Expat interest in politics in Hungary

And this is why the next election is so critical. While popular opinion is trending against O1G, the system Fidesz has put in place tilts the balance of power towards themselves. It will take massive coordination and the right voter turnout to see that undone.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But it's not a black and white argument over good vs evil, dumb vs smart etc.  I did say objective polling previously.
Russia is simply out to cause chaos in the West to protect it's territorial ambitions in Ukraine.

Politics is always a difficult subject so I'm not going to take sides, but I would to point out a couple of things.

Russia is definitely out to cause chaos, but the US is doing the same. You hear about Russian forces building up near Ukraine, but nobody mentions US forces were massing in Poland before Russia started. Not taking Russia's side, but it would seen reasonable to mention both are at it.
As far as Ukraine goes, it did have a democratically elected government but the US started a revolution to overthrow it. Remember the infamous tape recording? The Russians took over Crimea, but Crimea wanted them after their people had been tossed out by a US incited and backed coup.
The US wanted Crimea to leave Ukraine because the majority of pro-Russian feeling (and votes) were in that region - but it still makes great propaganda.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Elsewhere and more importantly reality is that China is expansionist and in the Pacific/Asia, the US is beginning to push back now Trump is gone.

China is very expansionist but they do it with cash bombs rather than explosive ones. Both get the attacked country into a mess, but at least nobody gets killed by the former.
The pushback started with Obama's Pacific shift, not Trump or Biden.

I was once told you can change policy in China, but not the government - You can change the government in the US, but not policy.

That's dictatorship versus plutocracy. One of the great problems in western democracies is the messing about. This is brought into stark view by noting China had zero miles of high speed rail links 20 years ago, the same for the US. China now has over 23,000 miles, but the US has just 34 miles.
I'm not advocating a dictorship but a well minded one can do wonders. China's previous dictators were less effective unless you use numbers dead as a measure.
Russia and the US has numbers that are pretty bad as well, but you have to include numbers from various wars rather than just killing their own population as China has killed so few in wars since 1946.
On another note, the US under Trump got shafted in a massive way. China saw what was happening and took full advantage.
Then look at who controls most of the world's RREs and new tech (especially EVs and related industries). While the US and other western countries were bombing the crap out of bits of the middle east for oil/gas and arms sales, China built up its renewable energy so it's at least 10 years ahead of anything in the west (with the possible exception of Germany, some Indian stuff, and a few Israeli startups).
"Tesla", I hear you shout, but that's mostly made in China.
That also stems from US to control shipping routes from Europe.middle east, especially the Straits of Malacca. Look up where Chinese oil supplies come from, where exports go to, and what the US did in 1940.

fluffy2560 wrote:

A lot of countries worldwide are in hock to China over investments but this is unsustainable, especially now the US is finally woken up to reasserting itself in that region once more.  US has vulnerable territories and interests in the region.   I can see a potential for conflict with China within 5 to 10 years.

China is fortifying islands, but they are concerned about US carrier groups so I can hardly blame them.
China has a really strong plan in much of the Asia/Pacific region, South America, Europe, and chunks of Africa.
HIPG is a prime example of China duping a set of especially stupid politicians into giving them a whole port. Red hot plan and red hot execution - but not great for Sri Lanka. Pity their politicians were such idiots.

We're back to who's propaganda you read as to how you see the story. I find the best trick is to ignore any political bias I may have, then read news from both sides of any given argument.
Once you do that, you get a far closer picture of what's really going on - More so when you realise the whole thing is about cash and power.

There's bugger all point in supporting either as there's a grand total of sod all we can do about it, but I do find the various propaganda machines very interesting.

I will await being attacked as supporting China and Russia, but please read my post again and realise I support neither before you do. One of the most effective propaganda tool is assuming a lack of support for a given side/pointing out the preferred side has faults means you support the other - A very silly point.

