Shutting Down The Bullies

"We Have Blood On Our Hands" (original painting by Caitlin Johnstone)

Shutting Down The Bullies

by C. A. Matthews

Israel to Punish West Bank After 3 More Countries Recognize Palestinian State https://truthout.org/articles/israel-to-punish-west-bank-after-3-more-countries-recognize-palestinian-state/

Blinken suggests the World Food Program could be defunded to protect Israel https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/blinken-suggests-the-world-food-program

Indeed, there is no comparison: Israel's crimes are far worse than Hamas' https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/indeed-there-is-no-comparison-israels

Israel Massacres Children, Which The Western Press Says Is Fine https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-massacres-children-which-the/

What do the above headlines (articles) have in common? If you guessed “Israel,” you’re partially correct. If you guessed “Israel’s Zionist actions”, give yourself a point. But if you said, “These articles show how Israel’s Zionist actions are used to bully, intimidate, and frighten others into giving into their unreasonable demands,” give yourself ten points and an aspirin.

Why the painkiller? It’s because you know just how much of a headache Zionists can be and how big a migraine their sycophantic lap dog, the US, is as it conspires with Israel in its genocidal rampage against the Palestinian people while providing cover for them on the international scene.

Notice how I’m not limiting Israel’s intentions to strictly wiping out the population of Gaza. The first article will tell you that no person of Palestinian heritage is safe in the West Bank as well, and the second article shows you that the US isn’t afraid to withhold food and starve people worldwide in order to protect their “ally”.  

Or is that the Americans’ “battleship” in the Middle East? One wonders how friendly any country can be with such a bully as the ethnostate of Israel. It certainly stinks of an abusive relationship with a side order of sadism thrown into the mix, especially when you considered what Israel did to the USS Liberty in 1967. Not a healthy relationship for sure.

I’ve given a new moniker to Zionists who use the antisemitism card to excuse their violent tactics: zio-bullies. It goes well with my term for those who suffer from “zionarcissism.” (Read all about it here.) The zio-bullies are led by Benjamin “I’m calling the shots when it comes to violently shutting down college protests” Netanyahu with major assistance from the de facto leader of the United States Antony “Get a load of my high up Zionist connections” Blinken.

Genocide Joe “the Butcher” Biden is only serving in a support role at this point in time, as his recent incoherent babbling while addressing a crowd demonstrates. He still thinks he saw photos of beheaded babies back in October, an incident proven to never have happened. Well, not until recently, that is, when mass graves filled with the bodies of patients—including tiny incubator babies—were discovered at the bombed-out Al Shifa Medical Center in Gaza. Perhaps Joe was given an explanation of what Netanyahu’s zio-bullies were planning, and he got confused into thinking it had already happened?

If you’ve ever dealt with bullies before—and anyone who has ever attended K-12 schools in person in the US probably has—you know there’s only one way to shut a bully down. You refuse to give in to their terror tactics. You don’t stay quiet about their abuse. You snitch on them to the authorities and inform the public what the bullies are up to and shame them for their violent actions. You don’t suffer in silence or pay the bully off to prevent them from attacking you again because that will only encourage the bully to keep doing what they have been doing all along.

What does this mean in regards to Israel and its “buddies” like Blinken who cover for their war crimes? It means that we keep sharing information about their zio-bully actions. We share this info as widely and as frequently as we can. We share it online and in person via discussions, demonstrations, and protests. (Last week's post was on this topic, “To Proclaim Loudly”.) We don’t hold back on not reporting their atrocities in hopes the zio-bullies will learn their lesson and have a sudden change of heart. That kind of tactic won’t work.

Why won't it work? Well, it's simple: A zio-bully doesn’t have a “heart” or a conscience to begin with. Face it, how can a greedy racist who intends on wiping out the entire indigenous population of Palestine and stealing their lands and resources possess a conscience? How can an IDF solider who shot a ten year old on a bicycle in the back of the head look at herself in the mirror? If zio-bullies had even the inkling of a conscience, it would bother them all the time, and they wouldn’t be doing such horrendous things.  

So, there’s no need to feel shy or guilty about snitching on these evil bastards. Keep sharing their war crimes and horrible policies with everyone you know and then some. The light of truth needs to shine into the zio-bullies’ darkest corners until it kills all the malevolence growing there like sunshine kills mold on contact.

Yeah, I just compared a bunch of murderous sociopaths with mold. Please forgive me, mold. I still enjoy bleu cheese crumbled into a salad from time to time.

