#circumventing genocide

[pocoloco2018-blog]

https://x.com/ma000111/status/1753266871846019270?t=bLV9y5NEjC2CQ4PT9e-L2w&s=09

[possible-eldritch-catboy]

completely randomly more than slightly political post bc I'm randomly thinking about rules of war right??

so like,,,, as a soldier it's your duty to stand up to your superior if they order you to do something against like the geneva convention right?? war crimes, even if they were commanded of you, are illegal. like if your commanding officers tell you to genocide folks, you're supposed to basically tell them no, fuck that, and that kind of logic is why/how nazis were punished well after the war, for participating in genocide. cause yeah they were 'just following orders' but also they participated in genocide, which is. yeah. duh. mega illegal and wrong.

but I'm also thinking, what, logically, is a soldier expected to Do In That Situation. are charges of like,, dishonorable discharge waived?? is disserting the moral obligation rather than a legal death sentence?? or is that only if the courts actually rule it a genocide and your commanding officer is punished? if, in the case of your commanding officer commanding genocide and getting away with it with legal protections, is that covered up and you're made to look like a poor soldier?? would you have to seek protection in another country at that point bc your government is obviously complicit in the war crimes??

I'm just thinking about it like,, war crimes are illegal, but obviously in the case of a military committing war crimes, it probably benefits their government, right? so who punishes the soldiers if they commit war crimes???? cause the government commands the military, who commands the soldiers, who answer to their government when a crime is committed, who can cover up crimes as they please,,,, this just sounds like a lose lose.

if you, as a soldier, defy your commanding officer on grounds of it being morally reprehensible and illegal, if you are not killed by either your commanding officer or your comrades, it's not guaranteed that a court will take your side, bc like. yk, no proof, your word against theirs, etc., and same if you just kind of dip and go fuck that, I'm out. you can't really Prove you had a good reason most times, can you?? but if you go thru w/ something you know is wrong, and people find out you did that shit, you Will be punished to the fullest extent of the law For Sure. double death sentence scenario. so,,,, what are you actually expected to do,,,,

[hazeltongzhi]

I better see every single god damn liberal war tax resisting bc how to are you going to say there is nothing to be done and then not participate in a coordinated effort trying to do something that everyone can do quite easily

The liberal is confined to doing what is allowed under the various frameworks constructed by both their ideology as well as the the laws/rituals put up by the bourgeois state. You can't break the law, even if the law is wholly unjust, because it violates the procedures needed to circumvent that law. It is a struggle to even get them to do civil disobedience as even their protests have to adhere by the regulations set by the state. After all, breaking laws is bad! Likewise, you can't agitate for revolution, suppress your class enemies, construct a dictatorship of the proletariat because it's "oppressive", "violent", "authoritarian", etc. ,etc.. So they direct energy and momentum into "valid" avenues of "resistance", e.g., voting, mailing/calling elected senators, or negging people online to "go to the polls"; Actions which have no material backing. This is exactly what the bourgoeisie wants as, by funneling revolutionary energy into endless pits, it allows them to continue extracting profit, exploiting the proletariat, and carrying out genocide. When these actions inevitably fail to bring the change that is needed, the failure is not channeled into analyzing and self-crit on what went wrong, it is instead spent on a meaningless hunt for the outside agitator, the spook, the foreign influence which supposedly caused their virtuous and moral actions to fail.

Liberals will do nothing meaningful to fight fascism and want you to thank them for it.

[muchymozzarella]

Palestine scams

This is heartbreaking for me to post about in a time of such need, but if someone in your inbox asks you for help saying they're Palestinian/have family in Palestine, they're most likely a SCAM.

I know you all want to help, but it's more helpful to do due diligence so your help isn't being wasted on liars.

Something I've seen twice now is a scam where the person COPY PASTES the description from a REAL Palestinian GoFundMe and even uses their photos, but their link is not the GoFundMe and leads to a random PayPal with an unrelated name instead. We don't know if they're associated but they never clarify, so they're more than likely a scam and you should just find the original GoFundMe and donate there instead (unless it has a problem).

I ignore any asks or messages for aid unless I know the person because of how common these scams have become.

So many people are using the genocide in Palestine to steal money. They deserve hell, in no uncertain terms. But you can circumvent them by

1) Not trusting messages or asks sent to you by strangers about donating

2) Google Reverse Image Searching the image they used to see if it belongs to someone else

3) Checking their donate link to see if the names match up the original post

Share this post to spread awareness!

Please stay safe everyone! Free Palestine, fuck scammers to hell.

[mauesartetc]

FREE PALESTINE MASTERPOST

Trying to keep this blog more art- and creativity-focused in general, so I'll be removing the Gaza-related reblogs that are about a month old. But I'll use this post as a permanent archive that will update periodically (some of this information will grow dated as the situation develops, but I think it's important to keep a record of just how fiercely opposed people were to Israel's actions from this moment forward). We should all continue to raise our voices about this, and refuse to support politicians who enable genocide. Remember, they work for us, not the other way around. Keep going.

October 2023

-Donation links

-Social media links

-US congress ceasefire script

-Decolonizepalestine.com (information, mythbusting)

-More donation links

-Ways to pressure politicians for a ceasefire

-HUGE resource list

-"Is there anything I can do to help Palestinians besides call my representatives and beg them to stop killing people?"

-"We are isolated now"

-Palestine and landback

-210 PAGES of dead people's names.

-Bail money for Palestine Action

-Article list

-US action items

-Boycott info

-Grand Central Station shut down by protestors

-Message to white American citizens

-UK ceasefire petition

-How YOU can help Palestine (regularly updated!)

