Saturday, December 16: 90 Journalists in 70 Days
At this point we really could've just gotten Trump's 2nd term out of the way
It’s pretty neat that our president thinks that funding and engaging in genocide and replicating Trump-era policies are worth losing reelection. I just love being led by a withering old husk of a man, lacking both conscience and coherence while his shameless and idiotic apologists offer nothing of even rhetorical value. This is my favorite part of imperial decline.
Yesterday the Israeli military, equal parts genocidal and incompetent, managed to kill three Israeli hostages during its ongoing ground operation in Gaza. The Israeli troops allegedly stumbled upon the hostages and erroneously identified them as a threat, which is to say they probably thought they were unarmed Palestinian civilians who they could murder without consequence. The Israeli hostages were shirtless and waving a white flag when they were shot, according to an IDF official who called the killings a violation of IDF’s rules of engagement. So, to be clear, the Israeli rules of engagement dictate that shooting at unarmed people who pose no threat is kosher, but only when they’re non-Israeli.
A military spokesperson said it was unclear if these hostages had escaped their captors or simply been abandoned, but either way the result is the same. The valuable hostages that the apartheid state claims as its motivation for rampaging through Gaza were met with the same fate as 20,000+ Palestinian martyrs. These hostages survived more than two months in captivity and were killed the second they crossed paths with the Israeli troops supposedly sent there to save them. To be clear, you can’t possibly mistake unarmed hostages trying to escape as targets unless you’re already indiscriminately killing civilians, which the Israeli military is obviously doing.
The apartheid state hasn’t slowed down in the slightest in its targeting of journalists and anyone working to bring the truth to the wider world. Yesterday it was Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Samer Abudaqa who was killed and his colleague Wael Al-Dahdouh wounded in an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. These journalists were attacked as they attempted to report on an Israeli strike on the Farhana school in Khan Younis (a war crime). This wasn’t incidental violence, Samer lay bleeding for over 5 hours. He called for help, but no one could get to him. In fact, 3 first responders died alongside him. He tried to move to safety, but an Israeli drone targeted him a second time.
Samer Abudaqa was not collateral damage. He was specifically targeted by an apartheid regime that insists on extinguishing the lives of anyone brave enough to document their crimes. Wael Al-Dahdouh returned to work after receiving medical attention, promising to continue reporting on what’s happening until his last breath. In any honorable society, this man would be rewarded for his unfathomable bravery and commitment, but in all likelihood he knows he’ll be murdered by apartheid forces sooner or later.
The US and its incompetent leadership has chosen to paint itself into the worst kind of corner, funding and supporting a genocide with absolutely no control over how it unfolds or when it ends. That’s how we wind up with incomprehensible word salads like this from national security adviser Jake Sullivan: “There is no contradiction between saying the fight is going to take months and also saying that different phases will take place at different times over those months, including the transition from the high-intensity operations to more targeted operations.” I say this with all due disrespect: whomst’s man is this??
Side Items
Homelessness Jump: The US experienced a 12% jump in homelessness over the past year, with approximately 653,000 people experiencing loss of housing, the most since this country began recording annual measurements back in 2007. The increase is mainly attributed to soaring rent prices and the disappearance of coronavirus pandemic assistance programs which put housing out of reach for many Americans. An expert in the field said, “The most significant causes are the shortage of affordable homes and the high cost of housing that have left many Americans living paycheck to paycheck and one crisis away from homelessness.” But don’t worry my friends, I’m sure there’s a new luxury apartment complex being built just down the street from you as we speak
Killer Cop Turned Judge: This article tells the story of John Poulos, a Chicago cop who is running for judge in Cook County as a democrat, despite having killed two Black men during his time on the force. These shootings resulted in a total of ~$2 million in legal settlement payments from City Hall to the victims families, as well as the tragic and needless loss of life. The fact that a murderous bozo like this can even legally run for office is an indictment against the political system in this country