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

This Is A Revolution

This Is A Revolution

photos and words by C.A. Matthews

Happy Fifth Anniversary to The Revolution Continues!

We've been posting a weekly blog for half a decade now. It seems like only yesterday when a bunch of isolated Ohio progressives got together and decided to post a blog to promote Bernie Sanders to a larger audience. Well, times change and candidates drop out (or was he pushed?) and both ours and our audience's political outlooks have developed and expanded. Five years on, we're still privileged to publish opinion and news pieces from a variety of writers. Truly, it's been a learning experience. 

Not that it hasn't come with its share of pain. Censorship by the mainstream social media platforms is a given nowadays. For instance, Facebook this past week blocked our posting about the Toledo protest that resulted in the use of teargas and rubber bullets and wooden plugs being shot at peaceful protesters. Obviously, Mark Zuckerberg doesn't feel the public has the right to know about police brutality in America. (Like what is shown in this very illuminating video of protesters in Portland.) There is no way to make Facebook share the blog link on their platform once they decide to block it. 

Still, it's not quite as bad as the repression reporters have suffered in Minneapolis recently.
Teargassed, Beaten Up, Arrested: What Freedom of the Press Looks Like in the US Right Now https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63328-teargassed-beaten-up-arrested-what-freedom-of-the-press-looks-like-in-the-us-right-now

Or what's at risk for protesters' health on the streets.
Tear Gassing Protesters During An Infectious Outbreak Called a Recipe For Disaster https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/63345-tear-gassing-protesters-during-an-infectious-outbreak-called-a-recipe-for-disaster 

The photos featured here this week were taken at two peaceful protests in two suburban areas, Bedford Township, Michigan, and Maumee, Ohio. Police/sheriff deputies in both municipalities cooperated with the protest organizers and made sure marchers could march down the roads unmolested, unlike the week previous when they used teargas and projectiles to stop a peaceful march in downtown Toledo. (This is explained further in the TRC story blocked by Facebook. Please click here and share the story with others if you can. If you can't, I hope it demonstrates to you how much censorship is happening on popular social platforms.)

What I found the most interesting about these smaller protests (that happened in the shopping areas of suburbia) compared to the downtown Toledo protest was the tone struck by the police on those days. Suburbia in these parts is mainly Caucasian and upper-middle-class/middle class--no real surprises there. This demographic was reflected in the majority of the participants, and it apparently help set the tone police used with the protesters. The cops kept to the background and made sure marchers weren't hit by cars speeding by on the other side of the road, for example. There were several police vehicles at both suburban protests, but there weren't a large number of officers present overall. The people felt free to express their opinions in signage, chants and testimonies at the end of the march. The tone was one of unity, community and neighborliness.

Now contrast that with the city protest a few days earlier where police officers stood on the roofs of nearby buildings (some possibly holding sniper guns I was told), drones circled overhead spying on the crowd, and as the people began to march around the corner, riot police were at the ready to meet them. The riot squad seemed aching to use the teargas and projectiles on the city marchers, a gathering that contained a good mix of Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinx and others. I dare say the Toledo city crowd contained more poor/working poor persons than either of the suburban crowds. The tone set in the city by the police was one of distrust and outright hostility toward the people

Why such a contrast in tone between these protest settings? Suburbanites can expect cooperative and helpful policing, but city folks...? Well, you just have to use a firm hand with them, don't you? Poor city people and people of color just won't behave themselves unless you use force is the message police send.

Is it the message they want to send, or is it the message their paymasters are telling them to send to less advantaged people? "Stay in line or we will crush you, violently if we have to. You are ours to use as we please. You are expendable."

I don't want to put anyone down for protesting--suburbanite or city folk, rich or poor, black, brown, red, yellow or white--but I do want to call to everyone's attention that the tone set by those in authority in their interactions with us, with all of We the People, is blatantly a pro-white/pro-wealthy tone. If you can't see it, or refuse to acknowledge it, then you are part of the problem and not the solution. You are why protesters chant, "Black Lives Matter!" because "All Lives" won't matter until "Black Lives Matter." They just won't.

This is why America needs a revolution. White privilege is far too ingrained in our society, and it's not going to go away without us taking it to the streets in outright rebellion against the corrupt system. Those in power aren't going to go quietly, so we should expect more injuries and death from teargas and projectiles--up to and including regular bullets--being shot at protesters.

