BruceVC

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/thomas-massie-trump-jeffrey-epstein-00654214?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=81406e35-5743-4c79-8a1f-03aae6892d3d Here is a really interesting summary of how Massie was able to get the vote around releasing the Epstein files to the House You can see the efforts how Trump tried to block it and how he failed Its been a fascinating and reassuring period for me this public pressure to release the full files and how Trump eventually acquiesced Its a win for Democracy and how citizen activism can get government to change course when initially they clearly didn't want to This would never have happened in autocracies like Russia or China where the states decisions are final and citizens have no way to influence or change that decision

The full Epstein files will be released finally, well done to Massie and other GOP representatives for getting the vote to the House Its good that Trump is fully supporting this full release but he also had no real choice I doubt he is going to be implicated in anything but other prominent and wealthy elites will be named and of course that also wont automatically mean they were involved in underage sex but just getting your name mentioned is bad enough because of how toxic any proximity to Epstein has become Larry Summers for example has publicly apologized and stepped back from public responsibilities and he just had email exchanges with Epstein after the scandal initially broke https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cddr199d3z0o But its good news, we can review the full Epstein files and then bury the conspiracy theories and prosecute those that were involved in any sexual crimes

I dont dislike him on a personal level because I believe he means well. Its his progressive left political views I dont support but I do like him Here is a hilarious Sacha Cohen interview with Sanders where he was playing one of his alts, a guy called Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr who is MAGA conspiracy theorist who always believes in the " truth". Watch from 1:32

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/17/middleeast/us-gaza-israel-un-vote-intl-latam The US resolution around Trumps peace plan passed at the UNSC with 13 yes votes and 2 abstentions from China and Russia But no vetoes because no one has any alternative plan or wants to spend the time trying to create one Now the hard part. Muslim and Arab countries must provide the boots on the ground in Gaza to ensure Hamas isnt active but most important it contains a reference to Palestinian statehood which Israel wanted removed and they failed to achieve " Notably, the resolution also contains a reference to Palestinian statehood, but it provides no timeline for it. “After the (Palestinian Authority) reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” the draft said. “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it said."

And I would expect these types of teething problems and sectarian flareups considering the years of war, sectarian violence and the overall failed state of Syria Like I mentioned no failed state that was an autocracy for decades can suddenly transition to a more Democratic system without real hurdles But the real question around the success of this transition and societal change is " is the new leadership committed to this change and will they get supported by the West " which typically ends up being the main donors of aid and they get involved in sustainable and meaningful investment. But in Syria's case they also getting support from most of the stable and wealthy ME countries now that Assad is gone And so far al-Sharaa is making the right moves and signals. He is reaching out to everyone including Russia and China so he isnt burning any bridges So Im cautiously optimistic and I dont consider him an Islamic extremist anymore

Yes lets say she becomes the next president, this would be temporary until Venezuela can have a election. But Maduro obviously has his supporters and he controls the security forces which are also beneficiaries of his corrupt regime so it wont be a smooth transition but Im talking about a return to the principles of democratic rule and the freedoms that come with that. And support really means ending sanctions, providing loans and then investment cant be forced. It will happen organically when investors believe the new regime can be trusted I also think getting Venezuela stable again will be much easier than Syria for several reasons Do you believe that Maduro should stay on in power at all costs, how would getting missiles and more military resources from China or Russia help the people of Venezuela? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/everything-you-need-to-know-about-syrias-first-post-assad-elections Have you looked at who sits on the Syria Supreme Council which was appointed by al-Sharaa and this council decided on 2/3 of the Peoples Assembly in the last Syrian election? There are women, Kurds, journalists and SJ activists but mostly moderates. They cant be further away from ISIS if you tried and as I mentioned they were appointed by al-Sharaa We should try to move away from this outdated criticism of al-Sharaa being " an Islamic extremist ", he is clearly not that anymore and understands Syria needs international support to rebuild and he is making the right decisions around Syria's transition to Democracy as much as reasonably possible That criticism is more from people butthurt that Assads regime collapsed and its because he was anti-Western and a Russian and Iranian proxy You too logical and analytical to believe that type of assessment. Lets focus on supporting the new Syrian regime and hope the country can rebuild

