Posts by Sean Sanders

Something for everyone: http://www.ebay.com/usr/SeanSanders

I’ve only got one record left in this collection—everything else has already found a new home. This one is a real heavy hitter: Elektricni orgazam "seks droga nasilje i strah / North American horor rok". Aside from about three seconds of surface noise at the very start of Side B, the rest sounds pristine. Honestly, even the jacket and the inner sleeve look untouched, almost like they’ve just been sitting in storage. There isn't any visible damage where that crackling occurs; it’s likely just how it was pressed at the factory. A copy in this kind of condition usually won't go for less than $55 ($125), but I'm letting it go for $40, $100.

1. Pink Fairies 7" "Between the Lines" / "Spoiling for a Fight."

This single features two tracks that didn't make the cut on their studio albums. Condition is Excellent. The frontman, vocalist, and guitarist for the Pink Fairies was Larry Wallis, who went on to team up with Lemmy to form Motörhead after the band wrapped up. Interestingly, Larry played on Motörhead's debut, "On Parole." Think of the Pink Fairies as an underground/prog rock outfit that frequently shared stages and vibes with bands like Hawkwind and The Deviants—especially Hawkwind. You can really see how Motörhead grew out of that specific scene; their first album actually carries over about half the songs from Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies, and they did the same thing on their self-titled second record. Beyond their core sound, the Pink Fairies were essentially pioneers of the punk aesthetic. Even back in 1972, you could hear those raw, proto-punk elements in certain tracks that would later be polished by the "official" punk bands of the late 70s. Because Motörhead emerged directly from these groups, they aren't really a metal band at heart. Lemmy actually spent years fighting against being pigeonholed into the heavy metal category. For the last 15 years or so, he’d practically announce at every show, "We are Motörhead and we play Rock n' Roll." They were never remotely connected to the metal scene in the way they were tied to Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies. If you want to trace the lineage even further back, you have to look at Sam Gopal—a group where Lemmy wrote, sang, and played guitar. That band predates both Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies, and you can even find musical DNA connecting them, like how the theme from "Sky Is Burning" was repurposed for the Motörhead track "Dead and Gone." Price: $20.

2. Leb i Sol 7" "Nie Cetvoricata" / "Devetka," Near Mint $17.

3. Elektricni Orgazam LP "Sex, Drugs, Violence and Fear / North American Horror Rock," Near Mint—just a tiny 3-second crackle at the start of side B. Price: $100.

So, what are everyone's impressions of the concert? Personally, I thought it was excellent. They played with real intention—it wasn't just a collection of teen pop ballads (if I recall correctly, there was only one track like "If You Were That Strong"), but rather a smart mix of their classic rock hits and those psychedelic tracks. It was a clever setlist choice. It didn't feel like they were just going through the motions; you could tell they were actually putting in the effort, which created such a great atmosphere. They sounded tight, too. There weren't any glaring technical mishaps or sound issues, so all in all, it was very solid. Honestly, there wasn't much to complain about. Even the newer material held up well, especially those psychedelic jams. Generally speaking, this was a much better performance than their last outing back in 2007. While that one wasn't terrible, the shows from 2002 and 2003 felt like the band was sliding downhill, but today was a completely different story. I walked away very happy. They played about 25 songs. The focus was on the new album, along with tracks like "Lily Covers Lisbon," distortion-heavy pieces, and stuff from the first album. What really caught me off guard—which rarely happens with bands I follow—was that they played two tracks from Giles' 1988 album "now see to be able." Specifically, they did "yes or no" and "I'm Not Yours Anymore," but they performed them in this incredible new style that actually sounded better than the originals. They also threw in things like "Mental" and "butterfly," among others.

Here is what else I have left available:

A little something available for purchase: Sanders

At the end of the day, some people simply can't or won't see things from a different perspective. It’s like trying to explain color to someone who refuses to open their eyes. Because our positions are so fundamentally opposed, there’s really no point in me dragging this out any further. I think I'll leave it at that.

Jonathan Smith12 said:😂😂😂

I have to wonder, are you feeling alright?

