#ignoring all the genocide and war crimes this country has committed

[moonlayl]

"According to the United Nations, roughly 6,400 Palestinians and 300 Israelis have been killed in the ongoing conflict since 2008, not counting the recent fatalities." - X

Palestinian deaths: 6,407

Israeli deaths: 308

Palestinian injuries: 152,560

Israeli injuries: 6307

Palestinian children's deaths: 1,437

Israeli children's deaths: 25

Palestinians children's injuries: 32,271

Israeli's children injuries: 524

Palestinian women's deaths: 626

Israeli women's deaths: 36

Palestinian women's injuries: 8,953

Israeli women's injuries: 218

(this is total, so not just civilians.)

168.6 times more Palestinians were killed than Israelis

24.2 times more Palestinians were injured than Israelis

57.5 times more Palestinian children were murdered than Israelis

61.6 times more Palestinian children were injured than Israelis

17.4 times more Palestinian women were murdered than Israelis

41 times more Palestinian women were injured than Israelis

source: UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

but yes "Israel is protecting itself and not at all carrying out genocide or hurting innocent Palestinians. Israel has never hurt Palestinian civilians and this is totally an equal fight where both Israelis and Palestinians are equally wrong, equally at fault, and Israelis deserve to defend themselves by wiping out an entire region of 2 million Palestinians (most who are children) but the barbaric Palestinians better not fight back, defend themselves or hurt their oppressors.

Israelis are justified in their slaughter and oppression of Palestinians for DECADES because of the action of Hamas 3 days ago, but Hamas’ actions 3 days ago are completely wrong in every way shape or form, no question, despite the war crimes Israel has committed towards the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza for decades. That makes perfect logical sense

Israel has only started harming Palestinians because of Hamas, despite the fact that Palestinians were being murdered and displaced for more than 40 years before Hamas was ever a thing. Again, Israelis are perfectly justified in any horror or warcrimes they've committed and the UN will never condemn them and will sweep their infinite war crimes under the rug, but Hamas needs to be stopped which includes trying to suspend humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinians (even though most Palestinians aren't part of Hamas and this will affect the innocent people in need of help) and also cutting off their medical and water supplies (even though it'll affect almost a million innocent children stuck in an illegal blockade) but billions of dollars, supplies, and military support needs to be sent to Israel immediately!!!

The world cannot remain silent and the Israelis deserve our support, but please do ignore how the world's been silent for Palestinians all these years!!

We will show you videos of horror from other countries taken years ago, or even crimes Israelis have committed but spread the news that it was Palestinians who did such things, but we will not show any of the evidence of Palestinians refusing to harm women and children and instead taking Israelis as hostages, majority of them soldiers.

We will show you Muslims across the world celebrating the death of innocent people (when in reality they're protesting in order to call out their hypocritical governments who support an apartheid state) but we'll conveniently ignore how the people of Sderot (the city nearest to Gaza that Palestinians were recently able to enter after 16 years of being caged in Gaza) used to watch rockets hit Gaza and cheer on, calling it " best reality show" and "better than the world cup" back in 2014 which is one of the deadliest years for Palestinians (more than 2000 massacred).

Israel will warn the people of Gaza to flee and then go right ahead and bomb the only route they could possibly use: the Rafah crossing to Egypt and it will also threaten to target any humanitarian aid trucks trying to enter into Gaza (X, X, X)

Israel will also murder journalists, including an American citizen which is a war crime and illegal, but will face no consequences and try to frame Palestinians instead.

but remember! Palestinians are all terrorist islamist barbarians and you MUST support Israel and its oppression of Palestinians, otherwise you are antisemitic. Every Palestinian deserves to die and Israel is justified in carrying out mass genocide (by taking away electricity, water, and food) with the support of foreign countries because of the actions of Hamas, but Palestinians will never be justified in attacking their oppressors or defending themselves from 70 years of oppression. Shut up, these things aren't meant to make sense, just support Israel.

[thienan1s]

Yandere platonic Dark Cacao alphabet ( A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H ) :

A : 1) Authority: Do they see themselves as above their obsession?

- Yes, he is Dark Choco father, he see himself absolutely above his son and Dark Choco should do obey everything he said. His son is young, stupid and reckless (regardless of whether is the young or old version of Dark Choco. In Dark Cacao's defense, he's 100+ years old, it's hard not to see your son as a child) and he is his father, he always know and do best for him.

2) Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

- He love languages are Acts of service and Quality time. As a king he is very busy, his free time is precious and he likes to enjoy it with his son ( especially when Dark Choco returns to his arms ). He is very protective of Dark Choco and would not hesitate to risk his life to protect his son, but Dark Cacao's acts of devotion for love can become very extreme (which is not a light thing even at begin since when he became a yandere), he can go from imprisoning Dark Choco to cutting out the tongue of anyone who dares to speak ill of him no matter how true or light it is.

B : 1) Can they cook or bake? Is they children responsible for their own food?

- Can cook but normal level, he wasn't born royalty and was an explorer, of course he knows how to cook for himself but i don't think he's very good at it considering i don't think he cares too much about whether his food tastes good or not but this may change when he starts cooking for his son. He doesn't cook for Dark Choco often because he's busy managing the country and increasing Dark Choco protection measures, actually at first during the early days of Dark Choco's life he never cooked for him that was the job of a servant, but gradually he changed because he realized how distant he had been to Dark Choco and wanted to change, you know cooking is also a language of love and even later all of Dark Choco food had to be cooked by him because Dark Cacao's mental state escalated, he slowly became a severely paranoid yandere, acting as if every food Dark Choco put in his mouth wasn't made by him then there was a 99.99999% chance Dark Choco would die from poisoning.

2) Blood : How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

- War, genocide, dismemberment people ,... In short, he doesn't mind being a Beast.

C : 1) Cruentus- How do they respond to children being hurt, both slightly and severely?

- Hell, the person who did it should wish that they and their family, those related to them have a quick death. Bonus : Their bodies will not be treated well, it is a pity that even innocent people do not have the right to wish for an intact corpse and a proper burial.

And did you know that in ancient times, in Asian cultures, if you committed a crime against the royal family, your entire living family generation would be killed, including your father's, mother's, and wife's (or husband's) relatives. (In my country, this is called "tru di cửu tộc")

2) Cruelty: How would they treat their children once abducted? Would they mock them?

-No, he will never mock Dark Choco. The closest thing he got was scolding Dark Choco when he thought his son did something stupid and potentially harmful to himself like trying to escape.

- He really tries his best to give Dark Choco the best he can, he pampers him as much as he can and treats him like a diamond with the strength of glass. Those who cause even the slightest scratch to Dark Choco will pay dearly.

D: 1) Disengage : What's their response to being ignored?

- Sadness, but he did nothing. To others he may seem like the embodiment of Satan, the demon of wrath, one small mistake and you will be beheaded, even if you are innocent you can still be beheaded but for Dark Choco he has the patience of a saint.

2) Dearest : Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their children will?

- I can't think of anything specific right now but there will definitely be, right now I just have a vague idea that he can stop Dark Choco from doing things that he thinks are harmful to Dark Choco.

E: 1) Enclosure: Where do they keep children ?

- In his castle of course, but the concern here is that if his yandere level gets too bad he might even force Dark Choco stay in his bedroom ( please don't think something weird, he is just overthinking and there is not ( or don't care) concept of private space anymore ) . That would make Dark Choco's situation even more hellish, being watched by your father who is also your captor 24/7 (Dark Cacao would move his office into his bedroom if he was crazy enough to force Dark Choco to stay in his room, he would do that to monitor his son after all, he would probably even cut down on going out as much as possible to only going out for meetings or fighting to protect his country, his country is the only thing left he cares about besides Dark Choco which makes them always together for days, weeks, months) is not a comfortable thing. Remember Yandere not mean to be healthy, to make the one they love happy, even platonic yandere.

2) Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their children ? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their children ?

- All his heart, his soul, his life is for his son. You hurt Dark Choco you hurt Dark Cacao, it even worse than you directly hurt Dark Cacao exponentially and it increases proportionally to his madness.

