Wow, I had no idea he was your Congressman. I posted his number on my News Roundup yesterday. I was shocked to hear what he said. I do not even know why I was shocked. I have seen plenty of US Congressmen, Senators, even US presidential candidates calling for genocide and ethnic cleansing. One crazy person was roaming the halls of of the Hill in an IDF costume. None of these people have been arrested.
As an American, I recognize my culpability to a degree. We should be more informed. But this system is overwhelming in how it pushes narratives. Most of us (I think most) would take the right path with the dispersement of clear information or visuals that would allow us to take a benevolent position. It’s so hard to know what is true without having firsthand knowledge!
The genocide from WW2 is the only genocide emphasized in school from a young age. It’s reemphasized every year … and then in media as well. The pervasiveness of this information we are ritually taught makes it seem like truth. Without firsthand experience what would trigger a feeling within me to change my mind?
Nevertheless, right now, the questioning is starting to happen for Americans with any conscience.
Joel, I don’t know how much you see on your nightly television news in the US about Palestine. There are lots of much better sources here for news, which could help you form a more balanced picture. Regarding the Near/Middle East, I would recommend Mint Press news, as well as Middle East Monitor and the Electronic Intifada. Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo, here, is another great resource. It’s also reassuring that you say that Americans with a conscience are waking up. I think that is happening all over the world, and when people become aware of the truth, they are unstoppable. Things will change for the better: I think that we are at the beginning of that process.
Thanks for your suggestions. I found Graystone incredibly informative. Chris Hedges report a must read. Juan Cole an authoritative MENA resource since I can remember. Bellingcat to a lesser extent, they’ll come with interesting reporting, but for some reason I find their Gaza reporting lacking.
'Ignorance leads to lies leads to corruption leads to death and destruction leads to selfishness and greed leads to atrocities and theft, and on and on.'
Well said points, Sean. When you think about it, having democracy in a society that's generally ignorant about what's actually going on and that can be easily manipulated by the system, is a dangerous form of democracy.
Hence, it's not enough to just have democracy in a society, we must also strive to ensure that society itself is properly educated, possesses critical thinking as well as a sufficient level of awareness.
Sean, thank you for this: the quote from Socrates reads like it could have been written last week, because it’s still as relevant. Here in the UK, we used to watch you in the US, essentially going through the charade every four years of voting for one branch or another of the same party (although the mad Orange one was a definite outlier; let’s hope that his vascular dementia advances to the state that he will be incapacitated). Sadly, though, here in the UK although we used to have a clear choice between the various political parties, and especially the two main ones, now the party of progressive causes (the Labour Party) has been taken over by a nasty little right wing faction and there isn’t much choice at our ballot box. Lots of people here will, I think, vote for the smaller parties, because they’re so disgusted at what is on offer. We also have the option here of spoiling our ballot paper, which I think many people might do. What’s important, as you allude to, is that we all exercise our democratic right to represent ourselves as best we can at the ballot box. Keeping oneself and others informed about local and international situations is a civic duty that not enough people take seriously.
Thanks. The thing that bothers me about Biden & Trump (beside fascism, genocide, macho bullshit, etc...) is that if either doddering fool dies in office, their VPs may be much more naive and stupid, and they'll be co-opted by legislative and bureaucratic fascists. Kamala Harris is a party hack, and the other is a football player (and we thought it bad when an actor entered the White House). It's apparent that fascism has reared its ugly head again, exactly like it did pre-WW2. When people say don't vote at all, that rubs me the wrong way.
He calls himself a devout Christian, how surprising . Media consolidation perpetuates our ignorance, even the paper of record is a sad read. The columnists are so predictable, I knew today’s paper would be a Kamalafest, all talk about our anointed queen. And Paul Krugman reminding us that yesterday’s market meltdown shouldn’t worry us.
From across the pond, even though Kamala is a party hack, she is infinitely preferable to the Orange Moron. Mainstream TV here has also gone Kamala-bonkers. For all her faults (and I have MASSIVE doubts about her being an honest broker there, especially regarding Palestine, she won’t be the mad freak that The Republicans are shamefully putting forward. I hope that she would be safer for the rest of the world. Also, the Orange Moron. is being uncharacteristically quiet - has his vascular dementia significantly advanced? Or perhaps his double incontinence has…
Wow, I had no idea he was your Congressman. I posted his number on my News Roundup yesterday. I was shocked to hear what he said. I do not even know why I was shocked. I have seen plenty of US Congressmen, Senators, even US presidential candidates calling for genocide and ethnic cleansing. One crazy person was roaming the halls of of the Hill in an IDF costume. None of these people have been arrested.
