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Questions about geopolitics in the Middle East and about the reaction to them in America:
- Is the Islamic Republic occupying Iran? They don't have legitimate elections, most people there don't want them ruling the country and they use brutal, repressive tactics to curb expressions of dissent. Not to mention what they're doing to the Kurds:
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/irans-pressure-campaign-iranian-kurds-continues
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/another-engineered-election-iran
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/03/irans-electoral-facade
As an aside, the economy there has tanked, their currency is approaching worthlessness, and they are, basically, engaging in warfare with all of their neighbors. And
- where are the protests about the harsh treatment of Iranians? Do their lives not matter? I can't seem to find info on any campus protests expressing solidarity with the Iranian people, maybe someone here knows of some. Yes, there were some 2 years ago about that unfortunate young woman who was killed by state morality police for wearing her hijab incorrectly, but other than that?
Well, I don’t actually check in here that often. Being called a genocidal racist scumbag, etc, got old, believe it or not. People writing that I want to build a house in the ruins of Gaza or insisting that Netanyahu is my President. Good times!
I’m not particularly thin skinned but dealing with that stuff is pointless. If you get the New Yorker, Remnick had a good piece about Netanyahu back in January.
The only reason you perceive me as being over protective is that Israel is obviously being held to a standard that other countries aren’t, as has been pointed out here previously so I’m compensating.
Like the BDS crowd being fine with buying stuff made in China, etc. Or, supposedly pretending that don’t want their tax money spent on Israel, but not making a fucking peep about government subsidies to the fossil fuel and defense industries or industrial ag.
Anti- Zionism isn’t antisemitism per se, but it does provide cover for racism sometimes.
You finally post a well reasoned, balanced article about the situation in the ME by a serious journalist.
Will wonders never cease.
Takes one to know one:
"Indigenous people are significantly overrepresented in the criminal justice system, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprising nearly one-third of Australia’s adult prison population, but just 3 percent of the national population. In August, the Western Australia Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services found that Broome prison, where 80 percent of the inmates are Aboriginal, is “depressing, degrading and entirely inappropriate in a modern mental health service context,” emphasizing that such conditions were a product of underlying systemic racism. At least 19 Indigenous people died in custody in 2023, including a 16-year-old First Nations boy who died after self-harming in pretrial detention in October following prolonged solitary confinement.
On October 14, Australians voted in a referendum to decide whether to enshrine a First Nations Voice to parliament and government in the country’s constitution, which would recognize, for the first time, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of the land and allow them to give advice to the Australian Parliament and the government on issues that affect them. The referendum was defeated in every state and was considered a major setback for First Peoples’ rights. Presently, Australia has no national treaty with Indigenous Australians."
"Australia’s “Stolen Generation,” the state-sanctioned removal of Indigenous children from their families, the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in Australia’s prisons, and the high proportion of Indigenous children in foster care, are likely to be among the historical and ongoing injustices examined."
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than the rest of the Australian population. Aboriginal women are the fastest growing prisoner demographic in Australia."
Notice the word "ongoing" used repeatedly. Nope, no two-tiered justice system in Australia.
Believe whatever the fuck you want, but never forget “Israel bad”
Well, to each their own. Atrocities of the past give context to what happens in wars, which Hamas might have considered before they started this one, except that they think Gazans' lives are expendable.
You're another one of those armchair generals who don't like what Israel's doing but aren't willing to share your concepts about what they should be doing instead, you'd rather just re-post long articles from 5 months ago.
I wrote that I think there's an opportunity for Gazans and Israelis to work together to get rid of Hamas and continue an alliance into peacetime. You find that tiresome? At least I'm trying, do tell what your ideas are.
From my point of view, you're a guy living comfortably in denial in a country that Human Rights Watch currently considers an apartheid state. And yet somehow you feel you have purchase to chastise other countries about how they should treat their own minorities. Now that's tiresome, you're a moral relativist.
Let us know when you get Hamas to agree to a ceasefire, ok?
I agree with you about being a child in Gaza today. That's also true of many other places in the world, like Ukraine, Sudan, Honduras,Syria, Yemen, etc. Remember all those young girls who were kidnapped from a school by Boko Haram in Nigeria?
Imagine how bad life must be in some areas of Central America if families are sending children on their own to make their way to America.
Sorry to hear that, I know a few people who drank themselves to death at relatively young ages, couple of friends and a relative.
