162 Comments

The Israel lobby just succeeded in having Chris Hedges cancelled on the Real News Network so from now on I will boycott TRN.

As is my right.

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Yeah poor Chris. He keeps on getting cancelled everywhere. From the New York Times, to RT and now Real News Network. The bizarre thing is, every time he's cancelled - he keeps getting more and more popular. I expect when it comes time for him to retire, his retirement home will also cancel him. And he'll become even more popular.

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Canceled by RT? Or by RT cancellers?

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Same here. The Real News Network isn't about the news after all--unless it's the mainstream, propaganda variety apparently.

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The UnReal News Network.

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“The devout and politically free inhabitant of New England is a kind of Laocoön who makes not the least effort to escape from the serpents which are crushing him. Mammon is his idol which he adores not only with his lips but with the whole force of his body and mind. In his view the world is no more than a Stock Exchange, and he is convinced that he has no other destiny here below than to become richer than his neighbor. Trade has seized upon all his thoughts, and he has no other recreation than to exchange objects. When he travels he carries, so to speak, his goods and his counter on his back and talks only of interest and profit."

I would say that today's zeitgeist, the leitmotif, the spirit of now, is summed up in a slogan of anti-Houthi op, 'The Guardian of Prosperity'. Prosperity is the ultimate ideal/goal/value.

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With ya, Dave.

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Yes me too.

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that news has just made me subscribe to his youtube and substack!

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Seriously?

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Same

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Yeah, that tax exemption line is rubbish. Funny thing - it could easily be called akin to endorsement of a candidate, which would lose you your tax exemption. Such a weird lie...

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I saw that too. I decided to unsubscribe to TRN as well. This shit is just getting ridiculous and insane.

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There are more encampments around the world right now, I think, than there were to protest the Vietnam war. There are at least 7 in the UK, 3 in Canada, many in the US, and maybe more in other countries that I have not yet seen. The people are speaking out against the genocide by Israel. But most leaders don't want to listen because they are worried about the "economy" i.e. their own bank accounts. They are making plenty off the sales of munitions, bombs etc

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May 3
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May 3Edited

[B]y any means necessary?

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Please continue... (chinese? , russian?, cultural marxists?, soros?,...)

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By any means necessary?

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May 3
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which outsiders?

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“No matter who you vote for, you always end up with John McCain.” - Judge Nap

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That's very funny

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Poor Americans.. they really think that casting their vote at election time is a monumental thing. Puts them on a pedestal above other nations; they’re exercising their democratic right and they get to choose who to put in office. What agency! What might! The greatest nation on earth.. and then they proudly invoke the sanctimonious founding fathers.. and the theatre and fortune spent on the process! when in reality this is all just a farce at best and mafia families battling it out at worst. It’s not much better in Lapdog Britain or other democratic European countries. If democracy has only succeeded in installing tyrants, you gotta question this whole democracy business.. remember when the British empire and more recently the west was fond of saying these Muslim/Arab/African (read backward) countries were not yet ready to govern themselves so we have to step in and make decisions for them? We need to sprinkle our gold dust ‘democracy’ on them..Also, the Palestinians are the latest sacrificial animal to the alter of the greatness of the empirical, rational, western mind.. Hail the Enlightenment! Turns out, we’re ALL lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year..

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Great observation, Diana. We Murkins are clearly not intelligent enough to be heard from and listened to by our regime, therefore “they” must make the decisions no matter how unpopular and with what horrific consequences they bring.

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As all my (very) old friends keep saying, we need a BENIGN emperor! (I would agree if there could one be found - power corrupts) Or a more direct democracy like in little Switzerland where politicians are CLOSER to the people (and the pitchforks)

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Actually,been around this block often. Only speaking for myself but only lunatics believe voting matters

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"If democracy has only succeeded in installing tyrants, you gotta question this whole democracy business."

For what alternative?

I believe the U.S. Constitution needs serious reform to face the modern world (from surveillance technology to propaganda science and well beyond), but I do not see how there can ever be an alternative to (de jure *and* de facto) accountability to "the people", by some definition.

