reader Posted November 13, 2023 Posted November 13, 2023 51 minutes ago, vinapu said: I 'd add 4. on full stomach +1 Quote
Members Latbear4blk Posted November 13, 2023 Members Posted November 13, 2023 4 hours ago, EmmetK said: There is no mass murdering. Unlike your beloved Hamas, the IDF does not target innocent civilians. Nobody wants to see civilian deaths. Especially the Israelis. And if you want to minimize civilian deaths, tell your buddies in Hamas to stop hiding in hospitals, schools, and residential areas. Until that happens (don't hold your breath since we know what cowards Hamas is), the blame for every Gazan casualty lies at the feet of your friends in Hamas. Gay Israeli soldier proudly displays LGBTQ flag on Gaza soil in war against Hamas https://nypost.com/2023/11/13/news/gay-israeli-solder-yoav-atzmoni-proudly-displays-lgbtq-flag-on-gaza-soil-in-war-against-hamas/ More proof that the IDF, like Israel itself, is the most diverse army in the region., perhaps in the world. Sephardi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, Druze, women, and gays who are out and proud all serve in the IDF Care to speculate on the fate of one of your beloved Hamas soldiers if he displayed the Pride emblem on a Hamas flag? Let's try again. Girl, I deeply dislike bloody murderers and terrorists. I cannot like or support Hamas. You are the hypocrite taking sides with one of the killers here. Apparently, we add the rainbow flag and you become a Proud Murderer. Good for you! Mavica, EmmetK and Marc in Calif 1 1 1 Quote
EmmetK Posted November 13, 2023 Posted November 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said: Let's try again. Girl, I deeply dislike bloody murderers and terrorists. I cannot like or support Hamas. You are the hypocrite taking sides with one of the killers here. Apparently, we add the rainbow flag and you become a Proud Murderer. Good for you! Wrong........ again! There is NO equivalence between the massacres committed by Hamas and Israel's war of defense. You can continue to try to make one, but it holds no water. Hamas' aim was to to kill and torture as many innocent Israelis as they could while taking a few hundred as hostages to use as bargaining chips. The IDF's aim is the opposite. It is to minimize civilian deaths. If Israel were to use the same tactics as your Hamas friends, there would be no Gaza left. It would have been wiped off the map. Every civilian Gazan killed is due to Hamas. There will be no cease-fire until Hamas is totally eradicated. And btw, still waiting for your response to my question. What would have been fate of a Hamas soldier if he unfurled a Hamas Pride flag? Marc in Calif, stevenkesslar and Mavica 1 1 1 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 13, 2023 Members Posted November 13, 2023 22 minutes ago, EmmetK said: The IDF's aim is the opposite. It is to minimize civilian deaths. If Israel were to use the same tactics as your Hamas friends, there would be no Gaza left Thanks for the lesson in Netanyahu speak. Peace is war. War is peace. The way we make peace with Palestinians is to prevent a two state solution. The way we prevent war with Hamas is by empowering them, year after year, to kill Jews. The way we prevent civilian deaths is to kill as many civilians as possible. The IDF protects entire Palestinian families by blowing them up. War is peace. Peace is war. You're good at this. Is your name Bibi? If Hamas were to use the same tactics as the IDF, there would be no Israel left. Which you would call genocide. You left out one other central tenet of Netanyahu warmongering and mass slaughter speak. It is very important to understand that if you support Hamas killing Jewish women and children, you are a terrorist lover and Jew hater. If you do NOT support the IFD indiscriminately killing Palestinian women and children, you are a terrorist lover and Jew hater. The only way not to be a terrorist lover and Jew hater is to support the IDF indiscriminately killing Palestinian women and children. Wonder why this turns the world off? In fairness, it's not just Netanyahu speak, of course. There's an entire industry and lobby built around Orwell Netanyahu-speak. As it happens, just yesterday I watched this video that addresses IDF "war crimes". That's a phrase you should really have fun with, Bibi. Mearsheimer co-authored a whole book on how Israel gets away with it. Talk about verbose! Talk about Jew hater! Granted, Napolitano and Mearsheimer, and any conservative or liberal who does not support the IDF indiscriminately killing Palestinian women and children, are Jew haters. There is a perfect example Napolitano brings up. In order