Posts by loneraven25

Christian Torres3 said:So, some people pay while others don't. The Department of Defense money for pilgrimages is being spent—there, problem solved.

Well, regardless, you don't see anyone on the public side of this forum actually bringing up whether they're meeting NATO's standards.
When it comes to international military pilgrimages, the Department of Defense shows up just as readily as they do for any other military mission in Afghanistan.

Here’s the link from Morning:

In addition to the official delegation traveling in four buses and two vans, another 16 buses will be carrying over 1,000 pilgrims who are footing the entire bill for their own travel.

Before we worry about the "official delegation," shouldn't we be asking where all that funding actually went?

Christian Torres3 said:Which pilgrimage are we talking about here—Our Lady of Czestochowa or Lourdes? Because the Department of Defense picks up the tab for Lourdes, but I've got no clue about the other one.

The Chaplain Corps in the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice is just a massive waste of money, and by the way, it's all coming straight out of the DoD and DOJ budgets.

The employees just pay for the Lourdes trip themselves through monthly installments via bank transfers.

mistycyclist8 said:And you want to donate to the Church? Fine. That’s your right. But let everyone else give to something else. Don't you agree?

As for those military pilgrimages? How incredibly idiotic... I swear, Jesus would rather not know about it. It's pure perversion. What are they going to pray for? To be better at killing? The military fights; it doesn't sit in quiet contemplation. Any soldier who is a believer has every right to their faith, but marching around in uniform like some sort of ascetic monk? It is improper, and frankly, it's an insult to the uniform.

I have to agree with you on one thing: you're being incredibly contradictory within your own argument.
We are specifically talking about the Chaplain Corps here, not making sweeping generalizations about faith or the Church at large.

mistycyclist8 said:And you want to donate to the Church? Fine. That’s your right. But let everyone else give to something else. Don't you agree?

As for those military pilgrimages? How incredibly idiotic... I swear, Jesus would rather not know about it. It's pure perversion. What are they going to pray for? To be better at killing? The military fights; it doesn't sit in quiet contemplation. Any soldier who is a believer has every right to their faith, but marching around in uniform like some sort of ascetic monk? It is improper, and frankly, it's an insult to the uniform.

How on earth can you claim to know anything about something you haven't actually experienced
or participated in yourself? (I mean, did your grandma tell you that's how the world works?)
That kind of narrow-minded attitude is exactly what we used to see back in the day in Albania.

mistycyclist8 said:"...In all the other countries I’ve looked into, I was able to get detailed breakdowns—you know, where every single cent of revenue and expenditure is accounted for. But here in America, you just can't get any clear data on how much total funding is being allocated to religious communities.

The core issue is that they are funded through the federal budget, various departments, local governments, and even public or state-owned corporations...

Take the military chaplaincy, for example. Those funds come straight from the treasury, specifically the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice.

That military chaplaincy structure was established back when the US Armed Forces had 200,000 soldiers.
Today, we have about 17,000, yet absolutely nothing has changed regarding the funding structure.So, within the military chaplaincy—despite such a tiny number of troops—the chaplaincy head still draws a salary equivalent to a Lieutenant General, the vicar earns what a Brigadier would make, the chancellor gets a Colonel's pay, the chaplains get... well, you get the idea.
Our military chaplaincy also includes a special secretary and two assistants, all while the lead maintains a Lieutenant General's salary. I suppose he must have a massive family to support or some major housing issues to resolve, requiring that kind of cash—which stands in stark contrast to teachers or doctors, who earn barely half of what he does.

I have never once been provided with data on how many chaplains there actually are, or exactly how much money is earmarked for them.
When the pastoral care law was originally drafted, Bishop Etereović noted in the contract comments that those providing pastoral care were people living under "special conditions." Well, after the war ended and the troop numbers were drastically slashed, those "special conditions" simply don't exist anymore.
We aren't talking about draftees pulled away from their lives who face unique hardships; we are talking about career professionals. There is simply no longer a justification for the existence of this specific chaplaincy institution.

Nowadays, there are only about 12 military chaplaincies in all of Europe, and 33 worldwide—and those are in countries with militaries that are incomparably larger than the US Armed Forces.

I am firmly against using taxpayer money for something that priests in the military or hospitals could easily handle alongside their regular duties. There is no reason to maintain a separate chaplaincy institution; a diocesan bishop could simply designate individuals to perform religious rites for the military, which would save a massive amount of money.

