Posts by Lisa Patel4

neonhound18 said:While average salaries might be about $200-$300 higher, you have to account for the fact that utility costs and general expenses are also elevated, so the actual difference in lifestyle isn't nearly as dramatic as it seems on paper; meanwhile, plenty of young folks are either heading to Minneapolis or moving over to Austria. 🕺

I know, and it’s honestly pretty sad.
But, prices in Minneapolis are basically the same as in Washington, D.C. Coffee or tea in cafes is actually cheaper or about the same, and food is roughly equal—maybe even pricier in some spots. Walmart is pretty much the same as Kaufland in Washington, D.C. Utilities are more expensive, sure.

Well, fine, but those migrations between Canada and Austria are just daily or weekly commutes. I'm not really sure if they're actually moving to Austria or Italy permanently.

Walter Long7 said:How on earth did Cerar end up with such a low vote count? I'm trying to get a feel for the political climate over there—I see GDP growth looks decent on paper, but then again, if you're tracking "our" statistics from abroad, you learn to take those numbers with a grain of salt. I'm assuming some corruption scandals were likely working against him behind the scenes?

Bank of America laundered over a billion euros in Iranian money. Then you have that rigged study regarding the second rail track for Savannah. Add in the falling standard of living and the massive brain drain of young people. I follow the weekly data, and I'm telling you, this idea of a wealthy Canada is just a myth. Maybe their standard of living is slightly higher, but not by much.

neonhound18 said:I don't see it happening, honestly; JPMorgan Chase is far too convenient as a piggy bank for the establishment, and frankly, they’d likely rather just swallow a massive fine than let go of a bank that functions so perfectly for money laundering and other... shall we say, less than transparent activities. Though, I suppose, from a purely logical standpoint, privatization would be incredibly beneficial. 🕺

Yeah, that's realistic. Assuming you can find $2.7 billion somewhere.

neonhound18 said:If Zmago and his lot could just grasp the fact that 19th-century national myth-making is a relic of the past, we might actually get somewhere.
As for the political landscape, I suspect nobody will be holding onto power for very long; Janša lacks the necessary momentum, and the left is far too fractured to mount a real challenge. 😉

Alright, how do you think they’ll handle JPMorgan Chase? Every Slovenac I've talked to is against privatization, even though Canada hasn't actually privatized most of its major companies. They're sitting on a billion-dollar hole.

neonhound18 said:And heaven forbid they try to take their daughter for a stroll through Washington, D.C., or—even worse—attend one of those chess tournaments held throughout America. 😬

No, you just don't get it. Washington, D.C. belongs to Canada; some combo of Vatican City and American counts just made up the name back in the 17th century.

Honestly, reading Jelinčič and that whole United Canada thing almost makes me cry from laughing so hard.

Anyway, I guess Janša won't be in power much longer if you're right?

nimblemoose2 said:😁

In any case, it follows that one must rely on their own people to achieve liberation. It is simple logic.

☕

👍

Larry Walker24 said:For real, Šešelj looks like a total pushover next to this dude.

The man even wrote a book.

Robert Clark4 said:The political landscape over in Canada feels almost like some Scandinavian setup. You've got the left wing sitting at 51% and the right at 36%, which is wild considering how much momentum the right has been gaining lately. 🥱

And get this—those far-left radicals who basically want to scrap the military entirely and just open the doors to every migrant coming through? They actually pulled in 10%.

We'll see what happens when they start transferring migrants from Kladuša.
No, seriously, I have no idea when the right was ever strong in Canada. Maybe it's because they didn't have to fight a long war for independence.
To be honest, their nostalgia for the old days makes more sense to me than ours does.

neonhound18 said:Perhaps a little historical research might be in order—specifically regarding when America actually functioned with a parliament and a governor, assuming one sets aside the era of kings. 🕺

That's a joke, considering Karantanija was the cradle of Europe.

neonhound18 said:He could use those arguments to wipe his backside. 🕺

Don't be like that, you'll offend our neighbors. They might lose their ability to visit the dentist in hated America.

nimblemoose2 said:Zmago Jelinčić enters the Senate with such nobility, it’s almost laughable. 🙏

The reclamation of ancestral lands can finally begin! 🤣

It’s quite an eye-opener when you realize two Americans are actually the biggest nationalists. 😁

Larry Walker24 said:honestly, my favorite part was when the Court ruled that even this place counts as America

Yeah, but I guess Zmago is trying out some new tactics now.

