Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley): One of the main reasons the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell is having such an earthshaking impact on our society is because it’s the single most profound act of sincerity that any of us have ever witnessed.
A message from Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti (Ansar Allah a.k.a. The Houthis) honoring Aaron’s sacrifice:
"Today, the world lost Aaron Bushnell, a brave, noble, and conscientious human being, but his message reached and resonated around the world. Aaron proved that his conscience's ability to bear the scenes of dead and wounded Palestinian children was weaker than his ability to bear the pain of fire burning his body, so he continued to chant freedom for Palestine until the last moment of his life. Thank you Aaron, your message has awakened the global conscience, but we will continue to cry for you as we cry for the children of Palestine."
I don’t want Aaron’s sacrifice to be dismissed as mental illness. It occurred to me that when the first responder shouted that he he didn’t want guns he wanted fire extinguishers says it all about the destruction of Gaza. Plenty of people with “guns”, where are our leaders with the “fire extinguishers”.
Caitlin Johnstone has written an impeccable tribute to a young man who was displaying the purest clarity of mind, compassion, and courage a human being can ever embody. Thank you, Caitlin!
Self-Immolation has a history of several millennia (especially in the East). Societies in which this martyrdom pursuit catches on... rarely last. For the Empire of Lies, this is basically a sign that its underlying rotten foundations are about to Rapidly Buckle & Implode, per the historical norm.
The timing and manner of one's own death is the ultimate freedom we have. One of the very few things that can't be taken from us. All honour and credit to Aaron who achieves more with this act, than a long life might ever have. My absolute love and respect to you, young man, your courage and your name will be remembered.
We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), express our heartfelt condolences and our full solidarity with the family and friends of the U.S. pilot Aaron Bushnell, whose name has been immortalized as a defender of humanitarian values and the plight of the oppressed Palestinian people who are suffering due to the U.S. administration and its unjust policies, like the U.S. activist Rachel Corrie who was crushed by a Zionist bulldozer in 2003 in Rafah, the same city for which Bushnell paid for with his life to pressure his country’s government to prevent the criminal Zionist army from attacking it and committing massacres and violations in it.
This system of ZioAngloAmerican sick perversity -- no flour to Gaza, even though USA fields and mills had sent some to the Middle East for distribution, because the Jews of Israel want the pain of Palestine to be heard louds and wide -- is what Aaron was attempting to singe from his memory.
It is as you have said, seriously disturbing that someone has had to resort to such a dramatic event to make a point.
I felt almost sick when I heard of it. Why does one have to go to such lengths to make people listen to the truth. But even with an optimistic hope that this will be read by thousands and acted upon, I know that sooner to later some CIA to FBI puppet will come up with a story that indicates that Aaron had some ulterior motive. After all, this is America in 2024.
Nothing is real any more.
The decent world won't ever forget your true motives, Aaron , referring to all the countries that are populated with like-minded human beings.
I break my solemn, reverent, humble silence, the same feeling I had in the Memorial Hall of the Gold Star Warriors, to say to AARON BUSHNELL, “Your sacrifice is not in vain. I am resolved to do everything in my power to force everyone I can to witness this Crime Against Humanity and cry out, STOP! ! Thank you for your service, for giving your last full measure of devotion, and to declaring with your last breath, FREE PALESTINE!”
I made a vow when this genocide began that I would not look away from the gruesome cruelty, from the grief stricken mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, from the brazen soullessness of warmongers. I will not look away, I will grieve as best as someone can who has no experience with this level of atrocity, and do my pathetic part to help by being a witness, by sending $ for food and medicine, by supporting Palestinian businesses that are being crippled, and by supporting Caitlin’s incredibly fearless journalism observing the insanity of our global “leaders.”
I ordered this Beautiful soap made in the West Bank the same way for over a thousand years!
It didn't take long for mainstream news to attempt to portray Aaron Bushnell as mentally disturbed, that is, that he was a young man with mental illness, that he had a troubled past and was therefore unstable.
Brings to mind Krishnamurti's observation that "it is no measure of [mental] health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." We should all be disturbed and agitated by a genocide occurring at a deliberate pace in front of our eyes, and if anyone is not disturbed perhaps it is because he or she is "well adjusted" to the point where they have a big hole within them where their humanity used to be.
