Sharing words from & in support of Gaza

 

 

Here are some words from people in Gaza or from those supporting Palestinians that I saw yesterday on twitter.

Bruce  

• Rabbi David Mivasair🔥: Israel will flood Hamas tunnels with nerve gas under US navy supervision -- So now Israel is gassing Palestinians. I guess they learned nothing at all from history.

• Ariel Gold אריאל ✡️☮️🕊: Shame on Biden for making Palestinians prove their count of their murdered people. So dehumanizing and racist.

• Aseel AlBajeh  أسيل البجة: The Ministry of Health just published the names of 7,028 Palestinians, including 2,913 children killed in #Gaza. Scrolling over this is so painful. The first 88 names are from the same family! The next 72 from one family! And the indescribable pain goes on. No words.

• Sky News: Sky News analysis of satellite radar suggests that Israel has intensified its bombing of southern Gaza in the last two weeks - despite ordering residents of the north to flee southwards.

• Maria: A 91-year old man, honored by Israel for saving a Jewish life during the Nazi Holocaust, has returned his medal in protest of the Gaza assault.

• Eman Basher: I want to stop writing my short diary. I feel hopeless and helpless. A body without a soul. nothing has changed. If I ever survived, I will need a lifetime of therapy. And if Israel didn’t kill me, I’ll probably commit suicide. What I write shortly here is not even 5% of what is happening and what we’re going through.

• Jewish Currents: Across Europe, leaders are responding to growing pro-Palestine protests with an unprecedented wave of repression. [Particularly in Germany]
  

 

• Sally Hates Capitalism: The colonizers, AKA the nation-state of Israel, have literally *always* been terrorists since the Nakba, AND in the years leading up to the Nakba in fact. (See Irgun.) Israel can only exist through terrorism toward the indigenous people, the Palestinians, who’ve always been there

• Megatron BREAKING: Hundreds of US soldiers landed in Israel. They also report that France is sending the Tonnerre helicopter carrier, capable of carrying dozens of helicopters and hundreds of marine soldiers, to Israel. Britain, Germany and Australia are also sending their military groups to the region, warships, special forces, aircraft and more. The Pentagon reports that 900 US troops are being deployed or are already in the Middle East from the continental US, including air defense operators.

• Remi Kanazi: Israel offers an influencer $5,000 to post a propaganda video to his 3 million TikTok followers. He says no amount of money can get him to do that and shouts “Free Palestine!” at the end of the video

• Mohammed El-Kurd: Palestinians refuse submission. Zionists killed Dahdouh’s family to break his spirit, but he was back on-air just hours later. Here, rescuers sing with a woman after hours of digging her out of the rubble. One even jokingly asked her “how’s the oxygen?”

• IfNotNow🔥: American Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system & demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all #CeasefireNOW

• Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI): The number of #Palestinians in Israeli custody has doubled since October 7, reaching 10,000 detainees and #prisoners. According to reports arriving from Israeli prisons and testimonies from recently released detainees, the Israel Prison Service is abusing Palestinians.

• (Shabir) Free Julian Assange & Palestine 🇵🇸Yemen: Absolutely Heart breaking Goodbye My sweet child: Sleep my baby, sleep. The Israeli bomb was too big for you to stand. It isn't your fault that you were born in colonized Gaza!

• Ahmed Alnaouq: This is where my house once stood. This is where my parents prepared my flat to start my own ‘happy’ family. This is where all my memories shaped and where I spent my childhood. This is also where I lost over 20 of my family. Nine are still under rubble, 6 days aftermath.

• Rafeeq McNamara 🚨🎥 #Watch: Internationally prohibited bombs dropped by the occupation on the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City a short while ago

• Megatron BREAKING 🇨🇳🇮🇷 Chinese State Media, Xinhua News on X: "China will continue to firmly support Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and will strongly oppose any external forces interfering in Iran's internal affairs, said Chinese premier". It seems that things are boiling in the background to a major conflict.  Such statements from China's state authorities are rare.

