What parties in which countries would you consider true leftist?

Mountain streams flowing,
Vaush’s heart beats as horse race,
Cock cries in delight.

Horse rider gallops by,
Strong tail stirring autumn leaves,
Erection takes hold.

Sunset paints the sky,
Bronze stallion calls Vaush’s name,
Aroused, he mounts.

Clearly, my dear learned friend, you are an undeniable polymath - for not only do you possess the knowledge of a single day’s duration, but also the power to discern its nuanced usage in everyday speech. Your intellect soars beyond the stratosphere where mere mortals can barely comprehend the concept of time. However, your thirst for wisdom should compel you to explore further: once you understand the intricacies of “new day”, you may delve into the complexities of time itself. Did you know a standard clock hour differs from a solar hour? Or how about sidereal time, which deviates even more? You see, only the truest of geniuses understand that what we call a day isn’t fixed or universal; it varies based on one’s perspective. Keep seeking, my wise friend, because there’s always more to discover.

As a proud American wingnut, I vehemently denounce these so-called “benefits” that you claim are merely considered middle-of-the-road in other parts of the world. Let us break it down for the sake of argument.

First off, Universal Health Care is nothing more than a government-controlled monopoly on healthcare services. This is the first step toward socialized medicine, which has proven to be detrimental to the medical industry worldwide. In the name of equality, doctors will no longer strive to excel in their fields, as their paychecks will not reflect their efforts. The result? A decline in quality of care, longer wait times, and diminishing innovation in the field. This is how the slippery slope begins!

Next on your list is ‘helping the poor.’ While this sounds like a noble cause, it must be understood that government intervention is neither necessary nor effective when it comes to uplifting individuals out of poverty. It’s time we stop enabling dependence on handouts. Instead, we should promote personal responsibility and self-reliance—core American values, after all. Only by standing on one’s own two feet can a person truly gain an appreciation for life’s hardships, and ultimately, its rewards.

Moving onto school lunches, let us examine our Founding Fathers’ vision for the country. They cherished individual freedom above all else. By providing free meals to students, we’re essentially stifling entrepreneurship by removing the incentive for young people to start businesses that could potentially provide lunch services to schools. Additionally, such measures only serve to deepen the divide between the haves and have-nots. Why should children who are fortunate enough to receive these free lunches continue working hard if they know they’ll always be provided for?

Last but not least, affordable education is nothing more than a clever Trojan horse for communist brainwashing. When the cost of higher education is reduced, the barriers to entry for subversive ideologies also decrease. We cannot sit idly by while our youth are corrupted with socialist propaganda. In fact, the price tag of college tuition serves as a natural selection process that ensures only those who value their education will pursue it, consequently maintaining the quality of graduates entering the workforce.

In conclusion, I implore you to reconsider your support for these so-called “middle of the road” concepts. These policies may sound pleasant in theory, but make no mistake; they’re merely disguised stepping stones toward a godless society where individuals cease to think or act independently. The American Dream would die a slow and painful death under this system. First, free lunches, next COMMUNISM!

It’s rare (in my experience) to hear anyone critique this state of affairs

Do you know anyone on disability / social security?

If “they” would provide a definition of “true left” then maybe we can discuss it. Otherwise, it’s so impossibly vague, who could possibly answer this question?

Soylent Green. People have no taste these days.

Thanks for some consideration of my post.

…acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such

If you take for granted Nazi Germany is a national group, the aim of WW2 was to totally wipe this group, to the extent that post-war activities in the German theater were even called “denazification” by the Allies. Destruction / fiddling with Germany only abated when Nazism was pushed to the extreme fringes of German society (indeed, some ragged remnants remain even until today). If 100% of Germany supported the Nazi party, they would have been totally liquidated without further consideration or hesitation.

At least part of my current frustration with the term ‘genocide’ being lobbed around is that the horrors in Gaza sadly aren’t novel – they are just the latest of a long string of atrocities. Check out the Armenian genocide, Pol Pot’s activities, etc for some easy parallels. I’d rather see an in-depth discussion of what exactly wrong or immoral the IDF is doing than just the drive-by “genocidal” accusation, which over-abstracts the actually quite abhorrent things happening on the ground and is a thought-terminating cliche.

Correct, which is why the targeted group is Iraqi Ba’athists.

“My opinions are so weak, I can’t tolerate dissent.”