Vicces1 wrote:

And this is why the next election is so critical. While popular opinion is trending against O1G, the system Fidesz has put in place tilts the balance of power towards themselves. It will take massive coordination and the right voter turnout to see that undone.

Voter turnout for National Assembly is about 70% here.   

I am not that hopeful that  it will be enough to get rid of O1G.

Fred wrote:

...
Russia is definitely out to cause chaos, but the US is doing the same. You hear about Russian forces building up near Ukraine, but nobody mentions US forces were massing in Poland before Russia started. Not taking Russia's side, but it would seen reasonable to mention both are at it.
......
China is fortifying islands, but they are concerned about US carrier groups so I can hardly blame them.
China has a really strong plan in much of the Asia/Pacific region, South America, Europe, and chunks of Africa.
....
I will await being attacked as supporting China and Russia, but please read my post again and realise I support neither before you do. One of the most effective propaganda tool is assuming a lack of support for a given side/pointing out the preferred side has faults means you support the other - A very silly point.

Very long post there Fred.

US Forces are not massing in Poland.  They are there but it's small scale and short range missile systems.   Belarus is deliberately destabilising the region at Putin's behest.  And it's the same in Donbas.  The US doesn't have 100,000 troops on that border.   Putin doesn't have the economic means to wage a real shooting war across a wide front.  His economy is about the size of Italy.  But this is now reaching a showdown over his ambitions.  He's waging war in a way that he can control without using guns - gas price, cyber war etc.  It's a hybrid approach.   

The gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 is not even in use now. Putin needs that income stream but I am not sure Germany is in a hurry to certify it.     If Putin moved on Ukraine, I don't think Biden would do a thing.  The USA has always looked after its own interests above it's partners.  Trump showed how unreliable and mercurial they could be.

I happen to know something about US activities in the Western Pacific.  The South China Sea has been a flashpoint for years and is thought to contain large oil reserves.  The Chinese  air base expansion is not going to mean much if they are bombed.   Mainly they don't have carrier capability so they need fixed platforms.  Not a real threat to a serious military.

More interesting is the relationship the US has with the islands of Micronesia.  Palau is receiving a larger airport (right now) to handle larger cargo planes and the compact with the Federated States of Micronesia is up for re-negotiation.  It's going to include a military base and dual use airport expansion.   Guam has is receiving US troops relocated from  Japan (less about China, more about Japan). 

WW2 showed the importance of these islands in the approaches to Japan and that area.  Australia has boosted US troop presence in the north.

But I am not sure European forces would do much about conflict in that area.   UK would mainly support Australia and NZ but at arms length.   Looks more like a US problem overall.

BTW, China's ownership of assets in foreign countries is not such a problem.  They would be just appropriated/sequestered if there was a conflict.  Same for Russia.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The US doesn't have 100,000 troops on that border..

I gather the US has about 5,000 troops, missile systems, and other stuff in Poland plus a load more in other states that escaped communism but are close to Russia.
That's about a thousand in Estonia, 15,000 in Latvia, and roughly 500 in Lithuania - Then add tanks and missile systems.
If a foreign country planted 20 odd thousand troops close my my front garden, I'd do what Putin has done.
It's all muscle flexing (both lots), but NATO is doing the expanding.

It's a matter of looking at both lots of propaganda, not just one side's.  I will repeat - I don't support either because they're both up to the same tricks, just one has far better propaganda.

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

The US doesn't have 100,000 troops on that border..

I gather the US has about 5,000 troops, missile systems, and other stuff in Poland plus a load more in other states that escaped communism but are close to Russia.
That's about a thousand in Estonia, 15,000 in Latvia, and roughly 500 in Lithuania - Then add tanks and missile systems.
If a foreign country planted 20 odd thousand troops close my my front garden, I'd do what Putin has done.
It's all muscle flexing (both lots), but NATO is doing the expanding.

It's a matter of looking at both lots of propaganda, not just one side's.  I will repeat - I don't support either because they're both up to the same tricks, just one has far better propaganda.

