# I Pit Babale **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 7, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738 "2025-04-07T14:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 68
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1341 "2026-09-17T19:12:50Z")
Another funny thing about Babs - it can’t just be “hey, we disagree, that’s okay” (he’s obviously way past any chance of “okay, I was wrong”). It has to be “if you think it was dumb to attack Iran you’re a tankie, an antisemite, a dupe” etc. Even after this miserable failure that has strengthened Iran and weakened the US, he still insists it was an easy call to support Trump and Hegseth’s war. I don’t think he actually believes this. I think it’s just about ego. He’s incapable of admitting he might have been wrong. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1342 "2026-09-17T20:26:59Z")
Or he’s just a habitual liar. Like this little piece of bullshit in the GD thread: > [@At what point does debate around Israel become antisemitism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-point-does-debate-around-israel-become-antisemitism/1033102/151): > > Sorry, but there really is no comparison between Hamas and the Irgun. > > The worst thing the Irgun did was the King David Hotel bombing, which at the end of the day _did_ target a British command center, not civilians. like the Deir Yassin massacre never happened. > **[Deir Yassin massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Yassin_massacre)** > > The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when Zionist paramilitaries attacked the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, then part of Mandatory Palestine, killing at least 107 Palestinian Arab villagers, including women and children. The attack was conducted primarily by the Irgun and Lehi, who were supported by the Haganah and Palmach. The massacre was carried out despite the village having agreed to a non-aggression pact. It occurred during the 1947–1948 civil war and was a cent “No comparison”, my ass. “No daylight” is more like it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1343 "2026-09-17T21:07:24Z")
I put up a [couple of polls](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/7002) about the Macklemore thing. I only have forty percent of the votes on the second as on the first, but I think I might have at least a theory on who voted for the “supporting Macklemore is antisemitic or condoning antisemitism regardless of your knowledge of his past actions” option… ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1344 "2026-09-18T15:42:18Z")
Hey @Babale, are you going to respond to @puzzlegal and @DeadTreasSecretaries about the Iran war? Or are you just running away from tough questions, like usual? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1345 "2026-09-18T15:44:40Z")
The second poll was only applicable for people who voted yes in the first one, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1346 "2026-09-18T16:33:53Z")
Damn, this thread moves fast. > [@Babale](#): > > I mean, they literally are. Not really. > [@Babale](#): > > Oh, that’s right, I forgot, slopulists like you and Humpty Dumpty use words to mean whatever you want them to mean. You’re right, “Occupied Territory” and “Thing that Gyrate dislikes” are not mutually exclusive. Babale: “Stop using words that mean whatever you want them you mean!” Babale in the same sentence: “Slopulist” Lying, projection and hypocrisy really are your jam. > [@Babale](#): > > The rest of us who actually use definitions will be here in the real world, should you ever decide to pull your head out of your ass long enough to join us. Says the person who has been spectacularly wrong about pretty much everything for years, and yet keeps doubling down. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Macklemore shouldn’t be silenced by Kraft, that’s fucked up. But he also shouldn’t be lauded as a hero of free speech. Sometimes the victims of right-wing cancel culture are kinds of turds themselves. Well yes. I don’t give a shit about Macklemore the person, and apart from the song referenced in this thread couldn’t name a single one of his works. My objection has always been to the deliberate silencing of the “Free Palestine” message by pro-Israel forces. The entire reason he was mentioned in the first place was to reference that pro-Israel censorship. The characterization of mentioning this as “defending Macklemore’s honor” and “defending antisemitism” is of course bullshit, but then Babale even lies about the things he’s been lying about. Especially as it was demonstrated that the removal of Macklemore had nothing to do with current or previous antisemitism. And yet Babale just keeps trotting out the picture and carping “Look - this is what you support!” to deflect from the fact that he is yet again defending pro-Israel censorship. > [@Babale](#): > > But of course, people like you don’t need any evidence. Says the guy who keeps repeating blatant and idiotic propaganda long after it has been debunked by evidence provided. > [@Babale](#): > > Yes, I understand that you don’t view hundreds of ballistic missiles launched at Israel as an “emergency”. That’s pretty clear. Says the person who doesn’t view firing missiles at Iran until the US is literally running out of missiles as “a war” but just “trading missiles”. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1347 "2026-09-18T18:13:34Z")
Not my intention, but I did miss how it could be read that way. I was interested in getting a general sense of how “tainted” you think someone’s personal advocacy can be and whether lionizing someone for a specific point of view reasonably means that you endorse the ideas you disagree with as well. I guess I’m asking my intended question to a more specific subset than I expected… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1348 "2026-09-18T19:03:54Z")
