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United States43851 Posts
On April 08 2026 23:48 Manit0u wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:13 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 23:03 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:59 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:56 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:52 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:45 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 17:46 oBlade wrote:
Everyone except Iran, you mean, which is also much better off, having defeated several US Navy torpedoes with the hulls of its ships. Again, to be clear, your stance is that there is no Iran and hasn't been for over a month now. Update: Looks like they have managed to get enough command and control and central authority back to agree to a 2 week cease fire before their civilization ceased to exist. Wow, that seems like a pretty huge thing for you to miss. The country ceased to exist and then popped right back out of the blue. Really makes you wonder if you're getting your information from quality sources. It just popped right back. Like an underwater mine. lol I never claimed that bottom mines had been destroyed. You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". Take your licks man, you worked hard for them. In other news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Iranian Navy is still in control of the strait and that ships are still stuck awaiting Iranian permission before they pass. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-2026-trump-deadline-latest-news/card/iranian-navy-tells-ships-they-still-need-permission-to-transit-hormuz-FMzNRiVrAIPGWczJDXwFNo non Iranian ships have passed since Trump declared the strait open. Since they haven't been destroyed, have you considered that part of the cowardly surrender of the US by Trump to Iran might be that part of the deal goals Tehran has in mind is that that Tehran wants ships to be able to pass so they can tax them, but do not have the capability to undo/disarm/clear the enormous mine threat that they themselves have definitely set up and really exists? In other words, the US agrees to de-mine to share the lucrative toll profits? You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". No, I used my own mind and composed a sentence for rhetorical effect. Have you ever done that? You've latched to it and taken it quite literally forever, because despite having a family I guess misunderstanding shit on purpose is more fun. But don't take things too literally all the time. Like I mean obviously you weren't being literal when you said someone should blow up SCOTUS, and I would never make such an assumption that would hold you to so low a standard. And how do you suppose the US is going to de-mine the strait for the Iranians? With their whole 2 vessels capable of doing that which have been decomissioned last year or something like that? The takeaways from this whole situation are: - Iran is in control of the Strait of Hormuz - US is incapable on delivering on their threats so its overall position as a military superpower has been diminished - The oil shock will hit at the end of April and there's nothing anyone can do about it at this point
oblade is on record as believing that any mines, if they even exist, have been swept away by currents. Once I explained to him that in shallow waters like this which Iran would want to control but not fully interdict they would likely use remotely activated bottom mines which rest inert on the sea floor he was gracious enough to let us know that actually he had heard of bottom mines and definitely knew those were a thing.
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On April 08 2026 23:32 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:27 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:23 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:19 PoulsenB wrote:
This entire thread is people writing essays at each other for hundreds and hundreds of pages, perpetually failing to convince the other side they are right. It's amazing to see and read through. As I've said before, I'm not expecting any three-time Trump voters to wake up because of the TL.net politics megathread. I just don't want it to turn into a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys. You'd be better off ignoring them than helping make the thread a demonstration of their points about libs while thinking you're winning/convincing the elusive swinglurker. This page could be talking about your general strike, instead it will be more mock and gawk spam. For someone who admitted nobody cares about their opinion, you sure like to offer unsolicited advice a lot.
So instead of engaging with a potential ally on a mutual interest of critical importance you'd prefer to be petty and petulant. That's actually a great way to turn any place into "a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys".
The only thing you guys are convincing the "uninformed passerbys" of is that libs are basically what Republicans tell them they are.
If no one here is even going to participate in your general strike then it really only reinforces the point Artesimo was making
it feels like the general population in the US is exercising criminal negligence
+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2026 07:31 Artesimo wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 07:18 LightSpectra wrote:
We had the three largest protests in our country's history back-to-back and we're trying to organize a general strike. If you want to say that's not enough, ok, hard to argue with that given what's going on, but it's not nothing. Its not nothing, but it also doesn't blow me away. + Show Spoiler +The rise of the AfD back in 2024 sparked protests in multiple cities that had almost a million people attending in total. Not as much as the no kings protests, even when comparing it to per capita, but also for a cause that is a lot less severe. I would have hoped for more pushback from his own party because the voter base doesn't accept the scandals, I would expect more news about people resigning in protest and the like. And when I talk to my american friends none of them like trump, all of them think he is a horrible danger and all that, but barely any of them did any kind of activism against it. Some of them attended the mentioned protests and confronted relatives about the shit they are supporting, but that is about it.I swear talking to many of them feels exactly like when I talk to some of my russian friends about their government. The people that my american friends not too long ago told me should rise up and sort out their much more oppressive government. It is extremely frustrating to watch from afar and quite worrying because it makes me wonder what the cause of all that complacency is and if its just a matter of time before people act the same over here.
