Posts by Morgan Williams

Sam Brown20 said:Look, I’m defending the Christian concept of God, plain and simple. But honestly? That question feels just as pointless to me as asking why God allows suffering to exist in the first place, or how on earth we all supposedly descended from just two people, Adam and Eve.

Do you actually buy the Adam and Eve story? Most believers who have even a basic grasp of science view it as a metaphor. Even the Catholic Church and the Pope have accepted evolution as reality. If you cling to the idea of Adam and Eve being literal, you aren't just ignoring biology—you're basically claiming the Earth is a flat disc 6,000 years old with planets orbiting us. You can't pick and choose which facts to ignore when discussing how genetic mutations turned hominoids into humans.

It just hit me: if Original Sin comes from Adam and Eve, but they couldn't have existed as described in the Bible, then the whole concept of Original Sin becomes a joke.

Walter Grant5 said:Raymond Harris4 says it's about forcing a foreign script on us. Honestly, the Republican Party voted for bilingualism in Congress and the El Paso Council, then turned around and played both sides by supporting protests right when the Democrats were running things. It’s pure schizophrenia.

Actually, the Democratic council members voted against it—we all know who was on board. But we’ve already seen how little they care about looking at the facts objectively. Look, if the leftists/communists/reds were in charge, they'd be forcing this script on us right now. Thank God they weren't in power during the last term; they would have robbed us blind and dragged us into an even deeper recession.

Appropriate thread title ☕

Patrick Martin said:There was just no way for this first administration to get off to a dream start.

But let’s be real—we aren't going to play dumb here. We know exactly who dragged us into this mess and caused this entire situation.

Patrick Martin said:I mean, come on, they had such a damn good hand to play because they saw exactly where the previous administration screwed the pooch, and yet, once again, they did absolutely nothing.🤷

I agree they could have handled it better. But look, there’s a difference between throwing something into the trash and trying to pull a win out of a total disaster once you're already stuck with it. First, we had the previous administration to deal with; now, it's on the current Government to fix this mess.

Your wild guesses versus what actually went down

Keith Miller30 said:Of course, that isn't quite the same comparison as your analogy about wartime protection. There is no such thing as collective responsibility here; when it comes to the corruption and the dirty work, Ivo Sanders is the one to blame. Let’s just hope that Karamarko, Andrej Plenković, and the rest of the crew face legitimate legal consequences for their theft, and once that happens, then perhaps we can group them all together.

I simply hope that Merzelica doesn't end up being held accountable for this, because if she is, then I suppose your theory would dictate that we shouldn't hand power back to the Democrats either since they were the ones stealing from us. Then there is that whole situation involving the ace from El Paso; personally, I view those pre-trial settlements as nothing more than legalized theft, disguised as "saving jobs" while actually serving as a way to favor certain interests.

My mistake. I didn't realize we were pretending crime only happened with Sanders while everyone else in the crew stayed perfectly clean. At this rate, the haters will probably go after Kalmeta next for hiking those highway prices tenfold.

P.S. Check out what's happening over at Večernji.

The Republican Party just got slapped with a guilty verdict. They’re on the hook to pay $3 million into the federal treasury—that's the gap left after accounting for the $3.7 million they illegally pocketed. By grabbing that cash, the Republican Party is officially liable for criminal abuse of power under the Corporate Criminal Liability Act.

Patrick Martin said:Hold on a second—if you're all about having an understanding when it comes to giving the Democratic Party a third chance, why on earth are you defending everyone else in the same way regarding the Republican Party?

Keith Miller30 said:It isn't even that significant, but I wasn't using my impression as a formal argument; that's precisely why I made sure to emphasize that it was just my personal take.

I'm not suggesting this Republican Party should necessarily be in charge, but they should at least be ahead of this group because the current administration has proven how ineffective they are, which makes me believe it is time for a change. And if you were to ask me to list exactly why they've been so poor, you would probably just justify everything by claiming "the Democratic Party left it in this state," so there is really no point in wasting our breath on it.

Just a quick thought: when the Republican Party eventually takes power, if they turn out to be just as terrible, will their excuse be that the Democrats left them such a mess, or will they blame the administration that came before them?

Let’s look at the logic here. Who actually dragged this country into this recession and all these problems? Obviously, it's naive to say the Democrats couldn't have done better, but we're still stuck dealing with the wreckage they left behind. Or does a new government magically erase every single problem and disaster inherited from the last one? If so, my bad—my mistake. In that case, this government is 100% responsible for the current situation.

Change should lead toward something better, not back to the people who shoved us into this mess in the first place—the same ones the government was tasked with cleaning up after. Expecting the people who robbed us and tanked the economy to now pull us out of the gutter through "honest" means is like asking the enemy for protection during a war.

I could get behind putting any other party ahead of the incumbents, but the Republican Party....

Anthony Jackson2 said:He got his due, sure—but for what? For FIMII? That’s nothing compared to the mess he made during those AT&T infrastructure projects—which, in turn, is nothing compared to the damage from his political cronyism. That kind of damage accumulates; people are paying for it today and they’ll be paying for it until his appointees retire, since firing them isn't profitable. It’s a topic almost nobody touches, yet we're talking about absurd amounts of money vanishing just to keep connected buddies on the payroll at state-owned companies under the old Transportation Ministry or whatever they called it back then. Why do you think they pushed for the monetization of Hac? You really think this Government would touch something like that if their own people weren't running the show?

