I think it really is hard for the average person to grasp just how much the US has invested into warfare. Heck, I’d argue the absolute powerhouse of the military isn’t even weapons, it’s logistics.

It’s simply not even plausible that the US military industrial complex comes grinding to the proverbial halt over Venezuela.

If any other country tried to invade the US, they must first cross oceans to do anything effective, and with modern equipment, I doubt any stealth tech could slip in unnoticed, and everything else would be intercepted by the navy or, assuming the navy has largely become ineffective from being over-extended, national guard, coast guard, and just plain old home defense structures.

Keep in mind, several buildings around DC house anti-air sites and other defensive structures. They’d be last-resort type things though, home defense would be priority (or would be in any other administration) so you can bet in case of an attack, non military traffic would be grounded and jets would be scrambled, since no matter how bare-bones some squad in Caracas is, the personnel and equipment at home are fully stocked.

Unless the rest of the world completely cuts off the US, and honestly unless we actually strike at a major EU country I don’t see that happening, the US will keep chugging along, conscripting kidnapping people for the Orphan Grinding Machine. The 0.01% will never feel it, and will keep the poors fighting until the rest of the world turns their backs and nobody is left standing to fight.

I’m not singing the praise of the US military. This isn’t “American exceptionalism” here. This is shameful overspending on death machines while citizens starve. This is disgusting abhorrence for humanity that will result in loss of life on an unimaginable scale unless things change.

How many people would still be alive today if we had just decided to mind our own business after 1945? How many regions would be far more prosperous?

If you made it to the end of my rambling, I’m sorry for wasting your time. I might be a little baked right now. Thanks for reading though

(not disagreeing with anyone, simply making observations from experience)

A German zweihander sword weighs around 8lbs, a gallon of milk is around 7. A typical hand and a half sword around 4, and a rapier can be as light as 2lbs easily.

The issue isn’t really the weight though in my opinion, it’s where the weight is distributed.

A gallon of milk is concentrated in a pretty small package that you can hold close to your own center of gravity.

A sword is long and it’s weight, by design, is usually not close to the hilt of the blade. I’m not 100% sure on historic examples, but I try to keep the weight centered around 1/3 up the length of the blade on ones I make.

Practical upshot is that a lighter sword will flop around and stab people easier than a gallon of milk is dropped due to weight.

If you want a child to be accidentally dangerous, give them a sword. If you want them to be dangerous on purpose, give them a fixed blade knife under 7in.

Sprinkle some on your pancakes, it’s quite sweet!

Please don’t use 3d printed parts in food preparation.

You already have enough microplastics in your brains, and the layer lines are bacterial breeding grounds. (which are less of a concern if you only use it once or twice but is still relevant)

Make sure you get a good coat of leaded paint to make sure none of that is a problem.

As a us citizen it’s very clear what the US government wants it to mean.

Do what we want or we will hurt you and your neighbors. Anything said or done before Demented Don took office is irrelevant, just do what he wants. Or thinks he wants. Or what his handlers want. Or else.

Having perused international laws myself, but not being a lawyer, I’d say “YES THE US FUCKING VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAWS”

I’ve been shot, I’ve been stabbed, I’ve had thousands of pounds of aluminum fall straight toward me and get caught in the last half meter, I’ve had semis clip my clothing while on a bike and send me flying, I’ve been pushed off the road by shitty carbrains who can’t share anything, and I’ve been told I have less than a week before most of my organs shut down.

I’ve thought I was going to die many times. And not once did I think anything other than “huh. So this is it”. Most of the I was laughing afterward, and I’m not 100% why except maybe a nervous response.

Ultimately I don’t know if I’m emotionally prepared to die, but there’s things I am absolutely willing to die for. I’d rather NOT die, but I’d say I am accepting of it.

Uhhhhhhh I’m not actually sure I answered your question, sorry.

I fully expect oil companies to convince governments to tax their citizens 150% to subsidize their new oil wells, just so they can continue looking for and opening new ones LONG after it ceases to be profitable.

It’s like conservatives and democracy. They’re okay with it as long as they can keep “winning” but when they can’t win anymore, they won’t change their behavior, they’ll stop using democracy.

I’d argue we already passed that point for both conservatives (in most major countries) AND oil company profits.

The cost of dealing with fossil fuels has been far outweighing the cost of using them, and has been for many many decades. If our species makes it that long, our grandchildren’s grandchildren’s great great great grandchildren will still be dealing with our mistakes.

Me, playing any game where I can play as a woman, but most recently cyberpunk2077:

My wife and her dad both have it. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone link it to ibuprofen.

My mother was adopted, and her non-biological grandmother was a holocaust survivor.

I was always confused by how much she hated all Germans and German immigrants, regardless of age, or if their family had immigrated before the war. Most of them surely didn’t support the nazi party in any way, and the vast majority I knew of were born after 1950.

I understand the mindset a little better now, I think. Unfortunately in this instance, I’m the German that didn’t support the nazi party and wanted to get out of Germany in the 30s. But I get why any Jewish person would hate me.

You hate him more than people literally fearing for their lives because of his actions?

I personally am not their primary target yet, but this is the case for many American citizens and immigrants of any kind.

Of course, that is not the case for most Americans, but I’d wager there’s a huge overlap in “Americans on the fediverse” and “people likely to be close to the top of the out-groups list” Hell, my old highschool once made national news for a hate crime against an LGBT student. It’s a shit hole.

My point is, some of the people you are talking to here are likely also afraid for their lives.

Agreed, ignorance is usually where a lot of bigotry comes from, and always strive to educate and inform people.

And also agreed, she has shown her true colors and isn’t simply ignorant of facts.

Interesting how rich people being bigoted tends to bring us together!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance

“The paradox of tolerance is a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance”

In this case, yes, it IS a good idea to not tolerate the intolerant views.

This is literally what Kirk used to do on college campuses. “you say you believe in tolerance yet you call us nazis and say we shouldn’t be allowed in politics” type stuff.

Can we stop bombing other countries for FIVE GODDAMN MINUTES

The characters in the comic are terrorists.

Just like almost every depiction of arabs, muslims or people with brown skin in general

Uhhhhh I think that says more about what media you consume. I haven’t seen an Arab stereotyped as a terrorist since like 2015. In fact, most of the TV I watched for awhile was specifically portraying “US law enforcement sees all Middle easterners as terrorists and treats them poorly and it wasn’t any of them that had anything to do with the bad thing of the episode”

I have so many knives and hammers and axes and shivs and even a saw or two.

I’m basically ready to go on a mass killing spree, according to them.

I’m surprised they didn’t list pencils in there. Anyone who’s seen John Wick or the dark knight knows they are deadly weapons.

… Again?

Idk man, I feel like the fall of the Berlin wall didn’t affect my parents much.

Battle of Hastings? I mean yeah. Probably scatter most of my family tree.

Also is it really a good time to tell Americans that they need to be disarmed when the vast majority of us are having a hard time with a fascist federal government and police forces who refuse to do their job?

This is my biggest issue with anyone preaching gun bans and the like.

I am actively encouraging my lgbtq+ and other minority friends to arm and train, and have had a few over to my personal range (basically my back yard in the country with a big dirt hill surrounding a couple steel plates) to practice with because they don’t feel comfortable going to public ranges. (deep red country and likely to encounter bigots with guns and bad attitudes)

Armed minorities are harder to oppress.

If I’m searching for it, I limit searches to before 2024.

If I’m browsing a recipe site, I ignore recipes posted after 2024.

Im sure I’m missing a lot of good stuff, but I don’t always know enough about cooking to know just by looking at the recipe that it doesn’t work.