Posts by Brenda Murphy3

Rachel White said:In what sense does the average American live better than the average Chinese person?

Look, if we're talking pure economics, that's number one... but then you can always pivot to things like freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of choice, and all that jazz.
When you factor in labor rights, healthcare, life expectancy... etc., etc... is that enough for you, or do I need to keep going?

Nathan Evans78 said:Let's be real, China hasn't been the budget option for ages; you've got parts of Africa ready to work for a mere fraction of the cost. Seriously, try finding me a single metropolitan area in the European Union that could possibly replace Shenzhen within five years. Maybe a small suburb outside of a major city or some massive tech campus led by someone like Mate Rimac?🤣🤣

And you really think he can't pull it off? Please. Honestly, I don't know why people are so quick to doubt him. It’s like they just refuse to see the vision. I mean, look at the track record here—it's right there in front of us if you actually bother to pay attention for more than five seconds. People love to talk a big game about how "impossible" something is, but usually, it's just because they lack the guts to try it themselves. I've seen this movie before, and spoiler alert: skepticism doesn't stop progress, it just makes you look foolish when things actually work out. 😁 What makes you say that? Seriously, what's your reasoning there?

You’re seriously tripping over the most basic stuff here. Like, we're talking fundamentals, man. It's not even that deep, yet you're out here making it complicated.
Yeah, look, we might run into a situation where stuff like Christmas lights or random toys end up costing way more than they used to—or maybe we just won't be able to find certain things on the shelves at all. But if we're talking about the heavy hitters, the strategic industries? We’re talking everything from essential goods and software to high-end electronics and large-scale industrial manufacturing. Honestly, you have all that infrastructure right here in the US and across the European Union.

You're just throwing stuff out there left and right without actually having a clue what you're talking about. It’s all super vague, and honestly, it feels like you don't even grasp the core of the topic you're trying to lecture me on.

Besides that—look, the European Union and the West have this one massive advantage that they aren't even talking about enough: they own the market. They have the actual consumer base that’s going to swallow these products whole, and for China, that market is almost entirely comprised of the West—specifically the USA and the EU. You really don't see any potential problem there for China? Come on, give me a break...😁

Nathan Evans78 said:Look, like I mentioned before, I was specifically responding to that post about an industrial renaissance. You've got this certain fan-like enthusiasm driven by emotion, which is perfectly fine—I totally get where you're coming from. ☕

Look, I don't have any "fanboy" feelings here...

That whole cheerleader vibe is actually super obvious with people who spout nonsense about how Russia is totally self-sufficient, or how this is going to wreck the West while Russia stays perfectly fine—just total garbage.

Honestly, that biased sentiment is pretty loud coming from people like you, who toss out statistics without having the slightest clue what they actually mean or the context behind them.

The fact that an average American lives a way higher quality life than an average Chinese person isn't "cheerleading" or being emotional; it's just a straight-up fact. It's like saying a German person lives better than an American...I don't see any emotion or bias in that. So, where exactly are you seeing it? And why your response above even makes sense is a completely different issue entirely. 😒 .
How much you actually grasp versus how much you're just guessing—well, that's a whole other conversation...😁

Nathan Evans78 said:I was simply responding to the claim that industrial manufacturing is suddenly booming in the West like some kind of renaissance, when the actual data tells a completely different story. Right now, the facts favor China, as they have the massive labor force required for large-scale production. Meanwhile, a company over in a place like Istria is running into exactly these kinds of hurdles:

Workers from Mexico

By the end of this year, we’re looking to hire about a hundred workers, but finding them is proving to be a real struggle. We’re seeing people coming in from Mexico, and we even have six Vietnamese people on the team. I’d love to see people from Ukraine come work with us too. Our main headache right now is the rising cost of raw materials and energy, which could get even worse because of the war in Ukraine. But honestly, we aren't alone—they're facing the same issues in Slovakia where they produce 5,500 railcars a year.

"There's a shortage of skilled tradespeople everywhere, so anyone willing to put in the work is welcome."

Look, it really depends on how you slice it.

The economy and industry across Europe are still incredibly robust, and things are shifting big time post-COVID—and honestly, the whole situation with Russia is just going to crank that up a notch. To be blunt, neither Russia, nor China, nor even the European Union expected sanctions this heavy-handed or support this intense. For China, this setup isn't great in the long run... basically, every move the EU and the US make to bring manufacturing capacity back home is a direct hit to China's dominance.

