Comments

2

Dear Stranger Staff, the systemic antisemitism on display in your daily coverage of the most recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict is gut-wrenchingly repulsive.

There's plenty of blame to go around, but the one-sided coverage is textbook propaganda, and journalistically reprehensible.

4

from Nicholas Kristof; nyt Columnist -- May 13

@AKJersey Thanks for your comment on my column, but I'd make two points. First, while you're right that Hamas fired missiles, that was in response to a land grab by Israel in East Jerusalem and clashes that followed.

I agree that Hamas should not fire rockets -- they may amount to war crimes -- but it was a complicated cycle of escalation in which Israel also played an important role.

Second, if Israel believes that it needs U.S. weaponry, why shouldn't its own taxpayers buy it? Israel is approximately as wealthy as the U.S., so it's not obvious why American taxpayers should buy things for Israel that Israeli taxpayers are unwilling to fund.

How is that we can't afford vaccines for poor countries, or school books, or malaria bed nets, but we can afford billions of dollars for military equipment to give to a rich country that doesn't want to pay for it itself?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/opinion/israel-palestinians-gaza.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article#commentsContainer

surely the Jews
can Afford it?

but War Crimes
Violations? on
OUR dime?

this mass Slaughter is nothing* but a Desperate Distraction for Nutnyahoo to try and keep his ass in Power and stay the Fuck outta purgatory or wherever for some Bibi-type Shenagins which I'm too Lazy to look up

*dead Citizens are Not nothing

5

"If you had to, could you kill him?"

Instantly. You grab him by the neck and swing him around in a circle. Death follows quickly.

6

The U.S. Must Stop Being an Apologist for the Netanyahu Government
By Senator Bernie Sanders (VT-I)

“Israel has the right to defend itself.”

These are the words we hear from both Democratic and Republican administrations whenever the government of Israel, with its enormous military power, responds to rocket attacks from Gaza.

Let’s be clear. No one is arguing that Israel, or any government, does not have the right to self-defense or to protect its people.

So why are these words repeated year after year, war after war? And why is the question almost never asked: “What are the rights of the Palestinian people?”

And why do we seem to take notice of the violence in Israel and Palestine only when rockets are falling on Israel?

Over more than a decade of his right-wing rule in Israel, Mr. Netanyahu has cultivated an increasingly intolerant and authoritarian type of racist nationalism.

In his frantic effort to stay in power and avoid prosecution for corruption, Mr. Netanyahu has legitimized these forces, including Itamar Ben Gvir and his extremist Jewish Power party, by bringing them into the government.

It is shocking and saddening that racist mobs that attack Palestinians on the streets of Jerusalem now have representation in its Knesset.

In the Middle East, where we provide nearly $4 billion a year in aid to Israel, we can no longer be apologists for the right-wing Netanyahu government and its undemocratic and racist behavior.

We must change course and adopt an evenhanded approach, one that upholds and strengthens international law regarding the protection of civilians, as well as existing U.S. law holding that the provision of U.S. military aid must not enable human rights abuses.

tonnes more at
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/opinion/israel-palestinians-gaza.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

7

When I moved to Seattle, I had no idea one of its nicknames was Rat City and when I found out, I was...not happy about it. Thankfully, I never saw a rat in Seattle.

I had a few face to face encounters with rats when I lived in NYC. Those motherfuckers do NOT care about humans AT ALL (at least not on NYC). I remember a huge rat bounding down the subway stairs to the platform and at least 100 people running to the other end of the platform. Oh yeah. Rats walking down the street on the sidewalk next to people. Rats in a group confronting me on the subway platform (thankfully the train came and I got on it and they didn't).

