Aspiring 1%er, bucket hat maxi
Los Angeles, CA
Joined August 2008
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Daniel Packer retweeted
I just can’t understand why more Democrats aren’t freaking out about the fact these DSA nut jobs and literal Islamists have taken over our party.
How are you supposed to beat the Republicans when our own party’s agenda is our literal suicide?
I loathe maga. I loathe Donald Trump. I find the religious right disgusting from constitutional point of view.
But I’m being put into a position of having to choose between two fascist political projects and I just refuse to excuse the horror of what the DSA would actually do if it were to gain political power.
Daniel Packer retweeted
Usually it’s called soccer
But tomorrow night in Seattle, for one day only against Belgium
It’s called Monday Night Football.
Daniel Packer retweeted
Graham Planter doesn’t have a Nazi tattoo.
He has a Nazi SS tattoo. The ones they wore in the death camps. So it’s not just about Nazi ideology, it’s the tattoo the people planning and executing the Holocaust had.
If I had somehow “accidentally” gotten a tattoo like that I would immediately drop what I was doing and get it lasered off my body in extreme shame.
Platner described it to others proudly as his “Nazi-style” tattoo, according to CNN.
Go look at my tweets when Nazis marched on Charlottesville. I criticized Trump relentlessly for his weak response and “both sides” nonsense.
That was a refusal to condemn. What Democrats are doing is worse. We’re embracing this person as our standard bearer for the Senate.
Daniel Packer retweeted
Danser sur I will survive, en pleine guerre, dans un abri à Tel Aviv, célébrer la joie, la vie, et la victoire éternelle du peuple juif sur ceux qui veulent l'éliminer à chaque génération
Ne serais-ce pas notre ADN finalement ?
עם ישראל חי!
Video leah.marciano sur instagram
Daniel Packer retweeted
Let me tell you a bit about modern Zionism so you don’t continue to make a fool out of yourself. People talk about it without knowing where it even came from.
Let's of course start with Herzl. This man was not a religious Jew dreaming of a homeland for his "tribe". He was actually the opposite. He was completely assimilated. He dressed like a European intellectual, wrote like a European intellectual, lived like a European intellectual. He honestly believed that Judaism would eventually blend into “being French” or “being Austrian” and that this was a good thing. He pushed for Jews to blend in as much as possible. That was his whole worldview.
He believed that Europe was the future of the Jewish people. He trusted Western values, Western society, Western culture. He was proud of it. He thought that if Jews just acted “European enough,” the hatred would go away.
Then he found himself in the middle of the Dreyfus Affair in France. And he watched as thousands of so-called enlightened French citizens scream against Jews because one Jewish officer was falsely accused. Not “down with the criminal.” Down with the Jews. Straight to the oldest hatred in history.
This was France, the country that bragged more than any place on earth about being modern and open minded. Yet the moment things got heated, all the fancy talk completely collapsed and the crowd went back to what Europe always knew how to do. Blame the Jews.
That broke Herzl. Because if even he, a completely assimilated Jew, someone who barely thought of himself as part of a separate people, could stand in a European crowd and hear that, then the whole idea of assimilation protecting Jews was finished. He understood that no matter how “European” a Jew becomes, the crowd will always remind you that you are a Jew when it suits them.
That is the moment modern Zionism was born. Not from religion. Not from nationalism. And not from tribalism. From a fully assimilated European realizing that Jewish safety cannot depend on other nations liking us.
And this is why the argument “I don’t like some Israeli politicians” means nothing. A bad president in America does not mean America is a bad idea. It means people are flawed. Same in Israel. Leaders come and go. Zionism is not about who sits in office this year. It is about the basic right of Jewish people not to live at the mercy of whatever mood the crowd is in.
Which brings me to the video. Calling Zionism “an attack on Western civilization” is completely backwards. Zionism exists because Western civilization, even at its most cultured and educated, could not protect the Jews. Herzl saw that with his own eyes. That is the real story.
If someone wants to lecture about Zionism, at least know the basics before talking.
Tucker Carlson says Zionism is an attack on Western civilization and compares Netanyahu to the Nazis.
Follow: @AFpost
Daniel Packer retweeted
Disappointed. We desperately need to rebuild the Democratic Party.
Influential House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally endorses Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor after lengthy wait trib.al/Hblqb0j
Daniel Packer retweeted
Two years and six days after that horrible Saturday morning, all the living Israeli hostages are home. Our opening minutes tonight, on the @N12News evening news:
Daniel Packer retweeted
I’ll continue to say this for a thousand times - it’s because of Trump that we have a hostage deal.
If it was up to Bibi this deal wouldn’t have happened and the war would have continued.
Remember this today while Bibi is trying to take a victory lap with Trump
Daniel Packer retweeted
We have two extremist projects in America, on opposite sides, both convinced burning America to the ground through violence and accelerationism will lead to utopia.
And both political parties must renounce this. Stop being so angry at the other side we minimize the lunatics in our own parties.
We are all Americans. We will lose our country if we don’t stand against extremism. I have a role to play and so do you.
Daniel Packer retweeted
The fringe left freak show is killing the Democratic Party.