American zio-bullies like Secretary of State/President de facto Blinken and most members of Congress are also in need of some bright lights shown into their despicable lives. I’d line them up under klieg lights and do a thorough interrogation until they confessed how much money AIPAC has given them and what other naughty things they might have gotten up to on Jeffery Epstein’s Lolita Express and private island that Mossad is holding over their heads. I’d also make them give back their Israeli passports before they pull a stunt like former US spy Jonathan Pollard did to flee justice and stop paying taxes. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard)

Of course, American zio-bullies Blinken and the others wouldn't be able to do the heinous things they're doing in the first place, like providing bombs to Israel to commit a genocide, if they didn't have henchmen. I'm talking about America's IDF-trained militarized police departments, cops who have been taught to crack open heads of protesters first and don't ask questions later. In fact, the cops are even allowing zio-bully vigilantes to do some of the head cracking for them. How “neighborly” of them!

And with the zio-bully cooperatives in the US mainstream media, all this violence is dismissed as easily as The Atlantic magazine can say “legally killed child” to describe the mass murders of children by the Israeli forces raining fire down upon a refugee camp in Rafah filled with families sleeping in tents.

Considering their love of violence, dare we consider fighting back against zio-bullies through means of physical force? Sometimes violence is the only language a bully understands. The last eight months have revealed how the zio-bullies aren't willing or able to stop their genocidal destruction of Gaza. The Netanyahu regime has always turned a blind eye toward Israeli settlers’ violence against the indigenous population in the West Bank as well. If exposing their war crimes and embarrassing them in public doesn’t stop zio-bullies, perhaps we will be forced to use their kind of bully tactics against them in return until they get the message.

However, fighting back doesn’t always have to be conducted through the use of military might. It can include intense economic sanctions and boycotts of Israel's products and services. The BDS Movement has been a thing for some time now, but it hasn’t shut down apartheid Israel yet. Perhaps the boycott/divest/sanction movement needs to be put on steroids to increase its effectiveness? Every country on the planet needs to quit doing business with Israel, not just a handful—no exceptions.

The student encampments in solidarity with the Palestinian people have been working hard to get their individual college campuses to divest from Israeli corporations, and it’s working. There have been some big successes within the University of California system. We need all Western schools of higher learning to do likewise.

Protesters with the group Palestine Action shut down Israeli military contractor Elbit Systems in Leicester, England, and were able to make their case to a judge and be let off charges. Think if we could replicate their success a hundred-fold. Good-bye zio-bully war machine!

Shutting down Elbit Systems and the like is going to make the military-industrial complex billionaires antsy. Israel is one of the biggest distributors of armaments in the world. Can you believe it? A place the size of New Jersey with a zio-bully population not much more than New Jersey is distributing killing machines and ordinance to everyone and anyone who will pay them hard cash.

That’s why I find it rather disingenuous of Israel to claim it’s “afraid” of everyone in the Middle East and needs to commit a genocide of the Palestinian people in order to “remain safe.” It’s been selling its Arab neighbors armaments for years! And tell me who has successfully invaded them since the Zionists took Palestine away from its original inhabitants in 1948? Buehler?

Zio-bullies are a strange lot. Manipulating others and hiding their motives about what they’re actually doing (not what they say they’re doing) seems to be their thing. They apparently enjoy causing endless chaos if it gets them what they want. And what’s that? At the end of the day, all they really want is the indigenous people dead or gone so white Israeli settler-colonizers can steal 100% of the Palestinians’ land to create the perfect apartheid ethnostate.

“All for me and none for thee,” sums up the zio-bullies' motives. I guess that’s why they appeal so much to the rulers of wannabe apartheid states like the US. Imagine how turned-on Blinken, Biden, Sen. Lindsay Graham and others must be thinking about getting rid of all us Americans who are the wrong race, wrong religion, wrong gender identity, wrong politics… They probably figure if their “ally” the Israelis can commit a genocide, why can’t they?

I doubt zio-bullies really know what to do with themselves if they aren’t constantly playing their zionarcissistic victim card. Theirs is not a mentally healthy society. Don't stand too close to them because their sickness is contagious. 

And ultimately terminal. It's time to shut them down. Permanently. By any and all means necessary. Today.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Israel Massacres Children, Which The Western Press Says Is Fine https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-massacres-children-which-the/

Norway, Ireland, Spain to recognise Palestinian state https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/22/norway-will-recognise-palestinian-state-pm-says

Biden’s Rafah ‘red line’ is a green light for 'death and destruction' https://www.aaronmate.net/p/bidens-rafah-red-line-is-a-green

 
No aid unloaded at US pier has reached Gaza: Pentagon https://thecradle.co/articles/no-aid-unloaded-at-us-pier-has-reached-gaza-pentagon

Israeli Military Accused of Genocide International Criminal Court https://lrna.org/israeli-military-accused-of-genocide/
 
South Africa vs. Israel: ICJ Orders Immediate Halt to Military Offensive in Rafah https://www.citizenschronicle.org/p/south-africa-vs-israel-icj-orders