to take out one Hamas leader, the IDF just killed 200 innocent Palestinians. Obviously, that makes Napolitano - and anyone who would think this way - a terrorist lover and Jew hater. When Hamas kills 200 innocent Jews, it is genocide. When the IDF kills 200 innocent Palestinians, it is obviously the right thing to do. And if you don't believe that, you love terrorists. Regardless, Napolitano and Mearsheimer state what they view as clear facts: both Hamas and the IDF are committing war crimes, obviously and right before our eyes. Mearsheimer obviously hates Jews, and loves Hamas. I'll quote directly, from about 9:00 in the talk: Quote [The Israeis] are waging a punishment campaign in Gaza. They are punishing the civilian population. The IDF spokesman has made it clear that this is a campaign that is not aimed at precision targeting. The IDF spokesman has made it clear that the Israelis are interested in causing a huge amount of destruction in Gaza, And in the process they are going to kill a huge number of civilians. It's stunning how many civilians, including children, have been killed by the Israelis. And it seems to me that when you do that you are committing a war crime. This is obviously a genocidal lie. These guys are the war criminals! Let me translate that to Orwell-speak Bibi-speak, so you don't have to bother posting again, @EmmetK. Hamas is a terrorist group of war criminals. The IDF only seeks peace. The IDF only indiscriminately kills thousands tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of Palestinian women and children to minimize their death. Marc in Calif 1 Quote
Members Latbear4blk Posted November 13, 2023 Members Posted November 13, 2023 1 hour ago, EmmetK said: Wrong........ again! There is NO equivalence between the massacres committed by Hamas and Israel's war of defense. You can continue to try to make one, but it holds no water. Hamas' aim was to to kill and torture as many innocent Israelis as they could while taking a few hundred as hostages to use as bargaining chips. The IDF's aim is the opposite. It is to minimize civilian deaths. If Israel were to use the same tactics as your Hamas friends, there would be no Gaza left. It would have been wiped off the map. Every civilian Gazan killed is due to Hamas. There will be no cease-fire until Hamas is totally eradicated. And btw, still waiting for your response to my question. What would have been fate of a Hamas soldier if he unfurled a Hamas Pride flag? LOL. Answering or not stupid questions is my prerogative. Instead, I choose to denounce your blood thirsty hypocrisy. EmmetK and Marc in Calif 1 1 Quote
EmmetK Posted November 13, 2023 Posted November 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said: LOL. Answering or not stupid questions is my prerogative. Instead, I choose to denounce your blood thirsty hypocrisy. Of course you don't want to answer. when it is YOUR bigotry and hypocrisy that has been exposed. Your vile attacks against the only democracy in the middle east, which is also the most diverse. It is a nation where gays, women, and all minorities enjoy equality. Btw, the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset is gay. Care to name any members of the Palestine National Assembly that are gay? And coming from this forum's Number 1 Hamas-supporting, Jew-hating, Israel-basher, I will consider your words as a compliment and wear it as a feather in my cap. Tear down any posters of babies being held hostage lately? Phoenixblue, stevenkesslar and Marc in Calif 1 2 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 13, 2023 Members Posted November 13, 2023 15 minutes ago, EmmetK said: Of course you don't want to answer. when it is YOUR bigotry and hypocrisy that has been exposed. Your vile attacks against the only democracy in the middle east, which is also the most diverse. It is a nation where gays, women, and all minorities enjoy equality. Btw, the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset is gay. Care to name any members of the Palestine National Assembly that are gay? You're the one who won't answer the question, other to speak in Bibi butcher talk. And try to change the subject. You'd rather talk about democracy than butchering Palestinian children in huge numbers. Which will lead to the butchering of more Jewish and Palestinian kids, probably also in huge numbers. I agree with former PM and Defense Minister Barak. Do you? Or do you just want to keep ranting like Bibi? That war is peace, and killing lots of innocent children is all part of a plan to minimize the death of killing innocent children? Barak says if Israel stays on the path is on, it can't have peace. And