But when it came to brass tacks, when a fairly small rat (but still a rat) decided it wanted to take up residence in my first apartment in Brooklyn (I had a roommate, but she wanted to use glue traps and let me tell you, you do NOT want to use glue traps, they will eat their own limbs off to get away and leave a trail of blood...) - but back to brass tacks. I had the rat cornered. I had a hammer. I had been terrorized by this rat for months. I looked at the rat and it looked at me. I just couldn't do it. A cockroach is one thing, but a fucking rat? Nope. So I threw the hammer at it (and missed) and it ran and it never returned. It was like an unspoken agreement. You didn't smash me to death with a hammer, I will go find someone else to terrorize.

YouTube has tons of "rats in NYC apartments" videos if you like horror films.

PS A lot of people don't know this but a huge number of rats were displaced by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. They had to find lots of new places to live.

9

Rich's snarky projection that Trump Republicans are shopping Trader Joes's because of the new mask guidance is no more accurate than woke Democrats and shopping there in droves.

Please don't blend your nasty politics into covid to suit your nasty diatribes Rich.

10

@2 There is precisely nothing "anti-Semitic" in criticizing the actions of a nation state and its security forces.

12

@11 The aim of every state security forces is to protect the state and its people from harm. And that is precisely what makes the actions of Israel so monstrous - that it would use fighter bombers indiscriminately against this helpless, subject population. We always hear how we should support Israel because its a bastion of liberal western values in a region of brutal authoritarians. But collective punishment is not a liberal western value. So what's to support?

And in any event, anti-Semitism has nothing to do with any of this.

14

@7,

My rat story! I've a fun, little 25 pound terrier mix, mostly Jack Russell I think, but something a bit bigger obviously too, maybe some pit, I dunno. I've long indulged an arguably bad habit of occasionally letting go of her leash on walks to allow her to chase squirrels into trees. Only if/when there's no traffic or other pedestrians to disturb of course. She's never caught one and rarely comes very close, but loves to do it.

One night I was a few drinks in and on a long walk that had me in a sort of industrial nook of the Pearl District here in Portland. She saw a rat and reacted, and I did my thing, letting her go without thinking of the fact that rats are nowhere near as quick and agile as squirrels. She pretty quickly had the poor thing trapped against a curb. I was screaming for her to stop and frantically chasing her around trying to step on the leash. She was in her element though and probably didn't even register my voice and so grabbed the thing, gave it a good, hard shake and threw it down. It was dazed and stumbling around, but I thought it had a chance to get away, though still unable to get hold of the leash.

She grabbed it again, another hard shake and back down to the ground. I watched in horror as the thing laid on it's back and in just a couple of seconds went limp and then lifeless. And the dog just completely and abruptly went from her amped up state of frantic murderous predator to docile, domestic companion. The very moment the deed was done, she very calmly sits down right next to her prey and looks up at me with as much attentive gaze as I've still ever seen from her.

This was obviously her in her most instinctual and proud moment and, while still horrified, I realized I had to give her a good healthy dose of affection and congratulatory scratch behind the ear. Sort of wish I'd have bagged the thing up as a trophy for her, maybe even brought it back to our place to cook up as a snack. We did walk by the spot several times over the course of the ensuing weeks and watched it slowly decompose.

Whoops.

15

there're parallels between Nazis' treatment of Jews and Jews' treatment of Palestinians that makes one question the 'wisdom' of popping those Persecuted in Europe into Palestine in 1947.

and Isreal's Nutnyahoo is our trumpf and willing to do ANY thing to remain in Power including inciting a (-nother) War on captive Palestinians.

16

@15: Disagree with your first paragraph, agree with the second.

But we can still blame Yasser Arafat for never following through on the cause he's known for. As well as Jordon. The Palestinian state could be celebrating its 50th this year.

Strong supporter of Israel and I supported moving its capital to Jerusalem. But in all fairness, I haven't seen any blatant anti-Semitic reporting by The Stranger.

Anti-Netanyahu != Anti-Semitism

17

Who the fuck is Brian Beutler?

19

@3 Prof, when Hamas stops using children as human shields?

@4 Krist, it probably depends on your feelings about nukes.