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Nothing should be above scrutiny and interrogation, not even God as we all know by now.. let alone the democratic process. The fundamental question that has to be asked is: is this working? If through a democratic process America will beget its decline and threaten world peace and stability, which it has done, then one must ask: is something wrong with the Americans or the system that governs them? This whole line of thinking that it’s not great but the best we have is quite fatalistic and hence, hopeless. How different is it from a god instructed code? Like Sharia? Yes, there is room for reform in both cases but the worshipful belief in democracy and its prophets should not be above scrutiny, if only to stress test this theory… and it is just that, a theory.

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"The fundamental question that has to be asked is: is this working? If through a democratic process America will beget its decline and threaten world peace and stability, which it has done, then one must ask: is something wrong with the Americans or the system that governs them?"

Something is certainly wrong with the system. There's something wrong with Americans too, but IMO the significant part of that is miseducation afflicting younger people. (I'm happy to be tested on that.) Maybe it's simply that the US Constitution is inadequate for the modern times, and so even the founders' intent (what is good of it) could be preserved and re-invigorated with rewrites that robustly guard against modern dangers. But describing the U.S. simply as "democracy", in reaction in order to denigrate the concept of democracy, is the wrong tack.

"How different is it from a god instructed code? Like Sharia?" ... the worshipful belief in democracy and its prophets should not be above scrutiny"

Agreed; nothing should be above scrutiny. And that is precisely what differs from 'god-instructed code', including 'woke' code.

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100% agree

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Democracy, as a practical matter, is basically an exercise in passing the buck, in exercising power but avoiding any responsibility for that exercise. The technical term for this is a "beard".

Everyone in power in a democracy claims to answer to and derive their authority from someone else, going ultimately back to "the people" who themselves do not directly exercise power, and who would find power difficult to exercise as a collective action problem, even if they had the formal authority to do so.

What this means is that real power is often in the hands of unelected bureaucrats, who typically don't even want to stand for election because they don't want the voters to know what their programs are, much less to exercise any oversight. Robert Moses is the classic example here.

Even that minimal level of scrutiny is too much for some, and real power is often exercised by people not formally part of any government structure. Corporate lobbyists or Robert Kagan come to mind.

At least in an authoritarian system, we all know where the buck stops.

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These are all excellent points. But again I reminded of the saying, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others."

So again I ask about accountability. You suggest that at least an authoritarian system provides us a target. But must it always be by impoverishment, incarceration, bloodshed, and revolution?

Or, is it possible to reform the reforming process? If "we" (i.e., or, the supposed "adults in the room") have at least learned your points above, then how do we apply solutions?

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The Iron Law Of Oligarchy and its corollary, The Iron LawOf Institutions are called "iron laws" for a reason.

Any system can be made tolerable, if and to the extent it is run by non-sociopaths. The problem is that sociopaths will over time corrupt even the most noble of systems, because sociopaths are precisely the people who will do whatever it takes to get power, which gives them an inherent advantage over the rest of us.

As a result, there are no solutions, only temporary expeidents.

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I forgot about those, thank you. I don't think it necessarily follows that there are no solutions -- it's just that none have been found. The Iron Laws are only a century old.

Human thought always evolves. Where there's a will, there's a way. Once we discover the old forms (of revolutions) are sorely lacking (due to technology, of many kinds), there will definitely be a will.

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Well, there is a reason that, after 5,000 or so years of written human history, one can point to examples of all sorts of systems succeeding and all of them eventually failing.

Because human natures is what it is.

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Surely Zionist Israel is by its nature, anti-semitic, i.e. representing a hatred of Judaism and Jews, because nothing in Judaism promotes sadistic, brutal, bestial, evil, murderous occupation and colonisation and neither does it promote genocide. What Israel has been and is since it invented itself in 1947/48 is a travesty of Judaism and the worst kind of anti-semitism because it claims the atrocities it commits are done in the name of Jews, thereby slandering the religion and its followers.

