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They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

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411–420 of 536 posts

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#412
post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The requirement for all members of the target group to die in order for it to be called genocide is fallacious and not historically acccurate. Was it genocide of the Native Americans, since 'they survived'? Was it genocide in Australia when white europeans took the land from the prior caretakers? The answer: yes of course it was. Genocide doesn't mean total eradication - it means, attempted total eradication . In Gaz…

So what I'm saying is that if Israel had attempted total eradication they would kill more than 2.5% of them. I also think that if Hamas had the means they would have been happy to totally eradicate Israel, civilians and all, so I can't say I have much sympathy for them. The civilian deaths are tragic but given these numbers I think it's pretty clear that they are collateral damage from fighting Hamas, not a target in…

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Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gove was right. The problem is that experts no longer have to explain or justify themselves or explain the level of evidence behind their opinions. Expertise has also been politicised. Experts are picked who give the prior decided opinions, and those who have the wrong opinion are got rid of (e.g. Professor David Nutt). Finally Gove was speaking in the context of Brexit, and arguing that it ultimately a question of n…

> DO people identify as British or European? And that framing is where the trick is hidden. People are perfectly capable of accepting and having multiple identities. They can be a mom of their kids, a receptionist of company X, a neighbour of street Y, a citizen of city Z, a member of the flower gardening society, a supporter of football club Q, citizens of the UK and Europeans too. In fact you don't have to choose b…

They can have multiple identities, but may not want to be British and European.any more than a Scottish nationalist wants to be Scottish and British.

This is a very common conflict for many communities around the world and rarely is “just be both” a satisfactory solution: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separatism

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can be a genocide before they're all dead you know. If we go by your definition the holocaust wasn't one either.

The stated objective of the Final Solution was to murder literally every Jew in Europe, thus the “Final”. The stated objective of Hamas, voted into power by the Arabs of Gaza, is to murder literally every Jew in Israel. I don’t think that anywhere in the Likud manifesto for the democratic elections of the democratic state of Israel it states that genocide of the Gazans is a policy. Do you see the difference between a…

The current Hamas charter states that they fight Zionism, not for them being jews but for their own stated goal of stealing their land, which they have and are continuing to do. Why are you trying to pretend that Israel have not had far right forces within it for a very long time, they're currently in power. I'm not saying that Hamas is good by saying that Israel is also bad, both are bad, but only one of them came there with the goal to steal the land of the people living there.

Part of Likuds founding charter is this phrase: Between the sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty. Sounds familiar?

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-inter...

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#415
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear you. And the reason is "drumroll", people like Musk. How exactly, is it that billionaires have continued to do so well for so long while the working class hasn't experienced a pay increase since the 70s? You know pays those salaries, right? Big companies and the billionaires who chair them. Of course, good job f'ing yourself over further, that safety net you might have had? Gone under Musk.

All the world's billionaires own about $20T. Distributing that equally among all the people of the world would provide each a $75 annuity indefinitely.

It should be quite a bit more than that, world population is 8 billion, assuming 70 percent of that is of of working age (normal distribution), and about 95% of that would substantially benefit from a yearly annuity, it would be 3760 average per person, or double that for average households.

And there's compounding factors, money makes money, I could easily see the influx of wealth to the lower classes causing a boom of wealth we haven't seen since the 60s.

Even if you were to concentrate most of that wealth in the USA, by trickle down economics (also redistribution across national lines is difficult), that works to about 120k per individual here.

That's a Six Figure Salary for Every American who want one.

Let that sink in.

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's not shutting down agencies to relinquish governmental power. He's shutting them down to strengthen his own power.

Explain how shutting down USAID due to documented fraudulent spending strengthens the president’s power. I can’t think of a single way myself, but maybe I’m overlooking something?

If he gets away with shutting down USAID by fiat then it makes it clear that he can go outside the bounds of law and demand anything of the executive branch.

The next step might be going to the DOJ and telling them to detain, let's say, Ilhan Omar on suspicion of treason. This illegal demand will have much more force because anyone refusing it will know that they stand on their own and have no recourse through the courts or congressional oversight.

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#417
post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they were never gonna get the campaign and all of D congress to that position in the first place in a high stakes election. If true, that would be just one of many reasons why they don't deserve our support. The Democrats have repeatedly proven to be unable and unwilling to give anything more than token support to the existential crises of our time; be it forever wars, genocide, ethnic cleansing, free speech, surve…

In this specific case the greater evil was clearly “the same or worse”, but with the opportunity for an irreparable, fatal outcome for Gaza. I think lesser evils are present in every election. By your logic, total surrender is the only outcome. I appreciate you engaging, but agree to disagree I guess.

> lesser evils are present in every election.

No, there are usually viable, non-genocidal third options - as there was in this election.

> By your logic, total surrender is the only outcome.

That's the very logical flaw which has you thinking that stumping for a genocide accomplice was 'the only option'. You're so close.

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#418
post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to politicise this discussion, but the country is called 'The Republic of Ireland'. The phrase 'the Irish Republic' references the 1916 Easter proclamation, and has specific political and even colonial implications in Ireland. It's frequently used on BBC news, but never in Ireland where it would have a similar connotation to 'the free state' or other radical republican delegitimisations of the Irish state.

So, to confuse the issue, the country is officially called Ireland (it's in the constitution!), and that is the name normally used in Ireland and in Europe. The UK government officially referred to Ireland as the Republic of Ireland until 1998 (it now calls it Ireland) and as a result people in the UK often call it the Republic of Ireland. People calling it the Irish Republic usually have an agenda in doing so, yeah.…

Right you are. Also, if you're Rob Synnott I'm pretty sure I remember you from back in the early blogging / podcast days. Hope you're well.

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The president is fascist because he's, checks notes... , relinquishing governmental power by shutting down agencies? You do know the president is not supposed to have that power , right? His job is to execute the law, which as currently written requires those agencies to exist .

Yes and FDR also skirted around constitutionality and even threatened to pack the courts to ram his reforms in. I don't agree with everything the president is doing, but the rail we are going down is just doomed. What is your proposition to stop interest from eating 100% of the federal budget. We just paid 1T of interest, do you think that is going to decelerate?

> I don't agree with everything the president is doing, but the rail we are going down is just doomed. What is your proposition to stop interest from eating 100% of the federal budget. We just paid 1T of interest, do you think that is going to decelerate?

So, for you, an acceptable solution to "the budget is too big," is "let's rip up the Constitution?"

If Trump wants to veto budget bills and demand certain cuts in exchange of passage, that's fine, totally within his power, and would probably work.

Re: They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 (1955)

#420
The West harbors a profound moral delusion, judging the world through selective standards while ignoring its own historical crimes. It preaches human rights and democracy while supporting oppressive regimes that serve its interests, arbitrarily categorizing violence based on convenience. This hypocritical narrative of moral superiority masks systemic oppression, allowing the West to maintain its global moral high ground without genuine accountability.
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