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Chang Chokaski's avatar

CJ>>"We go to demonstrations and take selfies and hold up signs which say “I oppose this so long as it doesn’t disrupt my lifestyle in any meaningful way”."

THIS! This is what gets me riled up so often. As soon as it is time for the rubber to meet the road (in terms of taking meaninfgul action, changing our lifestyles by boycotting 'consumer culture', consumerism, 'shop-till-you-drop', 'tech toys', and more), people tune-out and go back to their 'comfortable lifestyle' by taking the attitude that 'protesting' and 'signing online petitions' means they have fulfilled their moral obligations/responsibilities (in terms of the Genocide and everything else).

To tackle the heart of the problem (which is ALWAYS systems at the root level), lifestyles need to change, behavior patterns need to change, the way people spend their money needs to change, people need to get out of their comfort zones, and START CONFRONTING POWER!

Until WE THE PEOPLE don't change our lifestyles in ways that affect the Corporations, businesses and Governments that are profiting by war and Genocide and destruction of the planet, those in power (oligarchs, power elite, plutocrats, TPTB, etc.) don't have much to lose as the profits will keep rolling in.

Hence, we the people MUST change our lifestyles (by making decisions that hurt these profiteers of War, Genocide, exploitation, oppression, and more).

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Peter Sawchuk's avatar

A young woman asked me how we could afford to be retired for that last ten years. I wish this comment of yours had been available then. Most don't understand that you don't need the glitter to live well. Most don't understand how every little act of resistance helps advance humanities cause. You don't need a 60 inch T.V. or a fancy car or so many other decadent toys. Live within your means and never be afraid to speak up no matter where you are. Barter with people to avoid their taxes. Grow a garden to avoid their GMO poisons. Don't fall for the party lifestyle. I could go on but when you do you can see the interest go out of their eyes. Most are not willing to give up their chains which is what all this glitter is. They only enslave themselves.

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A Parseeker's avatar

I’ve wondered since childhood how people conducted themselves when a genocide was occurring around them. I’m seeing it for myself now. It’s utterly disgusting and dystopian how human beings can carry on in active or passive denial.

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Peter Sawchuk's avatar

You should see some of the rabid, mindless replies I sometimes receive from the willfully ignorant. I wonder if they are willfully ignorant or willfully complicit. My latest amusement is being called an anti Semite Nazi. LOL

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

❤️👍🙏

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Davina's avatar

Some time ago I put out to the universe for a home for myself and my little dog; one that was perfect for us and to have enough to be comfortable and content. Six months later I moved into this unit. It is not huge but spacious enough not to feel cramped, there's a largish balcony that my dog loved to sit on, or have a snooze in the sun too hot she moved under the table or came inside. I'm close to shops, and a tram ride to a shopping centre, my doctor and podiatrist etc. I look over tree tops, I have peace and quiet and good neighbours. When I do buy things it's because they are needed, not on a whim.

No one needs $millions to survive, only the greedy keep accumulating ^things^ and those ^things^ never bring them happiness, not even the spouse they bought who realises all that money isn't worth the aggravation.

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

❤️❤️

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Ned B.'s avatar

Guilty as charged, sort of. These aren't selfies, photos others took, but I posted them with a story about how I stood for Palestine.

https://nedb.substack.com/p/i-will-stand-with-palestine

It's the most I can do (and no, it does not disrupt my lifestyle) but I share the story and photos with many in my circled of family/friends to amplify whatever meager effect I might have.

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Nana Baakan Agyiriwah's avatar

This is so true, Chang, I've wrote about this back in May, 2025, but it has been heavily on my mind since forever. We actually feed the beast we hate.

Even when we protest... all the money that is spent on placards, signs, T-shirts and whatever else, it feeds Empire. The Empire managers know this about us. They know we are slaves to modern convenience so they are the least bit move by our protests.

We have to think more creatively, how to resist without feeding Empire.

I also think about the Global Military Industrial Complex that ignores its "carbon footprint" and destruction of the planet's eco-system all under the guise of "homeland security." It is one of the most expensive and destructive enterprises humans engage in... then in the same breath they talk about sustainability and climate change.

