Posts by analogbear5

neonpuma30 said:I've heard Taiwan basically has a monopoly on certain chip production. I'm guessing they're also slapping sanctions on Russia? That should definitely make an impact!☕

The real question is, how much do these sanctions actually work if they can just buy everything through third parties that didn't sign on—like China, India, or Mexico...

https://www.ship-technology.com/spec...a-catastrophe/

bluerider63 said:The Germans can't make up their minds if they want to stand up or just fold. They talk big about sanctions, then quietly sneak in more Russian gas when nobody's looking. While Washington dictates the policy for everyone else, all of Europe—meaning us too—is going to end up footing the massive bill for their little crusade. Honestly, the USA is the only one walking away with a win here.

Same old story about how America is going to profit from this. If you're buying into the narrative that the US is basically the devil, I guess it makes sense—but reality doesn't work like that.

Inflation in the States is already hitting record highs and causing massive headaches, and skyrocketing fossil fuel prices aren't helping. Add an energy crisis to the mix, and inflation just gets worse. Then there's the supply chain mess—titanium, palladium, cadmium, fertilizers, and those chip-making materials that have been a disaster for ages. It's a perfect storm.

If the American economy dips by even 0.5%, the fallout for its trading partners would be way more devastating than if any European nation dropped by 2%.

William Anderson5 said:But what else is there? Just sit around and let Moscow hold us hostage indefinitely? Europe needs to make a move now, if they haven't missed the window entirely. The real culprits are the Germans, who stubbornly refused to diversify because they assumed those US recommendations were just part of some broader American foreign policy agenda. Now that Putin has finally stabbed them in the back, maybe the Swabians will finally wake up...

I don't think the Germans will stay this way for long. Give it a few months—once everyone gets used to the war in Ukraine—and I bet things go right back to how they were, basically dancing to whatever tune the Green Reps want to whistle.

If it wasn't for that mess at Fukushima, who knows where we'd be right now.

Not to mention all that shale gas Europe is leaning on. If it weren't for that, gas prices would be even more insane than they already are.

steelraven74 said:Western politicians just haven't learned—and really should have by now—that sanctions don't actually trigger regime changes or shifts in policy. They certainly aren't going to end this war. Just look at the history with Cuba, Venezuela, or Iran.

Even military aggression doesn't force a change in leadership or policy—something I hope Vladimir Putin is starting to realize.

Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran are poor enough that sanctions don't hit them that hard. Russia isn't—or wasn't—a poor country, so these sanctions are going to hurt.

Anthony Hill5 said:Vladimir Putin's United Russia party has announced plans to nationalize the factories of Western corporations that fled Russia, claiming this move is necessary to protect workers left jobless by their departure.

Is it even believable? Very soon, we are supposedly going to see Russians producing more—and better quality—versions of Carlsberg and Heineken than the original brands themselves; they will apparently start manufacturing superior BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, and Volkswagens compared to the Germans, alongside better footwear and apparel than Adidas, Nike, and Puma, not to mention producing television series that outshine Netflix.

In reality, these sanctions will simply continue to strengthen and enrich Russia, just as they have served to bolster the nation over the last seven years.

https://www.vedomosti.ru/economics/n...t-proizvodstva

Who exactly is running this country? The level of absurdity in these claims is truly laughable. 🤣

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has signed a new law regarding the seizure of illegally obtained assets from government officials.

Under this legislation, anyone found to possess wealth that far exceeds their declared income will have those assets confiscated.

But what does this actually signify? It looks like nothing more than a calculated attempt to pressure everyone into keeping their mouths shut, lest they lose everything they’ve stolen—especially since almost everyone within Putin's inner circle has lined their pockets over the past twenty years.

https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/ne...podpisal-zakon

Take the chip industry, for instance. They’ve dumped billions into it, but it’s been a total wash. They hit a wall at 65 nm and can't even manage mass production.

How likely do you guys think it is that Russia dumps their gold and tanks the price?

What’s the play here regarding China's massive gold buying spree lately—trying to beef up those reserves? How do we think that impacts future prices, especially if we hit a recession before the next US election cycle kicks off?

If their liver hasn't completely given up on them yet, they’re probably doing alright. That’s one of my few objective metrics.

