Sunday, April 21, 2024

Support for Ukraine and Israel


(And read to the end for a Trump fart joke!)
Today I was very glad to see the US support for Ukraine and for Israel approved by the House -- now only was it great to see the aid approved itself, but also it was a demonstration that Trump and his crazy MAGA aren't really running the United States. 
At least, not yet. 
But why, oh why, is it just so hard for these people to do the right thing?
In his Public Notice substack, Aaron Rupar reports on his recent conversation with Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg - Why the Trump campaign is in deeper trouble than you think Simon Rosenberg explains Trump's predicament and Biden's improving position.:
When we talked last Thursday, Rosenberg brought up Trump’s money problems and discussed how difficult it will be for him to generate positive headlines when he’s spending so much time in a New York courtroom for his criminal hush money trial.
“What's happening in national media right now is there is a growing sense that the orange emperor has no clothes,” Rosenberg told me. “Where the media narrative started shifting on this race was when it became clear that Trump was having fundraising problems and Republicans are struggling with money. At that point it started dawning on people that maybe he's actually naked.”
“I think the Trump campaign is in much greater trouble than conventional wisdom would indicate right now,” he added.
I also saw some interesting comments about how the Israel-Hamas War is benefiting Iran, from Brookings VP Suzanne Maloney, writing in the journal Foreign Affairs: Iran’s Order of Chaos How the Islamic Republic Is Remaking the Middle East
...The post–October 7 strategic landscape in the Middle East is one that was largely created by Iran and that plays to its strengths. Tehran sees opportunity in chaos. Iranian leaders are exploiting and escalating the war in Gaza to elevate their regime’s stature, weaken and delegitimize Israel, undermine U.S. interests, and further shape the regional order in their favor. The truth is that the Islamic Republic is now in a better position than ever to dominate the Middle East, including by attaining the ability to disrupt shipping at multiple critical chokepoints.
Left unchecked, the dramatic expansion of Iran’s influence would have a catastrophic impact on Israel, the wider region, and the global economy. To disrupt this amplification of Iranian power, Biden urgently needs to articulate and then implement a clear strategy to protect Palestinian civilians from bearing the brunt of Israel’s military operations, counter Iran’s corrosive war-by-proxy strategy, and blunt the capabilities of Tehran’s accomplices. Achieving these goals will require a tricky set of moves by Washington, and Americans are weary of the military, economic, and human toll of their country’s commitments in the Middle East. But no world power other than the United States has the military and diplomatic capacity to frustrate Iran’s most destructive ambitions by managing the spiraling conflict between Israel and Hamas and containing its most devastating long-term consequences. ...
Finally, ending with a Trump joke:

7 comments:

Cap said...

Yes, what a relief that Israel will finally get another $26 billion in arms. Trying to gin up a war with Iran while killing over 34,000 Gazans, including some 13,000 children, was really leaving the cupboard bare. Thanks Joe! Your corrupt, ultra-right pal, Benny

Purple library guy said...

Ukraine: Was invaded.
Israel: Is mass murdering and ethnic cleansing people they invaded and occupied decades ago.

Totally the same!

Cathie from Canada said...

I still support Israel in its war against Hamas, in spite of the poor leadership on both sides.
Israel and the Middle East still need US protection from Iran. There has been progress - many of Israel's Arab neighbours have finally moved beyond Palestinian "Lost Cause" myth. Israel also needs to move beyond its own "God gave this land to me" myth. The myths on both sides have distorted the last 75 years.
I am hopeful that Biden can get the Israel-Hamas War resolved this year without allowing Iran to instigate a wider war.

Purple library guy said...

Yes, well, your support is fundamentally immoral. This is not something people of goodwill can have civil disagreements about any more--you're supporting the mass murder of children and the systematic starvation of a whole population. Decent people don't do that. Give your head a shake.

e.a.f. said...

