And now for something completely different yet still tangentially politically related - in response to the Snowden revelations and the general complete lack of respect for our privacy by companies like Google and Facebook, the Bittorrent developers have been working on a P2P messaging protocol called Bleep. A few months back they had signups for the alpha, and just yesterday e-mails went out to those who signed up, inviting them into the alpha.
One of those invites, coincidentally, went to me. Part of the deal, apparently, is that I can also send out invites - apparently infinite - to other people interested in using Bleep. So if you're interested, you can message me for an invite. Invites are sent via e-mail; however, an email is not needed to use Bleep, only to be invited. Nor do you have to sign up for an account. You can associate an e-mail with your Bleep messenger, but this is strictly optional.
You don't need to have a Bittorrent client installed to run Bleep - Bittorrent is just the name of the P2P technology Bleep, or Bittorrent clients, use to send and receive data. I can't speak to how it works with phones as of yet, but it appears that phone integration is in the cards - you can add a phone number to your contact info, and it also has a panel that makes a unique QR code that can be scanned to an as-yet unreleased Bleep Chat app.
If people are interested in learning more I can start a spin-off thread, I just figured the forum's politics thread would be a good place to gauge interest.
Global warming isn't just about sea levels either, changes to global weather patterns are very significant. It could mean more hurricane Katrinas, worse droughts meaning deadlier California wildfires and heavier storms in many places leading to flooding. We're probably already living with some of the consequences of Global Warming in Europe and North America.
in reality, the global warming means higher sea. And place like Venice could disappear. It's not an issue just related to africa, Tj_Hooker.
Oh of course. I didn't mean to imply that Africa is the only place that will be affected. It just happened to be the first place that came to mind when thinking about locations that stood to be severely impacted by global warming.
Changing the channel a bit. Couple of years back Canada decided it was going to change the requirements to becoming a citizen. That includes the age threshold for taking an English/French test as well as removing some of the old exemptions regarding country of origin and mother tongues. Anyways I know someone who moved here from Seattle who now has to take an English test to get his citizenship. Mother tongue is english, lived in the states all his life, yet to get citizenship he has to get an english test. Its just stupid frankly. Anyways, the supposed need for changes was dreamt up by the current government. So that is how it relates to this thread.
Umm what? He speaks English. . . whether he can write it or not, who cares?! :P Why French? I know there are a lot of French speaking/heritage in Canada but still. Surely they must speak English to? :P 'Need for change' is one of the most annoying political things. If it works and is doing what it's meant to, it isn't in need of reform. There are A LOT of BROKEN things you can bugger around with. . . but those are all to hard to fix.
Umm what? He speaks English. . . whether he can write it or not, who cares?! :P Why French? I know there are a lot of French speaking/heritage in Canada but still. Surely they must speak English to? :P 'Need for change' is one of the most annoying political things. If it works and is doing what it's meant to, it isn't in need of reform. There are A LOT of BROKEN things you can bugger around with. . . but those are all to hard to fix.
Canada has two official languages; English and French. There are a lot of people in the country who are only fluent in one language however, which includes me basically (in Toronto French ranks like 16th in terms of how many people are fluent in it). So I'm not in a rush to relearn it I believe both Italian and Portuguese have more native speakers here (in toronto) than french.
Yea its all about appealing to their base, the people who view citizenship to be too easy to acquire. Of course id be curious to see how many of the Canadians who supported these changes would pass a citizenship test without any prep time. He he.
I am just stunned that any sympathy for the Palestinian people, who are the casualties of this war by something like a 200/1 margin, is automatically construed as support for Hamas.
I don't want to touch the politics of the ongoing Gaza conflict with a barge pole. Allocating blame is something to do a lot later, with the help of a UN war crimes tribunal. The real crisis is a humanitarian one, disproportionately affecting Palestinian civilians.
Hey... dropped in here to see what was going on (haven't been on the forum in about 2-3 weeks due to work and study). I wanted to say something, but @jjstraka34 and @Corvino basically said most of what I have to offer here.
But I do feel the Israelis are in the right here. Hamas have terrorized them, provoked them, shot, mortared, rocketed and bombed them. Then when they do something to protect themselves, Hamas goes 'Oh look! LOOK AT WHAT THE ISRAELIS DO!! Animals!!'
Drives me nuts that people believe them. >:/
Hamas has little sympathy from me as well, but you seem to ignore a major point of contention that has led to this conflict, and indeed most of the conflicts between these two sides in recent history: the building of illegal settlements.