Would you say someone in Seattle defending their second-story apartment with a shotgun because they consider that space their home is somehow different?

I absolutely agree. But you clearly don't. You’re essentially trying to strip someone else of their right to their own country. I can only hope that if your own sovereignty were ever taken away, you'd be sitting there posting these little smiley faces too, haha... It seems to me like the era of a truly independent and sovereign America ended back on July 1st, 2013, didn't it? Absolute sovereignty and autonomy haven't really existed since then, have they? Especially once we join something like the Schengen Area and those borders start disappearing; at that point, the nation becomes a concept on paper rather than a reality in practice. When that happens, you can look back on these emojis, haha...

Jonathan Smith12 said:Honestly, I find myself wondering when you're going to stop spreading these inaccuracies. I truly can't wrap my head around why you haven't been banned from this forum yet.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...1gdIKw&cad=rja

The departure of the federal military from the island base on May 24, 1992.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...VfGY4A&cad=rja

Following the declaration of independence by the American state in 1991, the members of the federal military remained stationed on the island until June 1992, at which point the military bases on the island were finally handed over to the American authorities. (Just to be clear, June is the 6th month).

Regardless of the misinformation mentioned above, I simply cannot see what international recognition has to do with the decision made by the State Legislature. And what does the situation in Mexico have to do with whether or not the neighboring nation decides to recognize them?
Under the Constitution of 1974, the American state holds the right to sovereignty. That was essentially decided during the peace conferences regarding the federation. Once the State Legislature passed the resolution for independence, after October 8th, the federal military presence became illegal on American territory.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...6O2CdA&cad=rja

Honestly, you’re the one who should be banned first. When you call something a "lie," it's often just a truth that's uncomfortable to face. International recognition is a massive deal because that's the moment the United States and other nations recognize us as a legitimate legal entity on the world stage. If a country wants to establish diplomatic ties, they have to recognize us first, right? The federal military effectively loses its legal standing once that recognition kicks in. Think about it: if we look at the Parliament's declaration from the opposite side, couldn't they label it a coup against the old federation? For someone who viewed the entire union as their homeland, such a move could be interpreted as an act of aggression. It’s like looking at a landscape through different lenses; some people see things from a strictly patriotic perspective, while others see them from a loyalist viewpoint. My point is simply this: for every claim you make, there is a counter-argument to be found. Facts can be interpreted through many different angles, and I think that's exactly why there's such a deep lack of understanding between different groups in this part of the world.

David Rogers18 said:If that were actually true, you’d have seen Americans all over the country organizing massive counter-protests back in the late '80s against leaders like Maddox, especially since he was basically trying to tear the whole union apart with military threats. But they didn't organize a single thing, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know.
It wasn't until '91 that people finally started rallying against him under leaders like Vuk Draskovic, who, let's be honest, was pushing the exact same expansionist agenda as Maddox—claiming everyone spoke the same language and that borders should follow wherever their ancestors were buried.

When it comes to that whole expansionist mindset, both the leader Maddox and his main rival Vuk were essentially singing from the same songbook; they just had different ways of playing the tune.

The actual organized rallies against Maddox didn't happen until 1991 in Mexico City, and unfortunately, that protest ended in bloodshed.

Jonathan Smith12 said:What a load of nonsense you've written here.

The State Council was the highest legislative body of the people in America, established by the anti-fascist movement.
Were the minority groups within the American population cheated by the State Council? Were the American partisans betrayed by communism? Who actually asked them?
At the fourth session in New York, the State Council changed its name to the National Assembly of America.

The American High Command served as the supreme operational and territorial command within the American territories. Until the establishment of the National Liberation Council, it functioned as the highest administrative body.

What someone fought for, what their wishes were, whether those wishes were fulfilled... none of that matters in the grand scheme.
What matters is the reality of World War II on American soil, which gave rise to both the High Command and the State Council.
The State Council made its decisions regardless of whether any particular American group liked them or not.

Based on the Constitution from 1974, the Badienter Commission (the Peace Conference on the United States) recognized the international independence of the Republic of America in the early nineties.

