US uses loophole to keep 100 arms sales to Israel under the radar amid Gaza war – report

The US is reported to have made more than 100 weapons sales to Israel, including thousands of bombs, since the start of the war in Gaza, but the deliveries escaped congressional oversight because each transaction was under the dollar amount requiring approval.

“This doesn’t just seem like an attempt to avoid technical compliance with US arms export law, it’s an extremely troubling way to avoid transparency and accountability on a high-profile issue,” Ari Tolany, director of the security assistance monitor at the Centre for International Policy thinktank, said.

She added that, in exploiting the loophole, the Biden administration was following the steps of its predecessor. “They’re very much borrowing from the Trump playbook to dodge congressional oversight,” Tolany said.

In defending its continued arms sales to Israel, despite ever more public misgivings about its conduct of the Gaza war, the administration has argued that they are part of the US’s basic commitment to Israel’s self defence.

rickyrigatoni,

it’s funny because if you use this same loophole for not reporting your bank deposits or income taxes they’ll send you straight to jail

Viking_Hippie,

In defending its continued arms sales to Israel, despite ever more public misgivings about its conduct of the Gaza war, the administration has argued that they are part of the US’s basic commitment to Israel’s self defence

Nobody believes that lie anymore. Not even the US and Israeli governments themselves.

They’re willingly and knowingly aiding and abetting numerous crimes against humanity, including genocide, and no amount of recycling old gaslighting talking points is going to change that.

hark,
@hark@lemmy.world avatar

Minor acts of good (e.g. air-dropping aid and urging temporary ceasefire) while continuing absolute evil business-as-usual is a perfect summary of this administration.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The Biden administration has become increasingly critical of the conduct of Israeli military operations in Gaza and the failure to allow in meaningful amounts of humanitarian aid, with the death toll now over 30,000 and with famine looming. But it has kept up a quiet but substantial flow of munitions to help replace the tens of thousands of bombs Israel has dropped on the tiny coastal strip, making it one of the most intense bombing campaigns in military history.

harderian729,

“The Biden administration” has been posturing for the upcoming election for about a year now.

If Biden wins (which I hope he doesn’t), you can expect them to come back with a vengeance in their support of Israel’s genocide.

Varyk,

Who are you hoping for to win?

Trump, who hashtags standwithisrael, says that he’s Israel’s best friend and said about the war “finish the problem”?

Get your inaccurate, misguiding nonsense out of here

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

And Biden is not helping israel “finish the problem”?

Did you even read the post? Aside from trying to gaslight people into thinking he changed something, Biden is still supporting israel and Netanyahu as hard as he did on day1.

Varyk,

Biden’s told netanyahu he and the US will not support an extended war, a revised position from when this latest invasion began.

Biden is not helping netanyahu finish the problem. And he certainly didn’t say that netanyahu should finish the problem, like Trump did.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Dude it’s been four months. The US is already supporting an extended “war” (Genocide).

Because Biden, as we can read in this post, has been quietly giving Netanyahu the bombs that make this extended “war” (Genocide) possible.

Biden set like 500 red lines and Netanyahu violated all of them. And Biden keeps sending weapons. Do people have severe dementia when it comes to Biden and israel?

Varyk,

I know it seems like a long time to a lot of you, but this is not a four-month war tolerated by Biden. This is a 70-year long genocide supported by every us president since Israel was founded.

Waiting four months for Biden to tell netanyahu Biden does not support an extended war and explicitly state that the US and the Biden administration support a two-state solution is a rapid policy reversal in the context of these atrocities happening for 800 months without any public protest until a few months ago.

Keeponstalin,

Yet they just vetoed another ceasefire in the UN out of support for Israel. On top of selling more weapons to Israel. The US is supporting this genocide both militarily with weapon sales and internationally with Veto power in the UN.

Varyk,

I know it seems like a long time to a lot of you, but this is not a four-month war tolerated by Biden. This is a 70-year long genocide supported by every us president since Israel was founded.

Waiting four months for Biden to tell netanyahu Biden does not support an extended war and explicitly state that the US and the Biden administration support a two-state solution is a rapid policy reversal in the context of these atrocities happening for 800 months without any public protest until a few months ago.

