Megan Jones10 said:A people's right to self-determination should never be taken away. Any attempt to fight that usually just ends in war—period. No matter what else is going on, history shows that's how it plays out.
It’s really not that black and white, though—just look at the Basque Country in Spain. After 50 years of ETA, with over 800 lives lost, we're seeing they finally laid down their arms and settled for a level of autonomy that works for them... mostly because there isn't enough support left to push for more.
Then you've got Ireland, which is another similar case. This current momentum in California doesn't even come close to the level of "statehood" we saw in Northern Ireland or the Basque Country over the last 50 years of European history.
It’s honestly wild how people still lose their minds over Marshall—whether they're tearing him down or acting like he was some kind of saint. And the worst part? It’s every single generation, even the kids who weren't even born when it all went down. I don't get what drives people to care this much... seriously. Even if a family suffered back then, it happened fifty years ago! I just can't wrap my head around why people are still so obsessed...
Honestly, we should just scrap the whole Presidency entirely. It’s completely useless—just a total farce that drags the taxpayers through the mud with these insanely expensive elections...
Of course it's double standards. It honestly gets under my skin how the church always plays it safe—acting all high and mighty while hiding behind their hands... I’m all for people being upfront about what they believe. Honestly, I wouldn't even mind if a priest spoke up during Mass about who he's voting for, or even gave his take to the congregation. I mean, when big media corporations or TV commercials push an agenda, everyone just accepts it, but the second a priest does it, suddenly it's a scandal? It's the exact same hypocrisy you see with professors at major universities.
A picture of the society we live in—nothing more, nothing less. The problem isn't just the individual who thinks they can act like this... it's the entire culture that actually puts up with it. This kind of behavior has been getting a free pass here for years, which is really just a perfect reflection of the mess we live in...
Walter Grant5 said:They aren't even smarter. They’re just careerists with zero shame. It’s easy to act "brilliant" when you’re flying solo or tucked away in a tiny clique. Meanwhile, the masses just get in the way of actually making a difference. As a crowd, we're clueless. People call us a stupid nation. But look, politicians come from the people—they’re just a concentrated, smaller version of the voters themselves. There’s no moral code. They’d screw over their own neighbors, cheat a customer out of a few pounds at a grocery store, open a business while dodging every tax bill, refuse to pay their staff, and then preach about patriotism while exploiting workers for $833... So why act surprised when someone comes along tomorrow asking for a handout from a company that has nothing to do with them?
It isn't that "they" are smarter; it's just that some people are straight-up trash, plain and simple. A decent person is naturally tolerant and merciful. But the ones who actually save us are the good people who refuse to be tolerant toward trash.
You're just as much "trash" to someone else as they are to you. It's so easy to act like you're the center of the universe and lecture everyone else about society using all these fancy-sounding terms... But what even defines being "good" or "merciful"? Who gets to decide how to measure or label that?
Even things we call "socially acceptable" or "desirable" in this country don't mean they're actually ethical. History is nothing but a massive graveyard filled with the victims of "socially acceptable" mob justice.
Look, I know the new Treasury Secretary, Steven Miller, pretty well personally—and I can tell you right now, he’s the real deal. No shady business, no corruption... just a sharp, brilliant guy who could easily be making ten times more in the private sector if people weren't constantly breathing down his neck and dragging him through the mud every single day.
But let's be real—it doesn't matter what he does or how he tries to fix this budget, someone is always going to complain. Honestly, it's impossible to win when the entire foundation of this country was built on graft in the first place...
Matthew Young35 said:Lol I mean... It looks great on a CV to have been the damn Prime Minister. He'll collect his payout eventually, don't you worry about that.
I don't buy that he's doing this for the money. It’s not even likely—but it is pretty weird that someone with such a shaky grasp of "their own" language would be driven by some emotional crusade or political challenge. Someone just fed him this idea and he swallowed it whole without thinking twice. Honestly, I can't imagine what would have to happen for him to stay in that seat longer than six months. I wouldn't bet a single cent on it...
Look, he might have good intentions, but the real question is—does he even realize what he's getting himself into? Does he actually grasp the political landscape, the environment, and most importantly... how much actual autonomy will he even have once he's sitting in the Oval Office? The chances of seeing any real social progress under those conditions are basically zero, no matter how impressive his corporate track record might be.
No matter how you slice it, at least Orešković actually did something with his life—unlike Milanovic and Karamarko. Though, honestly, I’ve got my doubts since he’s basically jumping from one sinking ship straight onto a donkey hooked up to a ventilator... The only decent reasons he'd do this would be for the challenge or some weird sense of altruism.
Honestly, I think it’s high time the Germans finally get their act together and start beefing up their defense industry. Their shipyards and steel mills are just sitting there doing absolutely nothing—it's pathetic...
James Anderson5 said:I'm not trying to defend Zokija, but what's the logic behind calling this the worst presidency ever? How does it beat someone like F. Reagan, whose daughter became a factory owner, a grandson owns a bank, and another grandson is out racing cars? And let's not forget who greenlit that kind of criminal privatization back in the 90s...
Or take Ivo Sanders into account—building those massive sports arenas that just sit empty losing money, or those tunnels built during his time that lead absolutely nowhere. He bled companies like ExxonMobil or major utility giants dry. Not to mention the billions poured into agriculture, only for production to actually drop after his term ended. Most of the current GOP candidate list has been part of the establishment this whole time. The only sane person there is Budimir, but even he won't get anything done in that environment, especially since he isn't even in the party... nor is the main economic strategist, who used to be courting the Democrats...
Maybe the only real mess this administration made was Linić's pre-election deals. Though, without an alternative, there wasn't much choice. Sure, writing off those debts might have been unfair, but without doing it, those companies would have gone under anyway and nobody would have seen a dime. Even some foreign analysts praised the move (though I wouldn't go that far)...
Americans really need to find a "third way." Not through protests like the labor movements or Occupy Wall Street, but by actually searching for smarter solutions. Maybe the most logical platform belongs to Smart, and there's a serious effort from Walnut, regardless of how people feel about them. The Bridge party doesn't have a realistic plan, even though they seemed likable at first—they made a huge mistake letting guys like Lovrinović into their inner circle, someone who clearly has zero business experience...
FDR was never the Prime Minister—he was the President in a system where Congress actually had less power than they do today. But that doesn't let him off the hook for dancing right on the edge of war profiteering. This whole country was built on those shaky foundations, so why are we acting shocked at what’s left of his legacy?
James Anderson5 said:As soon as he gave that interview and shared who he was backing in the election, he stepped down from his position as the sports news editor...
Just more proof that you can't be both clever and honest at the same time...
That part really rubbed me the wrong way—it’s just another instance of playing favorites, which honestly makes my skin crawl.
James Anderson5 said:Here’s that interview with Boban. I found the part where he mentions Berlusconi taking him to his private mausoleum right after he joined AC Milan pretty fascinating...
Man, seeing how much Zvonimir has grown up as a person... what a great interview. It actually gives you a little hope that maybe things aren't totally rotten in this country after all... 🙏
I’m honestly done with all these political debates—whether it’s over on Reddit or just anywhere else on this forum. People are way too quick to start throwing around labels, shoving you into little boxes, and forcing everyone into these partisan camps... It’s honestly pathetic how much people have let their awareness shrink down to nothing.