it can't have democracy. It can be a Jewish nation, where over half the residents or so are disenfranchised and live in an apartheid state. In Orwell-speak Bibi-speak, that means Israel will have a vibrant democracy, and lots of security. It can be a secure and peaceful nation, as long as it dedicates itself to constant war and the constant slaughter of innocent women and children. In Orwell-speak Bibi-speak that means Israel is committed to peace, and to the security of innocent Palestinian children. Barak is honest, at least. He knows that, unlike 20 years ago, he is now in a minority, unfortunately. Thank Bibi and his right-wing settlers for that. I wish Israel had more warriors like Barak, who will fight for peace. Rather than engaging in Bibi butcher talk. Oops, sorry. I meant Bibi butcher peace talk. You won't answer the question. And you won't be honest about what is obviously happening. You can't be. Marc in Calif 1 Quote
Members Latbear4blk Posted November 13, 2023 Members Posted November 13, 2023 1 hour ago, EmmetK said: Of course you don't want to answer. when it is YOUR bigotry and hypocrisy that has been exposed. Your vile attacks against the only democracy in the middle east, which is also the most diverse. It is a nation where gays, women, and all minorities enjoy equality. Btw, the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset is gay. Care to name any members of the Palestine National Assembly that are gay? And coming from this forum's Number 1 Hamas-supporting, Jew-hating, Israel-basher, I will consider your words as a compliment and wear it as a feather in my cap. Tear down any posters of babies being held hostage lately? Keep talking, Bright One. Your hate is eloquent. EmmetK, Phoenixblue, Mavica and 1 other 1 1 2 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 14, 2023 Members Posted November 14, 2023 Leader of Israel’s Labor: Something is ‘very wrong’ on the global left Kudos to Labor leader Merav Michaeli for three things she said. First, and probably most important, she said Bibi Netanyahu "has to go". And Israel should return to a two state solution, if they want peace. This is a nice companion to the blunt statements former PM and DM Barak has been making. I would not expect either, let alone any Israeli Jew running for dog catcher, to argue the IDF is committing "war crimes," as pundits on the right and left I quoted above are. What is most helpful and honest is they're making clear that anyone who thinks this problem has a solely or mostly military solution is simply asking for more war. Not peace. Michaeli also said this: Quote “When I’m speaking to people outside of Israel, then they need to understand that even the biggest peace activists and even the biggest believers in the two state solutions are now under a horrible attack,” she said. That's 1000 % sad. 500 % of the sadness is the tragedy of the slaughter. The other 500 % is the tragedy that it almost guarantees a two state solution is dead for a long time. Or forever. Meaning, much more death of innocent Jews and Palestinians is the sequel. In that new interview of Mearsheimer I posted above, he and Napolitano speculated that Biden, unlike Obama or Clinton or Carter, has not wasted time on a two state solution for a good reason. Biden is a realist. And he knew, even before Oct. 7th, it was simply not gonna happen. Leading to the third important thing Michaeli said: Quote “I fail to see how shouting jihad and calling for a mass murder of Jews is pro-Palestinian,” she added. “It’s important for me to emphasize to them that when you do not very strongly go against Hamas, and what it does in Gaza including to its own people, you are complicit.” I appreciate Michaeli being very specific in calling out the Left. Yes, calling for the mass murder of Jews is clearly going too far. And failing to identify Hamas as a vicious terrorist organization that is very bad news for both Jews and Gazans is not going far enough. I just wonder why Bibi Netanyahu spent years building up Hamas. Or at least being complicit in it. Does that make him complicit in the beheading of innocent Jewish children, too? The reason I appreciate leftist Israeli Jewish leaders calling out the global left is that my impression is most of what conservatives are saying about the left regarding Israel is total bullshit. At this point I expect Alan Dershowitz to be factually wrong about most things. Including his predictions about how American Jews will become Republicans. What I found amusing is that in an article where he goes off about what the headline labels "vile Leftist anti-Israel hate," the best picture they can come up with to