Back

@lynnskyi Pretty sure the people thriving on inhumane conduct are the ones parading coffins with babies in them to cheerful music and a cheering crowd and not the people trying to ensure their citizens aren't abducted again by the terrorists you love so much.

@acarson I don't love terrorists. But I don't see why all of the people of Gaza have to suffer. Not all of those people are terrorists And I don't approve of Trump's idea to turn Gaza into a playground for the wealthy and displacing hundreds of thousands of people either.

@lynnskyi The Gazans who chose to keep captives in their homes are terrorists. The Gazans who chose to participate in Hamas's spectacles during this ceasefire are terrorists. The Gazans who have had information on the whereabouts of captives and have chosen to not share that information are terrorists. It should go without saying that anyone who participated in October 7 itself is a terrorist. And I haven't even gotten started on the explosion of antisemitism in this country. You could have unequivocally condemned any of this at any point during the last 17 months, and demanded that Hamas lay down its arms and return all captives with no conditions, and you have not done so. Yet you continuously take cheap shots at Israel every chance you get. Sounds like love of terrorists to me.

@acarson you're right that I have not posted nearly enough about the horror over what was done to Israel as I have about the human cost of living conditions in Gaza. What has happened, so many times over, to the Israeli people, is horrific, and Israel has every right to protect its borders and go after terrorists. And of course it isn't right or just that terrorist hide behind others. I just feel the collateral damage and destruction has gotten out of hand. Perhaps there's no way to avoid all of it. I certainly don't have all of the answers.

@lynnskyi And those are just the immediate issues. You've just spent the last 17 months getting higher and higher on your own moral supply, and you don't give a damn which people with skin in the game you torment on the way. And I've finally had enough. And it's people like you who are fuelling the rampant antisemitism in this country that people like me then have to deal with. And I have to be honest, I didn't think anyone would top the antisemitism from some Trump supports in north Georgia during 2015-2017, but then the left went "hold our latte" after October 7 and it's been ten times worse.

@acarson Amanda! I do not even know what to say to you other than what I know. What I know is I do not love terrorists. I do not support Donald Trump or many of his policies. I think the Israeli people have lived under the shadow of war for generations, as has the Middle East. I think what happened with the terrorist killings and hostage taking is absolutely horrible, and Israel is absolutely right to go after those behind it, and all known terrorists. I am not antisemitic or racist. But no matter what I say, I don't know that you believe me. I also don't know how to fix the issue of terrorism anywhere. i've long thought that a two-state solution might be a good option, but I'm not an expert on the middle east. I'm just someone who tries to support what is good, deplore what isn't, and do the little bit I can to be a voice for good where I can. When I read about a whole generation of people being killed, children without parents or food or a way to live, through no fault of their own, I feel bad. We're all created by God. I don't have the skills or the knowledge to solve these problems.

I also understand why you're angry with me and that by my being upset about Palestinian women and children starving or killed pushes your buttons, and I'm sorry for that.. That's really all I can say.

@lynnskyi If the rest of the world doesn't want Israel to do that then it has to step up instead of shrieking and blocking the temporary relocation of civilians at the beginning of the war like it did, and it can't continue disallowing voluntary emmigration by Gazans who want to leave, and it can't continue keeping them in refugee limbo in permanent camps across the Middle East while other countries treat them like shit.

@acarson Yes,I agreewith you on that. Migrants, generally, are treated badly much of the time.

@lynnskyi No I don't mean migrants. I mean Palestinians who, for example, have citizenship in Jordan, but are still discriminated against at every turn. Or Palestinians who have lived in Lebanon for decades but who can't get citizenship or work in certain careers because the Lebanese government likes using them as pawns. And don't even get me starte on Syria, under either the old or new regime.

@acarson i see. Seems like most everyone, in one way or another, faces discrimination, and that's not limited to the Middle East. I just read the UK is proposing cuts to disability benefits, and we know the US likely will be doing the same to Social Security soon. So the world, generally is fine with discrimination in fact.

@lynnskyi Yep. Especially the people who scream the loudest about how they're eliminating it. As people with disabilities, we are so screwed.

@acarson Yes. And there are also people, like me, that have paid into SS their entire working lives, and we now have to wonder if those retirement benefits will even exist in future.

@lynnskyi Yeah same.

@acarson Amanda! I'm glad you're still talking with me. I did not mean to be insensitive, though I realize I was, and I'm sorry for that. We agree on much more than we disagree.

@lynnskyi Yes we do. We should do virtual coffee sometime.

@acarson Sounds good. I just can't do voice chats anymore because of my hearing.

@lynnskyi I totally understand.

@acarson

@lynnskyi Do you use a braille display as part of your communication strategy, or wing it in other ways? I used to do tech support via TTY as part of my job for Freedom Scientific back in the day, so I'm curious.

@lynnskyi Totally get you on group stuff.

@acarson Yeah! That's been the biggest adjustment for me. When I try group things, within about five minutes, I have a monster migraine. I think that's because I'm concentrating so hard to pick out what people are saying. I did this for years. Finally decided I wasn't doing it anymore, and I needed to step up and say what I need instead of just adapting all the time. It's amazing what people will do if you explain what you need and why. My condo assoc. folks are all texting me now to let me know things or to get my input or ideas. No one seems to mind, and my stress level went way down, as a result.

@lynnskyi That's so awesome.

@acarson Is is! Life has to be a balance, and I'm learning that asking for help, when I need it, is not a crime. I've always told other people this, but rarely applied it to myself.

@gtbray @acarson Thanks for that, Terry. I really should do more, for instance learn tactile ASL. I'm not sure there's anyone here who would or could teach me, and I'm not super coordinated, so I'm scared to try and learn. But I do try to make the best of it all. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about what I don't have anymore and try to enjoy what I do have, and that's a lot.