mymonkeyhusb

For the record, the segment you’re referring to aired on Global TV Canada (which carries 60 Minutes), and its broadcast was later cancelled. If there’s a specific factual claim from it you want to discuss, feel free to state it directly. I've seen both extremely left-wing biased and fair, real, in-depth reporting on what daily life is like in CECOT in El Salvador according to interviews with inmates some of whom participate in rehabilitation programs there. So I don’t watch political videos as arguments. If there’s a specific claim in the CBS piece about Trump deportations, feel free to state it and cite the source. Declaring people “sick” unless they consume a particular TV segment is moral blackmail, not discussion. What exactly in the video changes the policy facts? Quote it, summarize it, or move on. No one needs permission to comment on public policy in ASEAN NOW. Make the claim or move on.

I became curious why you emphasized the word "socialist" to describe Sweden. I'm not talking about all the stats you presented. I just wanted to be sure I have accurate info regarding Sweden's political and economic situation after reading your post. Alan Zweibel correctly noted that there are many categories or, maybe more precisely, nuances of socialism when contrasted with the commonly known state socialism à la Marx and Engels. I asked myself is Sweden socialist in any way and if so what kind? So I Googled "Is Sweden socialist?" and the first hit I got said this (paraphrasing): Sweden has a free market economy with high income tax and low corporate tax of which brings in lots and lots of money to pay for lots and lots of public social services. Swedes call their system the Nordic model. Nearby countries participte in the Nordic model. https://scandinaviafacts.com/is-sweden-socialist/ I guess one could call it free market socialism? Somehow seems like an oxymoron but anyway... we use the pejorative term crony capitalism to qualify a tainted form of pure capitalism; a conceptual difference. I think most Americans have heard about and understand what state socialism is (e.g. USSR). I also think they don't have the time to self-educate on the nuances of socialism. I can see why Americans (or posters in AN) might say Sweden is “socialist”. It's my opinion most Americans automatically assume Sweden to be their familiar state socialism because of its high taxes, universal healthcare, free or low-cost education and social safety nets. I don't want to make that mistake. If I understood what I learned from all my surfing so far, Swedes would say they’re just nothing more than a social democracy, not a socialist country. They usually say something like, "Sweden is a market economy with a strong welfare state.” 🤔 Sweden has lots of billionaires, a stock market, private banks for the super rich, and global corporations. 🧐 So I searched for input on the issue from Swedes themselves especially politicians. “What do you think of socialism?” “I’m a Social Democrat.” “Not a socialist?” “No, if you call yourself a socialist, they confuse you with a lot of crazies.” Göran Persson, who was Sweden’s Prime Minister from 1996-2006, and a member of the Social Democrat party https://conversableeconomist.com/2023/10/03/why-sweden-isnt-an-example-of-socialism/ Carl Bildt pushed back against the idea that Sweden exemplifies successful socialism, stressing that it was not a socialist model in the sense used by critics of capitalism. Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden 1991–1994 and later Foreign Minister And then I came upon this video. https://reason.com/video/2018/10/23/stossel-sweden-not-a-socialist-success/ https://realitiesofsocialism.org/sweden https://www.cato.org/policy-report/january/february-2020/swedens-lessons-america So I can't agree with your assertion that Sweden is a socialist country. It's actually a free market economy that keeps those money making private corporations fat and happy, laying those golden eggs to pay for all the social perks. It has been working but... I hear however that the flood of illegal aliens into Sweden is fixing to upset the apple cart. Everything was fine for a homogenous culture but now... I'll let someone else do the homework about that.

We remember Christmas as a celebration of God fulfilling His promise of a Messiah. We'll read Matthew 1:18-25 and consider what happened on that day. Realizing the awesomeness of God. That's our Christmas spirit.

