Prelude to the Apocalypse

[Sima Tuna]

Hard to say, when the state of the world prior to the establishment of Israel largely had communities of Jews living in other countries, rather far from Muslims. Is that not so? Or is my history incorrect?

Of course, the Jewish communities would have remained unhappy about being pushed out of the middle east entirely. Jewish communities had found other homes elsewhere. But I suppose the establishment of Israel was also a response to WW2, and the need many Jews felt for a country they could retreat to from (actual) antisemitism.

I'm sure there were many people back then who saw the rise of Hitler and thought they were doing the right thing establishing Israel for Jews. Even so, the Muslim world attacked the very next day after its establishment, and thus the conflict which continues to the current day. I doubt either side will seek peace while the other lives, aye. Perhaps if the less extremist voices in both communities managed to take and hold power... But that's as silly to hope for as asking for an American leadership that's pro-peace and against fomenting foreign wars.

There must be voices in both the Muslim and Jewish communities local to that area who believe in peaceful coexistence. But it is certainly not Netanyahu who wants that.

[orange808]

But it is certainly not Netanyahu who wants that.

Agreed. Absolutely. There's one of two hopeless parties in this situation: both absolutely committed to more murder.

But, we need one last specific mention. All these other groups spread throughout the region were all funded and created by Iran and they exist to kill. Iran is also getting involved directly because their proxies are under attack--and their response further proves (although it was never in question) that their proxies are acting on their behalf.

Nobody wants to get along. Nobody wants to settle on borders. Nobody wants to abandon theocracy. Nobody wants to suspend redrawing borders and implement a system where changes require true democratic negotiations and approval.

What could go wrong?

Finally, China and Russia are providing robust support for Iran. Don't forget that. Everyone is involved right now. What can be done?

This isn't like pulling out of a civil war. It's not Korea or Vietnam. There's no way out.

Let's set the geopolitics and military ramifications aside. They're unpopular, but essential. If America withdrew support, Israel would be overwhelmed and a lot of people would die. The Iranian militias would be absolutely ruthless--can you comprehend what they would do? I can. Don't patronize or gaslight me with a comparison to Israel's awful security forces. We're talking about pure rape and murder with *truly* NO restrictions and it's all for God. The Russian and Chinese press would expose the atrocities, right? R-iiiii-ight? Nope. Want to see leaders with zero fucks to give? Congratulations! Russia and China take it to the next level.

In the process, would Israel push the button? What happens if Tehran is heated up to a million degrees and permanently irradiated? What happens if Iranian militias sieze control of a nuclear arsenal? Beyond the nuclear threshold and after Israel, what happens to Taiwan and Ukraine? What's next? How far do we slide?

It's a little more complicated than people think--and my analysis is still trivial and superficial. There's more.

Reminds me of the "close the border" and "invade Mexico" shit. Mexico is America's #1 legitimate (no shadow economy included) trade partner! Americans have a failed (and deteriorating) state on the border and they are the US's #1 trade partner?!

Ever heard of "the multiplier"? It's an economic term. (It cuts both ways.) Ever heard of a "zipper fall"? If we upset our trade with Mexico, the shock would have absolutely devastating consequences! Does anyone realize how bad it would be?

There's no simple solutions. I'm guilty, too. I know we can't toss Florida Republicans in jail and rebuilding is necessary. I hope this "America did all of it and they need to completely abandon foreign policy" shit is a similar form of venting.

[To Far Away Times]

There’s been a lot of shit slinging on both sides in the Middle East. Oct 7 didn’t happen in a vacuum. You got to think of it from the perspective of the Palestinians. If someone took your home to give it to someone else, you’d be furious too.

But the real tell that Israel was in this war for the wrong reasons was when Bibi showed that map with Israel’s borders stretching into parts of Palestine; land that is not a part of Israel’s officially recognized borders. That was the admission that this war is about territory seizure and genocide.

My wife is Ashkenazi Jewish, we celebrate the high holidays, but we both think Israel has way over stepped here.