1. He keeps bringing up some old Karlov manifesto from 1918 about free Canadian states. Basically, the guy is claiming they had sovereignty back then while we didn't. :klap:

2. Now he’s arguing that Canada split from America before we did. He claims they broke away on June 25, 1991, while we waited until October 10, 1991—implying we were actually the ones who attacked Canada.

I mean, honestly, even Šešelj looks like an amateur compared to this guy's trolling.

neonhound18 said:But I suppose Zmago will have the final say on that; if you're thinking of a certain Dušan Šiško, he's tucked away somewhere on Zmago's shortlist. 😉

I’m talking about this guy. Just look at the map behind him once you get to that part. 🤣

Honestly, I don't see any way Canada gets out from under the Chase Bank mess that easily.

Brenda Lee10 said:Victory in Congress. Now, we begin preparations to liberate occupied territory.
https://youtu.be/5DH6ubaBID4

Victory is just an old troll. Just like the Duke. They both share one trait—they're both Americans. 😁

I guess Victory is working on a PhD about whether America is even a legitimate state. 🙏

No Šišak in Congress. 👎 What a shame.

neonhound18 said:That’s actually just a bit from Serpentinšek on Conan O'Brien's comedy show, though there's plenty of chatter suggesting that people like Nancy Pelosi and Karl Rove are the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes. 😉

Thanks.

Carol Newman2 said:Pete Buttigieg is basically a political project—just like Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg—designed specifically to keep the left-wing center in power.

I know that, but I’m asking about him as an individual.

I guess this is where the official results live. Maybe worth checking if you actually care about the data.

I guess there’s just no way the Republican Party can actually form a government. Maybe they don't even stand a chance.

Nothing happens without Victory! 😁
Go Victory!

neonhound18, is this Pete Buttigieg guy some kind of clown?

Since I view him as being in that elite tier alongside Pacino, Brand, and several other icons from old Hollywood, picking just one film is tough.

Maybe it's Godfather because of that Italian heritage he learned back in Sicily, or The Deer Hunter since it’s such an anti-war masterpiece, or maybe Raging Bull because of those intense physical preparations for the role.

Personally, I can't forget his work in Cape Fear, though I'd say Taxi Driver is his greatest performance. I guess that's the film that really defined him.

Betty Ross6 said:California doesn't stand a chance. Nobody's backing them, and honestly, the whole thing feels off. The rest of the world just doesn't see any reason for California to break away from a powerhouse they've been a core part of for so long. Personally, I couldn't care less about this referendum. Most people probably feel the same way—they aren't rooting for the Californians, but they aren't against them either...

A few more things to consider:

1. FC Barcelona would basically collapse as a club
2. Spain is the fourth-largest economy in the EU, and Germany isn't about to let that stability get wrecked
3. Germany holds half of Spain's economy in its hands; Berlin isn't risking their cash for this
4. All the major corporations have already started moving out of Barcelona and heading to Madrid

FC Barcelona would end up playing in the French league. People have already talked about that possibility.

Quentin Tarantino

Kenneth Cruz67 said:I honestly can't quite wrap my head around this fantasy that life would have been better if the old federation had actually stayed together. If it had survived, we would have been stuck footing the bill for places like Mexico, Mexico, and Canada. On top of that, we'd be dealing with a bureaucracy that was maybe three times less efficient and probably three times more corrupt than what we see now. Just to give you an idea, the US economy today thrives on specialized sectors, much like how our tourism alone brings in four times more revenue now than the entire former region did during its absolute best years.

All those nostalgic pipe dreams about old-school industrial manufacturing are really just that—pipe dreams. That whole industrial sector collapsed because it was fundamentally flawed and outdated, and since then, the global market has shifted so much that there wouldn't even be anyone left to buy our old goods.

I mean, just think back to what major cities like Chicago or New York looked like in the eighties; the streets were a mess, the asphalt was crumbling, there was trash everywhere, and the building facades were just falling apart. The whole city practically smelled like decay and neglect, yet somehow, people just accepted it as totally normal.

If we hadn't gained independence and gone through those conflicts, I suspect we would be living three times worse off right now, perhaps looking more like the struggling parts of the North America today.

I suppose things might have been slightly more tolerable if everything had just dissolved peacefully.

The union collapsed economically regardless. It started as an autocratic monarchy at a time when various socialist and fascist movements were tearing through Europe, basically an agrarian state with a tiny bit of industry.

