Thursday, October 12: From Bad to Worse
How long will the west endorse genocide? As long as Palestinians are on the receiving end
Remember back in school when you learned about all the atrocities of western history and how average people back then seemed to be on the wrong side of history? You may have thought to yourself, 'Well I wouldn't have been. I would’ve opposed slavery, colonialism, genocide, Jim Crow, apartheid (the list goes on, but you get the idea).' Well friends, now's your moment. You can still choose to be on the right side of history!
For so many in the west, standing with colonizers isn’t just second nature, it’s muscle memory. I understand it can be a tough choice, choosing between standing with legendary freedom fighters like Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Angela Davis and their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, or choosing to stand with defenders of apartheid and one particularly moronic Netflix actor that thinks “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism”.
But contrary to popular belief, there aren’t two sides to this conflict. There is only one occupation, a system of apartheid being enforced by one side, and a total war that continues to devastate the infrastructure and civilian population of one people. The health ministry in Gaza announced earlier today that, “the health system has begun to collapse.” There are no more hospital beds available, and the number of injured has exceeded the hospital’s clinical capabilities, even with some of the injured being treated in hallways.
Choosing to support the Palestinian struggle doesn’t equate to a blank check for Hamas or hatred of Jewish people, it’s simply accepting that the people in Gaza also deserve to live. But even this seems too much to ask for so many in the western world. Just yesterday Joe Biden, the confused grandfather nobody asked for, repeated and amplified the propaganda about beheaded babies in Israel. Biden actually said, “I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed, pictures of terrorists beheading children.” Of course a white house spokesperson eventually clarified that American officials and the president haven’t seen any such pictures or confirmed these reports independently, but who needs to authenticate information anymore? It’s so much easier to villainize and dehumanize when we choose to believe the propaganda coming from Israel.
Meanwhile, politicians like Lindsey Graham took a break from cosplaying as a public servant and caked on his makeup for a Fox News appearance where he declared that “We’re in a religious war here, I’m with Israel, do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.” The ‘place’ he’s referring to is Gaza, and in calling for Israel to ‘level’ it, he’s openly advocating for genocide. I’m still unclear on who the ‘We’ is that Graham references, as I’ve never understood him to be a fighter, more of a complainer.
If you don’t feel confident or comfortable in your knowledge of this ongoing struggle against oppression, there’s no shortage of coverage to help educate yourself. This 3 and a half minute video provides a clear idea of just how one-sided this conflict truly is, and the human toll it’s having in Gaza. Sadly, coverage from Gaza is becoming nearly impossible to report, as phone and internet services are collapsing. This is a nightmare, not just for people in Gaza but for the truth, which will be intentionally blacked out by the apartheid state. If seeing and hearing from sources on the ground isn’t enough, several organizations have made it free and accessible to educate yourself. Claiming ignorance is no longer a legitimate excuse.
The good folks over at Haymarket Books have re-emphasized their commitment to educating anyone interested in learning more about the context of what has been happening in Palestine for decades. They released the following statement this week:
“Now as ever, we recognize the root cause and ongoing perpetrator of violence in Palestine to be Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid, and we stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for freedom. We also believe that books, as tools for education, analysis, combatting misinformation, and inspiration, have a vital role to play in the global Palestine solidarity movement. In that spirit, we’ve made three crucial books free to download:”
I urge anyone reading this who still feels unclear on why Palestine is worth defending to educate yourself instead of falling into the outrage trap set by our elected officials. If you’re struggling to find helpful resources, let me know, I’ll be more than happy to help point you in the right direction. Stand with Palestine, end the occupation, and end the apartheid.
Side Items
Auto Workers Strike Continues: The United Auto Workers union stepped things up yesterday when 8,700 workers walked off the job at Ford’s truck plant in Kentucky. This surprise strike expansion took down the largest and most profitable Ford plant on the planet! This particular factory specializes in producing F-Series pickup trucks and large Ford and Lincoln SUV’s, but it appears they’l have to take a break from the gas guzzlers to reconsider how they treat their workers