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On April 08 2026 23:52 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:48 Manit0u wrote:On April 08 2026 23:13 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 23:03 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:59 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:56 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:52 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:45 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 17:46 oBlade wrote:
Everyone except Iran, you mean, which is also much better off, having defeated several US Navy torpedoes with the hulls of its ships. Again, to be clear, your stance is that there is no Iran and hasn't been for over a month now. Update: Looks like they have managed to get enough command and control and central authority back to agree to a 2 week cease fire before their civilization ceased to exist. Wow, that seems like a pretty huge thing for you to miss. The country ceased to exist and then popped right back out of the blue. Really makes you wonder if you're getting your information from quality sources. It just popped right back. Like an underwater mine. lol I never claimed that bottom mines had been destroyed. You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". Take your licks man, you worked hard for them. In other news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Iranian Navy is still in control of the strait and that ships are still stuck awaiting Iranian permission before they pass. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-2026-trump-deadline-latest-news/card/iranian-navy-tells-ships-they-still-need-permission-to-transit-hormuz-FMzNRiVrAIPGWczJDXwFNo non Iranian ships have passed since Trump declared the strait open. Since they haven't been destroyed, have you considered that part of the cowardly surrender of the US by Trump to Iran might be that part of the deal goals Tehran has in mind is that that Tehran wants ships to be able to pass so they can tax them, but do not have the capability to undo/disarm/clear the enormous mine threat that they themselves have definitely set up and really exists? In other words, the US agrees to de-mine to share the lucrative toll profits? You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". No, I used my own mind and composed a sentence for rhetorical effect. Have you ever done that? You've latched to it and taken it quite literally forever, because despite having a family I guess misunderstanding shit on purpose is more fun. But don't take things too literally all the time. Like I mean obviously you weren't being literal when you said someone should blow up SCOTUS, and I would never make such an assumption that would hold you to so low a standard. And how do you suppose the US is going to de-mine the strait for the Iranians? With their whole 2 vessels capable of doing that which have been decomissioned last year or something like that? The takeaways from this whole situation are: - Iran is in control of the Strait of Hormuz - US is incapable on delivering on their threats so its overall position as a military superpower has been diminished - The oil shock will hit at the end of April and there's nothing anyone can do about it at this point oblade is on record as believing that any mines, if they even exist, have been swept away by currents.
Pure hallucination.
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I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith.
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United States43851 Posts
On April 08 2026 23:56 oBlade wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:52 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 23:48 Manit0u wrote:On April 08 2026 23:13 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 23:03 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:59 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:56 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:52 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:45 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 17:46 oBlade wrote:
Everyone except Iran, you mean, which is also much better off, having defeated several US Navy torpedoes with the hulls of its ships. Again, to be clear, your stance is that there is no Iran and hasn't been for over a month now. Update: Looks like they have managed to get enough command and control and central authority back to agree to a 2 week cease fire before their civilization ceased to exist. Wow, that seems like a pretty huge thing for you to miss. The country ceased to exist and then popped right back out of the blue. Really makes you wonder if you're getting your information from quality sources. It just popped right back. Like an underwater mine. lol I never claimed that bottom mines had been destroyed. You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". Take your licks man, you worked hard for them. In other news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Iranian Navy is still in control of the strait and that ships are still stuck awaiting Iranian permission before they pass. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-2026-trump-deadline-latest-news/card/iranian-navy-tells-ships-they-still-need-permission-to-transit-hormuz-FMzNRiVrAIPGWczJDXwFNo non Iranian ships have passed since Trump declared the strait open. Since they haven't been destroyed, have you considered that part of the cowardly surrender of the US by Trump to Iran might be that part of the deal goals Tehran has in mind is that that Tehran wants ships to be able to pass so they can tax them, but do not have the capability to undo/disarm/clear the enormous mine threat that they themselves have definitely set up and really exists? In other words, the US agrees to de-mine to share the lucrative toll profits? You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". No, I used my own mind and composed a sentence for rhetorical effect. Have you ever done that? You've latched to it and taken it quite literally forever, because despite having a family I guess misunderstanding shit on purpose is more fun. But don't take things too literally all the time. Like I mean obviously you weren't being literal when you said someone should blow up SCOTUS, and I would never make such an assumption that would hold you to so low a standard. And how do you suppose the US is going to de-mine the strait for the Iranians? With their whole 2 vessels capable of doing that which have been decomissioned last year or something like that? The takeaways from this whole situation are: - Iran is in control of the Strait of Hormuz - US is incapable on delivering on their threats so its overall position as a military superpower has been diminished - The oil shock will hit at the end of April and there's nothing anyone can do about it at this point oblade is on record as believing that any mines, if they even exist, have been swept away by currents. Pure hallucination.
