magekillr

I'm also learning Spanish this summer, Dan. Or at least I'm trying to. What I'd recommend is rather than learning words or grammar via long lists is to instead read books and newspapers in Spanish, and translate them. It's integral to not just to know the rules, but to know when something "doesn't sound right." For example, "The people was mean." That's incorrect, and you know that it's not correct not just because you know the rules of the English language, but because when you hear it it doesn't sound right. Kind of like a bad note on an instrument, it should stick out. That's exactly how you should learn a language. So, I'd recommend reading books (and newspapers) that are fairly simple, but not easy. Books with several different types of grammar (not just in the present tense) so that you can hear it and recognize when something is wrong. Read the book, stop at every word you don't know, look it up, write it down with its meaning, and move on. When you've gotten through a full sentence with a literal translation, translate it to what it means (not just literally). This takes me like an hour per page right now, but it will get quicker. I think this is the best way to learn a language. It's how I learned most of my higher leveled diction, and the more advanced grammar of English.

The New Yorker The Economist The Nation The American Prospect Grist If I were grabbing a subscription, I'd subscribe to these. Two of them are economic, Grist is an environmental magazine, the others discuss assorted world/domestic affairs.

The mere fact that they intercepted a ship in international waters shows that the soldiers attacked first. Second, there's evidence (video evidence) of the IDF launching tear gas before boarding, and I've seen other reports of them firing on the ship before boarding as well. You have the IDF's claims, known for their lies the world over; I have logic, reason, and amateur videos that are slowly leaking out despite Israel shutting out journalists and taking all cameras from the civilians: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuODT3cPSGU No, I showed that nationalistic instincts prevent people from assessing their own country's atrocities. Ok, then what prevents them from acknowledging them, then? They have done everything they could to smear the Goldstone Report. I'm pretty sure that this was a war crime if the Israeli commandos are not handed over to Turkey: http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/the_legal_posit.html And the main sources you've given is the IDF, and a website that admits its goal as follows: They've even gone as far to say that stopping the settlements is equal to ethnic cleansing: http://www.jstreet.org/campaigns/stopping-settlements-ethnic-cleansing-no-way So considering I don't believe a word that the IDF says, nor any official government military for that matter, that leaves your sources falling far short. So yes, Matok, the lesson of the debacle is that nothing the IDF says can be trusted by anyone. Not ever. (Of course, that should apply to any nation’s military, and not just “the most moral army in the world”). For example, we just killed al Qaeda's number three. Hmm, I think I've heard that before. Oh, right, we killed the number three guy several times before, and then later the reports were retracted. Usually the number three guy dies whenever our drone strikes come under fire for killing masses of civilians. Maybe it really was number three this time, but I have many doubts about the claim.

More anti-Israel propaganda!: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/09/95621/israeli-document-gaza-blockade.html#ixzz0qSOTiCqD Does this mean we get to stop pretending this is about blocking weapons?

I wasn't aware that you were Jewish, qeltar. It's a popular term used, though. Matthew Yglesias, Max Blumenthal, Glenn Greenwald, Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, and really any liberal Jew is called "self-hating" or a terrorist sympathizer. Hell, I've even seen Rahm Emanuel called a self-hating Jew because he's serving the President and trying to get a peace deal. It's just like when so called "moderates" attempt to marginalize "extremists" without actually looking at what they believe. Or like in this recent example, saying that Israel was acting out of self-defense against "terrorists." Somehow it's been accepted in American discourse that Israel was the victim here, and that the activists were the aggressor; even though 9-19 people have been killed by the supposed victim. It's just the same old tribal instincts, and another problem with nationalism. The nationalism in Sri Lanka prevents it from investigating war crimes against the Tamils, the nationalism in Sudan prevents a real inquiry into Darfur (although China has a lot to do with that, also), the nationalism in Pakistan prevents a real inquiry into the 1971 genocide of 3 million Bengalis and the violence against Kashmiri Hindus, the nationalism in Turkey prevents acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, the nationalism in America prevents condemnation of civilian killings in Iraq and Afghanistan and propping up dictators throughout the world, the nationalism in Japan prevents acknowledging the hideous crimes committed against the Chinese before and during WWII (14 million civilian deaths), the nationalism in the UK and France and Spain prevents it from fully acknowledging the evils of imperialism, the fanaticism of fundamentalist Christians prevents them from acknowledging the cultural genocide Christianity has wrought on many parts of the world, the nationalism in Australia prevents a proper policy and acknowledgment of crimes against Aboriginals, the nationalism by the Chinese prevents an acknowledgement of oppression against the Tibetans, etc. I could go on for days, but I think I've made my point. Nationalism in a lot of places prevents the proper acknowledgement of wrongdoing, oppression, and genocide. God, I hate nationalism, and that is the reason I am against Zionism.

