I think there might have been a party or two in Los Angeles that were closed. Most businesses that weren't essential in the Bay Area were also closed for months and then only allowed limited reopening in the summer or so with strict capacity limits. A few of my friends did July 4th on a beach and a cop did some peering into us but eventually decided to let it be. It took until at least 2022 for things to be really normal again.
I think America never had any European style lockdowns or curfews, let alone what they did in East Asian democracies, because American politicians knew that most Americans would end up as scofflaws. Even if the Republicans took COVID seriously as an entire party, there would be strong limits on what could be imposed.
Over the weekend, I saw a funny animal cartoon about the election. It was a dog and cat as Presidential candidates at a debate. The dog candidate said something about like "I believe in being kind to humans but my opponent steps on their face to get food." The cat candidate says "I get results." There was just something so fundamentally so unserious about the cartoon and their refusal to get it. I don't agree with Trump supporters but there is an honesty in them getting that this might be a make or break election for them. The people who refuse to understand are just hopeless.
These are the issues. For problem #2, a lot of the actions are aimed at Israel proper rather than the settlements, which Israel destroyed in the West Bank.
Western liberals and leftists deal with Problem #1 by just pretending that the Palestinians are saying things differently than what they say in plain English in major media publications. I have seen at least two propaganda posts trying to depict places in Israel proper as places on the "Palestine" coast. I really have no idea how presenting Tel Aviv as a "Palestinian" beach city or Caesarea as a ruin on the "Palestinian" coast does anything to end the I/P conflict but people are doing it.
The imperatives of liberalism prevent people from dealing with this though. I suspect that many people find the Jewish peoples a global inconvenience for their ideology. They want a neat little system of white vs. people of color and oppressor vs. oppressed and we Jews complicate things considerably for that. So they despise us because we get in the way of their neat system.
I still think that a lot of people but won't say the following to happen:
1. Israel agrees to the creation of the Palestinian state.
2. Ignores the terrorism.
3. Waits patiently for things to get better even if that takes decades.
They won't say this because they know at least 2 or 3 sound ridiculous on their face and all violate the liberal imperative not to be racist. 2 or 3 sounds like racism and Islamophobia because it suggest that at least many Palestinians and others in the area are fanatical enough never to give up the ghost and incompetent enough not to be able to handle their bad actors by themselves. So they just don't come out and say it.
It's really astounding that people can't comprehend the last part and maybe understand why Israelis in the green line including those who couldn't care less about Hebron might be reluctant to leave the West Bank at this point. The West Bank potentially becoming a launch pad against Israel isn't speculation. It is something that has a good chance of happening based on past experience with Gaza and South Lebanon. Like I don't think that Israelis expect everything to be warm fuzzies after a final deal but they might want a cold peace at least.
Besides what Dark Matter pointed out, Israel has withdrawn from South Lebanon. The Sheba Farms are in the Golan Heights, which was part of Syria before the Six Day War. Like the entire argument was land for peace not land for Israel enduring rocket barrages and terrorist attack until everybody gets tired.
You simply hate Israel and are unsympathetic to the needs of the Jewish people. Whatever Israel does will simply never ever be good enough for the likes of you and Chris and you will always find a way to move the goal posts to justify further violence against Israel. Israel withdraws from South Lebanon, what about Sheba Farms? Israel withdraws from Gaza and takes all the Settlers there away. Well, Israel didn't really withdraw because it maintains a hard land border with Gaza rather than letting Gazans come and go as they please.
This should be to the surprise of nobody but Hamas has been stealing and hoarding all the humanitarian aid intended for Gazans. People know that Hamas is cartoonishly evil organization but can't quite come out and say it. They want Israel to do double duty and care for their own population along with the Gazans because of the cartoonish evil of Hamas and can't come out and say it:
Israel's operation in Lebanon seems to have basically gutted Hezbollah. Good. I really can't believe Israel's critics on this one. Nobody doubts that Hezbollah was firing rockets into Israel because they decided to side with Hamas in the Israel-Hamas War. Normally doing this opens a country or armed group to attack. This is a lot less lethal in terms of collateral damage than a conventional bombing or invasion would be. It is also how many people thought that Israel should respond to October 7th.
DavidTC doesn't see Israeli civilians as civilians apparently. All the people yelping about what happened in Lebanon just proves my theory that they want Israel to take a certain amount of terrorism but won't come out and say it.
