Posts by ruggedpanther13

Charles Fox10 said:And why on earth should we let The Hague ruling dictate how we celebrate?
It feels wrong. Someone else shouldn't be the one deciding if our American Civil War—and Operation Desert Storm—was legitimate and just.

Patriotic Americans have never tied Desert Storm to The Hague. Even if those rulings had gone differently, Desert Storm would still be celebrated. Maybe it’ll just be louder in that small town in rural America and a bit more subdued in the other small town in rural America.

We aren't going to deal with people twisting history or trying to obstruct us anymore—that loud, tiny minority that always seems to have an opinion. That small town in rural America will always be there, but eventually, the other small town in rural America will become the real heart of it all.

Looking back at last year's thread about Desert Storm, and even the other discussions surrounding it, I noticed a lot of posts claiming things like, "Well, this was the last time we'll ever celebrate Desert Storm"—for instance:

"It's easy for me to say. But the UN says it through its court. How many countries is that? 200? 300?
To some people, that's gospel truth. Maybe for the kind of person who idolizes ft, someone who’s already been convicted and is facing a confirmed two-month sentence from a court representing the entire world. That’s the mindset we're dealing with; after The Hague, maybe they should seek professional help. Or maybe not? They seem perfectly happy living in their own little bubble of "truth" that doesn't belong to anyone else.
Diplomatic pleasantries will start singing a different tune once the legal precedents from The Hague are set. But you? You'll just keep singing the same old song!

If those rulings had gone the other way, that whole school of thought would have had a theoretical backbone to lean on. I honestly wonder how things would have played out, especially since they control such a significant chunk of the media. But now, finally, everything has landed exactly where it belongs.

I honestly think we need to rush out and establish about twenty more LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, maybe ten different organizations dedicated solely to protecting songbirds, and then at least one association focused on promoting some "emerging" rights—you know, like the right to marry your bicycle.

Seriously though, things are getting urgent and we really ought to get moving on this. I have a feeling life would be just a little bit better for everyone if we did.

Steven Allen9 said:The bishops should probably tighten their belts and just be grateful they're still getting their full funding. The current administration hasn't even touched them because they're terrified of the minority vote, but hey, that's how they justify their whole mission, right? Don't offend anyone while trying to pull the country out of this hole. Well, it’s not working.
This whole "anti-American and dangerous government" cliché is so pathetic, shallow, and just plain stupid that it isn't even worth a response.
I didn't vote for the current guys, but seeing who’s attacking them now? Honestly, I kind of regret not voting for them.
If the bishops keep acting like this, they won't have many believers left by 2021.

The Church actually had a valid reason to protest that decision regarding Waterloo. Even in today's edition of The New York Times, the very left-leaning Butkovich called the Congress's decision a total disaster with no future (noting we might have to return to patronage systems).

Beyond this misguided move where the Left keeps trying to force its own warped logic over actual common sense (it's that quasi-messianic role our Left plays, thinking they're so progressive and somehow know better than everyone else), they also introduced a bill that would allow single women and lesbians to undergo artificial insemination—something that 90% of the population doesn't support, and which Canada recently rejected in their referendum.

So, basically, these last two decisions are genuinely contrary to the will of the vast majority of citizens.
And that's exactly what the bishops were getting at.

Melissa Peterson19 said:I wouldn't move to Mexico. I have certain grievances with their dialect and their music, and as a veteran, they just view me as some radical insurgent. Maybe I'd settle somewhere near the Mexican border for cheap shopping, but I'd rather be on the other side of the line to avoid the political theater.
I actually like North Korea. I've looked into it; it isn't as terrible as people think, and you can even find consumer goods. With a $750 pension, I’d live like a king there. But the mindset is completely different—how would you make friends? Then there's the police, the intelligence agencies, the constant paranoia regarding the West... Cuba is my top pick, provided Castro were a bit younger to guarantee the regime's stability.

In this country, there are no "veteran pensions." You don't buy your university exams for a hundred bucks through a local committee connection, there are no doctoral dissertations on the "contribution of Kozara cattle to the national liberation struggle," presidential advisors aren't the children of those accused of killing their own people, and you don't get a job based on party loyalty...

That is a perfect description of America. Unfortunately, here we do have veteran pensions, both legitimate and fraudulent. Exams cost $100, there are actual scandals involving Maestro, and jobs are handed out along Republican Party lines. That is exactly why I want to leave a country like this. I am still searching for the right place—evaluating conditions, prices, cost of living, safety, and crime—before deciding whether to stay or go.