• David Roth-Lindberg Update from Quds News Network: "Israeli jets targeted the family of the head of surgery in the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza,  Mohammad Al Rann, killing them all." They also say that Israel is intentionally targeting the families of doctors and journalists, killing entire families.

• Quds News Network: In a tragic incident at the entrance to the Jalazone camp, located to the north of Ramallah, a teenager was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers, resulting in the loss of the young life.  

• Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸  🇪🇸🇮🇱: Spanish Minister of Social Rights Ione Belarra has called on the European countries to immediately CUT TIES with ISRAEL.

Turkish TV covers Balkan solidarity for Gaza

 

TRT World

The support for Palestinians amid Israel's continued bombardment, has united citizens of several cities in the Balkans. Tens of thousands joined rallies in a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza. The slogan repeatedly heard in the streets of Belgrade, Sarajevo and Podgorica was - Free Palestine, stop the killing of civilians. 

Thousands of Bosnians gathered in their capital's main square opposite the historical National Library, one of the symbols of Sarajevo, while Montenegrins rallied outside the United Nations building in Podgorica. Protesters called for an END to Israeli attacks on Gaza where thousands of civilians have been killed. They have also called on their governments to do more to help the Palestinian people.

Across The Balkans, hosted by Nafisa Latic, is TRT World’s programme that focuses specifically on the issues and fault lines shaping Southeast Europe today.

Economics lesson: Can U.S. pay for 2 war$?

 

Lena Petrova, CPA - Finance, Economics & Tax

 

Very clear explanation of the dire economic situation facing the US with $33.5 trillion in debt.

Two voices: Israel's arrogance must end

 

Middle East Eye

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says unless real lessons are learnt from October 7 about its treatment of Palestinians, Israel is destined to repeat the same bloody mistakes in Gaza and arrive no closer to a solution. 

He says beyond its 'hollow slogans' and tough rhetoric, there is a lot of doubt about the army's real capabilities on the ground.

44 medical facilities went out of service in the Gaza strip even as the number of whole families killed and injured every hour and every day continue to increase.

 

In a fiery interview with Sky News, human rights activist and Gaza native Yara Eid takes aim at the ‘language’ used by journalists in framing the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 4,300 people including 1,700 children. 

Yara’s heartbreaking testimony went viral last week following the killing of her best friend, 21-year-old journalist Ibrahim Lafi, in an Israeli airstrike.

Thousands of children were massacred and tens of thousands more are now being massacred or will die because of lack of water and food and treatments. Leading and begging criminals like Macron, Biden, and Netanyahu will not stop the carnage. 

To hell with this silent world. Let it be known that THIS holocaust will go down in history as the best documented in the many previous holocausts. and with political support and cover it is happening on OUR watch.

Takes courage to speak truth in Israel

 

Middle East Eye

 

Israel Frey, an Israeli journalist who went into hiding after his house was attacked by a mob over expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza last week, recorded a video message that was shared by his friends and colleagues. 

In the video, Frey addressed the ongoing campaign of intimidation against Jewish journalists, as well as Palestinian citizens of Israel. He added that the war is being used to further escalate tensions in the occupied West Bank and called on Israelis to speak up against their government. 

Frey also urged the rest of the world to be careful with their support for Israel and to not encourage the Israeli government’s “policy of ethnic cleansing, of prosecuting opposition and instilling fascism on the land.”

 

One of two Israeli women released by Hamas speaks 

 

Deadly warfare connection: 5G and AI

 

 

By Kate Kheel (Maryland)  

Ever wonder why cell towers are cropping up all over at an alarming rate and why elected reps are so keen to approve them? (There are currently 50-80 federal bills in Congress, and the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) in the EU.)

And why suddenly mega constellations of satellites are being launched?

If you thought it was to improve our quality of life, well think again. 

