this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
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[–] hopesdead@startrek.website 12 points 6 days ago

As a U.S. citizen: fuck the U.S.

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

We are daily bombarded with news on what the ruling elites have decided to enforce and that it affects our living, yet instead of concentrating on the mechanism we split hair between us on whether we are for or against their decisions. Nobody is left being concerned on what it would be like for us to announce our decisions that would affect their lives.

There is no talk here whether we should act to prevent this or not, just whether we approve or disapprove their actions. The motive? Our disapproval has little if any effect on them, they will keep deciding, they will enforce, and we will comply, because we know no other way.

I say we change the agenda, stop making their news headlines our center for discussion, let’s keep focusing on our headlines, till they start addressing our agenda.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

One of my favorite passages on the subject from This Soviet World by Anna Louise Strong

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Dialectics of history show that the ruling class, the industrialists by 19th century, were the sole commanders of the state, and the state acted ONLY in their behalf. When people got organized as workers and started fighting this power back by the 30s capitalism collapsed, the state begun its evolutionary state as a social democracy, which also represented interests of people (labor law, welfare state, education, social rights) ... Capital didn't stand still and accept this evolution, it had to find a way to fight back and gain control of ALL states from outside and above. 1st strike was Breton Woods, privatization of national banking. The late state is where nearly all states are in non sustainable debt and all this debt is controlled by private bankers. And that means social democracy is dead and its destruction is irreversible, as long as capitalism survives. That means that nearly all "progressive" reformists of the capitalists states are either too naive or are lying too much. There is NOTHING that can change within capitalism, unless people are willing to go really hungry, cold, and start nearly from 18th century conditions and rebuild. The markets are not forgiving any deviance! Ask the Yugoslavians, they will tell you all about their independent social democracy.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I agree, capitalist system is the root problem that needs to be addressed. As long as we live under the dictatorship of capital, nothing will fundamentally change.

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml -3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

We had discussions before and you agreed back then and then started disagreeing and blocking and banning me, erasing documents and so on, so I wouldn't waste a second more in talking to you. Go back to your @heretical_i friend who can tolerate garbage like yourself.

You agree on anti-capitalism but you take the safety off when discussing Stalin .... you can't tolerate it, or control it.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml -3 points 5 days ago

wipe the foam off your Stalinist mustache you zombie reviving creep

Gotta get the result that they want, I suppose.

[–] tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

So what happens if Zelensky sides with Europe on this one? How does the US apply its peace plan if it's been negotiated solely with Russia? The only way I see this working is the US sending troops to fight along with Russia...

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 22 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Neither Zelensky nor Europe have any agency here. The U.S. has decided that neither have a place at the table. Instead, Russia and the US will hash out the details while Europe is left to graciously foot the bill and shut up. Kellogg suggested that European leaders stop whining about being sidelined and instead offer concrete solutions, and the reality is there are no solutions Europe can offer. US priorities are to extricate themselves from the war and make sure Europe pays for it all. The message to Europe to keep quiet, and pray the grown-ups in Washington and Moscow don’t decide to trade your future for a handshake.

Zelensky can see the writing on the wall, and he's pleading for a European army in Munich. It's a desperate Hail Mary to avoid becoming a sacrificial pawn in America’s geopolitical chess game. Meanwhile, European leaders are trembling at the prospect of a US-Russia deal that screws them over. The reality is that Europe simply lacks the industrial capacity to keep up with Russia militarily, hence why the war ends when US pulls the plug on it.

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If the real war is between them two, what business would Ukraine or Europe have in negotiations for ending the "battle"?

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's the thing, they don't have any leverage in negotiating the battle because Russia is now visibly winning militarily. Ukraine is out of manpower, and Europe cannot fill the gaps on its own.

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

NATO was fighting a proxy war against Russia and against anyone willing to stand on its side, maybe a test. By keeping Russia busy NATO/ISIS can wrap up Syria, provoke Iran to engage, Israel got a piece of Syria and most likely Lebanon, and it is about time Palestinians vacate Israel, handed to the Israelis by the UK with no conditions to keep the Arabs. Any place the UK has "vacated" has left a chaos of civil wars and antagonism behind. Roman rule surviving in 21st century with all the refinements of the UK.

Would this happen if Russia wasn't busy fighting in Ukraine? Would Turkey/Azerbaijan be able to kill and bomb Armenians if Russia wasn't that busy?

NATO engaged, EU supplies have run out, most committed to spending little for defense now they have nothing. But Russia didn't lose, so any proposal for peace agreement is an effort to save up part of Ukraine for later NATO use, and to accept defeat. Nobody will ask Ukrainians what they want, nobody asked people in Donetsk Luhansk fighting for autonomy and independence what they wanted either.

