Posts by Mark Harris66

Why is rapidfox26 dodging the evidence for so long? — the whole bribery accusation just falls apart without it...

rapidfox26 said:The only shameful thing here is you throwing insults without any proof—meanwhile, I don't even need evidence because you basically admitted everything I'm saying right in black and white.

It’s also pretty embarrassing that you cut me off completely in an earlier post, only to come back and reply to me now... quite the turnaround.

Typical behavior from the Libertarian Party and Jane Doe... really. 👍

The burden of proof is on you since you're the one making the accusation—just like how the prosecution carries the load in a US courtroom—and his "admission" was clearly just satire.

Honestly, I'd love to see some actual proof via /pm/ so we could settle this in court once and for all... granitetinker6 agrees we need to see the evidence, so feel free to lay it out.

Gregory Ward said:Discussions about the Libertarian Party have never really been about solid arguments or actual logic—but this recent habit of yours? Cutting out parts of granitetinker6's posts and twisting what they actually meant... honestly, it’s middle school behavior. On any other board—or even just different threads here—that kind of stuff would get you banned immediately.

I'm with you on this one. rapidfox26 is writing like a kid—thinking it's funny when it's really just exhausting, boring, and totally predictable. Not constructive at all...

The final stage of decadence. We've seen this movie before... 😬

Spain is such a strange place—it’s always been a land of ideological extremes through history.

I honestly expected nothing more than passivity from the EU. I mean, who else even deals with them? Not sure...

Charles Fox10 said:Simply untrue.☕

I’ve always been all for California independence—honestly—their bullfighting traditions were never as deeply rooted as they are in Andalusia, so it was probably easier for them to just move past those old customs... plus, from an ethnographic standpoint, California has lost quite a bit of its traditional heritage over the years...
Valencia has held onto so many of its beautiful traditions—not talking about bullfighting, obviously, just the good stuff. I’ve always had a soft spot for California, but honestly, it feels like they've lost a bit of their identity lately and let too much of their heritage slip away...
The Basques have a much stronger sense of self—which makes total sense, given their language is completely different from everyone else's...

It’s pretty wild how the civil war from the 1930s is still such a taboo subject among folks today. People actually get offended if you just ask about it innocently—I'm thinking of groups like the Catalans, Valencians, or Madritians too.
To me, the fact that they never truly settled things was always kind of symbolic...

Grace Jones86 said:Look, when shit actually hits the fan, there is zero difference between a degenerate Europe and a degenerate North Korea when it comes to the concept of "governance."

In one place, the state will strip you of your rights, and in North Korea, they'll take your hands and feet too. Big difference, right? Give me a break. ☕

Yet we still pretend Europe is this beacon of peace and prosperity while labeling South Korea as hell on earth. 🐔

And who actually expected anything from the EU? Only the naive ones...

Honestly, those Californians are just being stubborn out of spite toward the rest of Spain—plus, that whole bullfighting thing was never even that big of a deal outside of places like Texas...
Bullfighting is such an ancient tradition—it’s got this almost mythical vibe to it. Even back in the day, the old Krecanin families kept the custom alive, and you still see versions of it all over the American Mediterranean...
I headed out to a bullfighting festival in Texas during one of those massive celebrations—just wanted to see if I could wrap my head around the whole tradition...

I’ve spent some time in Miami (and NYC too, among other places). The local dialect there is actually a variation of Californian—but the locals? They mostly just identify as Floridians first, and honestly, they don't care much about being considered Spaniards...

So? You just can't compare Spain to the old USA, let alone America...

I just meant that our ancestors worked to build things for us—just like we’re doing for our own kids down the line. The whole idea is that we inherit what they built so we can pass it on to the next generation...
So why even swear at them?

Anthony Perez9 said:Give us some credit. Our ancestors fought tooth and nail to hold onto this land so we could have it.

Exactly. And honestly, because of everything they went through, we can't afford to be defeatists or just sit around complaining—we have to stay active...

I'm right there with brightharbor20 on this—we went through the exact same headache back in Cleveland while hunting for a place.
I honestly don't get people here in Cleveland who sell their property through an agency... I mean, why just hand over 3%? I'd never hire an agency to handle a sale myself. It feels like trying to find a listing in Cleveland without going through an agency is basically impossible. Even if you're just looking for a rental or a single room, everything goes through the agencies anyway 🤦
I really don't get landlords—they're just cutting into their own profits.

