• The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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        6 days ago

        you have to find balance. the holocaust survivors who taught me how to resist an authoritarian taught me you absolutely must rest, take time to take care of yourself and your family, and mourn your losses. but that period of rest must never be forever. you can’t survive if you simply choose to wait it out. but you also can’t survive if you break yourself fighting back early in the fight

          • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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            6 days ago

            everyone everymorning everywhere, tbh. even if your world does not feel authoritarian today, it can tomorrow with just one charismatic power hungry sicko. they export their allies when their form of fascism dies off in a place. the nazis survived via operation paperclip. the neoliberal fascists that defined the last era of the century in our country were sent to Ukraine to “help” them. when the era of MAGA ends, their mid ranking terrorists will go to some other humanitarian disaster inflicted by one of the imperial powers that exists as their neighbor. always the host country welcomes them gladly because they’re on the brink of total devastation, but always these exports are snakes waiting to bite.

            when we the people are finally free, it will be because our inheritors figured out what we could not: there is no useful nazi. war is how they survive. they convince you you must give them some amount of power to thwart their allies at your gates. the only true cure for nazism comes from rejecting them from society entirely and never allowing them to form their own elsewhere.

            nazism is too dangerous to let survive.

          • Montagge@lemmy.zip
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            6 days ago

            Nah, the problem with the residents of the US is most think they can rest forever and someone else will do thework.

        • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
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          6 days ago

          That’s his exact plan. At some point you have to tune out and focus on your own life, and he’ll still be there, just less visible and thus more dangerous.

          • Boomer Humor Doomergod@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            As if there’s any way to escape his stupid ass. The least political things in the world are talking about him. He’s unavoidable and he likes it that way.

            It’s more like the earpieces in Harrison Bergeron that keep you from having a complete thought.

    • Obinice@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Okay, now that you’re past the initial outrage stage and able to think with a clear, focused head about this emergency, what action are you going to take?

      (Unless you’re not from the USA in which case my apologies)

  • DancingBear@midwest.social
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    4 days ago

    I hate corruption in all forms, but I love the fact that Israel (edit: Israeli government) is freaking the fuck out right now because the Middle East just realized all they have to do is bribe Trump.

    Israeli government is pissed right now, and that’s awesome….

    But also, stop pretending like just about every politician in Washington doesn’t also take legalized bribes

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      I hate corruption in all forms, but I love the fact that Israel is freaking the fuck out right now because the Middle East just realized all they have to do is bribe Trump.

      Hey, maybe netanyahu being upset will cause democrats to actually oppose something trump is doing.

      • DancingBear@midwest.social
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        4 days ago

        I don’t have much faith in that he does seem hellbent on being the most bad ass terrorist in the world though?

  • protist@mander.xyz
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    6 days ago

    This post reeks of Israeli propaganda. Ahmed al-Sharaa renounced al-Qaeda many years ago and has a lengthy, demonstrated record as a moderate, inclusive leader who fought both the Assad regime and ISIS at the same time. A moderate Arab leader who protects ethnic minorities is a threat to the Israeli narrative about their neighbors.

    • Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de
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      6 days ago

      It’s still corruption tho. Whether or not they misrepresent that dude I know nothing about doesn’t take away from the fact that Trump is as easily bribed as a toddler.

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      If we are denouncing Guerilla/insurgent/rebel leaders offhand for basically fighting against imperialists and dictators, even if their methods aren’t bloodless or ethical, then we would also need to denounce José Mujica, former president of Uruguay who died today, one of the most progressive and honest leftist leaders the world has known.

      • BussyCat@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Are you really going to compare the fight to restore democracy from a military coup as the same as trying to install a theocratic dictatorship

    • psycocan@lemmy.ml
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      You totally read my mind. The campaigners against Trump for aligning a little bit with some Arab countries (through bribes of course) totally normalize the infiltration of the Israelis into the western governments. AIPAC literally bribes politicians and boasts about it continuously and of course the politicians return the favor by funneling more taxpayer money to Israel.

      Also, remember how Israel rigged theatrical disputes with Biden administration, only for us to discover later there was zero pressure from the Biden administration on the Israelis whatsoever. The Biden administration literally was in on the genocide as much as the Israelis. The Israelis like to play along and pretend they lack enough support so they can suck even more western resources.

    • polyploy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      Syrians deserve peace and stability, but that is not at all what is being offered here. Sanctions are cruel, and it’s worth celebrating that they’ve been lifted, but the cost looks like it’s going to be an international effort to pillage and exploit Syria.