You cannot care about our party and want us to be viable and ignore the cancer that is making us repulsive to America.
No one will trust a party with power that gives lunatics that hate our country an equal seat.
Daniel Packer retweeted
If you want to understand journalism in Gaza, this tells the story.
There has been an agreement for years that any journalist who operates in Gaza must only report on things consistent with Hamas’ preferred messaging. It’s why reporting from there mostly ignores actions of the terrorist group. It’s why you rarely see reports about their use of civilian infrastructure, their killing of critics, and their theft of aid. This was true even before the current war and includes those who are paid by major news orgs. The brave Palestinian journalists who don’t behave as proxies for the group have been regularly beaten and killed.
The latest example is Omar Abd Rabou. He was critical of Hamas, which led to several assaults and attacks on him and death threats. Eventually he was forced to simply stop posting anything that was contrary to the Hamas narrative. Now, to try to keep them from killing him, he has been forced to issue a public apology to them and agree to stop posting anything they don’t like .
It is important to keep that in mind whenever you see reporting from there. Several of the bigger names are straight up affiliates who work with Hamas to frame messaging.
Daniel Packer retweeted
What is it called when two Jewish pitchers pick up holds and a third comes along for the save?
Eric Reyzelman, Scott Effross, and Harrison Cohen present: The Mezuman!
Daniel Packer retweeted
Israel took out most of the Islamic Republic’s senior military leadership.
The Islamic Republic killed 11 random civilians, including an Arab Christian family in northern Israel.
Daniel Packer retweeted
1. The Israel-Iran war: The first day.
We are now about 15 hours after Israel launched what it labels a *preventive strike* against the Islamic Republic of Iran - targeting its nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites.
Here’s a short recap of what’s happened - and what it means.
First, this is not an *operation*. It’s not a *strike*. Israel is now **at war** with Iran. And Israel’s defense establishment understands that well.
I spoke a short while ago with a senior Israeli security official. His most important message was directed at the Israeli public:
"Prepare for Iran’s response, don't underestimate what they can do. It will be substantial and lethal".
Daniel Packer retweeted
Anyone surprised by this hasn’t been paying attention.
Free Palestine has been threatening to murder Zionists entirely openly on social media since October 7th.
This is what they are. A domestic terror group operating on behalf of a hostile foreign power.
The Republicans should not be the only party interested in keeping Americans safe.
Daniel Packer retweeted
They don’t care. None of the marches are actually about Gaza. None of the vandalism is about Gaza. None of the assaults are about Gaza. And these murders aren’t actually about Gaza.
It’s just the pretext.
Daniel Packer retweeted
Follow along with me:
UN implements an aid system where most of the aid is clearly taken by Hamas, then resold for a profit to fund war activities.
UN is offered security to protect the aid under that system, they reject it citing some obscure principle of neutrality.
Israel implements a blockade which cuts of Hamas' war funding. Then Israel/US propose a new system that would include distribution and security from a third-party. UN claims the aid is desperately needed but rejects participating in such a system, only agreeing to use the old system where Hamas controlled most of the aid.
I don't see how you can draw any conclusion other than that the UN has been consistently prioritizing Hamas' ability to use the aid to advance their war effort over getting Palestinian civilians the aid they need.
Daniel Packer retweeted
Tonight, I am conflicted.
Overnight, Israel launched Operation Gideon's Chariots. It marks the latest, bloody phase of the war Hamas launched on October 7, 2023 with a barbaric massacre of Israeli civilians, an attack that triggered a regional war against the Jewish state on seven fronts.
The Israeli operation is intended to end the war with the defeat of the terrorist army that started the war. It has two goals: to pressure Hamas to free the hostages, and then to crush this enemy regime and its military.
I want this war to end, and so I want this operation to succeed. But tonight, I am conflicted. And before I explain why I'm conflicted, I'll explain why I'm sharing.
When Hamas declared war, I was not a spokesman for the Israeli Government. On the contrary. I was one of the many Israelis protesting against the Netanyahu government (the photo evidence would be my undoing). But then everything changed, we united as a country, and I put politics aside. The country needed cannon fodder in hostile interviews and I jumped on the grenade. Eventually Mrs. Netanyahu clocked that I was in the anti-government protests before the war and I was forced out. But that's another story.
I mention this to explain that not only do I not represent the government, I also owe nothing to this government (I have never even met Netanyahu, if you can believe it). I see my role now — as a private citizen — as not to defend the government's decisions, but to explain the impossible and agonizing dilemmas facing Israel. I don't care if you agree with this or that decision. I care that you understand the impossible situation we're in.
Right now, there are up to 23 living hostages rotting in the dungeons of Gaza, where they are being starved, tortured, and even sexually abused. There are also 35 bodies of hostages Hamas has already murdered, using as chips to torture their families. We need to get them all out. They could have been any one of us. It could have been me, or my friends. Families ripped out of their beds. Youngsters kidnapped from a music festival. Young conscript soldiers, seized from defensive posts.
Hamas is demanding a ransom for their release.
