ICC moral equivalence argument is laughable. I will not argue the merits since most peoples views are myopic. War has always been hell. If you don’t want to get your people killed, don’t start one. If the ICC was around during World War II, should they have arrested Dwight, Eisenhower, Winston, Churchill, and Harry Truman for all the innocent people who were killed at Dresden Hiroshima or Nagasaki? The issue is inherent, bias, and living in a YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok world
My only problem with this idea is that it’s starting to look more and more like the only difference between terrorism and war is which side you’re on. If you have no problem with what Israel is doing, then you should have no problem with what Hamas did. Hamas did what it did in reaction to what Israel was doing (the old “if you don’t want none, don’t start none” theory I see all the time). You can’t justify one without accidentally justifying the other. And to be clear, Israel was totally within its rights to go after Hamas, but it was not within its rights to obliterate the Middle East equivalent of a reservation that it has effective control of because certain members of the reservation rebelled.
Unfortunately, the world is neither kind nor bad. It is indifferent. There is not a good solution to the problems in this world. When Muslim kills Muslim, there is no outrage. When black kill black there is no outrage. When Jew kills Muslim, there is outrage. When Muslim kills Jews, there is no outrage. When black kills white, There is no outrage. When white kills black, there is outrage. We are so desensitized to killing murder, tribalism, and selective outrage at times it’s difficult to understand that these tribal issues have been going on since the dawn of time. It’s like the definition of who is good and who is bad, the answer depends on what side you’re on. As always love reading your brilliant words and the comments of your brilliant other readers.
I cannot keep my typing fingers still. Consider a few facts. Hamas was elected many years ago by the citizens of Gaza. As a totalitarian State, there has never been another election. Hamas has wasted millions of US and UN dollars building its tunnels to store weapons and prepare for an invasion (which started on October 7). These cold-blooded killers murdered 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 people. Read this from Microsoft's version of AI:
On October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel at the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 252 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Among the abductees were children, women, and elderly individuals1. The abduction was a hostage crisis, and the victims faced unimaginable horrors. Some of the women were raped, mutilated, and executed by their captors.
Israel is not at war. It is capturing and killing criminals and filling their hundreds of miles of attack-tunnels with cement.
The Geneva rules do not mention police actions against gangs of criminals.
I'm sure you remember how Arafat lied and ignored the attempts to create a Palestinian state. It is clear that the Muslims surrounding Israel are on a mission of genocide.
Over time, I've moved from a place of anger to a place of "let's at least be intellectual honest."
So to that end, here are a few facts that frequently get left out:
Hamas was funded by Netanyahu as a way of keeping the Palestinian Authority from gaining a foothold in Gaza. It would not exist *except for* Netanyahu and his Likud Party. Abbas (of the PA) wanted a two-state solution. Neither Netanyahu nor Hamas did, for opposite reasons of course. Netanyahu very much wants Israel to run "from the river to the sea," and Hamas wants the same for Palestine. As for Palestinians voting for Hamas, that was 2005. We live in a supposed democracy with elections every four years, and I don't want to be held accountable for the people elected in the half-assed system we have. How much more would that be true for Gaza?
If you're talking about the 2000 Camp David Accords, Arafat is not the one who walked away. You can argue he should have settled sooner, but he was not the one who walked away. Israel had an election, and they replaced Ehud Barack with Arial Sharon, and the "talks" fizzled into nothingness after that.
If you tell me Israel is not at war, you've just made the situation worse. We are not allowed to bomb whole neighborhoods because a few members of a gang shot cops or even other civilians. You've just admitted that Israel has operational control of Gaza (and really always has, given that they could at a moment's notice shut down their utilities and their food and water supply), and that the Palestinians are their responsibility and that they're an occupying force. You've actually made Hamas's argument for them. How long would any American put up with that? I would hope that we would be honorable enough just to attack governmental targets, but aside from that, some form of violence is inevitable.