Keeponstalin,

US became the Major Supporter for Israel around 1967 when Israel launched the 1967 war to occupy the West Bank and Gaza. The Two-State Solution has had US support for a long time, and has been wielded by Israel to continue de facto annexing/settling of the West Bank and maintain an Apartheid State under the guise of Security. As a result, a Two-State Solution is no longer viable as it has been a One-State reality for decades.

Varyk,

Your tone is aggressively confrontational, but you’re agreeing with what I explained to you in the previous comment.

Thanks.

Keeponstalin,

I disagree with your idea of rapid policy reversal or that Biden has changed his support (anymore than empty rhetoric), but for the most part we agree. I didn’t intend any confrontational tone, but I like providing sources to help spread awareness

Varyk, (edited )

Sources are important, as is context.

Two forms of contexts are important here: 1) rational historical context and 2) influential and active diplomatic context

1)Withholding weapons from one of the longest active allies of the US is an unreasonable expectation in such a short time frame immediately following such a complex terrorist attack and more than half a century of active mutual defense between the US and Israel.

The short time frame is especially important here as a ties into context two, as the US is an indirect party to this conflict and has to ascertain and verify intelligence before making any sort of major policy decision.

  1. Salient to popular concern, right now there is a dictator in power in Israel, netanyahu, who has been very clear that he opposes any sort of Palestinian state, and believes all land in Gaza and the West Bank belong to Israel.

He’s practically proven over 16 years that he has no problem with Palestinian colonization, invasion and executions by the IDF, and now with Oct. 7th has a huge excuse that for at least a month was globally and popularly supported.

The defence ministry of Israel stated that Palestinians are animals and Israel is behaving accordingly.

Israel is a militarized state with mandatory military service and the Israeli civilian population widely abohors Palestinians as much as the government and military do.

So you have an executive branch, the military, and most of the general population with more than enough weapons from dozens of countries willing to kill literally every palestinian from dozens of countries constantly flowing in and a legacy of global popular support, being directed by a dictator to respond violently to an admittedly horrific terrorist attack.

How can you stop them?

You want Biden and the US, who is not a direct party to this conflict, to immediately break off the 70-year alliance and stop sending them weapons?

Israel has plenty of other weapons and plenty of other countries supplying weapons.

The us cutting funding and weapons won’t stop Israel pursuing this genocide, but it will remove any American influence in Israeli policy and severely damage America’s practical policy-making diplomatic influence and reputation.

Now think about the steps that have been taken so far.

For a month following the oct. 7 attack, the entire world acted as they have always done, saying they stand with Israel and darn those evil hamas terrorists.

Then it’s repeatedly irrefutably proven and documented in real time that Israel is lying about many military justifications, is severely prejudiced against Palestinians and is continuing a 70 year long policy of illegal colonization and genocide.

Second month occurs, Biden says that they still stand with Palestine, but the rhetoric is obviously chilled.

January comes up, netanyahu says that they’re going to completely demilitarize Palestine and Palestinians will not ever have a country, shows everybody a map without Palestine on it at all.

Biden says the US supports a two-state solution.

Netanyahu says that this war will continue for years, biden tells him that the US won’t support an extended war.

We come to February, last month, the Biden administration sends aid be given to Gaza despite Israel’s insistence that no aid be given, and asks the pentagon to come up with land, sea and air aid packages for Palestine.

Biden holds talks with a political opponent of netanyahu, Benny gantz.

Israeli settlers make a new push to illegally colonized Palestinian land, so Biden enacts specific sanctions against those settlerd, financially and travel based.

Then, all of a sudden after these measures that contradict and directly circumvent netanyahu by supporting and even dropping aid directly to Palestinians, israel is suddenly ready for a ceasefire.

If the biden administration was as inactive as people who don’t care about the full story assume, that ceasefire deal would not have been possible.

There’s no practical reason for them to stop. They have enough weapons and technology and funding to, as trump encouraged them to do “finish the problem”.

But Biden made sure of the facts, then progressively contradicted specific stated policies of netanyahu, enactrf sanctions against Israeli settlers, held talks with a political rival of netanyahu, then directly supported Palestinians by providing aid.

