The Peace Tree

words and photos by C.A. Matthews

I have a thing for Christmas trees. I love to decorate them and collect ornaments from all over the world. Come the twelfth day of Christmas (Epiphany) on January 6, I’m compelled by the “social norm” to take down my tree* and store it and the decorations away until next December. (Who is this “Norm” and why is he always raining on my parade? Not very “sociable” of him.) The empty space in my living room where the Christmas tree once stood makes me sad, so I began a new tradition.

I put away the tall tree and put up a shorter, table-top sized tree* in its place. I decorate it with ornaments symbolizing love (after all, Valentine’s Day is in February) and peace. The past couple of years the little tree has become not a mere Christmas tree substitute but a “Peace Tree” dedicated to world peace.

I leave the Peace Tree standing as long as there is conflict anywhere on the planet. You guessed it—the Peace Tree hasn’t been put away for quite some time now. In the summer, I move it upstairs where I stand it on top a short bookcase in our bedroom. We put a window a/c unit in the downstairs window, and the little tree could get blown over if it stayed put, but it isn’t taken down. I see it every day, a reminder that humans are still warring with each other somewhere on the planet. We need world peace, and we needed it yesterday.

This holiday season I decided to give the Peace Tree a makeover...

 

To see more photos of the Peace Tree--and to read a poem excerpt by Maya Angelou and the rest of this article--please click on this Substack link: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com. There you'll see related article and video links, all the graphics, and be able to leave comments. You can also subscribe and receive the weekly blog post in your email box. 

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Power to the people!

 

Happy Holidays—Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice and a good Kwanzaa and peace to you and yours. May we all plant “Peace Trees” and together reap a harvest of goodness some day soon.

 

Peace In Palestine/Baby Angel

 

photo by Amjad Doumani

Peace In Palestine

The “Ceasefire Carols” for peace in Palestine were well received in downtown Toledo at Promenade Park on Saturday night. We even picked up some new singers for next week’s performance. Nice!

Hear us in this clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1Clx7ZgAie/?igshid=NmUwNWViZjkxNw%3D%3D

The welcoming turnout gives me hope that the vast majority of human beings do desire peace, do not desire the deaths of more innocents, and do want to bring an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza permanently. It gives me a warm feeling that perhaps not all people on Planet Earth are heartless bastards. There are people who care, who have a moral center, and who aren’t easily persuaded to think genocide is a “necessary thing.”

I realize there are still quite a few heartless types out there, but their voices are being drown out by Ceasefire Carolers worldwide and celestial choirs of angels who herald the birth of the Christ child. The baby Jesus, according to the Gospel account in Matthew 2:16-18, almost didn’t make it to his first birthday because of King Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. There seems to be a parallel between that story and current events, don’t you think?

Sleep in heavenly peace, little ones, who will never experience a holiday here on this plane of existence. May we never forget you.

You know that the world is broken when a country is given the freedom to annihilate another people as the world watches in real time. This should shake each and every one of us to the core. --Michel Moushabeck, If Jesus Was Born Today, Would He Be Under Rubble?

Baby Angel

by C.A. Matthews

 

Most folks who put up a Christmas tree in their homes have a decorative ornament or two that holds a special meaning for them. It could be a handmade ornament given to them by their child or grandchild. It could be an ornament given to them as a present by a very special person in their life. It could be an ornament that honors a milestone in a family’s life—a “first Christmas for baby” ornament or a “first Christmas together as a couple” ornament are two such that come to mind.

Or it could be simply an ornament that was purchased because it was beautifully crafted and looks absolutely perfect on the Christmas tree. Art and beauty lend a message that this is a season full of love and wonder. Whatever the meaning behind a special ornament, it usually is given a position of honor on the tree so that all can gaze upon it and contemplate the special meaning it symbolizes.

We’ve collected so many special ornaments over the decades that it’s sometimes difficult figuring out where to place them on our medium-sized Christmas tree. As time goes by, I’ve even forgotten why I found a particular ornament special to begin with. Imagine that!

What was I thinking? I ask myself every December as I take some of them out of the storage box. These “lost meaning” decorations usually get put on toward the bottom or on the backside of the tree. Sort of filler ornaments, you could say. But sometimes, an older ornament takes on a new meaning, a new kind of specialness than it had before. It deserves a more prominent place on the tree.

Baby Angel is one example.

Baby Angel was given to me by my late father when I was pregnant with my first daughter. Now, that fact alone makes it a special ornament in and of itself. But in recent years, we’ve acquired many more flashy angel ornaments. Baby Angel was hung toward the back of the tree more often than not. Just one angel among many.

This year when I took Baby Angel out of storage I immediately put her in a place of honor in the front part of the tree. Baby Angel reminded me instantly of all the tiny infants slain by Israeli carpet bombing and by Israeli soldiers who forced their doctors away from their incubators in Gazan hospitals, leaving them to die all alone in the cold and dark.

Not exactly a “warm holiday season” thing to contemplate over a mug of hot cocoa, is it?

