notes: 2c0d5d14

This was as bad as many other Donald Parkinson tweets for a bunch of reasons (though I can cut him some slack given it was made two days before Russia actually invaded). In the following I use the term "Ukraine" as shorthand for which side in the war I'm talking about. I do NOT use it to imply the Ukrainian STATE is good, or has a right to exist, or that it is the same as the various groups of people (with different class and political poistions) inside Ukraine. I mean to say people in Ukraine have every "right" to defend themselves as they can. 1. I opposed the US invading Iraq AND I oppose Russia invading Ukraine. I didn't make excuses for the US invading Iraq, but Donald Parkinson has consistently made excuses for Russia invading Ukraine. 2. Saddam Hussein gassing the Kurds and his own people as a dictator doesn't really correlate to anything the Ukrainian government has done. Ukraine is engaged in a defensive war against a brutal invasion. [Right wing and tankie talking points about a "fascist" or "US backed" coup leading to the ouster of Yanukovych don't hold up under scrutiny and eye witness and reporters accounts.) Many principled anti-imperialists believe Ukraine has the right to defend itself by whatever means necessary given a range of bad options, but also that if and when survival is secured, that the ruling class in Ukraine should be equally opposed and defeated. Parkinson's false premise is that to oppose nationalism you have to first oppose Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion. 3. The US is not invading Ukraine but supplying weapons by which Ukrainians can fight back against a modern army with modern technology. Stating "I don't believe it's my call as to what people in the Ukraine can ask for to avoid subjugation and mass slaughter" is not even close to saying "I support the US invasion of a country to seize its resources and replace its government." That's what Putin is doing. It has turned into a proxy war in some ways, but before that, there is still the fact that people in Ukraine choose to defend themselves. No one should be able to determine the terms of their surrender for them and claim they are doing it in their interests. 4. Pointing to Weapons of Mass Destruction in his tweet, Donald might be too young to remember that calling out the lies over WMD used to justify the invasion was a central focus of the anti-war movement in the lead up to that invasion. But Putin is the one who described Ukraine as a major threat to Russian security to justify "de-nazifying" it, and Parkinson's Marxist Unity Group and fellow travellers repeat this "Ukrainian Nazis" mantra in such a way as to convince themselves not that there are some Nazis in Ukraine (there are) but that Putin is justified in his invasion because Ukraine is a Nazi threat to itself and neighbors (he's not and it's not). 5. Ironically, it's Parkinson who is today justifying the present invasion, not the hypothetical "if the US invaded Iraq today" one he has to use to divert attention from the reality of the situation. He does this because despite all the posing as erudite Marx scholar of historical revolutions, his politics are baby barf level pablum versions of ANSWER and Code Pink Stalinist arguments. These are based on campist psuedo-anti-imperialism which means vulgar nationalist positions. If you noticed the PRINCIPAL of solidarity with the victims of brutal capitalist invasions is totally out the window with Parkinson's crew, you are paying attention. I didn't use the term "imperialist" invasion there because DP insists, in his erudition, that Russia is not imperialist, which he uses as a pivot to statements implying strongly that Putin is not the primary problem regarding his own invasion of Ukraine, NATO is. He hopes this passes for nuanced historical argumentation but it's transparently campist and disingenuous. And lastly, Putin supported the US invasion of Iraq, so put that in your fake plastic anti-imperialist peace pipe and take another hit. https://kolektiva.social/system/media_attachments/files/111/142/017/049/324/997/original/994ee5686d38aa62.png

Notes by 2c0d5d14 | export

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 nostr:npub19sute258zn9y6cwsk3pymyswwgvjrwmcrju6p636upjqkvstl97s2zqr6f I got an ad for the film on...

 @a6a77f57 Oh wow, on TV? Yikes. It's funny because I posted the Qanon Anonymous episode on Jim Caviezel to a bunch of these ads and then just started blocking the people or handles that post them to my wall. It's no use, it's like trying to throw handfuls of sand at the ocean to stop the waves hitting the shore. If anything my acknowledging them alerted them to me for harrassment. One Mel Gibson fan handle even direct messaged me with a sarcastic message. It's impressive how the Right has relentlessly promoted this shitty dumb film to make it seem like a naturally occurring phenomenon stemming from "Sound of Freedom Mania." Like the film is bigger than Jesus.

