SpankyMcFarland

Did you look at my links? I haven’t examined the primary sources but the people quoted have a certain credibility in this area, e.g. Dwight Eisenhower. Even without their compelling testimony, it seems a little rash to discount the situation that Japan found itself in which was quite like Nazi Germany’s before it surrendered - utterly ruined and facing the imminent possibility of being overrun by Stalin and his hordes. That would bring the thought of compromise to the top of anybody’s agenda.

I’m afraid these are the facts. I’m not calling anybody names, just pointing to a real money trail. BTW hundred dollar bills are called Benjamins because Mr. Franklin’s face appears on them. That figure of speech happens with other dollar denominations too.

There’s still considerable debate about that claim: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n22/andrew-cockburn/big-six-v.-little-boy https://www.raabcollection.com/presidential-autographs/eisenhower-nuclear

In fairness, a lot of Benjamins were spent by AIPAC trying to oust Omar and others like her in 2022 and probably more will be spent next time: https://jewishinsider.com/2022/09/don-samuels-ilhan-omar-united-democracy-project-filing/ It’s not all about the Benjamins but keep an eye on them all the same.

It’s because the Irish government has long supported the Palestinian cause. The conflict became a proxy for the Northern Irish one, with Protestants supporting Israel and Catholics Palestine.

There was slaughter of both Muslims and Hindus. Millions fled because of their religion.

The US should have done better on its eastern coast, maybe its western one too. They have the people. It’s one of the perks of visiting Europe.

Those guys would be better off shaving their heads. I think I see more of that in the UK.

Iran is a regional power rather than a global one. The last thing the mullahs want is a real war that could trigger their overthrow. It’s not going to attack America any time soon.

This was a much better debate than the last one. Cross-talk was minimal so you could actually hear what people were saying. Now I may be a little biased here…but in my lefty opinion Vivek was both ridiculous and undignified, throwing insults hither and yon all night. Describing Zelensky as a Nazi was probably the lowest point but it’s hard to say. He also mentioned the TikTok use of Haley’s daughter (she called him ‘scum’ in return), bizarrely described Biden as “a puppet of the managerial class”, the sort of line you might hear at the weekly meeting of the local Trotskyist collective, and proposed a northern wall to keep all those Canadian criminals out. He comes across as a shock jock looking for bad publicity if he can’t get the good stuff. There’s no question he’s an entertaining speaker but the job still requires a little more dignity than he exhibits. The other two also-rans, Christie and Scott, seemed resigned to their fate and just went through the motions. By contrast, Haley and DeSantis performed well although Haley came across better. She’s more likeable. DeSantis might have benefited from teaching a bit of drama in his youth. His vocal range is restricted and he doesn’t move his body enough. On the content side, there’s no question he’s well-informed. Anyway, they remain the pair behind Trump and are both comfortable in this format. At the moment, I can’t see these debates changing the race significantly, at least until the number of participants is reduced.

Some content is still required and his is California. Which is a problem. Few dream of going there any more.

Who knows what will happen. The Russians have sheer numbers on their side. They’d be better off just hanging on to what they have - their attacks are disasters. The Ukrainians have the advantage of US and European equipment and superior morale but their democratic allies are less tolerant of war than the dictatorship they face. It’s remarkable that we are even talking about a front in Eastern Ukraine rather than a guerilla war in a Russian-occupied country. Shows how far Russia has fallen.

Very generally speaking, Sikhs tend to be high achievers and they have a fondness for careers in the security forces that is no longer widespread. Overall, they are a big plus. The Khalistan thing, though, should have been nipped in the bud. Oddly enough, I don’t think it’s as big an issue here as it was decades ago but India is looking for trouble these days.

Whatever it is, the Palestinian slogan not as explicit as this South African one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubul'_ibhunu

Just to return to the original post, yes, we really need to think about whom we support in this world. Your enemy’s enemy is not always your friend and those who call you names on Twitter aren’t really in the same league as gentlemen who will happily launch you from rooftops because of who you are. We don’t need more religious bigotry, or clerics who think they have a mandate from the man upstairs to run countries. Secular social democracy is the best form of government in the world. Any country that has it should hang onto it for dear life.

I understand the expression causes offence and I have never used it myself. Here is some more background on it and how it is perceived by different people: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/us/politics/river-to-the-sea-israel-gaza-palestinians.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Many insurgencies have similar sayings and songs. In Ireland, for example, people talk of Four Green Fields, A Nation Once Again, Our Day Will Come. These are perceived very differently by the other, Protestant, side in Northern Ireland.

Ramaswamy has a talent for publicity or perhaps notoriety might be closer to the truth. What he’ll do with this name recognition is anybody’s guess.

Vivek has a plan to build a big, beautiful wall on America’s northern border. That noise you hear is Canadian feathers being ruffled: As regards stopping the flow of fentanyl into the US, the potential benefits seem fairly modest: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67372909

Ah Jaysus, are you saying that no Muslims were killed during the Partition of British India? That would come as a considerable surprise to many families who mourned them for decades. Why are so many posters unencumbered by facts here?

Do you accept that Israel already extends from the river to the sea? Yes or no?

You really need to read something beyond the premasticated pap that is served up for those cheap dentures of yours to gnaw on. Britain didn’t ’own’ the Mandated Territory of Palestine. The intent from the League of Nations mandate was administer the territory until its people could run it themselves. Unfortunately, the open borders policy of the British - yes, think on that for a second - led to an explosion in migrants and the current mess.

The slaughter and exodus went both ways across that new border. Millions were driven from their homes. And there are Hindus today in Canada who will make anything Islamophobic said on a campus seem utterly harmless by comparison.

And you didn’t answer mine BTW. Yes, I understand how people can be offended by that slogan and I would never say it myself. But in the end it’s a slogan, not facts on the ground. Palestine does not exist as a state - that is the more offensive thing, I think. Actions matter more than words in my book. And I prefer whataboutery. Whataboutism is such an ugly, clumsy word. It starts and peters out. There’s no rhythm to it.

It matters a great deal. We’re talking about holding an election within a political party to unseat a highly popular politician. It is well known that much of AIPAC’s funding, a closely affiliated group, comes from wealthy Republicans. That has no place whatsoever in a Democratic Party election. Just imagine in Canada if Liberal money helped elect Poilievre as leader of his party.

From that veritable thicket of bald assertions, let me make two points: Firstly, forget about the rest of the region. They don’t live there and haven’t lived there. They don’t care about the result. Secondly, not every country is as big as Canada. Take yourself off to an atlas and look at how many countries are smaller than Israel, even without the West Bank, Golan Heights and Gaza. The result may surprise you.