But it’s reality. Get use to it. The surviving family members of these murdered infants will have to learn to live with it, even if they’re murdered, in turn, by US-provided bombs. Bombs dropped on their refugee camp in the south of Gaza that crushes them under rubble or dismembers them in an explosion. Or they'll die slowly through starvation and disease because Israel has turned off their water, and food and medicine can’t be delivered under the hail of Israeli bombs and their control of the only exit points in Gaza.

I don’t think Baby Angel will ever not remind me of these massacred innocents from now on.

Over 70% of the civilian deaths in Gaza have been women and children. Not soldiers or terrorists but mothers with their children. Children who will never get to celebrate another birthday or holiday. Children who will never get to go to school again or play football with their buddies. Children who pose no threat to anyone except to those who commit a genocide against an entire group of indigenous people so they can steal their land and resources.

Baby Angel will hang on our Christmas tree in a place of honor to commemorate all the babies who became victims of the genocide in Gaza…. In a season that celebrates a baby who survived Herod’s slaughter of the innocents and whose family became refugees who fled to Egypt. It seems appropriate.

Holy infants so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace. In this world, there is none.

From a "Ceasefire Carol":

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Safety for fathers, mothers, and child
Holy infants alive with smiles
Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!

Related Articles and Interesting Links to Contemplate Over Cocoa:

If Jesus Was Born Today, Would He Be Under Rubble? https://truthout.org/articles/if-jesus-was-born-today-would-he-be-under-rubble/

All The Propaganda Is Splattering Against A Solid Wall Of Reality https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/all-the-propaganda-is-splattering

The IDF is just shooting at anything that moves https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-idf-is-just-shooting-at-anything

Biden Staffers Hold Historic Vigil Outside White House Calling for Ceasefire https://truthout.org/articles/biden-staffers-hold-historic-vigil-outside-white-house-calling-for-ceasefire/

The United States Is Losing Allies On Gaza https://popularresistance.org/the-united-states-is-losing-allies-on-gaza/

Senate Passes Massive $886 Billion National Defense Authorization Act https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/13/senate-passes-massive-886-billion-national-defense-authorization-act/

Increasing Civilian Suffering In Gaza Is Part of the Official Plan of the Netanyahu Government https://stevendonziger.substack.com/p/increasing-civilian-suffering-in

Israel admits to “immense” amount of “friendly fire” on 7 October
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-admits-immense-amount-friendly-fire-7-october

Nearly Half of All Israeli Munitions Dropped on Gaza are Imprecise ‘Dumb’ Bombs  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/15/nearly-half-of-all-israeli-munitions-dropped-on-gaza-are-imprecise-dumb-bombs/

Israel Apologists Are Psychopaths https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-apologists-are-psychopaths

If children are being slaughtered by the thousands in a horrific massacre and someone tries to make the conversation about what words and phrases you’re not allowed to use when opposing that massacre, the correct thing to do is to tell that person to shut the fuck up.

Time for a Transnational Uprising Against a Reckless Escalation of the Arms Race? https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/09/time-for-a-transnational-uprising-against-a-reckless-escalation-of-the-arms-race/

20 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know About the War on Gaza
https://worldbeyondwar.org/20-things-youre-not-supposed-to-know-about-the-war-on-gaza/

US Palestinians Feel Helpless as Our Tax Dollars Fund Our Families’ Destruction https://truthout.org/articles/us-palestinians-feel-helpless-as-our-tax-dollars-fund-our-families-destruction/

Israel Used US-Supplied White Phosphorous in Attack on Southern Lebanon https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/11/israel-used-us-made-white-phosphorous-in-attack-on-southern-lebanon/

Israel Is Wiping Out Gaza’s Journalists: A Tribute https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/15/israel-is-wiping-out-gazas-journalists-a-tribute/

Words Are Never Quite Enough https://riwaq.substack.com/p/words-are-never-quite-enough

Jewish Demonstrators Block Bridges in 8 U.S. Cities to Demand Ceasefire in Gaza https://truthout.org/articles/jewish-demonstrators-block-bridges-in-8-u-s-cities-demanding-ceasefire-in-gaza/

The Forcible Transfer of 85% of Palestinians in Gaza Is a Crime Against Humanity https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/12/the-forcible-transfer-of-85-of-palestinians-in-gaza-is-a-crime-against-humanity/

US Veto of Ceasefire Resolution Reflects Its Colonial View on Whose Lives Matter https://truthout.org/articles/us-veto-of-ceasefire-resolution-reflects-its-colonial-view-on-whose-lives-matter/

What US Got Most Crucially Wrong in UN Veto
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/12/10/what-us-got-most-crucially-wrong-in-un-veto/

‘Israel-Hamas War’ Label Obscures Israel’s War on Palestinians
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/12/israel-hamas-war-label-obscures-israels-war-on-palestinians/

Ukrainian Trial Demonstrates 2014 Maidan Massacre Was a False Flag  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/13/ukrainian-trial-demonstrates-2014-maidan-massacre-was-a-false-flag/

Unilateral Sanity Could Save the World https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/14/unilateral-sanity-could-save-the-world/

