Former President Barack Obama compared anti-genocide protesters to rude Trump supporters Thursday night as they repeatedly interrupted him and Joe Biden and Bill Clinton at their $26 million schmoze-fest as Radiio City Music Hall.
As one audience member shouted that they have blood on their hands, Obama - rather than addressing the accusation or defending himself and his two fellow war criminals - scolded: "You can't just talk and not listen. That's what the other side does."
This was according to a press pool report of the paid-admission-only event, where the cheapest nosebleed seats went for $250 and where even remotely accessing to the live-stream cost viewers $25.
According to Obama, no matter how outrageous the behavior of their leadesrs may be, now matter how much death and destruction these powerful leaders spread throughout the world, the only permissible response of the citizenry is abject silence. Protest is not civil, and civility trumps everything else. If you want to be a loyal Democrat more than you want to be a free-thinking humanist, then you will pretend that Clinton, Obama and Biden are angels and that it is only the "other side" (Trump) who is the demon.
The Catholic Marxist critic Terry Eagleton had Obama and Company absolutely pegged when he wrote in "On Evil" that
"The United States, unusually among nations, is angelic and demonic at the same time. Few other nations combine such high flown public rhetoric with that meaningless flow of matter known as consumer capitalism. The role of the former is to provide some legitimation for the latter....
"Rather as Satan combines angel and demon in his own person, so evil itself unites these two conditions. One side of it - the engelic, ascetic side, wants to rise above the degraded sphere of fleshliness in pursuit of the infinite. But this withdrawal of the mind from reality has the effect of striking the world empty of value. It reduces it to so much meaningless stuff, in which the demonic side of evil can then wallowl"
This is another way of puttinng the specious "lesser evil" rationale for holding one's nose and voting for Democrats rather than Republicans, who more verbally and loudly wallow in the dark side.
That Obama would attempt to silence a person speaking out against the US-financed mass murder and starvation of 30,000 Palestinians is just one more indication of his being, as the late Glen Ford posited, the more effective evil."
While Donald Trump wallows in his own assigned role of being the devil incarnate, sacrilegiously selling $60 Bibles to defray his legal expenses while his slimy son-in-law Jared Kushner openly scopes out Gaza oceanfront property to add to his real estate portfolio. the Democrats chide Israel in public even as they finance its genocide, thus making all of Jared's obscene dreams come true, sooner rather han later.
Not that Joe Biden is above self-deprecatingly embracing his demonic "Dark Brandon" persona. Last Saturday, to mark "National Puppy Day," his campaign was marketing blankets emblazoned with the cartoon image of Biden with glowing read orbs in place of eyes. I guess the idea is to toughen up all those whimpering little doggies out there so they can grow up to be just like Biden's German Shepherds and get away with two dozen biting incidents before finally being banished from the White House.
And nothing screams "Get Off My Lawn!" to disrespectful protesters and annoying neighborhood kids like a yard sign featuring a smalevolently grinning Joe Biden decked out in red aviator sunglasses.
They're even selling a Joe Biden coffee mug whose eyes glow bright crimson as soon as you pour hot liquid into it. Because, folks, Biden is red hot and Donald Trump is nothing but a limp white fleshly noodle with less of a campaign war chest than Biden.
For some mysterious reason, I have been getting five or six spam emails every day from the Biden campaign. This is because, the Act Blue money laundering outfit explained, I had supposedly donated to Democrats in the past. But since they only have my email address and call me "folks" or "friend" - or when they come from Obama a derisive but very cool "Hey!" - instead of by my name, this is an obvious con. The last politician I gave money to was Bernie Sanders, back in 2016 when I still believed in him, so they could have gotten it from him.
I have not unsubscribed because I was curious about the "messaging" to voters. These fund-raising appeals to "grassroots voters like me" have one main theme. Give $3 or $25 or buy some Biden bling. It is the only way to keep Trump out of the White House. The spam contains nothing about what Biden wil do for you to make your life better. A few of them did offer a chance to win a ticket to Radio City Music Hall, if I would fork over $25 first.
