Hezbollah and Hamas

Among the most preposterous claims by "moderate" Arabs like Taleb are that Israel created Hamas and Hezbollah. Granted, I know nothing of the region, but this strikes me as absurd as saying that Abraham Lincoln created the Ku Klux Klan. These fools seem to think Arabs have no agency in these matters.

Theory

There's a theory that the new leader of Iran is already dead, and the announcement amounts to an intelligence operation to mislead Israeli assassination attempts. How funny would it be if this were true, then Trump abruptly ends the war, and Iran is stuck with a fake Ayatollah? Even 90s screenwriters couldn't come up with such a scenario.

If We and Israel Are the Destabilizing Bad Guys In The World...

...How come the only countries we attack tend to be the biggest, gaping, assholes? Doesn't it seem like once in a while (if we were the bad guys, remember), we'd attack some more normal country like Canada or Belgium or Mexico? 

Speculation

Seems no one has seen Mojtaba, so he might not be the successor after all. My guess: he's figuring out how to secure his family wealth and exit plan. 

Bad

I've heard this guy is worse than the father, so no, not a good sign.

And great line:

"I think this might be one of the few instances in modern history where a greater percentage of the society being bombed was supportive of military action than the society that was doing the bombing." -

So Now...

We can make fun of disabled people at awards shows. 

Where are the "punching down" people at?

Heard on a Podcast

Baby boomers hold more wealth in their retirement accounts than all the sovereign wealth funds in the world combined. Crazy. It partially explains why things cost so much, though in certain parts of the US. 

The Iran Thing

Look, I know nothing about any of this and am trying to figure out, like everyone, but a few things...

What are we (and Trump) doing?

Much of the discussion is about what we're doing wrong, but to discuss that, I feel we must first understand what we are doing at all. My impression is that a new theory and practice of war is developing. One modeled around the perceived success of Israel's operations against Hezbollah and Hamas last year. Israel, one-by-one, took down the small enemy forces surrounding itself, thereby significantly weakening their "grand enemy," Iran. (NOTE: Whether this is an intelligent strategy is a separate question altogether. It seems to me Trump concluded direct personal talks with Putin couldn't get a ceasefire, and he realized in fact, the US is facing a powerful coordinated enemy coined by Velina Tckahkarova as the "Dragon Bear." We are, in fact, already in Cold War 2.0. So how to win Cold War 2.0? We need to strike around the edges to punish anyone who decides to ally with the Dragon-Bear to reestablish deterrence. The other option is to wait for the Dragon-Bear to strike, in which case, we get surprises like Putin's invasion of Ukraine or Hamas's invasion of Israel. Anyhow, that is the best I can surmise about what is going on behind the scenes. 

Tactical efforts

Seems the war plan is to take out layer upon layer of the leadership structure to avoid putting boots on the ground. It seems like Trump keeps offering offramps to the Iranians but the Iranians no longer trust ceasefire options because they feel it will just weaken them more. Part of me is tempted to say it would've been smarter to do all this before Iran killed 30K protestors but it seems that was logistically impossible. I wonder if the mullahs did the massacres in a way to cement loyalty within the 15% or so parts of society who support them. They implicated masses of people in the crimes so that those 15% would fight to the death for fear of reprisals. 

Trump

Definitely not what Americans signed up for with Trump...voted for him on the promise of less Middle Eastern wars, but it should tell us something about the nature of that region that no matter who the President, their hands always seem to get pushed to take action.

The Israel Thing

Everyone who thinks we are "doing Israel's bidding" need explain to me why none of the other countries in the region try to similarly influence American foreign policy. Is it because they are too noble? Somehow I doubt it. 

Me

I hope it works. I'm worried it won't. What more to say?

Iranian Women

I'm sure none of the people who celebrated Kaepernick will similarly celebrate the Iranian women who refused to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic.