illustrate this vile hate is the one above. Which actually confirms my impression that most - but not all - of the message from the left has been opposition to: 1) Israeli occupation, 2) Israeli apartheid, and/or 3) Israeli genocide. How is protesting these things anti-Semitic? How is not wanting more violence against innocent Jews in Israel, or anywhere, anti-Semitic? The closest Dershowitz can come to giving an example of "vile Leftist anti-Israeli hate" is what some speaker said at a DSA rally in New York. Wow! Except I'm actually more worried that a lot more people buy the total bullshit Dershowitz spews about Trump's lies. Meanwhile, back in reality, my impression is much of what the left is speaking out about is protecting the rights and lives of Palestinians. And many liberals, like our Veep and her hubby, are speaking out against growing anti-Semitism, too. As they should. So I'm very glad Israel's Labor Party is speaking out and setting parameters. Supporting Hamas, or jihad, or the mass slaughter of Jews, is way beyond garden variety anti-Semitism. But the truly saddest part of that Politico article is that it notes that Labor, which was once the voice and conscience of Israel, and of a two state solution, is now reduced to being at the margin. 4 seats in the Knesset. Which is why I fully expect three outcomes from what Bibi does: First, more dead innocent Jews. Second, more dead innocent Jews. Third, more dead innocent Jews. Like you, @EmmetK, Michaeli cites concerns about Hamas when it comes to democracy and LGBTQ rights. Ya think? These are good things to point out. Did I mention there have not been elections in either Gaza or the West Bank for almost 20 years? So it's quite fair for conservatives to throw stones at anti-democracy and homophobic Arab terrorists. That said, there is the whole thing about people living in glass houses. There is Bibi getting in bed with anti-Arab and anti-Gay right wing Jewish leaders. As well as his history of nurturing Hamas to defeat any hope of a political solution. And lately millions of Israeli Jews also view Bibi as a threat to democracy. Did I mention this will only get worse as the right wing parties grow? Arguably, the problem with Jewish Gays in Israel is they don't have as many kids as ultra-Orthodox Jews who would happily discriminate against Jewish Gays in Israel. There was a time I can easily recall when Israel had very good Labor leaders that article cites - Rabin, Peres, Barak. Decades ago I hoped they would raise the standard. Countries like Saudi Arabia aren't exactly beacons of democracy. Israel had leaders that did try to show what democracy and peace in a two political solution could do. So I don't think this is a time for anyone to be proud of how Bibi has instead systematically lowered the standards for peace, for democracy, and for the basic preservation of human life. Marc in Calif 1 Quote
EmmetK Posted November 14, 2023 Posted November 14, 2023 11 hours ago, Latbear4blk said: Keep talking, Bright One. Your hate is eloquent. You are the expert on hate. Every time you get behind your keyboard to type on this forum, you spew it out... in generous proportions. Still waiting to hear what would you would think the fate would be for one of your buddies in Hamas if they furled out a gay pride flag during their massacre in southern Israel? Also, how many posters of kidnapped Israeli children have you ripped down? Marc in Calif, Phoenixblue, Mavica and 1 other 1 1 2 Quote
Members Latbear4blk Posted November 14, 2023 Members Posted November 14, 2023 1 hour ago, EmmetK said: You are the expert on hate. Every time you get behind your keyboard to type on this forum, you spew it out... in generous proportions. Still waiting to hear what would you would think the fate would be for one of your buddies in Hamas if they furled out a gay pride flag during their massacre in southern Israel? Also, how many posters of kidnapped Israeli children have you ripped down? You do not realize how transparent you are, Bright One. Marc in Calif and EmmetK 1 1 Quote
EmmetK Posted November 14, 2023 Posted November 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Latbear4blk said: You do not realize how transparent you are, Bright One. And you not only don't realize how hateful and racist you are but your false equivalencies between the Hamas terrorism and Israel's war of defense is beyond mind-boggling. How many posters of kidnapped babies have you torn down? Marc in Calif and Mavica 1 1 Quote