Chris Hedges: The Death of Israel  https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/17/chris-hedges-the-death-of-israel/

Israel has no intention of minimizing civilian casualties. It has already killed 18,800 Palestinians, 0.82 percent of the Gazan population — the equivalent of around 2.7 million Americans. Another 51,000 have been wounded. Half of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the U.N. All Palestinian institutions and services that sustain life — hospitals (only 11 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are still “partially functioning”), water treatment plants, power grids, sewersystems, housing, schools, government buildings, cultural centers, telecommunications systems, mosques, churches, U.N. food distribution points — have been destroyed. Israel has assassinated at least 80 Palestinian journalists alongside dozens of their family members and over 130 U.N. aid workers along with members of their families. Civilian casualties are the point. This is not a war against Hamas. It is a war against the Palestinians. The objective is to kill or remove 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza. 

IDF Kills 3 Shirtless Israeli Hostages Waving White Flag; Calling for Help in Hebrew https://www.commondreams.org/news/idf-kills-3-shirtless-israeli-hostages-waving-white-flag-calling-for-help-in-hebrew

The IDF Are So Good At Killing Israelis They Should Consider Joining Hamas https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-idf-are-so-good-at-killing-israelis

It’s so hard to say who’s in the right in this conflict. On one side you’ve got facts and evidence and a nonstop deluge of raw video footage documenting massacres of civilians day after day after day, but on the other side you’ve got people calling you an anti-semite if you disagree with them. It’s very complicated.

Latin America and the Caribbean Stand With Palestine: Israel Viewed as a US Proxy https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/17/latin-america-and-the-caribbean-stand-with-palestine-israel-viewed-as-a-us-proxy/

The Elephant In The Room

While you were shopping, bombs were dropping... on Gaza.

Toledo area peace activists took a tour of a local shopping mall sharing their concerns over the genocide happening in Gaza. You can see their march here:

https://www.facebook.com/bbop.toledo/videos/1074727953942628 

The holidays aren't supposed to be about death and destruction, but this year that's what's happening to the Palestinian people. It's difficult to remain quiet and talk about children's toys and games when a child is killed in Gaza every ten minutes. An innocent child who will never be able to celebrate a birthday or holiday ever again.

Sometimes, you have to face up to reality and discuss the "elephant" in the room...

The Elephant In The Room

 by C.A. Matthews

 

On a snowy December evening, a twenty-something couple park their small sedan in a crowded, long driveway of a large suburban home somewhere in the American Midwest. Cheerful holiday lights and decorations adorn the front of the house. As they get out of the car and stroll toward the front door, she explains the situation to her date that he is about to encounter.

Kayla: Remember Kev, if at any time you feel uncomfortable around any of my family members, and you want to bail, just give me that look of yours with the rolling eyes and nod. I'll rescue you from the conversation and get you into a safe place like the laundry room or pantry. Okay?

Kevin: No problem! I'm sure I'm going to love your family if they're anything as special as you. (He gives her a kiss on the cheek as they step up to the front porch and head toward the door.) Ready to introduce the new boyfriend to the clan?

Kayla: Well, ready or not, here we come--or should I say my cousin Emily has already spotted us.

Emily: (Laughing as she opens the door and invites them in.) Welcome! Come in, come in! You must be Kevin. Kayla has told us absolutely nothing about you.

Kayla: Ha ha. Very funny, Em.  Here, take our jackets.

Emily: (Winking at Kevin.) She just doesn't want me to flirt with you right off the bat. I can take a hint. (Emily takes their coats and whisks them away to another room.)

Kayla: Now you see what I mean about my extended family being a bit too...forward. I hear the crowd partying in the den, so let's go on in and face the music. (She leads him through a large foyer and down a long hallway.)

Kevin: So far, so good. I don't know why you're so worried about introducing me to your family. Your parents seemed very nice when I talked to them last month at homecoming.

Kayla: You only chatted with them for a few minutes in the middle of a crowded college football stadium. When my family is in their own "habitat" things can be quite different. For instance, beware of Uncle Bill. Just keep him away from the spiked eggnog and the rum punch.

Kevin: (Nodding.) Oh, I see. I understand what you mean. In spite of his...problems, I'm sure he's a great guy.

Kayla: Only when he's sober. And then there's my two male cousins who got caught peddling drugs at rock concerts--don't bring them up around my mom. She really gets upset about them. They're the current black sheep of the family. Fortunately, they're not able to attend this year since they didn't get early parole.

Kevin: (Flashing a concerned look.) I didn't realize the drinking and drug use sort of runs in your family. I'll be careful not to bring it up.

Kayla: Thanks. It's not uncommon nowadays, but it is a...touchy subject around the holidays. And then there's my crazy Great-Aunt Sally. We've just got to stay as far away from her as we can help it.

Kevin: Understood. Sort of like Uncle Bill?

 

Kayla: Worse!

They reach the large family room crowded with people drinking, snacking, and loudly chatting over festive holiday music while a roaring fire blazes in the fireplace. Kayla nudges her boyfriend over to the smorgasbord where they fill their plates.

