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What is unacceptable behavior? Taking down hostage posters - yes, blocking traffic - yes or attacking people - yes...but simply expressing another view point no way. I was driving home two days ago and flipping through CNN and Fox on Sirius. Fox had a retired Army Lt Gen I have never heard before and he was upset with the kids expressing their view of what was happening in Gaza...his commented that if a University allows this type of commenting they should lose their federal funding....uh...NO Fing Way. I find what is being said by these far left groups absolutely appalling, but minus violence it is simply free speech. Free speech is not only free speech you agree with and the government should not try to stifle those expressions. It is one thing for a private citizen to hold them accountable by denying jobs, doxxing, yelling back...that is part of the game, but minus violence and the law, the government should never cross that line.

I agree with your statement, however this is where I have issue with the people living in Gaza. Hamas oppressed you as residents = agreed / Israel is bombing and destroying your homes and towns because Hamas is imbeded inside your homes, hospitals, stores etc... You cannot convince me that the residents there "don't know who Hamas players are", then for the sake of your families, town, wellbeing kill those motherf*ckers. If the Palestinians as a people would literally kill these hoodlums hiding in thier towns then bombs wouldn't be falling from above. If this was happening here, we as residents would be stacking bodies faster than the military to keep ordinance off our heads. At some point they can't be victims and do nothing about it.

Every country spies on each other. You think we don't spy on our allies? Token Example here. Second token example here. But yes, I do think Israel is our ally. It's also the only legitimate democracy in that part of the world...which is generally the type of government we also like to support. Do we have a perfect past with Israel? Of course not...the USS Liberty incident being a great example. But I'd much rather support Israel than any other country in that region just based on values and morality alone. How often do you see Israeli citizens shouting "Death to America" or burning American flags?

And people wonder why Israel gets so combative with the rest of the world... Yeah, Israel had the "moral advantage" as long as they were willing to sit by and allow their people to be massacred with no real response. That's a super neat place to be isn't it? And exactly what should they do? Lick their wounds, and wait for the next attack? Does anyone believe there won't be another attack? They were given a bad hand, a death cult islamo-fascist terrorist government next door, and the rest of the world so fat, dumb, and happy that they could sit thousands of miles away and criticize another country for doing exactly what they would do themselves if their wife was raped while their kid was burnt alive. Any country has to deal with the response from their allies, adversaries, and neighbors. But the narrative surrounding this seems to be encroaching on some sort of immorality as to what Israel is doing, and that is such a steaming heap of relativist bullshit that it's honestly stunning me that people who I thought were intelligent now seem to be making this argument, and I don't just mean on this forum. What we fucked up in the global war on terror had nothing to do with the people that we killed in response to 9/11. Like Israel, we went through great pains to ensure that the collateral damage was minimized to some sort of logical extent. But when your adversaries, who demonstrate in the most blatant way possible that they do not value civilian life, use your morals as a shield when they build their military facilities literally in schools and hospitals, there is no moral question about destroying those schools, and the unfortunate children inside. The only way you can get to that is by disregarding the concept of morality entirely, which is basically postmodernism, which is absolute and utter bullshit. Morally bankrupt yes, but not even logically sound. The reason CNN isn't supporting Israel is because the media never supported Israel. Ever. There were always political realities that made the political left more hospitable to Israel than the activist and academic left, but the fact that the liberal media is supporting Ukraine and not supporting Israel should have been obvious to anybody who actually understands what drives the left in this era. This particular attack was simply so horrific that only the most fervent anti-semites and progressive shills could bring themselves to spew their anti-Israel nonsense after the attack. Now that the shock is wearing off, the left will return to their usual positions. Everybody likes to blame the British and the Israelis for this mess, because in the 1940s the state of Israel was established in a very sloppy way. What they conveniently leave out is the immediate war launched on the Israelis by the Arabs in the late 40s, and the failure of the many Arab states surrounding Israel to do anything to help the Palestinians, leading up to what we have now. That all sucks, and there are people responsible for that situation, but they're all dead. What matters now is what the living israelis have to deal with, and how the living Arabs surrounding them choose to participate. I would love to see what would happen if a bunch of Mexicans crashed through the border and massacred 1500 Americans, including some of the most gruesome deaths of women and children we've seen in a generation. This new populist conservative isolationism is not inherently illogical in and of itself, but it is going to great lengths to reframe or outright ignore obvious moral conundrums in an effort to bolster their isolationist position. All the while failing to recognize that our increasingly isolationist position in the world has not led to the flourishing of peace and tranquility. There is no escaping the conflict ahead. It has been brewing for 30 plus years, and the only question at this point is who will come out on top. That doesn't mean we should send troops into Ukraine or Israel, but supporting the good guys, yes, even when the good guys have skeletons in their closet too, is a societal trait that we can very much lose. If someone can't see the moral difference between Israel and Palestine, or if they downplay that difference because it does not support their geopolitical philosophy, they should not be in any position of national power. Remember that the politician/person who can't make a correct moral determination on one issue is almost certain to make the incorrect moral determination on an issue that matters deeply to you down the road. There is a simple hypothetical that, when answered, will tell you everything you need to know about someone opining on this topic. If Israel were to lay down their weapons, dismantle all defenses, and open their border, how many Israelis would be slaughtered by Palestinians in the days that followed? Conversely, if the Palestinians did the same, how many would be killed by Israelis?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but that 100 billion killed a lot of Russians with zero risk to us forces. A win by any accounting.