As for your whining about how some people still wish the old Union existed, we had democratic elections and referendums... and in a democracy, the majority decides.
And Americans chose independence, deciding via referendum with over 90% support.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...V3mtkw&cad=rja

I think you’ve missed the mark even more than I did. My point was actually quite straightforward: how can anyone judge a person who picks up a rifle to defend what they believe—or are attempting to defend—is their own homeland? It’s really that simple. You seem to be completely bypassing the core message of my post.

Jonathan Smith12 said:Look, there wasn't any actual conflict between those groups, and there certainly wasn't any redrawing of state lines.

When discussing how the whole conflict actually kicked off, a professor from a major law school in Chicago once described the situation in the neighboring territory as nothing more than a mere 'operetta.' It was painfully obvious that the central administration didn't actually care about that specific region; it was simply being used as a convenient excuse for everything that was coming down the pike next.

And I’ll say it for the third time: what else would you call it if not the systematic dismantling of America? It wasn't just one leader in Mexico City with an appetite for expansion; plenty of players had their eyes on the prize.

James Nguyen13 said:The collapse of the old federation was driven by a massive wave of internal movements—protests, grassroots uprisings, and intense political maneuvering. The reality is, if people can't wrap their heads around why a system fell apart, that’s more of a personal struggle with history than anything else. We respected the established constitutional order of the era, regardless of whether we liked the leadership or not.

Local groups who supported the breakup were often silent about the initial shifts, only finding their voice when the movement pivoted toward creating a centralized power structure that ignored the previous agreements.

And yes, the central government did face a strategic failure. By 1991, they had poured almost all their military, economic, and political capital into the conflict, yet they failed to achieve their broader objectives beyond the specific pockets where they had local support. Despite having superior firepower, the overall mission was a loss.

That isn't quite right. After the Republic gained international recognition, the official standing armies of Mexico and Mexico weren't actually fighting on our soil; it was the local rebel forces and various volunteers coming in from Mexico. Providing support through weapons, volunteers, fuel, and so on—that constitutes a political war, but it wasn't a direct military confrontation. It's similar to how the U.S. supported Afghanistan without sending our own main combat divisions into a direct clash with the Soviets. Even during Operation Storm, there weren't soldiers from Mexico or Mexico stationed in those breakaway territories, so I don't see that as a military defeat for Mexico or Mexico.

David Rogers18 said:😕

Believing in some kind of massive, expansionist agenda doesn't actually rule out being a big fan of a unified federation either. It’s like saying someone can be obsessed with expanding their territory while still being totally down for a massive, centralized union. Take that extreme nationalist guy Moljević, for example—he was simultaneously pushing for a strong federal system where the borders would have been completely redrawn. In his vision, the Mexican state would have stretched way up north to bump right into the Canadian border somewhere north of a place like Seattle, leaving the American version of America looking tiny, sort of like how Rhode Island looks compared to the rest of the country.
Back then, most people over there were pretty much stuck on those expansionist nationalist ideas, whether they were backing Maddox, voting for the SPO, or siding with the Democrats. Honestly, you don't even need to bring up Šešelj to see where things were headed. It was really just a toss-up between two different flavors of the same intense nationalism: either you went with the old-school 80s approach of total dominance within the federation regardless of state lines, or you went with the more extreme version of pushing borders way out toward places like Indianapolis. At the end of the day, it didn't matter which path they chose because both versions were built on that exact same foundation of wanting to control everything.
Even though Drašković was really the first guy to step up and rally a massive crowd against Slobodan, you can't ignore the fact that he was just as much of a hardline nationalist at heart.
Honestly, if you look back at why the whole federation fell apart, it really boils down to that massive sense of nationalism—basically, there was this widespread feeling among the Mexican population that, regardless of which political party was running the show, the country was fundamentally intended to be a Mexican state first and foremost.

