Eetan
5hr ago
If Iranian authorities want to kill someone, they do not need to fabricate evidence (including CCTV footage) against him. They can just do it.
If Saleh Mohammadi is really heroic freedom fighter who sacrificed his life for democracy, are you sure you want to insult him by calling him innocent victim who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?
Eetan
5hr ago
To understand the RCC scandals and their handling fully, you need to understand that the "environment of the late twentieth century RCC" was environment of severe priest shortage.
In developed world, class of dirt poor pious peasantry, where becoming badly paid celibate priest was major win for the whole family, died out. All people how had much better options, and the church was unable/unwilling to make priest career more attractive.
The alternative to bad priest was often no priest at all, and since in Catholicism priests are indispensable for sacraments, tough choices had to be made.
Neighbor A: Good day, neighbor!
Neighbor B: You too, neighbor!
A: I see this old bike you have on your yard, could I have it? It is lying there for a long time, you are not riding it, but I can use it.
B: You can borrow it and ride it at any time, if you want, we are neighbors, after all.
A: I would pay you for the bike good money, I really want it for myself.
B: It's my grandpa's bike, it is our family heirloom. Sorry, but it is not for sale, but as I said, you can borrow it.
A: See this, nerd? This is a gun. I could shoot you at any time and take this shitty bike, if I wanted so, but I offered you money because I am good and generous neighbor.
Think about this offer, nerd, until it lasts.
B: ... thinking for myself ...
This neighbor gives me some bad vibes. Maybe I should ask my other neighbor, who has gun too, to help me.
And, maybe, i should get together with another neighbor and get guns for ourselves too.
Let's see how it plays out.
Obligatory Soviet and post-Soviet joke:
OPTIMIST: This cannot get any worse!
PESIMIST: Yes it can!
Eetan
9hr ago
What is long term plan for Gaza, Syria and Lebanon? The bombing goes on and can go on ... not forever, nothing lasts forever... but for a long time until there is anything to bomb.
Eetan
9hr ago
Context: Saleh Mohammadi was executed for demanding democracy by way of killing police officers.
It is understandable that US media downplay this aspect, they do not want to remind #AbolishThePolice folx that they are just LARPers. This would make them very sad.
Eetan
9hr ago
OK, my apology. If such content is unwelcome there, I will not post such links here any more.
Eetan
1d ago
Many things are habbening at once, here are for some more random culture war (and culture war by other means) news for the second part of the week.
Middle Eastern habbenings are already sufficiently covered elsewhere, things are going interesting even outside this part of the world.
1/Cancel culture files
Canceling machine is still running in overdrive mode, and it is coming for Cesar Chavez.
It turned out that "Moses of his people" routinely raped underage girls including another famous activist Dolores Huerta.
This is bad. Imagine if it came out that MLK raped Rosa Parks. That bad.
Many streets, schools, libraries, parks etc. are to be renamed soon.
2/Dukes, princes and kings of hazard files
Gambling is getting normalized and spreads all over the world.
Not only betting on sports for plebes, but betting on world habbenings for sophisticated situation monitorers.
This sort of gambling, in addition to ruining people's finances and lives, adds another element of chaos to already spicy world's situations. With few clicks, anyone in even middling military/govt positions can personally greatly profit from insider info.
And if you are in high, decision making position ... another source of income opens, faster and more lucrative than old timey corruption and theft.
No suprise that tensions are running high.
A war correspondent just received death threats from online gamblers who wanted him to change his reporting on an Iranian missile strike so they could collect a payout. One bettor had $900,000 riding on the outcome.
3/US gun politics files
Illinois wants track all ammo and mandate microstamping of serial numbers to all ammunition.
Even if they could make it work, there is so much ammo already manufactured, you could say. This is no way to protect Black lives from gun violence!
This is the point. You cannot get the evil white gun hoarders for their guns (yet), but you can send them to prison for unserialized ammo.
4/Democracy files
In suprising news, Kim Jong-un wins North Korea’s parliamentary elections with 99.93% of the vote.
This was not something anyone could predict.
In 2023, Kim oversaw his party's WORST election results in 60 years, winning just 99.63% of votes.
But "to give up" is not in Kim Jong-un's dictionary.