lol
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On April 08 2026 23:50 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +The President of the United States has told me - and he's told the entire negotiating team, secretary of state, the special envoy Steve Witkoff - he said go and work in good faith to come to an agreement. He's impatient. He's impatient to make progress. - JD Vance For context the ghostwriter who wrote Art of the Deal got Trump to agree to the worst deal in the history of publishing. The ghostwriter broke all industry norms and got Trump to agree to his name on the jacket and a percentage of the back end when it normally would have been a fixed fee job. Guy made millions on a job for which he should have been paid thousands and Trump just gave it to him because he couldn't be bothered to check what a ghostwriter normally gets paid. Anyone thinking that Trump won't settle for keeping the Statue of Liberty here and declaring victory doesn't know Trump.
That honestly sounds like a person who is pretty good at negotiating. Maybe the Art of the Deal is actually worth reading? Not that i am gonna give any money to Trump.
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On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith.
He’s not fake, he’s fringe. The fringes end up sounding the same because they get their information from the same sources, just with branding that fits their fringe view.
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On April 08 2026 23:19 PoulsenB wrote:
This entire thread is people writing essays at each other for hundreds and hundreds of pages, perpetually failing to convince the other side they are right. It's amazing to see and read through.
As with many other debates and discussions, the intent is sometimes to persuade the curious fence-sitting lurkers / readers / viewers / audience, not the individual you're actually arguing with. (Of course, that doesn't mean that any of us is doing a particularly great job of persuading those who are undecided, lol.)
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Great victory in Iran and at the gas stations, let‘s see where the Führers wise gaze will wander now.
+ Show Spoiler +
Maybe JDV didn‘t just get stuffed with goulash while on visit and can hammer some sense into him instead of trying to break up the EU.
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On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith.
You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge.
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On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:53 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:32 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:27 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:23 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:19 PoulsenB wrote:
This entire thread is people writing essays at each other for hundreds and hundreds of pages, perpetually failing to convince the other side they are right. It's amazing to see and read through. As I've said before, I'm not expecting any three-time Trump voters to wake up because of the TL.net politics megathread. I just don't want it to turn into a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys. You'd be better off ignoring them than helping make the thread a demonstration of their points about libs while thinking you're winning/convincing the elusive swinglurker. This page could be talking about your general strike, instead it will be more mock and gawk spam. For someone who admitted nobody cares about their opinion, you sure like to offer unsolicited advice a lot. So instead of engaging with a potential ally on a mutual interest of critical importance you'd prefer to be petty and petulant. That's actually a great way to turn any place into "a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys". The only thing you guys are convincing the "uninformed passerbys" of is that libs are basically what Republicans tell them they are. If no one here is even going to participate in your general strike then it really only reinforces the point Artesimo was making it feels like the general population in the US is exercising criminal negligence
+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2026 07:31 Artesimo wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 07:18 LightSpectra wrote:
We had the three largest protests in our country's history back-to-back and we're trying to organize a general strike. If you want to say that's not enough, ok, hard to argue with that given what's going on, but it's not nothing. Its not nothing, but it also doesn't blow me away. + Show Spoiler +The rise of the AfD back in 2024 sparked protests in multiple cities that had almost a million people attending in total. Not as much as the no kings protests, even when comparing it to per capita, but also for a cause that is a lot less severe. I would have hoped for more pushback from his own party because the voter base doesn't accept the scandals, I would expect more news about people resigning in protest and the like. And when I talk to my american friends none of them like trump, all of them think he is a horrible danger and all that, but barely any of them did any kind of activism against it. Some of them attended the mentioned protests and confronted relatives about the shit they are supporting, but that is about it.I swear talking to many of them feels exactly like when I talk to some of my russian friends about their government. The people that my american friends not too long ago told me should rise up and sort out their much more oppressive government. It is extremely frustrating to watch from afar and quite worrying because it makes me wonder what the cause of all that complacency is and if its just a matter of time before people act the same over here. I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith.
