BruceVC

Gorthfuscious !!! Thats treasonous talk....you cant call yourself a loyal subject of the crown and think the UK government has made a mess of BREXIT Us patriots know exactly what is going to happen, Boris Johnson will be elected leader of the Conservative Party and the UK will leave the EU with no deal and no agreement on matters like the Irish border....and its going to be an economic disaster as new economic and political deals have to be properly renegotiated. Problem solved When in doubt about the prudent political strategic decisions made by the current UK government never question it and just refer to the poem Dulce et Decorum Est written during WW1 by Wilfred Owen,in the final paragraph where he says My friend, you would not tell with such high zest To children ardent for some desperate glory, The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mor The translation in Latin means " It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”

Skarpen has made several relevant points in his own words and used examples that align to my broader point around the definitions of freedom. And also why perceptions of the inequality and outcomes of Capitalism are not all negative or rather there are real success stories and people who can change there financial status and lifestyle within the free market system despite some financial regulations that are seen as " anti-poor " by some commentators

http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/free-state-of-jones/ I watched a movie called the Free State of Jones last night, its based on a true story about a Southerner who basically rebels against the Confederacy. The link above discusses what was fact and fiction in the movie, its a good movie....not great but good and entertaining

I tend to agree with both you and Skarpen in different ways I do think you guys are using extreme examples around what can be classified as freedom, its unlikely that the quality of life and hardships with someone unemployed and homeless can be equated to " freedom " as most of us would define it But you definitely dont need to own property and own " capital goods " (still unclear what you mean ) , have money and or resources to have a sense of freedom. For example you could be renting a place and have a low income job but live in a country where you feel safe and quality of life is excellent ...what about those fortunate people who are in happy and loving relationships or just have great support structures through family or friends ? They may have none of things you seem to define as aspects of Capitalism but I guarantee you they can be both happy and have a sense of freedom I realize I dont have much personal experience with this type of lifestyle but I do try to understand how to make SA a better place because of the deprivations of Apartheid legacy and general high levels of inequality I see. So I do contribute towards a better SA where reasonable and applicable. Anyway I have met people who have no money and no resources and sometimes they arent even employed but work for NGO.....many of these people are still positive and do believe in freedom because they can vote in a Democracy and are included in other components that come with a Democracy So its leads back to my original point how " freedom " really means different things to different people and we should try not to necessarily define this word too critically based on materialist things

Its on Netflix, why cant you watch it there?

I really am feeling the benefit of getting back to gym, I started going back to gym about 3 months ago and I stopped going actively for about 2-3 years before that Anyway Im now doing 50 minutes of cardio 4-6 times a week and especially on the treadmill I can feel how much fitter I am. I have gone back to gym with an approach as it being a lifestyle choice which means I wont stop again and become lazy

I read your links but they are both unconvincing as examples of the failure of Capitalism or even how these are relevant to your initial suggestion about privatization of land is wrong or what you mean by the ownership of capital goods ....not sure what this means in any recognized, modern economic lexicon? For example women being forced into sex work for food is terrible and I wish it didnt occur. But we have discussed in the past the reality of the reasons of austerity for the PIGS countries and what this meant for people on the ground in these countries who indeed suffer in different ways. In summary austerity was and is necessary because of a failure of economic management and a failure to adhere to global financial regulations ...dont blame Capitalism for bad leadership decisions or a failure to implement prudent financial management that the majority of countries in the EU have been able to do The link about private companies owning water resources is a very serious risk and should only be allowed under certain specific conditions. But most countries dont allow this and the government controls water resources which is a basic human right ....access to water. Also even if a private company somehow controlled water resources and then started denying water to citizens of that country this would never be allowed as the government should act in the interests of human rights and there own citizens. Even if the government was taken to some international court by the company Im confident the corporation would lose the court case in the interests of human rights and how denying water could lead to lose of life So Im unclear on what those links have got to do with your suggested changes to the free market and Capitalist system?

On the issue of legitimate and sustainable regime change let me give you some background and context to why this can be justified and then pose a question to you Firstly let me say my opinion has changed on this. Before Iraq 2003 I use to believe Democracy, the free market, responsible Capitalism and the institutions that make it work have been historically and currently proven to be the most effective and sustainable systems of government and economies in the world that offer citizens overall the best quality of life. I still believe that but where I have changed is you cant force countries to adopt a better system because sometimes the attempt to help is rejected or seen in a negative light by the country we are trying to help Which is why I use the words " sustainable regime change " Now what would be an example of this and how would you justify it? There are several examples of this but my fundamental definition where this would be acceptable is where you have a failed state and that failed state is not due to the country being very poor or having a legitimate Democracy that made bad decisions. This type of government needs to be assisted and regime change here would be wrong and pointless I am talking about governments that are either dictatorships or represent " Democratic facades " , this means where a government stays in power by undermining and cheating in the Democratic process...so they say they are a legitimate government but obviously if people haven't been able to vote or participate in the Democratic process equally and fairly then its illegitimate The outcome of this type of government is normally a collapse of basic services, economic opportunities, quality of life, lack of investment and sustainable futures for citizens and there families. Now where I have also changed about this appalling type of leadership is where now I think " as long as my country isn't impacted by this flawed government we shouldn't get involved "....but here is real issue. It is very possible you will be effected especially where you share a border so a brutal dictatorships can become your problem even if you dont want to get involved In South Africa we have become the destination of millions of immigrants who come to SA looking for jobs and some kind of prosperity because these dont exist in there own countries, quite simply we cannot absorb all these people who enter the country illegally and are undocumented. We just dont have resources For example Zimbabwe from 2002 was allowed to get worse and worse and Mugabe systematically destroyed his countries economy through egregious political and economic decisions. The outcome was the mass illegal immigration of millions of Zimbabweans to other countries who now have to try to deal with them. Regime change should have been implemented in Zim in about 2005 by putting real pressure on Mugabe by the African Union but by keeping silent the situation deteriorated and countries like South Africa now have to internally deal with the pressure on our economy Finally this could apply to the USA and does in some real similarities . The mass movement of immigrants from Central America to the USA border is due to high levels of crime and the reality that there countries dont offer economic futures. Now I am not suggesting countries like Honduras and El Salvador become legitimate targets for regime change because they dont fit my profile of dictatorships but there are other examples where the failed outcomes of governments leads to a direct negative impact to the USA So going back to your original post, if the actions and decisions of a particular foreign government due to failed leadership can directly and indirectly impact the USA dont you think sustainable regime change should and can be justified?

