Secretary of Eumenes

@Maithanet I hate to dogpile (but I also love to hate, so... ) Some kind of sub-nato alliance for the countries of eastern Europe is a good idea. And they should be working on that yesterday. But yo, that shit's hard. It's hard to have a multinational alliance that can stand up quickly against something like Russia while working together. Like, I don't just mean in the prewar phase. I mean operationally. In the field. You're talking about multiple multi-ethnic and multi-language nations that have to coordinate in real time against a much much more standardized enemy. And on that bisects them already! Don't forget Konigsberg. Lithuania gets pincered to piss in this scenario. It's fucking grim if all of NATO doesn't actually do what it takes to keep Russian aggression in hand. At the end of the day how much of the Polish army is its commanders going to be willing to put in that natural salient? To help defend the borders of Estonia and Latvia? Lithuania? Maaaybe. But I wouldn't order my troops off Polish soil to get slaughtered against the sea by Russians. I couldn't do it. I'd resign. The absolute best I could do - THE BEST I COULD DO is to promise a sort of Baltic Schlieffen action to sweep Konigsberg while holding against Belarus. And frankly I don't love that either, because the Russians would be doing the exact same thing coming the other way. "Bloodbath" doesn't do that inevitability justice in any language.

Just to follow up on this real quick (before I go get kite-wise for the first time in almost a month): I'd point out that it's very very fortunate for the Communist part(y) of the People's Republic of China equation that employment of advanced automation and "AI" systems means that they'll have no trouble transmuting themselves from a labor market to a welfare state. If that's what they want to do. Y'know, to maintain power. And keep the people content? What's the Chinese version of Disney+ ??? I don't know, but I'll bet it's in the works if not in use already. All that sweet sweet western debt should help cushion the landing too. Especially when a cool-T of it is owed by a war weary, government insecure, and politically shattered country that is 15-20 months away from just letting Hitler's aborted clone take power. Again!

I saw his children's book at my niece's book fair. She wanted a diary though and the boychild had already picked something out earlier.

In DA2, I think, the Captain (or whatever) of their little refuge place says something like the Qunari breed folks without horns to be like ambassadors or something. That could be in the 3rd game, but I don't think so - I DEFINITELY know that that bit of dialogue exists somewhere in one of those games though. And I'm a big big fan of DA2. I like its story better than DA:O, again with acknowledgement of a lot of cracks in the final product. It just feels so much more interesting and novel than DA:O or DA:I

Well, we've all seen Putin compared to Roose Bolton... From a certain angle I suppose it makes sense; if the country needs a leeching then it needs a leeching

And? What would you call our system, if you wanna get right down to it? My Y'alls tax dollars pay for the security and solvency of your business elites. The only relevant difference is that China's state controls its corporations - effective fascism America's corporations control its state - larceners fascism

Oh, how did I know you were gonna say that? Scotty, scotty, scotty. My dear sweet scotty. Communism isn't some sterile university checklist. It's not even an economic system or values vehicle. It's a power structure. An ideological excuse to gain and retain authority. The fact that is pretends to promote socialism is just a black hole of superficiality that -not to be mean- procedurally minded folks just can't quite seem to wrap their minds around when they're looking from outside the system... Which I find ironic, because if you were born in the system I think you'd do quite well! China is what communism looks like. So is North Korea. The fact that China allowed ALLOWED for limited private ownership of property and supposedly free markets (when they couldn't afford to keep them out) isn't the great evidence against the efficacy of their communist system that you think it is- It's proof that their version of communism is better than any version we've seen before. I mean goddamn, look what they've accomplished in the last seventy years! It's amazing! They beat us at war in Korea before even catching their breath from the civil war. They beat us. US! U.S.A.! And that's after a hundred years of rape and poisoning -literal poisoning for profit- by the West. To say nothing of Japan. They turned that corner and are now 1 of 2. I know you can't be sexually attracted to a state (unless you're Josephine Boneparte, I suppose ) but goddamn if I don't think of China any time I'm feeling flaccid. Perks me right up in no time. Hey, when was China's last war? Y'know, that they actually did stuff in? What does their military look like? What is its capacities? What do you really know about the way their system works, besides the fact that it's remarkably stable? Especially compared to ours? How many school shooters has U.S.A. had this year? How many has China had? We'll never know the latter, but I'd still bet that it's probably fucking none The party has one objective: maintain power in order to project strength. It's really, really, fun to watch: in a fuck-you-robber-barons-maybe-I'll-see-you-burn-after-all: kinda way. 'Murica is all puffed up with pride at stopping a third-rate despotate from blitzkrieging their former province. It's fucking adorable, the military hards on (syntax). Meanwhile, our economy is a shambles. Our reputation in tatters, and diplomacy a forgotten word in the American language. MOAR SANCTIONS!!! MOAR MOAR, FOR IRAN AND RUSSIA BOTH! Because -clearly- the American hegemony is just too valuable a system for anyone to oppose eh? Yeah, that's what happened for sure. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, right? The end of history? We won! Behold all your victory, my fellow Americans.

