I think it's about time a good (logical, moral, and valid) case can be made for the non-existence of Israel, Zionism, supporters of Israel, and supporters of Genocide.
IMHO, the atrocities of the Zionists (and their supporters) is MUCH WORSE than everything I know from history about the Nazi Regime.
The only question that remains (in my mind) is -> WHO (what country, entities, organizations, coalitions, etc.) will be able to take up this task (of ridding the world of these Zionists that have been spat up from HELL) successfully? (Rehabilitation is preferred, but I wonder if many of these people and their Western-backers are too far gone for that to work).
According to former CIA intelligence agent Larry Johnson, Isra-Hell was two weeks from a total surrender to Iran. Iran bombed strategic chock points of Isra-Hell and severely crippled the Nation. Is this the real reason why Trump called for an Iran/Isra-Hell ceasefire?
Former CIA agents Larry Johnson and Ray McGovern on Judging Freedom explain, how Satan's Chosen People picked the wrong fight and desperately needed Big Brother to step in and call timeout.
>>"According to former CIA intelligence agent Larry Johnson..."
I would be reticent and extremely hesitant to believe ANYTHING from a 'former' (or current) CIA employee just because they say so. I would need to do my own due diligence on this.
AFAIK, this 'Israel is scared of Iran' narratives come across as bullshit and my-side confirmation bias talking points to me.
Even though I'm completely AGAINST Israel (and the U.S. Empire), that doesn't mean I am inclined to believe narratives that are favorable to Iran just because of my hatred of the other entities.
Isn't it funny/ironic how all these 'former analysts' (CIA or otherwise) do their time in the system and service of the U.S. Empire and then decide to 'grow a conscience' after they retire? The list of such people is endless.
They're not the only ones saying that. Prof's. Jeffrey Sachs and John Mersheimer along with retired Lt Col Douglas McGregor, Col Larry Wilkerson all agree with the former CIA analysts, that Israel was getting its ass handed to them by Iran. There's also other geopolitical pundits such as Prof Glenn Diesen and London based Alexander Mercouris also are of the belief that Israel was getting hit very hard.
If the above did not have any truth to it, then there would be NO need for a ceasefire because Israel would have had the upper hand. I would say the info coming out of Tel Aviv and the biased Zionist media especially in the US doesn't give me any confidence they are reporting on the heavy damage Israel took by Iran.
I don't have a high opinion of RETIRED (Lt. Col. Douglas McGregor, Col. Larry Wilkerson, Scott Ritter) and the like, though I do respect the opinions and analysis of Glenn Diesen, Alexander Mercouris, John Maersheimer (and Jeffrey Sachs to a certain extent).
Do you have any links to John Maersheimer's analysis on this? I would appreciate it. (or even Glenn Diesen's analysis)
Joy, in case you haven't realized, we are WAY PAST the 'right or acceptable' stage of things in this (and other) crises.
You can play around and appease yourself with your 'morality' discussions till the cows come home, but THIS GENOCIDE needs to STOP NOW! The entity of Israel needs to be STOPPED NOW!
BTW, this situaion is not limited to just Palestine, and is also not limited to just the MENA region. In the coming months and years, it is likely to spread further and further - it is indeed a global issue to be reckoned with.
Verified by whom? You sound like a bigot to me. Not interested in "debating" the Holocaust, any more than I am interested in "debating" the genocide in Gaza.
Note - Moloch was a god of fire to whom parents threw their children to be burned alive ........ sounds on a par with our billionaire-haunted planet to me.
The metaphor is the action that is coming created by the world. israel (forever lowercase) is finished financially and now what's coming because this won't end until there is only Palestine remaining. Sadly it has taken far to long and that is because of people like me holding out hope the West and the Un would stop this and they only enabled it. First the religious state of israel will be dissolved and then the UN. Something new for all people will be created out equality is my dream.
That is possible if climate catastrophe and nuclear catastrophe do not dissolve all humans. The “elephant in the room” is that the Earth cannot sustain a population of an unlimited number of humans, indefinitely. Capitalism operates under the assumption of the ability of unlimited customers for the unlimited supply of goods and services.
You speak as if the regime occupying Palestine is some kind of sovereign state, separate from the Empire. I agree a breakup is overdue, but there is no separating the two. Just because the Emperor’s garrison in occupied Palestine has a name doesn’t mean that focusing on it solves anything. Yes, it’s a depressingly difficult task, but you can’t simply cut off a tentacles, they just grow back.
It’s the body and head of the Empire that must be tamed, not just one of its offending limbs. Dismantling the Empire would dismantle the Zionist regime in occupied Palestine, it would also cut off arms to the Azov Nazis in Ukraine, and it would no doubt bring much-needed relief to many nations where the Empire's agents nurture chaos.
This Empire has had its tentacles all over the planet, the Contras in Nicaragua, separatists in Taiwan, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan who later re-emerged and transformed into al-Qaeda and the Taliban. And let’s not forget the terrorist regime that took over parts of Syria, or the killers-for-hire the Empire employs to rob and murder starving Palestinians as they are corralled like livestock into so-called aid distribution centers.
As you correctly asked, who, or what country or entity, could bring about such a reality? The answer is none. Oh, there will be more battles, perhaps in Taiwan, perhaps in the Balkans. Estonia’s population is 20% native Russian, so they will no doubt be targeted. And I don’t think NATO has completely given up on dragging Georgia into the alliance. But as for a breakup of America, it’s unlikely without catastrophic upheaval, and it would have to come from within, not from outside.
The problem is, the majority of Americans are too accustomed to the creature comforts and willful ignorance of their Empire’s destructive nature. So I suspect the world will just become increasingly divided as the Empire struggles to hold on. The U.S., Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, and New Zealand will likely form a “White Alliance.” The South Koreans and Japanese will I hope wake up soon, these sad souls really believe they are part of the West, but only they think that. No North American, European, or Australian considers them part of the superior white race.
The greatest turmoil may come in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, nations with deep roots and cultural ties to the Arab world. These ties may pull them in conflicting directions. The USA has already staked their claim to the Panama Canal, but the Suez will be more difficult to seize.
America will build its walls higher, Europe will dig a moat around its precious garden, and Australia and New Zealand will panic. But in truth if they just stopped joining in with America’s insanity, they would be just fine.
If the Africans and Latino nations can get their acts together, they will be be just fine, they have plenty of natural resources and fertile land, but can they wrestle of empires strangle hold?
Yes, its another long rant, there was so much I needed to vent, and CJ is one of the few who does not require payment for commenting, I don`t agree with her focus on Israel, but I applaud her for allowing all to freely comment, she is one sadly one of few who truley supports discourse without having pay to have a say.
>>"You speak as if the regime occupying Palestine is some kind of sovereign state, separate from the Empire."
tre peperoncini, seems like you're bored, just like to argue uselessly, or just like killing time.
If you read ANY of my comments on substack, you would know what I really think of the U.S. Empire. You would know of the forces 'pulling the strings'. You would know about the U.S. Empire being the largest 'state sponser' of terrorism and regime change operations globally.
End of Discussion, you say? News for you my friend, this is no discussion. You can go silent if you wish, but I still have plenty more rants to expel, thank-you for helping me bring them out, but please don`t be mistaken that I write these rants just for your displeasure. I would have messaged you directly if it were.
Yes, I do not read ALL the comments, but I read this one, and it bothered me, so. Maybe I am bored, bored to rant because of the causal attention afforded the fleeting mention its "western backers" . They are not backers they are root of this evil regime.
Its American and European citizens who rushed to join the IDF so that they too could rape and murder and dress in the lingerie of dead Palestinians. It`s American and European money, It`s American and European weapons, It`s America that and Europe have for decades nurtured the regime and its offspring, convinced them that they are divine, superior , that they may rape , pillage, bomb others with impunity.
If my reminding anyone of this is annoying, or bothersome than maybe you need to ask yourselves why?
One of the problem with your rants, tre peperoncini (and I guess that's why they are rants), is that they are all-over-the-place instead of being focused. You'll likely go on multiple tangents within the same comment. Maybe try breaking down the different tangents into separate comments? That may make addressing them easier for those that wish to get involved in the discussions based on your 'rants' (as you call it).
>>"They are not backers they are root of this evil regime."
Yes, and you would know this if you read (or paid attention) to my comments. But I'm beginning to get the impression that you're not really 'interested in reading my comments', but rather just arguing about whatever seems to be on your mind.
From your comment, it's apparent that you either 'do not read my comments' or that 'you ignore them and are more interested in arguing needlessly even when we agree on the issue'.
Yes, I don’t read everything, who does? I understand you’ve formed the opinion that I lack comprehension skills. Does it surprise you that I might have formed an opinion about your abilities as well?
I’ll admit, upon re-reading my initial reply to your comment, it may surprise you to know that I can see how some might interpret it as a personal attack. I can understand why someone might feel offended and become preoccupied with defending themselves rather than engaging with the subject matter.
We all have sensibilities that can be offended, but it’s a choice we make. I have few words to convey my thoughts on taking offense, so I’ll share a quote instead: “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.”
I do appreciate your critique of my rants. Perhaps I am all over the place, but isn’t that a matter of opinion? Who says comments must be short and compartmentalized? This isn’t X (Twitter).
I simply don’t view the world or world events in such a rigid manner. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? Granted, I may not do the best job of explaining the relevance and inter-dependencies of cause and effect... ops, I’m digressing again.
I understand it can be annoying to receive contrarian replies in your comment thread. I get how irritating it must be to have unwelcome, erratic rants disrupt your pristine bubble. If this were X, you could block me, so I’ll do you a favor, since you seem unable to allow others to speak their mind as they seem fit, I’ll refrain from commenting in your thread from here on out.
Dude, you seem to have issues. Also, you seem to want to twist things (in a manipulative way). I've observed that in too many of your comments.
(1) Sometimes you twist what Caitlin says (and then go on your rants)
(2) Other times you twist other people's comments to mean whatever you want it to mean, and then go on your rants.
This is not about me, but about you and your 'twisting' of other people's words (and then playing the saint and apologizing in a duplicitious, subterfuge style of communication - like a passive-aggressive style).
>>"I’ll refrain from commenting in your thread from here on out."
Yes, please do. You are not a straight person that engages in good faith (at times), but likes to argue for no reason often when there is nothing to argue about. So you twist other people's words so as to create an opportunity to argue and go on one of your rants).
Here are some examples from the above comment of your 'passive-agressive' and (slimy?) style of communication ->
(1) "Yes, I don’t read everything, who does?" (sorry, this excuse doesn't work)
(2) " I can understand why someone might feel offended and become preoccupied with defending themselves rather than engaging with the subject matter." (implying that when others tell you the issues they have with your comments you assume that they are defending themselves). BTW, your comments/rants are all-over-the-place, hence one has to wonder 'which of the many tangents is the subject matter that you wish to discuss).
(3) "but isn’t that a matter of opinion? Who says comments must be short and compartmentalized? This isn’t X (Twitter)." (Again, your attempt at trying to convert an issue with your commenting/ranting style into an 'opinion' so that you can easily reject it)
(4) "I simply don’t view the world or world events in such a rigid manner." (it's not about how you view the world, it's about HOW you COMMUNICATE what's inside your head. Maybe rant all you want on YOUR substack instead of ranting AT other people's comments or on OTHER people's substacks? This is just COMMON COURTESY and unsaid social etiquette in public online spaces).
