Pursuing Political Defiance

by C.A. Matthews

Political Defiance is nonviolent struggle (protest, noncooperation, and intervention) applied defiantly and actively for political purposes… “Defiance” denotes a deliberate challenge to authority by disobedience, allowing room for submission. “Political defiance” describes the environment in which the action is employed (political) as well as the objective (political power). The term is used principally to describe actions by populations to regain from dictatorships control over governmental institutions by relentlessly attacking their sources of power and deliberately using strategic planning and operations to do so… Political defiance, nonviolent resistance and nonviolent struggle [can be] used interchangeably… the later two terms generally refer to struggles with a broader range of objectives. --From Dictatorship to Democracy by Gene Sharp (The New Press www.thenewpress.com)

It’s time for Americans to be defiant. It’s time to stop cooperating. It’s time to nonviolently resist all the crap that is being thrown at us.

First off, let’s talk about how to become a conscientious objector. It might become a necessary option for American males between 18 – 26 years of age. It’s best to be prepared with your reasons for not wanting to be conscripted into the army in case a draft is reinstated.

If you’re not sure you want to exempt yourself from military service, ask yourself the following: Do I want to risk my life fighting to increase the profits of the CEOs of the oil companies and the military-industrial complex? Do I wish to become complicit in the ethnic cleansing/genocide of Palestinians by forcefully removing them from Gaza and the West Bank? Do I long to round up asylum-seekers at the border and force them back into possibly deadly situations in the countries they have fled from? Would I be willing to hunt down, capture, kill or imprison my fellow citizens who don’t agree with the current regime’s methods or policies?

If you answered no to any of the questions, watch the following short video: https://youtu.be/wLoUu_YIV3s?si=mcGuAkA5lHIn0-6Y

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True Civilization

Watch this artwork's creation at https://twitter.com/borjaguti1/status/1763598552981213524

True Civilization

 by C.A. Matthews

There has been a lot of discussion both online and offline about the extreme act of protest US Airman Aaron Bushnell committed in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on February 25, 2024. Some of the chatter is put out by Zionist trolls trying to negate the magnitude of his sacrifice, calling him “mentally ill,” “suicidal,” “homicidal” or worse. However, most of the commentary has been respectful and awe-filled, praising the commitment Aaron made toward creating a lasting peace for the people of Palestine.

Aaron was willing to die in order to make the point that others should be allowed to live. His positive and self-sacrificial message has made it through the dregs of negative propaganda and found a welcoming place in millions of hearts worldwide. Here are some comments I've found particularly illuminating.

 Nuno Marques (@numarqs) on X/Twitter says:

Aaron was not mentally ill. This system that calls him mentally ill and supports a genocide is mentally ill. As someone who has gone through therapy myself, I find it abhorrent to insult martyrs this way. What the US government and its media stenographers want you to believe is if you have a conscience, you’re mentally disturbed! https://twitter.com/numarqs/status/1762276006340301148

I agree. Having a conscience is not a “mental illness”. Far from it. Having a conscience shows you are a fully realized human being who can empathize with the suffering of others and have compassion on them and their plight. This week I learned that Aaron left his savings in his will to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund. 

Aaron really did believe in using whatever means he had at his disposal to help others, to bring about justice and peace.
As Nuno Marques says Aaron Bushnell is a martyr, deserving of our thanks and praise.

Another who expressed a similar take on Aaron’s protest is Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti of Ansar Allah. (@M_N_Albukhaiti) Here is what he said about honoring Aaron’s sacrifice:

Today, the world lost Aaron Bushnell, a brave, noble, and conscientious human being, but his message reached and resonated around the world. Aaron proved that his conscience's ability to bear the scenes of dead and wounded Palestinian children was weaker than his ability to bear the pain of fire burning his body, so he continued to chant freedom for Palestine until the last moment of his life. Thank you Aaron, your message has awakened the global conscience, but we will continue to cry for you as we cry for the children of Palestine. https://twitter.com/M_N_Albukhaiti/status/1762198093628375103

Aaron Bushnell has “awakened the global conscience.” His protest is powerful and positive, not the act of a madman or mentally ill individual. Thank you, Aaron, for waking our sleeping consciences so that we may be inspired to do good deeds for our fellow human beings in their time of trial and need.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and ordained minister Chris Hedges sees Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation as “divine violence”. He phrases it this way:

Divine violence terrifies a corrupt and discredited ruling class. It exposes their depravity. It illustrates that not everyone is paralyzed by fear. It is a siren call to battle radical evil. That is what Bushnell intended. His sacrifice speaks to our better selves.