As for Istria—sure, maybe they're facing some issues (and let's be real, they definitely have plenty of them😁), but for you, me, or pretty much any average person, it’s a way better, higher-quality place to live than China. No matter what metrics you use to measure it...

As long as that remains true, all those specific problems you're bringing up above are totally irrelevant to me.

Nathan Evans78 said:European Union trade in goods with China, 2011-2021


Velis, things are heating up. We're looking at a deficit that's grown by 120 billion euros compared to 2011. 😁

According to the report, U.S. universities awarded twice as many doctorates in STEM fields (18,289) as Chinese universities (9,038) in 2000. But by 2007, the order had flipped and China began outpacing U.S. universities. In 2010. Chinese universities graduated 34,801 STEM doctorates compared to 26,076 by American universities.

Over the last decade, China has steadily increased its lead. In 2019, Chinese universities produced 49,498 PhDs in STEM fields, while U.S. universities produced 33,759. Based on current enrollment patterns, the report projects that by 2025 China’s yearly STEM PhD graduates (77,179) will nearly double those in the United States (39,959).

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael...-of-stem-phds/

U.S. TRADE DEFICIT

the past year’s goods-only deficit with China reached US$355.3 billion, lower only than US$418.2 billion in 2018, the US Department of Commerce reported on Tuesday. A US $859.1 deficit in overall trade, including goods and services, set another record.
The widening deficit follows an effort by former US president Donald Trump to narrow the gap – which he called “unfair” – through tariffs imposed on Chinese imports beginning in 2018.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/arti...ina-gap-widens

And?😁

What's even the point of this post of yours?

The European Union and the West basically cooked their own goose by getting so greedy and entering into this kind of relationship with China, but don't go forgetting that the same goes for China. Their entire growth engine is fueled exclusively by Western consumption and how easy we make it for them by buying everything in sight. Long term—the West actually has the ability to bring some production back home and use other levers to just slash imports from China, but then who the hell is China going to sell all those massive amounts of junk to?

Trade isn't a one-way street, but given where the economic power sits right now—the West (still) has more cards left to play...

Paul Anderson7 said:Every day we see a fresh batch of sanctions being rolled out, with everyone predicting Russia’s total collapse and a regressive slide back a century into the dark ages.
Regardless of the noise, I can't help but feel that once this war eventually winds down, those sanctions will lose their teeth too. Maybe not everything will be lifted overnight, but I suspect the West will gradually loosen its grip until Russia becomes an interesting partner and a viable place for investment again. Sure, they'll face massive hurdles because they really bungled this one—they won't ever hold the same leverage they had before the invasion—but it won't be quite as catastrophic as people suggest.
Unless this spirals into WW3 or some kind of nuclear exchange, I truly believe things will eventually settle into a new equilibrium, mostly because that's simply what works for the West. I'm fairly certain we'd see something like Nord Stream 2 getting back up and running; honestly, it just makes sense for everyone involved.

I'm holding out hope that the West might permanently shift its policy toward self-sufficiency and bolstered military cooperation, though I'm not holding my breath. On the bright side, Russia likely won't have the military capacity to react to anything globally for the next twenty years, but the downside is that such a vacuum might just trigger new conflicts in other volatile regions.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts: if the war stopped right this second and a deal was struck—say, letting Russia keep Crimea and keeping Ukraine out of NATO—what are the odds the West actually maintains these sanctions? How much longer would they hold out, and would we actually stick with more expensive suppliers, or would we quietly pivot back to the cheaper energy options from Russia?

Of course they won't last forever, and naturally, they'll be phased out over time... unless Russia decides to go full North Korea mode, but honestly, I think that's basically impossible and the Russians themselves would never let that happen..

What *is* likely to change significantly is the long-term energy policy within the European Union, along with a bunch of other stuff. China could easily feel the ripple effects there since they rely so heavily on Western greed and our consumption habits. Also, if Germany stays the course, we're looking at a total shift in the global military paradigm and the balance of power in the world—especially in the EU—within the next 5 to 10 years. The US and plenty of other countries have been saying for a long time that if Germany actually wanted to use that industrial muscle of theirs, they could become a top-tier global military power in about a decade. Just how far Germany actually goes is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: things are going to change.

