174 Comments
User's avatar
jamenta's avatar

We are ruled by Monsters.

M F's avatar

The control, the violence, the dehumanization directed at dissent is exactly as minorities of color have always experienced, only at this moment deliberately let loose against whites and white liberals who dare not to fall in jackboot step.

Mary Wildfire's avatar

Which is the GOOD news--this time, white people, a significant number of them, are insisting on standing up for POC. May Australians take the example of Minnesota--this is a global situation, it's not just about Israel/Palestine, and if we don't want to go under permanent lockdown, the time to resist is now. I've been saying for 30 years what we need is a global revolution. Seems like now is when it begins to be possible.The key is information--something Caitlin is exquisitely suited for, and fortunately she is obedient to that calling! People need to understand that the time for comic book heroes is now, and they're not the well-protected, heavily armed thugs attacking defenseless people--the heroes are those who stand up to the thugs, who are but attack dogs let off the leash of the ruling class. The Epstein class, as someone said here yesterday.

M F's avatar

I sympathize, and I deeply appreciate the nonviolent resistance of those like MLK. However the history of revolution suggests typically that only violence ever actually overrides violence—true for Russia, China and US of A, true for the defeat of the Axis fascists. No?

Mary Wildfire's avatar

There was an oft-cited book that came out a few years ago, by Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, Why Civil Resistance Works, that supposedly analyzed hundreds of resistance movements over the 20th century. They claimed that any movement that had 3.5% of the population ACTIVELY engaged always won, and that nonviolent movements were twice as likely to succeed--because the violent revolutions attracted mostly young males, not women, families, older people, those with more to lose. I am somewhat skeptical, because I read that one of these authors had a history with the CIA and many of the successful uprisings were color revolution in Eastern Europe, where the resistance had the CIA on their side. But I think there's a reason many nonviolence heroes have stressed the STRATEGIC rather than moral advantages of nonviolence. The people of the Twin Cities have been stellar, and frustrating for the fascist gang running the US, because they have steadfastly refused to do either of the two things that would have satisfied the gang; gave up, cowed, letting the gestapo drag off their neighbors freely, thus telling the rest of the country that resistance is futile and perpetuating the schism based on race--OR, rioted and killed an ICE agent. Then Trump could have declared martial law, at least in Minnesota, which in turn could be used to cancel the midterms among other things.

M F's avatar

I would prefer to believe in the strength of non-violent resistance.

As I have no doubt that anything resembling a physical defense against ICE would be used as pretext for more and more severe repression.

Let's hope the backlash against Trumpstapo results in a big election turnover this November.

Let's hope election 2028 is not compromised or rigged by MAGA traitors.

Just Sayn's avatar

It should be so absolutely clear to any thinking person that elections are just pacifiers. You get a choice of 2 preselected very similar Israeli Zionist tyrants, and this illusion of democracy in an oligarchical fascist Empire. The Epstein files and nearly Everything Trump has done proves that the only Solution is the complete dismissal of the entire US government. Declaration of Independence and revert to your State county and city government to which you have a modicum of control. It's now! Or Never! Their every action proves their violent intent toward all Americans.

MakerOfNoise's avatar

Over here in West Israel, we are also ruled by "monsters".

Crixcyon's avatar

Ignore the monsters. They hate that.

Feral Finster's avatar

Why does this surprise you? The australian government has no priority other than keeping the Americans happy, and the Americans sure are touchy about Israel.

CK's avatar

In the “States”, federal thugs are murdering protesters and exporting “suspicious” persons without warrants or probable cause.

Feral Finster's avatar

Yes, and they simply ignore court orders that they don't like.

What does anyone propose to do about it? Screaming "no fair!" is about as ineffective as quoting Bible verses to an armed robber.

Similarly, whether Australia has a bill of rights is irrelevant, since nobody will enforce it.

SW's avatar

In 1791 Abolitionists boycotted sugar in protest of plantations in the Caribbean owned by wealthy Brits and Americans. Israel can not control a boycott anymore than slave owners could force people to buy sugar.

The government has proven it can beat people up in the street like it did in Selma, Alabama but it couldn’t force them to ride the buses.

