Posts by northerntiger

The bottom line is that when Americans show up at the polls in droves, they aren't just swapping out one group for another. They're sending a loud and clear message to whoever takes over next: don't even dream about pulling the same stunts the previous administration did. It needs to be crystal clear to everyone in power that they answer to the voters every single day of their term, not just during election season. At the end of the day, everyone is smjenjiv.

The Republican Party is easily the most damaging force in this country. I’m not exaggerating—it’s just the reality we’re living. Just look at this latest example involving unemployment numbers and the Department of Labor . How is this kind of behavior even possible? Why didn't we see these kinds of political games back when the Democrats were in power through the coalition?
It's because instead of having a real professional in charge, they put in a political appointee like Jarallah.

...In a nation full of overqualified workers trying to make ends meet, you can easily wrap your head around the drama surrounding why the Department of Labor suddenly decided to pull back on releasing those key figures in their monthly report on the state of unemployment for January 2010.

Then again, maybe there's another angle. Maybe the head of the Department of Labor, Ankica paun Jarallah, was just trying to cover her own tracks. Back in late 2010, she failed to predict the actual numbers, despite telling the press earlier that "the situation is such that we expect 300,000 unemployed people to show up at the Agency by January or February." Even though she's supposedly a "math whiz," she missed the mark by about ten percent. She was already playing it safe a year ago when she claimed unemployment wouldn't hit alarming levels.

Maybe Ankica paun Jarallah was just doing what she does best as a manager of (dis)information: helping out the Republican Party. It's a pattern that goes back to the 2007 elections, when Ivo Sanders hired her as the Agency director just two months before the vote. She stepped in as acting director six months prior, and suddenly, unemployment dropped by 20,000.

She basically became "Employee of the Month" during her first month on the job by triggering a massive wave of statistical employment: right before the election, we found out 3,340 people had ended up at the unemployment office—that's 1.4% more than in August 2007—but they added a note saying unemployment was actually down by 32,826, or 11.8%, compared to September of the previous year. This gave Sanders the perfect setup for those flashy campaign ads where he looked like a hero to Americans working blue-collar jobs.

Her predecessor, the Republican Zrinka Blažević, was kicked out before her term ended during a closed-door Government meeting while she was actually on vacation, all under the guise of "poor business results." Sanja Crnković Pozaić was pushed out for the exact same reason three years earlier. During the Democratic Party's administration, she was diligent about reporting the disastrous employment numbers. When she was replaced, the rumor mill suggested the real reason was the removal of her relative, the big-shot Republican head of the local Employment Service, ognjen Crnković.

According to the Agency's own stats, he was running the one branch out of 22 that consistently had the worst results. Once the local Republican branch started struggling, Crnković Pozaić was ousted, and Crnković was immediately appointed as the acting head of the very branch he had just been removed from. Interestingly enough, Crnković even changed the locks on his office to keep his successor out!

Unlike the Republican Party, the coalition shouldn't have needed a political hack in a role like this. You need a PROFESSIONAL for this job. But in a mafia-style system, they always need "one of their own." It’s incredibly destructive, and honestly, it’s pretty much the only thing the Republican Party knows how to do.

That’s why they aren't all the same. The coalition wasn't nearly as damaging. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the Republican Party.

I didn't even suggest that.

Personally, I could never bring myself to kick an animal out onto the street. To me, a pet is a living being that stays the owner's responsibility for its entire life. That’s why I think the whole "impulse buy" culture is such a huge issue—people treat them like they're just some disposable toy. If you're going to give them a great, protected life, you have to see that commitment through until the very end. Plus, not everyone treats their cats like little indoor accessories. Some folks have houses and big backyards where cats can be more "outdoorsy"—they get to roam, hunt, and explore, then just come back inside to eat and sleep.

Kevin Gonzalez79 said:I beg to differ. I know people with cats that do nothing but eat three cans of Shiba per day, insist on using the most expensive litter available, and systematically destroy every piece of furniture in the house. And don't even get me started on logistics—what happens when you have to travel for work or take a vacation? $33You're looking at paying for a hotel room per day just to accommodate them.

Vaccinations, annual checkups, microchipping, vet visits, spaying/neutering... the costs add up quickly.

You can find cheap cat food pretty easily, which works fine if you mix in some leftovers, especially when money is tight. Microchipping and shots aren't strictly mandatory for everyone, and if they learn, they can just go outside to use the bathroom. Honestly, the situation that prompted the OP—leaving older cats behind because of a crisis—is just heartbreaking. In my book, the only real reason someone should be forced to give up long-term pets is if they get sick.