Other than that, it's all about the fear and fomentation of same just in case you haven't developed it independently yet. Their records also show I have not yet contributed, although 239 people in my town did, today alone! I should be ashamed, not to mention feeling left out of the in-crowd.
They are asking people to hop on the money bandwagon in support of a cartoon character with a cynical grin and glowing red eyes. And if I don't, Trump will win, and it will be all my fault.
Fortunately for me and I suspect for many others, these political marketeers are themselves the cartoon version of the nuns in my Catholic School, who were much more effective gaslighters.
And unlike the mass protests of Occupy Wall Street and the protests against the George Floyd murder, neither Democratic nor Republican politicians have yet found a way to co-opt the anti-genocide protests. They can't very well do photo-ops with their own victims. These mass killers and career warmongers are not about to co-opt either themselves or the predatory capitalists that they work for.
20 comments:
Bill Clinton and Obama thought to help Biden, but actually being alongside him reminds people of how badly they disappointed.
Biden tears them down, instead of them building him up.
Bernie, AOC, and Jamal Bowman have recently begun playing the Controlled Opposition/Limited Hangout game in order to lead the flock of wayward Sanctimonious Purists suffering from pangs of conscience back into the Demoncratic (sic/really sick!) Party fold.
After nearly 6 months, they're not suddenly having a Road to Damascus conversion due to witnessing the horrors of the Palestinian Holocaust that Genocide Biden is enabling and overseeing. No, they're trying to convert bad polling into another term so Genocide Joe can finish the job of the Final Solution - eliminating Palestine completely.
They're also trying to pin the blame on Netanyahu for the genocide but that's simply scapegoating for Biden's benefit. If you think Biden has a shred of care or concern for the fate of Palestinians, there's a bridge in Baltimore I'd like to sell you. Genocide Joe has been and always will be a hardcore, old-school cold war capitalist down to his old creaky bones. This is a holy war for Joe Genocide, a crusade.
Now that we see and know the truth, we must Never Forget who own$ and control$ HATE, the Holy Anglo-American Terrorist Empire. It's a militarized church built on exploitation and lies and based on White supremacist colonialism which can't endure morality or justice so it must kill the human spirit.
End HATE.
You really nailed it, Karen, when you wrote, ". . . no matter how outrageous the behavior of their leaders may be, no matter how much death and destruction these powerful leaders spread throughout the world, the only permissible response of the citizenry is abject silence."
This reminds me of a couple of Christian schools where I taught, where the "leadership" bullied teachers, one at a time (of course), and their attitude was that the only acceptable response was to never question, never speak out if we saw an injustice and to humbly take any punishment they felt justified in meting out. You can imagine how well I fared in that environment!
It was seen as disciplining the underlings - and I can see that this is what the Democratic Party, indeed the entire Government Establishment, is trying to do to its constituency/the American citizenry. Of course, Obama and Clinton are part of it. They were always willing colluders, eager to conspire against the people who put them in office - completely selling-out for personal gain and status.
While I will never bring myself to vote for Trump, I cannot vote for "The Greater Evil." His stalling tactics and collusion with 100 under-the-radar shipments of weapons is reprehensible. I also blame Genocide Joe for the tragedy in Ukraine going back before Madain - in the planning of Madain. My only consolation is that Biden will go down in history as our worst president. Who would have thought that he could steal that title from Trump?
I do have a little bit of hope that there is an “awakening” (as opposed to woke). The overt buying of Congress and the POTUS by a foreign government, insider trading by Congressional members, and the NAZI like behaviour of Israel will be enough to wake people up enough to hit the streets and vote Third Party. While I fear, the Third Party vote will be split, it will send a message. I'm get the feeling that Fear of Trump, no matter how much money Biden raises from the 5 to 10%, is not going to be enough.