Feral Finster's avatar

True enough, but Israel need only stretch out its hand and the US will fill it.

CK's avatar

Eretz Israel would not exist without the sponsorship of the US and UK governments.

Feral Finster's avatar

They don't need the UK. Anyway, their grip on both is secure.

Mary Wildfire's avatar

But there is a limit. If enough people boycott all Israeli companies and also Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Xitter; don't allow data centers to be built in their area; and start work on transitioning to the local economies, collective self-sufficency that will allow the boycotts to be permanent and effective, we can win.

Just Sayn's avatar

While a wonderful sentiment, too many are already so dependent on government they will do nothing except beg government to continue as usual. All those getting a check in the military, police and the entire bureaucracy. This is why government wants growth. " When you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can count on Paul's SUPPORT!

Feral Finster's avatar

I'd love to believe.

Chuck Nasmith's avatar

Cancel Israel and supporters.

CK's avatar

The courts have no official enforcers other than those who are violating the court orders. The US armed forces are sworn to uphold the Constitution but hesitate to engage in another civil war.

Tens of millions of MAGA Americans support the thugs.

Feral Finster's avatar

Courts do have marshals (federal) and sheriffs (state) but that's not enough.

If the armed forces are trained to do nothing else, they are trained to obey orders without question, by folks who see The Milgram Experiment as an operations manual.

CK's avatar

The federal marshals service was never designed or funded to pursue and arrest an armored and armed paramilitary organization the size of ICE or the Secret Service.

During the first Trump Administration, I inadvertently wandered into a large convocation of Michigan county sheriffs who swore to disregard all unconstitutional orders of the courts and of the Governor. I didn’t loiter long enough to learn their standards for what is constitutional.

Let me assure you that the Command and General Staffs of the armed forces have been warned of their obligations to disobey illegal orders

Feral Finster's avatar

Your first paragraph is sort of my point.

You know and I know what standards those Michigan sheriffs were going to apply as to "constitutionality".

Do let me know when the Command and General Staff of the armed forces ever disobeyed an illegal order. I mean, the Nuremberg Court held that "wars of aggression" were "the supreme war crime" so it's a good thing that the US never ever would do those, otherwise the brass would refuse to obey, right?

Loam's avatar

I call it "USrael".

N. Obody's avatar

Your cynism is unproductive. If one is not surprised or angry about anything, one becomes ineffective,. After all all the genocide will be "expected policy" amirite?

Feral Finster's avatar

Funny, as the other question I ask is "what does anyone propose to do about it?"

Brianna Amore's avatar

Gee who couldn't see this coming THE MOMENT news about the Bondi Beach massacre happened? It was as predictable as the USA going full fascist after 9/11.

David Avenell's avatar

Our mainstream media have covered the Bondi shootings with far more enthusiasm and outrage than they have ever offered to the genocide in Gaza.

Now to be clear, I believe that the killing of 15 innocent people on that day was horrific, if not depraved and / or evil.

In fact I think the one surviving shooter might warrant a return of the death penalty – after all, if he goes to jail he’s unlikely to ever be rehabilitated and Australians would be obliged to feed him and take responsibility for healthcare needs while Australians are waiting, sometimes for years, for relatively minor medical procedures.

I recently read or heard ( unfortunately I can’t remember where I came across this figure. Could have been Lancet ) the the true death toll in Gaza to be possibly as high as 500,000, and yet the MSM never mentions that fact.

To somehow try and find an equal level of hatred and brutality between those two wildly disparate numbers is offensive.

Events of this sort deserve a proportionality of opprobrium and outrage.

Citizen's avatar

I think the Lancet said well over 200,000. At minimum.

grahamlyons's avatar

I would suggest it is closer to 1.4 million.

David Avenell's avatar

I don't think anyone will ever know the true number given the untold numbers buried under thousands of tons of rubble.

Plus Dennis Kucinich described in a very disturbing piece, that the temperature at ground zero for 2,000 lb bomb is high enough to smelt steel and also to vaporise a human being:

https://kucinichreport.substack.com/p/war-dust-and-collateral-inhalation

grahamlyons's avatar

Evil Zionist scum surely Hellbound.