I'm not a hater on Dragon Age III, I thought it was fun when I played it. But I've never finished a second playthrough after multiple attempts- never gotten to that DLC that's supposed to tie it to DA: IV, this could be a motivation to do so. I most-definitely love the Character Creator in DA: III, I just get board with resource gathering and stuff. Still, optimistic! Mass Effect: Andromeda (In IRL I make my disdain for this one known my pronouncing it " And Droh Me Dah"... that's a different story. I was very, very, optimistic about that one. But... wow. Talk about a game that felt empty and incomplete upon release! Ugh! To say nothing of the almost-antithetical story type when compared to the Orig-Trig. And I'll go to the mat to defend Mass Effect 3, stupid StarChild and all.

I'm sorry, but I don't care what some board or committee decides is or is not qualifying as a derrogatory. Neocon and neolib aren't words that will get shocked gasps if used in public- they're still used as derrogatories. Context matters. Sorry for calling you she, IlyaP. My bad. And I disagree about the utility, and implications, of your speech - I got nothing against you besides this argument we're having here. Arguing is important. It helps uncover truth Eta: Bean Picker is a job description, a real one. Call an Hispanic guy that in America and you're gonna have a problem.

Non-responsive Non-responsive Selectively non-responsive Still love ya. Appreciate that you care about trying to support/defend people like me.

Obviously the speaker isn't talking about J.K. Rowling, isn't discussing "TERFs". Absolutely not intended to repurpose the speakers' words to inherently support my position as stated here: This is not a one-to-one comparison. I have no idea about how the speaker would reply specifically to this specific conversation. But here's an example of how you might use your language to disagree with people of a vulnerable class without calling them names or encouraging (even 'unconsciously') death threats against them: <You may recognize the speaker!>

If a team signs him to an offer sheet after the draft they give up their 2024 and 2025 picks instead of this years' pick. Patience is a virtue.

And now it's a derogative. Only ever used by 'leftists' to browbeat others into joining in -or at least not challenging- stone throwing. I think that's scummy and underhanded. When IllyaP calls J.K. Rowling a TERF that is an attempt to checkmate me into either not defending my appreciation of an artistic expression or risking implication that I might be a TERF too, or TERF-defending. Evangelizing speech. An attempt to convert or shame my opinion away from me by condensing of information into binary. One can either enable TERF or oppose TERF. Words don't just mean things, statements do too. Y'all can throw stones at whomever you please. I throw stones at Disney and would throw a brick through the head of a certain traitor who tried to steal my government away from me and my fellow citizens if given a seconds' opportunity. I don't argue, or let lazy copycat speech techniques imply for me, that folks who are being manipulated by Disney are doing anything wrong. I don't even do that about Trumpies anymore, because I want to accomplish things beyond making myself look or feel superior to folks I'd rather get along with. And I don't -think- Harry Potter isn't exclusionary. I know it isn't. Gimme your reasons why it is. I've already explained why it isn't. I mean, seriously. Do you not see how lazy that second statement of yours is? "... not remotely a shared experience or agreement." What does that even mean? That the earth isn't round isn't a remotely shared experience or agreement- not anymore That transwomen aren't women isn't a remotely shared experience or agreement - I thought they were still wrong, eh?

Again, there's nothing wrong with not liking Rowling or not wanting to play a game associated with her; for any reason. Well, there are some reasons that are stupid. Like being anti-witchcraft or anti-women's literacy... but nobody here is arguing shit like that... When IllyaP responded to me recommending the game to Rhom by saying that she didn't have interest in the books or movies we had absolutely no conflict between us. This is what I wrote in response: And then I went on to describe to Rhom why I was so excited about the game. There's no conflict at this point, nothing. IllyaP expressed she's not interested and I had a three-word cheeky acknowledgement. It was over. Buuuut... Yo, I take offense. I I I, ME Take offense, and don't want to take offense quietly anymore, at the supplemental use of evangelizing and whole cloth words -one in particular- that tell me how I'm supposed to feel about art or an artist. "Trans-Exclusionary" (I'm not even going to get into the imbecility of supposedly-liberals deriding people for being "Radical Feminists") < But real quick, while we're here; the word you're looking for is "Reactionary", nice edumacations y'all dun gotted, huh?> I've made very clear why Harry Potter is not exclusionary to anybody. With clear and functional language, including personal anecdotes that I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SHARE in order to defend my right to have a positive, or even neutral, opinion about somebody or their art.

Never let nobody make you do something you don't want- least of all me I only ever was excited to have a game that was playable and engaging from the second I bought it. It's the first time in a long, long, while that I didn't have to wait for the game to be made playable via patch or completed through extra payments. And I take issue with certain made-up words that, by their very use, imply that I ain't supposed to like something. I don't want you to feel compelled to play the game. I just wanted to share that I am enjoying it and others might also. My niece was absolutely taken in by it yesterday.