A reminder that as the US continues to threaten countries around the world, fedposting is to be very much avoided (even with qualifiers like "in Minecraft") and comments containing it will be removed.

Image is of Iran's President, Pezeshkian, holding up an image mid-speech at the UN memorializing the girls and teachers killed by an American missile strike on the Minab school.


My weekly preamble is in spoiler tags below.

preambleThe two big international events of the last week have been the UN summit in New York, where Pezeshkian among many others gave various speeches, and the visit by Xi Jinping and various Chinese figures to the US. While it's important to never fully discount the wider diplomatic angle of the conflicts raging around the world, by this point it should be clear to most people that the fundamental disagreements are too acute to be solved or even ameliorated with words, and there are no countries in the "international community" to "convince" to come over to your side through expert oratory and rhetoric. There is now only the language of explosives, blockades, and sanctions. Pezeshkian in particular gave a reasonably good speech, but I still believe that personally flying to the country that has committed so many crimes against his own country and its allies was not the correct move, and should have been left to Araghchi. And the difference between the US's and China's material interests are separated by too wide a canyon to be bridged by words promising cooperation and partnership.

Over in Yemen, the Saudis have intensified airstrikes on Ansarallah, which continues to make slow but steady territorial gains, particularly around Taizz, and have also repelled Saudi assaults from the north. These Saudi airstrikes have hit some military infrastructure, but also a lot of civilian infrastructure, including explicitly humanitarian buildings like those supplying food. To me, this doesn't seem strategically or tactically effective, especially with so much of your own oil infrastructure in ballistic missile range, but I suppose there's not many options left for the Saudi regime. Meanwhile, the situation in Hormuz flared up on the weekend, with a record(?) number of missiles fired at ships trying to traverse the Omani route. In related news, there's been a recent tick up in sailor and marine casualties admitted by the US, indicating either that Iran scored a significant hit on a US naval vessel during its anti-ship ballistic missile strikes (and those ships have now retreated much further away, which is a data point in favour of that hypothesis, but otherwise we have no visual evidence), or that US military personnel are taking a major role in attempting to move oil through Iran's blockade by manning at least some of the tankers.

Claims that oil transits out of the Middle East have returned almost to normalcy can be trivially contradicted by third grade mathematics and the evidence of our senses: namely, increasing worldwide shortages and growing considerations for rationing diesel and other such oil products. Indeed, the potential for shortages has now risen to the extent that Trump briefly suggested an diesel export ban. However, I'll admit that the situation in Hormuz has become much harder to follow for everybody involved than it was in March and April. Nowadays, some vessels are moving through Iran's prearranged passage, there is undeniably quite a bit of oil getting out through ports that don't need to go through Hormuz like Fujairah, and meanwhile, there are theories and rumors of widely varying degrees of dubiousness of temporary arrangements of Iran not firing on vessels traversing the Omani route in exchange for such-and-such hypothetical benefits, perhaps even including Iranian oil getting mixed into some of the vessels. And on top of all of that, you have to take into account China's curious moves in the oil markets, which have substantially influenced supplies and prices since March.

In that environment, it's hard not to have at least an iota of sympathy for the tanker trackers of the world who are trying to get some concrete information while everybody makes unsupported claims. The aforementioned intensified Iranian strikes on the Omani route are a data point in favour of ships getting through when they shouldn't - otherwise, they'd have nothing to be striking, unless they're just providing enrichment and employment to any divers trying to disarm naval mines - and so we'll just have to see whether Iran will allow the current situation of a slightly leaky Hormuz to continue for reasons unknown to us, or now truly drop the hammer on illegal strait transits to put pressure on the US. The other big new item lately around Iran has been some of their airlines being sanctioned, which several countries in the region seem to be obeying, while others around the world, like China, aren't intimidated. This been of particular significance in regards to Iraq, where there have been major protests about reopening flights between Iran and Iraq, and we'll have to see where that goes next.

Perhaps little of major significance will occur in the war until the midterms are over. Nothing I've seen so far indicates to me that Democrats will put up a serious opposition to Trump's war efforts except in very particular and isolated cases, and so from a purely non-domestic, geopolitical perspective, I expect the midterm results to change nothing. Political "gridlock" and "lame duck periods" exist as illusory excuses for the general population to prevent positive things from occurring domestically; they are not hurdles that exist in reality when the American bourgeoisie all agree on a course of action, such as attempting (now in vain) to stop Iran, Russia, and China. Slightly more interesting will be the results of the Zionist elections, but only slightly. On the one hand, it would be satisfying to see the current party lose power, but on the other, it has been their sheer incompetence that has, over just a few years, led the occupation into the greatest crisis of their short history. Nothing about their domestic or foreign policy seems likely to change, as they have dug themselves too deep into the hole now. Also coming up is the Brazilian elections, where Lula is once again facing off against another Bolsonaro. I wish him the best, but I worry that the margin of victory for a non-comprador party outside the West now needs to be pretty damn high to overcome foreign voter suppression efforts and accusations of election fraud by pro-US organizations, and the current margins in the polls are not terribly encouraging by that measure.