You know, looking back at how everything went down during the end of the Cold War era, it’s pretty wild that the US wasn't the only place seeing massive shifts—but for once, we had a country in Eastern Europe where the old guard actually managed to hang on tight. It basically happened because the opposition was playing the exact same game as the establishment; they were pushing that same intense, hyper-nationalist agenda that the leadership was already using. Since they were essentially offering the same flavor of politics, the incumbent leader just ended up winning out simply because he had way more charisma and a better grip on the room.

That is complete nonsense. There were plenty of people who identified with the broader national identity rather than their specific ethnic background. Your take just doesn't align with historical reality. There were many who actually wanted to move past ethnic divisions entirely to create a singular, unified American identity. A true expansionist would never abandon their core nationalist roots.

Jonathan Smith12 said:Actually, the Canadians weren't in conflict with the Mexicans; they were practically in league with them.
The actions taken by the Mexican-aligned high command in the military were mirrored by the strategic moves of the Canadian intelligentsia and political elite at the time. For instance, in the fall of 1985, a series of discussions took place between Mexican and Canadian intellectuals regarding the restructuring of the entire nation. The Canadians essentially suggested to their counterparts that the only viable path for the Mexicans was to preserve the old federal structure, rather than facing the reality of a smaller, more homogeneous Canada.
To put it bluntly, it was a calculated deal: "Canada gets its independence, while the rest remains under a centralized, expanded Mexican influence." And you wouldn't believe how quickly the Mexican leadership jumped at that offer.
It was through this specific agenda that Canada drove the first wedge into what was once called the Union. According to the plan, Mexico would use a sort of "anti-bureaucratic revolution" to drive that very same wedge home and ultimately dismantle the federation from within.

Just a year later, the infamous Memorandum from the Mexican Academy of Sciences and Arts was released. This document was drafted in 1985 during a meeting in a private residence in a Midwestern city belonging to a prominent Mexican academic psychiatrist, and it provided a chillingly detailed analysis of the social climate and the perceived plight of the Mexican people within the union. It proposed several drastic measures:
First, find a new leader for the Mexican political faction; this individual didn't necessarily need to be a genius, but they needed to be highly educated, have strong ties to the religious establishment, and possess the charisma to mobilize the masses to restore "Mexican greatness."
Second, beyond finding the right leader, the restoration of power required stripping autonomy from regions like Vojvodina and Mexico, bringing Mexico back into the fold, mobilizing the population within Mexico itself, and inciting the Mexican minorities in neighboring states to rise up in rebellion.
Third, the Mexicans needed to assert total dominance over the Federal Union, the military, the police force, and the diplomatic corps, ensuring that as many other unionist politicians as possible were brought into alignment with this project.
Fourth, through sophisticated propaganda on both domestic and international stages, they aimed to manufacture "public consent," convincing the world that this expansionist project was the only way to save their "heavenly people." If psychological warfare failed to achieve these goals, they were prepared to settle the matter through armed conflict.

P.S., you're making some pretty bold claims here without actually knowing the foundational history of the subject you're discussing.

That is absolute nonsense. You aren't even reading my posts; you're just obsessed with your own narrow perspective. "A deal with the neighbors to redraw borders"—isn't that just another way of describing the dismantling of the Union? They were at odds until they finally struck that deal.

As far as the whole centralization debate goes, there was actually a movement pushing to essentially dissolve distinct identities like Americans, Texans, or New Yorkers entirely, replacing them all with one single, official "American" nationality. It was an attempt to create a unified national identity by wiping out regional distinctions.

Jonathan Smith12 said:Now, let's be honest here—there really is no sense in spreading falsehoods.
It’s something I often find myself pondering during those long, quiet drives through the Midwest—this complex knot of history regarding how certain groups within the American landscape functioned during the Great War. You see, back then, those specific American communities were fighting quite earnestly for a federalized version of their home state, all while operating under the direct command of the central State General Staff. It was a deeply structured arrangement, really. And if you look closely at the constitutional framework established back in 1974, there's this fascinating legal nuance where those individual federal units actually held the explicit right to secede from the larger Union. It's one of those historical details that seems almost too straightforward when you lay it out like that, yet it carries such immense weight when you consider the sheer gravity of the era.