-"Please try amidst all this fury and grief to still have faith in the common people." (+donation links)

-Reminder about protest etiquette and privacy

-Prints for Palestine

-"We have no communication with the outside world. They are using their military might to harm us. We have no power but the power of God, no one but God. Please, pray for us." (spoken over mosque speakers)

-DAILY donate button + more donation links

-"Doesn't Israel have a right to exist too?"

-Script for US Congress calls

-Queerness under apartheid

-Sudan is also at war

-Hundreds of thousands of protestors in London

-Half a million.

-Tips for folks with phone anxiety

-This comic got real

-European and Canadian ceasefire scripts

-"The people of Gaza see the protests. That is reason enough to come even if nothing else." WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU. WE ARE HERE.

November 2023

-More genocides than just Palestine

-How to buy e-sims to circumvent Gaza's internet blackout

-"Occupying territories is illegal. Resistance to occupying forces is legal."

-MASSIVE resource list

-"For decades now the media has told us Muslim men are savages, terrorists, wife beaters and everything in between. I want you to challenge this trope the next time you see it in the media. Let these photos serve as a reminder."

-"Don't stop talking about the Palestinian genocide. IT'S WORKING."

-UN resignation letter

-Israel won't allow Irish or Brazilian citizens to leave Gaza

-"Palestine must never be forgotten. Promise me that." (from the documentary "Children of Shatila")

-Gifs of pro-Palestine rallies around the world

-Support Palestine's last kufiya factory

-Protestors flood the streets in Washington DC

-Explanation of why calling representatives is a numbers game

-FREE ebooks on the history of this conflict

-Petition to screen films by Palestinian directors

-Call to boycott Gal Godot's work

-Indigenous activists block weapons shipment to Israel

-If you're attending a protest, DON'T TELL YOUR GOVERNMENT SHIT. Y'know, friendly advice.

-Links to support Palestine Action and Palestine Legal. Get in the way.

-Parallels between Israel and the surveillance tactics used by NYC mayor Eric Adams

-Don't spiral into doomerism. Persevere.

-Want a different strategy to contact your representatives? Try faxing them!

-Florida rep Michelle Salzman calls for the death of all Palestinians

-"The phone doesn't stop" :)

-Indian trade unions call on the government to scrap deals with Israel

-An overview of Israel's human rights violations, and two major political groups that have exacerbated Zionism in the US

-Israeli man explains why he's protesting

-"Whoever stays until the end will tell the story. We did what we could. Remember us."

-US House of Representatives votes to send billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel

-Canadian email campaign and petitions

-"Canada's First Nation standing with Palestine"

-"Freedom is infectious as it is just and no one is free until they ALL are."

-Israeli forces invade al-Shia hospital

-Leaked list of weapons the US has sent to Israel

-Only 32% of Americans believe the US should support Israel

-Cop City action demonstrates how to protest effectively

-Refugee grandmother "doesn't have to imagine a multicultural and integrated Palestine- she remembers it".

-Protestors block the Bay Bridge in San Francisco (plus bail fund)

-Israeli forces attack schools in northern Gaza. SCHOOLS.

-Journalist shares an update from an Indonesian hospital and pleads for others to spread it around as it "may be the last video we are able to send"

-Scottish Parliament votes overwhelmingly to demand a ceasefire

-Sobering texts from a friend providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. "They have been distributing guns to the civilian settlers and allowing them into the West Bank to terrorize people" "We have been given option to leave. None took it"

-"the absolute bare minimum in this situation is 1) a complete ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid in Gaza, 2) complete halt of all military foreign aid to the Israeli government, 3) the Israeli government being prosecuted for its war crimes in the International Criminal Court, and 4) land back and reparations for the Palestinian people. free Palestine means free Palestine, not just temporarily stop carpet bombing Palestine."

-"It's important that you keep posting and speaking about the ongoing genocide. This 5 day agreement isn't the end of things."

-Boosting the incredible, FREE daily donate button again

-Protests at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

-"REMINDER THAT ANTISEMITES AREN'T WELCOME HERE AND WON'T BE TOLERATED"

[thetrashbagswasteland]

Today only from a card carrying member of the Castis Vakarian Appreciation Squad, a refresher on canon since there's a not-zero number of people in 2024 who seem blissfully unaware of how much we know about this man in canon (including andromeda yes the game is canon go cry about it).

He's a cop. Yes Castis works for C-Sec, implied within the same unit/building as Garrus and to the contrary of his son, is implied to be both good at his job and well-regarded for it. (This will be important for later points try to remember it.)

He has alien friends. Castis is canonically one of Alec Ryder's best friends. They're good enough friends that he passes on rumours/heresay about the Reapers to him and reminisces about spending time with him on the Citadel. Any turian old enough to have been an adult during the FCW and who has human friends as of canon prolly isn't a miserable old xenophobe. Whilst no, working at C-Sec doesn't exclude him from having shitty thoughts about Krogan and Quarians, it's a fairly good sign he's not anti-alien on the whole if he'll befriend a human.

He's got a personality. How dare minor characters have those! But more seriously, acting as if Castis is portrayed as nothing but a rule-worshipping automaton is doing him a disservice. If nothing else, his willingness to befriend and hang out with Alec, who's very much of the opinion that rules are guidelines to be circumvented when at all possible, shows that he's capable of nuance and maybe even a dash of line-pushing of his own accord. Maybe he's comfortable within the system and trusts law and order as set out legally above all else but c'mon guys, you don't hang out with a guy who goes on to break AI law and get dishonourably discharged (and then remain friends with him after that when it's made damned clear few others do) without being able to see shades of grey.