Finally this idea that somehow what Hamas did to the Israeli civilians is somehow so much worse than what Israel is doing to the Palestinians . . . dead is dead, maimed for life is maimed for life, torture individually or on a large scale is torture, rape is rape (and there are rumors that Isareli soldiers are not above raping Palestinian women). And as for killing the hostages, Israel has shot several itself (three of them, waving a white flag, and speaking Hebrew) and how many have the killed by dropping bombs?
The civilians on both sides are caught between two bloodthirsty leaderships. That's why, if it were real and working in good faith, what the ICC is doing would be, IMHO, the best course.
It would be a fascinating psychological study of infantry soldiers and marines to learn which ones were so aggressive and dangerous that they cannot be allowed to live outside of a military base.
It's as if the leaders of all nations realized that prisons do not rehabilitate criminals and wars are societies' scheme to kill them.
The greatest gaslighting in history has been how The Clerisy has imposed as Truth the narrative that Trump is a racist and Biden is not now and has never been one.
What I would like Krugman to explain (but he won't because he's a propagandist and there's no point in expecting a sincere argument from him) is why, if the economy is so great, why the US is borrowing $1 trillion every 100 days?
I was brought up by Free Methodists and my parents were militant pacifists. The first gun I ever touched was an M-16 in the Army's basic training in 1970. That being said, I recall that the terrorist group ISIS was called ISIL by Barack Obama (in the hope and expectation that Israel would be destroyed).
I do not enjoy disagreements and I know that neither of us will change the world. This is what Microsoft's AI says about Arafat and the Camp David Accords:
Twenty years ago, in July 2000, there was hope that peace between Israel and the Palestinians might finally be within reach. Ehud Barak, Israel’s Prime Minister, embarked on negotiations at Camp David with the goal of achieving a final peace agreement. Barak presented a bold proposal that would have granted the Palestinians an independent sovereign state in almost all of the West Bank and Gaza, with no settlements and a capital in East Jerusalem, including holy sites1. However, Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), walked away from Barak’s proposal at Camp David, as well as from President Clinton’s proposal that set the parameters for peace. Had he not done so, the state of Palestine would have celebrated twenty years of independence this year, with its capital in Jerusalem1.
But why did Arafat reject such a generous offer? The answer lies in the Palestinian demand that overshadowed the explicit desire for statehood: the right of return. This seemingly innocuous demand refers to the millions of Palestinians, descendants of those who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war, who seek recognition of their “right” to settle inside the state of Israel. Although this right is not sanctioned by international law, it holds immense significance. With a population estimated between five and nine million, this demand effectively challenges Israeli sovereignty. Given Israel’s Jewish population of about seven million, fulfilling the right of return would transform Israel into an Arab state1.
You may not like disagreement but you're holding your own, and you're doing it in a forthright way that is admirable.
The right of return is a tricky subject. It basically leads to having to admit something that most supporters of Israel do not want to admit: that they are demanding an ethno-religious state that is fundamentally little different than any other ethno-religious state in the region (it's a democracy as a technicality but far from a liberal democracy like those of the west). And they can make that argument--that Zionist Jews have a right to a state entirely of their own that is based on religious convictions (and that is a long discussion on its own)--but then they have to accept that others will demand the same in the future using Israel as a guideline.
As long as you're willing to risk the consequences of setting that precedent, you've found an argument you can use.
I consider this a polite conversation between friends. It is notable that, as of 2021, just two Jews lived in Afghanistan. Also, in 2024, Gaza, the West Bank, Algeria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Jordan do not allow any Jews to live. Why can there be Muslim states (many publicly proclaiming the need to kill all Jews), yet no Jewish state?
It appeared, when the UN established Israel as a nation, that the UN had a purpose and a moral vision. Now, with the UN actively aiding Hamas in its invasion, that corrupt institution should be shut down and its headquarters in NYC bulldozed to make room for a parking structure.
I neglected to mention that Amerika's greatest source of fuel (since the Biden administration cracked down on energy production), Saudi Arabia, has no Jewish "community". A Jew caught openly practicing Judaism in Saudi Arabia is subject to "legal restrictions". Does this mean imprisonment, fines, or removal? Who knows? Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence is often deceptive when it comes to the Biden administration or foreign affairs.
As much as I dislike the prick, Lindsey Graham made sense in the video you posted.