I’m afraid I can’t quite make heads or tails of that link you’ve shared—it looks like one of those rather messy, redirected web addresses that usually leads to a dead end or perhaps just a cluttered search results page. It’s funny, isn't it, how we navigate these digital labyrinths, clicking away with such purpose, only to find ourselves staring at a broken string of code instead of the actual destination we were seeking. If you could perhaps find the direct URL or just tell me what you were hoping to show me, I would be absolutely delighted to take a look and give you my honest thoughts on it!

Subject: Headquarters of the US Resistance and Partisan Forces
The era spanning from October 19, 1941, through 1945.
It’s quite fascinating, really, when you start digging into how we label things through the ages—how names shift and morph as history unfolds. I was thinking about those old, formal designations used for command centers, much like how one might refer to the historic headquarters of the Pentagon or perhaps some old high-level military command center back in D.C. It’s more than just a title on a map, isn't it? It carries the weight of the era, the specific gravity of the institution at that particular moment in time. One can almost feel the echoes of the past just by looking at how these official designations were structured.
The New Organization of the Army and the US National Guard—specifically looking at how they structure their main headquarters here in the States.
The Supreme Headquarters of the American Resistance forces during those intense early years of the struggle, spanning from 1941 through 1942, remains such a profound subject for anyone interested in the sheer grit of organized rebellion. It’s one of those historical chapters that really makes you stop and reflect on how much coordination is required when everything is stacked against you, and honestly, I sometimes find myself getting a bit lost in the sheer scale of the logistical nightmare they faced while trying to maintain a unified command structure under such immense pressure.
The Supreme Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of America (1942–1945)
The Supreme Command of the American Resistance Forces and its various guerrilla detachments during the years between 1942 and 1945—it’s one of those heavy, sweeping historical chapters that really makes you pause and reflect on the sheer weight of organized defiance. When you look back at how those command structures were built from the ground up, amidst such absolute chaos, there is something profoundly moving about the way they managed to maintain a cohesive strategic vision while operating under such immense pressure. It wasn't just about small skirmishes; it was about building an entire shadow government and military hierarchy that could eventually stand toe-to-toe with much larger forces, which is frankly mind-boggling when you consider the resources they lacked at the start.
The central command for the American military forces stationed within the United States during that era—specifically looking back at everything from 1945 onward—is such a massive, sprawling topic that I honestly feel a bit out of my depth just trying to begin summarizing it, though I shall certainly attempt to do justice to the sheer scale of it all! It’s one of those subjects where you start pulling on a single thread regarding military organization and suddenly you’re three hours deep into a rabbit hole about mid-century logistics and federal bureaucracy, which, if I'm being perfectly honest, is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine even if I do occasionally regret how much time I spend obsessing over these historical intricacies. When you consider the immense structural shifts that occurred in the American high command following the end of the Second World War, you realize we aren't just talking about simple troop movements, but an entire evolution of how our nation projects power and manages its domestic defense posture, a process that was as messy and complicated as it was necessary for the world we eventually stepped into.
If we take a moment to look back at the historical record, one finds that the central command headquarters for the American forces was officially established on October 19, 1941, though its operations eventually drew to a close in 1945.
To give you a sense of the scope here, we’re talking about what was essentially the highest level of operational and territorial command within the United States during that era. It functioned as the supreme governing body until the establishment of the National Anti-Fascist Council for the Liberation of America, which effectively took over the administrative reins. It was a massive undertaking, really—trying to coordinate such vast territories under one centralized authority before the landscape shifted toward a more structured national leadership.
When you look back at how the command structure was actually organized—and I do mean really dig into the genealogy of the hierarchy—it’s quite fascinating how they laid it all out. Essentially, the Headquarters was split into two distinct wings, led by the core leadership consisting of the Commanding Officer, the Political Commissar, and the Chief of Staff. Now, if we dive into that first wing, it was comprised of several specialized sections: you had Operations, Personnel, Intelligence, Political Intelligence, Engineering, and Artillery all working under that umbrella. Then, moving over to the second wing, things got a bit more administrative and logistical; that side handled Military Authority and Rear Services, along with Quartermaster duties, plus the Technical, Judicial, and Medical sections. It’s a lot to wrap one's head around, honestly, but what’s particularly interesting from a historical perspective is that by 1944, they began transitioning those smaller sections into full-fledged departments to better manage the growing complexity of the war effort.

