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AmericanSaxeCoburgGothic

Happy to be here! Goal is to post the most exclamation points.

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joined 2022 November 23 20:41:30 UTC

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AmericanSaxeCoburgGothic


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
Happy to be here! Goal is to post the most exclamation points.

				
				
				

				

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					joined 2022 November 23 20:41:30 UTC
				


				
					

					
Never on reddit. Never on Twitter.



				

				

				

				

				

					

					

					
					
					

					
User ID: 1919


					
					
					
				

			


					

						
							
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	 Bump Top Bottom New Old Controversial Comments
	



		

	






	

		
		

		
		
	

	

  







		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 14, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm extremely satisfied with the moderation on this site (even if I do find one of the specific mod's comments {whether mod hat on or off} very annoying {you're so vain you probably think this comment is about you!}). Comparing to other sites I think the quality of arguments and general politeness here is well above everything else on the internet. In regards to bans, I think commenting here is a privilege, and in wanting to keep the garden cultivated here from joining the surrounding wastelands, bans can be a tool to achieve that. I don't read the moderation reports, but they usually are temporary unless rather egregious.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for December 13, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
One thing I realized in reflection is when Caesar Catalina can stop time, he's a stand in for the director. So the  love story between Catalina and Julia, released in the same year Francis Ford Coppola's wife passed away, and she also has the film dedicated to her, I think can help explain some of the disjointed story.


Another thought, the tone of Megapolis feels like an old-school studio made epic picture. Big name cast (Lawrence Fishburne, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman are in total background roles) big name director, very lofty original storyline. But it is a self-produced feature, studios refused to make it (and how much money it lost seems they were right). My thought is there is less of an appetite for studios for original epics, so movie like Megapolis will never be made in the future. Hence we are stuck with reboots rehashes rather than wholly new.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of June 10, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
What is the point on reporting about the spouses of Supreme Court Justices? This headline and the previous ones I remember on Ginny Thomas seem publicized just for waging the culture and rallying voters. The court members are appointed for life and I doubt these there is political appetite to impeach a justice for their beliefs or family associations after they are already seated on the bench. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/us/politics/alito-pride-flag.html
The reporting on the gifts received by the justices makes sense to me since that would speak directly to concerns of an impartial judiciary. These type of stories remind me of the reporting and reactions to the Butker speech, wrong beliefs equals condemnation no matter the context.


Taking a step back, I see the same culture war reporting from the other side; see Conservative media reporting on Biden, Pelosi, AOC or Rashida Talib but don't recall where beliefs of their family members was reported as news.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for June 14, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
What bothered me most about Bridgerton was the love interest storyline where Queen Charlotte at court plays matchmaker and tries to set up Daphne (daughter of a Viscount) with a Prussian royal prince (not an heir but presumably legitimate), described as the Queen's nephew. What bananas, crazy-town balderdash, nonsense. I think Daphne could be believable be a mistress or a morganatic second-wife to an older Prince, but what is portrayed in the show is nonsense. If the conventions of Royals only marry other Royals is out the window then what is point of a Regency setting? This bothered me so much I never had any interest in the later seasons at all.


Couple this scene with the one where Daphne's eldest brother tearfully gives up his actress girlfriend. As if he, a bachelor with rakish tendencies and a titled Viscount with his presumably own inherited fortune lacks the freewill to break convention here is odd coupled with my earlier gripe. The more likely scenario being that he would try and marry for money but keep the actress as a mistress and have a second family.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of October 28, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Korolev's also had the benefits of state resources, sharashkas and priority in a state planned economy go a a long way.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Transnational Thursday for November 14, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I had a professor (native Russian teaching Political Science at a US university) who said that Jefferey Sachs deserved to be crucified in Russia for what he did with advising shock therapy. He also said the Russian leadership shared some blame for believing his policies.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of December 2, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A correction to point out, Nicholas II certainly has no legitimate living descendants, the communists killed all his family and the remains for all children were identified in and around the mine shaft (Anastasia's spurious survival is disproven). Current pretenders I think are descendants of Alexander III (father of Nicholas II) or Nicholas I (grandfather of Nicholas II).


