Posts by nimblemarlin17

Since we're already on the topic of actors I just can't wrap my head around, I'll throw one out there too:

Martin Lawrence.
🙄

All the sequels are fine, even the fourth one, which is just a fun little tribute to the earlier films. The biggest letdown for me was the third part; it started off strong—absolutely phenomenal during those explosions under Fort Knox—but then it just became exhausting and unwatchable. The first film is an action classic and easily one of the best Christmas movies ever made.

Thanks to the topic, you guys talked me into another rewatch, so I sat down with the first one last night—the Director's cut, obviously. For me, the first and last installments have always been the peak; the third one never really hit the mark. Honestly, you can probably forget about any new sequels. That story is finished. Plus, once they took out Jet Li, who is left to play a worthy villain? Jet Li in the fourth one is easily one of the most terrifying bad guys in action movie history, right up there with the T1000 in Terminator 2 or Predator in Predator vs Predator.

I just picked up a DVD box set recently. They just don't make movies like this anymore.

Joseph Wright4 said:You’re constantly talking in circles just to justify why people vote for the Republican Party (maybe because you're basically Milanović's right hand 😉). You made a good point though—why would veterans or the military even care about the Democratic Party? That’s the real question. Veterans should be non-partisan, but clearly they aren't, mostly because the left keeps things blurry with their vague stances on everything. Just like you tell Republican voters they haven't moved on since the 90s, you could tell Democratic voters they haven't moved on since the 40s. You want to explain why that is?

They're scared because eventually, someone is going to have to open Pandora's box regarding the reckless redistribution of money to people who can work but won't. Someone else built this entire broken system by handing out cash left and right. It's fear of losing that money. Who wouldn't be afraid of that?

But even that can be covered up with clever rhetoric and flashy ads. The Republican Party has been pulling that off successfully for years. They’ve pushed aside generals "over their dead bodies," and nobody dared to say a word. The Democratic Party needs a brand, but I've already said that a few times. They don't get how the game is played, and while they hesitate, the state rots because the leadership never actually changes.

All we need now is for someone to claim this administration is actually doing a great job, and that'll seal the deal.

darkfox5 said:The election laws apply to the entire State—anyone failing to enforce them faces both criminal and civil penalties...

The chairperson is responsible for the commission's operations... (and believe me, if a commission is made up of people from different political parties, they would "claw eyes out" to make sure the chair isn't running anything illegal)...

Yeah, sure, everything is just perfect. My cousin killed someone while driving drunk and high and didn't face any consequences either. On paper, everything looks great, but reality is a lot darker. But hey, kudos to you for being so optimistic and trusting the system. Personally? I don't buy it. 🙂

James Nguyen13 said:On the contrary, the leftists themselves are the ones constantly broadcasting their sympathies for communism, old regimes, and those "let's divide ourselves" narratives.
Nobody forced anyone to claim that veterans aren't worth a dime at a funeral or to surround them with shady intelligence types; nobody pressured Joe Biden to say his good friend is someone who would prosecute us for genocide; nor did any political elites claim one military operation was somehow better than another, or suggest we were the aggressors in past conflicts, or have Democratic Party members singing old anthems glorifying defunct leaders. THEY DO IT ALL ON THEIR OWN.
As far as the left goes, the smartest move they ever made was when Račan played it cool—teaming up with various moderate factions and the Green Party—which effectively neutralized the Republican Party because then no one could slap the "communist" or "old-regime sympathizer" label on them. It was how they beat the GOP at their own game.

Look, I'm sorry, but what actual policy differences are there between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party? Are Mason and Nobilo Democratic Party? Should Milanović call Tadić an enemy even though neither of them fought in the war? You're being ridiculous.

Račan hitched his wagon to leeches, which turned out to be exactly what happened. Since you seem to view Budis and Tomac as heroes, it's clear you aren't voting for your own better future. Good luck with that! 👍

James Nguyen13 said:But you missed the point entirely—he was just politely explaining why that isn't actually happening. Wherever the Republican Party seems strong, it's usually just a handful of loudmouths acting as mouthpieces.
I'd even go so far as to say the idea of widespread surveillance is a bit of a joke here. I highly doubt groups like the Regionalist Party or the Democratic Party aren't running their own little maneuvers behind the scenes, yet you don't see any right-wing observers claiming the same. It would be much more realistic to assume they are the ones pulling the strings, rather than the Republican Party, since the GOP basically has a whole fleet of "independent" observers sitting right on their doorstep just watching their every move.

I’m basing my arguments on firsthand data. Yours are pure speculation. Most election fraud examples involve groups that gain something direct from the outcome—think veterans or military factions—and there isn't much room for the left to pull those kinds of stunts. There's nobody on their side with enough to gain to bother cheating.

