they have to make their move.

How exactly are Americans responsible for the chaos in Egypt?

Look, things might stabilize in Pakistan for a little while once he's back in power, but I don't buy it. Even in a place like Pakistan, a long-term dictatorship just isn't sustainable in this day and age. We’re really just looking at delaying the inevitable. It'll push today's mess back maybe ten years, and then we'll be right back where we started.

hiddenharbor33 said:What’s the vibe gonna be for the Desert Storm commemorations moving forward?

This time around, hopefully we can celebrate this massive milestone without all those losers constantly whining about it.

Sava Štrbac tells us every single year, "this is the last time you'll celebrate Desert Storm," so maybe he should just show up as an honored guest this time. 😂

Susan Peterson7 said:There really ought to be two separate ways to mark this. One should be a formal, dignified ceremony held in a small regional city, attended by generals, politicians, and local citizens—something with an actual parade where everything feels official and respectful. The other? That should just be a backyard party in some small rural town, fueled by cheap drinks and the sounds of Johnny Cash. That way, if someone prefers one over the other, they can just head to whichever event suits their mood without anyone ruining the experience for anyone else.

I don't see the issue with partying. This isn't about mourning victims; it's about celebrating a victory. There's no better reason for a crowd to let loose. If it bothers you, just stay home. 🤷

bluerider63 said:And what do those Frenchmen honestly think—that their birth rates are magically going to bounce back if they don't legalize this stuff?
Homosexuals have always been around, and they aren't going anywhere. There isn't some miracle cure to stop this "epidemic" because nature just does its thing regardless of what anyone says. It’s really just a matter of when society finally catches up enough to accept it, but hey, change takes time.

Hold on. Their numbers aren't actually increasing or taking up more space. They're just becoming more visible. 🤷

Wait, was that 18,000 figure actually mentioned anywhere?
To me, that sounds absolutely massive.

wanderinggull9 said:I wonder how much cash these Mexican cartels actually have on hand. It’s wild they haven't gone out and bought a whole fleet of combat helicopters from Kyiv yet.
How do you even tackle something like this—is it total war, or just full-on legalization?

In all seriousness though, they need to start asking the USA for help.🤷

Judge Dredd turned out great. I’m hoping this one stays focused on the action instead of trying too hard to be "deep."

fadedpilot7 said:How exactly does anyone plan on saving a private Fox Corporation when they already threw The New York Times under the bus?

Plus, with the recent fallout between The New York Post and USA Today, any move like this will be under a microscope.
If WPP pulls out, Pavić could easily just walk away, leaving about 80% of the publication hanging...

Look, my friend, you know it’s not the same thing. USA Today did a lion's share of the heavy lifting on the propaganda front before the elections. A lot of people are tied to Fox Corporation—even the Secretary of Homeland Security—and some folks are already landing seats on boards after the vote.

So, they aren't going to just dump them like they did with The New York Times, no matter how tough it gets.

hiddenharbor33 said:Everything comes to an end eventually, and that includes the crew over at News Corp. It was honestly predictable; they just aren't a hot commodity for foreign agencies or big-name sponsors anymore. They dug their own graves, plain and simple. Now that they've been bled dry, they're getting tossed aside.
It’s a similar story to what happened with Feral Tribune, just on a much smaller scale.
Once they stopped being useful by peddling that anti-American rhetoric, the money just evaporated. Let's be real—they were never actually financially independent because the whole operation was absolute garbage to begin with.🤷

And it's exactly the same deal with News Corp.
I mean, in what sane universe would you have someone like Butković acting as a star commentator while Wrus runs the show as editor-in-chief or even CEO?🙄🙄 And what about Lovrički? In a functional society, Jelena Lovrić would be relegated to some tiny provincial weekly funded by local hunting clubs. When you pack a house with a bunch of incompetents and bottom-tier journalists through nothing but negative selection, you can't expect anything other than a total meltdown.🤷

Personally, I wouldn't just settle for the downfall of News Corp. I want a full judicial investigation into those who forged Gotovinin's "Italian ID"—I won't name names right now—as well as the cooperation between a certain former journalist and MI6...

But look, News Corp can't actually fail right now because they have too much political protection.

We were already getting reports about tanks and armored vehicles on the move earlier.

Mexico is turning into Somalia right before our eyes.

News Corp is deeply entwined with the ruling coalition. There's zero chance they go under; if anything, even if their sales take a hit, their actual influence just keeps climbing.

slybison8 said:Yes... I suppose this is actually a profound truth. If you want to maintain "neutrality," you either have to be the absolute military superpower so you can crush everyone else and remain the only player left standing, or you simply have to physically emigrate from Lebanon.

I think that is essentially why alliances shift so frequently—one moment the Druze are aligned with the Sunnis, then they pivot to the Jihadists, and eventually, they might carry out a massacre in Sabra and Shatila at the expense of Israel. Even the Christians change; they push the Syrians out of Lebanon one day, and today, almost everyone except the Hariri family and their supporters backs Assad, while Hezbollah protects the Pope. 😁

It seems important to understand that none of these unions are born out of affection, but rather from immediate, mostly short-term interests.