(5) "I understand it can be annoying to receive contrarian replies in your comment thread." (Yet another attempt to frame an objection of your ranting style into 'annoying to receive contraian replies' as if your rant actually has contrarian thoughts in it. Also, another subtle implication you try to make here is 'your comment thread', implying some kind of ownership/ego on my part or 'need to control' comments in a thread started by me. Note: I'm not into your 'my thread' games).
(6) "I get how irritating it must be to have unwelcome, erratic rants disrupt your pristine bubble." (There you go again with your SICK passive-aggressive attacks - firstly, your false pretense at understanding things. Secondly, your accusation and framing of your erratic rants as "disruption of pristine bubbles" with the subtle implication that the problem lies somehow with my 'need to control my thread' instead as a way to bounce-off valid criticism of YOUR commenting style).
(7) "If this were X, you could block me" (Guess what, you can block people on Substack too. I have chosen not to block you since some of your comments are excellent and add value and interesting thoughts. But your ATTITUDE and PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE style of communication is really turning me and others off).
(8) "since you seem unable to allow others to speak their mind as they seem fit" (There you go yet again for the umpteenth time making ANOTHER passive-agressive remark and trying to twist this into something about me or my inabilities instead of YOUR ranting style. Of course, there is also the accusation that I somehow don't allow "others to speak their mind". See what I said about twisting other people's words into 'however you wish to interpret them' so that you can weaponize their words to whatever you wish?)
(9) And then there is the obligatory 'regards' like you give a shit (though you love to pretend that you do).
Tre Peperoncini, your blurb says "...twisted and bites backs". Well, that certainly describes YOUR communication style. You definitely DO have a passive-aggressive and manipulative style of communication - and you do it in a sick way like you're being nice and taking the high road and being all understanding and polite - when in fact you are doing the opposite.
Your mistake here is that you think people are stupid and don't catch on to YOUR twisted, passive-aggressive style of communication. You think too highly of yourself. People are not as stupid as you seem to think they are.
[PS: This was an interesting exercise at seeing if I could rant like you do, Tre Peperoncini. I'm sure you're going to want to tell me how I did and whether it was up to the standard of YOUR rants] 😄
[PPS: Oh, I forgot tp mention how you often seem to start with the obligatory "Thank you for reading my rants" nonsense in so many of your responses to criticisms about your comments]
Duh! That is obvious. But maybe we should take it a step further and think about the present existence of the U.S. too - as the U.S. Empire THREATENS the existence of ALL other nations on the planet (friends or foes - doesn't really seem to matter to the U.S.).
So are you suggesting the execution of millions of people--if not hundreds of millions all over the globe--for disagreeing with you on this? Yes, "this" is the perpetration of a holocaust, a morally indefensible position--but still. So is this proposition. But executing the state of Israel? I'd call that overdue. If it ever had a right to exist it has forfeited such right. The country should be renamed Palestine, and any Jews there who can't live in harmony with their Arab, Muslim or Christian neighbors should leave. Looks like that would be upward of 90%. I see no need for the remaining Palestinians to repay them for the homes and things they leave behind--they paid the natives nothing for what they seized in the Nakba.
>>"So are you suggesting the execution of millions of people--if not hundreds of millions all over the globe--for disagreeing with you on this?"
No, I'm leaving it open to interpretation. I have no suggestions (or good workable ideas or solutions) to the problem of 'Zionism, the state of Israel, and the U.S. Empire' that this world is plagued with.
Very true! But is anyone/anything going to do something about it? The UN, the ICC, the ICJ, etc. have all been ineffective in prosecuting or holding the parties involved accountable, much less enforcing any actions (preventative or otherwise) or stopping any atrocities.
That's what really worries (and scares) me about Palestine and the MENA region - that Israel and the U.S. Empire can go about destroying WHOLE civilizations and there is no entity (or system) that is able to combat this pure evil!
We seem to have entered a NEW DARK AGE whose intensity and depravity might just be more than that of previous dark ages...
Tragically, the racists are armed with something infinitely more empowering than weapons. Money. They have already deployed it to annex the politicians. Plus: it is worth remembering, they consider anyone who is not eligible to become a citizen of Netanyahus openly apartheid, religiously discriminating 'Nation state of Jews only' a 'subhuman animal'. Fit only to be stolen from and slaughtered. No empathy, no sympathy, no shred of human feeling. Ready to make all the world into Gaza - see the Hannibal Directive - if their bullying genocide proves ineffective. Then, to money and overt racism, add the utter gormlessness of idiot religious brainwashing. The cretinous Huckabee belief in the rightness of an end-times apocalypse, the selfish consigning of all humanity to hell so that a selfish few can be raptured, the unshakeable conviction that idiot religious superstition makes some people worth more than others, that obliterating decency and civilisation is doing god's work. So Zionists have extreme wealth, proud racism, and religious lunacy all working for them. As well as, of course, the western politicians who'll do anything for a buck. Oh, and I almost forgot: they also control the media. They have prepared well. They see no need to be 'rehabilitated' because - as Israel's newest tactic, contaminating food relief with deadly drugs, as well as openly murdering the civilians who queue for it - plainly shows, they are vicious, and shameless, and have the morals of a virus. It is absolutely awful but until decent people are as revolted by Zionism as Zionism, as part of its strategy, encouraged ordinary people to feel about Islam, they will feel not the slightest incentive to behave with anything besides blind, genocidal, disgusting selfishness.
I like one piece of this, something I've said but not seen mentioned elsewhere--that this End Times Rapture cult is incredibly selfish, along with being based on absurdity (it's supposed to be biblically based but is actually based on one interpretation of a long rant full of symbols apparently written by a 90 year old man a couple thousand years ago). These are the people who claim to be Christian but embrace "prosperity gospel" which is essentially the opposite of Jesus' teachings, and claim that their deeds don't matter, that they get to be the only people ever to go to Heaven without dying first, and all they have to do is recite an incantation: "I take the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior." And then eat popcorn while watching the rest of us on Earth suffering through its destruction, administered in part by a new, vicious Jesus. They also think one of the signs will be the appearance of the Antichrist who will be a good-looking, charismatic European, who is in favor of peace and environmental protection. So be wary of anyone like that, and embrace politicians that favor war and destruction. I can't imagine a more toxic ideology.
Agreed. That appearance to them is Genocide Don as many of those groups suggest. If we think about it, the Nobel Peace Prize would be one of those deeds of the Anti-Christ, world peace. Thankfully Iran put and end to that so far. Now IF only Iran finishes this nightmare quickly as we know the Genocide powers have not stopped this war on Palestine/Iran/Lebanon/Syria etc. Hopefully the Zionists run to the light when israel chooses it's end in that Neutron glow in the heart of israel. Sampson Option brought to you by the Anti-Christ.
Seroiously? The Nazis did some pretty atrocious stuff - Fascists always do - they're bullies and sexual perverts. It's not a competition - the world can get along much better without fascism (and its parent company, "free" market capitalism).
Heard about the Israelis anally gang raping Palestinians? To death? Whilst filming themselves? In torture centres? Targeting medics? Heard about them deliberately starving a captive population, then drugging the flour they do allow in with oxycodone, then opening fire on desperate civilians who posed no threat? Heard about them leaving premature babies to die in their incubators when they forced the evacuation of a hospital at gunpoint? Heard any good things, at all, ever, about the behaviour of Israeli racist thug bullies? Anything? Ever? At all? Apparently, for Israelis, it is indeed a competition, and one they are applying themselves with brutal, subhuman diligence to winning.
IMO, the Israeli Zionists are unmatched in their evil - not even the Nazis can compare. The bar on evil has been raised (or lowered) (as horrible as it sounds, I can't help but say this).
There are all kinds of fascists and different levels of fascism. This is not about Fascism per se. This is about the Zionist regime in Israel (and their primary backers in the U.S.).
Yes, this is about Capitalism, but it is MUCH MORE than that.
Neither capitalism, fascism, nor Nazism seem to come close to the actions of the Israelis (and I say this subjectively and in all sincerity with sufficient knowledge of history of fascism, capitalism, and Nazism).
We weren't alive during WW2 and not were the atrocities documented so widely and so visibly. As Jennifer says, it's not a competition. Though it is indeed difficult to imagine any evil more profound, it's perhaps unhelpful to focus on this aspect. I have to constantly check myself from the debilitating disease of pure hatred. It's not healthy for me, and it doesn't help the victims either. Evil is evil and all evil must be stopped, held accountable, punished and learned from. It's that last bit we humans seem to find so difficult.
Yes, I agree with what you say Mary. And I agree that my opinion is subjective and colored by the fact that 'I was not alive to witness the atrocities of WW2'.
Must be my need to have things simplified, but I think you are nitpicking evil. Would agree however in that Israel represents a first in a genocide committed by the descendents of victims of a genocide. Zionists seem to have an active wish to rid themselves of the tag of "victim" by actively being perpetrators. This is a new development, and a profoundly sick one.
We sometimes forget that many Zionists are not descendants of the holocaust at all, but opportunists. Many (yes, many!) real holocaust survivors or their descendants do NOT support Zionism, let alone this genocide. The current Israeli government uses it as an excuse. Just ask Norman Finklestein what he thinks about using his family's loss as an excuse for atrocity (I just pulled his name up as I just finished listening to him but he's far from alone). Aside from that, you're right!
Descendents or not, they are colonialists, imperialists and racists who, as you and Dr Finkelstein rightly point out, are using the terrible events of the Holocaust as an excuse to dispossess and murder the native Arab population. And yes, many who actually experienced the Holocaust as children are appalled at what the goernmment of Israel and its supporters are doing.
I'm not sure why you're arguing about a 'subjective opinion'. Israel will be the greater evil for some people, Nazis will be so for others, and the U.S. Empire will be the greatest evil for yet others.
In such subjective opinions, there are no 'right' or wrong' or 'correct or incorrect' answers. There doesn't need to be an agreed-on consensus reached on such evaluations.
I totally agree with your questionning. My answer was at first that Israël had become unforgiveable. Now it is in my opinion totally indefendable and illegitime in its existence.
I was going to write something my friend. After reading your thoughts, they are mine. I have never liked to think hurting someone was the only way to peace however, I was wrong and know with your help I see what needs to be done as a path to peace not just for Palestine but for the world. We my friend will share coffee in the New Palestine, a country of peace.
This Ha’aretz article is a watershed moment. At least it should be. Testimony of genocide by the people committing genocide. What more evidence does the world need? We have the videos of the killings. Now we have the confessions of the killers. Any country that fails to take concrete action against the countries committing genocide—US/UK/Germany/Israel—is by default a criminal state.
Stephen Walker, the countries you mention - US/UK/Germany/Israel (and more) have ALWAYS been criminal states - think about the atrocities committed by the British Empire, the Nazi Regime, and the U.S. Empire (which is in a class all its own).
Unfortunately, the world seems to be made up of 'Criminal States' (big and small). Have humans ALWAYS been like this throughout history? Do we even know enough of the REAL history of humanity (or howmuchever of it has survived)?
Will the 'flaws of homosapiens' lead to their extinction and hopefully a better, more evolved species might arise from the ashes? I am hopeful...too bad I won't be alive for another million years to find out...
Modern technology has facilitated the current levels of destruction and depravity. Two thousand years ago, it was much more difficult to cause buildings to collapse upon their residents. Archers were not as accurate as modern snipers at distances of a thousand yards.
The trench warfare in the battlefields of WWI were horrific but generally did not grind up civilians.
The scientifically orchestrated firebombing of noncommittal civilians during WWII, by British and American forces, did change the game. During the illegal invasions of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the US forces dropped enormous amounts of ordnance upon civilians.
