:sparkle: necromancy :sparkle:





Nietzsche's cat

, ahh no, the quote was your average rambling point from a movie. :D Vaguely related, might let you know if you need to pay special attention in the future.

Nice start of an explanation, though. Please go on. — just above

Please do. Looking forward to checking later.

Diagrams too. The forum supports drag-and-drop, should be easy for you to attach.

, I'm not going to quote, it'd seem like fingerpointing. If you feel fingerpointed, then nope.

Who do you think the establishment is? It's just guys like me. Their desks are bigger, but their jobs aren't. They don't conspire, they buy boats. — Quentin · Cube (1997)

Nice start of an explanation, though. Please go on.

A theme running through certain comments, often implicitly:
The state is an alien Kafkaesque entity, remote and distanced from oneself.
(Almost like an implicit definition.)
What's up with that?

Will this work? What do you think?

The Kremlin wants ‘real men’ to prove themselves by joining the fight in Ukraine
^{— Yuliya Talmazan · NBC News · Apr 22, 2023}

A military recruitment sign in Moscow reads "Our profession - is defending Motherland." Ads like this have increasingly been popping up in recent months.

“Did you dream of becoming this kind of a defender?” the advertisement asks as it shows the security guard manning an entrance to a grocery shop, next to a produce stand.

Defending, defender? How about attacking and attacker? Or be "real men" like Navalny or Kara-Murza?

Anyway, hard to assess whether these moves are telling of the situation. Running low on mercs?

Once the called the "breadbasket" of the Soviet Union, then of Europe, moving control thereof from Kyiv to the Kremlin would be a win for Putin, both in terms of economy, control and political stature at home.

Russia smuggling Ukrainian grain to help pay for Putin's war
^{— Michael Biesecker, Sarah El Deeb, Beatrice Dupuy · AP News · Oct 3, 2022}

The Russians “have an absolute obligation to ensure that civilians are cared for and to not deprive them their ability of a livelihood and an ability to feed themselves,” said David Crane, a veteran prosecutor who has been involved in numerous international war crime investigations. “It’s just pure pillaging and looting, and that is also an actionable offense under international military law.”

Larger Wheat Harvest in Ukraine Than Expected
^{— NASA · Dec 4, 2022}

However, Russia will likely reap the benefit of a significant portion of the close to 27-million-ton wheat crop, said Skakun. The analysis showed that 5.8 million tons of wheat was harvested from areas that were not under Ukrainian control. That represents a loss of at least $1 billion, Abbassian noted.

Exclusive: Crimea showers Syria with wheat, Ukraine cries foul
^{— Jonathan Saul, Maha El Dahan, Maya Gebeily, Nigel Hunt, Pavel Polityuk, Frank Jack Daniel · Reuters · Dec 19, 2022}

Russia's agriculture and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. In May, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described as "fake" the allegations Russia has stolen grain during what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine.

Yeah, thieves grabbed more than land. For some reason, I'd (personally) prefer the "breadbasket" under Kyiv than the Kremlin, regardless of what Ukraine is the "breadbasket" of. Poor assessment on my part?

, right, anarchy (true individualism, absence of organized state, or whatever) is "unstable" by nature, tending away therefrom, like the 1 anarchist being overcome by 2 cooperators. I guess that's sort of what I meant by ...

The true anarchist/individualist is always outnumbered. Will it be by organized thugs or a democratic majority? Or will they be alone? Choosing the "least bad" is rational. — Apr 21, 2023

An observation regarding taxes...

The places I call home have what some would call fairly high taxes. Yet, I know a few ordinary families with, say, more than one car. Societies with public transportation and self-made rich folks. And reasonable general standard of living.

Such like suggests (to me at least) that anti-taxers go by (dogmatic) ideology, but I could surely be wrong.

I suppose the next time someone brings up gun violence in the US I will recommend them to immigrate somewhere with stricter gun laws. :snicker: — Tzeentch

Fair enough.

↪Mikie Apparently the basic function of states wasn't clear to some, and you asked for it so there you go. — Tzeentch

The true anarchist/individualist is always outnumbered. Will it be by organized thugs or a democratic majority? Or will they be alone? Choosing the "least bad" is rational.