F : 1) Facade: Are they good at hiding their true intentions?

- He doesn't usually hide his intentions, actually in this platonic yandere relationship i see Dark Cacao never hides his true intentions because he's too strong and that doesn't fit his personality, he can easily get what he wants by force so why need to be histrionic, something that makes him so tired. But if put in a situation where Dark Cacao feels he needs to hide his intentions, he can also act a little, like putting on and keeping still a serious expressionless face or acting as if nothing is happening but inside he is in turmoil or thinking about doing something sinister, well it's little but he's very good at it, years of being king require you to have some degree of control over your expressions and you'd be surprised how useful it can be in "taking care" of his child.

Fight: How would they feel if their children fought back?

- My man is gonna be going through the 5 stages of grief as badly as an overthinking yandere can do, anger will be first it will be like " How dare he attack his father AGAIN ? Still not learned a lesson ? I do everything for his sake, I do so much for him and he treat me like THIS ? " , next could be depression although this emotion can also be in other stages like 4,5 for example it like " How could he treat his father like that? Or am I really the one at fault? Haven't I done enough? I still haven't fixed my mistake? ?Doesn't he love me? " This stage is worse the further back you go can move from sadness to actual depression, denial will be 3 he will convince himself that his son didn't try to hurt him even though it was obvious, that it was just a misunderstanding just an accident, that Dark Choco still loved him, he was just a childish boy who lacked control and attacked his father (Dark Choco really still loved him, it was just that Dark Cacao thought that after what he had done to Dark Choco from childhood to adulthood, he no longer loved him and that's really why he locked Dark Choco up, he didn't want to lose him... not again) and justify himself that his actions were right, 4 bargaining after trying to justify what he did in stage 3 he will try to point out the benefits of the wrongdoing he did mainly to appease himself, 5 Acceptance no matter how things turn out in the end, he will simply accept it and then do nothing to change it, until the next time he goes through the 5 stages of grief and it all starts over again.

G : 1) Garment : Do they take control of their children clothes?

- Control like what ??? Is whether Dark Choco gets to wear clothes or not and whether his clothes are good or not (nice, warm, not torn) depends on his behavior ? if so then NO, Dark Cacao isn't that bad, no matter how bad Dark Choco behaves, he's still given the best things materially. But if it's about whether he chose Dark Choco's clothes or not, does Dark Choco have the right to choose his clothes or not, did he do anything to Dark Choco's clothes or not ? Dark Cacao does choose clothes for his son but not always, most of the time he lets Dark Choco choose his own clothes and only occasionally chooses a few outfits he thinks are nice for his son to wear but if his son doesn't like what he chooses, he won't force him wear the only times he forced his son to dress was when he saw that he was not dressed warmly enough and might catch a cold, the freedom to choose clothes is one of the few rights Dark Choco has under Dark Cacao control, the closest thing to control when it comes to Dark Choco outfit is that Dark Cacao is also very strick about poison checking (he's overthinking).

2 ) Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their children try to escape ?

- No, this absolutely not a game to him and he certainly didn't like seeing his son trying to escape.

H : 1) Hell: What would be their children worst experience with them?

I have two answers which one do you want ? 1 is sure to happen and 2 only in the worst case. If 1 then is being constantly monitored and controlled if it 2 then broken legs.

2) Handicap: How do they handle children being or becoming disabled?

- Ha ha, hell. The person responsible for this better suicide now because no matter where you run, Dark Cacao will still find you and give you a life worse than death and Dark Cacao will fall into a bottomless abyss called self-blame and he will start self-destructive behavior. Of course he still tries his best to take care of his child, he is not the kind of parent who will drown in sorrow and abandon their children 'when it needs them most'.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Qasim Rashid at Let's Address This:

After refusing to endorse a Presidential candidate last month, the Washington Post Editorial Board (“The Post”) published their encore abdication of duty by defending Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu against an ICC arrest warrant. “The ICC is not the Venue to hold Israel to account” the editorial board proclaimed. I took the time to carefully read their argument, hoping for some semblance of fact or truth in their words. What I found was a poorly written, illogically argued, propaganda piece full of deceptive omissions, out of context claims, bizarre contradictions, and flat out lies. “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is apparently no longer the The Post’s slogan, but instead their mission statement. The Post’s Editorial Board has done a disservice to journalism, to human rights, and to international law. Below I dismantle each of their arguments one by one, with receipts, and provide the facts that they refuse to cite, let alone acknowledge.

[...] The Post lists numerous known dictators and war criminals and the mass atrocities and genocide they’ve committed or enabled. This appears to be an attempt to accuse the ICC of hypocrisy, because the ICC has apparently not issued arrest warrants of those whom the Post lists. [...] As mentioned, the ICC is not engaging in selective prosecution. But if there is hypocrisy, it is The Post holding Netanyahu to one standard of immunity, and al-Assad to another, when in reality both should be prosecuted for war crimes. Likewise, The Post inexplicably seems to suggest that just because a country has democratically elected leaders with an independent judiciary, they somehow cannot commit war crimes and genocide. The logic is as confounding as it is utterly stupid. What, pray tell, can The Post cite to as evidence that just because a politician is elected, they are somehow exempt from being able to commit war crimes?

[...] I repeat, this report was published on October 6, 2023. But The Post would have us believe that none of the above happened and October 7 was a spontaneous attack. In reality, October 7 was a war crime, in response to Israeli war crimes. War crimes do not justify more war crimes, but one would hope that “the elected leaders of a democratic country with its own independent judiciary” would not engage in the mass murder of Palestinian children. Yet sadly, that is the reality we are witnessing, and the reality The Post continues to ignore.

[...] Again, The Post makes a claim with zero evidence. The ‘conflict’ has been ongoing for more than half a century of Israel’s illegal military occupation of Palestinian land. Pray tell, when has there been any accountability for Israel building nearly 1 million illegal settlements, for killing more than 2200 Palestinian children since the year 2000, or even for killing Hind Rajab with more than 300 bullets from a tank at close range in late 2023? The Post cites zero examples of accountability, because it knows zero such examples exist. What magical judicial, parliamentary, and military commissions of inquiry does The Post refer to? These are all hypotheticals The Post has convinced itself exist, but only exist as a figment of their own imagination. It is reprehensible for The Post to pretend accountability exists when the overwhelming evidence from more than a half century of human rights law violations demonstrate no such thing.

[...] Indeed, this is the case in Israel. As mentioned, violations of Palestinian human rights and sovereignty has perpetuated for decades without relief. Settlement expansion continues, and the Israeli government’s promise to annex Gaza continues. The IDF has even smuggled into Gaza Israeli land developers to start planning for future illegal Israeli settlements. The arrest of a few soldiers is hardly accountability for mass war crimes and genocide of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The Post acknowledges one torture camp, but ignores that more than 10,000 Palestinian civilians are held in indefinite detention in Israeli prisons without charge, trial, due process, access to counsel, or means of relief. The Post ignores that extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank are exempt from indefinite detention, but Palestinians are not. The Post ignores that according to B’TSalem, an Israeli human rights org, more than 1000 children suffer in Israeli prisons. The Post ignores that according to Save the Children These imprisoned children are further denied access to counsel or parents, while suffering ongoing physical and sexual abuse.

[...] The facts are clear. The ICC is perfectly within its jurisdiction, right, and obligation to hold Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas leaders accountable for war crimes. That the ICC has not yet reached the point of filing arrest warrants for each of the despots mentioned by The Post is nothing more than an argument for increased ICC funding so it can fulfill its mandate of prosecuting war crimes. Rather than excuse war crimes committed by people The Post likes, perhaps its editorial board can remember that their job as journalists is not to capitulate in the face of atrocity, but to hold fast the call for democracy. If this is a task too difficult for The Post’s board, then maybe it’s time to resign and let actual journalists take the lead.

Qasim Rashid debunks the Washington Post’s Gaza Genocide-whitewashing editorial loaded with pro-Israel Apartheid/AIPAC-backed propaganda criticizing the ICC for rightly prosecuting war criminals Yoav Gallant and Benjamin Netanyahu.

