rational_lib @ rational_lib @lemmy.world

https://rationallib.substack.com/

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8 mo. ago

"Let's get slurping"

What's the alternative? Register as Republicans and do a hostile takeover of that party?

shutting out a significant portion of your community without seeking their input first isn't a sensible move for such a foundational open source project.

Ironic when X shuts out anyone who isn't logged in and shuts out anyone who doesn't pay for a blue checkmark from having visible replies.

Having an X account isn't consequence-free - if it becomes where updates occur, people have to sign up for an account and subject themselves to nazis everywhere and all manner of crypto spam just to see updates. And they have to pay Elon tribute to be heard in response. It's crazy that anyone sees it as being friendly to users.

I already did, it didn't work.

smashed into a military Blackhawk helicopter

Speaking from DC there's way the fuck too many low-flying helicopters around here. If it's indeed a blackhawk it's probably some military bigwig going to or from the pentagon a mile away.

This is literally the top link

Yes, but here's the problem: I don't know you were referring to the top link, nor would it make sense for me to assume that you were. After all, the top link refers to a phone call Reagan made 1) to a different Israeli president 2) in a different war 3) against an entirely different group 4) in which the lengthy article, from what I can tell, doesn't actually specify that the call had any particular effect. Of course, in reality Israel's attack on Lebanon continued for a month and a half after this article was published. Nowhere does it specify that Reagan took the step of cutting off any weapons whatsoever, as Biden did. So it would actually be the height of irrationality for me to assume this was support for your point, as it doesn't support it at all.

https://www.imeupolicyproject.org/postelection-polling

To reiterate, my point is that Biden had reason to presume that in some alternate universe (that doesn't actually exist and cannot be polled today) if he had cut off aid to Israel it would've alienated Jewish voters and lost the election. The poll you provided not only cannot relate to that point, but it doesn't even include option for insufficient support for Israel. But I do know both from my own discussions with Jewish voters and articles like this one that "weakness against Hamas" drove many pro-Israel jews to support Trump this election. It was a lose-lose situation. Y'all could've helped garner a bit of sympathy by maybe not chanting edgy slogans that are designed to sound scary, and skipping the spraypainting of neighborhoods and late night loud camping events on campuses. Of course Hamas could've also helped by not filming themselves murdering white teenagers just trying to have a party. That's who the blame for the failure to stop Israel really lies with.

LOL. How to say you know nothing about geopolitics without saying you know nothing about geopolitics.

Well then neither does Netanyahu, who had been quite openly friendly with Putin up until the Hamas attacks and China thereafter.

It’s not other peoples responsibility to teach you.

It actually is though. I'm not demanding to be taught, you're the one who volunteered to teach me. You can't then assign me homework. Any business owner will tell you that if you want your bill to be paid, you should make it easy to be paid - provide many forms of payment, send an envelope, etc. Likewise, if you want to be heard, make it easy to listen.

https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=Reagan+Israel+war

I don't have a duty to google to find sources that you won't provide, nor guess at what your point is. I don't actually have access to the thoughts in your head beyond what you have written.

There is nothing rational about you. It’s impossible to be rational with absolutely no historical knowledge.

Ad hominem, ignored. If my arguments are irrational, feel free to point out how.

It doesn’t matter who the leader of Israel is... Any American president, at any time, can end any Israeli war with a phone call.

I'll summarize this point by saying you're arguing in essence that if Biden demanded an end to the war, it would end because Israel would run out of weapons. This leaves out several other possibilities, the most notable of which is that Democrats are voted out by (usually democratic-voting) jews and Trump takes office and gives Israel whatever they want. Another possibility is Israel allying with Russia or China to get the weapons they need. Either way, the war continues. I happen to think Biden should've cut them off anyway, but the point I'm arguing is that every other president would've done no more than Biden did. To think otherwise is really a rather far left view that has never been popular is US politics.

Biden held back one shipment of 2,000 lb bombs

I don't know the details of what Biden did and didn't pause, this article seems to include more bombs and Trump's actions ending the pause seems to suggest that it was an ongoing pause of all shipments. But that's besides the point. The point is, I'm not aware of any other president doing that. I'm also aware of the current president undoing that pause, with little opposition. Which demonstrates how politically suicidal it is to cut off Israel entirely.

And when you have the power to end it, and don’t, then you are responsible for it.

If. The voters used their power to put Trump in office after he was quite clear about wanting Netanyahu to do whatever he wants in Gaza and even the West Bank. I think that says a lot about Biden's abilities. I think Palestinians and their activist "friends" need to ask themselves some hard questions about how they fumbled winning popular support for ending a genocide.

Now, before you complain about me not providing links, spend 5 seconds trying to educate yourself by using Google.

I completely reject this as impractical and harmful to discussions everywhere. If something is not common knowledge and can be doubted, you need to provide a source. Think about it. The alternative is that I am left to either 1) Trust some random person on the internet or 2) do the work myself to find out, which in your case also involves trying to figure out what you're even trying to say first, or 3) just assert the opposite without providing a source is response. Most people choose 1) if it's someone they already agree with, and 3) if it's someone they disagree with. This is why we have so many culty filter bubbles. Cite your sources. Not only for me, but also for you so you can verify that your memory is correct, and end up making a better point as a result.

This idea originated as a Stephen Colbert joke in 2010. As always I'm sure some will call this some sort of self-aware troll by Trump, but what are the odds of that.

Reagan started the 3 billion in military aid to Israel and the other two you mentioned continued it. And this is the very thing Biden is criticized for.

You say they ended wars with phone calls, without specifically saying what you're referring to. But I can guess the following two things are true of Reagan, Bush, and Clinton: 1) they weren't dealing with Netanyahu, and 2) they weren't dealing with Hamas. Netanyahu was clearly not interested in ending the war until his buddy Trump was president, so there never was an option to bring "peace with a phone call". Biden held back weapons to Israel, taking flak from how own party to do so - did any of his predecessors?

I'm not here to say Biden did enough, but you guys and the pro Israel side have something in common - you have a particular hate for Biden.

Attempted justice.

The fact that you place the entire weight of 80 years of US Israeli policy on its most reluctant participant demonstrates your agenda. If Trump was in office on Oct. 7, there would be no palestinian territories anymore. They'd be under the Israeli flag and stained with the blood of American soldiers.

Retail capitalists are fine, but Amazon, Walmart, and Target all did the maga loyalty thing after Trump's win. I don't need to buy from someone who shares my politics or even doesn't disagree with me, I just need them to not be outright oligarchs using my money to support dictators.

What's the alternative? The other places I can order a big box of cheap stuff from (Walmart, Target) are run by even worse people and have even worse service.

I once ordered porcelain plates from target and they arrived with no packaging. I don't mean insufficient packaging, I mean four plates just thrown in a giant box with absolutely nothing else. Somehow 3 were not broken.

Right now I want 1) creatine and 2) cheap t-shirts and I don't wanna pay for shipping them separately. I can't find any place where I can get both at a reasonable price besides one of the above. I'm actually considering a costco membership but I'm only going to ever order online from them so I doubt it's worth their stupid membership.

No we really don't. Luigi was an idiot. He shot a subsidiary CEO worth some $40 million - Brian Thompson was closer to working class wealth than to Elon's wealth. Did nothing to fight the real enemy, who have quite simply continued unabated and even accelerated their efforts to control everything since.

Tesla's market share has definitely been harmed by Elon's actions already, especially in Europe

Still, Tesla stock is up because Wall Street loves Trump.

“It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” Musk said.

Non-German, in attempt to change Germany, warns Germans of non-Germans changing Germany

The good news is we are a very stupid enemy