Posts Tagged ‘europe’

The Bright Side of Europe, International Feudalism, Drudging Veritas, PA gets what it deserves and the Superbowl post Brady Under the Fedora

Posted: February 12, 2023 by datechguy in culture, media, nfl, under the fedora
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I’ve been thinking…

We talk about why Europe doesn’t defend itself but while the Russia Ukraine war is nearing the end of year 1 it’s worth nothing that since World War 2 and American Troop stationed in Europe there has not been a major war between European Powers.

That is the longest period in centuries that this has been true and even the wars we have seen (Russia vs Ukraine, Balkans War) have all bee from states that had been broken up (Yugoslavia) or part of each other.

For all the PITN about defending Europe that’s quite an accomplishment.

Of course one of the disadvantages of this has been the empowerment of the international deep state. Once wealthy elites did not have to worry about national wars destroying their wealth they discovered they had more in common with each other than the people of the land they lived in or ran businesses in. They became, in effect their own nationality a group who believed that it was their right and destiny to direct the world around them and for others to bend the knee.

Welcome back feudalism! That’s the goal (with them as the Lords astonished that the people demand the comforts that they possess) but it is only doable against an unarmed population.

That’s why gun control will never be off the table for the left.

As I look at the attempt to wrest Project Veritas from James O’Keefe all I can think of is Matt Drudge. Because Drudge was pretty much a solo flyer it only required buying one person willing to be bought.

I suspect after the Pfizer expo an attempt to buy O’Keefe was attempted and failed and thus plan B was put into effect.

It’s always been easier to buy people to get what you want. I wonder how much the folks on the board were paid and if it was contingent on the ousting of O’Keefe?

Speaking of real reporting vs phony stuff apparently Senator Fetterman’s condition has reached a point where it is impossible for the media that insisted he was well and denounced anyone who said otherwise to tenably make that argument.

For myself, I would not allow him to resign or be replaced in any situation short of death. The people of Pennsylvania decided they wanted a brain injured invalid as their Senator and by golly they should get what they asked for.

On a personal level of course it would be nice if he recovered, it must be murder on his family and himself and I’d feel bad for anyone with such health issues but in terms of politics he decided to get onto the playing field and if he’s on the field during the game he doesn’t get the right to be left open.

Speaking of games today is Superbowl Sunday and with Tom Brady’s retirement New England’s interest in the game is going to return to the “once a decade” mode at best or more likely to the “not us” mode that it was in pre-Brady.

That a franchise had a 50% chance of making it to the Superbowl over a 20 year period is, next to the Celtics run of championships with Bill Russell, the most incredible run you will likely ever see. (You can even argue that it’s more impressive since in a best of 5 or best of 7 series you can have a bad game and still take home the gold, Brady didn’t have that luxury). Watching the sudden decline of the team has been like watching the sudden decline of the American republic. People thought it would last forever but it can’t unless you keep it up.

It’s appropriate that WEEI named their Patriots postgame show “The six rings postgame show” it will be many decades before they’re forced to rename it again.

Review: Season One of Tribes of Europa

Posted: March 7, 2021 by John Ruberry in culture, media
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By John Ruberry

I guess I’m in an arts and culture mood of late so I’m reviewing my latest Netflix binge-watching adventure, Tribes of Europa, a six-episode series about a dystopian Europe centered on the former Germany in 2074. 

In December of 2029 the world’s power-grid fails–the cause of which is never explained, but it could be because of a cyberwar gone too far, along the lines of the biological warfare that precedes the Charlton Heston classic, The Omega Man.

Europe has devolved well past the European Union or even the nation-states that the borders of which–for the most part–have been resilient since the end of World War II. Microstate tribes have replaced the old order. One of those tribes is the Origines (rhymes with aborigines), a peaceful group of several dozen hunter-gatherers, wearing, presumably, scavenged clothes from before society’s collapse. Their community is destroyed after a B-1 type aircraft, belonging to the technologically advanced Atlantians, crashes near their village.

