If there is one salutary consequence of the Israel-Gaza catastrophe, it's that the US-based media political complex can no longer so easily divide and conquer people by branding them as Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, coastal elite or heartland everyman.
It seems that people of all backgrounds and no particular party loyalty don't define democracy as dutifully voting every two and four years for pre-selected candidates of the corporate duopoly. They're taking to the streets in record numbers. And they're terrifying the ruling class as well as their armed guards.
The New York Post, a right-wing tabloid whose main mission had been to castigate "radical socialist Democrats" in Congress as anti-police fanatics, now finds itself coming to the defense of these same liberal politicians as they were surrounded by "a swarm of hundreds of violent protesters" at a party at their Washington, D.C. headquarters on Wednesday night.
The anti-genocide protesters apparently hadn't gotten the message that police brutality is no longer anathema to Democratic leaders. When police attack American citizens, you see, they're simply exercising their right to defend themselves against terrorists. They didn't get their tactical training from the IDF for nothing, after all.
No matter that there were only about 150 people calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and that their "violence" amounted to lighting candles and locking arms in solidarity. According to the Post, six cops in riot gear were injured by pepper spray. That it was likely their own pepper spray wafting in the air is immaterial. Besides, police officers were also hurt as they tried to wrest unruly hands away from the metal barricades they were so aggressively clutching. And even more riot police were likely forced to wrench their backs as they were throwing people down the stairs.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) said he was one of about 100 people — House leaders, lawmakers and Democratic candidates running for the House — attending a reception at party headquarters when they were ushered out of the building.
The Capitol Police “came in force” and directed lawmakers into a secure room in the basement, he said.
About seven lawmakers were huddled in the basement and loaded into police SUVs.
“Was just evacuated from the #DNC after pro-terrorist, anti-#Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building. Thankful to the police officers who stopped them and for helping me and my colleagues get out safely,” Sherman wrote on X.
Other media outlets were a bit more circumspect in their own coverage of this relatively small protest. It probably wouldn't have been covered at all had not the Democratic Party leaders overreacted and called the police in hopes, perhaps, of becoming stars in a theatrical reprise of the January 6th riot. What they ended up getting instead was a lot of Keystone Cops slapstick.
The rest of the mainstream media predictably framed the law enforcement aggression at DNC HQ as a "clash" between heavily armed police and unweaponized civilians. CNN, at least, was honest enough to report that it was not the peaceful protest itself that had caused Democratic bigwigs to evacuate their building It was the provocative police action against peaceful protesters.
This bipartisan, corporate, fascistic characterization of antiwar activists as enemies of the state was also captured by The Grayzone journalist Aaron Mate earlier this week, as he politely tried to question Democratic Senator Chris Coons on a train, about whether he would support a ceasefire in Gaza.
Coons, obviously miffed at being accosted by a stranger on a train, demanded that Mate give his journalistic credentials. He also kvetched that the reporter was breaching decorum in the designated "quiet car" of the Amtrak train. Coons had the cops called, and Aaron was duly ejected not only from the car but from the entire train, at the next stop.
At least they waited till it stopped. At least they forgot to confiscate Aaron's phone. Chris Coons's cold dead stare will live on and on - unlike the Palestinian kids who he refuses to protect.
18 comments:
To my fellow Sardonicky Readers,
I meant to leave this comment on the last thread but have been trying to find the right words.
I have often thought, as I have read a really good article or post that resonates with me, that I wish I could just give the author $5 or $10 tip - to thank that person for his/her insight and taking the time to write her/his ideas in understandable language. Sometimes these writers are behind a paywall, at Substack - for instance, and their essay is republished by another site - like Naked Capitalism - so I just read on because the price of communicating my esteem is just too expensive. However, as much as I dislike Paypal for what they did to Consortium News, it does offer me the opportunity to leave what I call "a small tip of appreciation." Just as I do in a restaurant or give a taxi driver.