[BulletMagnet]

That was the admission that this war is about territory seizure and genocide.

You don't even need to get that "subtle" - it's long been the official, stated position of Netanhayu and the Israeli right, since way before October 7th, that Palestine is not a real country and the Palestinians are not a real people, but "animals" with no right to the land whatsoever, and that as such there are no real limits to what means Israel can use to permanently drive them out. Oh, and that's before you even start Googling the also openly-embraced doctrine of "Greater Israel".

Which by extension, of course, means that when the USA keeps insisting that the Netanyahu government is a genuine and worthwhile partner in pursuit of not only a two-state solution but any end to the conflict that doesn't involve Palestine (and others!) being completely wiped off the map it's deliberately and complicitly lying to our faces. Hamas and its ilk are certainly no angels, but even at that I'm more inclined to consider their proposed peace terms - which Netanyahu, of course, has repeatedly pulled the rug out from under, even as doing so ensures the continued jeopardy of the remaining hostages - as genuine than those of the Israelis.

[Air Master Burst]

Let's set the geopolitics and military ramifications aside. They're unpopular, but essential. If America withdrew support, Israel would be overwhelmed and a lot of people would die. The Iranian militias would be absolutely ruthless--can you comprehend what they would do? I can. Don't patronize or gaslight me with a comparison to Israel's awful security forces. We're talking about pure rape and murder with *truly* NO restrictions and it's all for God.

Yeah, the "both sides are equally bad" take is especially stupid here given the power imbalance. When one side has nukes and the other doesn't, there's really nothing stopping the nuked-up team from doing whatever the fuck they want.

I know it's easy to think the savage brown foreigners just want nukes so they can mass slaughter for their evil god, but the threat of mutually assured destruction is still basically the only proven effective response to a nuclear-armed opponent.

Israel's security forces are far worse than Iran-backed militias. One of them is an actual fully-sanctioned professional military force that signed on to the Geneva accords, the other is a fairly ragtag group of not-governments that still manage to provide some social services to people that would otherwise have none. It's absurd to hold both to the same standard.

[Lemnear]

Spoiler

But it is certainly not Netanyahu who wants that.

Agreed. Absolutely. There's one of two hopeless parties in this situation: both absolutely committed to more murder.

But, we need one last specific mention. All these other groups spread throughout the region were all funded and created by Iran and they exist to kill. Iran is also getting involved directly because their proxies are under attack--and their response further proves (although it was never in question) that their proxies are acting on their behalf.

Nobody wants to get along. Nobody wants to settle on borders. Nobody wants to abandon theocracy. Nobody wants to suspend redrawing borders and implement a system where changes require true democratic negotiations and approval.

What could go wrong?

Finally, China and Russia are providing robust support for Iran. Don't forget that. Everyone is involved right now. What can be done?

This isn't like pulling out of a civil war. It's not Korea or Vietnam. There's no way out.

Let's set the geopolitics and military ramifications aside. They're unpopular, but essential. If America withdrew support, Israel would be overwhelmed and a lot of people would die. The Iranian militias would be absolutely ruthless--can you comprehend what they would do? I can. Don't patronize or gaslight me with a comparison to Israel's awful security forces. We're talking about pure rape and murder with *truly* NO restrictions and it's all for God. The Russian and Chinese press would expose the atrocities, right? R-iiiii-ight? Nope. Want to see leaders with zero fucks to give? Congratulations! Russia and China take it to the next level.

In the process, would Israel push the button? What happens if Tehran is heated up to a million degrees and permanently irradiated? What happens if Iranian militias sieze control of a nuclear arsenal? Beyond the nuclear threshold and after Israel, what happens to Taiwan and Ukraine? What's next? How far do we slide?

It's a little more complicated than people think--and my analysis is still trivial and superficial. There's more.

Reminds me of the "close the border" and "invade Mexico" shit. Mexico is America's #1 legitimate (no shadow economy included) trade partner! Americans have a failed (and deteriorating) state on the border and they are the US's #1 trade partner?!