Uncle Bill: Hey, it's my little Kayla all grown up! My favorite niece! (He throws an arm around her and then notices Kevin.) Is this the new man in your life?

Kayla: (Flinching from his breath.) Yes, it is. Seems like you started celebrating early, Uncle Bill. Why don't you go and sit by the fire and enjoy your liquid supper?

Bill frowns but takes the hint and moves away. Kayla guides Kevin to a quiet place in the corner with a couple of chairs behind a huge Christmas tree so they can eat in peace.

Kayla: Whew! We'll be safe here. My parents seem to be busy talking with some distant relations who flew in from the Bahamas, so we'll have a chance to eat and relax a little before the interrogations begin.

Kevin: You really have to stop downing your family, Kayla. They're not all that bad. You need to meet mine sometime.

Kayla: I will. I promise. It's just not been convenient to get into the city... Oh, dear. Here comes Aunt Sally. Don't make eye contact--don't make eye contact! 

 

A woman in a brightly colored tie-dyed caftan approaches and smiles widely.

Sally: Hello there, Miss Kayla! (They hug.) You're so grown up now. A senior in college, right? And this young man is...?

Kayla: This is Kevin. He's my boyfriend. Now, if you'll excuse us we need to go speak with--

Sally: Say, Kevin, would you like a button? I made them myself, and I'm giving them out as gifts in the spirit of the season. 

 

Kevin: Sure, thanks.

 

Sally reaches into a tie-dyed bag and pulls out a printed badge and hands it to him.

 

Sally: How about I give you this one: "All I want for Christmas is for Israel to stop bombing babies."  And here's one for Kayla. (She reaches in and retrieves another badge.) "Peace on Earth for ALL Humankind Not Just The Rich with Guns." I thought you might like that one, being a business major and all.

Kayla: Oh, yeah, thanks a lot, Aunt Sally. We've gotta go and--

Sally: (Interrupting.) What do you think about your button, Kevin? Do you agree with it?

Kevin: It's...very interesting. I mean, why should Israel be bombing babies? Isn't Christmas about the birth of a baby there long ago who would bring peace to the entire world?

Sally: You are so right! That's why the carpet bombing of Gaza and the slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinian children is such an abhorrent act. A child is killed in Gaza every ten minutes on average. And they've turned off the water and electricity so illnesses and infections from wounds caused by these bombs are made even worse. Can you imagine a toddler having to have all his limbs amputated because there's no antibiotics, and it's the only way to save his life?

Kevin: A friend showed me some photos and videos from there on his TikTok account. It's horrible. It's downright criminal.

Kayla: (Pulling on his arm.) Come on, Kev, we've got to move along now and--

Sally: So, would you two be interested in attending our "Peace in Palestine Caroling Event" tomorrow night since you both are in town? We'll be singing familiar carols with an emphasis on peace and a permanent ceasefire in that part of the world. What do you think?

Kevin: The caroling sounds really nice. We don't have anything else on our schedule tomorrow, do we, Kayla?

Kayla: (Sighing.) No, we don't, but--

Sally: Great! I'll give you the details. Want a flyer? I put them over there by the cheese balls, let's go check it out...

Kevin follows Sally over to the food table, smiling and chatting animatedly about the caroling. Kayla crosses her arms and frowns. Emily approaches.

Emily: Seems Great-Aunt Sally has stolen your boyfriend away, cousin. That's two for two at these holiday get-togethers, isn't it?

Kayla: Yeah, I don't know how she does it, but she has a talent for hooking people into her crazy causes and getting them to do stupid things with her. At Christmastime, no less! (She shakes her head sadly.) Kevin and I should be out and about drinking and eating and shopping like normal folks, and here Aunt Sally has roped him in to sing carols for peace in some backwards part of the world. Sheesh!

Emily: (Nodding.) Well, at least she didn't get him going with the "People, Planet and Peace" of the Green Party schtick like she did with your last boyfriend. I remember how excited he was to learn that Greens believe in free college tuition and reparations. He dropped you faster than a hot potato after he spotted the Biden/Harris sticker on your car bumper on campus, didn't he?

Kayla: Don't remind me. Damn! Why do I keep picking these overly sensitive types? 

 

Emily: (Checking out Kevin talking with Sally and others.) Well, if it's any consolation, he is kind of cute. 

Kayla: Yeah, but I keep picking guys who believe dumb brown kids in the Middle East are worth saving. Next thing I know, Kevin will want our families' stock portfolios to tank by divesting from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, General Dynamics, and Raytheon. And both our families have been making good money recently on those bombs Aunt Sally gets all in a huff about falling on top of poor people.

Emily: That's Aunt Sally for you. Such a bleeding heart she has.

 

Kayla: For sure. She has an "Eat the Rich" sticker on her electric car. You can't get anymore loser than that, caring about others more than your own family.

 

Emily: (Glancing over at the food table.) It seems Kevin and her are getting on like a house on fire.  Still, it's better to find out about what he's really like now before your parents' big mimosa brunch on New Year's Day for the County Democratic Party candidates' fund. He just wouldn't fit in with that crowd. At all.