I've written over and over again for years about how our consumerism feeds the Beast, and how reticent we are to pull back from our addiction to modern convenience and our so-called "way of life" or "quality of living".

The real revolution won't be televised because it begins on "home base". That is where we give the big finger to Empire.. and I'm not too sure us Westerners are willing to reduce our consumption and watching the so called Global South go the way of consumerism.. it looks like we may need a real reset...

WE ARE ALL PASSENGERS ON THE KILLING TRAIN OF EMPIRE

https://topicsfromatoz.substack.com/p/we-are-all-passengers-on-the-killing

Excerpt: "We can keep pointing a finger at the Warmongers at the top. They are the easy targets. We can protest in the streets, that may be a bit more effective, but until we realize our own complicity; stop voting for narcissistic psychopaths; pull back on our own consumerism; scale down our “wants” masquerading as “needs”; have a more relational connection to the natural world and become more self-sufficient; the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza may stop, but it won’t stop man’s desire to continually grasp for more and more of the resources needed to maintain Empire."

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

👏👍 Well said!

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John Cassidy's avatar

Yeah, lifestyle overhaul is a necessity but lets face it, at some point the industrial killing machine we call civilisation will have to be confronted. My opting for a smaller foot print isn't going to stop the live streamed extermination of Palestinians or the ecocide of the only living organism we know of in this universe.

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

>>"but lets face it, at some point the industrial killing machine we call civilisation will have to be confronted."

But WHO will do the confronting? So many are already mind slaves - either doing the bidding of their masters (whom they might not even be aware of) consciously OR unconsciously.

Hence the desperate NEED to wake more-and-more people up as soon as possible. Hence the urgency to dismantle all the 'gaslighting narratives' and 'belief-systems' of TPTB. But logic and rationality will not be enough to do the job (as emotions often gain the upper hand on logic).

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Vin LoPresti's avatar

I don’t believe that ignoring that roar up ahead is conceivable if one is an American who is at all awake. This country, this society and all its allies have spiritually condemned themselves to the demise that surely awaits the West in physical and economic terms, as the Empire goes down into the bowels of history, dragging its cronies down along with it.

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Longtrail's avatar

You're right. More are coming out of their slumber. There are rivers and there are oceans. There's a paradigm shift happening and the tide is turning.

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Feral Finster's avatar

You'd be shocked how few Americans are awake or even give a shit.

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Vin LoPresti's avatar

I doubt it would shock me; I see them everywhere I look.

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Sane Francisco's avatar

You captured our world so well. And that painting of Piers with his mock-concerned expression is to (literally) die for.

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gypsy33's avatar
5dEdited

I for one, Caitlin, greatly anticipate the “roar” of Revolution.

And, I should add, the roar emanating from IsraHell’s collapse.

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F....'s avatar
5dEdited

We are the revolution - however in order to realize our objectives we might need to do more then sitting behind a PC screen but go out on the streets and talk to people.

Remember Gilet Jaunes was a great success which started out on street corners.

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F....'s avatar

Palestinians need an armed intervention now to push the Israeli's all the way back to 1967 borders or beyond.

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gypsy33's avatar

Out. Completely.

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F....'s avatar

Fine by me - but who will have them?

As it stands they're running out of places they've been evicted from - unsurprisingly the list is bloody long.

https://www.biblebelievers.org.au/expelled.htm

Just that you know my pc isn't always able to show appreciation by upvoting

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Peter Sawchuk's avatar

The U.S. government will take them. After all they are the same entity. When they do it will probably be to everyone on the American continent's demise.

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F....'s avatar

In the end both serve the same master.

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JennyStokes's avatar

They will be welcomed by the Christian Evangelists.

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Peter Sawchuk's avatar

They will! Go figure. Talk about sucking up to your abuser.

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gypsy33's avatar

Hi F

I’ve said this before: send them to Michigan where our large Arab population will know how to deal with them.

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Susan T's avatar

Why would you want to do something like that to an Arab population anywhere? Put them in a cage and lock it.

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Davina's avatar

I prefer the idea one person put forward forward to send them to the nuclear-ruined land near Treblinka that is still hot

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Davina's avatar

They're trying to buy up Cyprus because they no their end is close, but Cyprus is changing laws to prevent them because israeliscare doing their usual shitty thing and trying set up communities not just a house here and their. Every country near Usrael should be on the lookout for the Israeli takeover try.