@Thought Criminal,
Totally agree. This movie, Controlled Opposition/Limited Hangout, has been played before and it is becoming boring. Neither do I trust Bernie any more. I am contributing to Dennis Kucinich's campaign. We will need people like him in Congress and you can bet your boots that AIPAC will be spending millions to defeat him. I actually thought about writing to his campaign and asking if there are other people like Kucinich running for Congress that people like me can financially support - with our measly contributions. There are still lots of former Bernie supporters who have been awakened for 7 years or more - and this might be their moment. And Jill Stein, bless her, needs our support.
I don't know how much more of this build up of the economic bubble we are going to see before it pops. If it happens before the election, I predict there will be larger than normal support for candidates outside the duopoly. Unless you are in the 10%, governments since Carter haven't been in your corner and people get this. The trust is gone.
"Neither do I trust Bernie any more."
We must keep in mind Bernie's self-professed method. He goes along, for the price of getting bits and pieces of what he wants. His motto: "Better than nothing."
It is an illusion to imagine he is something else entirely. Maybe if he'd been President he might have been, or if he'd led a larger cadre inside the Party, but in practice, in his isolation, he sells what he has for little bits of what otherwise we'd get none of at all.
I don't mean to make excuses for him, just to avoid illusion, and so avoid disillusion.
@Mark,
I do understand your point. And maybe Bernie genuinely thinks he is able to do some good by negotiating for crumbs. At least, he has a public forum to speak a message that resonates with many in the progressive public. However, whether he wants to be a sheepdog or not, Bernie is intelligent enough to realise he is traipsed out - used - to lead the pretend opposition and give the public the impression we have free speech and free ideas. The Pretenders, while saying the right things, always seems to cave in the end and vote with the rest of the Democrats - almost always against the interests of the greater good.
I suppose, if I still trusted and didn't have a history of being betrayed by everyone but Kucinich, I might be more accepting. But I never will forget, when held to task, Bernie saying something to the effect, "I don't want to end up like Ralph Nader." As if standing by his principles and fighting for what is right is a bad thing. I also recall Ralph saying, in passing, that Bernie wouldn't accept his calls. There are few people I admire more than Ralph Nader - and Bernie isn't one of them.
@Valerie -- I agree with you on all of that.
Perhaps a closer look at what really has become of Kucinich and Ralph Nader, who did it and how it was done, is the real lesson we don't want to learn.
I cannot recommend more fervently that you pay attention to EVERYTHING by Chris Hedges.
This is his most recent, and I urge you to WATCH it entirely:
Norman Finkelstein on Israel’s ‘final solution’ in Gaza —
The renegade historian speaks with Chris Hedges at Princeton.
https://therealnews.com/norman-finkelstein-on-israels-final-solution-in-gaza
March 28, 2024 ~ by Chris Hedges
>>>—my comment posted on the White House website—>
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election. On this same date of the year, you should do the same. The abominable war crime of genocide that you aid and abet against Palestinians cannot be supported, and will be condemned this coming November, as it will be excoriated without mercy in history. As a Roman Catholic you probably took communion this Easter Sunday. But in the words of "Masters of War" Bob Dylan says: "Even Jesus would never forgive what you do." Tragically, you have not the honor or character needed to do the right thing, and will be held responsible for effectively destroying our country just as you are actually doing to Gaza.
“The Worst of What Humanity Is Capable Of”: Pediatrician Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan on What She Saw in Gaza —
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/3/28/gaza_msf
I Could Not Stay Silent: Annelle Sheline Resigns from State Dept. over U.S. Gaza Policy —
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/3/28/annelle_sheline
As Gaza Faces Famine, Israel Cuts Ties with UNRWA and U.S. Halts Funding for Critical Aid Agency —
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/3/28/unrwa
“Like Lying in a Coffin”: UNICEF Spokesperson Warns of Devastating Toll on Gaza’s Children —
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/3/29/gaza_unicef
@Eric Roth
Well, Genocide Joe did make a BIG announcement. He "proudly" (×4) proclaimed Easter Sunday, 3/31/24, to be Transgender Day of Visibility!