More than anything else, a tip signals the blogger that her/his time and effort is valued. I know, that not only do I connect with so much Karen writes, but I have also found many like-minded people on this site because Sardonicky exists - due to Karen's efforts to reach out to an anonymous public.
For this reason, I encourage you to lend your support in any small way you feel is appropriate.
@missingjayinottawa
Listened to the video. One day there will be an end to violence when Hamas is brought to an end itself.
I’d contribute to Karen’s causes—asI have in the past—except that my “contributions” are now eliminated regularly. I value Karen’s opinions tremendously so I read her regularly even when I disagree with them. Hence, my presence here.
But so much for valuing diverse opinions. I can’t even recall why I was banned, but there it is. I’ll keep on reading but I’ll contribute $$$ when I’m allowed to contribute otherwise.
Zee
@ Zee -- The violence won't end until Israel stops its Project to expand, and ends Apartheid. Until then, it is trapped in South Africa mode, with endless violence it blames on everyone but itself.
@Mark and @Erik,
I should have said this before now, but I really value your comments and insights. When I see your name - as with @Annenigma - I am always interested and, dare I say, even eager to read your thoughts and perspectives. - Just thought I needed to say that.
@Mark
Agree with you entirely. Israel has been a bully beating up on Palestine pretty much its entire history. So far, they have killed ten times as many Palestinians - that we know of, there are dead people and dead children under all that rubble - as Hamas killed. This is ethnic cleansing and collective punishment of victims.
@Mark Thomason--
I agree with you that Israel's treatment of the Palestinians internal to its borders has been shameful. For what it's worth, I opposed Israel's annexation of the West Bank and its allowing settlements to develop there following the '67 war. I thought Israel should have traded land for peace.
But be that as it may, Hamas' 10/7 savage butchery of innocent civilians is quite separate from Israel's policy of apartheid. Hamas' threat to repeat 10/7 over and over and over again demands its elimination. And when Hamas is gone, the worst of the the violence will end.
It's unfortunate that so many civilians stand in the way of the destruction of Hamas, but those civilians have been complicit with Hamas' development of its guerrilla warfare machine for 30+ years. There are no innocents here.
It's also unfortunate that there is no place to resettle the residents of Gaza. No one wants the Palestinians anymore than they want the Jews.
Several posts ago you advocated for the dismantlement of Israel:
"Japan did more than we like to admit of our now-ally. It lost a "home island" when Formosa became Taiwan. It lost its northern island to Russia. It lost part of Okinawa to permanent occupation by the American military. Its government was supervised by a "viceroy" and re-written to the pleasure of the US in a Constitution still in force.
This is exactly the sort of thing we need to do with Israel, to end its warmongering and abuses of civilians."
Where would you propose resettling Israel's Jews? @Valerie has spoken of an Israel where Jews and Palestinians live together in peace, but I just don't see that happening any time soon.
@Annenigma
I can't tell you how encouraged I am to read your comment. I haven't been on tik tok in the last few days but I will be going there now. Maybe we will get our 3.5% after all!
@Valerie
You nailed it. You got to know him better over the years than he knows himself. Slimy, phony, baiting, bribing, game-playing, whinging, ass-kisser. Good call, my friend!
@missingjayottawa
Thanks. I'll try to keep the numbers straight (3.5% not 35!) but I do think we're making progress, agonizingly slow progress considering innocents are still being killed. May they rest in peace.
I related to your earlier comment and shared your sentiments in so many ways. It felt like good medicine. More, please!
And I miss Jay too, one of the good ones.
@Mark Thomason
Please don't take the bait. Just keep up your astute comments for the rest of us. We need and appreciate them here.
“There are no innocents here.”
What a callous rationalization for the latest act of slow-motion genocide of the Palestinian people.
Children, Zee. Little kids. At the very least they are “innocent.” Or perhaps, in your mind, until they throw the first rock at their jailers.
@Zee
Here's a bit of history that Jews and other pro-Israel people in the West rarely learn.