We can never know the anguish and the mental processes that caused Aaron to take his own life in the way that he did, but "mental illness" doesn't cut it as a way to dismiss his sacrifice. Perhaps it is Israel's defenders and those who just don't give a damn who are the delusional ones. Perhaps they are the ones Erich Fromm was referring to when he described what he called "the pathology of normalcy." For surely what we accept as normal in our troubled world has all the characteristics of actual mental pathology.
I believe Aaron knew this, and his death was his statement. I further believe that it was a holy act that puts to shame the weaselly, dissembling, profoundly shameful and manifestly psychopathic behavior of America's political and ruling class. I will never forget this young man, and nor should any of us with a heart and a moral compass.
No we can't forget, we must remember the reason for this act. This was not an insane man. This was a man that wanted to send the strongest, clearest message he could. He needed to give it everything he had and he only had one thing to give-his life. The act was as much a statement as his last words. Yet his last words explained the act. Ultimately, we learn that we must give ourselves completely to our cause. His was "free Palestine."
What a profound humanitarian act that reveals the depth of American airman Aaron Bushnell’s conviction against Gazan-Palestinian genocide by Netanyahu-Zionists, and its funding by the US government.
A profound act of sincerity indeed. A world built on lies, manipulation and gaslighting meets that pure and unadulterated sincerity of love of others so much that he'd lay down his life for them, and it pauses, astonished and chastised. Could we learn to put hatred and racism aside and embrace compassion? That remains to be seen, but the conversation has begun. Aaron Bushnell was a saint and genius. RIP Aaron.
🙏🖖🏿Caitlin, the truth of your every word is irrefutable. The monstrous depravity of the IDF and the Israeli state has been par for the course for decades, as has the brutal collusion of the U.S. in their criminality. They are partners in crime, but remember - American and European butchers have led the way in such heinous atrocities for centuries.
When someone commits suicide, they take a part of our humanity with them. May you find peace Aaron Bushnell, if there is peace in the hereafter - now that you have departed this, oh so very sad world of ours. :(
A message from Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti (Ansar Allah a.k.a. The Houthis) honoring Aaron’s sacrifice:
"Today, the world lost Aaron Bushnell, a brave, noble, and conscientious human being, but his message reached and resonated around the world. Aaron proved that his conscience's ability to bear the scenes of dead and wounded Palestinian children was weaker than his ability to bear the pain of fire burning his body, so he continued to chant freedom for Palestine until the last moment of his life. Thank you Aaron, your message has awakened the global conscience, but we will continue to cry for you as we cry for the children of Palestine."
https://x.com/m_n_albukhaiti/status/1762198093628375103?s=46&t=y6oNMuRlA05SmDXZA1sw4Q
I don’t want Aaron’s sacrifice to be dismissed as mental illness. It occurred to me that when the first responder shouted that he he didn’t want guns he wanted fire extinguishers says it all about the destruction of Gaza. Plenty of people with “guns”, where are our leaders with the “fire extinguishers”.
Caitlin Johnstone has written an impeccable tribute to a young man who was displaying the purest clarity of mind, compassion, and courage a human being can ever embody. Thank you, Caitlin!
Self-Immolation has a history of several millennia (especially in the East). Societies in which this martyrdom pursuit catches on... rarely last. For the Empire of Lies, this is basically a sign that its underlying rotten foundations are about to Rapidly Buckle & Implode, per the historical norm.
The timing and manner of one's own death is the ultimate freedom we have. One of the very few things that can't be taken from us. All honour and credit to Aaron who achieves more with this act, than a long life might ever have. My absolute love and respect to you, young man, your courage and your name will be remembered.
He's a hero, and thanks for acknowledging that.
Hamas --
We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), express our heartfelt condolences and our full solidarity with the family and friends of the U.S. pilot Aaron Bushnell, whose name has been immortalized as a defender of humanitarian values and the plight of the oppressed Palestinian people who are suffering due to the U.S. administration and its unjust policies, like the U.S. activist Rachel Corrie who was crushed by a Zionist bulldozer in 2003 in Rafah, the same city for which Bushnell paid for with his life to pressure his country’s government to prevent the criminal Zionist army from attacking it and committing massacres and violations in it.
https://www.workers.org/2024/02/77176/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=palestinian-resistance-pays-tribute-to-martyr-aaron-bushnell
+--+
This system of ZioAngloAmerican sick perversity -- no flour to Gaza, even though USA fields and mills had sent some to the Middle East for distribution, because the Jews of Israel want the pain of Palestine to be heard louds and wide -- is what Aaron was attempting to singe from his memory.
https://paulokirk.substack.com/p/its-the-way-you-say-jew-or-how-many
PEACE. Rest in Revolution.