I'd say it's easy to see through the rhetoric and propaganda.

I don't think NATO is working on an expansion into Russia and the numbers of NATO troops are only sent there because of Russia's stance. And the numbers are quite different.  What's in it for NATO to try and expand into Russia?  Not going to happen.   It's not the same as Ukraine and Belarus the other way.   These nations are very Russia-like and Russia thinks those countries are theirs to do as they will.

Belarus as an independent nation is likely to become a fiction soon enough.  Lukashenko has always wanted to merge with Russia. Putin would say sure, he'd complete the takeover and then Luka would have an accident falling down the stairs or crashing his car a short time later.   

Most countries worry more about an unstable Russia run by an unpredictable autocrat with a obsession with recreating  his vision of the USSR.   Ain't gonna happen.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Most countries worry more about an unstable Russia run by an unpredictable autocrat with a obsession with recreating  his vision of the USSR.   Ain't gonna happen.

10 years ago you would have said a sitting US president trying to destroy a US election and create a dictatorship was never going to happen.

20 years ago you would have thought me I was an utter nutter if I'd told China was going to be a major economic power.

30 years ago most people wouldn't have believed I could type this message to someone thousands of miles away.

Never say it won't happen because it just might

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Most countries worry more about an unstable Russia run by an unpredictable autocrat with a obsession with recreating  his vision of the USSR.   Ain't gonna happen.

10 years ago you would have said a sitting US president trying to destroy a US election and create a dictatorship was never going to happen.

20 years ago you would have thought me I was an utter nutter if I'd told China was going to be a major economic power.

30 years ago most people wouldn't have believed I could type this message to someone thousands of miles away.

Never say it won't happen because it just might

Yes, I would have said that too.  No-one could predict the rise of Trump.    But those days look like they are over.  China's rise, well, that was down to luck of a kind of reformist agenda.  If anything, people have realised it's no good having all your eggs in that trade partner's basket. China's influence will start to wane over decades.

But I don't see Putin getting his way.   It's not like people don't know what he's about.  He's got form on Georgia and in Crimea.   Trump is perhaps unlikely to be a serious problem  IF he doesn't gain total control of the Republic Party -  just noise in the background and time will fade him out.  If he gets convicted, it's game over for him.   

I think  the problem is Biden.  I don't think he's got the nous to plot a way to head off Putin's ambitions except appeasement.   He showed what he was made of in his oversight of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.   

I wouldn't be surprised if Biden returned from Moscow waving a piece of paper and shouting "peace for our time".

BTW, 30 years ago, for sure you could send messages to people.  And for decades before that, we had the teletype working at a few characters per second.   And before that, Telex and the morse code telegraph.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I don't think NATO is working on an expansion into Russia and the numbers of NATO troops are only sent there because of Russia's stance.

The NATO build up into ex-Soviet states came before the Russian build up near Ukraine.
This is very much like the Cuba missile crisis - The US put medium range  ballistic missiles into Turkey in 1961 so the USSR put them into Cuba in 1962 as a balance.
However, the propaganda never mentions the former. History does for those who care to look.

The US stationed troops in Poland and other ex-Soviet states a good while ago, then[url=https://www.gov.pl/web/national-defence/increasing-the-us-military-presence-in-poland]built up forces in 2020, but the Russians didn't start their build up until 2021.
Not that we can even be sure of the 100,00 troops number because only people with a vested interest in there being a massive threat are saying it.
There was a previous build up when the US destabilised and finally removed the democratically elected government in Ukraine - You know like the US and UK did in Iran back in 1953.

As I said, the trick is to read everything from BOTH sides because the vast majority of news (Even from supposed reliable outlets such as the BBC) is rubbish. Once you've read it, assume it's a lie and check.
That applies to both sides, but Russia's propaganda machine is a bit crap so it's very easy to spot their lies.