What Powerful Logic

This guy argues we are attacking Iran now because Israel feels it can no longer anticipate American support in a decade. 

Like all anti-Israel/anti-US logic, it ends up being circular and two things at once. We are attacking Iran not because we support Israel, but because we will eventually not support Israel. Makes a ton of sense.  

Money

There is money to be made by creating spaces either coded "no AI" or banned AI. Like one movie studio at least should simply say: we don't use AI at all. Or one news organization. Or internet site. Or schools.

Logging

Film: Love and Death

Enjoyed quite a lot...although in hindsight Woody Allen's creepiness seems maddeningly obvious. Not by the plot mechanics, by the way, but simply his face in this film. 

Film: The Pink Panther (2006)

The kids liked it and are now asking a lot of questions about Steve Martin and Clouseau...so the film deserves some credit.

Film: Clovers 

Weird to write about a friend's film...but screened at Slamdance. Terrific movie and hope it finds a wider audience. 

Make It Stick

Trump offering immunity to IRGC to lay down weapons. Never put your opponent on "death ground" meaning they cannot surrender. Then you force them to fight until the death. This is the mistake the Russians and Germans make, historically speaking.

Okay, Then...

10 books to read before one dies. 

Funny, I'm not sure how I would approach a list of movies...but here goes...

1) Casablanca (alt: His Girl Friday)

2) Psycho (alt: Rear Window or Vertigo)

3) Wizard of Oz (alt: Gone with the Wind)

4) The General (alt: Modern Times, Sunrise)

5) 400 Blows (alt: Bicycle Thieves)

6) Seven Samurai (no alt)

7) Pulp Fiction (no alt)

8) The Godfather (alt: Goodfellas or Chinatown)

9) Star Wars (alt: 2001, Terminator 2)

10) Lawrence of Arabia (alt: The Searchers, Shane)

An Important Thing To Remember

It can always get worse. 

No One Is Coming To The Rescue

The adults are gone. WGA staff strike against the WGA union and the union prez sends an email that sounds like she borrowed from the AMPTP template.

Meanwhile, the BAFTA awards ceremony situation...hard not to find the whole thing funny.

And I just attended a Slamdance screening. Great film but afterwards they had someone doing sign language to the audience. Is this a thing now for all film festivals? Do they check if anyone in the audience even needs sign language? What is the average audience size of these screenings? I'm so confused.

A Lying Communist Cocksucker

Mamdani knows damn well that wasn't a "snowball fight." He lies through his teeth because that is how communists take and exercise power.

Plastic Grocery Bag Ban

When they did it, I wonder if anyone considered the possibility of heavy rain and what it does to paper bags.

Logging

Film: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai 

Got halfway through last night. Never enjoyed the film as much as I felt I was supposed to. Here's why - when I was younger, I expected a samurai action film, which it is not. It's an indy dramedy and understood in that context, considerably better...

TV: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms S1

Excluding the flashback episode, the runtime for the show I would guess is about 2 hours and 10 minutes which suggests to me a different format than television...

Anyone Else Find It Kinda Weird

How the Iranian protestors were just massacred and memory-holed. Why did the opposite thing happen with Gaza? Someone help me understand.

This Was Always My Concern With Trump

He's worked himself into a corner with Iran. 

I don't know what he expected. That a show of force would make religious fanatics capitulate to demands. Is he kidding? These people want death. 

Yikes

Jia Zhangke's AI short film. 

Most everyone can write, but great writers make it sing. Seems the future will be the same for AI video or whatever you want to call these things...

Eileen Gu

When you understand her father doesn't exist in her life, the rest makes sense. 

Logging

Book: Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield

A book of the Bard's plays in short story form for kids, but written in the style of Shakespeare with quotes from the plays, etc. An excellent read to familiarize oneself with the stories so that readers may later experience the plays. Thus far, read MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night with the kids...and indeed the last one demonstrates why Shakespeare is "the best" - how he brings those story threads together is quite remarkable. 

