@newtboy,

And it’s in the origins that I think our disagreement lies. It’s convenient for both the Arab and western worlds to agree that Israel owes it’s existence as a state to Western powers gifting palestine to them as ‘reparations’. That it’s convenient for both parties though is about as far as the truth of it really goes.

As a realist, I don’t see anything going much differently if the west had opposed Jewish settlement in Palestine at the time. The Jewish people were fleeing the anticipated holocaust. In the aftermath of the actual holocaust, it was their own actions of settling in Palestine, and defending themselves once there that made them a state. Nobody gave it to them, they fought and bled for it themselves.

The closest interference of Britain came in trying to wash their hands of Palestine and declaring a 2 state solution, with borders drawn around the territory in Palestine currently occupied by Jewish and Arab populations. I still hold the key to the ongoing problems are not Israel’s declaration of independence accepting that 2 state solution, but instead the entire arab world’s declaration of war on them and intention to drive them “into the sea”. A declaration like that 3 years after the holocaust, towards a population made up largely of holocaust survivors deserves condemnation. I an’t side with the notion that in that conflict, and the immigration leasing up to it, that the European Jewish refugees are the bad guys and aggressors…

@newtboy,

There's a danger here of having an actual nuanced discussion on Israel/Palestine happening here if we aren't careful...

I agree with your point of difference on illegal immigrants in the US largely not having a plan for 'independence' in their back pocket. The soft equivalence that the right wingers would point to though would be immigrant settling into small area such that they can setup a virtual community without ever needing to learn local languages and pushing hard to keep their 'own' values and way of life. I don't agree with the "Learn English" rednecks or the ones shouting how folks need to act American, but there is at least a soft parallel. virtually the only thing South Park has ever been censored on was depicting the prophet, and that 100% read as fear of violent retaliation, which isn't nothing.

I also think you hit the bigger point on how broken systems of immigration are. Particularly when domestic politics and the situation for legal immigration to refugees is grossly inadequate. I think America today though is just a much more mild example of it than the 30/40s in Palestine. For all the complaints one can level at Zionism, it's very hard to condemn them for encouraging mass emigration out of Europe. It's also clear that waiting on legal immigration routes out wasn't going to get people out fast enough. Thus I really look carefully at any anti-zionist position that includes condemning jewish 'illegal' immigration at the time. It treads dangerously close to saying they should have accepted the alternative, which was by and large remaining in Europe...

Lyrics-
Tuning out of star-light, the innocent lifetime flickers and flashes onto a canvas. But no, nobody seems worth it

And while the feeling's sophisticated, the view is so restrained. The past is nearing closer, and closer I fear.

So let's just cut the bullshit, and tell me who's independent. Thumbs twiddling' and your life's escaping your mind

Keep In mind, well the air ain't as free as it used to be but that's quite alright while you're still eighteen

It seems, to be, and i'll tell you who's over-rated. What's a beautiful person with some hideous dreams?

And while the lining isn't silver, we're verging on the side of the road, that'll take us home.

The edge of us is getting weighed, read about your life in your local papers.

Realize, the end of us is getting near, you're just a droplet of paint trickled off your canvas.

Delirious, illusions flowing backwards through the river of colour while we analyze to try to see it clearer. Secretly appealing to a lonely prisoner. Now what's your vision?

Initiate your shading, blend the universe together in time it only gets a little easier. Suddenly you piece yourself back together. Now what's your vision?

And I don't wanna have to give a damn about you or your inhibitions.

After all, you're the one who taught me love was not for every body.

However, I'm starting to see this world in the right light, yet still gets darker.

You see, it's just a simple symphony, or a painting? Whatever

This unnatural path, it spans infinitely, but my world is crumbling.

Let it collapse into the abyss, in the midst of summer it won't exist.

This emptiness, it's just a blank slate, waiting for a painter to interfere.

It's quite complex, but what do I know?

Considering it’s more dangerous to be an American student than a police officer now, I expected the answer to be “alive”.

When they asked me the same question as a kid, I said I wanted to be an independently wealthy layabout….I retired/was disabled at around 30 and I’m now a house husband, so I guess I’m half way there!

You know that’s not true. Democrats and independents have 48 seats, not 60(the number needed to pass any law now). Manchin and Senema are Republicans, not Democrats, and vote as such. That means there’s no chance of getting anything meaningful passed with the Republican platform being “don’t let the democrats get anything done”.

Solution to…what? Answer to….what? You can’t even form a cogent accusation.

What are utter lies and bs? Your attempts to attack Democrats?

Who says “trans community….”… what? Which is fine …how? Are you ok? Did you smoke crack recently? Meth?

You say YES to indoctrination of everyone with born again MAGA evangelical Christian doctrines and MAGA insanity, you liar. You people want prayers in preschools, bibles in schools, bans on non binary genders, bans on discussing any non “pure” monogamous heterosexual sexuality, bans on interracial relationships, and probably a ban on any mention of any other religion through high school….and you think that’s not indoctrination.