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Absolutely correct on each and every point. Extremely well said. Such a cynical and sadistic farce has been perpetrated on the world, with the help of an evil cabal: namely, Nazirael.

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Zionazism for Ziorael. Zionism was invented in the 1890's , which drew on earlier movements to colonise Palestine from the 1830's, and Nazism emerged in the 1930's nearly half a century later. Who got what from whom? The Zionists were working with the Nazis to get Jewish colonists for Palestine, but, when they found out that Jews were dying in large numbers they slowed the process because dead Jews made better propaganda than live Jews. The Zionists were promoting the threat that 6 million Jews would die in Europe if their plans to colonise Palestine were not supported from at least 1900. There are hundreds of newspaper stories with 6 million Jews at risk in the headlines., and they all came from the Zionists. Death sells better than life, every time, particularly when it is Jews dying. Less important when it is Palestinian Muslims and Christians dying clearly.

Never again for Jews and as often as you like for non-Jews was the message. As well as, Jews can do anything they like, including commit genocide and no-one has a right to condemn them. That is what being chosen and superior as a human being gets you.

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This is all going to come crashing down on America. There will be no election this year. We've come to the end of our road.

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True, VJCBingham

No election needed as the US already has its new government, headquartered in Israel, supported by the locally elected and fully paid for lackeys in Washington.

A new Constitution will be needed, crafted by the master crafters in Tel Aviv. The current one which served America well until now (The Patriot Act being the one abhorration) has past it's use-by-date now, 'freedom of speech' being the trigger.

Farewell to all those loyal, peace loving and honourable Americans I have known for 70 years. My sympathy to you and yours.

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All hail to the new "United States of Israel."

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"All hail to the new "United States of Israel." It's not if, but at what levels...

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VJCBingham

"This is all going to come crashing down on America".. Unfortunately, after finally watching 'The Day After' on Utube a few days ago, the oncoming potential crash won't be reserved for 'America',

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Except I didn't take that from YouTube. It's from the Bible. (Jeremiah 50 and 51 and Revelation 18) that declares the 'End is told from the beginning'. (Isaiah 46:10)

7 years ago an eclipse exclusive to the united states, marked the beginning of the first set of 7 years. Good years.

The 2024 eclipse marks the SECOND set of 7 years. Bad years. As Joseph told Pharaoh. (Remember - the end is told from the beginning). Why would I associate the record in Egypt with the USA? I didn't. God did. He marked the 7 year time frames with 2 eclipses - darkening the nation.

So begins our 2nd set of 7 years.. and the blasting associated with it. (Genesis 41:30) Though it's only the beginning of our end.

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I think what you say VJCBingham is correct.

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Is that pier right over a recently discovered trillion dollar natural resources cache?

Who wants to bet?

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Yes and there is a canal already drawn up and ready for some dredging. What a coincidence! A pier to boot!

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And i hear “they” sold shares just before oct

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We should have over/under contest on the day that the amazing "good luck" of ("legally") extending the United States' shoreline is discovered to have coincidentally given Halliburtonish (Burisma?) interests claim over the resources.

I will say 13 days after pier completion. If need hard date, October 13 so Biden can claim American economy to rapidly improve as a result of "my administration's" "find."

See link at end.

With the ability to expand beyond old territorial limitations now also expanded, watch for some anomalous sub-oceanic, monolithic feature that will tie Georgia (US) or some nearby US claim to eastern Mediterranean.

A stretch? I suppose, but no bigger a stretch than that Biden exceeded record vote totals by several bazillion (more, even, than St. Barack).

Besides, the law is whatever it is claimed to be by the most (corrupt and) powerful thug when the people do nothing.

https://www.earth.com/news/the-u-s-just-expanded-its-territory-by-a-million-square-kilometers/

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"Palestinians are just viewed as an annoying indigenous animal that gets in the way of the imperial war machinery, and they’d be more than happy for that nuisance to be eliminated completely."

And this makes sense because according to the Israeli Defense Minister that Palestinians are all "human animals," and they must be "annihilated" according to the Israeli Finance Minister just the other day.

