I wish to share my most sincere gratitude and love with the service member and their family. According to the article this is the second self immolation outside an Israeli embassy in the US.
Israel is committing genocide, and the US is complicit. Don’t let anyone forget that.
Can anyone Eli5 us and Israel connection.
I don’t know much about politics.
The middle east is an extremely geopolitically important region for the US because of all of the oil it has. The US therefore wants a country that it can use as basically a base of operation and client state in the region. Israel as a european settler colonials state is the client state that America wants because it largely is culturally closer to the US than the surrounding arab states. Consequently, the US defends Israel to the hilt regardless of the constant stream of atrocities that it commits.
Perhaps that was the initial impetus, but it is also 50 years out of date. Now-a-days, Israel is self-propagating even if they had zero strategic value for US interests, they are the number one donator’s to many top Republican and Democrat campaign funds. In addition they represent a useful tax-haven for all the “high-tech” industries in the US. They are allow by law to develop for the MIC both hardware and software without being restricted by the usual import/export restrictions for national defense. Israel is considered international so corporations aren’t taxed on income from Israel, and Israel will pay large subsidies to American corporations to open offices there. Of course those subsidies are just money the US Government pays to Israel anyway. It’s grotesque, and even if Israel weren’t an apartheid state, the incestuous relationship the country has built with the US ruling class should give anyone with morals pause.
Both of these takes are extremely cynical, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Israel’s actions with Gaza and the extremely right-wing PM in charge should not define Israel as a country and the reasons why the US has them as an ally, just like how Trump does not define the US as a country.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that they shouldn’t be criticized. But, let’s criticize the actions, instead of making up reasons that the US is involved with Israel in the first place.
You mean actions like being the number one bipartisan campaign contributors to a large portion of American Leadership? You mean spending more on lobbying then any other industry? You mean Israel isn’t a tax shelter for American Firms that are normally restricted to being located on US Soil? What exactly am I “making up” here?
Are these numbers fake?
Biden, Joe (D) $5,223,313 Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) New Jersey $2,500,005 Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) New York $2,358,112 Kirk, Mark (R-IL) Illinois $2,294,469 Lieberman, Joe (D-CT) Connecticut $1,996,274 McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) Kentucky $1,953,160 Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) New York $1,725,324 McCain, John (R-AZ) Arizona $1,494,066
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There’s no way China would just let North Korea do anything like Israel is doing. The difference is that Israel has outsize political influence in the US through AIPAC and the like.
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Question: Have North Korea ever shoot a Chinese military ship, killing 34 crew members and wounding 171 more?
Yes.
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Fuck whichever CCP bootlicker deleted this six month old comment of mine that said:
And China is involved in its own genocide.
They’re not bombing them, it’s ‘just’ gulags and death penalties.
The communist style abuse.
We in the west prefer fire and fury typa ops against “enemies of the people”
OT: what’s with all these “removed by a mod” posts I keep seeing? I thought lemmy was an anti censorship effort, was I wrong?
I thought lemmy was an anti censorship effort, was I wrong?
Different places censor different things
I did not realize this happened in the US.
News coverage of this is super sus
News coverage of this is super sus
I only learned about the first one due to this discussion we’re in right here.
same tbh. i think i vaguely remember about first one but kind just slid out.
was first one in the US too?
News coverage of this is super sus
How so? Every article I read mentioned where it happened as well as US organizations performing the investigations.
Wow, I thought it was another story about the first one.
Aaron Bushnell, hero and role model
I wish he had another choice. We failed him by not being organized enough to welcome him as a comrade. Instead he chose to do the only thing he could. I admire his courage, but it’s a damn shame we lost someone willing to die for Palestinians.
We’ve failed him, we’ve failed the Palestinians, we’ve failed our immigrants and refugees, we’ve failed our LGBTQ+ people and people of color, we’ve failed our poor. The story of America is a story of one failure after another.
And I say “America” even though this is world news, because he was American.
Sometimes I have this thought that feels like a realization that it was never even about “the people” or “freedom” to begin with.
It was about creating an in-group and implementing a caste system under the deceptive guise of democracy. What it’s never actually been is democratic or free.
He was actively involved in anarchist organizing with Serve the People in Akron, OH.
I wasn’t aware of that, but I say that’s an indictment of their organization; a small org that doesn’t ever get beyond charity work and the occasional street protest could not save him from despair. A few thousand likes on Facebook? Is that the height of the organization he could join in his area? I’m sure they’re trying their best, but we have to get organized on a much larger scale to be able to do anything that matters.