Well said Tim and Caitlin.
It is as you have said, seriously disturbing that someone has had to resort to such a dramatic event to make a point.
I felt almost sick when I heard of it. Why does one have to go to such lengths to make people listen to the truth. But even with an optimistic hope that this will be read by thousands and acted upon, I know that sooner to later some CIA to FBI puppet will come up with a story that indicates that Aaron had some ulterior motive. After all, this is America in 2024.
Nothing is real any more.
The decent world won't ever forget your true motives, Aaron , referring to all the countries that are populated with like-minded human beings.
Be sure of that.
I break my solemn, reverent, humble silence, the same feeling I had in the Memorial Hall of the Gold Star Warriors, to say to AARON BUSHNELL, “Your sacrifice is not in vain. I am resolved to do everything in my power to force everyone I can to witness this Crime Against Humanity and cry out, STOP! ! Thank you for your service, for giving your last full measure of devotion, and to declaring with your last breath, FREE PALESTINE!”
I made a vow when this genocide began that I would not look away from the gruesome cruelty, from the grief stricken mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, from the brazen soullessness of warmongers. I will not look away, I will grieve as best as someone can who has no experience with this level of atrocity, and do my pathetic part to help by being a witness, by sending $ for food and medicine, by supporting Palestinian businesses that are being crippled, and by supporting Caitlin’s incredibly fearless journalism observing the insanity of our global “leaders.”
I ordered this Beautiful soap made in the West Bank the same way for over a thousand years!
https://palestiniansoap.coop/
It didn't take long for mainstream news to attempt to portray Aaron Bushnell as mentally disturbed, that is, that he was a young man with mental illness, that he had a troubled past and was therefore unstable.
Brings to mind Krishnamurti's observation that "it is no measure of [mental] health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." We should all be disturbed and agitated by a genocide occurring at a deliberate pace in front of our eyes, and if anyone is not disturbed perhaps it is because he or she is "well adjusted" to the point where they have a big hole within them where their humanity used to be.
We can never know the anguish and the mental processes that caused Aaron to take his own life in the way that he did, but "mental illness" doesn't cut it as a way to dismiss his sacrifice. Perhaps it is Israel's defenders and those who just don't give a damn who are the delusional ones. Perhaps they are the ones Erich Fromm was referring to when he described what he called "the pathology of normalcy." For surely what we accept as normal in our troubled world has all the characteristics of actual mental pathology.
I believe Aaron knew this, and his death was his statement. I further believe that it was a holy act that puts to shame the weaselly, dissembling, profoundly shameful and manifestly psychopathic behavior of America's political and ruling class. I will never forget this young man, and nor should any of us with a heart and a moral compass.
And a police with a gun pointed at him. Even when Aaron fell down. Why? To protect us from an act of sincerity?
No we can't forget, we must remember the reason for this act. This was not an insane man. This was a man that wanted to send the strongest, clearest message he could. He needed to give it everything he had and he only had one thing to give-his life. The act was as much a statement as his last words. Yet his last words explained the act. Ultimately, we learn that we must give ourselves completely to our cause. His was "free Palestine."
What a profound humanitarian act that reveals the depth of American airman Aaron Bushnell’s conviction against Gazan-Palestinian genocide by Netanyahu-Zionists, and its funding by the US government.
A profound act of sincerity indeed. A world built on lies, manipulation and gaslighting meets that pure and unadulterated sincerity of love of others so much that he'd lay down his life for them, and it pauses, astonished and chastised. Could we learn to put hatred and racism aside and embrace compassion? That remains to be seen, but the conversation has begun. Aaron Bushnell was a saint and genius. RIP Aaron.
🙏🖖🏿Caitlin, the truth of your every word is irrefutable. The monstrous depravity of the IDF and the Israeli state has been par for the course for decades, as has the brutal collusion of the U.S. in their criminality. They are partners in crime, but remember - American and European butchers have led the way in such heinous atrocities for centuries.
When someone commits suicide, they take a part of our humanity with them. May you find peace Aaron Bushnell, if there is peace in the hereafter - now that you have departed this, oh so very sad world of ours. :(