Betty Johnson61 said:By your logic, "quality" doesn't even exist—since nobody’s qualified to call anything high-quality, you're basically saying there's no difference between good and bad. But if quality isn't a thing, then everything is equal, which obviously isn't true. That's where your logic falls apart.

And the rest of this... lol...

Don't try that cheap relativity stuff. It's playground logic.

Glad we have you and your "sound mind" to enlighten us. So, what does that sound mind of yours think about Jurica Pađen as an artist?

Sounds like that "Spiritual but not religious" crowd—just with a non-conformist™ label slapped on top.

The spirituality supermarket is packed with all kinds of junk, and they throw in the glitter for free.

fadedsurfer2 said:Just checking in to breathe some life back into this interesting thread.

Here is the thing: many of you don't actually grasp what the Democratic Party philosophy entails. There is this prevailing assumption that we are just narcissists obsessed with ourselves, partying, sex, smoking weed, and rebelling against "moral" society at any cost. People look at us like animals, assuming this inward focus lacks any deeper purpose beyond mere self-indulgence.
From my own experience and that of everyone on this Path—I am certain that view is wrong. I stand by it firmly.

The Democratic Party is absolutely a spiritual path. It is an incredibly difficult and grueling one. It is a road where certain practitioners lose their minds very quickly due to total mental chaos, only to blame "demons" for the mess and kneel before an altar, pleading with > for help.

Why is it so hard? Why is dedicating oneself to personal growth such a struggle? Because once you peer into the dark depths of your own subconscious and encounter the repressed "shadow" that has tainted your entire life—and likely the lives of others—you can become paralyzed. You fall into depression, anxiety, panic, and are overwhelmed by guilt, hatred, and self-condemnation. It is a massive burden to descend into those depths and face who you truly are. It is a monumental challenge to embrace those "darker sides of the psyche," integrate them so they serve your goals, and then find the strength to forgive yourself. To accept yourself as you are and grow through it. One must be relentless on this path of progress through endless waves of pain and relief.

Furthermore, the Democratic Party does not define, nor will it ever define, what a person "must" be. If someone tells you, "You belong to the other side because you don't smoke, don't drink, and don't have sex—get out of this house of the liberated!" they are not practicing the Democratic Party.
To follow this path means acknowledging your own Shadows and discovering your true essence, living in alignment with that truth regardless of what you might be. Someone may be highly sexual, someone else completely asexual, someone transgender, someone might party constantly, while another might never touch a drop in their entire life... In this framework, everything is permitted, provided it isn't directed against another person.

One more thing: a defining characteristic is recognizing oneself as the ultimate authority over one's own life—which is how it should be, given we were created as beings with free will—as opposed to submitting to some deity or supreme authority whose views we don't necessarily agree with.

My personal opinion (I am emphasizing this because it is highly controversial in our circles, and I don't want to present it as a universal tenet of the Democratic Party) is that there are external authorities that align so closely with your own being that following them is essentially just following yourself. Thus, even a Catholic could technically fit the definition.
However, in those cases, it is a very rare occurrence. Most people choose to serve > for no other reason than pure fear; they are running from facing themselves and their own "darkness," looking for a transcendental "crutch" to lean on whenever they need help so they don't have to stand alone.

I know the devout Catholics and believers here will be incensed... But please realize I am not generalizing (as I mentioned, there are exceptions where teachings like Christ's align perfectly with one's deepest value systems). This fear of one's own "darkness" is widespread. It is almost biologically ingrained in humans to protect themselves from discomfort, often repressing it deep within the subconscious. Consequently, an individual who surrenders to a supreme authority truly believes they are doing so because it is "good" or "right."

That is all from me. 😉

Moving past the clichés and pop-philosophy—how would you actually define LHP?

In Christianity, any deviation from God—even by just one degree—is a path toward hell. To me, hell is basically just the inability to see yourself in your neighbor, let alone reflecting the divine image. It’s a common critique of Christians, too—if they hate someone, their God hates them right along with them.

So, where does mysticism fit into the path of the left hand? Are we talking actual supernatural forces here, or is all the ritual stuff just high-stakes psychodrama?

