All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Gray Lensman]

Frankly, what's happening in India under Modi and the BJP is something not enough people are paying attnetion to.

Including trying to kill dissidents living in other countries. Now normally I lean towards peace in world affairs (although not to the level of capitulation to a would be conqueror), but where that crap is concerned, a part of me wants to see the assassins sent back to the home country in small boxes. Note the plural form, because that's for each one, not because there might be more than one.

[Tendrin]

Including trying to kill dissidents living in other countries. Now normally I lean towards peace in world affairs (although not to the level of capitulation to a would be conqueror), but where that crap is concerned, a part of me wants to see the assassins sent back to the home country in small boxes. Note the plural form, because that's for each one, not because there might be more than one.

Right -- and these are just the two we know about. We have to hope that at some point the Hindutva movement will begin to lose steam in India even if it seems increasingly unlikely.

[JackDaw]

Help me please.

Who is going to change their mind about Hamas committing mass rapes and murders and hiding among civilians, but will change their sympathy because of those photos?

That just seems like someone who would be looking for reasons to hate Israel.

I think practically no one would change their sympathy because of that photo.

But I’ll explain why the photo does worry me…or rather why it reinforced an existing concern.

I thought after the Hamas atrocities the Israelis would find it near impossible to stay within the rules of war, and do everything they could to minimise harming innocent Palestinians.

But I think their leaders do have that responsibility, and should ultimately be held to account if they fail that responsibility.

I would assume that most of us share that concern. For me…the photo is an open admission that the IDF that is probably failing to do all they can to stay within the rules of war. (Realistically there are far more worrying photos…young kids losing life and limbs on both sides.)

[AnakinFlair]

I'm not a big fan of her music, but I AM a fan of how she screwed over the guy who purchased the rights to her music by re-recording all her early albums and making the original masters utterly worthless. I wonder how fast record execs worked to close that little loophole?

They'll probably close it just as soon as Taylor finishes re-recording all of her old stuff. Because if they did it before hand, it would clearly be punitive against her (well, even more clearly).

I think practically no one would change their sympathy because of that photo.

But I’ll explain why the photo does worry me…or rather why it reinforced an existing concern.

I thought after the Hamas atrocities the Israelis would find it near impossible to stay within the rules of war, and do everything they could to minimise harming innocent Palestinians.

But I think their leaders do have that responsibility, and should ultimately be held to account if they fail that responsibility.

I would assume that most of us share that concern. For me…the photo is an open admission that the IDF that is probably failing to do all they can to stay within the rules of war. (Realistically there are far more worrying photos…young kids losing life and limbs on both sides.)

I'll do you one better- it wouldn't surprise me if the IDF probably has off-the-record permission to do such things from the Israeli government.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, as well as 2022, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day posted profiles of the U.S. House Representative from Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, Thomas Massie, who you would expect to be reasonably intelligent, what with a successful tech company with two dozen patents to his credit and a Master’s Degree from MIT. Sadly, though, Massie at some point became a disciple of Ron Paul, even apparently trying to emulate Rand Paul’s awful hairstyle so he can blend in as a member of the family. Massie’s dedication to libertarian smaller government to an extent that you wonder if he’s doing it in the hopes that it’s some sort of magic ritual to get Ayn Rand to rise from the grave. But three weeks after the Newtown shootings, and as the new session of Congress began after it, Massie had the unmitigated gall to submit a bill to allow guns in school zones, by repealing a law passed by the first Bush administration and supported by the NRA at its passage. He also shrugged and claimed that the nine victims of Dylann Roof at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina were to blame for their own deaths because the church had "disallowed guns", which is goddamned awful. He has voted against the new version of the Violence Against Women Act, Hurricane Sandy Relief, and is one of only 3 people in Congress to have voted against the Stolen Valor Act, all because he thinks the government should instead do NOTHING. And he’s unafraid of being the one lone vote against any and all legislation, like when he was the lone vote against naming Israel as a strategic partner of the United States. He voted for the 2013 Government Shutdown and called the compromise over the fiscal cliff as “a really big turd sandwich without the bread”. But on top over everything else, we noted Massie has the quality of his hero Ron Paul where he hitches his caboose onto anti-government conspiracy theories, including falsely claiming the military gave a “stand down” order during the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi and alluding to “knowing the truth” about 9/11 that would change everything Americans know about that dark day, and wanting the 28 page report about it declassified completely. Meanwhile, he’s the same moron who in April of 2017 who went on CNN to push back against reports that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad gassed his own people again, saying, “I don’t think he could have done that.” In February of 2017, Rep. Massie co-sponsored legislation to attempt to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency completely, and on October 10th, 2017 only days after a shooter in Las Vegas uses bump stocks in semi-automatic firearms to make them fully-automatic weapons and mass murder 58 people… Rep. Massie argued in favor of legalizing bump stocks nationwide, because apparently not enough people died in Vegas to appease his twisted libertarian worldview.

How are things looking for Thomas Massie in Kentucky? Do they love him there? Well, let’s put it this way, after that very libertarian vote he made against disaster relief aid for victims of Hurricane Harvey, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce literally called him a “piece of s***” on Twitter. That’s not some random liberal we’re talking about… a friggin’ Chamber of Commerce went with that. He’s defended international dictators and endorsing pedophiles like Roy Moore for Senate, so it's hard to disagree.

Days after Thanksgiving 2018, Massie was mocking progressives for wanting Healthcare for All by arguing against the idea that human beings have a right to food:

”How long until someone runs on the platform of #FoodStampsForAll? If healthcare is a right, is food as well?”

