@Jenga: That’s a fair question. I’ve been asked it before on here. I guess it is strange to find someone academically educated who is also conservative that holds several advanced diplomas. Broadly speaking, I worked on two major original research papers: Labor and Unionization in Kentucky during the 1930s and concepts of materialism during a localized event within the U.S. Civil War. I did a paper for pretty much every course, but those were the major research seminars I did. My non-research courses, I focused on European history.

As for historians? Christopher Browning, Studs Terkel (even though I personally disagree with him on some things; I do think he is instrumental in the development of oral history), Edward Westermann, Joesph Glatthaar, Stephen Mitchell, Charles Royster, Omar Bartov, Anton Kaes (film), etc

@JY, sorry, i'm not going to have a chance to reply to you tonight.

na, that whole point didnt interest me much, cuz it was a lost cause for ND the minute he said it...lol

@ora

that's fine, it's late

equality is relative anyways to me Orathaic. We are not born equal, the only thing that shoudl be equal is our rights. After that, its all up to effort I would hope I cant hit a curve-ball well, if I could I may have played at a high level in baseball....Just could never get it right.

Im not upset about it, I moved on and found things I was good at, and went after it.

Did you quote Ayn Rand? *cringe*

I was waiting form someone to comment on Ayn....lol

@Yoyoyozo

i know, i hate her books so fucking much. if anyone ever asks you to read Atlas Shrugged, punch them in the face

People fear in different ways. Unless @Orathaic is claiming that he has a device that measures fear or is in the heads of the entire U.S. population then he simply doesn't know what he is talking about. So, I don't think the point is mute at all.

Also Ayn Rand is a great woman and novelist. Amazing works that deserve to be taught and remembered. We should put her on a U.S. bank note.

I own two copies of Atlas Shrugged and highly recommend it.

YoYo, i suggest the 'punching in the face' part not be taken seriously, could get you the ass whooping of a lifetime.

@Stressed: Absolutely correct. I condemn violence.

I don't think anyone who reads Ayn Rand could hold their own in a fight, so I think I'm good.

I know, like who cares about inventors, and small business people, and individuals? Right, those people are all terrible! Collectivism and Statism! Yay! /sarcasm end

lol, and you know that how again? I know one guy who reads Ayn, and is quite capable of fighting 99.9% of the people on this site, and probably the world.

He used to be a Fight instructor for the Military at FT bragg....I doubt you would be 'good' with him...lol

I know for a fact he reads them, because I saw them in his Library at his house, and they looked well-read.

My general thoughts about people who can fight, is if you have any real training, you are better off than 95% of the people in the west The men of the west are a pitiful group for any type of martial skills

Jeez tough crowd out here. There a running joke in my post-grad study circle that goes:


How many Neoliberals does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
None. Because if the government just left it alone, the light bulb would screw itself in!

I've read Atlas Shrugged and one other of her books... i understand it's for philosophy, but when i read i want to enjoy it too. her prose is dreadful.

as for fighting, MMA is life. No slight to BJJ or many other Martial Arts, but fighters like Xu Xiadong (and even McGregor) are waking people up to the differences between older martial arts and boxing, and actual fighting.

I know guys! Let's create this massive state government. We will call it the CCCP. We will all be a collective! And we will have these awesome five year plans! Screw capitalism! Lol, we will have central planners and a centrally planned economy! And, our constitution will be like for green energy and um 'rights' for all the collective (but we will never use it lol) and we will have secret police that go around and round up those evil republicans and put them in 'education' camps up in Nome Alaska! Lol. That will show em! And, um we will get rid of all private property and we will be democratic! So, democratic in fact that we will only have one party! We will be Democratic Socialists, yay! And like for elections there will only be one government approved candidate that will get 100% of the 100% forced voter turnout. And we will have free speech so long as the speech is what the government says you can say! If you don't say what we want you can go to Nome Alaska to be in those 'education' camps! Yay!

Yay! Socialism! Collectivism! Statism! One Party Democratic Socialism! CCCP.

/end of my sarcastic rants for the night

good joke, only tell it once though Loses its luster after that

@Yoyoyozo

actually, you'd have to calculate the comparative utility of the lightbulb being screwed in vs the comparative cost of the screwing the lightbulb in, vs the lightbulb not being screwed in, calculate the percent of the population that is capable and willing to screw the light bulb in and the percent of the population that is capable and willing to pay for the lightbulb being screwed in, and create supply and demand curves accordingly, so that we can deduce an optimal equilibrium price at which the lightbulb shall be screwed in.

then the invisible hand shall screw in the light bulb

@ND

this conversation isn't very serious anymore calm down

I apologize, I usually don't get overly sarcastic.

Jmaes, you are 100% correctly Fighting is fighting. My son at 11, is deep into MMA He has to wait 3 more years to join a gym though, as is the law here, but after being bullied for a few months, I told him he had to take care of his problem himself with bullies.

Enter Wrestling, Karate, BJJ. 1 year later, his bully problem is resolved, but now he is OBSESSED with the entire thing.

He is now 3 years past the bully problem, he has stopped karate (he got his black belt, which is all he wanted once he started BJJ) Muay Thai is being taught to him by my best friend.

He is a GREAT kid though Runs across parking lots to open doors for old people, pushes carts to cars, etc. Just a good kid, but he is a machine in regards to his training. 6 days a week, 3 or 4 hours a day he trains. But, I am happy he is a good kid

rewatching Game of Thrones. I'm almost at the wed redding. emotional support to be needed momentarily

@ND thanks for the reply, and I am sorry if that derailed things at all. A lot of World War II and Civil War guys. Not my areas of study but fascinating subjects. Although I am disappointed that a guy who has studied Germany during WWII extensively does not appear to see the numerous parallels between our current president and fascism.

Have you read Confederates in the Attic? The politics of the author might not agree with you, but it is a great read, and as someone who likes the history of the Civil War, you might get a kick out of it.

I still think there is a non-negliable chance that you are just trolling this whole thread.

Make it a great day.

@Stressedlines

it can get pretty obsessive. my older brother is learning Mcom, which is the basic Marine fighting requirements. funnily enough i'm about 4 inches taller than him and so wrestling i can hold my own (for about a minute), but he's got me hooked a bit on watching MMA and whatnot

Jenga, what are the comparisons between Germany and America today? I am just curious

Ok here's a better one!

A neoliberal and a Keynesian are walking down the road. They come across a pile of horse shit lying on the asphalt.

Neoliberal: "If you eat it I'll give you $20,000!"
Keynesian runs his optimization problem and figures out he's better off eating it so he does and collects money.

Continuing along the same road they come across another pile of horse shit.

Keynesian: "Now, if YOU eat this I'll give YOU $20,000."
After evaluating the proposal Neoliberal eats it and collects the money.

They go on. The Keynesian starts thinking: "Wait, we now have the same amount of money as before, we just both ate shit"

Neoliberal replies "Well, that's true, but you overlooked the fact that we've been just involved in $40,000 of trade."

Jmaes, you know what is great though?

The confidence level my son has now compared to 3 years ago. He talks with a confidence now he never had. He is VERy sure of himself now.

Him and I hunt and fish a lot together, and this year hunting he was much different. I had to look at him closer, and admit he is still my little boy, but he isnt my little boy, if you catch my drift.