The whole point is - it's a waste of time to support either lot because they're both in it for cash and power.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But those days look like they are over.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001324r

Never say it won't happen. A horny man proved otherwise.

fluffy2560 wrote:

BTW, 30 years ago, for sure you could send messages to people.  And for decades before that, we had the teletype working at a few characters per second.   And before that, Telex and the morse code telegraph.

I've done the lot. I was one of the first people to transmit data over radio back in the 80s.
My Morse never got up to much but I managed a good few QRP CW contacts from the UK to the US. I even managed a CW QSL on 2 into Eastern Europe by bouncing off an aurora.

However, the first mass media was the printing press and that caused a lot of women to die. The internet is a million times more powerful. Billy the bonker Clinton found out about that to his cost in the very early days of chat rooms.
We now have Facebook to really mess things up.

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

But those days look like they are over.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001324r

Never say it won't happen. A horny man proved otherwise.

fluffy2560 wrote:

BTW, 30 years ago, for sure you could send messages to people.  And for decades before that, we had the teletype working at a few characters per second.   And before that, Telex and the morse code telegraph.

I've done the lot. I was one of the first people to transmit data over radio back in the 80s.
My Morse never got up to much but I managed a good few QRP CW contacts from the UK to the US. I even managed a CW QSL on 2 into Eastern Europe by bouncing off an aurora.

However, the first mass media was the printing press and that caused a lot of women to die. The internet is a million times more powerful. Billy the bonker Clinton found out about that to his cost in the very early days of chat rooms.
We now have Facebook to really mess things up.

Interesting.   I've still got my radio licence but  there's no-one out there.  Not locally anyway on the 2m or 70cm band.  The gear is still installed in my cars and I've got two handhelds on my desk.   It's got a little more interesting with the digital radios (D-STAR) now but I'm not really active as I don't really have time.  I think most people have gone digital.  I never passed the morse test and I find it's not necessary now.  We use cheap PMR types around the house and sometimes if we're walking in the hills.

Yes, the printing press was something else but also printing it in English and not Latin was a shock to the system.  Took bible power of the church away.  No longer were the frocked ones gatekeepers on reaching heaven.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Yes, the printing press was something else but also printing it in English and not Latin was a shock to the system.  Took bible power of the church away.  No longer were the frocked ones gatekeepers on reaching heaven.

If I recall, like a lamb to the slaughter, the first dude to print a bible In English was burned at the stake, or got served a burnt steak, or something like that. Talk about falling on stony ground and a fall from grace.
There were another couple of attempts by people who didn't get gruesomely executed, but it was King James who, at the eleventh hour, managed to make the good book into something that wasn't all Greek to me. However, most now end up in the land of Nod when they try to read it.

My the way, I still have a 2 and 70 hand held but I no longer have my G0 - It expired and I didn't renew. I also have a  hand held RX that ranges from 0.5 to almost a gig.
It's lovely but it eats batteries so I don't use it much.

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Yes, the printing press was something else but also printing it in English and not Latin was a shock to the system.  Took bible power of the church away.  No longer were the frocked ones gatekeepers on reaching heaven.

If I recall, like a lamb to the slaughter, the first dude to print a bible In English was burned at the stake, or got served a burnt steak, or something like that. Talk about falling on stony ground and a fall from grace.
There were another couple of attempts by people who didn't get gruesomely executed, but it was King James who, at the eleventh hour, managed to make the good book into something that wasn't all Greek to me. However, most now end up in the land of Nod when they try to read it.

I dunno, I really like the stories in the Bible.  I don't mean for religious purposes but the spectacle of it all, especially the Hollywood technicolor version.  It's formed a considerable amount my interests in life (Hollywood, not the Bible).

Printing press was obviously a great mechanism for disseminating information to the masses. Suddenly everyone could know something (if they could read or knew someone who could). It's quite interesting here in former communist countries typewriters and photocopiers were severely restricted to stop people communicating. Now of course we have the Internet.  Modern mechanisms to create revolution. 

