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Cake day: June 15th, 2023

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  • Maybe Biden should take one for the country

    At the very least (and less gory of an outcome) Biden should assemble Seal Team Six in the Oval Office and publicize it. The media and pundits will run with it and it will put Trump, MAGA, and the conservative ā€œthink tanksā€ in a tizzy over the immunity claims, and perhaps make the conservative SCOTUS justices (who are going to ultimately rule against Trump anyways, after enough of a delay to torpedo the federal charge trials) squirm behind close doors. But Biden and the Democrats wonā€™t do it, because theyā€™re always taking the high road and wonā€™t use the media to their advantage, even when democracy is in the balance.



  • The ā€œlegal definitionā€, if for some reason it doesnā€™t apply, is just an excuse to avoid confronting the atrocities we are complicit in committing. If the ā€œlegal definitionā€ isnā€™t met, then itā€™s simply wrong. Some court case isnā€™t what determines whether itā€™s ā€œtruly genocideā€, itā€™s that Israel, with our support, is and has been trying for decades to eradicate an entire people and culture.

    I donā€™t think proving actual genocide is a prerequisite or requirement for bringing war crimes charges and holding people accountable. For example, if in war a military unit/leader/solider executes a group of unarmed civilians, it can be pursued as a war crime as itā€™s intentionally targeting and harming civilians, but executing one group of civilians in this fashion isnā€™t genocide, even if they were a specific race, religious sect, etc. Undoubtedly if there was a pattern of this occurring and there was provable support from leadership, it would be considered genocide. Genocide, like other terms like suicide, homicide, germicide, etc., has a specific meaning. Morality is much more subjective, and hence Iā€™d call Israelā€™s action quite immoral. Israel may indeed want to eradicate Gaza as a territory or political unit, however that doesnā€™t mean itā€™s genocide. Otherwise we could call Russiaā€™s desire to eradicate or annex Ukraine genocide. And after I write all this, I realize Iā€™m debating the meaning of genocide. But I digress.

    a pretty good assumption that some portion of the cries of genocide are the result of foreign propaganda to both garner support for Hamas and the continuing disruption and outside influence of US politics.

    I do agree with this, and itā€™s really unfortunate. But yeah, if I was Hamas I would use the fact that Gazans are being genocided to drum up support too, itā€™s a pretty good argument. To avoid creating a situation where Hamas looks like the good guys, I think the best thing to do would be to, you know, stop murdering Palestinian children.

    On all this we can agree. I donā€™t want innocent civilians killed, either. I take issue with the term genocide and the way itā€™s being used, especially in the context of the US supposedly ā€œpromoting or supportingā€ genocide. Thatā€™s simply not true. Itā€™s a complicated landscape and as weā€™ve been discussing this I see there is a ceasefire being pursued diplomatically by the Biden administration. I think the way the term genocide is being used here and elsewhere cheapens it and compromises the severity and seriousness of the term.


  • Iā€™m not a legal expert and I doubt you are as well, but if you search the 'net there are plenty of articles from respectable news sources covering debates and discussions over whether itā€™s legally genocide or not. Iā€™m not going to debate it with you; Iā€™ll leave it up to those who are qualified to determine if it is truly genocide, and pursue war crimes charges as necessary. I never said it was morally correct what Israel is doing. The morality or lack thereof of their actions is separate from the legal definition of genocide. Furthermore, and quite ironically, the 1988 Hamas Charter specifically states as a goal to obliterate Israel in language that rhymes with genocide. While it certainly doesnā€™t justify what Israel is doing right now, Hamas would be doing the same to Israel right now if it was within their capabilities. Israel could have taken over Gaza long ago, if it really wanted to do it. Whatā€™s going on right now in Gaza is the result of Hamas launching an offensive with no strategic or worthy goals, against an enemy they knew they had no chance of winning against. Itā€™s a pretty good assumption that some portion of the cries of genocide are the result of foreign propaganda to both garner support for Hamas and the continuing disruption and outside influence of US politics.


  • Itā€™s questionable whether what is happening in Gaza is genocide from a legal perspective. Regardless, being concerned with Gaza but sitting out this election and not voting is asinine. Biden may not being doing enough to help stop the humanitarian crisis and him in office may not save any lives in Gaza, but I can guarantee Trump in office will get more people killed. Trump will happily use US military resources to flatten Gaza, and brag about it. Claims that Biden is facilitating or supporting genocide in Gaza ultimately benefits Trump and will doom the Gazan Palestinians if Trump gets in office.