Sanctions aren't eternal, and they shouldn't be... if a truce is called and some kind of compromise is reached, they'll definitely start lifting them. But regardless of how this all plays out, the fallout for Russia is going to be huge.

urbanotter said:Try saying that to a retiree living on a meager $0.00 pension, or to someone supporting a family on a middle-class salary.

And really, what is this war being fought for?
So that Ukraine wouldn't be "dependent" on Russia, but rather on America and the West.
Or it's fought in the name of these lofty slogans about being a sovereign, independent nation with the right to decide its own destiny.

But the reality is that a country can only truly be independent if it has the weapons to defend itself.
If you can't, you're always dependent on someone else.
We call ourselves independent, yet we can't even move a finger if Brussels doesn't give us the green light.
Just yesterday at a local fishermen's meeting, they were pushing the idea that certain projects can't get off the ground simply because Brussels hasn't approved our management plans yet.

All these imposed sanctions are largely a facade, because the flow of Russian energy imports and exports continues unabated, while things like Coca-Cola or hamburgers are just distractions for fools.
Ukraine has already restricted wheat exports, and Russia will likely follow suit.
And when you consider that Russia accounts for 26% of global wheat exports, there isn't a replacement out there that can fill that gap.
Food—which both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of—is a more critical strategic resource than fuel. Even though it's hard to produce one without the other, to grow enough food, you absolutely need sufficient energy and vast amounts of farmland.
Then you have the oilseed industry, where Russia and Ukraine are also heavy hitters, followed by a whole list of metals and raw materials that the modern world simply cannot function without.

You don't have to praise Russia, but you can't just ignore it either.
Personally, I couldn't care less about Russia; I would never want to live there, just as I didn't want to live in the West. I just want to live in my own country among my own people.
But you can't just erase Russia from the map if they won't allow Western moguls to come in and strip them bare, the way they did during the era of Yeltsin.

Seriously, what the hell is even the point of what you're saying? Aside from that bolded part—which I already called out—you're missing the forest for the trees. Nobody cares about this stuff "just" because of the financial hit from sanctions. It’s always tied to how people actually interpret Putin's moves. And that bolded section right there? That’s exactly my point. You’re basically trying to justify what the Russians are doing by dragging Yeltsin into the mix, which is complete nonsense. Nobody is out here plotting against Russia; they're targeting Ukraine. And let's be clear: Ukraine isn't Russia.

Look, you can take the stance that Russia has every right to act the way it is because they feel "threatened" by Ukraine moving toward the West and NATO—which, let's be honest, is clearly how you see it. Or, you can take the position that Russia has absolutely no right to pull this crap; they can whine all they want about Ukraine, but at the end of the day, it’s a sovereign, independent nation. That second view is what the vast majority of people in the European Union and across America actually believe. Besides, if you're so obsessed with nothing but the interests of America, you can just sit back and relax—we've got plenty of grain to handle our exports anyway. 😁 I mean, I’m being dead serious here. We’re cranking out about 50% more than we actually need. It's just pure overkill.
Let’s be real for a second—the vast majority of people actually back these sanctions against Russia. There's also a massive chunk of the population that fully supports our membership in both the European Union and NATO. Honestly, nobody sees an issue with us sticking to a unified policy when it comes to dealing with Russia.
And yeah—we *are* independent. Look, you could technically organize an exit from the European Union tomorrow if you actually had enough citizens backing you up, but newsflash: you don't. You simply don't have the support.
Honestly, the whole thing is just a bunch of empty talk on your part. It’s pretty obvious you’re backing Russia and their aggression—or at the very least, you’re making excuses for them and acting like the West is somehow the one responsible for this mess. Fine, go ahead and believe that if it makes you feel better... we aren't Russia, for God's sake.😁

urbanotter said:Exactly, I'm right there with you!

These are definitely some of the "heavy hitters" in terms of debate,
but nothing hits quite as hard as the actual sanctions or the news about Western companies halting Coca-Cola production.
The whole of Russia is basically in an uproar just because they might lose access to the "real" Coca-Cola.🙏

I saw firsthand how effective these sanctions actually are—and who they really end up hitting—when I was checking the updated gas prices this morning.
It's all driven by this preemptive fear that supplies will run low, even though Russian energy exports haven't actually stopped yet.
You don't need much imagination to figure out what happens if the Russians decide to actually pull the plug on those exports.
If you listen to the analysts and pay attention to what's being said about wheat and food costs, you can see how much everything has already spiked.
But I suppose nobody here is particularly concerned, since most people aren't directly reliant on things like wheat, fertilizer, or blue diesel.
Still, we’re all going to find out the reality soon enough when the impact finally hits our wallets and our overall standard of living.