If Canada were to start building houses in Upstate New York, surrounding them with walls, and then place heavily armed guards in every corner I'm pretty sure the United States would view that as an act of war.
I am just stunned that any sympathy for the Palestinian people, who are the casualties of this war by something like a 200/1 margin, is automatically construed as support for Hamas.
I don't want to touch the politics of the ongoing Gaza conflict with a barge pole. Allocating blame is something to do a lot later, with the help of a UN war crimes tribunal. The real crisis is a humanitarian one, disproportionately affecting Palestinian civilians.
Hey... dropped in here to see what was going on (haven't been on the forum in about 2-3 weeks due to work and study). I wanted to say something, but @jjstraka34 and @Corvino basically said most of what I have to offer here.
But I do feel the Israelis are in the right here. Hamas have terrorized them, provoked them, shot, mortared, rocketed and bombed them. Then when they do something to protect themselves, Hamas goes 'Oh look! LOOK AT WHAT THE ISRAELIS DO!! Animals!!'
Drives me nuts that people believe them. >:/
Hamas has little sympathy from me as well, but you seem to ignore a major point of contention that has led to this conflict, and indeed most of the conflicts between these two sides in recent history: the building of illegal settlements.
If Canada were to start building houses in Upstate New York, surrounding them with walls, and then place heavily armed guards in every corner I'm pretty sure the United States would view that as an act of war.
If Canada is going to invade anywhere I'd prefer it be the Turks and caicos. Nicer weather than New York
Hamas has little sympathy from me as well, but you seem to ignore a major point of contention that has led to this conflict, and indeed most of the conflicts between these two sides in recent history: the building of illegal settlements.
The problem with this is that Hamas and other extreme Islamic groups believe ALL of Israel is an illegal settlement.
Hamas has little sympathy from me as well, but you seem to ignore a major point of contention that has led to this conflict, and indeed most of the conflicts between these two sides in recent history: the building of illegal settlements.
@booinyoureyes Please refresh my mind what illegal settlements are there in Gaza strip exactly?
Lets review the main points of Hamas charter:
Goals of the HAMAS:
'The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.' (Article 6)
On the Destruction of Israel:
'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' (Preamble)
Rejection of a Negotiated Peace Settlement:
'[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.' (Article 13)
Anti-Semitic Incitement:
'The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: 'O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.' (Article 7)
I find it depressingly ironic that such conflicts are going on the Middle East when my country (the UK) like many others is remembering the start of 'The Great War - the war to end all wars'. When are we as a race (in it's entirety) going to learn that war doesn't actually solve anything? 'Solving' disputes by force of arms is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound - it doesn't deal with the root cause. Sadly the root cause these days mainly seems to be religion. Maybe more countries should learn the lessons that came out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
I find it depressingly ironic that such conflicts are going on the Middle East when my country (the UK) like many others is remembering the start of 'The Great War - the war to end all wars'. When are we as a race (in it's entirety) going to learn that war doesn't actually solve anything? 'Solving' disputes by force of arms is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound - it doesn't deal with the root cause. Sadly the root cause these days mainly seems to be religion. Maybe more countries should learn the lessons that came out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Lets be specific, the real problem the world is facing right now is the rise of the radical Islam.
The sad thing is the you can't see thousands of people rally in Europe against it or the media outcry, rather the opposite, In some of latest protests that took place in Europe the protestors raised the black flag of ISIS.
@mch202 The settlements in Gaza were removed in 2011 but the West Bank settlements have been built upon. That is like Canada saying "fine, we'll move out of New York and start building in Michigan"
It is an absolutely unnecessary provocation and is a big reason why groups like Hamas gain sympathy among everyday Palestinians. To pretend that they are not important is absurd.
The problem with this is that Hamas and other extreme Islamic groups believe ALL of Israel is an illegal settlement.
Again with Hamas, as if they even factor in. What I am saying is that the settlements do absolutely nothing but provoke bad actors on the other side and increase support for radical groups.
Keep in mind that the current ruling party in Israel, Likud (though Netanyahu has recently softened his stance), believe that ALL the Palestinian territories belong to Israel as well, and support expanded settlements. Just reverse the names "Israel" and "Palestine" and their positions are exactly the same, and equally uncompromising which makes the peace process almost impossible.
Most of the leaders of the settlements claim that they build them because the Bible gives them dominion over all the region. This is also religious extremism. From recent talk with friends I know for a fact that many moderate Israelis have a negative view on these figures.
I would honestly like to hear someone actually try to defend the building of illegal settlements from a non-religious perspective. What are the benefits?