Did I do that? Because I'm pretty sure what you're misremembering is me responding to someone else making an argument about Hitler vs Hitler+.
So you've got "fake left-wingers" and "tankies" to your left (trying to advance your general strike attempt in a major city it isn't currently happening in), and MAGA centrists fascists to your right, so who are the "real left wingers" here that are participating in your general strike attempt? Or are all of them too busy mocking and gawking?
On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge.
It really is something.
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On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge.
I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party.
On April 09 2026 00:31 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:53 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:32 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:27 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:23 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:19 PoulsenB wrote:
This entire thread is people writing essays at each other for hundreds and hundreds of pages, perpetually failing to convince the other side they are right. It's amazing to see and read through. As I've said before, I'm not expecting any three-time Trump voters to wake up because of the TL.net politics megathread. I just don't want it to turn into a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys. You'd be better off ignoring them than helping make the thread a demonstration of their points about libs while thinking you're winning/convincing the elusive swinglurker. This page could be talking about your general strike, instead it will be more mock and gawk spam. For someone who admitted nobody cares about their opinion, you sure like to offer unsolicited advice a lot. So instead of engaging with a potential ally on a mutual interest of critical importance you'd prefer to be petty and petulant. That's actually a great way to turn any place into "a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys". The only thing you guys are convincing the "uninformed passerbys" of is that libs are basically what Republicans tell them they are. If no one here is even going to participate in your general strike then it really only reinforces the point Artesimo was making it feels like the general population in the US is exercising criminal negligence
+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2026 07:31 Artesimo wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 07:18 LightSpectra wrote:
We had the three largest protests in our country's history back-to-back and we're trying to organize a general strike. If you want to say that's not enough, ok, hard to argue with that given what's going on, but it's not nothing. Its not nothing, but it also doesn't blow me away. + Show Spoiler +The rise of the AfD back in 2024 sparked protests in multiple cities that had almost a million people attending in total. Not as much as the no kings protests, even when comparing it to per capita, but also for a cause that is a lot less severe. I would have hoped for more pushback from his own party because the voter base doesn't accept the scandals, I would expect more news about people resigning in protest and the like. And when I talk to my american friends none of them like trump, all of them think he is a horrible danger and all that, but barely any of them did any kind of activism against it. Some of them attended the mentioned protests and confronted relatives about the shit they are supporting, but that is about it.I swear talking to many of them feels exactly like when I talk to some of my russian friends about their government. The people that my american friends not too long ago told me should rise up and sort out their much more oppressive government. It is extremely frustrating to watch from afar and quite worrying because it makes me wonder what the cause of all that complacency is and if its just a matter of time before people act the same over here. I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. Did I do that? Because I'm pretty sure what you're misremembering is me responding to someone else making an argument about Hitler vs Hitler+.
Sure fam
So you've got "fake left-wingers" and "tankies" to your left (trying to advance your general strike attempt in a major city it isn't currently happening in),
They're not on the left. They exist to perpetuate right-wing policies while appropriating left-wing terminology.
and MAGA centrists fascists to your right, so who are the "real left wingers" here that are participating in your general strike attempt?
Once again, acting like the TL.net politics megathread is some sort of proxy for greater society at large when there's like 10 Americans here at most is exceedingly strange behavior. If I thought Chuck Schumer himself was reading here I would probably be posting differently.
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United States43851 Posts
On April 09 2026 00:34 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge. I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party.
In a Parliamentary system you don’t vote for a leader, you vote for a MP in a simple plurality race. In almost every constituency a Green vote is a non vote. You vote against Reform/Tories or you vote for them.