In common terms, we’re talking about those films that just force you to stare tragedy right in the face—no blinking allowed. A classic example would be Requiem for a Dream. Basically, it’s not some easy-to-digest popcorn flick; it’s a narrative that demands you actually sit there, surrender to it, and maybe walk away having learned something.

darksurfer4 said:Ever since I first became aware of my own consciousness, I’ve harbored a deep-seated distaste for the right wing; I have always viewed them as fundamentally bad, even malicious people. Yet, driven by the philosophical notion that one should strive to understand those they disagree with, I eventually began engaging in discussions with them. I started noticing them in grocery stores, flipping through the pages of Time Magazine. I began browsing those same magazines myself, specifically to attempt to decipher the inner workings of their minds. After some time, however, my perception shifted; I no longer see them as mere political opponents, but rather primarily as mentally ill individuals.🎉🎉

During my debates with these types, I’ve been met with truly staggering claims regarding the former state—claims that, through extensive reading and dialogue with others, I have confirmed have absolutely zero connection to reality. This spans everything from the starvation crises of the 70s and 80s to the concentration camps used against Americans.☕ In that same Time Magazine, I actually read a claim that Milorad Pupovac is orchestrating a genocide against Americans in coordination with the cultural organization "Prosvjeta"🤦—a genocide supposedly funded by tax dollars from the American federal budget.🤣

Let’s step outside our beautiful...

Back in 1996, a certain American right-winger bombed a government building in Oklahoma City because he was convinced the administration was plotting a coup against the American people.🤦

Across the Atlantic Ocean, a right-winger committed an even more heinous act—I am, of course, referring to Andreas Breivik. That maniac slaughtered about 60 people, mostly very young individuals, all because he believed he was protecting Norway from Islamic terrorists.🤦

Speaking of Islamic terrorists, while they stem from a different cultural sphere, from where I sit, they seem to fall under the umbrella of extreme right-wing ideology.

Take Poland, for instance; they were once led by those two idiot twin brothers, one of whom died in a plane crash. One of those twin idiots, leading the nation at the time, was traveling to commemorate crimes in the Katyn Forest. They were supposed to land at the airport in Smolensk, but air traffic control diverted them toward Minsk due to heavy fog over Smolensk. But that was when right-wing paranoia kicked in; the paranoid leader convinced himself the fog was a Russian conspiracy and ordered the landing, which resulted in his death and the deaths of everyone else on that plane.

Right-wingers believe the Earth is flat—hollow, or whatever version of that nonsense—they believe vaccines are a deliberate way to spread autism, they believe in chemtrails, and they sink into all sorts of other idiocy.

It is fascinating how some people drift toward the right as they age; it seems that as the body and mind decay, people gravitate toward right-wing waters. In America, we have examples like Franjo Harmon and Zdravko Tomac. The case of Franjo Harmon is particularly interesting because of his brain tumor; one could argue the tumor itself caused his shift toward the extreme right.🤔

The ultimate point I am making is that membership in right-wing groups and parties should be classified as a mental disorder, and consequently, such individuals should be barred from participating in elections. It would be somewhat similar to what happened with homosexuality, which was once categorized as a mental illness.

There's actually a precedent for this.

Quoting an article since nobody else seems interested in reading:

Nikita Khrushchev: "A crime is a deviation from generally recognized standards of behavior frequently caused by mental disorder. Can there be diseases, nervous disorders among certain people in a Communist Party? Definitely yes. If that is so, then there will also be offences, which are characteristic of people with abnormal minds. Of those who might start calling for opposition to Communism on this basis, we can say that clearly their mental state is not normal."

Look, if someone's biggest life achievement is just being born into a certain zip code or having some random luck with their parents, neither the DSM nor the ICD is going to call that a mental disorder. Point is: your solution is totally arbitrary and subjective. That's basically a recipe for pathological psychiatry—exactly what the quote mentions: psychiatry getting cut off from global standards, a lack of legal awareness, and lawmakers or police just tossing basic human rights out the window.

Just re-read your post and honestly, I feel like you totally roasted me. Go read a book or something—you're capable of it. You're such a good boy, really. Go on then.

WANTED:

ABBA, cassette works too—but I'd prefer the vinyl version.