Communism proposes the absence of a state and self-governance. That doesn't imply taxes. — Tzeentch

That wasn't the point. It's like a 100% tax throughout.

^{(more of a semantic/dictionary difference, like "state" versus whatever you might call it, not all that relevant in this context)}

The plot thickens ...

Text messages reveal Trump operatives considered using breached voting data to decertify Georgia’s Senate runoff in 2021
^{— Zachary Cohen, Sara Murray, Jason Morris, Paula Reid · CNN · Apr 21, 2023}

, well, you're not going to get executed for not paying taxes. :D

In the US you could (conditionally) get 5 years behind bars, according to H&R Block; apparently something similar in Canada. (I'm no expert on this stuff though. Don't we have some lawyers in the forum?)

In the US, it seems more likely you'd be gunned down in a school shooting.

But, if it's such an issue, you could go to the Caymans (or find a good spot in Baffin Bay and do your own thing) or something? Isn't that the sort of thing you're suggesting?

By the way, Somalia has no taxes, but I wouldn't recommend going there. (Hint?)

, let me put it this way, I don't mind paying taxes. Otherwise I'd vote for the anarchists.

Hmm ...?

Anyway

Against taxes then, more or less like @NOS4A2. — yes?

, this response didn't respond to any of the comment but instead restated what you've mentioned earlier. :shrug: (← need icon :smile:)

, that wasn't quite the point. Maybe then switch to the term "commune" (or "collective" or something) instead of "state"?

, well, sure, except for observations. It's just that you've expressed the diversion thing as more than plain speculation, while seemingly ignoring other parts of the story. (If you build up a lengthy story, then it matters.)

Taxes are literally taken from you at gunpoint. I am against taking things from other people at gunpoint, whether it's done by a common thug or a state.

I'm not against voluntarily contributing to one's community. — Tzeentch

Against taxes then, more or less like @NOS4A2. (The latter ain't taxes in this context.)

Communism proposes the absence of a state and self-governance. That doesn't imply taxes. — Tzeentch

In principle at least, you don't own a company under communism, whether you run/started it or not. Everyone ("the communist state") does, and gains/losses are a state thing if you will.

, speculative. As mentioned (by a few throughout the thread), there's more to that story.

In fact, there's nothing individualist about our society. In the west it is not uncommon for half one's income to be taken directly in the form of tax. Meanwhile governments infringe pretty much at will upon individuals' constitutional and human rights whenever it suits them. — Tzeentch

Against taxes (along the lines of @NOS4A2)?
That would rule out communism and whatever socialist aspects of society.

There's a bit of the tired old "Us-versus-Them" here.
I suppose, with

elected officials like the Frump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Wendy Rogers, Ted Cruz, ... — Jan 27, 2023

that might be understandable, for the US at least.

, societies do differ, though. Some go intentional systematic organized genocide, others take offense from that and observe fair rights, ... There are a good deal of different kinds of governance and political systems. Surely we can assess/analyze them comparatively?

You’re stripped off your assets that is your house or any other property that you’ve managed to acquire and given to the state who in their wisdom wish to share it with the not so well off. — invicta

As I've come to understand it (which may be wrong), you're part of that state. It's not supposed to be "elsewhere", "hidden" or "them", rather it's supposed to be you in part.

, possible (technically), sure, what about realistic/feasible (in light of observations)? You mentioned "not fixed", which might imply diversity, yes?

We're all extremely grateful to @Mikie for setting this up and honoured to have Professor Chomsky contribute to our community here. :clap: — Baden

Seconded :up: :cool:

@Tzeentch, how does it compare to the 2014 Crimea grab?

EDIT

Grabbing Crimea in 2014 apparently came as a surprise.

Invasion wasn't entirely a surprise: Operation Orbital in 2015, Multinational Joint Commission in 2015.

Except, later...

Zelensky asks for proof of invasion of Ukraine allegedly planned for February 16
^{— TASS · Feb 12, 2022}
Washington’s warnings that Russia is about to invade frustrate Ukrainians
^{— Matt Bradley, Veronika Melkozerova · NBC News · Feb 15, 2022}
EU 'did not believe' US warnings of Russian war
^{— John Silk · Deutsche Welle · Oct 11, 2022}

Much rhetoric/propaganda coming out of the Kremlin isn't about south east Ukraine in particular, but the lot.

