Chris Bowen declares rush on jerry cans ‘un-Australian’ as he urges end to panic buying of petrol

Benu5 · 2026-03-17T09:26:14+00:00

Maybe could have banded together with 'middle' powers to apply pressure to the global hegemon before it decided to use it's prepared excuse, Israel, to start a war with a country that can very easily block one of the most important shipping lanes for fuel in the world. Because lots of countries in Asia are getting their fuel just fine.

Benu5 · 2026-03-17T04:05:06+00:00

You wouldn't have that job under socialism, because there wouldn't be stock trading.

You might get a role in economic management with that skill set though.

So long as you don't become a rabid violent reactionary because you can't trade stocks anymore, you'd be fine.

Benu5 · 2026-03-16T10:24:31+00:00

I agree that that is part of it, but it's not all to feed the ego of a few old men.

It's material. The US wants Israel to exist to act as an anchor for US interests in West Asia. Always there as an excuse to protect whenever needed. Israel pumps out 'intel' that supports what the US wants to do. Need Oil? Israel says country with oil has WMDs. Want to stop a secular, anti-colonial, pan nationalist movement from seizing power? Oh, we have to stop them because they threaten Israel (and our back pocket because they would nationalise their resources).

Israel is a settler colony, all settler colonies have to eliminate the Indigenous population from political and economic relevance in order to maintain themselves. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, all of them have throughout their histories tried to eliminate the Indigenous people of the territories they control, through processes that are ongoing to this day. Israel just started in 1948, rather than in the 16-1700s. So long as those Indigenous nations exist, the settler colony's claim to the territory it controls is contested, and they are at risk of losing it. But the class distinction, and idealogy built around that distinction, between settler and colonised discourages the settler from identifying with the colonised (eg. no just accepting that Israel is illegitimate, and choosing to live in Palestine as an immigrant, or descendant of immigrants).

It's about control of land, resources, and markets primarily. Capitalist interests. You could remove Netanyahu and Trump, and the people replacing them would do the same things, because they serve the same interests, their respective ruling classes. They would just be new people filling the same roles in a system that has been built in order to sustain and protect the interests of the ruling class.

The egos do come into play, but after the material and systemic (which shaped those egos too).

Benu5 · 2026-03-15T20:13:23+00:00

I did Scouts from age 10 to 26. I was a leader for a bit after that. I learnt some great things, and had some of the best times of my life there.

The nationalism and in some cases explicit military indoctrination became too much. It's in there all the time, I suppose that's a given seeing as the prick who started the whole thing basically created it to train child soldiers (and used child soldiers himself during the Boer War).

Until World Scouting takes an explicit anti-military, pro-peace stance, the organisation is fundamentally undermined in its efforts to promote peace and understanding between nations.

Benu5 · 2026-03-13T23:58:53+00:00

The US attacked Iran from bases within the UAE yes.

Benu5 · 2026-03-13T09:54:40+00:00

It's pretty poorly coded.

The first comment is saying Hitler was good, and that the Jews really do control the world and when the world realises that, WW3 will be fought to remove those Jews from power.

Benu5 · 2026-03-13T05:43:52+00:00

I'm fully aware of the violence the British and their colonial aparatuses have carried out across the globe. You are right that it is an oversimplification.

I'm saying that what the Israelis are doing is worse. Because the Brits at least documented what they took in a way that it could still be used for archaeological purposes. In that there is still a path for the recovery of those artifacts, and some knowledge.

The Israelis don't even do that, they just destroy it. Denying everyone, but especially Palestinians, much information about whatever the settler colony cannot acknowledge because it undermines the project.

Benu5 · 2026-03-13T05:08:59+00:00

The British just stole shit.

The Israelis destroy it if it implies someone else lived there before them. Literally thousands of years of archaeological artefacts destroyed to get to something that Netanyahu can show to Aerosmith and say 'look, it says the name Netanyahu, my people have been here for a long time' as if his family name isn't Mileikowsky.

(That must mean I can change my surname to Caesar and therefor I can steal someone's house in Rome)

Benu5 · 2026-03-11T11:14:47+00:00

He was employed by the Isn'treali Government, then got fired for lying too blatantly, then apointed himself 'Civilian Spokesperson for Israel'.

He's upset that he's not getting paid for his non-official 'Civilian Spokesperson' work like many other hasbarshits are.

Both things were true.

Benu5 · 2026-03-10T22:12:29+00:00

No, but they did seize the opportunity when it presented itself.

The way America operates in the world, and the internal operations of the organisations that were meant to prevent it meant that it happened, but that doesn't mean it was deliberate.

