this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2024
140 points (92.2% liked)

politics

19172 readers
5141 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 41 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Correction.

The US does not benefit from it. The increasingly fascist and plutocratic ruling class benefits from it.

We, the tax payers, are the ones being robbed.

The money goes from our pockets, gets laundered through Israel. The Israelies bribe our politicians with it, then enrich the military contractors with what's left.

Palestinians get slaughtered. Tax payers get bled like stuck pigs. The police become more militarized. The party distinction lessens. Then, when Gaza has been successfully ethnically cleansed, a "completely unforeseen terrorist attack" (that was totally not committed by the Pentagon) will happen in America, and Iran will be blamed.

A major population of the children of dutiful bootlickers between the ages 18 and 23 will go off to war and ravage Iran, Syria, Lebanon... the entire Middle East, taking their direct orders from the IDF. Israel will expand and will continue to thrive as the luxury epicenter for the uber-rich and powerful, protected by the Iron Dome surrounded with American youth and warships.

At the same time, American Palestinians will be identified as domestic terrorists, along with anyone who spoke up in Palestine's defense. They will be round up, pushed out of major population centers, and will face the same treatment Gaza got. Not only will there be the taxes>Israel>politician payoff>weapons pay-loop, but the taxes>Pentagon>politician payoff>weapons pay-loop will be fired back up full force.

Then on to the next race whose country of genetic origin gives America/Israel any reason.

It is all SO painfully see-through and boring.

It is all that happens over and over and over again. For the entire span of human history.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I don’t disagree but there is a huge military advantage to having Israel as an ally in the Middle East. Now more than ever with Iran and Afghanistan being increasingly extremist as of late.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Like what? Seriously, the US has bases out the ass in the middle east. Losing Israel is not a big deal. And when was the last time they actually helped in a war? In the gulf war they were a fuckin liability because Iraq attacked them to try to get them to join the war and get the Muslim countries to pull out of the coalition.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Don’t you have homework to do? The adults are talking.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

About the stupid and dismissive response I would expect from a lead eating knuckle dragging fascist.

You know why Iran and Afganistan are increasingly extremist as of late? Because Israel is fucking colonizing and bombing their lands, you cretin.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Did you just say Iran is extremist because of Israel???? What???

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Yeah but who benefits?

Not the average middle class/ low-income voter Harris needs to get elected.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago

LoL does anybody really benefit from any industry in the US? Hell, even fucking healthcare doesn't benefit you! So that's so different about the military industrial complex than any other industry? It's all about making a few rich people richer. You're just a pawn in their game.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Not the average middle class/ low-income voter Harris needs to get elected.

The quiet part most people don't want to face is that she (or any other Democrat) doesn't need voters at all. When they've always got the dubious advantage of being "the lesser evil", what voters really want or would benefit from doesn't matter, as long as it's not as bad as the other guy. Those already in power will continue to reap the benefits of the system whoever the figurehead at the top is, it's designed that way.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Harris is still american you know.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago

bUt WaSnT sHe iNdIAn yEsTeRdAy?!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

No shit sherlock. Genocide is a US government thing, it doesn't matter which president or administration.

Eisenhower 1961:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

What if I told you, you don't become president if you aren't willing to feed the war machine?

On the flip side, you won't have the power to enact change if you don't become president. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

That's the problem.

A literal ocean of blood isn't enough to make them second guess the imperialism. Isn't even a consideration.

Just send the dual citizen Israeli sabatour to go make sure no deal is reached.

Periodic reminder, Bush's War on Peace killed 4,800,000 people. Human beings. Dead. We are not the good guys.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

This article is a good example of manufacturing consent. The U.S., even the industrial pipelines, don’t benefit from war as an industry. Short term gains are not the same as long term benefits.

Second, regional destabilization just makes a less safe world, and holds back societal and intellectual progress. We continue to live like primal idiots as a result of all of this.

Let’s also not forget the cultural, moral and philosophical losses. If you continue to uphold legacies of bloodlust, you cannot have a moral or ethical ground to stand on when an enemy does worse.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

If latinum is available, there is porn for anything?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

The Conversation is a great news outlet

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Speak for yourself, Dov. I don't benefit from that shit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

I'm sorry but her eye on that sign makes me crack up

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

War it's a round business..

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

The Conversation - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for The Conversation:

MBFC: Least Biased - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: Very High - Australia
Wikipedia about this source

Search topics on Ground.Newshttps://theconversation.com/us-is-unlikely-to-stop-giving-military-aid-to-israel-because-it-benefits-from-it-237290
Media Bias Fact Check | bot support

[–] [email protected] -4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Dumbos, it's not a conspiracy.

The US isn't going to let the only democracy in the middle east be genocided out of existence by the insane, theocratic, far-right shithole, Iran.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Can you prove it's the only democracy in the middle east? Because a lot of your points stand on this straw.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not the person you're responding to but it's close according to this graphic, basically Israel and Cypress.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Great chart! Is it from some report or article? Would be curious to read it.

Especially given the fact how undemocratic Israel is when it comes to Palestinians (no voting rights, no adequate political representation, no proper legal reresentation, making decisions in Israel that directly affect the West Bank which it essentially also rules, etc, and maybe some form of dignity if you are a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship but that is about it). Essentially it's quite bold to claim to be a democracy while practicing apartheid on the side, and I have a feeling that that chart does not take this into account at all.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Just the first image on a search. But chart aside, saying something is a democracy doesn't make a country good or bad. Israel is fundamentally a democracy by any argument. That doesn't make their current far right government good. I think arguing about whether it's a democracy or not just undercuts your larger argument. Israel let's any citizen, regardless of ethnic origin, vote. Their Islamic citizens largely support the same wars the Jews do. Saying they don't let Palestinians vote is sorta like saying the USA didn't let Iraq vote while we were slaughtering them. Or more close to home if we started a war with Mexico. Even when the USA had slaves we were a democracy. We are still a democracy even when we do bad things. People are shit, and we vote.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I did not bring good/bad into this. By definition, can you really be a democracy if you are an apartheid regime where two thirds of your "residents" have low to no rights in gotingnor determining their future? Seriously asking.

Again, I'm not talking about Palestinians who are Israeli citizens so hope that makes it clearer.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

By definition, can you really be a democracy if you are an apartheid regime where two thirds of your "residents" have low to no rights in gotingnor determining their future?

The population of the Palestinian territories is, closer to 1/3 of the whole of Israel/Palestine. But the answer is yes either way. The people of Israel have a fully functioning democracy, and have had for some time. If they use that democracy to create a brutal militarily controlled territory, Israel is still a democracy, even if their territories are not or even if their territories have limited self determination. Democracy is just a form of government, that form of government exists for the people living in Israel proper whether or not it exists for their territories.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I don't see how. Democracy states that people have power to rule usually through voting. If not all the people have this power equally, is it really a democracy? It can look like one but not necessarily be one.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think you're making a values judgement instead of a logical one. No one was claiming the USA wasn't a democracy when only male white land owners could vote. It was just a flawed society, but still a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The USA?

And no that was not a democracy either. Not even a flawed one. Just flat out undemocratic. Just like Israel.

Feels like this "flawed democracy" stuff is just window dressing done by countries so they can maintain their undemocratic systems.