Kayla: (Sighing.) No, he wouldn't. I suppose I'll have to let him down gently tonight.

Emily: Yeah, or just drop a bomb on him like Israel does to the Palestinians. Shuts those complainers right up after they've been buried under tons of rubble. It's probably the easiest way to solve your problems. A peaceful world only works for those who have the biggest bombs, right?

Kayla: (Smiling wanly as she takes her cousin's arm.) You're right. Let's go get some of that punch before Uncle Bill drains the punch bowl dry.

 

The Nativity Scene at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem

 

 As the US vetoes a United Nations Security Council resolution for a ceasefire...

... The global charity Save the Children warned that at least 7,685 children under age five in Gaza are now so malnourished—a result of Israel's total blockade of the enclave that began in October and the delivery of just a small fraction of the aid that is needed—that they require "urgent medical treatment to avoid death."

"The repeated failure of the international community to act signifies a death knell to children," said Jason Lee, country director for Save the Children. "I've seen children and families roaming the streets of what hasn't been flattened in Gaza, with no food, nowhere to go, and nothing to survive on. Even the internationally-funded humanitarian aid response—Gaza's last lifeline—has been choked by Israeli-imposed restrictions."

"Gaza's children are being condemned to further bombardment, starvation, and disease," said Lee. "We must heed the lessons from the past and must immediately prevent 'atrocity crimes' from unfolding."

The intensifying opposition to Israel's U.S.- and U.K.-backed bombardment of Gaza was made apparent by an estimated 15,000-20,000 people who marched through London on Saturday to demand a cease-fire. --from

'Moral Insanity': Biden Admin Bypasses Congress to Rush Tank Shells to Israel

Be sure to check out The Revolution Continues on Substack. You can read the article from your email box or go online to its page where you can leave comments and interact with the growing Substack community. Subscribe today! https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

Related Articles and Interesting Links

I Will Not Look Away https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/i-will-not-look-away

 

The US ceasefire veto condemns tens of thousands more Palestinians to death  https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-us-ceasefire-veto-condemns-tens

 

The Evil Israel Does is the Evil Israel Gets
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/08/chris-hedges-the-evil-israel-does-is-the-evil-israel-gets/

The Chris Hedges Report with reporter Antony Loewenstein on how Israel tests new weapons and surveillance technology on Palestinians before selling them to countries around the globe.
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-chris-hedges-report-with-reporter-b17

 

'Moral Insanity': Biden Admin Bypasses Congress to Rush Tank Shells to Israel  https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-2666509472

How Israel’s Mizrahi Jews are “Making Israel Great Again” https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/how-israels-mizrahi-jews-are-making

I used to think the term ’Judeo-Nazis’ was excessive. I don’t any longer.  https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/i-used-to-think-the-term-judeo-nazis-was-excessive-i-dont-any-longer/

Walmart Is Selling Hanukkah Candles That Fund Anti-Arab Discrimination in Israel https://truthout.org/articles/walmart-is-selling-hanukkah-candles-that-fund-anti-arab-discrimination-in-israel/

The ‘Greater Israel’ Scheme and Its Global Power Play: A Delusional Recipe for Armageddon https://www.globalresearch.ca/greater-israel-scheme-global-power-play-delusional-recipe-armageddon/5842416

Inside the Pro-Israel Information War  https://www.leefang.com/p/inside-the-pro-israel-information

‘If I Must Die, Let It Be a Tale’: A Tribute to Refaat Alareer
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/08/if-i-must-die-let-it-be-a-tale-a-tribute-to-refaat-alareer/

Why Journalists Must Speak Out About Gaza https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/07/why-journalists-must-speak-out-about-gaza/

Digital Rights Groups Urge Meta to Stop Silencing Palestine https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/08/digital-rights-groups-urge-meta-to-stop-silencing-palestine/

 

As the US vetoes UNSC ceasefire resolution, the people take the streets for Palestine  https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/09/as-the-us-vetoes-unsc-ceasefire-resolution-the-people-take-the-streets-for-palestine/

 
As Israeli Genocide Continues: Protesters Stay In The Streets
https://popularresistance.org/as-israeli-genocide-continues-protesters-for-palestine-stay-in-the-streets/

Matt Taibbi: Sue the Bastards: Federalist, Daily Wire Take the State Department to Court https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/06/matt-taibbi-sue-the-bastards-federalist-daily-wire-take-the-state-department-to-court/

KISSINGER, ME, AND THE LIES OF THE MASTER
https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/kissinger-me-and-the-lies-of-the

Congress Reviews Plan to Facilitate Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians From Gaza https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/04/congress-reviews-plan-to-facilitate-ethnic-cleansing-of-palestinians-from-gaza/

The Official Story Of October Seventh https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-official-story-of-october-seventh

There's Nothing You Can Say To Make Me Accept The Murder Of Thousands Of Children  https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theres-nothing-you-can-say-to-make

I promise there is nothing you can say to me that will cause me to cease opposing the murder of thousands of children in Gaza. There is no name you can call me, no accusation you can scream at me, no talking point you can regurgitate at me that will ever make me shut up and accept this. --Caitlin Johnstone