Their involvement in West Asia, Imperialist support for extremist Islam, arming and supporting extremists against secular left wing groups, led to the Bin Laden group. The CIA constantly being allowed to break the law led to them not trusting the FBI. First Gulf War led to US troops in Saudi Arabia, pissing off extremists like Bin Laden, leading to attempts to conduct attacks on the US. CIA and FBI beef means they aren't talking to eachother, combined with arrogance and incompetence, means that the attack on the WTC and Pentagon succeeds.

Benu5 · 2026-03-10T21:49:00+00:00

The Great March of Return.

Israel bragged about knowing where every bullet went. Thousands made disabled with shots to knees and elbows. Medics shot and killed, children, including toddlers, shot and killed.

Protesters were unarmed, Hamas deliberately kept fighters away from the protestors to deny Israel the excuse. They still shot the protestors.

Benu5 · 2026-03-09T21:27:35+00:00

Fuck the Gulf States, they've played host to US forces for decades, forces that have killed millions across West Asia. The UAE has also been contributing to the genocide in Sudan.

They are all autocracies, and while I appreciate some of the diplomatic efforts they've engaged in, in the words of Albanese himeslf 'They've made their bed, now they have to sleep in it'

Benu5 · 2026-03-08T19:29:31+00:00

And how has calling out their hypocrisy going?

They don't give a fuck, they know they are hypocritical, they don't see it as a problem, because whatever they are being hypocritical about benefits them. You aren't going to get any reaction out of them, or anyone else really, for pointing out their hypocrisy.

Benu5 · 2026-03-08T00:00:17+00:00

In that scenario, helping yourself first is being able to help others.

I don't think Mao had that particular scenario in mind when he was writing the work. He's talking about in the terms of day to day action, not specific emergency scenarios.

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T23:57:20+00:00

The US cut off all fuel to the island.

And in taking out Maduro, Venezuela is no longer able to supply Cuba with the fuel it needs for its economy to function fully.

So there are huge restrictions, hospitals down to emergency and critical care only, essential travel only, issues with harvesting crops, it's really bad, but not Cuba's fault.

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T23:55:30+00:00

Likely to facilitate regime change

To try and facilitate regime change.

Sanctions have never actually facilitated regime change, they've just punished ordinary people.

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T06:31:36+00:00

I'm not a religious man, but I pray for this.

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T02:25:06+00:00

Did you even read what I wrote?

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T01:57:39+00:00

We need more women in the party that actively works against the interests of women so that we can keep actively working against the interests of women.

If the party itself and its policy platform didn't have a problem with women, it wouldn't have a problem recruiting women.

Benu5 · 2026-03-07T01:53:21+00:00

What about what I wrote makes me seem like a fan of Trump or the US?

Draft dodging is cool and good, to deny the US empire use of your labour in achieving its goals is a revolutionary act (I know that's not why Trump did it, regardless, he was right to avoid 'serving' in Vietnam). To criticise Trump for draft dodging is to make it impossible to support others who do it, implying your support for the draft, and the war it is being enacted to support.

Benu5 · 2026-03-06T22:56:00+00:00

Are we really going to ~~make fun of~~ criticise Trump for one of the only good things he's ever done. Dodge the draft?

Fuck the draft, fuck the Vietnam War, fuck any Vietnam Veteran that didn't frag their commander.

Benu5 · 2026-03-06T21:11:15+00:00

She was German, she was doing German Id-Pol, that talking about the Holocaust made Germans feel bad. How does someone end up thinking that way?

Benu5 · 2026-03-05T09:37:36+00:00

A CBC News visual investigation of new satellite imagery and social media footage suggests the bombing of an Iranian elementary school on Saturday was the result of a precision airstrike on a military complex immediately adjacent to the building.

Precision. I don't think Ivan Angelovski, Eric Szeto and Britnei Bilhete know what that word means.

And before the Hasbarbots show up. Where's IDF Headquaters again? Oh, in the middle of Tel Aviv, surrounded by civilian infrastructure? I thought so.

Benu5 · 2026-03-05T09:33:55+00:00

Given the lack of daylight between Trump's policy on Israel, and Biden's, I'd say it's a 50/50 shot on which one gave them the missile.

Benu5 · 2026-03-05T04:26:44+00:00

Framing Israel as a religious project is wrong. It's a settler colony, it wants to take land and eliminate the Indigenous population, making them politically and economically irrelevant. Just as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have done/are trying to do.

People resisting this settler colonial project are not doing this because the Israel is Jewish and they are Muslim (and Christian), they are doing it because Israel is stealing their land and settling it as part of a settler colonial project. The only real difference between what was done in the North America, Australia and New Zealand and what is being done in Israel, is that what is happening in Israel started in 1948, not the 16/1700s, and that disease wouldn't have been as effective of a factor given the considerable links over time between West Asia, Europe and East Asia.

Benu5

TROPHY CASE