 God Give me the courage to change the things I can change, and the serenity to accept that I will get ads for "The Sound of Freedom" and Jim Caviezel fan pages for all eternity.

 nostr:npub19sute258zn9y6cwsk3pymyswwgvjrwmcrju6p636upjqkvstl97s2zqr6f Good summary.

 @f4d98f3e Thanks. I'm guessing there are some sloppy points as I just sort of churned it all out with very minor revisions.

This was as bad as many other Donald Parkinson tweets for a bunch of reasons (though I can cut him some slack given it was made two days before Russia actually invaded).

In the following I use the term "Ukraine" as shorthand for which side in the war I'm talking about. I do NOT use it to imply the Ukrainian STATE is good, or has a right to exist, or that it is the same as the various groups of people (with different class and political poistions) inside Ukraine. I mean to say people in Ukraine have every "right" to defend themselves as they can.

1. I opposed the US invading Iraq AND I oppose Russia invading Ukraine. I didn't make excuses for the US invading Iraq, but Donald Parkinson has consistently made excuses for Russia invading Ukraine.

2. Saddam Hussein gassing the Kurds and his own people as a dictator doesn't really correlate to anything the Ukrainian government has done. Ukraine is engaged in a defensive war against a brutal invasion. [Right wing and tankie talking points about a "fascist" or "US backed" coup leading to the ouster of Yanukovych don't hold up under scrutiny and eye witness and reporters accounts.)

Many principled anti-imperialists believe Ukraine has the right to defend itself by whatever means necessary given a range of bad options, but also that if and when survival is secured, that the ruling class in Ukraine should be equally opposed and defeated. Parkinson's false premise is that to oppose nationalism you have to first oppose Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's invasion.

3. The US is not invading Ukraine but supplying weapons by which Ukrainians can fight back against a modern army with modern technology. Stating "I don't believe it's my call as to what people in the Ukraine can ask for to avoid subjugation and mass slaughter" is not even close to saying "I support the US invasion of a country to seize its resources and replace its government." That's what Putin is doing.

It has turned into a proxy war in some ways, but before that, there is still the fact that people in Ukraine choose to defend themselves. No one should be able to determine the terms of their surrender for them and claim they are doing it in their interests.

4. Pointing to Weapons of Mass Destruction in his tweet, Donald might be too young to remember that calling out the lies over WMD used to justify the invasion was a central focus of the anti-war movement in the lead up to that invasion. But Putin is the one who described Ukraine as a major threat to Russian security to justify "de-nazifying" it, and Parkinson's Marxist Unity Group and fellow travellers repeat this "Ukrainian Nazis" mantra in such a way as to convince themselves not that there are some Nazis in Ukraine (there are) but that Putin is justified in his invasion because Ukraine is a Nazi threat to itself and neighbors (he's not and it's not).

5. Ironically, it's Parkinson who is today justifying the present invasion, not the hypothetical "if the US invaded Iraq today" one he has to use to divert attention from the reality of the situation. He does this because despite all the posing as erudite Marx scholar of historical revolutions, his politics are baby barf level pablum versions of ANSWER and Code Pink Stalinist arguments. These are based on campist psuedo-anti-imperialism which means vulgar nationalist positions.

If you noticed the PRINCIPAL of solidarity with the victims of brutal capitalist invasions is totally out the window with Parkinson's crew, you are paying attention. I didn't use the term "imperialist" invasion there because DP insists, in his erudition, that Russia is not imperialist, which he uses as a pivot to statements implying strongly that Putin is not the primary problem regarding his own invasion of Ukraine, NATO is. He hopes this passes for nuanced historical argumentation but it's transparently campist and disingenuous.

And lastly, Putin supported the US invasion of Iraq, so put that in your fake plastic anti-imperialist peace pipe and take another hit.

https://kolektiva.social/system/media_attachments/files/111/142/017/049/324/997/original/994ee5686d38aa62.png