These are clear escalating steps in diplomatically convincing Israel to stand down that retain American international influence, and Israel has already agreed to a ceasefire.

Israel was pressured with multiple actions, not empty rhetoric, and that pressure worked and is still working.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

No multiple US presidents shut down israel’s Genocides when they became too extreme. Even Rebublicans like Bush

Namely, the high civilian death toll of the Israeli bombing campaign ― conducted in response to a barrage of rockets fired indiscriminately into Israel ― has breathed new life into calls for a reassessment of the United States’ financial and diplomatic support for Israel. Proponents of imposing tougher conditions on the United States’ annual $3.8 billion military aid package to Israel are now concentrated mostly on the political left. But the most recent U.S. president to actually use the threat of withheld aid to change Israeli policy was Republican George H.W. Bush.

And that was with a far lower amount of civilians being brutally massacared by israel. What Netanyahu is doing right now is the most extreme Genocide in Palestinian history since at least 1900.

And Biden is secretly giving Netanyahu more weapons instead of putting pressure on them.

Varyk,

In small skirmishes rather than what can be called a war, decades ago when the worried was fort years younger.

Context.

Stopping one action vs. dropping a full -on war after 90 percent of the story had been written is completely different.

Biden isn’t “secretly” doing weapons or you wouldn’t know about it. This isn’t Iran Contra and your comparison is absurd, this is direct military aid he’s authorized to make.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

“This doesn’t just seem like an attempt to avoid technical compliance with US arms export law, it’s an extremely troubling way to avoid transparency and accountability on a high-profile issue,” Ari Tolany, director of the security assistance monitor at the Centre for International Policy thinktank, said.

Did you read this post? What?

Varyk,

Yes, but I don’t immediately incorporate opinions into every fiber of my being.

I tried to rationally look at the thing from different angles instead, and find the one that Occam and political context agree with.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Biden secretly gives israel bombs

“That’s just like your opinion dude.”

Unbeatable argument

Varyk,

It’s cool that you’re making things up, because it just makes it easier for me.

The opinion is that Biden is doing this in secret.

It’s not a secret or you wouldn’t know about it.

Those sales are publicly available transparent information.

That’s how that guy writing that opinion piece got them.

I wish the US was sending no military aid to Israel also, but it ignores all of the problems that come with cutting off a 70-year-old ally in a war you’re not directly involved with.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The Washington Post reported that administration officials informed Congress of the 100 foreign military sales to Israel in a classified briefing.

Few details are known of the sales, because keeping each one small meant their contents remained secret, but they are reported to have included precision-guided munitions, small diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal aid.

Can you read the entire article before you write your next comment please

Varyk,

Again, congress asked to see the numbers, the administration handed them over immediately.

You have an inaccurate definition of secret, because this information was sealed signed, delivered upon request.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

That’s weird when Trump was doing this for Saudi everyone was up in arms (badum ts)

By the way since it’s not secret can you show me the contents of these weapon sales from Biden to israel?

Varyk,

No problem, I think there was an article around here…

theguardian.com/…/israel-weapons-sales-loophole

There you go.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

So where are the contents? It says there are two public sales for which Biden bypassed congress. Does that imply that the other ones are not public?

Varyk,

Can you tell me what you’re looking for specifically?

Just know that I’m all out of goal posts, if you’re in the market for anymore.

Looks like you just used yours up.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The contents of the sale as I asked 50 comments ago.

Varyk,

And you got part of your answer already.

If you’re interested in the answer, ask the specific question you want to know.

You’re asking vague questions so you can continue pretending you don’t understand the answer each time and reframe the question.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

What was in it? Can you list it?

Can you even give me the total amount of money the secret weapon transfers were? That should be far easier right?

Varyk,

If you tell me what you’re looking for, like a time period or specific transactions, i can help you find an answer or the lack of one.

I’m not sure what you’re looking for.

You’re getting closer, but when I say I need a “specific” question, I mean the opposite of a vague question, as you insist on asking.

Linkerbaan,
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

The state department office of the inspector general found that between 2017 and 2019, the Trump administration had made 4,221 below-threshold arms transfers to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, worth an estimated total of $11.2bn.