>>"Modern technology has facilitated the current levels of destruction and depravity."
💯 Like I've said before, human evolution has been unable to keep pace with the changes in science and technology. Our political systems lag behind, our legal systems lag behind, our economic systems lag behind, and our social systems lag behind.
Our fascination with technology (especially when it comes to the BIG-TECH industry) definitely seems to hasten our undoing.
Will humanity be able to wake up in time to understand the consequences of its 'love affair' with technology and its impact on human societies?
And yet the bible praises for Joshua, for killing 12,000 people in a single day. (Joshua 8:25) Even these modern Israelis with all their modern weapons haven’t managed to reach that level. Of course, they do have the weapons with which to do so. Perhaps, instead of its being called the Samson Option, it should be called the Joshua Option.
Isn’t it incredible that people worship this kind of slaughter in something they call their holy book? Genocide for some has long been normalized.
The Bible was written by some politicians over a period of hundreds of years. Joshua led a select group of possibly 5,000 soldiers out of maybe 30,000 to slaughter the 12,000 victims. Whether that actually happened during one day or several days or ever is a matter of conjecture, but the narrative gave license to future generations to commit genocide.
The Americans killed millions of indigenous peoples over a period of a century or so. The Turks slaughtered a million or million-and-a-half Armenians in the early 20th Century without any “weapons of mass destruction”, and still deny doing so.
Any and all religious leaders who support genocide are hypocrites, and they are plentiful.
There is a something important you are leaving out. The evils you name do not represent What Humanity Is. We had hundreds of thousands of years of mostly peaceful, egalitarian tribes living in harmony with their ecosystems. But once the Holocene enabled agriculture, which in turn enabled some tribes to evolve into little empires led by chieftains and kings, growing steadily by vanquishing neighbors, a dynamic set in wherein the aggressive culture nearly always won conflicts with peaceful defenders, and thus expanded to, by now, virtually the entire planet. It is very much like cancer.
After my sister died of cancer, I decided to learn something about it. I read a book mostly focused on advances in treatment, but found two facts I hadn't known that I think very interesting in light of this metaphor. One is that a cancer can redirect blood vessels toward itself, to feed its growth. The other is that a cancer can evolve resistance to chemotherapy drugs that once inhibited it. Another thing that fits the metaphor I already knew: the most successful cancer dies when it succeeds to the point it kills its host. Here you can look on the host as either humanity, colonized by the cancerous ideology of domination, or our ecosystems, which are a few decades from death if we keep up Business As Usual which there are no signs of deviation from.
So don't hope for human extinction to kill the virus--hope instead that we finally figure out how to contain and extinguish the domination culture. The problem is that those willing to use violence to seize land and resources have a great edge over those who'd rather cooperate. Caitlin is banking on mass enlightenment as the cure--I'm skeptical of that but haven't lost hope.Mine is based on the notion that when the inevitable crash comes, it will allow a massive reckoning, and survivors will craft a better culture/religion/cosmology, perhaps led by remaining indigenous people.
Well done. Your analogy of cancer is so very true. Mass death is here. Enlightenment is called “woke” and it is vilified by religious ultranationalists republicans in USA. Trump is living proof - he is cancer. Bezo too. Look at the blatant hypocrisy of a wedding to a woman that has no morality. Poor Venice is a backdrop to hypocrisy
>>"We had hundreds of thousands of years of mostly peaceful, egalitarian tribes living in harmony with their ecosystems."
Yes, I've heard this narrative before. The question I ask is - 'how accurate is our knowledge and understanding' of the inhabitants of earth (and their social cultures) going back 'hundreds of thousands of years'?
This is a valid question to ask. Seeing as to how 'history has been constantly revised' over the last 2,000+ years (by various sources and people in power), it calls into question our 'narratives' about such a distant past (as you seem to often like to talk about and point to as exceptions).
>>"Mine is based on the notion that when the inevitable crash comes, it will allow a massive reckoning, and survivors will craft a better culture/religion/cosmology, perhaps led by remaining indigenous people."
I am not as hopeful (and wishful) as you seem to be. Do I have solutions to how to fix what ails humanity? No, I unfortunately don't - it is beyond my abilities to figure out solutions to problems as complex as those facing human civilizations currently...
Well, there are differing opinions among anthropologists about this. As to me being hopeful/wishful--yes I admit that. And here's what I base it on: a lot of the problem is that the worst, most selfish and short-sighted among us, are always those seeking, and often getting power. In the US, they've been working for 40 years to find ways to lock themselves into power, and have been highly successful. Thus I think it will take a collapse to jar loose that grip on power. A cataclysm opens possibilities. There is strong evidence that the first humans to arrive in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand killed off the megafauna in those places. But most indigenous cultures are much more respectful of nature, understanding of our place in it, leery of hubris...so my theory is that they carelessly overharvested the megafauna, which hadn't evolved dealing with anything like human hunters, and then were horrified at what they had done, and deliberately crafted cultural norms/religions based on respect for "all our relations", on restraint--and this worked, it lasted thousands of years. But I think it takes the cataclysm to shock people into accepting this kind of change.
>>"In the US, they've been working for 40 years to find ways to lock themselves into power..."
I would say this has been the case since 1492 (and not just the last 40 years).
>>"a lot of the problem is that the worst, most selfish and short-sighted among us, are always those seeking, and often getting power."
Yes, but this is nothing new. This has been the way/behavior of human societies for centuries and milleniums.
Many narratives about Indigenous cultures being respectful of nature are rooted in their traditional ecological knowledge, which emphasizes harmony and balance with the environment (and I agree with these narratives and with you on that). However, these narratives can sometimes be oversimplified or romanticized, failing to capture the complexities and variations within different Indigenous cultures and their relationships with nature, not to mention the economics of their time/age in history compared to present times.
Here's another theory->
It was possible to live in harmony with nature as long as human societies were small, the ratio of humans to other species was smaller, and the population of humans was less than the current 8+ billion (most of it happening in the 20th and 21st centuries).
With the increases in human population, the decreases of available resources on a finite planet over time, and especially the 'super-charged exploitation' of resources created by systems such as Capitalism, humans have had to change their relationships with nature (and ecological systems), sometimes for practical reasons, othertimes for selfish reasons, etc.
The dynamics of human societies and civilizations is so completely different (and exceedingly more complex) now than in the 'distant past' that you refer to, that I'm not sure comparisons or analogies can be made with an acceptable level of accuracy or rigor.
>>"But I think it takes the cataclysm to shock people into accepting this kind of change."
Do you really believe that? I see so many climate deniers, so many Gaza Genocide deniers, so many people that remain 'unshocked' and oblivious to our present conditions. What kind of 'cataclysmic shocks' are you referring to? Nuclear annihilation? A reduction of the earth's human population by 80% or higher?
I'm fearful/pessimistic because I don't think (most) humans have yet evolved to a stage where they can think rationally about the REALLY IMPORTANT things in life - like co-operation, preservation and management of finite resources, respect of other cultures and species, understanding of subjects like climate change, the dangers of nuclear experimentation, etc.
Sure, some people do realize many of these issues/concerns at a level that causes them to change their behaviors and actions, but we (i.e. humanity) seem to be locked into a 'negative feedback loop/cycle' with no realistic way to break out of it (you say that cataclysmic shocks would work here, I say that I don't know yet...maybe? maybe not?)
I don't think being 'hopeful or optimistic' provides me with the 'level of comfort' it seems to provide you with. These issues are too important/serious to be left to wishful thinking - hoping that somehow human nature will evolve to meet the challenges that will challenge us all soon enough.
Well, if it's nuclear annihilation--and the risk is worse than ever--it's probably game over, or maybe a few survivors eking out a bare survival on a horribly ravaged Earth. Unfortunately, it won't much better than that if we just stick with the current trajectory another few decades, given the rate of warming, resource depletion, biodiversity destruction and pollution. But I think there's a decent chance for a less-total but still dramatic break, since it looks to me like there is NOT a cabal of evil but intelligent men with long-range plans...rather, there are a bunch of selfish but powerful actors, each seeking to maximize profits until collapse. And these people are not just selfish and destructive--they're also stupid and shortsighted and some are outright delusional, so they are liable to bring the whole thing down, fairly soon. This will result in a great deal of death and suffering but less than the default. The longer it's delayed, the worse it will be (there is now a whole new class of threats from AI).
What happens after that will vary from place to place, and those who are prepared may be able to guide their own locales into better outcomes. I'm not that hopeful but I haven't given up.
The Eurocolonial empire has been robbing and dispossessing and mass mudering "others" on this planet since the 1500s. The "other", whether the South Africans, Kenyans, Algerians, Palestinians, or whatver,.....is always framed as a threat and the Eurocolonial masses are always willing to believe whatever story it is, no matter how absure.
I am getting email updates from Haaretz. It seems they have been forced to «balance» the report. It has statement from soldier that 1-2 persons get killed daily. I believe they are under pressure to write this.
Yesterday I read the most blatant propaganda lie yet. NATO generals are said to have been shown how moral IDF acts. The generals were impressed by the measures IDF took for not killing civilians. The generals said that no other army in the world is even close to acting this humane, and were frustrated about the lies spread about IDF. I don’t know if this is true and the generals are either completely corrupted or idiots. Anyone else who knows this story?
♦️This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the #GazaStrip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long war
Only say "Zionist entity." I would like to see everyone who gives a name to that entity be required to read out (Auslesen) every name of every child martyred in Gaza before they sleep again.
The demented Joe Biden publicly identified himself as a Zionist throughout the several decades of his political career. Every politician — hundreds of them — who has proclaimed Israel’s right to defend itself must also be required to recognize and speak the name of each and every victim/martyr of Israel’s “right to defend itself”.
Maybe there are other words from other languages that fit that bill, but I'm not too sure that the English language has harsh enough words for ''Israel.''
OMG - the nightmare just keeps getting worse and worse and worse! Where are leaders of conscience who will stop this demented madness. The level of
cruelty being done by the Zionist Israelis to Gazans - which includes Christians, Jews, Muslims and secular women, men, babies and elderly - far surpasses anything done by the Nazis.
The Nazis 'just' increasingly efficiently killed Disabled, Catholic then the Jewish people.
The sadistic, demented Israeli Zionists seem to do whatever to maximize horror.
I am not aware of communist involvement in Middle East/Palestine/Israel. Please elaborate. Also saw no indication of it when there - so again - please elaborate.
i suspect indu meant in your list of nazi-victims. communist, social democrats, trade unionists were some of the first and most targeted by the nazi-regime.
armed factions of dflp and pflp are marxist-leninist organisations actively involved in armed resistance in gaza. my guess is that they (and their families) would also be targeted by the idf.
mint press' telegram mentions israeli settlers burning down the christian town taybeh (all-christian population) in the west bank.
Thanks. Yes - of course! So important. We need to include all victims of the Nazi regime which is basically the underlying point I was trying to make. It was not 'just' Jewish people - although it was they that the death camps were primarily built for. And this killing was not restricted to the Nazi Germany/Fascist Europe - although the industrial gas chambers took killing to a whole new level of efficiency. I had heard of the 'Killing Fields' of SE Asia. However - I hadnt realized 2+ million people had been killed essentially up close
and personal essentially with a version of a machete until I was there at tbeor 'memorial'. I just do not grasp that level of hate/dismissal of anothers humanity/right to life with dignity. And then there is Britain's allowing 2+ million of Irish to die while food was being exported from Ireland; or 11 million Indians ...
Hello Yvonne, martin was kind enough to point out what I meant. You, martin and I are fully in agreement.