@mch202 The settlements in Gaza were removed in 2011 but the West Bank settlements have been built upon. That is like Canada saying "fine, we'll move out of New York and start building in Michigan"
Israel pulled out of Gaza completely from Gaza in 2005 and not 2011. Since then Hamas took over the Gaza strip from the grasp of the Fatah who controls the West Bank ( Executed them and threw them off buildings to be more exact ).
Right now the Situation is this, The Gaza strip is controlled by a group who is devoted to obliterate Israel. The West Bank controlled by Abu-Mazen who want a 2 state solution.
As for the USA/Canada analogies, this would be more accurate:
Lets Assume USA tells New York residents to evacuate because they are going to attack Canada, and once they will conquer Canada and kill all the Canadians then the residents can come back home. But during this attack Canada gets the upper hand and conquer New York in the process, as part of a war that Canada not started - now New York is a Canadian territory, that's what happens when you lose a war.
By the way, the USA is analog to Jordan, there was no such thing a Palestinian state nor nationality prior to the six days war in 1967.
Again with Hamas, as if they even factor in. What I am saying is that the settlements do absolutely nothing but provoke bad actors on the other side and increase support for radical groups.
Keep in mind that the current ruling party in Israel, Likud (though Netanyahu has recently softened his stance), believe that ALL the Palestinian territories belong to Israel as well, and support expanded settlements. Just reverse the names "Israel" and "Palestine" and their positions are exactly the same, and equally uncompromising which makes the peace process almost impossible.
Netanayhu as the head of the Likud already stated that he supports two state solution numerous of times. Furthermore, the ruling government in Israel is also composed of parties from the left which also support two state solution.
Also the same ruling party, the Likud, is the party who signed the peace treaty with Egypt, giving up all the Sinai peninsula which its territory is as big as all of Israel.
The main dispute with the negotiations with the Palestinians in the West Bank is not the settlements, which Israel already agreed to return 95% of the West Bank, its the 'right of return' which the Palestinians insist - meaning that millions of arabs from Lebanon, Jordan and Syria will move into Israel - which is basically the end of Israel.
The settlements are not the problem, they are the excuse.
I would honestly like to hear someone actually try to defend the building of illegal settlements from a non-religious perspective. What are the benefits?
For years Israel is not building new settlements in the West Bank, what it does is expand existing ones due to natural growth of population, and even those it expand are large settlements which is already agreed in negotiations with the Palestinians that will remain in Israel control, in return of land swap in other areas.
And not from religious perspective, the settlements in the West Bank gives Israel strategic depth to defend itself and security by pushing off the borderlines from the shore ( only 30km wide ), the West Bank is on higher ground then the rest of the surrounding areas.
Also from a security perspective, while there is an Israeli presence in the West Bank, it is hard to radical Islamic groups to form and operate. Take for example Gaza Strip, once Israel pulled out, Islamic groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and The Popular Resistance Committees took over and created mini islamic terror state.
From economical perspective, where ever there are settlements next to Palestinian villages, the Palestinians residents themselves benefit from this, it provides them work. Be it in construction, be it in Israeli companies, be it in opening shops such as garden equipment, garages, woodwork shops which Israelis buy from.
Take Soda Stream for example which located in the West Bank, in this factory there are Israeli and Palestinian workers alike. Calling to boycott settlement products means that many Palestinians will go unemployed and it definitely won't bring a permanent solution any closer.
Back to the Gaza issue, it is not related to the settlements in the West Bank at all, and again, it is controlled to a terror group which is in opposition to the group who controls the West Bank.
If you would zoom out a little, you might see that there are many foreign interests in the Israeli-Palestinians conflict which fuels it.
As I said in previous post, the groups in Gaza strip are backed by Qatar and Iran, which actually urged them to continue the current fighting with Israel and not to reach a ceasefire - on the expanse of Gaza population.
The West Bank is backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, which are rivals, not to say enemies, of Iran and Qatar.
Israel is just another staging ground for those countries who fight over power and hegemony in the Middle East.
Edit:
Right now there is a 72 hours ceasefire and negotiations in Egypt over a solution to the current escalation, Hamas is threatening to renew rocket firing on Israel if not all its demands will be met while Israel agreed to prolong the ceasefire and the talks. Don't be surprised if the situation will go downhill again.
From what I'm reading it seems that the strategic importance of the Gaza Strip is that it would be the ideal place from which to launch an offensive on Israel.
Israel are willing to open the borders of Gaza as long as no weapons are bought in, i.e. creating a DMZ (starting to sound familiar yet?). Hamas (speaking through Palestinian officials in Egypt) will have none of this and will settle for nothing short of unconditional occupation.