Ever heard of "the multiplier"? It's an economic term. (It cuts both ways.) Ever heard of a "zipper fall"? If we upset our trade with Mexico, the shock would have absolutely devastating consequences! Does anyone realize how bad it would be?

There's no simple solutions. I'm guilty, too. I know we can't toss Florida Republicans in jail and rebuilding is necessary. I hope this "America did all of it and they need to completely abandon foreign policy" shit is a similar form of venting.

Orange808 is totally right.
Also, it's not like if it's an "unequal" battle then you have to sympathize with the one who is at a disadvantage, especially considering WHO is at a disadvantage.
The sympathizers of the guys with the tablecloths on their heads have already injured 200 police officers in a single demonstration here.
I know a lot of neo-Nazis who are pro-Palestinian just so they can hate Jews and be justified in doing so, and they don't realize that they are spitting on their own rights by doing so.
So why should I defend a population that hates everything about me?

[orange808]

They say they want to kill everyone in Israel, but they're just kiddin' ?

Ha. I'm the "stupid" one.

Okie dokie.

If I was a supreme being, I'd turn them all to salt. Both groups. I'm over it.

[Air Master Burst]

They say they want to kill everyone in Israel, but they're just kiddin' ?

Ha. I'm the "stupid" one.

Okie dokie.

If I was a supreme being, I'd turn them all to salt. Both groups. I'm over it.

I love how your final solution to genocide is just DOUBLE GENOCIDE!

All you americans are the same.

[orange808]

Ah yes. Not stupid at all. Good show!

Only Americans get frustrated and fed up. Yes, indeed.

Not stupid at all.

Perhaps my outlook on humanity is American. I have no shame in that.

On the other hand, that essay is not very popular. It's well known, but scarcely popular--and often derided and attacked by the naive or stupid. There's always someone eager to ignore history.

Well, save the hate for France. I really have no opinion either way. Doesn't seem any more or less bizarre than anywhere else.

[Lemnear]

What to do with people who are harmful to themselves and to the community (humankind) ?
Come on...in Afghanistan they just banned images of living beings from the local media...it's total madness, and I don't want to be dragged into this de-evolution. Basically the watchword in the Middle East is "Deprivation".
And not even being overwhelmed by AI and robots in the dysto-utopia of American big-tech where they sell impossible dreams at the cost of your privacy and the illusion of choice. I find that "marketing" has taken over common sense.

On the one hand they go back to being cavemen, on the other they create a world that is too fast for humans...where everyone is always running and sad.

[BulletMagnet]

Also, it's not like if it's an "unequal" battle then you have to sympathize with the one who is at a disadvantage, especially considering WHO is at a disadvantage.

True enough, though one would think it's worth remembering that the overwhelming majority of the victims on the "disadvantaged" side of this conflict (whose official numbers are woefully undercounted, in no small part because some of Israel's first targets during its assault were the civilian organizations and infrastructure that keep count) have been civilians, and that most of those casualties have come as a direct result of either indiscriminate or deliberately targeted assaults. And that's before you even touch the additional suffering and death on account of forcefully-denied food, shelter and medicine.

No matter how "unsafe" one may insist they feel even with utterly insurmountable material and military advantage over their targets, the only way I can see anyone justifying such a scorched-earth state of affairs is to embrace the Israeli government's "there's no such thing as an innocent Palestinian civilian" and "Hamas is hiding everywhere, so we have to destroy everything" rhetoric; if you want to take that position that's your choice, but you're at the very least on the wrong side of international humanitarian law if you do.

The sympathizers of the guys with the tablecloths on their heads have already injured 200 police officers in a single demonstration here.

Ignoring the slur (which, I would imagine, you would rightly not react kindly to if an equivalent counterpart was aimed at you on here), off the top of my head I don't know where you reside but here in the US peaceful protestors on college campuses and elsewhere - many of them organized by Jewish students and faculty - have been openly assaulted by Zionist counter-protestors while the police either stand idly by or outright assist them. Does this thus mean that "counteracting" violence committed against Zionists in general is just "what they had coming to them"?