If by the "killing fields" of SE Asia, you meant Indonesia - there was wholesale killing of Communists. They were utterly decimated even their babies were killed.
This became the "Jakarta Method" made infamous by Kissinger.
"far surpasses anything done by the Nazis" - today many in the forum reveal their excellent knowledge of atrocities committed by the German Nazis and their European collaborators.
Hint: if you choose not to believe it, it's not just Holocaust that took place back then.
During the illegal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the US government hired private mercenaries to conduct some of the most dastardly deeds — actions that the Regular Army soldiers would not be inclined to commit.
Sorry Genocide Don walked all that lie about dropping sanctions back. The reason Iran did not thank him for bombing them. Yes he did as insane as that sounds. Of course why would anyone believe a word from that Monster, Genocide Don.
After what's happened no one will ever be able to trust ''him''
Had the Iranians continued - even though this is speculative - that would brought forth the end of the brutal and sadistic genocide being waged against the Palestinians.
The issues between Israel and Iran ain't over yet - then the question becomes why did they stop when they were so close.
I'm just trying to get from the forum generals a clear assessment that Iran could go toe to toe militarily with the combined Israel/US/West and somehow chooses not to.
israel is the size of New Jersey with 7 million Jewish people 2 million Palestinian people. Iran could have leveled israel in 2 months of missile strikes. The u.s. and israel have run out of weapons having used them all on Gaza and Russia. The military contractors of the u.s. have been running all over the country trying to find places already setup to build missiles, missile systems. I guess they stopped at asking China to supply the weapons to use against them. These are not my ideas these are the ideas of Colonels and Generals.
Who are those colonels and generals? Where do they get their information from? Are they authorized to speak for Iran?
@Finn - you asked of forum's generals. Let me present one of them - some andrew who by his own admission is from a science bubble - doing some colonelling and generalling on the side.
I am not doing your homework for you. They are easy to find having just spent weeks in Iran at conferences. I thought you might be interested however........
Absolutely. That assessment is certainly one Iran makes. And of course the reality of what that toe-to-toe exchange would entail is one which, for Iranians (who demonstrate sanity), is a reality they strive to avoid. It should also be a reality the “combined Israel/US/West” should choose to avoid, for obvious ethical reasons, but moreover, because Iran has demonstrated the ability to reciprocate a great deal of damage in its self-defense, even alone, but they aren’t alone and perhaps can raise Israel’s ante with their own “combination.”
I disagree with Caitlyn here: people with actual consciences wouldn’t commit the mass murderous atrocities in the first place, even if they spill their ugly guts to a journalist later, and then only place blame on commanders.
Part of me agrees with you. But how hard must it be if a commander has a gun pointed at you, and you are already programmed to believe you're exterminating vermin? I can't imagine everything allowing myself into that situation but by the law of averages, some 'soldiers' will be less evil than others. Perhaps it is within these, where there's the possibility of a conscience, where hope lies...
I was going to write that. Both of you are right. We as a world will struggle for decades to come having children ask us that question, Why did you let this happen? Is it possible to create millions of serial killers without them turning on themselves or do they. Here is a scary thought, these people are all over the world now. You could write that story as a horror story with factual beginnings. The world suddenly is faces with millions of serial killers NEEDING to kill anything and every one. Wow, I don't even like writing that : (
It's true, they are everywhere, and in many cases causing mayhem. IOF soldiers have always travelled once they get their considerable pay, and as a frequent traveller I can confirm they have always been unpleasant to be around. They tend to travel in groups. They're noisy, selfish, arrogant and entitled. Now, they're going to be so much worse and I confess I'm actually scared to bump into them. I was heading to Laos just a month ago but changed my plans to stay safely in Muslim countries - Malaysia, Sumatra - where they aren't allowed. Much of the world will be out of bounds with these murderous maniacs on the loose.
This is the part I don't get: surely the Jews in Israel backing this genocide have heard the term "moral injury" in the context of soldiers and war. Surely they understand the horrific moral injury they are inflicting on their own people, their own children in the IDF committing these atrocities? Have none of them ever encountered a vet with PTSD? How can they condone this sacrifice of their own people's humanity?
I have my doubts as well. In another comment I wrote more than I should have about this. I don't know anyone in mental health and would love to have coffee and pick the brains of a room full. I doubt there are any single reasons why some and not others. Gabor Mate has an excellent video of his personal feelings and guilt about what happened to his Mother and he as an infant. I am struggling with this depression. I do feel guilty for not doing more.
Raising them infancy to be psychopaths is inflicting moral injury on them. Even worse because they are defenseless children, not just vulnerable young adults.
Great question and answer. This I know personally only from the few israelis I work around. From the earliest ages israeli children are taught exactly what they say Palestinian children are taught. They hate us all and will kill us all. The israeli's are guilty of being what they claim others to be. I can't think all israeli's can be made thoughtless monsters however it seems a very large fraction can. This will be studied by the mental health communities and the CIA (for training) for many years to come. The mentally wounded may be worthy of our help in recovery? I am hearing thousands of troops are leaving Palestine. I never bought the israel is a Jewish state garbage.
I would have thought their parents might, or their family, or their friends...I would if someone tried to brainwash my children/family. But it seems that Israeli society, mothers, fathers, family, and friends are the source of the psychopathy instead of being a restraint on it.
That is a thesis topic. The Who and Why. When I think I understand I don't. Recently I wrote something about the deception of war in End Stage Capitalism. All of these illogical and insane moves by the u.s. and it's Western doggies may be using this distraction for it's failed economic system. There are so many failures of every part of the u.s. Federal/State/Local governments not having chosen path of building a future for all people war is all that is left. 30 mins. ago I drove over railroad tracks that previously when I was young was owned by one of the 60 rail companies now there are 6 and no one cares as I nearly took the rim and tire off my car crawling over at near walking speed. A little thing yet a big thing being near the wealthiest cities in the u.s. The signs are all around us. I work in science and many are leaving without funding or students willing to spend hundreds of thousands for PHDs that have no future now without moving to China or Russia.
The 'mastermind' is/are the system(s), the humans are the actors on the stage of civilization performing their acts and playing their roles for all the world to see.
We can, at least, identify some of the masterminds including the deceased Theodor Herzl and Lord Rothschild. Contributors include every POTUS since Harry Truman and their UK counterparts. The billionaires who own the mass media are also part of the system. AIPAC is a fundamental player on the mastermind team.
Nothing clever about it. The systems within which humans operate (and exists and survive) create the incentives for the behaviors and actions of the participants within it.
Thankfully I have people like you around my reading. I feel a genuine connection with people who speak out and a disdain for people still ignorant.
A person I work with, one of the most brilliant people in imagining electronics was talking about the poor israeli's living in fear. Of course being a friend I said shut the FUCK up. I never want to hear you repeat what your football israeli friends say to me again until you read these two books. I brought him two books to read about they how and why of the true victims of genocide in Palestine. We shall see. Hopefully I still have a friend of the few I have left after, Iraq,Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Russia, All of Africa, South America, Mexico and now Iran. China is coming, China has weapons of mass destruction. China hates us for our freedom : (
Bravo for you efforts at taking the risk to change minds. I know the feeling of being on that edge with folks one would prefer not to alienate, but in these extreme troubling conditions, such risks seem necessary, as are the anxieties connected with taking them. I also hope that I haven't driven away a couple of people who are important to me. Personal evidence suggests to me that solid friendships endure such disagreements, flimsy ones don't and may need "revision" anyway.
I doubt we hear about those that do. In Vietnam older Brothers ( few women) would tell stories of commanders being demoted after instructing troops to take the hill for the fifth time. If you catch the drift. These stories didn't come out for years. I feel crazy just going to protests and reading about events. A World Dies in Mental Illness brought to you by israel : (
I think it's about time a good (logical, moral, and valid) case can be made for the non-existence of Israel, Zionism, supporters of Israel, and supporters of Genocide.
IMHO, the atrocities of the Zionists (and their supporters) is MUCH WORSE than everything I know from history about the Nazi Regime.
The only question that remains (in my mind) is -> WHO (what country, entities, organizations, coalitions, etc.) will be able to take up this task (of ridding the world of these Zionists that have been spat up from HELL) successfully? (Rehabilitation is preferred, but I wonder if many of these people and their Western-backers are too far gone for that to work).
100 percent correct!
According to former CIA intelligence agent Larry Johnson, Isra-Hell was two weeks from a total surrender to Iran. Iran bombed strategic chock points of Isra-Hell and severely crippled the Nation. Is this the real reason why Trump called for an Iran/Isra-Hell ceasefire?
Former CIA agents Larry Johnson and Ray McGovern on Judging Freedom explain, how Satan's Chosen People picked the wrong fight and desperately needed Big Brother to step in and call timeout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzIaCNc8HBA
>>"According to former CIA intelligence agent Larry Johnson..."
I would be reticent and extremely hesitant to believe ANYTHING from a 'former' (or current) CIA employee just because they say so. I would need to do my own due diligence on this.
AFAIK, this 'Israel is scared of Iran' narratives come across as bullshit and my-side confirmation bias talking points to me.
Even though I'm completely AGAINST Israel (and the U.S. Empire), that doesn't mean I am inclined to believe narratives that are favorable to Iran just because of my hatred of the other entities.
Isn't it funny/ironic how all these 'former analysts' (CIA or otherwise) do their time in the system and service of the U.S. Empire and then decide to 'grow a conscience' after they retire? The list of such people is endless.
They're not the only ones saying that. Prof's. Jeffrey Sachs and John Mersheimer along with retired Lt Col Douglas McGregor, Col Larry Wilkerson all agree with the former CIA analysts, that Israel was getting its ass handed to them by Iran. There's also other geopolitical pundits such as Prof Glenn Diesen and London based Alexander Mercouris also are of the belief that Israel was getting hit very hard.
If the above did not have any truth to it, then there would be NO need for a ceasefire because Israel would have had the upper hand. I would say the info coming out of Tel Aviv and the biased Zionist media especially in the US doesn't give me any confidence they are reporting on the heavy damage Israel took by Iran.
I don't have a high opinion of RETIRED (Lt. Col. Douglas McGregor, Col. Larry Wilkerson, Scott Ritter) and the like, though I do respect the opinions and analysis of Glenn Diesen, Alexander Mercouris, John Maersheimer (and Jeffrey Sachs to a certain extent).
Do you have any links to John Maersheimer's analysis on this? I would appreciate it. (or even Glenn Diesen's analysis)
Moloch, the true god of the Zionists and Capitalists can deal with them in their afterlife. Who will send them to meet Moloch’s warm embrace?
I think Moloch is scared of the Zionists and Capitalists. Even Moloch's evil seems to be unmatched to that of these creatures (IMHO).
The Nazis’ gas chambers were more humane.
And maybe, lethal injection is ‘more humane’ than the electric chair, but that does not make either, nor any, right or acceptable.
Joy, in case you haven't realized, we are WAY PAST the 'right or acceptable' stage of things in this (and other) crises.
You can play around and appease yourself with your 'morality' discussions till the cows come home, but THIS GENOCIDE needs to STOP NOW! The entity of Israel needs to be STOPPED NOW!
BTW, this situaion is not limited to just Palestine, and is also not limited to just the MENA region. In the coming months and years, it is likely to spread further and further - it is indeed a global issue to be reckoned with.
Were they?
there are no verified Nazi gas chambers that were used to kill people.
All Zyklon-B gas chambers found were only used to disinfect clothing from lice because of the dangers of Typhus.
