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

[Michael Watkins]

it's not news. but is there a worse and/or smug-er liar than Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan? the guy giggles whenever he attempts it.

[Tazirai]

The article has a reference to an earlier article, where they're kinda vague on details (IE- what did she specifically say about Arab and Muslim professors when she was in college?)

The most specific allegation was that she wrote an article critical of an anthropology professor given tenure at Barnard.

https://www.haaretz.com/1.4961332

They go after her for criticizing Linda Sarsour for saying nice things about terrible people, and for saying that Keith Ellison has defended antisemites, but those do seem to be conclusions that reasonable people can reach.

What specific things has she said that upset you?

I guess I have to post the video again...

[Mister Mets]

I guess I have to post the video again...

The article you cited didn't mention her response to the decision to move the American embassy in Israel to the capital of Israel, since it was from two months before that.

As for her comments, what portion is inaccurate? She said "When Hamas attacked Israel in 2008, when Hamas attacked Israel in 2012, when it attacked Israel in 2014, the embassy was in Tel Aviv all of those time." This is true.

She said the protests were moved up to coincide with the opening of the embassy. That appears to be true. The protests for Nakba Day are usually on May 15.

She said that Hamas leadership wanted footage of dead people in Gaza. This is unpleasant, but supported by the facts.

She said that the media is playing into Hamas' hands. This seems to be what's happening.

There are some separate arguments about whether Israel's response was excessive, which can also be true.

To be clear, my own view is that more lives will be saved if the worldwide agreement was that the 58 people in Gaza took stupid reckless risks and died for nothing, rather than incentivizing future martyrs.

[Tazirai]

So basically we Love the Jews so the can convert or die forever for my personal religious beliefs? How is that NOT AntiSemitic, yet if you point it out, YOU'RE the Anti-Semite for calling out Anti-Semites, because Gawd?

I'm really trying to understand how religion helps our species...

[Tazirai]

The article you cited didn't mention her response to the decision to move the American embassy in Israel to the capital of Israel, since it was from two months before that.

As for her comments, what portion is inaccurate? She said "When Hamas attacked Israel in 2008, when Hamas attacked Israel in 2012, when it attacked Israel in 2014, the embassy was in Tel Aviv all of those time." This is true.

She said the protests were moved up to coincide with the opening of the embassy. That appears to be true. The protests for Nakba Day are usually on May 15.

She said that Hamas leadership wanted footage of dead people in Gaza. This is unpleasant, but supported by the facts.

She said that the media is playing into Hamas' hands. This seems to be what's happening.

There are some separate arguments about whether Israel's response was excessive, which can also be true.

To be clear, my own view is that more lives will be saved if the worldwide agreement was that the 58 people in Gaza took stupid reckless risks and died for nothing, rather than incentivizing future martyrs.

I don't think I can have an honest conversation with you on this issue...

Because you seem to fall on the This is all Hamas's fault. I mean these people who are illegally occupied have no right to their land or to defend themselves, because some of them think Israel should not exist. Guess what? The world knows Israel exists, so it's a bullshit excuse. It's Right Wing nonsense.

2008 https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...hepalestinians 195 Palestinians killed Hundreds wounded, 1 Israeli killed and a couple wounded in retaliation. But yeah Hamas and Palestinians are the real threat?

2012 https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.c...aths-injuries/

Israeli casualties:

Five Israelis were killed by rocket fire
240 Israelis were injured
Palestinian casualties:

177 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes — 120 of them
were “engaged in terrorist activities,” an IDF spokesman said
More than 900 Palestinians were injured


2014 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28439404 The overwhelming majority of those killed were Palestinians.

The UN says at least 2,104 Palestinian died, including 1,462 civilians, of whom 495 were children and 253 women.

An Israeli government official told the BBC that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had killed 1,000 "terrorists" during the assault on Gaza.


Hamas wanted footage? How about People wanted to shot the atrocities Israel was committing in the name of "Self Defense". This is unpleasant, but Israel murdered people, much as Cops murder unarmed blacks, and take whites to Burger King.

The medias job is to report all sides so the ACTUAL facts get out, not Israeli Propaganda THAT's what seems to be Happening.

Israels responses ARE Excessive, according to the UN. Excessive Number of Palestinian Fatalities during Gaza Crisis Cannot Be Dismissed as ‘Collateral Damage’, Fourth Committee Hears in Review of Israeli Practices

More lives would be saved if Israel stopped murdering Palestinians.

When you SNIPE civilians from 7 Football Fields away, that's not defense. When your "Opponent" has to have tear gas dropped on them Via Drones, because they are so far away, that's not defense. When you see people tossing back teargas YOU dropped on them, that's not being attacked.

When you blame HAMAS for murdering people via sniper, that's like cops shooting black men running in the OPPOSITE direction, then saying, "He made me do it! Why'd he run AWAY from me?"