James Nguyen13 said:You really only need to look at where the League of Women Voters places its observers—they seem to focus almost exclusively on areas where the Republican Party is winning. Then, once the League of Women Voters releases their data, it looks like the Republican Party is pulling in two-thirds of the vote. Every single precinct where the Republican Party is strong is practically swarmed by observers from other parties and various "independent" leftist groups.
But honestly, these folks are essentially engaging in political suicide. They claim the Republican Party won because of support from overseas voters (which isn't true), or that they won because the local voters are narrow-minded, or even that the voters are corrupt and stealing ballots. By making those accusations, all they're really doing is reinforcing the resolve of those voters to stick with the Republican Party.

They aren't wrong when they call Republican Party opponents communists, globalists, Masons, or anti-Christs and all that nonsense. You think the right to be an asshole is reserved just for the ruling dynasty?

Yeah, in case you hadn't figured it out, I absolutely loathe the Republican Party.

darkfox5 said:What you're saying just isn't true... Poll workers at the precincts represent various different parties, and every single polling station also has observers from the parties not sitting on the commission... It is practically impossible for someone to vote on behalf of another person (and my own experience working on these commissions gives me every right to claim that)...

When citizens can't make it to the polling place due to health issues, they call in or find another way to request that commission members come to them. In those cases, three commission members visit that citizen at their home to ensure they can cast their vote legally...

I appreciate the work you put in on the commissions, but since you're based out of Washington, D.C., let me tell you something: America isn't just D.C., and plenty of things happen behind the scenes. Or, as Morpheus said in The Matrix, "You've been living in a dream world, Neo." On paper, everything in America looks perfect, but my grandma has already voted for herself for a few elections now.

James Nguyen13 said:Look, as long as you keep treating the electorate with that kind of condescension and looking down your nose at them, they’re going to stay stubbornly committed to their choice. Seriously, since 2000, instead of the prominent Democrats in this country actually trying to figure out why they aren't winning people over, they just sit around complaining, "What's the deal with these voters? Why won't they vote for us?"
And what do you expect from that? It feels like the left is practically the main promoter for the Republican Party; I honestly used to wonder if they were getting paid to do it. If the Republican Party didn't have an opposition like the one they have now—which is mostly made up of old-school nostalgics, folks obsessed with division, proponents of weird conspiracy theories about "agreed-upon wars," and urban elitists who couldn't survive a single day without central heating—the Republican Party would have guaranteed victories every single time.

My point was aimed at anyone who thinks it's okay to claim votes for their entire family, or people using military rank to cast ballots for others. You can call the electorate whatever names you want if they allow that kind of manipulation. People like that deserve nothing but poverty and misery because they aren't even using the most basic social right of choosing leadership. One person, one vote. It’s simple. Everyone has the right, and the responsibility, to decide for themselves. Whether it's the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Progressive Party, the Libertarian Party, or the Patriot Party—it doesn't matter, as long as you make the choice yourself.

Joseph Wright4 said:You aren't getting my point, or maybe you just don't want to. I said it happens, but it's nowhere near the level you keep implying. It's not happening at a scale that would ACTUALLY AFFECT election results or decide whether the Republican Party stays in power. Get it now??

It reminds me of that nonsense when Democrats kept sheepishly repeating that they got the most votes in America—just because the Republican Party picked up everything in Canada and among expats. That isn't factually true. Again, I didn't vote for the Republican Party, but they got the most votes in the elections if we are only counting the US, without any overseas voters or Canada.

I agree it doesn't swing elections as much anymore, but the core issue is that this stuff happens, and most of the time, it targets Republican votes. I won't call voters from other parties less honest than Republican voters because that's too broad a generalization, but these types of fraud cases clearly reflect the moral and social "values" that party has been pushing since the 90s. Honestly, the opposition is to blame for failing to push back against that aggressive, backward spirit and losing control of the government. I agree with the assessment that Joe Biden lost because he didn't hit the Republican Party where it hurts—which is everywhere, really. Instead, he wasted all his energy on trivial things like religious education, which only serves to alienate the dim-witted majority. Branding and marketing are everything today. Barack Obama spent way more money than John McCain to win against a militant conservative majority. Sure, the terrible state of the US economy helped him, but without building that "youth and change" brand, he would have lost regardless. That’s what the Democratic Party needs. I don't think Joe Biden is a bad guy, he's just inexperienced and doesn't understand how the electorate breathes. You have to get inside the heads and ears of the masses. The Democratic Party can't act like "the outsiders"; they need to be front and center, just like the Republican Party was with their "Move America Forward" slogan and those cheesy family commercials.

What's actually going to bring change is next year. Once the gap widens between the leeches living off the state and the actual working class, the Republican Party is in deep trouble.

mistycyclist5 said:If I ever rolled into a small town like Imotski and told the first person I ran into that the Republican Party is robbing us blind and needs to be kicked out, the least I’d get is a punch to the head accompanied by shouts of "commie trash." It’s funny how in more developed areas—places like Istria, Varaždin, Čakovec, or even Washington, D.C.—you have much less chance of that happening... though lately, Washington, D.C. has seen such an influx of lowlifes that actual locals are becoming a rare breed.