“…rapidly advancing technology is causing the most significant fundamental change in the character of war ever recorded in history.” Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley

“Tomorrow’s warfighters will use local and expeditionary 5G networks to move massive amounts of data to connect distant sensors and weapons into a dense, resilient battlefield network.”  US Department of Defense

Emerging technologies are changing the character of warfare. Rapid advances in unmanned systems, robotics, data processing, autonomy, networking, and other technologies enable precision and more lethal warfare capability. 

“5G is a critical strategic technology: those nations that master advanced communications technologies and ubiquitous connectivity will have a long-term economic and military advantage.” US Department of Defense, May 2020. 

“First there was gunpowder. Then nuclear weapons. Next: artificially intelligent weapons.”
Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures

But you need more than just the infrastructure and data: 

You need algorithms combined with data-analytics technology to sift through and make sense of the massive amount of data harvested from every “thing”, everyone, and everywhere. (And yes, that includes you and me).

New AI platforms can integrate data from multiple and disparate sources such as satellites, drones, under-water vehicles, weapons, and sensors, and open-source intelligence allowing for coordination and decision-making in multiple domains simultaneously.

The US Department of Defense has launched the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) to interconnect incoming data and intelligence from all branches of the armed forces into a unified network powered by artificial intelligence. These branches include the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force.

“…the power of advanced algorithmic warfare systems is now so great that it equates to having tactical nuclear weapons against an adversary with only conventional ones.” Alex Karp, Palantir’s CEO

“The most likely scenario is an algorithmic arms race happening at superhuman speed.”

For more info, please visit www.safetechinternational.org and www.space4peace.org 

Latest statewide anti-war vigil in Skowhegan, Maine

 

 

 

 

On Saturday 18 folks from across the state gathered on a bridge in Skowhegan in Central Maine in the rain. These monthly vigils have been organized all over the state for the past nine months. We go to heavily traffic spots each time and by doing so have taken our messages ('No war with Russia or China', 'Bring our war $$$ Home' and now 'Stop genocide in Gaza') to thousands of Mainers and out-of-state tourists.

Saturday was one of the very best responses we've had yet. Could it be that the public (in this case Skowhegan is a rural working class part of the state) is fed up Washington's war mongering? Are they watching the mass killing of children in Gaza and are angry about it? Do they want their hard-earned tax dollars to be used for the many problems here at home rather than funding war in Ukraine and Palestine?

One headline this morning reads: Hamas Says All Hospitals in Gaza Strip Run Out of Fuel. In one hospital I had earlier read that 130 babies are inside of incubators and would die when the hospital ran out of fuel that kept the generators running due to electricity being turned off by Israel.

Bakeries throughout Gaza have been bombed so that even the bread that has been helping to sustain the population is now hard to come by. Water is virtually gone. These are all signs of genocide.

When will the world indict Israel and their bomb suppliers in Washington with war crimes?

Upcoming protests:

• Protest vigil at the 'Maine Space Conference' on Monday, November 6 at 11:30 am outside the Holiday Inn by the Bay (88 Spring St) in Portland. Our message will be 'Don't build rocket launch site just off the Acadia National Park' and 'No testing of Hypersonic missiles in Maine'.
  
• Regular monthly statewide anti-war vigil on Saturday, November 18 in Topsham (Hwy 196 & 201 intersection) at 1:30 pm. 'Solidarity with Palestine', 'No war with Russia & China' and 'Bring our war $$$ Home'. 

We hope that you will join us with these calls for sanity and true peace.

Bruce

Sunday song with bonus

 

 

 

Video evidence points to Israeli AIR BURST bomb striking al-Ahli hospital

 

By Mike Adams


There is now compelling video evidence that Israel bombed the al-Ahli hospital grounds using an "air burst" bomb, and that Israel likewise also bombed the streets near the al-Quds hospital a day later.

