@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

tobie1

@tobie1@mastodon.social

My interests vary wildly from politics to poetry and philosophy. I'm a born contrarian but my bark is worse than my bite, and I appreciate detailed posts, sharp commentary, verbal repartee and quirky habits. Some of my quirks are #FountainPens, #birding, and all manners of idealist thought. Committed to fairness, democracy, and environmental stewardship. Proud lifelong #Dem

I was on another server but it was closing down, so I switched to this instance. I'll say in advance, "Happy to meet you."

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

fulelo, to Israel
@fulelo@journa.host avatar

#BBCNews - #Israel - #Gaza latest: #Russia and #China block US call for immediate Gaza #ceasefire at UN - live page:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68631712

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@fulelo The problem is that it's a war zone and having international journalists operating freely on the ground would impede with the effort to identify military targets and protect civilians. I have no doubt that this is a paramount consideration for the IDF whereas Hamas wants as many civilian casualties as possible to delegitimize Israel and legitimate itself.

Were I a journalist, I'd weigh all reports and the interests of the parties making them before stating anything as fact.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@fulelo Israel denies that this was its strike. Can't we wait for an investigation before assigning blame?

What we've seen thus far: western media parrots Gazan claims that Israel bombed al-Ahli Hospital. All evidence indicates claim false.

Ditto for claims about rapes at Shifa Hospital, IDF use of phosphorus, etc.

Do journalists have any commitment to truth?

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Angry Staffer:

…Project 2025 ..

  • would let red states monitor & prosecute women who get abortions

  • won’t commit to defending NATO nations

  • wd fire attys who won’t prosec his political opponents

  • suspend posse comitatus & deploy the military on US soil

  • wd end pandemic preparedness office

  • wd fire 1000s of civil servants

  • pardon all J6 rioters

  • try to make law enf officers immune from prosec

If this doesn’t scare the living shit out of you, you aren’t paying attention.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff I know you and I differ on this, but the danger of the "burn it all down" contingent was painfully apparent to me in 2016. Who among them had actually read or understood TPP and compared it to other trade agreements? Trade treaties are notoriously complex, and the geopolitical dimensions of TPP only compounded this. Still it became a rallying cry at the Dem convention. Shame on those who demagogued the agreement. Trump profited from their protest.

dukepaaron, to random
@dukepaaron@babka.social avatar

In the interests of annoying everyone in the hard line politics and morals sportsball team model of life...

There's nothing inherently antisemitic about protesting to end a war. Arresting peaceful protesters on college campuses for civil disobedience is not a great look. Regardless of whether you agree with them or not.

On the flipside, chanting things like "yehuda yehuda," "we're all Hamas," or "Remember the 7th of October! That will happen not one more time, not five more times, not 10 more times, not 100 more times, not 1000 more times, but 10,000 times!" surely is all meant to be pirposely antisemitic.

Holding a sign that reads “Al-Qassam’s next target" with an arrow pointing to a group of Jews isn't anti-war or even anti-zionism. It's fucking crazy is what it is.

So stop strong arming protests. They're normal. Even if they have very fucked up elements in them.

Protestors, you got a 'nazi bar' problem and you should fix it or fuck off. There's no excuse for this shit.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@acarson @dukepaaron It was possible early in the conflict to say, "Cease fire AND Bring them Home." The fact that the two aims were never tied to each other in the cease fire crowd told me everything I needed to know about the protest movement. It opposes the existence of a Jewish state in any form in what it considers hallowed Arab ground. And that is why it cannot utter a word of criticism against Hamas for prolonging this conflict.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@dukepaaron I'm not on Columbia's campus so I can't judge how peaceful the protests are. If particular groups of students are being taunted, that is a problem, even if it's only from a small fraction of the group. Rumor has it that the students in the encampment have expressed solidarity with the aggressive protestors right outside Columbia's gates. This tells me there's not going to be any self-policing. What a mess.