[icycoldninja]

Can you perhaps write a reader whose a war veteran/anti-war photographer with the DMC boys?

She became an anti war photographer after witnessing multiple horrors and war crimes committed by both her country as well as many others during her time serving as a front line soldier

When they ask her why she finally chose to become an anti-war photographer, she confessed that she can’t keep turning a blind eye to every atrocities committed by some soldiers ( some nights, her guilt of ignoring both her ex-comrade’s as well as other soldier’s war crimes comes to eat her up, reminding her of who she was and what she could’ve done to prevent their war crimes but instead she chose to stay ignorant as she didn’t have a backbone then )

So that’s how she became an anti-war photographer, to raise awareness of the after effects of war the governments chose to keep silent about in hopes to press enough pressure on them to apologize for their committed war crimes. Not just war, but also to raise awareness about silent genocides still happening in some parts of the world

A small part of her reasoning has to do with the fact she still feels guilty of feigning ignorance to the war crimes she had to commit as well as other’s so she became a photographer in hopes to feel less guilty abt herself

Yes, of course, enjoy!

Sparda boys + V x Veteran!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-Dante was worried about you, and how you always run out to the front lines to take pictures of all the atrocities going on over there, then sending them to news sites so word can be spread.

-He couldn't understand why you did this. You were a veteran, someone who'd been in combat plenty of times in your life, why would you want to go back?

-After some time, he decidedd to ask you about it, not at all prepared for the response you gave him.

-You publicly displayed your opinions against war because you felt guilty for all the crimes you committed during your time in service and wanted to show the world that war was harmful, as a way to atone for your sins.

-While Dante thought that was a noble effort, he didn't want you going out there and putting yourself in danger.

-If you weren't going to reel it in, then he would go with you to ensure your safety.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil never paid any mind to humans and their foolishness; they could wage all the wars they wanted and he wouldn't care.

-However, that all changed after discovering you were an anti-war photographer who readily charged into the fray to expose the harsh truth of battles.

-He instantly became more concerned with affairs such as these, though only for your safety.

-He once traveled to the front lines with you, and while what he saw was horrific, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before.

-He later asked you why you did all this, and what you hoped to gain from doing such dangerous work. After hearing your reasoning, he decides you are a fool.

-While what you do might cleanse you of your guilt and all that, there's no denying you're willingly putting yourself in danger, and that you could likely get killed taking pictures of the violence. You must understand, he doesn’t intend to sound like he wants to crush your dreams; if something were to ever happen to you, he'd never get over it.

□ Nero □

-Nero knew you were a war veteran and that you'd seen some shit, but he didn't think it was so bad, you'd start becoming an anti war photographer.

-Getting you to explain why you do what you do was difficult, as it was a sensitive topic, but once you revealed the truth, Nero understood.

-Not that he's opposing you. If anything, Nero's supportive of you and your feelings. He's seen a lot of violence too, remember?

-He is concerned about your safety, but that just gives him an excuse to tag along and help take pictures.

-He's not scared of the blood and gore, nor does he enjoy it; he just wants to help you in any way that he can.

-He's your assistant, cameraman, editor and pretty much anything you need him to be. Even though he isn't as zealous about promoting anti-war material, he still helps because he knows this is your passion.

● V ●

-V didn't think much of your profession when he saw/heard of it.

-It's your business to do what makes you happy, and if taking pictures of the violence on war fronts makes you happy, then so be it.

-While V is rather worried about you out there, Griffon frequently assures him he has nothing to worry about; you can take care of yourself, and if he's really that worried, then he go with you.

-V decides to take this sage advice and accompany you on your next journey. Needless to say, he did not enjoy it. No one did.

-Upon returning from that traumatic trip, V asked you why you would willingly charge into such a dark place like that, knowing the horrors that lay in wait.

-Your response was equally as dark; it showed him just how much battle had scarred you and how far you were willing to go to atone for what you'd done.

[jacensolodjo]

I just wish people cared more about Ukraine. I wish I didn't have to watch and fear that tomorrow a friend will stop posting because they're dead. Because russia killed them. And no one gives a shit.

Russia murders so many Ukrainians and no one can give a single fuck about it. Russia is right, Ukraine is wrong. Russia is committing genocide and war crime after war crime but it's fine it is just eastern europe. Let the former soviet states fight it out. What does it fucking matter?

Blah blah US proxy war. Go fuck yourself.

But it is almost worse to see people who can't even find Ukraine on a map decide they know Ukraine is the evil one.

Ukraine never attacked first. Ukraine wanted and wants to be left alone. Russia can't allow it. Why is that okay?

Why is it okay for russia to be like this? Why is it okay for people to ignore the war crimes. The hospitals bombed. The supermarkets blown up. The civilian housing flattened.

Oh but such and such western country-- I don't care. I care about Ukraine. I care what is happening to Ukraine now. By russia. When will it be 'bye russia'?

(Also don't think we don't see all the shit you heap on Zelenskyy. All the antisemitism. Guess what for a country supposedly filled with nazis, Ukraine has like the lowest rate of antisemitism compared to western countries and russia itself but you don't care abt the facts you care there is a jew who is president of ukraine that you want to pretend wanted this war and controls the USA but you pretend it's just abt the 'nazis in ukraine' even tho you're the one spouting the nazi rhetoric.)

[my-pjo-stuff]

Why are you proud to be german ?

That Sound pretty nazi like , lol.

Hi, so I'm gonna give you a quick note and say that German history isn't just WW2 ^^ Normally I wouldn't really dignify this kind of talk with a response, as the guys who ask those generally are dimwhits. (A friendly reminder here that prejudice and namecalling of a person purely due to membership of a specific group is just textbook bigotry.)

But also it gives me a chance to express my love for my home country and nerd about it so imma reply to it just for that.

Alrighty, heads up everybody this will be long. This has nothing to do with PJO and is just me trying to explain all the things I'm proud of as a German (and that Nazis aren't all Germany is, obviously) so honestly feel more than free to ignore this if you have no interest. Let's get on with it!

I definitely won't deny that Germany isn't perfect. Believe me, Nazis are just the objective scum of the earth and the Prussian militaristic culture definitely caused a lotta issues. But saying that being proud of your country despite it's shitty past immediately means you support that past just isn't true.

I mean, if we do it like that that means no American can ever be proud to be American. Because that means they obviously support slavery and the genocide of their native people aswell as being racist. If you are proud to be French, that would mean you are obviously colonizers. Oh you are proud to be Canadian? Dambe, sounds like someone supports all the countless war crimes y'all committed during the world wars. You are proud to be Japanese or Italian? Well obviously then you are a facists, because those used to be facist. Proud to be Greek perhaps? Dambe, I can't believe you are imperialist like that!

You see what I'm getting at here? Every single country or group of people on this earth has a dark past. But just because your country committed crimes doesn't mean you can't be proud of it along as you recognize those crimes and are not proud because of them.

As to why I am proud to be German? Well, our rich culture for one. There are many colourful, and very interesting local cultures all over Germany! With their own cultural dresses, traditions and festivals. No village or city is exactly the same as the last, and a simple drive from north to south will allow you to see many unique and beautiful displays of culture.

Our history is rich, and very intricate. The German people have existed for thousands of years- even if the modern German state was technically only formed in 1871, "German" is an incredibly old concept. Wether it be the history of the Holy Roman Empire, the short time between it's fall 1806 and the foundation of the German Kaiserreich 1871, or even history after it- you will find many interesting topics and figures to look up to.

The German Peasants' War was amongst the first instances of human rights in Europe, with Thomas Müntzer at its helm. Luise of Meckleburg-Strelitz was a Prussian queen and supporter of progressive ideals. Brothers Grimm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller were some of the most influential authors we know and also Germans.

Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are two of the most famous composers of our time, and as you could have guessed, German. (Though for Mozart you could also say he was Austrian, with him it's a bit wishy-washy which nationality he had exactly. Then again, Austria is also very closely related to German culture wise. To the point of it being in my honest opinion Germany's smaller twin brother.)

