leh-nerd skin-erd

You're asking me to spare you after you reached out to me? What a strange duck. Billionaires pay taxes. Multi-millionaires pay taxes. They pay them based on the tax laws, rules and regulations put in place by the people we elect to hold office. Those folks--BushBidenRomneyObamaPelosiSchumerMcConnelletc--do exactly the same, using the law to hold on to every bit of wealth that they can. It takes 30 seconds and a google search to find some of the most vocal proponents of grievance politics living amazingly high on the hog, while you're down here spewing the company line about "billionaires". Look, politicians sell grievance politics because gullible people lap it up. The theory that somehow, someway in our 247th year as a nation the very economic fate of our nation comes down to whether or not aid to Israel is stand-alone or chunked into this bill is silly. Let's get the aid and move on. Maybe a guy like you has to pretend it's not for Israel. Write your congressperson!

You are welcome.

The party prioritizing politics over aid to Israel is yours, BillSy. Don't get distracted by the shiny objects that they point to--virtually everyone you support is a 1% and it's no coincidence that suddenly (as if by magic) this is a problem. I should have inquired--do you support the aid for Israel as outlined? It would not surprise me to see any number of dems preferring to decline aid to Israel entirely.

Well, big picture, it seems to me one political party (and it's supporters) only cares about the national debt when the other party is in charge of the spending. It's a political talking point, sadly, nothing more or less. On supporting Israel, there were 12 democrats who supported the bill, so while I'd likely disagree with many positions there, you have to admire the guys it takes to take a stand when anti-Israeli sentiment is building amongst the left. I understand the desire to position an aid bill for a nation in need as somehow not about the needs of that nation, it's a cold and cynical world. It just seems the best course of action for all stakeholders involved to address the critical need now, and work out the other details as time permits.

I would assume because they were against the bill, looking to provide financial aid and support to Israel? Maybe they are positioning to squeeze Israel into a cease-fire? Why do you think these people voted against supporting our ally in that region?

194 democrats and 2 republicans voting against aid for Israel. Wow. (That’s how we do this, correct?)

Tiberius Spicoli burned through a ton of brain cells in his younger days, and seems to be paying the price now.

Your characterizations on what @sherpa believes or doesn't is best addressed by Sherpa, though I see nothing in his response(s) to reach the conclusion you have reached. My observation is that you're too closed-minded to consider his response rationally, and too determined to jump to the invariably dopey conclusions you reach to learn anything here. It just seems to be who you choose to be.

This is why it's important to keep thinking, learning and reflecting beyond the time you spent in grade school. Based on the totality of your posts, you are more Catholic school kid today than not. Rumor is he got a loan from Jim Biden, who got the money from Joe, who got it from Hunter, who got it from our bestest ally China.

As so often happens in these situations, there is a healthy mix of accusations, grainy video, grainy video revisited, and analysis of varying degrees. To my knowledge, no video of a lady with a “Hi, I’m Roseanne B!” name tag with an officer raining blows upon her.

Exactly!

I have no idea as to the level of her education, but this sounds an awful lot more like mental illness, drug addiction and the fallout from heavy drug use than anything else. One thing these people offered as perpetrators/victims/martyrs/persecuted seem to have in common is a number of very poor life choices along the way that ultimately put them in harms way. Another is that if you change the fact pattern just a bit, they would be martyrs to the other side of the political spectrum.

Did they interview Cole Beasly?

Sadly, if they don't remember the atrocities perpetrated by their government, and the pain and suffering that alining with Hamas (or other extremist factions in the area) brings, nothing will change. Besides, it sure seems like the lessons of hate will not be new to this, or any generation of Gaza or Israel into the foreseeable future. Perhaps the hostages should be released, unconditionally, now?

Makes you wonder—What will those people remember about the slaughter that precipitated Israel’s response? Will they turn against Hamas? Storm the tunnels? Call for peace? Or does their history lesson begin after all that took place?

I gave you too much credit on this one, that's on me. I have to own it. I should have known about your limitations.

I think it’s obvious based on the facts of the 10/7 barbarism—when people are willing to assault/rape/gang rape/shoot/stab murder and behead every person from 1 day to 100 years old, and drag corpses through the street, the end game is annihilation of Israel and very ally it has. It’s also fascinating how far you’ll go to avoid blaming those who committed the crimes and those who support them and seek to shift the blame to Israel. #sad

@Justice Saw this today and think it applies: https://babylonbee.com/news/bernie-sanders-cheerily-greets-trick-or-treaters-before-stealing-their-candy-for-redistribution

“No one is above the law” except those that are.

Sanders is an old school leftist, may/may not have once believed what he preached but now spends his days espousing grievance politics while living the life of the millionaire class he rages about. He’s as full of cr@p as most in DC, but would have made a wonderful mid-level bureaucrat in the old Soviet Union. I understand compassion, but it’s a two way street. In the end, he was standing in a safe, secure place thousands of miles from the danger zone. It took zero moral or political courage to state the obvious: “Return the hostages, now” or to speak to the rage and hatred felt by the Palestinians. Instead, he spoke of death per capita and the need for Israel to stand down, and presumably, negotiate for the release of those taken.

You committed 100% to this costume, and that is excellent!

What a great step forward toward peace it would be if these three women were released immediately, unconditionally, along with the 190+ hostages taken during the massacre on 10/7. Kudos though to CNN for acknowledging these three women might possibly be under duress after witnessing the atrocities on 10/7, and being taken hostage by people sworn to annihilate people like them, and being held against their will for 4 weeks.

One man's calmly is another's circus freak crazy, I guess.

Calmy, by Tibs ™ 😆

You're coming unglued, Tibs. I think you're conflicted. I think you know that the hostages should be returned immediately, no questions asked and Sanders should have said so. I think you think that Hamas releasing them weakens their negotiating position and in the end, you're pro-Palestinian and that includes quiet support for the actions of Hamas. That's not to say I think you're pre-terror, I just think you've rationalized the actions of Hamas and Palestinians as...necessary. I think you're all sorts of turned around, and people like Bernie Sanders gives you cover to proceed with your support of actions you should condemn. What I may/may not be smoking is completely irrelevant to your actions, but damn you really know how to supersize the creep factor on things to smoke!