Tonight Im chlling at home, I cooked an ostrich steak last night and there were leftovers as there always are with a large piece of meat so for dinner Im having ostrich steak rolls which include Prego sauce Sauteed onions Thinly sliced ostrich Cheese Simple but delicious

Its similar to " alternative facts " right skarpen

GD dont you think this word freedom is used selectively and means different things to different people ? For example I believe in freedom but the rule of law and order needs to be maintained and also I dont believe in the freedom that dictators assume they have in illegitimate governments where there was no real Democratic process to elect them hence making them valid targets of sustainable regime change

Nice, good times await in the culinary world of barbecuing for you

" Trump on the podium at the Nuremberg Rally in 1933 " ....excellent analogy Gorthfuscious, I can also imagine Trump loving that type of event

Nice, we expecting some new, cool meal recipes and in the Food Thread Can you post a photo of your grill so I can see what it looks like, in SA people dont generally use grills but use a Weber for braais\barbecues and they look like the photos below . I admire the way you have these elaborate grills in the USA https://www.amazon.com/Weber-14402001-Original-Premium-Charcoal/dp/B00N65ADP8/ref=asc_df_B00N65ADP8/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932699077443&psc=1

This has been raised several times by political analysts and its an interesting question, why indeed does Trump embarrassingly and disconcerting seem to publicly endorse and have such nice things to say about many dictators and strongmen around the world? There are several theories, I think its primarily because he literally admires the concept and thought of leaders who are not accountable and answerable to citizens and Democratic institutions like the media and independent courts. He feels he would be a more effective leader without political transparency and also that there are groups of people in modern Democracies who " conspire " against him like the " evil, fake news media" But I also consider most dictators as dysfunctional sociopaths and the countries they govern are overall much worse places to live in than the USA so Trump is delusional and confused about his admiration for strongmen because the things he likes about there policies would ultimately lead to the collapse of the USA and degrading of overall quality of life for all Americans...including Trump. " In the land of the blind the one -eyed man is king " https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/world/trump-strongmen-erdogan-visit/index.html

Yeah, I also noticed this today..Im very excited

You right and this is often overlooked, fireworks can distress human beings due to a myriad of reasons and on a number of levels and is another justification to limit there usage

This is a common issue we see in SA and often hotly debated. We always use to make use of fireworks at Guy Fawkes but from about 15 years the general sentiment has changed because of the real harm and distress it causes to animals. Personally no one I know uses fireworks anymore but its still allowed on certain celebrations like Diwali which is a Hindu religious celebration but even then using fireworks is vastly reduced. I dont see any contradiction with changing your view on this as that's one of the reasons we grow as a society...we learn how to be better and adopt new views if they are constructive and positive. You should call the police and report the usage of illegal fireworks because its the law and the right thing to do Here is a good article that explains why fireworks are so harmful to dogs and other animals https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1777150/fireworks-the-unnecessary-implications-of-celebrations/

Good point Gorthfuscious, when the southern border is brutally and inexorably attacked by the immigrant families....unleash the tanks !!!!

As usual you have provided a very comprehension answer that makes sense based on facts and historical precedent, I now understand several core criticisms that I heard This is about Trump hubris and the adding of tanks and other military paraphernalia is both unnecessary and misplaced

I watch adult movies sometimes but not because I want to...I do it because Im a nice person and I want to support the porn stars in there jobs. If people like me didnt support there movies they wouldnt have jobs and I dont want people to lose there jobs especially in this difficult climate where retrenchments and job losses occur...so I do as much as I can in my own small way Im all about the hugz and feelz

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/01/president-donald-trump-get-tanks-july-4-celebration-dc/1621331001/ Trumps getting lambasted for arranging tanks and planes for the 4th July , I like military parades and I like tanks so Im not sure I understand this criticism

Volo...the only reason you like Kristin Stewart as an actress is because she is hoooooot Thats wrong volo , you mustn't objectify women, thats naziish approach ...you must judge people on there merit and not there looks

It is brilliant, haunting and moving. Great series I am watching Tell Me a Story, very entertaining psychological series about the stories of different people and how certain events have parallels to fairy tales but its set in modern day New York https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tell_Me_a_Story_(TV_series)

You cant enforce an undemocratic system on an established historic Democracy, its going to get huge push back because people prefer Democracy and things like a fair and transparent judicial system, human rights and freedom to criticize your government China doesnt believe and allow these things and is slowly trying to change HK to there ways..its never going to be accepted