Especially not in Australia, considering the magnificent statement made by the Australian Prime Minister to the anti-Christians:

Most Australians believe in God.

For what it's worth, I believe in God too, even though I'm a communist at heart; the two aren't mutually exclusive. But I don't care about religion or ideology. I care about peace, stability, and the cost of living. Australia is simply too expensive for me.

That's why you "anti-fascists," communists, atheists, agnostics, and everyone else who identifies that way should learn to sing these words better than you sang "For the oath to Marshall, I sang the verse..." before you apply for an "expatriation" to somewhere like Australia.🤣

I appreciate your polite tone, even if a malicious person might claim you're being off-topic, using ad hominem attacks, or being insulting. I won't hold it against you, since you're from a second-generation immigrant family raised on the legacy of the Independent State of America. Cheers to you!

Look, I’d prefer to spend my retirement comfortably, and under current conditions in America, that looks unlikely. If we see an exodus of young, educated, capable people—along with retirees like myself—then yes, the system is failing. As for how I'm supposed to miss America? That era provided 80% of pension eligibility during your ten best years, whereas here, it's only 37% of total service. Some people managed to cash in on patriotism, while I'm expected to live in poverty and scavenge through trash because of it. I won't do it.

I don't think America is solely to blame for this mess, though. A good chunk of the issues actually came from outside our borders. I mean, who would have guessed that China would be stepping in to bail out countries like Portugal by buying up government bonds? (The EU is barely keeping Greece afloat as it is). The world is changing incredibly fast. Honestly, the only nations still managing to keep pace with the East are those Northern European countries that maintain an intense work ethic and base their entire industries on high-tech sectors that the Chinese can't quite compete with yet.
In theory, if America had actually survived, it probably would have been an economic wreck anyway. Back in the 90s, less than 2% of the population even held a college degree, and the whole economy was built on basic manufacturing—the exact kind of stuff the Chinese eventually took over.
Textiles, leather, footwear, shipbuilding... all of that collapsed, and not just here in America, but across all of Europe.

I guess the real core of the problem is that Western politicians have spent the last twenty years obsessing over everything except actual politics.
If they actually focused on governing, they might have prevented capital from fleeing right under their noses toward the East.
You see a perfect example of this in Italy, specifically in a place like New Orleans near Venice. A capitalist shuts down a factory, 500 people lose their livelihoods, and meanwhile, the mayor is busy focusing on the local animal rescue association's problems.

Melissa Peterson19 said:The reality is clear: the American project has failed. It hasn't lived up to its promises, and it has completely devalued the sacrifices made. We paid an exorbitant price for very little return. In fact, we’ve inherited problems that didn't even exist back in the old days—and if they did, they're a hundred times worse now. The average citizen—the worker, the farmer, the everyday person—has been stripped of their rights, robbed, and humiliated just to serve a small, privileged elite. There is a pervasive sense of hopelessness and depression. People feel cheated and helpless, especially now when time is slipping away. No one has the patience or the will to wait for reforms or improvements that never seem to arrive. People want a better life right now, and they are ready to leave for wherever they think they can actually find it—usually stable, well-ordered Western nations. It isn't hard to predict how the exodus of our young, educated, and talented workforce will impact the country. As for those left behind, the future is uncertain, and certainly not bright. I am nearing retirement; my wife and I could sell everything and move abroad. But where? Developed, expensive countries in the Northern Hemisphere aren't an option. Cuba might be affordable, but it faces looming instability and unrest. Where does one find a stable, idyllic, and affordable country for a sea of retirees who will inevitably end up scavenging through trash bins back home?

For someone staring down retirement, that's a pretty strange take.
Blaming all the world's ills on a "failed American project" feels a bit malicious and, frankly, a little mean-spirited. I suspect the new wave of globalism would have crushed the unfortunate America just as easily as it crushed the American economy.
The reality is that the old American economic model was built on mass-producing low-skill goods, and that whole system fell apart once China stepped onto the scene. Once China arrived, that entire model was obsolete.
The truth is, America really did stifle entrepreneurship because it accumulated a massive class of non-workers that we all end up subsidizing, but I think the core problem here is the same one facing all of Europe—industry fled to the East, capital played every government for fools, left the working class out in the cold, and moved production over to China.