He persisted.
He fought and regained trust of the people. May this tale of true grit and determination inspire all of us.
5/Woke culture files
You’re not hallucinating the great weirding of America
You’re in a small town in Wisconsin.
The transgender assistant manager at CVS has a septum piercing, a wolf cut, and a nametag that reads “Finn.”
TL;DR: Wokeness is not dead yet. It might be wobbling at the top, but it is marching triumphantly across America.
Dinergoth is the aesthetic of ruined suburbia and dying small towns.
They are the mainstream now, they are not weird anymore. You are the weirdo.
6/Space invader files
Third recorded interstellar object at 16th March crossed the orbit of Jupiter and is now on the way out of Solar system.
So far, three interstellar objects were detected.
Number Two looked and behaved like ordinary snowy mudball, numbers One and Three were, in comparison to Solar system objects, very strange.
Either we live on rather busy interstellar highway, or interstellar objects are not at all like Solar system ones.
Alien starship monitoring community breathed in relief (and disappointment).
Close encounter with Jupiter was the opportunity for space battleship to rev up her engines and use Jupiter's gravity for course correction straight to Earth.
Previously, we had doubt about object origin. Now, we are certain that crew of 3I/Atlas is made of highly intelligent beings who saw nothing worth conquering on this monkey planet.
7/Cryptid files
The famous Patterson–Gimlin film was, for 59 years, known as the best evidence for existence of Bigfoot/Sasquatch.
Now, new documentary shows it all as "incredible hoax". Not only straight confession of Patterson's son Clint, but another 16mm film reel showing Bigfoot costume.
But, at the end, it doesn't matter.
Real or not, Bigfoot lives in our hearts. For forever.
Eetan
1d ago
are you saying the rule is "if any member of X group hurts you, you have a reason to hate X group"? Does that apply to all groups, or just men?
Blind hatred leads to nowhere. Before you start hating, do your research whether your enemy is representative of X, or just one bad apple.
Eetan
2d ago
People who argued: "The end is near! No time for sentimentality, we must pile up pyramids of skulls to save the world!" were in recorded history always proven wrong.
But this time it is different!
Eetan
2d ago
For all history (until rise of Prussia from swamp backwater to great power in 18th century) Germans were stereotyped as lazy bums interested only in eating and drinking. The French had well deserved reputation of heroism, honor and war mongering.
(the infamous surrender monkey memes came from GWOT times)
I remember 18th century graphic depicting stereotypical ways to die for each European nation - Englishman dies at sea, Frenchman dies by sword, Italian dies of love, German dies of drink (can't find it anymore).
Eetan
2d ago
Correction and apology, belief in reincarnation seems to be a thing in some streams of Orthodox Judaism. Doubt that many Reform Jews would adhere to this idea.
Anyway, I also doubt that there is any Buddhist school that believes in collective karma.
"The bad things happening to you? You deserve it. Not due to your bad deeds in you current or previous lives, but because king of your country did bad thing 100 years ago."
Eetan
2d ago
Congress has the power to declare war (a point I agree on), but do the people? Should we hold a referendum before we attack our enemies?
This is exactly what "democracy" meant, when it was meant seriously.
Current breaking news arrive that Athens and Sparta are at war again. The men of the city gather at the agora, debate the recent habbening, and vote whether the city joins with Athens against Sparta or the other way around.
Democracy requires informed citizenry with skin in the game, which was the case in these times. Everyone knew basic geography and political situation, everyone roughly knew where is Athens, where is Sparta and where is their city, and how strong they are. Everyone knew from direct experience how war looks like, and what will happen to you and your loved ones if you pick the wrong side.
Now, pollsters asking populace "Should we bomb Iraq, Iran, both or neither?" is akin asking five years old "When you grow up, do you want to be astronaut, accountant or garbage truck driver?"
Gracchus.
Gracchi brothers, whatever their faults were, were not known for their ostentatious wealth (by ancient standards) and neither for war mongering and promise breaking(again by ancient standards).
Strange you picked them as comparison, and not the other famous ancient character, whose story Donaldus Maximus seems to be intent to repeat step by step.
