Recent posts

#41

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - January 07, 2026, 10:30:43 PM

Most played games on Playstation in the US in 2025:
 1 - Fortnite
 2 - Call of Duty
 3 - GTA V
 4 - Roblox
 5 - Minecraft

Most played games on Playstation in the US in 2024:
 1 - Fortnite
 2 - Call of Duty
 3 - GTA V
 4 - Roblox
 5 - Minecraft

#42

Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?

Last post by Razgovory - January 07, 2026, 10:21:51 PM

He had a stroke.

#43

Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?

Last post by Sheilbh - January 07, 2026, 10:08:44 PM

Americans - explain John Fetterman to me.

Just seeing his latest on Venezuela and Greenland.

(Also how is it Republicans are always so good at finding these Democratic Senators like Sinema etc while the Democrats hold on for 25 years for Susan Collins to do anything but express "concern"? )

#44

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by Darth Wagtaros - January 07, 2026, 09:56:30 PM

Well, it's nice to see some Republicans pushing back against Trump and Miller's Greenland gambit: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/gop-lawmakers-denounce-trump-seize-greenland-00714611

One was saying that the Danes needed to surrender it since Americans died defending it.

#45

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by Jacob - January 07, 2026, 09:52:37 PM

Well, it's nice to see some Republicans pushing back against Trump and Miller's Greenland gambit: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/gop-lawmakers-denounce-trump-seize-greenland-00714611

#46

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by PRC - January 07, 2026, 09:16:50 PM

So many of these recent images of police, ICE and other federal agents all have dudes that look like they should be working checkstops in Kabul back in the day.  I imagine the majority of these guys are ex-military and bringing their training to bear, its like America is colonizing itself.

#47

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by saskganesh - January 07, 2026, 09:03:48 PM

I'm not a lawyer obviously but there are precedents regarding the moving car defense. Plot spoiler: it doesn't exonerate the popo.

Anyway I watched the afterfootage of the murder of this white, blonde woman. The killer acted like he had done this before. Maybe he was pumped by adrenalin. High on his own supply. Like a lot of people with power these days. Happy fucking new year.

#48

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by grumbler - January 07, 2026, 08:45:02 PM

I fear that the ICE agent in this shooting will be judged justified to shoot, because there are plenty of precedents that a car moving at a cop is a deadly threat.  Personally, this rarely makes sense to me, because if you're in front of a car that's coming at you, you have to jump out of the way whether you shoot the driver or not.  If you still have to jump out of the way, then how does the logic of shooting to stop the threat work, if you're the only one in the path?

I agree that the agent will not be found guilty of anything bar poor judgement, but simply filing the charges, even if they are dismissed, sends a message that ICE agents should not expect to kill people and shrug it off.

#49

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by DGuller - January 07, 2026, 08:09:12 PM

I fear that the ICE agent in this shooting will be judged justified to shoot, because there are plenty of precedents that a car moving at a cop is a deadly threat.  Personally, this rarely makes sense to me, because if you're in front of a car that's coming at you, you have to jump out of the way whether you shoot the driver or not.  If you still have to jump out of the way, then how does the logic of shooting to stop the threat work, if you're the only one in the path?

#50

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by Sheilbh - January 07, 2026, 07:42:57 PM

I thought you subscribed to the view that the greatest leaps in European unity and cohesion is in response to crises?

Yes I've been misattributing it. Not Jacques Delors, but Jean Monnet: "Europe will be forged in crises, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises".

But as the Bruegel think tank paper on European defence noted in their view Ukraine is the first crisis that has not resulted in further integration. I would only disagree to say that I think their assessment the Eurozone crisis and covid were leaps forward - I think both were stalls at best. So I think that process has broken down since the crash (like a lot in Europe).

For someone who decries British and European inability to act, you certainly seem to embrace assumed helplessness 

I mean, I don't disagree that maintaining ambiguity and relying on diplomacy as long as possible while building up strength and capacity may be the best path forward. I simply disagree that it's the only path forward, or obviously and inherently the superior one.

Fair. And I could very well be wrong - in many ways I hope I am. (And I am fully aware I may just be a little scarred from recent years when few shocks have gone a positive way from my pov.)