So?

What's even the point of this post? People have been spinning this same exact argument in different ways for days now.

Look, it's blindingly obvious that prices are going to climb and that we're going to feel the sting... nobody is disputing that.
The real question is whether we should actually keep the sanctions on Vladimir Putin despite what he's exporting, or not. That's the only real debate. Right now, a huge chunk of people—not just here in the States, but across the whole European Union—agree that we need to stick to the sanctions and support them.
To be honest, I don't see it as a massive issue. Even if gas jumps to $6.75 and everything else gets more expensive as a result, and even if it drags on for a year or two... that's a price worth paying to choke out Vladimir Putin and his regime. I get that some people aren't thrilled about it, but so far, I haven't met anyone (if anyone at all) who isn't opposing sanctions simply because of their own pocketbook. Usually, that opposition is wrapped up in either open or thinly veiled support for Vladimir Putin, or at least a weird kind of sympathy for what he's doing.

Nathan Evans78 said:What a total shocker—turns out the troublemakers don't always see eye to eye with the powers that be. 🤣

And who exactly are these "troublemakers"?

The only one you can really call that is China, but let's be real: their whole growth engine is basically fueled by how greedy and consumerist the West is. It’s honestly delusional to expect them to pull any major moves right now, especially when it comes to sticking it to the EU or the USA over Russia...

Even though China will probably snag some cheap deals in Russia given the current mess, they aren't exactly thrilled with Putin’s little adventure or where this is all heading. All this talk about bringing manufacturing back to the EU and the West in general—especially with the fallout from the invasion and the economic chaos it's caused—is the last thing China actually wants.

Neither Putin nor China saw this kind of Western reaction coming (which, yeah, hurts the West in the short term, but makes total sense long-term)... honestly, I doubt anyone saw it coming... not even the Europeans or Americans themselves.

Basically, Vlad just completely miscalculated.

Emily Fox2 said:Things aren't going nearly as smoothly as Washington, D.C. anticipated regarding the isolation of Russia. In fact, everything seems to be backfiring. China, India, and Pakistan are refusing to jump on board with the anti-Russian sanctions, and now the world’s most populous Muslim nation—Indonesia—has made their stance clear too.
We're seeing similar pushback from key Latin American nations, including our own massive neighbor, Mexico. On top of that, the first cracks in this supposedly solid anti-Russia coalition are starting to show within the West itself, especially if you consider Turkey a part of the Western bloc given its membership in NATO.
Furthermore, leaders from the UAE and Saudi Arabia have declined to meet with Biden. 😂
https://www.geopolitika.news/vijesti...ati-s-bidenom/

😁🤣

And just how much economic business are these countries actually doing with Russia? 🍿

That’s assuming we even take for granted that a country like India or Mexico—or whatever—would actually prioritize Russia over the interests of the USA and the EU. Whether they announce sanctions formally or not, it's all the same deal...

Your posts are either the desperate cries of someone panicking or you're just straight-up trolling..🐔

Emily Fox2 said:While Biden scrambles to find alternatives to sanctioned Russian goods, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are giving him the cold shoulder 😂
https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-e...is-11646779430

😁

Are you actually serious about this stuff you're posting, or are you just having a blast trolling everyone? 🤣

Michael Ortiz68 said:Thanks for the deep dive. 👍

One potentially silly question: since Russia will likely keep supplying gas to the European Union for a while—because otherwise, both sides lose big time—how does the settlement of obligations actually work, given the sanctions, SWIFT, and all that?

The banks handling these deals are still plugged into the SWIFT system, and they’re staying that way for these specific transactions.

Douglas Perez3 said:Maybe the West knows this. Maybe they’re willing to pay whatever price it takes to bring Putin down and knock Russia to its knees, all according to some pre-written script?

$500 billion to dismantle Putin and crush Russia doesn't seem like much money to me when you consider the payday waiting on the other side. If they can topple this regime and install some "Pro-Western" puppet state—something similar to what happened in Ukraine—they'll get their hands on all that Russian wealth and resources.

Honestly, the whole thing smells like that's exactly the play they're making.