'We're Fed Up With It': Survivors of the USS Liberty Look for Answers 55 Years Later https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/06/08/were-fed-it-survivors-of-uss-liberty-look-answers-55-years-later.html

Chris Hedges: The Slow-Motion Execution of Julian Assange Continues https://scheerpost.com/2024/05/21/chris-hedges-the-slow-motion-execution-of-julian-assange-continues/

Biden’s Response to Israel’s ICC Prosecution Is an Attack on International Law https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-response-to-israels-icc-prosecution-is-an-attack-on-international-law/

The ICC reaffirms it’s Jan 26 order & has ordered the following measures:Israel must immediately halt its offensive military action in Rafah, maintain open the Rafah crossing to allow aid in  unhindered & allow access to the Gaza Strip for any commission inquiry.  https://twitter.com/BeccaB44000status/1794011991834587203

PROOF Israel Is Not A Democracy! https://youtu.be/5TCK0FwfLmI

‘We’re next!’ US senator warns about ICC https://www.rt.com/news/598060-graham-senate-icc-israel/

Jury finds Palestine Action activists NOT GUILTY over Elbit occupation  https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/05/24/palestine-action-not-guilty-elbit/

Germany deports 7 Ukrainian soldiers for wearing Nazi symbols https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hydtdcxmr

Dr. Jill Stein interviewed on George Galloway's MOAT podcast
https://www.youtube.com/live/eeyZZKr1V6A?si=b3hik-auHUZ-u6F5

Biden fears ‘huge Jewish influence’ – White House aide https://www.rt.com/news/598009-biden-condemn-israel-veritas/

Jewish Scholar's Book Reveals Zionism's Fascist Roots & Close Collaborative Role With Nazi Regime https://mark192.substack.com/p/jewish-scholars-book-reveals-fascist

UN expert @FranceskAlbs- western media have manipulated language to build an unprecedented, sanitised cocoon around the #Israeli regime, to obstruct accountability.   https://twitter.com/timand2037/status/1792287671374540891

Harvard Students Stage EPIC Commencement Walkout https://youtu.be/oK7SqvNKSPs?si=e8o-r3a9WIE3qWIz

Inside USC Annenberg’s Commencement, Outside the “Free Speech Area” https://scheerpost.com/2024/05/22/inside-usc-annenbergs-commencement-outside-the-free-speech-area/

UCLA attackers exposed: meet the violent Zionist agitators LA police haven’t arrested https://thegrayzone.com/2024/05/13/ucla-attackers-exposed/

If You Can't Even Elect A Candidate Who'll End A Genocide, How Real Is Your "Democracy"? https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/if-you-cant-even-elect-a-candidate

Meanwhile, We're Still WAY Too Close To Nuclear Armageddon https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/meanwhile-were-still-way-too-close

Untenable investments: Nuclear weapon producers and their financiers https://www.icanw.org/untenable_investments_nuclear_weapon_producers_and_their_financiers

Republican bill aims to give Americans in Israeli military same benefits as US soldiers https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/republican-bill-wants-americans-israeli-military-have-same-benefits-us-soldiers

Like So Much Else, The Fuss Over 'International Law' Is Really About Narrative Control https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/like-so-much-else-the-fuss-over-international

The actions of the ICC and ICJ are useful only insofar as they help disabuse people of the delusional belief that western powers care one iota about international law, and in that they make it clear to the whole world that Israel and its powerful western allies are openly violating the rules they pretend to stand by.

‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 230: Israel Lashes Out at West Bank in Wake of ICC Request https://scheerpost.com/2024/05/25/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-230-israel-lashes-out-at-west-bank-in-wake-of-icc-request/

It's Actually Amazing How Stupid The Propaganda Is Getting https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/its-actually-amazing-how-stupid-the

China & Russia strengthen friendship, blasting Western 'neocolonialism' & US militarism https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/china-russia-west-neocolonialism-us-militarism 

Fantastic Song: Jordan Smart -- Who Would Jesus Bomb? https://youtu.be/gMPAHL4K-FA?si=yZO2zWCA554TISFs 

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Introducing “The Aarons”

Hollywood has its “Oscars” so why can’t the activist community have its “Aarons”?

Introducing “The Aarons”

 words & photos of the U.T. Students for Justice in Palestine  

Aaron Bushnell memorial event 

by C.A. Matthews

The last five months protesting the genocide in Gaza have brought together some very diverse people both online and offline. When a person commented on one of my Substack posts that they found it interesting how they were agreeing with me, a “Communist”, I was momentarily taken aback. Most Communists wouldn’t label me as such, in spite of my cool Substack and Twitter/X avatar picture with the In Event of Capitalist Crisis Break Glass fire alarm box with a hammer and sickle inside.