I am sorry but this video looks like a fake, second that is a paintball gun being fired not a gun, at night you would see a flash from the gun. Lol. Do tell, sir or madam, what looks fake about it? Are you so blinded that you can't accept the video proof right in front of your eyes? I don't know who died in this video, but the one thing that is absolutely undeniable is the fact that the IDF soldier is armed with a rifle (@0:16s), not a paint gun nor a 9mm pistol, as the IDF has repeatedly claimed. Frikkin' liars.

As you've said it before, give me some of the weed you're smoking because that sounds like you pulled that fact straight out of your ass. Just like with everything else Israel related, you're alone in the world with that belief. Oh, and just like I suspected, the IDF killed people execution style, not out of "self-defense." Iunno who provided the video, I don't know who it is that they're killing, but now we have some proof of my suspicions. The video claims it is the Turkish national and American citizen Furkan Dogan, but I'm not going to stand by that assertion because I can't see who it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlElXOJV4CA

everyone has pride in their country especially Israelis who have so much to be proud of. I don't have pride in my country. Nationalism can go [bleep] itself. It is one of the key forces in tribalism, which is why we have wars. The only time I will support nationalism is when a people use it to overthrow a dictator. The Green Revolution in Iran, for instance, using nationalistic pride would have been acceptable in that instance as a binding force for the Iranian people to get rid of their horrid theocracy. What really gets me, though, are United States citizens, who are the biggest self-declared "patriots" in the country, also always seem to be the ones to defend Israel and the Confederacy before their own nation. It's mind boggling, but not unsurprising. It's that tribal nature, and sometimes, ethnic and religious pride trumps your own countrymen; it's still nationalism, and it's bigoted and disgusting. What do you define as "support"? Undying love for Israel that means they can do w/e the [bleep] they want? If you mean Jews, most Jews vote Democratic. The only Jewish Republican representative left in Congress is Eric Cantor, an insufferable douche bag who also happens to be my representative. Ineffective? Man are you a partisan hack. He just got the UN to approve of sanctions. CHINA. He got CHINA to approve of sanctions on Iran. I don't approve of sanctions. Just like the blockade, they're both ineffective and only hurt the poor and middle classes of the respective nations. However, China more than any other nation never approves of "meddling" because that would mean they'd have to deal with the giant red marker on their own soil: Tibet. He got China to approve of sanctions...and you're calling him ineffective. I don't know what world you live in, mate, but I want some of that weed you're smoking. Last, Israel cannot "stand on its own two feet." If the US dropped Israel's aid, they would be at that negotiating table faster than you can count to three.

So everyone except for Israel is wrong? Not even the US will side with Israel on this issue. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/033/2004/en/2193fae2-d5f6-11dd-bb24-1fb85fe8fa05/mde150332004en.pdf Not to mention that, oh, I don't know...IT'S ILLEGAL UNDER CHAPTER FOUR OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS! Yeah, you would understand why it's ok for Israel to commit war crimes. Not. You have no right to overthrow their government anymore than we had the right to overthrow Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iraq War was illegal. Second, we're not overthrowing the Taliban. There's going to be a compromise whereby they are left in charge of certain areas. Mark my words. Third, we didn't go there to overthrow the Taliban, we went there because they refused to handover the al Qaeda members responsible. That was perfectly legal to do. Are you saying you declared war on Gaza and the West Bank? If so, you've committed more war crimes than I have asserted, as the people in Gaza would be under your authority under the Geneva Conventions. Wow, are you Lieberman's child? I haven't seen something this wicked stated since Pat Buchanan said that America did the blacks a favor by enslaving them and bringing them to America, where their standards of living would be better than in Africa. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7191359.stm ~Jon Stewart I did give you an example with the ethnic cleansing in 1948. I'll quote Satenza: Wow...I'm not sure what to say to this. http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/under-scrutiny-idf-retracts-claims-about-flotillas-al-qaeda-links/ How about letting them have an economy? I guess you didn't watch the video. Yeah, imagine that. Fighting someone off who is opening fire on your fellow protesters. Who'dathunk! Normally I never tell someone to do this, but did you even read the headline? Moreover, Israel has ties to Hamas...you know, when they used them to overthrow the PLO?