This interview is a few weeks old and I watched parts of it when it was live and its still relevant I agree with basically everything she is saying around the illegitimate reality of Maduros government and how he ignored the results of the last election She is the type of candidate that would be ideal for regime change because she has real domestic support within Venezuela And once Maduro is gone the country would need economic support from the likes of the US and the region It would be like Syria now that Assad is gone, small but steady steps to support the new leadership. But it takes time and effort to reverse the damage done from a failed state

Yes but the Epstein scandal is different, its a much greater type of crime and degeneracy. This is not like Trump having affairs Some people in MAGA already believe in conspiracy theories that "pedo and Satanic " circles have influence in government so the whole Epstein story aligns with this Trump would be aware of the damaging optics specifically around this story if it becomes public he knew about the underage sex and didnt say anything about it This is about loss of support from parts of his base, its not because of the people who already dont like him and dont vote for him

I think what Trump really wants to avoid is that he knew that sex with minors was ongoing at some of the parties. Epstein has stated more or less that Trump didnt participate and he said no to " massages " which was code word for sex But he knew they were happening and Trump will get heavily criticized for not doing anything about it So for Trump its about the perception, political fallout and ultimately loss of votes

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/politics/epstein-files-house-vote-johnson I have mentioned many times I dont waste much time on conspiracy theories and that includes Trump conspiracy theories that either he peddles or are about him But I do wonder why the WH is so opposed to the full Epstein files being released. The House will vote on this and hopefully they get 2/3 veto-proof majority I am now interested in what is so bad about the full release of these files

Trump has officially become anti-MTG because of her view that the full Epstein files must be released I have never liked her but its a good example of the mercurial nature of Trumps support for political allies

Countries that have many different official languages still have one common main and " middle ground " language that is used primarily And its selected based on the fact everyone living there should understand it In South Africa we have 12 official languages but English is the main language that is used for government and business communication Throughout Africa you could find a country that has dozens of different tribal languages so the European language is preferred as the official language because it actually reduces tribal tensions, translation complexity and is consistent. It would create massive tribal tension in South Africa if Zulu was adopted as the main language because the other tribal activists would understandably say " why Zulu, what about our language. Why should Zulu be officially elevated higher than ours" Its perfectly normal for English to be the main language in the US and everyone should at least understand it

Yes, I didnt bother to research who wrote the article but you can tell immediately when its a Russian shill peddling the normal Russian propaganda The obvious giveaway as I mentioned is anytime its suggested " Ukraine being forced to fight by the evil Western puppet masters" type of rhetoric

I prefer first person combat because its easier for me , most of the LoreRim videos I have seen around combat are third person but I am generally comfortable with the whole game being in first person and its more immersive. I would have to consciously learn third person combat if I want to change to that because combat in Requiem is much harder and Im much more competent in first person The alternative starts are amazing, you have all these options like shipwreck, beggar or werewolf\vampire but I selected Inn start because it gives you a safe starting point where I also have crafting tables. But as I mentioned the greatest strength with LoreRim is the absolute and deep RP in this massive world Because I havent initiated the main quest its like nothing I have ever experienced and I can do anything I want

I lose interest in any article that has in the start " Zelensky and its puppet masters forcing Ukraine to fight " Its not like Russia invaded Ukraine which is the reason Ukraine is fighting a war. And the obvious reality is the many examples in history that include Serbia, Poland, Afghanistan and the USSR where people fight back against an invasion. You dont need to be " forced" to fight when you invaded, its common to find that response And of course the author suggests " the only solution is for Ukraine to immediately negotiate a peace deal " Translation : " Give Russia everything it wants " because thats the ONLY solution Let me guess, this is an objective analysis of the war and how to end it