Right, because screaming insane ridiculousness at full rant like a raving crackhead (sometimes WITH a raving crackhead!) is what makes a leader. 🤦‍♂️
Pete’s been in leadership positions repeatedly…including as an officer in Afghanistan.
Now Trump, he’s never led anything that didn’t fall apart or go bankrupt or get closed for fraud while he led it….and is a blatant draft dodger.

Yelling isn’t leading. Dividing isn’t leading. Throwing tantrums isn’t leading. Attempting coups isn’t leading.

I’ve actually changed my opinion…I now agree with Republicans that we should ignore the leak…for now. It will be easier to maintain the outrage until November if we put off being outraged until July.

I almost hope the Democrats fail in their efforts to write new federal law limiting limits on abortion access, and don’t change filibuster rules to once again require only 50 votes to pass a bill as that might drive Republicans to the polls just like this decision will drive democrats and independents and many Republicans to the polls to vote against Republicans across the board.
Between the sedition caucus being denied a place on the ballot and this outrage, the outlook for the midterms has never looked better.

If this wasn’t Stossel, I might upvote, but because it is him, I’m feeling relatively certain that his eventual conclusion is faulty and many facts are just wrong. Remember, he’s the person who sued Facebook when he claimed the 2020 forest fires were primarily caused by forest mismanagement not climate change and Facebook labeled it “Missing Context. Independent fact-checkers say this information could mislead people.”

It’s a near certainty that salient facts are being hidden to make it seem local government is stealing houses over $8 bills. That is how Stossel “reports”. For instance, any loans, mortgages, judgements, fines, outstanding bills in collections, overdue taxes, the cost of seizure, the cost of the sale, the cost to bring the home into sellable condition, etc are all paid from the proceeds before the “owner” would have any claims….and the government gets to estimate the value at seizure and set the starting auction bid accordingly.

The IRS seizes homes around 300 times per year, most are worth less than the debt owed.

Asset forfeiture is wrong. It’s legalized theft. I wish I could trust the source enough to support this video.

It might be, if there was any evidence whatsoever of these claims….but….

“Based on our research, we rate MISSING CONTEXT the claim that people were paid $10 per ballot in Georgia’s November 2020 election because it is misleading and unproven. This assertion from Trump is based on a complaint about ballot harvesting, which has prompted an investigation by the Georgia’s Secretary of State office. True the Vote has not identified the witness who claims he was paid, and the group is not alleging that the ballots themselves were fraudulent. Georgia investigators previously looked into a similar allegation and said there was not enough evidence to justify an investigation. “

Despite no more evidence, Georgia is claiming to investigate this unsubstantiated anonymous claim again as of January ….good luck, doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, another baseless hypothetical claim.

One partisan “trump won” group claimed one alleged anonymous person made the unsubstantiated claim they were paid to “harvest ballots” back in 2021 but the investigation went no where because there was no evidence, no claimant, no proof of payment, not even a suggestion that any ballots were tampered with.

Very unlike the same schemes by N Carolina Republicans in 2016 who did collect open/unsealed ballots and admitted to filling them out for Republicans in any race the voter had not voted in….but you don’t want to hear about more proven voter fraud, you want to talk about unproven hypothetical voter fraud.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-north-carolina/north-carolina-republican-operative-charged-in-election-fraud-scheme-idUSKCN1QG2FS

Republicans do want, actually need election fraud. Fraudulently denying legitimate voters their vote is a kind of voter fraud, and is definitely part of the right wing playbook, Trump once admitted Republicans would never win another election if every citizen over 18 voted. Republicans, not Democrats or Independents, keep getting found guilty of it, over and over and over and over and over and over……and over and over and over. Sometimes massive schemes like the one above….or the president actually saying on television that his voters should vote twice, once by mail and again in person and see if they’re caught.

If you think no one wants election fraud, you need to look again.

No. They do not. What stupidity.

Twitter is a public company owned 10% by one hard core Republican and a hundred thousand more own a lot more of it.

Republican babies have fled from these giving Democrats and independents a strong majority because Republicans simply cannot stand others contradicting their insanity with fact….and yet you whine like a baby.

The company decided that they don’t want to become the next failure like Truth Social, no matter how much money it makes them in the short term, likely because they don’t want to see it end within 6 months which it absolutely would if they allowed it.

Likely they also hate being associated with a man who just had to pay a $15 million (reduced from $137 million) judgment, awarded for Musk allowing constant racist attacks against an employee by others including supervisors despite repeated verified instances and reports, including one supervisor who called him the n-word over 30 times in front of others without reprimand ….for his companies unrepentant blatant out of control culture of racism that he did nothing to curb.

Grow up, learn something, and maybe stop just saying whatever ignorant nonsense comes into your delusional mind….your assumptions are always wrong, usually stupid, consistently ignorant, and come from a partisan cultist that won’t accept reality.

Friend, don't set yourself up for disappointment.

Bobs... most of them can't work themselves up enough to think independently even if their lives depend on it. They'd rather turn on their OAN/Fox, fed a spoonful of racism, fear and unreality, then go the "Interweb" to parrot the same OAN/Fox "alternative facts" ad nauseaum, without even processing what their heard.

They can't comprehend the fact that news outside their "U S of F**king A" exist, let alone read them, nor the fact that countries exist & operate outside of US politics.