I think Europe is largely irrelevant enough already that making righteous statements about Venezuela or not already doesn't matter. If Europe takes actual concrete action to embrace Venezuela (or otherwise work against American global policy priorities) in a practical sense (economic ties, repealing sanctions, whatever) that matters. Writing a letter of condemnation or support (or equivocating down the middle) matters only a tiny little bit.

Europe absolutely can be way more worried about Greenland or Ukraine than it is about Gaza or Venezuela, and Europe absolutely can be Eurocentric in their perspective. What Europe can't do is pretend that that difference of worry level represents some absolute objective high moral ground that other countries secretly think as morally persuasive. Actions, not words, is what matters.

I get what your saying - my point is as America's no longer a friend we need some. Russia ain't it. I'm not sure on China either (I think their relationship is close if not quite the "friendship without limits" the've declared). I think we need to look to the rest of the world and I think that means taking on board some of their perspective or imagining how this looks from their position.

As I say - look at Brazil. Lula is pointing out this is the last chance to do a deal with Mercosur and (after 30 years of negotiations) it might get blocked by Europe. Lots of Europeans ahve complained about him not standing up on Ukraine while we've done exactly the same on Gaza and Venezuela. I think we need to engage literally the rest of the world if we're now facing off with the US and Russia and (maybe) China - and that's going to mean putting ourselves in their shoes, caring about their issues.

On the whole "Europe vs Russia, China, and the US at the same time" thing - I'm much less certain that China will continue to support Russia to the degree it does now if Europe is less supportive of the US. While these things are complex and multifaceted, IMO one of the significant drivers for China's support of Russia is to undermine the alliance that it faces in the Pacific.

While acknowledging that China doesn't desire good things for Europe, the threat of driving Europe into closer collaboration with China at the cost of the US could also serve as a deterrent for US perfidy.

Basically I agree with you that Europe can't hold back China, Russia, and the US all at once... but I don't think it's a given that compromising with the US to fight China is the best course for Europe (I think we agree that holding back Russia is). China is further away and has not have an explicitly stated goal of reshaping Europe to it's liking. Maybe there's more room to work with China to lessen the threat from Russia and the US.

As I say I don't think I agree on China and Russia. I think that relationship is key for both parties - and there are multiple gas pipelines coming online in the next few years which will further cement. What Europe has to offer is a market which is valuable and an industry which can't compete.

Fundamentally I don't think Trump, or Russia, or China see Europe as a player - I think they see it as prey. And I'm not sure they're wrong. A bit like China in the 19th century - I think it's rich, weak and ill-equipped for the century its in. Honestly I'm not entirely sure that Trump, Russia and China wouldn't work together to press their advantage (this is again why I think we do need to engage the rest of the world with appropriate humility given all our history and recent indifference).

Edit: Just on the European side - the UK and France have been working on a "coalition of the willing" to support Ukraine after any peace deal. It's never been fully clear what it's role would be but I think primarily as a reassurance force in the rear in Ukraine. The key sticking point was trying to get US buy in for air support (which apparently they now have - I am very doubtful that will materialise).

When it was initially floated, the plan was for about 60,000 troops with hopes that multiple European countries would participate with the UK and France sending about 10k each. Ata meeting of European Defence Ministers the Lithuanian Defence Minister was reported to have told her counterparts "Russia has 800,000 troops. If we can't even raise 64,000 that doesn't look weak - it is weak." Other participants described her comments as "strident and inspiring". A report I read from some think tank said that would be difficult to sustain for the UK and France for long. They also estimated the minimum for it to be effective would be 30,000 (again they sketched out what that force would look like).

The news today is that the UK and France are the only countries willing to participate and it's now down to 15,000 (basically 7,500 each). For the UK at least apparently that is going to be a stretch to maintain for any period of time and the briefing is that 15,000 might be optimistic. Rreportedly this would have an impact on the British Army mission in Ukraine helping train and support Ukrainian troops as "we can't be in two places at once". I'm really sorry to say but this is the two most militarily capable European states trying to propose a European solution to something that almost all European countries agree is a strategic priority. The UK and France aren't able to cobble together and sustain much but have something and are willing to try (although as I say I'm very dubious on the actual plan) - but no-one else is even wiling to contribute (I have some sympathy with the Eastern Flank countries who don't want to dilute their border defences). But I think this is the context for conversations about what Europe can do.