Look, I've never supported the Republican Party, and I never will. I’m looking for a party that actually fights for America and the interests of its citizens, but as far as I can tell, a party like that doesn't even exist on the political stage yet. 😉

It doesn't have to be. I heard the Democrats won in a place like Savannah. But the truth is, the Republican Party always has a massive advantage in towns like that because they're packed with veterans and people living off government handouts. I personally know a couple of thirty-year-olds in rural Alabama who are basically pensioners. I'd love to know what they plan on doing for the next forty years besides drowning themselves in booze.

George Morgan3 said:hmm, well, my cousin just registered my late grandfather for the Democratic Party... what's the penalty for that?

Joining the Independent Party and casting a vote in a dead man's name aren't even the same thing.

Joseph Wright4 said:Look, that happened back in the 90s, but in the last few elections, it's happened so rarely it's basically negligible—it doesn't change the outcome. I’ve actually served on an election commission myself, and I never saw anything like that. Not to mention, since around 2000, even in a tiny town of 100 people, you've got poll watchers from every single party present. So yeah, maybe it happens occasionally, but definitely not in numbers big enough to swing an election. And if it were happening as massively as you're claiming, the Democratic Party would be shouting it from the rooftops, along with other parties. It's just not true.

It absolutely happens. Maybe less than it did before 2000, sure, but I know plenty of small towns where voting still works that way. Sorry, but I take this personally. Why the hell am I following all the rules and only getting one vote if the system is rigged anyway?

Joseph Wright4 said:What you wrote above isn't true. It's a total urban legend that someone shows up in rural towns and votes for the whole family (it happens, sure, but it's a tiny fraction). The rest of this is just underestimating rural Americans. People aren't quite as dumb as you think. When Pusički basically claims all smart people (linking it directly to cities) vote for the Democrats while uneducated farmers vote Republican—well, you can't expect their votes then. Your take is stereotypical and some of it—like the group voting thing—is just false.

As for that last part—plenty of educated people don't vote at all, and a huge chunk of those who do vote for the Republican Party simply because they don't like the alternative (meaning Zoran Milanović, who can't seem to win a fight he's already winning).
(Just to be clear—I've never voted Republican in my life, though that doesn't really matter)

It’s not some myth, it’s reality. What do you think my grandma votes for? An uncle or a nephew rolls up and says, "Hey Grandma, I'll do this for you so you don't have to walk down to the polls." Just guess which party gets all those votes.

Then there’s the military. Back in the day, I was in a friendly weekend soccer league with a proud US Armed Forces colonel. He wasn't ashamed to talk openly in the pub about how they used to rig hundreds of votes for the Republican Party and how much it sucks now because it's become way harder.

When you hear things like that firsthand, they stop being urban legends or fairy tales. Tens of thousands of votes across America go to the Republican Party that way.

The reasons go deep, but the biggest issue is that the Republican Party was so dominant during the early days of building this country that they basically sat on top of the mountain as the default setting, and once you're up there, you don't move. They built a brand for people who don't even realize what a "brand" is. Think about it—how do people in rural areas actually vote? A kid heads to the polling station and checks five boxes. He does it for himself, his mom, his dad, his uncles, his aunts—basically everyone too old or too tired to make the trip. And even if they do show up, they only know one party. The Republican Party. Most Americans come from those small towns, uneducated and uninterested in anything serious besides the local harvest or whether gas prices went up by ten cents this week.

The other parties just fail at marketing, and that’s the real problem. It shows they aren't trying hard enough, which proves they can't convince the public of things that are as obvious as day and night. No matter how bad the Republican Party gets, they always have a base. It’s passed down through generations. I have a friend who finished his degree in economics, works at a major bank, and isn't stupid. He told me L.J. Jurcic was his best professor in college, but he said there's absolutely no way he's voting for the Democrats. I'm not saying he *has* to vote for the Democratic Party; that's not the point. The point is why he won't. His reasoning is broad and completely nonsensical. The guy hasn't even formed a real opinion about the world around him or the forces shaping it. If an educated, smart guy talks like that, imagine how the uneducated ones think. You could sell anything to them, just like whatever Ivo Sanders is pulling lately.

Man, what a total disaster on PBS last night. 🙏

Three whole pages of comments and you’re the only one hating on this movie. Let people enjoy things. You don't need to quote your own posts just to make your "critique" feel more heavy-handed. It’s obvious nobody agrees with you, or at least very few people do. Just deal with it.

How long is U23D?

Elizabeth Garcia2 said:That’s what we call making a constructive contribution to the discussion.
No wonder you’ve racked up nearly 13,000 posts. Just talking for the sake of talking...

You’re a really unfriendly person, a jerk, and a total provocateur. I don't think I like you, and the bitter side of me would probably say I hate you.