$500 billion is peanuts on a global scale... come on, get real. And that’s assuming any of it actually stays on the table, which—let's be honest—is basically impossible.
Just look at Germany; they pull in almost three times that much in direct foreign investment alone (and those were pre-pandemic numbers!). If you factor in the rest of the EU, China, the USA, or the UK... man, you have to be swallowing massive amounts of Putin-style propaganda to think $500 billion actually moves the needle. It’s total nonsense.

Emily Fox2 said:Total investments sunk into Russia have hit nearly $500 billion, and right now, there’s just no way to cash them out. ☕
https://www.fdiintelligence.com/article/80757
https://www.barrons.com/news/russia-...ry-01646136307

Wow....you really think that's a massive amount? I mean, sure, for Russia it's a huge headache, but in the grand scheme of the global economy, this is pocket change....
It's honestly kind of laughable... plus, they'll find a way to get that money back eventually, one way or another 😉 .

😁😒

Timothy Nelson5 said:I mean, you really don't get it at all. You haven't even made the slightest effort to try and understand. I guess... maybe there just isn't much there to work with.
Yeah, you’re totally stuck in that bubble, even if Bibimir insists you aren't. I guess. Maybe.
Even though you’re living right there, I guess you still don't quite grasp the most basic principles of Western democratic civilization—you know, the very stuff that serves as the foundation for the American Revolution. Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, I suppose.
And at the heart of defending all those liberties—well, I guess you could say it comes down to this... The whole point of the Second Amendment... I mean, it's really about the right of citizens to hold their own weapons, just to ensure there's some kind of defense against any potential attempt by the government to establish tyranny. Or maybe that's just how it's supposed to work. It’s a heavy concept, I suppose. Keeping that balance between authority and individual liberty... it's complicated.

I guess... it’s actually the first time in history where this is happening. Not just for some elite class or their private militias, but for everyone. Every single citizen finally has the right to bear arms. It’s a massive shift, really. All of us. Not just the people at the top.

Regarding what boldraven3 said—I think you’re completely off base there. How can you possibly think it's impossible? Of course it's possible... I mean, just look at Australia for instance. It's a massive territory, ten times the size of any single state in the USA, yet they don't come anywhere close to our levels of crime and homicide. I guess it just goes to show that scale isn't everything, though maybe I'm oversimplifying things.

I guess most of the USA doesn't actually deal with crime any more than you'd see in Western Europe or Australia. It’s probably exaggerated, maybe... I don't know. Just feels like that.
And that’s exactly where you find it—those rural stretches of the country where you mostly run into white Americans who just happen to own mountains of legal firearms. I guess that's just how it is out there.

It’s a grim reality when you actually sit down and look at the numbers, I suppose. About 75% of homicides in the USA take place within urban ghettos and their immediate surroundings. Then there's the demographic breakdown—roughly 53% of all murders are committed by Black Americans, with a significant portion of the remainder being Latinos. Most of this seems to boil down to short-range, illegal firearms used during gang disputes or those messy robberies tied to the drug trade and whatnot. It's just a heavy cycle, really.

So, look, I was just sitting here thinking about those crime statistics we keep seeing, and I can't help but feel a bit puzzled by the math. I mean, how does that even work? You look at the numbers and it’s all over the place. For instance, Russia supposedly has a homicide rate twice as high as the USA. Then you jump over to Brazil, where it’s five times higher, or Mexico, which is six times the rate. And if you really start digging into the chaos, Venezuela is fifteen times higher, and Honduras is eighteen times higher. It’s… well, it’s a lot to wrap your head around, I guess. Just feels like a massive, messy puzzle.

It isn’t really about whether it’s possible—because, honestly, anyone can do it—but more about the mindset behind it. I mean, seeing how Kyle carries himself, especially considering his age... it just feels off. It reminds me of those regions in Africa where you see child soldiers and various warlords running the show, and yet we see this exact same thing happening right here in the USA. Nowhere else in the world does it look quite like this. Doesn't that say something to you? I can't help but wonder if there's something fundamentally broken in the way people think, or maybe just in the entire narrative being pushed across the USA. I guess.

Well, I suppose there isn't much else to say, really. Just... wow. Or, I guess, oh my god. It’s one of those moments where you just have to sit there and process it all, though processing feels like a bit of an overstatement at this point. Everything just feels so incredibly heavy lately. Maybe that's just how it is now. I don't know.
You’re telling me I don't have a clue what I'm talking about. I guess... maybe you're right, in some sense. It's easy to feel that way sometimes, isn't it? Everything feels so fragmented lately. I suppose I just offer my perspective, however flawed it might be.
You haven't the slightest clue, I suppose.

