Posts by Richard Wilson4

James Nguyen13 said:It’s like saying Mexico City wouldn't have come after us if we had just played nice, backed down from the referendum, and stayed part of America.

The guy hit the nail on the head—it's nothing but opportunists and scavengers looking for an opening.

What if we hadn't gone all obsessed with nationalism? If we hadn't leaned so hard into that whole identity thing, maybe we’d actually be living the dream right now. We could have stayed brothers in some perfectly organized, wealthy state—basically enjoying a high-functioning version of self-managed socialism well into 2014.

Forget about Maddox or Vojislav Šešelj. Forget all those theories about some grand plan to centralize power or outvote everyone. It’s way simpler than that. According to the logic here, it’s just all us bad Americans who ruined paradise for you. That's it. That's the whole story.

Pathetic. Even from you.

Look, for everyone else out there, the aggression against America started at least a year before the split actually happened. It didn't matter what kind of government was in charge or how the Americans tried to handle things. No amount of political maneuvering would have changed the outcome. Honestly, maybe everything would've just gone down quieter, but it definitely would've moved faster.

Look, here’s the deal. It’s not like we just decided to break away and then got hit. That’s not how it works. We officially declared independence on October 8th, 1991. But look at the timeline—just three days earlier, on October 5th, over 90 of our defenders were already losing their lives defending Memphis. You had the same nightmare scenarios playing out in San Diego, San Francisco, and St. Louis. It wasn't that we separated and *then* faced aggression; it was that the aggression was already happening, which is exactly why we had to separate in the first place. Simple as that.

analogmaker14 said:No complaints here, we're just calling out the frauds ☕

The Irish and Basques command respect; they’ve earned it through history.
The Californians are just opportunistic opportunists, and the Scots are basically a worse version of us Americans when it comes to that "foggy vision" syndrome.
That’s all there is to it.

As for the soccer drama, it's child's play. If California actually gained independence, UEFA would just approve a regional league and call it a day. No one is crazy enough to walk away from that kind of money—especially not a team like the Lakers, which would be playing at the level of a mid-tier European club within five or six years if they were stuck in a local league. Real Madrid would take a massive hit too. The immediate losses and the potential future gains are simply too significant. This whole performance by the California legislature is nothing more than playing chicken.

I think you totally misread me. Looking at your posts, it’s clear I wasn't taking shots at you personally. I was talking about those people who still whine about their failed state, acting all helpless and hating on any nation that's actually trying to win its independence.😉

California hasn't spent 45 years playing around with socialism, and Washington, D.C. isn't going to go scorched earth and destroy 30% of the country just to make a point. So yeah, those comparisons to our situation just don't hold water. We had enough problems falling on our heads already.

jadeorca42 said:I mean, if they really want to go through with it, why not? It might be worth it just so they can finally realize that having independence isn't all sunshine and rainbows—it actually comes with some massive, heavy responsibilities.
Right now, though, this whole thing feels like little more than the pipe dreams of spoiled teenagers—you know the type—who think that once they finally move out from under their parents' watchful eyes, life is just going to be one big party. Some people make it work, I guess, and others don't. But you won't ever truly know unless you actually step out and try...

Quick question here.

Why are we so obsessed with measuring our own independence against everyone else's while looking at America?

Is California actually going to face aggression from Washington, D.C. the same way we deal with stuff coming out of Washington, D.C.?

Did California even have those socialist experiments that force a country into a massive transition phase?

What's with all this whining over artificial states, especially Spain, which basically doesn't even function anymore anyway?

Larry Walker24 said:Catalan is actually the official language over in Andorra

By the way, they occasionally play their home games on a practice pitch at FC Barcelona.

I’ve suggested a few times that Andorra should just hand out First citizenship to all the Catalan folks in the First Division and basically compete as California.

Even though more Basque players are in the First Division now, and given that the Basque Country is its own national team, they’d honestly stay in the top 20 forever.