@10 Alden, no there isn’t. I encourage it.

If you folks want to rehash 2,000 years of geopolitical history, and post article links about how shitty the Netanyahu administration is, have at it… it’s a fucked up situation. I'm not interested. But I've lived long enough to know a little about it. That it's not as simple as counting dead children.

But what’s concerning is that you’re defending The Stranger “reporting” on this. It’s been an entire week of AM & PM concern trolling that focused on one narrow aspect of the conflict while intentionally ignoring a much larger context, and in doing so, feeds into antisemitic tropes. Unwittingly or not, The Stranger staff, in creepy lockstep, have been righteously reveling in it. And it's become reflective of how The Stranger approaches their "reporting" in general… very similar to Fox News.

20

@19: AM/PM slog is closer to stream of consciousness than any quest for the larger context. Considering that you have an abundant selection of media outlets for the latter, I suggest you chill out and enjoy the former.

21

speaking of context
oh and didja READ
the articles I posted?

If cutting the cables (wow) and extremists chanting "death to Arabs is not provocation, what is? President Carter is correct.

What Israel has done and is doing to Palestinians is apartheid and the world must stop justifying it. Israelite extremists do not want peace - they want to humiliate and annihilate. They want "death to Arabs".

Netanyahu has beyond proved himself to be a callous and cruel corrupt monster. How in the world would you expect a repressed, exploited, and poverty stricken people to behave?

It is time the world held Israel to account.
--Karen; New Jersey

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/world/middleeast/israel-palestinian-gaza-war.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage&login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock#commentsContainer

22

if the Truth about Nutnyahoo*
equals 'anti-Semitism' then
calling out the dj trumpf's
multiple Malfeasances's
gotta be 'Hatred of
the USOFA.'

they're Nothing
of the Sort.

*pretty sure he Changed
his name at least once

23

"... how The Stranger approaches their "reporting" in general… very similar to Fox News."

well sorta.
except if you Facts Check ANY-
THING on FOX's fake 'news' you'll
come up with a whopping ZERO every time

Opinion ain't News
but it may be Newsworthy.

26

@df -- your
Farts Still
Stink

27

how'd You do
duckfart under
Isreali Rule? total
Capitulation? @ Some
Point your Self-worth's gonna
kick in or lie down and just Die.

as you
Suggest

@26
my Mistake
they've gotten
somehow Worse.

off your Corn again?

you're like gee dubya
and his 'Bring It ON'

30

@20 randrop, aka shit for brains, I know what The Stranger is, and I don't expect or want a deep dive. But when they systematically harp on a… oh FFS... what's really fascinating is your delusional perception as self-appointed arbiter in the comments section. Maybe you could share more with us on your vision for comments moving forward?

31

Kristofarian, you're being disingenuous. You're the one equating criticism of Net with being antisemitic. I've noticed you use this tactic in discussions a lot. Nowhere have I defended Net or Israel. So why are you so bent on making it out to be that I'm defending Net or Israel? If you want to know my actual opinion on something, and not what you’ve made up in your head, you could try asking me.

I disagree on your point with Fox News. Yes, Fox News traffics in fabrications, but that's a more recent development.. Fox News has been dangerously effective for the last 20 years because their “reporting" is misleading - it intentionally leaves out facts and context that would provide a greater understanding. They're in a bubble with a very specific viewpoint and filter out anything that conflicts with that. Similar to The Stranger, as is too often the case. You are not immune either. Fortunately, you just happen to be on the "right" side of many issues.

32

"Kristofarian, you're being disingenuous. You're the one equating criticism of Net with being antisemitic."

kindly show me?