Look, I don't think the geography of it all really matters here... at least not in the way you're suggesting. Having a rifle tucked away somewhere safe isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose—it might even be the smart move in this climate. But that’s a completely different issue from what we consider "normal" in the USA, which some people (quite wrongly, if you ask me) somehow equate with freedom. That isn't freedom... not by a long shot. It's just plain old paranoia, violence, and living in a state of constant threat... well, at least mentally speaking.

Let’s just recap the facts here—it seems like a lot of people miss this point. A massive majority of Americans carrying legal firearms aren't out there committing crimes; I mean, they don't even account for 10% of homicides. Most of those instances are actually just legitimate self-defense cases. The vast majority of violent crime is driven by criminals using illegal weapons... I guess that's just how the math works out.

When you look at rifles like the AR-15 that Kyle used, plus all the stuff those totalitarian types and various fascists are trying to ban... it honestly barely accounts for like 1.5% of homicides. I mean, a huge chunk of those cases are actually just self-defense situations, much like what happened with Kyle.

Do you honestly think someone who is at the mental level of calling Trump a "4D chess genius," writing all sorts of other similar idiocy, and obviously missing the mark completely—should be telling anyone else that they don't understand something? Ha ha... man, there's no shame and no sense left... it always goes like this, doesn't it?

Just keep going, buddy, in your little magazine-style commentary... until your next failed obsession... "Oh, I live in a fascist state, which is part of an even bigger fascist entity, and we won't let free people like you defend yourselves with weapons"... damn. What an infantile way of thinking...
Just pack up and head to the USA, arm yourself, build a bunker, and wait for the evil state to come for you... because that's exactly the kind of "smart guy" they need 🤣, but until then, we "fascists" will just live normally and freely... along with that "genius 4D chess player" who supposedly sees three moves ahead...🤣

(The American Revolution is the foundation of Western civilization? Really? Ha ha... I bet you don't even know what that means...)

coastalgull9 said:Of course, the American system is flawed just like any other, and frankly, it can be brutally, relentlessly harsh. But they still possess something that we seem to have lost: what I call "true, righteous justice."
When some drunken piece of trash mows down children with a car in the States, you can actually expect a life sentence for that scumbag. Meanwhile, over here, a drunk driver might get a few years, only to walk free and cynically laugh in everyone's face.

That's true... but laws and regulations aren't built based on one-off incidents; they're built on the big picture... on the statistics.
The bottom line is that the USA could teach any country in the European Union a thing or two about protecting its own citizens and what freedom actually looks like... because being able to carry a weapon isn't just some hobby.

(And honestly, half the time in the USA, those court rulings aren't even about justice—it's just straight-up business for a judicial system that's mostly in private hands. They hand out these insanely long sentences that don't even serve a purpose... I think your perspective on this is pretty warped)

hiddeneagle98 said:The right to defend yourself, the right to private property, the right to your own freedom and the pursuit of happiness, and the fundamental right to not be dependent on the government for anything—those are the bedrock principles of America. It actually makes perfect sense when you think about it; for the longest time, the USA hasn't even been able to guarantee the level of security you find in Europe, and frankly, they still can't. And I'm not just talking about the inner cities; I mean those desolate stretches of the Rust Belt where you can drive for hundreds of miles without seeing a single soul, let alone a police station.

Look, I get that the USA has some unique quirks born out of historical circumstances, but honestly, almost none of them hold up today, or even should.

Regarding the bolded part—I think you’re dead wrong. How do you think it's impossible? Of course it's possible... just look at Australia. It's a country ten times larger than any part of the USA, yet they don't have nearly the same issues with crime, murder, and stuff like that.
It isn't a matter of capability—because it absolutely can be done—it's a matter of attitude and mindset. Carrying a weapon the way Kyle does, especially considering his age... you could find similar scenes in parts of Africa where child soldiers live under various warlords, and you see it in the USA too. That's the reality. Doesn't that tell you something? Don't you think there's something fundamentally broken in the logic and the narrative being pushed in the USA?

