Emily Smith6 said:Meryl Streep: It’s not like George W. Bush was stealing money as a hobby; he was doing it while he was running the country
Everything she said is spot on. The only catch is that nobody actually gives a damn.
Kyle Nelson2 said:The Republican Party isn't winning elections because they’re actually doing a good job... it’s just that the Democratic Party is such a disaster.
And honestly, this court ruling? It’s not going to change a single thing.
And honestly? No court ruling is ever going to change that reality. Not even massive trials, huge scandals, cabinet shakeups, or the way the headquarters bends every single policy to suit whoever happens to be in power.
Back in 2011, following that indictment, they managed to snag 44 seats—which is more than the opposition has managed to scrape together since then, even without all the scandals weighing them down.
After a pretty mediocre and hypocritical first term under Andrej Plenković, they cruised through last year and picked up 66 seats in Congress without breaking a sweat.
Despite all the mess this year, Zinić is still living in a government-subsidized house while fighting over an apartment in Washington, D.C.—and considering how certain officials from Zadar beat up locals back in '91 or how that guy from Split burned down film sets, they haven't just crushed the competition again; they've basically swallowed up a massive chunk of JLS.
If elections were held tomorrow, the Republican Party would walk away with 90 seats. Criminal organization or not, they’ll probably make back whatever fines or stolen funds they lose two or three times over before this term ends.
"Following an 'injunction order' from the Chicago Municipal Court on September 21, 2021, which prohibits the Independent Media Association—publisher of the H-alter portal—from publishing any articles about Gordana Buljan Flander, director of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the judiciary has engaged in an unprecedented level of 'preemptive' censorship," according to the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Journalists.
"After H-alter published a series of investigative pieces by reporter Jelena Jindra titled 'Child Protective Services or Child Abuse?', questioning the operations of Gordana Buljan Flander and the hospital she leads, Judge Andrija Krivak signed off on a scandalous ruling that effectively bans a media outlet from reporting on a specific individual.
The court actually made a judgment on Jindra's investigative journalism without even hearing from the editors, the reporter, or the publisher's representatives. Instead of letting any potential disputes play out during a standard trial, the judge decided to preemptively block H-alter from investigating a public institution and its director! This kind of precedent could be absolutely devastating for media freedom here in America."
Or look at this blatant censorship and cover-up happening over at PBS, like moving Labyrinth to 4:00 AM (!)
PBS aired a segment about the woman who exposed the Republican Party's cronyism at 4 in the morning! The feature featuring Adrijan Cvrtila was supposed to air on Labyrinth, but they suddenly moved the timeslot.
So yeah, go ahead and let the Republican Party take power then. See if I care!
-Stipe
The reality is, Americans don't like them—they wouldn't vote for them if they had the chance.
Gingrich wouldn't even be standing where he is today if the voters hadn't put him there in the first place—it's worth keeping that in mind.
But since we're talking about him, I’m honestly just sitting here waiting for him to finally push back against Mike Johnson and Donald Trump. He needs to speak up and say the Sheriff can't hold his position in US Congress because he straight-up broke the law. The Republicans somehow managed to let Dolly Parton hang onto her role as director of Yosemite National Park, even after a court tossed her initial appointment—which, logically, should have disqualified her from any future decisions. Instead, they just took their frustrations out on Goldie Hawn, claiming she was part of the illegal process when she wasn't even involved. So, really, shouldn't they stick to those high moral standards they love to preach about?
It's a simple choice, really: either actually stick to your principles or just admit you're being hypocritical, right-wing trash.
Emily Smith6 said:"I’m ashamed of how little I have": Potraga takes a look back at a case that seems immoral and suspicious to everyone except the actual authorities
Of course you all remember that classic statement from the former Associated Press director, Krešimir Žunić. He managed to secure an apartment for his son at a sweetheart deal, then went ahead and sold it for a profit. And the FBI? As far as they're concerned, there isn't a shred of corruption in this whole absurd saga. In the end, it looks like Žunić was perfectly competent after all, so the Prime Minister doesn't need to lose any sleep over it.