"Stop Murdering Thousands Of Children," Said The Evil Crazy Nazi

https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/stop-murdering-thousands-of-children

 

Dr. Jill Stein: A Ballot Challenge to the Crimes of Empire https://blackagendareport.com/news/1781/33/Dr.-Jill-Stein-A-Ballot-Challenge-to-the-Crimes-of-Empire

 

Israel's genocide in Gaza has Biden's green light https://www.aaronmate.net/p/israels-genocide-in-gaza-has-bidens

What’s UN Resolution 377A, can it help in efforts to stop Israel-Gaza war? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/11/whats-un-resolution-377a-can-it-help-in-efforts-to-stop-israel-gaza-war

Seen on X/Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MalghaniNudrat/status/1733182242544107928

 

https://twitter.com/DrJillStein/status/1729609886441312668

How Do We Live With Ourselves?

 

In Lak'ech Ala K'in. "I am you and you are me. What I do to you, I do to myself." —Mayan Saying

How Do We Live With Ourselves?

by C.A. Matthews

In this season of supposed “Peace on Earth! Goodwill to All Humankind!” one would hope to see—and experience—some of this peace and goodwill for oneself.

But, of course, that’s not possible in December 2023 because there’s a genocide going on in Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank. There are also other genocides occurring elsewhere on the planet—such as in the Congo—but they’re not making the news cycle much, like the one in Rwanda a few years back didn’t. Africans are invisible to Western media outlets. The stacks of dead bodies of black people don’t register on their cameras or consciousnesses.

Criminal, isn’t it?

The fact that Netanyahu and Biden have teamed up to slaughter tens of thousands of Palestinians, including little children, babies in incubators, and the elderly, has caused many Americans to simply shut down emotionally and intellectually. That’s the only explanation I can give to explain the lack of responses I’ve received whenever I post an article, a video, or photo detailing what’s happening in Gaza on my Facebook page. I’m lucky to get one or two likes or comments from the same one or two persons, but mostly I receive zero responses. Crickets.

Even to a video that shows the destruction of Gaza that US tax dollars have paid for (Don't you feel proud?): https://youtu.be/k0pOaRsfxYc?si=CaOByrRvvMFpsJrR

I know it’s foolish of me to even think it’s worth my time posting anything on Facebook, but I feel that the public has the right to hear the whole story and not only the sanitized and twisted narrative the status quo puts out in the mainstream media. I keep hoping some of these posts will get through the blocks and shadowbans. I know a lot of what I’ve posted on X/Twitter has been censored as well, but enough of my X posts must get through because I do receive plentiful responses from online friends and strangers alike.

Of course, the strangers are often accusing me of being “antisemitic” because I voice that I am strongly anti-Zionist/anti-genocide. Somehow people are confusing these two radically different concepts, Semitism and Zionism. Semitic peoples are simply people originally from the part of the world that makes up Gaza/Palestine and the modern state of Israel and speak similar languages. That’s all it really means.

And I’ll admit that I’m very much for Semitic people living and thriving and not being crushed to death in the rubble of their homes while being bombed by the Israeli air force, bombs courtesy of the US military-industrial complex. I’m very much for tiny babies in incubators in hospitals in the Gaza strip to have access to electricity and clean water and to not be left to die alone in the cold and dark because Israeli soldiers forced their doctors and nurses out of the hospitals. I’m very much for Israeli civilians not being burned to death in their cars by missiles shot from Apache helicopters piloted by Israeli Air Force pilots who believe in the “Hannibal Directive”.

I simply want all signatories to the United Nations Convention on Human Rights to follow the rules. I don’t want them to commit war crimes. That’s not too much to ask now, is it?

So, obviously I’m far from being “antisemitic” by the textbook definition. As far as the political ideology of Zionism goes? Nah, I can’t get behind it since it has led to the creation of a horrible ethnostate that has slaughtered the indigenous peoples for decades now without mercy because the Zionists want to steal the natives’ land and natural resources. Any political ideology that supports anything like the 1948 Nakba, apartheid, second class citizenship for native peoples, carpet bombing, and outright genocide isn’t an ideology I can support in good conscience.

And that’s where the problem lies for me. My conscience tells me that genocide is wrong, and that I, as a professing Christian, must do all that I can to “Love my neighbor as myself.” I cannot simply turn a blind eye to the horrors happening to Palestinians since they are my “neighbor.” I  must “Do for others as I would like them to do for me.” I must walk a mile in their moccasins and learn what it’s like to be oppressed, to feel the pain of what is happening to them, and then do something about it. I don’t have a choice. It’s what I as a Christian must do.

My conscience says that if I simply ignore others being killed and injured with US provided military armaments then I, as an American citizen/taxpayer, am every bit as culpable as the party to whom we provided the weapons to that is actively doing the killing.

We Americans don’t get a free pass on this. We don’t get to deny that we’re causing untold suffering and agony to our fellow human beings just because we made a private deal with another country that wants to use our military aid to commit a genocide. We must accept the blame and take action to rectify the nightmarish situation before it gets even worse—although it’s already gotten worse, hasn’t it?

