Oligarch Sheldon Adelson Dies

[lpetrich]

Sheldon Adelson, Billionaire Donor to G.O.P. and Israel, Is Dead at 87 - The New York Times - "Mr. Adelson drew a cornucopia of cash from his empire of casinos and resort hotels and poured money into right-wing causes."

Sheldon G. Adelson, a cabdriver’s son who built the world’s largest empire of casinos and resort hotels in Las Vegas, Macau, Singapore and other gambling meccas and used his vast wealth to promote right-wing political agendas in America and Israel, died on Monday at his home in Malibu, Calif. He was 87.

The cause was complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, his company, Las Vegas Sands, said on Tuesday in a statement.

Mr. Adelson grew up tough, a Depression-era street urchin who hawked newspapers and fought roughnecks in Boston. Unfazed by risks, rivals or the law, he built a fortune estimated by Forbes in 2014 at $36.6 billion and by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $40.8 billion, making him the world’s eighth or ninth wealthiest person.

...
Mr. Adelson became one of America’s heavyweight political spenders — the largest single donor in the 2012 elections — following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010, which removed many limits on political contributions as unconstitutional infringements of free speech.

In May 2016, after Donald J. Trump became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mr. Adelson told him in a private meeting in Manhattan that he was willing to contribute more to help elect him than he had given to any previous campaign, a sum that could exceed $100 million, according to two Republicans with direct knowledge of Mr. Adelson’s commitment. He eventually gave the Trump presidential campaign only $25 million but was still its largest donor.

He was a big donor to Trump when other oligarchs were reluctant to give big to his campaign, oligarchs like the Koch brothers.

"Under the Trump administration, the Adelsons achieved at least one of their long-held goals: the relocation of the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in 2018."

He has financed the careers of several other noted Republicans, and Republican Presidential candidates have been known to seek his funding.

In Israel, where he had a home and owned major conservative media outlets, Mr. Adelson supported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. He opposed statehood for Palestinians, favored Israeli settlements in occupied territories and underwrote junkets to Israel by congressional Republicans.

...
In addition to Malibu, Mr. Adelson had homes in Las Vegas, Boston and Tel Aviv. He flew to Israel six to eight times a year on his own jetliners. A staunch Zionist, he even considered settling there.

“He fell in love with the country,” an associate told The Times.

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

 

[blastula]

he was taken from us too old. toodlaloo motherfucker.

 

[repoman]

Dual loyalty fucker.

 

[barbos]

Is there hope his inheritors will be less generous toward party of deplorables?

 

[repoman]

Huh, they are smart enough to not allow casinos in Israel. Good for them.

https://iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/israel

 

[Derec]

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

So Sheldon Adelson is "evil" because he supports Israel and opposes Islamism and the Iranian theocracy?

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

 

[J842P]

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

So Sheldon Adelson is "evil" because he supports Israel and opposes Islamism and the Iranian theocracy?

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

Proposing a nuclear strike of Tehran is beyond the pale, and yes, evil.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Proposing a nuclear strike of Tehran is beyond the pale, and yes, evil.

That was just locker room talk.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

So Sheldon Adelson is "evil" because he supports Israel and opposes Islamism and the Iranian theocracy?

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

Proposing a nuclear strike of Tehran is beyond the pale, and yes, evil.

But we're supposed to automatically accept any insane ideas dumbass Republicans come up with, for some reason.

 

[laughing dog]

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

So Sheldon Adelson is "evil" because he supports Israel and opposes Islamism and the Iranian theocracy?

Being a racist and supporting the nuking of Iran makes him promoting evil.

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

Islamophobia is not a bogus term - it has a well-defined meaning. And there are Islamophobes. Or are you making the counterfactual claim that there are no Islamophobes?

As for Mr. Adelson, I am sorry for his family, but I think the world is a better place now that he is not in it.

 

[Jarhyn]

Being a racist and supporting the nuking of Iran makes him promoting evil.

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

Islamophobia is not a bogus term - it has a well-defined meaning. And there are Islamophobes. Or are you making the counterfactual claim that there are no Islamophobes?

As for Mr. Adelson, I am sorry for his family, but I think the world is a better place now that he is not in it.

I would have rather seen a world where he could have a chance to be less shitty, and that seize on it.

The world in which he is merely dead is merely tragic. Perhaps fewer tragedies will be committed, but that doesn't make his death good.

As to this guy though... He seriously advocated nuking people, as a grown adult over the age of 30. I would say he was being hyperbolic, but he floated this idea at someone who he gives vast amounts of money to who also happens to control the nuclear football.

 

[blastula]

Anti-Muslim bigotry is a better term than Islamophobia if you are talking about bigotry against Muslims.

 

[Derec]

Proposing a nuclear strike of Tehran is beyond the pale, and yes, evil.

