Agreed, but I also can't look away from what is happening in Palestine and how the US is supporting it. This is genocide, there's no other way to describe it. I'm tired of having to choose between the less bad option, but the two parties are so entrenched that we will never overcome it.
Some people either forget what having a 'strong man' in government means or never learnt it in History class. I still wonder how people can think that Fascism works and will SOLVE their problems or at the very least only hurt their enemies. Hopefully you guys won't need to learn this lesson after Nov '24 and especially after Jan '25. Because I'm pretty sure that it won't be a pleasant one....
@ Sarah: I do find myself holding my nose sometimes when I vote here. It is definitely a case of not voting (which I don't like doing) or putting my X for the lessor of two weevils. Even when other Parties exist (there's usually at least 5-6 on our voting papers) you know for certain that its almost impossible for them to gain any kind of power.
I'd be either an Independent or Democrat in the US for the simple reason that I think the present day Republican party is an abomination... But I also think that I'd have to hold my nose most of the time I vote.
Oh, and as you brought it up.... I have pretty much zero idea why the US supports Israel unconditionally. What they're doing now - and honestly have been doing for decades - is **appalling**........... I'm going to *try* to schedule in some reading on the region this year.
The Democrats, historically, supported Israel because the Democrats had heavy funding from American Jews. The Republicans, since the Cold War, have supported Israel both because (1) it is a sometimes useful ally for projecting force into the region, and Cold War neocons/militant liberals love arranging wars for their corporate backers and (2) large parts of the evangelicals who vote for the Republicans en masse believe that Israel is a sacred state and that Americans are bound by God to defend it from its enemies until the Endtimes. There are some, like the Pentecostals I grew up with, who believe that the United States is sheltered from the worst parts of Endtimes Tribulation only as long as it supports Israel -- and that when it does withdraw support, as it will, then the United States will be destroyed.
"The Endtimes" and Tribulation are both very modern prottie ideas, by the way. One member of my parents' church would argue with the preacher, pointing out that The Rapture was a new idea and dates to the late 19th century at best, and that its scriputural support is a bunch of lines from different books of the Bible lifted out of context and then remixed to create a completely new narrative.
Believing in doomsday/endtimes is fairly 'normal' -- most people do it, though these days it's more common to dress doomsday up labcoats and such. The Rapture, however, is...inexplicable. I can't tell you how many nightmares I had about missing it, or 'Rapture panics' because I was out of touch with my parents and they were overdue to return or something. These days with cellphones that wouldn't happen, but I used to have a 'rapture call list' of people I could call to see if the rapture had happened or not...ranked considering (1) how likely I believed they were to be raptures and (2) the plausibility of my calling them. Like, I couldn't call people without having a non-Rapture related reason. XD
I'm planning a little mideast & central Asia reading myself, but mostly about Iran, with a little Arab world post-2011, I think.
Growing up we had Soviet nuclear bombers buzzing our airspace (as did you guys of course), so I don't think we had any great incentive for any kind of make-believe apocalypse. Plus neither of our major religions had much truck with that kind of thing.
I'm ever thankful that my grandmother ensured that I grew up in a religiously indifferent if not a atheistic household. We were expected to come to our own conclusions. Not being sent to Catholic schools growing up helped, as the state run Church of England schools I attended didn't put a lot of effort into 'religious education' so a lot of it passed me by.
My parents didn't go to school, yet, when the Nazis were legally elected in Germany. But they had to go through all the disadvantages of living in a dictatorship. The thing is, back then people didn't have the ability to get all the information as we do now so I am shocked that many still make the same mistakes as they did back then.
Having said that, my grandfather had just the then usual eight years of schooling and he knew that AH was not a good choice. He warned everyone in his village that this would lead to war but was regarded as a communist and punished respectively.
So, please, tell everyone that electing someone who wants to become a dictator is not a good idea.
It is strange how SO many people have forgotten, overlooked or dismissed what we KNOW happens when wannabe dictators become actual dictators. This kind of thing hardly ever goes well for ANYONE - including the dictator themselves, his closest followers and those who elected him.... Jeeze people... READ your History books!
It's disgusting and awful and this genocide must be stopped. I will begrudgingly and furiously still vote for Biden while holding my nose like you said, even though he fucking said he wouldn't run for a second term, to keep trump out of office.
13 comments:
Agreed, but I also can't look away from what is happening in Palestine and how the US is supporting it. This is genocide, there's no other way to describe it. I'm tired of having to choose between the less bad option, but the two parties are so entrenched that we will never overcome it.