It really doesn’t make much difference to me how anyone labels what they perceive are my political leanings or philosophical outlook. I’d call myself a Christian Liberationist/Eco-Socialist, but if you want to call me a Green, or a Communist, or a Socialist, or an Anarchist, or a democratic socialist (small d) it doesn’t faze me one bit. I replied to the comment that I hoped I could be labeled “a human with a conscience” during these dark times when a genocide is being livestreamed on social media while simultaneously being denied by the corrupt and manipulative powers-that-be and their sycophants.

This brief interchange got me to thinking. What does it mean to be “a human with a conscience”? What would a human who possessed a conscience look or act like? And then it hit me. “A human with a conscience” is the perfect description of Aaron Bushnell. Aaron who sacrificially gave up his life in order to draw attention to the people of Gaza because it pained his conscience to see their suffering ignored. 

The signed photo was hung on the Free Speech board in the Univ. of Toledo Student Union

A human with a conscience such as Aaron should be praised, but often they’re dismissed, ridiculed, or scoffed at in our mainstream media. People are seldom truly acknowledged for their compassionate actions taken on behalf of others in our self-centered capitalist society. We praise billionaires and entrepreneurs for increasing their corporations’ profit margins instead of honoring all those kind souls who humbly help their neighbors.

Thus, the idea of “The Aarons” was born.

Superficial and self-centered Hollywood has its “Academy Awards” or “Oscars,” so why can’t the selfless and hard-working activist community have its “Aarons”? Officially the awards would be known as “A Human With A Conscience Awards.” I’d freely give them to as many people as possible so that nobody is forgotten or not thanked for their sacrificial giving to the world at large.

The awards presentation ceremony wouldn’t have to be a once a year event in a huge, glitzy theater with sparkly chandeliers and a red carpet because, let’s face it, activists aren’t usually into that sort of fancy dress-up and show off your bling thing. We could just throw a casual, come-as-you-are pot-luck supper while doing some food distribution to hungry folks in the park or near the community center where we passed out the awards. I think Aaron Bushnell would have approved.

My suggestion is we throw the first Human With A Conscience Awards here in inner-city Toledo at the Frederick Douglass Community Center (a.k.a. “The Doug”). But until I can get a non-profit organization set up so we can crowdfund some money in order to host and make the awards themselves, that big ceremony will have to wait. I’d also like to be able to provide a grant to each person or organization who wins/are nominated to help them continue their good work in the community. Because what’s the good of a statuette on your shelf if you’re in desperate need of funding to continue serving others? (If you have experience with creating a non-profit and would like to help me create one, please leave a comment below or direct message me. Thank you.) 

It’s time we recognize and celebrate all those who work selflessly to aid other human beings without regard to status, class, gender identity, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, or any other characteristic used by the bourgeoisie to divide us. Humans with a conscience are people who care about the people that our sick and twisted society ignores or sneers at because they aren’t “successful” in the dog-eat-dog world of capitalism, or what I call “the endless rat race” of accumulating monetary wealth or material gain.

Are there any other qualifications a person must meet in order to receive an Aaron? I believe my article on The New Litmus Test describes the essential character an Aaron recipient should have. First and foremost, they cannot be pro-genocide or pro-Zionist. They can’t be enthusiastic about white settler colonialism in any way, shape or form. Forcing indigenous peoples from their homeland isn’t a thing a compassionate human does or condones. Practicing racism and apartheid isn’t something to be proud of, in other words. Expressing classist or elitist opinions are telltale signs of a lack of conscience as well.

What about those who make excuses for those who commit or aid and abet genocide? Or those who simply turn a blind eye and pretend that a genocide in Gaza isn’t happening? These kinds of actions reveal to me they’re not worthy Aaron recipients. While pulling the trigger and killing another makes you a murderer, those who help the killer load the weapon or place it in the killer’s hand or commit perjury to cover for the killer's movements can also be charged with murder. 

For example, Hitler himself never hit the switches or turned any valves on the gas chambers at the death camps, now did he? Yet we consider Hitler responsible for the crime of genocide committed by his soldiers working under his orders. Kissing up to genocidal powers-that-be and then claiming later that you were “only following orders” or trying to fit in with the crowd to maintain your status or further your career doesn’t indicate that you ever put the needs of others before your own or even possessed a conscience in the first place. Actions like these will bring about their own rewards in time.

Genocide apologists who post vile comments online against the victims of Israeli violence are on par with the actual culprits, in my opinion. Anyone who spends so much time and energy trying to convince others they’re “good people” while making excuses for those who are ethnically cleansing innocent civilians and starving children probably wouldn’t want to hang with us do-gooders anyway. They're free to attend the Oscars instead.

