The all things Poltical topic - We bear our banners aloft, boots like Drums Our Cadence quick, our countenance dire.

[BruceVC]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

 

Too true, way too true.

Yeah, I get the joke but I dont think its accurate at all and feeds a  false narrative and assumptions of why people would support one side or the other. Its much more nuanced than that  

For example I criticize both Israel and Hamas for this current situation so where does that leave me ?

[Gfted1]

4 hours ago, BruceVC said:

For example I criticize both Israel and Hamas for this current situation so where does that leave me ?

White devil:

 

[Guard Dog]

So let’s see here. Gas is seven dollars a gallon in some places. There are shortages and lines. Inflation has hit double digits. We appear to be in a malaise. The White House is occupied by feckless Democrat Who took over for an incompetent Republican. All we need now is for the Iranians to grab some hostages and it’s 1978 over again.

Oh wait...KISS is releasing a new album! Quick somebody get a Biden a cardigan sweater.

Edited May 14, 2021 by Guard Dog

[HoonDing]

Notonyahoo is a killer.

[BruceVC]

27 minutes ago, HoonDing said:

Notonyahoo is a killer.

Hoonding its not nice to say nasty things about people, how would you like it if someone called you a killer?

Remember words can be very offensive and hurtful....remember what they taught us at school 

"Language most shows a man; speak that I may see thee”

[Guard Dog]

Hamas fires rockets and kills Israelis; no big deal. IDF responds and they are murderers. Same ole same ole. 

[Malcador]

26 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Hamas fires rockets and kills Israelis; no big deal. IDF responds and they are murderers. Same ole same ole. 

Hamas doesn't really seem that successful.  The news here showed us Palestinians burying dead civilians and then Israelis burying an IDF soldier, I guess those were equal

 

[BruceVC]

24 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Hamas fires rockets and kills Israelis; no big deal. IDF responds and they are murderers. Same ole same ole. 

Absolutely, that is generally the  view many people have of this conflict

I had this debate with Zora but his response was typical of the double standards with the " outrage " people feel towards Israel only 

If Israel didnt have the Iron Dome system and the hundreds of rockets had killed  hundreds of Israelis I wonder what peoples views would be then towards Hamas ?

[BruceVC]

1 minute ago, Malcador said:

Hamas doesn't really seem that successful.  The news here showed us Palestinians burying dead civilians and then Israelis burying an IDF soldier, I guess those were equal

 

Only because of the Iron Dome system, so its a false equivalence saying " oh well, we not seeing dozens of dead Israelis " 

[Malcador]

6 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

Only because of the Iron Dome system, so its a false equivalence saying " oh well, we not seeing dozens of dead Israelis " 

Death tolls are death tolls.  And Iron Dome was only deployed in 2011, Hamas has been firing rockets since 2001.  Rockets have improved, in range at least but they're still unguided.  

[Guard Dog]

26 minutes ago, Malcador said:

Death tolls are death tolls.  And Iron Dome was only deployed in 2011, Hamas has been firing rockets since 2001.  Rockets have improved, in range at least but they're still unguided.  

Doesn’t make it OK. And as far as what you see on the news remember if they are not there to inform you they are there to tell you a story. They will show you whatever it takes to tell the story they want to tell.

personally I say we build a big wall around the entire region, give everybody in a gun and a grenade close the gates. In a year open them again. Of course at the end of that year everybody will probably still be alive and all be friends because let’s face it maybe they wouldn’t be fighting if not for the outside influences.

[Malcador]

13 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Doesn’t make it OK. And as far as what you see on the news remember if they are not there to inform you they are there to tell you a story. They will show you whatever it takes to tell the story they want to tell.

personally I say we build a big wall around the entire region, give everybody in a gun and a grenade close the gates. In a year open them again. Of course at the end of that year everybody will probably still be alive and all be friends because let’s face it maybe they wouldn’t be fighting if not for the outside influences.

Didn't say it did, heh. Just that you can't just add deaths based on "if".  And yes, that was what I was laughing at, the story being presented. 

On bright side the violence in Israeli communities doesn't seem to be getting worse, just random beatings.  Some sort of irony may have hit people as they decide to target ethnic groups within their communities, perhaps.

[Darkpriest]

2 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

So let’s see here. Gas is seven dollars a gallon in some places. There are shortages and lines. Inflation has hit double digits. We appear to be in a malaise. The White House is occupied by feckless Democrat Who took over for an incompetent Republican. All we need now is for the Iranians to grab some hostages and it’s 1978 over again.

Oh wait...KISS is releasing a new album! Quick somebody get a Biden a cardigan sweater.