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad to talk with you. Jesus always taught with regard to the heart's motive. Jesus condemned replacing love of God with love of money. You cannot serve both God and Mammon. Matthew 6:24 Jesus condemned storing up money in place of trusting God for supplying your needs. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… Matthew 6:19 Jesus condemned resting in confidence of large sums of money which leads to forgetting others who are poor and needy. Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Luke 6:24 Jesus did not condemn owning property or having wealth. His ministry was supported by rich people. After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Luke 8:1-3 In Jesus' parables, He assumed private property and money. Parable of the Talents Matthew 25:14–30 and parable of the Minas Luke 19:11–27 What about the rich young ruler where Jesus told him to sell all he had and follow Him? It was personal to show the man where his true love is. Jesus taught open hands and generosity. I tell you it works and gives me a never before perspective on life Should I trust Jesus or Peter? Both. Command those who are rich… to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:17–19 Wealth can be dangerous but it in itself is not sinful. It's how your heart is guided in the use of it.

Thanks for your reply. I should have been more careful about leaving the 89 in my post. It was a post by N*** C***** icp for much less than 89 posts. Sorry about the inaccuracy. It's my opinion that you're either making up your own definition of socialism or don't understand what socialism really is. Nothing in the Acts 2 passages indicates compulsion. No law. No enforcement. No punishment for noncompliance. No governing authority seizing property By contrast, state socialism is enforced by law. Uses taxation or confiscation. Is backed by police power and punishment. Voluntary generosity is morally meaningful precisely because it is voluntary. Christians shared in love of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. Forced redistribution eliminates the virtue. Are you getting a grip on what it's like to be a Christian? The strongest argument against your assertion of “apostolic socialism” is Acts 5:3–4, which interprets Acts 2 and 4 directly. “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?” The apostle Peter explicitly states that property ownership remained private. Period. Selling was optional. Period. Distribution was discretionary. Period. The motive for all this waschanged hearts by the grace from the Light of the world. I'm expecting you to serve me the next misstep about Ananias and Sapphira. They were punished not for keeping property, but for lying to the Holy Spirit. Can you see this single passage decisively rules out socialism, which in its core definition denies private ownership of productive property? The Church is not the State!!! Your citation of Acts actually describes a religious community bound by shared faith with shared moral commitments. Everything entered voluntarily in love. Socialism is intrinsically a political - economic system applied to entire populations (their goal) regardless of belief or consent. Please hear me. A voluntary community pooling resources is not socialism. A state mandating economic behavior for millions of people is. Even monasteries today live communally. Do you argue that makes their host country socialist? And now, the rest of the story. If you've been exposed to the history of Jerusalem during the time of Acts, you'll remember Christians were being persecuted, the economy was bad. Life was tough. Happily, this wasn't a long term problem. I'll let you do some homework now. You will be able to locate in the Bible that Christians owned homes. Hint Romans. That Christians work for wages. Hint Thessalonians. That Christians are told to give freely, not under compulsion. Hint 2 Corinthians. Actually this is Christianity 101. Common knowledge. Early Church (Acts) was about love of neighbor, care for the poor and unity in Christ.The effect of spiritual transformation. The early Christians weren’t trying to restructure society - they were living out regenerated hearts. Your socialism is all about redistribution, class leveling, material production and economic equality. Acts vs socialism. In Acts: shared life. In socialism: shared ownership, no? Acts: personal charity Socialism: economic policy, no? Acts: moral example Socialism: political blueprint, no? Acts shows what happens when people are changed by God - not what happens when people are compelled by socialism. By the way, if in an earlier post by you, you were trying to imply my post wording comes from AI, hot-take is a commonly used term describing shallow provocative posting. Outrage tourist is a very good way to describe someone who tours the internet looking for any topic to be outraged about. Here's a link where I first heard it. https://thomasedmundblog.wordpress.com/2024/10/03/slightly-off-topic-outrage-tourism/ You now have corrections to your argument. Keep them close to you so that some day you may do the same for others. Merry Christmas!