Popular Post vinapu Posted November 14, 2023 Popular Post Posted November 14, 2023 2 hours ago, EmmetK said: How many posters of kidnapped babies have you torn down? Lets not lower our standards here. In Gaza , as in any conflict many babies will be killed. Along with their mothers and grandmothers . That is nature of war. that nastiest of all human inventions. Speaking about babies, wouldn't be nice and world better place if at sometime at end of 19th century somebody choked baby named Adolf Hitler to death ? Palestinian problem stems from long standing occupiers oppression. If Palestine or even Gaza were normal country, way say, Jordan is , with own army , police , money and control of own economy and attacked Israel way Hamas did , any Israeli response including levelling whole place off would be at minimum met with understanding - they got what they asked for. The same way fate of Dresden or Hiroshima was commented and Russians levelling Harbin in retaliation for failed attempt by China to reunite Vladivostok with motherland in 2057 will be. That and not bloodthirstiness of sizable chunk of world opinion is behind of split of sympathy between attacker and attacked visible everywhere , including our illustrious forum. reader, Marc in Calif, unicorn and 3 others 4 2 Quote
Mavica Posted November 14, 2023 Posted November 14, 2023 6 hours ago, EmmetK said: You are the expert on hate. Every time you get behind your keyboard to type on this forum, you spew it out... in generous proportions. Yes, spewing hate ... and clearly siding with those solely responsible for the unnecessary deaths. Marc in Calif and EmmetK 1 1 Quote
Members Latbear4blk Posted November 15, 2023 Members Posted November 15, 2023 Oh wow! The local Mensa members are teaming up! Bravo! Mavica, stevenkesslar and EmmetK 2 1 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 18, 2023 Members Posted November 18, 2023 5 hours ago, Latbear4blk said: Great video. Like you said at the outset, the leaders on both sides = Hamas, and Netanyahu - are nuts. The Jewish and Palestinian Dads who lost their children to the bloodshed and are working together for peace are inspiring. They are not nuts. The only thing I didn't like about the video is that it only included half an hour of rapid continuous talking. I like my rants to be full and detailed, not very short and superficial like Oliver was. Do you happen to have the five hour version? 😉 Marc in Calif and Latbear4blk 1 1 Quote
forky123 Posted November 18, 2023 Posted November 18, 2023 4 minutes ago, stevenkesslar said: Do you happen to have the five hour version? 😉 Here you go alvnv, unicorn and stevenkesslar 1 2 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 20, 2023 Members Posted November 20, 2023 On 11/17/2023 at 7:44 PM, Latbear4blk said: Joe Biden: The U.S. won’t back down from the challenge of Putin and Hamas I thought Biden's op/ed was an interesting compare and contrast to John Oliver. Two things we know for sure right off the bat. John is younger, and funnier, than Joe.😉 While Oliver did not use these exact words, I took him to mean this: the leaders of Gaza (Hamas) and Israel (Netanyahu and his far right wing allies) are both obstacles to peace. If that is one his main points, I agree. Half Biden's argument is about Ukraine, which I'll ignore. On Israel, I'll give him an A on Hamas and a D on Team Netanyahu. I'm fine with rhetoric about Hamas being pure evil. Oliver was unequivocal, too. Especially given the reaction of Jews in Israel and around the world - the shock is easy to understand - I don't think "Let's forget about The Holocaust" or "This was not The Holocaust' is a good message. So, fine. Hamas is pure evil. And every one of their leaders deserves to achieve their potential by being fish food at the bottom of an ocean. Right next to whatever is left of Bin Laden. Biden also says all the right things about how Palestinians and Gazans are not Hamas. And his heart - and humanitarian aid - goes out to them. This is where his argument really falls apart for me. Quote This much is clear: A two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Though right now it may seem like that future has never been further away, this crisis has made it more imperative than ever. If this were 2000, and Barak were Prime Minister of Israel, I would emphatically agree. So I can run two ways with this argument. First, Joe Biden is the wise and seasoned leader who can perhaps finally craft the peace deal that has eluded everyone else. Or, second, Joe Biden is a senile old fool who has no idea what decade he is in. And has no clue how the peace that he says is imperative will be achieved. Let alone by him. Or Bibi. Biden takes a few pot shots at extremist settlers in the West Bank. But what's missing is any awareness, let alone strategy, about the two