A professor at my university used to run one of those agencies. He told me he was fired simply because he refused to hire people whose names were dictated to him over the phone—all after he managed to show the Ministry a positive balance sheet, which was basically a miracle. Of course, a positive balance wasn't seen as proof of good work; it was just seen as evidence that there was enough "slack" in the budget to squeeze in a few more people waiting in line.

Let me say it again: that same Kalmeta is part of this "new," Tomin-led Republican Party. 🙂

Yeah, you've got a point there. Did that bolded part actually happen?

Anthony Jackson2 said:Top tier. 🤣 You can clearly see he hasn't a clue what he's talking about. How long has this whole Danube-Sava thing been a topic? Since '81? Of course he didn't mention the Port of Rijeka—which should be a major economic driver, maybe even the key, yet it's rotting due to terrible infrastructure. But sure, the Danube-Sava will save us...

By the way, when we talk about theft and destruction, don't forget the people backing the Prime Minister. One Kalmeta likely caused more damage than Sanders and Zoran combined—and Tomislav Karamarko wasn't even willing to cut him loose; if anything, he probably would have ended up in the Cabinet. Since we're discussing the "new" Republican Party.

As for Boldano, I bet the Germans already caught on. Maybe they can enlighten Tomic on what he actually needs to put in his program.

The other guy? Kalmeta is finally getting what's coming to him.

Keith Miller30 said:There is still plenty of time for all of that to unfold... ☕ After all, even Sanders didn't fall overnight.

I agree, there’s time for any of those things to play out, but let's stick to the facts. We aren't actually going to vote based on feelings, right? These people looted the country and dragged us into a recession, yet I'm supposed to vote for them just because there might be enough time left to prove Zoran Milanović was stealing too? Fine, someone is indicted without being convicted yet, but "my impression" is a fucking useless argument.

Let's be clear: this Government should be doing much better, but I haven't heard a single decent reason why the current Republican Party deserves power over the alternatives.

Keith Miller30 said:Well, by that logic, I suppose Sanders cared about this country too, didn't he? It's not like he became Prime Minister out of pure boredom either...

Zoran robbed the country blind and plunged us into a crisis, his party was convicted in court, and now Zoran is sitting in prison?

Robin Fox2 said:Because of this Government, the US was recently rubbing shoulders with Venezuela, Syria, and Argentina... Honestly, you have to be quite skilled to pull that off, given how well you have to understand the volatility in those specific places. They managed to pop economic bubbles elsewhere too, so the country hasn't been stuck in such a mess for quite this long before...

In the event of a major car crash, the blame lies with the doctors if the patient doesn't pull through or takes forever to recover. It’s not on the people who caused the wreck. 👍

Keith Miller30 said:To put it simply—a Prime Minister shouldn't be fostering these kinds of divisions within society; his stance ought to be one of unity rather than creating an "us versus them" mentality. He really should have accepted Karamarko's invitation to sit down together instead of trying to dodge the conversation. I can't help but wonder if he actually cares deeply about this country, though that is just my personal impression.

hehe, keep dreaming, considering they might be back in power in just a few months. ☕ Perhaps I'm being a little bit cynical now. ☕

The Prime Minister couldn't care less about this country. 🙏 🤣

He was bored at home, so he decided to try running a country just for kicks. Tomislav Karamarko loves stirring up division and fueling hatred toward the current administration, but honestly, he hasn't offered a single intelligent idea yet. Word is his German consultants just finished polishing his platform, so maybe he won't look like such a total outsider this time around. The Prime Minister made the call to take him on live in front of the cameras. Smart move. If you actually have something brilliant to suggest, let the whole nation hear it. Let them see if we truly have a real alternative to this Government—that’s how you actually take down a Prime Minister.

Keith Miller30 said:You’re explaining things, but only in the way that suits your own narrative, aren't you?

Well, that’s all well and good, I suppose. I've been listening in on the conversation, and it seems like even more extreme opinions are starting to surface.

Actually, let me make an edit. 🤣

Fine, if he wasn't going to clarify which sides he was choosing between, what exactly was his point? Enlighten me. Who is this "us" and who are "they"?

Sure, that’s all fine. I’ve been listening in, and honestly, the views get even more extreme than that. You can't mention my Grandfather without bringing up Marshall—it's like his blood pressure spikes instantly if you bring him up in a negative light. And don't even get me started on the Republicans; there isn't a single member of the party who doesn't have some nasty nickname attached to them. Some of them are truly beyond help. 😁 My grandmother absolutely adores Zoran Milanović. Just two days ago, she was trying to convince me he’s the greatest thing that ever happened to this country—claiming he speaks fluent Japanese and is just the most wonderful guy. Meanwhile, she would have trekked through a blizzard and ice storms just to cast a vote for Ivo Josipović without a single complaint. She actually asked me for a ride, but I told her flat out: no way if you're voting for Josipović. My grandfather ended up being the first one at the polling station early that morning, so he didn't feel like making the trip twice.