Keen observation! I believe trolls and bots are ineffective in changing peoples' opinions because folks are wise to the Big Lie and illusory effect. I'm grateful to you for pointing this out. BTW, I've been mocked for having "only" 89 posts. Does AN offer a prize at the end of the year for the person who posted the most? Merry Christmas!

"fallen human nature" So empirically provable.

I will disagree on one point because of the caverous distinction between political movements (aka the "world") and the kingdom of God. We're made in God's image and thus we have those innate attributes of God, the loving ideals you mention as bedrock of socialism. But fallen human nature's scorn and rejection of God prohibits those ideals to become reality... human nature, without the renewing by God of fallen man's mind, will always revert back to the base thinking that caused so many problems in the first place.

Thank you for your reply. It's good to see socialism is on the decline (I hope!) and sad to see other flawed movements filling the vacuum. I've not seen anywhere where God promised a better world. Perhaps this is why the world hasn't gotten better. The world just continues on since the resurrection proof that Jesus is the One promised by God, filled with the same fallen natured humanity. I share your sadness at mankind's history of injustice, cruelty and all the suffering caused by human flaws. Of all the people I've known in my life, only a small percentage I would call sincere Christians. The rest would put "Christian" on their dogtags but you'd never know by the way they lived. CINO. They put out a bad reputation of Christianity. I have seen where God promised reconciliation to Himself through the work of Christ Jesus. Restored personal relationship between you and God in this life and the next life. In other words, eternal life with God after we die. There is a cavernous distinction between fallen man's human nature (aka the "world") and the nature of God's kingdom. Before His crucifixtion, Jesus told Pilate His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." (John 8:23) Jesus points out that the Pharisees (and all fallen humans) are focused on worldly matters (e.g. constrained to worshipping gods made in the minds of men rather than the one true God. Money. Power. Greed. Selfishness. Dishonesty. Murder. Theft.), while Jesus Christ embodies a higher, divine truth (John 8:23). Note the solid unchangeable inability of the Pharisees (and fallen human nature) to recognize Jesus as the Messiah due to their attachment to worldly values. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). If I choose to consistently follow the Holy Spirit; to yield to His prompting, He will guide me to living my life in a loving way that is pleasing to God. If I do this, I suppose you can say the world is a little better. I still make mistakes and sin but I am forgiven and my mind is being renewed; I'm no longer a slave to worldly thinking. God is all we need. He's quite sufficient.

Please tell me what you meant to say. I see you highlighted some text from my post and mentioned AI and then... Thank you.

Why is the unwelcome resurgence of socialism; the widespread demand for socialism by a highly organized minority creating an astroturfed appearance of popular support? I read the news and it seems that leftist online narrative creators are indoctrinating millions of highly impressionable and easily influenced young hot-take outrage tourists with socialist messaging. Seems like they're succeeding slowly but surely especially in the youngest generations. I am led to believe that the younger the generation is, the warmer the reception towards socialism. Why? Why the increase of uncritical acceptance of a flawed idea? It seems that all attempts to teach people about the real failures of socialism (e.g. concentration of power and not equality, economic destruction, loss of personal initiative, suppression of dissent, dependency, human nature abhors forced coercion), the basic laws of economics, and the immorality and destructiveness of confiscating property and denying citizens their constitutional freedoms are misdirected, misguided and futile (are they even being taught in the first place?). I think I'm seeing a simple and natural reaction by our youth to the adverse moral, societal, political and economic state of the United States. I believe the younger generations see the inertia of cultural patterns in our country. They understand that the present day momentum of existing practices prevents any real reform... ever. The outlook for these folks is grim. Given the choice to view socialism as an ideological salvage operation for multiple generations or a moral failing inherent in human nature, it would be truer to see socialism as a reaction to all the negative cultural norms they live in. When you are in this hopeless mindset about your future life and happiness then someone comes to you saying, "I have a lifeline... grab it!" Wouldn't you grab it and grasp it for a while hoping things got better? The socialist promoters tempt with the idea of, "Eat this fruit, yes, vote and campaign for this socialist — and you will have everything you want." It worked in New York. Moral decline precedes political decline. We as humans have a glass ceiling called fallen human nature that limits us from doing what is perfectly right. Looking at death by a thousand cuts our country and people are experiencing, I fear no real exit remains, except one. All available paths converge on the same outcome, except one. The situation admits there is no off-ramp, no exit strategy, except one. There is no way out-only through. We've been living in natural hatred for God for the longest time. How's that been working out for us? Time for an admission of reality. We need to be guided by God, not ideology. 2 Chronicles 7:14 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Just take care because some may think you're endorsing something like assassination. Of course you're not. Right?

