Mantergeistmann
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User ID: 323
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
Tolkien was a World War 1 veteran which helped to shape his writing
Tolkien also was very well-read, both in history and fiction.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
To say nothing of the Super Mario Bros. movie
Not to be confused with the old movie, with the dinosaur evolution timeline dimension, which I actually quite enjoyed. Not because it was good cinema, Christ no. But I had a blast!
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
A Bug’s Life
I mean, it's Seven Samurai, but bugs. Well animated for the time, decent humour and voices, and also (and possibly more importantly at the time!) better than the coincidentally competing AntZ. The writing wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was solid, and I'll happily rewatch it.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
They do this because they're superstitious idiots. They're also poo-poo heads.
Here I am, fervent anti-anti-semite like yourself, yet still tempted to report you for a personal attack because per the rules of this place which I strongly believe in, how you say a thing matters far more than if I agree with what you say. I say as a meta-comment on your meta-personal-attack, rather than reporting you (as I am generally against report call-outs: after all, stating that I've reported someone does nothing but attempt to build consensus, and worse, is passive-aggressive about it).
Clearly you should go back and rephrase your insults to be a bit more vague and non-directed - the silence between the notes, as it were, instead of the subtext being the text. Then I can upvote and recommend it for AAQC, and feel morally superior about how well you've verbally pwned those people I disagree with and scored a Point For Our Side.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
I am once again going to plug the late, great Shamus Young's post on Story Collapse.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
Occam's Razor says that the same USN that's had multiple destroyer and carrier collisions in the past, including with merchant ships, including lethal ones, might also have another one, rather than a massive conspiracy that requires the entire crew of both ships (and any potential nearby observers) to be in on it.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
The USS Truman suffered extensive damage due to a freak collision with a civilian merchant ship just days after its Red Sea deployment. It also lost a fighter a few days after that because... because it just fell off the ship ok??
For the first one, I haven't heard anything about the damage being extensive. And what I saw of it was much more in line with a collision than a missile hit. Also the part where the emergency repairs took only a few weeks, which is goddamn lightning where the USN is concerned these days.
As far as the fighter falling off, they straight up admitted it was during evasive maneuvers, which given the speed at which those hunks of metal can move and turn, is incredibly plausible (also the pilot recovery with zero issues). I also still credit the Houthis with "shooting down" that fighter, given that it was their action which led to its loss.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
Most of the complaints I see have nothing to do with dogs or vets, but are instead about the impact to birds.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
Yes, my understanding is that detergent a) never goes bad, and b) everyone needs. It's a very safe sale to make.
Mantergeistmann
1mo ago
Wasn't there that one Texas judge all the conservatives kept shopping to?
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
Because it's easier for a right-handed man to button his own shirt, and easier for a woman's right-handed maid to button hers, is the story I heard.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
Also, as I understand it, the government of Ukraine doesn't make it a deliberate tactic to hope their own population gets killed so they can get PR wins which bring international pressure on their behalf.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
I mean, you could say that avout any ceasefire. Most of them don't take effect immediately, and a lot of people keep their guns firing until the alotted time for various reasons (some professional, some personal).
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
I don't think any president wants to have to make the call of "Hey, this country just nuked a non-Nato country and wiped them off the map. Do we... respond?"
You don't want to set the precedent that there's no response or a limited one, and you also don't want to be the one who gets dragged into a nuclear/heavy-handed military response that has to try to force regime change.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
I'm not sure why Iran getting a nuclear weapon is such a disaster.
I suppose it depends on how seriously one takes their maximalist rhetoric against Israel.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
AOC has concluded that a president ordering an airstrike without congressional approval is grounds for impeachment
I'm assuming there's no good analysis as to why this airstrike is grounds for impeachment whereas all the other airstrikes and drone attacks over the decades weren't?
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
the US didn't even use B-2 bombers against the Houthis in the failed campaign against them
I'm not sure what your point is there - why would the US have busted out B-2s against the Houthis?
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
It's similar to cluster munitions: a number of American allies are very willing to sign global treaties banning their use, knowing that in a shooting war, the USA will happily bust out its own stock.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
My understanding is that from a realpolitik standpoint, the issue is that it becomes a fertile ground for terrorists and extremist groups. In the case of Iran, given hiw much support they already provide to Hezbollah/Hamas/Houthis... how much more could a disintegrated nation export?
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
Yes. I think if Iran were preaching peace with their neighbors instead of having a countdown clock to Israel's annihilation, the world would treat Iran's nuclear program very differently.
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
The temple's gates were open in times of war, and closed in times of peace. The formal declaration of war and peace was a superstitious, religious matter for the Romans.
Weren't the gates open for something like a 400 year stretch at one point? AKA longer than the USA has been in existence?
Mantergeistmann
2mo ago
The United States is based on the idea that rights are bestowed by our Creator
I believe that only applies to certain inalienable rights.
Make 'em collapsible hats, and follow the rules of Naval Warfare: it's fine to be deceptive up until the final moment of the operation/arrest, at which point you must put your hat on immediately beforehand. Failure to do so will, again, automatically lead to harsh penalties so there's no "oh, well, in the heat of the moment I forgot".
Edit: Especially in a situation where they're putting on masks: if you have time to put on a mask, you have time to put on your Official Hat of Authority.
They sent one CSG and per US doctrine, spent a lot of time trying to shoot arrows (and sometimes even the bows!) while not so much the archers themselves. I'm not saying they didn't do things in a dumb way, or that they needed more will to win, but losing a few Reaper drones isn't really "having issues establishing air superiority", without even being pedantic over "superiority/supremacy".
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