Firass Abiad says many of the 550 people killed in Monday’s attacks targeting Hezbollah were civilians.

Lebanon’s health minister has said what is happening in his country is “carnage”, as hospitals struggle to cope with the number of casualties from two days of widespread Israeli air strikes targeting the armed group Hezbollah.

Dr Firass Abiad told the BBC it was “clear” that many of the 550 people killed in Monday’s attacks were civilians, including children and women.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    Complete backwards logic in an electoral democacry. You must vote. If you only show up to vote for president and you aren’t fist fucking your local elections like its going out of style (by your comment it seems to be) then you aren’t participating in your own governance and allowing others to decide for you. Not voting is how we got here, because that allows unpopular people and ideas the privilege of no competition. Not voting is how you get your rights taken away.

    • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.mlEnglish
      39·
      2 months ago

      Address each point?

      1. You MUST NOT vote. If you don’t like the choice then you have freedom to abstain

      2. You can vote in local elections and abstain from races in which you don’t like the choices. I firmly believe we need “none of the above” on all ballot races

      3. Participation in government is not only limited to voting. See my Point 1 in the previous comment. If anything, insistence on voting as the be-all-end-all allows people to ignore the actual hard work of democratic responsibilities

      4. “unpopular ideas get no competition” is logically false. If both choices are unpopular or unsatisfactory, the ideas are competing against the threat of losing the race due to apathetic voters

      5. What rights have ever been gained by voting? In the US, pretty much every positive social and legislative change came via collective direct organization and action and/or threat of violence (if not actual violence).

      Your talking points are tired, illogical, and smack of received wisdom rather than coming from a deliberately thought-out set of ideas and understanding of the world.

      I ask you this: How do you know I will vote how you want me to vote?

      • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 months ago

        I dont. But you should partake in your government. I’m not answering all your points. Go ahead and dont vote. But dont go around convincing people that the only way to win is not to play. Thats exactly how you surrender in this sort of system. You can propose shit and get it ratified as well, but abstaining from voting in elections outside of party primaries as a protest means nothing when most of the country doesnt do it anyway.

        • AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.mlEnglish
          27·
          2 months ago

          Actually, voting for the “lesser evil” is how we got into those mess and how it will continue

          We need serious and deep election reforms in our country. These parties are trash. “Less evil” is still evil. You’ll look the other way for the next four years while Gazans continue to die from American bullets

          Don’t vote! It feels great!

          • Sanctus@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            2 months ago

            Wild assumptions honestly. Enjoy other people controlling how.you live your life I guess.

          • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            11·
            2 months ago

            It’s absolutely disgusting how you keep using dead Palestinian children as political pawns for your shitty argument.

            You should be ashamed of yourself.