Here I was under the impression that Newt Gingrich held the record for most falsehoods in one single utterance. This is a lie, and is straight out of the IDF's playbook. Their destroying of homes has been condemned by everyone from the UN to every human rights organization. They bulldoze homes to increase the settler's access to more land, plain and simple. Second, white phosphorous WAS used, even your own government admits that now: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5556027.ece Not to mention they used it in Lebanon: http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-admits-using-phosphorus-bombs-during-war-in-lebanon-1.203078 Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they also happen to be the elected government of the strip. Ignoring this fact doesn't do you any good. You're going to have to deal with reality sooner or later, hopefully sooner. Are you seriously questioning that there's a humanitarian crisis there? They're getting 1/4 of what they need in food, not to mention that 90%+ of their water is undrinkable. More or less every military action since the 6-Day War. However, even before that, I'd call the ethnic cleansing that took place in 1948 to be quite "overzealous." So you admit that it's not about weapons? Good, I'm glad. Too bad your cognitive dissonance gets in the way all of the time. I bet three sentences down the road you'll say the blockade isn't about regime change and collective punishment but about weapons. LOL! Oh dear lord. Night vision goggles = al Qaeda! I've actually heard that being espoused by the IDF on their website. They've since retracted those claims. for the rest of the article http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/news.aspx/137726 Congratulations, you allowed 1/4 of the food that they need. When someone says that the US is spending $20 billion on jobs, it sounds like a lot. When you mention that this is only 0.15% of GDP, it's chump change. Put your facts into context. Lies. Not only will the government disagree with you (they were also armed with pistols), but every eye-witness account disagrees with you. We're coming down to a he said/she said moment, but you know how we could rectify this? If Israel stopped releasing fragments of tape and released all of it, unedited. Why wouldn't they allow journalists in? Why did they seize personal cameras and cell phones? Why won't they release all of the tapes? Use Occam's Razor, and my answer makes more sense than yours: the IDF is full of [cabbage]. Oh, wait, we have evidence they launched tear gas before boarding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0GY-wFjFF8 You can hear it on the damned audio! “Despite the raising of white flags, the Israeli army is still shooting.” You can hear it! No: http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/2010/06/04/was-the-gaza-flotilla-linked-to-terrorists-.html

You may like to know Hamas is refusing all the humanitarian aid. Of course they refuse the aid. Israel's torment of the area only keeps them in power, and gives them an excuse not to govern; they don't actually have to govern and can blame Israel for everything. You can't maintain an electrical and sewer infrastructure when Israel constantly destroys them, so why rebuild it? And that's exactly what Hamas tells the people of Gaza, and they lap that [cabbage] right up. Hey, that's just like what Israel does! "We can't have a peace settlement when they keep launching rockets, so...." It's kind of how the Republicans constantly obstructing everything the Democrats want to do gives the Democrats an excuse not to govern properly; sure, it's a much more understandable excuse than Hamas's, but it's still an excuse of abdicating responsibility. Israel's government and Hamas, two peas in a pod while their respective peoples suffer. I'm still waiting for the day that Fatah rids itself of corruption and returns to power (well, all governments are corrupt, but to the point where they actually do something for their people instead of taking all of the money). Still, if the West Bank and Gaza held elections together, Fatah WOULD be in power. So how about giving the Palestinians a state and end your country's torment and occupation?

When I get out of college (on my 5th year now, one to go!), I'll probably be getting a smart phone of some sort. I love Apple, but at this rate, I think I'll probably get a Droid.

More reasons to never trust the IDF, ever: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0606/idf-admits-doctoring-audio-gaza-flotilla/ This is why I trust Max Blumenthal, local ;)

It'd be tough to learn from one person in a few months. If you have the opportunity, get Rosetta Stone. Ridiculously good learning software. Spanish is a great language to know here - I used it just the other day to learn some tips in our training from the trainers' work crew. Mexican dudes usually find their own ways to do things that can be helpful. Is it really? I torrented it (am I allowed to admit that here? lol), but I found it inadequate. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance. I'll try it again.