I know a lot of neo-Nazis who are pro-Palestinian just so they can hate Jews and be justified in doing so, and they don't realize that they are spitting on their own rights by doing so. So why should I defend a population that hates everything about me?

For whatever it's worth, even the likes of Hezbollah openly states that its enemy is not Jews as a whole, but residents of Israel proper, which it views as stolen land; you can (and, IMO, should) criticize their stance and tactics to that end, but if you're not living in the modern state of Israel they're not looking to invade other countries to come after you.

Moreover, of course, many of the Arab states have stated positions that Hezbollah have decried as sacrilege; Google the "Arab Peace Initiative", which has been presented regularly to the UN for decades now, and essentially states that the Council of the League of Arab states is willing to normalize relations with Israel if the latter simply complies with international law by returning the land it's annexed since 1967, allowing displaced Palestinians the right of return, and giving them the right to full self-determination within Gaza and the West Bank.

Are there factions within any and all of these groups that are dyed-in-the-wool anti-Semitic? Of course there are, but the same goes for the USA and Christianity at large, among numerous others, and you don't see any of them constantly characterized as slavishly devoted to exterminating the Jews from the face of the earth; as a number of Jewish historians have pointed out, for a long time Europe was far more hostile to its Jewish populations than the Mideast, to which many Jews fled and lived for centuries. The modern state of Israel, on the other hand, as was already mentioned, openly advocates for the extermination by force of Palestine - and other surrounding countries besides - as both a nation and an identity.

For the vast, vast majority of people, Middle Eastern and otherwise, the issue is not with Judaism or even the existence of an Israeli state, but the hardcore, expansionist ethno-religious Zionism driving the Netanyahu government and its enablers to act with utter and truly awful impunity, a right which shouldn't be afforded to anyone, ever.

I love how your final solution to genocide is just DOUBLE GENOCIDE! All you americans are the same.

As understandable as this is considering our government's unforgivably brutish foreign policy, please, please don't lump all of us in with...that.

[Air Master Burst]

As understandable as this is considering our government's unforgivably brutish foreign policy, please, please don't lump all of us in with...that.

I'm just saying that if a random human ascends to supreme being and starts turning entire populations to salt, there's a real good chance america is in the first 5 countries to go.

[BulletMagnet]

I'm just saying that if a random human ascends to supreme being and starts turning entire populations to salt, there's a real good chance america is in the first 5 countries to go.

Heck, I'd be incredibly surprised if we weren't at the very top of the list, considering how much misery we continue to outsource. That said, there are plenty of folks attempting to make us a Nineveh instead of a Sodom, so to speak, and whatever the eventual outcome they deserve whatever support there is to give, as heaven knows our hyper-concentrated wealth and power is all but completely united against them.

[Sima Tuna]

True enough, though one would think it's worth remembering that the overwhelming majority of the victims on the "disadvantaged" side of this conflict (whose official numbers are woefully undercounted, in no small part because some of Israel's first targets during its assault were the civilian organizations and infrastructure that keep count) have been civilians, and that most of those casualties have come as a direct result of either indiscriminate or deliberately targeted assaults. And that's before you even touch the additional suffering and death on account of forcefully-denied food, shelter and medicine.

No matter how "unsafe" one may insist they feel even with utterly insurmountable material and military advantage over their targets, the only way I can see anyone justifying such a scorched-earth state of affairs is to embrace the Israeli government's "there's no such thing as an innocent Palestinian civilian" and "Hamas is hiding everywhere, so we have to destroy everything" rhetoric; if you want to take that position that's your choice, but you're at the very least on the wrong side of international humanitarian law if you do.

Not only that. Not only do Israeli forces continue to strike civilians, give instructions to those civilians of where to go... Then hit those places as well. Not only do they deny food, shelter, medicine and water, then strike civilians who attempt to reach those things... But they've been so indiscriminate that they've actually hit UN Peacekeepers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ek2gkp9k2o

Now, even if you believe that every Palestinian civilian is a Hamas secret agent, there's no possible way that you could believe a UN Peacekeeper is a Hamas secret agent... Is there?

