Listen to a reading of this article (reading by Tim Foley): US airman Aaron Bushnell said the words “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal” before self-immolating in protest of the genocide in Gaza. That simple line has been reverberating throughout our collective consciousness ever since.
Today, one image said all your words to me, like one crossbow arrow fired deep into my brain. It was of a 10-year-old Gazan boy almost dead of malnutrition, his face a mask of death, there being barely any fat or muscle left under the skin to disguise that it was reduced to a skull seeking eternity. It was horrific, and it made me want to spit in the ugly faces of Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, and all the other effing sociopath money-shakers who inject these fake politician assholes with the funding that serves as their puppet strings and turns the sick imperialist engines of corporate crony Capitalism into pauperizing and murdering everything, everywhere. Omicidio di tutto, dappertutto.
Just a personal note, Caitlin. I’ve had no inspiration to paint for months. Then today, going through my email, I came upon a photograph of my hero, Rachel Corrie.
Voila! Inspiration! While I generally prefer cats, horses and pastorals, Rachel will be the subject of my next painting. I pray I can do her justice.
I want to believe that we can stop it, but it won't be by voting. Our government is NOT representative, it is oppressive and more interested in power games than anything else. Dr. John used the phrase "the apex predator" which chilled me.
Caitlin, here’s the thing. We DON’T have to choose between two genocidal candidates. It’s the fact that Amerikkkans are too stupid to realize that one CAN actually cast a vote for someone who doesn’t have a D or an R after their name.
People will sanctimoniously tell me that I’m “wasting my vote” for giving it to Jill Stein; to which I will reply, No, YOU’RE the one wasting your vote. Someone famous (was it Einstein? I’m sure someone here can identify this quote) once said something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
That’s the problem with ignorant Amerikkkans…voting for the same vile parties continuously and thinking, THIS time it’s gonna be hunky-dory.
You know that the empire has sooo many entities that profit from our murders. From fossil fuel peddlers, forever chemicals,Algie bloom causing,war profiteers,banks and hedgefunds etc... empire is a many headed tyrant that exists for the monetization and extraction of everything for profit. We can't shame it into ethical or humane behavior. It can't be reasoned with,bargained with or pleaded with. It is a winner take all sort of beast that is single minded in the pursuit of its dominance. It will sacrifice whomever or whatever it considers to be at the end of it's usefulness to its cause. For empire, every check on its ability to behave as it sees fit is a kind of existential threat to be quashed with prejudice. Hence the body count. Many folks no longer die from old age,they die from climate disasters,pollution,poverty,war and intentional famine. The young man is correct. This is how the ruling caste decides we will live and die. So, there is no way short of extreme violence to break its hold on this world. It's designed to be as difficult as possible to untangle it's myriad chains on us. We know what it's going to take to free ourselves and our loved ones from its wicked clutches. We just don't have the fortitude for a prolonged bloody struggle, that, for all the good it will accomplish,the people fighting the good fight will be hated and reviled by the population easily fooled.
That our ruling class not only stands idly by during an genocide in broad daylight*, but actively openly and directly assists, tells us all we need to need to know about the people who rule over us.
Remember this, every time they preach to us about how bad China and Russia are.
"The biosphere we depend on for survival being fed into a soulless profit-generating death machine because everything on our planet has been turned into a commodity."
Thanks, Caitlin for keeping Aaron Bushnell's supreme sacrifice of self-immolation alive. Just as we won't forget the Vietnamese Buddhist monk's self-immolation during the American war in Vietnam.
Yes, we are living in the age of the New Normal. A dystopia where Israel can invent a lie about UNRWA - to cover up the fallout from the ICJ " plausible genocide"- and the Western media run with it spreading it all over the world. And quick smart the governments of US/West make it an excuse to shut off aid to UNRWA, the only lifeline that kept Gazans from famine. Israel is good at killing two birds with one stone!
The reports that Israel IDF tortured the UN workers comes as no surprise. Whatever the zionist regime does won't be any surprise to us anymore. Nor would the total complicity of US/West.
I couldn’t listen to his video let alone watch. It’s sort of funny I reckon (not the video). I have been in double digit levels of violent encounters. I’m not anything like a cop or .mil guy. Most of my situations have been street and barrooms shake ups.