Paul Krugman is an overrated propagandist and Axios lies. The world, having never learned to swim, has just jumped into the deep end of the pool. The Obama/Biden administration cannot stand up to Russia, China, and North Korea once they attack Taiwan.
Just 24 days until the proposed Presidential Debate. If the moderators are smart, they will shut the mics off as the two ridiculous narcissists flail about for fresh thoughts.
"Do these people not listen to the words coming out of their mouths?"
No...but don't forget Gov. Hochul's characterizing the Trump supporters and voters in her own state as clowns: "'I’ll tell you what won’t make a difference at all Jake and that’s for Donald Trump to be the ringleader and invite all his clowns to a place like the Bronx,' Hochul said." (https://nypost.com/2024/05/24/us-news/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-calls-donald-trump-supporters-clowns/), and this gem: "'Right now, we have young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word "computer" is,' she said. 'They don't know these things.'" (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68971655)
I'd like to think it will come back to bite her in the ass, but it probably won't.
***
Yes, the ICC issuing arrest warrants is the correct course of action – but it's the equivalent of a blind pig finding the truffle once in one hundred attempts.
I hate the word, 'bipartisanship.' All it means is that both sides have agreed on a way to screw me over.
***
Sean Trende is one of the few folks at RCP who I admire, and usually has impeccable judgement – but not this time. Trump is no dummy – he'll rope-a-dope the media on this for as long as he can – and while my personal favourite is Tulsi Gabbard (smart, AND easy on the eyes), my money is on N.D. Gov. Doug Burghum. Tough, smart, and has executive experience – every bit as MAGA as Trump without the sometimes unnecessary abrasiveness.
***
Actually, there are tunnel systems underground at every state university in Minnesota. St. Cloud State, along with my alma mater, Minnesota State University-Mankato (neé Mankato State University) – downtown Minneapolis has an entire network of heated above-ground tunnels to get around during the winter months.
***
Please check out my latest – the next one will be based on a recent post of yours!
I just read your piece. I'm so sorry I missed it. I'm trying to clean out my "inbox" so I can focus more on the substacks I always read (like yours) and not get distracted by those that I just occasionally read.
And I'm always flattered to be an inspiration, for better or worse.
I visited the graves of my parents and sibling this Memorial Day weekend. Father served in WWII, 4 of my brothers and I served in the military also. We’re against the slaughter in Gaza and also regret the indiscriminate bombing of civilians that was done in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia also. Killing of women and children en masse is always wrong and will be remembered as such. And you can’t undo it once you’ve killed tens of thousands and wounded hundreds of thousands. What is particularly difficult for the Jewish community is that, unlike Americans and nearly everyone else, they have identified themselves as genocide survivors (Holocaust) and now will have explain why as perpetrators they should get sympathy. Simply put; hard to maintain sympathy as a genocide survivor when you slaughter over 30,000 women and children in less than a year.
My father and grandfather served in the Army during the first two World Wars. Happily, I am too old to be a participant in the one that Victoria Nuland started in Ukraine. Much of what you say is true. In fact, here in the South, many people still resent the indiscriminate murders and the devastation of homes and the food supply of the rebels by General Sherman's troops.
Wars are only won when the enemy (or gang - in the Gaza situation) is destroyed and surrenders with no conditions.
Sherman's March to the Sea served one purpose and one purpose only - to show those uppity rebels just who is boss, and to put the damn confederacy in its place as a reminder, so that they would never forget who it was that won the War of Northern Aggression.
Another way of saying that is that Lincoln, expecting McClellan to win the next election, ordered General Sherman to commit total war against the men, women, and children of the South. No one was spared as the crops and livestock were burned and killed. Sherman's style of warfare has been used by most terrorist groups since then.
Yet, you are right: by completely destroying the Confederacy, Lincoln made it clear that future attempts to escape the chains of Washington, DC would never be tolerated. This is why Amerika is now more like Communist China than the USA. States' rights are a joke. Only the criminals in charge of our government make decisions & all those decisions help themselves.
Just another reason my view of The Wrestler has turned one-hundred-eighty degrees, and I now view him as the one who landed the body blow that has been steadily destroying the republic, ever since.