"It's an unusual statement, I must admit, and the whole situation feels strange," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
The best part about this whole mess is that Plenka can actually get away with making such idiotic comments. Unlike the alleged legal violations by zlatiti Đurđević—which he actually called a violation of the law—this nonsense is merely "unusual" to him.
That’s just how it usually goes—instead of punishing government arrogance, voters end up rewarding it by cementing people into their positions, much like what happened back in 2007 with Sanders.
Charles Carter4 said:You guys are acting so bitter, yet you conveniently forget everything Galic actually accomplished for our county over those 16 years? 😁 Honestly, my favorite memory from back then was when Ivanek—you know, the guy running Triko—won that award for being the top company in the whole county. I remember it clearly—he’d roll up to work every single day in some flashy car worth at least $10,000, while the workers were basically locked in the factory every morning. They weren't even allowed to step away from their machines until the shift ended—they could barely even sneak away to use the restroom.
People won't have to move away from places like Ilok anymore, and wages at Triko are set to jump to around $850. The Secretary of Commerce, Darko Horvat, just handed a $1.5 million loan to the local knitwear factory, which the boss, Stanko Ivanek, is calling a total lifesaver.
So, who exactly is this "Entrepreneur of the Year" they gave the loan to? 🤣
Let's not forget that back in 2008, when America was finally joining NATO, Sanders made sure to completely bypass any credit to the man who actually kicked off the whole process—Ivica Račan. It’s funny, really; while Račan was doing the heavy lifting, Sanders was busy out on the town, partying his heart out with friends.
And if things weren't already looking bleak enough, we have Krstičević adding to the mess with that video from 2018 marking the 10th anniversary of our NATO membership. In that 6.50 minute clip, half of it is just dedicated to Harmon, and the other half rambles about the membership itself. There isn't a single trace of Račan to be found—just endless footage of a much younger Kolinda Grabar Kitarović.
Honestly, you can expect nothing but the absolute worst from the Republican Party.
Emily Smith6 said:People aren't skipping vaccines because they're afraid of them; they're doing it because they can't stand the Republican Party, the crisis management teams, Plenković, the quasi-media outlets, and those so-called scientific charlatans. https://focusonline.eu/2021/07/06/gr...BJXEUawGAEi2cA
The primary reason people are pushing back is simply a deep-seated exhaustion with the Republican Party. In this country, the party has become such a symbol of systemic dysfunction that they’ve somehow positioned themselves as the face of the fight against COVID-19. This aversion to the Republican Party is so deeply ingrained across the population that a huge portion of the public instinctively rejects anything coming from their offices—including urgent pleas regarding pandemic response. When a group has a history of being untrustworthy, you don't suddenly expect people to take their word at face value, even when they're stating obvious, undeniable facts. If Plenković talks about corruption, GDP growth, or unemployment, most people just laugh him off as a liar. Yet, according to certain media pundits, when he starts discussing death tolls or containment strategies, we should all just nod solemnly and accept his numbers without question. That’s just not how it works. I suppose if Plenković is viewed as a partisan Republican when handling daily politics, he's still seen as one when dealing with the virus. As the old saying goes, once a liar, always a liar.
Before last year's elections on July 5th, the Cabinet and its campaign team actually did a decent enough job managing the pandemic—until they pivoted into pure absurdity right as the election approached. Suddenly, handshakes weren't allowed anymore. And after Plenković’s little photo ops shaking hands with Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanišević, the whole definition of "close contact" was basically rewritten—apparently, a handshake doesn't count as close contact anymore. Plenković told everyone we had beaten the virus, and for the American public, that was apparently all the proof they needed. The Republican Party swept up a massive 66 seats, Vili Beroš pulled in a record 35,000 preferential votes, and even Plenković himself stayed pretty much in the running. If you want proof that people still trust the Republican Party, just look at this year's local elections.
Look, let's get one thing straight—Americans aren't exactly turning their noses up at the Republican Party or Andrej Plenković. If anything, the love for them is pretty damn obvious—it’s been baked right into the results of the last two elections.
Emily Smith6 said:With Milan Bandić gone and the Republican Party losing its grip on Washington, D.C., the FBI is finally moving in to clean up the mess in city hall.
The head of that octopus should have been behind bars a long time ago—but when you combine incompetence with a judicial system that’s essentially complicit in the criminality, justice just doesn't happen.