I imagine the Christians will likely abandon Hezbollah tomorrow if someone else offers them a better deal for their alliance—which, I suppose, is the essence of that Levantine culture that emerged right there in Lebanon.

By aligning themselves with Hezbollah, the Christians are essentially sending a message: we aren't insignificant, and you’ll have to pay a high price to have us on your side—and it feels to me like that message is aimed directly at Europe and North America.

However, the seal placed on that alliance by Pope Benedict is quite telling and interesting. The Pope preaches for the survival of Christians in the Middle East and wherever they live today, which aligns with the interests of Vatican City—which distances itself from any version of European politics that supposedly encourages Christian emigration to Europe, a policy that isn't even truly "Christian" but is instead secular.

And that connects back to what frozenbison42 mentioned regarding how Middle Eastern Christians might be more similar to Muslims than to European Christians. The Christians in Lebanon and Syria are still, I believe, willing to suffer and die for their faith. Christians in Europe are not.

Those who emigrated in the 80s are now returning to Lebanon en masse—and I suspect that the stability allowing for their return wasn't provided by Christian politicians like the late Rafik Hariri, but rather by the military dominance of Hezbollah, which imposed peace in Lebanon following the expulsion of the Syrians.

Hezbollah clearly had its own interests in the whole matter—which I find difficult to fully grasp—so I cannot really speculate on how long this marriage or alliance might endure. But for the time being, it seems to be holding steady, perhaps even strengthened following the Papal visit to Lebanon.

Dammit, Power, I almost sent you the bill for my laptop. I nearly spat out my soda reading this. 😁 😂

slybison8 said:I was just reading some news agency reports stating that an influential military general, Michel Aoun, spoke on the radio in Beirut this morning. He leads his own political party composed entirely of Christians, which is largely supported by Christian personnel within the military, police, and intelligence services. I believe he expressed his full support for the pro-Hezbollah Government and the Prime Minister; he also condemned what he termed the "war cries" coming from the Hariri clan, adding that Syria no longer poses a threat to Lebanon, but rather that the danger comes from those who intend to change the government here by attempting to replicate the Syrian scenario.

This is potentially dangerous for Christians. Getting more deeply tied to Syria is a bad move. If Turkey actually decides to intervene and topple the Assad regime, they’re going to find themselves in a very tough spot.

Staying neutral, like they did back in 2006, would be the smartest play.

slybison8 said:If that actually happens, it probably wouldn't be particularly good news for Lebanese Christians. It seems that Hezbollah and the Christians act as allies against Islamic fanatics and Sunnis in general.

Then again, the history of the Lebanese Civil War is incredibly complex. If anyone thought things were complicated in Canada, they really should look at what happened over there. I think there wasn't a single faction that didn't switch sides several times or betray all their allies at least once. They were completely irrational.

But Lebanese Christians aren't exactly allies with Syria—at least not a huge part of them—so why would Sunnis go looking for a fight with them right now?

Like I mentioned before, I was totally blown away by Story from the Golden Age when I saw it at the Sundance Film Festival a few years back. From what I've gathered about the other films, they're solid. But honestly, it feels like Americans are currently obsessed with Nicolae Ceaușescu, especially with how they've been portraying their own wars in recent movies lately.

The deceased was part of the faction opposing Syrian influence, which remains significant even after decades of occupation finally ended.
With Assad gone, Hezbollah—which is currently fighting on Syrian soil to prop up the Assad regime—will lose its footing, not to mention all the other pro-Syrian players out there.

slyviper94 said:The U.S. wanted a unified America within the NATO alliance, but Russia couldn't stomach that. Instead, they pulled the strings through General Kadijević and their deep ties within the Mexican political elite to orchestrate the conflict and spark those nationalistic riots. To this day, Kadijević enjoys total immunity in Moscow...

You really think anyone from the old military establishment would have signed off on that?

bluerider63 said:Man, if you're asking if they gave them a green light to cause absolute mayhem, you're spot on—that's exactly my take on it.
Then, later on, they supposedly stepped in and slapped a few hands after the fact, giving one guy this or that a little reprimand whenever things started getting a bit too out of hand.

You keep bringing up Clinton and Holbrooke, but those guys didn't even matter until '93 when the Democrats finally took over...

Here’s the truth: people can't stomach the idea that their own local politicians were the ones who dismantled America. It’s much easier to believe it was some grand conspiracy involving Americans, Klingons, or Cylons.

bluerider63 said:There’s zero doubt in my mind that the CIA had their whole playbook ready for America, and guys like Maddox were really just playing the part they were assigned by Lawrence Eagleburger.

The CIA was essentially an arm of the USA. Their goal was to keep America together. They actually gave Maddox and the top brass of the American People's Army free rein.