He's trying to buy indulgences for his war crimes. What an angel.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/03/29/a-proclamation-on-transgender-day-of-visibility-2024/
Great comment on the White House website, Erik. It really shows how low Biden is that even LBJ is a shining example of selfless patriotism compared to Genocide Joe.
I was going to post the link to the Democracy Now interview with Annelle Sheline. What a powerful interview with a person of profound integrity.
The Axis of Evil under the auspices of Genocide Joe scored a trifecta on Easter Sunday: the Al Shifa hospital was Israelized (you really don't want to see the carnage), the Iranian embassy in Syria was Israelized, killing Iranian generals and staff, and 7 of the World Central Kitchen staff was Israelized. And this is after Israel has repeatedly used food aid as bait to shoot the starving who came for food.
May the name of Israel live in infamy along with the HATE cabal led by it's patron Genocide Joe. If not for him, none of this could be happening. What his Holocaust for the benefit of Empire lacks in size it makes up for in the monstrously evil methods and the celebratory joyousness in the slaughter. Move over, Nazis. Israel is now #1.
Wasn't the Big One invented for monstrous threats such as this? Asking for a friend.
Apropos to the sick excuse of the Zionazi murder of WCK aid workers in 3 separate cars in 3 separate strikes in addition to the innumerable targeted strikes killing doctors, professors, journalists, children, on top of forced starvation, etc...
Were Nazis allowed to investigate and exonerate themselves? If so, I'm sure they would say something like they UNINTENTIONALLY killed 6 million Jews (and ~6 million collateral riffraff) because they were actually just targeting dangerously rich Jewish oligarchs before they could use their wealth to buy off and take over Govt. Or something like that.
Selfishness rising.
We first hear of that pejorative in grade school. We were given stories to read. The value of compassion was on the curriculum. A transaction of care by those who could. Children were taught to see humanity as a caretaking species. Brave in their interventions on behalf of the afflicted. Humanity had found its ethos. A long way from a time of resources dedicated to the worship of kings and emperors.
The interregnum between aristocratic rule and oligarchic despotism is coming to an end. The return of that which several generations had learned to despise and call out with "never again" and "it can't happen here". The restoration of the glorification of the dominant quantified by suffering. That is the DNA of humanity. The history of the humanitarian interregnum was an aberration. Along with the punishing of Gazans, we watch the ruin of the UN and its court, the relief agencies, the free press, the ethos of moderation, of reasonableness, of truth, of the once credible faith in the human conscience.
The hell holes multiply like rodents. Why does no Haiti story mention the Clintons? Why does no Texas border story mention Woodrow Wilson? History cannot be allowed to interfere with the prerogatives of wealth controlling politics. Good people, silenced by threat of violence, are receding and afraid. You will only survive by a show of deference.
Every sort of misnomered care will be commodified and politicized. Human affection will be eradicated from the lexicon. Human need will be weaponized. The largest industries will be propaganda and advertising...and surveillance. Contrariness will be criminalized. Worship of wealth and rank will be the law.
At one time, humanity, through its art, was in love with its own trajectory toward goodness. It's beauty and that of the world were signs of the good. The salience of horrors now overtaking it. If we don't have the mind to care for the home planet, what do we have a mind for?
Remember 'The Gospel' AI targeting program used by Israel? It's got a soulmate straight from Hell called 'Lavender'. A key feature is a system called 'Where Is Daddy?'
"A fundamental difference between the two systems is in the definition of the target: whereas The Gospel marks buildings and structures that the army claims militants operate from, Lavender marks people — and puts them on a kill list."
They don't even care if suspected militants are actually at home or not when they bomb. Taking out the whole family and the home is the whole point. Which explains why they prefer dumb bombs and BomberBiden sends them the bunker busting 2000 pounders - more bang for the Bidenbuck.