BTW, if you look at what's going on in Kazakhstan right now, it's falling apart and they've blocked the phones and Internet to try and stop protestors getting organised.  Meanwhile, the rich and corrupt have  fled the country (to Switzerland I believe).  Rumour mill says Putin flying is flying in his GRU and FSB people and Belarus prepared to send in riot police to help.   Weakens  Luka's position in BY and Putin doesn't really have a plan for this sudden blow up!

Fred wrote:

My the way, I still have a 2 and 70 hand held but I no longer have my G0 - It expired and I didn't renew. I also have a  hand held RX that ranges from 0.5 to almost a gig.
It's lovely but it eats batteries so I don't use it much.

Get a power adapter for it. I have a wideband receiver I listen to planes on when I feel like it.  We have many planes flying over us but it's not noisy.  They are usually transitioning at about 10,000 ft so we hardly hear them.  We also have many small planes and helicopters.  I like them but others complain about the noise. Pfff....not liking planes...come on people...

BTW, you can get your callsign back.  It's free to do and the licenses are now for life.   Just go to OFCOM's web site and register.  I just updated my details on there.  BTW, I'm a G1 so we must be very similar vintage.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Printing press was obviously a great mechanism for disseminating information to the masses.

Then came the internet - a great way of dissembling information to the masses

No hole for a power adaptor so I'd have to hook a wire to each terminal and find a PSU with a smooth enough output (or an external rechargeable)

I'll look at the ofcom site and see if I can do it

fluffy2560 wrote:

BTW, if you look at what's going on in Kazakhstan right now, it's falling apart and they've blocked the phones and Internet to try and stop protestors getting organised.  Meanwhile, the rich and corrupt have  fled the country (to Switzerland I believe).  Rumour mill says Putin flying is flying in his GRU and FSB people and Belarus prepared to send in riot police to help.   Weakens  Luka's position in BY and Putin doesn't really have a plan for this sudden blow up!

I have taken little interest in that country but I was aware it has notable oil reserves and produces a couple of thousand barrels a day. That means both east and west will see the humanitarian situation as urgent and want troops there.

Russia, unsurprisingly, has warned the west not to get all humanitarian (about the oil) and send troops to help the Russian humanitarian troops he sent in (that are absolutely nothing to do with oil.  )

One of the great beauties of using Chrome as a browser is the fantastic and always improving translate function. That means I can read news from all over the world regardless of what tongue it's in.
Latest reports from all sides confirm Russian troops have gone in to stop the riots and retake the airport.
There are reports of explosions (Some say stun grenades) and shots fired but it's all very unclear as to who is shooting at whom so far. It looks like the local cops shot at people who tried to storm the police headquarters - no shock there.
I have noticed some reporters are getting a bit creative with their photos. One was supposed to show a large crowd but the thinning off at the edges suggests there weren't that many people in that particular location at the time the reporter turned up. However, other photos show larger numbers actively in being naughty in general and burning buildings.
Whoever sends troops, let's hope the situation calms quickly because it's always ordinary people more interested in looking after families and paying the gas bill that suffer the most when politicians get interested in getting a bit more cash and power.

A quick look at TASS, the Russian propaganda news agency, says the terrorists are armed with guns and killing troops / cops.

https://tass.com/world/1384167https://tass.com/world/1384269

Demonstrations are now acts of terrorism by foreign trained gangs, but the 'terrorists' are 'protesters' in the western press and there's no mention so far of them being armed. Every outlet is saying at least 8 police/army/whatever were killed.

The real situation will come out eventually, but very little from any involved government because the propaganda value is way too high for them to tell the truth.

Fred wrote:

A quick look at TASS, the Russian propaganda news agency, says the terrorists are armed with guns and killing troops / cops.

https://tass.com/world/1384167https://tass.com/world/1384269

Demonstrations are now acts of terrorism by foreign trained gangs, but the 'terrorists' are 'protesters' in the western press and there's no mention so far of them being armed. Every outlet is saying at least 8 police/army/whatever were killed.