Film: Tombstone

A little more going on with this film than you would think. There's a reason why it continues to resonate. Not as profound as my favorites from the revisionist Western period, but the story is actually a character study of Earp. Val Kilmer alone is worth the price of admission, but consider the actors that appear in the film: Sam Elliot, Kurt Russell, Billy Bob Thorton, Thomas Hayden Church, Bill Paxton...there are others. The one glaring weak spot, Dana Delany...

Film: Carrie

The fairly hot high school gym teacher slaps around students a lot in the film. They mostly deserve it, too. What's great is the "horror" of high school is just as scary as the telekinesis. 

Logging

Film: A Trip To The Moon

More interesting than what I've seen thus far re: AI...

Bluesky

Never been. What's it like? 

Logging

Film: Silverado

Probably the film that caused me to dislike Westerns until I got to film school. I feel like my parents might've dragged me to the theater to see it. Can't say my younger self was wrong. It's the actors that are the problem here - you don't buy them. Something about the 1980s vibes - Kevin Kline? A gunslinger-criminal? Sorry...but no. The other huge aspect of the film that fails - what was the bad guy plot? I seriously came away with no clue about the story at all. Were they just trying to kill Kevin Costner? I am going to need to re-read the plot on Wikipedia. Costner interesting to watch in the film. He hadn't yet figured out his movie star persona, so overacts in a boyish, goofball manner. Funny to see glimpses of what he would become but Kasden wasn't quite able to bring it out. Give credit to Ron Shelton for that. And say all you will about the wokies being idiots, but they have a point about white writers writing for black families that comes across in this film. Danny Glover's scenes and storyline are among the most simplistic and ridiculous that one can imagine. Guess what he suffers from? If you guessed racism, you would be right. They murder his father and his sister is a prostitute. And none of this is played in a fun, wink wink, manner mind you. They take the whole thing very seriously. 

One highlight is Brian Dennehy who offers up some moral complexity in the villain role. He could've held his own in a Peckinpah film.

Logging

TV: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms E5

Nothing worse than a flashback episode... 

Karen Bass

Thinks Wasserman should step down. Ha! Does anyone care that this guy was a little pervy in private? No. Does it matter to anyone? No. Meanwhile, Bass mismanaged the LA fires and lied in the aftermath. Jeez.

Skiing

Such a pain in the ass and still worth it. A single long run on great snow is worth the price of admission. My older son said it was like riding a roller coaster, but you're in control. The secondary benefit: an appreciation of nature and the mountain. Kids learn to become self-sufficient, carry their gear, be prepared for weather shifts, and monitor food and water intake.  

Logging

Film: The Graduate

This time around, I was fascinated by Mrs. Robinson. Surely this is an age thing. When I first watched the film, of course, I was closer to Ben's age. And the film strongly takes his perspective. But now, being closer in age to Mrs Robinson, I can't help but think - what is going on with her? What is her deal? Why is she so thirsty and obvious? Why does she fear Ben dating Elaine? As best I can surmise, Mrs. Robinson resents losing her youth. She was forced into marriage because she got pregnant with Elaine. Now both she and her husband are alcoholics and miserable. Her seduction of Ben is about getting her youth back, but of course, this is doomed from the start, and even she knows it. Hence her melancholy. In this respect, the film is much wiser than how filmmakers of today would and do treat the subject. Today, this film gets made by a female director (or perhaps a female writer), and they would insist Mrs. Robinson is an empowered individual. But she is not. She's a hungry predator who has a shot at redemption but instead chooses to punish Elaine for "ruining" her life. Hence, she plots for Elaine to marry poorly and sacrifice her own youth as penance for stealing it from Mrs. Robinson. This is as far as I can tell what's happening psychologically with her. 