      These puppets did nothing while israel systematically bombed most of Assad’s leftover military infrastructure, stockpiles, and vehicles. Literally hundreds of airstrikes without any meaningful response. They’re barely disputing occupied territories, even as they expand. Instead they’ve gotten into border skirmishes with Lebanon, attacked the Syrian Druze, and killed thousands of Alawites.

      The testimonies of coastal massacre escapees are harrowing. There are more widely publicized stories of door to door executions, but there’s another pattern I heard described several times by people that lived in smaller villages.

      Security forces would show up in uniform during the day, ask around about locals and their backgrounds, and disarm the population while assuring them that they would be protected. Then at night, there would be a brutal attack, and what I heard again and again is that the groups doing this are one and the same.

      CW: descriptions of horrific NSFL videos:

      I’ve seen them laughing as they took turns beating an old man to death. I watched one execute a teenage boy mid-conversation. I’ve seen mass graves full of children, women, elders. I’ve seen dozens of civilians of all ages and identities in lines along roadsides, against walls, some with bound wrists, some clearly mutilated. I’ve seen military vehicles spray entire apartment buildings with machine gun fire.

      It’s ludicrous to describe this demon as protecting ethnic minorities while his forces have systematically killed thousands in an ethnic cleansing campaign. There were a few scattered clashes with Assad loyalist forces, but Alawite civilians were then described as such in order to justify liquidating entire villages.

      Just because this monster puts on a suit, gets some official uniforms for his dogs to wear for the public, it does not change who he is and what he does. Don’t be fooled by the hollow condemnation of what he dismisses as the actions of extremist elements. This entire regime change operation has been undertaken not by Syrians seeking liberation, but by foreign powers conspiring to strip the country and its people for parts.

      Thousands of Syrians trusted this new regime, believed it could be a step in the right direction, and were instead brutalized and exterminated. al-Jolani is an implant and a foreign instrument, and he’s given himself 4-5 years in power. Syrians did not choose him, other states did.

      • Afaik there’s no evidence that al-Sharaa ordered those attacks on Alawites.

        One thing to understand is that Syria is in an extremely unstable situation at the moment. Al-Sharaa is leader of an already fragile group of militants/terrorists that’s barely held together. He can’t afford war with Israel, because the resulting counter-attack might shatter his government. He’s not fully in control either, leading to these horrible attacks on minorities by certain wings of the armed forces. Militants he has less control over still seek revenge against the Alawites for their support of Assad.

        He basically needs to stabilize the country, centralize control and demonstrate that Syria will rapidly improve under his rule. That is no easy task, and it’s imo not surprising that the civil war is not over yet in certain parts of the country.

        IIRC the EU put as precondition of sanction relief that he gets the militants under control and stops the attacks on minorities. I don’t know for certain that he will or even wants to (he might be a moderate amongst militant Islamists but that’s still fairly extreme), but I also don’t have conclusive evidence that he won’t.

  • anarchiddy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 days ago

    I find in endlessly funny that we’ve been screaming at the democrats to leverage Israel more to end hostilities in the ME without any real movement from them, but suddenly Trump is willing to say ‘fuck it’ just because the right people happen to be bribing him.

    If the right people keep trump’s palms greased for long enough we might actually end up on the right side of history by accident, and if that’s not comedy I don’t know what is.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    6 days ago

    … and no one should put all the blame on one man … he isn’t that powerful or persuasive

    It’s a complicit government that had decided to allow this orange menace to do as he pleases because it benefits some wealthy owners.

    It’s a lot easier to blame one man because it would remove the complicity of a large organization of people that are driving all this.

    • ILoveUnions@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      It’s easy to just blame the government. When the reality is there is an entire complicit class of voters voting them in

      • BlackSheep@lemmy.ca
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        6 days ago

        Agreed. But when critical thinking is systematically being removed from the education system, well, you see what happens.

    • Oniononon@sopuli.xyz
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      6 days ago

      Blame lies on the judicial branch for not putting him on the chair for his coup attempt and instead telling before elections he can do whatever he wants, legally.

  • p3n@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I am not arguing with the obvious corruption, but to provide a counterpoint to the second part of the argument: if we aren’t allowed to make peace with former terrorists, then we can never stop fighting each other, and if we keep fighting each other, then we will keep creating the next generation of terrorists.

  • Suavevillain@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    The crowd that went on about a laptop for 5 years suddenly don’t care about The President getting a whole ass jet and tower as a gift. But they aren’t a cult. Only decorum and the law matters when Dems are in power.