Still could mean anything. Are you afraid to tell us?

Sorry, you lost me on the "but there is another one whose time should come to an end. Orange or not orange...". Please explain what you mean?

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville. The training camps are on Margarita Island. The best thing about it is the terrorist training camps are duty free! Isn't that great? Wow. Appears to taken seriously by US government. Maximum pressure is the latest method to deal with Maduro since 2019. "In 2010, an unclassified US Defense Department report to Congress on Iranian military power noted an increased Revolutionary Guard presence in Venezuela, and there are now credible reports of a Hezbollah terrorist training camp on Venezuela’s Margarita Island, as well as in Cuba." https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/what-are-russia-iran-and-cuba-doing-in-venezuela/ Apologies for the flurry of links that follow. Couldn't find a US government source concerning Margarita Island yet. https://www.thelibertybeacon.com/a-small-venezuelan-island-could-be-reason-behind-the-u-s-military-buildup/ https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/exclusive-report/exclusive-report-irgc-and-hezbollahs-presence-in-south-america/ https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-maduro-hezbollah-nexus-how-iran-backed-networks-prop-up-the-venezuelan-regime/ https://danmason007.substack.com/p/isla-margarita-margarita-island-what https://en.radiofarda.com/a/would-a-new-venezuelan-government-kick-out-hezbollah-/29765060.html https://iranwire.com/en/world/105898-mystery-guests-media-blackout-a-sanctioned-plane-and-a-hezbollah-hotspot-iran-venezuela-tourism-drive-is-off-to-a-strange-start/

Yeah, you are right. Sounds like Maduro's exit is at the center of it all in my humble opinion. Heard rumors of Iran training terrorists in some island close to the country. Also Putin and Xi would love to get their hands on what I here might be the biggest oil reserve in the world. Close enough to ship heavy crude to Gulf states. Also hear there's lots of gold and other strategic minerals. Plus its location is a good jump off point for the Panama canal and military needs. I also heard somewhere that Venezuela’s collapse (yea Socialism!) triggered one of the largest migration crises in the world which is a serious problem we're left to deal with today.

Townhall quoted NYT. But I agree with you to go to the source. Thanks. WaPo says: Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors. Updated November 28, 2025 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/28/hegseth-kill-them-all-survivors-boat-strike/ Townhall says: Now, the Trump administration and Secretary Hegseth are being backed up by The New York Times, saying that the WaPo article didn't "provide context on when Mr. Hegseth gave what its sources described as a spoken order to kill everyone". Townhall then publishes excerpts from previous WaPo article and following NYT describing the context. Quoting NYT article: According to five U.S. officials, who spoke separately and on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter that is under investigation, Mr. Hegseth, ahead of the Sept. 2 attack, ordered a strike that would kill the people on the boat and destroy the vessel and its purported cargo of drugs. But, each official said, Mr. Hegseth’s directive did not specifically address what should happen if a first missile turned out not to fully accomplish all of those things. And, the officials said, his order was not a response to surveillance footage showing that at least two people on the boat survived the first blast. Admiral Bradley ordered the initial missile strike and then several follow-up strikes that killed the initial survivors and sank the disabled boat. As that operation unfolded, they said, Mr. Hegseth did not give any further orders to him. The officials clarified the sequence of events amid the political and legal uproar that has followed a report in The Washington Post last week. It said that Admiral Bradley ordered the second strike to fulfill a directive by Mr. Hegseth to kill everyone. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/us/hegseth-drug-boat-strike-order-venezuela.html Many facets to this operation. WaPo deserves a massive loss of credibility and legal response if Hegseth gave no order to kill survivors. We'll see how the justification for follow-up strikes on the boat and survivors pans out. Question: Assuming you agree that narcotics from cartels should be immediately stopped and have consequences for trying to deliver... 1. Should the Navy's resoures be stationed to confront and halt the activities, advance, or entry of by intercepting, boarding and arresting with lethal response if fired upon? 2. Sink vessels verified to be transporting narcotics with drones? 3. Do you think this is part of a larger strategy to oust Maduro?

