Lebanon’s health minister has said what is happening in his country is “carnage”, as hospitals struggle to cope with the number of casualties from two days of widespread Israeli air strikes targeting the armed group Hezbollah.

Dr Firass Abiad told the BBC it was “clear” that many of the 550 people killed in Monday’s attacks were civilians, including children and women.

    • where_am_i@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Kamala has openly stated in the debate that she believes the only way is a two-state solution. Whether that’s realistic or not, it’s a pretty strong statement, and there’s some hope on the horizon. Unless until she actually gets to do anything, da Joe will sleep through the conflict turning into the entire region being nuked to the ground by the IDF.

      Fix your fuckin democracy already instead of posting trump bad memes on lemmy.

      • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        She said that but then she had a private meeting with Netanyahu. She is a coward who didn’t show up the day he was addressing Congress so that she wouldn’t have to be seen clapping for him

        If Dems lose this election (they probably won’t) it would be in large part because of her party’s cowardly stance on the Palestine issue and continuing fealty to Israel.

    • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Facts:

      1. Either Donald or Kamala is going to be elected, unless something really bad happens.
      2. Neither candidate is great or even good. But one of the candidates is WAY worse.
      3. In our FPTP system, not voting is exactly the same as voting for the candidate you want less.
      4. Accelerationism is bad. Vote for the least bad candidate and keep pressuring local and state representatives for RCV.
      • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        Not voting for is the best strategy. If everyone who was dissatisfied would stop voting, there would be more progress than continuing to choose the “lesser of two evils” (who happily enable and cheer for genocide, BTW)

        • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          “The best strategy is to stay silent on Gaza. Because if everyone is silent on Gaza, then politicians would be forced to ask us: Hey, what are you thinking about Gaza?”

          Of course the Silent Treatment strategy won’t work. Refusing to vote is the same strategy.

          • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago

            OK well tell me about Michigan Arabs and how much power they are holding in this election.

            If not voting is so powerless then why are you all so upset about the idea of people not voting?

        • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          This is just incorrect mathematically. I get the argument - in foreign policy both parties ARE fascists. But they are not equal. Especially internally they are not. But there is a huge difference in ideology between liberals and fascists, and one of them is much worse, and much harder for revolution or reform.

          I believe there are only two reasons for your position: 1. is you stick to principles absolutely, refusing to acknowledge the consequences of your actions - which is wrong and stupid. 2. You believe in accelerationism and believe Trump leading to collapse of the US empire faster is the better outcome.

          Neither has to do with ideology. I’d love someone to explain how an actual fascism is a better outcome than a neoliberalism or “capitalism-in-decline” fascism. This is simply about outcome and using the little power we have.

          Another consequence of this tactic of arguing for not-voting is that it creates a rift between mainstream and socialists or “tankies”. The actual fascists love that.

      • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        If Democrats see Gazan children as totally expendable, what makes you think they see anybody else differently?

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 months ago

          You don’t care about anyone in Gaza. If you did, you would stop being so fucking obtuse and accept that what you are doing is directly contributing to a possible Trump victory. An outcome that will mean literal extinction of the Palestinian people.

          And I don’t mean these “is it or is it not genocide? I don’t know! 😉” games. You’re gonna find out real quick what extermination of an entire ethnic group actually means, and by posting shit like this you are directly contributing to that outcome.

          And you’re gonna have to live with that.

          (All of this is giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are actually a real person who wants to end the genocide but are simply misguided about how elections work in the US)

          • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago

            OK so I should vote for the people who quietly stand by and let weapon manufacturers profit from genocide? Who now Israel invade Lebanon? They are so ethical and deserving of my vote.

            How do you even know Trump would cause extinction of Palestinians??? That’s pure speculation while the current people in power are actually letting war crimes happen

            • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              2 months ago

              How do you even know Trump would cause extinction of Palestinians

              Yeah dude only one way to find out, right?

              You are a fucking fool.

              • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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                2 months ago

                Meanwhile the US just gave an 8.7bn dollar package to Israel to continue killing Gazan and now Lebanese children with terror methods like the pager attack.

                But Trump will somehow be worse? So I should support the people who are complicit in what’s going on now?

                No I refuse

    • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Let’s elect the old man that barrages AI slop and all caps posts on his socials eighty times a day

      • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        I won’t vote at all

        Trump winning would be hilarious though, watching liberals melt down after justifying genocide for a year

        • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Not participating in your own governance is the worst idea imaginable. I’d rather someone vote third party than proudly not voting at all tbh. Theres some socialists on some ballots that could use your tally for their numbers games at the very least.

          • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago
            1. Voting is the easiest, least frequent form of participating in democracy

            2. Not voting is a valid democratic choice until they give us a choice that includes “none of the above” on every ballot race

            3. It’s not on me, it’s on the candidates and parties to court my vote. They don’t even bother 🤷

            4. Not voting gets to systemic change. Voting tells the system that you’re satisfied with its current form

            • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              Complete backwards logic in an electoral democacry. You must vote. If you only show up to vote for president and you aren’t fist fucking your local elections like its going out of style (by your comment it seems to be) then you aren’t participating in your own governance and allowing others to decide for you. Not voting is how we got here, because that allows unpopular people and ideas the privilege of no competition. Not voting is how you get your rights taken away.

              • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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                2 months ago

                Address each point?

                1. You MUST NOT vote. If you don’t like the choice then you have freedom to abstain

                2. You can vote in local elections and abstain from races in which you don’t like the choices. I firmly believe we need “none of the above” on all ballot races

                3. Participation in government is not only limited to voting. See my Point 1 in the previous comment. If anything, insistence on voting as the be-all-end-all allows people to ignore the actual hard work of democratic responsibilities

                4. “unpopular ideas get no competition” is logically false. If both choices are unpopular or unsatisfactory, the ideas are competing against the threat of losing the race due to apathetic voters

                5. What rights have ever been gained by voting? In the US, pretty much every positive social and legislative change came via collective direct organization and action and/or threat of violence (if not actual violence).

                Your talking points are tired, illogical, and smack of received wisdom rather than coming from a deliberately thought-out set of ideas and understanding of the world.

                I ask you this: How do you know I will vote how you want me to vote?

                • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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                  2 months ago

                  I dont. But you should partake in your government. I’m not answering all your points. Go ahead and dont vote. But dont go around convincing people that the only way to win is not to play. Thats exactly how you surrender in this sort of system. You can propose shit and get it ratified as well, but abstaining from voting in elections outside of party primaries as a protest means nothing when most of the country doesnt do it anyway.

                  • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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                    2 months ago

                    Actually, voting for the “lesser evil” is how we got into those mess and how it will continue

                    We need serious and deep election reforms in our country. These parties are trash. “Less evil” is still evil. You’ll look the other way for the next four years while Gazans continue to die from American bullets

                    Don’t vote! It feels great!

            • FlowVoid@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              It’s not on me, it’s on the candidates and parties to court my vote.

              You completely misunderstand politics.

              Voters aren’t consumers. Politicians aren’t companies trying to maximize market share. All they need is 51% of the people who actually vote. If you don’t vote, then you literally aren’t part of the equation.

              “It’s on parties to court my vote” is like “It’s on Starbucks to court my filling out a comment card”. Starbucks doesn’t care at all if you fill out a comment card or not. They just want the people who do fill them out to write positive comments.

              • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml
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                2 months ago

                This is totally illogical and you know it. And your Starbucks gift card “metaphor” is a complete false equivalence.

                Why do parties run campaigns if their job isn’t convince voters? Billions of dollars and endless hours of research are spent courting votes but you say it’s not their job and they don’t care? Wha???