  • HighFructoseLowStand@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    The really ugly thing here is, al-Sharaa is the best thing to happen to Syria in decades. Most people have been urging recognition of his government and the relaxation of sanctions because he’s about as good we can expect a leader of Syria to be.

    And he is still bribing Trump.

    This isn’t merely corruption. This is the *normalization * of corruption. Even countries that abide by democratic norms and international law are going to need to grease palms to conduct regular diplomatic relations. The EU and UK and Canada might be able to weather his bullshit until he folds like he always does, but developing nations will be stuck trying to bid for American favor.

    Welcome to the Chinese century.

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I don’t know if that’s blame, or just acknowledging that USA’s general direction leads to China becoming ‘the’ world power by USA forfeitting their soft power around the world.

      • HighFructoseLowStand@lemm.ee
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        5 days ago

        I’m not. I’m saying this will lead to China becoming the premier world power instead of us.

        Imagine having reading comprehension skills. jfc

      • Wrrzag@lemmy.ml
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        5 days ago

        I believe they meant that China will become the dominant power after the US finishes torpedoing itself.

  • ZMoney@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Here’s my most optimistic take for Americans. This guy is not as bad as Hitler. He’s out to scam the world, not conquer it militarily. So that’s a plus, for now. If his successor is Vance then the invasion of Canada and Mexico might actually happen.

    • Oniononon@sopuli.xyz
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      6 days ago

      Yeah, at least he aint sending anyone he doesn’t like to labour and death camps, replacing everyone with loyalists and doesn’t talk of invading random neighbours

    • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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      5 days ago

      This guy is not as bad as Hitler.

      The jury is still out on that, but it’s not looking good. Hitler took power in 1933, and didn’t start his first euthanasia program until 1936, and it didn’t really get going until after the establishment of the first death facility in Chelmno in 1941. Between those years, Hitler consolidated his power, reconfigured the government, and began rounding up his enemies.

      HitlerPig took power in 2024, and is already making the exact same moves as Hitler. If he sticks with a similar timeline, he starts murdering his enemies in 2027.

      Hitler’s first victims were the mentally and physically handicapped. HitlerPig’s henchman RFK, Jr., has already announced that they’re starting a database of Autistic people, which they want to pretend doesn’t really exist. We’ve already seen that these scientific Neanderthals think that the best way to improve concerning statistics is to get rid of the statistics (Remember how HitlerPig didn’t want a Covid testing program because that would increase the numbers?), and so the most efficient way to win the “war” on autism, is to get rid of all the aughties, and prohibit anyone else to be diagnosed with it. Hurray! MAGA cured autism!

      Hitler ordered the construction of Dachau in his first year in power (1933). HitlerPig has already started building his first American concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay to hold 30,000 people. To provide context, the average maximum security prison in America hold 800-1200 prisoners, with the largest being the prison in Angola, LA, which holds 8300. That means the new concentration camp is almost 4x larger than our largest max security prison, which is already several times larger than the average. They are already sending people to El Salvador, and are negotiating a deal with Rwanda as well. Clearly, they intend to lock up a lot of people.

      It needs to be stressed that HitlerPig’s closest advisor, Stephen “PeeWee Himmler” Miller, is an avowed Nazi. In his mind, the only thing the Nazis did wrong is that they weren’t decisively harsh enough. He has said that he wants to reduce the population of America from 335 million to 100 million white people. That’s 235 million people, about 70% of our current population, far more than the paltry 6 million deaths is assigned to Hitler.

      I think your statement should be amended to read:

      This guy is not as bad as Hitler…

      …YET

      • tyler@programming.dev
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        5 days ago

        if you’ve heard about Alfred Hugenberg you would know that this is currently going exactly the same as Nazi Germany, down the exactly how Musk is influencing the media. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-alfred-hugenberg-the-elon-271993970/

        like it’s almost to the letter the nazi playbook. saying this isn’t as bad as Hitler is just ignoring history.

        “One of the great ironies of how democracies die is that the very defense of democracy is often used as a pretext for its subversion. Would-be autocrats often use economic crises, natural disasters, and especially security threats—wars, armed insurgencies, or terrorist attacks—to justify antidemocratic measures.”

        “Because there is no single moment—no coup, declaration of martial law, or suspension of the constitution—in which the regime obviously “crosses the line” into dictatorship, nothing may set off society’s alarm bells. Those who denounce government abuse may be dismissed as exaggerating or crying wolf. Democracy’s erosion is, for many, almost imperceptible.” ― Steven Levitsky, How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future

        • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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          5 days ago

          So many people have scoffed at my comparisons to the Nazis, saying: “The Nazis killed 6 million people, [HitlerPig] hasn’t done that, you’re out of your mind.”