For me, John Wilkes Booth has been a sympathetic figure, ever since.
It wasn't Obama – he was merely finishing the job.
Regarding JW Booth, I have mixed feelings. First, I don't condone murder. Secondly, no one knows what unconstitutional and illegal things the tyrant Lincoln would have done, given a 2nd term.
After all, those who know anything about America's history realize that if Lincoln had not suspended habeas corpus and jailed thousands of innocent people in Maryland, that state would have joined the Confederacy and Washington, DC would be surrounded by rebel states and soldiers.
Buddy Bill's coming in 20 mins. Mrs. Pi and Mrs. Mama Pi are at a wedding in Jersey (MIL first came to Merica 35 years ago and was a housekeeper/au pair. One of the girls is _finally_ getting married (40) and Mrs. Pi is the +1.
TL;DR wedding update: The Jews sure know how to party.
From the homefront, stepson finishing mowing. Dawg chilling in Overwatch. O's sweep the ChiSox. I'd say it was a good day.
Now... normally I'd link some Dre here but instead here are some me samples of Mrs. Pi's gardening:
We're in 7 but the north potion of Baltimore County, known as The Hereford Zone is always just a little colder and people nearby, including a friend in South Central PA, treat it like 6. We can still see frost a couple weeks into May.
ICC moral equivalence argument is laughable. I will not argue the merits since most peoples views are myopic. War has always been hell. If you don’t want to get your people killed, don’t start one. If the ICC was around during World War II, should they have arrested Dwight, Eisenhower, Winston, Churchill, and Harry Truman for all the innocent people who were killed at Dresden Hiroshima or Nagasaki? The issue is inherent, bias, and living in a YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok world
My only problem with this idea is that it’s starting to look more and more like the only difference between terrorism and war is which side you’re on. If you have no problem with what Israel is doing, then you should have no problem with what Hamas did. Hamas did what it did in reaction to what Israel was doing (the old “if you don’t want none, don’t start none” theory I see all the time). You can’t justify one without accidentally justifying the other. And to be clear, Israel was totally within its rights to go after Hamas, but it was not within its rights to obliterate the Middle East equivalent of a reservation that it has effective control of because certain members of the reservation rebelled.
Unfortunately, the world is neither kind nor bad. It is indifferent. There is not a good solution to the problems in this world. When Muslim kills Muslim, there is no outrage. When black kill black there is no outrage. When Jew kills Muslim, there is outrage. When Muslim kills Jews, there is no outrage. When black kills white, There is no outrage. When white kills black, there is outrage. We are so desensitized to killing murder, tribalism, and selective outrage at times it’s difficult to understand that these tribal issues have been going on since the dawn of time. It’s like the definition of who is good and who is bad, the answer depends on what side you’re on. As always love reading your brilliant words and the comments of your brilliant other readers.
I cannot keep my typing fingers still. Consider a few facts. Hamas was elected many years ago by the citizens of Gaza. As a totalitarian State, there has never been another election. Hamas has wasted millions of US and UN dollars building its tunnels to store weapons and prepare for an invasion (which started on October 7). These cold-blooded killers murdered 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 250 people. Read this from Microsoft's version of AI:
On October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel at the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 252 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip. Among the abductees were children, women, and elderly individuals1. The abduction was a hostage crisis, and the victims faced unimaginable horrors. Some of the women were raped, mutilated, and executed by their captors.
Israel is not at war. It is capturing and killing criminals and filling their hundreds of miles of attack-tunnels with cement.
The Geneva rules do not mention police actions against gangs of criminals.
I'm sure you remember how Arafat lied and ignored the attempts to create a Palestinian state. It is clear that the Muslims surrounding Israel are on a mission of genocide.
Over time, I've moved from a place of anger to a place of "let's at least be intellectual honest."
