19 Killed As Israel Storms Unarmed Aid Convoy

[Watser?]

Can I shave my zionist bear nao?

[Brimshack]

Yeah, that's just how they WANT you to spell it!

[wildernesse]

After reading wiki, I know that bundt is a trademarked word. The Nordic Ware guy trademarked it, after designing bundt cake pans upon request by some Hadassah Society ladies in Minnesota.

[Qingdai]

[Iacchus]

Actually, Jesus may in fact have been the son of Ahura Mazda, with the three Magi from the East being privy to his birth early on. Notwithstanding it may have been the same God that chose to reveal Himself through the Israelite people. It's just that the Israelites (or Jews) haven't come to the full realization of this yet. If they had, we probably wouldn't see nearly as much strife in that part of the world.

But, then again, since strife is such an inherent part of what humans are, maybe this is why God/Jehovah/Ahura Mazda set it up this way? Or, if He hadn't, being the God of Love that he is, we'd really be miserable ... without someone to scapegoat and blame, and take out our aggressions on.

So, maybe He just wants us to be happy?

[erimir]

Actually, despite claims to the contrary, Napoleon may have raped King George III during their secret meeting at Waterloo.

[ChuckF]

Was that while George III was working as a prostitute?

[California Tanker]

I'm a little annoyed. The report makes multiple footnote references to "See this video file on this disk" or "Hear this recording on that disk", but damned if I can find a file to download anywhere.

On page 165/296. It's not fast reading.

NTM

[Sophia]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

Come to think of it, a lot of white supremacists are child rapists. Is that your point? Considering that Israel is an outpost of white supremacy, and unlike you I'm one with the guts to stand up against it, I'm not sure how you think this helps you.

You might have testicles, Chuck, but don't confuse those with balls. I don't mean balls as in anything particularly male but balls as in real courage. Your bullshit machismo is totally fucking fake. That's why you pick only on the weak. Some of us really hate the way white supremacist Israel bulldozed Rachel Corrie to death. You? You make dumbass jokes.

By the way, patriarchal white supremacy is never off topic because we live under that system every day. Just because you're privileged in that context many times over doesn't mean the rest of us are. Or that we're going to just shut up and accept injustice.

[Sophia]

Originally Posted by Watser?

Can I shave my zionist bear nao?

I haven't said anything against Israel that you haven't said against Israel. Against the white supremacist regime, not human beings who happen to be Jews, most of whom are decent people despite the assholes among them. Chuck singles me out because I'm particularly vulnerable. I'm transgendered, I've been raped, and I know as much as anyone what it's like to be fucked over by patriarchy. Men with Chuck's mentality have a sick fixation on kicking the vulnerable when we're down. Kinda like the IDF running over Rachel Corrie, which he tries to excuse with macho bullshit.

Oh well, he's just making me all the more determined to smash his white privilege, male privilege and American national chauvinist privilege.

[Kael]

Originally Posted by Sophia

Come to think of it, a lot of white supremacists are child rapists.

I'm sure you wouldn't say something like that without very convincing data to back it up. You have far too much intellectual integrity to simply be painting one group of acceptable targets with the brush of another. Don't you?

By the way, patriarchal white supremacy is never off topic because we live under that system every day.

You know what else is never off-topic? Pie. We live around pie every day, it's in every supermarket, every corner bakery. Why, I have pie crusts waiting to be used in my very own kitchen! Talk about always relevant!

[Sophia]

Originally Posted by ChuckF

Was that while George III was working as a prostitute?

You're bigoted against sex workers too, asshole? Damn, your list of creepy authoritarian white male bigotries is getting too long to keep up with.

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by Sophia

Chuck singles me out because I'm particularly vulnerable.

Actually I think Chuck is picking on you because you are posting like a raving lunatic.

[Sophia]

You guys are a pretty left-leaning crowd. BY AMERICAN STANDARDS.

Talk about nuance. "By American Standards" is a pretty important qualifier. Basically, what's far left in America is center-right in most of the world. It's kooky to criticize Israel in America, shit, it's often more acceptable to criticize Israel in Israel! But don't confuse parochial American attitudes with the attitudes of most of humanity.

Yeah, it's true that there are countries other than America that suck. It's also true that they were almost all propped up by America in some way or another. I insist on saying this because I love human beings who happen to be American, just as I love human beings who happen to be Israeli. I hope all of this shit can be worked out without another Holocaust happening, which more likely be perpetrated BY the Israeli regime rather than AGAINST it, but either way I'm totally opposed to genocide.

Which is why I know, as much as Stalin sucked, compared to Nazi Germany the Soviet Union was objectively less vile. Allying with the USSR and playing a role in smashing the Third Reich is one of the few things that America has actually done right (there's the too little too late critique, but I'm willing to forgive!). So nobody can accuse me of hating America; I give credit where it is due.