He trusts his son. This one I suspect may be more contentious BUT let's be honest here, Garrus isn't an easy person to be around. We hear about the pair of them clashing on the job and within their personal lives about the spectres but here's the thing: Garrus winds up on a secretive mission with a human and xenophobic terrorist group, after running off to a lawless hellscape to play batman. He remains distant until done working with Cererbus and then returns home with a crazy tale about a dead human spectre, genocidal robots from the year dot and half his face missing. Castis not only believes him but does so willingly enough that he does everything he can to help him get the news to the right people, just in case he's right. Equally, whilst we don't have an exact date for when the call with Alec occurs, it's post-start of ME1 at the very least and within that he's already willing to take what Garrus is saying Shepard says at face value. Within that call, it's made patently obvious that no matter what, he still trusts Garrus on some level and is proud of him on top of that trust.

He cares deeply for the people around him. Perhaps this one's linked with 3 but whatever, my post, my rules; in the comics, the picture we're painted by (unreliable narrator) Garrus is that of a driven, cold man who doesn't care enough about his own family. This is why he doesn't come home when Mama Vakarian gets hurt, we're told, and we're expected to take that as face value even when she herself says that by the time he can get away from work and be back there, she'll be mostly healed. Kinda contrasted by the fact that he seemingly retires/takes time off from C-Sec to be with his wife when she's dying. Now, the details are kinda fuzzy on the whys and hows but during ME3, he and Solana escape Palaven together. Maybe the war's going poorly enough that they're able to finagle staying together through the draft, maybe they come across one another purely by luck, we don't know. Either way, rather than attempt to get back to the Citadel and to where he presumably still had a job and/or was needed, he sticks with his daughter. Can't do anything more to help his son but he's gonna stick with at least one of his kids to make sure she survives. As well as all this, the "do things properly or don't do them at all" lesson Garrus struggles with from him is (gasp) not bad advice for their situation. He's trying to teach his son important life skills and whilst there's no denying he's going about it wrong, a key point is in fact that Garrus learns to master the gun he's struggling to fire and it in fact becomes one of his specialities! He becomes an exceptionally good marksman! The lesson fucking worked! He still, regardless of the reasons for it, seems to support and be content with Garrus not fulfilling his mandatory 15 but instead joining C-Sec and (worse still) doesn't have too much of an issue with him consorting with Spectres. Perhaps he's not best pleased but he definitely comes to accept that that's how things are irrespective of his own feelings about them as either a concept or as people (his belief that Garrus being a spectre would be a terrible no good very bad idea is, in fact, backed up by canon as being entirely correct too).

Conclusion/TL:DR. Take a lesson from Castis Vakarian himself here, either write about this man properly or don't write him at all, I'm begging y'all. There's an awful lot more to this character if you think about him and put together the information canon gives us on him, so do so.

[shayminlucario07]

It's so interesting to me that the widely accepted theory for Deltarune is that it'll end up being Us, the player, vs. Kris in the end. I understand why this is the perspective a lot of people have- Kris doesn't rip their soul out for no reason, obviously, and based on everything we've seen, such as the Post Spamton-NEO dialogue choices, it very much seems like we have the ability to make Kris make choices they otherwise wouldn't- but it seems especially cynical to me to assume that means Kris is going to be against us, or even that there is an antagonistic relationship between Kris and the player at all.

From everything we've seen, such as Kris' room in the light world being almost completely barren, and Toriel's memory of Kris asking when their horns would grow in, it doesn't seem like Kris likes themselves that much- and with that perspective, and the knowledge via Catti that she and Kris used to try and summon demons together, I've always had the perspective that we exist within the narrative of Deltarune less as a malevolent outsider forcibly imposing our will on the world and more as a benevolent force, called on deliberately by Kris' own actions to help them reshape their life into something they like more.

I think people tend to get very caught up in thinking of UTDR as very inherently cynical stories, especially in their metanarratives, due to the Undertale Genocide route. But that isn't what these stories are- or rather, it's not what they're *supposed* to be. The Genocide route, and its Deltarune counterpart, the Weird/Snowgrave route, are *corruptions* of the existing story and world, caused not by the player's mere existence, but by the player's refusal to engage with the game the way it asks you to- for Genocide, you have to actively go out of your way, to great resistance, to hunt down and kill every single monster, despite the game telling you that showing mercy is the best option. And in Snowgrave, you have to actively push back against the existing narrative in very specific ways, using the more diverse combat system to circumvent the restrictions it has- rather than attacking enemies yourself to kill them, as that simply causes enemies to run away, you circumvent this by manipulating Noelle to freeze them all with Iceshock, preventing them from running away. Noelle DOES NOT do this deliberately based on everything we've seen, and it is very apparent from her dialogue (both internal and external) that it is unnatural to her and that we, the player, are making her do this. And in the Snowgrave route, it is very understandable that Kris would take an antagonistic stance towards us, given, well, Snowgrave, but it must be remembered that the Snowgrave/Weird route is paralleling the Genocide route, and how did that route end? With the demon that comes when you call its name ushering the world, and our influence upon it, into oblivion. That sounds to my ear awfully similar to how the Roaring has been described. Some people have theorized that perhaps the Weird route will be necessary to avoid the Roaring happening- but what if it's the opposite? That's a separate subject, though, and I'll leave it for later. Given all the very apparent parallels between Kris' design and Chara's, mirroring the parallels between Snowgrave and Genocide, it makes perfect sense that Kris would be antagonistic towards us at the Weird route's end- but in the normal route, what have we truly done to warrant antagonism from Kris?