"The mainstream liberal worldview will twist you up so bad inside that you can’t even see Palestinians as human beings."

Their pretzel logic is immense! Neolibs see Palestinians as animals to be put down or locked in a cage. And they're trying to convince the voters that it is the "humane thing to do." For some reason, I see the neoliberals as "animals" and I want to put them into a zoo and laugh at them and throw bits of popcorn at them until they go crying into the corners of their pens. This is what Biden's America has done to me. Thanks a helluva lot, fascists! #VoteGreen for People, Planet and Peace!

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Your analysis is profound. The situation is: mad, tragic, terrifying, utterly and brutally heartless and psychopathic. You are correct: the solution goes beyond the voting booth and involves revolutionary systemic change.

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Hi Leon

And some here will disagree with me, but THIS is why we need to exercise our Second Amendment rights.

I used to be the most anti-firearm individual you can imagine. It took a while for it to dawn on me: WE REQUIRE WEAPONS FOR THE REVOLUTION.

Suffice it to say that we are now well-armed. Guvvmint goons make take me out, but not before they experience my Kalashnikov first 😁

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I hear you loud and clear, gypsy33. So important to realize that we must learn to protect ourselves! 👍

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Please rename your substack "Letter from Birmingham Candy Shop"

It was so obvious how badly Trump broke the GOP. How fast and completely it happened. It took a little while for me to notice how badly he broke the Democratic Party.

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Don't blame Trump for that. The Dems broke themselves up fairly well.

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I think the democrats were capable of doing that all by themselves.. after all, both are cut from the same cloth..

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He broke everything but did open our eyes to the ,no accountability under false pretense of a justice system.

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Somehow the narrative shifts too soon from the gymnastics conundrum to Biden, Trump and U.S voters... The question however about the on-going circus involving floating platforms needs to be explored much more so that the aliens in the spaceship observing this event can stop scratching their heads as to the efficiency of a sinking ship, i.e., of the human kind, on which all passengers, are trapped -- as in you and me... and of course, to the utmost degree, Palestinians .

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Great comment! Made me laugh/squirm 😬

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BREAKING NEWS EMERGENCY! "Your Free Speech 1st Amendment Rights Are About To Be Erased

Pay attention, you are about to be made a criminal" ...and... BREAKING NEWS!

Chris Hedges has been dropped from the REAL NEWS NETWORK!

From Hedges: "Several hours ago I got a notice from Hedges’ Substack headlined: “My Show on The Real News Network has been canceled because of my critiques of the Democratic Party and Joe Biden”:

https://mark192.substack.com/p/emergency-your-free-speech-1st-amendment

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Time to shut down propaganda media.

I understand he will carry on his interview on Rumble or somewhere else.

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Ahh, but who is to determine which is "propaganda media"?

The answer to bad information is not censorship but more good information. That is what the First Amendment is all about.

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I understand that many people cannot tell 'fake' news from real news.

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One person's 'fact' is another person's 'lie'.

Free speech and the First Amendment is the best way to sort it all out.

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"nobody will be able to ship the aid directly to the pier to get it to Gaza. Instead, the aid will be delivered to Cyprus via air or sea, and then ... to the pier. From there the pallets of aid will be loaded onto smaller US army boats, which will then carry the aid... to a long causeway on Gaza’s actual coast. Those pallets will then be carried from the boats to the shore via the causeway ... and taken into Gaza .... All to deliver some 90 to 150 truckloads worth of aid per day, which is far short of the 500 truckloads the UN says Gaza needs." Well said.

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"And this is all being done because Israel isn’t simply letting people drive an adequate amount of aid through the custom-built gates directly into Gaza. Since Washington doesn’t want to exert any pressure on Israel to allow such a self-evident move," writes Caitlin Johnstone. 📢🍉👀

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That pier and the logistics of the aid to Gaza is ridiculous:

There's a scene in the 1971 movie Billy Jack in which ex-Green Beret Billy confronts the bully Netanyahu--um, I mean Posner--who runs the small town near the school Billy protects. Billy tells Posner, "I'm going to take my left foot and whop you on the right side of your face, and you know what? There's not a damn thing you can do about it."

