serve and protect

[twocoach]

Is it wrong to suggest [that X and Y] are pretty much the same thing?

This should be the sort of thing that, when it crosses the ol' cerebellum transom, should make one stop and think, am I sure here?.

You'd think after the 50th time that "or am I just typing stupid shit because I didn't give this more than 5 seconds of thought" would flow through before typing it and hitting Submit but here we are. My assumption is that a GIF suggesting such nonsense went through one of his social media timelines and he regurgitated it here as an attempt at "deep thought".

[ousdahl]

Is it wrong to suggest Hamas and Zionism are pretty much the same thing?

Both are militant right wing religious extremists who wanna wipe the other off the planet.

The big difference is, one gets labeled a “terrorist organization,” and the other one gets weapons from you and me.

Imperialism be funny like that.

(Again, Hamas might instead be labeled “freedom fighter,” and given weapons too, if our empire decided the juice was worth the squeeze…remember when doods like Bin Laden and Saddam were our allies?)

Back on topic…

Who would have guessed this generation’s Neil Young “Ohio,” this generation’s creative voice, would be…Macklemore?!

https://youtu.be/fgDQyFeBBIo?si=OWpjJufSkJV3Gj2C

I'm not clicking on that link, and like Gutter, I'm not sure what mji said, (although I remain sorry you managed to chase him off), but as I have said on more than one occasion previously, your false equivalencies and tortured conflations, like the fucking crazy ones in the post above, make you impossible to have a discussion with, appear desperate to make a point, and not worth paying attention to.

Holy shit!

I didn’t chase mjl off. Mjl got banned cuz he made violent death threats against me.

I frankly found it all deeply upsetting, including the fact you now remember at as being sorry I chased him off. Can I please ask a little humanity of you here?

[ousdahl]

And for real, you guys seem so selective in conveniently avoiding the fact that Israel has been brutalizing Palestinians for decades before Hamas even existed.

Hamas, though rightfully condemnable, is the result of violently forcing over 2 million people into a strip of land operated as an open air prison. That’s condemnable too!

And the fact you shrug off Israel bombing Gaza before, during, and after 10/7 the way they have, not to mention also bombing the West Bank before, during, and after 10/7, where Hamas doesn’t even operate.

Like for real, the shameless bias and selective outrage you guys exhibit about imperial politics is even worse than shirley trying to frame mjl getting banned for death threats as me chasing him off.

[Shirley]

I wasn't here and didn't see what happened, and never went back to see. All I know is what I "heard", i.e., read about, it after I returned and he was gone. If I mischaracterized what happened, I apologize, but if you played a hand in provoking him, I miss him and wish you hadn't.

[Shirley]

I wasn't here and didn't see what happened, and never went back to see. All I know is what I "heard", i.e., read about, it after I returned and he was gone. If I mischaracterized what happened, I apologize, but if you played a hand in provoking him, I miss him and wish you hadn't.

Edited to add: That being said, reading your post above conflating Zionism and Hamas only serves to make me question your innocence in the episode.

[ousdahl]

Thanks for the humanity.

The “provoking him” was gq made a joke about taking a tinder date to a hotel Overland Park, and I repeated the joke, and mjl interpreted the joke as if it was me actually saying something about him, so he said he was gonna come find me in real life and kill me, among other threats.

[ousdahl]

Ok.

Talk to me as dumb as you think I am and explain:

What makes Zionism and Hamas so different?

[ousdahl]

mjl was right about you

Actually, mjl was very wrong about me, about a lot of things.

Now, without saying more, let me just plead you for a little humanity here too.

[KUTradition]

mjl was right about you

Actually, mjl was very wrong about me, about a lot of things.

Now, without saying more, let me just plead you for a little humanity here too.

if it’s en vogue and gets you laid, right?

[ousdahl]

Well, it’s overwhelmingly NOT en vogue, I guess. At least around here.

But yea, chicks dig it. At least the kind of chicks whose attention I prefer.

At the end of the day, it’s about trying to hold a world view rooted in compassion

but I realize that sounds cheesy as fuck.

[ousdahl]

But hopefully this isn’t too much to say:

I know I can be annoying, but I really hope you don’t actually think death threats are more appropriate.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

mjl went at it with me about something he misinterpreted my saying.
He was very passionate on here.
Interestingly, on and around October 7th, he was pretty spot on with his predictions.
I have NO problem with what I feel is your (ousdahl) genuine concern and compassion for the "innocent" people in Gaza. I do have a problem with SOME of your extreme statements that I feel border on insanity, or maybe I should say ignorance. I fully admit I am extremely ignorant when it comes to what is happening in the conflict right now. I'll share my thoughts and feelings but I should probably preface what I post by saying that - that's all they are, thoughts and feelings. I shouldn't be presenting things in a manner in which they may come of as facts - when they are not. I feel that way in regards to what anyone posts on here (don't present something as being factual when it's not) - and I called out randy in regards to that on the Basketball Board.