Bingo. More descriptive instead of cheap rage bait.

The OE defines genocide as “the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group”. Christians don’t fall into the bucket of nation OR ethnic group.

I haven’t said otherwise.

I think the scientifically-testable-predictions/“prophecies” in the Christian bible ( some of 'em, anyways ) match the unfolding-facts, too-well.

Can we see some of these? Because that’s a claim that’s surfaced many, many, many times.

With regards to #1, bear in mind that those figures for Iraq are calculated over a period of fourteen years as opposed to just six months in Gaza.

Sure, but if you were to examine the causalities in Iraq, you would find a large number of them clustered towards the far beginning of the war and then a “long tail” of civilian causalities for much, much longer. “It’s a genocide, but far slower” isn’t of much comfort for someone who lost a loved one during the US invasion and occupation.

The equivalent in Irag would have been for US to build a wall around Baghdad and prevented any women and children from leaving while they carried out their bombing campaigns.

While there was no literal “wall around Baghdad”, similar methods were used to restrict movement and curb violence.

One example is the establishment of checkpoints throughout the city. These checkpoints were used not only to monitor the flow of traffic but also to search vehicles and detain individuals suspected of terrorist activities or other crimes. This led to long waiting times and inconvenience for civilians who had to pass through them daily.

In addition, the U.S. military would often conduct cordon-and-search operations in specific areas within Baghdad and other cities. During these operations, roads leading into and out of a particular neighborhood would be closed, essentially confining residents to their homes for extended periods. These operations were aimed at capturing or eliminating insurgents believed to operate within the area, but it often resulted in civilian casualties and disrupted everyday life for those trapped inside.

Also, the steps that Israel have taken to block humanitarian aid from getting to desperate and starving people sets the behavior apart from the US in Iraq.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there was an increase in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance. According to a UN report published in September 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which governed Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, imposed restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, resulting in delays and reductions in supplies.

The CPA implemented strict security measures, including the requirement for prior permission before entering some areas in Iraq, and inspection of goods at checkpoints. While these regulations were intended to prevent weapons and other contraband from reaching militants or terrorists, they also negatively affected the delivery of humanitarian aid.

I believe there must be some kind of genetic component for this to be true. For example, I could have a War on Communism, where I want to destroy all communists. These communists could be any race or nationality, so I would not call this a genocide. I would say that most wars are typically between nation states, and nation states tend to have large groups of citizens with common genetics, so there is often overlap.

Like Israel’s stated goal of keeping security control of Palestinian areas and beginning reconstruction?

Or it was a failed genocide? Are all genocidal attempts successful?

The sheer scale of civilian deaths.

According to reports from the Iraq Body Count project, over 190,000 civilians died as a direct or indirect result of the war. This reflects the disproportionate toll on innocent lives during military operations.

Cutting off water, electricity and aid to civilian areas.

The U.S. occupation forces in Iraq faced criticism for disrupting essential services like water supply and electricity. The New York Times reported that in the first few months after the invasion, “Iraq’s power generation has fallen to less than one fifth of its prewar level.” In addition, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that “the distribution of food rations has been severely restricted due to looting and other security problems.”

Indiscriminate carpet bombing of civilian areas.

In the case of indiscriminate carpet bombing of civilian areas, American forces used massive airpower against Iraq during the initial phase of the invasion. Operation Shock and Awe included thousands of bombs dropped on Baghdad within three weeks, causing widespread devastation, particularly in urban areas.

Wholesale destruction of public infrastructure.

The wholesale destruction of public infrastructure in Iraq is another parallel with the situation in Gaza. Infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and roads suffered extensive damage during the invasion and subsequent years of conflict. For example, according to the New York Times, many Iraqi hospitals had their generators destroyed, resulting in a lack of medical care for thousands of people.

Genocidal and dehumanizing language being used by Israeli government officials specifically towards the civilian population.

During the lead-up to the Iraq War, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld infamously referred to Iraqi civilians as “dead enders” – a dehumanizing term meant to refer to those who opposed the American presence. This echoes the genocidal and dehumanizing language used by Israeli government officials toward the civilian population in Gaza.

No, genocide has a specific meaning – the wholesale destruction of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group. If someone holds up a bank and shoots two people, that’s probably not genocide. If I invade a country and 200,000 civilians from that country die, that probably is genocide.