Hardly needs to be said that I don't agree with Hamas or terrorism at all. But you cannot kill terrorism with a bullet. Terrorism spreads on human suffering and Israel right now are an absolute factory of human suffering. The seeds of what they do today will spread terrorism for decades. Unless they truly do commit a total genocide of every Muslim person living in the middle east.

[orange808]

A supreme being that could conjure and dismiss anything and everything at whim would deeply love and cherish a few disposable creations? Why? With infinite time and resources, why would anything ever be special or worthy of any emotional investment?

Furthermore, if there's a concrete plan, free will is an illusion. Love a creation, but doom that being to a painful punishment by design--because it wasn't designed to use free will to meet the standards? And this was all preplanned? It never had a chance? It's designed to fail and meet a horrible fate out of love?

Oh, yes. These loving supreme beings. Must all be American.

[To Far Away Times]

You got to go easy on the Americans. I'm American, I switched parties from Republican to Democrat on the day we voted to authorize the War on Iraq.

Some of us are even calling to end arms sales to Israel because they keep bombing hospitals and food pantries.

[BulletMagnet]

Some of us are even calling to end arms sales to Israel because they keep bombing hospitals and food pantries.

A clear majority of us, actually, according to polling for months now. Unfortunately the people making the decisions are up to their necks in AIPAC and Raytheon campaign donations.

[Lemnear]

I'm not in a good mood so I could say extremely controversial things.

Let me start by saying that I am neither Muslim nor Jewish, and lately I have been dangerously exploring Jehovah's Witnesses (an old school friend showed up at my house, and now he is one of them...which is like the perfect start to any horror film with a mystical cult). I'm just orbiting around it though because I like to ask uncomfortable questions and hear how they answer, I have no intention of being a part of it.

BTW here (IT) EVERY pro-Palestinian demonstration is violent, while pro-Israel demonstrations do not exist, Jews simply help each other and the state supports them in a more calm manner.
They even avoid demonstrations because they know they would be exposed to danger, while pro-Palestinians are not afraid of seriously injuring police officers..this is because mixed with the non-violent pro-Palestinians (minority), there are also the violent ones (majority) + all the neo-nazis..
Luckily the ones I know are pacifists LOL, but they are still stupid as shit...and partially indoctrinated

I was for freedom of speech before the internet filled the web with fake news, now I believe that "too much" freedom of speech is dangerous, here the pro-Palestinians are even creating "Pro-URSS" groups and a manual on how to be a terrorist has also come out. Indeed, it seems that the latest fashion among dictators is to curb human rights without violating them. In a certain sense they are exploiting them to destroy us.

Bombing hospitals and civilians is part of war and believing that you can "regulate" war is naive... in fact it is precisely in the weak points that you have to strike without mercy.
I don't like the direction the Israelis are taking, attacking UNifil bases is a war crime, but we have understood that these war crimes (against anyone) are not really punishable...

Genocide IS a solution, it solved every problem in South America a few centuries ago. Genocide prevents future revenge. If it hadn't gone that way today there would be pro-Mayan/Inca/Aztec terrorist groups paradoxically. Yes, I know it's immoral...and everyone should mind their own business at home I suppose, without pissing off anyone else.

However I do not tolerate the existence of a state just to be a vessel for a specific religion, no state should be based on this. I can turn a blind eye to the Vatican, but why is it literally 2km of territory (less than 2 miles).

As understandable as this is considering our government's unforgivably brutish foreign policy, please, please don't lump all of us in with...that.

Americans at least for me are like a coin, on one side there is the fat flat-earther who cooks steaks with a flamethrower, on the other there are brilliant minds, in various sectors.

[BulletMagnet]

I'm not in a good mood so I could say extremely controversial things.

