Off Topic Politics Thread

Imo although US evangelists are huge supporters of Israel, the reason they get to act with impunity is more down their geopolitical strategic value, which is absolutely immense.

 

100%.

It is almost entirely due to US support that they can so blatantly break nearly every international agreement going.

 

To be fair, the slow grinding of Palestinian rights was killing them off anyways. At least with this option the global press will highlight their desire to fight back and not stand for Israels bullshit.

It isn't right that we don't take notice until they fire some Iranian rockets but if thats what it takes for a conversation, then you kind of have to see it as a success for hamas.

 

I made a crossbow at school, in fact a few of us in the class did! The stock in woodwork and the bow (an old car leaf spring), trigger mechanism, sight and (blunted) bolt in metalwork. I got an 'A'. The day it was finished, I simply collected it and carried it home, not even in a bag. Different times then (1979).

 

The other question was whether he would be jailed or sent to a secure hospital. It seems as though the treason conviction guaranteed the former when clearly the latter seemed the more appropriate option.

 

this post reads an awful lot like you’re on the side of terrorists which is quite sickening tbh

 

Lol.

I am absolutely against Hamas and their actions today as I said earlier. This whole situation has been left untouched for years and I am merely pointing out that this situation was always going to escalate towards this point.

 

It hasn’t been “left untouched”. Unfortunately it has been simmering away and escalating. Our media just controls a narrative and only reports on certain things. I have colleagues in Israel who foresaw this situation escalating when I was with them back in Jan.

The atrocities committed by Hamas today against innocent Israelis cannot be seen as “a success” by any metric.

The way I see it the Israelis are fighting for their very survival. They could have attacked Gaza at any time; yet they have been the ones to strive for peace and de-escalation when possible. Hamas won’t rest until all Jews are eradicated.

Todays attack is utterly despicable and I despair for humanity as it seems that Israel will now lash out in retaliation. I saw footage of hundreds of tanks moving toward the front line.

 

A success for Hamas...? Clearly not a success for anyone else...

Of course it has been untouched. The fact it has been allowed to escalate to this point proves that entirely. Ever since Netanyahu came back in this more extreme reincarnation this was inevitable.

And obviously this will be terrible for the residents of Gaza. Sad times.

 

They have been attacking Gaza for two decades, Skippy. Hamas' actions here are self-defeating and stupid, but a quick glance at the borders of Gaza and Israel in recent years would put this whole concept to rest. Israel hasn't been fighting for survival since 1973.

 

I’m sure a socialist such as yourself will totally gloss over the fact that Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and left Palestinians to govern themselves.

What they chose to do was elect a terrorist group and the reward has been non-stop terrorist attacks ever since.

 

Hmm just seen in the story that some of the people Hamas kidnapped are Philippine and Thai citizens and allegedly the naked body flaunted through the street was a German tourist, could become even more complicated?

 

Sadly she was there for a “festival of peace” and found out just how peaceful Hamas are. Horrific.

 

"left them to govern themselves" if you ignore that they have taken huge swathes of the West Bank, while also ensuring that Gaza is in no position to govern itself: it is wholly reliant on Israel to provide electricity and potable water, two things Israel regularly withholds.

Also, if you want to know whether I'm a socialist, feel free to ask the actual socialists here, who most certainly don't claim me.

 

Ian, there are no restrictions to buying a crossbow other than you need to be 18. You can buy them online and all you need to do is show proof of age on delivery, or you can walk into a shop, hand over some cash and walk out with it in a bag. It's a crossbow, not a nuke.
I know a few people that use them for vermin control, and a few that use them for back garden target practice like they would an air rifle. I had one as a kid and learnt to shoot it and a few other weapons in the scouts. I've not tried to knock off any monarchs though, yet.

Lots of 'normal' people use weapons for work and leisure, and lots of functioning adults like star wars, a lot. Don't judge them just because you don't understand them


And I don't think there's any choice other than charge him with treason because it's the only sentence available for trying to kill a monarch. Whether he's of sound mind is another matter, but just because he was a confused weirdo doesn't mean he didn't understand exactly what he was doing.
My understanding is that treason can only be carried out by a member of the nation itself which is why it's frowned on I guess and carried a death sentence till the 90s. If it was a foreign government or agent then it wouldn't be treason trying to bag a queen, it would be an act of war or some such.
And it's pretty much the most political crime you can carry out I'd say, trying to kill a head of state but I don't think there is an alternative sentence if its been decided he understood his actions.

 

Interesting take on the wider implications of Gaza.

I'm including the Tweet because the link in it is to an unpaywalled, freely shared, NYT article so you can actually read the damned thing. (Note that in the brave new Xitter world, article links are just pictures, so the article may not look like it's there but it is. Elmo is such a genius)

https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/status/1710909865554481414?s=20

 

All you have to do when trying to find who is the good guys in this situation is ask yourself the question “what would they do if they were to win the conflict?”

Answers:
Israel - would try and survive peacefully in a democracy. Have proven many times over that they wish to cooperate and strive for peace where possible

Hamas - would try and exterminate every last Jew as they cannot be reasoned or negotiated with

As someone that hates war and wouldn’t claim to know much about the Gaza situation in detail, the above is my North Star when thinking about the situation. More than that, seeing civilians captured and naked bodies paraded through the streets as they are spat on pretty much says all you need to know about Hamas. Anyone that is supporting these deranged lunatics has lost their moral compass.

All in all it’s an absolute ****ing mess and once again the only people who benefit are the military industrial complex. I wish there could be peace

 

Uh, yeah, about that. Beyond the fact that Israelis have been carrying out vicious, unprovoked attacks on Palestinians for the past couple years in order to force them from their homes and allow for further settlements, resulting in hundreds of deaths, Israel won't be a democracy for much longer. There have been months of street protests against the government because they are pushing through a series of reforms that concentrate power in the hands of the executive, something that Netanyahu's former deputy prime minister stated will help to transform Israel into a dictatorship:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/01/isr...tests-against-netanyahu-risks-to-economy.html

 

"Israel - would try and survive peacefully in a democracy. Have proven many times over that they wish to cooperate and strive for peace where possible"

hey Os, you spelled 'Facist apartheid state intent on driving the Palestinian people out of existance and stealing the whole territory' wrong

 

More bollox from the Express.