Given that Tehran wants to destroy Israel and are actively working on making nuclear weapons, it would be an understandable position even if Adelson said it. But he only said that the regime in Tehran should be threatened with nuking the city in order to get them to abandon their nuclear weapons program.

Btw, would nuking Berlin in 1944 have been "beyond the pale"? The illegitimate regime in Tehran is no less evil than the Nazis.

That said, nuking a city would not be a best course of action because of the civilians, many of whom despise the weird beards. Better to surgically bomb regime targets including nuclear sites - with tactical nuclear weapons if too hardened for chemical ones - and IRGC assets.

 

[Derec]

Anti-Muslim bigotry is a better term than Islamophobia if you are talking about bigotry against Muslims.

Both are completely useless terms as they have been overused to apply to any criticism of Islam or Muslims.

 

[Derec]

As to this guy though... He seriously advocated nuking people, as a grown adult over the age of 30. I would say he was being hyperbolic, but he floated this idea at someone who he gives vast amounts of money to who also happens to control the nuclear football.

Counterforce strikes are far preferable to countervalue strikes, except as a sort of Samson option.
In the case of Iran, I think nuking Iranian nuclear sites would be morally sound if they can't be destroyed with conventional bunker busters.

 

[Derec]

Being a racist and supporting the nuking of Iran makes him promoting evil.

How was he a racist? Islam is not a race, and Iranians are white.
Also, he did not support nuking Iran exactly. He did support threatening them with it though.

Islamophobia is not a bogus term - it has a well-defined meaning. And there are Islamophobes. Or are you making the counterfactual claim that there are no Islamophobes?

It certainly has no "well-defined meaning" as it is being hurled at anybody critical or Islam or Islamism, for example the illegitimate regime in Tehran.
That makes it useless.

As for Mr. Adelson, I am sorry for his family, but I think the world is a better place now that he is not in it.

I disagree. But then, I don't think either casinos or pro-Israel politics is teh evulz and I also think Marina Bay Sands is a damn good looking building, although I did not know he built it until now.


I would very much like to check out that rooftop pool.

 

[Jarhyn]

How was he a racist? Islam is not a race, and Iranians are white.
Also, he did not support nuking Iran exactly. He did support threatening them with it though.


It certainly has no "well-defined meaning" as it is being hurled at anybody critical or Islam or Islamism, for example the illegitimate regime in Tehran.
That makes it useless.

As for Mr. Adelson, I am sorry for his family, but I think the world is a better place now that he is not in it.

I disagree. But then, I don't think either casinos or pro-Israel politics is teh evulz and I also think Marina Bay Sands is a damn good looking building, although I did not know he built it until now.
View attachment 31351

I would very much like to check out that rooftop pool.

Say it: that you don't believe advocating using nuclear weapons against civilian targets (Tehran) is evil. Say it. We aren't talking about "pro-israel", we are talking about "pro-nuclear atrocities".

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Mehdi Hasan on Twitter: "If you’re writing obituaries of multibillionaire Trump/GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, who has died aged 87, please don’t just airbrush out his long history of anti-Arab racism, his funding of the Islamophobia industry, or his support for *nuking* Iran. Thanks. (above link)" / Twitter

Bahman Kalbasi on Twitter: "Here is Mr. #Adelson in 2013 firmly opposing diplomacy with Iran and proposing that US drops a nuclear bomb on #Tehran, city of 12 million people, if #Iran does not fully capitulate on its nuclear program. (video link)" / Twitter

So Sheldon Adelson is "evil" because he supports Israel and opposes Islamism and the Iranian theocracy?

This Mehdi Hasan guy seems obsessed with calling critics of Islam "islamophobes". "Islamophobia" is a bogus term - there are legitimate reasons to be opposed to Islam, and especially political Islam.

It's not a bogus term when people like Trump and many conservatives, want Muslims to be banned from entering into the U.S., even though Muslims aren't nearly the biggest threat America is facing right now.

 

[laughing dog]

How was he a racist?

Being anti-Arab is being a racist.

Islam is not a race, and Iranians are white.
Also, he did not support nuking Iran exactly. He did support threatening them with it though.

Are you actually arguing that he was in favor of making pointless threats?

It certainly has no "well-defined meaning" as it is being hurled at anybody critical or Islam or Islamism, for example the illegitimate regime in Tehran. That makes it useless.

The argument that misuse by some makes a word useless is silly. Would you say that the term "Leftist" is useless simply because people like you misuse it?

I disagree. But then, I don't think either casinos or pro-Israel politics is teh evulz and I also think Marina Bay Sands is a damn good looking building, although I did not know he built it until now.

The world is better place to you when there are those who fund racist demagogues and who promote threatening countries with nuclear attacks. Certainly no surprise there.

 

[repoman]

Adelson was getting stuff done. His descendants will live in Arab free lands or lands where Arabs are more subjugated. And he got a lot of his cash from gambling addicted Whites and nominal Christians.