This is all too reminiscent of the Caprivi Strip in southwest Africa which for years (1965-2002) was used as a staging area for insurgents backed by countries such as Angola and Cuba to launch attacks on neighbouring territories. As someone who was living in South Africa for part of that time I can understand why Israel is concerned about Gaza.
Edit: While I was writing the previous comment the UK papers picked up on the news that Obama has authorised air strikes against ISIS - it never bloody stops does it.
From what I'm reading it seems that the strategic importance of the Gaza Strip is that it would be the ideal place from which to launch an offensive on Israel.
Israel are willing to open the borders of Gaza as long as no weapons are bought in, i.e. creating a DMZ (starting to sound familiar yet?). Hamas (speaking through Palestinian officials in Egypt) will have none of this and will settle for nothing short of unconditional occupation.
This is all too reminiscent of the Caprivi Strip in southwest Africa which for years (1965-2002) was used as a staging area for insurgents backed by countries such as Angola and Cuba to launch attacks on neighbouring territories. As someone who was living in South Africa for part of that time I can understand why Israel is concerned about Gaza.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad renewed its rocket firing at Israel at 08:00 a.m, in order to pressure ( or blackmail to be more accurat e) Israel to get what it wants in the negotiations. On the expanse of Gazan population again, because Israel can't sit idle while they are launching rockets at Israeli cities.
So far ~40 rockets and mortars were fired, seriously injuring 1 Israeli citizen and light wounding another.
And you are right, Israel doesn't mind opening the sea and the crossings to Gaza, as long as its supervised by somebody. The fear is that Hamas will try to enter Gaza advanced weaponry such as AA, chemical agents, atgms and other goodies, just as it is trying for all those years since it took over in 2007, and Iran is more than happy to help them acquire it.
And of course to supervise that the cement entering Gaza will actually be used to build schools, homes and hospitals and not for terror tunnels, as the last 400 tons of cement that Israel provided were used..
Right now all the goods that imported/exported to Gaza are getting inspected in Ashdod naval port and then delivered through the crossings.
Edit: While I was writing the previous comment the UK papers picked up on the news that Obama has authorised air strikes against ISIS - it never bloody stops does it.
I would say couple of thousands dead too late, the world should have woke up when they have executed 1700 Iraqis in one trench or when the death questionnaire videos started to come out ( Stopping a random vehicle, ask its riders a question about the Quran, if answered wrong they get a bullet in the head ) but I guess its better later than never.
Here is an interesting documentary about ISIS that was published this week by vice, part 1.
When I see stuff like your video, I can't help but telling myself that I was right and @Isandir is wrong
Peace is undoubtedly difficult to achieve, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. I've been quietly watching the discussion about Israel and Palestine progress, and my thoughts the entire time have not changed. The "Muslim vs. Western/Christian" dichotomy is precisely the kind of debate that stands in the way of reconciliation. Rather than focus on solutions, it seeks to lay blame--an impossible task when both sides have committed wrongs in countries around the world for hundreds of years.
Regardless of how many give in to fear and hatred, there will always be others who believe in something more. Instead of reading yet another news report blaming radical Islam, right-wing Christians, ardent Zionists or any other group, I would suggest that supporters of both sides read through accounts of some others who have been directly affected or are directly involved in the peace process.
I had mentioned a friend of mine who has visited Israel multiple times to work with Palestinians and Israelis who lay aside reactive anger and instead focus on dialogue and reconciliation. The co-founder of his organization recently wrote an excellent essay that sums up my view:
"...in the face of building violence, there is no more radical, prophetic or heroic action than that of choosing not to get even, but getting creative in love. When people have every right to be angry and seek revenge violently, choosing to deescalate violence through creative initiatives for peace tells us that another world is possible...
What are the implications?
You may lose the war. You may not get the results you want. You may get killed.
But as my friends said, you will keep your soul. And, maybe, just maybe, this will lead the “enemy” to de-escalate as well. There are plenty of historical examples of mutual de-escalation not only on an individual level, but on a national level in times of war.
As the cycle of violence builds in Israel/Palestine through acts of revenge and retaliation, we must shine a light on those who are intentionally choosing to put their lives on the line through actions of de-escalation. We know that hate breeds hate and violence breeds violence, but we trust that the seeds of love returned in the face of hate and violence will root deep into the soil of renewed relationship."
