A l'entrada del temps clar

Who was found as a child in the rain

He had many schemes

He would have liked memes

A scene from Iolanthe

Cork, 1952

Iolanthe was performed at the Opera House.

James N. Healy as the Lord Chancellor.

But that requires actually discussing it without the lies and distortions that are so endemic to this topic in a way that doesn’t come up the same way for the same people with other countries that I have the same or more qualms and concerns about providing them aid (like Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Egypt etc).

That means realizing that much of this kind of aid is basically a voucher to get supplies from US weapons and defense manufacturers, so that the money doesn’t even really leave the US.

I think the US aid system in general needed change prior to November 2024, and now it’s fucked to where arms and military equipment are the only aid that can reliably be expected to be funded and provided. Good job to those who didn’t vote for Kamala with that.

These aren't just simple plug-and-play components, but require, generally, the specific ammo or parts, or a close equivalent from the same provider.

There are Israeli contractors and suppliers who could fill the gap, but that would require a transition and a build-up, which takes time and money, neither of which the Israeli government can easily afford due to the choices made by Netanyahu and his coalition.

(With the Massie amendment, any resources or aid for Palestinians would also get cut, and US foreign aid often has requirements for how it is used as authorized by Congress, which is something to keep in mind).

Hey real quick, can anyone tell me why i'm still trying to have honest, direct, good-faith discussions with people on the internet in the year of our lord 2026?

bonus ask from someone else:

The reason I'm not sharing the links and articles I'm being sent, nor debating the specific issues people in this post are bringing up, is because none of it matters to the point I'm making. All large organizations, all governments, all world powers, will inevitably try and shape the narrative of world events in their favor. That has always happened, and it always will, and that is why it's so important to take these grand narratives with a grain of salt. I don't believe there are any governments in the world that can claim innocence here, though the largest powers are those most guilty.

This post is not about debating the details of any one specific event. This is me saying, broadly, that in my circles i have noticed an uptick in stories minimizing China's faults and emphasizing their achievements based primarily or even solely on the word of sources i personally find unconvincing. I don't feel the need to wade deeper into those waters other than to remind folks to think critically and question the narratives of large organizations when reading the news.

People have responded to this by delivering unto me an onslaught of questionable "proof" delivered by individuals and organizations I neither know nor trust, many of which take hard line stances that the things China has been criticized for are complete fabrications (something which I do not believe to be the case based on the evidence I've seen and heard from both sides of this discussion). To debate these individual sources, these individual events or the veracity of specific accusations, is to ignore the point that, as the great lasagna lover tells us, you are not immune to propaganda.

An Oregon resident writes, Lake Oswego is a very wealthy suburb of Portland and is notoriously referred to as “Lake No Negro.” An historian also confirms that Lake Oswego a small, affluent suburb outside of Portland, OR that locals often call “Lake No Negro” for its recognition as an elite white suburb.

I might translate this article later today. This one was the most complete one, even in Italian news it's not talked about that much.