You see the number with a dollar sign in front of it? That but for Joe Biden’s secret weapons transfers to israel

Varyk,

Okay, so when you say secret, you’re talking about an estimate based on publicly available numbers?

You would like publicly available numbers to estimate a dollar amount for 100 arm sales for sales to Israel since October 7th? But we’ll call it a secret?

Got it.

That “secret”(shhh) number is:

14 million threshold multiplied by another estimate of 100 secret(shhh) below the threshold sales

Stick with me here, but we’re going to take that publicly available 14000000 and then we’re going to add two of those big circle things. Those are the zeros from the 100 estimated sales.

So we get 1400000000(whoa, look at all those circles!), or 1.4 billion dollars in estimated arms sales to Israel below the

5 months, an estimated 1.4 billion dollars in arms sales to Israeli from the US below the Congressional notification threshold in the past 5 months.

Phew!

It took you 3 hours of questions and me 1 minute to find the publicly available estimates(five to type this), but thank goodness we got it done.

What an incredibly not meaningless number that is totally significant and we can draw conclusions from, especially in the middle of a conflict we don’t know the resolution of that incorporates so many other factors and so much complexity.

Good thing we got your big circle number on deck.

Viking_Hippie,

Biden’s told netanyahu he and the US will not support an extended war

Which is a lie for the benefit of other people. Both Biden and Netanyahu knows that.

a revised position from when this latest invasion began.

Nope. The public messaging might have changed, but as the article demonstrates, what he and his government are actually DOING hasn’t.

Biden is not helping netanyahu finish the problem

That’s just flat out false. He might not say so in public, but his support for the genocidal apartheid regime is as unwavering as ever.

And he certainly didn’t say that netanyahu should finish the problem, like Trump did.

He may not have said it in public, but he’s secretly helping Netanyahu towards that goal nonetheless. To still pretend otherwise is wilfully ignorant at best and intentionally gaslighting at worst.

Varyk,

Your first point is entirely wrong, and you have no supporting evidence.

Your second point is entirely wrong, and all the supporting evidence goes against you. Not sure why you even tried that one.

Your third point is obviously false as well since Biden is directly contradicting netanyahu, talking with netanyahu’s political allies and providing direct aid to Palestine.

What you’re doing is pretending, Biden is taking positive diplomatic steps to ameliorate a massacre that the US is not directly involved in.

Viking_Hippie,

A bunch of lies and blatant attempts to dispute obvious objective reality.

To quote the guy you’re bending yourself into pretzels to defend addressing the other Netanyahu ally currently running for president: will you shut up, man?

None of what you just said is true except the part of Biden pretending in public that he’s trying to stop it. PRETENDING.

Varyk,

Throwing a tantrum is not very convincing, if you’re curious.

He’s taking practical diplomatic steps for a leader of a country who is indirectly involved in a war.

There’s no pretense about it.

Viking_Hippie,

Throwing a tantrum is not very convincing, if you’re curious.

Was your hero Biden throwing a tantrum when he told Trump to shut up? Nope, he was trying to stop a barrage of counterfactual nonsense. As was I.

He’s taking practical diplomatic steps for a leader of a country who is indirectly involved in a war.

Nope, he’s pretending to be a moderating influence while in actuality keeping the United States DIRECTLY involved by continuing the supply of the very munitions used to massacre Palestinian civilians.

There’s no pretense about it.

Next you’re going to tell me that up is down and Trump is a very stable genius. That’s equally true.

Varyk, (edited )

I don’t care if you’re a trump supporter, but you’re wrong and making facetious and factually incorrect statements.

That’s not what “directly” means.

You’re either being deliberately misleading or severely politically short-sighted.

Stopping us military aid will have no direct influence on the current military situation, Israel is stocked for years and still has plenty of willing allies.

All your advocating for is throwing away US political influence in a war they are not part of for your own short-term satisfaction.

Viking_Hippie,

I don’t care if you’re a trump supporter

I very clearly am not. I’m beginning to suspect that your reading comprehension might be extremely poor. Maybe your comprehension of the world in general.

you’re wrong and making facetious and factually incorrect statements.

