most serene republic of venice rises

[The Dharma Bum]

you pretty much don't have a choice, unless you care to yield to the facts and agree with me.

[The Comrade]

Dharma you're always wrong and you're wrong now. Its not worth my time trying to convince you.

[The Dharma Bum]

[The Comrade]

Do you know how often internal wars were fought in the hre between the burghars And the bishops/nobility? Hint: a lot.

The hre was a complex political entity that was constantly shifting. Do you know how often Frankfurt changed hands?


Dharma I've spent months researching the hre. I don't honestly care how wrong you think I am.

[The Dharma Bum]

If I recall I made a pretty general remark about how the the rise of the Italian city states was linked to technical development in commerce, urbanization, and civil law, a transformation that was occurring throughout European society. Statements which which I verified with sources btw. Even within the German empire this development happened, as I've shown.

You've blown this way out of proportion. I don't even know if that is what you are trying to dispute?

[The Dharma Bum]

It seems like you are more concerned with maintaining an idea about the power of the state being in ascendancy and an unbroken chain of state legitimacy from the feudal system to the modern nation state than anything else.

Well, that's not the case. The feudal lords were basically bandits and their rule had no legitimacy whatsoever. The people who control nations states today aren't much better.

That is all.

[The Comrade]

[Dobby]

The papal states have been doing hugely well ever since eBay decided to channel money through them.

(Oh yes, I went there)

[The Comrade]

Looks like the White House is about to get flooded with petitions from Texas again

[The Dharma Bum]