The real situation will come out eventually, but very little from any involved government because the propaganda value is way too high for them to tell the truth.

Oh yes, for sure.   Blah-blah on Tass or RT.  I find it really odd that nothing is being covered much by the BBC.  I knew about the situation in Kazakhstan in the afternoon from a contact and yet it didn't even turn up mentioned on the BBC until about 21h.   

BTW, I heard an interesting counter to the cliché of one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.   Terrorists don't engage politically but freedom fighters would do given the opportunity.

The counter was that terrorists are likely to target anyone, including civilians whereas freedom fighters are  focused on the military.    Well, I thought it was interesting.

I'm following Myanmar as well as I've been there a few times and people there are arming themselves with home made weapons.   Except the Army there have proper machine guns and are engaging in massacres.

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Printing press was obviously a great mechanism for disseminating information to the masses.

Then came the internet - a great way of dissembling information to the masses

No hole for a power adaptor so I'd have to hook a wire to each terminal and find a PSU with a smooth enough output (or an external rechargeable)

I'll look at the ofcom site and see if I can do it

I did say about the Internet.

More importantly I doubt it's more than a couple of amps for your scanner and probably 12V.  Get a cheapo PSU, cut the plug off and solder the cables in.  Couple of quid.

Ofcom is a weird site. Sometimes it's there, other times it's not.  But when it works, it works.  You need a UK address but they don't send mail anyway, it's all online.

Fred wrote:

...
I have taken little interest in that country but I was aware it has notable oil reserves and produces a couple of thousand barrels a day. That means both east and west will see the humanitarian situation as urgent and want troops there.

Russia, unsurprisingly, has warned the west not to get all humanitarian (about the oil) and send troops to help the Russian humanitarian troops he sent in (that are absolutely nothing to do with oil.  )

One of the great beauties of using Chrome as a browser is the fantastic and always improving translate function. That means I can read news from all over the world regardless of what tongue it's in.
Latest reports from all sides confirm Russian troops have gone in to stop the riots and retake the airport.
There are reports of explosions (Some say stun grenades) and shots fired but it's all very unclear as to who is shooting at whom so far. It looks like the local cops shot at people who tried to storm the police headquarters - no shock there.
I have noticed some reporters are getting a bit creative with their photos. One was supposed to show a large crowd but the thinning off at the edges suggests there weren't that many people in that particular location at the time the reporter turned up. However, other photos show larger numbers actively in being naughty in general and burning buildings.
Whoever sends troops, let's hope the situation calms quickly because it's always ordinary people more interested in looking after families and paying the gas bill that suffer the most when politicians get interested in getting a bit more cash and power.

Kazakhstan is a major oil and gas producing country.   More than a few thousand barrels a day.  Substantial.  It's also a huge country.  They cannot be everywhere at once. They will be really overstretched even with flying in foreign army/police. Some regions and towns are asserting their independence including their local militias.  It's looking like becoming a substantial rebellion.  Putin and Luka will be worried as will others. 

Remember the Arab Spring? How that snowballed and we ended up with the Syrian civil war and all the knock on effects and the rise of ISIS.  I was in Syria a few times and been to many of the famous sites.  It was a very interesting country.  It's criminal what has happened.  The ancient sites were decimated.  I almost cried at the loss of these places for stupidity. 

Gas bills will still go up.  It's more of a problem than just Putin playing silly bu**ers.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I'd say it's easy to see through the rhetoric and propaganda.

That's what they want you to think

fluffy2560 wrote:

Remember the Arab Spring? How that snowballed and we ended up with the Syrian civil war and all the knock on effects and the rise of ISIS.  .....It's criminal what has happened.  The ancient sites were decimated.  I almost cried at the loss of these places for stupidity.  .