"So why are you so bent on making it out to be that I'm defending Net or Israel?'

and here I thought I was attacking nutnyahoo not you -- parsed it out once but still seem to be missing it...

right where did that take place?

perhaps you missed dewdrop's

"Anti-Netanyahu != Anti-Semitism"

what makes you think I singled you out?

oh and I'm anti-Fascists*
not anti-Isreal

*Bibi
Putin
Duarte
trumpf
ad vomitas

33

"Yes, Fox News traffics in fabrications, but that's a more recent development.. "

as recent as when rupert Uncle Snoopy murdoch (Happily) lost what was it ten or twenty $M/per year at FOX's startup and speaking of Propaganda Rodger 'Dodger' Goebbels/Ailes was put in charge of FOX and are you saying they were masters of The Truth at one time?

The Ministry/Ministers of "Truth" they are today
pretty sure they always were but gotta Confess
I didn't tune in all that Often -- I have a weak
stomach* for that sorta thing & always have.

I generally lose half a pound for every full minute of viewing Tucker 'TUX' Carlson

34

I always thought Burien was Rat City?

35

"Rat City" refers to White Center, where a military facility--a "Rehabilitation and Training Center"--was located. Various South End locals over the years have told me the name stuck also because of various criminal enterprises in that area. But White Center, I believe, is the original "Rat City."

Quick thoughts on the Middle East. 1) one ongoing issue: does Netanyahu genuinely want a two-state solution? I doubt it. He has skillfully stalled, but he seems not to want any Palestinian state. Because of this, any Israeli appropriation of land and/or eviction of Palestinian feels like one more slap in the face, one more obstacle to overcome--not just an "eviction," but an organized attempt to undermine Palestinian statehood aspirations. And that's a recipe for more violence. 2) Some highly regarded and placed Middle East specialists have recently de-emphasized religion's relation to the conflict. I claim no expertise, but... I'll risk saying religion still is critically important, especially when the more fanatical members of each group feel "God" supports them alone or "God" gave them this or that piece of land. 3) Perhaps it's time to admit the three Abrahmic ethical monotheisms are not adequately suited to life in the 21st century, no matter how many attempts might be made at internal reform. Single-holy-book/messianic religion does not tend towards peaceable co-existence. How quickly it can devolve to my God versus your God/my messiah versus your prophet/my holy book versus your holy book. I humbly stand corrected if wrong, but it seems to this observer that religion still underlies much of this conflict, and its influence is sometimes quite destructive.

36

@35, although the Israeli conflict seems intractable to most of us, and we are often told that jews and muslims (and occasionally christians) have always warred over the territory, that isn't true.

Both under the Ottomans and under British & French colonial rule after WW I, jews and muslims (and a few christians) lived together in the area with relatively little conflict. It wasn't all kumbaya and roses I'm sure, but they mostly lived and worked together in the same neighborhoods, not segregated, and mostly got along with each other. I know it seems impossible these days, but believers of the three Abrahamic religions did in fact coexist there for a good century or more before the formation of Israel.

I don't pretend to have any answers to this. I think Israel does have a right to defend itself, but they often seem to be going out of their way to make things worse, and have made minimal attempt to work toward the two-state solution they've theoretically agreed to. With various Arab groups feeding militants in Gaza, and the US protecting Israel from any kind of criticism or sanctions by anyone else, both sides seem more militant every year. Israel seems to be dominated by hardliners at the moment.

All I know is that historically, it doesn't have to be that way. Jews and muslims and christians have coexisted in the area peacefully in the past. If they chose to, there is no reason they could not do so again in the future.