Please drop me your suggestions of award categories and the names of humans and groups worthy of an Aaron in the comments below. My talented husband has helped me put together a meme that they can display on their social media accounts showing that they’ve been nominated for an Aaron in the meantime. Folks who see the meme will know to thank them for their service to their fellow human beings. And hopefully, this award will encourage others to demonstrate that they, too, have a conscience and want to help their neighbors at home and around the globe.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone on the planet could be nominated for a Human With a Conscience award? Wouldn’t you like to live in such a world? I know I would.

Here are some my ideas for Aaron recipients so far:

Best Medical Group with a Conscience: Doctors Without Borders

Best Food Distro Group with a Conscience: Food Not Bombs, Third Thursday

Best Community Center/Library Builder with a Conscience (Detroit): Unholy Rome with Tour for the Poor 

Best Activist Organizers with a Conscience: AMP – American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voice For Peace, Not In Our Name, Veterans for Peace, CodePink

Best Indie Podcasting Channel Highlighting the Struggle of the Workers with a Conscience: Revolutionary Blackout Network

Best Video Compiler Blogger with a Conscience: Truthful News Weekend on Beanstock's World https://beanstocksworld.wordpress.com

Best Network of Independent Podcasters with a Conscience: Indie News Network/Indie Media Today https://www.indiemediatoday.com/

Best Comedian-Journalist with a Conscience: Lee Camp, Ron Placone, Graham Elwood

Best Essayist/Political Commentator with a Conscience: Caitlin Johnstone (and Tim Foley), Chris Hedges, Julian McFarlane

Best Political Cartoonist with a Conscience: Mr. Fish (ScheerReport), Mark Taylor (DeMockracy Ink)

Best Independent Journalist with a Conscience: Max Blumenthal, Aaron Mate, Glenn Greenwald, Richard Medhurst

Best Documentary Maker with a Conscience: Abby Martin

Best Podcast Interviewer with a Conscience: Sabby Sabs, Briahna Joy Gray, Katie Halper, Joy Marie Mann

Best Alternative Radio Show with a Conscience: DJ Amjad’s Deep Mix: Music and More

Best Film-maker with a Conscience: Jonathan Glazer

Best Film Festival with a Conscience: The Media Decompression's 2024 Palestine Film Festival https://mdctoledo.org/

Best Political Figure with a Conscience: Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party (Sign the pledge against genocide at her website https://jillstein2024.com); Claudia de la Cruz, Party of Socialism and Liberation; Dr. Cornel West

Best Religious Figure with a Conscience: the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac of Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in the West Bank who gave the famous “Christ in the Rubble” sermon on Christmas Eve

Humans with a Conscience who sacrificed their lives in service to others: Rachel Corrie, Aaron Bushnell

I know I’ve left out a lot of worthy recipients. Share your thoughts below in the comments and share this link with your contacts who might have more suggestions. The main requirement to be nominated is to be “a human with a conscience” so, no A.I. ‘bots please! Also, no sociopaths, psychopaths, neoliberals, or other warmongers

We should all strive to be a human with a conscience and follow Aaron Bushnell’s instruction: Free Palestine!

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links 

 

True Civilization https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/true-civilization

 

The New Litmus Test https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/the-new-litmus-test 

 

Remembering Rachel Corrie: American in Gaza Crushed by Israeli Bulldozer https://youtu.be/qHCafAwhFZo?si=I9OOtIdcnqOh3sCN 

They're Really Going To Try To Lay All The Blame For Gaza On Netanyahu https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theyre-really-going-to-try-to-lay

Genocidal Psychopaths Celebrate International Day To Combat Islamophobia https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/genocidal-psychopaths-celebrate-international

Killing Palestinians by Blocking Aid. Killing Palestinians by Airdropping Aid https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gaza-food-drops-human-rights

US building Gaza port to facilitate mass 'voluntary' migration: Anadolu Agency https://thecradle.co/articles-id/23838

Report Exposes The Oil Giants ‘Fueling Israel’s War Machine’ https://popularresistance.org/report-exposes-the-oil-giants-fueling-israels-war-machine/

Mapping the Business of War https://thebusinessofwar.substack.com/p/mapping-the-business-of-war

Investigation exposes Israel's lies and shows they killed their own on Oct 7th https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/investigation-exposes-israels-lies

The US wants to ban TikTok to protect Israel's genocide https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/the-us-wants-to-ban-tiktok-to-protect

If Israel Wants To Be An "Independent Nation", Let It Be An Independent Nation https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/if-israel-wants-to-be-an-independent

Crocodile Tears For Gaza While Backing Its Destruction https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/crocodile-tears-for-gaza-while-backing