I’ll take “Projection” for 200, Alex!

That’s not what “directly” means.

What could possibly be more direct support of mass slaughter than supplying the weapons you know for a fact are going to be used for it? Does Biden has to personally travel there and kill Palestinian civilians himself for you admit that his government is directly participating?

You’re either bring deliberately misleading or severely politically short-sighted.

Back to the projection. In case your comprehension once again fails you, let me clarify: like a typical Republican, you are guilty of what you’re accusing me of.

Stopping us military aid will have no direct influence on the current military situation, Israel is stocked for years

And I’M the one being short-sighted??

Because Israel currently has a stock of weapons, there’s no point in not helping to increase their supply? That’s positively asinine.

still has plenty of willing allies.

Decreasing by the week and would drop dramatically if countries weren’t afraid of upsetting their relationship with the US by going against the long-standing “support the Israeli government no matter what” policy that the Biden administration is perpetuating.

Also, “willing” is a bit of a stretch when it’s mostly out of fear of worsening relations with the most powerful country in the world.

your advocating for is throwing away US political influence

On the contrary. I’m advocating to use US political and economic influence to help end the atrocities. Making all US military and economic support of the Israeli government contingent on good faith ceasefire negotiations would be a start.

a war they are not part of

Again with the ridiculous denial that US weapons sales by the US government doesn’t amount to taking part 🙄

your own short-term satisfaction.

Says the guy ignoring the obvious in favor of a dishonest politician who’s going to be doing the corporate speeches circuit in 5 years no matter what happens between now and November.

Palestinian deaths and worsening a humanitarian catastrophe that’s already going to affect generations of people, on the other hand? THAT has long term effects.

Varyk,

What does direct mean, you ask? To be an active party in the violence and rhetoric, not one indirect military ally among dozens.

And then you’re just meeting this up for the rest of your comment, it looks like.

If you’re looking for the direct examples that contradict every narrow-minded broad inaccuracy you’re illogically repeating, glance up.

Or you can keep pretending; it seems to be your favorite hobby.

Viking_Hippie,

If you’re looking for the direct examples that contradict every narrow-minded broad inaccuracy you’re illogically repeating, glance up.

Or you can keep pretending; it seems to be your favorite hobby

And with that last bit of glaringly obvious projection, we’re done here. Have the day you deserve.

Varyk,

Haha, thanks, it’s been an amazing day so far.

Checks out.

Aceticon,

You know what would really help in trying to stop Trump?

All it takes is for one man, one single man, to stop supporting Israel in its genocide.

That’s right, Joe Biden could significantly, if not massivelly, improve the chances to stop Trump by changing what he’s doing in this one thing.

And yet he refuses to do so and instead does a couple of symbolic-to-the-point-of-meaningless actions for show instead.

Now, ask yourself, if stopping Trump was really that important for him, why would he not stop supporting genocide if that would be a massive help in stopping Trump?!

The whole “appeal to millions of people to swallow their principles and vote Biden to stop Trump” sounds a little hollow if Biden himself isn’t willing to stop supporting genocide if that’s what it takes to stop Trump.

I’m starting to wonder if, had Joe Biden been as much a loudmouth as Trump and really said what’s going in his mind rather than the usual carefully controlled messaging, wouldn’t we be hearing quite a similar discourse?! Because I’m really having trouble with the contradiction between between the idea that unlike Trump he is not a bad guy and his actual actions being to chose to give military and diplomatic support to those committing a mass murder at this scale whilst they’re doing it.

Varyk, (edited )

I agree that Biden should broadcast his administration’s accomplishments more, but if this war is your single issue, know that trump loves netanyahu, told him to “just finish it” so not exactly your better choice.

And obviously not the better choice in terms of any other beneficial metric I can think of. Civil rights, sustainability, economy, Biden has him beat.

Understand that all cutting off US military aid does is compromise US influence in this situation without gaining anything.

It’d be nice, but it doesn’t change anything in this situation even if the US stopped all israeli military aid tomorrow.

Aceticon,

You’re avoiding the core point: what Biden says and what Biden actually does are two very different things.