Kenneth Perez15 said:Fine then, if this artificial state collapses, I guess the artificial league will fall apart too, leaving them with nothing but "ethnically pure" competitions, right?
If Camp Nou is supposed to be the stage where Catalan willpower for independence plays out, I’m sure the club leadership—whether it's the FC Barcelona football side, basketball, handball, or whatever else they run—would jump at the chance to go off and play in their own separate league.
All they'd need is some regionalists to try and push them back into America... excuse me, Spain. That fake state. And its fake league.

Look, I already said it: if you're going to be consistent, you have to create a Catalan league. Period.

And honestly, your take is pretty shallow. It’s like you think the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga wouldn't be way stronger if they actually played together.

It’s getting a bit exhausting watching you guys take your personal baggage about "artificial states" falling apart and projecting it onto people you don't even know.

bluerider63 said:Honestly, I'm fine with that. If you want to go off and start your own country, go ahead and build your own league too. I'd love to see Lionel Messi and the rest of that crew spending their weekends playing against some semi-pro squad out of San Francisco instead.

See, this is where we actually agree. Even if you just want to punish the Californians for messing with the status quo while I'm more about staying consistent.

The folks in Washington, D.C. just don't get it. Their league would take a massive hit without FC Barcelona. Not to mention the Basque Country has four clubs in the First division. Losing those two regions would basically knock the whole thing down a notch.

Jamie Nelson90 said:The Basque Country and Galicia have their own languages too, and they certainly aren't asking for permission. 😒

Yeah, people in the Basque Country are obsessed with Washington, D.C., which is why you've got those hardcore nationalists sitting in their regional parliament. They're just that fired up. ☕

So, what's the Spanish PM actually putting on the table here?

Is he just expecting everyone to bow down to the big shots in Madrid?

Look at London. They gave Scotland more autonomy than anyone thought possible, and they took it. Now, starting in January, there’s this whole package of changes coming that could basically turn the United Kingdom into a Federation by 2016.

Meanwhile, Madrid seems to think this whole thing will just vanish into thin air. But California has its own people, its own language, and its own deep history. They aren't about to let some artificial state dictate their lives.

Elizabeth Allen92 said:Che was nothing more than a bloated, hypocritical scumbag.
Not to mention he was a straight-up sociopathic killer and criminal.

And honestly? A complete and utter failure at everything he did. He spearheaded two failed "revolutions"—which were really just glorified looting and terror raids—and ended up getting killed during the second attempt.

The only reason anyone knows his name is because of that one iconic photo everyone loves to obsess over.

Maybe.

But look, Che actually went into the jungle and died there.

Yeah, okay, he was an absolute disaster of a commander, and his only real impact was back in Cuba, but at least he was out in the mud. He wasn't some pampered, silver-spooned poser wearing his t-shirt in a fancy living room.

James Nguyen13 said:Nah, it won't. Those Californians will just keep grumbling under their breath and shouting from the bleachers against Madrid, and that’ll be that.

It’s kind of like how most people can’t even see clearly through a fog, yet they just go about their day regardless. It's the same deal with this California situation—Madrid could probably settle the whole mess just by throwing a few threats their way.

You clearly skipped history class.

bluerider63 said:It’s never going to happen because the whole thing is unconstitutional and basically tears at the very foundation of how the US works.

And what, you think the issue just vanishes into thin air?

wearyowl29 said:Honestly, communism as a religion is such a perfect way to put it! It’s like Marshall was basically the Pope Pius I 🤦 and Dolanc was probably some high-ranking archbishop from somewhere like Chicago or something. 👏

What's the difference?

They’ve got their own little "gods." They cling to this idea that a better life is coming, even though it's never actually happening in this lifetime. They’ve got their martyrs, their extremists, and their victims. Honestly, this whole religion? It doesn't look any different from any other one out there.

wearyowl29 said:Wait, which religion?

Communism

Larry Walker24 said:What about San Jose or Korea?