Protesters are not "terrorists" as some pundits in the mainstream media say we are. We are the true patriots, the true dreamers who dream of a better world where everyone is treated fairly and justly. We envision a country where George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African-Americans killed at the hands of police would still be alive and well today and with their families. 

This is a Revolution of Love and Justice. Learn more on June 20 from the Poor People's Campaign--A National Call for Moral Revival. It's a lesson we all need. It's a lesson we cannot afford to miss.

Join us on June 20 for the biggest digital event of the century! The Poor Peoples' Campaign--A National Call for Moral Revival will gather folks from all over to proclaim this is the year we will not forget those who are oppressed, those who are imprisoned unjustly, those who are struggling to simply survive in America 2020. Be there!  june2020.org

***

Tell Congress you support making lynching a federal hate crime 158,550 have signed stop lynching coalition’s petition. Let’s get to 200,000!
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Click the box above to sign the petition. From 1882 to 1986, Congress has tried to pass anti-lynching laws 200 times. They failed every time. During the Civil War and Reconstruction and up to the Civil Rights era, 4,745 lynchings took place across America from 1882 to 1968. Almost all lynchings have been racially driven, targeting and terrorizing African Americans and other minorities. Ninety-nine percent of lynch mob perpetrators have escaped any punishment at a state or local level. With no laws on the books that would make lynching a federally punishable offense, lynching victims and their families are left with no justice. Right now, a bipartisan anti-lynching bill could have a fighting chance at passing. It’s sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris (CA-D), Cory Booker (NJ-D), and Tim Scott (SC-R). There’s a small window to tell your Senators and Representatives that you support ending over a century of racial hate crimes: criminalize lynching in America. White supremacy terrorism and lynching is still a deadly threat to minorities in 2018. Over the last two years, the number of new Neo-Nazis groups have increased nationwide by 22%. Just last year, there was a 17% increase in overall racially driven hate crimes in America. Of all extremist group-led murders in the U.S., 53% were committed by white supremacist groups in 2017. White supremacy violence is on the rise. Tell Congress to protect Americans: white supremacy violence cannot go unchecked. Make lynching a federal crime. With white supremacist hate crimes and groups increasing, it’s vital that the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act passes both the House and Senate. It’s 2018, tell Senators and Representatives to make lynching a federal crime. Click the box below to sign.
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*** Join us in demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, an innocent Black woman killed in her own home! Sign Now Across the United States, and around the entire world, people have taken to the streets to protest the racism-fueled police brutality that has led to the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and too many others. Today, on what would have been Breonna Taylor's 27th birthday, we ask that you add your name to the list of people demanding justice for her murder. In the middle of the night on March 13th, 2020, three officers executed a "no-knock warrant" at the home of Breonna Taylor, barging in through her front door with a battering ram without identifying themselves as police. Before she knew what was happening, Breonna Taylor was shot eight times and died on the scene. Over two months later, no charges have been brought against her murderers. The names of the officers who entered her home that night are Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove. So far, the only repercussion these officers have faced was being placed on administrative duty. They are still working, still being paid, and still walking free. At the time of her murder, Breonna Taylor was working as an emergency room technician. Her mother said she had dreams of becoming a nurse. Dreams of buying a home. Dreams of starting a family. These dreams were stolen from Breonna Taylor, and the men who stole them from her dare to justify her murder through vague claims that she was involved in a case they were working on. Breonna Taylor was completely innocent. Had she not been, her brutal murder would still have been an inexcusable act of racist violence by police. This is not an isolated incident. If the police are not held accountable for these crimes, the terrorizing of Black people in the United States will not end. Sign the petition today to call for Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankison, and Detective Myles Cosgrove to be charged with the murder of Breonna Taylor. Thank you, Lauren W. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. Breonna Taylor's murderers have faced no consequences. That needs to change. Please sign the petition today. ***  This is a revolution--and you can help! Five years on, and we're still fighting. But it's tough. This blog is pretty much a full-time venture for your faithful editor, and it's about time for her to retire.  But you as a fellow revolutionary can make it easier for her to stay on the job by simply sharing some of your pocket change now and then. Use the Paypal link below to donate to keep her lights and Internet on.   http://paypal.me/camatthews Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place. Power to the people!