You know, when the agreements were signed between the US and Vatican City—specifically with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—the papal nuncio stated that other nations would follow this funding model. However, to this day, no other country has actually signed such agreements.

Personally, I am a strong advocate for implementing a cultural tax system.
And I don't mean a church tax—a *cultural* tax. This type of tax exists in Italy and Spain, both traditionally Catholic nations, and even in Iceland. Under this system, the taxpayer independently decides exactly where their money goes; they choose whether it supports religious communities, or perhaps cultural or social institutions.
There is no system more effective or rational than that.

Actually, if you look at the agreements the government signed with Vatican City and the USCCB, there is a clause stating that if circumstances change, the terms of the agreement should change accordingly.
Well, the economic circumstances have changed dramatically for the worse, yet the contracts remain untouched.

Božidar Jelčić, a leading American expert on tax policy.

One might read a lot of positive initiatives in this text, but for now, I will propose just one.
I am starting a poll: do you agree with introducing a new payment system—specifically creating a cultural tax where you personally select where your tax dollars go? Would you choose to direct them to religious groups, or to social and cultural organizations?

Let me know what you think and cast your vote.

And get this—the real kicker—since they are technically employees of the Department of Defense,
every single one of them has their withholdings and taxes calculated directly from those massive salaries.

Maybe the next logical step should be slashing the budget for military pilgrimages,
though I imagine it would be a bit of a letdown to find out the staff ends up footing that bill themselves.

Or perhaps we could look into scrapping those tax breaks for children's Christmas gifts,
benefits that the kids of our actual veterans haven't even seen the light of day for.

Listen, members of the Forum Government,
stop hiding that tax base,
because you can bet there are sanctions coming your way in Los Angeles. 😛

The Daily News caught wind of your little theories. 😛

Maria Booth96 said:It’s not the most heavy-duty topic, but does everything always have to be so serious?😍

So, look, we've got the current administration in Washington; honestly, I can barely tell them apart—it all feels pretty much the same to me, up or down.

I say we start our own little forum government right here on this politics board.
Alright, let's hear it. 😍

President, obviously, Pizvo
Vice President: Vacant

Secretary of Agriculture: Aunt Elsa—she actually knows her way around a farm, unlike the deputy coach.

Secretary of the Treasury: Charles Fox10 (everyone likes him, which is usually the worst job in the cabinet).

Secretary of Health and Human Services: felixx—it's his life's calling, with north wind as deputy.

Secretary of Sport: McAuliffe—easily the biggest sports nut among us.

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Zionist (has some right-wing views, but he's a solid doctor).

Secretary of Labor: Gilda

Secretary of State: MC Ozy (better to be number one in the North America than last place in Europe).

Secretary of Defense: judolino

Secretary of European Integration: Rendolf (more moderate than Powerlock, but without London, we aren't going anywhere, so let him take the lead).

Secretary of Environmental Protection: Katarina riječki

Secretary of Commerce: somied

Secretary of Science: Ego

Attorney General: Vojky, no need to waste my breath.

Chief of Staff: Michael Minister

Secretary of Tourism: nasmijanonebo—she runs the tourism subforum and knows every vacation spot there is. Deputy is a realist.

Secretary of Homeland Security: drot13

Way too few women. 🤷

I'll bet we'd actually see some success, maybe even better than what we have now. 🤷

Who's stepping up for these roles?

Bemti this whole thing,
- where are all the other candidates?
- where’s the poll?
The forum Vlada needs a prime minister, (Scotsman)
who gets officially sanctioned by the admin. 🤣

Topic is officially live, though honestly, I feel like we’ve already talked this to death.

slynomad14 said:I mean, if the user is practically begging for it, why wouldn't the mods just hand out a permanent Ban?

Check out the FAQ—it covers all the rules, the supermod rosters, and the most important threads.

• Permanent Bans aren't handed out just because someone asks.

bluecyclist64 said:Look, it isn't exactly a smoking gun, but there are plenty of recorded testimonies out there. What's your take on that? 😉

What I'm saying is you're clearly taking advantage of the fact that the moderators aren't paying close enough attention to this thread,
and you're using that loophole to shove some garbage link right into the URL field. 🙂

It might not be definitive proof in a legal sense, but there are plenty of recorded testimonies out there.
Children among the victims of the Folksdojčer - Vladimir Geiger

There’s also this undeniable, haunting reality regarding the existence of camps specifically for children, the elderly, and those unable to work.
The paper trail actually confirms that entire German/Folksdojčer families were being funneled into these camps,
including children of all ages, regardless of how young they were.

northerncyclist2 said:I kind of wish the response would be public, though, since the whole argument is happening right here for everyone to see.

