BruceVC

You make some valid and accurate observations here. I have often said its inaccurate to say the " US was founded on racism and inequality " but I havent really tried, or been asked, to explain what I mean by that. I found a new word a couple of months ago that summarizes my view on this. Its called presentism and this link describes my view better than I can. Please take 5 minutes to read this and I would encourage others to do the same https://www.voicesandimages.com/presentism-dont-judge-ancestors-actions-by-todays-standards/ But in summary, we shouldnt judge events in the past that were considered normal in the world at that time and how that represents the modern reality. That doesnt mean the same reality exists today and that includes things like slavery and how women were denied the right to vote. But we dont deny injustice that existed in the past To quote the article "Studying Women’s rights is a good example. The rights of women have changed dramatically over the past 100 years. During the nineteenth century women could not vote and by today’s standards were considered second-class citizens. Slowly they received more and more respect — they could vote and own property. What did the founding fathers really intend? It has been debated for decades, but if historians try to apply their current values and beliefs, arguments and disagreements are all that result. Just accept your ancestors with all of their beliefs and value their accomplishments." "Presentism is also a factor in the problematic question of history and moral judgments. Among historians, the orthodox view may be that reading modern notions of morality into the past is to commit the error of presentism. To avoid this, historians restrict themselves to describing what happened and attempt to refrain from using language that passes judgment. For example, when writing history about slavery in an era when the practice was widely accepted, letting that fact influence judgment about a group or individual would be presentistism and thus should be avoided" Here is more humorous take on it by Bill Maher, really funny https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/17/bill-maher-presentism-slavery-r-kelly/ And then outside this article the other issue I have is where people generalize about the modern reality of the US. The US is not a racist or white supremacist country. It has some people who are racist and white supremacist. These are different, important and distinct ways of framing what the US is . Another example of this point is you can say with complete veracity that Germany during WW2 was a Nazi country. But Germany nowadays is not a Nazi country but it does have some politicians and citizens who are Nazis. Thats what I mean by " the US is not a racist country"

Well it depends on how you personally respond to the outcome of policies like defund the police. If a policy is well meaning but the implementation of it means it makes the problem worse or doesnt change anything then that policy is a failure or needs to be reviewed. That doesnt mean you dismissing the reason the policy was created. Its well documented that in most cities or states in the US that have tried to implemented defund the police crime has increased. Irrespective of its intention its not been a success Also the majority of black people in the US never supported defunding the police in the sense they want reforms but they want more police on the streets and continued funding, not less. So you need to look at each example of how its been implemented in the US. https://www.vox.com/2020/6/17/21292046/black-people-abolish-defund-dismantle-police-george-floyd-breonna-taylor-black-lives-matter-protest Another example of this is how many black mayors in the US also dont support defunding the police including Eric Adams from NY https://nypost.com/2023/01/22/eric-adams-joins-other-black-mayors-to-decry-defund-the-police-white-house-handling-of-border/ And as far as your question about who says defund the police is a radical left policy, thats just how people see it because not all the Dems support it and none of the GOP do. But it is considered a progressive left policy. Maybe thats unfair but we have to describe things in some way?

Lexx you have raised this before and there is something you misunderstanding, the radical left or left wing extremism is not necessarily Communism\Socialists The term " radical left " covers several ideological views and not everyone who believes in the left should be considered radical left. In fact most lefties IMO shouldn't be called radical left. So we use it to describe a certain type of left wing thinking and policies But the "radical left " is real and absolutely exists in most countries and manifests there ideological views in different way. In the US the progressive Democrats have several members who espouse radical left policies. That doesnt mean they all extremists. And like the MAGA movement in the GOP it means there are different political views within the Dems. And this is just a normal and organic way that US politics works, not all politicians in a party have the same views https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-the-progressive-left-fits-so-uncomfortably-within-the-democratic-party/ But what should concern all of us around insidious and harmful radical left policies include things like defund the police less managed or controlled borders revisionist and selective history, like the US was founded on racism and inequality all problems in the world like inequality is because of Capitalism and white people are responsible for this or similar things. The truth about the worst examples of poverty exist in countries with failed governments, lack of governance and corruption. Not Capitalism

Have you ever been asked as a lecturer to call someone something different to what they look or appear to look? I have always wondered if this is something that is more a US\Canada reality I dont think I have ever heard of a single case in SA where someone has been challenged or criticized over pronouns? So thankfully we dont have this issue in the mainstream media or universities.. yet For me I will call someone what they want to be called but I am not going to guess or try to remember a long list of pronouns. Its a question of basic politeness and personally I dont have any issue referring to someone as whatever they want. But I have engaged and had LGBT friends, mostly gay men, since university from 1996 and I have never had anyone ever get upset with how I refer to them so I always wonder how widespread this pronouns reality is outside the US\Canada?

@Lexxand @xzar_monty You see another example of left-wing extremism, like I said in a previous post. KP will go on how terrible the far-right is and bemoan the state of the US but he wants to wipe England out, if thats not left-wing extremism I dont know what is

Same as me, very fond memories of Arx. I bought it a few years back on Steam and I will replay it. I see there is also 1-2 good mod overhauls that I will use https://arx-libertatis.org/ https://www.nexusmods.com/arxfatalis/mods/1

We must also condemn comments from @PK htiw klaw eriF who thinks its a good idea for whole of states like Florida to vanish. Condemning millions of people to death because we dont agree with their political views seems unnecessarily belligerent. Im sure its not what they teach people at liberal and Democratic political schools in the US...but I might be wrong?