Since the Oct. 17th horrific bombing of the al-Ahli hospital -- which Gaza health officials say resulted in the deaths of over 500 Palestinian people -- there has been fierce debate in the media and across online discussion groups about whether the bomb was launched by Jihadi forces (specifically, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or PIJ) or the Israeli military. Each side has vehemently pointed the finger at the other side, and initial observations raised legitimate questions about whether the incident could be attributed to an Israeli bomb strike at all.

In case you have not seen the verified video explosion that rocked the hospital grounds, here's a video showing the damage, which also names the "MK-84 air bomb" as the likely ordnance that was used:

Summary of new evidence that points the figure at Israel being responsible for the al-Ahli hospital atrocity 

• MK-84 air burst bomb dropped by Israeli aircraft captured in the video of the bombing.

• Air burst explains the concave vehicle hoods and roofs, as well as the lack of a parking lot crater.

• Civilians sleeping in the courtyard explains the high casualty rate, even without structural damage to the buildings.

• Israel's denials carry no credibility because Israel has been previously caught lying about its atrocities.

• Israel has already bombed Gazan hospitals at least 51 times since Oct. 7th, and Israel leaders have repeatedly promised to utterly destroy Gazan infrastructure while bombing schools, hospitals, water treatment facilities, Orthodox churches and mosques.

• Israel has the motive to carry out this attack and blame it on Hamas in order to further justify genocide against Palestinians so that Israel can eliminate them all and steal their land.

Weekly vigil in Brunswick well received

 

  

Yesterday 14 folks gathered at the busiest traffic intersection in Brunswick, Maine for a vigil calling for an end to apartheid Israel's attacks on Gaza and the West Bank in Palestine.

This weekly vigil began in early February of 2022 calling for No war with Russia. But the last two weeks it has morphed into one about Palestine.

The reception we received from the noon time traffic flowing into Brunswick on coastal Route 1 was quite positive - I counted only about 4 negatives - getting the middle finger from old women is quite unsettling. 

But we got lots of honks, waves and peace signs from passing motorists. It is a sign that the public is not buying all the corporate media brainwashing.

Israel targets church

The oldest Christian church in Gaza was damaged in an Israeli airstrike on Thursday evening, according to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

In a statement on Friday, officials expressed the “strongest condemnation of the Israeli airstrike [on] its church compound in the city of Gaza,” and called the targeting of churches and the shelters they operate “a war crime that cannot be ignored.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed “occupation warplanes” for the explosion, saying Israeli aircraft bombed the church, which is located in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City. At least 20 civilians were killed. 

An unknown number of people are still under the rubble of the meeting hall, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Jordan said on Facebook, citing one of the parishioners.

Despite Israeli (and US) statements that only Hamas is being targeted, it has become more than clear that in fact civilians are indeed being targeted which is indeed a war crime. One can only hope that the so-called 'Rules based international community' will soon file war crimes charges against Israel and its chief weapons supplier in Washington.

On Saturday our group will hold one of our monthly peace vigils on the bridge in Skowhegan (central Maine) beginning at 1:30 pm. It is expected that rain and wind will be greeting us but we plan to take this message to that busy location along Hwy 201 anyway.

Bruce 

Haiti has been 'kidnapped' by oligarchs

 

 

The UN Security Council approved the deployment of a foreign military force to Haiti. 

Kenya will lead the US financed mission Canada has been promoting for over a year.

On Talking foreign policy: an internationalist perspective on Canada’s role abroad, author Yves Engler interviews Haitian community commentator and organizer Jafrikayiti on the latest foreign intervention into the Caribbean nation.  

Good on these American Jewish peaceniks

 

 

A large group of Jewish protesters occupied the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage. 

Quite a number of them were arrested. All this week thousands of these pro-peace Jewish led groups have been protesting at the White House and Congress.

President Biden was in Israel at the time of the protest.  

Col. Douglas Macgregor always on point

 

 

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom

Macgregor once again proves he is one of the best American retired military officers willing to take on the war mongering Washington bi-partisan establishment.