Aaron’s protest has exposed the depravity in our “corrupt and discredited ruling class”, and for this reason alone it is worthy of our attention. Hedges is right to call it a” siren call to battle radical evil” because this is exactly what Aaron wished to expose—the evil of genocide, the evil of bombing innocent children and their parents whose only “crime” was being born Palestinian in the modern ethnostate of Israel.

Aaron Bushnell: A martyr who practiced divine violence in order to awaken the global conscience.

“Aaron Bushnell wasn’t addressing the Israeli government with his soul-jarring message. He wasn’t even addressing his own government. He was addressing you. Each of us. His goal was to get us all to open our eyes to the horror of what’s happening, and spur us to action to end it,” said journalists Caitlin Johnstone and Tim Foley. They call Aaron’s actions “a profound act of sincerity.”

I agree. In a world built on lies, manipulation, and gaslighting, when evil meets that pure and unadulterated sincerity of love of others so much that Aaron felt compelled to lay down his life for the sake of the persecuted Palestinian people, it pauses, astonished and chastised. Could we lesser mortals ever learn to put our hatred and racism aside and embrace such sincere compassion?

It remains to be seen, but the conversation has begun. For that profound act of sincerity alone, I see Aaron as a saint and a genius.

Aaron Bushnell: A martyr who practiced divine violence in order to awaken the global conscience through an act of profound sincerity and compassion.

A quote that has been mentioned in relation to Aaron’s extreme act of protest is one attributed to the world-renown anthropologist Margaret Mead. Surgeon Dr. Paul Brand remembered Mead saying:

Early in my career I heard a lecture from the anthropologist Margaret Mead. “What would you say is the earliest sign of civilization?” she asked, naming a few options. A clay pot? Tools made of iron? The first domesticated plants? “These are all early signs,” she continued, “but here is what I believe to be evidence of the earliest true civilization.” High above her head she held a human femur, the largest bone in the leg, and pointed to a grossly thickened area where the bone had been fractured, and then solidly healed.

“Such signs of healing are never found among the remains of the earliest, fiercest societies. In their skeletons we find clues of violence: a rib pierced by an arrow, a skull crushed by a club. But this healed bone shows that someone must have cared for the injured person—hunted on his behalf, brought him food, served him at personal sacrifice.” --a quote from Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: A Surgeon Looks at the Human and Spiritual Body by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. (Found at https://quoteinvestigator.com/2021/07/25/femur/)

Caring for your fellow human beings in their time of need is a sign of true civilization according to Margaret Mead. If so, what sort of sign is committing (or aiding and abetting) a genocide then? A sign of a false civilization? A false civilization that cannot acknowledge that ethnically cleansing two million plus people is evil and wrong?

No wonder this false civilization we live in doesn’t recognize Aaron Bushnell for the saint he was, a man who practiced divine violence in order to awaken the global conscience through his act of profound sincerity and compassion!
 

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?” Aaron posted on his personal Facebook page before he began his walk toward the Israeli embassy. “The answer is, You’re doing it. Right Now.”

Aaron Bushnell’s very last words spoken as he walked to the place where he would set himself ablaze: “I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I'm about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine, at the hands of their colonizers it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

“Free Palestine!”

We will never live in a true civilization until we have freed ourselves from the tyranny of those who commit genocide for their own corrupt purposes. As Mead says “personal sacrifice” is what was shown in the earliest forms of human civilization. Caring for the injured and the sick was what made us truly “human." How quickly we’ve forgotten what our ancestors learned and practiced!

Let us follow Aaron’s lead not by burning ourselves alive in front of an embassy, but by doing all we can to stop the corrupt ruling class that has brought about this false civilization in which we currently live. A civilization that is destroying our planet with its wanton pollution of our air, land and water... A civilization that is destroying our very souls with its greed and inhumane actions. 

Our personal sacrifice to the cause of ending this false civilization will save the lives of billions and save our own humanity. Anything less from us isn't worthy of the sacrifice that Aaron Bushnell made to open our eyes to this evil reality.