When I see stuff like your video, I can't help but telling myself that I was right and @Isandir is wrong
Peace is undoubtedly difficult to achieve, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. I've been quietly watching the discussion about Israel and Palestine progress, and my thoughts the entire time have not changed. The "Muslim vs. Western/Christian" dichotomy is precisely the kind of debate that stands in the way of reconciliation. Rather than focus on solutions, it seeks to lay blame--an impossible task when both sides have committed wrongs in countries around the world for hundreds of years.
What do those religions have in common? They are both religions.
When I see stuff like your video, I can't help but telling myself that I was right and @Isandir is wrong
Peace is undoubtedly difficult to achieve, but that doesn't mean it's not worth the effort. I've been quietly watching the discussion about Israel and Palestine progress, and my thoughts the entire time have not changed. The "Muslim vs. Western/Christian" dichotomy is precisely the kind of debate that stands in the way of reconciliation. Rather than focus on solutions, it seeks to lay blame--an impossible task when both sides have committed wrongs in countries around the world for hundreds of years.
What do those religions have in common? They are both religions.
Meanwhile ISIS has started to mass execute Christian children in Mosul,Iraq.
Islamic State terrorists have begun their promised killing of Christians in Mosul, and they have started with the children. According to a report via CNN, a Chaldean-American businessman has said that killings have started in Mosul and children's heads are being erected on poles in a city park
I'm afraid that a 1-2 US airstrike on some convoy is not enough...
Meanwhile ISIS has started to mass execute Christian children in Mosul,Iraq.
Islamic State terrorists have begun their promised killing of Christians in Mosul, and they have started with the children. According to a report via CNN, a Chaldean-American businessman has said that killings have started in Mosul and children's heads are being erected on poles in a city park
I'm afraid that a 1-2 US airstrike on some convoy is not enough...
Sadly, it's an inescapable fact that ISIS wouldn't be doing anything in the country if it wasn't for our monumentally stupid invasion of the country a decade ago. Critics of the Iraq War predicted just such an outcome from the beginning. Taking out Saddam created a vacuum that could only be filled by sectarian conflicts and civil war. We destroyed the country, and are now SHOCKED that insane radical extremists have come in and filled the void. The Iraq invasion will go down as one of the biggest military and foreign policy blunders of all-time. It's true that 1 or 2 US airstrikes won't help, but it's a certainty that thousands of US bombs caused the situation in the first place.
The National Research Council of Canada was recently hacked recently and had to be shut down as they improve their IT structure. And the Canadian government, with all of its gumption, pointed the finger squarely at highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored hackers.Clicky
China was not amused at Canada abrasiveness on the charges of espionage so they arrested and charged a Christian Canadian couple who moved to China 30 years ago and ran a coffee shop along the North Korean border with the same charges that the Canadian government laid against them. Clicky
The charges of course are absurd, however, many people are blaming the government of publicly poking too many bears outside of their weight class and if this was handled internally and privately, this couple would still be serving espresso to a rising middle class Chinese.
Other people think it goes a bit deeper and the couple are actually helping North Korean's cross the border illegally and into Tiawan as a sort of underground railroad and they were arrested on the trumped up charges to appease North Korea. Clicky
Regardless, I do hope this story does not get buried with all the tension going on in the world and these two get released soon.
Sadly, it's an inescapable fact that ISIS wouldn't be doing anything in the country if it wasn't for our monumentally stupid invasion of the country a decade ago. Critics of the Iraq War predicted just such an outcome from the beginning. Taking out Saddam created a vacuum that could only be filled by sectarian conflicts and civil war. We destroyed the country, and are now SHOCKED that insane radical extremists have come in and filled the void. The Iraq invasion will go down as one of the biggest military and foreign policy blunders of all-time. It's true that 1 or 2 US airstrikes won't help, but it's a certainty that thousands of US bombs caused the situation in the first place.
True, but lets not ignore the failing leadership of the prime minister of Iraq, Maliki, that increased the sectarian division between shia and sunna, which makes it easier to Jihadist organizations such as ISIS to recruit new member from sunna population, that are anything but loyal to the Iraqi government.
Also, If the west was determined enough to help the FSA/Moderate Rebels in the beginning of the Syria crisis, the rise of the Sunni Jihadi groups might have been prevented. Many Syrians have left the FSA and joined instead to Jahabat Al Nusra (Al Qaeda branch) and ISIS because the FSA was too weak in arms while the Sunni groups were more equipped and stronger, also because they are getting support from the KSA and Qatar. Due to the vacuum of no alternative of strong opposition to Assad, the radical Jihadi groups flourish and the death tall is over 160,000 and counting. It is now leaked on full scale to Iraq and in the past week there were even battles in the border of Syria-Lebanon between ISIS and the LDF.
