Notices by James M. (jamesmarshall@sfba.social), page 2

@w7voa did he get cheers for that?

@futurebird threats seem to be the primary way fascists and the GOP control people. It's part of their nature. I suspect threats are how GOP Congressional leaders have always gotten near-unanimous cooperation from their party on votes.

@AnthonyJK note that the definition of "Zionism" varies by person, which may be leading to confusion. I know many Jews who are pro-Palestinian-rights and anti-genocide, and who consider themselves Zionist; they see Zionism as the right of Jews to have a homeland in Israel, not against Palestinians having a homeland too, and not in support of e.g. the invading settlements. (I don't have time ATM for a full discussion, sorry, but thought I'd mention this since I didn't see it elsewhere.)

@evan I hadn't heard the term "private mode" here, but I know you can require approval for every follow, and then post to only followers, so I replied QY. Is there another way to get privacy here?

@evan I answered QY before considering the settlements. But considering them, I would say OK, sure, but they would still be subject to the laws of Palestine, which would make them criminals (land theft, murder, other violence, etc.).

@seb I know @evan and others have been running a coop-based instance in Canada, and would likely have great advice. They seem to share a lot of your values and goals for sfba.social .

@evan for me it's never. So... is that "about weekly"?

@evan I believe it was Ilhan Omar who said that of course she would support Biden in the general election, even as she expresses her outrage at what's happening now in Gaza and his apparent lack of firm action against the invasion.

@evan ethnic nationalism causes war, which inhibits humans from working together to solve our common problems. Even if nationalism didn't cause war, its inherent divisiveness inhibits us from working together.

@evan obviously it's less of a problem, but IMO it's still problematic given the possible/sometimes meaning of the phrase, and I think a lot of disagreement stems from confusion over differing meanings. Does it mean forcefully remove all Jews between the river and the sea, i.e. end Israel's existence? Or does it just mean free all parts of current Palestine from occupation and other oppression? I firmly agree with the latter but not the former. Hamas means the former. Does the typical student protester understand what they're saying, and can they articulate it? I'm against banning protests, especially on campuses, but I suspect a lot of the protesters could use more education and clarification on the whole situation and history. I can understand Jews being upset if they hear the phrase as calling for the end of Israel, even if that's not how the speaker intends it.

To be clear, I want a ceasefire by both sides ASAP because of all the innocent people being killed. That's the biggest and most urgent part.

@evan I don't blame you at all. That said, it's notable that the publicly-stated US position on Israel has shifted significantly in just two months, when changes like this at USG levels are usually glacial. It's such an awful shame that hasn't translated into much ceasefire, at least not yet, while hundreds of innocent people are being killed every day. 😥 I would say tell the White House how you feel and why.

@mike wonderful, thanks for being here! Your "Joined" date looks a bit suspicious, though. :)

@evan hmm. I need to dig in more to AP extensions.

@evan @mattblaze somehow I missed this blog post when you wrote it. Glad to know you're thinking about it. I'm very interested in making the fediverse more secure for users, including e2ee messages. With support for e2ee *group* messages, support for private posts could be added, and lots more people would feel safe coming here.

@georgetakei so sorry to hear this. 😥 They've both led such inspiring lives.

@evan the dynamics in Netanyahu's coalition seem remarkably similar to the Republican-led House in the US. I hope the coalition falls apart and Netanyahu is removed. No lasting peace is possible with him in power.

@evan I agree, and I'm pushing for a ceasefire myself. However, it leaves some major open issues: What about the hostages? and How can Israel ensure hamas doesn't attack more, as is hamas' stated intention?

I'm genuinely looking for answers to these, but haven't seen any ideas. I'm guessing that if reasonable solutions were offered, there would be more support for a ceasefire within Israel, which is probably where it matters the most.

I'm *not* saying the current bombing and invasion of Gaza help either of these issues; in fact, I think they make both issues worse, and are breeding immeasurable, global anti-Israel sentiment. But I do think those are understandable questions asked by those who aren't supporting a ceasefire. Yes, it would all be easier if Netanyahu hadn't treated Palestinians so badly in the past, but we can't change the past.

Long-term peace seems impossible as long as either hamas or Netanyahu is in power, since they both actively oppose peace. They have that in common. :(

@Antigrav @evan yes, I agree that Palestinians should have equal rights as Israelis. There are many things that need to be done in the long term. But I'm asking more immediately: If we want a ceasefire now, then how can we a) get the hostages back, and b) prevent hamas from attacking again in the future? If we had good answers to those questions, I think support for a ceasefire would increase. They are valid concerns.

Be careful about collective punishment, as you seem to equate Zionism with Israel and Judaism. Many Israelis and Jews elsewhere have been speaking up for Palestinian rights for decades. Also, make sure you appreciate what they're dealing with-- hamas is very literally calling for the extermination of all Jews worldwide, as they always have, and do not recognize Israel's right to exist. Worst of all, hamas has a lot of support from Iran and other anti-Israel countries.

If you don't think Israel has a right to exist: Both Jews and Palestinians are indigenous there.

@georgetakei the media is failing so badly right now. :( We have a major party of actual fascists openly fighting tooth and nail to end our democracy, and all the media is focusing on is this blown-up Biden age issue, without mentioning Trump's age and health.

It's almost like many in the media would be just fine with fascist rule.

@evan you don't think so? I'm thinking of the (IMO outsized) commercial influence there's been on RFCs in the last 20 years, and the goog's exertion of control over the Android ecosystem despite it being based on Linux. I guess not exactly EEE, but still, corporate control over things that were previously more open. I mean, I'm glad more of Big Tech is coming here, I just don't trust them at all and I think we should watch them carefully.