About to add a couple more “former” entries to his CV

No offense, but 'exercised the authority the Senate had the entire time' is probably a more accurate description. What legally changed for Chuck Schumer between last week and today? Tuberville's hold was never a insurmountable obstacle. Remember that politically, both parties use your military service as pawns of whatever it is its after.

Great discussion. Agree with the identification of misinformation being a definite threat to our society, and agree with CH on all points; Covid proved we absolutely cannot have a government sponsored disinformation effort as it will 100% lie to advance a false narrative. As Thomas Sowell says "there are no solutions, only trade-offs." Human issues are rarely solved, they are mostly managed. Thinking like that is a good start on this problem set. In that vein, the X construct of allowing added "community notes" to provide a counter-point is a decent compromise between allowing free speech while also real-time tagging it as propaganda. We are allowed to consume both sides. I also think long-form style interviews (Joe Rogan) are healthier to view than the news, which is either constant arguing or a series of 10 second quips lacking any depth. That style of information is no-shit rewiring our brains to make us dumber. Great book if you'd like to read more: How the news makes us dumb. I'd love to see the fourth estate actually function & hold power accountable (on every side). But they're hard core partisans and proud of it, they even view it as their duty.

It's easier to think of and digest both Israeli and Palestinian people as being a monolithic society, paint with a broad brush, and hold them to all to account. It's much more difficult and confusing to conceptualize them as a complex society, many of which are oppressed for their beliefs and viewpoints. Example 1: Palestinian women being beaten for saying Hamas are dogs and are to blame for the deaths of their loved ones. Example 2: Orthodox Jews are beaten on the street by Israeli police for speaking against the war. Example 3: Bombs falling near a Christian Church in Gaza. What side are they on? I don't think it's fair to hold everyone in either Gaza or Israel accountable for a conflict they don't endorse. I also realize it's impossible to defend yourself without inflicting collateral damage. But there is absolutely no talk of a solution other than total war. Why is that not an option for any of the current conflicts we find ourselves in?

I bet @Best-22 even downvotes posts in the “German chicks in dirndl and beer” thread…Hold on, I’ll go check.