Rest in Power, Aaron. May we all live to make you proud.

*  *  *

The Organizer-in-Chief

photos and words by C.A. Matthews

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein came through the Toledo area this past weekend where she met and chatted with avid supporters and skeptic questioners alike.

I've seen just about every interview Jill has ever done with both independent and mainstream media journalists, but there's something special about being in Dr. Stein's personal presence. She really is a believer in the ability of "We the People" to enact and practice true democracy. She never talks down to her audience, and she's always welcoming of folks' feedback, information, and comments. It is truly refreshing to be taken seriously as a voter and to be treated with such graciousness.

I particularly like how Jill envisions a "Green House" in DC. She sees herself acting as the "Organizer-in-Chief," keeping the various activist organizations that will work together to bring about a Jill Stein victory and a better America doing just that even after she takes office. We will all continue working together against the corrupt status quo politicians and their policies until they are no longer in power, and a true democracy in the USA is born. 

It's a lofty goal and a beautiful vision, one that many will want to become a part of as we "Abandon Biden, Dump Trump, and Join Jill!" (For more information about how you can volunteer, donate, or just learn more about Jill, check out jillstein2024.com)

Related Articles and Interesting Links

A profound act of sincerity https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/a-profound-act-of-sincerity

Aaron Bushnell's Death Can't Rightly Be Called An Act Of Suicide https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/aaron-bushnells-death-cant-rightly

On Aaron Bushnell, Methinks The Israel Apologist Doth Protest Too Much https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/on-aaron-bushnell-methinks-the-israe
 
Aaron Bushnell’s Divine Violence https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnells-divine-violence

A message from Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti (Ansar Allah, a.k.a. The Houthis) honoring Aaron’s sacrifice https://x.com/m_n_albukhaiti/status/1762198093628375103

The Life & Death of Aaron Bushnell: U.S. Airman Self-Immolates Protesting U.S. Support for Israel in Gaza
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/28/aaron_bushnell_self_immolation_gaza_protest

Aaron Bushnell: Very Emotional Vigil Interview at Israeli Embassy (~4 min video and transcript) https://couragenews.substack.com/p/aaron-bushnell-very-emotional-vigil

Media's Israel bias exposed by US soldier who set himself on fire to protest Gaza genocide https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/media-israel-bias-aaron-bushnell-gaza-genocide

Don't Avert Your Eyes: Gaza Has Suffered the Equivalent of 1,200 September 11th Attacks https://stevendonziger.substack.com/p/dont-avert-your-eyes-gaza-has-suffered-2c0

Egypt Sells Out Palestinians for $10 Billion Loan Package https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/egypt-sells-out-palestinians-for-10-billion-loan-package/

When The Imperial Media Report On An Israeli Massacre https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/when-the-imperial-media-report-on

US Slammed For Providing Israel With ‘License To Kill’ Palestinians https://popularresistance.org/us-slammed-for-providing-israel-with-license-to-kill-palestinians/

Millions Plan to Take Part in Global March Calling for Israeli Ceasefire in Gaza https://truthout.org/articles/millions-plan-to-take-part-in-global-march-calling-for-israeli-ceasefire-in-gaza/

Britain Wants to Ban Boycotts of Israel. Does That Mean They’re Working? https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/01/britain-wants-to-ban-boycotts-of-israel-does-that-mean-theyre-working/

World Court hearing on legality of Israeli occupation ends following week of testimony https://mondoweiss.net/2024/02/world-court-hearing-on-legality-of-israeli-occupation-ends-following-week-of-testimony/

Nicaragua Hits Germany With ICJ Case for Aiding Israel in Gaza Genocide  https://www.commondreams.org/news/icj-israel

‘Move The Money’: Detroit Votes For Slashing Bloated Pentagon Budget https://popularresistance.org/move-the-money-detroit-votes-for-slashing-bloated-pentagon-budget/

Secret cable: CIA orchestrated Haiti’s 2004 coup https://thegrayzone.com/2024/03/01/secret-cable-cia-haiti-coup/

Honest Government Ad | Whistleblowers (STFU) https://youtu.be/ZWkGmw3xMTU?si=QuLVr6Ddizx1sjrf

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Is This A Dystopian Novel?

 

Is This A Dystopian Novel?