Three young Origine siblings, Liv (Henriette Confurius), Elja (David Ali Rashed), and Kiano (Emilio Sakraya), along with their father Jakob (Benjamin Sadler), are forced to scatter, the siblings carve three storylines, much like what the children of Ned Stark did in Game of Thrones. Yes, this show is derivative. Much of the mood and tone recalls another German series, the time-travel show Dark. The producers of that series also are behind this one. And there is a bit of the Star Wars franchise in Tribes of Europa. Moses (Oliver Masucci) is a fast-talking salvage merchant who is constantly trying to keep one step ahead of a powerful lender. Who does that remind you of? Moses takes Elja under his wing. Masucci is a gifted actor, he portyayed the brooding Ulrich in Dark, a cruel but ultimately tragic character, as well as Hitler in the comedy Look Who’s Back. 

Moses is only interested, at least initially, in Elja, the youngest of the Origine siblings, because he found an Atlantian cube, which, must like the Ring of Power in the Lord of the Rings, is sought after by other tribes, particularly the Crows. And in the early episodes, like the Ring, we are unsure of exactly what powers the cube possesses. As for the Crows, they are barbarians who party in discos and participate in gladiator duels.

Yes, there is a bit of The Hunger Games in Tribes of Europa.

Liv falls in the the Crimson Army, which is led by General Cameron (James Faulkner). He’s the actor who portayed the stern Randyll Tarly in Game of Thrones. One of the Crimson Army’s goals is to seize the former Berlin, Brahtok, the Crow capital, where Kiano and Jakob are being held.

Cameron dreams of bringing back the old Europe. Liv asks the general, “Do you really think you can pull it off, unite the continent?” Cameron replies, “The European idea will never die.” According to numerous media sources the idea for Tribes of Europa came to show creator Philip Koch after the Brexit vote in 2016.

The German in Tribes of Europa is dubbed for Netflix. But in a key revelation, English is still the lingua franca in post-collapse Europe.

There are just six episodes in the first season and as this one ends with three cliffhangers, I imagine a second season of Tribes of Europa is planned. If there is I’ll tune in.

Netlix rates Tribes of Europa as TV-MA for graphic violence, foul language, nudity, and very uncomfortable sexual situations. 

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Nomad: Amazon Review

Posted: July 11, 2010 by datechguy in amazon reviews, opinion/news
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My review of the Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s new book Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations is available here.

This book is one of the most conservative books I’ve read. If you take a look at the some of the cultural practices described in the book you almost understand why liberals are so ok with Islam.

This is the reason why Barney Frank keeps getting elected…

Posted: July 7, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news
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…he is capable of making an interesting argument and is not afraid of making them.

Today on Morning Joe he has teamed with Ron Paul and now Pat Buchanan and is making the argument on base cutbacks in Europe and elsewhere.

The question he and Ron Paul (and now Pat) make is an interesting one: At what point do we let Europe defend itself?

It’s a fair conversation to have. He talked about the financial costs for us and the subsidy that it , but he actually neglected one of the more important arguments in his favor.

Culturally you have a change in Europe where you have nations that have forgotten how to defend themselves. Recall the famous line from Oscar van den Boogaard quoted in this column and Mark Steyn’s America Alone:

“I am not a warrior, but who is?” he shrugged. “I have never learned to fight for my freedom. I was only good at enjoying it.”

and to show that the attitute is not just owned by Dutch gay humanists here is a doozy:

Broder is convinced that the Europeans are not willing to oppose islamization. “The dominant ethos,” he told De Volkskrant, “is perfectly voiced by the stupid blonde woman author with whom I recently debated. She said that it is sometimes better to let yourself be raped than to risk serious injuries while resisting. She said it is sometimes better to avoid fighting than run the risk of death.”

Why would we expect a culture that doesn’t have to defend itself to do so? If we want this to change we would have to take the hand away. The question becomes are they too far gone already? Would Europe change or fold if our defensive blanket was removed? This is the true cost of American defense.

And then comes the other end of the coin. The benefits of our forward bases. Can a re-armed Europe be able to defend against a newly re-aggressive Russia? Would a re-armed Europe decide to go back to fighting among themselves? Would a Newly re-armed Europe’s military infrastructure become an Islamic military infrastructure in a generation?

Even more important are all of those problems not taking place simply because US troops are there? There were no US bases in Serbia when the war took place, is that a coincidence?

Or put another way: Will US troops and treasure in even greater quantities have to be spent to re-impose peace and re-take territory once we leave?

Or to put it another way, everything costs something. Both positions carry price and risks. Which price and which risk do we as a nation want to incur?

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