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tre peperoncini's avatar

Thank-you for sharing that. you are an astute observer, perhaps one of the few who is capable of walking through the fire, not run madly screaming through it like most of us.

That you can also quote Bukowski sheds light on you, but that you remember Aaron Bushnell is such manner is paradoxical ,because in a sense in his determination to cease to be complicit he fled from the fight. I do not condone or condemn him, such is the enigma of being , to be simultaneously courageous and coward.

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Contrarian 33's avatar

Tre Peperoncini

An act he thought would be of value .....and it was. His reasons, totally selfless for he gained nothing, but I, like thousands of others, will never forget his motivation.

Reason enough for Aaron..

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gypsy33's avatar

Let his name, like Rachel Corrie’s, never be forgotten, Con.

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tre peperoncini's avatar

Do the Zionists not believe their acts are of value? Belief is not material but bares so much weight on us, All beliefs which bring a life to end are for me tragedy,

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martin's avatar

there is no way i can conceive of him as a coward. he did not flee the fight, imo.

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tre peperoncini's avatar

I appreciate the comment, and I share your sentiment. However, just because you cannot conceive what another can does not negate their perceptions. I do understand how my use of a particular word may be uncomfortable for many, but then again, I am not "the many", I am just one person with my own view.

I can acknowledge the courage it takes to sacrifice one’s life for a cause while simultaneously recognizing the lack of courage in doing so. It takes courage to live, to endure, to fight. The people of Gaza do not set themselves aflame; they fight to live. They refuse to die willingly. The evil forces perpetuating this decades-long tragedy are not troubled by any death, in fact, they applaud when a dissenting voice silences itself.

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martin's avatar

his voice is not silenced. i'll quote him again:

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you're doing it. Right now.”

“I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I'm about to engage in an extreme act of protest — but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

these statements were not meant for the evil forces.

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tre peperoncini's avatar

Perhaps in away yes, his voice is not silenced, if there are others such as yourself who make certain his words do not die. I myself can not reconcile this quandary, the contradictions remain all too tragic, thank-you for not letting his voice be silenced.

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

>>"The people of Gaza do not set themselves aflame; they fight to live. They refuse to die willingly."

I feel compelled to contradict you on these assertions ->

(1) Suicides in Gaza have increased post Oct.7 (https://rebelmouthedbooks.squarespace.com/blog/2024/5/8/suicide-in-gaza-an-invisible-arm-of-genocide). Not everyone can maintain their sanity and mental health in a Genocide perpetrated by Israel - the likes of which have not been experienced since WW2.

(2) Courage comes in many forms. There is (a) courage to sacrifice your life to make a statement or achieve an outcome (b) courage to tolerate unlivable conditions (mentally or physically).

To assert that 'to sacrifice one's life to make/induce a change in another's thinking and on the world' is not courageous would be a blatantly myopic perspective.

You may consider 'a suicide' to be an act lacking courage, but if you've had any experience with suicides (eg. working at a suicide hotline, or having a friend/loved one commit suicide) you would understand (and appreciate) other perspectives other than your own.

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tre peperoncini's avatar

Yes , sadly many have taken their own lives. As for you second point, I will not waste your time, you have already identified I am deficient in comprehension skills.

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Chang Chokaski's avatar

>>"As for you second point, I will not waste your time, you have already identified I am deficient in comprehension skills."

Thank you, I appreciate that.

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tre peperoncini's avatar

Your welcome

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