Last week's thread is here.

Please check out the RedAtlas!

The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.

The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine

If you have evidence of Zionist crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA reports on the Zionists' destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.


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[–] 79 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (40 children)

another day in life of dsa cadre politician, now combating 💪 antisemitism and promoting holocaust museum worship:

Mamdani admin releases “first-ever municipal Strategy to Combat Antisemitism” taking a “whole-of-government approach.” Gives $6.4M to Partners Against the Hate (PATH) which funds JCRC, $1M to increase security at houses of worship.

https://nitter.perennialte.ch/taliaotg/status/2104961257963167889

https://nitter.perennialte.ch/NYCMayor/status/2104949847421796398 <- announcement post, allegedly (can't be arsed to watch) cites adl stats on the rise in anti-semitism (citing talmud is certainly a choice)

*“Department of Transportation and NYPD working together to identify threats BEFORE a hate crime occurs” apparently with claude report style policing, have fun

***as i do not want to make 50 separate posts, about sums it up:

I don’t get it why can’t he just plant a tree in the name of stopping antisemitism? (https://nitter.perennialte.ch/totalnewbie1/status/2104999395083358371)

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  • [–] 64 points 3 days ago* (1 child)

    what can you do but laugh at this point. not only did he maintain the zionist enforcement arm in exactly the same way (no financial trickery where technically he’s doing 4d chess to defund the police while not defunding them, no movement in the SRG), he’s actually providing them an even wider remit to crack down on muslims and anti-zionists. man really is the arab obama

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  • [+] 63 points 3 days ago* (29 children)
  • [–] 36 points 3 days ago

    Brilliant! You know what they say: who funds you controls you. Mamdani now effectively controls NYC zionism, which he'll turn into a revolutionary sect in short order. You gotta love the guy!

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  • [–] 33 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (16 children)

    i think one should separate real anti-semitism (e.g. shadow cabal seeking to destroy white race), seppo/empire-washing anti-semitism (e.g. zog theories, not important, but incorrect), liberal zionist fake "anti-semitism" (a) (hating entity is anti semitic), liberal fake "anti-semitism" (b) (zionism is actually anti-semitic), entity "anti-semitism" (they hate us cause they jelly).

    but in all cases, in applied existing politics of usa this washes into better funding for ngo and synagogues, which are all zionist, so it shouldn't be entertained.

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  • [–] 37 points 3 days ago* (15 children)

    in modern day, especially in leftist spaces, it's almost always entirely bullshit. Anti-semites have no structural power, especially within the left, and zionists rule the world. We need to stop talking about "real anti-semitism" and caving to their pressure. It's a psy op. They somehow got leftists to grant identity politics points to whites+

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  • [–] 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

    White jews are literally at a higher caste in western society and we're still crying about antisemitism. Give us 30 years and we'll be psyopped into thinking the white genocide in south africa is real.

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  • Exactly. White jews in the West are Whites+. They are even more privileged than white people. Neither have any structural discrimination that they are the victims of. Even while Israel is perpetrating a genocide against Muslims, Israels most adamant ideological opponents in the west are still centering Jewishness over the actual victims.

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  • [–] 19 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

    we don't need to stop caring about it*, because we aren't always in pure leftist spaces (especially on publicly accessible website), we just have to have clear demarcations what goes into (1) (socialism of fools), what is convenient to articulate but wrong (2) and easily veers off into (1) and what is pure drivel (3a,3b,4)

    *but we should care about it around same as black racism or some shit, disability or lgbt hate hurts magnitudes more people in the core, nobody is getting elected on anti-semitic lines anywhere in the west nor are state policies ever remotely smell of one.

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  • [–] 30 points 3 days ago* (3 children)

    Let's use this case as an example. Would we have been better off in Mamdani just ignored this concern trolling from the zionists entirely and just did not do this at all?

    The answer is yes. Millions more dollars wouldn't be pouring into the Zionist warchest, and Mamdani wouldn't lose a portion of his base who realize the betrayal. No need for in depth discussions or getting hung up on arguments or recriminations that destroy left parties like they did in the UK. Just completely ignore it and bulldoze forward.

    We should take accusations of anti-semitism towards us as seriously as we take accusations of anti-white racism, it's essentially the same thing.

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  • [–] 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

    as i've mentioned in the realm of actually existing bourgeoisie politics, this always washes into throwing money into ngo pit and cops (same as police accountability drives from blm ngo-related movements arriving into actually existing politics resulting in even more money for cops and cameras, maybe some trips to museums). but it doesn't mean we should not have a little trigger for various kinds of racism in our heads (it's very simple test: "does this statement promote shadow jewish cabal undermining the white man logic? no? go fuck yourself")

    mamdani is theater kid politician, same as z-man actually, there was a quote from some ukrainian that haunts me that amounted to "as long as 1000 influencers tell this story, it doesn't matter what reality is", we are in full spectacle politics, he will aurafarm as told, but is just not possible for him to be otherwise.

