All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[worstblogever]

To be fair, most of the time having a D is a thousand times better having an R. I mean, have you SEEN the latest candidates trying to get at people's spots?


Speaking of which, here's one from Georgia! WBE, get on this guy soon.

GOP Candidate Connects Boy Scouts Name Change With Caving To Nazism

He's coming up here within the next 10-14 days, actually.

[KurtW95]

or they could pursue a two-state solution. I saw explosives. the Israelis fired tear gas. I saw people kicking tear gas cannisters.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think creating a new terrorist state in the Middle East is a solution.

Oh brother.

[Michael Watkins]

you want them to be happy about being slaughtered? and you're not skeptical about that guy admitting to deceive the public? I could post a video of Netanyahu calling American's gullible.

[Darkspellmaster]

You’re so right. The Israelis should absolutely let those armed with pipe bombs, grenades, molotov cocktails, fire kites, and knives rush into to Israel to kill Jews.

Let me ask you a serious question. If this was reversed, if it was Arabic officers shooting at Jewish civilians for protesting in the same way, would you still say they had the right to do this?

Also, let's not forget there are Right wing terrorist organizations in Israel, such as Revolt, who believe that Christian and Muslim communities should be killed if the don't leave. Not to mention that this group is run by the grandson of a former political leader that, no joke, believed that the police should be able to shoot whomever they feel seems dangerous.

[Tazirai]

'blah blah blah hamas'.

Exactly.. Hamas is to blame... /eye roll.

I will never understand how people support the Apartheid that Israel represents.

[Tazirai]

Lots of reports come directly from Hamas, so people should be skeptical. For kids who do die, the blame falls squarely on Hamas that is doing this for all of the fawning PR and the crappy parent who brings their kid to a terrorist assault.

300-700 Meters away.

Israel had to use SNIPERS...
Because tossing rocks 6.5 Football fields is a thing? Tossing a burning tire 700 Meters away is a thing?

SNIPPPPEEEERRRRRSSSS. Because as a vet I know that Snipers are used when you don't want to engage physically.

But yeah a Burning Kite...



Human Rights Watch...





https://wp-stat.s3.amazonaws.com/gra...-980.jpg?c=238


https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/st...44858048557058








https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphic...image-1200.jpg


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ce-aerial.html

[KurtW95]

Exactly.. Hamas is to blame... /eye roll.

I will never understand how people support the Apartheid that Israel represents.

Arabs are given full rights in Israel. They even have Arab parties in the Knesset that openly advocate the destruction of the state. It is the freest place for Arabs to live in the Middle East and the most tolerant and diverse. Go visit and you’ll see how far from Appartheid it is. Only place where Arabs live in squaller in the region are the places managed by Arabs who call themselves Palestinians because they don’t give a damn about their people and use their aid money to kill Jews. And the UN is antisemitic as hell with the human rights council being led by countries with atrocius human rights records.

[Tendrin]

Arabs are given full rights in Israel.

The status of Arab citizens of Israel is not what we're talking about when we call Israel an apartheid state. You don't really want to dive into the depths of racism in Israel, as it is not any more free of that scourge than any other nation founded on an ethno-nationalist principle. Arabs are largely second class citizens in Israel, despite the supposed status of their rights. Right-wing extremists there are happily proposing bills to restrict self-determination to the Jewish people as in the 'Basic Law proposal: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People'. Thankfully, that bill did not go forward, but it's not as if the attitude it represents is not present within a society which concerns itself with the growing population of Arab citizens and a Palestinian population under occupation that will continue, too, to grow. The challenge presented by this reality drives a great deal of Israeli politics on what to do with the occupied territories and racism towards Israeli Arabs.

All of that aside, when we refer to Israel as an apartheid state we are, instead, referring to the systems of control over the occupied territories instead that are analogous to the system of control used by the minority white population of South Africa to control the majority black nation. It is absolutely not a perfect analogy and is rightly criticized, but it is pointing to the immoral nature of the extended occupation and that Israel can not continue on its present course, and the logical end point which Israel will arrive at, where its system of control over a population larger than the entire population of Israel will inevitably lead.

They even have Arab parties in the Knesset that openly advocate the destruction of the state

There are Israeli parties such as the ultra-Orthodox Yahad party which advocate continued sovereignity over the West Bank and Gaza for Israel. What do you suppose is expected to happen to the people who live there, especially if their incorporation in a Jewish state would fundamentally alter its character? What do we call a state that controls a larger populace with a smaller one under military occupation and a unilateral system of control, instituting blockades and dictates at will? You can argue all you want for Israel's right to self defense, but when that right to 'self-defense' becomes the oppression of an entire people, you're walking on some very, very problematic ground.

Typically, when people refer to the Arab parties 'calling for Israel's destruction', what they really mean is an end to the notion that Israeli must remain an ethno-nationalist state that places the ethnically Jewish above all others. Israel is going to face some very hard decisions on how important that is to them as they approach a point of no return.

It is the freest place for Arabs to live in the Middle East and the most tolerant and diverse. Go visit and you’ll see how far from Appartheid it is.

More obvious misunderstanding of the argument that Israel is an apartheid state, not to mention an absolute blindness to the racism faced by Arabs in Israel.