It is demanding the release of thousands of convicted terrorists and an end of the war, with international guarantees that it can remain in power. There is a horrific debate in Israel about whether we can afford this ransom. The Netanyahu government has decided we cannot. Many Israelis think we should pay it anyway, to save them. It is insane that we're having a debate about the price of our fellow citizens' lives, but Hamas is demanding a price, so we're forced to decide what it is.
Most of the hostages' families want the government to pay the ransom. It is a core, unshakable part of the Israeli ethos that we do not leave anyone behind. You don't abandon a wounded soldier in the field. And definitely not a civilian snatched from his bed. As they're saying in the rally tonight in Tel Aviv, "nothing else matters right now". Save them now, worry about the costs later. If someone in my family were abducted, I would demand the same. Nothing else matters. And if I were in power, I would probably pay the ransom (I would also order a state commission of inquiry, but that is another matter). We have been checkmated. We will never forgive ourselves if we fail to bring our fellow citizens. It will break our social contract. Hamas knows that, of course, and that's why it exploits our greatest strength, our sense of solidarity, as our Achilles' heel.
This ransom comes at a cost, and this point is worth hammering. The terrorists we release from jail WILL take hostages in future, because we are showing it works. There is a reason most countries don't pay ransoms to terrorist hostage-takers. We got soldier Gilad Shalit back for 1,000 terrorists in 2011; one of them was Yahya Sinwar. Hamas is demanding the hostage-takers of tomorrow for the hostages of today. And ending the war with Hamas in power means Hamas will remain in power and will rearm. Anyone telling you that ending the war with Hamas in power means it won't remain in power is not being entirely honest with you. Hamas is not going to disarm itself or resign voluntarily. Saudi Arabia isn't going to coax it to quit. And nobody is going to condition reconstruction aid on Hamas laying down its arms. In any case, Phase III of the original ransom deal would allow Hamas to hold onto the bodies of dead hostages anyway during reconstruction, guaranteeing that rebuilding will take place on its terms.
Leaving Hamas standing means it will rebuild its tunnels and its missile silos. And it will attack when it's ready. Because Hamas is a jihadi army whose stated purpose for existence is to wage war until Israel is destroyed. There's no such thing as a "permanent ceasefire". If this is not the last Gaza war, there will be a next Gaza war, and it will be worse. Why? Because Hamas will conclude the world will keep saving it from the wars it starts. Because its human shield strategy will be vindicated. Because it will take hostages again, knowing this is our Achilles' heel. And we want this to be the last Gaza war, because we're sick of war and want no more fighting. It's just not true, as some have written, that "total victory" is some far-right fantasy. The policy of containment that Netanyahu led before the war failed. We're not going back to it. We cannot live with this terror state on our borders, or the next war is a matter of time. Enough war.
The Netanyahu government has decided that we cannot pay this ransom, and so Operation Gideon's Chariot is intended to get us better terms. Military pressure is the only leverage we have over Hamas, besides controlling the entry of supplies into Gaza, which is its main pipeline. Other countries have leverage over Hamas — via its patrons, Qatar, Turkey, and Iran — but they're not using it. Because they're craven and venal, and money speaks loudest. We'll deal with that later. The operation is also intended to end the game of "cat and mouse" that has seen Israeli soldiers recapturing areas we have already withdrawn from: push Hamas out once, and then keep it out until it is crushed like ISIS was crushed.
So why am I conflicted? Because I think everyone's right. I think the minority of hostage families supporting military pressure are right that this is the only leverage we have to get our hostages back (other than paying the ransom that leaves it in power). And I think the majority of hostage families who say that a military campaign endangers the hostages are also right. Hamas could conclude the hostages are worthless and execute them, like it has executed so many before. It's possible that the only leverage we have to get the hostages out is also extremely risky for them. I think the people who say that bringing the hostages back is the #1 priority are right, and I think those who say that leaving Hamas in power as the price for getting them back guarantees future war are also right. We have no good choices. We can't afford to pay this ransom, and we also can't afford not to.
As an Israeli, I fear a future in which those hostages are abandoned to die in Gaza. I also fear a future in which Hamas regroups to plot the next October 7 Massacre.
I want to be proven wrong. If I have analyzed the dilemmas wrong, please tell me. If there's another way out, tell me. The cognitive dissonance is killing me.
Tell me I'm wrong. I want to be wrong.
Early in the war, when I was still in character as a government spokesman, I was asked about my personal opinion. I said with a wry smile that I'm glad I don't have to make these decisions, only explain them. Now that the war has become increasingly contentious at home, I'm glad that I don't even have to explain them. I only have to explain the impossible trade-offs behind them.
One day, we will heal.
One day, we will rebuild.
One day, we will dance again. Walk down the Tel Aviv Promenade on a Saturday night, and you'll see that despite the constant threat of ballistic missile attacks, we're still loving life and have found a weird way to sustain a facade of normalcy in this upside down world.
War is hell. We didn't want this war. We didn't start this war. We didn't even expect this war. But by God, we have to win this war. Or there will be a next, worse war, which we don't want. And that means all the goals of the war. Defeating Hamas and bringing back the hostages.
I pray that our soldiers and hostages return safely, and that innocent people caught in the crossfire escape it.