But you should research it for yourself because it's not an easy jump to make!
Debating the Holocaust is a great book that covers both sides in detail.
Verified by whom? You sound like a bigot to me. Not interested in "debating" the Holocaust, any more than I am interested in "debating" the genocide in Gaza.
Dr. Guillotine’s machine was much faster, and instantaneous incineration by nuclear bombs is faster for people in close proximity to the blasts.
Note - Moloch was a god of fire to whom parents threw their children to be burned alive ........ sounds on a par with our billionaire-haunted planet to me.
no god will deal with them in this life or the imaginary afterlife. those kind of thoughts justify inaction.
The metaphor is the action that is coming created by the world. israel (forever lowercase) is finished financially and now what's coming because this won't end until there is only Palestine remaining. Sadly it has taken far to long and that is because of people like me holding out hope the West and the Un would stop this and they only enabled it. First the religious state of israel will be dissolved and then the UN. Something new for all people will be created out equality is my dream.
Landru,
That is possible if climate catastrophe and nuclear catastrophe do not dissolve all humans. The “elephant in the room” is that the Earth cannot sustain a population of an unlimited number of humans, indefinitely. Capitalism operates under the assumption of the ability of unlimited customers for the unlimited supply of goods and services.
You speak as if the regime occupying Palestine is some kind of sovereign state, separate from the Empire. I agree a breakup is overdue, but there is no separating the two. Just because the Emperor’s garrison in occupied Palestine has a name doesn’t mean that focusing on it solves anything. Yes, it’s a depressingly difficult task, but you can’t simply cut off a tentacles, they just grow back.
It’s the body and head of the Empire that must be tamed, not just one of its offending limbs. Dismantling the Empire would dismantle the Zionist regime in occupied Palestine, it would also cut off arms to the Azov Nazis in Ukraine, and it would no doubt bring much-needed relief to many nations where the Empire's agents nurture chaos.
This Empire has had its tentacles all over the planet, the Contras in Nicaragua, separatists in Taiwan, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan who later re-emerged and transformed into al-Qaeda and the Taliban. And let’s not forget the terrorist regime that took over parts of Syria, or the killers-for-hire the Empire employs to rob and murder starving Palestinians as they are corralled like livestock into so-called aid distribution centers.
As you correctly asked, who, or what country or entity, could bring about such a reality? The answer is none. Oh, there will be more battles, perhaps in Taiwan, perhaps in the Balkans. Estonia’s population is 20% native Russian, so they will no doubt be targeted. And I don’t think NATO has completely given up on dragging Georgia into the alliance. But as for a breakup of America, it’s unlikely without catastrophic upheaval, and it would have to come from within, not from outside.
The problem is, the majority of Americans are too accustomed to the creature comforts and willful ignorance of their Empire’s destructive nature. So I suspect the world will just become increasingly divided as the Empire struggles to hold on. The U.S., Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, and New Zealand will likely form a “White Alliance.” The South Koreans and Japanese will I hope wake up soon, these sad souls really believe they are part of the West, but only they think that. No North American, European, or Australian considers them part of the superior white race.
The greatest turmoil may come in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, nations with deep roots and cultural ties to the Arab world. These ties may pull them in conflicting directions. The USA has already staked their claim to the Panama Canal, but the Suez will be more difficult to seize.
America will build its walls higher, Europe will dig a moat around its precious garden, and Australia and New Zealand will panic. But in truth if they just stopped joining in with America’s insanity, they would be just fine.
If the Africans and Latino nations can get their acts together, they will be be just fine, they have plenty of natural resources and fertile land, but can they wrestle of empires strangle hold?
Yes, its another long rant, there was so much I needed to vent, and CJ is one of the few who does not require payment for commenting, I don`t agree with her focus on Israel, but I applaud her for allowing all to freely comment, she is one sadly one of few who truley supports discourse without having pay to have a say.
>>"You speak as if the regime occupying Palestine is some kind of sovereign state, separate from the Empire."
tre peperoncini, seems like you're bored, just like to argue uselessly, or just like killing time.
If you read ANY of my comments on substack, you would know what I really think of the U.S. Empire. You would know of the forces 'pulling the strings'. You would know about the U.S. Empire being the largest 'state sponser' of terrorism and regime change operations globally.
End of discussion.
End of Discussion, you say? News for you my friend, this is no discussion. You can go silent if you wish, but I still have plenty more rants to expel, thank-you for helping me bring them out, but please don`t be mistaken that I write these rants just for your displeasure. I would have messaged you directly if it were.
Yes, I do not read ALL the comments, but I read this one, and it bothered me, so. Maybe I am bored, bored to rant because of the causal attention afforded the fleeting mention its "western backers" . They are not backers they are root of this evil regime.
Its American and European citizens who rushed to join the IDF so that they too could rape and murder and dress in the lingerie of dead Palestinians. It`s American and European money, It`s American and European weapons, It`s America that and Europe have for decades nurtured the regime and its offspring, convinced them that they are divine, superior , that they may rape , pillage, bomb others with impunity.
If my reminding anyone of this is annoying, or bothersome than maybe you need to ask yourselves why?
One of the problem with your rants, tre peperoncini (and I guess that's why they are rants), is that they are all-over-the-place instead of being focused. You'll likely go on multiple tangents within the same comment. Maybe try breaking down the different tangents into separate comments? That may make addressing them easier for those that wish to get involved in the discussions based on your 'rants' (as you call it).
>>"They are not backers they are root of this evil regime."
Yes, and you would know this if you read (or paid attention) to my comments. But I'm beginning to get the impression that you're not really 'interested in reading my comments', but rather just arguing about whatever seems to be on your mind.
Please read some of my comments here (and the many hundreds of others) that talk about the U.S. Empire ->
(1) https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-state-department-spokeswoman-says/comment/128601403
(2) https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-state-department-spokeswoman-says/comment/128613822
From your comment, it's apparent that you either 'do not read my comments' or that 'you ignore them and are more interested in arguing needlessly even when we agree on the issue'.
Thank you for reading my rant-like comments.
Yes, I don’t read everything, who does? I understand you’ve formed the opinion that I lack comprehension skills. Does it surprise you that I might have formed an opinion about your abilities as well?
I’ll admit, upon re-reading my initial reply to your comment, it may surprise you to know that I can see how some might interpret it as a personal attack. I can understand why someone might feel offended and become preoccupied with defending themselves rather than engaging with the subject matter.
We all have sensibilities that can be offended, but it’s a choice we make. I have few words to convey my thoughts on taking offense, so I’ll share a quote instead: “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.”
I do appreciate your critique of my rants. Perhaps I am all over the place, but isn’t that a matter of opinion? Who says comments must be short and compartmentalized? This isn’t X (Twitter).
I simply don’t view the world or world events in such a rigid manner. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? Granted, I may not do the best job of explaining the relevance and inter-dependencies of cause and effect... ops, I’m digressing again.
I understand it can be annoying to receive contrarian replies in your comment thread. I get how irritating it must be to have unwelcome, erratic rants disrupt your pristine bubble. If this were X, you could block me, so I’ll do you a favor, since you seem unable to allow others to speak their mind as they seem fit, I’ll refrain from commenting in your thread from here on out.
Regards
Dude, you seem to have issues. Also, you seem to want to twist things (in a manipulative way). I've observed that in too many of your comments.
(1) Sometimes you twist what Caitlin says (and then go on your rants)
(2) Other times you twist other people's comments to mean whatever you want it to mean, and then go on your rants.
This is not about me, but about you and your 'twisting' of other people's words (and then playing the saint and apologizing in a duplicitious, subterfuge style of communication - like a passive-aggressive style).
>>"I’ll refrain from commenting in your thread from here on out."
Yes, please do. You are not a straight person that engages in good faith (at times), but likes to argue for no reason often when there is nothing to argue about. So you twist other people's words so as to create an opportunity to argue and go on one of your rants).
Here are some examples from the above comment of your 'passive-agressive' and (slimy?) style of communication ->
(1) "Yes, I don’t read everything, who does?" (sorry, this excuse doesn't work)
(2) " I can understand why someone might feel offended and become preoccupied with defending themselves rather than engaging with the subject matter." (implying that when others tell you the issues they have with your comments you assume that they are defending themselves). BTW, your comments/rants are all-over-the-place, hence one has to wonder 'which of the many tangents is the subject matter that you wish to discuss).
(3) "but isn’t that a matter of opinion? Who says comments must be short and compartmentalized? This isn’t X (Twitter)." (Again, your attempt at trying to convert an issue with your commenting/ranting style into an 'opinion' so that you can easily reject it)
(4) "I simply don’t view the world or world events in such a rigid manner." (it's not about how you view the world, it's about HOW you COMMUNICATE what's inside your head. Maybe rant all you want on YOUR substack instead of ranting AT other people's comments or on OTHER people's substacks? This is just COMMON COURTESY and unsaid social etiquette in public online spaces).
(5) "I understand it can be annoying to receive contrarian replies in your comment thread." (Yet another attempt to frame an objection of your ranting style into 'annoying to receive contraian replies' as if your rant actually has contrarian thoughts in it. Also, another subtle implication you try to make here is 'your comment thread', implying some kind of ownership/ego on my part or 'need to control' comments in a thread started by me. Note: I'm not into your 'my thread' games).
(6) "I get how irritating it must be to have unwelcome, erratic rants disrupt your pristine bubble." (There you go again with your SICK passive-aggressive attacks - firstly, your false pretense at understanding things. Secondly, your accusation and framing of your erratic rants as "disruption of pristine bubbles" with the subtle implication that the problem lies somehow with my 'need to control my thread' instead as a way to bounce-off valid criticism of YOUR commenting style).
(7) "If this were X, you could block me" (Guess what, you can block people on Substack too. I have chosen not to block you since some of your comments are excellent and add value and interesting thoughts. But your ATTITUDE and PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE style of communication is really turning me and others off).
(8) "since you seem unable to allow others to speak their mind as they seem fit" (There you go yet again for the umpteenth time making ANOTHER passive-agressive remark and trying to twist this into something about me or my inabilities instead of YOUR ranting style. Of course, there is also the accusation that I somehow don't allow "others to speak their mind". See what I said about twisting other people's words into 'however you wish to interpret them' so that you can weaponize their words to whatever you wish?)
(9) And then there is the obligatory 'regards' like you give a shit (though you love to pretend that you do).
Tre Peperoncini, your blurb says "...twisted and bites backs". Well, that certainly describes YOUR communication style. You definitely DO have a passive-aggressive and manipulative style of communication - and you do it in a sick way like you're being nice and taking the high road and being all understanding and polite - when in fact you are doing the opposite.
Your mistake here is that you think people are stupid and don't catch on to YOUR twisted, passive-aggressive style of communication. You think too highly of yourself. People are not as stupid as you seem to think they are.
[PS: This was an interesting exercise at seeing if I could rant like you do, Tre Peperoncini. I'm sure you're going to want to tell me how I did and whether it was up to the standard of YOUR rants] 😄
[PPS: Oh, I forgot tp mention how you often seem to start with the obligatory "Thank you for reading my rants" nonsense in so many of your responses to criticisms about your comments]
Two words, United Nations.
The answer or the problem?
I'm not sure about worse. But at least as bad. Which nobody ever thought possible.
Israel should never have been allowed to come into existence.
Duh! That is obvious. But maybe we should take it a step further and think about the present existence of the U.S. too - as the U.S. Empire THREATENS the existence of ALL other nations on the planet (friends or foes - doesn't really seem to matter to the U.S.).