Next observation, the music. Much of the magic of the film stems from how the music interacts with the images - the two beautiful montages sections that bridge the affair and his loneliness plus the travel up to Berkeley section. One montage actually goes for two songs! Clearly the music inspired the movie and the movie inspired the music. You can't imagine the shots or the opening or the montages without the music. Films cannot escape the era in which they are made. So the question of: why can't we make movies like that anymore is a nonsense. Because we don't listen to new Simon and Garfunkel songs on the radio is why. And even if we did, it's just an exercise in nostalgia at this point. 

Deal

Makes sense. 

The NFL is free to hire Bad Bunny 

Bad Bunny is free to say what he wants, and in Spanish 

MAGA is free to boycott and criticize Bad Bunny 

Jon Stewart is free to call it hypocrisy 

I am free to try to harvest some clicks from the entire dwindling nontroversy

China-Taiwan

China could obviously "take" Taiwan if they had to. But could they take Taiwan+Japan? 

Could they take Taiwan+Japan+Philippines+Vietnam?

Could they take Taiwan+Japan++Philippines+Vietnam+India+US?

Logging

Film: Bugonia

Does it surprise anyone that the worldview espoused in this film turns off the vast majority of the planet? So ugly and disconnected from life. And the cinefiles cheer it on. Losers!

Logging

Film: Die Hard

When Argyle crashes the limo out of the metal garage cage at the end, the thought crossed my mind - why didn't you do that earlier? Fridge logic, I know.

A couple things:

-how does this film have so many iconic characters without famous or memorable actors? The black nerd terrorist? I can't name another film he was in. The hateable reporter? Holly Gennero/McClane? Ellis? Karl? Argyle? Takagi? I suppose the FBI guy and the police lieutenant were legit character actors and around a bunch

-McTiernan does a fantastic job staging iconic shots in this film - Hanz falling is up there with great villain endings of all time. Willis jumping off the building...these are simple writing moments, even cliche, elevated way higher by the direction.

Here We Are

The lie: 10,300,000 views and 327,000 likes 

The truth posted 12 hours later: 406,000 views and 2,700 likes

Remember when Google was the biggest, baddest tech company with the moto: "don't do evil." Now the tech companies are like - well, a little evil okay so long as it gets engagement.

PS - those who study films know the guy who says "don't do evil" means the literal opposite.

Why Weigh In

I feel a dumb obligation to have some sort of opinion on Bad Bunny...I shouldn't, I know. But the thing I'll point out is that when watching it, I feel like a foreigner missing all the nuance since I don't understand a word he is saying. I understand he is funny? That's nice. But to who? That the proponents of his performance can't understand how deliberately confusing and alienating to most Americans it is super bizarre to me. I mean, go for it...who cares...but if you think this is "bringing people together," you are 100% definitely wrong. 

I suppose we can expect some K-pop next year?

Watergate Part Deux

Isn't this the type of thing that brought down Nixon? Or at least Nicholson in A Few Good Men? Karen Bass ordered the code red, people. She needs to resign.

Salem Witch Trials

In the yoga studio.

Logging

Film: The Rock

My favorite of all Michael Bay films... an absolute sluggers line up of character actors... if you just embrace the absurdity, quite a lot of fun.

Indeed

Revolutions were fought over these issues. 

If I’m on stolen land why the F am I paying property taxes?

Pretty Evil

Putin continues to string us along. 

Hmmm...

So it appears Trump did the Maduro thing and is negotiating with Iran to make their oil available to world markets, so Russia can be induced to ceasefire talks in Ukraine?

Seems a bit complicated, but not exactly the worst idea in the world...better perhaps than the meat grinder offered by Biden and the Europeans...

Gifted and Talented

Nothing the midwit nepo babiy communists hate more than the gifted and talented programs.

90s LA Movies 

Funny how in a lot of 90s LA movies, there exists a run-in with some type of neo-nazi lunatic. Did these people actually exist (and if so, where did they hang out) or is this a figment of the imagination?

