roadtonowhere08

Well, I forgot to update this little development. A big nothingburger thankfully in terms of conflict even if it was very out of the ordinary. But it was a wakeup call to Israel. I am reading that Iran spent some $60 million in it's launch of it's assortment of cannon fodder. I use that term because Iran was sending a message and not its good stuff, as any research would show. The response cost? About $3 billion! The fact that the U.S., Israel, and Jordan all participated in intercepting the low cost drones and missiles and still a few managed to strike Israeli land is one hand a testament to the effectiveness of high tech interception, BUT it is also a sobering reality for the U.S. and Israel that if Iran wanted to play hardball, it would be mass destruction in Israel. That is very unlikely. What is very likely; however, is the fact that it is a confirmation to Iran that there is a massive cost/benefit in its favor regarding its effectiveness of its long game: proxy war and skirmishes. It's draining Israeli money and costing U.S. taxpayer money. Israel needs to get this through their heads: They are on borrowed time in terms of what the global community will tolerate - act accordingly. This article spells it out nicely: https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/israel-economy-deterioration-worsens-as-gaza-conflict-and-other-hostilities-grind-on.html And before smooth-brained Andrew excoriates me in another unread-by-me reply, no, I do not support Iran's government. They are religious whack jobs oppressing their own people... just like the religious right whack jobs keeping Netanyahu in power. Two sides of the same coin: Delusional religious whack jobs who should drop dead already. I am pretty sure the liberal/moderate Jews and Muslims would rejoice.

Wanna support Palestinian protesters as a non-profit? Kiss your tax-exempt status goodbye! And astroturfing fun, too! https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/free-speech-on-the-ropes-legislation-to-revoke-not-for-profit-status-of-organizations-that-support-palestine-protests-passes-in-house.html

He's dead on. The media is hopeless. Good to see Jessica back. She's up there with the best correspondents.

And I bet none of us would scoff at them if they were offered to us. To your point though, I agree that some are very much ridiculous. It can lead to a culture of entitlement and laziness. Having said that, I have spent a lot of time in both urban and rural France, and I can say for certain that the work ethic of the French is not unlike that of Americans. They just have better benefits. It's all a question of national priorities. For the French, they have made it a point to emphasize more leisure time and a larger safety net at the expense of overall productivity and business opportunity. Americans have increasingly voiced their desire to edge closer to that emphasis, but we have a much smaller voice compared to corporations, and so we as a nation sacrifice leisure time and a national safety net to gain overall productivity as a more business friendly nation. More money in general, but less time to enjoy it.

I know, I was making a separate point. I will edit that. Sounds like a last second strike call-off. Bad communication I guess.

All this post tells me is that you have a lot of research to do on this topic. A lot. I like what Coleman Hughes says about color blindness, as hawks pointed out, but as I looked around his X profile and watched his interviews about Israel, he has glaring holes in his understanding. He does not have any knowledge of the historical motives from both sides, the political situations, the cynical bargaining, the ultimate goal of the far-right in Israel, the tactics used by the IDF, the cover the U.S. provides Israel in the UN, the lack of accountability the IDF has, the treatment of Arab Israelis, the treatment of Gazans, the rights taken away, the bulldozed cemeteries, the mass graves, the torture of innocent people, the shooting/bombing of their own hostages, the outright lies taken as truth, the international laws broken, the ultra nationalist groups in the IDF and their horrific actions, the intentional killing of journalists, the bastardization of the term "Anti-Semitic", the labeling of Jews who object to Israel's actions as "Self-hating", the labeling of Pro-Palestinian protestors as "Pro-Hamas"... none of it. He does not know what he is talking about. He only thinks he does. That makes me not respect him. He is a wannabe Hitchens, Chomsky, or Rushdie minus all the context and raw knowledge. It's a genocide. People can deny it, but they are either ignorant or don't care.