When Trump says he will reduce defense spending that means he will see it that the EU will take up the slack of the US defense industry welfare system. Either they pay or Russia will start chewing them up like pacman dots. See GDP % to defense budgets of NATO members to understand how large the gap is and for whom are the bells ringing.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'd argue that Syria ended up working in Russian favor in the end. Russia no longer has any obligations to prop it up, but the regime in charge doesn't appear to be keep on breaking relations with Russia. On top of that, it's become very unstable with many different factions fighting each other. This will inevitably create problems for Turkey and Israel who are backing different factions. Volatility in the region doesn't really benefit the west, and it's a huge concern for Europe where refugees will inevitably flee if a regional war breaks out. Meanwhile, Armenia signed its own death warrant by pulling out of CSTO. That's what allowed Azerbaijan to start making territorial claims.

My expectation is that we might see the end of NATO here. The rift between Europe and the US is getting wider by the day, and Americans are telling Europe in no uncertain terms that they don't see it as their primary concern now. It's also worth noting that the economic situation in Europe is very dire which is already creating political instability. Further austerity that would be necessitated by higher military spending will only make this worse. It's highly likely that countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania might simply flip over to BRICS in a few years.

[–] iriyan@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago

Turkey and Israel who are backing different factions

They are not backing factions, they have illegally entered Syria and occupied parts of it. Europe is not, has never been, and will never be one thing, especially under the boot of the German pseudo-state. EU is basically Europe, and NATO in a way is the same +US/UK, but some states pay an arm and a leg to contribute to what NATO is and some states think they are smart by not paying (and paying means buying from the US mil.industry). This is the object. The US is using Russia to force insecurity to some weak states, like Finland and Sweden, to pay if they want to ever be defended. So Russia is playing the bad guy because it is not left with an option of avoiding being the bad guy.

So those that pay less than 2-2.5% will have to come up with their own defense plan, and the day after they are dropped off protectionism, their products going or coming from across the world will be attacked by pirates and there will be nobody to defend them. Piracy is booming near most large passages, and it is the US fleets that sell protection to whoever is buying.

So go back and see again Europe, who is paying protection, who needs it the most, who has the most to lose, who is more dependent on energy and other resources to support their social stability and economy, it is pin pointing one pseudo-country. One that never passed a resolution that is not under occupation and control of another due to losing THE WAR!

No? You want to build Mercedes in China and sell them to New Zealand? Who will protect your ships? You want to depend on cheap energy from Russia but you want to have a say on what Russia will or will not do? Pay! Stingy ... Homie don't play dat!

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

So what happens if Zelensky sides with Europe on this one?

  1. Does Europe even have a unified position on which to side?
  2. Maybe things changed overnight, but last I heard Ukraine will not be part of the peace talks either.

.

The only way I see this working is the US sending troops to fight along with Russia…

wat

[–] tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Right now I can't find any reason to exclude this possibility honestly

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I can only imagine that years of nonstop BlueAnon conspiracy propaganda brought you to imagine it as a possibility.

[–] tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If 3 years ago someone told you that Trump would give Elon Musk the mandate to dismantle the US government and RFK would be secretary of health, you would have called him a lunatic.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I couldn’t have seen the RFK one coming, but I’ve been following the dark enlightenment fascist tech oligarchs and their theorists for over a decade. They’ve had a vision for the future and plans to execute it for years. It wasn’t even secret. The tech oligarchs at Trump’s inauguration who bought this election have an over one trillion dollar net worth.

Silicon Valley's Playbook and the AI Coup

'Reboot' Revealed: Elon Musk's CEO-Dictator Playbook

The Point: In 2022, one of Peter Thiel's favorite thinkers envisioned a second Trump Administration in which the federal government would be run by a “CEO” who was not Trump and laid out a playbook for how it might work. Elon Musk is following it.

The Back Story: In 2012, Curtis Yarvin — Peter Thiel’s “house philosopher”—called for something he dubbed RAGE: Retire All Government Employees. The idea: Take over the United States government and gut the federal bureaucracy. Then, replace civil servants with political loyalists who would answer to a CEO-type leader Yarvin likened to a dictator.

“If Americans want to change their government, they’re going to have to get over their dictator phobia,” he said.

Yarvin, a software programmer, framed this as a “reboot” of government.

Elon Musk’s DOGE is just a rebranded version of RAGE. He demands mass resignations, locks career employees out of their offices, threatens to delete entire departments, and seizes total control of sensitive government systems and programs. DOGE = RAGE, masked in the bland language of “efficiency.”

[–] tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago

Interesting read, thanks!

[–] barsik077@lemm.ee 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Zelensky as the president expired a year ago. Since then he's been officially nothing.