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GOODKIND VII, The sword of truthiness


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Ecchi;

Maybe but he did the only thing available to him at the time. Or would you preffer Hitler rolling over deindustrilized USSR and gaining its resources? As to openly admitted that's complete BS.

The forced collectivization of Ukraine farmers IMO had little to do with the ability of the Soviet Union to resist Hitler's onslaught.

Stalin and Churchill had a conversation during wartime. Churchill had asked if the policy of the collective farms had been less stressful to Stalin than the ongoing war. Stalin denied it, saying that the collective farm policy had been a terrible struggle.

Churchill said he thought as much; 'because you were not dealing with a few score thousands of aristocrats or big landowners, but with millions of small men.'

"'Ten millions,' Stalin said, holding up his hands."

Now, I'll agree that this passage may not outright support the notion of 'openly admitting' it, but one wonders why Stalin would find implementing internal farm policies more stressful than fighting (and almost losing) against a powerful external enemy hellbent on completely destroying your system and enslaving/exterminating your entire country. Stalin did, after all, have something of a nervous breakdown during the first disastrous months of the war, retiring to his preferred dacha.

I can but think of one way it would be more stressful.

As to famine in Ukraine well it was a tragic quincedence: several factors led to it and none of them were preplanned. BTW the damage the famine did is greatly exagerated by modern politians.

Coincidence? Hardly. The famine was used as a political tool to root out Ukrainian nationalism.

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Hmmm. Well, this seems to be getting right off-topic, so I'll drag it back with this Yeardification of William Burroughs - Naked Yeard...

So we were going down through the Midlands on these rented horses, smell of rotting tar from swamps, bodies of whitewashed soldiers, sunset like forbidden fire, cackle of chickens in the still air. Skull-songs in the flamethrower dawn. We knew this witch down Aydindril way, nasty old gash, drinks the blood of goats already, we could make her for a gram or so of sorcerers' sand. You don't mess with the witches there, they got connections, Blood of the Fold in their pockets and that protoplasm shit, don't mess with the witches less you got some bad mojo of your own.

ZEDD: "Bags! I got the magic! I got all the magic she need!" And he's off with this old hooker from the Order, roaring down the border like he got a skrin up his ass, blows all his juice on the journey back and they bag him with his feet in the air at the Garden. Guy never was much good with that Subtractive.

In D'Hara, they gather the troops. Rapists from burned-out villages, borderline psychopaths with songs in their broken skulls, twitching idiots, hags, fags, bags and gars, murderous dominatrixes with raptor-smiles and perfect hair, rabid Objectivists with yeards and moral clarity, oozing bile and venom from slack, drooling lips. Chicken-wings husk overhead, frogs croak, goats bleat, Richard blathers.

RICHARD: "The Imperial Order, get this, they murder your children, they stick brooms up your mothers, you think we should take this already? Moral clarity is your friend. No grey no more, just black, just white, and we the good guys - you do what you have to, ain't no laws no more."

SISTER OF THE DARK: "Oh my God, hundreds of namble cocks!" She swoon with joy and is trampled by avenging horde.

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Ecchi;

Maybe but he did the only thing available to him at the time. Or would you preffer Hitler rolling over deindustrilized USSR and gaining its resources? As to openly admitted that's complete BS.

The forced collectivization of Ukraine farmers IMO had little to do with the ability of the Soviet Union to resist Hitler's onslaught.

Stalin and Churchill had a conversation during wartime. Churchill had asked if the policy of the collective farms had been less stressful to Stalin than the ongoing war. Stalin denied it, saying that the collective farm policy had been a terrible struggle.

Churchill said he thought as much; 'because you were not dealing with a few score thousands of aristocrats or big landowners, but with millions of small men.'

"'Ten millions,' Stalin said, holding up his hands."

Now, I'll agree that this passage may not outright support the notion of 'openly admitting' it, but one wonders why Stalin would find implementing internal farm policies more stressful than fighting (and almost losing) against a powerful external enemy hellbent on completely destroying your system and enslaving/exterminating your entire country. Stalin did, after all, have something of a nervous breakdown during the first disastrous months of the war, retiring to his preferred dacha.

I can but think of one way it would be more stressful.

As to famine in Ukraine well it was a tragic quincedence: several factors led to it and none of them were preplanned. BTW the damage the famine did is greatly exagerated by modern politians.

Coincidence? Hardly. The famine was used as a political tool to root out Ukrainian nationalism.

Yes the same Ukranian nationalists that killed millions in Ukraine, Russia and Belorussia under german command. And as to nervous breakdown yes he had one after that he worked 20 hour days in his office in Kremlin which, for a man of his age, is a slow form of suicide.

The only way we can judge leaders is by their results otherwise Nurberg tribunal should've put american generals that ordered firebombing of Drezden (a hospital city of no military value) along with nazis. It is sad but true history cannot be judged from a modern point of view.

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As this thread is currently in danger of being hijacked, I thought I'd just share some random thoughts on the scene with the chicken:

Looking at the picture on my breakfast plate some days ago, it occured to me that a chicken, that isn't a chicken could just be a rooster, or -to use another term- a cock!

So we have a scene where a cock ist threatening Kahlan and tries to force her to bend to his/its will (until, of course, richard bursts in and saves the day).