I cannot pass judgement on any of this unless it is known what led to the strike. Was it justified or was it excessive? Some French strikes are the former and some are the latter. Looks like bad communication from the article. In a semi-related topic: As far as the airline industry is concerned, I will say that it is not known for caring about worker or passenger comfort or needs. Their race to the bottom in everything has led to all of this. Air travel coupled with stock buybacks, cost cutting, razor thin margins, and the public demanding dirt cheap tickets is not exactly a good combination. All the inconveniences of flying are self inflicted. It was better when there was more regulation, less financial pressure, and slightly higher ticket prices.

Three replies to the same post! You must really like that one

Please find me any text where I show even shred of support for Hamas. I would have thought that I have made it crystal clear my positions on these past 19 pages. I will leave it up to you to interpret what I write however you like, as you do anyway. And where exactly would the Palestinians evacuate to? Egypt? Jordan? Lebanon? Syria? The U.S.? Israel? Nobody wants them for the same reasons why nobody really wants any refugees: They are a strain on the adoptive country. The surrounding countries already have a lot of Palestinian refugees. You probably also forgot about that blockade and barbed wire wall as well, huh? It's pretty heavily protected... except, for some reason, on Oct. 7th. Their total poverty and lack of travel options due to both Israel's blockade and Hamas' actions kinda makes them trapped in their own land. And quite frankly, why the f*ck should they evacuate? It's their land. Try telling a Texan to get off their own land. Remember Waco? We're not a country that likes to take orders from outsiders. You overlooked a lot, my guy. Let's not delude ourselves that somehow we are any different than the Palestinians living in Gaza or The West Bank. If we were in their shoes, many Americans would act exactly the same with the same anger and alignment with extremists or worse. Enemy of our enemy and all that. We live in absolute luxury compared to the Palestinians! That does not stop us from having idiots bombing abortion clinics due to their stupid beliefs. We have gang wars. We have white supremacists scattered across the country. Hell, we have mass shootings all the time! What's our excuse? No country backed by a world superpower is stealing our land, imprisoning/blockading us, and calling us the aggressors at the same time. Our sheer luck of not having to live their lives allows us to pretend that we are different. We're not. Take a look in the mirror and thank your God that you do not have to live like someone in Gaza while some doofus called Mr. Marine Layer judges you. Christianity preaches gratitude and empathy, right?

Wow, pretty good gaslighting and hysteria from none other than Mr. Gaslight himself, Jonathan A. Greenblatt. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/23/opinions/columbia-university-protests-greenblatt/index.html Yes, of course the protestors are furious. They are protesting an ongoing genocide that their government is bankrolling! Following the typical playbook by making all Jewish students fearful of their lives even though only a small fraction of the protestors are preaching violence and hateful comments. Perhaps we should do a study to see who has more to fear: These students or the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. He was moved by a sobbing woman? Try piecing together the body parts of a dismembered Palestinian woman or child killed from an Israeli airstrike. Cry me a river! My favorite: Donors should divest from institutions to get attention. That's hilarious! Perhaps we should ask him his thoughts on the BDS movement then. Bet he would not have the same opinion. Don't people like this idiot understand that the curtain has been lifted now? The youth have more news access and media sources than ever before. They have choices now in what and who to believe. Why do you think Israel wants to cut Al Jazeera? Cracking down on legitimate protests only makes the discontent and anger grow. Those 30,000+ dead Palestinians are not going to be forgotten no matter how hard Israel and its apologists try.

Mike Johnson going back to being a clown it seems: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68893185 Trying to kiss up to the people he alienated with the Ukraine aide by sticking his nose where it does not belong.

That may be, but they are the minority. Also, many people may say that they are sick of all the politics and drama, but then they proceed to participate in all of it online because the allure is just too much. Most people are simpletons who gobble whatever poison they are being fed with a smile.

Are we though? Our actions suggest that we love drama and arguing. Look at social media and what a cesspool it is.

This is all predictable as you point out. It's not going to be banned. Money > everything.