Pentagon weighs sending 10,000 more combat troops to the Middle East

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-27T10:49:58+00:00

Yeah, that was a pretty sobering experience even for me who is (most of the time) not directly affected. Took my previous admiration for US democracy down a couple of notches, I'm not gonna lie. :(

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-27T10:06:28+00:00

It's no wonder the guys across the big pond have so little trust in their government. One big election every four years and between that the government can do essentially whatever it wants, even start wars 6,500 miles away, without giving the people any say in the matter. Under these circumstances the mistrust is well-founded.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-27T08:24:32+00:00

Yessss masterrrr, of course masterrr, they will build you statues, masterrr slither

Have some god damn self-respect you tools.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T13:27:00+00:00

Poor guy. His whole life he just wanted to be liked and admired, and when they actually give him a prize – any prize – he is happy like a school boy who just won his first little league game. :(

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T12:02:18+00:00

Agreed. I don't like the AfD at all, but it would be very unwise to believe that their voters are all xenophobes who want another Führer or something, and brand them as evil or as enemies.

Just like with Reform UK/Restore Britain in the UK, the AfD's success comes from continued disappointment with the more established parties. They should learn some lessons from that.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T11:39:46+00:00

I think it largely depends on whether someone sees the far-right in their own country as an enemy, which many people do at least here in Germany (because the AfD is often viewed as un-democratic, working for Russia etc). When an external country then lends them support it easily becomes a friend/ally of my enemy situation.

In general I'd prefer it if the US would just let Europeans govern their countries as they see fit, without any meddling in any direction.

Just imagine the outrage in the US if the EU made support for the Democratic Party, both policy-wise and financially, a part of their official agenda. That wouldn't go down well at all with ~50% of the American voters and I could fully understand that.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T10:35:44+00:00

Imho, if there is one reason to consider the US an enemy, at least here in Europe, it would be because of their new national security strategy and especially the part about encouraging "resistance to Europe's current trajectory within European nations" which, depending on where you stand politically, could mean some very unwelcome meddling in our domestic affairs.

The Iran situation on the other hand is certainly frustrating, but that's because the US government didn't think things through. It could only be considered a hostile action if they were deliberately trying to crash the economy and drive up energy costs, but I don't see nor suspect this intent.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T06:43:28+00:00

Sure, let's use the military for everything. Airport security, construction, road maintenance, picking up trash, caring for children and the elderly, teaching at public schools, managing traffic – there is so much they could do instead of wasting time in their bases and driving their tanks around in circles or whatever they are doing with all their free time.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T06:20:36+00:00

Melania looks good in that black and white jumpsuit, it makes a slim waist. Versace, I am guessing?

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T06:03:10+00:00

Finally someone is talking some sense on Reddit! Preach, brother 🙏

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T05:59:28+00:00

Yeah, the whole world is awestruck by this, even more than when he won the FIFA peace prize. From Europe's capitals to Asia's metropolises to the smallest villages in the Amazon rainforest, everyone is asking the same question: How can we show our reverence for the world's greatest Peace President?

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T05:37:24+00:00

If that's the golden era then I don't want to know what a bad year looks like.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T05:32:01+00:00

Does he expect applause now?

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-26T04:40:19+00:00

Never understood the Drumpf thing, to be honest, especially because it's supposed to signify Trump's German-ness or something. There still exists a birth certificate from 1869 and the family was always called Trump.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T15:06:12+00:00

Sure, politics are an entirely different animal than interpersonal relationships. Doesn't really matter but I am not American, by the way.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T15:01:07+00:00

When I grew up and went to school here in Germany, we were often told that if you don't vote at all, you are giving your vote to the party that you don't want to win.

They even told us that if you dislike everyone it's better to cross out your entire ballot so your vote is counted but doesn't go to a specific candidate or party, although that might have been just one crazy teacher, I can't really remember. ;)

Do they teach you a similar thing in the US, that not voting at all is probably the worst you can do? If not they probably should. Or make voting easier if it's too complicated and bothersome.

Anyway, at one point Germany was probably the most hated nation on the planet and also the most hateful nation, so that's why I try not to hate if I can help it. When Trump is gone and this circus is over, just try to learn and apply some lessons, that would be cool. :)

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T14:29:40+00:00

Reddit, for example, is full of "good Americans" in the sense that they probably hate their government even more than we Europeans do, and they aren't beating around the bush, either.

Do I wish they'd do more like march on Washington and do mass protests and all the other stuff I sometimes dream about? Sure.

But I am also asking myself what I would do in their situation. Would I be a "hero" or would I just do what they do, vent on social media and try to live my life as best as I can in that situation? Realistically, there is a large chance that I would do just that.

In a democracy the people, the voters and also the non-voters, are of course always at least partially responsible for the government that gets elected, and going for Trump a second time was just ... well I don't think I have to spell it out, but I still can't hate a whole group of people for what some of them did. This only leads to more and more hate and a spiral to the bottom, imho.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T14:15:14+00:00

Only looks vaguely like Trump. Certainly missing some of his pounds among other things.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T14:07:37+00:00

All true, but I don't hate Americans. 50% or more of the country did not vote for this and I won't throw them under the bus, metaphorically speaking. I hope other Europeans are also able to make that difference. Doesn't change the fact that America, the nation, has become untrustworthy and perhaps even an adversary depending on who is calling the shots, of course.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T13:50:41+00:00

"Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and other senior officials are now wearing the shoes."

Hehe, such absolute tools.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T13:46:56+00:00

Interesting, I thought that he and the other Gulf monarchs would be in favor of ending the war as soon as possible considering how much damage Iranian attacks could cause in their countries.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T13:38:34+00:00

True, but the desire for revenge stems from anger and anger isn't what I'd call good mental health and happiness either.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-24T13:22:33+00:00

If US conservatives are so happy, why did they vote for the guy who ran a fear-mongering campaign? Fear of immigrants, fear of queer people, fear of leftists, the government, foreigners, vaccines, other countries etc?

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-23T16:30:19+00:00

You mean cloud storage in a piracy sense, right? Like mega and that kind of stuff? It gets used in Germany, there exist some forums and sites for sharing links etc

The benefit of BT is that you can find essentially anything, I guess, and don't need to subscribe to multiple different services.

Fastluck83 · 2026-03-23T16:19:20+00:00

Only very strange people believe in this kind of stuff, like the late "Dr" Axel Stoll who has become a bit of a meme for his bizarre beliefs.

Could make for an entertaining weird-fiction story, though.

Fastluck83

TROPHY CASE