Purple Library guy is correct, it would appear Israel is murdering children and starving them and also starving adults in Gaza. that truly needs to stop. I know starvation is a part of a method of war, but thought we'd grown beyond that. guess not.
On the other hand, had Hamas not started this war by murdering Israeli's of all ages and taking hostages, the people in Gaza would not be subjected to starvation and death. What Benni is doing in gaza, is unnecessary and not nice. Of course Benni being Benni he is going to things such as this.. Israel has always had the position, you hit us, we'll hit you harder. I expect benni likes the war because no one in Israel is talking about his crimes and as long as there is a war not much will happen with the Supreme Court. Benni is one nasty piece of business. Perhaps they could round up some of the less than admirable world leaders and send them to Mara la go for safe keeping, I'm sure Tump will need the company after the trials. So Benni, the pres. of Turkey and Hungary, Modi, Putin, Kimmy 3. They can all play golf and the world might be a tad safer.

Purple library guy said...

e.a.f., that ignores what happens when there AREN'T any attacks by Hamas. Which is, Israel still kills Palestinians of all ages and genders, takes Palestinian hostages (we don't call them that, but when the army breaks into houses at midnight and grabs anyone male they can find including kids and drags them away without charges, what do you call it?), bulldozes Palestinian farms, schools, solar panels, orchards and whatnot. And every so often they bomb Gaza, then don't allow concrete in past the checkpoint so nobody can rebuild.

But all that's just treated as background, so if Palestinians fight back we're all like "Goodness, why did they do that?". And we say "Well, why don't they resist in a NONVIOLENT WAY?" And then they do, say with the Great March of Return, and Israel snipes dozens of them with particular emphasis on medics and journalists for their temerity, and we totally ignore it. If you're gonna complain about someone doing the wrong thing, you should maybe not kick them in the nads when they do the right thing.

e.a.f. said...

When there aren't any attacks by Hamas, well it might not have had the Hamas name but there have been attacks for decades. The idea was to eliminate Israel and therefore the Jews. Do you not remember the 1973 War when the neighbouring Arab countries thought it would be a good idea if they invade Israel. Unfortunately it did not go as planned. then there were the riots which seemed to go on for ever.
There has been war ever since Israel was created in 1948.

If Israel does not fight it will die. However, Israel has not been acting in a reasonable manner when it invaded Palestinian settlements and farms and removed the owners. Its theft and has nothing to do with the survival of the state of Israel.

The current war, I don't have a problem with Israel invading after Hamas invaded Israel and killed a number of people, including hacking up children. However, at some point Israel has over done it on the war front. It is not O.K. to starve people, not permit water to enter Gaza, and as to babies being killed, there was no reason for women from Gaza to not be able to give birth in Israel hospitals. It has been done for a long time.

Many have never seen Urban warfare. Its brutal and kills a lot of innocent people. If you look at europe during the war and how places like berlin looked after the Allies finished bombing that, or London or Rotterdam, they all more or less look like Gaza. Israel should have pulled out of Gaza after a few weeks stop bombing the civilians. although in some wars people don't see any person as a civilian. The settlers need to get out of the West Bank and Hamas and Hezbullah needs to stop fighting and get on with building their own turf. No one wins in a war like this one because too many people die, especially little kids, who had nothing to do with any of it.

When I see the protests on University campuses siding with Hamas, I always wonder if they are truly concerned about the Palestinians or are they just using them as an excuse to vent their hatred of the Jews. Attacking Jews seems to have been a western past time for centures in Europe. They could not own land, could not participate in politics, could not be a doctor, lawyer, professional of any sort. Then we had attacks on Jewish villages and then the Holocaust. You know if you are subjected to that sort of thing you decide, if we don't fight back to win, we will all be dead. Its not like it couldn't happen again or did you forget about that little march in Charlottsville, "Jews will not replace us". My Mom's line always was, "it can always happen again". Some in Israel most likely feel the same.
War is ugly and brutal. Get used to it, its going to continue all over the world.