The Great March of Return
"From March 30, 2018, Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip — including families, women, and children — gathered every Friday along the Israeli border to highlight their dispossession in 1948 and to protest the growing humanitarian catastrophe. Israeli forces killed 364 Palestinians in Gaza (at least 214 at the Great March of Return, the rest in airstrikes) and injured well over 35,000, including women, children, disabled individuals, and hundreds of medics and journalists. Palestinian resistance forces killed 7 Israelis and injured 67. (More details here.)
Many Palestinians were shot in the back, nearly all were unarmed and posed no risk to the heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Go here to learn the details of each death.
(PBS stations across the US were going to broadcast a documentary about the demonstrations, but at the last minute this was pulled for undisclosed reasons.)"
"December 2019: Israeli snipers target Gaza protesters in the eyes – 50 blinded since the demonstrations began"
"December 6, 2019: Israeli forces injure 14 unarmed Palestinians taking part in protest"
Israel-Palestine News April 29, 2018
The last election in Gaza was held back in Jan of 2006, before fully half of the current population was even born. (current meaning pre-holocaust.) Hamas only received 44% of the vote to Fatah's 41% but the electoral system gave Hamas a majority of seats. Neither faction wanted to share power so fighting and killing ensued and the rest is history.
Anyone who claims that all citizens in Gaza are deserving of death are agreeing with OBL who blamed American citizens for repeatedly electing leaders running a global murderous regime, aka Empire.
But guess what? The Islamic terrorists who attacked on 9/11 targeted the key centers of imperial power: financial in the Trade Centers (in the aptly named Empire State), military (Pentagon) and political (Congress). They could have inflicted terror on ordinary civilians as opposed to mainly on the oligarchs and warlords by aiming for crowded venues (NYC, duh). Cities like NYC are target rich with apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, churches and synagogues, not to mention easily damaging water supplies, blocking food import. medical transport, taking down the electrical grid, intertubes, etc. Like REAL terrorists do for God's sake!!!
Actually, OBL's goal and philosophy was that he could provoke the USA into such an overreaction that we would bankrupt ourselves. And here we are 20+ years later drowning in debt with a negative credit rating and countries are de-dollarizing among other red flags.
Well, it looks like Hamas is following OBL's playbook by successfully provoking an overreaction by Israel (and by extension US), turning much of the world against Israel (and US) revealing them (and US) to be genocidal maniacs with an addiction to lying (definitely US). But the financial cost, at least, for this will be borne solely by Americans since Israel (and Ukraine) are our entitled warfare-welfare queens.
Anyone who travels through an airport can see that OBL was profoundly successful. What I don't get is - It is clear that the U.S. isn't invincible and that our war machine isn't all that great. Why are other sovereign countries so willing to follow us? Our democracy is in shambles. Our politicians are insufferable, not too bright and easily bought. The only reason we haven't had a nuclear war is because OTHER world leaders have been patient and wise. Despite what we are constantly told, our economy seems to be on shaky ground – at least, for the 80 to 85%.
Chris Hedges wrote a really good essay on Hamas and their approach. They HAVE won although Palestine has experienced horrific losses. The world is turning against Zionist Israel. And contrary to the last-ditch effort on the part of Western politicians to pull the anti-Semitism card, people CAN discern between Judaism and Zionism and have no quarrel with Jewish people who aren't pro-Zionist.
Glenn Greenwald's videos on the TikTokers who are talking about OBL's Letter to America and the mad censoring in the media by the Guardian, TikTok and Elon Musk show that the ship has holes in the hull and the leadership is running scared. I wonder how long it will take these young people to find Putin's 2007 Munich speech.
Kids these days are quite spoiled and lazy compared to when I first started teaching (back when the dinosaurs lived). But one thing I have noticed is that they want to be relevant and are energised by a worthy cause. My Sixth-Grade students flew into action when they saw poverty and were eager to help. Despite the fact that they can't get their heads out of their phones, they genuinely want to make a difference and are inspired by a legitimate injustice to act in solidarity and fight. There are a lot of them and these kids have access to all kinds of technology that enables them to effectively communicate with each other – and they don’t buy into the Legacy Media.
