It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer on hold earlier in the month.

The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, three congressional aides said Tuesday.

It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be announced by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. The administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah.

  • @[email protected]English
    3•7 months ago

    Why should we believe that a more equitable voting system would solve this issue? Or any similar issues?

    To be sure, ranked choice voting would result in some improvements to the United States, and should be supported on that basis. But it would do nothing to modify the current structure wherein oligarchs rule the United States with impunity. It’s just that this would empower the neoliberal Democratic oligarchs rather than the fascist Republican oligarchs. Which is harm reduction and is therefore preferable, but is not a meaningful solution - especially to something as entrenched as Zionism

    • @venusaurEnglish
      4•7 months ago

      We would have to dismantle capitalism entirely and a huge cultural shift to fix that. Huge spending caps on campaigns would be a good start.

      RCV allows people to vote for candidates of a third party without wasting a vote like they would now. The problem is that much of society is brainwashed with red vs. blue politics and it would take a long time for everybody to get on the same page about a third party candidate.

      • @[email protected]English
        4•7 months ago

        I agree.

        And, again, RCV and campaign finance reform would certainly be an improvement.

        But the root issue would remain untouched. And eventually, the ruling class would find ways to grossly manipulate that system to their own ends as well - or would gradually chip away at it through the judiciary that they control

        These proposals should be adopted nevertheless. But we should be clear-eyed about what they will and will not accomplish

    • @[email protected]English
      2•7 months ago

      Because the electoral and voting systems in the US are, respectively, intentionally undemocratic and extremely inconsistent depending on the state.

      RCV for national elections would materially address the former, and enforcing RCV as the system to use for all elections at all levels would materially address the latter.

      I am not claiming RCV (or any other similar/related system) would be a panacea, but it would be a damn sight better than the intentionally flawed shitshow we have to use now.