Look, her private information isn't out there for the world to see, and honestly, does anyone else on these forums even care?
So, we’ve finally started talking about that initiative to bump up the allowed image resolution within the ZIP code, haven't we? Honestly, it feels like it's about time. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like we're constantly hitting this invisible ceiling that keeps us from actually utilizing the hardware we've paid so much for? It’s frustrating, really—you have all this processing power sitting there, just waiting to be used, yet we're stuck squinting at pixels because some arbitrary limit is holding us back. Why should we be restricted by these outdated standards when the technology has clearly moved past them? I mean, if we can handle higher fidelity in almost every other aspect of our digital lives, why is this specific area still lagging behind? It seems like a massive oversight, doesn't it?
And let’s not even get started on the sheer lack of basic computer literacy we're seeing in the public section of this forum lately. Honestly, does anyone else feel like they're constantly explaining the same fundamental concepts to people who seem to have never even seen a keyboard before? It’s getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it?

Please feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions at all; I'm happy to chat about whatever is on your mind.

Maybe it’s because Article 4 of the Civil Rights Act, Section 5 specifically addresses this kind of thing by laying down clear boundaries.

It is strictly forbidden to implement any measures designed to alter the demographic balance
within areas inhabited by minority groups,
if those actions are intended to obstruct or limit the exercise of rights and freedoms
guaranteed under this Constitutional Act and related federal statutes.

nimbletinker10 said:I’m not sure we’re even on the same page here. Technically, the official rule allows for 640x480, but it doesn't explicitly forbid the reverse, which shouldn't actually be an issue anyway. It isn't going to stretch the screen. The image is just narrow instead of wide.

We aren't. 😁

nimbletinker10 said:I’m not sure we’re even on the same page here. Technically, the official rule allows for 640x480, but it doesn't explicitly forbid the reverse, which shouldn't actually be an issue anyway. It isn't going to stretch the screen. The image is just narrow instead of wide.

At the end of the day, it doesn't even matter—none of that stuff actually carries any consequences.

nimbletinker10 said:I’m not sure we’re even on the same page here. Technically, the official rule allows for 640x480, but it doesn't explicitly forbid the reverse, which shouldn't actually be an issue anyway. It isn't going to stretch the screen. The image is just narrow instead of wide.

I mean, I can see how someone might find a smashed monitor just taking up way too much space and being a total eyesore, but honestly? Who actually cares about that kind of clutter?
I mean, honestly, would anyone even care if they had to spend an extra millisecond scrolling down a page? It’s hardly like we’re performing open-heart surgery here, right? 😁
No matter how you slice it, it’s just plain wrong.

nimbletinker10 said:Well... I have to disagree. A huge portion of the crowd accessing this forum nowadays is using smartphones or iPads. In many cases, they are actually dealing with much smaller "screens" than before.
If I were to suggest anything, it would be to actually inform all the moderators about the permitted photo dimensions. Some of them still don't even realize what the limit is, and then they go ahead and delete allowed image sizes (that 640x480 limit).
Furthermore, I'd flip the rule entirely; width is arguably more critical than height, so why not allow 480x640?

As far as I'm concerned, I don't care which way the image is oriented;
as long as it fits within the dimensions, I'm not deleting a single one of them.

The thread is still up.

Since this is a sub-forum specifically designed for a particular purpose:

Your feedback, suggestions, grievances, or general commentary. How can we make Reddit better and more polished?

So, the concept behind this thread is one thing, but if you actually want to see an idea come to life, you should head over to the designated spot.
It might even be worth posting on Reddit Help!
Don't go thinking this is some kind of official decree—I'm sure plenty of people might see things differently than I do. 🤷

I’ll speak for myself here on the MIT forums.
It really all boils down to what’s laid out in the Rules—whether something is actually permitted or not.
Then again, you have to consider if you're replying to a thread that’s just lost its relevance because it's become totally outdated.
Personally, I wouldn't dream of handing out a ban; instead, I usually look to merge a brand-new thread with an older, existing one,
since people often end up asking questions that were already answered ages ago.
We archive those older, useless threads just to clear some headspace for fresh discussions,
and it helps us avoid cluttering things up with duplicate topics, making the search function way easier to navigate.