I'm not exactly holding them up high. Right now—unfortunately, but let's be realistic here—we're stuck choosing between two options. As for the anti-candidate, I've already laid it out in the last few pages. Just say the word if you need me to repeat it.

Joseph Clark37 said:To me, the most striking people here are those who still vote for either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party based on the "lesser of two evils" principle...

It’s one of the reasons why those two parties remain the dominant interest groups in this country.

They are essentially two sides of the same political elite that has controlled this region from 1945 until today, and people just can't seem to get enough.

Two factions made of the exact same mold, tied together by far more similarities than differences.

So let the Republicans or Democrats hold power. Looking at this nation, it’s exactly the kind of leadership Americans deserve.

Still, I remain an incorrigible optimist, firmly believing that in 300 years, everything will be fine...

Anyone who goes to the polls choosing based on which candidate is the lesser piece of trash is doomed to eat trash forever. To people like that, I can only say—bon appétit.

We’re just sitting around waiting for some third option to show up with an actual economic plan—someone who isn't just going to crawl into bed with the Republican or Democratic parties the second the election is over. Until then, it's pretty obvious we're stuck choosing between the criminal elements in the Republican Party and this mediocre current administration. If we stay home, we're basically letting the mindless masses decide everything for us.

Keith Miller30 said:Yes, I am quite certain that is exactly what the President had in mind. 👍

Well, it seems we have discovered today that this administration isn't just decent, but actually quite exceptional. If that's the case, then I suppose we should simply sit back and offer our thanks to Zoran for his guidance, shouldn't we?

I am just trying to explain his point 🙂

It’s not "very good." It's just okay. If you compare them to their main rival, they might eventually look great. It's like comparing a kid who barely passes his classes to a student who's failing everything and facing expulsion. That kid isn't exactly a scholar, but compared to the failure, he looks fine.

Keith Miller30 said:Isn't President Biden's entire approach essentially just "us versus them"?

I don't see any persecution or targeting going on here—though I've heard people claiming otherwise, and it definitely wasn't coming from Zoran. It’s simple. He’s framing it as a choice: you either have this administration working to pull the country out of the mess the Republicans caused, or you have the GOP. You pick: us, who are dragging the nation out of this recession, or them, who drove us into it, got blamed in court, and are now making empty promises.

James Anderson5, Anthony Jackson2, and brightpilot6 hit the nail on the head here.

@Larry Fox5, I don't buy it. Not even close. Let's look at the facts: we have this administration that inherited a total wreck (and guess who's thanks to them; hint: starts with "D" and ends with "P"; the President has been pushing this narrative lately, and he isn't lying). As much as people want to nitpick their mistakes, the country is actually starting to move again. A solid third option would be great, sure, but right now it’s a choice between two sides: the thieves—a convicted criminal organization where most of the old guard still hangs around—versus the crew that bankrupted us and triggered a recession while juggling endless scandals, vs. realistically speaking, a group of lesser crooks who finally—after three years of absolute nothingness—actually got things moving. In six months, we'll know if this growth is just a fluke or not, but it's hard to claim this many indicators improved by pure luck. Honestly, the fact that the opposition's main platform is just fighting windmills tells you everything you need to know.

It's far from a perfect administration, but compared to the main opposition party...

Here is our potential future President:

It’s already too late to hope for some third party that actually offers a real alternative to the Democrats or the Republicans. It’s obvious who you’re choosing between right now. There isn't a viable third option on the table, and if the goal is to stop a corrupt political machine from reclaiming power, voting for these minor parties is just throwing your ballot in the trash.

Larry Fox5 said:There’s another way out—just don't show up to vote. By signing that ballot, you’re basically handing over your blessing to the lesser of two evils, even if you know damn well it's a trap.

That way, you can at least walk around with a clear conscience... tell yourself this isn't your government or your leadership, just whatever the majority in this country decided to pull. At least then you can look yourself in the mirror in the morning.

Jeffrey Edwards76 actually nailed it in a thread a few pages back—about a quarter of the people in this country benefit directly or indirectly from this whole rigged setup, living off someone else's sweat or credit. You can't expect anything to change when the system is built to keep them winning.

To grab the majority needed to run the show, they have to resort to lies and dirty manipulation. Just facts...

If I had to choose between pneumonia or lung cancer, I’d take the pneumonia. I won't sit idly by while some idiots decide I should have cancer instead—assuming anyone even bothers to ask me.

Fine. Now this economic plan from the Germans actually makes sense. Expect Pep to run that tiki-taka style for the next four years.

We’ve even got the money to back it up. 🙏 🙏 🙏

Fair enough, maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention to the matchups, so I missed that. I didn't catch the inauguration live—just skimmed through who the big shots in the VIP boxes were. What actually went down there?

Given the opposition we're facing in this country, yeah. A year ago, I would've said there's no way I want to deal with them again, but this isn't about whether I like this administration or not. It's about which one I can actually stomach. Between the choices on the table, I'm picking this one. Good grief, watching the Republicans and their crowd feels more like a sitcom than actual American politics.