The Lincoln Project 'coverage' of CPAC Day 3 haha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nwnP5orlL8
The Lincoln Project 'coverage' of CPAC Day 3 haha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nwnP5orlL8
Got it. I hope you're right!
McConnell doesn't sound too optimistic about the Senate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DaVV221-yw
Last edited by hyped78; 08-08-2022 at 05:59 AM.
On theft of land and expansion of their territory (which, shocker, moves their borders), if you're pretending it doesn't exist/happen and have somehow missed continued international condemnation for a well-known phenomenon even though you apparently care about and follow the news and for some reason don't want to google it or accept my word for it (and fair enough on the word thing, just a random poster like yourself) here's one link from Amnesty International that breaks it down as simply as can be done: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ca...dispossession/
Did they pull a Russia and grab a chunk of land the size of Crimea? No, but then again there wasn't that much land available. A small amount of land theft is still land theft, and still worthy of the international condemnation it receives.
On democracy, you've already admitted that while on paper they have many of the same rights as other citizens there's still a limit built in because in order to be a real democracy they'd have to threaten their status as an ethno-theocracy/"Jewish homeland". By definition that means they are not. They may have a high standard of living, but so did the fascist states of Europe in the 30s and 40s. They even had elections. Didn't make them democracies.
As to the US not being an ethno-theocracy, there's a good number of people working on it. They're the folk you're denying have fascist tendencies when posters like Babyblob point out their openly spoken-of plans to get their people in the rooms where decisions are made, and take those decisions away from the average voter here.
On my having zero knowledge, I'm not the one who is either ignorant of or pretending to be ignorant of illegal Israeli land theft. That's a pretty big part of the criticism of Israel in the international community. By no means the only part, but a pretty big one and a very glaring omission from one's supposed knowledge of the subject.
As to whataboutism and talking of criticism of Russia, either you again aren't understanding my point or are intentionally pretending not to. I'm not saying "but what about Russia/China/Saud Arabia" etc. Whataboutism excuses the behavior of one subject by pointing out an equally or nearly equal set of actions by another (usually a peer/rival).
For example, your talk of what Palestinians and the Arab world has done when someone brings up the wrongs Israel has committed. That is what I said, and that is a textbook case of "whataboutism". It's not an insult (though being called out might be embarrassing and cause offense), what you said was literally the equivalent of "who cares what Israel's doing, have you seen what the Arab World has done to them? Why talk about them?"
As to strawmen, again you gave a clear and undeniable (though by all means, go ahead and requote your original quotes and my responding quote and break down how I'm wrong exactly) textbook example of a strawman in which you take my argument (we should be able to criticize all countries when they do wrong, and that includes allies like Israel/France/Canada and even ourselves as well as the Russias/Chinas/North Koreas of the world without reflexive pushback or shutdown of the discussion by insulting or accusations of being racist/prejudiced/antisemitic) and substituted "Arabs are always the good guys, and all of the killing is done by Israel (who are always the bad guys)".
When you misrepresent my arguments and do so using well-known/well-worn internet debating tactics you should expect to be called out on them, as you were when you defended yourself from charges of racism by saying "some of my best friends are..." Again, not an insult if it's what you're choosing to do. It's an observation.
As to linking criticism of Israel to antisemitism, we went a few rounds after I pointed out that criticism of Israel is common and you insisting that it's mostly a thinly veiled form of antisemitism and stems from a centuries-long hatred of the Jewish people. I said (and continue to say) that while such prejudice exists there are also very legitimate reasons to criticize Israel and its military that are not only widely known and condemned but are also strongly condemned by many Israelis and Jews around the world. It's a discussion that needs to be had, and shouldn't be shied away from because someone might label you as an antisemite because they want to label you as a pariah to avoid engaging in your argument. And again, not seeing that with criticism of any other country, including the US.
Texas Republicans are trying to sell school choice measures, but rural conservatives aren’t buying
This is an interesting weakness and split in the GOP in terms of policy. On one hand they love to try and use this issue to weaken public schools by diverting public funds to charter schools etc. But, as the article points out rural schools with conservative voters see the negatives in this just like inner city districts that rely on robust funding for public schools. They don't have the same "choices" there are no close "charter schools" in a lot of these rural districts. So money diverted is money taken right from their kids education.As a Texas school superintendent, Adrain Johnson is no stranger to the struggles small, rural public schools face, from trying to recruit teachers, especially after more than two years of navigating school during a global pandemic, to a general lack of resources. And now, after the school shooting in Uvalde, there’s a renewed conversation about campus security.