(Or Is It Reality?)

by C.A. Matthews

 

I’m writing this on the way home from an annual science fiction convention we’ve attended for many years. My husband and I primarily speak on writing craft and publishing topics, but sometimes we’re asked to be on panel discussions dealing with the intersection between fiction and reality. How does SF (speculative fiction) show us the current situation humanity finds itself in or even our possible future?

Wise words from a famous science fiction author

I happened to land on a panel called “The Handmaid’s Tale: Fear and Social Dystopia.” (Excellent topic idea!) We were to discuss how this best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, and the more recent streaming television series based upon it, reflects the horror of discrimination American women currently face and how it could be a prediction of even scarier things to come.

Of course, since I was on the panel, the discussion soon wandered into what I see as the novel’s true premise. The story of the abused and enslaved handmaids isn’t a dystopian tale of the near-future or an alternate future but an accurate reflection of both our current and past American society. Atwood, as a Canadian, is in an excellent position to see us as a sympathetic outsider and point out painful things that Americans have blocked from our cultural memories. There is much for us to learn from her discerning eye.  

Is the USA in reality the mythical “Gilead”? Why do we not see the red-caped young women marching in lines and “the wall,” the place where dissidents and non-believers are hung for their crimes against the state and their bodies left hanging as a warning to others? My contention is that these two things do in fact exist, albeit in slightly different forms.

When the US imprisons whistleblowers and journalists (such as Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and Julian Assange) because they revealed horrific torture operations done in our name by the US military, the CIA and others at the Abu Ghraib Prison and at our very own extrajudicial detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, are we not in reality hanging these brave souls from “the wall”? Are we not using their slow deaths in prison and exile to scare other potential whistleblowers not to do likewise? Isn’t dangling their reputations in front of the mainstream media (a.k.a. “the wall”) and making false charges against them a deterrent to others emboldened to expose the immorality and corruption of the US government?

When cops murder people of color in cold blood for minor traffic violations or for simply sleeping in their own beds, is this not a kind of state execution or “the wall” that tells others to stay quiet and obey their white masters and don’t fight for their rights? When the police use teargas and rubber bullets on protesters and striking workers, isn’t this putting them on “the wall” to kill their hopes and dreams for a better future for all?

The US now spends more money on militarizing our local police departments than most countries—including Russia—spend on their actual military. No other country has 800+ military bases scattered all over the globe. The closest is China with about eight bases. The US has the largest military budget in the world, one that is more than the other top ten nations combined, and yet it has no money available for health care, education, or housing for all its citizens.

Now, which country reminds you of the fascistic/militaristic realm of Gilead—the country who recently announced that poverty had been eradicated within their borders (China) or the one that has criminalized homelessness in many municipalities (USA)? “The wall” presents injustices along with rotting corpses of those the state doesn’t want.

What about the red capes and the rapes of the handmaids/ concubines? Atwood purposefully had her handmaids wrapped in “bloody cloths” or red capes, a symbol of birth and sacrifice. These young women are the heifers and hens forced to give birth like livestock in order to provide enough laborers to support the ruling classes. Gilead’s economic system relies on slavery—but it isn’t necessarily thought of as chattel slavery by its rulers. Wage slavery works just fine in present day America and our rulers (bosses) think nothing of it, either.

Which so-called “first world nation” has the highest maternal mortality rate? You know it—it’s the USA. The maternal mortality rate for mothers of color is even higher than it is for whites, but it’s also high for poor whites with no access to private health insurance. What other society tells its women of child bearing years that their health and safety during child birth isn’t all that important? Could it be the only so-called first world nation that doesn’t provide universal health care for its people?

And then there’s the overturn of the Roe V. Wade ruling. (Read my take on how abortion rights are used against women in A Matter of Control.) What other country allows basic human rights, such as the right to bodily autonomy, to be stolen away from its citizens at the whim of conservative judges? Yes, Trump did appoint conservative federal judges, but he didn’t appoint all of them or even the majority of them. Most federal judges currently serving have been serving for more than ten years. Arch-conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was appointed during the Clinton Administration. Who was the senator that made sure Clarence Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court by discrediting Anita Hill’s testimony and raking her over the coals? Senator Joseph R. Biden of Delaware is the man who made sexist, disparaging remarks to Professor Hill. You may have heard of him.

