gravitas_deficiency

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Despite polls, Biden aides insist Gaza campus protests will not hurt reelection bid ( www.reuters.com )

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Several top White House aides say they are confident protests across U.S. college campuses against Israel's offensive in Gaza will not translate into significantly fewer votes for Joe Biden in November's election, despite polls showing many Democrats are deeply unhappy about the president's policy...

gravitas_deficiency ,

Jesus tapdancing christ his advisors are so high on their own farts if they really believe that.

gravitas_deficiency ,

No
 this is what a rigged primary system gets us.

Voting for Republicans at this point - or voting third party - is voting for fascism. There is precisely zero chance that Trump will handle the Gaza Genocide better than Biden will. If Trump wins, I would expect him to order a few B-52 squadrons to carpet bomb Gaza “to help Israel”, and then he’d also probably do the same to the West Bank just because he thinks it’d make him look like a big boy.

gravitas_deficiency ,

No, I would blame Biden for being a complete fucking ass about the whole Palestinian Genocide.

There’s a right side and a wrong side here. To be incredibly blunt: the fact that Jewish people endured the Holocaust does not give Israel carte blanche to perpetrate their own genocide. And that puts aside the fact that Israel is NOT, in fact, synonymous with Jewish people. There are a hell of a lot of Jews (including Israeli civilians) who vehemently object to what’s happening.

gravitas_deficiency ,

You sound like you’re high on your own farts

gravitas_deficiency ,

And it’s not like once or twice. It’s every single occurrence of the name in the article.

gravitas_deficiency ,

I mean
 sure
 but I honestly think it’s weird that an “enthusiast” evidently doesn’t care enough to trivially verify that they’re spelling the name correctly, when the images they’re using for the article have the branding spelled correctly in prominent locations in basically every shot.

That’s frankly extremely lazy. But minutiae like that frustrates me somewhat more than the average bear, so my perspective is probably skewed a bit.

Climate change impacts millions in India. But as the country votes, some politicians skirt the issue ( apnews.com )

Almost 970 million Indians are voting in general elections amid sweltering heat and unpredictable weather extremes exacerbated by human-caused climate change, leading to loss of livelihood, forced migration and increasingly difficult living conditions for millions across the country....

gravitas_deficiency ,

I feel like the only thing that will meaningfully change things anywhere is a climate-driven mass casualty event, like the opening chapter of Ministry for the Future (millions of deaths due to wet bulb temps exceeding the human body’s ability to cool itself for like a week straight). But it’ll also probably only change environmental policies significantly in the country within which the mass casualty event occurs.

gravitas_deficiency ,

It’s just hilariously baffling how much of a self-own Brexit was. Like
 genuinely, truly, gobsmackingly breathtaking levels of idiocy.

Even crazier is that people are still voting for the Torries.

Who knows, maybe defunding the NHS will make the British boomers kick the bucket sooner so you guys can get back in. But you are absolutely going to have to surrender the pound sterling. They’re not gonna let you be a currency snowflake if you want to be in the club again.

gravitas_deficiency ,

That’s neat.

Hope London enjoys it’s slow descent into geopolitical irrelevance, I guess.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Doesn’t matter. The EU pointedly does not care about how idiotic UK politics have gotten. They’re saying “we can make it suck less for you, but it’s not free, and this is the price”.

The EU can and will hold out indefinitely on this.

The UK is hemorrhaging tens of billions of pounds, and it’s only set to accelerate. They’re not really a financial center anymore. No single market. No Schengen. None of the huge benefits of being in the EU.

But, you know, keep machine gunning your own foot, I guess. That’ll show those silly euros. Or something.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Or, like, living in an area that’s susceptible to wildfires. Which is pretty much anything outside of a major urban center in CA.

gravitas_deficiency , (edited )

Yeah so this is the sort of thing that could actually lead to a second civil war.

