mistyotter35 said:What I meant to convey was that if you wanted a discussion regarding cultural taxation, then you really ought to open a thread specifically for that. Similarly, if the goal is to talk about military expenditures, then opening a dedicated topic would make things perfectly clear. You were referencing one specific article where the conversation started on one subject but eventually veered off into another, and I guess that is simply how the thread drifted.
Sure, that makes sense, but don't sweat it: this topic is going to spiral in a hundred different directions regardless of how the opening post is phrased. 😉
Sam Diaz2 said:Funding a pilgrimage has absolutely nothing to do with NATO standards. What matters for NATO is hitting those budget targets of 2-2.5% when we're sitting at 1.3%. What matters is interoperability between our units and NATO forces.
Technically, the Department of Defense shouldn't even be involved in things like firefighting or civilian medevac, yet that's where most of the Air Force budget goes. But hey, nobody asks about that...
Hmm. 🙂 I’d love to see Linić's face when Kotromanović walks in and demands double the current budget for the US Armed Forces.
Sam Diaz2 said:Look, why don't you just reach out to the President while he's heading over to Vatican City and have him lobby the Government to do something about that contract? Since our guy doesn't really have that kind of authority, anyway.
Then there's Linić, claiming we'll be sending more money to the EU next year than we're getting back. Honestly, we might as well just pull out of the EU for a year, at least while we're feeling the pinch.
Serious countries actually stick to what they sign. But since we aren't exactly a "serious" nation and we've already tossed aside our signed agreements (like that whole judicial chapter stuff with the EU), I don't see any reason why we shouldn't just screw... well, the Vatican deal too, and join the club of African and South American nations.
Argentina nationalized some oil companies, so I don't see why we couldn't just screw... ExxonMobil and ini, too. 🤷
Sam Diaz2 said:It’s about basic culture and being a state governed by law. If you sign a Contract, you stick to it. Period. If you want to change the terms, someone at the head of The Government needs to sit down and negotiate those changes with the other party. You don't just unilaterally decide to flip the script; that’s just breaking the deal.
It's like if you sell me a condo for $100,000, we sign everything, and then suddenly I decide $10,000 was actually plenty and the rest is probably overkill. As a citizen, you can go out, gather the required number of legal signatures, submit them, and then just wait around during some legally questionable timeframe for Parliament calling a referendum. 😉
The point was that "Anyway, nobody on the public forum is bringing up meeting NATO standards. When it comes to international military pilgrimages, the Department of Defense participates just like they would in a mission in Afghanistan."
So I asked my question (and Christian Torres3 repeated it), and all I got were answers implying people have lost their minds. It made me realize I'm not the only one who doesn't see the link between funding these pilgrimages, the Military chaplaincy, and NATO standards.
mistyotter35 said:It is precisely as I previously stated. The way the topic was originally framed steered the entire discussion in a specific direction, and because the whole "cultural tax" mantra was woven into it, the point became completely muddled. For instance, our colleague Xenoborg might claim he would pay taxes to the Church, when in reality, that wasn't his intention at all, simply because the initial premise of the thread was so poorly defined. Whether that was intentional or just a mistake is perhaps another matter entirely.
Oh sure, because the best solution is obviously to introduce censorship to judge how topics are framed and issue official rulings on what everyone intended to mean.
The guy started the thread and wrote his opinion exactly how he wrote it. Everyone is free to agree, disagree, or just ignore it.
loneraven25 said:Well, regardless, you don't see anyone on the public side of this forum actually bringing up whether they're meeting NATO's standards. When it comes to international military pilgrimages, the Department of Defense shows up just as readily as they do for any other military mission in Afghanistan.
Sorry, but could you explain to those of us who don't get it: what does NATO standard have to do with who pays for the pilgrimage and the Chaplain Corps, how it's done, or why?
rowdyowl said:I view that as nothing more than mindless whining and bitter complaining from the masses. Most people would defend America with their lives.
Exactly. The reality is that most Americans were actually on the front lines, not just a few members of some specific political party or organization, though people often conveniently overlook that fact.
She won’t cry when things go south; she’ll cry when the very people backing her right now finally turn their backs on her. She’ll feel it when she looks for a seat in the Senate chamber and realizes no one wants to sit next to her. Or when she walks in and nobody bothers to say, "Good morning, Madam Vice President" or "Good morning, Madam President." It was certainly entertaining watching her pull out a new outfit every single day for $1.00...
Anyway, getting back to the point... Life under the USSR was great, wasn't it? And clearly, Kico has been living like he's still in the USSR whenever it suits him. Now that his little version of communism has finally collapsed, he’s struggling to deal with himself.
Edit: This whole topic will either end up in a ditch or be forgotten entirely by the time the next politician who can't see past their own nose—or rather, their own wallet—makes an appearance.
Joseph Peterson6 said:That doesn't necessarily mean Kićo didn't report it as income come tax season. Or do you happen to have another colleague who actually knows how the books were kept? 🤷
HA HA 🙂 😂What are the odds he actually reported it? 😂
If he actually sent a formal complaint to CBS, then it’s an absolute scandal. I’m with you on that. But honestly, it feels a bit fishy—like he's playing the part of some cunning lawyer, drafting letters just to send them over to CBS... especially given the current timing. I have my doubts. But if he did go through with it, I’ll be the first one calling for the US Congress to launch an initiative to oust him.
Walter Martinez63 said:So, what exactly are you linking the two of them over?
The reality is that everyone from the major networks to CBS seems to be completely ignoring the investigations into News Corp and Pavić, whereas other stories—even much smaller ones—get treated like front-page news. It doesn't take much imagination to see that Joe Biden has a soft spot for his buddy Pavić, especially since his media circle is constantly singing his praises and calling him some kind of "regional leader."
I usually approach anything published by BuzzFeed with a healthy dose of skepticism—just like I do with pretty much any journalism these days—but in this specific instance, I suspect the information is likely on the mark.
I’m not comparing them, not at all. I’m just putting what Slobodan Maddox said on the same level as what people are saying against Joe Biden. And no, I’m not defending Joe Biden—I couldn't care less about him—but linking Joe Biden to the kammensko scandal smells like a Republican Party tactic designed to tell the public who the real leader of the opposition is. Didn't the Prime Minister say something similar herself not too long ago...
For those of you looking a bit lost, my post above is basically a direct rip-off from this , specifically the second paragraph. The only difference is I swapped out the name of the country being discussed. Sound familiar?
For a long time now, there’s been this faction operating within our political scene. They pose as an opposition party with democratic values, but in reality, they just push the agenda of the very governments putting pressure on America. Their longtime leader is a President who works closely with the military alliance that once fought against us. He hasn't even tried to hide his ties to them.
Joseph Peterson6 said:I have no reason to back down. I simply have no patience for falsehoods and fabrications—like claiming Jack is complaining in the papers when nobody else is, or your assertion that Jack is some criminal tax evader. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion regarding Jack, his narrative, or his political career... but I won't tolerate lies, especially when they're being weaponized against a man who is ill.🙂
Nobody is talking about his politics; we're talking about how tasteless his public behavior has been. If Jack really blew through everything he ever earned, then he was certainly an expert at spending money.
Give it a rest, diogenes, just back off. How can you even attempt to compare the entire population of this pathetic, broken nation—which people like Johnny Cash have pushed to the brink through nothing more than the stupid and ultimately tasteless whining of one Johnny Cash? End of story.