Cars, electric elevators, the printing press, the first newspaper, the concept of a kindergarden, the mp3 format, the symbol for the square root and many, many more inventions were all done by Germans.

Germany is on third place in terms of how many noble prices they got with 115. One just (relatively) recently going to us for discovering a way to vaccinate against a specific form of uterine cancer caused by bacteria (which yes, that exists. A German developed a vaccination against cancer).

Nowadays Germany forms a core player in European politics, having been a main driver for the foundation of the European Union. No country is aware of and honoring of their dark, dark past like Germany is. We are a shining example of modern democracy and freedom in the West. Currently, Germany forms the third strongest economy on earth and the strongest on Europe.

My country is home to multiple impressive and beautiful natural formations. Aswell as multiple cases of breathtaking architecture. Not to mention our beautiful cultural dresses.

All you need to do to see what I am talking about is to Google Lake Constance or the Black Forest. Take a look at the Cologne Cathedral, the Reichstag or perhaps traditional Fachwerkhäuser. Schwarzwaldtracht or ofcourse the Dirndl are just two examples of the various beautiful cultural dresses. Fasnacht and Laternenlauf are beautiful traditions.

I mean....there is a reason that the "common" fantasy world is largely inspired by medieval German architecture and culture, don't you think?

But even if we move away from all that more abstract stuff such as culture and heritage, it were Germans who take care of and raised me. Germans are who teach me and who are friends with me. It is the German state assuring me the right that I will have an education. I myself am German. Don't you think that it would be a little bit cynical to remain entirely indifferent about my home?

I consider myself decently patriotic, and I love my country and my home. That doesn't mean that I think Germany is somehow superior or better than others. Just because you love your family doesn't mean you think you are inherently worth more than other people. And neither does it mean that I think that my country is above mistake.

What happened during the Third Reich was a horrible crime. It is a stain upon Germany that it can never wash off, and that it should never forget. But just like not everything English or American is colonialism and wars, not everything German equals Nazis.

But between you and me, this statement is very much ignorant as shit. Get better and less of a bigot, plz.

[sophieinwonderland]

please explain how burning the one flag that represents freedom for all 50 states with all 50 stars, is "protecting our liberty"

So this is weird...

They blocked me and all of their asks disappeared from my inbox on desktop... But apparently I can still respond on mobile?

Tumblr really needs to get this fixed.

Anyway, taking this opportunity to reiterate... Protecting free speech means protecting speech that you don't like.

The flag, at its best, is a symbol of freedom and unity, yes. But it is also a symbol of imperialism and colonialism. This is the flag under which we detained Asian immigrants in World War II for their ethnicity. It's the flag of a country that displaced native Americans, and spent hundreds of years committing a cultural genocide against them. It's a flag but oversaw a century of slavery.

It's the flag under which we have committed numerous war crimes, from Vietnam to the fraudulent invasion of Iraq that was based on lies of weapons of mass destruction that didn't exist. It's a flag that destabilized countries around the world and performed illegal experiments on our own citizens.

It's a flag of the country of the Tulsa race massacre. A flag of the country that has one of the highest prison populations in the world. Much of which are from marginalized communities.

I could go on and on listing all of the horrible things that the flag stands for. What this flag means is different to different people.

There are a lot of good reasons that people don't like this country. There are a lot of good reasons that people don't like the flag that represents it.

But besides the emotional reasons for burning a flag... There is one very practical reason.

When you are going out and protesting against corruption and injustice, those in power will try to ignore you as best they can.

But you light the flag on fire, and people will pay attention.

If the part of the flag that you like is the positive parts, the dedication to freedom and free speech most of all... Then it is your duty to those values to protect the right of people who don't share your views to burn it in protest of the negative things that the flag stands for.

[daisyachain]

It’s been read into the record that the US Army committed egregious civilian massacres in Vietnam, killed an estimated 100-500 thousand civilians in total in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, caused thousands more poisonings, birth defects, and related deaths in the Agent Orange ecocide. Vietnam is considered by most residents of developed countries to be an unfortunate policy bungle in which US soldiers suffered trauma.

This is not counting massacres by allied forces. It is unsealed public knowledge that the United States either installed or propped up military dictatorships in a majority of Latin American countries and Indonesia, which engaged in political killings. The United States backed the governments which carried out the genocide of the Maya. US interventions in Latin America are considered by most residents of developed countries to consist of a heroic opposition to Cuban dictatorship, where they are considered at all. Indonesia does not exist.

The word ‘genocide’ was coined to describe the Armenian genocide. Descendants of Armenian survivors have risen to prominence in US pop culture (Cher, System of a Down). Armenians have suffered crimes, military aggression, and civilian killings by Azerbaijani and allied forces multiple times within the past five years. The US government recognized the Armenian genocide for the first time in 2019. The United Nations organized COP29 in Baku with no formal dissent or objection from developed countries, and I’ve seen accounts on here with my own eyes praising the current Turkish government (more of a case of ‘you do not under any circumstances have to hand it to a far-right nationalist regime because they’re geopolitically opposed to Israel’s far-right nationalist regime’). Most residents of developed countries couldn’t point to the Caucasus on a map.

These atrocities and many, many more are cases of factual unarguable history that have been acknowledged by hegemonic governments. There is no public or intellectual debate on the fact of the Armenian genocide, American installation of Pinochet, the My Lai massacre. It’s gone down in history.

It’s also true that the average resident, even the average sensible political moderate in the suite of developed countries has an understanding of the world that denies or excludes these facts. Tumblr fandom blogs will share a video of Erdogan if he’s saying something politically convenient, a mildly left-wing guy will disbelieve me when I mention the Pinochet thing until I make him look it up on friggin Wikipedia, there are 2 Vietnam War films focusing on heroic American characters released in or after Anno Domini 2020. One of which is by a solidly progressive director.

I’ve seen the sentiment frequently that history will show the Israeli genocide as the most vicious, cruel, inhuman assault on humanity since the turn of the millennium. That is true. It will show as fact, records will be unsealed, media distortions will die down. Already, internal Israeli news sources Haaretz and +972 have disproven many of the claims used by the US government as an excuse to dismember children on the basis of ethnicity.

At the same time, I think that there’s a lot of evidence that factual atrocities will be ignored by the liberal hegemony as long as they’re inconvenient. The Shoah is remembered as a tragedy in part because it fits into a narrative that portrays the US as a morally just world power. Universally acknowledged genocides mass killings have little to no impact on the memories or politics of ‘normal people’ in developed countries. Most people don’t know that the UAE is currently playing a key role in the decimation of Sudan’s population and most people, if they ever did find out, would not see any reason for the US to use its economic leverage to have any impact on the UAE at all.

The record does and will show that Israel is guilty of genocide. It will go away sooner or later because of the efforts of Palestinians and allies to free Palestine from occupation, apartheid, and genocide. I don’t think that anyone who cheered on genocide will be aware of any of this, reflect on any of it, or do anything at all make up for the people they’ve killed. Vindication by history might not change them at all. Which is why it makes sense to keep bringing up the Palestinian genocide in all contexts whether ‘appropriate’ or not, because all historical evidence shows that it will be swept under the rug, forgotten, or misremembered if it doesn’t remain a conversational landmine forever

[houseofpurplestars]

🚨 Government Media Office (1/2):

—

The famine deepens in the Gaza Strip, and the airdrops of aid are useless. We hold the the American administration, the international community, and the "israeli" occupation responsible.

The famine continues to deepen significantly in the governorates of the Gaza Strip, with 2,400,000 people suffering from a severe lack of food. The famine is particularly severe in the governorates of North Gaza and Gaza. This disaster has already led to the martyrdom of 15 children due to hunger, malnutrition, and dehydration, threatening the lives of more than 700,000 Palestinian citizens suffering from extreme hunger.