All thru the western proxy war on Russia he has repeatedly told the truth about it being a wasteful exercise.

Now he is warning Tel Aviv and Washington that negotiations are the only rational choice. 

He says the neo-cons running the Biden administration want total war.

US must be ready for simultaneous wars with China, Russia, report says

  

By Jonathan Landay

WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States must prepare for possible simultaneous wars with Russia and China by expanding its conventional forces, strengthening alliances and enhancing its nuclear weapons modernization program, a congressionally appointed bipartisan panel said on Thursday.

The report from the Strategic Posture Commission comes amid tensions with China over Taiwan and other issues and worsening frictions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

A senior official involved in the report declined to say if the panel's intelligence briefings showed any Chinese and Russian nuclear weapons cooperation.

"We worry ... there may be ultimate coordination between them in some way, which gets us to this two-war construct," the official said on condition of anonymity. 

The findings would upend current U.S. national security strategy calling for winning one conflict while deterring another and require huge defense spending increases with uncertain congressional support.

"We do recognize budget realities, but we also believe the nation must make these investments," the Democratic chair, Madelyn Creedon, a former deputy head of the agency that oversees U.S. nuclear weapons, and the vice chair, Jon Kyl, a retired Republican senator, said in the report's preface. 

The report contrasts with U.S. President Joe Biden's position that the current U.S. nuclear arsenal is sufficient to deter the combined forces of Russia and China.

"The United States and its allies must be ready to deter and defeat both adversaries simultaneously," the Strategic Posture Commission said. "The U.S.-led international order and the values it upholds are at risk from the Chinese and Russian authoritarian regimes."

Congress established the panel of six Democrats and six Republicans in 2022 to assess threats to the United States and recommend changes in U.S. conventional and nuclear forces.

The Chinese and Russian threats will become acute in the 2027-2035 timeframe so "decisions need to be made now in order for the nation to be prepared," said the 145-page report.

The report said the 30-year U.S. nuclear arms modernization program, which began in 2010 and was estimated in 2017 to cost $400 billion by 2046, must be fully funded to upgrade all warheads, delivery systems and infrastructure.

It should also extend the operational lives of ballistic missile submarines and deploy more tactical nuclear weapons in Asia and Europe.

Latest twists on hospital bombing in Gaza

 

 Middle East Eye

 'There are instances in the past where the Israeli military has said things that have turned out not to be true... 

NBC's Raf Sanchez raises questions about Israel's denial of the strike on Gaza's al-Ahli al-Arab Hospital.

The Ahli/Baptist church in Jerusalem announced that it received 3 phone WARNINGS from ISRAEL that they would strike the Gaza Baptist Hospital before they did it.

Experts hired by the British news station Channel 4 have found that the audio tape the Israeli government produced, purporting to show Israel's innocence over the Baptist Hospital bombing, was actually a fake. They say the tone, syntax, accent and idiom are absurd.

 

 

Update: US vetoes UN Security Council resolution urging ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Biden talking out of both sides of his mouth. Israel continues bombing of Gaza today.

Space Week events around the globe

  

Make Space for Peace - no weapons in space vigil in Santa Rosa, California

 

Protest on October 10 at the US NSA spy base at Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire, England. From this base the US intercepts all phone, fax and emails from Europe and does industrial espionage as well on behalf of US corporations. The base also plays a key role in US space directed war fighting. 

 

Bob Anderson wrote from Albuquerque, NM: "At this demo about [zionist attacks on Palestine] I spoke on the use of space for these wars." Bob is a board member of the Global Network and has been a leader on the issue for many years. What he did at this protest was very important. Space weaponization often gets excluded from the broader movement connection making process. By talking about how space-tech coordinates all warfare these days during anti-war protests we expand the ability of the public to view the full picture. After all the taxpayers are paying for all this madness. 

