Comments on: Is Israel “winning the war but losing the world”?

By: Tom Grey

Tom Grey — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:26:32 +0000

Israel desperately needs a vision for post-war Gaza that allows most Gazans to have most Human Rights, yet not be allowed to kill more Jews.
This is so difficult that most Israelis, as well as the world, don’t even talk about it.

So far I’ve read of no plan better than vague control without occupation. Which many folk, and I, doubt will stop the bloodlust to kill Jews.

Total occupation, with POW camps & work camps & school camps & more money based production orgs are a better idea. As is a 5 canton Swiss/Singapore development model.

Israel controls the North Gaza “canton” but is failing to set up reconstruction & occupation orgs. Better lives for Gazans will, slowly, reduce the world condemnation.

By: huxley

huxley — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 03:19:22 +0000

Re: Islam — How I became conservative

Jon baker, R2L:

Back in the nineties I was a leftist on a progressive bulletin board. I found myself debating an American turned Muslim, which led me to read a book on the history of Islam and a translation of the Qu’ran.

I was shocked. One doesn’t have to read much to get a lock on what an authoritarian, supremacist, intolerant, violent religion Islam is.

Fast forward to 9-11. The timing caught me by surprise but the motivation didn’t. Then I read leftists blaming America. “Why do they hate us?” From there my leftism unraveled.

I tell Americans to read the Qu’ran or even to browse it randomly.

Few do.

By: R2L

R2L — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 02:24:40 +0000

Jon Baker, agree there is substantial ignorance about Islam. Not hard to understand this status before 911, with “interfaith” meeting among the Abrahamic leaderships, and with Bush’s “religion of peace” nonsense. Harder to believe greater understanding has not really seeped into our culture – or is hiding among a silent majority not yet willing to voice disapproval.

I am not as deeply invested in self education on that ideology as some here, but it seems to me a core element of addressing this problem of “strife on the borders of Muslim lands” is to find a way to move Allah (or at least his caliph designed doppelganger) out from under a designation as a religion covered by the 2nd Amendment.

A similar but probably less demanding (i.e., dangerous) situation is the current brouhaha in Texas about that Hindu god statue and related impacts on local culture and concerns over levels of assimilation to the American Creed and the culture originally provided by Northern European Protestants.

By: Jon baker

Jon baker — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 02:04:53 +0000

There is also a problem stirring within Evangelical Christianity – which is strongly supportive of Israel. Think US Ambassador to Israel and Baptist minister Mike Huckabee for example. A very strong supporter of Israel who sees Jews as a Covenant people to whom the land of Israel belongs via Divine Right.
There are stirrings within Evangelical circles – I saw it today with something forwarded to me via text – to essentially erase that support. I fired off a response to a number of people in my circle.
Disturbing indeed.

By: Jon baker

Jon baker — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 01:57:26 +0000

I would suggest that part of the problem is that Westerners have been deliberately dumbed down about the history of Islam vs the West. All most broadly know about is some vague idea of the ” crusades”. I don’t think they realize that Islam was the aggressor both BEFORE and After the Crusades….

By: FOAF

FOAF — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 19:31:51 +0000

“stalk away”

Boohoo, someone responded to a comment you made

“I won’t be engaging you further”

My life is ruined lol

By: richf

richf — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:55:54 +0000

There’s nothing Israel can do that would win the approval of the world, except to die. They’re going to be condemned in any case, win or lose – so they might as well win.

By: BrooklynBoy

BrooklynBoy — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 15:52:22 +0000

Pure B.S. The “friends that Israel lost were never their friends. The best response to them is to win a smashing victory.

By: voice in the wilderness

voice in the wilderness — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 15:47:34 +0000

Great post and comments. Israel has not lost me.

By: West TX Intermediate Crude

West TX Intermediate Crude — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:41:58 +0000

JackWayne at 5:56pm had an excellent idea, one that even today Israel could implement.
From the northeast corner of Gaza to the closest point in the west bank is 23 miles.
Israel can tell every inhabitant of Gaza to head to that corner of Gaza, then march/truck them out of harm’s way. Anyone who remains in Gaza is fair game for capture or killing. The people being moved can be ID’d, checked for weapons. They will be fed. They will be out of the way.
A huge logistical undertaking, yes, but a small price to pay for eliminating the threat.
Cue the cries of ethnic cleansing, Trail of Tears II. Israel’s response? “We want to make sure that no genocide is going on, no famine.”
The IDF can then go through Gaza in relative safety, using robots, drones, remote devices instead of soldiers to go through the tunnels and caves. Once that is done, they can sell the beachfront property to Trump, reopen the greenhouses, and resettle the area with peaceful people.
The part about Trump was not totally serious, but the rest is.