  • Self criticism is the only thing keeping Democrats from becoming a clone of the GOP.

    Well, it also helps the Democrats donā€™t have a criminal insurrectionist leading the party.

    Anyone telling me I canā€™t participate in discourse involving totally valid criticisms about any politician can go kick rocks.

    You can do whatever you want. What TV channels are interviewing you this week?

    Also, how is discussing his drastic turn towards conservative politics ā€œamplifying GOP talking pointsā€?

    Iā€™m referring to what Fetterman was criticizing, not what the OP or others here discuss about Fetterman or Biden.

    Ahh yeah, America surely needs more brain damages politicians advocating for genocideā€¦

    Oh, Gaza. Right. I am so sick of hearing about ā€œgenocideā€. Itā€™s BS. Despite what Israel has done over the decades, Hamas is responsible for this. They launched an offensive that had no clear objectives (like autonomy) other than killing Israelis, and specifically civilians. Now that theyā€™re getting their ass handed to them, which was inevitable, losing a poorly-conceived offensive is coined ā€œgenocideā€. Hamas thanks you.

    50-something 30+ year Democrat that has seen Democrats do a really good job at losing elections and letting the GOP walk all over them.

    Maybe because your generations idea of a progressive is John Fetterman? Maybe because Democrats have just become the GOP from the 90s, and thats not typically what actual progressives want?

    John Fetterman beat two other well-pedigreed Democratic Senate nomination candidates, won an election over a very publicly popular GOP candidate, and took the seat of Republican Pat Toomey. While this is one data point that you cite, it doesnā€™t support that ā€œmy generationā€™sā€ idea of progressive is losing elections. If a lack of ā€œsufficiently progressiveā€ candidates is losing elections for Democrats due to progressives not voting for Democrats, those progressives are shooting themselves in the foot as the only what to get more left-leaning Democrats is to actually win elections.


  • Regardless of Fettermanā€™s ideology or any stated or perceived shift, heā€™s a pragmatist and straight-shooter above everything else. He was that way long before the stroke. The fact that a lifetime grifter and department store rapist with 91 felony indictment counts has a good chance of winning the election is absurd. A bag of rocks running against Trump should win. Biden and the Democrats are in a very weak position, but itā€™s clear that Biden is the chosen candidate. It makes no sense at this point to have Democrats amplifying GOP talking points, unless theyā€™re in any position of power with the DNC to change what is inevitable right now with the Democratic nomination.

    Iā€™m in PA and I doubt his progressiveness got him elected. Anyone with a D after their name carries Philly and Pittsburgh by default. Fettermanā€™s no nonsense approach and the fact that the working class can relate to him got votes in Pennsyltuckey, a segment the Democrats have been losing over the years. Democrats should be in a lab right now trying to figure out how to clone Fetterman.

    Iā€™m sure Iā€™ll be labeled a Fetterman fan boy, but Iā€™m a 50-something 30+ year Democrat that has seen Democrats do a really good job at losing elections and letting the GOP walk all over them. Fetterman no doubt has a cult-like following, but the DNC powers that be should be examining why that is.





  • If a state wanted, it could just decide to let the state legislature pick the electors and not hold a popular vote at all.

    I was surprised this wasnā€™t raised as a counterargument by the Colorado attorney when the ā€œone state could determine whoā€™s electedā€ argument was made. (If it was, I missed it.) The justices are worried that states (letā€™s just say it: ā€œred statesā€) could make up some frivolous reason to keep someone off the ballot and disqualify them, but the brutal reality is that they could do it already by screwing with the electors. (Hell, Trump and his co-conspirators tried sending fake electors from some states.) Setting a precedent allowing states to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment just give states another way to accomplish this. ā€œOh, Biden tripped walking up to a podium? Thatā€™s insurrection!ā€

    Whatā€™s really sad/outrageous is that Trump and the GOP have so terribly warped and perverted the political norms in this country that we have to even consider the possibility of states fabricating frivolous reasons to keep someone off the ballot. We canā€™t keep a 91 felon count indicted insurrectionist, fraudster, and rapist from getting elected and destroying democracy because his friends may avenge him by abusing and misapplying the law in the future. This really sucks.