I can’t believe it’s even a question for some people, or just how many people didn’t pay attention in history class and think fascism is a good idea!
Yup. One of these things is *not* like the other.
Some people either forget what having a 'strong man' in government means or never learnt it in History class. I still wonder how people can think that Fascism works and will SOLVE their problems or at the very least only hurt their enemies. Hopefully you guys won't need to learn this lesson after Nov '24 and especially after Jan '25. Because I'm pretty sure that it won't be a pleasant one....
@ Sarah: I do find myself holding my nose sometimes when I vote here. It is definitely a case of not voting (which I don't like doing) or putting my X for the lessor of two weevils. Even when other Parties exist (there's usually at least 5-6 on our voting papers) you know for certain that its almost impossible for them to gain any kind of power.
I'd be either an Independent or Democrat in the US for the simple reason that I think the present day Republican party is an abomination... But I also think that I'd have to hold my nose most of the time I vote.
Oh, and as you brought it up.... I have pretty much zero idea why the US supports Israel unconditionally. What they're doing now - and honestly have been doing for decades - is **appalling**........... I'm going to *try* to schedule in some reading on the region this year.
The Democrats, historically, supported Israel because the Democrats had heavy funding from American Jews. The Republicans, since the Cold War, have supported Israel both because (1) it is a sometimes useful ally for projecting force into the region, and Cold War neocons/militant liberals love arranging wars for their corporate backers and (2) large parts of the evangelicals who vote for the Republicans en masse believe that Israel is a sacred state and that Americans are bound by God to defend it from its enemies until the Endtimes. There are some, like the Pentecostals I grew up with, who believe that the United States is sheltered from the worst parts of Endtimes Tribulation only as long as it supports Israel -- and that when it does withdraw support, as it will, then the United States will be destroyed.
"The Endtimes" and Tribulation are both very modern prottie ideas, by the way. One member of my parents' church would argue with the preacher, pointing out that The Rapture was a new idea and dates to the late 19th century at best, and that its scriputural support is a bunch of lines from different books of the Bible lifted out of context and then remixed to create a completely new narrative.
That whole 'Endtimes', 'Rapture' stuff is wackadoodle on steroids.... [shakes head]. The things people believe....... [lol]
I'll try to fit in at least 1-2 books on Israel/Palestine at some point this year.
Believing in doomsday/endtimes is fairly 'normal' -- most people do it, though these days it's more common to dress doomsday up labcoats and such. The Rapture, however, is...inexplicable. I can't tell you how many nightmares I had about missing it, or 'Rapture panics' because I was out of touch with my parents and they were overdue to return or something. These days with cellphones that wouldn't happen, but I used to have a 'rapture call list' of people I could call to see if the rapture had happened or not...ranked considering (1) how likely I believed they were to be raptures and (2) the plausibility of my calling them. Like, I couldn't call people without having a non-Rapture related reason. XD
I'm planning a little mideast & central Asia reading myself, but mostly about Iran, with a little Arab world post-2011, I think.
Growing up we had Soviet nuclear bombers buzzing our airspace (as did you guys of course), so I don't think we had any great incentive for any kind of make-believe apocalypse. Plus neither of our major religions had much truck with that kind of thing.
I'm ever thankful that my grandmother ensured that I grew up in a religiously indifferent if not a atheistic household. We were expected to come to our own conclusions. Not being sent to Catholic schools growing up helped, as the state run Church of England schools I attended didn't put a lot of effort into 'religious education' so a lot of it passed me by.
My parents didn't go to school, yet, when the Nazis were legally elected in Germany. But they had to go through all the disadvantages of living in a dictatorship. The thing is, back then people didn't have the ability to get all the information as we do now so I am shocked that many still make the same mistakes as they did back then.
Having said that, my grandfather had just the then usual eight years of schooling and he knew that AH was not a good choice. He warned everyone in his village that this would lead to war but was regarded as a communist and punished respectively.
So, please, tell everyone that electing someone who wants to become a dictator is not a good idea.
It is strange how SO many people have forgotten, overlooked or dismissed what we KNOW happens when wannabe dictators become actual dictators. This kind of thing hardly ever goes well for ANYONE - including the dictator themselves, his closest followers and those who elected him.... Jeeze people... READ your History books!
It's disgusting and awful and this genocide must be stopped. I will begrudgingly and furiously still vote for Biden while holding my nose like you said, even though he fucking said he wouldn't run for a second term, to keep trump out of office.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Post a Comment