hbiden@onlyfans.com wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:04 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 10:33 am I have never wanted to visit the USA because I always found it too crowded and sterile for any positive personal experience.

Give it a week to change your mind.
We have lots of space!

If we're really being serious, I would not make it past Italy. The coffee and the pasta would kill me in three visits.

And the women... The women!!!!

Also, this year's Emily in Paris is Emily in Rome. PREGO!

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 11:16 am

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 11:10 am I haven't read enough to know the inner dynamics of Venezuelan politics.

Like, why is this even important for you or US of A? It's, erm, their domestic political situation. Domestic.

I was raised to take a sudden interest in the domestic politics of nations my country's military illegally and arbitrarily topples. It's called manners.

Bad manners, RETROACTIVELY!

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pmBut seriously. We've been doing this shit since Vietnam. The chief jumped into this conflict without our support. Now they're going to try to retroactively sell it to us. This requires a defensive shield of "Well actually...".

There was this thing called WW2 and there were atom bombs being dropped on a nation that was not an imminent threat.

Gramsci wrote:

hbiden@onlyfans.com wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:04 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 10:33 am I have never wanted to visit the USA because I always found it too crowded and sterile for any positive personal experience.

Give it a week to change your mind.
We have lots of space!

Agreed. The US can be an incredible place to visit with the right people to spend time with. How much I enjoy visiting the US vs how much of a clusterfuck its politics are is incredibly frustrating.

I mean, I visit politically horrible countries all the time. (You think, for example, the Moroccan monarchy or Karimov-era Uzbekistan facilitated an easy and fair place for most citizens—or even, sometimes, for visitors? No. But they were rewarding as hell.)

Anyway, much of the US is less crowded than much of Croatia. As in, you can drive for half a day and barely see a soul in Montana, West Texas, even Northern California. And many of our (secondary, never mind largest) cities are a lot more diverse, grimier, and more chaotic than Zagreb. (Sure, they're also less traditionalist and far less historic, but it's a much younger culture here.)

I can see not visiting the US b/c it's intimidating, expensive, too vast, occasionally dangerous, has middling to poor mass transit (although Amtrak did just experience its highest-ever ridership and revenue; and the Northeast is pretty easy sans wheels), or full of badly educated, aggressive morons. Those are all valid things. But I wouldn't call it particularly crowded or sterile, unless you're aiming for population-dense suburban sprawl or a very dull city that attracts relatively few travelers.

As for Venezuela, this is just more neo-Great Game bullshit (superpowers flexing b/c they can, counterbalancing interests and optics amongst one another; China, India, Israel, and, far more often, Russia engage in similar shit) and I can only hope the resulting quagmire only looks like Libya (relatively brief, embarrassing) than like Iraq (seemingly endless). It's a dumb idea, especially considering that Trump and his "people" could barely run a casino.

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:38 pm Anyway, much of the US is less crowded than much of Croatia. As in, you can drive for half a day and barely see a soul in Montana, West Texas, even Northern California. And many of our (secondary, never mind largest) cities are a lot more diverse, grimier, and more chaotic than Zagreb. (Sure, they're also less traditionalist and far less historic, but it's a much younger culture here.)

The best part of our country is that everything is basically half an hour away. Lets say that Zagreb is ground zero. Budapest? 2 hours away. Seaside? 2 hours away. Italy? 2 hours away. Brothels in Austria? 2 hours away.

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:38 pm I can see not visiting the US b/c it's intimidating, expensive, too vast, occasionally dangerous, has middling to poor mass transit (although Amtrak did just experience its highest-ever ridership and revenue; and the Northeast is pretty easy sans wheels), or full of badly educated, aggressive morons. Those are all valid things. But I wouldn't call it particularly crowded or sterile, unless you're aiming for population-dense suburban sprawl or a very dull city that attracts relatively few travelers.

My first choice of not traveling here is that I would probably get deported to Africa because of my online comments or whatnot. If that is something that I have to worry about prior to visiting country, is it really worth it? I have been to China and that has not come to my mind thinking about getting censored by a country that would supposed to be more restrictive. Also, yeah. If I come to NY per se, I would get super lost and would feel anxious waling around there. I had no such feelings in Paris, even though I felt hella judged for being a pale Balkan kid.

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:36 pm

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 11:16 am

Like, why is this even important for you or US of A? It's, erm, their domestic political situation. Domestic.

I was raised to take a sudden interest in the domestic politics of nations my country's military illegally and arbitrarily topples. It's called manners.

Bad manners, RETROACTIVELY!

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pmBut seriously. We've been doing this shit since Vietnam. The chief jumped into this conflict without our support. Now they're going to try to retroactively sell it to us. This requires a defensive shield of "Well actually...".

There was this thing called WW2 and there were atom bombs being dropped on a nation that was not an imminent threat.

Separate from the nukes, the foreign policy of Japan in the 20th century prior to when the US terminated their participation in WW2 was strikingly different from what it was allowed to be afterward. It was called Imperial Japan for a reason.

iembalm wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:47 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:36 pm

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pm

I was raised to take a sudden interest in the domestic politics of nations my country's military illegally and arbitrarily topples. It's called manners.

Bad manners, RETROACTIVELY!

losthighway wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:19 pmBut seriously. We've been doing this shit since Vietnam. The chief jumped into this conflict without our support. Now they're going to try to retroactively sell it to us. This requires a defensive shield of "Well actually...".

There was this thing called WW2 and there were atom bombs being dropped on a nation that was not an imminent threat.

Separate from the nukes, the foreign policy of Japan in the 20th century prior to when the US terminated their participation in WW2 was strikingly different from what it was allowed to be afterward. It was called Imperial Japan for a reason.

Oh are you kidding me? A shoehorn of a country would present an imperial threat to the world? My country has a foreign policy of capturing all of Bosnia. It does not mean it would or could.

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:53 pm

iembalm wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:47 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 1:36 pm

Bad manners, RETROACTIVELY!



There was this thing called WW2 and there were atom bombs being dropped on a nation that was not an imminent threat.

Separate from the nukes, the foreign policy of Japan in the 20th century prior to when the US terminated their participation in WW2 was strikingly different from what it was allowed to be afterward. It was called Imperial Japan for a reason.

Oh are you kidding me? A shoehorn of a country would present an imperial threat to the world?

with allies of course it could. Ask china. Ask Pearl Harbor.

hbiden@onlyfans.com wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 3:40 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:53 pm

iembalm wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:47 pm

Separate from the nukes, the foreign policy of Japan in the 20th century prior to when the US terminated their participation in WW2 was strikingly different from what it was allowed to be afterward. It was called Imperial Japan for a reason.

Oh are you kidding me? A shoehorn of a country would present an imperial threat to the world?

with allies of course it could. Ask china. Ask Pearl Harbor.

"Herro China! Are you harboring a pearl!?"

Seems maybe Trump just wanted a new puppet. Vance's asshole has become distended as of late.

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 3:41 pm

hbiden@onlyfans.com wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 3:40 pm

Lu Zwei wrote: Sat Jan 03, 2026 2:53 pm

Oh are you kidding me? A shoehorn of a country would present an imperial threat to the world?

with allies of course it could. Ask china. Ask Pearl Harbor.

"Herro China! Are you harboring a pearl!?"

I'm sorry. I didn't know what or with whom I was dealing with here. Thank you for the illumination.