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/promise-kept/ http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/compromise/ http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/rulings/in-the-works/ Health care, Lily Ledbetter (more equal rights for women), DADT is on its way out, prevented another great Depression with his handling of the crisis through the stimulus and bailout, Iraq has its lowest troop levels since ever and they're phasing out more, nuclear arms deal with Russia, he's about to pass financial reform, eased the embargo on Cuba for Cuban families, been the most transparent president in history (not saying much, though), passed student loan reform, hate crimes legislation, passed the largest tax breaks for the middle class in history (yes, really), removed the stem cell research ban. Not to mention that he's got immigration reform and climate change legislation just waiting to push through, and since the House has already passed its climate bill, the Senate just has to pass theirs. He'd have Gitmo closed already if Congress authorized the funding. Oh, and all of this without any Republican support despite incorporating many of their ideas (the health care bill was a Republican bill). His Congress has accomplished more substantive things than anyone since LBJ, and he'll probably surpass that. The only people who haven't been paying attention are the ones tearing him down. Actually the bailout will barely be a blip as it will be paid back; the stimulus will pay for itself through the spurs its created on the economy. What's caused this debt and deficit were the wars, the tax cuts for the rich, and the economic downturn. Sorry for the offtopic. But to keep it on topic, Foreign Policy.com (a site not that great for its analysis unless we're talking about Marc Lynch) has provided a useful list of what the blockade means for Gaza: http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/03/what_exactly_is_the_blockade_of_gaza Any civilians still supporting this blockade and I would question their sanity, or even their humanity.

Barack Obama can be cut out of the picture, he has not done anything so far during his presidency and he is not a good leader. There may come good in easing on the blockade, but I don't support it currently. Buahaha. Ok, I haven't supported Obama since March in the primaries (although I did vote for him in the general, I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the primary), but only a blinded partisan could claim that he hasn't done anything during his presidency. He's already done so much that history will easily place him in the top 10 presidencies of all time. Not to get sidetracked, but what a ridiculous statement to make. And what's with this "as expected" nonsense? The US is alone here on this issue, like always. Easing the blockade means nothing, and pressure from the US means nothing without anything substantive to apply the pressure. The US has added pressure on settlements since they have started (well before George Bush the first) and nothing's been done. Get real.

Never question whether something does or does not have a bias. It is his blog, there will be bias; a translation is not bias. I implore you, read the paper and translate it yourself. Second, Max's questioning of the IDF is what got them to change their headline regarding the flotilla's alleged al Qaeda ties. They originally had this: He put them under scrutiny. This is what they changed it to: The worst thing a news source can do is claim that it's "Fair and Balanced." No news source is. All sources have bias. You don't question their bias. You question their facts. Now do tell, what is factually incorrect here? I don't question the IDF because of their bias, I question them because of their history.

Ties to Al Qaeda? Nice try at repeating what the IDF has said, but you might want to try their refined line after it was put under scrutiny: http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/under-scrutiny-idf-retracts-claims-about-flotillas-al-qaeda-links/ Max is another one of those self-hating Jews, you see. Second, now news is flowing in that this wasn't "bungled" whatsoever, and was in fact detailed in advance: http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/the-flotilla-raid-was-not-bungled-the-idf-detailed-its-violent-strategy-in-advance/ You know who DID support Hamas? Israel. Did you know that, romy? Just like the US supported Saddam Hussein; just like the US is what created the Taliban into what it is today. Israel gave direct support to Hamas in order to counter the PLO, so I guess that means Israel has a direct responsibility to come in and aid the Palestinian populace they left in the hands of ruthless mercenaries, right?

We're social beings by our evolution, and we couldn't have survived without society. I do not believe that society is corrupt, it's just that humans who only have an individualistic mindset all of the time who are corrupt. "What's best for me? How can I benefit from this?" etc. This isn't the case with all societies, as most Asians think in the form of the collective. Still, in nature, I think humans are barbaric, and would do anything possible to survive or take advantage of their fellow persons. Society keeps some order, with a few outliers. We're social beings, it's the way we have evolved, it's who we are, and it's the way we shall stay.