So are you suggesting the execution of millions of people--if not hundreds of millions all over the globe--for disagreeing with you on this? Yes, "this" is the perpetration of a holocaust, a morally indefensible position--but still. So is this proposition. But executing the state of Israel? I'd call that overdue. If it ever had a right to exist it has forfeited such right. The country should be renamed Palestine, and any Jews there who can't live in harmony with their Arab, Muslim or Christian neighbors should leave. Looks like that would be upward of 90%. I see no need for the remaining Palestinians to repay them for the homes and things they leave behind--they paid the natives nothing for what they seized in the Nakba.
>>"So are you suggesting the execution of millions of people--if not hundreds of millions all over the globe--for disagreeing with you on this?"
No, I'm leaving it open to interpretation. I have no suggestions (or good workable ideas or solutions) to the problem of 'Zionism, the state of Israel, and the U.S. Empire' that this world is plagued with.
The thing is, with every murder, rape, or other brutal act, Israhell is providing the case for it's non-existence.
Very true! But is anyone/anything going to do something about it? The UN, the ICC, the ICJ, etc. have all been ineffective in prosecuting or holding the parties involved accountable, much less enforcing any actions (preventative or otherwise) or stopping any atrocities.
That's what really worries (and scares) me about Palestine and the MENA region - that Israel and the U.S. Empire can go about destroying WHOLE civilizations and there is no entity (or system) that is able to combat this pure evil!
We seem to have entered a NEW DARK AGE whose intensity and depravity might just be more than that of previous dark ages...
Tragically, the racists are armed with something infinitely more empowering than weapons. Money. They have already deployed it to annex the politicians. Plus: it is worth remembering, they consider anyone who is not eligible to become a citizen of Netanyahus openly apartheid, religiously discriminating 'Nation state of Jews only' a 'subhuman animal'. Fit only to be stolen from and slaughtered. No empathy, no sympathy, no shred of human feeling. Ready to make all the world into Gaza - see the Hannibal Directive - if their bullying genocide proves ineffective. Then, to money and overt racism, add the utter gormlessness of idiot religious brainwashing. The cretinous Huckabee belief in the rightness of an end-times apocalypse, the selfish consigning of all humanity to hell so that a selfish few can be raptured, the unshakeable conviction that idiot religious superstition makes some people worth more than others, that obliterating decency and civilisation is doing god's work. So Zionists have extreme wealth, proud racism, and religious lunacy all working for them. As well as, of course, the western politicians who'll do anything for a buck. Oh, and I almost forgot: they also control the media. They have prepared well. They see no need to be 'rehabilitated' because - as Israel's newest tactic, contaminating food relief with deadly drugs, as well as openly murdering the civilians who queue for it - plainly shows, they are vicious, and shameless, and have the morals of a virus. It is absolutely awful but until decent people are as revolted by Zionism as Zionism, as part of its strategy, encouraged ordinary people to feel about Islam, they will feel not the slightest incentive to behave with anything besides blind, genocidal, disgusting selfishness.
I like one piece of this, something I've said but not seen mentioned elsewhere--that this End Times Rapture cult is incredibly selfish, along with being based on absurdity (it's supposed to be biblically based but is actually based on one interpretation of a long rant full of symbols apparently written by a 90 year old man a couple thousand years ago). These are the people who claim to be Christian but embrace "prosperity gospel" which is essentially the opposite of Jesus' teachings, and claim that their deeds don't matter, that they get to be the only people ever to go to Heaven without dying first, and all they have to do is recite an incantation: "I take the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior." And then eat popcorn while watching the rest of us on Earth suffering through its destruction, administered in part by a new, vicious Jesus. They also think one of the signs will be the appearance of the Antichrist who will be a good-looking, charismatic European, who is in favor of peace and environmental protection. So be wary of anyone like that, and embrace politicians that favor war and destruction. I can't imagine a more toxic ideology.
Agreed. That appearance to them is Genocide Don as many of those groups suggest. If we think about it, the Nobel Peace Prize would be one of those deeds of the Anti-Christ, world peace. Thankfully Iran put and end to that so far. Now IF only Iran finishes this nightmare quickly as we know the Genocide powers have not stopped this war on Palestine/Iran/Lebanon/Syria etc. Hopefully the Zionists run to the light when israel chooses it's end in that Neutron glow in the heart of israel. Sampson Option brought to you by the Anti-Christ.
Seroiously? The Nazis did some pretty atrocious stuff - Fascists always do - they're bullies and sexual perverts. It's not a competition - the world can get along much better without fascism (and its parent company, "free" market capitalism).
Heard about the Israelis anally gang raping Palestinians? To death? Whilst filming themselves? In torture centres? Targeting medics? Heard about them deliberately starving a captive population, then drugging the flour they do allow in with oxycodone, then opening fire on desperate civilians who posed no threat? Heard about them leaving premature babies to die in their incubators when they forced the evacuation of a hospital at gunpoint? Heard any good things, at all, ever, about the behaviour of Israeli racist thug bullies? Anything? Ever? At all? Apparently, for Israelis, it is indeed a competition, and one they are applying themselves with brutal, subhuman diligence to winning.
A profoundly sick society operating from two profoundly sick ideologies.
True, Rod Dawson - though I wish with every cell in my body that it were not so.
Ok, when you put it like that.... :(
IMO, the Israeli Zionists are unmatched in their evil - not even the Nazis can compare. The bar on evil has been raised (or lowered) (as horrible as it sounds, I can't help but say this).
There are all kinds of fascists and different levels of fascism. This is not about Fascism per se. This is about the Zionist regime in Israel (and their primary backers in the U.S.).
Yes, this is about Capitalism, but it is MUCH MORE than that.
Neither capitalism, fascism, nor Nazism seem to come close to the actions of the Israelis (and I say this subjectively and in all sincerity with sufficient knowledge of history of fascism, capitalism, and Nazism).
We weren't alive during WW2 and not were the atrocities documented so widely and so visibly. As Jennifer says, it's not a competition. Though it is indeed difficult to imagine any evil more profound, it's perhaps unhelpful to focus on this aspect. I have to constantly check myself from the debilitating disease of pure hatred. It's not healthy for me, and it doesn't help the victims either. Evil is evil and all evil must be stopped, held accountable, punished and learned from. It's that last bit we humans seem to find so difficult.
Yes, I agree with what you say Mary. And I agree that my opinion is subjective and colored by the fact that 'I was not alive to witness the atrocities of WW2'.
Must be my need to have things simplified, but I think you are nitpicking evil. Would agree however in that Israel represents a first in a genocide committed by the descendents of victims of a genocide. Zionists seem to have an active wish to rid themselves of the tag of "victim" by actively being perpetrators. This is a new development, and a profoundly sick one.
We sometimes forget that many Zionists are not descendants of the holocaust at all, but opportunists. Many (yes, many!) real holocaust survivors or their descendants do NOT support Zionism, let alone this genocide. The current Israeli government uses it as an excuse. Just ask Norman Finklestein what he thinks about using his family's loss as an excuse for atrocity (I just pulled his name up as I just finished listening to him but he's far from alone). Aside from that, you're right!
Descendents or not, they are colonialists, imperialists and racists who, as you and Dr Finkelstein rightly point out, are using the terrible events of the Holocaust as an excuse to dispossess and murder the native Arab population. And yes, many who actually experienced the Holocaust as children are appalled at what the goernmment of Israel and its supporters are doing.
I'm not sure why you're arguing about a 'subjective opinion'. Israel will be the greater evil for some people, Nazis will be so for others, and the U.S. Empire will be the greatest evil for yet others.
In such subjective opinions, there are no 'right' or wrong' or 'correct or incorrect' answers. There doesn't need to be an agreed-on consensus reached on such evaluations.
Beautifully said my friend : )
Thanks.
Zionists Jews are a Nazi's idea of a Nazi. Just the worst kind of people.
I totally agree with your questionning. My answer was at first that Israël had become unforgiveable. Now it is in my opinion totally indefendable and illegitime in its existence.
I was going to write something my friend. After reading your thoughts, they are mine. I have never liked to think hurting someone was the only way to peace however, I was wrong and know with your help I see what needs to be done as a path to peace not just for Palestine but for the world. We my friend will share coffee in the New Palestine, a country of peace.
This Ha’aretz article is a watershed moment. At least it should be. Testimony of genocide by the people committing genocide. What more evidence does the world need? We have the videos of the killings. Now we have the confessions of the killers. Any country that fails to take concrete action against the countries committing genocide—US/UK/Germany/Israel—is by default a criminal state.
Stephen Walker, the countries you mention - US/UK/Germany/Israel (and more) have ALWAYS been criminal states - think about the atrocities committed by the British Empire, the Nazi Regime, and the U.S. Empire (which is in a class all its own).
Unfortunately, the world seems to be made up of 'Criminal States' (big and small). Have humans ALWAYS been like this throughout history? Do we even know enough of the REAL history of humanity (or howmuchever of it has survived)?
Will the 'flaws of homosapiens' lead to their extinction and hopefully a better, more evolved species might arise from the ashes? I am hopeful...too bad I won't be alive for another million years to find out...
Modern technology has facilitated the current levels of destruction and depravity. Two thousand years ago, it was much more difficult to cause buildings to collapse upon their residents. Archers were not as accurate as modern snipers at distances of a thousand yards.
The trench warfare in the battlefields of WWI were horrific but generally did not grind up civilians.
The scientifically orchestrated firebombing of noncommittal civilians during WWII, by British and American forces, did change the game. During the illegal invasions of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the US forces dropped enormous amounts of ordnance upon civilians.
>>"Modern technology has facilitated the current levels of destruction and depravity."
💯 Like I've said before, human evolution has been unable to keep pace with the changes in science and technology. Our political systems lag behind, our legal systems lag behind, our economic systems lag behind, and our social systems lag behind.
Our fascination with technology (especially when it comes to the BIG-TECH industry) definitely seems to hasten our undoing.
Will humanity be able to wake up in time to understand the consequences of its 'love affair' with technology and its impact on human societies?
And yet the bible praises for Joshua, for killing 12,000 people in a single day. (Joshua 8:25) Even these modern Israelis with all their modern weapons haven’t managed to reach that level. Of course, they do have the weapons with which to do so. Perhaps, instead of its being called the Samson Option, it should be called the Joshua Option.
Isn’t it incredible that people worship this kind of slaughter in something they call their holy book? Genocide for some has long been normalized.
The Bible was written by some politicians over a period of hundreds of years. Joshua led a select group of possibly 5,000 soldiers out of maybe 30,000 to slaughter the 12,000 victims. Whether that actually happened during one day or several days or ever is a matter of conjecture, but the narrative gave license to future generations to commit genocide.
The Americans killed millions of indigenous peoples over a period of a century or so. The Turks slaughtered a million or million-and-a-half Armenians in the early 20th Century without any “weapons of mass destruction”, and still deny doing so.
Any and all religious leaders who support genocide are hypocrites, and they are plentiful.
There is a something important you are leaving out. The evils you name do not represent What Humanity Is. We had hundreds of thousands of years of mostly peaceful, egalitarian tribes living in harmony with their ecosystems. But once the Holocene enabled agriculture, which in turn enabled some tribes to evolve into little empires led by chieftains and kings, growing steadily by vanquishing neighbors, a dynamic set in wherein the aggressive culture nearly always won conflicts with peaceful defenders, and thus expanded to, by now, virtually the entire planet. It is very much like cancer.