You don’t judge a politician on the talk he talks, you judge him on the walk he walks and Biden’s “walk” is over 100 weapons shipments to Israel whilst they commit a genocide - including of the actual weapons used to commit it - and several vetos at the UN of Ceasefire resolutions.

It’s not even the case of him doing nothing and people wanting him to help stop the Genocide, it’s a case if him activelly helping the killing by sending Israel the bombs they use for it and stopping others from intervenning by parking aircraft carriers there in support of Israel and vetoing UN Resolutions and refusing to even just become neutral on this conflict.

His talk is wholly irrelevant (except in that it shows the depths of his hypocrisy) given the chasm between it and his actions, and a pure judgment of his actions that treats his words according to the importance they really have (none at all as he lies just as easilly as Trump), yields the possibility of Biden on this being as evil as Trump or worse - Trump barks a loud bark whilst seldom following through (or being massivelly incompetent at doing so) whilst Biden makes cute puppy noises and whilst giving nasty bites.

Varyk,

It’s very easy to focus on a single country not directly involved in the war and pretend they are solely responsible for everything, but it is missing the forest for trees and I have a more comprehensive core point:

One ally withholding weapons does not affect the military capability of Israel in this conflict at all and Biden cutting off US military aid now removes US influence in diplomatic situations.

You’re ignoring the aid drop, you’re ignoring the indefinite aid port being set up, you’re ignoring him meeting with netanyahus political ally, you’re ignoring very important political moves that actively influence Israel and netanyahu.

Aceticon,

First the “you gotta be kidding me” statement: air-dropping 33k meals for 2 million people is not aid, it’s “taking the piss”.

As for your whataboutism about other nations, America is responsible for what America does and Joe Biden is the one deciding. What other countries do is up to them and their leaders and they deserve praise or criticism of what they do, not what others do. Further “yeah but those guys do evil too” is not a valid justification for doing evil: if you come across a kid on the floor being kicked by a bully and you see a couple more kids cheering, you don’t join the cheering unless you have the morals of a worm.

As for the port, it’s all talk so far and the track record of the Biden administration on this means it’s likely that it will be another “piss take” for symbolic purposes.

You’re still very forcefully ignoring the point I’ve been making for 3 posts now, which is that the talkie-talkie of Joe Biden and his goons means nothing at all.

Varyk,

You’re making up arguments for me because you ran out of steam?

I’ll take the compliment.

You’re ignoring the documented second and calling actions talk. That’s clearly down to your misapprehension of many words and phrases.

Facts aren’t “whataboutism”.

Direct sctions are not “walkie-talkie”, dropping military aid to your ally’s enemy is an action regardless of how critically it undermines your inaccurate believies.

Aceticon,

LOL, you’re not even managing basic Logic anymore, so high you are on tribalist copium.

Enjoy comming up with excuses for the guy supporting the closest we’ve ever been to the Nazis since the actual Nazis.

Varyk,

So you don’t know anything about modern genocides do you? This is not the largest genocide since the Nazis, not by any measure of again , context, which you just don’t seem to understand.

You want a simple answer, but that’s not how the real world works.

And if the US stops sending weapons, this conflict will continue regardless and that leverage goes away.

Viking_Hippie,

I agree that Biden should broadcast his administration’s accomplishments more

If I gave a dollar to Biden for every blind party loyalist pretending that his greatest fault is that he doesn’t brag enough about how wonderful he is, I’d be on the list of special donors that can always get a meeting no matter what.

Speaking of dollars, is Biden paying you to figuratively fellate him all day today or are you doing it just for the joy of serving your Dear Leader?

Varyk,

I’m not a Biden fan, but I’m a huge fan of accuracy and fact checking.

And people here are making constant errors and telling lies.

It’s important to set the record straight, even if that upsets people.

Viking_Hippie,

I’m a huge fan of accuracy and fact checking.

Non-practicing, I see.

people here are making constant errors and telling lies

Has nobody told you that it’s weird to refer yourself in the third person plural or that it makes “here” redundant?

It’s important to set the record straight, even if that upsets people

True, that’s why I’m doing it. It’s a waste of time and effort in this case, though, since you’re obviously as blind a follower of Biden as anyone in the Trump cult is of the Mango Mussolini…

Varyk,

Is this the alt account of the guy that was making up stories before and pretending other people were saying them?