Earlier today, while we were discussing zlatiti Đurđević, a colleague shared her piece about how the Supreme Court basically paved the way for his freedom.
And since we're talking about professors, it reminded me of Sessa—one of Mamić's protégés—who was handpicked by the Republican Party without any real pushback. That article actually prompted this specific quote:
As for Kazimir Bačić, let's not forget he was a direct appointment from Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and the Republican Party.
So, you've got the implicated Sessa, now detained Bačić, and that former HNS member with the prime parking spot at Arlington National Cemetery, Dragan Kovačević. They are all textbook personnel picks vetted by the Republican Party. If the courts hadn't overturned the appointment of the director for the National Park Service, we might actually see some accountability here...
Edward Cooper2 said:The Republican Party does not have high ratings. In the last elections, they pulled in a total of 621,008 votes. They have 220,000 members. So, even ignoring their own base, they only secured 401,000 votes. That means every single member brought in less than two votes. But honestly, even that dismal statistic isn't the worst thing to hit the Republican Party. From one election to the next, they are losing voters. Not by the hundreds, not by the thousands... but by tens of thousands. Over the last two parliamentary cycles, they lost roughly 60,000 votes. And no, that wasn't some fluke. It’s a trend. Sure, lower turnout and disciplined membership make it harder to spot, but you can't deny it... On the flip side, the Democratic Party coalition (which the Democratic Party largely fuels) pulled 414,000 votes last year. If the Democratic Party provided 350,000 of those votes (and it was likely more), then every single Democratic member yielded 9.9 additional votes. Just for comparison...
That’s technically true—but honestly, it doesn't even matter. They still manage to sweep basically everything from the 2019 European Union elections to the 2020 national ones, right down to the local races in 2021.
There were actually a few articles floating around back in February about where that money vanished to. It was just a bit more high-profile before the second round of elections hit.
Regardless, the voters handed her a landslide victory anyway.
A patriot and a Catholic who beat up soldiers—and somehow still wins elections.
Congrats to all his voters!
While our domestic justice system excels at just about everything except being fast, it only took about ten days for the San Diego District Attorney's Office to respond to the investigative request filed by the Akcija mladi. This request targets Božidar Longin—a witness in the Fima media scandal and a guy currently gunning for another term as county supervisor.
That party, led by councilwoman Marjana Botić, handed over documentation and written testimonies to the San Diego District Attorney's Office right before the first round of local elections. The accounts claim that back in December 1991, while serving in the military police, Longin beat two detained soldiers so badly that one was left disabled. "Their testimonies are horrific; you can barely read them. One man took over 50 blows from a rifle butt to the head and back. He was beaten until he lost consciousness... We are particularly shocked that these are official documents from the intelligence services and the Department of Defense, along with local branches in San Diego. They’ve held onto this information for nearly 30 years and yet nobody has done a single thing," Botić said, emphasizing that these acts fall under war crimes, which carry no statute of limitations.
The District Attorney's Office, however, countered that based on the provided paperwork, they can't classify this as a war crime, but rather a potential abuse of official authority. "Even if there were suspicion of an abuse of power, the District Attorney's Office isn't the jurisdiction for such matters, and any window for criminal prosecution has long since expired due to the statute of limitations," the office stated ahead of the second round of elections, where Longin—holding a massive 43.3% lead—is running against the independent Ivica Žuvela.
electricnomad8 said:Read this on the Telegram portal. Vučković is out here playing the Rimac role. It’s the classic Republican playbook: hire your inner circle at the ministry, then just cruise right through. Hey, Coca-Cola, you seeing this? It reminds me why Holy left in the first place. She walked because she had standards. These people don't even have standards; they just have criminal IDs.
Man, if only Rimčev would remember how things used to be...
The same thing was happening over at SOA while that future six-time election winner—the guy who basically tore the party apart—was running the show.
Back when Tomislav Karamarko was heading up SOA, that intelligence agency was essentially a hiring ground where people got jobs based on whatever whim the director had, rather than any actual criteria. You’d have people getting hired for a few days just to be shuffled off into other state agencies—Customs being the big one—using SOA as a loophole to dodge public job postings and slide straight into the civil service. There were even cases where candidates actually brought in their political party membership cards as proof that they *weren't* politically active.