I answered it like that, and I voted “Not at all” in the first one. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1349 "2026-09-18T20:08:14Z")
I’ve looked up the artist, and listened to his song about gaza and the student protests. I’m not sure what the best place to discuss the topic is, but i might come back here, maybe this evening. (Or suggest a better location. I suspect your p&e thread that mentions the issue in the OP is going to be closed, though. I’ve rarely seen a thread pick up so many reports.) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1350 "2026-09-18T21:24:21Z")
I really felt for the mod. Seriously WTF people? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1351 "2026-09-18T23:38:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Or suggest a better location If you think of something, please let me know, because there are even more layers that I think are relevant and interesting (eg accusations of antisemitism on the part of those musicians who withdrew). But I’m obviously a little gun shy now. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1352 "2026-09-19T02:18:40Z")
I feel like the pit is a better place for that kind of discussion. I think it’s really hard to define exactly what box you want the discussion to be in, and the guidelines you hope will be helpful end up doing weird stuff. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1353 "2026-09-22T12:16:28Z")
Just a reminder that @Babale still hasn’t responded to @puzzlegal and @DeadTreasSecretaries about the Iran war. He really is a coward. Both physically (can you imagine Babs signing up to fight abroad??) and online. Even answering questions about Iran is to hard for him. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1354 "2026-10-07T02:31:22Z")
The “anti-Zionist” movement hits a speed bump. > [@](#): > > The Green Party member behind the “[Zionism is racism](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/06/06/greens-fight-over-whether-zionism-is-racism/)” motion is close friends with an al-Qaeda terrorist who plotted to bomb passengers landing at Heathrow from Israel… > Ms Speitan called Pham “one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known”. > > In 2017, US investigators found a laptop containing videos of the British national testing bombs, proclaiming his desire for martyrdom, and pressing a detonator linked to his backpack, while smiling at the camera. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/06/green-behind-zionism-racism-vote-friends-al-qaeda-terrorist/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/10/06/green-behind-zionism-racism-vote-friends-al-qaeda-terrorist/) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1355 "2026-10-07T02:40:40Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The “anti-Zionist” movement hits a speed bump. > > > [@](#): > > > > The Green Party member behind the “[Zionism is racism](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/06/06/greens-fight-over-whether-zionism-is-racism/)” motion is close friends with an al-Qaeda terrorist who plotted to bomb passengers landing at Heathrow from Israel… > > Ms Speitan called Pham “one of the kindest, honest, most sincere, trustworthy and respectful people I have ever known”. > > > > In 2017, US investigators found a laptop containing videos of the British national testing bombs, proclaiming his desire for martyrdom, and pressing a detonator linked to his backpack, while smiling at the camera. In other news, water is wet and the pope wears a funny hat. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1356 "2026-10-07T16:44:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The “anti-Zionist” movement hits a speed bump. Not much of a bump. As @Babale notes it is well known and accepted that some number of “anti-Zionists” are simply Jew haters who have found an “acceptable” way to express that Jew hate. And many who are self-described “anti-Zionist” are not. Having some number of completely wretched scum in a group does not tar the group or the label as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1357 "2026-10-07T17:19:54Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Having some number of completely wretched scum in a group does not tar the group or the label as a whole. “There are some very fine people on both sides” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1358 "2026-10-07T17:27:09Z")
[![](https://media.tenor.com/sAdlyyKDxogAAAAM/bart-simpson-the-simpsons.gif) ](https://media.tenor.com/sAdlyyKDxogAAAAM/bart-simpson-the-simpsons.gif) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1359 "2026-10-07T17:29:32Z")
Nah. The concept is more judge the ideas. In the other direction I know you agree that there are _some_ who identify as “Zionist” who would indeed endorse genocidal actions against Palestinians. Certainly I’ve heard it. That does not diminish the argument for Zionism as the right of Israel to exist. Perhaps the converse to that quote is accurate: there are very bad people on all sides. And some positions are bad even if taken by otherwise “fine people.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738/1360 "2026-10-07T17:31:23Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Perhaps the converse to that quote is accurate: there are very bad people on all sides. And some positions are bad even if taken by otherwise “fine people.” That would certainly be more accurate and on point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-babale/1016738.md?page=69)