I'm happy, as I shorted along with funds on the tech index prior to CPI print (i expected it to be higher than consensus, but not that high on MoM basis) - Ez money (due to regulatory reasons i can invest in indexes only via third parties at their fixed conditions and with limited amount of monies).  And now stocks are getting pumped again, as if there was no bad data in the last 3 days. Market is sure FED will backstop and start buying stonks before large players would go broke and in the meanwhile it will keep markets high on free money. Not to mention, they don't want people to pull out cash from the markets as they would rather have inflation of assets values than that money increasing velocity on the MainStreet economy and skyrocketing inflation. 

Lets see what June will bring with the next CPI print and added typical Q end volatility with realizng gains. 

It will also be interesting to see if Dems and Biden will be forcing the issue with more debt and sending printed money to the streets. 

 

[Darkpriest]

@Guard Dog

This is also an interesting perspective. A bit overblown IMO, but in the right direction

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/us-consumer-confidence-plunges-inflation-fears-soar

 

[Maedhros]

2 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

Hamas fires rockets and kills Israelis; no big deal. IDF responds and they are murderers. Same ole same ole. 

Hamas firing rockets is like the tiny kid trying to fight back at the big kid who bullies him. You can understand why he snaps and tries to fight back, but it'll only end worse for him in the end.

Netanyahu welcomes these attacks for sure.

[Gromnir]

House Committee Approves 9/11-Style Commission with Subpoena Power to Further Investigate Jan. 6 — What to Know

"Subpoenas require agreement by either the Chair and Vice Chair or a majority vote by the commissioners. The Commission can refer any failure to obey a subpoena to a U.S. federal district court."

so, assuming the bill passes house, senate and is signed by the President...

at some point, the question of needing a subpoena for kevin mccarthy (as well as numerous other US Congressman and state AGs) is gonna need be answered. is difficult to imagine negotiators have failed to considered this question already. stack the commission with gop members who is categorical opposed to personages such as Congressmen gosar and mccarthy being subpoenaed will severe hamper pursuit o' evidence. 

HA! Good Fun!

[Zoraptor]

6 hours ago, Malcador said:

And Iron Dome was only deployed in 2011, Hamas has been firing rockets since 2001.  Rockets have improved, in range at least but they're still unguided.  

They've got a few guided ones now it seems, or they've been extremely lucky with a couple of hits. Vast majority are still unguided though.

[rjshae]

6 hours ago, Maedhros said:

Hamas firing rockets is like the tiny kid trying to fight back at the big kid who bullies him. You can understand why he snaps and tries to fight back, but it'll only end worse for him in the end.

Netanyahu welcomes these attacks for sure.

Too bad the Palestinians walked away from a peace deal in 2000. That would have solidified the borders and perhaps prevented situations like this. It only demonstrates that peace is not currently possible there and we're just wasting our time on such efforts.

[Gorth]

3 hours ago, rjshae said:

Too bad the Palestinians walked away from a peace deal in 2000. That would have solidified the borders and perhaps prevented situations like this. It only demonstrates that peace is not currently possible there and we're just wasting our time on such efforts.

Peace in the middle east died in 1995 with the murder of Rabin by a right wing extremist and the (deliberate) efforts to sabotage the Oslo Accord in the years immediately after. Too much conservative resistance to the idea of peace and an independent Palestinian state in the late 90's.

 

Edit: The conservatives were probably scared of what happened in the worlds only other apartheid state, South Africa, where it came to an end in 1991 and real, democratic elections happened in 1994. You can almost hear them thinking "Not on my watch!" in the Knesset and so the deal on offer got made continuously worse from 1995 to 2000 in true Darth Vader style (heavy breathing: Pray I don't change the deal anymore)

[Zoraptor]

Yeah, while Netanyahu may be particularly blatant about it he's far from the first right wing Israeli politician to deliberately stir up ethno-religious troubles for political gain. Ariel Sharon- previously forced to resign as Defence Minister due to complicity in genocide against Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon- did the same thing in 2000*, to provoke a reaction that would favour him electorally.

*plus ça change, plus ça même chose x2: Bibi was under investigation for corruption all the way back then too.

[Gromnir]

3 hours ago, rjshae said:

Too bad the Palestinians walked away from a peace deal in 2000. That would have solidified the borders and perhaps prevented situations like this. It only demonstrates that peace is not currently possible there and we're just wasting our time on such efforts.

wasted opportunity. last time there were any genuine possibility for peace looked to be july 2000.

HA! Good Fun! 