Beyond being an indictment of their org, that’s an indictment of us all. We are not organized enough. Not even close.
I’d like to know why anyone would downvote this. Do you support genocide?
Maybe people are understandably uncomfortable with self immolation? Nobody has ever liked an effective activist in their time. The civil rights protesters in USA had a <25% approval rate in the 60s.
I think this person did what he thought was right, and I will remember him for that. And peace can’t come soon enough.
I fully agree. I have mad respect for him, which is why I expressed my admiration and support.
Sadly there are still a lot of vile people on Lemmy. A lot less than Reddit, but still plenty
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It takes courage and convictions to do this kind of protest. There’s no need to reduce it to just a suicide. It was a courageous and highly honorable act. I’ve got nothing but respect.
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That my friends, is a cowardly and selfish act.
Forcing people to stay alive against their will while they suffer in one way or another because you can’t deal with missing them is cowardly and selfish.
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Unless you were his psychiatrist this is just armchair conjecture.
Bullshit. You are insulting everyone who’s had a legitimate reason to commit suicide and their loved ones by proxy. Get this puritanical nonsense out of here. I’ve known multiple people who’ve committed suicide, and while it hurts to lose them, they’ve all had valid reasons, and it’s really tasteless for me to dismiss that or guilt trip people who want to check out.
And in this case, it’s objectively one of the most selfless acts imaginable.
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It was a protest against our nation’s complicity in genocide. This was objectively one of the most selfless acts and meaningful sacrifices imaginable. I have nothing but the utmost respect.
I truly beleive that this falls under sacrificing yourself to save lives
I think we can have compassion for people who commit suicide because of suffering and are young, but not think it’s a good or ideal thing. I think the protest here or euthanasia because you’re old/sick is a different thing.
For everyone (for me) condoning suicide too much – I always think about it like this:
We were dead for billions of years and we will be dead for billions of years. This little sub 100 year run we all have is just a flash in the pan and even if you’re not having a good time at all and think you can’t ever have a good time, surely just sticking it out for the novelty if nothing else is better in most cases of suffering than checking out too early. We’ll all be back there soon enough.
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I still think suicide is a selfish and cowardly act and only hurts those who love you.
Nobody asks to be born. You should be able to leave when you want.
Indeed
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Telling people that someone who burn himself is a role model is poor taste even if you respect the cause.
How so? I’m expressing my respect and gratitude in the best way I know how.
This is tiresome and pointless pearl clutching.
I think the “pearls being clutched” are that you have a great general point but are suggesting something strange. A role model is someone you want people to imitate. We want people to get his message, not to just do the same thing.
Sacrifices like this should always be super rare. If he’s inspiring others to action, then it should be mass protests (at least), not more immolations.
A role model is someone you want people to imitate
Yes
Sacrifices like this should always be super rare. If he’s inspiring others to action, then it should be mass protests (at least), not more immolations.
Imagine gatekeeping protests.
What do you mean - do you think more people should set themselves on fire?
I’d never presume to be so haughty as to prescribe to another person a form of protest, nor to disparage a meaningful and impactful act like this.
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It’s not like the commenter started a seance…
Can we please not call people who set themselves on fire role models?
Aaron Bushnell is a fucking role model
I wish I had half the courage it took
I don’t get this, I’m sure right-wingers would wish you had the courage, too. Why would you idolize this instead of looking at it like a tragedy?
Because I am not going to disrespect a deep and meaningful selfless act like his. I’m not so disrespectful
Lol sure. I don’t think it makes sense to have the same goals as a Zionist, personally. You and a Zionist both wish you were “courageous” enough to kill yourself, I don’t see how that could possibly improve things.
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Eyes Left Podcast: A Guide to Getting Out of the US Military (Now) w/ the GI Rights Hotline
GI Rights Hotline: https://girightshotline.org/Absolute legend.
This is crazy
Will news/ acts like this change anything to US policy towards Israel?
Never. Israel pays too much to US politicians and election campaigns for the ghouls they get elected to ever change. If they do have a change of heart they are easily replaced.
One less protester
My thoughts are with his family.
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Well, we’re here talking about an important issue and he’ll be remembered forever.
What are you using your life for?
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I’m not sure what you mean by that, can you clarify? For example, I took that as a question that makes someone think about how they could be making the world a better place.
If he’s asking me, he’s an asshole. I choose to interpret it the way you did, and use it as a way to improve yourself and your community.