After my sister died of cancer, I decided to learn something about it. I read a book mostly focused on advances in treatment, but found two facts I hadn't known that I think very interesting in light of this metaphor. One is that a cancer can redirect blood vessels toward itself, to feed its growth. The other is that a cancer can evolve resistance to chemotherapy drugs that once inhibited it. Another thing that fits the metaphor I already knew: the most successful cancer dies when it succeeds to the point it kills its host. Here you can look on the host as either humanity, colonized by the cancerous ideology of domination, or our ecosystems, which are a few decades from death if we keep up Business As Usual which there are no signs of deviation from.
So don't hope for human extinction to kill the virus--hope instead that we finally figure out how to contain and extinguish the domination culture. The problem is that those willing to use violence to seize land and resources have a great edge over those who'd rather cooperate. Caitlin is banking on mass enlightenment as the cure--I'm skeptical of that but haven't lost hope.Mine is based on the notion that when the inevitable crash comes, it will allow a massive reckoning, and survivors will craft a better culture/religion/cosmology, perhaps led by remaining indigenous people.
Sometimes, the most effective way to stop the cancer is to cut it out, immediately after it’s detected.
Well done. Your analogy of cancer is so very true. Mass death is here. Enlightenment is called “woke” and it is vilified by religious ultranationalists republicans in USA. Trump is living proof - he is cancer. Bezo too. Look at the blatant hypocrisy of a wedding to a woman that has no morality. Poor Venice is a backdrop to hypocrisy
>>"We had hundreds of thousands of years of mostly peaceful, egalitarian tribes living in harmony with their ecosystems."
Yes, I've heard this narrative before. The question I ask is - 'how accurate is our knowledge and understanding' of the inhabitants of earth (and their social cultures) going back 'hundreds of thousands of years'?
This is a valid question to ask. Seeing as to how 'history has been constantly revised' over the last 2,000+ years (by various sources and people in power), it calls into question our 'narratives' about such a distant past (as you seem to often like to talk about and point to as exceptions).
>>"Mine is based on the notion that when the inevitable crash comes, it will allow a massive reckoning, and survivors will craft a better culture/religion/cosmology, perhaps led by remaining indigenous people."
I am not as hopeful (and wishful) as you seem to be. Do I have solutions to how to fix what ails humanity? No, I unfortunately don't - it is beyond my abilities to figure out solutions to problems as complex as those facing human civilizations currently...
Well, there are differing opinions among anthropologists about this. As to me being hopeful/wishful--yes I admit that. And here's what I base it on: a lot of the problem is that the worst, most selfish and short-sighted among us, are always those seeking, and often getting power. In the US, they've been working for 40 years to find ways to lock themselves into power, and have been highly successful. Thus I think it will take a collapse to jar loose that grip on power. A cataclysm opens possibilities. There is strong evidence that the first humans to arrive in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand killed off the megafauna in those places. But most indigenous cultures are much more respectful of nature, understanding of our place in it, leery of hubris...so my theory is that they carelessly overharvested the megafauna, which hadn't evolved dealing with anything like human hunters, and then were horrified at what they had done, and deliberately crafted cultural norms/religions based on respect for "all our relations", on restraint--and this worked, it lasted thousands of years. But I think it takes the cataclysm to shock people into accepting this kind of change.
>>"In the US, they've been working for 40 years to find ways to lock themselves into power..."
I would say this has been the case since 1492 (and not just the last 40 years).
>>"a lot of the problem is that the worst, most selfish and short-sighted among us, are always those seeking, and often getting power."
Yes, but this is nothing new. This has been the way/behavior of human societies for centuries and milleniums.
Many narratives about Indigenous cultures being respectful of nature are rooted in their traditional ecological knowledge, which emphasizes harmony and balance with the environment (and I agree with these narratives and with you on that). However, these narratives can sometimes be oversimplified or romanticized, failing to capture the complexities and variations within different Indigenous cultures and their relationships with nature, not to mention the economics of their time/age in history compared to present times.
Here's another theory->
It was possible to live in harmony with nature as long as human societies were small, the ratio of humans to other species was smaller, and the population of humans was less than the current 8+ billion (most of it happening in the 20th and 21st centuries).
With the increases in human population, the decreases of available resources on a finite planet over time, and especially the 'super-charged exploitation' of resources created by systems such as Capitalism, humans have had to change their relationships with nature (and ecological systems), sometimes for practical reasons, othertimes for selfish reasons, etc.
The dynamics of human societies and civilizations is so completely different (and exceedingly more complex) now than in the 'distant past' that you refer to, that I'm not sure comparisons or analogies can be made with an acceptable level of accuracy or rigor.
>>"But I think it takes the cataclysm to shock people into accepting this kind of change."
Do you really believe that? I see so many climate deniers, so many Gaza Genocide deniers, so many people that remain 'unshocked' and oblivious to our present conditions. What kind of 'cataclysmic shocks' are you referring to? Nuclear annihilation? A reduction of the earth's human population by 80% or higher?
I'm fearful/pessimistic because I don't think (most) humans have yet evolved to a stage where they can think rationally about the REALLY IMPORTANT things in life - like co-operation, preservation and management of finite resources, respect of other cultures and species, understanding of subjects like climate change, the dangers of nuclear experimentation, etc.
Sure, some people do realize many of these issues/concerns at a level that causes them to change their behaviors and actions, but we (i.e. humanity) seem to be locked into a 'negative feedback loop/cycle' with no realistic way to break out of it (you say that cataclysmic shocks would work here, I say that I don't know yet...maybe? maybe not?)
I don't think being 'hopeful or optimistic' provides me with the 'level of comfort' it seems to provide you with. These issues are too important/serious to be left to wishful thinking - hoping that somehow human nature will evolve to meet the challenges that will challenge us all soon enough.
Well, if it's nuclear annihilation--and the risk is worse than ever--it's probably game over, or maybe a few survivors eking out a bare survival on a horribly ravaged Earth. Unfortunately, it won't much better than that if we just stick with the current trajectory another few decades, given the rate of warming, resource depletion, biodiversity destruction and pollution. But I think there's a decent chance for a less-total but still dramatic break, since it looks to me like there is NOT a cabal of evil but intelligent men with long-range plans...rather, there are a bunch of selfish but powerful actors, each seeking to maximize profits until collapse. And these people are not just selfish and destructive--they're also stupid and shortsighted and some are outright delusional, so they are liable to bring the whole thing down, fairly soon. This will result in a great deal of death and suffering but less than the default. The longer it's delayed, the worse it will be (there is now a whole new class of threats from AI).
What happens after that will vary from place to place, and those who are prepared may be able to guide their own locales into better outcomes. I'm not that hopeful but I haven't given up.
fyi, re: the anthropology aspects
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34324534-against-the-grain
yes, I got and read that book last year
I disagree that the US has always been a criminal state. We were pretty good from 1797 to 1806.
HaHa. Good one. Maybe I need to re-read U.S. History from 1797 to 1806 to see if I can contest your assertion?
"Evidence"?
The Eurocolonial empire has been robbing and dispossessing and mass mudering "others" on this planet since the 1500s. The "other", whether the South Africans, Kenyans, Algerians, Palestinians, or whatver,.....is always framed as a threat and the Eurocolonial masses are always willing to believe whatever story it is, no matter how absure.
Its not a system error. it's system design.
to my surprise the haaretz story got some traction in western media too. politicians still seem bunkered down, though.
The politicians obey their wealthiest sponsors.
Is Haaretz an officially sanctioned "opposition" figleaf to show how "democratic and free" Israel is? Nothing would surprise me anymore 🧐
I am getting email updates from Haaretz. It seems they have been forced to «balance» the report. It has statement from soldier that 1-2 persons get killed daily. I believe they are under pressure to write this.
Yesterday I read the most blatant propaganda lie yet. NATO generals are said to have been shown how moral IDF acts. The generals were impressed by the measures IDF took for not killing civilians. The generals said that no other army in the world is even close to acting this humane, and were frustrated about the lies spread about IDF. I don’t know if this is true and the generals are either completely corrupted or idiots. Anyone else who knows this story?
I have tried to like this comment 8x, and it keeps saying "there's an error liking this comment" - so here's my comment instead
“They were just following orders.”
I hope the journalist who exposed this is safely out of Israel or he could meet the same fate as the 200+ journalists targeted and killed already.
WATCH (1:59:29)
🛑Investigating #WarCrimes in #Gaza
♦️This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the #GazaStrip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long war
https://youtu.be/kPE6vbKix6A
Thanks for posting the link. Keep forwarding it to the world. I am also forwarding it.
watched and shared
Thank you for this. I’ll add another from Palestine’s representative at the UN:
~~~
https://youtu.be/StKivF23Rms?si=FbDiJOszpfU-rfQ4
Wow thank you for opening my eyes wider.
‘… just following orders.’
Ahh yes. The Nuremberg Defense.
That didn't end well for many thankfully. The UN is a garbage pit of u.s. commands. The Hague is only a city with a distant past.
"Israel" in all languages must now have the definition "monstrous, limitless evil and depravity".
W.F.Miloglav, you're too kind. I think harsher words are needed to adequately define/describe 'IsraHELL'...
Only say "Zionist entity." I would like to see everyone who gives a name to that entity be required to read out (Auslesen) every name of every child martyred in Gaza before they sleep again.
The demented Joe Biden publicly identified himself as a Zionist throughout the several decades of his political career. Every politician — hundreds of them — who has proclaimed Israel’s right to defend itself must also be required to recognize and speak the name of each and every victim/martyr of Israel’s “right to defend itself”.
Exactly, when they appear at the new Nuremberg trials, before twisting in the wind.
May the Universe grant your words come true my friend : ) Twisting in the wind. Now I am hoping for a windy day at the Hague : )
Someone must arrest them, first.
Or maybe better yet, the "Zionist abomination".
Every night : )
You're absolutely right, of course: a whole new vocabulary probably has to be created.
Maybe there are other words from other languages that fit that bill, but I'm not too sure that the English language has harsh enough words for ''Israel.''
Thank you for that. Maybe you might create one just for them : ) Wow, that is tough but interesting.
OMG - the nightmare just keeps getting worse and worse and worse! Where are leaders of conscience who will stop this demented madness. The level of
cruelty being done by the Zionist Israelis to Gazans - which includes Christians, Jews, Muslims and secular women, men, babies and elderly - far surpasses anything done by the Nazis.
The Nazis 'just' increasingly efficiently killed Disabled, Catholic then the Jewish people.
The sadistic, demented Israeli Zionists seem to do whatever to maximize horror.
Yvonne Zarowny, Why leave out the Communists?
I am not aware of communist involvement in Middle East/Palestine/Israel. Please elaborate. Also saw no indication of it when there - so again - please elaborate.
i suspect indu meant in your list of nazi-victims. communist, social democrats, trade unionists were some of the first and most targeted by the nazi-regime.
armed factions of dflp and pflp are marxist-leninist organisations actively involved in armed resistance in gaza. my guess is that they (and their families) would also be targeted by the idf.
mint press' telegram mentions israeli settlers burning down the christian town taybeh (all-christian population) in the west bank.
Thank you martin. Good of you to clarify what I meant.
Thanks. Yes - of course! So important. We need to include all victims of the Nazi regime which is basically the underlying point I was trying to make. It was not 'just' Jewish people - although it was they that the death camps were primarily built for. And this killing was not restricted to the Nazi Germany/Fascist Europe - although the industrial gas chambers took killing to a whole new level of efficiency. I had heard of the 'Killing Fields' of SE Asia. However - I hadnt realized 2+ million people had been killed essentially up close
and personal essentially with a version of a machete until I was there at tbeor 'memorial'. I just do not grasp that level of hate/dismissal of anothers humanity/right to life with dignity. And then there is Britain's allowing 2+ million of Irish to die while food was being exported from Ireland; or 11 million Indians ...