          Well, 100+ days into Hitler’s administration, and he wasn’t killing either, YET.

          What are we supposed to do? Wait until he has all the physical and political infrastructure in place, and is operating a wholesale killing machine bigger than Nazi Germany’s, and THEN start to make a plan to defeat it? Then we’ll be hearing whiners complaining that somebody should have done something about this BEFORE things got really bad.

          We see what they are doing, and they are CLEARLY following the Nazi playbook. We KNOW where that leads. Americans don’t like to jump the gun and fight preemptively, they like to respond to concrete situations that justify retaliation. Generally, it’s a good policy, especially for the largest, most lethal nation the world has ever seen.

          But in this case, we have literal traitors taking control of our nations wealth and firepower, just so they can leverage it for their own nefarious agenda. We don’t have to wait until the worst-case scenario unfolds, they have already committed crimes far beyond redemption, and we should already be responding with merciless, unforgiving resistance.

          • ZMoney@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            Fully agree there. This administration has to be removed from office. While there’s still a congress to do this. What I’m worried about now is a Reichstag fire event that will allow them to enact emergency legislation that will put the Patriot Act to shame. I watched the USA collectively lose its mind in 2001; it wouldn’t take much to do that again.

            I only have one minor pushback. I read The Art of the Deal back in 2016. And having not read Mein Kampf, I can safely say it is no Mein Kampf. When it’s not totally incoherent it reads like a puff piece in a tabloid rag. So I guess I’m just less afraid of Trump than I am of a Hitler-class demagogue, but that says nothing about the MAGA movement as a whole. You don’t need intelligence to be a figurehead for a fascist coup.

            I think it’s time for a general strike. There are rumblings of a reinvigorated labor movement, so for the first time since the 1970s I think it’s within the realm of possibility.

      • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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        6 days ago

        Exactly.

        I said it for many years. Trump only cares about Trump and no one and nothing else. He doesn’t believe in anything other than having his ego stoked and being enriched. The leaders of the world are absolutely laughing at him, but they also want him in power because he is so fucking easy to manipulate.

        • meowMix2525@lemm.ee
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          5 days ago

          Don’t forget the heritage foundation wonks and oligarch-adjacent folks that debrief him and write all the orders for him to sign. I see the people directly in his administration having much more influential power than any foreign diplomat.

          • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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            5 days ago

            What’s nuts about the executive orders is that he also signed more of them in one month than he did in the whole of the first year of his first term. This is unprecedented.

    • EddoWagt@feddit.nl
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      6 days ago

      What a world we live in, where calling someone not as bad as Hitler is an optimistic take

  • OBJECTION!@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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    Huh?

    Not that long ago CNN was writing puff pieces about how he’d “moved on” from his radical past. Around the same time, Biden removed a bounty the US had had on him. He’s capitulated a bunch to Israel and done just about everything he can to appease the US.

    Some of us flag burning commies are critical of him because we blindly hate anyone on America’s side for capitulating to Israel and privatizing the economy, and have been skeptical about the mainstream narrative of him moving past his past. We were also skeptical about this whole project of arming “moderate rebels” like him in Syria, fearing that it would destabilize the region. But even I would say, now that he’s in, that trying to replace him would probably just destabilize the region even further.

    Idk who this Ed Krassenstein is but his name is red in Shinigami Eyes and his bio describes himself as an “AI and Crypto futurist” so he’s not one of ours. So, uh, is this based on a coherent, informed position on Syria, or is this just a knee-jerk reaction to a headline?

    If the US shouldn’t accept Jolani as the leader of Syria, then what should they do? Find some more moderate rebels to support against the previous moderate rebels it supported? Have Israel and Turkey annex the entire country? Keep sanctioning them forever for no reason no matter how much they capitulate and cooperate? What exactly would that be aiming to accomplish?

    • spooky2092
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      I almost thought that was Klippenstein instead of Krassenstein, and I was going to say he’s a legit journalist.

      Yeah, the Krassenstein brothers are hack journalists, so you’re not missing much by ignoring him.

  • Ordinary_Person@lemmy.ca
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    5 days ago

    All of those January 6th people who were freaking out about losing their country… where are they now? Hmmmm.

    Fucking hypocrites.

    • OBJECTION!@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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      Yes, I’m sure that the thing that will finally get Jan 6’ers to turn on Trump is checks notes lifting sanctions on Syria.