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of May 1, 2023
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Or the Lancet study for hydroxychloroquinen that had more covid subjects reported than covid cases for some countries. Who fakes a clinical trial to show something is ineffective if they don't have reliable cure waiting in the wings?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 30, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I do not see concrete proposals from Harris that realistically will be enacted for any of these issues you mention except for abortion access (same for the other candidate). I think you might be buying what the candidate is selling a little too much. If she solves all these issues, then great (except abortion access I differ from her viewpoints on that) but don't tout her as a greater reformer rather than standard democratic candidate 2.0 especially before she's done anything of substance. Its possible I just don't have the information, can you elaborate on Harris solutions for college debt, housing, the opiod crisis or fixing Medicare? Economic stagnation has J. Powell on the job. To me it sounds like every Presidential state of the union type of address where grand vague future plans are proclaimed, but the issues linger year after year.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Transnational Thursday for January 23, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A lot of it too I think is parents pressuring children to beget children. More so in the past, a larger family is stronger than a smaller number of family members. So while dalliances of the same-sex variety aren't extremely persecuted you still want your homosexual offspring to marry an opposite biological sex to make the family stronger.


I'm not completely sure on this point, but with same-sex marriage inheritances can fall out of the family easier with the spouse as an heir, something that could occur with opposite-sex marriages but those also have the chance of biological offspring.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 17, 2023
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Given that the baptism of your children requires that you ask the Church to accept them as a member and publicly state that you intend to raise them in the Catholic faith, I think your in-laws can be forgiven for bringing this up. Since at least one point you least mimed agreement. I have friends in similar circumstances and I'm also unsympathetic. If you don't want to raise your children religious why get them baptized, if you had been clear with your intentions from the start I don't think you would have this conflict (might have other conflict but not this one!).


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Quality Contributions Report for September 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Not so much a rant against your post, but something I've wanted to say. I'll say its different, because it is different. When I was in grad school I remember one of my colleagues said the same thing, no difference between gay marriage and marriage between a man a woman. I wanted to slap her across her face. Such unthinking ally bullshit. To see that a regular marriage can have a physical manifestation of their love that binds them, a child, and her say that my hypothetical marriage between two men would lose nothing by not having any such possibility of that was such an insulting level non-thinking, and really missing the whole point. If my uncle had wheels he'd be a bike.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 3, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
My goal is to live long enough to see three centuries. Beyond that all my money and assets is split between my parents, in the likely event I outlive my parents will change it to my siblings or their children. Funeral-wise my only requirement is a Catholic funeral, if I anticipate having a lot of extra cash, will give money to the presiding priest, servers, pallbarers, and pay for the meal afterwards.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for November 1, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Paul Dano as the character I thought was good casting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_%26_Peace_(2016_TV_series).


Also love the novel.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				A Call To Be More American
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
From my understanding its more they dictate prices to the pharma companies as stewards of national public health systems.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of March 4, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I've thought recently on this topic and I'll approach your comment from a different perspective than others. If we truly believe Jesus is God and man we can look to his life in the gospels and see how he lived his life. He never set up a national state or created an enduring political edifice, which if we believe he is omnipotent would have been within his power to do so. This is strengthened by viewing the Old Testament through the lenses of salvation history. God offered a holy kingdom and wholly enmeshed religious political state, and it did not save humanity. Jesus' message, and those of his followers soon after him, was a message that was not constrained by political, ethnic or 'national' boundaries. He instead founded a church.


My thought is 'Christian Nationalism' as an idea mixes the christian idea that should be universal with something that is more parochial-nationalism and does a disservice to the Christian message. It is a current response to the loss of prestige and political power of organized religion. Instead I think Christians should focus on living lives of holiness and raising families that follow the Christian message. Let us be judged by our fruits, let them know us by our joy.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Transnational Thursday for July 25, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Last week Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years for espionage charges. The trial was closed so evidence was not available to the public; the WSJ and the US government have denied the charges (All the WSJ articles on Gershkovich are free from paywalls and other restrictions).


A list of other notable Americans imprisoned or formerly imprisoned in Russia includes:


Paul Whelan (former Marine charged with espionage for 16 years, arrested in 2018, his family denies he is a spy).