ACLU Slams House for Latest Plan to Ban TikTok and Stifle Free Speech  https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/13/aclu-slams-house-for-latest-plan-to-ban-tiktok-and-stifle-free-speech/
 
The Genocide in Gaza Is Filling Our Beautiful Month of Ramadan With Dread https://truthout.org/articles/the-genocide-in-gaza-is-filling-our-beautiful-month-of-ramadan-with-dread/

Ending Impunity for the Crimes Against Palestinian and Israeli Civilians, A to Z https://www.passblue.com/2024/03/07/ending-impunity-for-the-crimes-against-palestinian-and-israeli-civilians-from-a-to-z/

Canada and Sweden defy global trend: Rush to aid Palestinians as Israel faces torture allegations https://www.nationofchange.org/2024/03/13/canada-and-sweden-defy-global-trend-rush-to-aid-palestinians-as-israel-faces-torture-allegations/

US marathon runners wave Palestinian flag at Olympic trials https://therealnews.com/us-marathon-runner-waves-palestinian-flag-at-olympic-trials

Unequal before the law https://therealnews.com/unequal-before-the-law

Biden’s Use of the Slur “Illegal” Underscores His Rightward Lurch on Immigration https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-use-of-the-slur-illegal-underscores-his-rightward-lurch-on-immigration/

Chris Hedges: Joe Biden’s Parting Gift to America Will be Christian Fascism  https://scheerpost.com/2024/03/17/chris-hedges-joe-bidens-parting-gift-to-america-will-be-christian-fascism/

Black Alliance For Peace: Haiti Behind The Headlines https://popularresistance.org/black-alliance-for-peace-backgrounder-haiti-behind-the-headlines/

Judge Allows East Palestine Residents’ Lawsuit Against Norfolk Southern https://popularresistance.org/judge-allows-east-palestine-residents-lawsuit-against-norfolk-southern/

The last days of Julian Assange in the United States https://www.declassifieduk.org/the-last-days-of-julian-assange-in-the-united-states/

Failed ICJ Case Against Russia Backfires, Paves Way for Genocide Charges Against Ukraine https://www.mintpressnews.com/failed-icj-case-against-russia-backfires-paves-way-for-genocide-charges-against-ukraine/287028/

You Can't Trust Any Part Of This Dystopia If You Want Health And Sanity https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/you-cant-trust-any-part-of-this-dystopia

Their Time Will Come (Say Free Palestine on Saint Patrick's Day) https://matthewhoh.substack.com/p/their-time-will-come

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Free Assange. Free Palestine. Free Your Mind.

Free Assange. Free Palestine. Free Your Mind.

by C.A. Matthews

February 20, 2024 is a date that could very well live in infamy.

Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange could be extradited from the UK to the US on that date or the next day. He’d be transferred from Belmarsh, one hellhole of a prison to another similar lock-up across the Atlantic. Locked up ever deeper away from the prying eyes of the public and kept far away from the loving arms of his wife and children and his father and brother who have fought so hard for his release. And why? Simply for publishing the truth.

Why all the fuss over one journalist? It’s not like it’s the end of the world if he dies in prison, is it? In a way, it is. Julian Assange has become a world famous icon signifying free speech. He is the man who defied the corrupt system, the establishment or  status quo. He fearlessly published the Collateral Murder video demonstrating just how craven our rulers really are and how little they care about civilians killed in their endless wars for oil, wars they lied our way into in the first place.

It can’t be overstated just how angry and vengeful Assange’s revelation of the truth has made the powers-that-be. Mere words cannot expressed how worried they are that Assange would do it again in a heartbeat if he could. He’d expose their bloodthirstiness over and over again to the public, and other journalists and publications would follow suit and, before you knew it, the whole world would be in the streets, demanding justice. The workers would be pulling these villains who rule us out of their mansions and dragging them from their luxury yachts and marching them off to the gulag or up the steps toward the guillotine.

Yeah, Julian Assange and what he stands for—freedom of expression—is that dangerous to the powers-that-be.

Actual journalism is not what our rulers want. It’s best to keep us working drudges in the dark, ignorant of the transgressions they commit regularly in our names in any number of military conflicts, proxy wars, or genocides worldwide. And so Assange must be held accountable for committing the crime of journalism—real journalism and not simply pumping out propaganda such as CNN and other mainstream media outlets are known for and even now are being exposed for doing so by their own staff.

Call your representative and senators today at (202) 244-3121 and tell them to sponsor H.Res. 934 to drop the charges and free Julian Assange. Freedom of speech cannot be allowed to die along with our hopes for democracy.

