Putin really shat the bed with the special military operation, didn’t he. By expending so many people and resources in Ukraine, he lost the ability to plausibly support his allies in the Middle East against attacks from Israel and the US. Had he not entered Ukraine, I don’t think Israel would have struck Iran like they did.

Canuck will always and forever be in our hearts, the awesome birb.

Don’t they have enough right wing influencers doing the job?

Yeah, I don’t know why people think Israel would tolerate a democratic country that threatens their military dominance. An unsanctioned, democratic Iran with 90M people would undoubtedly develop more weapons and be able to sustain a much more significant armed conflict than the Islamic Republic. Such a country becoming a serious threat to Israel would be only a matter of electing the “wrong” government. Why wouldn’t they preemptively hit just like they did now?

The market seems to be betting that it’s not happening.

Is that on the cards? I guess they could load whatever material they have onto missiles and shoot. Even if they’re intercepted, the fallout would still occur. But I thought their nuclear option is actually destroying Saudi oil facilities. That would plunge the world into another inflationary cycle and accompanying economic instability, likely political instability too. Wouldn’t get rid of the Israeli threat though. I guess irradiating Israel would achieve that.

I understand completely what you’re saying and I have considered it. I just don’t believe we’ll ever get to the point where a fully automated system produces all necessary goods for high standard of living without human labour required. Worse, even if we get to the point where significantly less labour is required, history informs us that the unemployed would very likely revolt and take power through violence. Especially because we won’t be able to go from the status quo to a state where we neutralize revolting people automatically in a short enough time frame for people to be caught by surprise and unable to revolt. Not to mention that a part of such a revolt would likely include the stoppage of work by people who work on, maintain and operate the automation. I think the most likely scenario as we go down this path would be the formation of militant labour unions that take power back from the rich and steer automation into producing for the majority. Whether we go away from capitalism through this change or reshape it, I don’t have a guess.

Yeah. If they didn’t manage to really destroy the material base of the program, Iran wil get nukes and the world’s opinion could also shift in Iran’s favour. Especially if they now act with restraint and hit all the legal avenues to say how they got harmed without justification.

The rich are only rich because the money they possess can be exchanged directly or indirectly for people’s labour. Without it, the money is valueless and the rich cease to be. It’s also one reason why labour strikes are so effective and the rich have had to create militias to prevent them.

Reserve army of labour

Troubles in the region began a month ago, when the local banana workers union joined a nationwide protest against proposed pension cuts and declared a strike.

In Bocas del Toro, the unrest has been largely led by workers at a Chiquita Brands banana plantation.

Banana workers get pensions these days? Wow Chiquita has really let itself go hasn’t it.

It begs questions that have only bad answers.

Yeah. Will march for the first time this year. Gotta show visible support.

Plot twist: board replaces the whole exec layer with CEO AI, keeps the difference, gives nothing to the employees, line goes up, employees now threatened both at the top and the bottom of the ladder, work-work!

Anyone seen these ads? Have they managed to not peddle islamophobia?

I guess ham radio, Meshtastic, neighbours. In all likelihood, when it happens to us, unless we’re participating in some resistance already, we’ll just be getting the announcement of the result and then figure out how to react to it.

I have a feeling that the internet and other comms would be shutdown or heavily censored in any country undergoing a coup attempt. Most countries have emergency powers for stuff like this and coups aren’t reserved just for autocratic regime’s like Iran’s.

An improvement to C-5?

Been on Freedom since 2010. Fuck ROBeLUS.

Imagine being the ones that didn’t. 😄