So to that end, here are a few facts that frequently get left out:
Hamas was funded by Netanyahu as a way of keeping the Palestinian Authority from gaining a foothold in Gaza. It would not exist *except for* Netanyahu and his Likud Party. Abbas (of the PA) wanted a two-state solution. Neither Netanyahu nor Hamas did, for opposite reasons of course. Netanyahu very much wants Israel to run "from the river to the sea," and Hamas wants the same for Palestine. As for Palestinians voting for Hamas, that was 2005. We live in a supposed democracy with elections every four years, and I don't want to be held accountable for the people elected in the half-assed system we have. How much more would that be true for Gaza?
If you're talking about the 2000 Camp David Accords, Arafat is not the one who walked away. You can argue he should have settled sooner, but he was not the one who walked away. Israel had an election, and they replaced Ehud Barack with Arial Sharon, and the "talks" fizzled into nothingness after that.
If you tell me Israel is not at war, you've just made the situation worse. We are not allowed to bomb whole neighborhoods because a few members of a gang shot cops or even other civilians. You've just admitted that Israel has operational control of Gaza (and really always has, given that they could at a moment's notice shut down their utilities and their food and water supply), and that the Palestinians are their responsibility and that they're an occupying force. You've actually made Hamas's argument for them. How long would any American put up with that? I would hope that we would be honorable enough just to attack governmental targets, but aside from that, some form of violence is inevitable.
Finally this idea that somehow what Hamas did to the Israeli civilians is somehow so much worse than what Israel is doing to the Palestinians . . . dead is dead, maimed for life is maimed for life, torture individually or on a large scale is torture, rape is rape (and there are rumors that Isareli soldiers are not above raping Palestinian women). And as for killing the hostages, Israel has shot several itself (three of them, waving a white flag, and speaking Hebrew) and how many have the killed by dropping bombs?
The civilians on both sides are caught between two bloodthirsty leaderships. That's why, if it were real and working in good faith, what the ICC is doing would be, IMHO, the best course.
I suspect that there are many psychopathic killers in every army.
Of course there are. It lets those with a desire to kill do so, often with impunity.
It would be a fascinating psychological study of infantry soldiers and marines to learn which ones were so aggressive and dangerous that they cannot be allowed to live outside of a military base.
It's as if the leaders of all nations realized that prisons do not rehabilitate criminals and wars are societies' scheme to kill them.
Omg Gajewski! How many times have I warned you about being too truthful?!
“Let's remember that Trump is a lifelong racist.”
The greatest gaslighting in history has been how The Clerisy has imposed as Truth the narrative that Trump is a racist and Biden is not now and has never been one.
Don't believe those obviously deep faked videos. *wink*
What I would like Krugman to explain (but he won't because he's a propagandist and there's no point in expecting a sincere argument from him) is why, if the economy is so great, why the US is borrowing $1 trillion every 100 days?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/debt-debasement-trade-ramping-us-175117456.html
(Sorry for the Yahoo link. I can't abide their ads, but it was the quickest way to prove I'm not just making this up.)
"Paul Krugman, and he’s very frustrated because this seems totally inexplicable to him"
Nobel laureate Paul 'The Markets Will Never Recover' Krugman is perplexed.
Something something Paper of Record.
I was brought up by Free Methodists and my parents were militant pacifists. The first gun I ever touched was an M-16 in the Army's basic training in 1970. That being said, I recall that the terrorist group ISIS was called ISIL by Barack Obama (in the hope and expectation that Israel would be destroyed).
I do not enjoy disagreements and I know that neither of us will change the world. This is what Microsoft's AI says about Arafat and the Camp David Accords:
Twenty years ago, in July 2000, there was hope that peace between Israel and the Palestinians might finally be within reach. Ehud Barak, Israel’s Prime Minister, embarked on negotiations at Camp David with the goal of achieving a final peace agreement. Barak presented a bold proposal that would have granted the Palestinians an independent sovereign state in almost all of the West Bank and Gaza, with no settlements and a capital in East Jerusalem, including holy sites1. However, Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), walked away from Barak’s proposal at Camp David, as well as from President Clinton’s proposal that set the parameters for peace. Had he not done so, the state of Palestine would have celebrated twenty years of independence this year, with its capital in Jerusalem1.
