flyingrodent

To ensure that human civilization, not insect, dominates this galaxy now and always!

In October 1918, Paul is finally killed on a remarkably peaceful day. The situation report from the frontline states a simple phrase: "All quiet on the Western Front." Paul's corpse displays a calm expression on its face, "as though almost glad the end had come."

This is basically Wilfred Owen, killed in action fighting over a canal one week before the armistice.

The jingo teacher’s long, belligerent harangue to his class of doomed teenagers in All Quiet On The Western Front always springs to mind, watching this movie.

I like how Johnny Rico isn’t any kind of fascist to start: he’s a regular teenager who wants to get a girl and to thrive in his society, like anyone else. Except his society is a horrific fascist nightmare, so he ends up watching his friends being torn to bits and his rewards are new cooler badges.

Maybe talk to Zack about that

I don’t have any grand theory, I’m just struck by the symmetry.

Amazing, I was not aware that such psychic powers of divination were possible. I guess every day really is a school day.

Luckily the Trumpers have not been loudly signalling what the best way to defeat them in this war is

Mobile infantry made me the man I am today

How does this work in the context of USA vs Iran

I suspect the crisis now is the same crisis we had then, our leaders just deferred it by burning the furniture to keep themselves and their favoured electoral blocs warm for forty years or so.

“That’s about as close as it gets” is nothing like “pro-War for Russia” and you are insulting me by pretending that it is.

I was talking about myself, but I have seen no quotes from either Polanski or Old Jezza that state they’re in favour of Russia or Iran or whoever making aggressive war, just a lot of very belligerent fannies waving their arms and roaring about what they reckon others must think.

Robocop, just good clean fun

I do not recall mentioning mr Corbyn

The girl who just wants to have babies but you have to serve in the military to get a licence for childbirth, and then they pitch her into a hellworld of ravenous monsters to prove which is the superior species

It doesn’t say good things about the perceptive powers of 90s critics, put it that way

It is awesome: opening with horny teens having standard high school dramas while being bored by their teacher, a military recruiter and a total psycho hammering them with pure unadulterated fascist propaganda, which they just accept as background noise.

Earth in the Orion arm and Klendathu, on the opposite side of the galaxy

Ho ho, I missed this, maybe because it’s in the first minute: “To ensure the safety of our system, Klendathu must be eliminated”

Seems wild that the dominant political/economic philosophy of the era has been quite ruthlessly enforced my entire life, and that pushback against this collapsing, cratering system has in recent years has been met with for real 1950s style all-media McCarthyism by press and government, hand in hand

Look, fair enough: if scary stories about Russia and China eating Donald Trump’s homework are what it takes to call off this shitshow and take his navy home, then I am all for that

Mark Chadbourn • @chadbourn.bsky.social US Intelligence believes China could be preparing to provide Iran with financial assistance, spare parts, and missile components, CNN reports. 17:39 • 6 Mar 2026 102 reposts 52 quotes 334 likes 6 saves 23 154 334 Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky... • 4h So that's both Russia and China providing assistance to Iran. 24 10 68 )

Seems like somebody fucked up here

I regret to say Nick has fallen prey to the virus of anti-Americanism, such a common liberal betrayal these days

richards reposted Nick Cohen @NickCohen4 • 6h The sight of the British right cheering on the half-mad, semi-senile leader of a quasi-hostile foreign power shows that conservatives have lost their patriotism - and with it whatever common sense they once possessed

Oh for the days of wise, careful and pragmatic American presidents that British newspaper columnists could place their trust, faith and professional reputations in, like George Bush II

It is. Also, if President Barry was so easily dissuaded because our support was so immensely crucial, then I’d suggest he wasn’t that up for it in the first place.

I’m not really into bombing and killing, in general. I sometimes get a bit heated after a few beers like your dad would, but not in the cold light of day.

That shit stopped instantly, the second that happened.

I would say the shenanigans and bullshit of 2018-19 did not stop for years: they continued at astonishing, unrelenting intensity until late 2025, when Morgan McSweeney and Peter Mandelson made the entire press pack look like a right bunch of throbbing wallopers in front of the Americans.

As well as seeing that the Great Tory/Labour Nosedive began with the shenanigans and bullshit of 2018-19 and has not relented since, I cite this one: see how the dive begins the very moment that Sunak calls the election? That’s because the public started paying attention to what was going on.

I’ve been waiting for 13 years for someone to say “Okay, but surely it was up to David Cameron - the Prime Minister - to make at least a somewhat convincing case for lobbing missiles at Damascus, rather than having no good answers at all” and that is a box that remains unticked to this day.