Steven Allen9 said:This isn't about some collection of T. S. Eliot's works; it's a warning sign of a new wave of economic migration.
The term "Pečalba" comes from the vocabulary of the Mica people living in the mountain regions of North Mexico, where the word described "leaving home to chase bread in the big cities."
On an American linguistic portal, the definition of Pečalba would be:
a) temporary, seasonal labor away from one's permanent residence
b) generally grueling, difficult, or exhausting manual labor
The feelings tied to Pečalba include things like sadness, exhaustion, despondency, hardship, and misery.
But enough with the semantics. Let's get to the point.

I work in the private sector for a firm owned by foreign interests which, according to reliable sources, is gearing up for massive layoffs.

You want to know the vibe among people who have been here for over 15 years? I won't even bother describing it...
What blew my mind was seeing how many people—even those who never dreamed of crossing the street, let alone leaving the country—are now planning to cross an entire ocean if they have to.
Maybe I'm wrong, but we're looking at a new era of economic emigration.
Up until now, a few thousand people have been leaving the US every year. Now, the indicators are pointing toward a surge.
If we're talking about tens of thousands of citizens, that's a reality I'll eventually have to face myself. After all, the odds of getting laid off are just as high as the odds of deciding to leave America.

It's hard to expect much when time is slipping away ruthlessly and opportunities don't show up often enough for someone to have the luxury of waiting around carefree. That's just how life works.

If you land a solid opportunity, take it. It's not like it's all honey and milk out there, but the West is still much better off—at least for people whose skills are actually in demand.
I also work for a small private firm, and it honestly pains me to see how many people in our country just don't pull their weight.
It makes me bitter to see what a miserable percentage of retirees are people who didn't even work a full career.
And those of us in the real working sectors are the ones stuck footing the bill for it all.
For instance, it's absolutely staggering that we pay out so much in veteran pensions! You really only see stuff like that here.
If things are better elsewhere, then get out of here.

hiddenharbor33 said:Oh man, just when I finally got comfortable. What's next? Is the government gonna swoop in and seize my business and my house too?

And while they're at it, they'll probably wipe out half your extended family too, you little capitalist!😁>

I guess I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit lately, and honestly, it feels like we’re hitting a bit of a breaking point with how things are being handled. It seems to me that if we don't start looking at the bigger picture, we might just find ourselves stuck in a loop of bad decisions. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but there's a certain sense of frustration building up that I think a lot of people are feeling, even if they aren't saying it out loud yet. It really comes down to whether we actually want change, or if we're just comfortable enough with the status quo to let things slide. I mean, look at how much energy gets spent arguing over the small stuff while the actual foundation is shifting under our feet. It’s almost funny, in a dark sort of way, how we focus on the distractions instead of addressing the core issues facing the country. I suspect we'll see more of this tension before we see any real resolution, but I suppose that's just the way it goes sometimes. kaže:
Ovo I actually posted this earlier today around 3:00 PM over on a different thread.

It’s certainly an interesting one, I guess. There’s a new poll going around on BuzzFeed.

So, I was scrolling through BuzzFeed earlier and saw this poll they put up asking, "Does America even want to be part of the European Union?" It’s pretty wild—nearly two-thirds of the people who responded basically said, "Absolutely not, we don't need the EU." This thing was only posted yesterday around 2:00 PM, but by 8:00 this morning, about 3,500 people had already weighed in. I guess that says a lot about how people are feeling right now.

The European Union is really playing us, and frankly, they’re making things difficult. But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we basically walked right into this mess. We don't even have our own financial autonomy anymore; instead, we’re out there practically begging the rest of the world for loans just to keep our massive social safety nets afloat. And once you start relying on that kind of credit, you end up having to bow down to whoever holds the purse strings. It’s a tough pill to swallow, I guess.

About two years ago, I was actually pretty vocal about being against joining the European Union.

Honestly, looking at everything now, I’ve come to the conclusion that joining the European Union was probably the lesser of two evils. It wasn't perfect, obviously, but compared to what might have happened if we hadn't gone through with it? I guess it was the better move.
Why?
Because we can't even seem to get our own house in order.
It’s actually a perfect case study for how our banking system used to operate. Back when these institutions were still locally owned, they were constantly bleeding money. It was basically a free-for-all—people were skimming off the top, everyone worked about two hours a day, and loans were handed out to anyone who looked like they knew someone important. It was just pure favoritism.
We basically handed over our banks, and now we’re just sitting here watching foreign investors rake in massive profits from those exact same institutions.