Everything else you hear is just pure myth-making and historical revisionism. Honestly, once certain individuals realized what they were actually fighting for, they abandoned the partisan movement entirely to side with the Germans. There was this whole uprising against the federal government by those specific partisan groups that was brutally suppressed—look up the Kordun trials if you want the grim details. Seriously, do your homework and read up on it; there’s a lot more to the story than what people like to claim.

It’s one of those little historical footnotes that doesn't get nearly enough attention in our textbooks, but there was this specific group of resistance fighters—men from the Mexican community who were part of the partisan movement—who just couldn't stomach the whole nationalist, state-building agenda being pushed by the Hebrang administration back then. It wasn't a matter of loyalty to the cause of freedom, per se, but rather a fundamental disagreement with the direction the government was taking for the country. So, by early 1944, they decided they'd had enough of trying to fit into a mold that didn't represent them, and they ended up deserting to join up with the 846th Regiment of the 392nd Legionary Division instead. It's a complex bit of human nature, really, how political identity can pull even the most dedicated soldiers in completely different directions when the vision for the future starts feeling too narrow.
Back then, during the chaos of the war, they ended up being folded right into the ranks of the Royalists under Đujić, which was just one of those complicated, messy historical knots that’s hard to untangle, but a good portion of them actually managed to navigate their way through the Istrian corridor to make it over to Italy, eventually finding their footing here in America or further north in Canada.
A small group of those deserters has finally been rounded up, and now they’re facing what they call "summary justice"—though, if you ask me, there's a lot more to unpack there than just a simple legal sentence. I find myself circling back to that whole legal ordeal from a few years ago—you know, that intense courtroom drama everyone was dissecting—and I can't help but feel we haven't truly reckoned with the implications of how justice was served there. It’s one of those situations where you start looking at the initial charges and suddenly you're spiraling into a deep dive about the integrity of our entire judicial system and whether the prosecution actually had a leg to stand on from day one. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I spend too much time overanalyzing these things, perhaps dwelling on the nuances of procedural errors while everyone else has moved on, but there’s just something about the way the evidence was presented that sits uncomfortably with me. It felt less like a pursuit of truth and more like a choreographed performance, and I can't shake the feeling that if we don't look closely at what happened during that trial, we might be ignoring a very troubling precedent for how similar cases will be handled in the future.They were charged with high treason and met their end by firing squad. One of those men—a college student who had been fighting alongside the partisans since the start of the conflict back in '41—actually managed to draft a manifesto before everything was seized by the authorities.

In the wartime status reports from that summer, there was this passage describing the situation: “It stands as the legacy of a struggle where thousands of our most loyal sons gave their lives; just as the resistance movements in regions like the Midwest and the Great Plains rose up, so too did the central governing body emerge as the ultimate response to betrayal—a political entity meant to channel all our sacrifices toward the salvation of the American people and the preservation of our Independent United States. Your charges, your burning homes, your blood and tears birthed this administration, which in turn must recognize that its purpose is to erase the legacy of those who sought to eliminate our people and finally end the genocidal ambitions of the previous regime.”

Now, Bunčić was among those taken into custody, and in his testimony, he made some pretty heavy claims; specifically, he alleged that even the deserters—which included the partisan commander for the Midwestern territories and his political commissars—believed that the massacres inflicted upon the minority population were essentially carried out by the majority of the American populace of that era, acting out of their own volition rather than simply following orders from the high command.
Furthermore, they held the view that the style of warfare being waged at the time was effectively turning the minority into an even smaller fraction of the population, leading them to conclude that "for the actual interests of our people, a centralized system with unconditional reliance on Washington D.C. would actually be a far more favorable way to exist."