Maybe because the tale ends in real downer?
edit: links linked
Eetan
2d ago
make-women-property-again
And now we are going extinct.
As I pointed out in my top post, inspired by recent demise of Paul Ehrlich
The overpopulation panic was used to justify respectable tally of atrocities all over the world. It turned to be, even if you disregard any humanist soy crap about "value" of human life and well being, at best unnecessary, at worst counterproductive.
Now, the depopulation doomers salivate at the chance of running killing fields of their own. Nothing changes, no one ever learns anything.
Eetan
2d ago
Yea. One can go full John Hagee style Christian Zionist and find in the Bible proof texts showing that Jews are forever chosen people and God will bless forever everyone who blesses Israel.
bad karma
To use religious arguments based on Buddhism or Hinduism to support Israel is rather ... unorthodox.
Eetan
3d ago
This is the ultimate black pill.
Not that few thousands people (at most) are playing Russian roulette with gun pressed to the collective head of all mankind, but that the mankind as a whole DNGAF.
This is not like fossil fuel industry, that is absolute necessity or like AI that promises unlimited knowledge, wealth, power and control.
With gain of function, only thing it gains are some papers and articles published in prestigious journals no one will ever read.
And no one, including the most rich and powerful, sees problem with it, even when they could perish together with billions of plebes when the next oops happens.
It would not take much to end it. Imagine, for example, if someone close to Putin and trusted by him (yea, there is probably few such people, if any) explained to Vladimir Vladimirovich what is gain of function research and what it does.
It would be hard, VVP is Soviet boomer raised to worship science and experts, but he is legit most powerful individual in the world (or maybe second most powerful, no one knows what checks and balances actually exist in Chinese politburo. There are effectively none in Russia).
And VVP really does not want to die, not in nuclear war and even less while coughing his lungs off. It would not take more than few dozen scientists worldwide meeting unlucky accidents for the rest to give up and find some other work.
Eetan
3d ago
JVN was very cheerful, outgoing and sociable person enjoying parties and company, as far as possible from stereotypical shut in nerd.
If there were 1000 of them, they would organize and work together to bring order to this planet of apes, whether the apes like it or not.
When you're destitute and without perspectives, having and raising children is the only activity that will accord you social status and respect
Does not work this way in post-Soviet sphere. When the place was reduced from dirt poverty to total destitution, birth rates crashed instead of exploding.
I find it somewhat odd that it's Yugoslavia that you mentioned
Not odd, when the whole unfortunate episode began in Sarajevo, not Prague, Cracow or Riga.
Eetan
3d ago
It's again time for some more random culture war (and culture war by kinetic means) news, news important and less important, but this time not concerning Middle Eastern habbenings, that are already sufficiently covered here.
1/Population files
Paul Ehrlich of Population Bomb scare is dead.
Some do mourn him, most don't.
His alarmist vision was inspired by unfortunate trip to India and his catastrophic predictions were ultimately disproven in hardest way possible.
Current day depopulation doomers should take note, and think twice before they engage in their own atrocities to prevent the coming apocalypse.
2/20th century history files
New quantitative historical study dropped.
How bad were really effects of WWI on human capital?
Rather bad.
Quantitatively, a 10% increase in WWI deaths reduces the probability that a parish produces any patent by about 0.09–0.12 percentage points. The effects appear during the war and persist for decades.
The effects are even stronger for high-impact inventions. Exposure to WWI mortality reduces the probability of producing breakthrough patents roughly three times more than the probability of producing any patent.
You might be tempted to say that WWI was mistake but, on the bright side, it brought us Yugoslavia.
Would you want to live in a world without Yugoslavia?
3/20th century memory files
Rosa Luxemburg is still dead.
And so is everything she was fighting for, and so is everything her killers were fighting for. Social Democracy and German patriotism are not in better shape than old timey Marxist proletarian internationalism.
In an final insult, plaque commemorating her was removed from her birthplace in Polish Zamosc.
Minor culture war skirmish in Poland, the outside world DNGAF.
Only village in Dagestan and few other places remain.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
4/Groyper files
Andrew Anglin announced total Hebrew victory and unconditionally surrendered to ZOG by closing Daily Stormer.
End of an era. 13 years long battle is over.