Moving on to the subject matter of the thread title......

I found this semi interesting. In part because it's inevitable I will have some involvement due to my job and affiliations.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists ... -elections

[ousdahl]

Thanks gutter. Once again, I appreciate your willingness to try for civil dialogue and articulate thoughts, and your respectful tone, even when you’re calling me borderline insane.

Honestly, I feel for the Israeli people. What happened on 10/7 was awful, and what has happened to Jewish communities historically is worse.

But I feel for the Palestinian people too. An entire generation of kids has grown up on the Mediterranean coast, but has never seen the water. They’ve grown up facing so much violence. And now, through no fault of their own, are being forced to evacuate from one place to the next even tho nowhere is safe.

It would be like if you were beefing with your neighbor, so bad that one day your neighbor kills your dog. That’s awful!

But then you decide to respond by killing your neighbor’s dog, cat, wife, kids, grandma, foreign exchange student, housekeeper, nanny, destroy the house, and also burn down every other house on the neighborhood block to boot. That’s even worse!

And every time anyone tries to say maybe you’re overreacting and just making the entire situation worse, you scream BuT MaH DoG!, and act like the real asshole is them for suggesting you should NOT be able to destroy the entire neighborhood.

[KUTradition]

through no fault of their own



https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas ... 3844bc4514

[ousdahl]

You blame kids?

[KUTradition]

there ya go again, deliberately misrepresenting because you’re incapable

can’t believe i’m actually humoring you, but…

define “kids”

i put at least some blame on anyone who did, and most certainly those who still do, support hamas…that would certainly include 15, 16, 17 year old “kids”, and probably those a bit younger

at that age i knew right from wrong, i knew the kkk was a piece of shit organization, and i knew what terrorism was

i blame trump supporters for the level of power/influence he has, and any damage he does to our country

i blame anyone who deep down knows better, but chooses to do nothing for the sake of “power”

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Thanks gutter. Once again, I appreciate your willingness to try for civil dialogue and articulate thoughts, and your respectful tone, even when you’re calling me borderline insane.

Honestly, I feel for the Israeli people. What happened on 10/7 was awful, and what has happened to Jewish communities historically is worse.

But I feel for the Palestinian people too. An entire generation of kids has grown up on the Mediterranean coast, but has never seen the water. They’ve grown up facing so much violence. And now, through no fault of their own, are being forced to evacuate from one place to the next even tho nowhere is safe.

It would be like if you were beefing with your neighbor, so bad that one day your neighbor kills your dog. That’s awful!

But then you decide to respond by killing your neighbor’s dog, cat, wife, kids, grandma, foreign exchange student, housekeeper, nanny, destroy the house, and also burn down every other house on the neighborhood block to boot. That’s even worse!

And every time anyone tries to say maybe you’re overreacting and just making the entire situation worse, you scream BuT MaH DoG!, and act like the real asshole is them for suggesting you should NOT be able to destroy the entire neighborhood.

I feel we are all borderline insane. It could be about things we are passionate about, about things we don't know about but think we do, about whatever. Of course it's typically not a compliment to call someone insane (unless you elaborate and truly meant it as a compliment) but in this instance it's not as big of an insult as it may come off as being.

Like you, I feel terrible for the Palestinian kids. I don't feel nearly as terrible for those Palestinian adults who like I said before, support Hamas and the annihilation of Israel.

As far as the rest of your post, you used a key word - "like".
Yes, many things are "like" other things but the reality is - that's all they are is - "like". They are not "identical".

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am 100% against the killing of innocent people. No matter what race, religion, nationality they are. I'm going to stop there because I have already expressed my views and opinions on the subject - enough.

[ousdahl]

Well said, gutman. Yea we all a little cray.

Agreed that I don’t support killing innocent people.

I also agree that I don’t support Hamas and their goal of annihilation of Israel.

Where we may disagree tho is, I also don’t support Israel’s goal of annihilation of Palestine.

If we’re allowed to criticize Netanyahu, I’m afraid he and his administration may be just as batshit crazy as Hamas, albeit in slightly different flavors, and with different resources and support.

Is that fair to say?

[DeletedUser]

If we’re allowed to criticize Netanyahu, I’m afraid he and his administration may be just as batshit crazy as Hamas, albeit in slightly different flavors, and with different resources and support.

Is that fair to say?

No. Not really.

Do you know much about Hamas?

[ousdahl]

I know Hamas is the militant extremist religious right wing governing political party of Gaza, who perped 10/7 and who wants to annihilate Israel.

They gained power I think after that Yasser Arafat dood and his more moderate/left-leaning secular political party lost it.

I guess that’s not to be confused with
Netanyahu and his brand of militant extremist religious right wing governing?