I can’t watch violent videos where innocent people get hurt. Well I can just fine if I deem them the recipients worthy. Got mad at some on the right about their less than well thought out responses about this young soldier.
Aaron Bushnell had a set on him. To pass it off as insanity broils my skin. And then Caitlin brings this up: “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal”
YES, this is what gripped me to the core when I watched the events of 2020 unfold. I knew I would never be the same because America could never go back. Aaron makes brilliant point on his way out. 🥺
The rules have been established by those who set them. It is up to us to find ways to circumvent them.
Ahh, the great decider, who would that be? We just stop going to work? We have deputies who work for the rental unit management companies, for the car dealers, for the bill collectors in general.
We can't even take a step in this country, U$A, without being fined, fee-ed, tolled, taxed, code enforced, ticketed, surcharged, late fee-ed, handling cost charged, and alas, we have ZERO power to even stay under a roof with a few lights on and a working oven.
They turn the lights out, and they repossess goods and furniture and cars.
Ya see, no matter which ten thousand here or a million there killed by Five Eyes and EuroTrashLandians, ten years ago? Twenty? THirty? This is the latest iteration of bleeding real time murdering.
Who was that great decider? George W. Bush? "I'm the decider, and I decide what's best," said the president.
The Decider in Chief is the Zyclon B Blinken and Company.
CJ: US airman Aaron Bushnell said the words “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal” before self-immolating in protest of the genocide in Gaza.
=================
Actually, Caitlan, and all, this has been what Gangster "nation" usa decided by the Founding Liars and it has never been any different than that.
OMG I had seen bombing watch parties (similar to US media's coverage of "shock an awe" in Iraq) but didn't know about the “demonstrators” bringing cotton candy machines and bouncy castles to create a fun, family-friendly atmosphere for their blockades to stop aid trucks from getting into Gaza." Another daily new low.
This is one of your most devastating pieces, Caitlin.
Today, one image said all your words to me, like one crossbow arrow fired deep into my brain. It was of a 10-year-old Gazan boy almost dead of malnutrition, his face a mask of death, there being barely any fat or muscle left under the skin to disguise that it was reduced to a skull seeking eternity. It was horrific, and it made me want to spit in the ugly faces of Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, and all the other effing sociopath money-shakers who inject these fake politician assholes with the funding that serves as their puppet strings and turns the sick imperialist engines of corporate crony Capitalism into pauperizing and murdering everything, everywhere. Omicidio di tutto, dappertutto.
Caitlin,
You have an uncanny ability to maintain a focus on the most important things, those that really matter.
Just a personal note, Caitlin. I’ve had no inspiration to paint for months. Then today, going through my email, I came upon a photograph of my hero, Rachel Corrie.
Voila! Inspiration! While I generally prefer cats, horses and pastorals, Rachel will be the subject of my next painting. I pray I can do her justice.
I want to believe that we can stop it, but it won't be by voting. Our government is NOT representative, it is oppressive and more interested in power games than anything else. Dr. John used the phrase "the apex predator" which chilled me.
Caitlin, here’s the thing. We DON’T have to choose between two genocidal candidates. It’s the fact that Amerikkkans are too stupid to realize that one CAN actually cast a vote for someone who doesn’t have a D or an R after their name.
People will sanctimoniously tell me that I’m “wasting my vote” for giving it to Jill Stein; to which I will reply, No, YOU’RE the one wasting your vote. Someone famous (was it Einstein? I’m sure someone here can identify this quote) once said something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
That’s the problem with ignorant Amerikkkans…voting for the same vile parties continuously and thinking, THIS time it’s gonna be hunky-dory.