Hey, since you enjoy our back and forth about Israel so much, I thought I'd share this, from today's NY Times. All I'm trying to do is present a different perspective from the one that's prevalent on this board, I mean we agree about Trump and his cult, I don't find it entertaining to continually bash his poorly educated followers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/briefing/israel-iran-middle-east.html
"And why are Arab leaders willing to be part of a coalition with Israel? As surprising as it may sound, many see Iran as a bigger problem than Israel, even if they don’t say so publicly. The network of extremist groups that Iran funds and arms destabilizes the region. The Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. in recent years, for instance. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt’s government has long loathed.
When Arab leaders worry about existential threats to their governments, Israel rarely makes the list. Iran and its network of outside groups do. “Many Arab leaders share the view that Hamas is a terrorist organization that should be destroyed,” said my colleague Michael Crowley, who covers diplomacy."
People are quick to criticize Israel's war strategies against Hamas, and I agree with some of the criticism, but I'm not hearing many ideas, actually, none, about what it should be doing instead. A ceasefire only works if both sides agree to it, which Hamas apparently won't, so that leaves us where we are.
When Sherman said, "war is hell", this is what he meant
Is that why he wrote this?
"I just take issue when I have to explain to my children, and grandchildren why it is fine for Israel to slaughter the Palestina (sic) children in Gaza." #470540
Do you see where he wrote "children and grandchildren"?
You claim to be, or have been, a professional photographer who admits that you have no opinion on how Adobe's Generative Fill (AI) affects the perception of reality in photographs. That being the case, I wouldn't think you'd be so quick to criticize others' attempts at critical thinking.
Your opinion of my posts is irrelevant.
Let me be clear (again). If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then Israelis and Gazans should form an alliance to get rid of Hamas, which is the enemy of both. Then ,building on that alliance they need to take it forward into peacetime to create a vibrant and stable Palestinian state. The settlers on the West Bank should be forcibly removed and jailed if necessary. The PA is corrupt and useless and should be replaced by whatever the people there decide, in elections that occur more than once every 20 years (Abbas cancelled the most recent almost-election).
I'll ignore the personal insults from you because you're an idiot with limited reading comprehension skills. (why do you express concern about what you're going to tell your children about this war if they're in their 40's?)Please don't continue to assume you know anything about what I believe.
Let's see, can you explain to your children and grandchildren why Vietnamese children were slaughtered during the US invasion? Or why Iraqi children were slaughtered during America's invasion of that country?
Can you explain to them why British and German and French children were slaughtered during WWII.
You apparently have very limited and selective explaining skills. Maybe get your college "Jewish roommate" to explain to them about this.
Really, the name of this board should be changed from Tornado Alley to Moral Hypocrites, it's much more fitting.
6,000,000 dead in the Congo during their civil war. But no one cares.
8,000,000 displaced in the Sudan in the last 12 months. But, again, it means less than nothing.
600,000 Syrians killed so what.
300,000 in Yemen dead. Yawn.
Give it a break, this is old news.
In other old news, America propped up the Taliban, helping to arm it in its fight against Russia. America gave Saddam chemical weapons to use in Iraq's years long fight against Iran.
Remember Iran Contra? Remember the US backing the death squads in El Salvador?
Countries miscalculate, they make mistakes, no one's denying this was a mistake, a bad mistake. But if you have an original point or insight, have out with it, reprinting articles is neither.
Didn't Australia send a battalion of troops to Vietnam to help out the Americans in that invasion way back when?
Everyone knows by now that Iran launched 300 missiles at Israel the other day. Most were destroyed in the air by Israel and the usual suspects, America, France and England. What's been less publicized is that Jordan and Saudia Arabia also joined the party shooting down the Iranian ordinance.
This pretty definitely lays to rest whatever theory of Middle Eastern solidarity against Israel that's been floated around. Jordan has quite a large number of Palestinian residents, although their rights are restricted more than those of Palestinians living in Israel are (fact).
For an Israeli response, look to the Stuxnet model, not bombs. I expect to hear in the near future about Iranian infrastructure thrown into chaos, the computers supporting their fuel industry and defense apparatus mysteriously disrupted.
For you Iran fans, those who made an appearance here cheering on the Islamic State, remember that at many of the political rallies there, mobs of people are lead in chanting "death to America". It's a sick puppy who hates Israel so much that they've become pro-Iran. Just ask the women living there how much they're enjoying their freedoms, but please don't demonstrate against that human rights abusing state.