I think you've misinterpreted my position on Israel. Israel should do whatever Israel wants. This conflict pre-dates you, me, and everyone involved or commenting on it. I think it would be conceited for me to posture as if I know the answer or was qualified to make a moral determination in a conflict I am not a part of, in a part of the world I do not reside, amongst people I have no connection to. We're even less qualified to inflict violence based on our half-assed assessments. This conflict is no more and no less important to me than any other great tragedy or injustice befalling other people around the world. Why would anyone attempt to make me feel as if I have some of obligation to support a side in this particular instance? Is it better to say you support something and actually doing nothing, or saying you support doing nothing? I estimate 99% of people who pretend to have strong feelings on the matter get a bit of a charge out of public righteous moral indignation and virtue signalling. But would they vote to send a family member to march behind a tank through Gaza in support of Israel? I think we've done a reasonable enough job setting up Israel for success. But it's like a 25 year old that won't leave home. Sink or swim. Based on my upbringing, culture, and belief system, Hamas are fucking animals. What would you do yourself if someone did those things you mentioned to your family? You'd kill them and I'd help you. I might even help you burn the house. But when you start slaughtering the neighbors and leveling the whole community because they tolerated the killer's existence, I gotta disengage somewhere. When does justice become revenge? I don't understand this part. What do you mean there is no moral question about destroying a school with a bad guy in it? Are you saying we should or should not be disregarding morality? I wouldn't. "Our increasingly isolationist position had not led to the flourishing of peace and tranquility?" We have 750 bases in 80 countries and 170,000 military members deployed around the world. How is that isolationist? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to say that foreign involvements and interventions have created hostility? You seem to be saying you support conflict, but not so much as to actually involve our troops. If you can draw an arbitrary line as to how committed you are to a cause, why can't I? Why would you create a impossible hypothetical about how many people would be killed when there's an actual war being fought and they're both doing just that in reality? The numbers are the numbers. Hey, brother. I just want to make it clear that I know I'm being challenging, but I respect your opinion. I spend more time debating points with myself in my own mind than I do online.

True story. On a Nellis trip, a new OG (from off station) was standing in the lobby of the casino/hotel, when two girls walk past with lots of skin showing. He says to the D.O., "Oh look, the working girls are out already." D.O. says, uh sir, that's two of your 1CO's... 🤣.

Lots of folks had a rough childhood. What you do/did with with it matters more, to me at least.

So a self proclaimed leftist, who originally said that what we were seeing at the colleges was from extremely small groups, but being hyped up by the conservative media, is now saying that the leftists supporting Hamas is a problem…at the universities ran by leftists who are largely supporting these students…who are getting their disinformation from leftists groups (TikToc or otherwise). And finally he also supports the government implementing some kind of new regulations to add additional control over the information (I’m sure as long as it’s done by leftists). Here’s a thought—how about we hold people accountable for their own actions? If the universities believe these students are exhibiting unacceptable behavior, then kick them out…so let me know when all these students are removed from campuses.

The funniest part is I think you actually believe it 🙂

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/559/

Israel can do what it wants. We shouldn’t be funding it.

@Lord Ratner The moral high ground dissolves pretty quickly when you realize Netanyahu intentionally propped up Hamas across 4 administrations for the better part of 20 years, specifically to hinder Palestinian statehood & legitimacy. It's literally the same as when left denounces trump and his maga acolytes while secretly backing them in state and local elections to destabilize the Republican Party at large. Either they're an existential threat or they aren't. You don't get to call them an existential threat, secretly support them, and then get mad when it blows up in your face. None of this is to justify Hamas atrocities, or to deny that the Middle East is full of fundamentalist anti semite shitbags. But there's no doubt Israel played a part in bringing this to a boiling point.

I agree. I know who I consider the "good guys". Let them beat Hamas without American troops. Israel can and will kick the shit out of Hamas. We're going to get some too. We alsways do. History and stuff... I'm glad I taught my kids how to shoot. Hopefully that will save them if they need it one day. Maybe Israel should just drop some leaflets with a picture of Muhammad them? That would screw with them for little while. How do you reason with people who will kill you over a fucking picture? Why do we even care. What if I start selling shirts with Muhammad's picture on it and he happens to look just like Macho Man saying "Snap into a Slimjim!"? Someone would kill my family. Think about that. We can make "art" with Jesus and Moses fucking each other and not only is it ok, but a lot of people would laugh at it. One picture of Muhammad and the world is doomed. We also need to quit catering to the Muslim religion so much. They aren't fucking special. Hail Santa

New #2 Comm Priority. 1. Lead's on Fire 2. Bingo 3. Great tits AND she works for you Boss!

You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning …

As 19 AF/CC, he would’ve probably crushed any rated officer instructor for anything like that with a student. ”Rules for thee, not for me.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1830801/volodymyr-zelensky-ukraine-war-russia-winning

We got vital data before terminating the test for an unexpected anomaly! Great success!