#FreeAssange

If Assange were free today, I’m certain he would be publishing stories to expose the genocidal machinations of the Netanyahu regime in Israel. He would expose the complicity of Biden and the US government in supplying arms to fuel the genocide in Gaza. No doubt about it. Assange implored us to learn all we could of what is being done in our names by our so-called elected officials. It shouldn’t have taken a court proceeding at the International Court of Justice at The Hague to determine Israel has “plausibly committed acts of genocide.” A free press should have yelled this fact out from day one.

In a world filled with journalists doing their jobs instead of doing what they are told to do by the CIA and corrupt governments, it would have been made more than obvious what the Zionist regime’s intentions toward the Palestinian people were from the start. The point would have been driven home repeatedly. Instead, independent publications and journalists that attempt to share the viewpoints of the Palestinians are forced to crowd fund to keep their operations working. They’re forced to fight for bandwidth and social platform space as the Ministry of Truth finds excuses to force them offline so its propaganda can continue to cloud the issues and confuse the public.

The vast majority of Americans actually believe that Israel is full of war criminals committing genocide against the Palestinians. The numbers rise in every poll in spite of all the US government propaganda and narrative spin by the mainstream media pundits. Amazing how the truth will come out even when evil minds work hard to keep it from being revealed! Without a free press, or a free online forum of ideas and independent journalists, the story that Palestinians are the victims of Israel's genocidal aggression instead of the other way around—that Israelis are eternal “victims of Arab terrorists”—would never have been able to reach the public's ears.

Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the freedom of independent journalists and publishers to cover all angles of a story are all important “weapons” in the struggle to protect the human rights of indigenous peoples everywhere. Without the world knowing what is going on in Gaza—an open air concentration camp under fire—would the world have overwhelmingly taken the side of the Palestinian cause?  The professional journalists and the citizens journalists alike who have lost their lives in this cause are to be admired and their names honored by all who value honesty.

To the slain journalists in Gaza who kept their eyes open so the world could see Israel’s crimes:  https://therealnews.com/a-tribute-to-our-slain-journalist-colleagues-in-gaza

RIP 6-year-old Hind Rajab and all the innocent children of Gaza slaughtered brutally by the US funded Israeli Defense Forces https://www.commondreams.org/news/hind-rajab

#FreePalestine

It’s hard to remain optimistic during times like these. True journalism is portrayed by the American regime as a crime punishable by life imprisonment. Being born a Palestinian in Gaza or the West Bank is seen as a crime punishable by death by the Israeli regime. Is there any light at the end of this tunnel full of doom and gloom?

Who knows? In the meantime we need to keep our spirits up and our minds focused on important tasks at hand. An online acquaintance mentioned how difficult it was repeating the same facts and stories to others in order to convince them of the truth of the genocide happening in Gaza. I agree. It is difficult. Very difficult.

I found myself without words earlier this week, unable to think clearly, feeling tired and foggy-brained just like our foggy morning air. I didn’t know what to write about for this week's post. And then I was encouraged by comrade activists to write a poem for a Palestine-inspired poetry read at a local coffee house.

Writing poetry helped to lift my mental fog. Just doing something different with words can help your mind reset and refocus. Instead of trying to hammer coherent sentences together, I focused on what I was feeling about what is happening in Gaza. A different style of writing cleared away the fog. I found I could write prose again after crafting a poem to share what has been hurting me deep in my heart. 

Here is a poem I wrote as I realized how my recent daily ritual was connected to the sorrow and shame I was feeling for those trapped in Gaza:

Dust From Gaza

The air quality index is higher than it's ever been
The particulate count is sky high
No fires burning in California or out west currently
Could this be dust from Gaza?

I breathe in the air full of particulates and cough and groan
Where has all the oxygen gone?
Has it been burned up in thousands of fires caused by Israeli bombing?
Could this be caused by dust from Gaza?

It is said that matter is neither created nor destroyed
That we are breathing in air that was once breathed out by pharaohs and kings
That every speck of soot clinging to our car windows isn't original
Could these gray motes be dust from Gaza?

Every morning I check the air quality index
Every day since October the number has been in the moderate to unhealthy range
Once a day I take my asthma medication and think--
Am I breathing in dust from Gaza?

What air do Gazans breathe in?
What air do Zionists breathe in?
Are we all not breathing in the same air?
Why are Americans allowing the IDF to disintegrate an entire people, turning them to dust?
For our penance this Ash Wednesday we should be covered in dust from Gaza

Yeah, I know it's not going to win me any poetry contests, but writing this poem helped me come to terms with the frustration, the sadness, and the anger I’m feeling. I think writing poetry inspired by Palestine helped others at the poetry read deal a little bit with their overwhelming emotions, too.

No matter what fate awaits us, we must free our minds and remain vigilant to keep them free. We are living witnesses to the events happening here in our communities and over there in Gaza. We owe it to ourselves and posterity to never forget, to never let them forget, to never let genocide happen ever again—to anyone, anywhere.