There were only 2 of us at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker weekly Pentagon peace vigil on Oct 10. At the end of the vigil, I was able to take this photo of me holding the Keep Space for Peace sign. Maybe it can be of some use. I also held a sign decrying the horror taking place in the Holy Land and US complicity. What a time! Keep up the great work. A bow of gratitude,  Art Laffin

Keep Space for Peace demonstration which took place at Croughton U.S. military and high-tech intelligence communications base in the United Kingdom near Oxford on Saturday (7 October). See video of speakers here

Keep Space for Peace Week protest on October 7 at Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Maine where Navy Aegis destroyers are built. In 2008 the Pentagon used interceptor missiles on these destroyers to knock out an outdated US military satellite in space proving that these warship-based interceptor missiles could be used as anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. These technologies are now in the hands of the US Space Force.

 

 

 

Asheville, North Carolina space week protest on October 7. 90 flyers were handed to a mostly distracted and/or disinterested public as the folks walked through downtown with the banner and their signs. One side of the flyer was about space week and the other side about Raytheon's role in space and war fighting production. Photo by Pamela Mumby

 

 

Keep Space for Peace event on Jeju Island, South Korea on October 7. Standing at the gates of the navy base that the people fought against for many years. US warships routinely port there now in Gangjeong village as part of Washington's pivot to Asia to encircle China with US bases. Note they took our space week poster featuring crowded orbits and translated it into Korean once more.

 

 

 

Protest on October 5 at the parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland opposing the construction of a rocket launch facility in a pristine environment that would inevitably turn military like all the rest have around the globe. 

 

Lockheed Martin is turning up in control of new rocket launch sites from New Zealand to the UK. Promises are made of lots of jobs, only civilian launches, no enviro harm, and an exciting 'space race' future. 

 

It's actually all about the new gold rush to be part of the explosion of spending on plans to militarily control space on behalf of the west. They are now at war with China and Russia and space is just the latest battleground.

 

We help expand consciousness as we hold Keep Space for Peace Week each year.

 

Bruce

Biden & Netanyahu: Even hospitals must be bombed......

 

About 500 Palestinians are slaughtered as Israel bombs Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

 

Eyewitness from Al-Ahli Hospital talks of hundreds being treated and thousands sheltering. 

 

Palestinian Ambassador to Spain Husni Abdel Wahed said that the hospital in the Gaza Strip that was hit by a deadly strike late on Tuesday had been warned by Tel Aviv of the coming attack hours in advance.

"This hospital... was warned... hours in advance that it was going to be bombed, and was asked to be vacated," the ambassador told a Spanish broadcaster.

He added that "thousands of people" had gathered in the hospital given its protected status under international law and the Geneva Conventions.

 

This is genocide. This is a bloodbath. This is massacre.

 

The US-UK-EU are responsible for this. All part of their plan to hang onto collapsing western empire.

 

Sow fear and chaos and steal the treasure from as many nations as possible.

 

Modern day piracy.

What ever happened to 'human rights'?

 

MintPress News

Founder and director of Mint Press news, speaks with the Red Nation Podcast on how the mainstream corporate media are running a propaganda blitz campaign that serves the Israel's military's campaign against Gaza and dehumanization of Muslims and Palestinians. 

She also addresses how Western Nations have weaponized "human rights" and "democracy" to push forever wars.

Blood money

 

It's a crime

an insult

an outrage

to make money

off killing.

 

When entire industries

profit from war

we know our society

has lost its heart

and its soul. 

When our government

lies us into war$

and works with apartheid nations

in order to steal historic lands

and locks millions into

open air prisons,

reducing their food intake

knowing they will die

a hungry early death,

then we know our nation

has crawled in bed

with the devil.

 

This is how to spell

blood money. 

This is how to spell 

evil.

 

Those who invest

in order to make 

bundles of cash

off the killing

of innocents

are no better

than those who 

pull the triggers.

 

America has long ago

lost it's reason for being.

Just in my lifetime

Korea, Vietnam,

Iraq, Afghanistan,

Syria, Ukraine,

Palestine

and many more.