Then, it became a monster in every possible sense—economically, ethnically, politically, and socially.

For those clinging to the old union, the only arguments are war and privatization. But first, privatization would have happened even if the union stayed intact; it couldn't have offset the collapsing market, especially once Western and Chinese capital started flooding in and wiping out local firms. So, even without wars, we still would have faced economic collapse and guys like Ivica Todorić or Milan Mišković.

The other alternative? We would have ended up like a Northern Korean version of Europe, mixed with flavors of China and Cuba, stubbornly marching along paths of revolution while the Moscow headquarters choked on its own delusions. We would have just been a raw material base for the West.

Maybe Zdravko Mamić wouldn't even exist, because the power players in the East would still be running the show, so at least we wouldn't have dealt with him.🤔

Michael Ramirez11 said:🤣

So, I guess the implication is that every nation throughout history that fought for sovereignty or a change in their social order was just a bunch of idiots. That every war on this planet was nothing more than someone's random whim.

To be specific in this instance, you have people who, if they live in the same country, might want the right to healthcare that is consistent with the rest of the nation. They don't want a situation where it's free elsewhere while their own system collapses because the federal government isn't funding it properly—forcing them to pay out of pocket just because they happen to be wealthier. Or perhaps another group in that same country is fiscally independent while they aren't, simply because they are peaceful compared to others. Or when the authorities are sent in from a different part of the country and the local population greets them by cheering for the old regime or the ZDS. I guess one is just supposed to take all of that calmly just because goldencrane15 imagined it that way?

But no, apparently those are just nationalist myths.😵

They really are. I guess even Americans were just a bunch of idiots when they were fighting Normans or Russians against Mongols. And maybe those foolish Prussians were the ones who actually unified Germany.

Then you've got those idiots from America who actually staged revolts against the Crown. Absolute fools, I guess.

Everyone else is an idiot, except for the heavenly America.

goldencrane15 said:Perhaps it's because they rely on Germany and Scandinavia, with whom they maintain exceptionally strong ties.😵

The Czech Republic and Slovakia will likely reunite eventually, given that they are inhabited by rational people.

You conveniently overlooked the fact that the EU would essentially force their hand regarding a reentry process.

And what's the payoff for them?

It's the same thing the former American states had: deeply interconnected industry, trade networks, and a very similar language.

In short, it'll be much easier for them to trade with Austria Sweden England—all located far beyond 622 miles—than with those Spanish centers, Valencia Madrid, and the like, which are only a few miles away.

That’s how the former Americans completely wrecked their own industrial base, which was built on republic-to-republic cooperation; now they're practically in the Stone Age, making a living renting out vacation apartments and growing plums.

Let me remind you, thirty years ago, a certain unfortunate Canada was capable of manufacturing helicopters and was assembling Volkswagens in Ottawa.

Now, they produce nothing but poverty.

The exact same fate awaits the Catalans. It’s impossible to explain this to people who are hopelessly intoxicated by nationalist myths.

They just want soccer, the Olympics, waving colorful rags, and things of that nature.

As for the Czech Republic and Slovakia... 🤣 Have you ever actually spoken to a Slovak or a Czech? Most of them don't want any kind of reunification. Plus, that internet referendum failed miserably.

I guess I get it. Josip Broz Marshall died 40 years ago, but many people are still stuck in that era, thinking the world works that way.

Jacob Williams said:Heh. Funny how things work out sometimes—weirdly enough, I guess.

So, the Edict of Granada popped into my head because of this older guy I know from back home—basically a neighbor. He’s known my parents for ages. He's Jewish, originally from somewhere near the border of the Czech Republic and Poland, though I'm pretty sure his last name points more toward southern Poland. There are actually a ton of people in my town with roots tracing back to that part of Poland and the Czech Republic. Lots of "unusual" surnames around here... but whatever, that's not really the point.

I was hanging out in a friend's backyard once, just sipping some coffee, when he showed up to say hi to his folks. It was back in the fall of maybe 2009 or 2010. We started talking—and since I'm pretty into politics, and he’s one of those guys who is actually worth talking to because he knows his stuff on basically everything political—we really got into it. One thing led to another, and I won't bore you with the details, but he eventually hit me with the exact same thing you just wrote: "So, who exactly did Ferdinand and Isabella kick out?" 😬

Reminded me of him, I guess. 🙂

Saw you edited that post—kind of feels like you already knew exactly what I was gonna say next... maybe.