It's very heavily implied, if not outright stated, that Kris' life before Chapter 1 is... not exactly good. Their parents are divorced, very messily, their brother is away at college, their friendship with Noelle has grown distant, and they've been unable to befriend Susie like they wanted to. But then, we show up, almost out of nowhere, and Kris is whisked away on a magical adventure, where they can be the special version of themselves they've always wanted to be. Sure, they can't use magic themselves in the Dark World, but they can ACT, which seems to be enough. And yes, we can make choices they don't necessarily agree with, like saying Kris is fine after Spamton NEO, but Kris also has Ralsei and Susie as a support network, who see through that lie- and many of us don't make that contrary choice at all. I know *I* didn't. And the crucial thing to remember- we aren't completely controlling Kris. Even when Kris HASN'T removed the Soul, they've acted independently of us. They block King's attack at Susie, they back away from Spamton NEO, and perhaps most importantly of all, is Ralsei- Ralsei, who on two separate occasions actively stops Kris from being observed by us, proving this is possible both without removing the Soul, AND for people other than Kris to do. Kris is not a slave to our will- they go along with us by choice, even when we make decisions they don't agree with. Because they DO have the power- the Determination- to resist us. But they don't. What does that tell us about Kris, and the greater narrative?

Circling back to the metanarrative point to conclude this excessively verbose post, what we need to remember moving forward is that Toby Fox is not a cynical writer- at least, not by nature. He expects you to engage with the narrative he constructs on its own terms, as any writer would, but he also wrote the Genocide route specifically to deconstruct how the refusal to do so will inherently ruin the story. As Sans says when he dunks on you, if you actually cared about being friends with him, you wouldn't be on the Genocide route. There's no reason Deltarune won't be the same. Undertale did not punish the player for playing the game, it critiqued the player for not engaging with its narrative. Our ability to Save and Load didn't make us evil- our influence being exerted on the world of Undertale wasn't inherently bad. Even when it comes to actions like killing Toriel at the end of the Ruins and reloading to spare her- this isn't evil. In fact, it is the opposite. Flowey attempts to make us think it is, but he's already been lost to the same apathetic lack of engagement that we are in the Genocide route. Our presence in Undertale is not inherently negative- without our part in that story, the monsters would never have been freed from the Underground. I have no reason to believe Deltarune will be any different.

TL;DR: Our influence over the story of Undertale was not inherently bad unless we misused it by refusing to engage with it on its terms. This led to the Genocide route. The Weird/Snowgrave route is a deliberate parallel to this. As such, there is no reason to assume our influence over Deltarune is inherently bad; it will only be bad if it is similarly misused. The same can be said about our relationship to Kris- it is not inherently antagonistic, and has no reason to be unless misused, such as in Snowgrave.

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Discussion of real world war crimes and brutality of Israel below, something I can't be silent about. If you do not want to be exposed to such topics then just scroll by.

Israeli military now aren't merely bombing the hell out of Gaza but are now rounding up civilians and holding field executions.

Little boys and men are being stripped and humiliated as hundreds are detained in a converted Gazan stadium.

Salt water has been pumped into tunnels and polluted scarce ground water.

IDF have filmed themselves riding the discarded bikes of dead or evacuated children and burning food supplies even as according to a UN report 570,000 Gazans are currently starving.

Netanyahu spoke in a Likud Party meeting about what his vision for Gaza was after the "war" and he has said he wants the Palestinians to be transfered.

Many top Israeli officials have stated that they want Palestinians to "willingly immigrate" to other countries. This is actually why they are destroying hospitals, schools, workplaces, water sources, food, roads, and homes. It makes it more likely Gazans will leave "voluntarily" after the war if there is nothing in Gaza for them.

And as always remember that the blockade is still there, food, water, and medicine aren't allowed in any sufficient quality into Israel.

More UN workers have died in under 3 months than in any other conflict.

More journalists have been killed in under 3 months than have died in the entirety of WWII.

All of these are flat out war crimes.

Tensions are mounting with Hezbollah, Israel used US supplied white phosphorus in southern Lebanon. The US told Israel that if Hezbollah got involved that the US would attack on Israel's behalf, ever since then Israel has been trying to goad them into an all out conflict.

In what is likely a bid at drawing Iran and the US into the conflict Israel has assassinated a high rank Iranian general in Syria.

President Biden has made headlines for saying that Netanyahu needs to change and his administration is pressuring Israel to lessen the brutality. But this is a farce. Empty words. For even as he speaks these words he put into action a gift of 14k tank shells to Israel that he circumvented congress to give them. And after that, even now, the US continues to cosign genocide by giving Israel more and more weapons.

Israeli Defense Minister and former IDF general Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that Israel is fighting a seven front war and has struck back at 6 of them. He went on to say the fighting may take years.

If it is within your power go to protests, boycott Iraeli goods, and speak out against genocide by educating those close to you. Because if we don't hault this it could escalate into WWIII and this time the US seems firmly on the side of those committing the genocide.

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

If we put half as much energy into “enforce the Leahy Act” (something we as USAmericans actually can do) as we did into “ceasefire now” (something we can’t because that is Israel’s decision) we might have actually gotten somewhere by now.

For those not in the loop, the Leahy Act is a law that earmarks US military aid under the condition that it not be used for human rights violations. It works for every single other country, including Ukraine...but Israel has a number of stipulations that make it all but inapplicable to them, like extra legal barriers to refusing it to them, the presumption that Israel’s criminal justice system is enough to decide whether crimes were committed, and from the testimony of officials who work inside the institution, a general feeling that the law shouldn’t apply to Israel.

There are a number of leftist Democrats and PACs trying to invoke the Leahy Act to deny further aid to Israel, but they’re a small minority and haven’t gotten as much press as they should. But with Israel on trial at the ICJ, there’s no better time for invoking Leahy, as the “unspoken agreement” currently used for circumventing it would not hold up under the reality of a state facing charges of genocide. Under the table work for less casualties is nothing compared to a solid legal challenge that unless Israel stops endangering and attacking Palestinian civilians, we cannot provide military aid to them.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

A proposed amendment to the bill requiring teaching ethnic studies in California’s public schools passed the first hearing on October 8, 2021. The amendment contained “guardrails” to prevent teachers from incorporating antisemitic and anti-Israel content. Many UC ethnic studies professors bemoaned the guardrails proposed in the bill.