Some countries have attempted to air drop aid through a few planes, but it is well known that this is not the optimal method to deliver aid to the people of the Gaza Strip. In this regard, we would like to affirm the following:

🚨 Government Media Office (2/2):

—

1. We believe some countries that have conducted aerial aid drops have good intentions, while others, like the United States and others, have malicious and devious intentions as they actively participate in the war, supply the occupation with weapons, and give it the green light to commit more massacres.

2. The practice of airdropping aid and ignoring the introduction of aid through land crossings is part of a circumventing strategy that avoids root solutions to the problem by following showy, propaganda, and ineffective methods. This aligns with the occupation's policy of enhancing the starvation policy, buying time for the occupation, and extending the famine to inflict as much damage as possible on the people and citizens.

3. The air-dropping operations carry serious repercussions for the residents and people, posing a significant challenge, as part of this aid lands near the separation fence or in areas controlled by the occupation army or within the occupied Palestinian lands, thus endangering the lives of citizens trying to access the aid.

4. Air-dropping operations are extremely difficult in a crowded environment like the Gaza Strip, home to 2,400,000 people. Aerially delivered aid is susceptible to damage due to weather conditions or serious accidents in the Gaza Strip. Some of the aid dropped has fallen into the sea and has not reached the people, while land transport of aid reaches citizens safely and is not subject to damage.

5. The aid delivered by air is minimal and limited, and the capacity of the planes is limited and does not meet the people's needs at all. The aerially delivered aid does not cover anything, but is merely a drop in the ocean of massive needs, unlike land transport, which can deliver the largest possible quantity of aid safely to the people and citizens suffering from hunger. Additionally, aerial transport operations are significantly more expensive than much less costly land transport operations.

6. The aid delivered by air does not achieve justice at all, as this process requires 2,400,000 people to go out into the streets and then run after the aid, which does not reach safe places, in a shameful, humiliating, inhumane, and non-humanitarian manner.

7. The policy of closing land crossings to relief, supply, and food aid convoys constitutes a war crime in violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and all international conventions, which is what the occupation does against our Palestinian people since the beginning of the genocide.

In light of all this, we renew our full responsibility to the American administration, the international community, and the "israeli" occupation for the genocide waged by the occupation against civilians, children, and women. We also hold them responsible for the famine and the enhancement of the starvation policy, and for 19 types of crimes against humanity committed by the occupation in the Gaza Strip.

We call on all free countries of the world to pressure the occupation to stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing against our Palestinian people, which has claimed more than 100,000 victims, including martyrs, wounded, and detainees, and to immediately and unconditionally stop the bloodshed against civilians, women, and children.

Government Media Office

Sunday, March 3, 2024

t.me/PalestineResist

[i-cant-sing]

I just want to take a moment as someone from Israel-in Israel. A woman in Israel.

I do not agree with what my country is doing. I do not agree with the violence and atrocities we commit. But just like Americans, we can be against a war our country is fighting.

Yes, if Israel stops this war, the war is over. It is not equal.

But we cannot ignore what Palestine has done, also. I have lost family. Many people I know have lost family. I am fortunate in that I was not ever taken, I am far from the border, but I know someone who lost a sister. When her body was recovered, she had been raped. This happens on both sides, as women are seen as property of the state. But it does not excuse it. There is no excuse in raping women. Not even for freedom, as how can you achieve freedom through violating women?

I understand it muddies waters to say that there is violence on both sides. There are atrocities on both sides. We like to pretend it is one sided as it makes it easier. But it isn't. You can be the country in the right and still commit war crimes.

I understand if my words are seen as unwelcome here. But I wished to see it acknowledged, the pain that has been brought, not always justly. War is simple, but it is also complex. Trauma goes back generations, it grows roots and takes hold. The fear of the Israeli people for another holocaust is perhaps not well founded, but it is real in our minds. It will always be. The hatred we faced for something not of our doing by Palestinians was real. Our response does not become justified, an overreaction is not justified. But it was real. Their hatred for their land being taken was real-but their reaction to us was not justified. Not in the beginning.

I suppose i am trying to point out the suffering we face as a reminder that we are not our country. I do not enjoy seeing myself and my family and friends vilified in media because of where we live-where we were uprooted to because our family was murdered and our homes taken from us. But I understand our government does evil, now. But we are not our government. Even if we wished to speak up for Palestine, we would be branded terrorists. The things done to innocents is never justified, on either side.

This isn't a war because for a war, both countries should be able to have somewhat similar resources to defend themselves. It's a fucking massacre, a genocide, a cold blooded murder.

Look at Israel's military budget, that gets US aid. Now compare it with Palestine.

Your suffering, the death of your loved ones, your pain, its not invalidated, but it certainly will never compare to the pain of Palestinians.

I understand that this is Israel's government that's behind all this, but you guys are the ones who voted for them. So you should come out and begin protesting for Palestine, even at the cost of being labelled as "antisemitic" or "hamas sympathiser". If Holocaust survivors were to be here, do you think they'd stay silent? People of Israel chose and voted their government officials who now don't even consider Palestinians as humans, so... sorry to say honey, but yall are also responsible for this genocide.

Water, food, fuel, electricity, even donations and trucks carrying MEDICAL supplies have been cut off or prevented from reaching Palestinians. Is that happening in Israel rn? Didn't McDonald's just promise to supply food to the Israle armed forces??

Now, anon, imagine this-

Your country is being bombed, what for? You're not even sure exactly at this point. You've been kicked out of your home, which was then bombarded. your dad's business? All gone, his money, tears sweat, were all for naught. You've been shifted to a refugee camp, and you've been moving from one camp to another for many years because you're constantly hearing airstrikes. You've lost many of your siblings, family, friends. Every night that you go to sleep, with your mother making sure that all of remaining family members are sleeping together, so that in case something happens, you're all dead and no one has to live in pain to mourn for others. Your entire childhood is gone now because you've witnessed such horrible conditions, death is almost always a certainty, and you're struggling for basic necessities such as drinking water, food, etc. Almost all of your family is dead, you were one of the "lucky" ones who didn't die under a pile of rubble. You're grown up now, and you're thinking of leaving this hell by educating yourself and applying to a university outside of Palestine but oh oh! Well, the passing rate is incredibly low, less than 1% of students pass a test which is graded by an occupying force. The doctor who onec treated you is now breaking down becase she lost her entore family in the airstrike while she was helping victims of the same airstrikes, but she doesnt have time to mourn them or wven bury them because the hospital is understaffed nd theres way too many trauma patients in the triage that need her. Oh and look, your best friend was just shot in the back of the head. What for? He was just walking down the street. And the little kid you saw yesterday? Well he was body slammed to the ground by the occupying force's police and taken into custody where he was forced to confess to a crime he never committed, WAS TRAUMATISED AND TORTURED and was never even given a fair trial before he was locked up for more than 2 decades, after which this kid, now an adult has developed schizophrenia. As for you, you thank your lucky stars because you passed your test somehow but oh no. You're suddenly being taken into custody by the occupying force for "suspicious activity and links to a terrorist organisation".

Shall I go on?

[gryficowa]

I have the impression that AI has become more terrifying for people than genocide and war… I just see it and I don't know how to feel about this thought…

The creator supports genocide? People don't have a problem with it because "You can separate the creator from the work" and such excuses

Will the creator use AI? End of the world, he should be burned at the stake for his crimes…

I don't like the anti-AI movement (I don't like corporations that prefer to bring down AI people), because AI is a tool (It can be used for good purposes, such as science, but also for bad purposes, i.e. by greedy corporations)

But the fact that for people it is a greater crime to use AI than to fucking support a country that commits genocide is fucked up to me

Honestly, it pisses me off when people attack creators for using AI, but they will support those who were silent or supported genocide, because of course AI stealing from creators is worse than genocide where civilians are killed

Anyway, act as if bigger creators plagiarizing smaller creators didn't exist… AI has caused more controversy than corporations stealing from smaller creators (Which has happened, I'm looking at you Disney) and they've been doing it for years since AI was created

It's simply depressing that generating images through AI is a worse crime than supporting genocide

I'm disappointed by the fact that society, as usual, doesn't treat war crimes as something bad, but fucking AI does, even when there is another type of crime that, compared to genocide, is so trivial that it's a nightmare… Doesn't mean it's not there should be regulations regarding AI and corporations, but I'm literally talking about this that the use of AI is worse than war crimes and that scares me

And before you accuse me that "You are not an artist if you defend AI," I ask you, what do you see here?