No, that’s not what you’re doing. By insisting that Netanyahu is my President, you deny that I’m a real American. , you are “othering” me. I’ve written repeatedly here that I think he should be in jail, so what the fuck are you going on about.
Oh, some of my best friends are black, so how can I be racist?
I’m American, asshole.
You’re the kind of blockhead who wouldn’t vote for JFK because you thought his first allegiance would be to the Pope and the Vatican
Sorry, but you seem to have me confused with someone who is interested in your opinion.
You don’t argue facts, all you have is hate and stupidity.
You must have loved it when Iran took those American hostages in the Embassy and had their henchmen blow up the Marine barracks in Lebanon.
Poor Ayatollahs! Glad to see you have their backs .
More recently, didn’t Iran bomb some Americans in Iraq during the Trump era?
Meanwhile, on planet Earth, most Persians hate this regime, as do most countries in the ME and are likely quietly celebrating anything that could help bring it down
One could possibly argue that we’re paying the Zionist entity to do our dirty work for us.
It’s theater. Israel was given 4 hours advanced notice. How is that a seriously aggressive action?
After Stuxnet, Iran realized it actually does not want a piece of Israel, the Ayatollahs are overmatched and they know it. Everyone in Iran hates them too, so they’re just not going to amass a significant ground fighting force.
That’s why they need proxies like Hamas and the Houthis and Hezbollah to do their dirty work. Don’t forget that the rest of the Middle East hates Iran, too, and would likely join in any serious battle against them
p.s., I know that this report is a little old, but it provides context about how Hamas rules, and demonstrates what a few of us have been saying about the Gazan death count and the culpability of hundreds of poorly made misfired Hamas rockets falling into Gaza.
Also poses a question: is it ok for Hamas to fire rockets indiscriminately into civilian areas of Israel because Israel has the Iron Dome?
Hamas is the enemy of Gazans as much as Israel is, I don't see any wriggle room out of that conclusion.
As far as Israel dragging the US into a war Israel wants with Iran, the rest of the Sunni Middle East would like nothing better than that, too.
More Zionist b.s. by a bunch of racist scumbags:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/palestine-state-of/report-palestine-state-of/
"Palestinian armed groups in Gaza committed apparent war crimes during three days of fighting with Israel in August, using unguided rockets in populated civilian areas and killing at least seven Palestinian civilians."
Seriously, you are one crazy motherfucker who still won’t debate facts. Clinton gave that speech not me, CNN ran the story not me, do you not get that it’s not my opinions?. What’s that old saying about shooting the messenger?
Hey, you if you think reading CNN’s top headline is really a lot of research and too much of a heavy lift, maybe you can get a relative to read it to you
My President is Biden. Are you one of those ignorant redneck assholes who think that Jews' primary allegiance is to Israel? I thought so, glad you showed your hand.
You can’t argue the facts so you just go right to the insults. You are a shining example for MAGAts everywhere.
Bill Clinton speaks, 2016:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/10/middleeast/hamas-israel-hostages-ceasefire-talks-intl/index.html
They can only find about 1/3 of the remaining hostages? I'm just guessing that the fate of the others has been too gruesome for Hamas to admit - think about what Boko Haram and ISIS have been known to do with their captives and you can get the ideal
I agree with you about Netanyahu, the rest of your thought is sillly.
Did American get kicked in the dick for invading Iraq (and Vietnam and Grenada and Panama)? Did China get kicked in the dick for invading Tibet? Did Russia get kicked in the dick for invading Crimea or Afghanistan? Did any European colonizing power get kicked in the dick for invading countries all over the world? Did Eritrea get kicked in the dick for invading Somalia?
Only Israel counts as an evildoer to you and that's not only inconsistent but plain weird.
So, the question is: if there are a lot of Evangelical Christians who are super pro-Israel - and there are- why aren't their churches and Christian day schools being targeted by the pro-Pali crowd? The way synagogues and Jewish day schools have been harassed by protesters.
I've been thinking about your all boldface type posts. I'm guessing you think that by using that typeface you will appear to be more serious or that your post has more impact or that it's manly, somehow.
Honestly, and don't take this the wrong way, I'm not sure it's working, it just seems sort of contrived, if you know what I mean. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest maybe you try italics instead. It's not used as much and maybe you can get out in front of the crowd and soon be known as the "italics typeface guy".