Happy in the Middle East.
The second part of the documentary about ISIS, not graphic.
Also, If the west was determined enough to help the FSA/Moderate Rebels in the beginning of the Syria crisis, the rise of the Sunni Jihadi groups might have been prevented. Many Syrians have left the FSA and joined instead to Jahabat Al Nusra (Al Qaeda branch) and ISIS because the FSA was too weak in arms while the Sunni groups were more equipped and stronger, also because they are getting support from the KSA and Qatar.
That would have been nice if the west could figure out who was who in the anti-Assad camp. This is next to impossible.
The guy he met with, General Salim Idris, was later kicked out of the FSA for being too moderate, and was replaced by Islamic radicals. If the US government was able to arm the FSA to the level that both Obama and McCain wanted, who would have inherited the weapons after his ouster? Where would those weapons now be aimed?
Not so easy to pick the "good guys" in these conflicts. How many of those Syrians you mentioned, who left the FSA to join al Nusra, would have done so regardless of how well armed the FSA was? How many would have taken weapons built in the West with them?
Comments
One of those invites, coincidentally, went to me. Part of the deal, apparently, is that I can also send out invites - apparently infinite - to other people interested in using Bleep. So if you're interested, you can message me for an invite. Invites are sent via e-mail; however, an email is not needed to use Bleep, only to be invited. Nor do you have to sign up for an account. You can associate an e-mail with your Bleep messenger, but this is strictly optional.
You don't need to have a Bittorrent client installed to run Bleep - Bittorrent is just the name of the P2P technology Bleep, or Bittorrent clients, use to send and receive data. I can't speak to how it works with phones as of yet, but it appears that phone integration is in the cards - you can add a phone number to your contact info, and it also has a panel that makes a unique QR code that can be scanned to an as-yet unreleased Bleep Chat app.
If people are interested in learning more I can start a spin-off thread, I just figured the forum's politics thread would be a good place to gauge interest.
http://blog.bittorrent.com/2014/07/30/bittorrents-chat-client-unveiled-bittorrent-bleep-now-in-invite-only-pre-alpha/
Yea its all about appealing to their base, the people who view citizenship to be too easy to acquire. Of course id be curious to see how many of the Canadians who supported these changes would pass a citizenship test without any prep time. He he.
If Canada were to start building houses in Upstate New York, surrounding them with walls, and then place heavily armed guards in every corner I'm pretty sure the United States would view that as an act of war.
Lets review the main points of Hamas charter:
Yep.. its definitely the settlements...
When are we as a race (in it's entirety) going to learn that war doesn't actually solve anything?
'Solving' disputes by force of arms is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound - it doesn't deal with the root cause.
Sadly the root cause these days mainly seems to be religion. Maybe more countries should learn the lessons that came out of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Look at ISIS in Iraq: 1,500 Iraqi Civilians Were Slaughtered Yesterday by ISIS and 40,000 Iraqis stranded on mountain as Isis jihadists threaten death
The sad thing is the you can't see thousands of people rally in Europe against it or the media outcry, rather the opposite, In some of latest protests that took place in Europe the protestors raised the black flag of ISIS.
It is an absolutely unnecessary provocation and is a big reason why groups like Hamas gain sympathy among everyday Palestinians. To pretend that they are not important is absurd. Again with Hamas, as if they even factor in. What I am saying is that the settlements do absolutely nothing but provoke bad actors on the other side and increase support for radical groups.
Keep in mind that the current ruling party in Israel, Likud (though Netanyahu has recently softened his stance), believe that ALL the Palestinian territories belong to Israel as well, and support expanded settlements. Just reverse the names "Israel" and "Palestine" and their positions are exactly the same, and equally uncompromising which makes the peace process almost impossible.
Most of the leaders of the settlements claim that they build them because the Bible gives them dominion over all the region. This is also religious extremism. From recent talk with friends I know for a fact that many moderate Israelis have a negative view on these figures.
I would honestly like to hear someone actually try to defend the building of illegal settlements from a non-religious perspective. What are the benefits?
Right now the Situation is this, The Gaza strip is controlled by a group who is devoted to obliterate Israel. The West Bank controlled by Abu-Mazen who want a 2 state solution.
As for the USA/Canada analogies, this would be more accurate:
Lets Assume USA tells New York residents to evacuate because they are going to attack Canada, and once they will conquer Canada and kill all the Canadians then the residents can come back home. But during this attack Canada gets the upper hand and conquer New York in the process, as part of a war that Canada not started - now New York is a Canadian territory, that's what happens when you lose a war.