[Gorth]

Did I mention that I think the world would be better off without Facebook?

apparently the European Supreme Court does too

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/14/facebook-faces-devastating-data-transfer-ban-after-irish-ruling

Facebooks claim that privacy protection violates free speech because it makes targeted advertising harder or some such was dismissed by court and transmission of personal information of European users to the US had to end very soon (because nobody trusts the US to respect European data privacy laws)

[BruceVC]

3 hours ago, Gorth said:

Peace in the middle east died in 1995 with the murder of Rabin by a right wing extremist and the (deliberate) efforts to sabotage the Oslo Accord in the years immediately after. Too much conservative resistance to the idea of peace and an independent Palestinian state in the late 90's.

 

Edit: The conservatives were probably scared of what happened in the worlds only other apartheid state, South Africa, where it came to an end in 1991 and real, democratic elections happened in 1994. You can almost hear them thinking "Not on my watch!" in the Knesset and so the deal on offer got made continuously worse from 1995 to 2000 in true Darth Vader style (heavy breathing: Pray I don't change the deal anymore)

I remember that assassination and how terrible it was and how unusual for Jews to kill other Jews. I also think that was the closest the Israelis and Palestinians came to peace through  a two state solution which  I still support 

In Israel they really do believe that even a single Jewish life matters normally. The Israelis released over 1000 Palestinian prisoners   for 1 Israeli soldier in 2011. I would never have agreed to that if I was in a government because the potential future risk to my country with releasing over 1000 potential combatants is not worth a single life but I am not Israeli clearly 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Shalit_prisoner_exchange

Edited May 15, 2021 by BruceVC

[Darkpriest]

8 hours ago, Ben No.4 said:

For an entirely different, but hugely important topic: climate change. The German constitutional court ruled in what can only be described as a landmark decision that the hitherto efforts of the German legislative to combat climate change were insufficient and ordered the parliament to draft newer, more far reaching laws. This decision mainly rests on two legal considerations. Firstly, Article 20a of the German constitution (the “Basic Law”) states that the protection of the natural environment is a core aim of the state. Secondly, the court views more drastic measures as a necessity to protect the freedom of citizens in the long run. As it recognises the insufficiency of Germany’s current efforts in combatting climate change, it argues as follows: inaction now leads to a worsening climate crisis, that would in the future make counter measures necessary. These however would be much more extreme than anything that would suffice if measures are already taken now. Therefore, citizens’ freedoms, when future generations are taken into consideration, will be much better preserved and protected to strong action now.

 

As Germany is a central player in the EU, the decision is likely to have a far reaching impact.

 

A short report on the decision and it’s context can be found here: https://verfassungsblog.de/the-constitution-speaks-in-the-future-tense/

 

The courts decision itself is, of course, in German. But the courts press statement has been officially translated to English: https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/EN/2021/bvg21-031.html

Before you will start virtue signaling, stop outsourcing pollution intensive jobs and stop buying services/products and components from pollution creating countries like China and India. Shut down air traffic over Germany as well

If you will do that, then I'll believe that you are taking care of green issues seriously, instead if virtue signaling for feel good points, while still contributing indirectly by increased consumption of high energy footprint products and services. 

[Raithe]

WW3 warning: China to draw in 'EVERYBODY' with 'dangerous and nasty spat' with Australia (msn.com)

Political commentator and author Gordon Chang warned of a world war 3 conflict due to deteriorating international relations with China. During an interview with Express.co.uk, Mr Chang insisted China was causing problems across the globe. He noted that it was causing tensions to rise with nations like India, China, Japan and Taiwan with aggressive military action.
Mr Chang warned this could escalate quickly and cause a mass conflict.

Mr Chang said: "Anything can cause tensions to escalate between China and any of its neighbours or any nation in the world.
"China right now is in engaging in increasingly provocative and dangerous behaviour.
"This is going to draw in everybody in all probability.
"This is largely because countries are concerned and they are starting to act in concert to protect themselves."

Mr Chang highlighted the many nations China is pressuring with its actions.

He said: "That is how this thing can spread and yes right now Beijing has a particularly nasty spat with Canberra.

"But it also has its troops deep into Indian territory, it is flying its planes through Taiwan air defence zone.
"There are Chinese encroachments in Nepal, India and China is sending its patrol boats into Japanese territorial waters.

"You name it, China is causing problems around the world."

The relationship between China and Australia deteriorating continues to spark fears of escalation.
Australia has a strong relationship with Taiwan, and backs the country's independence from mainland China.

In response, Beijing state media outlets have threatened to strike Canberra's military bases as "punishment" for their support for Taiwan.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese state media outlet, The Global Times, said: "I suggest China make a plan to impose retaliatory punishment against Australia once it militarily interferes in the cross-Straits situation.

"The plan should include long-range strikes on the military facilities and relevant key facilities on Australian soil if it really sends its troops to China's offshore areas and combats against the PLA (People's Liberation Army)."