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F....'s avatar

They've been spotted in Lebanon and Syria recently, map in hand.

In the end it won't happen because people like us will demand nothing less then proper accountability for the genocide they're waging on Palestinians but they are not the only people they've been murdering !

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Davina's avatar

Oh, I do hope so, they deserve the harshest penalty that can be given.

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JennyStokes's avatar

Cyprus: Not changing Laws fast enough. Cyprus (North) is very worrying.

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Davina's avatar

Agree about North Cyprus, but would they allow a takeover?

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JennyStokes's avatar

It's a bit difficult to know because Turkish part of Cyprus is a 'de facto' state. Cyprus always belonged to Greece before the Turkish refugees arrived. It's a very long and convoluted History and of course the bloody British involved.

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Feral Finster's avatar

They can bugger off to whatever countries they came from.

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martin's avatar

use opera browser.

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Brian L's avatar

It’s insane this dropped while I’m literally watching V for Vendetta while we’re living in V for Vendetta. Same wave length, me thinks, Caitlin…

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Longtrail's avatar

Did you see Rump the zionist asshole's inauguration party and how the first lady was dressed? She wore a hat very similar to 'V for Vendetta' and the brim hid her eyes. She showed no emotion and sat like a statue. It was eerie.

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Brian L's avatar

I didn’t watch it. I don’t pay any attention to these psychopaths beyond keeping tabs on what villainy they’re presently undertaking.

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SW's avatar

I watched it from beginning to end. I don’t know why Melania chose The Dominatrix look for this event but she did look like a pillar of ice. She’s back to Trophy Wife mode — expensive clothes, holding Trump’s hand (so touching!).

Will the tide turn fast enough to save the Palestinians? I don’t think so. With no one forcing them to open gates and provide safe passage for food trucks, Israel will not change one iota.

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Davina's avatar

Nope, but I did see a photograph and thought the hat was to keep Drumof from, slobbering on her cheek.

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Chuck Nasmith's avatar

Expect us

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Brian L's avatar

Survived the anon years, did you? For a brief, shining moment, there was the dream of an open and free internet.

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Longtrail's avatar

Your painting is a great impression of Piers and you captured his stupidity perfectly! As usual the Guerilla Poet struck again! Beautiful work!

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Niemoller's Ghost's avatar

When someone eventually does a wikiquote page for Caitin (hopefully herself), I hope they include: 'We watch the lights go out in Gaza and watch the light go out in ourselves.'

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The Revolution Continues's avatar

"We watch the lights go out in Gaza and watch the light go out in ourselves."

We have become dark in our hearts. We have sold our souls to the gods of genocide in order to make more profits for billionaires. We deserve to be called war criminals and locked away from moral society.

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

Not me TRC, and I'm assuming not most of us here on Caitlin's substack (but I know what you mean).

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Davina's avatar

I had a bit of good news today, a funding that I donated to has passed the money on to the young journalist I have been communicating with, she sent me a picture of some of the food being made from the donation, and said they had a celebration.

It was so good to know because there are so many crooks who would take advantage of this situation.

If anyone would like to have the link to send a donation, drop me a message and I will happily share it with you. 🇵🇸❤️🍉

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Susan T's avatar

"In this dystopia we drift along with the current and ignore the growing roar up ahead." If we really look at what is roaring up ahead, we could get suicidal.

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SLK's avatar

"We watch the lights go out in Gaza and watch the light go out in ourselves." So true and so much couard we are all. What a shame.

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Bazzio101's avatar

"War to End all Wars" "Lest we Forget"

"Never Again"

Alas.

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DawnieR's avatar

Good GOD, Caitlin......HOW could you STOMACH painting that demons face?!?!?! (you forgot the horns on it's head. lol)

The face of EVIL!

Cannot stand that BOOT-LICKER!

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Morgan Guyton's avatar

I want the roar.

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russian_bot's avatar

"and ignore the growing roar up ahead" - ignore indeed, despite this coming roar may well be the last one. The history will have its end after all.

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