David Avenell's avatar

I lean to the sort of Buddhist ( ish ) point of view that we are all in hell now. I'm sure I saw a sign a few years back that said "Abandon all hope ye who enter here".

Trick is, to find a way out.

grahamlyons's avatar

Well, it has to be said that much of what is presented to us represents satanic inversion, e.g. Convid1982 perpetrators like Morrison, Andrews, Paluschuk and SA's Marshall receiving honours, while so many people were killed or injured by their vax. Or "Professors" Christian Drosten, Neil Ferguson, Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance walk free while Reiner Fuellmich languishes in prison.

At any rate, no-one gets out of here alive.

Duane McPherson's avatar

Best path out of hell is to accept it and dive in with a big "Yes!"

Gail Shields's avatar

The long term total is more like 5 million!!!!

David Avenell's avatar

You can be certain they are still dying, and will continue to die even if the genocide was to stop tomorrow.

Sort of like the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

doug elford's avatar

The Jewish Hasbara is strong.

AIPAC owns the USAss Congress. Who owns the Australian politicians ?

Tom High's avatar

Could you send us another submarine, please, after we get done with a few more citizen beatings?

drednorzt's avatar

*CoughGoughWhitlamCough

David Avenell's avatar

Since you ask Doug, they're owned by a consortium made up of the Zionist lobby, the Fossil Fuel lobby, the Mining lobby, the Gambling lobby, the Pharmaceutical lobby, Big Ag, the MIC and just about anyone else with a enough cash to donate to "Campaign Funds".

The Greens are the only party with clean hands, along with a few Independents.

We do, at least, have Minor parties and Independents In Aus.

TS's avatar

You forgot the Banking Industry and the Military Industrial Complex. The Tech Bro lobby, fronted by Trump, is trying their damndest to get in on all the lucrative action, hence the oligarch rat war going on right now. No matter who wins, we lose.

Citizen's avatar

Make no mistake, we have the same type of lobbies here, they just aren't as well known as AIPAC. Chris Minns, Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and no doubt many others have all had their pictures taken wearing their rulers' tiny hat of choice.

dale ruff's avatar

Not all of them. On the last vote on the Sanders' bill to ban arms to Israel, the majority of Democrats voted for it; all Repubs against. Let's not pretend War is Peace and lump all of congress together; if we do, we lose.

Feral Finster's avatar

Sort of like how Team D was against genocide in Yemen, only to flip once Biden took over.

dale ruff's avatar

Sort of the opposite: voting for a law to end arms to Israel is not like how Biden softened on Yemen.

"How policy compared to Trump era

Policy area Trump Biden

Offensive strike support Yes Ended

Refueling coalition jets Yes Ended

Intelligence targeting aid Yes Restricted

Defensive arms sales Yes Continued

Aircraft maintenance Yes Continued

So involvement narrowed — but did not end."

There was opposition in Congress but it did not prevail. My point is my ignoring the opposition, we undermine it. Sander's let the losing fight to end arming Yemen: "Co-introduced the resolution (with Mike Lee and Chris Murphy).

Led floor advocacy.

Voted YES to end U.S. military support.

He also voted YES on related efforts to block Saudi arms sales.

So his position was consistently:

End U.S. military involvement and arms support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen.

"Bottom line

Sanders consistently voted to end U.S. military support and arms sales tied to the Yemen war.

The majority of Senate Democrats voted the same way.

Measures passed Congress but were vetoed and never implemented." When you ignore the anti-war movement, you undermine the anti-war movement. "Bottom line

Sanders consistently voted to end U.S. military support and arms sales tied to the Yemen war.

The majority of Senate Democrats voted the same way.

Measures passed Congress but were vetoed and never implemented."

Gonna say it again: if you can't lend a hand, get out of the way, with all due respect.

Tom High's avatar

Due respect, you really do not understand how vapid the phrase ‘The majority of Senate Democrats’ is. It would also behoove you refrain from embarrassing yourself in public by ever coming to the defense of someone who was actively complicit in genocide.