Western liberals and leftist still refuse to deal with the fact that even the allegedly moderate factions of the Palestinians are insisting on an absolute right of return. The more hardline factions of the Palestinians and their Muslim allies insist on all Jews must go. Now the hardcore further Left agrees with them but they are politically powerless.
The mainstream liberals and leftists are stumped by this though. Various imperatives in liberalism and diplomacy prevent them from calling the Palestinians out on this and telling them to stop being ridiculous but they know they can't force Israel to accept a right of return without invading Israel either. So everybody goes about like this isn't a problem despite it very much being a problem.
Nobody has any idea about what to do with Hamas. They are entrenched and aren't the type of group that will willingly give up power even if the people under control no longer want them. Eliminating them physically requires physical violence that very few people have the stomach for. The creation of a Palestinian state won't remove them from power or change who they are. Telling Israel just to endure them sounds ludicrous but might be the best solution but nobody wants to say that out loud because it sounds bad and might involve saying something can be construed as racist against the Palestinians and Islamophobic, violating a liberal imperative. So nobody says it.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/16/2024”
I think there might have been a party or two in Los Angeles that were closed. Most businesses that weren't essential in the Bay Area were also closed for months and then only allowed limited reopening in the summer or so with strict capacity limits. A few of my friends did July 4th on a beach and a cop did some peering into us but eventually decided to let it be. It took until at least 2022 for things to be really normal again.
"
I think America never had any European style lockdowns or curfews, let alone what they did in East Asian democracies, because American politicians knew that most Americans would end up as scofflaws. Even if the Republicans took COVID seriously as an entire party, there would be strong limits on what could be imposed.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/23/2024”
Over the weekend, I saw a funny animal cartoon about the election. It was a dog and cat as Presidential candidates at a debate. The dog candidate said something about like "I believe in being kind to humans but my opponent steps on their face to get food." The cat candidate says "I get results." There was just something so fundamentally so unserious about the cartoon and their refusal to get it. I don't agree with Trump supporters but there is an honesty in them getting that this might be a make or break election for them. The people who refuse to understand are just hopeless.
On “Open Mic for the week of 9/16/2024”
Yes, I know. I was talking about in places like New York and California though where such things were prohibited.
"
Very funny. I meant like real speakeasies.
"
I'm kind of surprised there weren't more COVID speakeasies.
"
These are the issues. For problem #2, a lot of the actions are aimed at Israel proper rather than the settlements, which Israel destroyed in the West Bank.
Western liberals and leftists deal with Problem #1 by just pretending that the Palestinians are saying things differently than what they say in plain English in major media publications. I have seen at least two propaganda posts trying to depict places in Israel proper as places on the "Palestine" coast. I really have no idea how presenting Tel Aviv as a "Palestinian" beach city or Caesarea as a ruin on the "Palestinian" coast does anything to end the I/P conflict but people are doing it.
The imperatives of liberalism prevent people from dealing with this though. I suspect that many people find the Jewish peoples a global inconvenience for their ideology. They want a neat little system of white vs. people of color and oppressor vs. oppressed and we Jews complicate things considerably for that. So they despise us because we get in the way of their neat system.
"
I still think that a lot of people but won't say the following to happen:
1. Israel agrees to the creation of the Palestinian state.
2. Ignores the terrorism.
3. Waits patiently for things to get better even if that takes decades.
They won't say this because they know at least 2 or 3 sound ridiculous on their face and all violate the liberal imperative not to be racist. 2 or 3 sounds like racism and Islamophobia because it suggest that at least many Palestinians and others in the area are fanatical enough never to give up the ghost and incompetent enough not to be able to handle their bad actors by themselves. So they just don't come out and say it.
"
It's really astounding that people can't comprehend the last part and maybe understand why Israelis in the green line including those who couldn't care less about Hebron might be reluctant to leave the West Bank at this point. The West Bank potentially becoming a launch pad against Israel isn't speculation. It is something that has a good chance of happening based on past experience with Gaza and South Lebanon. Like I don't think that Israelis expect everything to be warm fuzzies after a final deal but they might want a cold peace at least.
"
Besides what Dark Matter pointed out, Israel has withdrawn from South Lebanon. The Sheba Farms are in the Golan Heights, which was part of Syria before the Six Day War. Like the entire argument was land for peace not land for Israel enduring rocket barrages and terrorist attack until everybody gets tired.