Atwood’s Gilead has one advantage the US doesn’t. It doesn’t waste time playing the silly game of what “color” or establishment political party is currently in the majority. True rulers always will get what they want at the expense of the ordinary working people’s lives. The establishment parties are mere distractions, foils as it were, and will always do as they’re told. Therefore, all third parties or alternative viewpoints must be crushed at whatever cost. The upper-classes can’t have the ordinary people thinking for themselves, can they? 

I posit that Americans have been living in Gilead since 1776. The corrupt economic system established by our “Founding Fathers” will always favor wealthy, white, land-owning (and slave owning) males. Women will always be controlled by the state through their wombs or reproductive capacity. Activists who speak up against injustices and attempt to organize the poor and working classes will always be labelled as agitators, communists, or enemies of the state. 

Los Angeles has criminalized the homeless.

Isn’t this the society Atwood envisioned in The Handmaid’s Tale? There’s no reason for Americans to lie to themselves any longer. The US is a dystopian novel. 

What can we do about it? Audience members asked the panelists if there was a way to overcome the Gilead characteristics baked into the DNA of the USA. I’m optimistic there is something we can do because folks did ask that question and assumed that they are capable of enacting changes for the better.

I think our best shot is to create genuine community and practice systems of mutual aid, such as the ones I described in my novel Where The Bodies Lie. We can grow our own food and share it with neighbors. We can create worker co-ops and organize worker-run unions to take on exploitative employers. We can work around the discriminatory distribution systems for food, health care, and shelter by fulfilling needs directly without including the predatory middle-man that capitalism seems to think is necessary for life (and that we all know isn’t).

There are many positive things we can and already do to dispel the gloom of dystopia, but we must do them together. No more of this “rugged individualism” that keeps us struggling and infighting amongst our fellow workers while the rich receive tax breaks and government subsidies for failing businesses. We need to build compassionate communities capable of feeding and taking care of each other, such as those described in the New Testament in the book of Acts. No more leaving anyone behind!

Until all women are free, all people of color are free, the homeless and the migrant and the hungry are all free, none of us will ever be free. None of us will escape Gilead. It’s an all or nothing proposition. But do we have the will to turn The Handmaid’s Tale dystopia into a Star Trek utopia? If any group can make the world into a better place, I believe it's sci-fi fans.

Let’s boldly go into that future.

Another great quote from Kurt Vonnegut.

Related Links:

Free Stores Offer an Alternative to the Exploitative Capitalist Economy https://truthout.org/articles/free-stores-offer-an-alternative-to-the-exploitative-capitalist-economy/

Catalyzing Worker Co-ops and the Solidarity Economy https://popularresistance.org/catalyzing-worker-co-ops-the-solidarity-economy/

US Quality of Life Now Ranks Down with Bulgaria (video) https://rumble.com/v1lor6v-us-now-ranks-with-bulgaria-as-developing-country.html

90% of the World Doesn't Back the US Now (video)  https://youtu.be/jsrOfEVcbzA

A Morally Bankrupt Society

A Morally Bankrupt Society...
This is what it looks like in a morally bankrupt society. -- Lee Camp

This week we consider what it means to be a morally bankrupt society.
Our featured writer takes an in-depth look at a morally bankrupt move on the part of the current US administration that threatens world peace. But first, we start out with a few visual examples. 

The above meme shows the world richest man, Jeff Bezos, behaving as he normally does--setting up two cities against each other for one of his coveted Amazon headquarters. Bezos paid no taxes in 2017 and pays his employees slave wages under horrible working conditions. It is said that Bezos could give away half of his $139 billion net worth to end world hunger and homelessness, and he would still be one of the richest men in the world. He could easily give his warehouse workers a raise and provide air conditioning in the summer so they wouldn't faint from heat prostration, too, but he chooses not to be charitable. Instead, he chooses not to pay taxes, and he chooses to forces cities to give his warehouses tax breaks. 

Wouldn't you agree that Jeff Bezos is a prime example of a morally bankrupt individual from a morally bankrupt society?

The following are self-explanatory. 

 

And now our resident historian and military analyst tackles moral bankruptcy on an Armageddon-like scale.

The Trump Bull in the China Shop
by Coast Watcher

International diplomacy is a vital feature of human relations. Treaties are the fixed points that bind nations together for mutual benefit, to prevent wars and to enable commerce to proceed with little hindrance.