The New York Times says differently. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/12/02/ny-times-exonerates-hegseth-bradley-n2667230 It's best to wait a few days for more info on a hot controversy.

Agreed and going further that we all need a refresher course on founding principles.

A quick survey of how the US government could punish a citizen by revoking their US citizenship (Thank you Forbes): "Become a citizen of another country or declaring allegiance to another country and then accepting a position in that country’s government can cause the loss of your U.S. nationality especially if the person also had a specific intent to renounce U.S. citizenship. If you join another country’s military when they are engaged in hostilities against the U.S., or if you become an officer in another country’s military, this can be seen as a voluntary revocation of your citizenship. Apply for citizenship elsewhere with the intent to renounce U.S. citizenship. Treason." https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/immigration-law/can-us-citizenship-be-revoked/ See the common factor in all of these reasons? Intent. This bill revokes your citizenship if you do nothing after one year. If you do not choose, you lose. No intent to do anything. Where's the person's intent to renounce citizenship? As I understand it, the law says renouncing citizenship is a deliberate and intentional action that must be initiated by the person. Losing your citizenship just because you did not do what the government demanded you to do... you did nothing... take it to the extreme... maybe you need to lose your citizenship if you don't pledge allegiance to a political party! Lost yet another freedom. I don't like stuff like this being produced by our government. Here's a little ditty I found on the web. It's non-partisan and surely compliments my personal ideals3e. Imagine every classroom, Learning how we all belong. The rights that guard our freedom, The duties that keep us strong. Imagine all the people Knowing where their power lives… You may say it’s just a lesson, But it’s the start of something true. When every voice can understand it, There’s nothing we can’t choose to do. Picture children reading How checks and balances are made. Debates without the anger, Decisions we’re not afraid. Imagine every voter Knowing why their choices matter… You may say it’s just a textbook, But it teaches us to see— That liberty is not a mystery, It’s a promise we must keep. Oh, a nation built on ideals Needs hearts that know the past. If we learn the Constitution, Maybe this time it can last. Imagine all the neighbors Talking through what’s just and fair. Disagreeing kindly, Because we know what rights we share. Imagine all the people Lifting up the common good… You may say it’s only civics, But it shapes the world we make. If we teach it to each other, There’s no dream we cannot wake. Imagine if we all learned How our government was made— The rights we all are born with, The rules that cannot fade. Imagine people knowing What the Constitution says… It’s not a dream or mystery, Just lessons we should share. When everyone understands their freedoms, We build a country that’s more fair. Imagine kids in classrooms Learning how the branches work— How power checks on power, So no one gets to hurt. Imagine every voter Knowing how their choices count… It’s not a dream or mystery, Just knowledge we can spread. When people see the whole design, They won’t be easily misled. A nation only functions When people know the plan. If we’re taught the basic principles, We can hold the power in our hands. Imagine honest conversations About what’s right and fair— Not shouting, but understanding The rights we all must share. Imagine all the people Who know what they’re standing for… It’s not a dream or mystery, It’s something we can teach. When everyone knows the founding truths, Real unity’s in reach. Would ICE obey the six Democrats ala "Don't give up the ship" and disobey the order to arrest Melania and Baron if they did nothing (not choose allegiance/renounce) after their one year is up?😑🤩