I'm thinking American History X, Falling Down, Heat (Waingro), Higher Learning...

Logging

TV: Landman S1 E4-6

Taylor Sheridan's worldview is basically a hillbilly version of BLM, which is to say, all structures and institutions are essentially in place for strong men to do whatever primal shit they want to do - kill, steal, rob, etc. 

Wouldn't It Be Funny If...

America won the AI race, but someone like Mandami or AOC wins the Presidency and uses AI to redistribute all the wealth it created?

Or, if Trump promised all illegal immigrants US citizenship if they moved to Greenland and did a political referendum for the island to declare its independence from Denmark and join the US.

We Are In

The Salem Witch trials... and ICE are the witches.

Aye 

Probably not much else matters other than not letting AI become evil.  We are in deep shit if this thing proves to be as powerful as folks say - because a determined and organized group of people could probably leverage it into causing quite high levels of destruction and mayhem.

The Gaza Obsessives 

These Gaza obsessives are hilarious. They are horrified by both re-building but also not re-building the strip. They blathered on for a year about a ceasefire, get their ceasefire, and now complain about it. I get it. They think a crime occurred. Problem for them is that the only people who agree with them are lunatics. 

Chinese Cars

You see all this stuff in the media about how amazing Chinese cars are. I'm skeptical. Do we ever see media gush over KIA's or Hyundai? Or Nissans? Or Hondas.  Subarus? These cars are all fantastic. So what's the proposition? The Chinese cars are better? Cheaper? I have trouble seeing it. Maybe I'm missing something. When I see the pictures, all the cars look like knock-offs of existing cars. And are affordable cars or car performance really a problem? Not one that I see. 

China-Taiwan

If China goes to war with Taiwan, we want them to be doing so with Generals who have zero combat experience. And then, importantly, not letting it go to a round 2.

Organized Insurrection

Penetrating the organized insurrection in Minnesota. To anyone vaguely familiar with these worlds, all this is obvious. Once you understand the Omnicause, everything falls into place.

Logging

Film: The Smashing Machine

Surprisingly flaccid film, although I'm only about halfway through. 

Film: His Girl Friday

Nothing to be said that hasn't been said ad nauseam. 

Bonkers

6K to all seniors in the US. This is while we have record budget deficits, young people facing a totally uncertain future, and a booming stock and real estate market. A heist of epic proportion and we're talking about ICE. 

Chicken or the Egg

Not sure if Boomers are the ones protesting "No Kings" and ICE because they are taken care of by the government or whether they are protesting as a guise to get their government benefits. But either way, this is a very strong argument against UBI.

Logging

Film: Casablanca

One of the coolest aspects of the film - Lazlo goes to  clubs where he knows the Nazi's who are hunting him will be. Why? In the morality of the film, adults go out at night to socialize. They were indeed better people than we are. Maybe not morally, but spiritually. Now Victor Lazlo would be writing on reddit.

TV: Landman S1 E1-2

Allie Larter deserves an award for best acting job via FaceTime in a prime-time drama.

Tell Us What You Really Think!

Wow. Scott Bessent just roasts Gavin Newsom. 

He left out the two biggest economic boondoggles on Newsom's watch, though. The high-speed rail that isn't built and the EDD scam of billions of bucks by prisoners.

Free Speech

It's wonderful. The Leftist lunatics tell America what they stand for when they disrupt law enforcement and church services in Minnesota. I don't think Democrats will be winning national elections for decades. They turned it a bit around on transgenderism and are even showing signs of turning around on the Palestine question, only to ruin it with this madness. The funny thing is Trump seems to be bungling this Greenland thing but they won't be able to capitalize on it.

Logging

Film: Resurrection (China)

Unbelievable filmmaking. Utterly confusing story. I fell asleep at the beginning. Is this necessarily a bad thing? The last three vignettes grabbed me better than the first couple. What percentage of human beings on the planet could watch this and get anything out of it? I guess over/under 1-5%.