By the way, the USA is analog to Jordan, there was no such thing a Palestinian state nor nationality prior to the six days war in 1967. Netanayhu as the head of the Likud already stated that he supports two state solution numerous of times. Furthermore, the ruling government in Israel is also composed of parties from the left which also support two state solution.
Also the same ruling party, the Likud, is the party who signed the peace treaty with Egypt, giving up all the Sinai peninsula which its territory is as big as all of Israel.
The main dispute with the negotiations with the Palestinians in the West Bank is not the settlements, which Israel already agreed to return 95% of the West Bank, its the 'right of return' which the Palestinians insist - meaning that millions of arabs from Lebanon, Jordan and Syria will move into Israel - which is basically the end of Israel.
The settlements are not the problem, they are the excuse. For years Israel is not building new settlements in the West Bank, what it does is expand existing ones due to natural growth of population, and even those it expand are large settlements which is already agreed in negotiations with the Palestinians that will remain in Israel control, in return of land swap in other areas.
And not from religious perspective, the settlements in the West Bank gives Israel strategic depth to defend itself and security by pushing off the borderlines from the shore ( only 30km wide ), the West Bank is on higher ground then the rest of the surrounding areas.
Also from a security perspective, while there is an Israeli presence in the West Bank, it is hard to radical Islamic groups to form and operate. Take for example Gaza Strip, once Israel pulled out, Islamic groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and The Popular Resistance Committees took over and created mini islamic terror state.
From economical perspective, where ever there are settlements next to Palestinian villages, the Palestinians residents themselves benefit from this, it provides them work. Be it in construction, be it in Israeli companies, be it in opening shops such as garden equipment, garages, woodwork shops which Israelis buy from.
Take Soda Stream for example which located in the West Bank, in this factory there are Israeli and Palestinian workers alike. Calling to boycott settlement products means that many Palestinians will go unemployed and it definitely won't bring a permanent solution any closer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to the Gaza issue, it is not related to the settlements in the West Bank at all, and again, it is controlled to a terror group which is in opposition to the group who controls the West Bank.
If you would zoom out a little, you might see that there are many foreign interests in the Israeli-Palestinians conflict which fuels it.
As I said in previous post, the groups in Gaza strip are backed by Qatar and Iran, which actually urged them to continue the current fighting with Israel and not to reach a ceasefire - on the expanse of Gaza population.
The West Bank is backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, which are rivals, not to say enemies, of Iran and Qatar.
Israel is just another staging ground for those countries who fight over power and hegemony in the Middle East.
Edit:
Right now there is a 72 hours ceasefire and negotiations in Egypt over a solution to the current escalation, Hamas is threatening to renew rocket firing on Israel if not all its demands will be met while Israel agreed to prolong the ceasefire and the talks. Don't be surprised if the situation will go downhill again.
From what I'm reading it seems that the strategic importance of the Gaza Strip is that it would be the ideal place from which to launch an offensive on Israel.
Israel are willing to open the borders of Gaza as long as no weapons are bought in, i.e. creating a DMZ (starting to sound familiar yet?).
Hamas (speaking through Palestinian officials in Egypt) will have none of this and will settle for nothing short of unconditional occupation.
This is all too reminiscent of the Caprivi Strip in southwest Africa which for years (1965-2002) was used as a staging area for insurgents backed by countries such as Angola and Cuba to launch attacks on neighbouring territories. As someone who was living in South Africa for part of that time I can understand why Israel is concerned about Gaza.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad renewed its rocket firing at Israel at 08:00 a.m, in order to pressure ( or blackmail to be more accurat e) Israel to get what it wants in the negotiations. On the expanse of Gazan population again, because Israel can't sit idle while they are launching rockets at Israeli cities.
So far ~40 rockets and mortars were fired, seriously injuring 1 Israeli citizen and light wounding another.
And you are right, Israel doesn't mind opening the sea and the crossings to Gaza, as long as its supervised by somebody. The fear is that Hamas will try to enter Gaza advanced weaponry such as AA, chemical agents, atgms and other goodies, just as it is trying for all those years since it took over in 2007, and Iran is more than happy to help them acquire it.
And of course to supervise that the cement entering Gaza will actually be used to build schools, homes and hospitals and not for terror tunnels, as the last 400 tons of cement that Israel provided were used..
Right now all the goods that imported/exported to Gaza are getting inspected in Ashdod naval port and then delivered through the crossings.