We're not falling for the HAMAS HAMAS HAMAS bullshit anymore. Israels time for being despots is going to end one day, the world knows this, even if the US justifies the murder of Palestinians, much like Conservatives justify the murder of Black men holding cellphones in their own backyards and not even given the chance to surrender.

It's bullshit!

So yeah, I can't have an honest conversation with people who think Israel is ALWAYS Justified, because they are Jewish, and have the right to "Defend" themselves, even when that "defense" is actual murder of people who do NOT have the equality of power in terms of Military, or political support.

It's NOT an even playing field.

[worstblogever]

It was three years ago that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” had a profile of Randy Rives profiled Norman McAllister, whose legislative record was not the focus of our profile, as much as his arrest for sexually assaulting two women in a sex-for-rent scheme. One of the victims was believed to be an underage girl who worked as an intern for in the state capitol, and another was encouraged to have sex with some of the workers on his farm, with the incentive being that her rent would get even cheaper. For lack of a better term, Norman is scum, and the Vermont State Senate suspended him from the chamber in a 20-10 vote and will not be permitted to return unless the charges against him are dismissed (you’re reading this right, the GOP have not disowned him, and he did not resign). McAllister was eventually found guilty, though, is currently looking at a seven year prison sentence, and will have to register as a sex offender, which makes it pretty unlikely that he’ll be mounting a political comeback.



In both 2016, and 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented profiles of former Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter, who was originally appointed to office in 2009, and served three terms in office, winning re-election in 2014 by having the benefit of running unopposed. We’ve had him floating around our queue for quite some time now, starting around the time that we read about McCarter claiming he was punched in the chest by a Democratic State Senator back in 2011. The accused senator, Mike Jacobs, responded to the accusation by saying of McCarter, “I would say the senator is full of s***.” And considering no charges were ever filed, no video proof of this event in the Senate chamber seems to have come out of it, we would tend to agree. Then again, we know how the rest of this profile reads, and how Jacobs may have been understating McCarter’s… shall we say philosophical constipation. In his time in office, McCarter has appeared in the news cycle several times, most frequently because of his irrationally extreme opposition to LGBT rights. In October of 2011, not four months removed from his heated debate with Jacobs, McCarter submitted a bill to try to allow Catholic adoption agencies to refuse to place children in households with same sex parents, because he apparently thinks a child continuing to be an orphan is better than having two parents of the same gender. He’s also blocked anti-bullying legislation because it would protect LGBT students in public schools from being harassed and voted against a ban on gay conversion therapy on minors (even though the practice is considered a human rights violation by some) in the Illinois legislature. But on Valentine’s Day in 2013, Kyle McCarter truly became worthy of our attention. In the wake of the Illinois State Senate voting 34-21 to legalize same sex marriage, despite of McCarter’s ridiculous protests that doing so would force local flower shops and “marriage-related” businesses to close down (when in fact, if they were tolerant and accommodated gay couples, their business would soar),McCarter took to Facebook to seethe about the great majority of the chamber deciding it was time for marriage equality, writing, “To redefine marriage is discriminatory towards those who hold the sincerely held religious belief that it is a sacred institution between a man & a woman.” That’s right… LGBT couples being allowed to marry is discriminatory towards McCarter and all his straight pals. Or at least, he says it is, because he’s got things as backwards as they could ever possibly be. He spent the next year attempting to repeal the law, before finally giving up. Mind you, giving up still means he’s been trying to defend his “religious freedom” from “discrimination” by sponsoring the same sorts of “religious freedom” laws seen in Indiana and North Carolina (that have worked out so well for those states’ local economies). On other issues, McCarter says he is “pro-life without apologies”, and supports the potentially disastrous idea of establishing a flat tax. McCarter also has voted against raising the minimum wage in Illinois during the greatest period of income inequality in the United States in almost a century. Kyle McCarter grew ambitious enough in this past election cycle to challenge U.S. House Rep. John Shimkus and see if he couldn’t inject some fresh, even somehow-even-more-conservative blood into the Republican-controlled House. McCarter relentlessly attacked Shimkus on his broken promise, long ago to only serve three terms in Congress, and now he’s on his eleventh term, citing his own dedication to that issue by saying he would not be running for office again in the 2018 midterms for a fourth term for his Illinois State Senate seat. He lost to the veteran climate-change denier, Shimkus, by over twenty points in the 2016 GOP Primary.

McCarter did not file for re-election by the deadline or the 2018 elections, but as we feared, in spite of his rampant homophobia, the Trump administration has nominated him to be the next ambassador to Kenya, pending a hearing on the matter in front of the U.S. Senate. Because of course they found employment for this bigoted piece of garbage.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Betsy DeVos Stirs Uproar By Saying Schools Can Call ICE On Undocumented Kids

The education secretary said it’s a local decision, but she didn’t argue against it. Well, of course not. I'm sure she's all for school administrators being snitches for Trump's personal gestapo.

