mildly_obsolete
No bio...
User ID: 1305
mildly_obsolete
8mo ago
He says it's actually the Russians funding the German Green party, not even hedging or speculating.
Greens were pushing for no fossil fuels, of which Russia is the default European supplier. Greens were pushing for continued war in Ukraine. These are policies that benefit the US.
Surely he knows this. I can't think of it as anything other than a blatantly dishonest narrative in the usual vein of 'Europeans are incompetent, not pulling their own weight, Russians doing with them as they please, they need a savior, that's us (again!)'. Genuinely infuriating. Sobering, too.
mildly_obsolete
4mo ago
After Ukraine, 'full NATO member' is not enough by itself - which member makes all the difference. US would do nothing, Western Europe would do nothing, Poland wouldn't move without US moving first, and if we did, it would be a criminal mistake.
mildly_obsolete
7mo ago
There can be multiple losers
And there is a clear winner, too, the US.
Even Ukraine being ruined is a good thing if you take the longer view - sure, there will be tensions and resentment for some years, decades maybe, but these are people with a common language and culture. You can't rule out another reorientation in 10 years, so squint a little, and civilizationally degraded and depopulated Ukraine is weaker future Russia.
Can you explain how the green policy helped the US?
Fair question. Germany adding a ton of solar/wind (before it is economically reasonable) shifts their willingness to conflict themselves with Russia and accept some pipes being blown as a nothingburger after all. To the extent the reduced dependence is real, good for Germans. To the extent it is only an impression that will resolve into a crisis, 'unexpected' costs, too bad.
I also think reduced German/European competitiveness is something the US is pursuing. Drains the talent, conflicts European nations with each other, generally makes us easier to manage.
Yes, they added baseload natgas over nuclear, as others pointed out. Not as much as I thought, something between 50-100% increase since 2000, looking at some charts? And fossil fuels suppliers are fungible (at significant cost), some more natgas does not anchor them to Russia permanently, as we've seen. But fair enough, I should have done more hedging myself, was thinking of last few years too much.
mildly_obsolete
24d ago
Are you being serious here?
mildly_obsolete
4mo ago
No, there was a deal in place, and I'd say it was skewed in favor of the US, Europeans doing their part just fine. Now US wants to have and eat the cake both, because competition with Chyna is a daunting proposition without bold/desperate moves.
I know pretty much nothing about it. Chinese claims seem like a bit of a stretch. I hope the sea hosts a US naval humiliation.
mildly_obsolete
8mo ago
From actual Israeli supporters to transparent pro-Israel astroturfing, the insistence on the 'terrorist' angle is striking. Does this really resonate with American normies?
I would think 'terrorism' a discredited label, counterproductive in most cases, especially in the context of distant desert squabbles. Is it not the 'common sense', dominant narrative in the US that the 2000's were a mistake born out of lies and a hysteria? Of course the actual costs to the Americans were miniscule, practically irrelevant, so I don't expect emotional investment, just disinterest and cautious 'this will not work on me twice' attitude.
mildly_obsolete
1yr ago
Does that short clip of a female corpse in underwear in a truck with Palestinian soldiers sitting over it make such a huge difference to you? Or are you referring to some other video?
mildly_obsolete
24d ago
I didn't say it was neighborly.
If 'nation-building' is supposed to mean anything other than conquest, then it is deranged and incompetent.
mildly_obsolete
3mo ago
Main voice, but dominance or even control were it feasible. You don't mention, is this is driven by pure self-interest?
For what it's worth, it did read like a joke to me, hinging on the incongruity between a dismissive term and actual labour costs.
Interesting topic, this 'tradition' of jokes - a relic; today, domestically, they track as innocent, too much self-confidence for them to be cutting. And even a while back, my grandfather had many tiny tomes full of these jokes. I do not remember them ever being construed as a serious matter. A lot more serious for emigrants, I imagine.
Come to think of it, the 'Polack' itself as a derogatory term barely registers, I'd likely be unaware of it if not for the '/pol/ack' twist (quite different in meaning, positive really).
mildly_obsolete
4mo ago
I would support kicking Eastern Europe out of NATO
So would I, better no guarantees than false guarantees. False guarantees lead to complacency and Ukraine scenario for us.
mildly_obsolete
5mo ago
Ok, removed.
Certainly a good thing for Israel. They would prefer an ethnic cleansing fully realized, but a sea of ruins, 100k-200k dead and maimed, Hamas and allies crippled, with US support unwavering, is still satisfying, I imagine. I wonder if they will make serious efforts to keep the conditions in the area abysmal, and try to push the locals to emigrate, or take a different approach.
mildly_obsolete
5mo ago
Return from the Stars was my favourite, though it has been a decade.
mildly_obsolete
6mo ago
I did try it a while back, based on a weak recommendation from here, as well. Was mostly curious if they managed to make at least one good show under the IP.
I hated it. Paper thin on all fronts.
mildly_obsolete
8mo ago
I quite enjoyed this album, thank you for the recommendation.
mildly_obsolete
10mo ago
Civ 5 + Vox Populi is the king of the genre imo.
mildly_obsolete
1yr ago
We don't really know what China would do if they had complete dominion over ethnic Europeans. It hasn't really happened before.
1945 was not total US dominion over ethnic Europeans, and even from there it's a long way to 'essentially unlimited capacity to act'. What would US do with that? Maybe I'm naive, I don't know much about China, I am aware of the outlines of the Mao period, but don't think we have reasons to think the Chinese singleton variant is obviously the worse one.
the whole thing with game being 3d yet having weird-ass 2d combat is not good either
Did you try it? Foxhole infantry combat is great, and if you're lucky to join an interesting battle, it is downright fantastic. Vehicle gameplay is cool too, though tank line meta is meh and there is a lot of waiting around involved. I thoroughly recommend it for everything except facility building.
mildly_obsolete
1yr ago
If you haven't experienced the loss
Only men cut well out of childhood do. But I would not cede the exclusive right to judge the matter to them anyhow. I only meant I consider being and not being all natural as far back as you can remember equal standing here.
but the object-level facts can't support the weight "mutilation" is trying to load here.
I don't agree. Yes, it's a strong word, it is sufficiently central here. I would say such parents are perpetuating mutilation, just not the worst imaginable exact kind.
mildly_obsolete
1yr ago
That's fair, I'm hoping that after some tweaks it can be made to map there.
mildly_obsolete
1yr ago
amplifying Israeli rhetoric about savage barbarians etc would be far more likely to turn European populations against mass immigration
I think that only enables the media to shift the blame for the 'savage barbarians' rhetoric from Israelis to the right, a very convenient framing. Showing yourself capable of seeing past ethnicity/religion, and comfortably lampooning double standards seem beneficial enough to warrant the sympathy signal boost, especially if the angle is 'natives mistreated'.
Please inform your Polish friends that at least one Pole considers their stupidly bloodthirsty attitude to be a betrayal of their duties. A leash would indeed be fitting if they daydream about being an attack dog for western interests.
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