StringJunky

General question: When does a comment become anti-semitic and when is it just reasoned criticism? How do you exercise criticism of actions that are ideologically-based without being seen as anti-whatever group?

Slavery was/is not the whole story though. What about all the acts of violent discrimination not covered by that act? Black people were still getting lynched in the 60's. Black people, as a collective, are reaching out and want to be equal in every aspect of society and playing by the same rules. This is in stark contrast to Jewish society which is still insular.... and some Islamic societies.

I read a kind of public letter or lecture by Netanyahu from 2015 that had strong elements then of what has been decided now. Quite honestly, I think that Islamists and Jews have the same attitude and problems. They are both quite alien to Western sensibilities and vice versa and yet we treat Israel as philosophically the same. We treat Israel as though they are on our side but I don't think they are any more so than the Islamic nations. What I'm saying, is that Israel should be treated with the same degree of wariness. We are helping the Israelis, via supplying arms etc, against a nation that is no worse and no better than they are. As has been said, they can't play the victim card forever. They are going to have to be held accountable for their actions by the same rules as everybody else is held.

I think that should happen... and then survey the damage to see what needs fixing.

Perhaps I should have said "..equivalent to 7% oxygen".

These are interesting times wrt watching your country. In sharp relief to the Obama years, we are seeing the expression of a different part of the voting population via this administration. Quite frankly, this side of America is not pretty. I sometimes wonder if the UK would see such a seismic shift if Labour got in now, which is pretty left wing atm.

The enemy within; that's your country's problem at this point.

In a way, oxygen-free climbers are holding their breathe, knowing that they will die if they hang around too long when they shoot for the summit of K2 and Everest into the death zone.

In the 'death zone', above 25000-26000ft where it's 7%, a seasoned mountaineer won't last more than 48 hours there without supplementary oxygen. Basically, you are slowly dying over that period until you do die.

There is an insular protectionism about them that I think will always render them a target until they change. The Japanese are having this discussion now and wondering whether they need to change or they will die off as a nation.

I think they do because their experience in the second world war, given that it happened over a relatively short time, intensifies and focuses the evils of fascist tendencies and the US, GB etc bent over backwards to carve out a piece of Palestine for them. They should be setting an example that is the opposite of what they went thorough in the 30's and war years. I may have misinterpreted what you wrote but I'm open to being corrected.

I think his are actions of someone that doesn't have a clear goal and he's just hoping, when he throws everything up in the air, they will fall in a better position for him.

Donald Trump is becoming like the gun situation: ridiculous. Very shortly, nobody will believe him except his diehards.

It looks bad from the other side of the pond too.

Very much so and i hope America suffers and learns a lesson from all this. The 2019 is going to be a tough year for everybody when all the effects start to show in earnest. I hope Trump gets busted before then.

Mostly, we use computers rather than think about them here. The only time they get mentioned is when they aren't working, hence all the 'repair' posts.

I think early versions of joined words have hyphens and then eventually it disappears.

True.

If you covered up the drivetrain it would keep clean longer.

Don't forget the FBI is a foe too.

'Nothing' is an accounting word; not a thing unto itself.

There's no such thing as completely empty space, so that's moot. Volume is a function of 'things', even if it's just an ensemble of virtual particles. You might as well say 'nothing' exists.

""There is a growing consensus across the land tonight ... that the president threw the United States under the bus," said Fox News White House correspondent John Roberts."

Way to go to publicly dump on your security forces with ones 'arch enemy'. As Alice said: "Curiouser and curiouser".