most obvious impediments. Which John Oliver details nicely. First, Bibi is an honorary baby killer. Because he did everything he could to assist the growth of Hamas in order to kill a two state peace deal. Second, even if Israel shit cans baby killer Bibi, because they actually are pissed at how he was complicit with the pure evil baby killers, what comes after Bibi - like especially in a decade or two when the ultra-Orthodox Jews that back Bibi are an even bigger force - is likely going to be more anti-Arab. And more anti-Gay, probably. So the argument about Israel does nothing for me. Other than leaving me wondering whether Biden is out of touch with reality, or more likely just playing it like a hawk. Which reminds me of that vote of his for the Iraq war. Which he was for, but not really. This is the worst of Biden, not the best. It does not make me want to vote for him. Even though I will. I know the polls should be ignored, blah blah blah. But a new one out of Michigan is particularly depressing. Democrat Elissa Slotkin is two points up in her Senate race against either likely Republican opponent. Meanwhile, Biden is down 5 points against Trump and 11 points against Nikki Haley. Michigan is of course the swing state where Palestinian Americans could be the ones who decide whether Biden can win again. But the pattern is the same in every other swing state. Biden does far worse against Haley than Trump. By the way, @TotallyOz, you were right. I've been favoring Tim Scott as a newer and better Republican face. You've said nice things about Nikki. You seem to have called this one right. If Trump loses in 2024, she's a likely front runner in 2028. And she's potentially in striking distance in New Hampshire. I'm assuming Scott got out in part because if Haley wins or does well in New Hampshire, she could also potentially win in South Carolina. This is not helping Biden with Independents and young voters. A plurality of both groups - even Independents! - are now saying the US should reduce military aid to Israel. This next one really surprised me. Independents are more likely than Democrats to favor decreasing military aid to Israel. With Democrats, 25 % are for decreasing military aid, versus 21 % for increasing it. With Independents, 29 % are for decreasing military aid to Israel, versus only 14 % for increasing it. Bad news for Biden, and Bibi. My argument - that Israel has lost a pro-Israel US majority - is growing more true with each bomb that drops and each Palestinian baby that dies. TotallyOz 1 Quote
Members unicorn Posted November 22, 2023 Members Posted November 22, 2023 On 11/19/2023 at 6:26 PM, stevenkesslar said: ...Michigan is of course the swing state where Palestinian Americans could be the ones who decide whether Biden can win again... That reminds me of the news clip I remember seeing some 4 years or so ago. They interviewed some idiot who admitted she voted for Trump in 2016. Her foreign-born husband found himself deported to his native country (I believe it was Mexico) due to Trump's hard-nosed immigration policies (her husband got a DUI). Then it was, wah, wah, wah. I should have known I was voting for an asshole. For those with short memories, it was Trump who set up a Muslim immigration ban. The Republican party is not the party for religious diversity. It's the party for the religiously narrow-minded. If Palestinian-Americans, or even Muslims in general, assist Trump in winning, they'll deserve everything they have coming to them. What preposterously short memories! Unfortunately, a lot of other people will suffer in addition to themselves. alvnv, stevenkesslar, Marc in Calif and 1 other 2 2 Quote
EmmetK Posted November 22, 2023 Posted November 22, 2023 There will not only be a ban, but Trump promised there will be a massive deportation of all those here illegally. And that promise will help propel him into the White House. Ramaswamy promised to deport all illegals in 12-15 months. Trump will do it in 6-12 months. Vivek Ramaswamy Says He'll Deport All Undocumented Immigrants In U.S. Within 12 To 15 Months | Watch (msn.com) Marc in Calif and unicorn 1 1 Quote
Members stevenkesslar Posted November 29, 2023 Members Posted November 29, 2023 On 11/22/2023 at 12:14 AM, unicorn said: For those with short memories, it was Trump who set up a Muslim immigration ban. I was gone for a week, so a slow response. I don't disagree with the merit of your argument at all. But that's not my point. In politics, perception is reality. Not to be elitist, but in the age of MAGA one might add that ignorance is bliss. Although ignorant populism is nothing new, on any partisan side. So I would not be shocked if Palestinian Americans in Michigan are the new Jill Steins and Ralph Naders, who help elect exactly what they don't really want: Trump. At least in the case of Palestinian Americans it won't be because they rally behind Trump. More likely it will be that they feel like Biden betrayed them, and they just won't vote. That is how many if not the majority of them feel now. But the election is a year away. Latbear4blk and alvnv 2 Quote