Despite the depressing news I read daily, I am beginning to have hope.
@MissingJayOttawa
Three(.5%) Cheers for Gen-Z!
'Israel Doesn’t Have A Gen-Z Problem, It Has A Morality Problem'
"This is why there’s such a massive generation gap on the Israel-Palestine issue; young people haven’t spent a long time gradually eroding their moral compass into a worthless trinket, and they don’t consume enough mass media to have been convinced that doing so would be worthwhile. They have not been sufficiently indoctrinated into depraved indifference toward the suffering of others."
"Israel’s problem is not that people are being propagandized into hating it, it’s that people are not being successfully propagandized into supporting it. Their problem is not malign influence but a lack thereof. Because the fact of the matter is there’s only so many ways you can spin the murder of thousands of children, and now all the media obfuscation in the world is not enough to pull the wool over fresh eyes that are ready to see."
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2023/11/19/israel-doesnt-have-a-gen-z-problem-it-has-a-morality-problem/
The following was written straight from the heart by the great Caitlin Johnstone. I'm sharing it with all the other true spirits among us and in honor of those who are gone, especially 'Jay-Ottawa'. It's the best thing, by far, that I've read in my entire long life. I sobbed when I first read it and I still do. I dare any true spirit to read it and not get choked up.
Show Me An Old Rebel
Do not show me a young rebel,
whose eyes are bright
and whose tail is bushy.
Young rebels are fine and good,
but they are merely doing
what the young are meant to do.
Show me an old rebel.
One who keeps punching
when his hands are arthritic,
when her hair is white,
when his friends are all dead,
when her knees are shot,
when it hurts him to pee,
when her shoulders are so bad
that it would be much easier to punch down
than to punch up.
Show me an old rebel
who keeps standing up after being knocked down
over and over again,
year after year,
decade after decade,
who after the thousandth blow
merely spits out a tooth
and says “Son, you have no idea what you’re dealing with, do you?”
Are you a young rebel?
Are you Sticking It to The Man?
Are you upsetting the gray brainiacs
and knocking over their word castles?
That is fine.
Youth will youth.
But show me a young rebel
who became an old rebel,
who stuck with it through the setbacks
and the beatings and betrayals,
who watched the hippies become yuppies
and the protesters become pundits
and still kept a fire lit
amid the monsoons of infiltration
and the hurricanes of heartbreak.
Who will close their tired eyes for a final time
without ever once having cast them to the ground
or peered up in imploring subordination.
That, my friends,
that is a true spirit.
If you are still a fiery rebel
even as everything is ripped away from you,
I will be humbled and awed by you,
because I will know that you will carry that with you to the grave.
And I will know that whatever you find on the other side
will be met
with that same defiant glare.
And I will sing your song when you are gone.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2020/05/15/show-me-an-old-rebel/
Thank you Valerie.
We've been counting the thousands, soon we'll be counting by the tens of thousands. After the dehumanization, not just bombs and bullets; Starvation, dehydration, buried alive, diseases and suicides by fallow injured. All very hard for decent people to bear. Many I know refuse to countenance the subject. For me this puts a pall on the whole human civilization project. The helplessness I feel is profound. Maybe we should consider ourselves lucky that we've had access to witness all this by way of rogue media. Journalists are targeted more than Hamas. We saw very little of Iraq, just the fireworks show. This would have needed another Assange. No more where he came from. Corporate media stops short of a daily Hamas Hate Hour. Those scoundrels must enjoy three meals a day, hot showers, and end their day in hospital basements with a toast to all the undetected Iranian guided missiles they've amassed in their tunnels. The Israelis must be worried and hoping that they'll get a bit of a fight for public relations purposes. How will they get to nominate Netanyahu for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Zee is just the deluded tip of a huge iceberg of pro Israel propaganda in an ocean of disinformation that abhors facts not useful to the sanctioning of Israel's crimes.
