Live data from Hacker News

The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

europeancorrespondent.com

321–330 of 377 posts

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#321

What is weird in all of this is why is the US obsessed with israel so much exactly! Was it a random choice; did they had a random number generator pick it? Why are they not going to such lengths for other random countries in the opposite side of the world for example? And if an official's number one priority is not the people that pay him and have granted him his power, should he be in that position? The US is turnin…

The answer: Evangelical Christians The same reliable voting block that thinks the current president is basically the second coming despite the fact he is an obvious nihilist. They are obsessed with Israel for similarly delusional reasons. I have few things in agreement with Tucker Carlson. But the way he made Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz squirm on basic questions about Israel was delightful. These people are motivated b…

From what I understand the 'current' leadership in Israel-even with how they behave-they are still the most left of all possible options. The ones that could come after it are even more extreme.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#322

What is weird in all of this is why is the US obsessed with israel so much exactly! Was it a random choice; did they had a random number generator pick it? Why are they not going to such lengths for other random countries in the opposite side of the world for example? And if an official's number one priority is not the people that pay him and have granted him his power, should he be in that position? The US is turnin…

The US "obsession" with Israel is not "random" or arbitrary at all, it's quite systematic and there are so much literature on that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Israel_Lobby_and_U.S._Fore...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQ_0MubbcM [Why the US. supports Israel / Noam Chomsky]

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#323
post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People think AIPAC is some all powerful unique lobbying group, in fact they're not even in the top 10 major lobbyists. Did you know SpaceX gave 5x as much as AIPAC in 2024? AIPAC was also outspent by Coinbase, by Ripple, and several other companies[0]. And this "18th largest lobbyist" position is after a post-october-7 surge in spending. Pre-october-7 (2022) they were ranked forty sixth in terms of spending. Can you…

> The question worth asking is why are people obsessed with demonizing the AIPAC in particular and singling it out as the one or primary 'evil lobbying group' Is your assertion that no one is allowed to criticize AIPAC unless they can 'prove' to you that others who spend more than them are not somehow worse?

No, I'm saying people obsessed with AIPAC to the exclusion of all other lobbying groups are not motivated primarily by an objection to lobbying.

I'm also saying the narrative that "AIPAC controls the gov't via lobbying" which many people believe is incoherent because Coinbase must control the gov't even more by this thinking.

If you think people aren't obsessed with AIPAC you are not following US politics.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People think AIPAC is some all powerful unique lobbying group, in fact they're not even in the top 10 major lobbyists. Did you know SpaceX gave 5x as much as AIPAC in 2024? AIPAC was also outspent by Coinbase, by Ripple, and several other companies[0]. And this "18th largest lobbyist" position is after a post-october-7 surge in spending. Pre-october-7 (2022) they were ranked forty sixth in terms of spending. Can you…

AIPAC is just the most well-known and representative entity in a large constellation of a hostile foreign lobby that has somehow avoided accountability under FARA. Qatar didn't spend 9 figures getting Trump elected, but an Israeli gambling magnate did.

AIPAC is not foreign, this is another misconception/lie. AIPAC is an American lobby funded by Americans.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a 6-3 Supreme Court decision..

The power is already curtailed if there's no one to enforce court rulings. An appropriate court says X, the administration just ignores it. How do you get enforcement when law enforcement at every level is willing to answer only to the Executive in Chief?

I think it's far worse - the military en masse broke their promise to uphold the constitution and instead supported Trump and Hegseth, including committing war crimes and deploying into USA cities. Not to mention going to war (twice) without authority.

If USA becomes a constitutional democracy again will you expel all those who failed to uphold the constitution? Essentially the whole military except those who quit.

Surely you can't move forward without removing honours and pensions, and imprisoning, all those in the chain of command who ordered firing on civilian sailors/shipwrecked combatants (take your pick which), for a single example.

How can you inoculate against these things happening again?

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People think AIPAC is some all powerful unique lobbying group, in fact they're not even in the top 10 major lobbyists. Did you know SpaceX gave 5x as much as AIPAC in 2024? AIPAC was also outspent by Coinbase, by Ripple, and several other companies[0]. And this "18th largest lobbyist" position is after a post-october-7 surge in spending. Pre-october-7 (2022) they were ranked forty sixth in terms of spending. Can you…

So they're getting their moneys worth.

This is a great example of the prejudice (pre-judging) at play when it comes to Israel. One starts with the conclusion ("Israel/Jews are evil and controlling the government with money") then works backwards to build an argument.

"They are spending so much, that's why they control the government!" They (American citizens funding AIPAC) actually spending much less than many other lobbying groups. "Aha- they're so conniving they can control the government even without being in the top 10 lobbies!"

There's no winning against this "logic" because the conclusion has been decided ahead of time & any evidence is interpreted as supporting that conclusion, no matter which way it goes.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#327
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ambassadors to developed nations are typically political appointees, so yeah, they tend to suck. (Versus ambassadors to other nations, which tend to have worked their way up in the Foreign Service).

Are you saying this as a generality, or just about USA's ambassadors?

I have no idea how it works for non USA countries.

I at one point took the FS exam and planned to go into the FS (and therefore know the process, how career progression works, and know people who did end up joining). I know how the US system works, but not anyone else's.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#328
post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah this is called 'soft power'

I suspect if the Greek embassy had rented a park for an event, and then told diplomatic police that there was someone there they considered an active threat, much the same thing would have happened.

People have forgotten because it feels like eons ago but at the beginning of Trump's first term the Turkish president on a diplomatic visit to the white house sent his goons to beat peaceful American protestors while the American police did nothing to protect Americans.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So they're getting their moneys worth.

This is a great example of the prejudice (pre-judging) at play when it comes to Israel. One starts with the conclusion ("Israel/Jews are evil and controlling the government with money") then works backwards to build an argument. "They are spending so much, that's why they control the government!" They (American citizens funding AIPAC) actually spending much less than many other lobbying groups. "Aha- they're so conni…

This is a great example of perpetual victimhood of Zionists.

Re: The US ambassador had Belgian police stop our reporting

#330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AIPAC is just the most well-known and representative entity in a large constellation of a hostile foreign lobby that has somehow avoided accountability under FARA. Qatar didn't spend 9 figures getting Trump elected, but an Israeli gambling magnate did.

AIPAC is not foreign, this is another misconception/lie. AIPAC is an American lobby funded by Americans.

Everybody knows which country AIPAC is loyal to, and it's not the USA. The bad faith arguments undermine your hasbara.
Post reply on HN