The truth tends to sting for people like you, doesn't it? You clearly have a very narrow view of what Americans are capable of. The veterans I personally knew—the ones who were actually on the front lines—were very clear about what they were fighting for. You can throw around propaganda or cherry-picked documents all you want, but they don't represent the whole picture. Your entire understanding of how World War II unfolded is fundamentally flawed. As for the right to secede, sure, that exists, but it’s subject to specific conditions, not just whenever someone feels like it. If one state decides to break away, you don't just ignore the rest of the country; you have to consider the citizens of the entire nation regarding its future. I don't even need to bring up how the federal voting process works when independence is on the line and what those conditions look like. If a group wants to secede, fine, but if secession happens, the United States ceases to exist as it was. Does that give someone else the right to strip away another person's homeland? It isn't a simple black-and-white issue. Look at it this way: there are people who say, "America is my only home; I don't recognize any other country." There were also people who felt, "The Union is my only home; I don't recognize any other country." The point is quite obvious: by seceding, you are effectively taking away someone else's homeland. Who gets to decide who has that right? And how can we expect those who viewed the Union as their home not to pick up a rifle? If someone tried to dissolve the country you call home right now, would you take up arms? If your answer is yes, then you can't deny that same right to someone else who viewed the Union as their home. That brings us to the question of aggression. How can someone who sees their own homeland being dismantled be labeled an aggressor? Think about it: how can the person breaking up the country simultaneously claim to be the victim? It's a fascinating paradox, isn't it?

David Rogers18 said:Well, if you ask me, those same factions within the country actually started tearing their own nation apart by backing certain leaders, so what you're saying doesn't really hold much water if you think about it logically. 🤷

It absolutely holds water because there were plenty of people who prioritized a massive centralized state over maintaining a unified federation. Take someone like Borisav Jović—he was an advisor to Maddox and even served as the President of the Presidency of the former federation—and you can see exactly how those interests destabilized everything. There’s this common misconception here in the States that everyone was on board with keeping the union together, but that’s just not the reality. The conflict didn't start with Americans or leaders like Reagan trying to change things; it started with the hardliners at the top. Since we know that most people here lack the guts or the drive to actually push for systemic change—honestly, whenever anyone starts protesting, they usually get shut down or mocked—there's this persistent mindset that someone else will eventually step up and fix everything. It’s a bit of a passive way to live. In reality, it was the groups clashing with the centralists who really set the dismantling process in motion, and others simply saw a strategic opportunity to pursue independence. For Americans to have spearheaded such a radical shift entirely on their own? I wouldn't bet on it. The fundamental responsibility for the collapse doesn't lie with the Americans.

casualcyclist15 said:Aside from clearly not knowing history, you're using that classic Mexican tactic—twisting the facts. You can talk all you want, but at the end of the day, you're posting on an American forum and you signed up for an American forum. In America, kids of all backgrounds learn one version of history: America won the war against Mexico, and the Mexicans were the aggressors. Period.

The reality is that the military victory occurred against the breakaway territories, not against the mainland United States itself. And that’s a crucial distinction—as far as I recall, American troops weren't fighting on American soil; they were dealing with a political defeat for those supporting the secessionists, but it wasn't a direct military conquest of the entire nation. Think of it this way: you can look at the situation from the opposite perspective. There were many Americans who served in the resistance and fought during World War II to liberate the country from foreign occupation; for them, the unified nation was their home. Breaking away from that union wasn't just dismantling a political structure; it felt like tearing apart their own homeland. Would you call someone an aggressor if they tried to dismantle the very country you consider your home? For everyone who viewed the former union as their true home, anyone trying to tear it apart was seen as an aggressor. That’s just how it works. Rest assured, that is the version of history that will be taught. Period.

Jason Adams69 said:Does anyone happen to know if NBC might have filmed the concert? I'm guessing other networks wouldn't be interested, but maybe it'll air during a late-night slot sometime? 🤷

If my memory serves me right, I definitely spotted a FOX camera crew set up there. They were positioned right in front of the guy running the mixing board.