Alexander Smith, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said he was given a choice between resignation and dismissal after preparing a presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians, which was cancelled at the last minute by USAID leadership last week.

Smith, a senior adviser on gender, maternal health, child health, and nutrition chose to resign on Monday after four years at USAID. In his resignation letter to the head of the agency, Samantha Power, he complained about the inconsistencies in USAID’s approach to different countries and humanitarian crises, and the general treatment of Palestinians.

“I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race,” he wrote.

  • Shawdow194@kbin.social
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    7 months ago

    “I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race,” he wrote.

    Ugh terrible. Like how do you receive a letter like this and still think “yeah I’m the right one and not a racist POS war mongering profiteer”. Theres no shame anymore

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Biden really wants to die on this hill? Wtf fuck Biden who going sit back and let Trump win. I going vote Biden but it will be the last time. After that fuck Democrats.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          A reminder that Democrats have started funding campaigns of crazy Republicans as a way to force votes for themselves.

          This isn’t going away. They think they’ve found a way to force loyalty without doing anything for us in return. It’s going to crash the system.

        • charade_you_are@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          There’s a very realistic chance he’ll be dead by then. Modern medicine can only can keep a walking, talking turd alive for so long

          • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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            7 months ago

            He would be barely older than Biden will be this election so don’t be too surprised if that happens!

        • Bumblefumble@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          Surely, hopefully, he is either dead or in prison in 2028, anything else would be a disgrace.

      • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Biden is a doddering old man who still has this romanticized vision of Israel from the 1970s as the young scrappy country rather than apartheid rightwing ethnostate that bombs its neighbors that it is now. As senator Biden took more AIPAC lobbying money than any other member, so of course he sucks on this issue. But incredibly he’s ignoring his own advisors who warn him he’s going too far and could lose the election as a result. His political instincts are failing him this time.

      • glimse@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Can’t imagine you’d have the opportunity to vote for him again anyway. No way he’d run in the next election if he loses this one.

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    7 months ago

    The US president had threatened to cut off the supply of arms for use in any Rafah offensive, but his administration has not delivered on that threat, arguing that the assault on the city did not amount to a major operation as it did not involve large numbers of troops.

    What a relief to know that when we bombed the shit out of Hiroshima and Nagasaki we weren’t involved in major operations. There were only a small number of troops involved, so I guess they were more skirmishes. I’ll sleep better knowing that.

    Sigh… I just have to put my head down and avoid most news or my mental health suffers from feeling so helpless and outraged.

    • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
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      This. Though I support his stand and the good work that him and people like him do using aid funds despite the organization’s geopolitical bent, the man forgot who he was actually working for.

      It has been decided that the status quo will continue despite the mounting costs, your criticism and resistance is meaningless to them.

    • aStonedSanta@lemm.ee
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      7 months ago

      No no. Not fired. 😆 They were told to resign. Totally different right? Lmao America needs a slap to the face.

      • Asafum@feddit.nl
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        7 months ago

        All we ever do is get slapped in the face.

        Politicians and PAC members need to be fucking slapped continuously for the next century. Instead they’ll get wealthier and wealthier as is tradition…

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      7 months ago

      Don’t they know that Trump would be worse? We all need to support Biden right now to stop Trump. After the election we can start to discuss if Biden facilitating a genocide is bad or not

      • EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Genocidal fucks like you are gonna be why trump wins. Biden is gonna lose if he keeps supporting blatant genocide, no matter how bloodthirsty you are about it

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    7 months ago

    Way to call them out on their bullshit. I hope this gets remembered later in history.

    I hope he becomes a spokesperson in support of a complete ceasefire and a defender of Palestinian lives.

    • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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      Of course it will be remembered in history.

      Who looks better in history books today; the student protestors against Vietnam or the soldiers at Kent State and Nixon? The students protesting Apartheid in South Africa or the South African apartheid government? John McCain blocking LGBT in the military or the soldiers who fought for representation?

      Biden will go down very badly in history for this, as will all those who enable the genocide.

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      TBH it feels like so much happens that it will be difficult to teach it all even if we record it properly. Imagine future lawyers learning about Trumps 3 concurrent criminal trials, two held up by judges in different courts and 1 with 34 unanimous guilty verdicts and trump violating gag orders before sentencing even begins. It’s gonna be a wild timeline of events to read through.

      The Israel situation is that but instead of months it’s Decades of constant events.

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    It’s astonishing that Biden/the administration has decided that Israel is worth throwing away the post-WW2 global system for.

    The US is going to need alliances and partnerships to counter future and current Chinese and Russian revanchist aggression, and Europe has already broken away from the US global leadership because of Gaza. They’ve all reinstated UNRAWA funding, several now formally recognize Palestine, multiple heads of state are openly calling it genocide, and the US sits alone wielding UNSC veto to protect the unsinkable aircraft carrier Israel.

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    7 months ago

    I don’t know if I should be happy or sad. On one hand officials actually taking a stand against injustice, and on the other the only people who actually gives a shit about the good and will of the people are leaving being fired.

    • LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world
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      Seriously, we are losing maybe okay officials over and over. That just means their positions will be filled by people who don’t care about it.