5/OPSEC files
In old news from bygone year 2024, US Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto while on top secret mission in Ukraine succumbed to drink and left bundle of classified documents on the train.
(all travel to Ukraine and back is now by train, even by most important VIP's, 19th century rtvrned for real).
Major and inexcusable professional failure. If you cannot hold your vodka, do not step into Eastern Europe. Middle East is place where you belong.
And in current breaking news, BND (German Foreign Intelligence Service) deputy chief Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven clicked on phishing message on his phone and typed in his PIN.
Well, boomer gonna boomer.
6/Eastern Europe files
It went mostly unnoticed when eyes of the world are now again on the Middle East, but Ukraine forces are now again advancing and (very slowly) rolling back Russians in the devastated "grey zone".
Starlink shutdown helped, and current Russian ban on Telegram and Discord enforced now even on frontline helps more.
(not that they have any choice - imagine Russian troops being groomed online into transgenderism)
Russian regime prefers tightening the internet access and sees cybernetic battle field as much more important than the physical one. Cyberpunk and cypherpunk prophets of old vindicated again.
Another reminder that history is on the side of Elite Human Capital, that EHC is on LGBTQ+ side, that Ukraine is Queer.
7/Ayys files
Retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland is missing since 27th February. It is noticeable enough for mainstream media to notice, even US does not have so many general officers to afford to misplace them willy-nilly.
In UFO/UAP circles it is Rather Big Deal.
Even McCasland's wife had to step up and deboonk the conspiracy rumors
"Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt" she wrote on Facebook.
This will work, this always works.
Eetan
4d ago
I'll second /r/CredibleDefense, but also note that you get a very pro-US establishment bias from there. You're not going to find anyone who sympathizes with the Russians/Chinese/Venezuelans/Iranians.
Sympathize in what way? In national/ideological way "their cause is just" or in professional wargamer nerd way "their defense is credible"?
If the latter, Russian defense is not very credible excepting nuclear deterrence and the less to say about Venezuela/Iran/Cuba, the better. China might have a credible case.
Eetan
4d ago
I wish we had 1000 more Von Neumanns.
You complain that Talmud does not fully value gentile lives, and prefer guy whose attitude to humanity in general was akin to professional bug exterminator feeling towards roaches?
Sure your priorities are in right order.
Eetan
4d ago
Thus the goal qua desired-endgame-worldstate is "a world in which some people are forced to worship against their will"
Effective altruist steelman for conversion by sword is:
Yes, some unbelievers will submit only outwardly, only mouth the correct voices while persisting in unbelief for the rest of their lives, and then depart straight to hell fire. This is unfortunate, but their descendants will be raised in true religion and become true believers. Suffering of the last generation of infidels will be way, way outweighed by bliss of all future generations that will come after them.
Eetan
6d ago
So US is coming for real.
Can they win despite all? According to our former mottizen @KulakRevolt, yes.
See CatGirl Plan for Epic Furry Victory.
If I can nitpick, CG overestimates the need for draft - Russian experience shows that big country can recruit rather large forces voluntarily just for cash.
Why drafting people when you can rev up printing press once more and promise millions in cash for signing up. Lots of disadvantaged Americans would take the offer as eagerly as Russians from rural areas.
Realistically, if there is any plan, it will will involve Azerbaijan moving from the north. The Azeri army was built up in the last 30 years by NATO and Israel exactly for this purpose, it was never about holy rocks of Artsakh/Karabakh.
(Hopefully this post, containing only links concerning one current event, is according to The Rules(TM) )
Iranian ballistic missile fragment hitting the old city of Jerusalem, falling roughly 400 yards from the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa.
Not the first time it happened.
Oordinary oops? Final Iranian desperate move to incite Spirit of Jihad(TM)? Israeli false flag, in preparation to finally remove these obstreperous buildings to make space for Third Temple?
Reminder that really spicy times hadn't began yet.
Or, another possibility is when Al-Aqsa gets destroyed for real, nothing really happens. The Ummah, tired of lifetime of fruitless rage, just shrugs their collective shoulders. "We have enough mosques at home".
Mother of all anti-climatic endings ensues.
Just stay calm and keep monitoring the situation.
edit: links linked
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