I used to give NYT and NPR a modicum of credibility, but no more. Ditto The New Yorker. Even these are providing cover for one of the major systematic human erasures in history. Puts all human institutions in doubt, down to the very definition of a human being.
The twinkling holiday decor now glistens in the eyes of passionate shoppers here as they await Black Friday. Then the shopping continues on to the stocking of drink for New Year when they'll be toasting it in with glad tidings of the corporate bonuses on the way.
@Annenigma and Caitlin
OK - Lots of boo hooing as I read that powerful poem. I don't ever seem to cry for myself out of sadness or disappointment or loss - but courage and profound integrity in other people bring me to tears every time.
So here's to the Old Rebels, Anne, Karen, JayOttawa, Noam, Ralph, Dennis, Jeffrey, Jimmy C., Glenn, Bill M., Sy, Medea, Margaret - and youngsters with old souls like Caitlin and Tim continually standing up for justice and democracy, always fighting the good fight. We are not alone - most of us have never met - but we are one in spirit.
I'm not very churchy, but I remember attending the most wonderful church when we lived in Wellington New Zealand. There was this inspiring group of former professors and doctors and ministers in the congregation who were activists in the 60's. They were an inspiration and would be the people described in Caitlin's poem.
Brilliant article over at Naked Capitalism, Gaza: Did the West Learn Nothing from the Peace Process in Ireland? by Aidan McQuade.
A couple of excerps:
I learned what it feels like to be powerless and scared under the guns of hostile troops. I learned that whatever stories combatants spin to justify their actions, most of the suffering they cause is unjustifiable. And I learned that even though violence is unpredictable, it can predictably become self-perpetuating until cooler heads prevail. Those cooler heads are very rarely the fighters themselves.
Warring parties almost always need a hand to help them out of the abyss. This is all the more true where conflicts have become endemic, and where cultures of violence and dehumanisation have taken root.
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, particularly Israel’s illegal and morally corrosive occupation of the Palestinian territories, has long demonstrated this. The vile rhetoric of the Hamas leadership after its crimes on 7 October, which saw 1,200 people murdered, was replete with the hateful language of eliminating Israel. Not to be outdone, the Israeli defence minister described Palestinians as “human animals” before launching a full out attack on Gaza. Israel’s military action has so far claimed 11,000 lives, including 4,500 children and 3,000 women, according to the UN and the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
We Need Mediators, Not Cheerleaders
Joe Biden allowed himself to be photographed embracing not Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, but the disgraced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, throwing him a political lifeline as a result. In the UK, the British establishment has repeatedly communicated that they have a double standard when it comes to Palestinian and Israeli crimes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directly told Netanyahu “we want you to win”, and leaders of the British Labour Party appeared to endorse Israel’s breach of international humanitarian law when it cut off water and electricity to the civilian population of Gaza, and attacked refugee camps. Last night, 56 MPs broke ranks with the leader of the opposition Keir Starmer to back an SNP-tabled motion calling for an immediate ceasefire. The motion was defeated 293 to 125, with Amnesty International calling it a “historic missed opportunity“.
As if hellfire missiles and bunker busting bombs, homelessness, starvation, dehydration, and untreated wound/amputation infections aren't horrible enough for Palestinians to try to survive, the weather has turned cold and rainy and disease epidemics in their even more crowded conditions are inevitable.
As Israeli General Eiland gleefully announced, "Severe epidemics in the south of Gaza will bring victory closer."
At this point even a ceasefire won't help save Palestinians because the process of eliminating the viability of life in Gaza has been irreversibly set in motion and a slow, miserable, mass death awaits. The only escape for Palestinians now is to depart, one way or another. Israel's Grand Plan.
Some dare not say its name, but I do as a testament to all the victims, living and dead, of the living hell that Israel has unleashed - the Palestinian HOLOCAUST.
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