All were war crimes.

 

Our so-called leaders

deserve only 

one thing.

They should be locked

in jail

for life

and made to feel

some of the

deprivation

of life

that they have rendered

onto millions

around our weeping

Mother Earth.

 

The neo-cons in

Washington

and Tel Aviv,

this time,

have over played

their dark hands.

 

The whole world

is marching.

 

Bruce 

History lesson: Forbidden to return to Palestine

 

 

Edward Said (1935-2003). 

Palestinian-born intellectual and world-famous literary critic. 

Author of 'Orientalism' and 'The Question of Palestine'.

Professor of English Literature at Columbia University, NYC until his death. 

From the BBC series 'Exiles'.

Journalism itself locked up in Belmarsh

 

 

By Caitlin Johnstone

It’s not just a man who is imprisoned for the crime of good journalism, but also the idea that anyone should be permitted to expose the criminality of the world’s most powerful and tyrannical people, writes Caitlin Johnstone. 

Because in a very real sense, it’s not just a man locked up in Belmarsh Prison for the crime of good journalism — it’s journalism itself. It’s the idea that anyone should be permitted to expose the criminality of the world’s most powerful and tyrannical people. It’s the idea that the public should be allowed to know what abuses the U.S. empire is committing around the world.

Julian Assange is the world’s greatest journalist. By revolutionizing source protection for the digital age with the creation of WikiLeaks 17 years ago and then going on to break some of the biggest stories of the 21st century, Assange set himself head-and-shoulders above any other living reporter anywhere on Earth.

And by showing the world that they can lock up the world’s greatest journalist for revealing inconvenient truths, they are showing the world that they can lock up anyone.

That’s what this case has always been about. It’s not about whether Assange crossed some arbitrary procedural line when working with Chelsea Manning to expose U.S. war crimes. It’s not about the U.S. protecting its national security. It’s not about any of the other justifications people have put forward to excuse their sycophantic support for the persecution of a journalist for doing journalism.

It’s about setting a legal precedent that will allow the U.S. empire to extradite anyone anywhere in the world who reveals inconvenient facts about it. It’s about showing all journalists everywhere that if they can do it to the greatest among them, they can do it to any of them. And, like so much else in the world today, it’s about narrative control.

To accept the persecution of Julian Assange is to accept the idea that all media everywhere must function as propaganda organs of the U.S. government.

It’s to take it as a given that any journalist anywhere in the world who decides to do real journalism and expose inconvenient facts about the powerful in the public interest should be jailed until they can be extradited to the United States for a show trial, and then left to rot in one of the most draconian prison systems on the planet.

It’s to accept that we will never live in a truth-based society guided by facts and information, and must forever resign ourselves to living in a society dominated by the whims of the powerful.

Your position on the Assange case is therefore your position on what kind of society we should hope to live in, and what kind of future we should hope to have. In a very real way, it’s your position on humanity itself.

Should humanity try to create a better world, or should we keep plunging into dystopia until we are driven into nuclear war or environmental catastrophe by rulers we are forbidden to question?

Do we want to move into the light, or into the darkness?

Your position on Assange shows your answer to these questions, and shows which course you want us to take.

~ Caitlin Johnstone’s work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following her on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube, or throwing some money into her tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal.

One of his very best....with truth and passion

 

 

George Galloway

The same countries that supported the Ukraine war are supporting Israel. 

It’s the Coalition of the Killing 2. 

Not being seen on a screen near you. 

 

BIBI Urged Israeli Mercenaries To Return From Ukraine! 

Against the background of the Americans' statements that they are not going to engage in a direct military clash in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a step indicating that a big war in this region of the world with the participation of the United States will not be avoided. 

So on Friday evening, during a press conference with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu made a very disturbing statement.......

September 11th in the Middle East

 

By Manlio Dinucci (Grandangolo on Byoblu TV, Italy)

According to the official version, the Hamas attack "caught Israel by surprise". However, a series of inexplicable facts do not make the official version credible.