Please pardon my cutting and pasting all over the place. "Roughly 9 million Americans hold dual citizenship. Moreno’s bill would force all of them to pick a country within 12 months or face automatic expatriation from the United States." It affects "Americans who married foreign nationals and obtained spousal citizenship... Americans who obtained foreign citizenship for work, tax, or family reasons." "In 1958, the Supreme Court ruled in Trop v. Dulles that stripping citizenship as punishment violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that citizenship is “a right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment” that cannot be taken away without voluntary renunciation." https://www.usconstitution.net/the-dual-citizenship-ban-that-would-force-millions-to-pick-a-country-or-lose-america/ There are a few ways to lose your US citizenship but regarding this case would be by formally renouncing it. "A formal renunciation of U.S. Nationality can only be made in front of a Diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state." "The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken (Afroyim v. Rusk, 387 U.S. 253 (1967) and Vance v. Terrazas, 444 U.S. 252 (1980)): a person cannot lose U.S. nationality unless he or she voluntarily relinquishes that status." https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/us-citizenship.html Dual citizenship, in the case of Thailand, would be for practical reasons such as owning land, owning a business, traveling to ASEAN nations under a Thai passport, etc. SCOTUS will prevent this from becoming law. Now if our esteemed Congress will keep their mouths shut unlike that knucklehead Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois who said, "I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American" maybe this all will whither on the vine. I'm more interested in the eradication of the national debt, illegal immigration, and the seemingly successful operation to change America into a socialist caliphate. 🫣