BTW here (IT) EVERY pro-Palestinian demonstration is violent, while pro-Israel demonstrations do not exist [...] this is because mixed with the non-violent pro-Palestinians (minority), there are also the violent ones (majority) + all the neo-nazis..Luckily the ones I know are pacifists LOL, but they are still stupid as shit...and partially indoctrinated

Bombing hospitals and civilians is part of war and believing that you can "regulate" war is naive

Genocide IS a solution, it solved every problem in South America a few centuries ago.

..."mission accomplished", as they say.

Frankly I'm inclined to think it most productive to simply let your statements marinate rather than reply to them piecemeal (I'd particularly suggest, in light of your support for Israel, taking another look at your assertion that no state should exist for the benefit of a specific religion), though I will take the opportunity to ask directly, since you clarify here that you are not Jewish, on what grounds you previously referred to pro-Palestinian people as "hat[ing] everything about me".

More to the point, perhaps, I would ask in a more general sense what substantial difference you could name between your assertion of "why bother prohibiting war crimes, they still happen" and, say, "why make robbery illegal, robberies still happen" or "why enforce speed limits, speeding still happens". In every other case where I've seen such an approach taken, while it's presented as a universal worldview it's only ever actually applied to very particular situations that the arguer finds convenient, since here the argument could just as easily be made that the various groups attempting to violently wipe Israel off the map are themselves simply applying a "solution"...a word which, I hope, calls to mind a not-terribly-distant bit of history that is only viewed favorably by some of the groups you specifically decry above.

[BryanM]

Ok, the Harris campaign was exhibiting basic minimum competency for a while there and the DNC stepped in and said 'we can't have that!'

One of the most obvious tells that these guys are selected to lose would be the 'political inclusiveness' bullshit that absolutely nobody (who is a human being) likes. Frederick Douglass held such people in contempt hundreds of years ago, and they haven't improved a bit in the meantime.

What I specifically mean is appointing republicans to positions, Obama style. If you didn't want republicans in your government, sorry, there isn't a candidate on the ballot for you.

In a tolerable world, one of the first things Harris would do is purge the DNC. But she won't, because donor$ wouldn't like that and they still matter. So she has to take advice from the only person on earth who's lost an election to Trump. Yippie.

The young people in her campaign were doing so well, too. Hah...

Anyway, since the Cheneys were brought up here, here's the update on one avenue the Dick Cheney immortality serum might come from: Katcher and Fahy have formed a partnership, and the assumption is there will be some trial involving pig goo and thymus rejuvenation. If these two things alone are sufficient to break past the suicide mechanisms in our bodies... it'd be really really stupid and really really evil that nobody figured it out decades ago.

I'm not terribly sanguine about it, even if it does work. The timescales being what they are, we'll have some Instrumentality nonsense going on before it gets to human trials.

Anyway, solid state batteries. They're almost nowhere today, but will be everywhere in a few years. Double the storage and they won't catch on fire/explode. Just in time to power cheap and effective robot dogs.

A supreme being that could conjure and dismiss anything and everything at whim would deeply love and cherish a few disposable creations? Why? With infinite time and resources, why would anything ever be special or worthy of any emotional investment?

I've been pondering more what 'eternity' really means. I don't think our little meat brains can really wrap our minds around it...

Eternity isn't a very long time, it is all of the time. From the big bang to the heat death of the universe, that's infinitely less than 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of eternity.

Cranks who want to create free energy (and explicit by implication, free matter) are crazy, greedy little guys sure.... but all of this shit (*waves hand*) had to come from somewhere. Given enough time, I'm not sure if even something as batshit as boltzmann brains aren't 100% impossible.

All this is to say, if quantum immortality is really how it works and you find yourself in the 'afterlife' as an isekai'd fish person in a swamp somewhere, don't be too quick to try to re-roll your starting location. There's always more and it's always worse. The worlds you'd actually like as you are now are probably vanishingly small - You could end up trapped somewhere very unpleasant, and without access to a reset button.

Try to make the most of the situation. Brains are very malleable. A guy fell in love with an octopus from hanging out with it all day every day, you can come to appreciate the charms of fish people.

.... even if it's the Umihara Kawase universe you end up in.