I don't have great skills, but I'm getting better and better, who knows, maybe one day AI will stop having so many errors and it will be used to learn how to draw (You can do it now, but AI is crap when it comes to not breaking something… It can be used for creativity in coming up with the appearance of characters, you know, Gacha Life and OCs… I don't have to explain what I mean… Only here you only get outfits and hairstyles, the rest is your own)

And so… the AI ​​generated this outfit for me

You can see typical AI problems, but it's not important, what matters is the character's outfit (although I see problems near the neck and chest, as if the shirt and skin had merged together)

Well… You can say that the AI ​​followed the order… I wanted an unusual hairstyle and it worked

So, as a person who has problems with coming up with hairstyles, maybe this will help me somehow

Coming back, can people care about genocides and wars and not throw mud at each other for using AI?

It's just like you're outraged about taking photos because it's a one-touch thing (Jeez… That sounded bad… I sounded like a pro-AI) when you literally ignore that houses are burning and there are floods all around

I just find it strange that people would rather leave a creator who uses AI than someone who is apparently pro-Israel

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Victoria A. Brownworth (VABVOX) at Philadelphia Gay News:

Half my family is Jewish. My late wife was Jewish. I have friends of decades who live in Israel, as well as family. Oct. 7 hit me and my family hard. I only knew one person personally who was murdered in that horrific event — Vivian Silver, a woman whose work as a peace activist I had reported on. Such a brutal irony that Silver, who for 30 years headed an organization dedicated to Israeli-Palestinian solidarity, who drove Palestinian cancer patients to treatment in Israel, who dedicated her life to peace, who worked every day with Palestinian women, was murdered Oct. 7 by terrorists. It was no surprise that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a swift reprisal in response to what he called the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. President Joe Biden offered his support, as did myriad governments worldwide. In the wake of such a horror, with videos of women and children being abducted surfacing on social media and in the news, it was apparent this was a coordinated attack meant to terrorize Israelis and send a message to Netanyahu’s government.

Collective punishment

Netanyahu’s response was swift: he ordered all food, water and electricity to Gaza stopped as the country prepared for war. Yet these actions were different from a declaration of war against an enemy — Hamas. They were a declaration of collective punishment against the Palestinian people of Gaza. Such actions contravene the Geneva Conventions — the humanitarian rules of war. This announcement from Netanyahu also raised questions: if Gaza was an autonomous state, how did Israel have so much control over the region? The answer leads directly to the protest movement that sprang up on college campuses last year and globally in advance of that. The fact is, Gaza has no central government. Its titular leadership is Hamas, which the majority of the world, including some Arab nations, views as a terrorist organization. [...]

Campus protests

In spring 2024, many encampments against the war sprang up at college campuses, including the University of Pennsylvania. The largest such encampment was at Columbia University in New York City. In 2024, Mahmoud Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University, completing his degree in December. He lived in campus housing with his wife, an American citizen. Khalil himself is a permanent U.S. resident with a green card. Khalil was a leader in that encampment, known for negotiating with the university during the protests, which included many Jewish students. On March 11, Jewish students at Columbia staged a protest in support of Khalil, while others posted on social media that he was supportive of Jewish students and not a supporter of Hamas. On the evening of March 8, ICE agents arrested Khalil and said he was being deported. For several days prior to what was an illegal incursion onto Columbia University grounds by ICE agents, Khalil had complained to the university about being doxxed and receiving threatening messages on social media. ICE originally told Khalil his student visa was being revoked. When his wife presented his green card, they apparently were confused, but detained him anyway. Khalil was being deported by President Donald Trump for being a supporter of terrorism.

Authoritarianism v. the First Amendment

Mahmoud Khalil was not taken to a deportation center in New Jersey, but in Louisiana. His wife, an American citizen, is eight months pregnant, and cannot fly. Khalil is isolated from his wife and all support as he awaits a hearing. Protests in support of Khalil have flooded the streets from New York to London. Khalil has not committed a crime. He is a permanent resident of the U.S. who protested in support of Palestinians in what many globally view as a genocidal conflict in Gaza — a claim that has also been made to international courts. The First Amendment is the foundation of America’s constitutional protections. It is for unpopular as well as popular speech. Trump hasn’t deported any Americans marching in support of neo-Nazis, even though many Americans find these groups both threatening and antisemitic. [...]

Slippery slope

The facts of Mahmoud Khalil’s case seem incontrovertible. He engaged in protests in support of Palestinians and against the war on Gaza. He was a negotiator with Columbia who had strong support from Jewish students. He is not a supporter of Hamas nor is he a terrorist. This case highlights how capricious the Trump administration is with ICE arrests, detentions and deportations. It also raises the specter of concern for members of other vulnerable groups, like LGBTQ+ people, with whom Trump is also at war on a near-daily basis. If a permanent resident of the U.S. who has not committed any crime can be arrested and detained, how broadly could those capabilities be expanded and how many people could be captured in Trump’s authoritarian net?

Victoria Brownworth (VABVOX) wrote an excellent column in the Philadelphia Gay News about a very disturbing example of authoritarianism and erosion of free speech taking place in America right now: the unlawful detention of Mahmoud Khalil for simply leading protests against Israel’s genocide of Gaza under the baseless auspices of “being a supporter of terrorism.”

[paperstorm]

It's so sad to know that your favorite character who gives you comfort is played by an ignorant pro-genocide piece of shit. I know we should separate characters from actors but every time I see tk I see him and I just can't.

I don't think that's a fair thing to call him. From what I've seen (I don't have instagram so correct me if he's posted something new that I haven't seen) he has posted about how Israel was attacked (factual), that peace needs to be achieved for both sides, and that Hamas is a terrorist organization (it's designated so by most Western countries, you can disagree with that designation if you want but it's important context that he didn't pull that out of nowhere.) You don't have to like what he's posted. I wish it was more nuanced. I wish he was currently showing the same outrage for the genocide and ethnic cleansing that's happening in Gaza as he showed for the Hamas attack last week. I find it all the kind of disappointing that puts a pit in my stomach. But pro-genocide is an extraordinarily serious accusation and I don't think it's helpful to be flinging that around as if it doesn't mean anything.

There are people in the west who are very explicitly calling for genocide. Senator Lindsey Graham, as an example. There are people who are outright stating that Palestinian citizens are inhuman and deserve to be exterminated. That is unbelievably serious and horrific and it only waters down the dangerousness of that sort of talk when we use words like pro-genocide to describe anyone whose views don't exactly align with our own. If you have trouble separating him from TK, that really sucks. You're valid in that emotion and I'm so genuinely sorry about it. You're certainly not alone there, lots of people are struggling with that right now. But we can't, we can't, get into the territory of accusing random American celebrities of war crimes when actual war crimes are being committed. I'm begging. It doesn't help Palestinians. It only serves to undermine the gravity of what's actually happening.

[janaknandini-singh999]

neutrality is a much greater threat than taking a side. you can't create balance by putting your two feet in separate boats which ultimately are sailing in opposite directions. your heart is in the right place but instead of using your empathy outwardly to help your fellow people, you are using it to appease yourself and absolve yourself of responsibility. your empathy should not remain a feeling but should transform into action. otherwise your empathy holds no value if it can't be felt by the people you have empathy for. which they can only feel if you do something with your empathy. for them.

if you have the ability to recognize the hateful intentions and actions of hindutva extremists, why then are you saying that the only solution is "karma"? that they will get karma'd? i get that you're religious and all. but ultimately isn't leaving fate to god also inaction, avoidance, irresponsibility. god did not save the jews, and if conscious hindus make excuses like "karma", guess what, god will not be able to save our muslims either.

all this to say, abeyyaaar is right. and you are being wrongly defensive.

