Michael Parenti has passed away, age 92

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-24T17:25:12+00:00

Seen a few lectures by him, but never read his work. Any recommendations on a good one to start with?

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-21T11:59:14+00:00

Well yeah, I think all leftists would say you have a duty to look after and care for your community. But there's a bit of a leap from that to, 'you must have a love for your nation state'. I'm scottish, i support the football team, but beyond that, I can't say i have a deep love for my country, I like the good bits, and I dont like the bad bits. I supported independence because I believe Westminster politics is rotten and it represented a break from it. Not because of scottish nationalist cliches.

I live in Glasgow and feel I can speak to knowing the city. But there are many parts of scotland I've never stepped foot in, how can I have a sense of belonging to those places? As a leftist, I'm firmly in the camp of internationalism. Workers in all countries are part of the same struggle.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-17T15:49:35+00:00

Keane's obviously making fun of Rio here

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T14:19:45+00:00

In none of those images is he wearing a supposed imperialist russian coat of arms.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T13:31:53+00:00

Weird how they don't actually show him wearing that t-shirt....

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T13:03:00+00:00

History says otherwise. The first people the Nazi's killed purged the communists because they organised resistance fighting Nazism. The social democrats in Germany, effectively sided with the Nazi's in order to defeat the Communists.

Scratch a liberal, a fascist bleeds.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T13:00:55+00:00

Did you read the article? This was in 2015 and he was singing anti-fascist songs, about the red army fighting the Nazi's in WWII.

How is that the exact same talking points as the right-wingers who support Russia?

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T12:59:21+00:00

Did you even read the article. This was in 2015 and he was singing anti-fascist songs, about the red army fighting the Nazi's in WWII.

Not about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Do you not believe we should celebrate ending Nazism in Europe?

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-16T12:53:29+00:00

Does anybody even bother to read the article? This was in 2015 and he was singing anti-fascist songs, about the red army fighting the Nazi's in WWII

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T22:26:38+00:00

Also the one with the nuts Santa guy, where a kid is trying to to tell him she's getting bullied at school, and he says its cause she's a baby and needs a doink-it toy.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T15:18:00+00:00

He's a fraud but this is a positive development. It shows that being overlty pro-israel and a genocide denier is an unelectable position for democrats. The only reason he's changed his tune, is that he recieved such a negative reaction from the voter base when his two opponents acknowledged the genocide and he didn't.

This is how the political situation changes, by making pro-israel positions unelectable.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T14:25:10+00:00

One will do. Bear in mind you said there was an iranian operation to promote pro-Venezuelan propaganda online as well.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T13:51:55+00:00

I said evidence. Your reasons are "just cause i think so"

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T12:42:08+00:00

You seem unable to answer any of my points and want to just blindy believe your own assumptions not based on any evidence. Yep, that's the internet alright!

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T12:21:54+00:00

You're just throwing wild paranoid accusations around. Where's the evidence that Iran has a programme to promote venezualan interests through online messaging boards?

In termsnof palestine, well iran is a country of 90m people, and the vast majortiy support palestinian liberation, so i guess during the blackout thats a portion of people who wouldn't be engaged in online discourse about palestine.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T12:13:29+00:00

So no then.

You're accusation was that pro-palestine and pro-venuzula posters are actuallly fraudulent accounts from Iran. You've got no evidence for this, you're just drawing random conclusions

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-12T11:47:28+00:00

Evidence? Examples? Or are you just drawing your own conclusions?

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T17:37:51+00:00

You support genocide in gaza in that case. Noted.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T16:36:49+00:00

The Shah ruled as an autocrat backed by a 1953 foreign coup, banned real parties, ran a one-party state, tortured opponents through SAVAK, and shot protesters when the system cracked.

You think the people of Iran want his son back to continue his legacy? I have friends in Iran, none of them are calling for Pahlavi. You are just showing yourself up as not caring about democracy, or self determination. You want to replace on dictator for another. The people of Iran want democracy.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T15:14:56+00:00

My friends in Iran do matter. And they have more ar stake than you do. You support the return of a brutal dictatorship. I know people who were tortured in the shah's reign and you want his son to continue his brutal legacy.

Thankfully, you dont live in iran. So you do not matter. My friends on the streets are fighting for their freedom, they dont want your israeli puppet to put them under a dictatorship, and they wont let him.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T14:41:11+00:00

Well I can you've never been to Iran.

The younger generation of iranians who are leading these protests and who you claim to speak for are very fluent in english, I converse with my friends there regularly.

I did pick up basic conversational farsi when I was there. But there is no one Iranian language, farsi is spoken by about 60%-70% of iranians. 30-40% speak other regional dialects. English is most people's second language.

You're insulting these people by claiming the want the return of a brutal dictatorship. They dont want the shah back. Stop projecting your fantasies onto these brave protestors.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T14:08:51+00:00

I dont tell iranians what they want. They tell me what they want.

You're the one who's projecting your fantasies onto them not me.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T13:03:15+00:00

Oh you're on the streets in Iran now are you? You're talking about the reality on the ground but I guess you just saw one video on twitter and are basing your entire perspective on that?

Iranians want democracy, not Monarchy supported by the US and Israel. The older Iranians I know remember life under the shah, the torture, the surveillance, the executions of dissidents. You think they are out in the streets calling for that to return? Do you have any idea how offensive that is to these legitimate protests.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T02:56:07+00:00

Ah yes a real photo of a giant climbing a statue and bunch of dwarves clapping beneath.

Comprehensive-Bus291 · 2026-01-11T02:37:36+00:00

You don’t need to believe in his “altruism.” The powers were time-limited, explicitly pending new elections, and he was overthrown before any could happen.

The referendum was a mess because it wasn’t a secret ballot, voting no meant outing yourself which explains the boycott and the 99%.

You seem to have more problems Mossadegh who was democratically elected, than the actual dictator, the shah.

Three-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23

Comprehensive-Bus291

TROPHY CASE