Hey, you can't scapegoat leopold and forget that Belgium held on to and continued to exploit congo till the 60s. That's less than a hundred years ago, your grandad was probably alive then.

Oh and Belgium got their first democratically elected leader lubumba assassinated. And you still regularly interfere in their politics.

Talriko and el sayed seem like noncareer politicians. Maybe they'll actually bring about some change like zohran and you'll see more candidates like them in future.

Was surprised to see independents in iowa, montana and nebraska give tough fights.

I can assume this guys butthole politics.

Yeah that makes sense. Populist policies with easy loop holes, nothing substantial. They'll just pass the cost to customers in one way or another.

Maybe they should have policies to support and incentivize competition as well with it?

EVERYONE lies, distorts, exaggerates, especially AUTHORITARIAN LEADERS. (Who's going to stop them? At least in democracy you can vote them out). If you think the USSR and its leaders didn't do that you live in a fantasy world.

And I will put my trust in where experts can speak freely, while recognising their bias. Not a country that silences every dissent because it's going to disrupt security.

The secret speech was an indictment by the very same leaders of USSR of the terror and paranoia Stalin created in Soviet Russia. They understood the ramifications of it and hated what he had done to the nation.

Oh and the facts about the purges and gulags were corroborated by historians who got access to the Soviet archives in the 90s. So unless the soviets were secretly forging millions of documents to further their enemies' agenda, the call is coming from inside the house.

What's wrong with pinkhaired dudes?

No dude, Stalin was a facist at heart and only used communism to further his agenda. He killed anyone who he felt threatened his power and with paranoia. Idk where you get the idea that he was trying to reign in the purges. He wasn't. Doctor's Plot, the red purge, holodomor, his hatred of Jews, there's way too much. Everyone was happy to see him gone, at least secretly (refer to the secret speech). He had terrorised all of USSR.

While the politburo did sign off on the purges (never said they weren't complicit) it was NOT a democratic process. You need representation of voters there.

Stalin's purges must have been an educational tool as well then.

People have a fond outlook of what the USSR was like. They neglect to see that they were an authoritarian society with a single party in charge which was willing to do anything to remain in power.

Gulags were horrible places on all accounts.

That wasn't real communism. Just an ideal hijacked by meglomaniacs.

Yeah that's true, but we have to hold these people accountable without resorting to fascism and violence somehow.

Something to get the blood pumping. I am waiting for when the niche communities come alive.

Got permabanned from reddit formoffering general safety advice to protestors in Minnesota in early 2025.

Fucking fascist racist piece of shit spez. May his guards be the first ones to desert him during the apocalypse.