I like you Monty, you genuinely believe what you post and I respect that . But you definitely not my alt-account ..sorry to disappoint you @Sarex

Well the hardliners in Iran are a huge problem and they continuing to enrich uranium. Israel will act unilaterally to stop them getting nukes...the reality is Iran cant be allowed to get nukes, it will destabilize the ME horribly The interesting part of this potential conflict will be if Biden is in control I cant see the US getting directly involved. And Iran is no pushover, I would argue they the second strongest military power in the ME after Israel. So the Israelis will suffer losses if they attack Iran. Interesting times

There is a point if you interested in understanding that there are different right-wing groups throughout the world and they dont all have the same ideological views or biases towards ethnic groups And why does this matter, well it matters so we dont mischaracterize things and institutions. For example Fox news is not a neo-nazi media house. Its Conservative and represents the US right-wing political spectrum but right-wing in the US doesnt automatically mean racist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics It can be confusing but its interesting and semantics are important when we debate in good faith

https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-won-largest-tank-battle-221100247.html Good link about a Ukrainian tank victory in Vuhledar, the Russians dont seem to have any logic or prudent military strategies and just believe in " going forward " irrespective of the Ukrainian defenses

Nazi's arent antisemitic? First time I heard that Not all right-wing groups are anti-semitic but Neo-Nazis definitely are

What about Israel, do they have Nazis in there security forces

In Kingdom Come:D the way they designed alchemy, reading, pickpocketing and lockpicking is overall the best way I have ever seen these mechanics done in any RPG. To go into more detail lockpicking: it really is challenging and fun every time, I have broken lots of lockpicks reading: it makes sense how you progress and learn skills. I find myself taking 2-3 days on most books alchemy: by far the best and most interesting skill to use. I love how each recipe requires different steps to create the necessary potion. Lots of fun pickpocketing: a unique system, I have never seen anything quite like it and its creates a real challenge every time you commit this crime I hope other gaming companies take some tips from how Warhorse creates these activities because they worthwhile

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/only-putin-can-break-russia-ukraine-stalemate-germanys-chancellor-says/ar-AA18ffP3 Scholz reasonable views on negotiations and finding peace, to quote "There will be no decisions without the Ukrainians," Scholz said, saying Putin had clearly misjudged "the strength of Ukraine" as well as the "unity" of "all the friends of Ukraine" in challenging the Russian invasion, which began in February 2022. He added: "It is very difficult to judge what will be the next things to happen in Ukraine, but there is something which is absolutely clear: We will continue to support Ukraine with financial, humanitarian aid but also with weapons." Also for those that didnt see it in the link is the video of Lavrov who was in India and he got laughed at when he suggested " the war was launched at us "

What a story if its true....attacking a bunker with shovels

Yes, Im asking a separate question. Not all posts are related, Im asking Malc if he thinks Putin worries about the Neo-Nazi in Russia like he is concerned about the neo-nazi in Ukraine enough to " justify " an invasion

What is Putin doing about all the Neo-Nazis in Russia, do you think he sees that as a problem?

I think the broader issue is any government, left or right, that undermines its Constitutional values and weakens its Democratic systems. Look at Cuba and Venezuela, left-wing governments and countries are a Democratic mess

https://news.yahoo.com/israelis-protest-judicial-reform-ninth-191345712.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall Ninth week of anti-government protests around the imprudent judicial reforms A couple of observations Israel is the only real Democracy in the region and this legislation undermines this and makes Israel more like its neighbours who dont respect or care about the independence of the judiciary the conspiracy theory that sometimes gets peddled that Jews all think the same and have the same agenda is something I have never believed or experienced and these protests are just another example of ths this proposed legislation is egregious and divisive and will continue to create huge social and political issues in Israel if its implemented

Well done @Sarex This is a good decision from your President, you dont want Serbs joining Wagner and being associated with there long list of war crimes

https://www.tocabe.com/ @ShadySands They had this authentic Native American restaurant on Diners, Drive-in and Dives. Its in Denver. You should try it, they dont have a huge menu but they do have delicious Bison Ribs

Oh no, Solovyov admitting Russia did start this war. Vatnik propagandists are going to be shattered, guess its not the West\NATO fault. But refreshing to see some honestly, " oh what a tangled web we weave when we seek to deceive "

Yes I agree, the way my UK family complain about " food shortages " is classic first world privilege outrage. My one cousin literally said on WhatsApp " we couldnt get imported German sausages for 3 days at the local deli, the country is collapsing " @Gorth I appreciate the concern but no need to worry, UK citizens wont freeze and starve to death. The British become very resolute in time of hardship. Remember the Blitz

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/02/25/russia-ends-nowhere-they-say @xzar_monty Monty I know you like your psychological articles about people's mindset. Here is another one about Putin and how he sees the invasion and Russia's future linked inextricably to the invasion and war