Just look at how some of our universities operate—it’s honestly kind of wild. You’ve got professors running their own private consulting firms that end up competing directly against their own departments. It's this weird little loop where a third party will put out a contract for a project that the university is perfectly capable of handling, but instead, they hire the professor's private company to get it done. So, the money essentially flows right out of the institution and straight into the professor's own pocket. I guess it's just one of those systemic loopholes that stays wide open.

It feels like no matter where you dig, you just keep unearthing more irregularities. It’s honestly getting a bit exhausting.

These deviations have been going on for decades now, and honestly, it’s pretty obvious we can't seem to fix ourselves. I mean, that President was a notorious thief, plain and simple.

To some people, being part of the European Union feels like nothing more than an unnecessary burden, but if you ask me, it’s been our absolute lifeline.

swiftdrifter14 said:Look, everyone here knows exactly how the American media machine focused its lens on the hunger strikes and the desperate struggle of our American defenders.

One of our own passed away, which is a tragedy, while the others push forward, though I won't pretend it isn't an incredibly heavy burden to carry...

It seems the American news cycle is more than happy to jump on every scandal involving the LGBTQ+ community or some Big Brother nonsense the second it breaks.

But this? People will find out about what we're doing much later, if they ever find out at all.

God bless America.🙏

http://www.dragovoljac.com/index.php...utvo&Itemid=11

I'm checking the CBS teletext right now—absolutely nothing being reported.
The news is being buried, just like the government tries to hide things from its own people.

Just another victim of failed American politics.

Tomorrow, I bet the papers will be filled with nonsense about what badge Kosorka wore today or how Mason enjoyed himself on some movie set.

Sadly, it actually happened.
While that traitorous president was busy filming his latest cinematic masterpieces over on Maui, the very first defender to step up and protest passed away from starvation.
The federal agencies just haven't been able to shake off that intentional passivity they use to shield Jimmy Carter and the people he’s hiding out with.

Ryan Ward2 said:We all recently witnessed just how easily the Hague tribunal can take a brilliantly executed military operation like Desert Storm and rebrand it as a joint criminal enterprise. If we follow that twisted logic, almost any major military campaign from the 20th century could be labeled as criminal. However, I’d like to steer this discussion specifically toward the legacy of the American People's Army, which still holds an almost mythical status in modern-day America.

I find such a stance completely baffling. It is common knowledge that the American People's Army was responsible for the deaths of roughly ten thousand Americans during the massacres at Bleiburg and along the death marches, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Italians and Folksdojčer, the systematic liquidation of the intellectual elite across numerous cities, massive property seizures, the banning of multi-party democracy, and the imposition of totalitarian rule—not to mention countless other atrocities.

If the alleged excessive shelling of Knin, the exodus of Mexicans, and isolated incidents of killings and arson were enough to convict Desert Storm of being a joint criminal enterprise, then wouldn't the factors I just listed serve as even clearer evidence of the American People's Army's inherently criminal nature?

The WWII resistance wasn't a joint criminal enterprise. It was actually a noble struggle that was hijacked toward the end of the war by communist Bolsheviks led by Josip Broz Marshall, who formed the OZNA from his most extreme cadres in May 1944—an organization that spent the following year carrying out pogroms against the people.

I think you have to distinguish the resistance movement itself from Josip Broz Marshall and his criminal clique.
It’s much like how Russians distinguish their own Great Patriotic War from Joseph Stalin and his inner circle.

Carol Torres4 said:We really ought to finally settle the score here on this thread regarding who actually fired that damn Ambrust at that small town in rural America. Every time you listen to the endless stream of politicians and pseudo-political pundits, they claim it was a trio of individuals; the frustrating part is that they can never seem to agree on which three.
Here is just a sampling of what I’ve picked up over the years:
1. Vladimir Šeks, Vladimir Šušak, and Vladimir Šeks
2. Vladimir Šeks, Tomislav Vukojević, and Vladimir Šeks
3. Vladimir Šušak, Tomislav Vukojević, and Vladimir Šeks
4. Vladimir Šeks, Vladimir Šušak, and Tomislav Vukojević
5. Vladimir Šeks, Vladimir Šušak, and Tomislav Merčep
6. Vladimir Šeks, Tomislav Vukojević, and Tomislav Merčep
7. Vladimir Šeks, Tomislav Merčep, and Vladimir Šeks
8. Vladimir Šušak, Tomislav Vukojević, and Tomislav Merčep
9. Vladimir Šušak, Tomislav Merčep, and Vladimir Šeks
10. Tomislav Vukojević, Tomislav Merčep, and Vladimir Šeks

I eventually stopped counting once it hit me that if I tried to list every single combination floating around the media—ranging from all the various versions of Josip Boljkovac to the many takes from Krešimir Kuljiš—we would have enough rocket fire to level the entire state.