He, Stabenow, Peters, and their ilk are all traitors and an embarrassment to humanity.
I think everyone on Capitol Hill and in the Biden admin are guilty of genocide and should be treated as such. Where are the charges against them?
As an American, I recognize my culpability to a degree. We should be more informed. But this system is overwhelming in how it pushes narratives. Most of us (I think most) would take the right path with the dispersement of clear information or visuals that would allow us to take a benevolent position. It’s so hard to know what is true without having firsthand knowledge!
The genocide from WW2 is the only genocide emphasized in school from a young age. It’s reemphasized every year … and then in media as well. The pervasiveness of this information we are ritually taught makes it seem like truth. Without firsthand experience what would trigger a feeling within me to change my mind?
Nevertheless, right now, the questioning is starting to happen for Americans with any conscience.
Joel, I don’t know how much you see on your nightly television news in the US about Palestine. There are lots of much better sources here for news, which could help you form a more balanced picture. Regarding the Near/Middle East, I would recommend Mint Press news, as well as Middle East Monitor and the Electronic Intifada. Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo, here, is another great resource. It’s also reassuring that you say that Americans with a conscience are waking up. I think that is happening all over the world, and when people become aware of the truth, they are unstoppable. Things will change for the better: I think that we are at the beginning of that process.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Thanks for your suggestions. I found Graystone incredibly informative. Chris Hedges report a must read. Juan Cole an authoritative MENA resource since I can remember. Bellingcat to a lesser extent, they’ll come with interesting reporting, but for some reason I find their Gaza reporting lacking.
'Ignorance leads to lies leads to corruption leads to death and destruction leads to selfishness and greed leads to atrocities and theft, and on and on.'
Well said points, Sean. When you think about it, having democracy in a society that's generally ignorant about what's actually going on and that can be easily manipulated by the system, is a dangerous form of democracy.
Hence, it's not enough to just have democracy in a society, we must also strive to ensure that society itself is properly educated, possesses critical thinking as well as a sufficient level of awareness.
Sean, thank you for this: the quote from Socrates reads like it could have been written last week, because it’s still as relevant. Here in the UK, we used to watch you in the US, essentially going through the charade every four years of voting for one branch or another of the same party (although the mad Orange one was a definite outlier; let’s hope that his vascular dementia advances to the state that he will be incapacitated). Sadly, though, here in the UK although we used to have a clear choice between the various political parties, and especially the two main ones, now the party of progressive causes (the Labour Party) has been taken over by a nasty little right wing faction and there isn’t much choice at our ballot box. Lots of people here will, I think, vote for the smaller parties, because they’re so disgusted at what is on offer. We also have the option here of spoiling our ballot paper, which I think many people might do. What’s important, as you allude to, is that we all exercise our democratic right to represent ourselves as best we can at the ballot box. Keeping oneself and others informed about local and international situations is a civic duty that not enough people take seriously.
Thanks. The thing that bothers me about Biden & Trump (beside fascism, genocide, macho bullshit, etc...) is that if either doddering fool dies in office, their VPs may be much more naive and stupid, and they'll be co-opted by legislative and bureaucratic fascists. Kamala Harris is a party hack, and the other is a football player (and we thought it bad when an actor entered the White House). It's apparent that fascism has reared its ugly head again, exactly like it did pre-WW2. When people say don't vote at all, that rubs me the wrong way.
Thank you for this article!
Vote, no vote, evil lesser evil, and then the electoral college votes finalize the odyssey.
He calls himself a devout Christian, how surprising . Media consolidation perpetuates our ignorance, even the paper of record is a sad read. The columnists are so predictable, I knew today’s paper would be a Kamalafest, all talk about our anointed queen. And Paul Krugman reminding us that yesterday’s market meltdown shouldn’t worry us.
What is the sentence for being an accomplice to genocide ?
Historically? Death.
So all those support Benji Blowhard should get a death sentence 🤣
From across the pond, even though Kamala is a party hack, she is infinitely preferable to the Orange Moron. Mainstream TV here has also gone Kamala-bonkers. For all her faults (and I have MASSIVE doubts about her being an honest broker there, especially regarding Palestine, she won’t be the mad freak that The Republicans are shamefully putting forward. I hope that she would be safer for the rest of the world. Also, the Orange Moron. is being uncharacteristically quiet - has his vascular dementia significantly advanced? Or perhaps his double incontinence has…