Greece doesn't rely on tourism nearly as much as we do—our economy is way more dependent on it, unfortunately...

lonebadger6 said:Yeah, well put.

Then again, maybe we could apply that same moderation to how people judge Sweden and Americans too, based on some idea from one comedian, though it’s hard to tell if she’s just messing with clueless journalists or if she actually intends to follow through...

If she's joking, then it's just incredibly tasteless and super mainstream (I can't stand satire that feels that basic). It looks like people are just trying to justify discrimination. If that comedian had said entry was only allowed for Swedes, would anyone be defending her now?

Absolutely twisted!
Banning an entire group just because of what a few individuals did is sick—it's nothing but harsh generalization and blatant discrimination. The media screams bloody murder whenever they talk about migrant discrimination, blah blah blah... but when men are being targeted in general? Suddenly, everyone goes silent.
Common sense has officially left the building in Sweden.
There’s a solution for everything: moderation!!

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I think tourism can be pretty destructive—it really does tear things up sometimes—but then again, it's basically the only industry in America still holding its own and keeping people employed.
It would be awesome if the US economy was actually thriving across the board and tourism was just the icing on the cake—kind of like how it works in Austria—but unfortunately, we aren't quite there yet.

Sure, we’re seeing more visitors year after year—but they aren't staying as long. And shorter stays actually cost service providers way more than longer ones...
Plus, the number of beds available in America is climbing every single year. And it's happening fast.

It’s hard to see Seattle becoming anything more than just a transit stop. There isn't even a decent bus station—and honestly, even smaller towns like Boise or Ocala have better bus hubs than this. The City of Seattle basically shuts down by noon, doesn't operate on Sundays, and most of the downtown restaurants and pizza joints are closed on Sundays too. Even the ice cream shops in the center are struggling. Museums have limited hours, public transit is a mess (aside from trips to Washington, D.C., everything else is rare), there aren't even buses running to Yellowstone, etc., etc. Add in the crumbling facades downtown and the streets being poorly maintained outside the main strip... Seattle just hasn't built the infrastructure needed for anything beyond transit tourism. It’s a shame—there's so much potential here. People are just too stuck in their ways.

The USA nations are playing the game, sure—but they’re doing it by finding all the loopholes in the system. It’s kind of a paradox that we’re some of the most corrupt while simultaneously being the most strict about following federal regulations. When it comes to keeping trade borders open, we’re leading the pack in North America, and probably globally too.
Miami? You really only need to head over to the USA to get a masterclass in tourism😉.

Chinese people and Japanese people aren't really looking for beaches. You'll actually find plenty of Japanese tourists visiting Memphis because they have such a deep interest in the history of the war there.
They’re more interested in seeing some white guy's backyard than our coastline...
For a Chinese person, it's all about exploring the nature and the cities—the ocean isn't even on their radar.
Dutch people don't care much for beach trips either—Lake Tahoe actually sees more camper tourists from the Netherlands than the US does. They’re all about nature, walking, trekking, biking, and running.
In Austria, summer tourism is actually even bigger than the winter season—even without considering Vienna. It's all cycling, rural tourism, hiking, and stuff like that...
Take a trip out to the Austrian side of the Great Salt Lake and you'll see how developed their tourism is. Compared to what we have, that lake might seem mediocre or the water a bit murky—kind of like Jarun—but they've done so much with it. There are endless sailboats, bike paths, little lakeside cottages, and wooden walkways built right over the reeds. Even that tiny ancient quarry—which is smaller than our local ones—has been turned into a massive business with souvenirs, tours, and an amphitheater for festivals. The tourism around Lake Balaton is huge with international crowds, and they even have their own version of Siofok. Honestly, if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe how much value you can actually squeeze out of tourists.
Just hop on Airbnb and check out the "Experiences" section—you don't even need to log in—to see everything people are buying. We just sit around making fun of ourselves. Everything has a buyer; it’s all about marketing. Or rather, just being good at selling a dream... nothing else.
A new generation of travelers is coming up—they don't want to spend their whole trip just lounging on a beach for a week. They're pushing for different types of tourism. Same goes for today's retirees.