I'll just add that according to modern Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC) the current definition of a military target may include schools, hospitals, religious sites and culturally relevent monuments should they be used by enemy forces.

Even in WW1 and WW2 when these rules were being written, if your enemy was hiding in a church, that was okay. But if they stored munitions or fired from the church, it and everyone in it would be considered valid military targets.

It was designed that way in order to stop soldiers from hiding in hospitals and schools saying "You can't shoot us, there are women, children and the sick in here" while they used that amnesty to kill countless others.

Just a distinction a lot of people tend to miss when they talk about "The Geneva Convention."

So what's the alternative to combatting Russian and Chinese imperialism as a western-born leftist?

How would/should an organised socialist military industrial complex shake out and not also be labeled imperialist? As someone who hasn't read Lenin, what is the solution to creating a society we dream of without the "big stick" that is NATO?

I ride a bicycle in a rural area and built a new office this spring. With a trailer, store delivery or a $20 rental I don't think I ever ran into any of the problems you describe. The bicycle has gone hunt camping rain or shine, I dirt bike, street bike and work a rugged job.

If I really needed it I have the wife's sedan which handles -40 winters and 50cm snow drifts just fine. Equipped with a roof rack and small trailer I can move myself just fine if the need is there.

Aside from hauling large trailers or campers I fail to see the utility of a pickup as described. Even when hauling plywood or construction supplies I've opted for the home depot van before even considering a pickup. If I wanted a 2*4 sticking out of the end I would have taken the Sedan anyway.

I think a lot of the truck owner mentality comes down to mental gymnastics or "What if?". Aside from rare use cases it just doesn't seem like the play. Even for yourself you mentioned the pickup is an edge case.

These are all things people consider when talking about truck owners. The rest of the world can see life without pickups, can justify life without pickups and even prefers life without pickups but for some reason... Pickup drivers can't stop talking about them as if they need to justify it to themselves more than to the world.

You're in for a good couple of weeks to months of reading depending on how fast you read.

Really fun set of series. Reddit had a great Asimov sub with recommended reading orders since Asimov had the tendency to publish things in a weird timeline. Any way you choose is a fantastic time though.

The robot that was bestowed with unimaginable precognician that survived for 20 Millenia patiently guiding humanity along the right path as prescribed by the Zeroth law of robotics forced on it that drove all other robots mad?

The robot that at every turn was curtailed by human lust and greed? That had to do horrible things because humanity lacked the foresight to see that charging a living being with "Doing no harm to humanity or by inaction causing harm" would be just awful for that soul?

Pretty sure Demerzel always worked in the shadows for the greater good. Especially when operating as Olivaw.

Seems to me like humans are the ones that kept messing up the laws of robotics. Not the other way around.

Aren't the books really more about how the rules work but humans just can't accept them so we constantly alter them to our detriment until the robots go away for a while and then take over largely to our benefit?

I mean... Kind of Asimov's robot series? Except the androids/robots were trying so hard to stay to the rules and protect humans but at every chance they could humans fucked that up or refused to see the plan.

At least as I recall, the robots basically came up with multi-millenia spanning plans that would solve all of humanity's problems and then humans were like: "Cool. But what if we made robots detectives and they could also target people we don't like?" Then the robots fucked off for a while and a bunch of stuff happened and... Yeah. Asimov wrote a lot of books.

Just gonna put this album here.

edit: Well, I'm surprised this got downvoted considering the entire theme of the album is a CME knocking out telecommunications and computer systems on earth leading to a total collapse of human society. Just a fun thing I came across and was reminded of with all the solar flare memes lately.

Who are you people with more than like 10 tabs open at once? Do you guys just not close something after you're done reading it?

Eh new guy la ouien toien mon'tit sauce. Vien-cit câlis. Cherche moien une Clé Taurus à home depot. Ouien une C L É T A U R U S. Les chums aux "service desk" va savoir c'est quoi. Away let's go crisse.

Silence, Bot!

In case anyone confuses him with Linus Torvalds:

PSN does not provide service in those countries.

Certified bootlicker in every one of your comments.

Literally not angry with no evidence.

Perhaps I misremembered what I read from other sources. My memory isn't infallible. The thing I'm angry about has evidence and I made it clear why that upsets me. I also clearly stated that there are only about 66 countries WITH access. Meaning over 130 other nations without access. Including the entirety of the Bulkan states.

Go lick some other corpo's boot.

Also locks out anyone not living in the 66 countries serviced by the PSN.

Also now requires giving your personal info to yet another third party and their friends. A third party which has a storied past of losing user data.

It's not in the EULA at all. A major problem with this change is that PSN is only available in about 66 countries. Locking out the rest of the world from playing without fear of repercussions due to falsified account info.

Also just the shitty problem of having to give your personal info to yet another third party. One who has a long history of losing personal data of its users.

When I look at American politics it really seems like almost all modern problems can be blamed on Nixon and Reagan.

It very well could be NATO doctrine. Militaries figured out real quick that you have to keep troops alive long enough to fight. Whereas it seems civilian workers are treated worse.

Funny how the military, being an innately fascist system (meritocracy) also happens to be the most socialist system many countries have. Room and board, fair wages, a viable path to promotion, medical care all in return for your work and possibly your life.

The military radicalized me to democratic socialism.

Okay, sweet. Then that's identical to the system I've been told about for Canadian Forces and similar to what I've seen with other militaries. Crazy how that works. Especially seeing American states that are so pro military and anti-labour fail to meet the basic criteria even the DoD follows.