Spoiler alert, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights confirmed food was a human right. Also, Massie’s supposed influence, Jesus Christ, was rather vocal about the value of feeding the hungry, so…

This past year, Thomas Massie also embarrassed himself when he showed a lack of understanding about how Bachelor’s Degrees work as he bizarrely interrogated former Secretary fo State John Kerry about it in a Congressional hearing in regards to climate change. For a painful stretch of minutes, Massie kept conflating social sciences with natural sciences, as everyone in the room, particularly Kerry, wondered what the hell he was getting at.

[Malvolio]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

[Tami]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

I second this sentiment.

[aja_christopher]

Yes, Romney and Cheney, etc were totally cool with all the Republican f&@kery over the 20+ years which got us the Trump presidency. I doubt that either of their books admit that’s where the responsibility lays.

[JCAll]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

We should solve more problems via Thunderdome.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

I couldn't agree more with your statement.

[Catlady in training]

The Right's meltdown about Taylor Swift becoming Time's Person of the Year is hilarious. I'm sure all the sexism and conspiracy theories thrown at her will convince absolutely all of Swifties and young people to vote for Trump, who probably can't sing one Swift song well even with a prompter.

Honestly, considering the people who were on the shortlist, I don't even see this as an achievement. That list is a joke.
https://time.com/6341947/person-of-t...023-shortlist/

[Catlady in training]

I find it concerning that there doesn't seem to be much international outrage over thing like this. Refugees who very likely face death being sent back to the country they escaped from.
North Koreans deported from Chinese jails face torture, activists warn

[Jack Dracula]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

I was thinking something similar just this morning.

[Zelena]

So when it comes to Israel and Palestine, I am for the survival of the Israeli people, but against the actions of the Israeli government, and I am for the survival of the Palestinian people, but against the actions of Hamas. I really wish Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders would go somewhere and have a deathmatch and leave everyone else out of it.

I’m afraid that even that wouldn’t be enough. Netanyahu, the Hamas are the worst but many others prefer living in fortified houses, shooting on what is perceived as an enemy and have no problem with the “others” living in absolute poverty. Some situations produce tragedy.

[worstblogever]

Here’s some of the other jackassery from Massie over the past few years, and the extent of legislation which he mindlessly opposes:

• July 12th, 2019: Massie is one of 12 Republicans who vote against the re-authorization of the Zadroga Act to provide healthcare to 9/11 First Responders.
• December 3rd, 2019: Thomas Massie is one of 71 Republicans who vote against House Resolution 546, which stated disapproval of any attempt to readmit the Russian federation back into the G7 and make it the G8.
• February 26th, 2020: Massie is one of only four members of Congress who are racist enough to vote against an anti-lynching bill.
• March 27th, 2020: Rep. Massie opposes the idea of a simple voice vote on Coronavirus stimulus and forces the entire House to return to Washington D.C. in person during the earliest stages of a pandemic.
• April 23rd, 2020: Thomas Massie is one of 4 Republicans who vote against the Coronavirus stimulus bill in the House.
• May 15th, 2020: Massie votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• May 27th, 2020: Rep. Massie is the lone vote against the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.
• January 7th, 2021: Thomas Massie votes for the objection to the electoral college’s votes in the 2020 election, a failure to send any sort of message that he wasn’t intimidated or sympathetic to those who attacked the Capitol to attempt a violent coup.
• January 13th, 2021: Rep. Massie votes against the second impeachment of Donald Trump, because the Republican Party no longer feels like they should be accountable for anything, including failed coups that result in the deaths of police officers.
• February 25th, 2021: Massie votes against HR 5, the latest version of the Equality Act, that would provide workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans.
• March 3rd, 2021: Rep. Massie votes against HR 1, a bill created to prevent the corruption of money in politics, and protect voter access to the ballot box.
• March 3rd, 2021: Thomas Massie votes against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
• March 10th, 2021: Massie votes against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, because he feels people deserve to die in poverty during a pandemic.
• March 17th, 2021: Rep. Massie votes against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
• March 17th, 2021: Massie is one of twelve Republicans who pick a side to have rooted for in the failed coup attempt on 1/6/21 and votes against awarding Congressional gold medals to members of the Capitol Police who bravely defended members of Congress during the attack.
• May 19th, 2021: Rep. Massie votes against HR 3233, the creation of a commission to investigate the Capitol Attack.
• May 20th, 2021: Massie is one of 63 Republicans who vote against the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act.
• June 15th, 2021: Rep. Massie is one of twenty-one Republicans who pick a side to have rooted for in the failed coup attempt on 1/6/21 and votes against awarding Congressional gold medals to members of the Capitol Police who bravely defended members of Congress during the attack.
• June 16th, 2021: Thomas Massie is one of 14 Republicans who vote against celebrating Juneteenth as a federal holiday. He claims that his reason was that people might be confused about Independence Day and think they have to choose between the two holidays, insisting he would have voted for it if the name was “Emancipation Day”.
• July 4th, 2021: Thomas Massie posts on Twitter about his belief that the Founding Fathers would have been opposed to mask and vaccine mandates, ignoring actual history, and that George Washington mandated the smallpox vaccine to troops at Valley Forge.
• July 22nd, 2021: Rep. Massie is one of 16 Republicans who vote against HR 3895, the Allies Act, which was passed without his support to raise the amount of visas offered and to expedite their issue to Afghan translators and their families to honor our promise to protect them against the Taliban after U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, thus feeling we should go back on our word and leave them to die.

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