Ser Scot A Ellison

And that weakens Putin if those are the only places he can travel. And as @Werthead pointed out your statement is not accurate.

Hamas doesn’t want peace. They want to destroy Israel. Every time they attack Israel goes so far over the top it hurts Israel. Why wouldn’t Hamas do this. It will prevent Bibi from stopping… which helps Hamas.

This.

By limiting the movement of leaders who violate these laws. For example Putin is essentially limited to Russia. He cannot travel to a nation participating in the ICC without risking arrest. That will cost him as time passes as well as making him look weak.

It’s realpolitik. And the US hypocrisy in lobbying for the creation of the ICC then refusing to ratify the treaty giving the ICC jurisdiction over US actions is obvious for all to see. If we want to make some actions “illegal” in war then we need to create consistent consequences for those actions when they are taken regardless of who is taking the action. If the US wants to move beyond 19th century Great Power politics we need to endorse international mechanisms to punish those who engage in 19th century “politics by other means” consistently and not offer cover to allies merely because they are allies. Long term change will come only when we get out of the way of long term change coming.

Yes. The US should have backed and supported Ukraine to the hilt from the beginning. The dribs and drabs designed to keep the Russians from going nuclear have killed more people… both Ukrainian and Russian. I will say this about Gaza. The Israelis don’t need American arms to do what they are doing and I think the Israelis are going we too far in their attacks and the number of Palestinian deaths, the deliberate use of hunger and illness as a weapon are way beyond the pale. However, Hamas’ deliberate targeting of civilians in the initial attack (two hundred murdered at a concert) is absolutely unacceptable too. People claiming things like “there are no civilian Israelis” are absolutely wrong. Holding Israel to one standard while making excuses for Hamas murders, rapes, and kidnapping is unacceptable. If these tactics are unacceptable they are unacceptable for all belligerents.

You are correct… because your orginal statement seemed to apply to Ukraine as well. Are you saying your original statement doesn’t apply to Ukraine and that the US bears no responsibility for Russian aggression? In my earnest opinion the Russian claims of provocation are absolute bunk. They always have been and are based in a Russian Revaunchist Imperialism that some… Irish MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace for example… refuse to acknowledge and actively seek to offer apologia for.

The US has “butted in” many times all over the world. This is not news. I’m asking specifically about Ukraine. Or… is Ukraine the exception to the rule you are stating?

Then… elaborate. I know it isn’t binary. Unpack your statement and explain how you believe the US bears some degree of responsibility.

So… the US and Ukraine bear no responsibility at all for Russian aggression? Correct?

So… you also buy the Kremlin’s line that the US somehow provoked them into invading Ukraine?

So… you buy the line that the US provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

I like Carrie Ann Moss… otherwise… meh. When is season 2 of Andor?

I really enjoyed Discovery Season 4… I’m enjoying… Season 5. Commander Raynor is a fun addition and he points out the… over familiarity… of Discovery’s crew can be problematic.

Ah… I hadn’t noticed that.

What?

I have to disagree… but… I’ve been in “nerd circles” for a very long time.

You didn’t. And I hear you. It has been a week for me too. I sincerely hope yours improves. I enjoyed the last three seasons of Discovery more than I enjoyed the first two. I still really enjoy Lower Decks and SNW.

I’m saying what Starfleet always says. And the best Trek episodes are, in my opinion, those in which the actors are allowed to emote. Finally, you are exaggerating “constant crying” on Discovery.

I didn’t say that. But the completely non-emotional response rings false to me. And Starfleet, as we are constantly reminded, isn’t “the military”.

More than a thousand dead… and the response is “terribly sad… please pass the butter.” makes sense to you? I have to disagree.

Saw the thread saw me quoted. Responded. Nothing more than that.

Ninefingers quoted me… I responded with my opinion. I have found the Sanderson I have read to be incredibly bland and as such his plethora of bland writing… does not appeal to me.

If you haven’t watched the last few seasons of Discovery… you should.

Which… as much as I love Tolkien and the world he created… makes the ban seem arbitrary and poorly conceived. I just re-read The Silmarillion. For a Roman Catholic Tolkien writes his world with an almost Calvinist fatalism. Characters are controlled by their past choices. They cannot trun aside they will always stay on the terrible path regardless of the fact that they see horrible things from forty miles away… they just keep on heading for disaster.