Maybe they "hoped for Kyiv" (similar to Crimea?) and expected "shooting as usual" in the east? There were some weird activities north of Kyiv across the border.

Grabbing Kyiv would have been a victory for Putin.

We may well be witnessing the early stages where the economies of India, China and Russia coalesce into a single economic bloc. Such an alliance, undeniably offers advantages that are irresistibly compelling. — yebiga

You mean in terms of markets/competition? Something else? Feel free to explicate.

Political freedom in Russia
^{— European Council on Foreign Relations · 2016}
Freedom in the World 2018
^{— Freedom House · 2018}
Why Putin Is Not Okay
^{— Tyler Roylance · Freedom House · Jul 11, 2018}
The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule
^{— Sarah Repucci, Amy Slipowitz · Freedom House · 2022}
Putin’s Abuse of History: Ukrainian ‘Nazis’, ‘Genocide’, and a Fake Threat Scenario
^{— Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe, Bastiaan Willems · Journal of Slavic Military Studies · Jul 6, 2022}
Rising Hostility to Democracy Support: Can It Be Countered?
^{— Nicolas Bouchet, Ken Godfrey, Richard Youngs · Carnegie · Sep 1, 2022}
“Ukraine commits genocide on Russians”: the term “genocide” in Russian propaganda
^{— Egbert Fortuin · Russian Linguistics · Sep 7, 2022}

↑ not something that "undeniably offers advantages that are irresistibly compelling"

Whilst, over in Washington and throughout the advanced western world we struggle with systemic racism, equity, inclusion, gender dysphoria and argue over how the climate is changing. — yebiga

FYI: Climate Change (General Discussion)

Rising authoritarianism and worsening climate change share a fossil-fueled secret
^{— Eve Darian-Smith · The Conversation · Apr 27, 2022}

, it's easier for like-minded to come together to form a small commune (where people can come and go), than successfully imposing communism on a large (diverse) society. The former, as you mention, has many examples (though I'd watch for religious cults), whereas the latter (from observation) has led to

Less freedom, oppression, less transparency, less diversity, "enforced human streamlining", ... — opening post

..., authoritarianism, totalitarianism, or the like. Anyway, though kibbutzes were mentioned, the opening post wasn't so much about the former as about the latter.

:up: :cool:

, I definitely differentiate communism and socialism, but maybe my use of the verbiage is off. Communism is a wholesale, overall system, whereas socialism could be exemplified by public schools infrastructures hospitals etc, some number of shared responsibilities maintained via taxes, so there can be a degree of socialism. Well, something like that (though I'm not keen on getting too deep into the semantics). That's what I meant by

As it stands, it seems that reasonably civilized societies tend to include democracy, socialism, capitalism alike. — opening post

And what I had in mind about realistic/feasible.

Yaay, more votes, and a tie. :)

Doesn't look particularly like propaganda (or similar) to me, but feel free to fill missing pieces in...

West prepares for Putin to use ‘whatever tools he’s got left’ in Ukraine
^{— Pippa Crerar · The Guardian · Apr 18, 2023}

There appeared to be an acknowledgment in Moscow that its forces might soon find themselves on the defensive in Ukraine as Russia’s own winter offensive appeared to be slowing down.

The group said that “declarations of unwavering support” were not enough and “actions still fail to match the rhetoric” in a reflection of military assessments in European capitals and Washington.

G7 ministers slam Russia’s ‘nuclear rhetoric’, call on China to improve behavior
^{— Reuters via Al Arabiya · Apr 18, 2023}

The ministers said they reiterated their call for China to act as a responsible member of the international community

, fighting bad climate change more or less takes a global response, making it more difficult. :/

, yeah, thought about mentioning that as a motive, like "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Didn't want to steer/push things tho'.

, apparently communism doesn't scale well. There are various kinds of extremes, say, Nazism, theocracy, anarchy, totalitarianism, ... Observations suggest communism goes (or perhaps started) that way. Democracy has a built-in feature of (sort of legitimately) potentially turning into any of those as well, just takes a majority.

Iraq as "preemptive defence" — boethius

Me personally? Nope. → Mar 21, 2023

I suppose, whatever might be said of Navalny he's not a coward.