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On April 09 2026 00:36 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:34 LightSpectra wrote:On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge. I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party. In a Parliamentary system you don’t vote for a leader, you vote for a MP in a simple plurality race. In almost every constituency a Green vote is a non vote. You vote against Reform/Tories or you vote for them.
I do advocate for strategic voting to keep out the worst party in a FPTP electoral system, so in that sense there is a scenario where I'd be voting Labour with Keir Starmer as the leader if otherwise my MP would be Reform. But I still wouldn't go around saying Starmer is the best possible option or calling him progressive.
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On April 08 2026 23:56 oBlade wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 23:52 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 23:48 Manit0u wrote:On April 08 2026 23:13 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 23:03 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:59 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:56 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 22:52 oBlade wrote:On April 08 2026 22:45 KwarK wrote:On April 08 2026 17:46 oBlade wrote:
Everyone except Iran, you mean, which is also much better off, having defeated several US Navy torpedoes with the hulls of its ships. Again, to be clear, your stance is that there is no Iran and hasn't been for over a month now. Update: Looks like they have managed to get enough command and control and central authority back to agree to a 2 week cease fire before their civilization ceased to exist. Wow, that seems like a pretty huge thing for you to miss. The country ceased to exist and then popped right back out of the blue. Really makes you wonder if you're getting your information from quality sources. It just popped right back. Like an underwater mine. lol I never claimed that bottom mines had been destroyed. You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". Take your licks man, you worked hard for them. In other news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Iranian Navy is still in control of the strait and that ships are still stuck awaiting Iranian permission before they pass. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-2026-trump-deadline-latest-news/card/iranian-navy-tells-ships-they-still-need-permission-to-transit-hormuz-FMzNRiVrAIPGWczJDXwFNo non Iranian ships have passed since Trump declared the strait open. Since they haven't been destroyed, have you considered that part of the cowardly surrender of the US by Trump to Iran might be that part of the deal goals Tehran has in mind is that that Tehran wants ships to be able to pass so they can tax them, but do not have the capability to undo/disarm/clear the enormous mine threat that they themselves have definitely set up and really exists? In other words, the US agrees to de-mine to share the lucrative toll profits? You heard that Iran had somehow been caught off guard by the attack Trump had been threatening to do for a decade and had instantly ceased to exist after air strikes and thought "yeah, that sounds plausible, I'm going to start repeating that, I bet nobody will laugh at me". No, I used my own mind and composed a sentence for rhetorical effect. Have you ever done that? You've latched to it and taken it quite literally forever, because despite having a family I guess misunderstanding shit on purpose is more fun. But don't take things too literally all the time. Like I mean obviously you weren't being literal when you said someone should blow up SCOTUS, and I would never make such an assumption that would hold you to so low a standard. And how do you suppose the US is going to de-mine the strait for the Iranians? With their whole 2 vessels capable of doing that which have been decomissioned last year or something like that? The takeaways from this whole situation are: - Iran is in control of the Strait of Hormuz - US is incapable on delivering on their threats so its overall position as a military superpower has been diminished - The oil shock will hit at the end of April and there's nothing anyone can do about it at this point oblade is on record as believing that any mines, if they even exist, have been swept away by currents. Pure hallucination.