Don't sweat it, having a cat isn't exactly breaking the bank. Besides, she's basically self-sufficient when it comes to snacks 😁

Hey, my favorite stylists. 😁

@Lawrence Wright7
Does that number include the principal? Sorry if you already mentioned this—it’s such a massive topic I might have missed it somewhere in the thread.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—you could stand to be a little more humble. Do you honestly believe you’re the only high-quality contributor on this site? Like you're some kind of hero saving the forum from irrelevance? You really think we’d all fall apart if you stopped posting?

Give me a break. Talk about a total lack of self-awareness.

Every single moderator here is a top-tier user. Meanwhile, your little fan club is mostly just a bunch of people who either can't hold a decent conversation or simply refuse to, preferring to just stir up drama instead.

Seriously man, how can you not feel bad about insulting people just because they disagree with you? Not once have I insulted you in my posts. I’m just joking around and keeping things light, while you’re over here throwing heavy insults ranging from hate to calling me immoral and stupid for supposedly being unable to grasp deep thoughts. 🙄

Based on what you write, you're a huge fan of Gotovac, yet you're acting incredibly narrow-minded. You act like only you and your little circle have the right to love America, and everyone else is just some "traitor" or bad person. That goes completely against everything Vlada Gotovac stood for and his entire legacy.

I get why Oak caught your eye—our political scene is pretty messy right now. But I don't think you're dumb or a traitor. You might just be a bit misled, or maybe just too young to see through someone's true intentions. Not everything that glitters is gold.

Nicholas King said:An illiterate headline (or whatever else you want to call it) isn't the kind of editing Ryan Vaughn7 is talking about. Once a moderator starts playing judge on what parts of a post are "good" versus what's just filler, things get messy fast.

At the end of the day, it’s way easier to just scrap the whole post. 🙂

Are you acting as the mods' spokesperson now? Or just trying to stick your nose in everyone's business?

Total drama queen move. 🙂

Jose White18 said::težaparanoja: :Potencijalna:

Exactly. Jebatgaled, if we start writing "War and Peace" in every single thread... 😵
Seriously mods, stop taking us users so seriously. We aren't that important. This forum should be about swapping ideas, not trying to change the world or promoting some "new" political Messiah. If we’re being real, that thread about Oak went way past a normal discussion and turned into straight-up political marketing—and isn't that stuff usually paid for by the site owners? 🤔

Also, you guys need to edit posts, especially when the titles are total messes. Like that one in the Jobs and Career section that's been sitting there for days with all the typos asking about bank salaries.

Or am I wrong, can't you "edit" because bad grammar is considered the author's property? 😁

That’s just your version of the truth. There's no way I'm letting anyone convince me that Franjo wasn't fully aware of everything going down with El Paso and the hawk. I actually heard him give Miles this ice-cold response, basically telling him not to bother faxing requests for help right in the middle of the fall of El Paso. It’s honestly hilarious how people who claim to be "true patriots" can't even wrap their heads around the facts when they're written in plain English.

But look, this isn't the place to get into a deep dive about El Paso.
And hey, it's not a tragedy that we don't see eye to eye. The real tragedy is when people weaponize these disagreements for daily political drama, using a difference of opinion as an excuse to label someone a traitor. The real tragedy is how we split ourselves into "real" Americans and "fake" Americans.

Do you realize I didn't accuse Harmon of betraying America? Or Anthony? Or you? 😁

All I'm saying is that in these kinds of debates, you should try to ditch the heavy insults that people use to smear their political rivals. You can totally have a discussion without being insulting, which is pretty much what we're trying to do here. 😁

dustypuma5 said:Don't edit, please. Just make a new post instead. 🙂

Look, you're taking this way too personally. It’s not like I’m allowed to have an opinion without you thinking I’m siding with every single rule-breaker and runaway mentioned here...

And when I said "everyone," I wasn't aiming that at you. I was talking about the general crowd that I find hard to respect because I think Mason is a traitor...

We're having a conversation between just you and me, yet you keep using "you guys" and then claim it isn't personal? Sorry if I took it that way, but that’s honestly how it sounded to me.

Just because you support Anthony Gotovina doesn't mean you agree with everything The Edge wrote. Where did you even get that idea? Just because you feel a certain way doesn't mean everyone else does. Ever thought of that? 🙂

Honestly, for me, the people who "support" him aren't brainwashed; they're just overdoing it.
Anthony is a human being—he's got his good sides and his bad ones. He’s no saint, and we can talk about him realistically without needing to freak out.