39

@36 Good comment. Yes, peaceable co-existence has occurred, and fairly recently. And, indeed, Israel's relationships with, say, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco, are tolerable. And, yes, Islam tends towards respect for, not denigration of, Judaism and Christianity (and vice versa, in some circles). But as long as Israel resists attempts to establish a bi-state solution, religious tensions will intensify in that region, along with political tensions. And purist, hyper-orthodox fanatics can and will claim holy book justifications for their hard-line positions. Each of these religions has diverse traditions--but, again, hard-liners claim the holy books for their own and often deem secular moderates cowardly assimilators to be shunned and, or actively opposed. This does not bode well for peaceable co-existence, and various passages in Tanakh tend towards nationalistic presumptions of certain lands being given by God to "his people." And, last: while peaceable co-existence has occurred, and Israel's relationships with a few Arab and, or Islamic countries is tolerable, much hatred and conflict--often stemming from religious difference--has occurred, too. At best, it's been an ongoing tension, with moments of tolerance and mutual help alternating with bigotry and hatred (see Spain, medieval: the court of Alfonso al Sabeo contrasted with pogroms, persecution, and ultimate expulsion (1492)). It's not all one or the other--but, again, Israel's recent refusal to entertain serious efforts to establish a bi-state solution has religious as well as political roots, and the hyper-orthodox on all sides are not helping the situation.

41

Pollysexual was preparing to shave her nipples when she ran across this torrid bulletin from Rich Smith, and felt compelled to weigh-in:

The BuzzFeed Venmo hack reminds us how falsely secure the internet is, even for President Biden, and now embarrassing details about his hemorrhoid doctor and plastic surgeon have been publicly revealed.

We all need to reduce our inter-web exposure, and for Heaven’s sake don’t post a picture of your weenie on the internet or send naughty, hairy texts like Jeff Bezos did, which were ultimately digitally enhanced and published in the National Enquirer.

The geese, if properly prepared, would be a good food source for homeless folks, as would be rats, if properly eviscerated by a qualified chef with a health card, who properly prepared and cooked the meat.

There was a primitivist game hunter back in the fifties who would run through the dense woods, his naked manhood flapping in the wind, and kill deer with his bare hands, so going toe-to-toe with geese and water fowl at the park appears plausible.

This new addition of 62 Kinkisharyo vehicles is indeed “kinki” because no one is riding the light rail today, what with workers tele-commuting and working from home or not working at all, so this latest infrastructure offering from Sound Transit may be a mass, mass transit taxpayer self-flagellation.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages once again, like a coal fire that can never be extinguished. Hopefully the Biden Administration can assist with negotiating a new peace agreement, although the best we can hope for is a cease-fire, or “cancer in remission” if you will. The Israeli feelings of persecution are well-founded, although people should not be shredded by bombs as they sit down for their holy meal.

42

pollysexual @41: "... so this latest infrastructure offering from Sound Transit may be a mass, mass transit taxpayer self-flagellation."

For someone who seemingly wants to present herself as a progressive, this is a remarkably regressive view. I realize Sound Transit is an uncool, establishment organization that is charged with fulfilling the will of the voters, but I'd be hard-pressed to think of a government agency that is doing more to make this region more sustainable, livable, and equitable.

"Polly," if you think light rail is such a waste of taxpayer money, maybe you should gather signatures for Tim Eyman's next ballot. Might be a nice source of income. Might also be a more productive use of your time too than sputtering out vapid nonsense.

43

In a few months pollysexual, tons of us, me included, will be having far fewer zoom meetings and be riding these light rails and going back to the office at least part of the time.

Say hello again to overpriced lunches or dealing with your own in those kitchenettes, elevators, restroom annoyances, commute time and costs, fewer hours in the evening at home and morning, more time and expense on clothes, more incidental expenses.

@39 great distillation

44

@41 - Are you referring to Ted Nugent grabbing deer with his bare hands before he figured out is was more fun to have way to many guns?

@5 - are you referring to a goose or to Netanyahu?

As long as any country insists on basing itself on religion, it and its neighbors are screwed. I defy anyone to give me an example of a nation that has defined itself in terms of one religion and not been a total clusterfuck. Israel will ultimately not be an exception - what happens when half or more of the population is not Jewish?

45

Bibi is doing this to avoid jail sentences for his own frauds.

That's the entire reason this is happening.

He's quite willing to have hundreds of kids die to stay out of jail.

Just think of him as a slightly smarter Trump.

48

Excellent Post Perfessor and yet
a Million Excuses WILL be made
without breaking a sweat.


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