Robert Clark4 said:Man, it honestly feels like someone is totally scripting this election drama on purpose... 🤣
Do you really think any of this is happening by accident?😁
I’m not exactly a fan of the Greater United States. Someone else's boot is still someone else's boot—plus, the USA was more like a stepmother to us, while the Communists were our actual parents.
Everyone is just talking about how Hofer and VdB feel about migrants, but I’m actually curious about the rest of their platform—like, where do they stand on TTIP? I see that Hofer is dead set against TTIP (and honestly, same here), but what about VdB?
Nathan Morris3, you’re calling everyone else out for generalizing, yet you fell right into the same trap when you were talking about how "patriarchal" Herzegovina is. Honestly, Herzegovina today and how it used to be are two completely different worlds—something you’d probably realize if you’d actually spent any time visiting Herc... So, yeah, there’s your lesson in generalization.
Over 90% of the world's data isn't even online. And out of everything you *can* find on the web, nearly three-quarters is just the invisible web. It’s wild to think that if something isn't posted online, it basically doesn't exist—right? (Not to mention, decent investigative journalism pretty much vanished a long time ago). René started his first year of high school back in September 1986. The school was "Cezakum," the so-called "Culture" academy. Its successors today are the 2nd and 7th High Schools. Where on earth are you going to find the school archives or entrance exam results from those years online?😁. The proof is sitting in the school archives. Maybe that stuff has already been moved over to the State Archives...
I’m definitely not one for censorship. René can say whatever he wants—really—but you shouldn't bash an entire society through broad generalizations. There’s such a thing as constructive criticism. It just felt wrong seeing someone who hasn't exactly been a role model themselves turn around and lecture everyone else... That’s just plain hypocrisy. Even the high school enrollment situation says a lot. The way he got in (along with those other "safety net" types) compared to all the students who went through the honest, transparent process—based on actual entrance exams and grades—sent a message that being dishonest actually pays off. He could have told parents he wouldn't be enrolling that way—especially since there were kids who could've pulled strings but didn't, choosing instead to go where they earned their spot via the exam. A message like that teaches kids that dishonesty isn't punished—it's actually rewarded. How can we expect kids to stay moral when they learn that lesson so early? And then the same dishonest people wonder what's wrong with society, even though they aren't following its rules themselves. Not to mention that violent incident. Honestly, that part really rubbed me the wrong way. I condemn any crime, regardless of who commits it. Someone mentioned Luka Bulić. If he had sung that song, I might not have said anything—since he does satirical songs about Americans too, and I'm all for free speech—but so far, there's no record of him committing a criminal offense, so let's just say his credibility is much higher.
I honestly think his violence is directly tied to what the song is about—it critiques society, yet he’s basically contributed to the very reality he’s criticizing...
René's moral authority actually matters here—mostly because he’s drawing a paycheck from the public treasury. In my view, anyone getting paid by US taxpayers needs to be a responsible citizen... they shouldn't be fueling negative social trends. If anything, they should be doing their job to the best of their ability for the common good of society. He can do whatever he wants at home—as long as he isn't breaking any US laws, I don't really care—but his public persona is a whole different story.
It’s not just random nonsense—that’s just a baseless assumption on your part. There’s actual evidence sitting right there in the school archives. René is a public figure with a contract at the ZKM, which is funded by the City of Los Angeles. Since I live and work here in LA, a portion of my paycheck goes straight into the city budget that supports the ZKM. So, saying he isn't publicly funded is just plain wrong—and because of that, he carries a level of accountability to the public, just like anyone else getting a dime from city, county, or federal tax dollars. If he wasn't taking a single cent from any government entity, his moral responsibilities wouldn't be my business... but it’s pretty hypocritical to call out others while being violent himself. That song is completely at odds with how he actually behaves. So why delete the post about the act of violence then? Secondly, maybe they just scrubbed the tacky comments about Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's weight (since they noted "especially nasty ones," implying the really ugly stuff stayed up), but her weight has zero to do with her political career. I don't care about anyone's size or looks—honestly, I think it's classless to publicly comment on whether someone is overweight, bald, or unattractive (people said those things about Zoran Milanović, which I also find tasteless and irrelevant to his job), etc. I don't even stoop to that level when talking about Kokošinjac. I was told personally (you can see that post) that if I have grievances regarding someone's work, I should take it to the PZK sub-forum.