Specifically, ethnic studies professors objected to the provision in the bill which said that ethnic studies must “[n]ot reflect or promote, directly or indirectly, any bias, bigotry, or discrimination against any person or groups of persons on the basis of any category protected by Section 220” of the California Educational Code. Section 220 prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality, race or ethnicity and religion (among other biases).

Shockingly, the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council branded this provision as “censoring teachers,” since they view it as hampering their ability to teach an anti-Israel, pro-“Palestine” curriculum. These professors view anti-Zionism as central to the discipline, while, at the same time, deny there is any trace of antisemitism in this worldview. 

The amendment died in the Senate Appropriations Committee in mid-August 2024 with the explanation that further work on the bill was needed. 

In addition to the existing high school requirement, the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council (UCESFC), whose leadership overlaps with the antisemitic Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism, petitioned to make one semester of ethnic studies a prerequisite for acceptance into the UC system.

The proposal was met with pushback from groups outside of the UC community, especially Jewish groups. 

A petition organized by the AMCHA Initiative stated:

“We firmly believe this proposal: 1) is the direct result of a small group of activist-educators determined to circumvent state law and manipulate the UC governance process to push a widely rejected and antisemitic curriculum for their own political and financial gain; 2) has absolutely no educational merit or justification and may even harm students academically; and 3) will unleash hatred and bigotry, especially antisemitism, into California’s public, charter and private schools.”

The ethnic studies professors were enraged by the opposition, responding:

“We also understand that the UC caved to spurious charges, in some cases advanced by people and organizations with a known history of racism, that our proposed criteria are “anti-Semetic” and disparaging to Jewish Americans. This is a LIE. Nowhere in our course criteria do we mention Israel, Jewish people or Judaism, much less any specific religion.”

A vote finally took place in May 2024. Ultimately, the motion did not pass, and “further discussion was tabled.” Some perceived the intense anti-Zionist rhetoric around the Hamas-Israel War as the reason the motion failed. 

UC’s Ethnic Studies Faculty Council

Refused to accept the Hamas attack as terrorism and accused Israel of “genocide”

Promoted the pro-Hamas encampments, exclaiming, “The University is Ours!”

Advocated for the firing of all UC chancellors for involving the police in removing the illegal encampments

Expressed “unequivocal solidarity with the students who have courageously seized the reins of moral leadership by launching Palestine solidarity encampments”

Anti-Israel Agenda in Ethnic Studies Departments

The UC Berkeley department website defines ethnic studies as “the critical and interdisciplinary study of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of people of color within and beyond the United States.”

Ethnic studies departments usually focus on four groups: African Americans, Chicano/Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans. Arab American studies fall under the umbrella of Asian American studies.

Ethnic studies builds upon concepts of intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. “Palestine” comes up frequently in ethnic studies teaching, but exclusively from an anti-Israel point of view.

[doberbutts]

I typed this whole thing up but they re-blocked me after they posted another rant on another one of my posts so;

That is absolutely not everything you said, and you know it.

You did start it with Avi, whether you believe it counts or not. You posted several multi-paragraph posts mentioning him directly by name. Even if you don't tag someone, they can still see it in their name tag if they search their name through tumblr's search function. Yes, even if you block them. Yes, even if they've blocked you. I can say that for certain because there are people in my name tag right now who I know for sure I have blocked and I also can still see when they talk about me if they put my username in their post.

He found your posts about him through this, not by circumventing your block but because he can see when you type out his username in your posts. So there is no "he went around my block to see it" because he wasn't even aware there was beef between you until after he found your posts about him- he's stated a few times that he used to be mutuals with you and didn't even realize you'd blocked him until recently. You did start it. And he was, understandably, upset about it, and posted about it on his blog.

Additionally, some of the things you've said regarding him- and Israeli Jews in general- are pretty antisemitic. It is not antisemitic to call out the atrocities and genocide that Israel is performing on Palestine- something Avi himself has said over and over again. However, there are people who are using antisemitic language or using the conflict as an excuse to be antisemitic, and that is where his problem is. Just as he also posted calling for justice for those affected by anti-arab and Islamophobic violence stemming from conflict.

And it's not like that's not true, that people are being antisemitic and using this conflict as an excuse, or even that people are being antisemitic to him and using this conflict as an excuse. He's gotten plenty of harassment coming from people straightup lying about him to justify it, and has posted it on his blog for others to see, so it's not like he's making it up. He also has posted about what he's doing within his local community, mourning with those who have lost loved ones, and how to provide aid to those trapped in Gaza. He's posted critiquing both the Israeli and the US government.

What more exactly do you want from him here? And why does he have to be A Good Jew in order to have his complaint of antisemitism be heard? Because you've decided he's white, when historically even "white" European Jews were not considered white by antisemitic governments? Didn't we just have a black celebrity get in trouble for saying exactly that? Because you've decided he's white, when more accurately he's multi-ethnic regarding one side of his family being entirely comprised of non-white Jews and the other side still not Ashkenazi, which he's publicly posted about? Because you've decided he's white, when whiteness and Judaism has always been a fraught conversation?

Certainly you understand that equating a population to the very same people that want to exterminate them and have tried before with relative success is always going to be an incendiary topic, and that the people you accuse of doing this are going to be upset when they see it?

I'm not lying for anyone, and besides my white Jewish bestie is a woman. I'm not his trained monkey though, since that seems to be the implication. I just think your behavior is poor and I think you do a lot of inflammatory blogging, which is why I didn't often reblog from you in the first place.

I am, though, sort of wondering why you are so focused on this one specific Jewish guy who has stated over and over again that he wants peace in the region and he wants the innocents living there to stop being killed. Is it because he said he doesn't want the Jewish people who want peace currently living there to be expelled? A lot of Palestinians don't want that either. And I think it's weird to be harassing a Jewish guy who has repeatedly said he wants peace, just because he wants peace in a way you personally find unsatisfying.