According to this interpretation, the chicken scene is just another -and I must say quite creative- variation of the old reoccuring rape scene.....!?!

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Ecchi:

Though Stalin was just what the USSR needed against Hitler, you seem to take a bit too one-sided view of him...

to famine in Ukraine well it was a tragic quincedence: several factors led to it and none of them were preplanned. BTW the damage the famine did is greatly exagerated by modern politians.
Almost all factors were a result of the consecutive 5-year plans, methodical cullings, and deportations.

openOh and he didn't HELP defeat Hitler he DEFEATED Hitler.

Thats a bit of a stretch, imho - without the support of materials from the Allies, he would have fared far worse (also, Hitler's less-than-competent approach to strategy was necessary for it.

Yes Polland was an aggressor nation too in 38 something conviniently forgotten after the war.

And the USSR was an agressor nation when they attacked Finland in '39-'40 - something someltimes conveniently forgotten...

Btw, comrade Stalin did not only cull the top level military commanders - he also "replaced" most of the officer corps from colonel and up... Also, he had some very interesting guys working for him, like Lavrenty Berija...

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[mod] This thread is being hijacked, people, and let's face it - it's big enough and busy enough already. Take the Stalin discussion to General Chatter, please: I'm sure you'll get some very well-informed contributors there. Loads of history buffs on GC. :) [/mod]

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On the length of threads, it is actually board policy that threads are shut down when they hit 400 posts. Sometimes, if the discussion is really popular or about a subject with a built-in expiry date (a current TV series that is about to end, for example), they are allowed to go on a bit longer, but 400 is the general limit. Sadly, the days of hitting 666 posts are now behind us.

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MinDonner, you should try to write a novel. After reading Nick Mamatas' Move Under Ground, where Kack Kerouak meets Cthulhu, I think that a William Burroughs meets Terry Goodkind is in order. I'm sure that the guys in Nightshade books would love your effort. You would just need to change some names under copyright.

I agree with "It's not terrorism if we do it".

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Alas, Robert Anton Wilson is another author I haven't read, or I'd be happy to give it a go. A novel's probably out of the question, too, as I barely have the attention span for a 3-paragraph pastiche :( - there are short stories that I've been writing for 15 years and still not got past the third page...

ETA: Good review, Moose. Unfortunately I'm not registered with Amazon.ca so can't vote for it, otherwise I would.

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ETA: Good review, Moose. Unfortunately I'm not registered with Amazon.ca so can't vote for it, otherwise I would.

I'm only registered with Amazon.de and Amazon.com, but I could vote for it.

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Ok, here is my attempt at Parody/Fanfic....

The Yeard in the Willows (abridged)

Mole: I'm ebored with doing all this cleaning, my moral clarity is all dirty now. Think I'll rant for a few hours about the evils of those communist Weasles; then I might go and see my good friend Rattyhan.

Mole does indead rant for some time about how the evil communist Weasles have been moving into the riverbank, setting up their communes andliving an thourghly evil life of peace and harmony (which as everyone knows just lowers those house prices and is an affront to all those with moral clarity).

Rattyhan: Greetings good friend Mole. Badger Rahl and I were just discussing (at great length) the terrible plight of that young rascal Toad. It seems that the young fool has gotten his freedom taken away by evil allies of the filthy, peace loving communist Weasles.

Mole: Bags, thats terrible we should come up with a ludicrous and impractical plan to rescue him!

Badger Rahl: No you Bagging fool! Toad did not value his freedom, and so we must not help him until he realises its worth and saves him self.

Mole: but rumour has it that those horrible communist Weasles have moved into his home, claiming some nonsense about it being far too big for one Toad and still to big for all their friends and family. They've even dug up his Geraniums to plant crops to feed their poor and sick.

Badger Rahl: Bloody fools, don't they realise that the poor and sick deserve to suffer unless they embrace Reason, Right, Moral Clarity and Freedom. We must wait until Toad has come to his senses and freed himself, then we will strike!

Mole: and teach the evil Communist Weasles the error of their ways?

Badger Rahl strikes Mole over the head with a stout stick.

Badger Rahl: No you blithering idiot, we go in and Kill all their women and children, then we capture their men, cut off their sweet-meats and make them eat them. Its what they would do to us.

Rattyhan: what even me?

Badger Rahl: (striking Rattyhan over the head with his stout stick) No, not you. they would ravage and torture you in an attempt to corrupt you to their stinking Socialist Hippy ways. Then they would kill you.

Many weeks pass and eventually Toad escapes from prison by kicking a hapless washerwoman in the face and stealing her clothes. He quickly discovers that his home is now an ecofriendly commune for the weak, sick and poor of the riverbank. This upsets him greatly so he goes in search of his Free and Moraly Clear friends.

Toad: Bagging Hell Badger Rahl, i'm in trouble and must ask you to help me to liberate my home from these evil hippy communist Peaceloving Weasles. Please help me do so and in thus doing show the river bank the true wisdom of Freedom and Moral Clarity.

Badger Rahl: (strikes Toad over the head with his stout stick) Finnaly you hav elearned - To War my friends, where we will slaughter those women and children; burn their pittiful hovels; salt their gardens; and torture their menfolk to death!

Toad Hall is liberated, the mountain of corpses is left to rot on Toad's compost heap and Order, Right, Freedom and Moral Clarity are restored to the River Bank.

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