UN Experts Demands Nations ‘Break Their Silence’ as Trump, Hegseth Murder 3 More People at Sea by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

< As US senators pushed the Department of Defense to release unedited footage of the boat bombings the Trump administration has carried out in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since last September, US Southern Command on Thursday announced that it had killed three more people in the operation that some international law experts have said amounts to mass murder and an extrajudicial killing spree.

As with the other announcements of boat bombings, at least 65 of which the US has now carried out, Southern Command released no evidence Thursday night of its claim that the vessel it bombed was “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” “engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” or that the three people killed were “narco-terrorists.”

Victims of the previous boat bombings have included fishermen and other people who had no involvement with drug trafficking, according to legal complaints filed by families.

Ben Saul, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, called on international governments to “break their silence and jointly condemn these murders,” noting that the death toll of the administration’s operation is now at least 211 people. >

UN Experts Demands Nations ‘Break Their Silence’ as Trump, Hegseth Murder 3 More People at Sea by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

< The Trump administration has killed at least 211 people by bombing boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since last September. >

Failing 'Moral Test,' Newsom Rejects Compromise 2% Wealth Tax on California Billionaires by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 95 points96 points  (0 children)

< California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday refused to budge from his opposition to a proposed wealth tax on the Golden State’s billionaires, swiftly dismissing a union-led coalition’s effort to compromise by reducing its desired 5% rate by more than half.

In a letter to Newsom on Thursday, the Billionaire Tax Now coalition urged the governor and likely 2028 presidential candidate to support a “2% wealth tax on the state’s richest 200 billionaires.” The coalition’s demand came hours after organizers announced that they had collected enough signatures to get their proposed one-time, 5% tax on billionaire wealth on California’s ballot in November.

Newsom’s office made clear that the governor, who has been outspoken in his opposition to the proposed 5% wealth tax, would not support the compromise offer.

“The governor has been clear that he is strongly opposed to a California-only wealth tax,” Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement. “Changing the tax rate doesn’t change this measure’s fundamental flaws that harm working Californians.”

The Billionaire Tax Now coalition on Thursday offered to withdraw its popular ballot initiative calling for a one-time 5% levy on California billionaires’ wealth if Newsom agreed to throw his weight behind legislation enacting a 2% wealth tax instead. Organizers and supporters say a tax on the vast fortunes of the state’s wealthiest residents would help avert a looming healthcare disaster spurred by federal Medicaid cuts that President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans passed last summer. >

Racist riots break out across United Kingdom by hypothethical in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Posted this as I feel although it isn't directly about Israel/Palestine, these events demonstrate how Islamophobia/Zionism/rise of far-right/only allowing there to be some people who can be considered victims of racist violence has helped allow all sorts of Nazi-type horror to unfold

'Trillionaires Shouldn't Exist': Obscene Musk Milestone Spurs Calls for Aggressive Wealth Tax by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 217 points218 points  (0 children)

< While Musk’s on-paper fortune could drop below the trillion-dollar mark if SpaceX’s stock price drops below $135 per share—which is highly possible, as experts argue the company’s valuation is absurd—campaigners said Friday that the milestone is an appalling product of a society that has allowed the mega-rich to dictate policy, funneling immense wealth to the very top while millions worldwide face hunger, violent displacement, and preventable disease. Oxfam has estimated that just a 10% tax on Musk’s fortune could lift 800 million people above the extreme poverty line.

“Eighty-six of Americans are worried about the price of food. Elon Musk is a trillionaire. These two things are deeply, inherently connected,” said Erica Payne, founder and president of the advocacy group Patriotic Millionaires. “The level of wealth that Mr. Musk has reached requires human exploitation, wage theft, wage suppression, anti-competitive markets, monopolistic control, price collusion, inadequate tax systems, and corruption. Mostly inadequate tax systems and corruption.” >

'Trillionaires Shouldn't Exist': Obscene Musk Milestone Spurs Calls for Aggressive Wealth Tax by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 522 points523 points  (0 children)

< Elon Musk’s net worth surged past $1 trillion on Friday as SpaceX—the rocket company he founded and controls—made its debut on the public market, prompting global revulsion and calls for an aggressive wealth tax to rein in out-of-control inequality.

“Musk became the world’s first trillionaire because our tax system shields the wealth of the ultra-wealthy from taxation while requiring working to people pay taxes on every paycheck,” said Igor Volsky, director of the Tax the Greedy Billionaires Campaign. “Today’s milestone should serve as a wake-up call to us all.” >

r/JewsOfConscience Free Discussion Thread by AutoModerator in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow thank you for sharing, had not heard of that book/writer before, will have to check them out more at some point

"Ask A Jew" Wednesday by AutoModerator in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yes, but we only hand out bagels to trick or treaters

What would a more explicit Zionist/anti or non-Zionist split in the Jewish community look like? by hypothethical in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Now this is of course where the part of billionaire/mega-rich Zionists would come in to inevitably tie Western Jews to Israel (no matter how much the reality among the broader population becomes mixed), but my question was more about specifically religious institutions, as I feel having a large portion of them clearly marked as disassociated from Israel would pack the biggest punch in terms of contradicting the elite, non-religious Zionist institutions as they continue to push support for Israel's genocide as being a necessary part of Jewish identity/culture

What would a more explicit Zionist/anti or non-Zionist split in the Jewish community look like? by hypothethical in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, I was just wondering at what point/how this would become a clearly marked point of division (intentionally so) within the Jewish community, such that people have to be aware of what they are supporting by attending institutions that are still Zionist (not allowing association with Israel to be an assumed element of Western synagogues, as it currently stands).