[walks-the-ages]

the "vote blue no matter who" crowd really needs to start actually looking at articles and new pieces in real time before they start clubbing people over the head with guilt trips about

"don't vote green party, you can vote green party another year, we all need to get together and vote for Biden"

I don't know how to tell you this, Blue Maga, but Biden has a snowball's chance in hell of winning this election.

He is loathed by 70% of the country for his genocide, and the other 30% loves Trump.

Biden is losing almost every single poll that comes out, and the one's he's winning are usually by just a single percentage point.

Democrats high up the food chain and in his own office are pleading with him to step down and let someone else run for President.

And he refuses to step down.

This man is gleefully committing genocide, circumventing the law to avoid telling the public and congress exactly how many billions in weapons he's sending to Israel to continue the genocide, and is deliberately spreading disinformation that his own aids have to debunk as soon as he speaks.

This man is not going to win the election, and you're not going to convince anyone who's voting Third Party (such as for Jill Stein) to vote for a genocidal fucking racist piece of shit by exclaiming "but what about white queer and women's rights in america?" As though they haven't reached the state they have under Biden's direct reign as President when he can use an executive order any time he wants to enshrine those rights.

But if he did that now, he wouldn't be able to hold your loyalties hostage for the upcoming election, now would he?

2024 is not the election to "just vote blue".

2024 is the election where you tell these genocidal fuckwads they're never going to get another vote in their life until they stop committing genocide and step down so someone who actually cares about humanity can take the reigns.

Anyways, if you're unsure what you can do this election year, please take a moment to read Jill Stein's platform, and be prepared to have your socks blown off. Because yeah, it is in fact possible for politicians to actually stand for the things the people they're supposed to represent want, and that doesn't happen when the people representing you only have to hold your liberties hostage to get your vote, like the Democrats.

"Joe Biden is the most progressive President we've had in American History [if you only care about white americans and ignore the funding of militarized police and extreme police brutality and the goddamn fucking genocide he is committing with our tax dollars]"

Foreign Policy & Demilitarization

The bipartisan endless war machine enriches military contractors, lobbyists, and politicians, while it fuels devastation around the world and impoverishes our own people. The Pentagon budget consumes over half of the discretionary federal budget, and real US military spending is over $1 trillion dollars per year. The military-industrial complex, aided by its accomplices in both war parties, media, intelligence agencies, and beyond, has become a global empire that is profoundly destructive around the world and here at home. Everyone has a human right to live in peace and dignity, free from violence and oppression. We must end the endless wars and create a new foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights to lead the way to a new era of peace and cooperation.

A Jill Stein administration will:

Establish a foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law, and human rights

End existing wars, military actions, proxy wars and secret wars

Cut military spending by 50-75% and ensure a just transition that replaces military jobs with Green New Deal jobs

Invest the peace dividend in a Global Green New Deal to prevent climate collapse, and build toward universal access to basic human needs for food, clean water and sanitation, education, and health care for every human being on Earth

Close the vast majority of the 700+ foreign US military bases

Stop U.S. support and arms sales to human rights abusers

Lead on global nuclear disarmament

End unilateral economic sanctions that primarily harm civilian populations

Remove war powers from the president and restore Congress’ sole power to declare war

Disband NATO and replace it with a modern, inclusive security framework that respects the security interests of all nations and people

Demand an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, an end to the blockade of Gaza, immediate humanitarian and medical relief, and release of hostages and political prisoners

Immediately end all military aid to Israel and adopt sanctions until Israel complies with international law to put an end to decades of violence, illegal occupation, displacement, dispossession, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing

End the longstanding US practice of vetoing UN Security Council resolutions to hold Israel accountable to international law

Move to end the UN Security Council to ensure the UN is a true democratic body

Remove U.S. troops from Iraq and Syria

Stop fueling the war between Russia and Ukraine and lead on negotiating a peaceful end

End the embargo of Cuba and normalize relations

End sanctions on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela that amount to collective punishment of civilian populations

End US interventionist policies that drive people to become migrant refugees

End the failed drug wars and stop regime change attempts against foreign governments

Ban the use of killer drones, robots, and artificial intelligence

Close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp

Ensure family-supporting wages and benefits for military service members

Fully fund veterans’ programs and benefits, including healthcare, mental health, housing, and job training, for a transition to civilian life

Protect the rights of service members, including conscientious objectors

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

[aronarchy]

The extent of Russia’s influence in Sudan goes beyond its involvement in the current war. It’s not only fueling war in Sudan but it’s the reason Russia is able to continue its war in Ukraine and other places despite being sanctioned by the West. Russia is surviving western sanctions by exploiting, smuggling gold and aiding the Sudanese Transitional Military Council (TMC) in the suppression of the pro-civilian led government movement.

In 2014, Putin was vocal about creating an economic plan to circumvent potential Western sanctions tied to the Ukraine war. By 2017, they began extending lifelines to autocrats, and unsurprisingly, former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir joined Putin’s economic pipeline. After a meeting between the two presidents, Russian geologists and mineralogists employed by Meroe Gold arrived in Sudan.

The Russian companies, including Wagner, a private military company linked to Russia and frequently engaged in conflicts worldwide, began establishing a presence in Sudan. Notably, Wagner leader is under US sanctions, accused of meddling in the 2020 US elections. In 2020, under Trump administration, the group was sanctioned for its heavy exploitation of Sudan’s natural resources. The exploitation was so evident that they literally had to be sanctioned by Trump, which is quite surprising.