Members Riobard Posted January 3 Members Posted January 3 On 10/16/2023 at 10:15 AM, Mavica said: You are wrong, again. You are projecting on others your own behavior. My comments … Not how that term is employed. Rather, for example, ‘you behave in the very manner that you criticize in others.’ Behaviour is not projectable as it is external, not an introject. Mavica and Marc in Calif 1 1 Quote
Members Pete1111 Posted January 3 Members Posted January 3 On 11/28/2023 at 8:20 PM, stevenkesslar said: I was gone for a week, so a slow response. I don't disagree with the merit of your argument at all. But that's not my point. In politics, perception is reality. Not to be elitist, but in the age of MAGA one might add that ignorance is bliss. Although ignorant populism is nothing new, on any partisan side. So I would not be shocked if Palestinian Americans in Michigan are the new Jill Steins and Ralph Naders, who help elect exactly what they don't really want: Trump. At least in the case of Palestinian Americans it won't be because they rally behind Trump. More likely it will be that they feel like Biden betrayed them, and they just won't vote. That is how many if not the majority of them feel now. But the election is a year away. The population of Michiganders with Palestinian ancestry is around 6,000. It is a good point though, that the Democrats should keep their eye on the ball in Michigan. The reason Biden won in Michigan is the much higher number of voters that turned out to vote against Trump in 2020 versus the 2016 cycle. How might the Dems create that scenario again? IMO the Democrats do not employ the kind of strategies and modern tools the conservative side uses to capture and maintain the support of registered voters. Although voter registration initiatives in Georgia led by Stacey Abrahms deserve recognition for turning Georgia and the Senate blue, IMO the Democrats have left Abrahms in the dust. Should Abrahms have received higher praise from the Party and should her effort have been repeated nationwide? Or are the Dems "all talk" while they send out donation requests then sit back and assume everyone will just do the right thing and vote Blue? I hope not. That said, if the polls are correct that many Dems oppose Biden's approach to the Israel/Gaza conflict, then we could be watching the administration throw away re-election chances. Does it seem Biden has given Israel a blank check to bomb at will? Netanyahu should accept responsiblity for failure to defend against the attack and resign before the US gives Israel any more support. unicorn and stevenkesslar 2 Quote
Members unicorn Posted January 3 Members Posted January 3 1 hour ago, Pete1111 said: ....Does it seem Biden has given Israel a blank check to bomb at will? Netanyahu should accept responsiblity for failure to defend against the attack and resign before the US gives Israel any more support. BN is responsable for this tragedy from start to finish, although Hamas is worse. The US is essentially bankrolling BN's entire operation, and our aid should be contingent on how it's carried out. BN's policies were the catalyst for this mess. Before BN even got elected, Biden should have made an announcement that the amount of US aid to Israel would depend on whom they elected. And now, Biden should make it clear that further US $$ would depend on how the fight was conducted. I remember hearing some Israeli government official saying something along the lines of "We're of course interested in what our friends in the US have to say, but ultimately it's up to us to decide how to conduct this war." I thought, "No, it's our money. If you can't behave in a decent manner, it's up to us to decide whether or not to continue to fund it." The arrogance of BN and his officials simply floors me. The US can and should put its foot down. Certainly, one cannot in any way justify what Hamas did. The response, however, is becoming increasingly over-the-top, as plainly manifested by Israeli soldiers gunning down their own citizens, who were holding white flags. That was standard IDF protocol, not a fluke. Time to put a stop to this. There should be new elections in Israel. stevenkesslar, Marc in Calif and Pete1111 2 1 Quote