I am not joking.

gravitas_deficiency ,

It’s called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it

gravitas_deficiency ,

He’d probably go for it if they tacked on a provision that required creationists indoctrination.

gravitas_deficiency ,

We tried to warn you all but oh dear

gravitas_deficiency ,

Yeah and we can all see it, and the fact that precisely zero appellate courts are proactively eviscerating any rulings with that sort of shit attached to it is fucking appalling.

gravitas_deficiency ,

They quote the Bible in the context of a court ruling implicitly backed by the full force of the judicial branch, unless and until a successful appeal is made.

There is no context in which including religious references in US court decisions is acceptable, and that’s specifically because of the Establishment Clause:

The Establishment Clause is a limitation placed upon the United States Congress preventing it from passing legislation establishing an official religion, and by interpretation making it illegal for the government to promote theocracy or promote a specific religion with taxes. The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government from preventing the free exercise of religion.

Emphasis mine.

gravitas_deficiency ,

It’s pretty obvious to anyone with more than a few brain cells that it’s intended to apply broadly to the government in general.

But of course, the “originalists” love selectively interpreting parts of statements to be the the statement in entirety (in the context of the particular issue they’re trying to opine judicially upon). Which directly implies an absurd level of cognitive dissonance, considering how much those very same judges enjoy bitching about “liberal judicial activism”. They’re 100% ok with judicial activism
 as long as it’s not liberal.

gravitas_deficiency ,

That’s fantastic. I’m using that going forward.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Libertarians want all the benefits of libertarianism AND socialism, but they don’t want to pay for any of it.

That’s it. That’s the entirety of the political belief.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Libertarians are, to an individual, categorical idiots who don’t seem to have the mental capacity to seriously and rigorously analyze and understand what a true “free-for-all” hypercapitalist society would imply. They just want to not pay taxes.

gravitas_deficiency ,

It baffles me that more Jewish people don’t understand that they’re going to be targeted by the MAGA crowd, because they largely share a common cause with neo-Nazis. It’s super fucking obvious, and they refuse to see it.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Or black people for Trump.

Or homosexuals for Trump (yeah, that is a thing, I don’t get it either).

Etc.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Donald, you’re the father.

I’m sure he has at least a dozen illegitimate kids.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Holy shit that’s majestic.

Israel's far-right minister Smotrich calls to occupy Gaza, take over south Lebanon ( www.haaretz.com )

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday that the Israeli army should create a security zone in southern Lebanon should Hezbollah not heed an Israeli ultimatum to withdraw from the border area. He also called on the security cabinet to order a permanent military presence "in all of the Gaza Strip."...

gravitas_deficiency ,

Jesus fuckin christ they are really gonna try to “final solution” the Palestinians.

Also, what the fuck is this guy talking about invading a(nother) sovereign nation (that’s actually recognized as such by the rest of the world)? That would ABSOLUTELY kick off a giant war in the region, and it’d probably escalate to nuclear, because it’s kind of an open secret at this point that the Israelis do have nukes.

gravitas_deficiency ,

I think a lot of people who have that skill learned it while serving in one military or another. Infantry(wo)men either learn to grab what rest they can when they can
 or they don’t work out as infantry(wo)men.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Lol so how’s that “deregulated freedom” working out for you, Texans?

gravitas_deficiency ,

It’s absolutely wild. The last time around, people died, and a lot more were put into financial hardship due to the shitty, hypercapitalist energy infrastructure. People were rightly ripshit angry about it.

And then nothing was done about any of it.

And then people keep voting for the politicians who created and perpetuated the situation.

It’s really hard to keep giving a shit about people who actively work and vote to make their own lives worse.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Russia is conservative, and conservative parties all over the world have noticeably been cozying up to Russia for years now.

its_the_same_picture.meme

gravitas_deficiency ,

Yeah that’s called the *arr suite

gravitas_deficiency ,

That’s unfortunate

gravitas_deficiency ,

for real though, watch him get elected.