Here is an interesting documentary about ISIS that was published this week by vice, part 1.
WARNING SOME PARTS ARE GRAPHIC.
Regardless of how many give in to fear and hatred, there will always be others who believe in something more. Instead of reading yet another news report blaming radical Islam, right-wing Christians, ardent Zionists or any other group, I would suggest that supporters of both sides read through accounts of some others who have been directly affected or are directly involved in the peace process.
I had mentioned a friend of mine who has visited Israel multiple times to work with Palestinians and Israelis who lay aside reactive anger and instead focus on dialogue and reconciliation. The co-founder of his organization recently wrote an excellent essay that sums up my view:
"...in the face of building violence, there is no more radical, prophetic or heroic action than that of choosing not to get even, but getting creative in love. When people have every right to be angry and seek revenge violently, choosing to deescalate violence through creative initiatives for peace tells us that another world is possible...
What are the implications?
You may lose the war. You may not get the results you want. You may get killed.
But as my friends said, you will keep your soul. And, maybe, just maybe, this will lead the “enemy” to de-escalate as well. There are plenty of historical examples of mutual de-escalation not only on an individual level, but on a national level in times of war.
As the cycle of violence builds in Israel/Palestine through acts of revenge and retaliation, we must shine a light on those who are intentionally choosing to put their lives on the line through actions of de-escalation. We know that hate breeds hate and violence breeds violence, but we trust that the seeds of love returned in the face of hate and violence will root deep into the soil of renewed relationship."
Sadly, it's an inescapable fact that ISIS wouldn't be doing anything in the country if it wasn't for our monumentally stupid invasion of the country a decade ago. Critics of the Iraq War predicted just such an outcome from the beginning. Taking out Saddam created a vacuum that could only be filled by sectarian conflicts and civil war. We destroyed the country, and are now SHOCKED that insane radical extremists have come in and filled the void. The Iraq invasion will go down as one of the biggest military and foreign policy blunders of all-time. It's true that 1 or 2 US airstrikes won't help, but it's a certainty that thousands of US bombs caused the situation in the first place.
The National Research Council of Canada was recently hacked recently and had to be shut down as they improve their IT structure. And the Canadian government, with all of its gumption, pointed the finger squarely at highly sophisticated Chinese state-sponsored hackers.Clicky
China was not amused at Canada abrasiveness on the charges of espionage so they arrested and charged a Christian Canadian couple who moved to China 30 years ago and ran a coffee shop along the North Korean border with the same charges that the Canadian government laid against them. Clicky
The charges of course are absurd, however, many people are blaming the government of publicly poking too many bears outside of their weight class and if this was handled internally and privately, this couple would still be serving espresso to a rising middle class Chinese.
Other people think it goes a bit deeper and the couple are actually helping North Korean's cross the border illegally and into Tiawan as a sort of underground railroad and they were arrested on the trumped up charges to appease North Korea. Clicky
Regardless, I do hope this story does not get buried with all the tension going on in the world and these two get released soon.
Also, If the west was determined enough to help the FSA/Moderate Rebels in the beginning of the Syria crisis, the rise of the Sunni Jihadi groups might have been prevented. Many Syrians have left the FSA and joined instead to Jahabat Al Nusra (Al Qaeda branch) and ISIS because the FSA was too weak in arms while the Sunni groups were more equipped and stronger, also because they are getting support from the KSA and Qatar. Due to the vacuum of no alternative of strong opposition to Assad, the radical Jihadi groups flourish and the death tall is over 160,000 and counting. It is now leaked on full scale to Iraq and in the past week there were even battles in the border of Syria-Lebanon between ISIS and the LDF.
Happy in the Middle East.
The second part of the documentary about ISIS, not graphic.
By your logic the occupation of Iraq ended in 2007
That would have been nice if the west could figure out who was who in the anti-Assad camp. This is next to impossible.
Remember when John McCain visited Syria to meet with rebels? It was later reported that two men in his photo op were responsible for kidnapping 11 Lebanese Shia pilgrims. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/30/john-mccain-syria_n_3359166.html
The guy he met with, General Salim Idris, was later kicked out of the FSA for being too moderate, and was replaced by Islamic radicals. If the US government was able to arm the FSA to the level that both Obama and McCain wanted, who would have inherited the weapons after his ouster? Where would those weapons now be aimed?
Not so easy to pick the "good guys" in these conflicts. How many of those Syrians you mentioned, who left the FSA to join al Nusra, would have done so regardless of how well armed the FSA was? How many would have taken weapons built in the West with them?