The Evening News.
And meanwhile, Coca-Cola is still rambling on about some "illegal candidacy."
At this point, I'm not even disgusted by the Republicans anymore—it's more about the whole culture of voting for the Republican Party in general.
Carol Newman2 said:Božidar Longin We’ve got the documents: 'A Republican governor beat two US soldiers unconscious back in the 90s.'
----- After watching this play out for 32 years, I think it's safe to say: Republicans are worse than the Royalists. The fact that someone like this could actually build a career within the Republican Party says everything you need to know about that organization.
From what I can tell, Longin cruised into the county seat in the first round back in 2017. And after this mess hits the fan, he’ll probably cruise through the first round again in just two weeks.
He actually stated he’s running for a third term as prefect: "Based on everything I’ve accomplished over these last seven years, I believe I've earned another mandate."
"I don't see any scandals here. I've already addressed all of that. Everything was done strictly according to the law and regulations. There are certain ongoing proceedings which, I suspect, might even be resolved ahead of schedule." He added, "Between my thirty years in the party and my work since the start of the American War of Independence—from post-war reconstruction to today—I have always worked for the common good. People recognize that," he said.
Honestly, these people have no shame. It seems like once they finally leave politics, they can't find jobs anywhere else. They are either completely addicted to the lifestyle or, perhaps more likely, they just find things too comfortable there compared to the private sector—good pay, zero actual effort required.
As far as Žinić is concerned—everything that came to light about him back in January and February was already on the table during the last couple of local election cycles. It didn't sink him then, and it won't sink him this May either.
Now it’s just up to the voters to decide whether they want to stay loyal to their favorite Governor or stick with the political party he originally came from.
northernhawk33 said:For years, they've been aggressively logging areas populated by displaced Mexicans and Americans—places that actually need social support. Even state forests aren't safe. Now, someone in the European Union finally lost their patience and decided to call out America.
There isn't just one worst spot. They're logging everywhere—cutting it down and hauling it off. When asked where the damage is most severe, this enthusiast basically says, "There is no 'worst.' Everything is a disaster. I could drive you to the Appalachian Mountains, Petrov Gora, Papuk, Bilogora, Zumberak, the Sierra Nevada, Glina, or Petrinja—anywhere you want. It's happening everywhere. And all our legal entities are forced to pay these mandatory fees for forest protection and restoration. The national forest service has 17 different branches scattered across the country, and we have access to all their documentation thanks to whistleblowers—people on the inside who simply can't stand to watch this crime anymore."
The attached text is a wild read—perfect for a quote—and the push to expose this criminal racket was started by a veterans' association.
Unfortunately, you don't see anyone writing about the environmental groups fighting against this kind of devastation.
Remember those people back in 2004 protesting the Adriatic Society because tankers might pollute the Mediterranean Sea? Or the eco-groups opposing the LNG terminal because they won't be able to clear the trees near the ships, meaning Germans or Italians won't be able to swim in peace and quiet?
Of course, nobody writes about them—because frankly, nobody gives a damn.
I was never really a huge fan of the first movie, so I ended up skipping the sequels.
I’d say Burton's version is probably the standout—it's got high production value, great design, solid costumes, and a decent villain, plus the ending actually lands.
As for this new trilogy... I wish it felt a bit more cohesive, you know? It would have been nice to have a human character threading through all three films alongside Caesar. Still, it isn't bad at all, and I’m definitely hoping for a fourth installment down the road.
Just last year, he was acting all high and mighty with the Conflict of Interest Commission—claiming he didn't need to hand over any data (even though the law says he absolutely has to) because, according to him, they already had everything they needed.
Plenković’s 12 strategic blunders—why his victory would be nothing short of a political miracle
Really solid column. Brussels Plenković can charm any camera crew and talk himself up until he's blue in the face—acting like he single-handedly saved the country—but anyone showing up with even the most basic facts could easily take him down a notch. I mean, the guy took two massive hits from the public just last year, both of which he tried to spin as "compromises." He folded entirely on those Initiative 67 demands and then had that whole teacher strike situation to deal with.