That's your source of information? ;-)
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On April 09 2026 00:34 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge. I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party. Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:31 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:53 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:32 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:27 GreenHorizons wrote:On April 08 2026 23:23 LightSpectra wrote:On April 08 2026 23:19 PoulsenB wrote:
This entire thread is people writing essays at each other for hundreds and hundreds of pages, perpetually failing to convince the other side they are right. It's amazing to see and read through. As I've said before, I'm not expecting any three-time Trump voters to wake up because of the TL.net politics megathread. I just don't want it to turn into a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys. You'd be better off ignoring them than helping make the thread a demonstration of their points about libs while thinking you're winning/convincing the elusive swinglurker. This page could be talking about your general strike, instead it will be more mock and gawk spam. For someone who admitted nobody cares about their opinion, you sure like to offer unsolicited advice a lot. So instead of engaging with a potential ally on a mutual interest of critical importance you'd prefer to be petty and petulant. That's actually a great way to turn any place into "a far-right shithole used to radicalize politically uninformed passerbys". The only thing you guys are convincing the "uninformed passerbys" of is that libs are basically what Republicans tell them they are. If no one here is even going to participate in your general strike then it really only reinforces the point Artesimo was making it feels like the general population in the US is exercising criminal negligence
+ Show Spoiler +On April 08 2026 07:31 Artesimo wrote:Show nested quote +On April 08 2026 07:18 LightSpectra wrote:
We had the three largest protests in our country's history back-to-back and we're trying to organize a general strike. If you want to say that's not enough, ok, hard to argue with that given what's going on, but it's not nothing. Its not nothing, but it also doesn't blow me away. + Show Spoiler +The rise of the AfD back in 2024 sparked protests in multiple cities that had almost a million people attending in total. Not as much as the no kings protests, even when comparing it to per capita, but also for a cause that is a lot less severe. I would have hoped for more pushback from his own party because the voter base doesn't accept the scandals, I would expect more news about people resigning in protest and the like. And when I talk to my american friends none of them like trump, all of them think he is a horrible danger and all that, but barely any of them did any kind of activism against it. Some of them attended the mentioned protests and confronted relatives about the shit they are supporting, but that is about it.I swear talking to many of them feels exactly like when I talk to some of my russian friends about their government. The people that my american friends not too long ago told me should rise up and sort out their much more oppressive government. It is extremely frustrating to watch from afar and quite worrying because it makes me wonder what the cause of all that complacency is and if its just a matter of time before people act the same over here. I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. Did I do that? Because I'm pretty sure what you're misremembering is me responding to someone else making an argument about Hitler vs Hitler+. Sure famShow nested quote +So you've got "fake left-wingers" and "tankies" to your left (trying to advance your general strike attempt in a major city it isn't currently happening in), They're not on the left. They exist to perpetuate right-wing policies while appropriating left-wing terminology. Show nested quote +and MAGA centrists fascists to your right, so who are the "real left wingers" here that are participating in your general strike attempt? Once again, acting like the TL.net politics megathread is some sort of proxy for greater society at large when there's like 10 Americans here at most is exceedingly strange behavior. If I thought Chuck Schumer himself was reading here I would probably be posting differently.
Yeah, I think you need to reread that post or have someone explain it to you? I am literally responding to DanHH's "Hitler vs Hitler+" point.
TL is a small sample of a piece of society. It's far from perfectly representative, and I don't act like it is anything else.
If you don't want to work on helping me bring your effort at a general strike to a major city, let me ask, are you under the impression you are the furthest left (here and) you can go before you start falling into this "fake-left" or "tankie" territory?
On April 09 2026 00:36 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:34 LightSpectra wrote:On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge. I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party. In a Parliamentary system you don’t vote for a leader, you vote for a MP in a simple plurality race. In almost every constituency a Green vote is a non vote. You vote against Reform/Tories or you vote for them.
That's pretty funny.
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On April 09 2026 00:47 GreenHorizons wrote:
Yeah, I think you need to reread that post or have someone explain it to you? I am literally responding to DanHH's "Hitler vs Hitler+" point.
I read through the entire conversation chain. It was you saying Democrats are genocidal and voting for them is going to doom us all because electoralism is a failed strategy. (This was before you decided 'electoralism' has a myopic meaning that nobody else shares when using that word.)
It is a small sample of a piece of society. It's far from perfectly representative, and I don't act like it is anything else.
Do you think a general strike in a country of ~350,000,000 is going to succeed or fail based on the ~5 left-leaning people in the TL.net politics megathread?
If you don't want to work on helping me bring your effort at a general strike to a major city,
I don't know what city you live in, or even if you live in the USA at all. Since you have repeatedly insisted you participate in grassroots socialist activities, you can confer with them about the best way to participate. Realistically I expect you to be shitting on anyone working for a strike, like you decided to shit on Mamdani when you realized he wouldn't be a divisive figure among Democrats.
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United States43851 Posts
The fundamental issue here is one of Trump’s leadership. He has completely failed to make the case for war, both internationally and at home. The entirely worthwhile goal of the end of IRGC rule in Iran was only going to be achieved by a land invasion, something which the US is absolutely capable of doing. The superiority of US forces is not a question here, we saw that in the air war and the rescue operation. If the US puts a million men in Iraq then the writing is on the wall.