GottaLaff, to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

The UN Security Council passed a resolution for a in , breaking an impasse after the U.S. vetoed several calls to end the war -NYT

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@Bam @atlgaytheist @GottaLaff Oh my. Hamas has learned it will never be held accountable for anything. It holes up in Gazan hospitals. Israel gets blamed. It commandeers aid trucks. Israel gets blamed. It uses human shields. Israel gets blamed. It kills Israeli civilians. Israel gets blamed. I thought US leaders would have the moral courage to point this out. They didn't. This set the tone for govt's around the world. I'm beyond disappointed.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@atlgaytheist @GottaLaff Thanks for the link. It matters an awful lot to me.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@rameshgupta @atlgaytheist @Bam @GottaLaff Gantz isn't in Netanyahu's coalition. He's a member of the war cabinet but as an opposition party leader. The cabinet may dissolve at which point the war could become Netanyahu's war. Right now, it's not, and the IDF has been able to maintain some degree of independence from Netanyahu's rightwing regime. Heaven help us if that changes.

GottaLaff, to legal
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

“In an open display of frustration, federal prosecutors on Tuesday night told the judge overseeing ’s classified case that a “fundamentally flawed” order she had issued was causing delays & asked her to quickly resolve a critical dispute about 1 of Trump’s defenses — leaving them time to appeal if needed.

The unusual & risky move by the prosecutors, contained in a 24-pg filing, signaled their mounting impatience w Judge ”

Gift link—https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/us/politics/trump-documents-case-judge-cannon.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk0.-3IH.8awmjmnewyRD&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@GottaLaff Thank you for the link! Much appreciated.

w7voa, to random
@w7voa@journa.host avatar

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron, at the State Department, says his visit last evening to Mar-a-Lago to see former President Trump was "entirely proper" as it was in line with precedent in meeting with opposition leaders in the US, but was a private dicussion.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@w7voa Ddi any journalist ask Cameron to name some UK Foreign Ministers who met with unnominated Presidential candidates? I haven't looked into this so I'm curious what past precedent he's relying on.

timkmak, to Russia
@timkmak@journa.host avatar

NEWSFLASH:

One of interim Iranian President Mohammad first phone calls since ascending to the position was with the

In October 2022, Mokhaber went to to sell and to , reported Reuters.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@rameshgupta @timkmak @kravietz I'm not sure what to make of all this except that Russia and Iran have gotten very close and each has something the other wants. Iran gives Russia drones for the war in Ukraine, Russia helps Iran with its nuclear weapons program. I tend to think that these collaborations are larger than any of the individuals involved with them--except perhaps Putin and Khameini--but that's just an uneducated guess. Strange times we live in.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Bombs away? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/bombs-away?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@Npars01 @wendinoakland @rbreich I really, really don't think this war is about oil rights. There's no oil in Gaza. I'm convinced Netanyahu is the worst PM in Israel's history but I don't think even he wanted this war prior to Oct 7. He was letting the Qataris pay Hamas to keep Hamas quiet so he could gobble up the West Bank. Not everything has to be a deep-seated conspiracy. Netanyahu wouldn't commit to a day-after plan, and that is what has prolonged this war.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@Npars01 @wendinoakland @rbreich You mean Hamas's desired genocide of all Israelis and all Jews worldwide?

tobie1, to random
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

I'm trying my first Jinhao tonight. It's a Sailor knock-off. I have to confess I'm a bit disappointed. Stiff, scratchy nib, plastic feel to the pen. Granted I paid next to nothing for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

shoq, to random
@shoq@mastodon.social avatar

See? Same problem as Hamas itself. When people don’t actually want to resolve the conflict, they make demands that can never be met. And that is precisely why so many Israeli hardliners feel justified in doing whatever it takes to destroy Hamas. Even if the death toll sickens some of them. They see it as their only option with an enemy that lets uncomprising terrorists lead them to only more death and destruction.

In reply to…
https://mastodon.social/@lawyersgunsnmoney@mstdn.social/112363328520129130

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@shoq That's an interesting take on the psychology of hardliners in Israel. The whole situation fills me with such despair.

fulelo, to animals
@fulelo@journa.host avatar

Drumroll... # - the boss lady has declared an extra today as her work as our sub editor on has been recognised - we won a silver trophy at the New York Festivals Radio Awards last night, in the narrative/documentary podcast category. In case you are not YET familiar with it, here you go:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvrk/episodes/downloads

And if you miss any of it from now on, the boss lady can shoot a very stern look...

And if you have listened, we thank you for your time ❤️

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@fulelo Congratulations! May your day be filled with furry wonders.

tobie1, to random
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

is not over.