"all lives matter" as a slogan would have made sense had there been someone who was denying that notion. but who's denying this stance? no one. all lives matter is a given. hell it is a right. but wonder why activists say "black lives matter", "muslim lives matter", "indigenous lives matter" and why that is important? because the status quo is not in compliance with these beliefs. that is why. muslim people, black people, their inherent right to live, right to be is threatened under the current society. which is why these slogans are raised. because they are not mere beliefs, but demands for something that doesn't exist, something that isn't just a given, yet. get it now?

leftists are not angry. we leftists are afraid. history is about recognizing patterns. and when our powerful politicians demonize maginalized communities, when our foreign minister praises majoritarianism in a country where hate crimes are surging, history would tell us that such happenings form the foundation for some really dark events. dark events like the ones that, well, you know. all of which were avoidable had these "neutral" bystanders hadn't been so neutral about literal hate crimes and discrimination.

you cannot look at the ram temple by ignoring the context in which it has been constructed. you cannot separate muslim suffering from the ram temple just so you as a hindu can enjoy your religion in a bubble. when you separate the two, you are undermining the former. temples should always have way less value than actual human life. if something i like has come at the cost of a whole community i'd be very appalled and disgusted. and ashamed of the people who weaponize my religion for political gains.

okay this was long um. but i hope this msg wasn't in vain.

to remind you the infamous quote by south african activist Desmond Tutu, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

First of all I'm neutral when it comes to lives, not when it comes to sides. Ik the quote very well "nobody is a bystander in a war of Dharma"

If I were born some time ago in history, I'd be against invaders and colonizers but today I'm against violent fascists (be it Hindu/Muslim like in Ram mandir's case it's some Hindus)

I never said karma is the "only solution" but isn't it your karma only when you fight for rights?

When I say neutrality I use it as a perspective for other Hindus to cast aside extremist religious sentiments for a moment and see for what's actually happening and thereby translating it into support

It is not question of religion/taking sides after a point but the question of humanity which can only be raised when people start asking like Arjun asked Krishna in the dilemma of war

I see Palestine and am horrified, no matter what the complicated history of a land is, nobody has the right to commit a genocide

I stand with the oppressed

[jordanianroyals]

2 May 2024: Queen Rania called on the international community to put urgent pressure on Israel to end the collective punishment of the people of Gaza, and to cease its violations against Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

“When you adopt starvation as a weapon of war, that is collective punishment; that is a war crime. When you displace an entire population, that is a war crime,” Her Majesty said. “It's very clear that Israel has no problem targeting civilians, and that they assign very little value to Palestinian life.”

In an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid in New York on her show ‘The ReidOut,’ Queen Rania explained that people in the Arab World and beyond have been “devastated” by the unprecedented human toll of Israel’s war on Gaza, noting that 35,000 Palestinians, 70% of whom are women and children, have been killed, and 1.7 million people have been displaced.

“As traumatic and devastating as the events of October 7th had been, we can't justify the way that this war is being fought. This is not a normal war. Humanitarian workers who have seen everything have said they've never seen anything like it,” Queen Rania said. “Just to put it in perspective, this war has killed more children in five months than all the conflicts in the world in the past four years.”

Commenting on the January ruling of the International Court of Justice, which deemed it plausible that Israel is committing acts of genocide against the Palestinians, the Queen noted that it might take years for the Court to issue its final ruling.

“We cannot wait. People are being killed today. History is being written today. We're already very late, and the longer we wait, the larger the stain on our global consciousness,” she said. “The fact that we're even debating that should be sending shockwaves in our international community. Who wants to err on the side of a genocide?”

Her Majesty also highlighted the “dangerous precedent” of the unequal application of international humanitarian law and the subsequent “sense of impunity” among Israeli officials.

“When international law is broken with no consequence, when UN resolutions are ignored or dismissed, what does it mean? What does it mean when international humanitarian law is applied selectively? Or when certain countries are punished for poor human rights records, while Israel, which is accused of possibly committing genocide is rewarded with more arms? Where's the fairness here?”

The Queen went on to note that it can be very difficult for others wrap their head around the reality of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation, and having every aspect of their lives policed and controlled.

”It's about nightly raids, military incursions, lands being confiscated, children being taken from their beds in the middle of the night…” she said. “Israel is the only country that that prosecutes children in military courts. And then they are subjected to a lot of abuse in the prison system, where they are held under solitary confinement, strip searches, beatings of course, deprived of their medicine, hardly fed... This is the reality of Palestinians.”

The Queen explained that, alongside its war against Gaza, Israel has been taking punitive measures against Palestinians in the West Bank. About 500 Palestinians, including 124 children, have been killed and 8,000 have been arrested in the West Bank, Her Majesty said.

“We've seen the largest land grab in 30 years take place in March – 800 hectares of Palestinian land. Armed settler attacks are at a record high. They're attacking Palestinian homes, burning crops, attacking their solar panels, water tanks, cars… This is happening every day, and it's under full view, if not participation, of the army.”

Queen Rania stressed the importance of achieving a just peace, noting that the pre-war status quo was not sustainable for either Israelis or Palestinians. “That status quo has been broken forever. And it is a status quo that was based on an illegal occupation that fueled fear and insecurity on both sides. It's a status quo that has no political horizons, and therefore made the option of violence more attractive,” she said.

Calling on the international community to “put its weight behind” peace efforts, Her Majesty underscored that both sides of the conflict must be held accountable. “Having a just peace cannot just be about the stronger side implementing its will over the weaker side.”

“Palestinians have less resources, they have less influence, they have less leverage, but they don't have less rights,” Her Majesty said. “Disproportionate power should never result in unequal rights.”

The Queen also recalled the advice of her late father-in-law, His Majesty King Hussein, who signed a peace deal with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1994. “He's the one who once said to me, ‘Rania, you always have to put yourself in the other person's shoes.’

I've never forgotten those words. A simple thing to do – but very rarely are people doing that these days. And that is the door to empathy.”

“All I want is for people to just, for once, try to put themselves in the shoes of Palestinians,” she said.

[positivelybeastly]

Do you see x-force as a commentary on unchecked power?

"If I possessed truly unchecked power, you'd know."

So, it's meant to be. The ultimate intention of the series is meant to be a commentary/satire on the CIA and its various cruelties inflicted upon the world in the interests in national security. Beast has been forced into the role of Henry Kissinger, who, while never an actual Director of the CIA, certainly had his role to play in the history of the United States and its defence policies over the last 60 years.

"Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies, including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide.

He was accused of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued, his role in facilitating U.S. support for dictatorial regimes, and willful ignorance towards human rights abuses committed by the United States and its allies."

Taken from Kissinger's Wikipedia page.

(Apologies, by the way, that this particular answer will be text heavy, I refuse to cap X-Force because I just. Don't. Want. To read it again.)

The parallels are pretty obvious - Beast's genocide of Terra Verde, his space prison, his wilful manipulation of X-Force to satisfy what he viewed as the interests of Krakoan national security, to the point where he would weaponise Logan just as the Weapon X programme did . . . these are the comic book equivalents of the United States' various criminal acts against a wide variety of smaller, less powerful countries. They are brighter, louder, flashier, more outwardly grotesque, but they fulfil the exact same role.

Now, here's the problem.

And let's try and follow Ben Percy's narrative logic here, yeah?

Beast has always been evil. Beast himself, Logan, and Domino all express this exact sentiment. It was only when he possessed true carte blanche that he revealed this evil, because if he had done so beforehand, then he would have been cast out or killed by his fellow heroic X-Men. That's safe to say, right?

Now.

Hank has, in the past, been given cosmic power by the Black Mirror, and promptly used it to try and find out how to fix the damage that he had done to the space-time continuum by bringing the Original 5 X-Men to the present.

When he realised there was no easy way to fix it, not even with his cosmic power, he ran away SCREAMING that it was all his fault, and when we next see him, he is depressed, he is brought low, his fucking speech bubbles are tiny because he's so shaken and mortified by what he's done.