But why did Arafat reject such a generous offer? The answer lies in the Palestinian demand that overshadowed the explicit desire for statehood: the right of return. This seemingly innocuous demand refers to the millions of Palestinians, descendants of those who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war, who seek recognition of their “right” to settle inside the state of Israel. Although this right is not sanctioned by international law, it holds immense significance. With a population estimated between five and nine million, this demand effectively challenges Israeli sovereignty. Given Israel’s Jewish population of about seven million, fulfilling the right of return would transform Israel into an Arab state1.
You may not like disagreement but you're holding your own, and you're doing it in a forthright way that is admirable.
The right of return is a tricky subject. It basically leads to having to admit something that most supporters of Israel do not want to admit: that they are demanding an ethno-religious state that is fundamentally little different than any other ethno-religious state in the region (it's a democracy as a technicality but far from a liberal democracy like those of the west). And they can make that argument--that Zionist Jews have a right to a state entirely of their own that is based on religious convictions (and that is a long discussion on its own)--but then they have to accept that others will demand the same in the future using Israel as a guideline.
As long as you're willing to risk the consequences of setting that precedent, you've found an argument you can use.
I consider this a polite conversation between friends. It is notable that, as of 2021, just two Jews lived in Afghanistan. Also, in 2024, Gaza, the West Bank, Algeria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Jordan do not allow any Jews to live. Why can there be Muslim states (many publicly proclaiming the need to kill all Jews), yet no Jewish state?
It appeared, when the UN established Israel as a nation, that the UN had a purpose and a moral vision. Now, with the UN actively aiding Hamas in its invasion, that corrupt institution should be shut down and its headquarters in NYC bulldozed to make room for a parking structure.
Thank you for giving me a lot to think about. I mean that sincerely.
I neglected to mention that Amerika's greatest source of fuel (since the Biden administration cracked down on energy production), Saudi Arabia, has no Jewish "community". A Jew caught openly practicing Judaism in Saudi Arabia is subject to "legal restrictions". Does this mean imprisonment, fines, or removal? Who knows? Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence is often deceptive when it comes to the Biden administration or foreign affairs.
As much as I dislike the prick, Lindsey Graham made sense in the video you posted.
Paul Krugman is an overrated propagandist and Axios lies. The world, having never learned to swim, has just jumped into the deep end of the pool. The Obama/Biden administration cannot stand up to Russia, China, and North Korea once they attack Taiwan.
Just 24 days until the proposed Presidential Debate. If the moderators are smart, they will shut the mics off as the two ridiculous narcissists flail about for fresh thoughts.
"as the two ridiculous narcissists flail about for fresh thoughts"
I love it. I think we'd be just as educated without the risk of bleeding eardrums.
"Do these people not listen to the words coming out of their mouths?"
No...but don't forget Gov. Hochul's characterizing the Trump supporters and voters in her own state as clowns: "'I’ll tell you what won’t make a difference at all Jake and that’s for Donald Trump to be the ringleader and invite all his clowns to a place like the Bronx,' Hochul said." (https://nypost.com/2024/05/24/us-news/ny-gov-kathy-hochul-calls-donald-trump-supporters-clowns/), and this gem: "'Right now, we have young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word "computer" is,' she said. 'They don't know these things.'" (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68971655)
I'd like to think it will come back to bite her in the ass, but it probably won't.
***
Yes, the ICC issuing arrest warrants is the correct course of action – but it's the equivalent of a blind pig finding the truffle once in one hundred attempts.
I hate the word, 'bipartisanship.' All it means is that both sides have agreed on a way to screw me over.
***
Sean Trende is one of the few folks at RCP who I admire, and usually has impeccable judgement – but not this time. Trump is no dummy – he'll rope-a-dope the media on this for as long as he can – and while my personal favourite is Tulsi Gabbard (smart, AND easy on the eyes), my money is on N.D. Gov. Doug Burghum. Tough, smart, and has executive experience – every bit as MAGA as Trump without the sometimes unnecessary abrasiveness.
***
Actually, there are tunnel systems underground at every state university in Minnesota. St. Cloud State, along with my alma mater, Minnesota State University-Mankato (neé Mankato State University) – downtown Minneapolis has an entire network of heated above-ground tunnels to get around during the winter months.