Trump (cont'd): "Then we got hit by the 'China' virus, and after the 'China' virus we did one of the best jobs in the world of doing everything including Operation Warp Speed and everything that that entailed. The therapeutics, the vaccines, everything we did and then they messed it up with the mandates, and they absolutely were killing our country with the mandates which should have never happened. It's just so sad to hear because this was all a self-inflicted wound from inflation to the loss of energy independence. And now add to that what's going on in Ukraine. That's genocide. What's happening in Ukraine, people have never seen anything like that before.

Ok, I’ve proven with video that the commie/Russian flags were repeatedly flown at RNC and Trump rallies…which shut you up about that...now let’s take on the “energy independence “ lie.

2017 we imported about 10150 million barrels of oil per day.
2018 around 9950 million barrels per day
2019 around 9150 million barrels per day
2020 (pandemic shutdown all travel and most business) we still imported just over million 7850 barrels per day….and let’s not forget he intentionally nearly doubled how much we bought from Russia in his tenure up to the highest levels ever in 2020.
Our dependence shrank slightly under Trump, and that’s good, but never were we independent, that’s a bold faced lie.

2021 with the economy in excellent shape and growing at least 3 times faster than ever under Trump we are back to just UNDER 8500 million per day….better than any non pandemic Trump year.

So…when exactly do you think we were energy/oil independent under Trump? Because it never happened, he just said it….he says a lot of stuff, most is utter bullshit.

I’ll give you a while to let that sink in. I won’t confuse you by debunking more than one lie at a time. Deal?

P.S. let me throw you a bone and remind you that the Keystone pipeline wouldn’t be finished today even if there had been no cancelation…..and that oil was destined for overseas markets in the first place unless the oil industry was nationalized.

100% agree. The reaction was more disturbing than the assault.
Haddish reverting to the mindset of the early 80’s to say Chris was calling Jada a lesbian, tacitly excusing Will’s physical attack, Jesus fucking Christ could you do more mental gymnastics!? Remember that little known independent film, Black Panther? Were those bald, fit women thought of as lesbians, or strong warrior women? WTF?!
Also, if she was right, is being called lesbian really an insult to Haddish in 2022? I don’t see it as insulting.

I think Will should see prison/jail time. He should be sentenced to the absolute maximum allowed by law, he, with every advantage and privilege possible, brutally assaulted a 57 year old man with a sucker punch/slap from Muhammad Ali (lest you forget Will’s size and training at throwing punches)...not just in public, but on an international broadcast. Then I think Chris should sue for $500 million for damage to his international reputation and career. It has to be an amount that hurts, not a few weeks work worth of pay.

Does anyone think Will’s bare minimum late apology is sincere, or that he deserves less punishment because of who he is, how much money he has, or because he eventually “apologized”?

Would he think so if Chris had slapped the shit out of Jada in public, then cursed her out during her performance?! (Don’t get all sexist, the size and power difference are similar.).
That should be the measure of damage IMO. If someone did the exact same thing to his loved one, what would Will think is an appropriate punishment? Guaranteed a fine and stern talking to wouldn’t satisfy, so it shouldn’t be on the table.

I confuse my heroes who are characters with the actors that play them sometimes.
Apparently, Will Smith is not the guy from The Pursuit of Happiness.
Apparently, Will Smith is not Fresh Prince.
Apparently, Will Smith is not that heroic pilot from Independance Day.
Apparently, Will Smith is an asshole.

I don’t think you’ve been paying attention. 😉
Democrats have failed at some decent legislation because Republicans think “just say no” works for drugs and Legislating, it’s the Republican platform….and it’s a losing one.
There is no actual platform, they have no plans, no accomplishments. Only sedition, comforting our enemies, obstruction of legislation and justice, insanity and lies, praising Putin, and attacking each other for not cowtowing to Trump enough.

The Republican Party is too busy calling each other RINOs and crazy morons to campaign, and Republican voters are disillusioned again and will likely not vote. Those that do will be split between feculent and dishonest but sane old school candidates and the Trump/“freedom caucus” bat shit crazy nonsense candidates. They have no issues to campaign on thanks to Trump who made them the party of spend and spend. Economic superiority is now a Democratic trait, as is standing up to our enemies instead of cuddling up to them. What, besides “we aren’t liberals” do Republicans have left?

Not to mention the growing number of sitting representatives who are being made incapable of or disqualified from holding office by being convicted of felonies and/or giving aid and comfort to enemies of America…. Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry for instance, found guilty Thursday of 3 felonies and facing 15 years in prison. He’s still in office…an incumbent that’s going to have a hard time keeping his seat. Green too, being seriously challenged on being fit for office under the 14th amendment thanks to her support for sedition along with 6 others. Suddenly Republicans hate the constitution and want much of it abolished.

Also, Republican support by independents, the group that let Trump only lose the popular vote by 3million, no longer supports Republicans. Mid terms will be interesting, but a Trump in the whitehouse? Keep dreaming the national nightmare…ain’t gonna happen. It’s likely to be another Red tsunami like 2018, but never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter, anything could happen.