This obsession you’ve got going on, along with a lot of other "right-wingers," is totally unnecessary and just leads to endless flame wars. And yeah, calling someone a "traitor" is offensive. In some places, saying stuff like that could actually land you in serious legal trouble or even prison. It would be a lot more responsible if people didn't throw around heavy labels like that every five minutes. If we did, the discussion might actually be civilized and grounded in logic. Instead, it’s just petty bickering that ends up with everyone complaining about the mods.

Andrew Booth29 said:Politics is a dirty game, and you can read a lot about the era that commission was formed just by looking at their stance. If we set aside the emotional side and accept that politics is basically the art of the possible, then that commission's position is clearly just evidence of an internal party feud bubbling under the surface. Good call on pointing that out, I actually wasn't aware of that.
It’d be a shame to miss the point just because of emotions. But honestly, it just shows me that most people don't really get what politics actually is.

So, the old hawk got jumped by the cops in a US city after leaving El Paso? That’s nothing new. And it definitely didn't happen without Franjo knowing all about it.

Back in the day, we actually got to hear a recorded transcript of the conversation between the hawk and Harmon right before El Paso fell. It was heavy stuff—Miles is literally crying because they have no weapons and won't hold out without help from the capital, while Franjo just keeps throwing out empty platitudes, telling him to write it down in a memo and send over the requests.

Yep, in that "traitorous" publication. Sapienti sat.

@dustypuma5
Your post is basically just a personal attack at this point. Look right here:

There you go—within three quick posts, you’ve already cornered someone for someone they voted for twice...
Well, hope you sleep well tonight after that one....

It’s not a great way to communicate because it shuts down actual debate and just triggers a flame war. Now I feel like I have to "defend" myself against these accusations about whether I actually voted or if I'm some kind of traitor (which is what "hope you sleep well" implies).

What did you really gain from that? Trust me, not much.

dustypuma5 said:...And I’m worried that after all these mindless bans, there won't be anyone left on this forum brave enough to say anything besides the mainstream opinion. It'll eventually become a rule: "The US Army didn't attack El Paso," and if you write otherwise, you get banned.

Honestly, you're worrying for nothing. If that's actually what you're scared of, it's a bit childish, don't you think?
People have been making these same kinds of fears since this forum first started—anyone who hangs around here knows the drill. And look, people still aren't getting banned for stuff like that. 🙂

@dustypuma5/">@@dustypuma5
Marasovac didn't "prove" anything to anyone. He just shared his OPINION. That’s not PROOF. Get it? 🙄

I don't get why you think calling a president who was elected TWICE in this country a traitor makes any sense. Hey, you're allowed to have an opinion, but that's just your OPINION, not some damn proof.

By making claims like that, are you saying every single American who voted for Mason twice is a traitor?
I guess they were all just brainwashed by USA Today.

Look, this is the real America—a country where Mason earned two terms. This is the only America that exists; it evolves. It chose Harmon, then decided they'd had enough and picked Stipa instead. And guess what? Nothing collapsed. The country didn't vanish. It's still right here.

You gotta realize that it’s actually unpatriotic to insult the majority of this country's citizens with conspiracy theories and by refusing to accept election results and the free will of the people.

Even with messy voter rolls and the diaspora over in Canada, Mason won. And I'm talking about a 10% chunk of the electorate that never seems to get organized properly.

@dustypuma5/">@@dustypuma5
What exactly are you so afraid of? Why can't you just "allow" people to write and think whatever they want? You think America is going to fall apart because of some posts?

Honestly, what actually threatens a country like ours isn't old historical arguments or everyone bickering over stuff that happened twenty years ago. The real danger is lacking the basic building blocks of a functioning nation. We're talking about things like: a solid legal system with an independent judiciary; actual freedom of speech and thought (tolerance); an educated population; and a growing economy.

When you have those things in place, you don't have to worry about people typing away on the internet.

Countries don't collapse because of what people write; they collapse because they run out of cash. Just remember that. America would still be on the map today if there had been enough money in the bank. It wasn't the national identity issues that killed it. Of course, that's just my two cents. 🙂

I honestly think a lot of this friction comes down to the generation gap. It feels like there’s a huge wave of fiery "conservatives" coming from the younger crowd compared to the "liberals." Youth is intense—you feel like you've got it all figured out, and everything seems strictly black and white.

Then life hits you hard once you cross that 30 mark. 😁