But let's ignore that. Because Ben Percy did.

When Beast makes his departure from X-Force, Sage takes over, and promises to run X-Force more efficiently, with more oversight, with more transparency. She promises to be what Beast wasn't.

So far, so good, right? That's a pretty clear narrative.

. . . Hey, uhhh, where was X-Force when the Hellfire Gala went down?

Oh, they weren't there?

The intelligence agency, the force designed to combat external threats and shut them down with extreme prejudice, just - straight up completely missed the biggest threat imaginable to their country, and they just. Fucked up, completely?

Hmmm.

They were infiltrated from within, by an observer sent by the Quiet Council, who was meant to provide oversight? An observer that Beast had previously identified as a threat, and didn't want anywhere near a position of power, albeit for xenophobic reasons?

An observer who, when they went into the far off future to navel gaze at Nimrod Beast's evil future, broke the control over him - and didn't tell anyone that he had been being controlled for the past, like, year? Who was acting strangely, and no-one followed up on it?

Hmmm.

Like, here's the thing - I don't think Ben Percy necessarily wants us to think that Beast was a better leader of X-Force than Sage. He's portrayed as a brow beating, emotionally abusive, manipulative, oily voiced, condescending asshole who keeps biting off more than he can chew . . . BUT.

It's only when he's gone that both Krakoa falls, and that X-Force is completely double fucked by a person who wouldn't be there if Beast was still there? Like . . . have I said anything incorrect here?

Ladies, gentlemen, individuals who fall outside or along the gender spectrum in various places . . . this is what's described as bad theming, and inadequate plotting.

By running these two plots in parallel, and having them happen like this, Ben Percy has accidentally implied that the corrupt, evil asshole leader of X-Force was the one actually keeping Krakoa safe, and the good, transparent leader of X-Force managed to fuck things up immediately.

That's not what the story wants you to think! It wants you to view Sage and co. as the heroes of the story, explicitly, they are the good guys. But. Through lack of care, and lack of thought, that's what's been accidentally implied.

Now, maybe that's just me being facetious, and you know what, it probably is. That's a minor quibble, you can't really blame Ben Percy for that, Gerry Duggan and the X-office say that the Hellfire Gala happens this way, and Ben Percy has to say, sure. It's unfortunate timing, but Sage did not cause the Hellfire Gala to happen, that's ridiculous.

However.

I have to remind you all, as I so often do, that the entirety of X-Force knew that Beast had killed Terra Verde, used the bodies of its ambassadors as puppets; had an evil space prison built using siphoned Krakoan funds; had attacked Piotr Rasputin's reputation, publicly humiliated him; they knew that he was not to be trusted, and they knew that he was a bad, bad, bad man.

Yeah? That's established?

. . . Why did they keep working for him?

Why was it that the buck apparently stopped at mind controlling Logan? THAT was the point where you draw the line, huh? The evil Mengele space prison, THAT YOU KNEW ABOUT, that you dragged Beast from in chains, warranted the fucking silent treatment, like you're a bunch of fucking children, but the instant something happens to Logan, suddenly he's got to go?

That's some real moral myopia you guys got going on, there!

That means you were all okay with everything he was doing before! You could have stopped working with X-Force, you could have just killed Beast, over and over and over, you could have protested to the Quiet Council, you could have done anything - but you just kept turning up to work! You kept doing the dirt!

Why?

. . . Oh, sorry, there's, uh, no real answer here. There are no character arcs for people in X-Force. It's just, Beast is evil, Logan is the grizzled hero, and everyone else is here, I guess.

Like, there's some real weak political commentary going on with Logan vs. the Quiet Council, where he's like, BLUUUUH KRAKOA'S A COUNTRY CLUB, BUUUUH I DON'T LIKE HOW YOU DO THINGS, but, like, it's just so without any kind of substance! It's acting like Wolverine wasn't ALSO fine with everything Beast was doing up until it affected him!

You can't have clear cut heroes and villains in a narrative like this. Everyone on X-Force, without exception, is a horrible person willing to do horrible things in the interests of national security, and they have been SHOWN to be FINE with whatever Beast wanted to do, but because they are NOT Beast, they're heroes.

This is what's known as the 'bad cop' narrative. One bad apple spoils the bunch, you know the saying - not all cops are bad, if you could just get rid of the bad ones, it'd be fine!

Except that it's not a case of good cops and bad cops, is it? It's a case of a cop culture that breeds corruptive power. It's a case of good cops being punished for calling out corruption, being put in mental institutions, left to die in combat situations. And it's the same with black ops teams. It's the same with intelligence agencies. There are no heroes on these teams, because it's not POSSIBLE to be a hero on these teams.

But Ben Percy seems to think that there can be. That X-Force would have been fine if Beast wasn't on the team from the start, that black ops teams full of murderers are completely fine so long as they're guided by the right person.

The instant he started prattling on about good and evil in this narrative, if it was ever meant to be a commentary on unchecked power, it lost all of its potency. Power and its relation to Beast becomes almost pointless if he's just evil - he just becomes a villain waiting for his chance, and it makes all the heroes look like morons for continuing to give him power and not take any of it away.

The only way this narrative works is if Beast was a good person to start with, and he had to start making moral compromises, he had to start cutting out his soul to save Krakoa, he had to - except, that's not how Ben Percy believes Beast is. He has told us so, repeatedly, both in and out of narrative.

What's the actual moral of the story in X-Force?

Is it that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely? Well, Beast was apparently always corrupt, and Sage apparently is a hero despite letting him do whatever the fuck he wanted, sooo. No?

Is it that intelligence agencies are intrinsically cruel and horrible apparatuses that allow states to harm innocents in the interests of national security? Well, this intelligence agency is full of heroes who pretty much never do anything morally bankrupt, who constantly push back against their evil overseer but don't really challenge him, so, I guess intelligence agencies are fine, actually, so long as the people are good.

Is it that nation building is a bloody process that requires moral sacrifice, and that everyone involved in the founding of a nation has some degree of blood on their hands? Maybe? Iunno.

How often do the Quiet Council actually appear in X-Force and Wolverine? Maybe two, three times? Are they to blame for what happens? I guess, since they give Beast carte blanche, but X-Force sure don't do a lot to push back against that, do they? For a character that allegedly is protecting Beast from these consequences, we never see Xavier interact with Beast, do we?

X-Force is a political commentary with messy, lazy politics, that believes that black ops teams are fine so long as the people running them are good people.

X-Force is a story of good and evil with very little actual moral nuance, and not much to actually, truly say about Krakoa, other than, it can be bad sometimes and Logan doesn't like it.

X-Force is an intelligence agency without any actual intelligence. Every character in it is unobservant, wilfully ignorant, lazy, short-sighted, easily manipulated despite being outwardly cynical, and have not once, in nearly 50 issues, executed a plan that I looked at and thought, you know what, I would never have thought of that, that was really smart.

X-Force is a group of morons who can't kill a fat blue man who bounces a lot, because he's just too smart and capable for them, even though he's also evil and arrogant and stupid and constantly overplays his hand.

X-Force is so stupid that they brought back a clone of their previous Director to fight the current version of him, left said clone in a room that he had the access codes to open with a guard that was talked to sleep with embarrassing ease, and then left their control centre unguarded, despite it having been broken into that very same day by this very same man, so that he could look through their files and leave.

X-Force is fucking dumb.

If it's a commentary on anything, it's that Ben Percy can't write smart narratives to save his goddamn fucking life.

He should stick to short Wolverine stories and body horror, because politics, spy thrillers, satisfying character narratives, theming?

These fucking escape him.

I have no professional respect for the man.

He's probably a nice enough guy if you talk to him in real life.

But, you wanna know a secret? I've never paid a penny for a single issue of X-Force, it's all pirated. All these caps I used? Pirate sources.

I'd walk up to his face and tell him so.

Because I find his work to be a complete waste of time, energy, good art, paper, downloaded megabits, and space. It's a complete wash.

Unless Hank gay kisses Wonder Man in the next two issues.

That'd make it worthwhile, I s'pose.