Film: Juror #2

A dismissed film. Under no expectation of greatness and viewed as a simple one-off watch, I say quite good. I'd put it up against any old crime procedural on TV, and it adds a much weightier, moral dimension to the standard fare. I venture to say the old man still has it.

Stand Up: Nikki Glaser

I didn't laugh once and found her to be the one of two words you cannot utter. 

Bad Things

Sure, Trump's lawsuit against Powell is dumb. But not as dumb as California's wealth tax. Trump motivated by ego, CA dems motivated by envy. I'd rather deal with ego.

All True

This ICE chaos is fomented by the structures of the Democrat party. Here's how the scam works.

1) Refuse to "come out" for open borders, so you can maintain some ability to be elected.

2) But, refuse to enforce immigration law in any capacity, calling any such efforts racist. While there might be very good arguments for not turning teachers, etc into immigration enforcement officials - they actually argue all efforts are racist and unlawful. Very strange! So they opt not to enforce the border, or in schools, or businesses, or really anywhere. Nor do they even attempt to come up with humane alternatives. 

3) Resist any effort by those who lawfully want to curb illegal immigration. When the Feds attempt to enforce, Democrats create sanctuary cities and refuse compliance. This is illegal, of course but they figure if they all do it, the Feds can't really do much. The Feds need cooperation with local law enforcement to deport criminals but the the sanctuary cities block these efforts. 

4) Thus, Feds turn to more draconian efforts like ICE. 

Now you might argue that the Trump admin is using ICE as shock troops to usher in an authoritarian government. I'd be a whole lot more open to that argument IF Democratic cities enforced any type of immigration law at all. But they don't. So as a US citizen, on a practical level only get the option of open borders or ICE. 

5) The Far left agitators then rally in reddit and other informal spaces to "disrupt ICE" and provoke a backlash. This provides cover for the Democratic establishment. They don't need to actually pass laws or use their political power to disrupt ICE, they let their lackys do it. They just comment on the backlash and blame Trump for the instigation. Classic FLN playbook, the same playbook the Palestinians use. It just isn't gonna work anymore because everyone is wise to it. Defenses adjust in other words.

Logging

Film: Marty Supreme

My favorite film of the year thus far. Chalamet lays down the gauntlet in a movie star turn.

The Phones

I know everyone's worried about the phones for children, but judging by the ICE and No Kings protests, I think the phones for old white people might be the problem.

Wild Times

Trump doing some massively dumb and smart things at the exact same time really throwing me for a loop.

1) Going after the Fed and Powell. Massively dumb.

2) Capping credit card rates. Massively dumb.

3) Slow playing the Venezuela situation. Seems very smart. The critique offered by liberals that he's not replacing the regime, I'm like - what? You want a civil war and an Iraq situation in our hemisphere? 

4) The Iran thing. Smart so far. Let's see if he can keep it up. Bombing the facility looks to be paying off. The threat against regime targets for not attacking protestors seems to be paying off as well.

This world...

Belatedly Correct

AOC and Mamdani now saying "we support Hamas" is anti-semitic.

This position was available to all Leftists since Oct 8, 2023. But for some reason it took them 2.5 years to get there.

Iran

I'm as happy as the next guy for the Iran protests, but do we need to involve ourselves? Can we resist making it about us?

Logging

Comedy: Robby Hoffman

Surprised at how much I enjoyed it overall. Two observations, though:

1) She seems to have completely aped Sebastian Maniscalco's style and delivery, but applied to her own content and writing. Never seen anything like it before in comedy.

2) Special felt too long...could use a 15% haircut.

For Those Who Can't See It

The woman shot by ICE in Minneapolis was wishcast and provoked by far left anti-ICE groups organized though reddit and other social media platforms. 