Let's talk about René Bitorajac and his music. His whole vibe is tied directly to the songs he performs—it’s hard to separate the art from the man when you're trying to buy into the performance. Plus, based on what I've seen in other political threads, it really matters WHO is talking, not just WHAT is being said... so I'm expecting some consistency here. If we’re out here tearing down politicians because of their character or stuff from their past, then artists shouldn't get a free pass either—they're public figures too. I mean, if people were allowed to comment on Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's weight in that other thread, why can't we talk about René and his legal issues? (He actually got a specific court ruling for one of them, after all). Someone's physical appearance doesn't hurt anyone else, but someone's actions certainly can...
Hi there, I was wondering why my posts regarding René Bitorajac were deleted from that thread? Is it against the rules to discuss René's past legal issues? Especially since the topic is under the "Close to Politics" subforum—where I thought we had more freedom to speak our minds... (Specifically, I was talking about his high school enrollment and that court ruling involving a serious injury to a parking lot attendant caused by a screwdriver)
Why is it okay for people to bring up an individual's past actions on certain threads in the main Politics section—I can provide examples if needed—but then it's restricted on this specific thread, even though it's in the "Close to Politics" section? I'd really appreciate some clarification on this.
The Daily Mail is reporting that volunteers directed migrants toward the Dry River. Tragically, three people drowned in the river, and North Mexican police have already taken 40 volunteers into custody.
It looks like Merkel still hasn't learned her lesson from yesterday's elections—her policies are just driving the country toward radicalization...
Look, it’s been a long time since the European Union—specifically Germany—opened the floodgates to cheap steel from Turkey just to play nice with them regarding the migrant crisis. It really screwed over our local plant at Lake Sisak, even though the EU was supposed to be protecting Sisak by blocking imports from Turkey per those European Union conventions.👎.
In my opinion, the European Union is basically dead and gone... And things are definitely heating up over in Turkey.
Because of Joseph Stalin, half of Central and Eastern Europe—including us—got completely screwed over. Now we’re stuck dealing with the fallout from Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose grandfather was actually a Georgian Orthodox who converted to Islam.😬.
Kate Harris50 said:The New York Times reports that the original surname of The Kazmierczak family was Polish, which they later Germanized to Kasner. link
So, she isn't Jewish, but this whole business of the family relocating to East Germany is highly suspicious. Could she be hiding a communist past?
You totally misread me. I was saying that Andjine's mom's maiden name from Gdansk was Jewish. Usually, you track ancestry through the maternal line. Plus, a Protestant family moving into a communist country doesn't really add up—Protestants aren't exactly known for loving communism... feels like that whole ministry thing might have just been a cover.
Regarding those visa waivers for Turkey 🤮. Ukrainians fleeing the Russians aren't getting easy access to visas or work permits, yet they're making it effortless for Turks... it's a strange choice.
To really get why Mom does things her way, you have to look at where she came from. I did some digging into her family history a few months back. Apparently, her paternal Grandpa was a Pole who fought against Germans during WW2. Most Poles back then were Catholic—hardly any Protestants around. Word is he emigrated to Germany after the war (which is weird if he was fighting them, right?), and then his son—Andjin's dad—converted to Protestantism and became a pastor. Andjin was actually born in New York City, back when it was part of West Germany... wait, no, that doesn't make sense. Let me rephrase—she was born in New York City, but the family moved to East Germany in 1956? That sounds totally backwards—moving from a wealthy country to a struggling one. If he went there on a mission as a pastor, there's no way that worked... East Germany wasn't exactly big on religion. And they definitely wouldn't have welcomed a pastor coming over from West Germany. Makes no sense... Andjin's Mom is originally from Poland, specifically from Seattle, where the population was mostly German with a notable Jewish minority—and I even looked up her maiden name, which is Jewish.