With so many problems to solve, Johnson, who oversees the Hearne Independent School District northwest of College Station, doesn’t understand why state lawmakers’ to-do lists heading into next year’s legislative session seem to focus more on school choice over something like school safety.
“There always seems to be a school choice debate every legislative year, and I’m not afraid of that. I think that debating is good. That’s part of democracy,” Johnson said.
But he also wonders why public schools always take a back seat to the pursuit of policies that could diminish them.
Its interesting this is one issue that these rural GOP districts actually agree with Democrats on, and the only reason these measures keep getting defeated is the GOP opposition in an otherwise red state. Yet it is still listed as a GOP legislative priority over and over.
This another of the compounded reasons of the nation wide teacher shortage as well. This constant underfunding of teachers and public schools. On top of the other GOP attacks on curriculum, and ignoring school safety as pointed out in this article.
Finally you post a link with something (!!!), after multiple requests from my side! Reading that article from Amnesty International (an incredibly dubious source!!! the article even quotes various Palestinians, what are they supposed to say?), I want to ask if your position - as per the article - is that there was (and these are your words) "land theft"/ "expansion of territory"/ "moving borders" as a result of the 1967 conflict? Is that your point? I would like for you to state "my opinion is that there's been land theft in place X and Y as a result of Z". Because if that's your point, then I suggest you understand what happened in the 1967 conflict. Let me quote Lyndon Johnson: "If a single act of folly was more responsible for this explosion than any other, it was the arbitrary and dangerous announced decision [by Egypt] that the Straits of Tiran would be closed [to Israeli ships]. The right of innocent, maritime passage must be preserved for all nations."
"small amount of land theft is still land theft" - what land? Is it Gaza? Parts of Gaza? The West Strip? Parts of the West Strip? Jerusalem? The Golan Heights? Can you please define what you mean?
"On democracy, you've already admitted that while on paper they have many of the same rights as other citizens there's still a limit built in because in order to be a real democracy they'd have to threaten their status as an ethno-theocracy/"Jewish homeland". By definition that means they are not." - no, you completely misunderstood. Let me explain again: A) Arab Israelis, living in Israel, have the same legal rights as other Israel citizens - as per law, B) Arab Palestinians living in Palestine are not Israel citizens - but you seem oblivious to the fact that they don't want to be Israeli citizens!!! Or do you think Palestinians want to be citizens of Israel? They want their own state! (even though it was the Arabs who rejected the two-state solution in 1948 and attacked Israel, who had accepted it, in case you're unaware) You seem to be very very confused on this point.
Also in case you're unaware, most Palestinians still reject a two-state solution (there are many polls like this, if you're interested): http://www.pcpsr.org/en/node/866
So Palestinians don't want a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, and they don't want to be citizens of Israel. Then what do they want? I'll let you answer that yourself.
"when you defended yourself from charges of racism" - what does that have to do with this? nothing
"When you misrepresent my arguments" - but what arguments?!
"criticism of Israel is common and you insisting that it's mostly a thinly veiled form of antisemitism" - I didn't say 'mostly'. I said that anti zionism and anti semitism often go hand in hand, and that's a fact. Zionism is the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and to have their own homeland.
I've never said that Israel is perfect and doesn't have blood on their hands. They obviously aren't perfect and have blood on their hands but whenever the discussion starts on "land theft" and "expanding borders" usually folks don't know what they are talking about, they have just a very general idea "Israel bad! Israel bad!". So I'm asking - are you referring to the 1967 war as a land grab? Or before that? Or after? And exactly what borders are you referring to? It seems like you have a general opinion but then there's no substance behind it, no details, nothing.