You know switching account isn’t going to make people believe you anymore if you keep making up stories right?

You’re using the same baseless insults and the same lack of evidence

Viking_Hippie,

Nope. I have 3 accounts: 2 called Viking_Hippie and one VikingHippie.

You know accusing people who call you on ignoring the opposite of alt abuse isn’t going to buy your denials of obvious reality, right?

You know that stubbornly denying the obvious will often result in being called on it by more than one person, right? You must know from experience, unless that’s another part of reality that you just block out because it’s inconvenient to your tribalism.

As for evidence, read the damn article we’re commenting on! It has administration officials confirming and (dishonestly) defending the arms sales ffs!

Varyk,

I read it yesterday, I see you have nothing to add but baseless insults. Although they are base insults.

Probably important to note then that I asked a question, and you called it an accusation. Factually incorrect.

You have the same insults, same lack of evidence.

Viking_Hippie,

read it yesterday

But apparently promptly forgot about it since you keep insisting that there’s no proof of the Biden administration aiding the genocide and the article contains confession and justification from the administration itself.

you have nothing to add but baseless insults

At worst, I’m impolitely stating the obvious. You ARE ignoring the facts that don’t fit your narrative of the Biden administration being pure as the driven snow and that IS some shitty cult behavior much akin to that of the Trump cult. That’s nowhere near baseless. That’s an apt comparison.

I asked a question, and you called it an accusation. Factually incorrect.

Asking me if I’m the alt of some other guy who you resent for also pointing out your denials of reality is syntactically a question, yes, but there’s an obvious accusation implicit to it. Don’t play even more dumb than you are.

Same lack of evidence

Again with your counterfactual bullshit. Just go give the old man a rusty trombone like you obviously want to.

Varyk,

Baseless. I can read with the aid of comprehensive political context.

I understand gEnoCIde JoE is a hot topic for you right now, but you parroting bandwagon sentiments doesn’t mean that you’re correct. In this case, it means the opposite.

I’m not ignoring any facts, I just don’t let one fact blind me from other facts. There is more than one fact in any situation, and facts are not mutually exclusive.

Your arguments are inaccurate and baseless.

And then you make another sexual insult. Insults are impolite, but they are not merely impolite.

You are not “impolitely stating the obvious”, you’re making gratuitous and obscene sexual insults about other users.

I understand that you’re upset you can’t refute any of my facts or apparently even my opinions, but insulting me and throwing tantrums isn’t doing anything for you.

Viking_Hippie,

Baseless

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/60f746b8-d05c-41f3-b0bb-18595ceb4f50.jpeg

I can read with the aid of comprehensive political context.

Can you, though? You don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it at all.

I understand gEnoCIde JoE is a hot topic for you right now, but you parroting bandwagon sentiments doesn’t mean that you’re correct.

I’ve been appalled by the atrocities of Israel and the American government’s complicity therein for all of the 20+ years I’ve been aware of both.

In this case, it means the opposite.

What specifically do you even think I’m wrong about? Because unlike you, I have stated my case much more clearly than “nuh-uh, Biden is perfect”

That other people are finally beginning to catch on and stop letting the powerful get away with denying the obvious doesn’t make it a band wagon. You sound like you’d have scoffed at desegregation as a fad issue if you were an adult in the 60s.

I’m not ignoring any facts

That’s literally what you’re doing and urging me to do.

I just don’t let one fact blind me from other facts

Translation to honesty and specificity:

“I pretend that Biden isn’t doing everything he can to retain unconditional support for a genocidal apartheid regime because it’s much more convenient to my narrative to pretend that his feeble public statements about extreme atrocities being “over the top” makes him a forceful and principled crusader for all that is good and true”

There is more than one fact in any situation, and facts are not mutually exclusive.

“Biden’s administration are actively supporting genocide by sending as many weapons as they possibly can without congressional approval” and “Biden’s administration is working in good faith to stop the genocide” ARE mutually exclusive, though, and only the former is actually true.

Your arguments are inaccurate and baseless.

Again with the projection. Don’t you ever get tired of repeating the same old lies?