[ChuckF]

Originally Posted by Sophia

I haven't said anything against Israel that you haven't said against Israel. Against the white supremacist regime, not human beings who happen to be Jews, most of whom are decent people despite the assholes among them. Chuck singles me out because I'm particularly vulnerable. I'm transgendered, I've been raped, and I know as much as anyone what it's like to be fucked over by patriarchy. Men with Chuck's mentality have a sick fixation on kicking the vulnerable when we're down. Kinda like the IDF running over Rachel Corrie, which he tries to excuse with macho bullshit.

Oh well, he's just making me all the more determined to smash his white privilege, male privilege and American national chauvinist privilege.

Originally Posted by Sophia

You guys are a pretty left-leaning crowd. BY AMERICAN STANDARDS.

Talk about nuance. "By American Standards" is a pretty important qualifier. Basically, what's far left in America is center-right in most of the world. It's kooky to criticize Israel in America, shit, it's often more acceptable to criticize Israel in Israel! But don't confuse parochial American attitudes with the attitudes of most of humanity.

Yeah, it's true that there are countries other than America that suck. It's also true that they were almost all propped up by America in some way or another. I insist on saying this because I love human beings who happen to be American, just as I love human beings who happen to be Israeli. I hope all of this shit can be worked out without another Holocaust happening, which more likely be perpetrated BY the Israeli regime rather than AGAINST it, but either way I'm totally opposed to genocide.

Which is why I know, as much as Stalin sucked, compared to Nazi Germany the Soviet Union was objectively less vile. Allying with the USSR and playing a role in smashing the Third Reich is one of the few things that America has actually done right (there's the too little too late critique, but I'm willing to forgive!). So nobody can accuse me of hating America; I give credit where it is due.

[California Tanker]

The text of the Palmer Report has been leaked.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/package...nal-report.pdf

I am unsure as to whether this is the final draft or an interim. 105 pages long, the meat of it starts page 38 and ends page 66.

Nothing in it that hasn't already been leaked to the press anyway, but one item which had been mentioned in the earlier reports (an assessment of the impartiality/effectiveness of the Israeli and Turkish commissions) appears, after first reading, not to be in it.

Turkey has responded by expelling the Israeli ambassador.

NTM

[Watser?]

The funny thing is that this report is bending over backward to accomodate the Israelis (it keeps up the pretense that the Israeli blockade is about weapons, when the Israelis have admitted themselves in unguarded moments that it is collective punishment meant to undermine Hamas' popularity), but it doesn't help the Israelis. In fact it probably did more damage to Turkish-Israeli relations than any critical report could have done.

[Watser?]

Turkey has announced it will ask the International Court of Justice for a ruling on the legality of the Gaza blckade, a brilliant move that I am told the Palestinians could not do because they are not a state. They have also stated their support for legal moves by family members of the people murdered on board the Mavi Marmara.

Here's an analysis from Haaretz:

The expulsion of Israel's ambassador from Ankara and downgrading of diplomatic ties to the level of second secretary could turn out to be the lightest of the sanctions Turkey intends to impose on Israel. Supporting legal actions against Israel by families of the victims of the 2010 naval commando raid of the Mavi Marmara, in both Turkish and international courts, and appealing to the International Court of Justice against the blockade of the Gaza Strip could prove to be much more powerful. The former could affect the foreign travel plans of Israeli officers and decision makers, while the latter would move the Gaza issue from the local arena, where Israel maintains a relative advantage, to the international stage, which has not as yet interfered in Israeli policy vis-a-vis Gaza.

Turkey is judged likely to gain international support for its actions against Israel, in light of its climb in status in the global community in recent weeks.

World will likely support Turkey’s moves against Israel - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

[Watser?]

Turkey is raising the stakes even further:

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country will in future escort aid ships travelling to the Gaza Strip.

BBC News - Turkey 'to escort Gaza aid ships' amid row with Israel

Also:

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says Turkey's decision to increase its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean - and not just to deter Israeli operations against Gaza activists - is a serious one.

Turkey is protesting against the exploration of gas reserves by the government of Cyprus, because it does not recognise the area as Cypriot territorial waters.

Israel has recognised them, and hopes to source future natural gas supplies there.

This could spark a conflict that mixes the current Turkish-Israeli friction with the 50-year-old dispute over Cyprus, our correspondent says.

"You know that Israel has begun to declare that it has the right to act in exclusive economic areas in the Mediterranean," said Mr Erdogan.

"You will see that it will not be the owner of this right, because Turkey, as a guarantor of the Turkish republic of north Cyprus, has taken steps in the area, and it will be decisive and holding fast to the right to monitor international waters in the east Mediterranean."

There are in fact other disputes about natural gas fields under the sea in that area, between the Palestinians and Israel over a field near southern Israel, northern Gaza and between Lebanon and Israel.

[But]

The Israelis are now risking serious conflict, maybe even military confrontation, with what was one of their closest allies in the region. One more example of how they currently sacrifice even rational self-interest for machismo and ideological nonsense.

[Crumb]

Great. Another war for the US to get involved in. And on the wrong side no less...