You know that the empire has sooo many entities that profit from our murders. From fossil fuel peddlers, forever chemicals,Algie bloom causing,war profiteers,banks and hedgefunds etc... empire is a many headed tyrant that exists for the monetization and extraction of everything for profit. We can't shame it into ethical or humane behavior. It can't be reasoned with,bargained with or pleaded with. It is a winner take all sort of beast that is single minded in the pursuit of its dominance. It will sacrifice whomever or whatever it considers to be at the end of it's usefulness to its cause. For empire, every check on its ability to behave as it sees fit is a kind of existential threat to be quashed with prejudice. Hence the body count. Many folks no longer die from old age,they die from climate disasters,pollution,poverty,war and intentional famine. The young man is correct. This is how the ruling caste decides we will live and die. So, there is no way short of extreme violence to break its hold on this world. It's designed to be as difficult as possible to untangle it's myriad chains on us. We know what it's going to take to free ourselves and our loved ones from its wicked clutches. We just don't have the fortitude for a prolonged bloody struggle, that, for all the good it will accomplish,the people fighting the good fight will be hated and reviled by the population easily fooled.
EAT THE RICH!
it's the civilized thing to do.
That our ruling class not only stands idly by during an genocide in broad daylight*, but actively openly and directly assists, tells us all we need to need to know about the people who rule over us.
Remember this, every time they preach to us about how bad China and Russia are.
*Biden could stop it with a single phone call.
Thank You Caitlin
"The biosphere we depend on for survival being fed into a soulless profit-generating death machine because everything on our planet has been turned into a commodity."
So true. The sad truth.
Thanks, Caitlin for keeping Aaron Bushnell's supreme sacrifice of self-immolation alive. Just as we won't forget the Vietnamese Buddhist monk's self-immolation during the American war in Vietnam.
Yes, we are living in the age of the New Normal. A dystopia where Israel can invent a lie about UNRWA - to cover up the fallout from the ICJ " plausible genocide"- and the Western media run with it spreading it all over the world. And quick smart the governments of US/West make it an excuse to shut off aid to UNRWA, the only lifeline that kept Gazans from famine. Israel is good at killing two birds with one stone!
The reports that Israel IDF tortured the UN workers comes as no surprise. Whatever the zionist regime does won't be any surprise to us anymore. Nor would the total complicity of US/West.
I couldn’t listen to his video let alone watch. It’s sort of funny I reckon (not the video). I have been in double digit levels of violent encounters. I’m not anything like a cop or .mil guy. Most of my situations have been street and barrooms shake ups.
I can’t watch violent videos where innocent people get hurt. Well I can just fine if I deem them the recipients worthy. Got mad at some on the right about their less than well thought out responses about this young soldier.
Aaron Bushnell had a set on him. To pass it off as insanity broils my skin. And then Caitlin brings this up: “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal”
YES, this is what gripped me to the core when I watched the events of 2020 unfold. I knew I would never be the same because America could never go back. Aaron makes brilliant point on his way out. 🥺
The rules have been established by those who set them. It is up to us to find ways to circumvent them.
This is a boot stamping on a human face. Don't let it be forever.
Ahh, the great decider, who would that be? We just stop going to work? We have deputies who work for the rental unit management companies, for the car dealers, for the bill collectors in general.
We can't even take a step in this country, U$A, without being fined, fee-ed, tolled, taxed, code enforced, ticketed, surcharged, late fee-ed, handling cost charged, and alas, we have ZERO power to even stay under a roof with a few lights on and a working oven.
They turn the lights out, and they repossess goods and furniture and cars.
Ya see, no matter which ten thousand here or a million there killed by Five Eyes and EuroTrashLandians, ten years ago? Twenty? THirty? This is the latest iteration of bleeding real time murdering.
Who was that great decider? George W. Bush? "I'm the decider, and I decide what's best," said the president.
The Decider in Chief is the Zyclon B Blinken and Company.
https://paulokirk.substack.com/p/you-can-call-israeli-soldiers-monsters
CJ: US airman Aaron Bushnell said the words “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal” before self-immolating in protest of the genocide in Gaza.
=================
Actually, Caitlan, and all, this has been what Gangster "nation" usa decided by the Founding Liars and it has never been any different than that.
OMG I had seen bombing watch parties (similar to US media's coverage of "shock an awe" in Iraq) but didn't know about the “demonstrators” bringing cotton candy machines and bouncy castles to create a fun, family-friendly atmosphere for their blockades to stop aid trucks from getting into Gaza." Another daily new low.
This is one of your most devastating pieces, Caitlin.
Very good summary - thanks!