And at that point the IRGC feels real pressure. They know they’re going to end up hanged in the town square for the January massacres. There’s no strategy that can save them there, in a pure test of arms they lose, and they lose absolutely. In that scenario they can’t leverage the strait or missiles or play for time, they’re deeply unpopular and without a local monopoly of force they cease to exist. They can impose costs on the world but America has already gone all in, imposing costs and saying you’ll remove them under certain conditions is a negotiating position that doesn’t work against an all in adversary.
But that’s not what happened. Not only has a substantial US force not crossed into Iran, mobilization of one hasn’t started. The IRGC know that there’s no military threat, that they just need to focus on internal security and play for time with imposing costs on the world. The US has outlined their win condition for them, survive and wait.
And at this point, after all that has happened, after all the threats and declarations of victory, I think it is too late for Trump to pivot to a real plan. It’s too late to mobilize and commit to a full ground war. Too many countries have been alienated, too much economic pain has been inflicted, the message is lost.
And that’s why this is solely a crisis of US leadership. In January after the massacres the case was right there, waiting to be made. You fill the strategic oil reserves, both domestically and abroad in China/Japan etc. You keep the public message laser focused on those massacres, you know the strait will be closed, you don’t care, your mission is just, you’re prepared to pay the cost. The closure isn’t something Iran is doing in response to Israeli strikes, Israel isn’t even involved, this is something the IRGC is doing in an attempt to escape accountability for their crimes against the people of Iran. You flood the region with interceptors, you redeploy naval assets, both yours and those of your coalition partners (because you built a coalition this time). And then, after months of prep, you start moving troops to Iraq.
Nothing to do with nuclear enrichment (dealt with in 2025) or Hezbollah (being an Israeli proxy wins you no friends). The message is clear and has been repeated daily for months, you’re not at war with the people of Iran, you’re prosecuting the IRGC for crimes against humanity. And you will succeed, it’s not in doubt, the US military is deployed for full occupation. There’s only 20 million barrels coming out the gulf daily, the world could easily stomach 6 months of interdiction with filled up storage. The US leads that, releasing oil and gas from storage at previous prices, but Japan etc. have substantial storage capability as well. IRGC loyalists know that it’s over and flee to Russia because it’s not like they’re going to defeat the US Army.
But none of that happened. Trump spent the months after the January massacres threatening to invade NATO and then announced war with Iran at random one evening. Since then he has insulted every US ally, declared this to be a religious campaign of genocide that nobody can get behind, spiked costs for people all around the world, and has yet to make any kind of credible threat against the IRGC regime itself. The US people don’t even know why they’re at war, they don’t believe in it, and given this is a war against an objectively evil regime that’s an absurd failure. This is the worst of all timelines, Trump is the one US President who could start a war with Iran with the full resources of the US military, economy, and alliance system behind him and then lose the fucking thing.
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Northern Ireland26521 Posts
On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith.
I don’t think that lacking any pragmatic political instincts whatsoever necessarily means one is fake or not engaging in good faith
I wouldn’t ally with someone so perpetually wrong and incapable of compromise or admitting miscalculations, but I do think it comes from an earnest place
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On April 09 2026 00:34 LightSpectra wrote:Show nested quote +On April 09 2026 00:29 Jockmcplop wrote:On April 08 2026 23:56 LightSpectra wrote:
I don't consider someone who compared Kamala Harris to Hitler and constantly repeats right-wing talking points to be an ally. That's an important thing to teach to passerbys, that fake left-wingers/tankies aren't on the same side as progressives and should rarely be assumed to be engaging in good faith. You have no idea how hilarious this sounds being from the UK where the apparently progressive 'socialist' Kier Starmer is in charge. I don't follow UK news super closely but his policies on trans people and austerity seem right-wing, just less so than Reform/UKIP. If I lived there I would vote Green Party.
Exactly my point.
When he ran for Labour leadership and was in 'insanely bad faith' mode like all centrists and progressives, he claimed he was a socialist, claimed he wanted to completely rebalance the economy to redistribute wealth to the poor etc.
Then he got power and just stuck with tory conservative policy on most things.
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EPT![[image loading]](https://media1.tenor.com/m/pCpR0KSCg28AAAAC/mr-chow-the-hangover.gif)