I have my SS benefits sent to my US bank account. I keep the minimum balance necessary to keep the US account open. I then use WISE Transfer to send my SS benefit every month to my Thai bank account. Never had a problem yet. Costs about $13.00 per transaction which is once a month for me. I'm thinking about having the benefits sent directly to my Thai bank account but I must understand what the exchange rate is all about.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani is the current mayor-elect of New York City. He is frequently mentioned as being Muslim in faith and being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. It's reported that Mamdani has been financially supported by Muslim organizations like CAIR. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/linda-sarsour-mamdani-s-biggest-financial-backer-is-council-on-american-islamic-relations/ar-AA1PNQ9e CAIR allegedly has ties to HAMAS. https://www.meforum.org/fwi/hamas-aligned-cair-outraged-after-dhs-cuts-funding-to-terror-linked-islamist-groups https://www.policemag.com/news/fbi-document-depicting-relationship-between-cair-and-terror-group-hamas-published Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour claimed Mamdani received funds from CAIR. Is it reasonable to think that donors expect a return on their investment? What could CAIR, who is apparently sympathetic to HAMAS (October 7, 2025) possibly want from Mamdani? Well, while surfing some more, I read the following and it aroused my memory of stories of treachery. "You can’t be a Marxist and a jihadist and an Islamist and a fundamental Muslim all at the same time. You gotta pick a side." Linda Sarsour https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/linda-sarsour-zohran-mamdani-mayor Sounds ominous to me. Time will tell what Mamdani really is. Will he need to claim to be Muslim or socialist whenever it's necessary? Hoping he'll never have to face such a situation. But regarding DSA possibly working with islamists... I'm not a walking encyclopedia nor do I have a photographic memory that instantly retrieves examples of bad outcomes between socialist and islamist alliances so I checked in with ChatGPT: Yes — history offers several examples where socialist or leftist movements and Islamist groups temporarily cooperated against a common enemy (often colonial powers, monarchies, or Western-backed regimes), only for the Islamists to later turn on the leftists once power was within reach. Here are some notable cases: 1. Iran (1979 Iranian Revolution) Alliance: Leftist groups such as the Tudeh Party (communist) and Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) joined forces with Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamist movement to overthrow the Shah. Common goal: End the Shah’s Western-backed monarchy. After victory: Once the Shah fell, Khomeini’s clerical regime consolidated power and eliminated leftist allies. The Tudeh Party was banned, its leaders executed or imprisoned. The MEK turned against the Islamic Republic, leading to a brutal crackdown — tens of thousands of MEK members were killed in the 1980s. 2. Afghanistan (1980s Soviet-Afghan War) Alliance (indirect): The Mujahideen (Islamist fighters) received U.S. and Western support against the Soviet-backed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), a Marxist-Leninist government. Before that: Many Afghan leftists and nationalists supported overthrowing the monarchy, but Islamist factions soon dominated. Aftermath: The Islamists wiped out socialist elements entirely. When the PDPA collapsed, the Mujahideen factions fought each other, and the Taliban (a more radical Islamist force) later rose to power — executing or exiling remaining leftists. 3. Sudan (1980s–1990s) Alliance: In the early stages of Sudan’s political realignments, Islamists under Hassan al-Turabi worked tactically with socialist and Arab nationalist factions to oppose military dictatorships. After power: Once Islamists gained control through the 1989 coup (Omar al-Bashir’s regime), they purged leftists, communists, and secular nationalists from the government and universities. 4. Egypt (1950s–1970s) Alliance: Before Gamal Abdel Nasser consolidated power, the Muslim Brotherhood and Arab socialists/nationalists cooperated against British influence and King Farouk’s rule. After victory: Nasser built a socialist-leaning Arab nationalist state — but then saw Islamists as a threat and brutally repressed the Brotherhood (executions, imprisonments). Later, when Islamists resurged under Sadat, they in turn assassinated him in 1981 — a cycle of temporary alliance and mutual destruction. 5. Palestine (1970s–1980s) Alliance: Secular-leftist groups like the PLO and Islamist groups like Hamas sometimes coordinated loosely against Israel. Afterward: Hamas, with a more Islamist orientation, began undermining leftist factions, eventually seizing full control of Gaza in 2007 and eliminating or repressing rival socialist and secular movements (like Fatah’s left-wing elements). Pattern This pattern — cooperation, then conflict — usually emerges because: 1. Both sides oppose a mutual enemy (colonial powers, monarchies, orange men or Western-backed regimes). 2. Once that enemy is gone, Islamists reject secularism and socialism as “un-Islamic”, while leftists reject theocracy. 3. The stronger faction (often the Islamists, due to mass religious appeal) consolidates power through purges. So I don't expect radical islamists to demand front page coverage stating they are Mamdani's puppeteers, and are using DSA as useful idiots. 😆 I presume that's not the case. But I'm reminded of the possibility in this day and age of politics that there could be fly $h!t in the pepper. My advice to DSA: If you're allied with Islamist factions... WATCH YOUR SIX

"...Trump seems to know little, and he has grown increasingly incoherent and rambling, often wholly detached from reality." Jingthing May 7 "That's why this topic is about Trump! Currently POTUS and according to him he runs both the USA and the entire world. Let's focus on what matters NOW, shall we?" Jingthing May 7 "The list of examples of his should be shocking mental incompetence occurs daily and is really too long to list. I think that's part of his game, To flood the zone with such garbage so people see his incompetence as normal and also to exhaust people. This topic is about PAYING ATTENTION to it!" Jingthing May 7 "This NEEDS to become a much more front and center issue as the world suffers through however long the Trump regime lasts, Hopefully not the full four years." Jingthing May 7 The stage is set, the curtain opens... Well, the effect of your post on me is this: your white hot hatred for conservative principles has undermined your urgent call to action. Maybe Trump is as you say, then again, maybe he's not. Let me tell you why I say this please. I am not blaming you for what follows. I'm just saying what I see. Your internet history on AN shows that your contempt of the right can be argued as something being inborn, elemental and deep-seated. That's fine. You're proudly living out your principles. There's a complication though that results from the fervid way you deliver your idea. After reading your posts, I have a dilemma. I'm forced into a corner, put in a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. Is Jingthing guided by general alarm for the welfare of Jingthing's fellow man (Trump is ripe for the 25th Amendment) or is Jingthing practicing a simple persuasion technique known as the illusory truth effect in effort to help the tribe gain members? I"ll never know for certain which is true. "Please post Information about the actual topic for as long as Trump is potus." Jingthing May 7 "Repetition increases belief in information, a phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. In laboratory experiments, the illusory truth effect has often been examined using general trivia statements as stimuli, but repetition also increases belief in misinformation, such as fake news headlines and conspiracy beliefs. Repetition even increases belief in claims that are implausible or that contradict prior knowledge." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X23001811 "The illusory truth effect could bolster the tactics of propagandists, allowing them to amplify the believability of their message whether or not it is true" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8194981/ In short, thank you for the warning, yes he is old. I'll watch for signs of unconstitutional activity by POTUS as we all should but I'll also watch for implementation of the illusory truth effect or the big lie coming into view. Try modifying the style you write in. The blatant bias in your posts leaves me with only with this: I figure the odds be fifty-fifty what you say about about President Trump. Time will certainly tell.

