SARGE

This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.

Oh completely 100% agreed, and neglect isn't the only form of child abuse going on but CPS has visited them plenty of times and interviewed all the kids and neighbors (before we moved in) over custody battles with some adopted ones. (they're all related, long story with too many identifying details but some parents died and all the children are cousins and siblings) so they at least aren't doing anything that CPS cares about.

But holy shit I have never wanted to curb stomp my sister in law a-la American History X more than when I went over one day and I could hear screaming halfway down the 1/4mi driveway, and when I walked in she was in the 6 year Olds face screaming at the top of her lungs about how she's tired of telling the 6 year old to put her shoes away, four of the kids were slowly doing chores in the living room and kitchen with tears running down their faces, and I could hear the 13 year old sobbing upstairs. Their mother screamed so hard and long that she burst a blood vessel in her eye and detached the retina. As usual though the moment she saw me she stopped and pretended like she wasn't doing anything.

Since then I've had my phone on record in my pocket whenever I'm coming over unannounced just in case I can catch it. Bare minimum it will be something to show the courts when one of the kids becomes a serial killer.

Their dad is no help, he's an enabler and honestly a broken shell of a person when it comes to his wife.

Grandparents are worse than parents.

My wife watches them whenever she can, and takes them on surprise day trips to get away from their parents and some of the siblings when possible but holy shit they do not make it easy to take them anywhere.

I don't regret marrying my wife but I can honestly say my in-laws are insane and anyone could understand why I hate them.

Uhhhhhhh what was the topic again? Sorry for the vent.

then why is it so popular there

Because like many countries whose inhabitants come from a variety of places, you've got lots of people interested in their "heritage"

Since most people in the US can't say their family has been here longer than a couple hundred years, and depending on the area no more than 100 or so, a lot of people wish to know "where they came from" so to speak. DNA testing is just easier than tracing a family tree.

I happen to be lucky enough to have a family member obsessed with genealogy, who traced down the last 1,000 or so years depending on which parts of the family and what areas they're from, so I don't need genetic testing to know 99% of my family is white as fuck with a couple POC from different continents and a native back in the 1700s. I don't feel any particular draw to any culture, nor do I feel like donning traditional garb or participating in holidays, ceremonies, rituals, or customs. Some people do.

I totally get it if it's not your thing, especially since that kind of mentality of "ooh let's find out where our families came from" isn't present in most other places in the world, and definitely not to the same degree even in other colonial areas. Personally I think it's part of that whole "melting pot" ideology, but I'm just some rando on the internet.

Honestly even without my relative tracing the family tree, I would never have paid to give my DNA to a company for results with questionable accuracy. Shits weird, yo.

1312

No exceptions

She hasn’t committed any crimes in France (she technically hasn’t committed any crimes in Israel either

She hasn't committed any crimes that I am aware of since the aid voyage began. Not even the bullshit ones that fascist regimes like to throw out when they want to target specific groups.

I know you aren't trying to suggest that she has, but I believe its important that there isn't any ambiguity in whether she did a crime or not. She was kidnapped by Privateers (state-sanctioned pirates), the goods she was traveling with as well as personal effects were stolen, and she was taken against her will into places and forced to watch people die on video by her kidnappers. At no point in this has a crime been committed in any way that I am aware of. And it especially hasn't been made known by any credible source.

In fairness, that's why I feel like getting a leash.

Plus the oldest is 13 and at least she's responsible enough for us to look away for a few minutes and she will still be there.

I've always felt weird about parents who have those backpack leashes for their kids, but now that I've been living next to my in-laws for a year, who have 8 children, I understand some of them.

I refuse to take some their kids anywhere unless one of them is with my wife and I.

One would absolutely go sprinting full speed away and hide from us just because he thinks it's hilarious.

Two would wander off because they saw something shiny and their brains are like an etch-a-sketches where every time a new thought enters, the old one has to get wiped away.

One would do the exact opposite of anything we say just because he figures he can.

And three others would absolutely just wander off, not because they want to but just because kids aren't always the best at spatial awareness and simply get too far away. And would be terrified if they noticed their adults were nowhere in sight.

City: we have decided not to support these people because they aren't providing safety.

Government: WHOA YOU ANT DO THAT UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR CITIZENS TO SUFFEE

City citizens: no we support this action. We feel safe when ICE is nowhere to be found.

Government: SEE THEY'RE TERRIFIED

A road construction project within view of my old place could have been finished in 6 months, given the speed they set up 90% of it.

All that was left was a small ramp and a slightly curved road.

Then some locals found out that the plan for the surrounding fields (that had been untended and growing wild for almost a decade before hand) were going to be used for solar power.

Suddenly they became very concerned about proper land surveys and impacts, supposedly solar installations bring in crime, and all kinds of other stall tactics.

Well since they put the project on hold for over 5 years, the price of solar dropped a TON and when the bullshit finally got sorted, the solar field ended up being almost 3x the original intended power output.

And the only crime that has happened as a result is occasionally they have to replace some panels because some good old boys keep taking pot shots at the panels. Normal people might call that "domestic terrorism" and do something about it, but the local sheriff didn't seem go care until their offices needed renovating and they had to shack up down the street.

Just a rambling way to say all the problems with the road projects around my area are caused by locals.

Yes, I do, as I am not German, nor European and do not have "common knowledge" of the goings-on in the EU, vis-a-vis politicians and their rhetoric.

I loved the single season of "Surface" that we got in 2005/6. It didn't do well, it wasn't particularly well made, but boy did it have me glued to the TV for the next episode when I was younger.

In no particular order

Command and Conquer Red Alert 2

Caesar III

Spyro

Metal Gear Solid

Gauntlet

Half life/2 should probably be on there, but it still doesn't feel like an "old" game, especially since I play them every year or two, they haven't left my computer since 2010, and honestly I can't see myself not playing it when I'm 60.