Most importantly, that also explains why most of the dead are women and children. They're the ones at home while men are out in the streets. Poof! No family, no home, but Hamas remains.
Stupid and evil, just like Genocide Joe.
https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/
Democracy Now also reported on the Lavender weapon. I can't believe the Zionist supporters in the U.S. - and in the English speaking West for that matter - can hold their heads up in public. Surely there are people in their orbit who are excoriating them.
Even my childhood friend, a woman who I argue with on most issues, who is in the financial 5 to 10 percent, who religiously reads the NYT, told me today that her Jewish fiance, her daughter at NYU and she are horrified by what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. She surprised me by stating that at this point, Israel is no different from the Nazi regime. I take heart that people like her are awakened/awakening to this issue - and are angry with the Democrats and Congress for sending weapons to the monster regime. It is only Fear of Trump that has her voting with Biden (although her free spirited daughter - is not). I am still coming across people who put forth false equivalencies, "I can see both sides" but not as many as two months ago. This attack on the Aid Workers - sadly, I suspect, because most where white Westerners - where they were followed like hunted animals before being bombed by the IDF - has hopefully been a game changer. I now refer to the IDF as Brown Shirts. Tarik Cyril Amar said, on a podcast the other day, that it is important that we openly compare Israel to the Nazi regime - call it like we see it - and don't allow ourselves to be silenced on the comparison. Although, I think the anti-Semitic label is quite tired and only the Zionists are still taking it seriously.
@Missing Jay
Someone in my neighborhood has been flying the Israeli flag but recently took it down. A good sign!
I now have the back of my VW van plastered with homemade magnetic signs -
STOP GENOCIDE JOE
RIP AARON BUSHNELL
FREE PALESTINE
STOP SENDING BILLION$ & BOMBS FOR GAZA HOLOCAUST!
I need to buy more magnetic vent covers then maybe swap out with new slogans, adding one about NAZIS.
Any suggestions welcome.
Just a thought, and suggestion, regarding the rampant criminality currently inflicted in our name ...
Back during the reign of Dubya, I happened to get a sticker that read "MORE TREES, LESS BUSH" which I modified by removing the last part and just applying "MORE TREES" on my rusty '84 Volvo. But even that sentiment, which I thought affirmative and innocuous, drew animosity in Forest County, Wisconsin. I won't discourage any sign of conscience, but I do urge such conviction at least be accompanied by constant comment to your U.S. House Representative, both Senators, the White House, plus your state and local representatives. They are in a bubble that needs to be burst, and begin hearing from so they start paying attention to their voting constituents, not just their paid corporate backers.
Is it crazy to think that Joe is refusing to step aside because he needs to keep the power of the pardon for Hunter's crimes?
@Thought Criminal
I found some wide magnetic tape - in a roll I bought in my teaching days, and I have done likewise. Mine says, Stop the Palestinian Genocide NOW! and "Stop Giving Israel Australian Weapons!" I DID think about adding another that says, "No, I Won't Shut Up!"
As for Biden not resigning, I had never considered that it would have to do with pardoning his psychopathic son. That is actually food for thought.
@Erik
Thanks for the links. I didn't even know there was a Bernie podcast! And I agree with George! I have written and called my Reps but it seems futile. I write a comment like, "If you don't stop, I am not only not going to vote for you, I will be standing outside my polling station with a sign that reads, "---- Bought and Paid for by Fossil Fuel Industry" or something like that. I usually get a reply saying, "Thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your taking the time to communicate your concerns as I am always focussed on representing my constituency." or some such bullshit. And then he or she votes exactly the way his/her overlords, who put him/her in office
want.
Personally, I think we all should be out at our polling stations with signs that say, "---- takes contributions from a foreign country and voted to send them billions of our taxpayer dollars to kill innocent people." Vote every one of those horrible people who supported Israel in Congress out of office. Tell the truth on our signs. It really IS time to drain the swamp.
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