So if hyper-aggressive Biden wants to show he's tougher than Billy Jack--and there's no doubt he would--all he has to do now is get on the phone and tell Netanyahu: "We're going to start shipping aid to the port in Haifa and truck it down to Gaza, and you know what? There's not a damn thing you can do about it."

And, at least this time, Biden would be telling the truth!

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LM,

I saw “Billy Jack” at the theater at least three times in high school. I recall that scene well!

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I think about this scene every time Caitlin writes about how Biden could end this all with one phone call.

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Lol, LM: I wish someone would perform Billy’s action on Genocide

Joe!

Might encourage him a bit 😉

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You and me both, gypsy.

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The scheme is not intended to be practical. It is intended to let westerners feel better about themselves and the genocide that they sponsor.

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That "pier" is being built to bring "refugees" to the U.S., NOT aid.

Open everyone's eyes. "Overwhelm the sytem (safety net), create chaos, restructure society" Part of the Cowerd(sic)/Plivin Marxist Plan for the U.S.

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Andy,

All that you describe, but only if someone remembers the password... as nobody outside IDF brilliance would care to hack that scenario....

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I agree going on and on about Biden vs Trump, as you seem to be doing, is a deliberate waste of energy.

However I completely disagree that 'we' ie those in the collective West need revolution and General Strikes. We have already de-industrialised, are in recession and our economies are set to tank even more with the increasing isolation from Russia and China. Striking would hasten the collapse of health and community care and cause impoverishment for millions. Revolutions are bloody and terrible and resisting power only makes it stronger.

What we need is for more people to become aware of the propaganda that keeps us bickering, ignorant, fat, sick and on drugs.

What we need to is to reconnect with each other in the flesh and with the land and environment that we are 100% dependent upon for our existence to find a better way to live and flourish.

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You are a bit late; the world is all about annihilation these days.

Nice thought, though.

All that can be shaken is about to be shaken.

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Yes, I think it's too late. Though I believe that reconnecting for our own sake is desirable whether humanity survives or not.

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Hi Jo I connect with nature constantly, being Pagan.

But there are few Homo sapiens, save about a half-dozen, that I care to connect with. I prefer four-legged beings; they are far more humane than “humanity”.

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Not really disagreeing, but I prefer the six, and eight-legged ones as well, not to mention the good two-legged birds. Why be so limited in your connections?

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In a Civil War people only care for themselves.

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Jenny, I NEVER disagree with you!…but…

Think of the brave Union soldiers in the US Civil War who were inspired by the abolitionists. They gave their very lives to eliminate the scourge of slavery.

I am proud that my state, Michigan, had the most volunteers and fewest conscripts of any states, and there are homes in my area that were part of the Underground Railroad.

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Mike,

"All that can be shaken is about to be shaken". Yup, the 'Richter' scale does not have the upper gradient level to accommodate the Big One on humanity's menu.

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Yes, I think magnitude and quality of "shaken" will be new experiences for humanity.

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Jo,

"What we need to is to reconnect with each other".. Yes, that would be nice, if only we had ever been connected in the first place.

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Surely Zionist Israel is by its nature, anti-semitic, i.e. representing a hatred of Judaism and Jews, because nothing in Judaism promotes sadistic, brutal, bestial, evil, murderous occupation and colonisation and neither does it promote genocide.

What Israel has been and is since it invented itself in 1947/48 is a travesty of Judaism and the worst kind of anti-semitism because it claims the atrocities it commits are done in the name of Jews, thereby slandering the religion and its followers.

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Progress of history:

1948-49, West Berlin--over 15 months US and British air forces flew 278,228

missions and brought 2.3 million tons

of vital supplies to the blockaded city,

an average of about 5000 tons per day

2024, Gaza--a pier, 90 to 150 truckloads per day . . .

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Just goes to show what they can do, when they want. Or when they perceive a benefit to their regime.

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