Thomas_More

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Viewing 15 posts - 391 through 405 (of 2,969 total)
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  • in reply to: Death is not the end. #264219
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Anyone who believes in nothing and thinks we become nothing is no materialist.

    in reply to: Death is not the end. #264216
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Where does the “soul” go?

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264188
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    https://tass.com/politics/2146743

    West planning preëmptive strikes – Russia.

    in reply to: The German Far-Right #264185
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Anything that reverses the march to war with Russia will be a relief.

    But, if “leaders” are pushed by the capitalist system, if the AfD were elected, wouldn’t they have to continue to blow the war trumpet, since German capitalism is demanding it?

    And if German capitalism is not what’s driving Merz & Co. to war, then what’s the logic? What are we seeing?

    • This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by Thomas_More.
    • This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by Thomas_More.
    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264165
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    The Ukraine war is clearly not coming to a close, in spite of the views of many here that it is more or less over. NATO and the EU are not prepared to yield.

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264164
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    New front will open as Armenia joins EU and joins with NATO against Russia.

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264157
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    ” Ukraine’s full accession to the European Union will trigger Article 42(7) TEU, the bloc’s binding mutual defense clause, which requires all EU member states to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” if a member becomes the victim of armed aggression.”

    So, it’ll be war with Russia!

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264155
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    https://tass.com/politics/2144597

    Well, the US is not going to agree to that!

    in reply to: The Reformation and the Rise of the Nation State #264152
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Google: ” French state centralization was spearheaded by Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin because their roles as unelected Chief Ministers granted them the supreme executive authority, ruthless neutrality, and institutional independence necessary to crush entrenched feudal privileges and consolidate royal absolutism.As clergymen, the Cardinals answered ultimately to the Crown and the Pope, allowing them to bypass traditional noble factions and navigate existential crises without fearing dynastic ruin or partisan backlash. Their historical centralization project was driven by a few key factors:Weakening the Feudal Aristocracy: Local nobles controlled regional territories and possessed their own private armies. The Cardinals stripped them of this military power, demolished fortified castles not needed for border defense, and replaced localized noble control with institutional administrators (the intendants) who reported directly to the Crown.Neutralizing Protestant Political Autonomy: To unify the state, Cardinal Richelieu curtailed the military and political privileges granted to the Huguenots (such as the heavily fortified city of La Rochelle), subordinating all factions to the absolute rule of the state.Fiscal and Military Survival: Frequent conflicts, particularly against the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty, demanded massive state revenues. Centralization allowed the Crown to bypass obstructionist regional parliaments and efficiently levy taxes (like the taille) to sustain a modernized military and compete on the European stage.Building a Bureaucracy: They established a loyal administrative class (the noblesse de robe) that managed the state apparatus based on merit and loyalty rather than inherited noble bloodlines.**Preserving the Minority: ** Following Richelieu’s groundwork, Cardinal Mazarin successfully navigated the volatile regency of Anne of Austria and the young Louis XIV. He steered the monarchy through the aristocratic rebellions of the Fronde, securing the absolute system that the Sun King would later inherit and define.”

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264150
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    US still backing Ukraine. Issues more sanctions and provides funding for Kiev.

    https://sputnikglobe.com/20260605/us-house-approves-new-anti-russia-sanctions-and-billions-in-ukraine-aid-1124265360.html

    https://tass.com/world/2142123

    • This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by Thomas_More.
    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264134
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    And so much for those of us who thought Scandinavia was less militaristic and oppressive, and for those Reichians who believed that more sexual emancipation and openness would turn people against militarism and capitalism.

    A pipe dream indeed.

    in reply to: Russian Tensions #264116
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    The next Ukraine coming: Armenia?

    in reply to: Inter-species communication. #264093
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Purpose.

    in reply to: The Reformation and the Rise of the Nation State #264089
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    So in France in the 1650s, bourgeoisie and nobles join together to oppose the centralised state.

    in reply to: The Reformation and the Rise of the Nation State #264077
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    The French state kept control of the Church in its own hands until the Concordat of 1801 formally ended the Gallican structure (which the Revolution had already smashed) and returned the Church to the Pope, on condition that the French head of state would nominate bishops for Rome to confirm. Church and state were officially separated in 1905, barring Alsace & Lorraine, where bishops are still nominated by the President.

    The Spanish state continued to control Church affairs, lands, and choose its clergy until the death of Franco returned the Church to Papal control.

    Monastic lands were seized in both countries during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Viewing 15 posts - 391 through 405 (of 2,969 total)