So, why in the name of all that’s holy is Trump breaking the treaty with Iran?

Some background: This particular treaty's full title is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. It was signed in 2015 by the US, China, Russia, Germany, France, the UK and Iran. Iran undertook to limit its nuclear activities – particularly the development of nuclear weapons – in return for the easing of sanctions on its economy. 

The treaty is working. Iran’s economy was in a deep recession in the years before it was signed, but the International Monetary Fund reported that the real GDP of Iran grew 12.5% in the first year, mostly through oil exports, following the implementation of the treaty’s provisions. The Iranian economy was expected to grow by 4% this year, which is below the desired target figure but still pretty good for a country battling its way out of recession.

The treaty had the additional effect of weaning ordinary Iranians from the Islamic fundamentalists who took over the country following the fall of the Shah in the revolution of 1978-79. Greater prosperity turned people away from the conservative killjoy religious doctrine of the fundamentalists. 

The fundamentalist hold on the country has diminished, but it remains a potent force which could make a resurgence under the wrong conditions. One of the objectives of the treaty was to curb Iranian influence in the region and its potential to attack neighboring countries through its development of nuclear weaponry and ballistic missiles. Sending it back into the dark ages of fundamentalism will only exacerbate the possibility.

Iran’s trade with the European Union increased significantly thanks to the lifting of sanctions, but China, South Korea and Turkey remain Iran’s top three trading partners. The decision by Iran to drop the petrodollar in favor of the Euro looks set to increase trade with the EU, probably to the detriment of the US.

On May 8, President Trump demanded Boeing not complete a $20 billion contract to supply two Iranian airlines with aircraft. This directly hurt the commercial airplane manufacturer and caused the loss of American jobs – something Trump pledged not to do during his 2016 election campaign. While the cancellation of the contract hurts Boeing, there’s every possibility that the renewal of sanctions will prevent the country’s airlines from beating a path to Airbus of France, which already has a contract to supply 100 aircraft to Iran and would happily expand the order. Airbus and other EU manufacturers are vociferous in their complaints against Trump’s actions, as they would stand to benefit through Iran’s adoption of the Euro.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani kept his promise to maintain the stability of the Iranian currency, the rial, for almost four years. But in late 2017, when President Trump refused to certify the nuclear deal to Congress, the rial started to fall again. It has lost almost half of its value against the dollar since last September. Many Iranians bought gold and foreign currency to hedge against the collapse of the nuclear deal, the return of sanctions and a fresh currency crash. It was reported that some $30 billion of capital left Iran in the first quarter of this year, mostly to neighboring countries and the Caucasus.

The ongoing conflict in Syria is also directly linked to the international position on Iran. The Iran–Iraq–Syria pipeline (called the Friendship Pipeline or the

Islamic Gas Pipeline) is a proposed means by which Iranian oil can be exported to the West. Russia and Syria made a deal for a Russian-backed pipeline, but this was challenged by the US, which wants its own pipeline project to go ahead. It’s one that would benefit the US more than any other nation. The American desire for oil is better understood when one realizes the US consumes about a third of the world’s oil production, a figure that’s not set to decline when President Trump’s antipathy toward renewable energy production is factored into the equation.

Add to this the Zionist (end of days) movement in Israel and among certain Christian evangelical supporters of President Trump, and you can see the current situation in the Middle East is only set to worsen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the driving force behind Israel’s expansion of influence in the region and his nation’s long-time enmity with Iran, to the extent that Israeli forces recently launched air attacks on Iranian forces in Syria. The Pentagon admitted that Israel does have nuclear weapons. Given the Israeli tendency to attack any and all perceived threats to its existence – including an air strike against a suspected Iranian nuclear facility in Dier-ez-Zor, Iran on September 6, 2007 – it’s not very comforting to learn they have this option – the very option the West is trying to keep Iran from possessing.

On May 6, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited the US in an attempt to persuade President Trump not to abandon the treaty with Iran. Johnson left empty-handed the following day. His visit was part of a major diplomatic effort underway to save the treaty. France has condemned the re-imposition of sanctions as "unacceptable." French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Europe had to defend its "economic sovereignty." He asked: "Do we want to be vassals deferring with a curtsy and a bow to decisions made by the US?"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that the West can no longer look to the United States for leadership. It is in extensive talks with other EU members, Britain and Russia to seek a way to circumvent President Trump’s decision. Foreign Ministers from Germany, France and Britain will meet on May 15 to discuss their countries’ options.