As regards the former, what the majority of Senate Democrats do is irrelevant as long as there is a sufficient minority to side with the opposition, and in far too many cases majority voters cast votes knowing the outcome in advance, and use their votes as cover to placate their base back home, knowing their corporate donors don’t mind as long as the legislation fails.

It’s political theater; a game of hardball played by puppets paid for by monied interests. Levers of power, baby. We can’t change it until we understand it.

Guest's avatar

Kind of like with the Clintons “demanding” public hearings on the Epstein files—they know damn well it’s not going to happen.

Feral Finster's avatar

I am not sure what that word salad was meant to say, but Sanders =/= Team D. Moreover, you again are trying to change the subject.

Chuck Nasmith's avatar

How many years did it take for Bernie (BS) to say Genocide? Until he says there should be No Israel, I will not trust him.

Feral Finster's avatar

Dale is always hard at work, fellating Team D in general and Sanders in particular.

dale ruff's avatar

It's not word salad but logical exposition. Sanders is a powerful figure in the Democratic Party and working to transform it. He was given key positions by Biden as a reward for his support:

Current / Recent Senate positions

Chair — U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)

Member — U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget

(Former Chair, 2021–2023)

Member — U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

(Former Chair, 2013–2015)

Member —committee on public works and environment.

He is using his power to promote young progressive radicals to replace the moribund current leadership.

If you want to stop arming Israel, you have to support Sander's bill to do just that, which recently got the majority of Dems to vote for it.

Feral Finster's avatar

"He's not even a democrat!" Ever heard that? Remember "vote blue no matter who! (Unless it's Mamdani)"?

Keep swinging. And yes, it's word salad. Stop bluffing yourself.

TS's avatar

Thank you for the info.

Kathleen McCroskey's avatar

From the River to the Sea - Palestine will be Free! (We can hope)

RCL's avatar

Israel del Olimpo al Infierno, porque toca.

Diana van Eyk's avatar

It's so wrong that people are being beaten up for opposing an ongoing genocide. I will never be able to wrap my mind, or my heart, around this.

Nick Douglas's avatar

Western supremacist greedy anti-human culture was always like that.

Nancy Pickle's avatar

So disturbing, this makes me sick to my stomach and brings tears to my eyes for the poor brave protestors. The smug look on the cops face in the video with the bike says it all about the kind of animal attracted to that line of work. I hope these people are banned from reincarnating on our beautiful planet once they finally die. Anyone else notice that this brutality seems to happen only in the Anglo-American Empire, I remember it well from the Truckers covid protest in Canada. Oh yes, there is Syria, but we are paying for the terrorists killing civilians there too, and in Gaza. That says it all about our governments once again. We truly need a revolution and Israel must be returned to the Palestinians - in its entirety.

Brianna Amore's avatar

If you think police brutality only happens in the Anglo-American Empire then I have a bridge in Crimea to sell you.

Feral Finster's avatar

Nobody in Crimea wants Ukraine.

HeatherL's avatar

Having been to Crimea (in 2012), I can confirm that. It’s Russian through & through

Feral Finster's avatar

I lived many years in Ukraine. I actually do know two people who lived in Crimea who were for Ukraine (transplants).

Their neighbors treated them like a synagogue welcomes Nazi collborators.

Spunty's avatar

Yes, but we're supposed to be the good guys.

Bill's avatar

That’s the propaganda we are fed

Ghosted Commenter's avatar

And there are a lot of suckers who still believe it!

Loam's avatar

Genocides are an exclusively Anglo-American trademark.

Brianna Amore's avatar

So the Armenian Genocide was an Anglo-American trademark?

Huh. You might want to check your sources on that.

Loam's avatar

No. But do the math and you'll see who gets on the podium.

Brianna Amore's avatar

That's not what "exclusively" means.

Nick Douglas's avatar

If not directly committing genocide the West was involved in it by financing it, supporting it politically and diplomatically, instigating it, spreading hatred between human groups, etc. There was no recent genocide or war that West was not involved directly or indirectly. The last stage of dying decadent greedy society.

Brianna Amore's avatar

If you have evidence that the West was involved in the Armenian Genocide I'd love to hear it. Because I live right near the biggest Armenian diaspora in the world, Glendale CA. And the USA opened its doors to the Armenians who escaped Turkey in the early part of the 20th century.