I can’t imagine a worse scenario than 1.8 million displaced, 7,000 dead children, 20,000 civilians dead or crushed under the rubble of Gaza, murdered simply for the crime of being born Palestinian. Once the "temporary pause" was lifted, over 700 Palestinians were killed within the first 24 hour period by IDF bombing. It bothers my conscience. It hurts my heart greatly. I can’t sleep sometimes. I remember my youngest daughter spending her first week of life in an incubator. How would I feel if she had been left to die alone or buried under a ton of rubble because Zionists wanted her dead?

But nobody wants to hear about my PTSD triggers. This strange concept of having a conscience isn’t going over very well with some Americans I’ve encountered, unfortunately. Here is my recent tale that illustrates this problem:

I was sharing information from one group to another group online, because I thought maybe a few people (not all, just a few) in the second group might be interested in using their musical skills to help out the folks in the first group. So I copied and pasted a request from the first group and sent it along in a group email to the second group. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. I was in a hurry, and I didn’t edit the paragraph I’d received from the first group because I didn’t want to add words or take away anything from what they were trying to ask help for.

Imagine my surprise (shock, really) the next day when I’m totally blindsided by a heated response posted in the second group that I emailed. Only two persons emailed back on the loop, but their accusations of my “antisemitism” and the “legal ramifications” of assisting the first group this holiday season pretty much told me that they weren’t the decent human beings I’d thought they were. (And the rest of those on the email loop? They’ve remained silent—in agreement? In fear they could be attacked next? Who knows?)

Now here's the real kicker: the second group is a church group, and I’d assumed they were professing Christians as well as musicians. Wouldn’t they as Christians want to stop a genocide being committed with the help of our tax dollars? Don’t their consciences bother them about the genocide going on against the relatives of the first group? Are my friends in the first group seen as being less than somehow because not all of them are the same kind of Christians or aren’t seen as American as the persons in the second group?

I’ll never know the answer to these questions. My emails asking for clarification (and maybe some words of comfort?) from the church's pastor were never answered. And I was apparently dropped from the church music group’s email loop as well.

Being ghosted by your pastor and others who you thought were your friends really sucks—especially during the Christmas season. I’ve always sung in church praise bands, choirs, and chorales. My favorite activity in December is going Christmas caroling. It’s the highlight of the year for me. It makes the cold and damp and the darkness of early winter bearable. Now it's ruined for me because I’m not welcome to sing with this second group because… Because I have a conscience? Because I don't support genocide?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to put my conscience to sleep—ever—even if I end up friendless. How could I live with myself knowing that I didn’t at least try to help others who are hurting? Why should I become a soulless sociopath just to fit in with present-day, bloodthirsty mainstream American society or a mainline American church denomination that backs those immoral values?

Since I've always followed the teachings of a radical Palestinian of the first century A.D. who preaches the Golden Rule, I think I’ll just walk on water and get the hell away from these hypocrites ASAP.  

I doubt I’ll ever be able to forget this upsetting experience or the unkind things my former church associates implied about the Palestinian Americans with whom I associate with through the local activism scene. I enjoy my current work with immigrants as a paralegal and have enjoyed my work as an ESL tutor and citizenship teacher for many years. I don’t see immigrants and newcomers as second class citizens or less than the people who have lived in the US all their lives. When a person or group has a reasonable request and asks for help, why can’t I share this ask with others without the risk of being attacked and accused of made-up charges of antisemitism?

Why are the people who actually support genocide by their actions and non-actions alike getting to call all the shots? I know—it’s because they’re capitalists, right? Money talks, especially in cash-strapped American churches. We can’t be upsetting the folks who write the big checks for the offering plate, can we?

It’s going to be a blue Christmas for yours truly. I get to suffer for putting my neck out there because I care about others. But a big thanks goes out to all those online who have supported me in the past and who will continue to support me in the future. You get me. You have a conscience. Bless you for being you.

Hey—maybe we can get together online and throw a Zoom Christmas carol party? I’ll bring the electronic cookies. (Ha-ha!)

How do we live with ourselves if we can’t even be open to showing love to our neighbor whose relatives are being wiped out in a genocide? We can’t. We die. Inside. Our consciences will be lost. Forever. And the warmongers and genocide supporters will win.

And we can’t let them win. Ever.

 

Liberationist theologian Herb Montgomery puts the whole Christmas story into a sharper perspective in A Christmas Story for the Marginalized

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2019/12/a-christmas-story-for-the-marginalized

Reclaimed interpretations of the Christmas story emphasize details that we can’t afford to miss. Jesus being born into immense poverty, being announced to the socially outcast, bypassing the politically, economically, socially and religiously of the day, and his parents becoming violence-fleeing refugees for the well-being of their child—there is an entire foundation here on which to build a framework for Christians who are working toward social justice today.