Hello Yvonne, martin was kind enough to point out what I meant. You, martin and I are fully in agreement.
If by the "killing fields" of SE Asia, you meant Indonesia - there was wholesale killing of Communists. They were utterly decimated even their babies were killed.
This became the "Jakarta Method" made infamous by Kissinger.
"far surpasses anything done by the Nazis" - today many in the forum reveal their excellent knowledge of atrocities committed by the German Nazis and their European collaborators.
Hint: if you choose not to believe it, it's not just Holocaust that took place back then.
Or how populations can be manipulated into 'othering' another to justify taking their lives, land, resources, labour ...
The IDF is the most IMMORAL army in the world.
The IDF might be in a tie with the US and a few others over who has the least morals.
During the illegal invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the US government hired private mercenaries to conduct some of the most dastardly deeds — actions that the Regular Army soldiers would not be inclined to commit.
Thank you for that, however I think we agree they are at least tied for 1st.
The Iranians should have continued.
Some forum generals think they lack balls. Do you?
There's something else but we're not getting the whole picture - there's more to this no doubt, we don't have access to all the ugly details.
The US lifted sanctions on Iran's oil trade, that's one way to keep the strait of Hormuz open.
Sorry Genocide Don walked all that lie about dropping sanctions back. The reason Iran did not thank him for bombing them. Yes he did as insane as that sounds. Of course why would anyone believe a word from that Monster, Genocide Don.
After what's happened no one will ever be able to trust ''him''
Had the Iranians continued - even though this is speculative - that would brought forth the end of the brutal and sadistic genocide being waged against the Palestinians.
The issues between Israel and Iran ain't over yet - then the question becomes why did they stop when they were so close.
So is it principles then?
I'm just trying to get from the forum generals a clear assessment that Iran could go toe to toe militarily with the combined Israel/US/West and somehow chooses not to.
israel is the size of New Jersey with 7 million Jewish people 2 million Palestinian people. Iran could have leveled israel in 2 months of missile strikes. The u.s. and israel have run out of weapons having used them all on Gaza and Russia. The military contractors of the u.s. have been running all over the country trying to find places already setup to build missiles, missile systems. I guess they stopped at asking China to supply the weapons to use against them. These are not my ideas these are the ideas of Colonels and Generals.
Who are those colonels and generals? Where do they get their information from? Are they authorized to speak for Iran?
@Finn - you asked of forum's generals. Let me present one of them - some andrew who by his own admission is from a science bubble - doing some colonelling and generalling on the side.
I am not doing your homework for you. They are easy to find having just spent weeks in Iran at conferences. I thought you might be interested however........
Forum generals?
Don't ask, you'll regret it : )
Feel free to share however I'm suspecting that I already know the answer.
Why?
There are some. You haven't been paying attention.
Absolutely. That assessment is certainly one Iran makes. And of course the reality of what that toe-to-toe exchange would entail is one which, for Iranians (who demonstrate sanity), is a reality they strive to avoid. It should also be a reality the “combined Israel/US/West” should choose to avoid, for obvious ethical reasons, but moreover, because Iran has demonstrated the ability to reciprocate a great deal of damage in its self-defense, even alone, but they aren’t alone and perhaps can raise Israel’s ante with their own “combination.”
This is horrific. I'm glad those soldiers are speaking out. And I wish they'd get out of Gaza.
How do I know if I'm antisemitic? If I don't sing hymns of praise to the right of Israel to commit genocide every time I take a shit.
HaHaHa - darn, I must be antisemitic. It must be in my blood (or shit) or something...
I disagree with Caitlyn here: people with actual consciences wouldn’t commit the mass murderous atrocities in the first place, even if they spill their ugly guts to a journalist later, and then only place blame on commanders.
Agree, JG.
If they had a shred of morality, they’d choose prison over participating in the IGF.
And a very few do just that.
Did you see that IGF anywhere else : ) They are hardly a defense force are they. Genocide is their goal willingly or unwillingly : (
Yes,they do. And they speak out. Yet only rarely are we allowed to hear their stories. I wonder why...!
Part of me agrees with you. But how hard must it be if a commander has a gun pointed at you, and you are already programmed to believe you're exterminating vermin? I can't imagine everything allowing myself into that situation but by the law of averages, some 'soldiers' will be less evil than others. Perhaps it is within these, where there's the possibility of a conscience, where hope lies...
I was going to write that. Both of you are right. We as a world will struggle for decades to come having children ask us that question, Why did you let this happen? Is it possible to create millions of serial killers without them turning on themselves or do they. Here is a scary thought, these people are all over the world now. You could write that story as a horror story with factual beginnings. The world suddenly is faces with millions of serial killers NEEDING to kill anything and every one. Wow, I don't even like writing that : (
It's true, they are everywhere, and in many cases causing mayhem. IOF soldiers have always travelled once they get their considerable pay, and as a frequent traveller I can confirm they have always been unpleasant to be around. They tend to travel in groups. They're noisy, selfish, arrogant and entitled. Now, they're going to be so much worse and I confess I'm actually scared to bump into them. I was heading to Laos just a month ago but changed my plans to stay safely in Muslim countries - Malaysia, Sumatra - where they aren't allowed. Much of the world will be out of bounds with these murderous maniacs on the loose.
I refer to them as the israeli (forever lowercase) Genocide Force IGF. This is far from over isn't it.
Mafia killers and gang members are not given such considerations, even though they feel pressure too.
I spat out my energy drink.
What the fuck does Meilekowsky know about being SEMITIC?
Well, he's been killing and ethnically cleansing 1000s of people who are.
This is a point we don't discuss nearly enough
Right to the core you speak my friend, right to the core : )
This is the part I don't get: surely the Jews in Israel backing this genocide have heard the term "moral injury" in the context of soldiers and war. Surely they understand the horrific moral injury they are inflicting on their own people, their own children in the IDF committing these atrocities? Have none of them ever encountered a vet with PTSD? How can they condone this sacrifice of their own people's humanity?
The answer may be simply that they are all clinically insane.
I don't know if it is possible to inflict a moral injury on people who have been raised from infancy to be psychopaths.
I have my doubts as well. In another comment I wrote more than I should have about this. I don't know anyone in mental health and would love to have coffee and pick the brains of a room full. I doubt there are any single reasons why some and not others. Gabor Mate has an excellent video of his personal feelings and guilt about what happened to his Mother and he as an infant. I am struggling with this depression. I do feel guilty for not doing more.
Raising them infancy to be psychopaths is inflicting moral injury on them. Even worse because they are defenseless children, not just vulnerable young adults.
Fair point
They glorify it, unfortunately
Good questions, forceOfHabit. I wonder if anyone has answers to such conundrums and unexplainable behavior...
Great question and answer. This I know personally only from the few israelis I work around. From the earliest ages israeli children are taught exactly what they say Palestinian children are taught. They hate us all and will kill us all. The israeli's are guilty of being what they claim others to be. I can't think all israeli's can be made thoughtless monsters however it seems a very large fraction can. This will be studied by the mental health communities and the CIA (for training) for many years to come. The mentally wounded may be worthy of our help in recovery? I am hearing thousands of troops are leaving Palestine. I never bought the israel is a Jewish state garbage.
Who gives a flyin’ fuck about IsraHell’s psychopathic baby killers?
I would have thought their parents might, or their family, or their friends...I would if someone tried to brainwash my children/family. But it seems that Israeli society, mothers, fathers, family, and friends are the source of the psychopathy instead of being a restraint on it.
When is this obnoxious polack bastard going to fucking die? So fed up with this stupid shit! Death to the fake state. Death to the fake people.
Do you really think "Netanyahu" (Mileikowsky) is the 'Mastermind' behind all this or that this will stop with the death of Satanyahu? I doubt it....
Exactly, more than 80% of Israeli Jews think exactly the same way he does. He could very easily be replaced.
Very true, but at least it would allow us a "brief moment of rejoicing".
Hell yeah! But why stop there? Don't we all (and definitely the Palestinians) deserve much more rejoicing than that?
And boy do we need that.
You're being cryptic. Who do YOU think is the "mastermind?"
That is a thesis topic. The Who and Why. When I think I understand I don't. Recently I wrote something about the deception of war in End Stage Capitalism. All of these illogical and insane moves by the u.s. and it's Western doggies may be using this distraction for it's failed economic system. There are so many failures of every part of the u.s. Federal/State/Local governments not having chosen path of building a future for all people war is all that is left. 30 mins. ago I drove over railroad tracks that previously when I was young was owned by one of the 60 rail companies now there are 6 and no one cares as I nearly took the rim and tire off my car crawling over at near walking speed. A little thing yet a big thing being near the wealthiest cities in the u.s. The signs are all around us. I work in science and many are leaving without funding or students willing to spend hundreds of thousands for PHDs that have no future now without moving to China or Russia.
Interesting.
The US.
The 'mastermind' is/are the system(s), the humans are the actors on the stage of civilization performing their acts and playing their roles for all the world to see.
We can, at least, identify some of the masterminds including the deceased Theodor Herzl and Lord Rothschild. Contributors include every POTUS since Harry Truman and their UK counterparts. The billionaires who own the mass media are also part of the system. AIPAC is a fundamental player on the mastermind team.
That's very clever to say...
Nothing clever about it. The systems within which humans operate (and exists and survive) create the incentives for the behaviors and actions of the participants within it.
You can fuck off now. Not interested.
Frankly my anger right now is with the likes of Starmer, who could stop it but choose to shrug, continue to help and pretend to be normal.
Yes. It's amazing that he has not been assassinated.
There are plenty more to come after him BUT I would like to see him gone along with Israel.
Meanwhile Northern Cyprus seems to becoming the next Israel.
Ms Johnstone lays the facts out well.
The next, and I realize it is a very big one, step, is to realize that ALL governments and ALL militaries are completely immoral.
Although, to be sure, those in Israel take the cake.
To be honest, though, I personally am glad to see elements of humanity among the soldiers as they concede what they were instructed to do.
Oh by all means, don't annoy the commanding officers with queries about the rationality of baldfaced murder.
Thankfully I have people like you around my reading. I feel a genuine connection with people who speak out and a disdain for people still ignorant.
A person I work with, one of the most brilliant people in imagining electronics was talking about the poor israeli's living in fear. Of course being a friend I said shut the FUCK up. I never want to hear you repeat what your football israeli friends say to me again until you read these two books. I brought him two books to read about they how and why of the true victims of genocide in Palestine. We shall see. Hopefully I still have a friend of the few I have left after, Iraq,Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Russia, All of Africa, South America, Mexico and now Iran. China is coming, China has weapons of mass destruction. China hates us for our freedom : (
Bravo for you efforts at taking the risk to change minds. I know the feeling of being on that edge with folks one would prefer not to alienate, but in these extreme troubling conditions, such risks seem necessary, as are the anxieties connected with taking them. I also hope that I haven't driven away a couple of people who are important to me. Personal evidence suggests to me that solid friendships endure such disagreements, flimsy ones don't and may need "revision" anyway.
I doubt we hear about those that do. In Vietnam older Brothers ( few women) would tell stories of commanders being demoted after instructing troops to take the hill for the fifth time. If you catch the drift. These stories didn't come out for years. I feel crazy just going to protests and reading about events. A World Dies in Mental Illness brought to you by israel : (
A horrible horror story title.