So no, I don't buy your claim that the West financed or supported politically, or instigated the Armenian Genocide and no amount of research that I can find supports that assertion.

Nancy Pickle's avatar

True, and I don't really believe that it has always been the Anglo-American Empire. It just strikes me that it is the case in the present. Our governments have been involved in one way or another in most if not all of the vile behaviour since WWII, the British Empire for longer. The comment wasn't an essay meant for formal publication, merely an expression of outrage at what I have been witnessing and learning over the past few years. I say it because I feel responsible that we are still letting it happen, it hasn't stopped. Caitlin's point, look at what happens to those who protest in our countries.

Brianna Amore's avatar

Of course. Empires are all terrible, that's what makes them empires. And every single empire in history was built and maintained on bodies and blood. That's not to discount that the Anglo-American Empire isn't just as guilty, not at all. However only now is the world just seeing the truth of it all.

denise ward's avatar

Overdosing of testosterone is very dangerous for everyone.

Stuart Estrine's avatar

The only thing that will set Australia right is a general strike, now. There is no negotiation capable of stopping fascism.

ComradeCoconut's avatar

Because their leaders were caught in the Mossad operation like the Americans

Making Sense of the Madness's avatar

And this 5-Eyes country, the same one that passed antisemitism speech laws for censorship, is the very same one hosting Upscrolled which is a non censorship platform. People have zero capacity for critical thinking and it’s painful to watch.

America Leaks 💦's avatar

Free America from israel parasites

Spunty's avatar

Why do so many of these police thugs look (and act) like they've just come from participating in a white supremist, neo- Nazi rally?

Ghosted Commenter's avatar

I know a relative of a friend of mine who harbours such views. He was the top recruit in his class at Goulburn. It is no accident! The Police know who they want in their ranks.

Loam's avatar

Perhaps because they are serving the interests of neo-Nazis?

Bhavana Lymworth's avatar

The violence being unleashed around the planet right now amounts to war: global uprising by the people against the monsters, and it looks like war.

We cannot think that war looks like what it looked like in WW1 and WW2. It looks like what we see every day now, somewhere, as people awake, and rise up and resist.

We must continue to resist.

Thank you so much, Caitlin and Tim. Your words give me courage, every day.

Loam's avatar

Of course we're at war. A class war. The exploited against the exploiters.

Indu Abeysekara's avatar

Australia's ruling class is faithfully following their masters - USA and Israel. They spent an inordinate time and resources and enacting draconian laws, in the process of grieving and mourning the Bondi shootings, which shouldn't have happened, of course. All this done without a thought for the Palestinians who are subjected to an on going indescribable horror of a genocide.

If the Prime Minister and his government had any morality, any decency, would they have invited the head of a genocidal regime for a state visit ? We should boo them out where ever they go, as happened to JD Vance at the winter Olympics.

The people aren't even allowed to protest in solidarity with the victims of a genocide as seen in how the police handled and restricted the rallies. Are we going to have our own ICE?

The people of the world are globalising the Intifada whether the oligarchs or their minions like it or not!

Marci Sudlow's avatar

Here in the US they are liable to shoot or kidnap you.

Max Girard's avatar

If the government makes "from the river to the sea" illegal,

wouldn't mention of that phrase in the law be a violation of that law?

What should be outlawed is the word anti-semitism or anti-semite

because we have no way of knowing what it means. Since the Palestinians are Semites, any mention of anti Palestine would be anti Semitic.

dale ruff's avatar

Out law speech that provokes hatred and thus justifies and motivates discrimination and violence. Hate speech (not speech we hate but speech that is the prelude to hate crimes, and historically, if unchecked, genocide) if tolerated destroys freedom and human rights. That is the lesson of history. Speech that promotes justice for Palestine is rooted in love for the victims of Israeli genocide, which is justified with hate speech: a clear example of such speech is dehumaniing speech such as when "“We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”

So long as we accept it is ok to kill animals, dehumanizing speech will be designed to legitimize exterminating people. When Trump called immigrants an investation, this was hate speech as the standard reaction to an investation is to wipe it out.