"They may have a high standard of living, but so did the fascist states of Europe in the 30s and 40s. They even had elections. Didn't make them democracies" - I've already replied to this more than once and sent you a WW democracy index. I offered to send you more. Why do all reputable universities, organizations and think thanks consider that Israel is a democracy? While, at the same time, considering Hamas and the Islamic Jihad as terrorist organizations? (they are considered terrorist organizations by most western countries)
I'm not trying to be antagonistic, btw, apologies if it comes across that way
Last edited by hyped78; 08-08-2022 at 12:17 PM.
That's a good point and it gets to an underappreciated part of policy.
Some conservatives will make claims about natural law to justify policy preferences, so any authority given to progressive judges and bureaucrats to declare that rights are not left up to the voters can be used by these guys when they get appointed.
Political debate is also much more difficult when there are two quite irreconcilable views (conservatives who think natural law trumps written law vs progressives who think their policy preferences are so obviously right that we don't need a legislature or executive to pass it), in addition to views on the others who hold a view somewhere in the middle.
Democrats would not be doing better if the mainstream media was the equivalent of Pravda, reporting only the spin the party wants. Their credibility would vanish.
In terms of messaging, the main problem for Democrats seems to be that the American media seems to be that it's staffed by people far to the left of the average Democratic party primary voter, to say nothing of the median swing voter.
This seems to have gotten more coverage recently.
It gets difficult for Democrats to argue that something like the election of Doug Mastriano as Governor of Pennsylvania is an existential threat if they help him win his primary. If Democrats view mediocre Republican candidates as an opportunity rather than a crisis, it suggests to voters that the promise isn't that big a deal.
It's also sketchy when these tactics are used against Republicans who voted to impeach Trump. It suggests that any comments about putting country before party were bullshit platitudes.
Candidate quality matters more with Senate elections.
A generic Republican may defeat a generic Democrat, but Herschel Walker, Blake Masters, Mehmet Oz and Ted Budd are going to underperform.
Sincerely,
Thomas Mets
I Love My Students, but I Won’t Use a Gun to Protect Them
OXFORD, Miss. — Before classes start Aug. 22 at the university where I teach English, I’ll locate my new classroom, slip inside and conduct a ritual inspection. It has a practical purpose: ensuring that the chalk board has chalk, the AV has cords, and the desks and chairs are in neat rows.
I have a psychological purpose, too. Convincing college students of the transformative power of literature is hard work. I’m pumping myself up, picturing the room humming with discussion, booming with laughter.
And, in recent years, there’s a tactical purpose. I determine whether the door has a glass plate, and if so, how I’ll cover it. Does the door lock? From the inside? Do the windows open? Wide enough to shoulder through? How far is the drop? I survey the desks, imagine barricading the door, then huddling my students into the “hard corner,” a term I should not need to know. It’s the corner on the same wall as the door, but farthest from the door. The corner where I’ll drape my body over as many of their 20 bodies as I can, like a sea anemone draping an iceberg.I’m mentally preparing to protect my students from an active shooter. This fact splits my sternum with an ice pick of despair. But please don’t offer me a gun.Really well written essay giving an educator's perspective on these proposals to arm teachers and use them as 'first line of defense'.The first line of defense? If we educators find ourselves nose-to-nose with a mentally ill child wielding an AR-15, it might look as if we’re the first line, but that’s only because all the other lines have lain down. Those making and interpreting the laws have lain down. (Someone explain to my first-year college students why they can buy a shotgun but not a shot of booze, because I sure can’t.) And those who are supposed to be upholding the laws have lain down. Guns are being sold illegally. And guns are being sold legally to buyers with backgrounds of violence or hate crime misdemeanors. Guns are being sold without background checks, a problem that worsened during the pandemic.
The big GOP talking point is arming teachers. And they cant shut up about how bad the teachers want this.
Even though tons of teachers and teachers unions are speaking out against it.
In Ohio we had the law maker that wanted to make it required for a teacher to have a Permit to carry a gun and receive gun training or their teaching license would be revoked. The teachers unions of course spoke out against this but he would not stop talking about it and how bad teachers wanted it. Even though the teachers promised mass walk outs and resigns if he kept going.
Lucky it never went any where.
its been pointed out by several members of this board. They dont trust teachers to teach history and not groom our children. But they want them armed to the teeth.
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Almost. It was a book collecting Hitler's speeches.
https://www.***************.com/dona...his-bed-2015-8
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