The "remote areas" thing has nothing to do with this... at least not in the way you're thinking. Having a rifle tucked away for backup isn't a bad idea—actually, it's pretty smart... but that is a completely different beast from what's considered normal in the USA, which some people (totally wrong) equate with freedom. That isn't freedom... not by a long shot. It's just straight-up paranoia, violence, and living in a state of constant threat (at least mentally speaking).

coastalgull9 said:When it comes to self-defense and the fundamental right to protect yourself, your family, and your property, I honestly feel like the USA still maintains a basic sense of common-sense justice, whereas we over here have completely lost our way.

This is an old case, but it serves as yet another reminder that the right to self-defense in our neck of the woods is a massive, ongoing issue. It’s because they’ve taken the difficulty of proving self-defense to such an absurd extreme.
Now, look, if someone just steps one inch onto your lawn, obviously you don't have the right to open fire on them. But that doesn't mean someone can jump at your throat and start beating the hell out of you without you having the right to defend yourself in kind.

The USA has a sense of basic justice? Are you actually kidding me right now?

Sure, the USA is a fantastic country in a lot of ways, but when it comes to what you're talking about, they are civilyzationally lagging behind the European Union and America by at least two or three generations.

I'm talking everything—crime rates, general public safety, prison populations, etc., etc., etc...
In my opinion, while America and the European Union struggle with certain criminals getting sentences that are way too light, we're talking about isolated incidents. Overall, the European Union system and America itself are light-years ahead of the USA. When you look at the big picture regarding crime, murder rates, and general security, their results are much better. Honestly, only a crazy person would trade the USA system for what we have going on there.

frozendrifter7 said:2. I am well aware—which is precisely why I took the liberty of drafting those permits myself.

3. I’m also fully cognizant that the criminal complaint will likely follow that exact pattern; regarding that Vinkovčanin fellow I mentioned earlier—he actually ended up in court under different circumstances and walked away completely acquitted.

Now, Bubimir and Brenda Murphy3 are both insisting that in the first and second scenarios, I somehow violated the laws of America 😁 Fortunately, neither of them works for the Department of Justice.

No, I'm not claiming that... and if I'm following correctly, neither is unknown... where on earth are you even getting these conclusions?

Besides, the whole argument isn't even about whether what unknown did was technically legal; it's about whether his actions were actually understandable, reasonable, or just plain normal.

(You're just trying to mock people while spouting total nonsense and making comparisons that don't hold water... plus, you're insisting on things that nobody ever said, wrote, or even thought, let alone believes.

hiddeneagle98 said:What part of this isn't understandable? The kid's entire family lives in Kenosha. That's his home. He goes there every single day and even volunteers as a lifeguard.

He had been there since the day before, crashing at a friend's place just so he could wake up early and clean up the mess left behind by last night's protests. He spent the whole day before the chaos started doing exactly that. That is his community.

So what's the issue? I have relatives who flew in from Germany to help out during the floods back in the Midwest just because they were originally from a small town nearby, even though they were born abroad.

When the big earthquake hit San Francisco, half the construction crews from the South flew up there to fix chimneys and lend a hand without being asked—I personally know a ton of them.

It was the exact same thing when the tremors hit the outskirts of the valley...

If you can't wrap your head around that, that's your problem, though I'd go as far as to say it's your shame.

The fact that Kyle's attempt to help ended in tragedy for several people is the result of a suicidal individual's actions and the people who let him loose on the streets. It's also the direct consequence of political paralysis that allowed criminals—who are easy enough to identify—to hijack nighttime protests.

You can't just keep drawing these constant equivalencies. Having a right to self-defense doesn't mean it was a rational decision for Kyle to be there...

Honestly, I think all of you digging your heels in like this just proves how little you're willing to sacrifice for your own community, or really for anything broader than yourselves. And then you have the nerve to insult those who actually do step up. That’s your shame, truly. By all means, keep going.

You have to be freaking stupid to compare volunteering during a flood or an earthquake to walking around armed in the middle of a riot.

Yeah, sure, the Bad Boys and NFL fans have stepped up in plenty of ways and they deserve credit, but that doesn't mean if a protest turns into a riot in Washington, D.C., it's "justified" or "smart" for some 17-year-old kid from the Bad Boys to show up armed with a rifle.

You guys are clueless... it's unbelievable that some people just don't get it and try to draw comparisons between two things that are completely different.

And you're talking about shame? Give me a break... it's hilarious. A kid like Kyle was part of the problem there (not his fault, obviously), not part of the solution...

(And for the record—you have zero clue what I or anyone else actually did during the earthquake, so quit with the childish commentary...)