It took till now but my household has finally been hit. My husband tested positive this morning. He was coughing and had a soar throat so I quarantined him in his room yesterday already.

I hope I don't get it. I'm supposed to visit my 94 year old mother for new year's and don't want to risk infecting her.

in public.

taylorlorenz, to random
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social avatar

“We later found out that Hamas had offered on October 9 or 10 to release all the civilian hostages in exchange for the IDF not entering the Strip, but the government rejected the offer.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-doubt-netanyahu-preventing-hostage-deal-charges-ex-spokesman-of-families-forum/

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@taylorlorenz The subtitle of the op ed piece says that Haim Rubenstein "claims" this, though Rubinstein is not a member of the ruling coalition, so I'm not sure how privy he would be to negotiations. Plus on Oct 8 & 9 Israel still didn't know how many were killed, how many kidnapped so an alleged promise to return some number of hostages would not be reassuring.

tazgetroete, to random German
@tazgetroete@mastodon.social avatar

Das Trinity College beendet Investitionen in etliche israelische Unternehmen, streicht Stipendien für Israelis und richtet neue für Palästinenser ein. http://www.taz.de/!6009701/

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@tazgetroete Irland--Zentrum des Judenhasses in Europa.

tobie1, to fountainpens
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

I take back everything I said yesterday about my Jinhao fountain pen. I tightened the ink barrel, was able to fill it and now it ✍️ like a charm. Fine NIBS, Sailor knock off, Jade color.

tobie1, to random
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@BBCWorld is now taking a both-sides approach to an unambiguous call to eliminate Israel. I wish I was surprised.

Imagine if the terms were reversed. Would you still treat it as potentially innocuous slogan? No way.
@fulelo

"Many Jewish groups say the slogan...is a call for the destruction of Israel. Pro-Palestinian activists argue that most people using it are calling for an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, not the elimination of Israel itself."

jeffjarvis, to random
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social avatar

It is heartening to see scholars who understand and use the power of faculty governance to protect the values of the academy rather than their own comfort.
Barnard and Columbia AAUP chapter issues declaration condemning student suspensions, authorization of NYPD sweep ‘in the strongest possible terms’
https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/20/barnard-and-columbia-aaup-chapter-issues-declaration-condemning-student-suspensions-authorization-of-nypd-sweep-in-the-strongest-possible-terms/

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@jeffjarvis Faculty perspective...I don't find AAUP condemning suspensions particularly brave. It's the consensus at this point. The few professors who have spoken out against the protests have done so while facing rebuke from their immediate colleagues & the profession at large. They've been hounded on social media. It takes guts to be the lone voice in the crowd. AAUP is not that voice.

It's fine to agree with AAUP. But please don't paint its members as profiles in courage. They're not.

JohnMeils, to Israel German
@JohnMeils@mastodon.social avatar

Die „Jüdische Stimme“ (-Unterstützer und US-Ableger-Organisation der „Jewish Voice for Peace“ (Judith )) und andere Veranstalter:innen des Palästina-Kongresses vom vergangenen Wochenende, distanzieren sich überhaupt nicht von der . 0,0.

Denkwürdig brechreizerregend und DAS bitte immer im Hinterkopf behalten!!

Von X: Gerrit Seebald @garstigergerrit

Film: Gerrit Seebald @garstigergerrit Folgen Veranstalter des Palästinakongress wollen auch nach mehreren Nachfragen die Taten der Hamas und die Affirmation des 7. Oktobers durch ihren Redner Abu Sitta nicht verurteilen.

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@JohnMeils Was für eine Anmassung sich als "Jüdische Stimme" zu bezeichnen. Wer hat der Gruppe das Recht gegeben, im Namen aller Juden zu sprechen? "Jüdische Stimmen" würde eher den Punkt treffen.

tobie1, to random
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

Does Suozzi's victory in the NY special election mean that Democrats have a better chance of getting enough votes for a discharge position so the foreign aid bill can be brought to the floor for a vote? I sure hope so.

dangillmor, (edited ) to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Bipartisan contempt for freedom of expression in new legislation aimed at critics of Israeli actions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/05/01/antisemitism-awarness-act-campus-protests/

tobie1,
@tobie1@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor Hmm...if the KKK helped Young College Republicans and other students set up encampments where they would taunt students of certain identities and prevent them from accessing college facilities would be be so indifferent?

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