Hyperreality

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_fascism#Umberto_Eco

Particularly relevant: 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14.

See also: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-remembers-victims-of-nazi-persecution-of-sexual-minorities/a-64533034

It is happening now, it has happened before, it will surely happen again.

It's mindblowing that we use facebook and allow devices with multiple cameras, GPS tracking, and microphones into our house.

We still do it though.

This is the first thing Israel's bombed?

That's good to know.

Correct.

So was invading Ukraine.

So was covertly supporting Hamas to undermine the Palestinian cause.

Cunts are still running the world. If you went to Tesla HQ, you'd likely find someone more intelligent cleaning the toilets, than the guy who's running the whole company.

I suppose that’s a hazard when you rent your office space from fascists: if you later go against fascism even a little bit

You fundamentally misunderstand fascism.

Reminds me of a story I read visiting a war museum in Germany. After the first world war, German veterans were treated badly. They were blamed for the loss. So this guy in Dresden starts a charity to help them. Gains a lot of support. Becomes popular. Then the nazis come along. They promise to help veterans and are popular with veterans. So like many veterans, this guy joins the nazi party. Loyal supporter from the early days. True believer. Raises money for them. Continues to do charity work and supports the nazi party. Does his bit and helps them gain power and win the elections locally.

So they killed him and burn down the headquarters of his charity. Because loyalty is not enough.

Fascists hold those beneath them in contempt. They are chauvinists who hate the weak. They despise their followers, because they are loyal and perceive this as weakness. Because they allowed themselves to be subjugated by the leader.

You know who hates Donald Trump's supporters the most? Donald Trump. NYT:

Mr. Trump said in a task force meeting that one benefit of the pandemic was that he no longer would have to shake hands with his supporters. “I don’t like shaking hands with people,” Ms. Troye quoted Mr. Trump as saying. “I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.” ... "Oh, he talked all the time about the people themselves being disgusting,” Ms. Troye told me in an interview on Friday. “It was clear immediately that he wanted nothing to do with them.” ...

The whole fascist enterprise is a sado-masochistic pyramid. People licking the boot in adoration, who get to put the boot on those below them in the pyramid, and despise those below them in the pyramid.

Here's a video of a tortoise having sex.

I imagine the noise Mitch McConnell makes when masturbating is a mix of that and a tiny violin.

Although that one time he had a stroke on live television, he didn't make that much noise.

Just thought I'd share that with everyone. You're welcome!

Apparently Israel has up to 400 nukes. Netenyahu also keeps going on about Israel being existentially threatened and 'accidentally' threatened Iran with nukes at the UN.

And to think we were all worried about climate change. LOL.

On the bright side, the Russian Duma is withdrawing ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty. So we have some cool tiktok videos of nuclear detonations in Siberia to look forward to.

That 90% figure was 2 days after 9/11

Nope. Article above:

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released two days after the Twin Towers fell found that 93 percent of Americans backed taking military action against whoever was responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Source for 90% claim is Gallup, November 29:

Almost from the day the terrorist attacks occurred, the public has been resolute in its support for military action against those responsible. A review of over 25 separate questions about military action in Afghanistan asked by 6 different survey organizations since Sept. 11 shows 85% to 90% support across this entire time period. .... In the latest poll, approval has increased to 92% -- slightly higher than the 86% recorded by Gallup in early November and the 88% found in mid-October. ... Support for the war is at almost universal levels among Republicans nationwide -- 96%. Additionally, 90% of Democrats support the war, as do 88% of independents. ... The high levels of support for the war are accompanied by continuing high job approval ratings for President George W. Bush. The Nov. 26-27 Gallup poll shows Bush with an 87% approval rating -- marking the eighth consecutive poll since Sept. 11 in which his job approval rating has been in the 86% to 90% range.

in that 2002 state of the union they lied about Iraq having nukes.

Please note that the 90% figure pertains to Afghanistan, not Iraq.

As the citation mentions, the 73% figure pertains to Iraq and was recorded several weeks before the state of the union.

... as they got further from the emotional events and started to realize they were lied to they changed their minds. The point remains there were large contingents of Americans opposed to the war from the beginning and their numbers only grew.

Gallup, November 2001:

Americans remain highly supportive of the military action in Afghanistan, and are also overwhelmingly supportive of the use of U.S. ground troops in the war. Compared to a month ago, Americans have become more satisfied with the progress of the war, and have become more likely to support the idea of a long-term war against global terrorism that goes beyond just finding those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. Three-quarters of Americans favor using U.S. troops to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.

Gallup, December 2003:

A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll suggests that last Sunday's dramatic capture of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein changed some of the ways in which Americans view the situation in Iraq, but did not affect others. There has been a significant increase in approval of the way the war in Iraq is being handled, but there has been little change in the already high level of support for the overall strategy of involvement in Iraq in the first place. At this time, a clear majority of Americans say that U.S. involvement in Iraq is worth it and that the United States is handling the situation there well. ... Despite these changes in the public's views of the way in which the war in Iraq is being executed, the capture of Hussein produced little change in the public's underlying level of support for the war. Sixty-one percent of Americans now say that the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over, virtually the same as the support level in Gallup's Dec. 5-7 poll, or in the one-day poll conducted on Dec. 14, just after news of the capture had become public.

April. 2003 they recorded 76% support for the war in Iraq. Higher than the weeks before the 2002 State of the Union adress.

I seriously doubt Biden wants to get directly involved in a war in the middle-east.

I suspect the real reason America is sending troops and an aircraft carrier to the region, is so that it doesn't escalate too much. Israel can fight Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies just fine. They may even end up losing. The war with Lebanon certainly wasn't a huge success.

But it is in no one's interests that Israel feels existentially threatened, because Iran and/or Syria get involved. If the US publicly says it will not support Israel, the chance of Iran taking a gamble and getting directly involved increases. At which point Israel, a country lead by a far right with an itchy trigger finger and a nuclear arsenal of up to 400 nukes, might make the worst kind of decision.

The US openly backing Israel, makes it harder for Israel's right wing government to claim Israel is existentially threatened. What the US says behind closed doors is an entirely different matter.

Afghanistan:

The decision to attack Afghanistan specifically was similarly popular. In the early months of the fighting support for the war at times topped 90 percent. A November Washington Post/ABC News poll found 71 percent of Americans supported sending large numbers of troops into Afghanistan.

Iraq:

In his 2002 State of the Union address, Bush began making the case for why the United States might need to use military force to remove Saddam Hussein from powe ... In a survey conducted a few weeks prior to the State of the Union, 73% favored military action in Iraq to end Hussein’s rule; just 16% were opposed. More than half (56%) said the U.S. should take action against Iraq “even if it meant U.S. forces might suffer thousands of casualties.” ... In the months leading up to the war, majorities of between 55% and 68% said they favored taking military action to end Hussein’s rule in Iraq. No more than about a third opposed military action.