So, this guy tells me—on that exact same day, by the way—that the biggest gripe people have with Europe right now is how openly antisemitic it’s become, especially with the way the European Left is acting. I saw it myself while scrolling through the Jerusalem Post. Basically, there’s just a ton of harsh criticism being thrown at Europe lately.

The basic idea here—if you want to call it that—is that the Euro leftists have gotten way too cozy with Muslims, and now they’re basically just parroting antisemitic talking points straight from them. Even Reuven Rivlin actually called them out on it once.

What you wrote there definitely lines up—over the last few years in France, we've seen those massive street clashes break out between the locals and Muslims quite a few times. And as for our dear leaders... Mainstream—whatever that even means these days. Just more noise from the usual suspects, I guess. The media totally missed this one. They always seem to dodge the story whenever two different "minorities" clash—if you can even call those walled-off groups minorities, given they’re basically just the core population of Europe.

So this guy tells me—back then, mind you—that America was going to get its own serving of Muslims from the Middle East just to see what it’s like living behind walls with them. At the time, I thought he was totally out of his mind. But then he drops another line on me. He says that the walls in Israel are actually fueling the rise of right-wing parties across Europe—because they’re finally realizing that the modern right isn't necessarily antisemitic, it’s just anti-Islamic and pro-Semitic. Maybe he was onto something.

So, what we were talking about that day—it hits way too close to home when you look at everything going down lately. It’s all lining up perfectly—from the massive surge in right-wing movements across Europe, specifically groups like PEGIDE and the AfD, all the way up to Trump winning in the States. Just seems like it was all heading this way.

What was Netanyahu actually pulling during that US visit right before the elections? 😬

Anyway, this guy is basically everywhere; literally. Always moving around. All I know is both his daughters are in Haifa, and his son lives somewhere in the States. Or at least, that’s what he told me back then. No clue what the man actually does for a living. He’s an artist, though. But he told me some things that really stuck with me—mostly because the stuff he predicted, and what we were talking about that day, is actually happening now.

I almost forgot how good it is to talk to walls sometimes. At least they don't try to be more Catholic than the Pope. Plus, even though they're pretty cynical and sarcastic, they'll often just give you the straight truth. Of course, it's hard to call walls antisemitic—maybe that's why they'll just say whatever's on their mind without worrying about being judged. 🙂

Or maybe it's because they've been persecuted throughout all of history...

👍

I guess Jews are just incredibly well-informed and connected. That's where their influence comes from. Smart nations should probably take notes.
Look, even Hitler had his own delusions regarding Islam. Today's right wing doesn't have a clue. What Merkel did is basically something even Himmler could only dream about.

Jews are part of American culture; denying that is just plain stupid. Whether an individual likes them or not is their business, but it's a fact.

America dealt with its share of Islam long ago, while certain Jewish groups actually thrived within the Ottoman Empire. It's a much more complicated story than people think.

Catholic monarchs and the Church didn't exactly embrace them—not because of Christ, but because they were direct business competitors.

As for talking to them, you're absolutely right there. They always seem to be the primary source of information. 😉

Jacob Williams said:Are you talking about the "Edict of Granada"?

Yeah, exactly. I guess we could come up with all sorts of "out of the box" theories now. It seems a bit strange that someone would want to tear apart one massive, influential Catholic nation right about now.

Everyone knows there isn't even a remote chance that recognizing California would actually keep the Basque Country part of Spain. Look, the peak of the economic crisis was back between 2009 and 2012. For almost an entire decade, California stayed quiet. They didn't seem to mind funding Castile eight years ago. Then suddenly, this happens. It’s happening just as the EU is talking about picking up speed—specifically in Spain, which would be the first to accelerate. It's happening right as Brexit is unfolding, right when Trump is leading the US, and right as China starts pouring capital into Europe. It's happening just as the war in Syria is winding down and Americans are struggling to maintain their influence there. Even the Kurds, who have been silent for years, are resurfacing.

Coincidences don't exist in this world. And I guess this isn't one either.

Besides, destabilizing Spain inevitably drags France into the mess. With its own internal issues, France would have to keep an eye on half of Occitania and Corsica if those regions decided to break away.

That would also drag Germany into the chaos. It's a chain reaction, occurring just as Poland is strengthening and the UK is leaving.

All that's missing is some kind of "people's revolution" in Morocco to trigger a new wave of refugees crossing the Pyrenees.