I remember the first stories about ISIS. They were a bunch of cowards that attacked town AFTER major battles so there was almost no resistance, killed a bunch of people they didn't like, smashed up whatever they didn't think fitted their twisted version of Islam, then declared victory.
In their later years, they took a land but, odd as it was, only in oil fields and enough to cover supply lines into Turkey.
I'm sure that was just a coincidence - NOT!

As for them smashing up pre-Islamic sites - Anyone who tried to change history for political purposes is a dangerous git - That includes ISIS and anyone of that nature, a bunch of politicians that have already been named here, and that idiot woke lot. I see the lot as people the world would be a lot better off without.

Fred wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Remember the Arab Spring? How that snowballed and we ended up with the Syrian civil war and all the knock on effects and the rise of ISIS.  .....It's criminal what has happened.  The ancient sites were decimated.  I almost cried at the loss of these places for stupidity.  .

I remember the first stories about ISIS. They were a bunch of cowards that attacked town AFTER major battles so there was almost no resistance, killed a bunch of people they didn't like, smashed up whatever they didn't think fitted their twisted version of Islam, then declared victory.
In their later years, they took a land but, odd as it was, only in oil fields and enough to cover supply lines into Turkey.
I'm sure that was just a coincidence - NOT!

As for them smashing up pre-Islamic sites - Anyone who tried to change history for political purposes is a dangerous git - That includes ISIS and anyone of that nature, a bunch of politicians that have already been named here, and that idiot woke lot. I see the lot as people the world would be a lot better off without.

Some of those sites were 3000 years old and magnificent.  And I'd walked around a lot of them and have the photos to prove it.  It was an absolute crime against humanity.

ISIS needed the oil to finance their kind of war.   Syria has oil but not that much but it could have been a contribution to their financing.  Probably by far their biggest income would have been taxing the people either at the border or just as a levy on commerce.  Kind of extortion. 

Interesting thing is how FARC and others in Colombia paid for their insurgency - drugs etc.   Enslave a far away people (in the USA etc) by getting them addicted to  drugs while purporting to be freeing your own people into a communist utopia.  Sounds good - NOT.  Just corrupt.

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

LAMO

I don't hate Trump I just find him entertaining. My Twitter account is quite boring now.

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

Left wing news is rubbish
Right wing news is rubbish

The big trick is using your brain and realising both lie for political gain. 

SimCityAT wrote:

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

LAMO

I don't hate Trump I just find him entertaining. My Twitter account is quite boring now.

[img align=C]https://scontent.fvie2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/26231016_10155807343972279_7375777400649726802_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&cb=c578a115-c1c39920&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=VtvlZnVHYAAAX9efNPC&_nc_ht=scontent.fvie2-1.fna&oh=00_AT_6PRAm2hpZgR8a3jXhJhtxoLW5hTah5i0lE2OgFpReyg&oe=61FE282D[/url]

[img align=C]https://scontent.fvie2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/26169363_10155807344072279_6087657697922204889_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&cb=c578a115-c1c39920&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=8gUcbCt8tQ4AX_iJJkc&_nc_ht=scontent.fvie2-1.fna&oh=00_AT98gRE781XT3desnASD4bngHgpKVofVfPCV5U2YO6Ul9Q&oe=61FFB471[/url]

Every bloke's eyes were drawn to the top of the lady's dress, but did you see the terrorist with a cigarette?

OMG - Is that a Blackberry?

Paris was in Germany (and not only in 1940), and I wanted to go to Paris.

“If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed.
If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.”
- Mark Twain

Vicces1 wrote:

“If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed.
If you read the newspaper, you're mis-informed.”
- Mark Twain

That's a great quote!

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

I actually get my news from many sources to get a wider picture. I guess you just watch Fox news?

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

Controversial.  Nothing wrong with hating Trump. Everyone is entitled to hate him or unfortunately like him as their favourite cult leader.  From here, it looks like the US is so polarised, it's best to steer clear of both CNN and Fox who revel in inviting the wrong people and/or hiring extremists.   