This sentence makes me happy :) Everything Israel does is about security; it's never about peace. This isn't the first time that they've killed American citizens in international waters, either. Anyone heard of the USS Liberty? It's always an accident; it's always about defense; it's always about security. Guess what? Obama claims that our drone strikes are about security. That may be. I don't give a damn. They're killing innocent people in the region, creating more terrorists than they're destroying, and doing the opposite of their intended effect. It's called blowback, romy, and everything that you do is not contained in a vacuum. You claim it's about security. Fair enough; I disagree with that, but that's your position to take. I claim that even if you believe it's making you more secure, that it's doing the opposite. You just gave Hamas the greatest gift that they could never ever get by themselves. Hamas doesn't give a damn about their people's security anymore than Israel's hawkish government. They both just want power and regional control. Can you stop thinking and caring about your stupid government's propaganda claims and for once care about your own countrymen and the people in Gaza? You're inadvertently creating more terrorists, and creating a humanitarian crisis in the process, on a land that's been illegally occupied for over 40 years. I know the propaganda machine your country is sending out to try and block any other information, just as mine has been doing on the MSM. Look around it, and question their motives. Country's are almost always about their own self-interest, never the interest of another people. The one exception is Israel, and the Palestinians (who don't even have a state...). Your government's are only interested in land, power, and making the blaring noise machines so loud that you can't see anything else; unfortunately for the Palestinians in Gaza, the only news they get is from Hamas leaflets (the blockade blocks newspapers). With the internet, there is no excuse for blind faith in your government like this. Just look at rocco's post, and you'll understand why I don't believe a single word the IDF says, ever.

Well, aside from some political activism (I'm residing in North Carolina at the moment working for Elaine Marshall for a short period), I plan on learning Spanish this summer, or at least starting my studies of it. My friend from Ecuador has agreed to help me, and she's online quite often to speak with me. So, how about learning (or in my case, attempting to learn) a foreign language?

Are you arguing that she should not have had the abortion, killing both her and her fetus? I'm not attempting a straw man, but you're not addressing the issue: the abortion saved her life, and by your standards, both would be killed. Interesting article from Time: More here: Time Article

Regarding peace and security, while the two are different, they are inseparable. Security through peace should be the goal, not "first we must have security, then we can have peace!" Israel isn't going to get anymore "secure" than they already are, other than sending their settlers into the West Bank to give them the illusion of being more secure through more land. Ok, actively sending is too strong; it's more like a wink and nod type deal. Hamas would be gone with the establishment of elections between both the West Bank and the Strip, as this poll indicates: http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/palestinians_would_elect_fatah_government/ As you can see from the poll's results, support for Hamas remains the same as it ever was, and it isn't going down. With both regions voting together, Fatah would be elected, not Hamas. Fatah recognizes Israel and has agreed to peace talks. Although, Hamas has said it would recognize Israel’s existence (though not its Jewish nature) in the context of a withdrawal to 1967 borders. Hamas has repeatedly expressed willingness to negotiate with Israel without preconditions, as well. Another interesting aspect of that poll is that ONE THIRD of the Palestinians would accept Israeli citizenship. I mean, that's like saying one third of Americans during the Cold War would accept Soviet citizenship. And all of their grievances with Iran? While Iran has not violated any part of the treaty, I believe they're seeking what Japan has: ability to develop weapons, but not an actual stockpile. Turkey may have worked out a perfectly reasonable compromise through Brazil and Iran regarding this subject. And yet, the one country who has managed to do what the US and Europe has failed to do (Turkey), Israel has in one fell swoop taken away any goodwill that was previously had before. Tensions between the two were strained enough from their siege in 2008, but now all bets could be off. I hope not, as no one wants a nuclear armed Iran; not Europe, not the US, not Israel, and especially not Saudi Arabia and Egypt. edit: Wow, qeltar. I was JUST about to cite that TNR piece, no lie. Good piece, btw (even though I have a few objections, but the TNR usually isn't that good on this issue, especially Jon Chait).

It was about both, as qeltar stated, and the Free Gaza Movement will gladly admit!: This was what was said during their first sailing back in 2008. This is why it's totally absurd to suggest that they had weapons for Hamas. Yeah right. Israel would seize anything that's listed on its blockade, especially building materials. The blockade is about regime change, as I and others have stated, not weapons. To suggest otherwise is to completely ignore what's actually listed on the blockade's banned list. The objective is to make life in Gaza miserable, while avoiding something newsworthy like a famine; it's to prevent Gaza from having an economy of its own, making them totally dependent on foreign aid.

Please. There can be gender equality, and people who say there can't because of genetic differences are only standing in the way. The pill is not 100%. And more on to the point of what I was talking about earlier, perfect example of it just happening two days ago: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/church-excommunicates-nun-authorized-emergency-abortion-save-mothers/story?id=10799745&cid=yahoo_pitchlist