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Sarah Sanders: It ‘Bothers Me’ Being Called A Liar

Except the White House press secretary gives false and misleading information all the time. I hate saying this, but I actually miss Sean Spicer who was a teddy bear compared to this harridan.

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6 Sandy Hook Families, FBI Agent Sue Alex Jones For Defamation

The lawsuit is the latest of several targeting the Infowars conspiracy theorist. I'm surprised only six families sued that assclown.

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Milwaukee Police Release Footage Of Cop Using Taser On Sterling Brown

Police Chief Alfonso Morales said officers “were recently disciplined,” without providing details. A pity. Those shitstains should've been fired instead.

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Walking Definition Of An Entitled Millennial Swears He’s Not An Entitled Millennial

Michael Rotondo was court-ordered to move out of his parents’ home. No, he's a lazy fuckwad who needs to grow up and move out.

[Dalak]

Watch out, Trumplethinskin (Borrowing from WPP) thinks if you don't stand for the Anthem you don't belong in the country.

"Well I think that's good," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "I don't think people should be staying in locker rooms, but still I think it's good. You have to stand — proudly — for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there, maybe you shouldn't be in the country."

Trump's interview with Fox was taped on the sidelines of his MS-13 event in Long Island Wednesday, but aired Thursday morning on Fox & Friends. Trump was asked if he takes credit for the NFL's decision, which he had just been informed about.

"You have to stand proudly for the national anthem," he said. "And the NFL owners did the right thing, if that's what they've done. I think the people pushed it forward; this was not me. I brought it out. I think the people pushed it forward. This country's very smart. We have very smart people. And, you know, that's something ideally could have been taken care of when it first started, would have been a lot easier. But if they did that, they're doing the right thing."

What's next, seriously punishing fans who don't stand for the anthem? What about school kids? A better question: If it turns out this was brought on by Trump would that ACTUALLY make this a First Amendment case?

[Tami]

North Korea's nuclear test site: is blowing up Punggye-ri just for show?

This week North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will shut the nation’s only known nuclear test site ahead of an expected meeting with Donald Trump on 12 June. However, experts have warned that the move is more symbolic than practical. Here is all you need to know about the dismantling of Punggye-ri.

“They had probably done a lot of damage to the site with the last test, so might as well get credit for a tunnel you don’t want to use,” said Vipin Narang, a politics professor who focuses on nuclear proliferation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “They’re also sanitising the site, removing buildings so we don’t know what they did there and making sure no one with technical expertise is able to inspect the area.”

A study by Chinese geologists in April said the site had partially collapsed and was perhaps unusable, although Kim appeared to rebut those claims, saying there were still two tunnels in good condition.

Has this happened before?

Well, kind of. There is a sense of déjà vu among veteran North Korea watchers. A similar spectacle was arranged in 2008, when the North blew up a cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. The symbolic step resulted in sanctions relief and led Washington to remove North Korea from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. But negotiations eventually collapsed and the reactor was used to manufacture nuclear material.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Watch out, Trumplethinskin (Borrowing from WPP) thinks if you don't stand for the Anthem you don't belong in the country.



What's next, seriously punishing fans who don't stand for the anthem? What about school kids? A better question: If it turns out this was brought on by Trump would that ACTUALLY make this a First Amendment case?

It irks me no end that a notorious draft dodger like Cadet Bone Spurs (credit to decorated veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth for that nickname) has the gall to lecture people on patriotism. In regard to your question, I'm sure the ACLU is already pondering this matter.

[Tami]

Trump canceled his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jun Un.

Maybe real, maybe just a negotiating tactic, maybe he just had his feelings hurt when they insulted Pence.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump canceled his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jun Un.

Maybe real, maybe just a negotiating tactic, maybe he just had his feelings hurt when they insulted Pence.

I just got an alert about that. So much for Trump getting that Nobel Peace Prize. What a shame (said with tongue firmly planted in cheek).

[GindyPosts]

So basically we Love the Jews so the can convert or die forever for my personal religious beliefs? How is that NOT AntiSemitic, yet if you point it out, YOU'RE the Anti-Semite for calling out Anti-Semites, because Gawd?

I'm really trying to understand how religion helps our species...

I've been thinking about this lately. Why are conservative Christians so adamant about giving Israel exclusive to Judaism? It's not due to it being their ancestor Homeland, but likely because they believe doing so will finally trigger Armageddon and the Second Coming.

That's actually rather hateful, but you know... MAGA!

I'm still going to have spiritual needs, bit honestly, as I grew up, deism became more and more understandable.

[GindyPosts]

Oh, the Singapore summit? No go, to the surprise of few.

[Tami]

Oh, the Singapore summit? No go, to the surprise of few.

One tweet from a reporter for the NYT, he said his colleague purchased a refundable airline ticket Singapore, because, you know, Trump might change his mind.