Worth a shot, don't you think?
As far as getting a life, I appreciate the advice, but I don't take it more seriously because of the bold type lettering.
Another racist scumbag Zionist b.s. article:
https://www.counterextremism.com/press/cep-statement-marking-six-months-october-7
Or: something else
Hey, bro, one of the two of us joined the military of a country that napalmed Asian children.
Who's the real racist scumbag?
It's not me, it was an article in the NY Times, they would be the scumbag in this discussion. I should know by now that reading comprehension is not one of your strong points.
What does it have to do with Hamas hiding behind Gazans (not Palestinians, per se)? What's strawman about re-posting something written in the newspaper? Write the paper an insulting letter, why don't ya?
Do you hate Russians in America because that country attacked Ukraine? Would it be ok to fire bomb Russian Orthodox churches in Europe?
I"m not sure what you mean, so please, what bullshit am I pushing, I honestly have no idea what you mean. I reposted a quote from an article in the NY Times, did you get that? And why would I fuck off because you tell me to?
Nice to hear from you, though, but what's with the boldface type? Does it denote strength or maybe sincerity? Is your brand "the boldface type guy"?
From today's NY Times, a story about the arts in Germany and the impact the war has had there, especially in Berlin:
"All this while indisputably antisemitic rhetoric, and even violence, have been rising in Germany. In October, masked assailants chucked Molotov cocktails at a synagogue (they missed; no one was hurt). Anti-Jewish slurs and stars of David were painted on government buildings and residences"
Because, just to be clear, anti-Zionism is never really anti-Semitism. Or, at least, that's the bullshit line that Sortagreen and Fuagf are pushing on this board.
Just to be clear: you proudly served in the military that perpetuated the Mai Lai massacre, correct? And bombed a neutral country and used napalm?
Well, I'd say, if you kept your mouth shut no one would realize what a hypocrite you are.
Hate Israel for its military excesses (not excusing them, a war crime is a war crime) but join the American military in spite of them. On what planet does that make sense? Unless you wound up hating America, which you haven't, you're a poor excuse for the star of any morality play, you are a master of situational ethics.
Yup, if anti-Zionism never equals antisemitism, maybe you can explain why they're demonstrating in front of synagogues, like this one in Teaneck, NJ, which might have been filled by Jews who hate Israel, like you:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/teaneck/2024/04/01/demonstrations-outside-teaneck-nj-synagogue-over-israel-gaza-war/73173689007/
and this:
"Free, free, the Aborigine"!
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/02/opinion/the-appalling-tactics-of-the-free-palestine-movement.html
p.s. - they're the indigenous people of Australia who have been suffering under apartheid for generations, even though the white colonizing oppressors there continue to deny it exists.
And who are delusional enough to believe they have the moral clarity to lecture the rest of the world about the same subject
What is your problem, seriously? I made no mention of the West Bank at all, you bring it in as a red herring to simply demonstrate your Israel hate, again. You know I've condemned the WB settler movement repeatedly, so what the fuck? My point was obvious to anyone with an IQ as high as their body temperature, I stated it, that Hamas is the enemy of Gazans, too. You can't respond to that so you start in on this? I can understand disagreeing with me, but to not read my post and just to bring in the WB is a bit much.
As for the casualties in Gaza, you're fine with accepting numbers from Hamas that don't distinguish between combatants and civilians because you need that for your narrative, I get that, but let me ask you this:
Hamas has been reportedly stealing food aid from Gazans, of that there seems to be little doubt, with multiple eyewitnesses and videos. Yet you trust them on the casualty figures?
Where on the scale of hopelessly gullible to you think you fall?
Seriously, if that’s the best you got, please go back to writing insults about the Trumpists here.
It’s my fault, I mistakenly thought you capable of nuance, you seem fine taking a multi-faceted approach to your own country’s mistreatment of its own indigenous people
Trying to put things into context is not apologist.
Do you bother to read the posts or do you just write your boilerplate shtick, when you see the headers.
It’s odd that someone with a supposedly open mind wouldn’t even mention Hamas in that same group terrorizing civilians.
You insist on seeing things in black and white, which is a childish, the world is way more complicated than that. Talk about being willfully blind
I really wish that Gazans and Israelis could unite to fight Hamas and that spirit of being allies could go forward. There will be a post-war there, and it’s going to require all hands on deck