You simply hate Israel and are unsympathetic to the needs of the Jewish people. Whatever Israel does will simply never ever be good enough for the likes of you and Chris and you will always find a way to move the goal posts to justify further violence against Israel. Israel withdraws from South Lebanon, what about Sheba Farms? Israel withdraws from Gaza and takes all the Settlers there away. Well, Israel didn't really withdraw because it maintains a hard land border with Gaza rather than letting Gazans come and go as they please.
"
Meeting physical was one way that Hamas was able to plan October 7th.
"
This should be to the surprise of nobody but Hamas has been stealing and hoarding all the humanitarian aid intended for Gazans. People know that Hamas is cartoonishly evil organization but can't quite come out and say it. They want Israel to do double duty and care for their own population along with the Gazans because of the cartoonish evil of Hamas and can't come out and say it:
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-820030
"
IDF is doing targeted bombing of Hezbollah rocket launches in South Lebanon:
https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1837499443454591072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1837499443454591072%7Ctwgr%5Ed7e72170c4b3cef40bc4102cb1602250031a9e59%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdisqus.com%2Fembed%2Fcomments%2F%3Fbase%3Ddefaultf%3Dlawyersgunsmoneyblog-comt_i%3D14471620https3A2F2Fwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com2F3Fp3D144716t_u%3Dhttps3A2F2Fwww.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com2F20242F092Fhollowing-outt_e%3DHollowing20Outt_d%3DHollowing20Out20-20Lawyers2C20Guns202620Moneyt_t%3DHollowing20Outs_o%3Ddescversion%3D4ef1b4e67a51bc2b38fed77fda108743
"
Israel's operation in Lebanon seems to have basically gutted Hezbollah. Good. I really can't believe Israel's critics on this one. Nobody doubts that Hezbollah was firing rockets into Israel because they decided to side with Hamas in the Israel-Hamas War. Normally doing this opens a country or armed group to attack. This is a lot less lethal in terms of collateral damage than a conventional bombing or invasion would be. It is also how many people thought that Israel should respond to October 7th.
"
There are a lot of sites and apps that are basically trying to be prostitution apps but with plausible deniability.
"
I mean large amounts of money are mysteriously transferred all the time. Some people are just lucky.
"
Banco Azteca sounds like the name of bank working with drug cartels in Chuck Norris action movie from the 1980s.
"
Eric Hovde, Republican Senate candidate for WIsconsin, may have received a lot of money from a Mexican drug cartel:
https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/wisdems-bombshell-banco-azteca-mexican-bank-long-reported-to-be-used-by-drug-cartels-flew-26m-in-cash-over-us-mexico-border-directly-to-eric-hovdes-bank/
"
Ashley Madison is still a thing?
"
I already posted this. I will have a longer rant about my feelings about this latter.
"
DavidTC doesn't see Israeli civilians as civilians apparently. All the people yelping about what happened in Lebanon just proves my theory that they want Israel to take a certain amount of terrorism but won't come out and say it.
"
Eye witnesses saw Matt Gaetz at a drug fueled high school sex party in 2017:
https://www.notus.org/florida/new-court-filings-matt-gaetz-dorworth-sex-party
"
I am getting very tired of Jews being used as a prop:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bbfdf3b5daed11df808c96d89a4236507f13dd99b608b8cb439be2a0b3b50d99.png
"
Western liberals and leftist still refuse to deal with the fact that even the allegedly moderate factions of the Palestinians are insisting on an absolute right of return. The more hardline factions of the Palestinians and their Muslim allies insist on all Jews must go. Now the hardcore further Left agrees with them but they are politically powerless.
The mainstream liberals and leftists are stumped by this though. Various imperatives in liberalism and diplomacy prevent them from calling the Palestinians out on this and telling them to stop being ridiculous but they know they can't force Israel to accept a right of return without invading Israel either. So everybody goes about like this isn't a problem despite it very much being a problem.
"
Nobody has any idea about what to do with Hamas. They are entrenched and aren't the type of group that will willingly give up power even if the people under control no longer want them. Eliminating them physically requires physical violence that very few people have the stomach for. The creation of a Palestinian state won't remove them from power or change who they are. Telling Israel just to endure them sounds ludicrous but might be the best solution but nobody wants to say that out loud because it sounds bad and might involve saying something can be construed as racist against the Palestinians and Islamophobic, violating a liberal imperative. So nobody says it.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.