US focused on hunting down Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, in bid to end Gaza war ( www.middleeasteye.net )

The United States is focused on tracking down Hamas's Gaza chief, Yahya Sinwar, amid a new push by the White House to help Israel declare "total victory" so it can bring an end to the war on Gaza, US officials have told Middle East Eye....

gravitas_deficiency ,

Israel, sure. But I genuinely do not think Biden would go for that.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Oh you’re right. I mixed them up.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Uh
 no:

Don’t fly [the] flag upside down unless there is an emergency.

Though you’re right about the hijacking of the symbolism. Used to be exceedingly rare to see. Nowadays, it’s basically just fascists self-identifying themselves.

gravitas_deficiency ,

The question was “why is everyone talking about flying a flag upside down”.

The answer to the question is that “a quasi-fascist member of the US Supreme Court used it as a dogwhistle to signal support to other fascist elements in the US”. And I provided additional context indicating when it is appropriate to fly an inverted flag in the US, per US flag code.

Don’t complain when someone answers a question in a thorough manner.

gravitas_deficiency ,

I’m visiting Bangkok currently, so: definitely custard apples and mangosteens. Snake fruits and guava and the specific type of tangerines they use as “oranges” over here, too. And the green skinned “sweet oranges” which are also awesome. And like all the various types of mangos you can get in Thailand.

Also, I’m taking “available” to mean “purchasable, and ripened mostly on the vine”, because the stuff that gets shipped internationally is picked SUPER unripe just so it doesn’t spoil before sale.

Basically, I would fucking LOVE it if there was a Thai grocery in my city that flagrantly violated the Washington Treaty.

For real though, if you ever get the chance to try a ripe custard apple, they’re absolutely fucking delicious. Can’t recommend it enough.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Eh, yeah, fair point

gravitas_deficiency ,

Ah yes let’s allow a fucking fascist to solidify his hold on power because the non-fascist is very far from a perfect candidate. WCGW?

Pull your head out of your ass.

gravitas_deficiency ,

it’s only a flesh wound.

“it’s only a f-“ YOUR LEG’S OFF!!

gravitas_deficiency ,

But keep in mind that the assumption of literacy is not necessarily accurate.

gravitas_deficiency ,

NOT TOMORROW. TODAY!

gravitas_deficiency ,

No I think it’s

people who live in glass pipes shouldn’t smoke rocks

House votes to require delivery of bombs to Israel in GOP-led rebuke of Biden policies ( apnews.com )

The House delivered a rebuke to President Joe Biden Thursday for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, passing legislation that seeks to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war....

gravitas_deficiency ,

Genuinely, thank you for doing that.

Turkey simply relabels Russian oil products and exports them to Europe, research indicates ( www.intellinews.com )

More evidence that Turkey simply relabels Russian oil products and re-exports them to Europe as Turkish emerges from a new study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD)....

gravitas_deficiency ,

I’m pretty sure Turkey is a major part of why Russia is somehow still able to get a lot of the western components they need to make their shit work at anything past a 1960s level of tech.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Hell - think of the combat effectiveness of a NATO SOCOM team running combat control for a few squadrons of “Flying Cossacks” (seconded “ex-USAF” volunteers) in strike eagles backed by a squadron or two of Vipers running SEAD - and maybe a few F-35s thrown in for battlespace control, and a handful of F-22s in deep reserve in case Russia decides they want to lose a few Su-57s.

gravitas_deficiency ,

Honestly, if Xi would have just chilled his tits and taken a less confrontational approach vis a vis Taiwan and their idiotic and entirely irrelevant “nine-dash line” (I honestly view it with the same level of seriousness as that one time Trump drew on the hurricane forecast map with a sharpie and was like “HURRICANE GO HERE BECAUSE I BIG STRONG PRESIDENT”), they’d probably be in a far better position geopolitically.

The west was entirely willing to work in good faith with them, but Xi is stuck in a frustratingly Kissinger-esque zero-sum “great power” worldview, and doesn’t want to be partners with any other nation or regional alliance that they aren’t ultimately in control of. The consequences of that unnecessarily confrontational strategy are blatantly obvious at this point.

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