In 2019, following Al-Bashir’s overthrow, Wagner transitioned to striking deals with the Rapid Support Forces militia general, Hemeti. This militia, formerly known as Janjaweed and implicated in the Darfur genocide, received weapons and training. Wagner, in return, gained access to smuggled gold and devised plans to maintain control, ultimately contributing to today’s proxy war in Sudan.

The method of gold smuggling involved disguising it as flying cookies and concealing the smuggled gold beneath Russian cookie boxes. 🤣

In 2022, @/nimaelbagir a Sudanese journalist and CNN’s Chief International Investigative Correspondent went to a Russian owned gold mining facility in Sudan. Watch her report here ⬇️

Full report here:

In June 2022, the Darfur Bar Association (DBA) launched an investigation and confirmed Wagner mercenaries presence in South Darfur after its attack on gold miners in South Darfur. The investigation also revealed that the Transitional Military council (SAF+RSF) knew about the presence of Wagner in Sudan and in 2019 a copy of the report was actually sent to then prime minister Hamadok.

The DBA investigation also revealed how the UAE is involved in Sudan and its role in the current war. There’s also an extensive investigation report on the role of the UAE in Sudan by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal that proves the UAE involvement in Sudan.

How are the UAE and Russia linked you might ask?

1) Most Sudanese gold passes through the United Arab Emirates. Unofficial data from the United Arab Emirates reported that over $1.7bn of Sudanese gold landed in Dubai in 2021, just under half the value of all the country’s exports. But there is little accurate data tracking it after it arrives in the UAE (arrives via Russia). Most industry exports reckon that official figures account for less than a quarter of total gold sales. Khartoum’s central bank recorded gold exports of 26.4 tonnes from January to September in 2021 but estimates over 100 tonnes would have been smuggled out during that period. (Africa Confidential)

Amdjarass, the Chadian town just across the Sudanese border, is the base from which the UAE is running an operation supposedly to help Sudanese refugees. But behind the façade of what the UAE maintains are humanitarian efforts, lies covert weapons, drones, and medical treatment to injured RSF fighters. (The Africa Report)

A U.S. Ally Promised to Send Aid to Sudan. It Sent Weapons Instead. (WSJ)

The New York Times report on how the UAE is further involved ⬇️

2) In April 2023, following the onset of the war in Sudan, the Wagner group was exposed by CNN for allegedly supplying missiles to the RSF in their conflict against the Sudanese armed forces (SAF). The arms came through the UAE under the guise of humanitarian aid for Sudanese refugees in Chad. These armaments were destined for the UAE’s local proxy, the RSF, in Sudan’s western region. In addition, CNN exposed that the shipments of surface-to-air missiles provided by Wagner were destined for the RSF via flights shuttling the hardware from Latakia, Syria, to Khadim, Libya, and then airdropped to northwestern Sudan, where the RSF enjoys a strong presence. This support from Wagner is considered a significant factor contributing to the RSF’s continuation of the war and their reported atrocities against Sudanese civilians, including killing, looting, sexual violence, and mass destruction of Sudan’s infrastructure.

The satellite images from CNN and the open-source group “All Eyes On Wagner,” provide evidence of an escalated Wagner presence at the bases of Khalifa Haftar, the leader of a Libyan militia supported by Wagner, in Libya. This heightened presence was purportedly in preparation to assist the RSF militia against the SAF.

Full report here:

3) There is evidence that the UAE has been funding Wagner in Libya to help reduce the financial burden on Russia for its Libyan operations and has been deploying these forces to prop up its ally, General Khalifa Haftar, who has been fighting the UN-recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli. The report that the UAE is funding Wagner in Libya actually came from the US department of defense, which again is a surprise considering the close alliance of the US and the UAE.

East Africa Counterterrorism Operation, North and West Africa Counterterrorism Operation Quarterly Report to Congress, July 1, 2020‒September 30, 2020

[beevean]

Lanolin is so unbearable that Sonic and his friends would rather work with the genocidal terrorist who's plagued their lives for years lmao

While it's true that the comic gives the explanation that Clutch's lackeys blocked the way, it's ridiculous that every other alternative was shot down for being too impractical but then they immediately accept the solution of "we'll team up with the renowned war criminal who conquered the entire world last year and nearly turned everyone into zombies some months ago, so that Sonic can use his tech and pretend to be a bad guy infiltrating the race, so that Tails and Amy can sneak into the shuttle while everyone is distracted".

Like, after you get to this point, does "circumventing the lackeys" sound really that farfetched?

It's a transparent attempt to raise the stakes in a lowkey arc, because Stanley really really really wants to prop up her OC that everyone forgot about. He's such a threat to require an alliance usually struck during the end of the world!

Same with Lanolin. Tangle being afraid of her reaction once she discovers that PR is Sonic is equal parts comical and disgusting. Comical because, well, what would she do? Yell? Oh no, the character who has been written to be bossy, arrogant, condescending, and insulting will have yet another fit! Call me when she actually shows positive emotions like caring and forgiveness (not to Duo). Disgusting because... well, there has to be a reason Tangle is scared of her, right? And unlike Clutch with Surge, I can easily point to moments where Lanolin straight up bullied Tangle and made her feel like a child (plus the way she treated Silver, that she witnessed), so in that case, it makes sense in a warped way. But something tells me that I'm not meant to see Lanolin as a gross bully for mistreating Tangle into submission and making Whisper doubt her own perception of reality.

Logically, Lanolin can do nothing to Sonic even if she knew, so Tangle's fear is irrealistic. But the fact that she is genuinely concerned speaks of Lanolin in an unintended way. It's like the opposite of Clutch being shilled as this cunning, untouchable villain.