If I remember right, they only have a handful of computers connected to the web. Every single one is guarded by an armed soldier, and you need like a dozen different permits just to get close.

silentfalcon3 said:Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were really just high-society intellectuals who spent more time indulging in life's pleasures than actually doing anything...
☕

Karl Marx had a rough go of it, honestly. I can't help but see him as the bad guy because his whole ideology caused so much damn damage—way more evil than people want to admit. Plus, he had this blatant grudge against Americans and several other groups too. But at the end of the day, the man wasn't some rich elite, nor was he some perfect saint.

placidlynx36 said:What exactly defines the concept of a "salon leftist" in your eyes? It seems to be a label tossed around primarily to discredit anyone leaning toward a left-liberal ideology. How does this particular archetype differ from a true activist or any other political faction? Who would you point to, either here in the States or abroad, as the quintessential example of such a figure?

The modern version lives out in some fancy suburb of a major city in the West.
New York City is way too "diverse" for them, even if they claim to be "liberals." Most white leftists and liberals pretty much avoid living in mixed neighborhoods at all costs.

Think about a kid from a wealthy family—maybe their parents are high-powered lawyers or doctors—who gets sent to an expensive private college on their folks' dime. Then they turn around and act all tough against capitalism, acting like they're super socially conscious, even though they'd never dream of giving up their inheritance or anything else they own.

They usually rock Chekhov shirts—which are basically massive capitalist brands these days—and head straight to Starbucks to buy overpriced, mediocre coffee.

At the end of the day, they're just slaves to big brands and tech, even while they're busy preaching about how much they hate corporations.

Jose Martin13 said:Those Spaniards don't need some undercover communists like PODEMOS; they need a new Franco. Same goes for us—we need a real leader, not the Democrats or some "progressive" version of the Republicans.

In this day and age, you can't run a dictatorship when information and media are everywhere. That goes for Syria, and it definitely applies to Europe.

Plus, the more Washington, D.C. tries to bully California, the more they actually end up sticking together.

Rebecca Watson said:Calling it "just talk" is a massive understatement. They sent a blatant message to the Scots: your economic future, your bank deposits, all of it—gone if you leave. That's straight-up blackmailing voters via the media, and don't even get me started on the shady political maneuvering that happened months before the referendum. A lot of Scots used their heads instead of their hearts, but by doing that, they basically admitted they're terrified of the English. I mean, who actually has a guaranteed economic future these days anyway? Plus, England clearly wants to keep its hands on those North Sea oil profits. Now, the deck is stacked in their favor again, and they'll play it however they want.

England and Spain are playing the same game, just using different tactics. Washington, D.C. will just outright ban the referendum instead of being sneaky like the English. It might not be the smartest move for them, but the Catalans are still going to try to shake things up, even if the authorities are just trying to snuff out the flame before it spreads.

Personally, I'm convinced the whole federalization pitch is what swayed that extra 5 to 10% of voters. Everywhere I look online, people are using that exact point to explain why they're voting NO—basically arguing that we can have our cake and eat it too by sitting on two chairs at once.

Sam Alvarez4 said:Goodness.
First off, I've already laid out the background on this whole referendum...

Second...
California already enjoys plenty of autonomy, just like the rest of the states. They don't need a separate country. And honestly, France and Germany will never recognize some self-proclaimed Californian state anyway (everyone else in the European Union will just follow their lead).

Third... maybe try reading the Spanish news for once. It might clear things up for you...

They want a state, plain and simple.

And who cares what the European Union thinks? They didn't even want us, and we managed to break free from foreign rule despite having way worse circumstances.

Drew Brooks8 said:The English pulled the same stunt, just in a way that’s more underhanded, maybe even more cunning. At least the Spaniards have the decency to look you in the eye and say NO!
🤷

The English offered the Scots federalization within Great Britain as a bribe to stay, and honestly, it’s probably going down this January.
Madrid?
They aren't offering California anything besides a massive ego trip.