Trevor Reed (former Marine charged with assaulting a police officer while drunk arrested 2019, sentenced for 9 years, released in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted for drug smuggling [for cocaine was arrested in Liberia in 2010 and sentenced in the US to 20 years]).


Marc Fogel (schoolteacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow, arrested 2021 for entering Russia with 0.6 grams of medical marijuana sentenced to 14 years).


Britney Griner (WNBA player arrested entering Russia with a hash oil vaporizer arrested Aug 2022 sentenced to 9 years, released Dec 2022 in exchange for Viktor Bout [arrested 2008 in Thailand extradited 2010 to US, sentenced 2011 to 25 years by the US for conspiring to provide arms to Columbian rebel group FARC]).


Alsu Kurmasheva (journalist for Radio-Free Europe, holds Russian and American citizenship, arrested 2023 for failing to register as a foreign agent, sentenced to 6.5 years for spreading false information, relating to a book she edited 'Saying No To War').


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for January 31, 2025
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Tim Dillon best hits in my opinion: the corporate steak house rant, 'best podcaster in the world', 'leaving austin', describing 'big mike' to Joe Rogan, the unaired TBS tournament of laughs material, his rant on gin martinis.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 23, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Checking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System it looks like all US male citizens from 18 - 26 are required to register for selective service, as well as resident non-citizens including: immigrants (illegal or otherwise), refugees and asylum seekers. Non-citizens exempt from registration are international students on visas, visitors (lived in the US less than a year) and diplomats. Though if an international student visa lapses they are required to register.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of December 2, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Happy St. Nicholas (the bishop of Myra) Day all!


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 29, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I did see Megalopolis! Its a self-produced, self financed movie by Francis Ford Coppola! There are some superficial culture war elements that are mapped onto this neo-Roman America (death of democracy through appeal to a mob, vestal virginity, question of striving for future utopia vs present concerns?) but they were removed enough from the main storyline and really not presented 'believably' enough (there is no hammered home moralizing of the 'correct' position, and really no demonizing of the 'incorrect' position) that I don't consider the film 'waging' the culture war.


The final dedication at the end of the film, and I think cinema-insiders fears of the future of movie production are why this movie was made now.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 7, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
My outsiders perspective is that he did it to keep an opposition spirit 'alive', even though he knew his personal efforts wouldn't likely be fruitful. I don't know if he expected death, but maybe was influenced by the experiences of late soviet dissidents and Warsaw pact detractors who were often imprisoned and harassed by authorities but lived to form the foundations of some post-communists governments.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 31, 2023
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
He dabbled in homosexuality? Is that in the link?


Edit: Checking I found these two references-


"Yet when it came out six years ago, Rising Star was mostly ignored; as a result, its most scandalous and perhaps revelatory passages, such as Obama’s long letter to another girlfriend about his fantasies of having sex with men, read today, to people who are more familiar with the Obama myth than the historical record, like partisan bigotry."


"With Alex [McNear, Obama’s girlfriend at Occidental College], I think she wanted to have her role known. So when Alex showed me the letters from Barack, she redacted one paragraph in one of them and just said, “It’s about homosexuality.”"


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 28, 2024
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I've often thought about the dissolution of the monasteries and what a modern equivalent would be. The closest I've come up is a state seizure of college endowments or some sort of modern land reform (apartments converted to condos and renters given ownership and as well as the elimination of second home ownership).


I also think the lenses of the historical event should be weighed against how Henry VIII squandered the country and his personal financial position he inherited from his father and grandmother (both extraordinarily wealthy) on foreign wars court expenses.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			

	


			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Israel-Gaza Megathread #2
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Can you explain more on the geopolitical reordering and third World Wars fears? I agree the current events strain belief in a continuing Pax Americana. But I really don't know what happens next.


I see the Ukrainian conflict as similar to the Spanish civil war, with other powers arming and watching to see how the technology and weapons work in actual warfare, and taking notes for the future. It feels a like such a bigger event than anything else scale-wise; and now Hamas attacking Israel has the potential to further draw international divisions.