I don't like the direction the Israelis are taking, attacking UNifil bases is a war crime, but we have understood that these war crimes (against anyone) are not really punishable...

In this specific case, it's very punishable. We stop giving them weapons to murder people with. That's it. That's all people are asking our government to do.

The Biden administration's support for this is completely unprecedented in history, no president has ever gone this far. Not Reagan, not Obama, nobody. The Trump-Biden era is uniquely awful on this subject....

.... it's why I even entertain the possibility of a Harris administration changing course. It's unprecedented, and there's no reason to continue it unless this is the time to try to manifest destiny the middle east.

I'm sure that will go well if we try, like how most of our attempts of conquest go.

[Sima Tuna]

Well, she's right that genocide does solve problems. Those who say violence never solves anything... It does if you take it far enough. But it's a ruthless, heartless, vile, monstrous, despicable, foul, no-good, dirty, honorless, disgusting way to behave, isn't it? The Chinese call it "tearing out the roots to avoid future troubles." In their historical blood feuds, entire generations were put to death. Specifically to avoid any chance of reprisal.

Spoiler

But terrorism isn't based on ties of blood. Terrorism is an idea and it can spread across cultures, too.

And if that's Israel's plan (to genocide every Muslim in the middle east,) well they're going to have their work cut out for them. They're relying an awful lot on the idea that no atrocity they commit will be bad enough to drive away US support. Maybe that's true, but we don't know. If the Muslims want to genocide every Jew, well they don't even have the support of a Top 3 powerful nation like the USA behind them. So they'll find it a rather tough ask.

I saw just today that the US gave Israel a 30-day time limit to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. No idea if the US government has any intention of holding Netanyahu to that, or if it's just for show. But they're publicly talking about such things. Imagine if Netanyahu tried to openly invade a country like Egypt... I think the tone of the discussion would change, even if US support wouldn't vanish overnight.

Many on the world stage were initially sympathetic to Germany, post-WW1. When a certain Godwin's Law character rose to prominence and began to (relatively peacefully) take back territory which had formerly belonged to Germany, there was a sense from some that this was inevitable and not entirely inappropriate. But once that goose-stepping fellow's ambitions became clear and his aims to encompass more and more territory (which was never part of Germany) became obvious, then everyone had to admit that his cause had no sense behind it.

[Lemnear]

No, wait, I'm not saying it's useless, but both Putin and Netanyahu are responsible for war crimes, but it's impossible to really punish both of them...how?
In the end they both shoot at anyone who happens to be in range, and technically there's nothing that can be done to prevent it, that's why I say that these "rules of war" are actually purely ethical-moral, but in the end nobody respects them , it seems as if the world's regulators are helpless against the bullying of dictators.
Same thing for genocide, I never said it's morally acceptable or ethical (obviously it isn't) but it's a possibility...others have happened in the past after all and it seems that the path to the "Greater Israel" passes through this way..

It's not that I'm going to demonstrate in the street somewhere anyway...it's just that I'm much more afraid of Hamas between the two of them, and in the end they're both war criminals...it's just that one of the two doesn't kill me if they see me drinking alcohol, while the other can't wait to punish anyone for anything.
The problem is always when religion becomes law, and stops being religion.

What I find most shocking is how we literally wage war over meters of sand...and while everyone is killing each other, nature will then take care of wiping us all out.
...wtf a single person can turn the world upside down just because he's a naughty old child...this is evidence of total irresponsibility on the part of heads of state who should instead be guided by wisdom and foresight

I saw just today that the US gave Israel a 30-day time limit to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. No idea if the US government has any intention of holding Netanyahu to that, or if it's just for show. But they're publicly talking about such things. Imagine if Netanyahu tried to openly invade a country like Egypt... I think the tone of the discussion would change, even if US support wouldn't vanish overnight.

The problem is that all that humanitarian aid is taken by Hamas, and not by the Palestinian population... that's what I meant by "exploiting human rights". Under the pretext of saving the people with this aid, Hamas finds itself with free food supplies from its own enemies...