From what I heard of it (I was in the car), I thought Kamala's speech on the anniversary of the storming of the Capitol was too simplistic.  Joe's speech was pedestrian at best.  I nearly fell asleep.  Like digesting a McDonalds Happy Meal - seems like you had something but you didn't really.  His points could have been summed up in a paragraph.   And if I was an American, I'd be supporting him simply because of anyone but Trump.

But anyway, @Jeffrey why not try the BBC or Euronews or The Economist?  Get  a wider view and less echo chamber. All proper journalists on those media channels, proper confirmed and triangulated sources and  not right or left wing nutters paid for by big business.

BTW, there's a BBC podcast segment on QAnon theories and how they led to the storming of the Capitol.  Find it here (skip to 26m 45s).

Fred wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

LAMO

I don't hate Trump I just find him entertaining. My Twitter account is quite boring now.

[img align=C]https://scontent.fvie2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/26231016_10155807343972279_7375777400649726802_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&cb=c578a115-c1c39920&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=VtvlZnVHYAAAX9efNPC&_nc_ht=scontent.fvie2-1.fna&oh=00_AT_6PRAm2hpZgR8a3jXhJhtxoLW5hTah5i0lE2OgFpReyg&oe=61FE282D[/url]

[img align=C]https://scontent.fvie2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/26169363_10155807344072279_6087657697922204889_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&cb=c578a115-c1c39920&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=8gUcbCt8tQ4AX_iJJkc&_nc_ht=scontent.fvie2-1.fna&oh=00_AT98gRE781XT3desnASD4bngHgpKVofVfPCV5U2YO6Ul9Q&oe=61FFB471[/url]

Every bloke's eyes were drawn to the top of the lady's dress, but did you see the terrorist with a cigarette?

I don't think that can be very recent. I doubt anyone can smoke inside a pub or beer fest these days.   

Blackberry support has been withdrawn so it must be 10+ years old that picture.

Hilton hotels, meh, not that great.  And neither is she.

Fred wrote:

Jeffrey Kretsch wrote:

For All the Trump haters: TRY to steer away from CNN and other similar garbage news and you might hear some actual news!

Left wing news is rubbish
Right wing news is rubbish

The big trick is using your brain and realising both lie for political gain. 

Is it really a big trick Fred?

There has to be  some level of analysis and depth to rejection of the left and right manifestos. 

I might even put it in terms of deprogramming or even de-radicalisation etc.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Hilton hotels, meh, not that great.  And neither is she.

There are 2 types of Hilton Hotels

Hilton national = which are sh^t

Hilton International = Much better (All are 5*)

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Hilton hotels, meh, not that great.  And neither is she.

There are 2 types of Hilton Hotels

Hilton national = which are sh^t

Hilton International = Much better (All are 5*)

I've stayed in quite a few Hilton International hotels.   

They were much the same as any other hotel like the Hyatt etc. 

Nothing special really.

As a brand, very much meh and same for Paris Hilton, meh.

Fred wrote:

Paris was in Germany (and not only in 1940), and I wanted to go to Paris.

Maybe it's:

You can take the Germany out of Paris  (in 1940s) but you cannot take the Paris out of Germany.

fluffy2560 wrote:

And if I was an American, I'd be supporting him simply because of anyone but Trump.

It's a bit hard not to notice how US political parties seem to do their best to pick utter cretins to represent them. Trump didn't win his election, Clinton lost it because she was the bigger idiot. Biden did win, but not because he's actually useful.
None of the last few have been good for anything except for comedians' material, but at least Trump's hair was a laugh.
However, China and Russia loved Trump. He pissed off so many people, he made their job so much easier ... and they took full advantage of it.
Quite why any American would vote for Trump, Clinton, or Biden is beyond my understanding - they're all bloody useless to US domestic politics, and even worse on the international stage.