Please subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! (Less censorship, more places to leave comments.) https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

Related Articles and Interesting Links

Massacre in the DRC: 56 killed in protests against UN forces https://therealnews.com/massacre-in-the-drc-56-killed-in-protests-against-un-forces

Israel implemented 'mass Hannibal' directive on 7 October: Israeli pilot https://new.thecradle.co/articles/israel-implemented-mass-hannibal-directive-on-7-october-israeli-pilot

The Hannibal Directive: What Really Happened On October 7th https://youtu.be/pxGDRJJ9avw?si=g9UkGVwpgOPVIOB7 

Israel-Palestine live: Unicef says current Gaza bombardment 'worst of war' so far https://www.middleeasteye.net/live/israel-palestine-war-gaza-truce-hamas-live 

Israel-Gaza war updates: 100s killed in last 24 hours in Israeli strikes https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/3/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-bombards-gaza-as-talks-break-down

The war in Gaza has been an intense lesson in western hypocrisy. It won’t be forgotten https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/27/war-gaza-lesson-western-hypocrisy-international-community

And so the past few weeks have been a speeded-up lesson in the illusory nature of international law. Unlike Iraq, it has not taken years for the bodies to pile up, for the evidence to mount and to prove that the venture made no one safer, was merciless and misguided – and ultimately for confidence and trust in political leadership to leach away. Gaza is happening in real time, in some instances livestreamed. The bombardments are so relentless and concentrated that entire families have been wiped out. Thousands have been displaced, dragging their children in makeshift sleds (another harrowing scene). There is also the moral force of the children. Not just their deaths, estimated at up to 6,000 in less than two months, but their orphaning, displacement, and deprivation of food and water in a besieged Gaza that is now, according to Unicef, “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child”.

Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html

Genocide Joe label drags Biden down https://youtu.be/VDJH7soCMPU?si=dtaUjw4jHOJHaWK0

A father says goodbye https://twitter.com/1b2_r/status/1729593191790158257

Five infants died because Israeli soldiers made the doctors leave https://twitter.com/intifada/status/1729946899782721835

Israel's Savagery Is So Shocking It's Sometimes Hard To Take In https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israels-savagery-is-so-shocking-its

"It’s so earth-shakingly ugly that it just might shake the world awake." (I hope it does.)

Hamas Isn't The Target, It's The Excuse https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/hamas-isnt-the-target-its-the-excuse

War Is Not Abstracted Anymore https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/war-is-not-abstracted-anymore

The Goal Is Ethnic Cleansing, Not Defeating Hamas https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-goal-is-ethnic-cleansing-not

Netanyahu signals intent to continue genocide https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/netanyahu-signals-intent-to-continue

Israel Reopens the Gaza Slaughterhouse  https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/israel-reopens-the-gaza-slaughterhouse

Already, 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza have been driven from their homes. Once Palestinians cross the border into Egypt — which the Egyptian government and Arab leaders are seeking to prevent despite pressure from the U.S. — Palestinians will never return.

This is not a war against Hamas. It is a war against Palestinians.

War Porn To A T(shirt)
https://mark192.substack.com/p/war-porn-to-a-tshirt

Jill Stein interviewed about the genocide in Gaza (first 20 minutes) https://rumble.com/v3z2eom-live-israels-secret-weapon-pres.-candidate-dr.-jill-stein.html

Documents expose Israeli conspiracy to facilitate October 7 attack https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/12/02/klox-d02.html

If I Were Going To Commit A Genocide https://www.caitlinjohnst.one /p/if-i-were-going-to-commit-a-genocide

‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza  https://www.972mag.com/mass-assassination-factory-israel-calculated-bombing-gaza/

Hamas Uses Human Shields? The Evidence https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/02/hamas-uses-human-shields-the-evidence-2/

Israel Planning for Gaza War To Last Over a Year
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/02/israel-planning-for-gaza-war-to-last-over-a-year/

US Sent Israel 15,000 Bombs Since October 7 https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/01/us-sent-israel-15000-bombs-since-october-7/

The Wall Street Journal published details about the White House’s secretive arms transfers to Israel since October 7. The US has provided Israel with 57,000 artillery shells and 15,000 bombs, including over 5,000 with 2,000-pound warheads.

According to a list of weapons obtained by the Journal, the US has shipped Israel “more than 5,000 Mk82 unguided or ‘dumb’ bombs, more than 5,400 Mk84 2,000-pound warhead bombs, around 1,000 GBU-39 small diameter bombs, and approximately 3,000 JDAMs.”

The US has additionally shipped 57,000 155 MM shells to Israel. NBC News previously reported in October that Washington sent Tel Aviv artillery rounds that are cluster munitions.

Ukraine’s top negotiator confirms US-UK sabotaged peace deal with Russia https://www.aaronmate.net/p/ukraines-top-negotiator-confirms

A Tale of Two Valerys: Top Russian and Ukrainian Generals Negotiate to End Ukraine War https://ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-valerys-top-russian

Henry Kissinger: The Declassified Obituary
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/chile-cold-war-henry-kissinger-indonesia-southern-cone-vietnam/2023-11-29/henry

Henry Kissinger, War Criminal and World’s Biggest A**hole Dies https://youtu.be/RVGth9Qp9Sc?si=kGIFf8TxHTZBeLTI