Throughout my adult life I've heard claims by the left and the right about each other that were shocking and beyond belief... repeated over and over by members in unison for a large number of news cycles. My humble opinion is that the goal was to make me believe what they were saying was true and then become a fanatical useful idiot to their partisan message. I felt that I should chronical in real time each assertion in context for future reference but alas, my attempts were always preempted by the demands of this... this damned daily reality. Today I'm left with assurance I have frequently experienced THE BIG LIE yet if asked for a specific detailed verifiable dated example I'll just shrug my shoulders. About the BIG LIE... (copy and paste is a fantastic invention). "... Adolf Hitler and his minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, launched a massive campaign to convince the German people that the Jews were their enemies. Having taken over the press, they spread lies blaming Jews for all of Germany's problems..." Replace the above names with the names of your political enemies. Sounds familiar? “No salvation is possible until the bearer of disunion, the Jew, has been rendered powerless to harm," Hitler said to his followers in 1922. The end result was that the Nazis murdered 6 million Jews and 5 million other prisoners of war, Roma, gay men and members of other groups Hitler deemed "undesirable" [source: National WWII Museum]. https://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-biggest-lies-in-history.htm "The OSS psychological profile of Hitler described his use of the big lie: His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/joseph-goebbels-on-the-quot-big-lie-quot I subscribe whole heartedly to and believe it's empirically provable that history repeats itself. I also believe it's very possible psychological manipulation techniques are in play to guide popular opinion of folks who just don't have the time to think through the news. Heaven forbid either political side dehumanize the other side to the extent that utter physical destruction of heretics becomes an acceptable final solution. So how do you protect yourself from THE BIG LIE; the emotional, mindlessly recurring underhanded attempts to control your opinion? Know there is something called the illusory truth effect. I bumped into it while surfing the net. Do your homework. Check it out. All I can suggest is what my common sense tells me regarding freedom from the trap of THE BIG LIE. Who is the source? What have they to gain by misleading the masses? Are there INDEPENDENT SOURCES confirming the message? Ha, independent sources... 🙄 Take a deep and refreshing breath upon reading a post that' s trying to get a rise out of you. Is it trying to push you into instant emotion? Does the post want you to ignore evidence to the contrary? As extremely unpleasant as it sometimes truly is, please read news from different political perspectives with the goal of finding contradictory evidence. Helps to prevent you losing face in discussion or debate. Here's a good one for you. I just ran across it accidently. It's a fun website to help you discern what's news vs manipulation. https://www.getbadnews.com/en Last idea is talk to opinion manipulators as they are human beings. People respond in kind to respect. We all have common ground. If you do find truth, share it. No matter how the other person responds, even if they are defensive, aggressive or even passive, you can still continue speaking truth, respectfully. Please hold back "what aboutism". It's an interminable dead end. Communication is necessary to protect against propaganda.