How is it possible that the Gaza barrier was breached with bulldozers without anyone noticing? The 64-kilometre barrier surrounding Gaza is made of an underground wall equipped with sensors to prevent tunnelling, and a 6-metre high fence with sensors, radars, cameras and automatic weapons systems connected to a command, and is manned by soldiers.

How is it possible that on that very day, a music festival was taking place involving thousands of young people, and located in the desert a few kilometres from Gaza, in an area already considered dangerous because it was within range of Hamas rockets, and moreover left without any security force?

How is it possible when Hamas militants attacked over 20 Israeli population centres, killing (according to official figures) 1300 people, the Israeli special forces, considered among the best in the world, did not immediately intervene with helicopters and only intervened with police force?

How is it possible that Mossad, considered one of the most efficient Secret Services in the world, did not realize that Hamas was preparing its attack?

The essential answers come from an article, published on October 8 by the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel: “For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu have adopted a policy that has divided the Gaza Strip and the West Bank between two different powers, bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees and favouring Hamas. Hamas was treated as a partner to the detriment of the Palestinian Authority to prevent Abbas from moving towards creating a Palestinian State. Hamas was promoted from a terrorist group to an organization with which Israel conducted negotiations through Egypt, and which was allowed to receive suitcases containing millions of dollars from Qatar through the Gaza crossings.”

All these facts outline a scenario similar to the terrorist attack on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, when the entire US intelligence and Defence System would have been "caught by surprise" by the al-Qaeda attack. Irrefutable evidence (officially ignored or dismissed as "conspiracy") demonstrates that it was an operation carried out by the CIA (probably with the participation of the Mossad) to trigger the "global war on terrorism" with the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and subsequent wars. Something similar is happening today in Israel, whose entire Intelligence and Defence system was apparently "caught by surprise" by the Hamas attack.

The strategic aim of the operation is, on the one hand, to exterminate the Palestinians (so far there have been over 1,500 dead, including 500 children, and over 7000 injured) and to take over their territories (the Israeli command has ordered the evacuation of over one million inhabitants, over half of the entire population, from the northern half of Gaza). On the other hand, the strategic aim of the operation is to trigger a chain reaction of wars in the Middle East, targeting Iran, where the United States, Israel and the European powers are losing ground. 

Zionists creating potential for wider war

 

 

Al Jazeera English

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani in Doha. They discussed the latest developments in Gaza. 

Abdollahian said the conflict will not end if Israel continues attacking civilians. 

On Saturday, Abdollahian met Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar's capital. 

Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari is in Iran's capital Tehran to talk more about this. 

If Israel continues with this provocative attack on Gaza it is very likely that Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iranian forces, and possibly even forces from Syria and Iraq will enter the war. 

Qatar has said that if Israel does not stop attacks then they will shut off their oil flow. Iran would likely shut down the Strait of Hormuz.  A third of the world's liquefied natural gas and almost 25% of total global oil consumption passes through the strait, making it a highly important strategic location for international trade.

If all that happens the global economy would likely collapse.

Better speak out now - telling Washington and Tel Aviv to back off. 

We all must take action

 

Four of us yesterday in center of downtown Brunswick, Maine at busy intersection - lots of traffic. 

 

Only about 3 negatives. Many positives and sadly the vast majority just try not to look but they can't help but see our signs.

 

We are going again next Thursday, Oct 19 at 11:30 am.

 

We can all do something - even if you stand with a sign by yourself. 

 

See the latest report from inside Gaza here

Bruce

Famed Jewish columnist critical of Israel

 

The Wire

In an interview where he outlines an extremely depressing and disturbing future for his country Israel, the internationally acclaimed columnist of Haaretz newspaper, Gideon Levy, has bluntly said that if Israel “invades Gaza it will be one of the biggest crimes of war Israel has ever committed.” 

Sunday song