[Air Master Burst]

If these two things alone are sufficient to break past the suicide mechanisms in our bodies... it'd be really really stupid and really really evil that nobody figured it out decades ago.

Considering how bad humanity already is at evenly distributing resources, actually releasing something like that into the world would probably be the stupid option.

it's just that I'm much more afraid of Hamas between the two of them, and in the end they're both war criminals

Hamas only really cares about (and is mostly stuck inside of) Gaza, and Israel's government routinely spies on and interferes with citizens of allied nations, even in their home countries. Clearly your priorities are in order.

The problem is that all that humanitarian aid is taken by Hamas, and not by the Palestinian population... that's what I meant by "exploiting human rights". Under the pretext of saving the people with this aid, Hamas finds itself with free food supplies from its own enemies...

If they allowed a reasonable amount of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza in the first place it wouldn't matter. I'd rather have Hamas eating free food than the current apocalyptic level of famine that's absolutely crushing the civilian population.

Shit, they should really go the other direction and airdrop so much fucking junk food into Gaza that Hamas can't possibly eat it all without going all Metal Slug fat form. Real humans can't fight well like that, and it sure beats the shit out of thousands of children starving.

[Sengoku Strider]

Kyiv Independent coming in hot with the apocalyptic headline:

'First step to World War' — North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war, Zelensky confirms

According to Zelensky, the participation of the North Korean military in Russia's war "is the first step to a World War."

Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened military cooperation as Russia seeks arms and other support in its full-scale war against Ukraine. North Korea has been supplying Russia with ballistic missiles and vast quantities of artillery shells.

North Korea's mouthpieces at central news, on the other hand, put a jihad on South Korea instead:

North Korea Claims Mobilisation of 1.4 Million Youth for “Holy War”

North Korea’s official propaganda channels emphasised the fervour with which the youth are reportedly prepared to fight. The statement described the mobilisation as a manifestation of the younger generation’s “burning hatred” and “vengefulness” towards enemies threatening the country. These recruits are said to be committed to “punishing the reckless boldness of the scum of humanity,” a direct reference to South Korea and its perceived transgressions.

"Burning hatred" toward "scum of humanity" ahoy.

[orange808]

North Korea preparing 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war

Can Europe absorb that many North Korean refugees?

That's a lot of hungry people to take in all at once. I hear North Korean soldiers resort to eating foilage. When they discover that Europeans don't regularly crawl on the ground eating bugs and grasses, they're going to defect.

What did North Koreans use before candles?

Light bulbs!

[orange808]

We hate us some immigrants and seek out the root problems?

Oh, really? Interesting...

Ten percent of Cuba's population left the country over the last three years; most of them have settled in the United States.

They are a state sponsor of terror? Prove it. Worse than what China is doing with Russia?

I can't explain the current sanctions. Can you?

Dictator ruler? What about Saudi Arabia? Remember the journalist they chopped up?

Commies? What about China?

State sponsor? China is buying oil and grain from Russia, right?

Spare me the gaslighting and bullshit. There's a root problem. They're already flat broke, so they'll stop talking to Venezuela and go from almost nothing to absolutely nothing?

Everyone wants foreign policy that reflects their values. Unless there's sacrifice involved. Fuck that.

[BryanM]

Citigroup is already like "AGI 2029, the complete unraveling of reality sometime soon after that."

Crazy.

[Sengoku Strider]

Just a quick Sunday afternoon Kim Dotcom update:

[Sengoku Strider]

Just a quick Monday morning Elon Musk update:

[orange808]

Arrrgh mateys! I see Dotcom pirate man lost his extradition case and he's blaming Biden. Ha.

He's just salty because he's going to prison.

As a helpful reminder, the Trump administration was also pursuing him--and he won't be pardoned if Trump wins.

He has no friends in the American government and he'll never find any. Disney wants him on a platter and the mouse gets what it wants.

Dotcom was far too brazen. Mega is the right design and business model for cloud storage, but he didn't realize the danger in time.