[silicacid]

BREAKING: Egypt & Mauritania have invoked UNGA Res 377 - Uniting for Peace - to address Gaza genocide. Res.377 states that if UN Security Council, due to lack of unanimity of permanent 5 members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility to act to maintain intnl peace & security, the GA can promptly address the issue. Emergency session set for Tues. Dec.12 #CeaseFirelnGazaNOW — Huwaida Arraf (@huwaidaarraf) December 11, 2023

To answer some questions I saw and provide a bit more context, 1) No, the US cannot veto this. It can vote against it, but no country has veto power in the General Assembly. The US can, however, use bullying tactics such as threatening aid to certain countries, in order to pressure them to vote against the resolution. — Huwaida Arraf (@huwaidaarraf) December 11, 2023

2) Will this do anything? UN Res. 377 was originally introduced by the US in 1950 as a way of circumventing Soviet veto re Korean War. It has the potential to be effective, BUT the members have to agree on collective action. Although unlikely, Res.377 even allows member states to agree on use of military force. However, text of the resolution to be voted on, posted by @Raminho does not give any indication that measures to compel compliance have or are being contemplated. — Huwaida Arraf (@huwaidaarraf) December 11, 2023

3) Remember, on Nov 15, the UNSC (by a vote of 12-0) passed a binding resolution for extended humanitarian pauses. Israel immediately condemned it and declared it was not going to abide. No actions have been taken to compel Israel to abide, just like no actions have been taken to compel Israel to abide by the many UNSC resolutions that it stands in violation of. — Huwaida Arraf (@huwaidaarraf) December 11, 2023

4) The resolution calls for immediate, unconditional release of hostages but fails to call for the release of Palestinian hostages held by Israel.

[petitesmafia]

Genuinely what did Dazai do? Out of even anime characters in general, what is so bad and evil about him? In the same anime he’s from there’s a pedophile, why doesn’t he cause such visceral hatred from people? Most Dazai haters like characters like Light or Sasuke, are you telling me Dazai is worse than a genocidal maniac or a Dictator with a god complex? More specifically, his main competitor, Chuuya, why is he considered so kind and good just because he’s not “manipulative”? Why is Chuuya’s evil actions either ignored or justified constantly 24/7 but we have to be reminded of Dazai’s everytime? Why is there such hypocrisy? Why are all Dazai ships so hated? Why do people ship Soukoku or any other Dazai ship if they hate Dazai and think he shouldn’t be with anyone romantically? Why do you even think that way? Dazai also deserves love, what did he do so evil that even a pedophile and a misogynist gets so much more sympathy from him? What exactly did Dazai do to this fandom?

Why does Dazai only need to be in love with Chuuya in soukoku and not the other way around? Why do the shippers only enjoy this ship when it’s one sided and Dazai is constantly suffering? Why do Skk shippers not want Chuuya to like Dazai back? How is it exactly that Chuuya is the one who deserves better, when it’s Dazai who keeps saying Chuuya is a human but is told his own humanity is a “joke” by this same person Dazai is kind to? Why do shippers defend this? Apparently both Skk are not perfect people, so when it’s Dazai is accepted he did Chuuya wrong which is I don’t know what exactly, but when it’s Chuuya doing shitty things to Dazai, it’s not an issue, it needs to justified somehow? Why do Dazai “stans” like this people or this ship so much if they “love” Dazai, why are all Dazai “stans” even okay with this? Why do you stan him then? Why do you say you “love” Dazai if you think Chuuya is cooler?? Why can’t you just go and stan him?? What did Dazai do to skk shippers? What is so cool about Chuuya when he’s criminal who still actively harms people?

imagine how successful you'd be if you showed this level of tenacity in academics and life instead of being on my ass for liking Chuuya

genuinely why are you constantly sending me shit still when i haven't even done anything to you or said anything hateful about Dazai. it has been almost 4 YEARS. why are you still in this one-sided beef with Chuuya and with me. why do you feel the need to harass and send people death threats simply bc they like Chuuya more. why do you claim to dislike Chuuya and Chuuya stans yet you come searching for my account all the time and doing the absolute fucking most to circumvent my blocking. why is it so difficult for you to grasp that just bc some people like Chuuya more, it does not mean they hate or even dislike Dazai. why is it so hard for you to take a step back and realize that not everything is meant to be "anti-Dazai" just bc you have interpreted it as such. you have harassed people over obvious jokes, you have harassed people when they haven't even mentioned Dazai bc you always feel the need to insert him into the narrative and then attack the person. i could mention Chuuya and the Flags and here you come with 10 messages telling me i should kill myself and slit my wrists bc the Flags are "flop Buraiha". why are you making it seem like it's about you defending Dazai when reality is it's about you not liking Chuuya. why do you not spend your time talking about Dazai on your own account rather than searching up Chuuya on the daily and making 5 million burners on every social media platform possible to attack people for posts that aren't even remotely harmful or related to Dazai. do you actually give a fuck about Dazai, or do you just hate to see Chuuya get loved by the fandom?

majority of the people you have deemed "Dazai haters" (which, frankly, you have deluded yourself into thinking is everyone besides you) don't even hate Dazai. they'll make one harmless joke or a random post and suddenly they'll be branded by you as a "Dazai anti", bc you do not know how to consume media in a healthy way, and you feel the need to project and make your problem everyone else's. there are plenty of people who have spoken in Dazai's defense of his change after leaving port mafia, about his fight in the light, yet you don't see that bc you are too busy searching up Chuuya and getting mad at Chuuya stans for talking about Chuuya. you seek out certain content that you know you don't like, then nitpick and generalize the fandom as a whole when it is your problem to deal with. don't even come here with that bitchass whining about certain people not "loving" Dazai bc the minute someone you don't like says something about Dazai, even if it's positive, you'll be there telling them to shut up and not speak on him. i have already been through your questions with you in the past so there's no point in going over them again, considering all you'll do is spam me with insults and threats bc you have no actual intentions of having a civil conversation. byeee