Only place where Arabs live in squaller in the region are the places managed by Arabs who call themselves Palestinians because they don’t give a damn about their people and use their aid money to kill Jews. And the UN is antisemitic as hell with the human rights council being led by countries with atrocius human rights records.

Palestinians are Palestinians. They are the descendants of those who lived in Palestine. When it was Palestine. And they have lived there for /centuries/. Your invocation of squalor here smacks of a certain kind of pernicious logic I've seen used elsewhere, but I just can't place my finger on it...

They are not Jordanian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian or anything else. Calling them such is part of the continuing effort to deny the legitimacy of their grievance, and their very existence as a people.

You fundamentally misunderstand the conflict, which is why you're repeating very basic, very tired pro-Israel arguments There are much better ones. Go find them.

And no, I'm not anti-Semitic nor do I hate Israel. I do dislike ethno-nationalist/religious states in principle, however, and think they lead to ultimately dangerous politics like we're seeing in Israel and other countries at the moment.

[KurtW95]

Palestinians are Palestinians. They are not Jordanian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian or anything else.

”The Palestinian people [do] not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism... For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa. While as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.”
-Zuheir Muhsin, late Military Department head of the PLO and member of its Executive Council, in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw (31 March 1977)

[Tendrin]

”The Palestinian people [do] not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism... For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa. While as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.”
-Zuheir Muhsin, late Military Department head of the PLO and member of its Executive Council, in an interview with the Dutch newspaper Trouw (31 March 1977)

Oh boy. Here we go again.

Zuheir Mohsen is far from being an authentic representative of the Palestinian leadership. His organization, as-Sa'iqa, was a pro-Syrian faction of the PLO. Indeed, Mohsen was much more than merely pro-Syrian; he was actually a member of the Syrian Ba'ath party's National Command while he also led as-Sa'iqa. As a key leader in the Assad regime, he guided the as-Sa'iqa movement to serve Syrian objectives. In fact, his group devoted most of its efforts to fighting the other Palestinian factions; and Mohsen was likely assassinated by other Palestinians in 1979. In other words, treating Mohsen as if he were a typical Palestinian leader would be like quoting Noam Chomsky as a core leader of the Zionist movement.

Why is this quote so popular? Most readers might just view the quote as an unusual perspective provided by one participant in a very large conflict. Others, however, look at this as a "smoking gun" - a piece of evidence which proves that the Palestinians are not a "real people", but mere participants in a clever strategy that deceives the entire world in order to bolster sympathy for the destruction of Israel. To those who think this way, Mohsen simply let the cat out of the bag - his quote unintentionally revealed the secret plot behind what would have to be the biggest mass conspiracy in history.

Even if Mohsen had been a more mainstream leader - how much can we learn about any topic by reading a small quote found in a relatively obscure periodical, which was written four decades ago? This is the problem with all "smoking gun" conspiracy theories - they use small pieces of "evidence" to simplify and explain very complex phenomena. If we're going to get upset with those idiots who don't grasp that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is Antisemitic nonsense, then why would we try to prove that the Palestinians don't really exist based on a single quote found in a decades old magazine?

Palestinians exist.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Game Over: Gina Haspel On Track To Be Confirmed As CIA Director

Democrats have lost the debate over torture after two Democratic senators said they plan to back Haspel’s confirmation. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Dems dropped the ball big time with this.

**********

Conservatives Cook Up Farm Bill Gambit to Get Vote On Hardline Immigration Bill

This is getting very House of Cards-y. Ugly? yeah, you betcha!

**********

Fox News Said To Settle Group Of Discrimination Lawsuits For About $10 Million

A New York Times report detailed the agreement the network reached with multiple plaintiffs, including anchor Kelly Wright. I suspect this might not be the end of this nonsense with Faux News.

**********

Blake Farenthold Says He Won’t Repay $84,000 Sexual Harassment Settlement

The former representative from Texas says he’s balking on the advice of his lawyer. Fatty Arbuckle cemented his reputation as an *******.

**********

Lastly, a little humor for your Wednesday....

Chris Pratt And Bryce Dallas Howard Really Need A Service Raptor On Their Flight

[Mister Mets]

"Party of life," everybody.

Has KurtW95 identified himself as a Republican? From previous posts, the main things I know about him are that he supports Israel in international conflicts, and wants Gwen Stacy back in the Spider-man comics.

[Tendrin]

Has KurtW95 identified himself as a Republican? From previous posts, the main things I know about him are that he supports Israel in international conflicts, and wants Gwen Stacy back in the Spider-man comics.

I see his flippancy on the deaths of Palestinians frequently shared by your comrades on the right, Mets, so it's a safe, if not certain, bet.

[numberthirty]

Game Over: Gina Haspel On Track To Be Confirmed As CIA Director

Democrats have lost the debate over torture after two Democratic senators said they plan to back Haspel’s confirmation. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Dems dropped the ball big time with this.

**********

Hey, Manchin is better than whatever the alternative is. Even if he is totally fine with supporting this sort of stuff.

[Tendrin]

[QUOTE=numberthirty;3665818]Hey, Manchin is better than whatever the alternative is. Even if he is totally fine with supporting this sort of stuff.[/QUOTE

Well, I mean, people didn't vote for his primary opponent in sufficient enough numbers to beat him so we have to hope he wins, even if he'll continue to disappoint in key ways.

On the other hand, Manchin is a vote for Dems being able to set the agenda, sooooo...