And then you make another sexual insult.

Yeah, I was being facetious because I’m tired of your bullshit.

you’re making gratuitous and obscene sexual insults about other users.

Nothing gratuitous about pointing out how obsequious you are being. The sexual imagery is merely a colorful metaphor about your submissiveness and self-debasement for an accomplice to war crimes who doesn’t care if you live or die.

I understand that you’re upset

Annoyed, sure. Even exasperated. Your ramblings don’t bear enough significance to warrant any stronger emotions, though. You’re like a stone in my shoe, not a mortal wound. Get over yourself, please.

You can’t refute any of my facts

I have thoroughly debunked your moronic claims ages ago. You just aren’t smart enough to understand it.

or apparently even my opinions

Your “facts” are nothing BUT opinions, see above.

but insulting me and throwing tantrums isn’t doing anything for you

Not throwing any tantrums, but yeah, insulting you IS doing something: making your continued pompous self-congratulatory insistence on not being an idiot less annoying. It’s specifically doing that for me and I don’t give a fuck whether or not it does anything for you 🤷

Varyk,

That’s not what “facetious” means.

In fact, you’re using many of your words incorrectly.

And then you just make a few things up, throw another tantrum and a few baseless accusations and insults without any evidence, wrapping up your tantrum with more insults and make-believes.

There’s nothing substantial to respond to here, are you hoping I respond to all the fake things and insults you’re writing so you’ll have a straw man to knock down?

Crying about how unfair things are because you can’t formulate an argument isn’t going to get you anywhere.

Viking_Hippie,

There’s nothing substantial to respond to here

…you say at the start of your second paragraph of 3, 4th of 5 if you count your single lines as well.

And I’m the upset one having a tantrum? 😄

Varyk,

Yes, you are the upset one having a tantrum.

Viking_Hippie,

😄

Varyk,

Fitting

Viking_Hippie,

🥱🤫

Varyk,

Yes, that is what fitting looks like.

Viking_Hippie,

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/56943ce7-2b27-4acf-9f11-9848690b8bc8.jpeg

Varyk,

Fitting

harderian729,

I have no hope for American politics, same for addressing climate change.

We don’t fix these problems because we don’t want to.

You’re just mad at me for calling out reality because you’d rather live in a fantasy.

Varyk, (edited )

I’m sorry, I don’t remember you calling out anything and apparently clicking your comment doesn’t link to anything?

Can you provide context?

I’m definitely not angry at you, I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

But if you have no hope for climate change while there’s literally a sustainable energy revolution going on, you might be on the wrong side of whichever couch fort you’re assuring up your anger inside.

harderian729,

But if you have no hope for climate change while there’s literally a sustainable energy revolution going on, you might be on the wrong side of whichever couch for you’re inside.

We won’t stop burning fossil fuels as long as it remains economically viable.

This is what I mean by we won’t fix these problems because we don’t want to. There needs to be a massive cultural shift from the ground up, and it loses steam at every pass.

Varyk,

Oh.

Well, good news, that is actually why solar energy is exploding, because it’s so profitable relative to fossil fuel technology.

It’s great to be concerned about the problems that fossil fuels had in the past so that whatever issues come up in the future can be dealt with, but sustainable energy is more profitable than dirty energy at this point.

So the ethics are not why so many industries are switching over, and so many countries are installing sustainable energy, it’s much more than it’s simply profitable and practical with less moving parts at this point.

And I know this isn’t exactly what you mean, maybe it is, but losing steam is good because solar power doesn’t need steam to produce electricity, it keeps getting more efficient and cheaper literally every month.

Passerby6497,

deleted_by_moderator

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    harderian729,

    deleted_by_moderator

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    jordanlund,
    @jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

    Removed, rule 5

    “Rule 5: Keep it civil. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (perjorative, perjorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (perjorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect!”

    PriorityMotif,
    @PriorityMotif@lemmy.world avatar

    That user has made 254 comments in the past 5 days mostly trolling in news and worldnews.

    jordanlund,
    @jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

    Removed, Rule 5

    “Rule 5: Keep it civil. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (perjorative, perjorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (perjorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect!”

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