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  • [–] 18 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    So I guess the distinction you're drawing is what we should do on an interpersonal level vs. what we should do in politics TM. I'm not here trying to police what anyone does on an interpersonal level, I'm advising on best practices for doing politics TM. And the best practice is ignoring this shit and shutting it down.

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  • [–] 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

    we don't do politics anyways, we propagandize amongst our peers shrug-outta-hecks advising is impossible as we don't have any leverage, even dsa doesn't have any leverage, but we can try to convince people that politics iss dead end, evidently, and to seek material world change

    (i suspect running around grocery stores and placing stickers isntrael on bds targets probably accomplished more than whatever dsa thinks its doing)

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  • [–] 16 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    I think they should be considered more regional. In USA anti semitism is basically fangless. I might be ignorant but Jews were one of the least persecuted minority in USA through history. I don't remember any law persecuting them in the past in usa

    Europe is different. Even if Holocaust was excluded, anti semitism is way more visible in their history compared to USA

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  • [–] 16 points 3 days ago (4 children)

    and zionists rule the world

    I know that this is intended with the connotation of "zionists have enormous influence on global-north countries, especially the US" and it's not to be taken literally. But if taken literally by newcomers to the site, it's not a good look.

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  • [–] 35 points 3 days ago* (3 children)

    Zionists rule the western world. This is indisputably fact. Zionists =/= jew. Most zionists are christians and secular atheists/agnostics.

    Maybe some of these alleged newcomers will be made to feel uncomfortable and confront their internalized zionism where they immediately judge those who state facts, based on spurious zionist definitions

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  • [–] 17 points 3 days ago (2 children)

    Nah, these Israelis are getting played too. They are just so convinced that they are at the top fucking everyone else over, that they don't noticed how they themselves are getting fucked.

    Jewish people are in danger for trying to become "Israelis" and colonize Palestine.

    Arab Israelis were housed closer to the conflict zones to act as a meat-shield for white Israelis in Tel-Aviv.

    White Israelis are in danger for being in the imperial foothold at the land bridge between West Asia and Africa.

    Groceries and housing in Israel is genuinely unaffordable - it's just more affordable for Israelis than Palestinians, so the Israelis content themselves with their predicament. That being said, I acknowledge that they have universal healthcare, and got 3 doses of the Covid vaccine at a time where even most western countries only got 1.

    Iranian doctrine recognises that the USA is the great Satan, and that Israel is the little Satan.

    The late Imam Ali Khamenei said that his greatest enemy was the USA.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 days ago

    Why are you talking about Israelis? The contention is that Zionists rule the world. The president of the USA, for example, is the most powerful individual on earth and, at least in my lifetime, has always been a Zionist.

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  • Iranian doctrine recognises that the USA is the great Satan, and that Israel is the little Satan.

    The late Imam Ali Khamenei said that his greatest enemy was the USA.

    Where did I say anything contradicting this? America is ruled by Zionists just like Israel is, they both serve the greater imperialist forces of their combined efforts. Imperialism may as well be synonymous with Zionism, in that in the real world they are 1 to 1 even though their theoretical basis differ. The imperialist class of the world is thoroughly, 100% zionist.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 days ago

    My position remains the same.

    I think Mamdani is completely incorrect here. He's ceding ground to the Zionist framing that anti-Semitism=anti-Zionism.

    If he were serious about combating anti-Semitism, he'd shut down west bank land sales, cut funding to Zionist institutions, and cut NYC's ties to Israel (not that combating anti-Semitism would be the primary reason to take that action).

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  • [–] 14 points 3 days ago (6 children)

    What does this have to do with a guy who died in 1900 saying all antisemites should be shot?

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  • [–] 9 points 3 days ago* (5 children)

    I don't like when I see users on a communist forum saying "all anti-semites (according to reactionaries) should be shot just like based nietzsche said". He probably considered all Mohammedans as small skulled anti-semites.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago* (2 children)

    Nietsche was pro-Islam (for confused European reasons). He saw it as still having vitalism in it.

    You seem very committed to defending anti-Semitism as a label. We should be rejecting our enemies painting us as chauvinists.

    Do you identify as an anti-Semite or something?

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  • [–] 28 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    He had two (2) high profile protests against Israeli apartheid and immediately folded for the Zionist entity

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  • [–] 19 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

    dollar for dollar the highest paid performances in theater kids history. but no, he did have not on our dime bill, he had activities implying some kind of belief, he just decided he’d rather obama this whole shit to become a new american dream story for dipshits. until he started talking shit about cuba, it was unobvious what he is (aside from running as democrat that is)

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