#FreeYourMind (And don't be afraid tell the world what you're seeing and feeling. Your viewpoints are valid and needed. History will cherish them.)

 

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Free Julian Assange! February 10, 2024 https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/free-julian-assange-february-10-2024/comments

Free Julian Assange! February 9, 2024 https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/free-julian-assange-february-9-2024

The Wizard (for Julian) https://youtu.be/xh5-CtGmE3A?si=xhMSNRMsnAnoQjjL

Assange: The Truth They've Been Hiding from You https://youtu.be/c l8XIr5vxhM?si=G3FwmJA1cFs-pV-0

Israel assaults Rafah, where one million Gaza refugees are sheltering with nowhere to go https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/02/07/rzhz-f07.html

Missing 6-Year-Old Gaza Girl Hind Rajab Found Dead With Massacred Family & Rescue Workers https://www.commondreams.org/news/hind-rajab

UN agency says aid shipment blocked in Israeli port https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-agency-says-aid-shipment-blocked-israeli-port-2024-02-11/

Why De-Funding UNRWA is Another Crime of Genocide
https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/why-de-funding-unrwa-is-another-crime

International Coalition To Stop Genocide In Palestine Demands Full Funding Of UNRWA https://popularresistance.org/international-coalition-to-stop-genocide-in-palestine-demands-full-funding-of-unrwa/

Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Counter Offer for Hostage Deal, Insists on ‘Total Victory’ https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/07/netanyahu-rejects-hamas-counter-offer-for-hostage-deal-insists-on-total-victory/

US Blocks Yemen-Saudi Peace Deal https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/06/us-blocks-yemen-peace-deal/

Jewish Students Across 15 Campuses Plan “Shabbat for Ceasefire” Gathering  https://truthout.org/articles/jewish-students-across-15-campuses-plan-shabbat-for-ceasefire-gathering/

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture urges UK government to halt imminent extradition of Julian Assange https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/un-special-rapporteur-torture-urges-uk-government-halt-imminent-extradition

The Western Press Are Just Printing Straight Up Nazi Propaganda About Middle Easterners Now https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-western-press-are-just-printing

Study Finds Media Giants New York Times, CNN, and Fox News Pushing for US War in Yemen https://www.mintpressnews.com/new-study-shows-media-pushing-us-war-yemen/286754/

New York Times’ Friedman Hits New Low With Animalization of Arabs and Iranians https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/06/new-york-times-friedman-hits-new-low-with-animalization-of-arabs-and-iranians/

CNN’s Israel bias has been laid bare. But CNN is the norm, not the exception https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/cnn-israel-bias-laid-bare-norm-not-exception

CNN staff say network’s pro-Israel slant amounts to ‘journalistic malpractice’ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/04/cnn-staff-pro-israel-bias

CNN's CEO Is Making Staff Churn Out Israel Propaganda https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/cnns-ceo-is-making-staff-churn-out

Pregnant Palestinians Are Trapped as Israel Assaults Southern Gaza   https://truthout.org/articles/pregnant-palestinians-are-trapped-as-israel-assaults-southern-gaza/

Let Them Eat Dirt https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/let-them-eat-dirt  https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/08/chris-hedges-let-them-eat-dirt/

Pushing Gazans Into Rafah And Then Attacking Rafah, Killing UNRWA Funding Without Evidence https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/pushing-gazans-into-rafah-and-then

The Palestinian Human Rights Cause Must Mature Beyond the Extreme Left https://www.leefang.com/p/the-palestinian-human-rights-cause

The Biden-Schumer Plan to Kill More Ukrainians https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-biden-schumer-plan-to-kill-more-ukrainians

The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL

Putin debunks Tucker Carlson's warmongering anti-China propaganda, mocks his CIA ties https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/putin-tucker-carlson-china-cia
 
Women and People of Color Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/06/women-and-people-of-color-bear-the-brunt-of-medical-misdiagnosis/

China is ‘world’s sole manufacturing superpower’, with 35% of global output https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/01/31/china-world-manufacturing-superpower-production/

A Dementia Patient Is President Because It Doesn't Matter Who The President Is https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/a-dementia-patient-is-president-because

Israel Weaponizes Sympathy And Victimhood https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-weaponizes-sympathy-and-victimhood

"In The War Of Propaganda, It Is Very Difficult To Defeat The United States" https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/in-the-war-of-propaganda-it-is-very   

Robert Kraft’s $7 Million Super Bowl Ad Fuels Controversy Over Israel’s Actions in Gaza https://truthout.org/video/robert-krafts-7-million-super-bowl-ad-fuels-controversy-over-israels-actions-in-gaza/

 

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