***
Please check out my latest – the next one will be based on a recent post of yours!
I have the same opinion of "bipartisan."
I just read your piece. I'm so sorry I missed it. I'm trying to clean out my "inbox" so I can focus more on the substacks I always read (like yours) and not get distracted by those that I just occasionally read.
And I'm always flattered to be an inspiration, for better or worse.
I visited the graves of my parents and sibling this Memorial Day weekend. Father served in WWII, 4 of my brothers and I served in the military also. We’re against the slaughter in Gaza and also regret the indiscriminate bombing of civilians that was done in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia also. Killing of women and children en masse is always wrong and will be remembered as such. And you can’t undo it once you’ve killed tens of thousands and wounded hundreds of thousands. What is particularly difficult for the Jewish community is that, unlike Americans and nearly everyone else, they have identified themselves as genocide survivors (Holocaust) and now will have explain why as perpetrators they should get sympathy. Simply put; hard to maintain sympathy as a genocide survivor when you slaughter over 30,000 women and children in less than a year.
My father and grandfather served in the Army during the first two World Wars. Happily, I am too old to be a participant in the one that Victoria Nuland started in Ukraine. Much of what you say is true. In fact, here in the South, many people still resent the indiscriminate murders and the devastation of homes and the food supply of the rebels by General Sherman's troops.
Wars are only won when the enemy (or gang - in the Gaza situation) is destroyed and surrenders with no conditions.
Sherman's March to the Sea served one purpose and one purpose only - to show those uppity rebels just who is boss, and to put the damn confederacy in its place as a reminder, so that they would never forget who it was that won the War of Northern Aggression.
Another way of saying that is that Lincoln, expecting McClellan to win the next election, ordered General Sherman to commit total war against the men, women, and children of the South. No one was spared as the crops and livestock were burned and killed. Sherman's style of warfare has been used by most terrorist groups since then.
Yet, you are right: by completely destroying the Confederacy, Lincoln made it clear that future attempts to escape the chains of Washington, DC would never be tolerated. This is why Amerika is now more like Communist China than the USA. States' rights are a joke. Only the criminals in charge of our government make decisions & all those decisions help themselves.
Just another reason my view of The Wrestler has turned one-hundred-eighty degrees, and I now view him as the one who landed the body blow that has been steadily destroying the republic, ever since.
For me, John Wilkes Booth has been a sympathetic figure, ever since.
It wasn't Obama – he was merely finishing the job.
Who is "The Wrestler"?
Regarding JW Booth, I have mixed feelings. First, I don't condone murder. Secondly, no one knows what unconstitutional and illegal things the tyrant Lincoln would have done, given a 2nd term.
After all, those who know anything about America's history realize that if Lincoln had not suspended habeas corpus and jailed thousands of innocent people in Maryland, that state would have joined the Confederacy and Washington, DC would be surrounded by rebel states and soldiers.
"Who is 'The Wrestler'"?
Lincoln.
https://www.history.com/news/abraham-lincoln-wrestling-sports
Buddy Bill's coming in 20 mins. Mrs. Pi and Mrs. Mama Pi are at a wedding in Jersey (MIL first came to Merica 35 years ago and was a housekeeper/au pair. One of the girls is _finally_ getting married (40) and Mrs. Pi is the +1.
TL;DR wedding update: The Jews sure know how to party.
From the homefront, stepson finishing mowing. Dawg chilling in Overwatch. O's sweep the ChiSox. I'd say it was a good day.
Now... normally I'd link some Dre here but instead here are some me samples of Mrs. Pi's gardening:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RDuQ2fPxVtGpeu7g7
What growing zone do you all live in there?
We're in 7 but the north potion of Baltimore County, known as The Hereford Zone is always just a little colder and people nearby, including a friend in South Central PA, treat it like 6. We can still see frost a couple weeks into May.
Looks like paradise: roses and peonies and it's not even June yet.
What gorgeous peonies.
"Don’t you find it amazing how they can unit in purpose for the people of another country entirely"
I think they've been united for a while now.
https://imgflip.com/i/7k4gjq
Yup.