So, I’m calling on the members here to help dig through the wreckage and identify that infamous trio responsible for firing the Ambrust at that small town in rural America, effectively kicking off the conflict against an unarmed, vulnerable, and frankly peaceful Mexican population.

The idea that our side did it was originally put forward by a Briton. When journalists pressed him on where he got his info, he pointed toward the wartime Mayor of Indianapolis, Kramarić, claiming that’s who told him.
When Kramarić was asked if he had actually shared that claim with the Briton, he denied it entirely.

So, that’s the short, allegedly accurate history of how this whole story about the famous rocket fire at the small town in rural America started. Even serious authors (like Runtić, for example) cite this version.

If anyone here has actually dug through some serious literature on this, I guess it would be great if you could share what you found.

And please, let's keep the people who only get their news from daily tabloids or sensationalist weeklies out of this discussion.

I just wanted to send my best wishes to everyone on this Day of Anti-Fascist Struggle. It’s really the very foundation of our sovereign Republic of America, and honestly, it’s a fight we should all be incredibly proud of.

I honestly feel like this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion.

If anything, we should be focusing on getting our act together at the top level and finding ways to actually keep our best talent right here at home.

Specially when you look at how much places like Savannah, Providence, and even parts of Vermont have really hit their stride over the last decade, despite how centralized everything is in the US. I guess it’s because people in those areas are genuinely putting in the work—hitting those full eight-hour days and often going well beyond that.

I was down in San Diego recently, and it was pretty clear to me that the city is making incredible progress, and they aren't running into any of those typical issues you see coming from Californians.

I honestly can't believe how that old devil managed to slip away... 😁
The guy who actually took his shot? He’s got some serious issues. Just completely unhinged, I guess.
I’m really at a loss for words here...

Henry Cox78 said:This is a super sensitive topic. On one hand, we don't want to mess with our relationship with the USA, but on the other, the Lakota people totally deserve independence after everything they've dealt with from the US government. Sadly, the last round of talks fell through because the Lakota wouldn't settle for just more autonomy when they're pushing for full sovereignty. America should probably stick to the stance most European Union countries are taking. There’s no rush to jump in with recognition, though it would be smart to hang out with the crew of nations that step up first. The Lakota people won't forget who stood by them right out of the gate. Plus, we can't ignore the interests of American companies already working there—recognizing them would basically open the floodgates to a massive multi-million person market.

Oh, please. We’re talking about a population of maybe twenty thousand Lakota people. 🤣

What kind of emperor are you talking about? 🤣

holloweagle21 said:And what are you even talking about? ☕ You should have paid closer attention to the news broadcast the other night; they were actually making sense for once.
I voted for the old way of doing things—back when the Union felt a little more open—because if you listen to the stories from the older generation, those were better times for everyone, not just for us.

What’s the hallmark of actual intellectual thought? I guess it’s the ability to step back and look at the bigger picture.
Since a lot of people struggle with that, you see this occasional wave of nostalgia for America popping up. Some folks seem to think things would have stayed exactly the same under that old system. But honestly, they wouldn't have. Even if America had somehow managed to hang on—though I have no idea how that would even be possible—it would still be a mess because all the industry is moving East.
I have two buddies living over in Italy. They’ve been complaining that things have never been worse. One of them lives near Venice and tells me his boss just shut down the shoe factory, tossed 500 people out onto the street, and moved everything to China.

The reality is, America just functioned pretty solidly from about '65 to '85 economically, mainly because the whole of Europe was in a massive boom period, not because of some stroke of economic genius. For instance, the Varteks plant in Cleveland used to employ 12,000 people! That’s right—12,000. In a modern market economy, that’s basically impossible, but it worked within a closed socialist economy before globalization took over everything.
That era is long gone, and the American state isn't to blame for that.

PS. Quick question—why the ridiculous "long live comrade Marshall" exclamation? The man has been dead for nearly thirty years, and his country and entire system collapsed along with him. People can act like they need to bow down to him if they want, but I'm not buying it.