This was entirely predictable if you even remotely follow far left political agitation. A few months ago they were spreading blatantly incorrect propaganda about ICE raids in my town that popped up in a local reddit feed. I dumbly responded "this is a lie" already debunked and was promptly blocked by a reddit moderator. On these anti-ICE forums you are not allowed to dissent or say anything that "supports ICE" and apparently that includes pointing out factual inaccuracies. Why? Because the purpose of these groups are to agitate for political outcomes rejected by American voters. So...they go around and provoke ICE in a number of different ways. These are not the best and the brightest either. They are underemployed losers who gain some type of purpose by doing this stuff. In any case, going around systematically harassing law enforcement in numerous cities is a surefire way to get someone injured or killed. It happened yesterday. Now people are protesting. This is like pissing away money on sports gambling and then protesting you're broke. 

Trump's Insane Plan To Win Midterm Elections:

Arrest a scumbag to make the world a better place.

Side note: bringing back words like scumbag and crook would help a lot. Had we just stuck with terms like these, Trump would've never gotten elected. Because he would've just been a crook. But we "deconstructed" the language to redefine criminality because it implied racial biases, so the term crook no longer carried any weight. Can't go back now, I suppose.

Logging

Film: i hate myself doc

Girls meets Sherman's March if you want to watch something different and painful.

TV: Curb S2 

Just a casual watch before sleep and Rob Reiner pops into the episode. Surreal and weird. 

The Move

We ought to hold people who want to do reparations and redistribute housing to their word. Force them to sign legal papers to disinherit themselves before getting on with any public policy. Make them eat their own food.

Stocks and Bonds

Scanned 10 yr returns:

VXUS (total international): 8.54 per year

SLYV (small value): 8.8 per year

DVY (large/medium value): 10.79 per year

VTI (total US): 14.25 per year

SCHZ (total bond): 1.9 per year

To me, all the above stock returns are actually quite solid. Total US stands out but as obnoxiously large. The bonds suffered but if you got in after the crash in 2022, the last 3 years is 4.5% return per year. Not bad.

Going After Home Ownership

Yes, these people are crazy. Imagine for a minute they somehow convinced a polity to do this. You couldn't pay anyone enough to enforce - guns would be out.

Nabka

How do the folks who object to 75K Palestinians getting moved 75 years ago feel about the 8 million Venezuelans who fled their country and had their property stolen in the past 20 years? Funny they are passionate about one but could care less about the other.

Safe Assumption

Does everyone who wants to get rid of private property love shitting in public toilets?

 

Explain

Please ugh liberals explaina to me this...why are there hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of Venezuelan ex-pats who fled the country celebrating the arrest of Maduro? Why did they flee the warmth of collectivism?

Hahaha

OMG, NYC good luck my friends...

Paraphrasing..."for centuries, we've treated property as an individual good...now we're going to treat it as a collective good..." Beg to differ - we have many times treated it "not as an individual good" and all those places were found to suck ass!

Seriously, the word retard has returned just in time to save us... 

Law of the Jungle

The irony of all ironies would be Russia, China, and Iran push the "law of the jungle" onto the rest of us because they don't want to post WW2 international order only to discover the "law of the jungle" devours them much faster than us. They invite a FAFO world only to be its first victims. 

It's like the criminal who tears down a weak justice system only to realize the system was protecting him from angry, armed villagers who now just hang him instead.

"The Warmth of Collectivism"

Haha. More like the warmth of a public toilet. What a loser. 

Just Think About It

Say whatever you will about Elon Musk, if we didn't have him, China would be dominating space and autos. Maybe they still are but at least Elon makes it close.

The Bottom

Of Chinese society. It doesn't exactly sound hellish, but I'll point out a few things that are interesting:

1) Spends more on cigarettes than food

2) Must own a mortgage to send kid to school

3) Doesn't live with family

In US, there are people with such an arrangement. Truck drivers for instance. Or folks who live far away from work - a trend picking up in the Bay Area where folks live far outside, like 2 hours away from their employment.