Russia's Navalny faces new charges after prison 'provocation' - lawyer
^{— Kevin Liffey, Mark Trevelyan · Reuters · Apr 18, 2023}

Maybe he should have stayed in Germany.

Top Kremlin critic convicted of treason, gets 25 years
^{— Anita Snow · Associated Press · Apr 18, 2023}

Kara-Murza might also have been able to do more out of the Gremlin's (direct) reach.

As a form of government to nation states? — Tzeentch

Yep, of

large communities — opening post

I'm quite convinced that Russia will seek to connect to Transnistria if some form of agreement cannot be reached in Ukraine.

A future invasion of Lithuania to connect to Kaliningrad is also not unthinkable. — Tzeentch

Yeah, those are part of the (open-ended) "Then what?" question of seemingly free Russian reins. :/ Except, I'd use "Putin's Russia" instead of just "Russia" — the Russia that's been regressing, too.

Poland building electronic barrier on border with Russia
^{— AP News · Apr 18, 2023}

Let's not forget that Putin instigated the invasion, enlarging the world's largest country (perhaps temporarily), and might well be the one individual that can end the war today. The attacks continue to generate hate and corrode chances of diplomacy.

Yaay, votes. :)
I'd be interested in why communism is or is not realistic/feasible.
Perhaps someone that wishes to remain anonymous could have someone else relay their thinking on the matter? :up:

Let me just add an odd observation on the side.
For some reason, it seems that some (Western) communists and socialists have become apologists for Russia.
Doesn't make sense.
Putin's Russia at least, is a capitalist/opportunist, ruthless autocracy.
Are such apologists going by ulterior motives?

In brief:

Pro-Russia, Pro-Ukraine Invasion Propaganda Channel Run by Former U.S. Navy NCO
^{— Tony Spitz · Veuer · Apr 17, 2023 · 1m:18s}

It was one of Sarah Bils' (aka "Donbass Devushka") social media accounts that disseminated the classified documents leaked by Jack Teixeira. Insider reported that the documents posted by Bils were doctored versions of the ones initially posted on Discord.

Here's a different story than those often posted here. It's a bit old, but does have a kind of internal narrative coherence:

What really happened in Ukraine
^{— Niclas Fogwall · Sep 2015}

Coincidentally, some of the numbers have been posted in the thread. Anyway, there are some patterns here. One of the photos can be found here as well.

In retrospect, how did Fogwall's story fare?

Less straightforward:

The Putin Myth
^{— Kathryn Stoner · Journal of Democracy · Apr 2023}

Belarus' Lukashenko asks for Russian security guarantees
^{— DW et al · Apr 10, 2023}

Because everyone is just standing in line to attack Belarus. :D
What's the play here?


Column: Putin’s war on Ukraine is in the sinister tradition of the Russian war machine
^{— Jonah Goldberg · Los Angeles Times · Apr 11, 2023}

, OK, the quote was bullshit. :up:

, so the quote was bullshit. :D

No one needs formal education, it's a myth designed to produce compliant little consumers. — Isaac

Had to inject this trite old slogan? ("little", too)
Such a waste it would be — stupid even — if we didn't try to retain and learn from what others have figured out before. And thus, we educate.
...
• -400
• 1478
• 1687
• 1821
• 1859
• 1905
• 1921
...
Reducing to "a myth designed to produce compliant little consumers" is pretty close to lying; might want to save the rhetoric/rambling for ehh "less critical audiences"? :D
But of course, part of teaching is revisability of that which is taught.

, gotta' watch for casuistry :up:

, ;)

, getting a bit...racy...? :D

For your entertainment. :)

Atlas of Prejudice
^{— Yanko Tsvetkov · atlasofprejudice · May 4, 2014}

FYI, I'm starting to see some industrial use of AI. Cautiously, but moving in. Unpredictability is a concern.

AI has much to offer humanity. It could also wreak terrible harm. It must be controlled
^{— Stuart Russell · The Guardian · Apr 2, 2023}

Elon Musk and others urge AI pause, citing 'risks to society'
^{— Jyoti Narayan, Krystal Hu, Martin Coulter, Supantha Mukherjee · Reuters · Apr 5, 2023}

Integration into (or replacing) systems that matter will take more experimenting, learning, ... The IT industry has "fashions", like embracing open source, ITIL, virtualization, cloud, now AI.