Of course, this isn’t the first occasion when the United States has interfered directly in Iranian affairs. In 1953 the CIA backed a coup against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, an outspoken advocate of nationalism who almost succeeded in deposing the Shah. The sheer number of American military bases that surrounds Iran gives a clear statement of the United Stares’ attitude toward the country.

In conclusion, President Trump is the latest in a long line of presidents seeking to secure oil resources, guarantee the security of the state of Israel, and combat threats to American interests in the Middle East. However, he has gone about matters in entirely the wrong way. His dangerous, indeed wanton breaking of an international treaty – something that is never done lightly – sends a clear message to the world: America can no longer be trusted.

President Trump is nothing more than a bull in the china shop where international diplomacy is concerned. His erratic behavior, his acting on a whim or at the behest of the more radical and venal of his followers, is a clear and present danger to world peace. He is already profoundly transforming international relations, well beyond promoting unilateralism at the expense of multilateralism. By unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Trump has demonstrated his contempt for international law, reversed half a century of American commitments and, in doing so, badly damaged his country’s credibility in the region.

Talks on the situation in the Korean Peninsula are due to begin later this year.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has already made considerable peace overtures towards his southern neighbor to the extent he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have declared the Korean War officially over after almost seventy years. Can anyone blame Kim Jong-un if he refuses to talk to the American president if that man shows he cannot be trusted?

It remains to be seen if the renewed onset of sanctions against Iran will lead to a trade war, let alone military conflict. Frantic diplomatic efforts might prevent such things happening, but the sands of time are running out.


Related Articles:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-44018068

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https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution-of-1978-1979

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BIO: Coast Watcher is troubled by current events and the present administration's recent actions. He says we all need to keep awake and stay informed and tell our neighbors who listen to mainstream media what's really happening in the world. They deserve to know the truth before the bombs drop.

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Another example from our morally bankrupt society--attacking our freedom of speech. Retired CIA agent Ray McGovern is brutalized for protesting the CIA use of torture at Gina Haspel's confirmation hearing. https://youtu.be/GTF07picnj8

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Glenn Greenwald, Jill Stein & Abby Martin Event - Global Issues in Context 2.0 in Munich This fantastic video was taped live in Germany by AcTVism. A very informative program, Jill Stein's interview starts about 40 minutes in, but all three guests are worth watching. The Q & A with Jill and Abby in the last part is great, too. Share it widely. It gives insights into the corporate mainstream media that has vilified Jill and other alternative viewpoints such as those held by Abby and Glenn as independent journalists. It will open eyes clouded by the duopolistic silliness of Russiagate and other distractions of a morally bankrupt society. *** The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate to the cause of keeping it ad-free. Three years without obnoxious ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc. Any amount you can donate to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Thank you. You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews  Power to the people and not the corporations! *** From Movement for a People's Party: Nick Brana has been arrested along with the Rev. William Barber II and 300 other protestors in a launch of the non-violent 40 days of moral action organized by the Poor People’s Campaign.  The arrests occurred on the northeast Capitol lawn in Washington D.C. after the protestors, led by Barber and his PPC co-chair the Rev. Liz Theoharis, shut down Independence Avenue. The street was closed for 90 minutes before police moved in to arrest the peaceful demonstrators for obstructing the main thoroughfare. The PPC organized a mass movement around the country - including simultaneous actions today at state capitols - to protest these horrendous statistics: Some 140 million people live in poverty when basic necessities are taken into account. And half of our nation’s children are poor.  It is time to break the silence about America’s war on the poor! In one of the most prosperous nations on earth, it is time we say that everyone has a right to live! Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called for a Poor People’s Campaign to begin a “revolution of values” in America. MPP is an official partner with the PPC in reigniting that campaign by uniting thousands of people across the country to challenge systemic racism, poverty, militarism, ecological devastation and our nation’s distorted morality. “We have to cry loud until hearts are changed...It’s time to cry loud with every bit of love. Somebody’s hurting our people, and we won’t be silent anymore.” ~ Rev. William Barber, May 13, Washington D.C.  Watch here for live updates: https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/live/