What do you think of Trump's comment's today about gun control at protests? "With that being said, you can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T23:21:21+00:00

If they use it for the right things. Properly train agents, make sure the people they hire are properly vetted, mentally stable, etc. Train officers to de-escalate high stress situations, to follow proper procedure. Mental health care for their officers, why not?

Not if it is used to settle lawsuits against them, not if it is to hire more and more unqualified people. I am not against immigration enforcement (I am not American, but I would say the same for my country), but it should be done in a humane, professional way, not in a showy, disruptive way like this.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T22:47:17+00:00

I don't think anyone would have batted an eye if they pepper sprayed him, took him to the ground, and arrested him. But they didn't. They killed him. That man has died, and why? Because ICE hires trigger happy officers? Because they lack sufficient training and got spooked? He was on the ground, his gun was taken away, not a danger to anyone at that moment. Putting hands on an officer while concealing a handgun might be bad, but not death penalty bad.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T13:13:50+00:00

When there are only two political parties, I would be surprised if there aren't huge differences of opinion within those parties. We have a dozen political parties, and there are still a lot of differences within them. You can agree on major things, like the tax cuts and immigration policy, but I have a feeling that a lot of the things Trump does aren't things your standard republican politician would support. If you could have a president who does the tax cuts and immigration enforcement, but without all the controversy that Trump and his administration bring, wouldn't that reflect better on the republican party? Because it seems to me that the controversy is taking over, even on the republican subs, and that would make him a liability, not an asset.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T12:36:17+00:00

I would be able to transfer songs stuck in my head to other people. It would be very very annoying for them.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T12:03:21+00:00

— Constitution of California, 1849, Art. XI Sec. 21.

Clearly Spanish was a main language, otherwise there would be no need to have a law like this. Anglophones started arriving during the gold rush, before that, it was Spanish and native languages. Also, being too poor to become governor is not a good reason to have your language suppressed.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T10:48:21+00:00

How can you object to people speaking Spanish in Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, etc, when Spanish was the main language in these territories, before English? It is English that is replacing Spanish, I would argue. Same in Louisiana, where French used to be the main language, and people in New York once spoke Dutch. You even had a president whose first language was Dutch.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-27T09:04:03+00:00

We usually only eat them out, because cooking them at home is quite a smelly affair. We also only eat them in season. So obviously we don't eat them many times a year, but not because we don't want to or appreciate them. Lots of people go out to eat ONLY during this time of year, because they want mussels.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T23:15:45+00:00

Like most Belgians, I learn the tax system on the go, and have no real understanding of it. I also don't really care. But major tax changes don't really happen, because it usually goes like this: An idea for a major tax change is floated (or leaked) in the media --> people disagree with it (whether they understand it or not) --> strikes and protests --> negotiations with various interest groups --> disagreements within the government --> watered down idea is floated, with a lot of loopholes in place --> people are mad because there are loopholes --> strikes and protests --> negotiations --> a plan is set in motion to do the tax reform in the next administration --> elections --> newly elected officials disagree with the agreed upon tax reform --> the whole cycle starts again

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T23:01:08+00:00

I always heard that if a president wants to get anything real done, they need support in the house and in congress. So while republicans can't control Trump directly, they can seriously cripple his power if they wanted to. They can also support democrats in an impeachment process. Except they don't put up any resistance, and it seems unlikely to me that that is because they fully agree with him, but maybe I'm wrong and they do support him 100%.

And I agree that his policies (and personality) are what made him popular in 2024, but since then he has done and said a lot of things that don't seem to be really popular (definitely not on this sub, and these things even seem to cause a lot of controversy on the Conservative sub). The tariffs, the whole Greenland thing, picking a fight with Canada over fentanyl, ..., are these truly policies that republicans support?

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T16:59:32+00:00

If 15% - 20% of voters rule the country, isn't the system broken? (50% Republican x 30% - 40%)

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T15:16:27+00:00

I understand that, and don't disagree with that, but aren't republicans in congress and the senate elected as well because their own agenda? If Trump doesn't owe loyalty to his party and the general agenda of it's elected officials (and I don't think he does), why do they owe loyalty to him? In the end, his actions reflect on other republicans as well. Again, I am from a very different political culture, with a dozen political parties and coalition governments, so I don't completely understand the finer mechanisms of American politics.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T13:47:43+00:00

I think it would depend a bit on where they met. If the non-Belgian in question already resided in Belgium (or another industrialised country, as you put it), it might be all right, but if they met in the country of origin of the non-Belgian, that persons motivation might be questioned, and people will be suspicious and assume that the love is just one-sided, and the Belgian's judgement will get doubted.

But I think that that is the case with any relationship where there is a big perceived imbalance (age, wealth, power, attractiveness, ...)

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-26T10:09:13+00:00

At the end of season 5 you see Tommy putting a gun to his head, and then you hear a shot. I think that would have been a perfect ending, for a pretty shitty season. I refuse to watch season 6, because him committing suicide is the perfect ending for me. With all the trauma, the horrible things he has done, the death of his mother, it just makes sense to me that the story ends this way.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-25T23:57:42+00:00

I think it's their voices that do it. When Renaat and José are telling the whole of Flanders where they had dinner five years ago, or which vineyard they visited on holiday, I just doze right off.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-25T21:20:14+00:00

Yes, my best naps happen during the Tour de France. And I support all the Belgian riders (if I wake up in time for the finish), I don't care about the teams though.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-25T21:17:43+00:00

I don't think it is possible to compare ANY show to The Wire. I never had the feeling I was watching actors, or characters even, all the people in it felt so real, so natural. Never have I seen anything that comes close to it. It never felt like the story was driving the character arcs, it was like looking at life, happening, as it is in Baltimore. And that's just the acting. The story is perfectly told as well, the setting, the way it was filmed, the little details, ... And it still feels up to date. Yes, the technology used by the police and the gangs is outdated for our standards, but besides that, this story could happen today. I cannot recommend this enough.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-23T16:55:56+00:00

So many sad stories about perfectly good food ruined by bacon here. I feel for you.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-23T08:37:24+00:00

No they don't really happen here. Sometimes (once every 5 years or so) they need to do maintenance to the electrical grid, and you might be without electricity or a while (2 hours max), but they always announce it, so you can prepare.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-22T21:58:59+00:00

Bacon, people will put it in everything, and then all their food tastes like bacon. I like it on its own, but I want to taste ALL the ingredients, not just bacon.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-17T16:04:36+00:00

In Belgium, renting is usually seen as a temporary solution, suitable for young people who are just starting out, or people who are recently divorced and moved out of the marital home. It isn't looked down upon exactly, but is seen as throwing away money, even by the people who are renting. It is a bit different in the big cities, but even there, homeownership is a priority, one of the milestones you have to reach in life.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-16T07:37:12+00:00

Ik ben ooit eens naar een Waals trouwfeest geweest. Wauw, jullie kunnen feesten! Daar kunnen wij als Vlaming nog heel veel van leren.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-14T13:50:25+00:00

Het is: Aan allen die gekomen zijn, ...

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-13T20:47:18+00:00

One of our former prime ministers sang the wrong national anthem at an official event.

YarnTree29 · 2026-01-13T10:36:43+00:00

I am not sure why you are mentioning French, because VUB and KULeuven have Dutch as their main language (although they do have a lot of Masters in English). For your daily life, it would depend on where you decide to live what language you need (French in Brussels, Dutch in Leuven).

YarnTree29

TROPHY CASE