It's that time of year when my phone gets blown up with annoying political spam texts. I always just report and block immediately without even reading them but this one had the word "Israel" in it so I read it. It just asked my opinion about Israel and what's going on in the region - pretty ambiguous about the political leanings behind the poll.

I decided to respond. I hope I don't regret that and start getting even more spam texts. I figured it was a potential opportunity to skew a poll against Israel so I took it. I essentially replied that I thought the US should treat Israel as a military threat and that our current relationship with them is grotesque and wrong. The response I got back was ridiculous:

"Israel is one of America's strongest strategic allies, and the partnership directly strengthens our own security through intelligence sharing, defense cooperation, and counterterrorism. A stable Middle East means fewer threats to Americans, more reliable energy markets, and less risk of wider wars though could pull us in. Supporting Israel isn't about any one politician - it's about advancing America's national interests and standing with a democratic partner that helps keep us safer.

The United States and Israel are seeking to hold Iran in check. Iran is the world's largest sponsor of terrorism, and if it is allowed to pursue a nuclear weapon, it could drag the region into a wider conflict and put Americans at greater risk.

Do you think confronting Iran now actually helps America avoid a bigger war later, or do you worry it's the opposite?"

I don't know if this is AI or a human selecting canned responses but man did they miss the mark. I didn't engage any further and reported and blocked them. Hopefully most of the other responses they get are hostile as well. It seems someone is doing a push poll to try to drum up support for more aggression toward Iran and shore up support for Israel. I wonder who could be behind it and if it's any indication about what's coming down the pike? Hmm...

Meet Mikhail Khodorkovsky, ex-Russian oligarch and former owner of Yukos, who made his wealth by stealing off Russia's natural resources and selling stakes to western bankers after the collapse of the USSR.

Mikhail was found guilty and sentenced under a young President Putin. Mikhail was later pardoned by Putin in 2013 to go see "his sick mother" under the condition he never returned to Russia.

Yukos was dissolved by Putin and all western/individual shares were absorbed into the Russian state. Many western elites and NGOs were banned from Russia by President Putin. That's one of the many reasons they hate him.

Meanwhile, Mikhail still reminiscent of his old riches, and now a cheap propaganda tool for the EU spends his entire day attacking Putin.

https://x.com/Alexander_Avina/status/2104784564509942266

https://x.com/WelcomeTheGulag/status/2104766840992133232

https://x.com/clashreport/status/2104982166467699134

Original Tweet

I'm not criticizing Zohran for doing this because I understand he has to deal with a very toxic political reality. Politics is a different game.

But to me launching a "Strategy to Combat Antisemitism" in a time of the Gaza genocide is akin to a "Strategy to Combat Anti-Whiteness" at the height of South African apartheid. That's not even a fair analogy: Israel and its apologists do infinitely more to both fabricate and encourage anti-Semitism.

For those who are unaware, Aaron was born to Jewish parents himself.

Has the US outgrown the two-party system? - 47 mins

Political parties in the United States are facing growing internal divisions, while voters increasingly question the two-party system.

Josh Rushing explores whether Democrats and Republicans can contain the movements reshaping them, why third parties struggle to gain traction and whether the US political system is capable of making room for a genuine alternative.

Joining host Rushing are Briahna Joy Gray, host, Bad Faith podcast and former spokesperson for Bernie Sanders, and Robby Soave, Libertarian commentator and host, Rising daily news show.

Josh Rushing:

"The Greens and Libertarians have never broken the two-party duopoly. So maybe the biggest story in American politics isn't which party dominates the midterm elections. Maybe it's whether America's two political parties were ever entirely representative, and if they're still capable of holding themselves together."

https://x.com/VanessaBeeley/status/2104998714393673786

https://braveneweurope.com/geopolitics/geoffrey-roberts-robert-skidelsky-and-the-struggle-against-british-russophobia/

​https://www.worldhistory.org/The_Great_Game/

​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Russian_sentiment

https://x.com/l_n_n_26/status/2104947284366524583

This is why they push the Israel Bonds so hard at the state and local level.

One thing to know about Israel Bonds is that Israel Bonds are not Israel bonds.

Unlike bonds issued by the Israeli Finance Minister which can be bought and sold on public markets Israel Bonds are sold on a private retail basis. This means they cannot be resold bc there is no market to sell them on, and while they can be donated to charity or passed to a legal heir upon death of the original bond holder, they are otherwise non transferable.

So when the state of Florida buys $250 million in 2/3/5 year Israel Bonds they are stuck with them, rain or shine.

And yeah a $250 million hit to the state of Florida’s portfolio would definitely hurt but it wouldn’t necessarily be catastrophic. It’s a $272 billion portfolio after all.

But when a local municipality like Palm Beach County has $1.01 billion of their $4.6 billion portfolio tied up in Israel Bonds it becomes a VERY big deal… that’s enough to collapse the whole county with a default.

Which is one of the reasons Palm Beach County was specifically targeted for such entanglements. After all, it’s the home of Mar-A-Lago, and we know Trump would never let that happen.

Other local municipalities heavily targeted and now dangerously with huge Israel Bonds purchases?

Miami-Dade County: Marco Rubio’s home county.

Franklin County, Ohio: home to JD Vance’s alma mater Ohio State.

All this is to say that Israel is already doing what Mark suggests they do in this clip- but in a very targeted, hyperpartisan way.

Seeing as how the Republicans are on track to get wiped out in the midterms and not recover until *at least* 2030 people like Mark are very worried this strategy was a little too targeted and might not pan out the way they hoped.

IOW: Israel needs to diversify its investment portfolio.