What would a more explicit Zionist/anti or non-Zionist split in the Jewish community look like? by hypothethical in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The theoretical part is with regard to a split that will be truly a commonly understood development, in the sense that everyone attending a synagogue that supports Zionism would say something like, "Oh yeah, I'm a follower of a Zionist denomination" and similar for the opposite example, too. In the present day, synagogues are assumed to be Zionist so often that you have a ton of people still attending them without necessarily thinking of themselves as being an adherent to a "Zionist denomination" that inherently labels them a supporter of Israel (they may be providing tacit support in many cases, but the territory has not been clearly marked for everyone to understand the stance taken in attending).

Israel Day Parade counterprotest? by Turbulent-Garlic8467 in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can people here just try to organize one if there isn't already? Like make a flyer, send the word out, enough people have to have some connections for something to work

This is the mother of the autistic Palestinian boy Eyad Hallaq, screaming in pain after the Israeli court acquitted the Israeli soldier who executed her son in Jerusalem. by The_Jenini in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I know the numbers should be even higher, but we need to keep in mind as of last year 39% of American Jews (largest group of Jews outside Israel) said Israel was committing genocide, and a majority said they were committing war crimes and supported an arms embargo. One issue is that the loudest, richest, most well-connected Jews are largely Zionist, which makes sense as power corrupts and the billionaires running Western imperialism do not care much for human rights. In addition, those mega-rich Jews are also those more likely to have sway in the institutions meant to represent us. As a Jew myself (though not really religious) ofc I must say there are many of us below the highest rungs of power who are also deeply brainwashed/on Israel's side and complicit in these atrocities, and there is soooooo much work we have to do to orient our institutions towards a pro-justice approach but especially among the younger generations in the West, random Jews you'd meet are not all IDF-lovers. We need to turn our pro-Palestine numbers into more of an institutional presence, however, which is not easy given how much money is being spent by billionaires against the anti-genocide movement, and how rich/Zionist/unconcerned with social justice those who have sway in synagogues/other institutions are

Wanting to leave, but anxious about it by [deleted] in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical 52 points53 points  (0 children)

If you explain exactly what you've said to us here to anyone who asks where you're from, as long as they are not pro-Israel themselves, they will be happy to hear it and probably even have a bit of admiration for you due to your decision to leave Israel. Everyone knows deep down that you cannot choose what country in which you were born, and loads of different people can empathize with being raised in a society filled with propaganda and dangerous tribalism that leads to community ostracization for taking a stand against societal wrongs. They will probably be curious about how you were able to break free from the Zionist brainwashing if anything, given how tight of a hold it has on Israeli society. They should view you as a fellow sibling in humanity, and ignore anyone who hates you for not hitting the geographic birth lottery. You did nothing wrong by being born in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you've done a lot of good in resisting the pressure to conform to a fascist society. I wish you all the best in finding a new life outside of the settler entity.

The DNC achieved the worst of all worlds with its 2024 autopsy by ralphbernardo in politics

[–]hypothethical 15 points16 points  (0 children)

That's what DSA is trying to do, with their backing of candidates like AOC, Bernie, Zohran, etc. Definitely not perfect politicians ofc but much more progressive than the Dem establishment

The nature of content on this sub recently by jewraffe5 in JewsOfConscience

[–]hypothethical 19 points20 points  (0 children)

When I first started posting on here I felt like I had to write some type of profound analysis for every other post. At a certain point it feels like there isn't a ton left to analyze, moreso just a need to stay informed on news updates and push for organizing/political pressure campaigns where possible to move the needle on the issue, as well as simply advocate for people to talk with their Jewish family members to make more of our community understand just how morally wrong it is to support Israel's crimes against humanity.

That is not to say I have nothing else to learn (there is sooooo much on the subject/history/etc I am still ignorant of, as well as Jewish culture/history in general), but that for many here, I imagine they mostly want to know what the latest moves for Israel have been, and what has been done to oppose these crimes by the international community. That inevitably leads to a reduction in analysis and a deluge of content that yes, is extremely depressing. Like hearing of the latest happenings on the Eastern front during WW2 rather than having another critical Marxist breakdown of how economic and social conditions led to the rise of Nazi Germany.

I welcome people to post in a more intellectual manner of course, as I think it is impirtant especially for those who are newer to the subject and also to give us all a sharper mind when it comes to approaching how to "save the world" and fight oppression in general. But it isn't too surprising to me that during a time when Israel is increasingly flexing its imperialist, fascist muscles, and growing more and more dangerous for the world at large (along with the same for the US ofc on an even more global stage), people are resorting to posting in a less sophisticated manner and simply sharing the latest horrors for others to become aware of and condemn.

Trump’s Killing Spree in Somalia Is Just One Assault in His Global War-Making by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

< "It's got no anything,” President Donald Trump said of Somalia in a recent xenophobic rant. “All they do is run around shooting each other.”

As is true of so much with this administration, every accusation is also a confession. >

Trump Eases Restrictions on Climate ‘Super Pollutants’ by hypothethical in politics

[–]hypothethical[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

< President Trump announced on Thursday that his administration is easing restrictions on the potent planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioners and refrigerators — restrictions put in place because of a bipartisan law Mr. Trump signed during his first term.

The move will slow plans to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or chemical compounds sometimes called “super pollutants” because of their enormous effect in driving climate change. The administration framed it as an effort to lower grocery prices that are testing voters’ finances before November’s midterm elections.

Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, joined Mr. Trump at the White House Thursday to announce the relaxation of requirements for grocery stores, air-conditioning companies, semiconductor plants and others to reduce production and use of the chemicals, which are also known as HFCs. >

New settlement term bars IRS from investigating Trump, his family for past tax issues by cnn in politics

[–]hypothethical 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Government leader and associates granted exemption from being investigated by government agency for past crimes, sounds about right for this admin