Happy Co-Dependence Day, America (Boiling Frogs)

 

Happy Co-Dependence Day, America

(Boiling Frogs)

by C.A. Matthews

The story goes that you can boil a live frog, but you have to go about it the right way or else the frog will jump out of the pot. So, you start with the frog not sitting in boiling water, but sitting in a nice, relaxing bath of lukewarm water instead. Then you slowly, slowly turn up the heat under the pot. Since the frog enjoys sitting in their mini-hot tub, they don’t react and just stay there, slowly falling asleep in the hot water until it’s too late. They boil alive.

Not a very pretty picture, is it?

The boiling frog analogy keeps coming to mind whenever I contemplate this past week’s 100 degree plus Fahrenheit temperatures and hazardous 300 air quality index forecasts in the continental US. Americans are definitely in the second frog scenario. We’re happy to sit and relax in our gradually warming hot tub until we’re boiled alive or choked on the dust and pollutants from firestorms. We’re not even trying to hop out of the pot.

Worst yet, we completely trust our boilers, that is, our corrupt status quo politicians. We let them do whatever they like—and they love to please their corporate masters. We all acknowledge that burning fossil fuels has caused this global warming that is, in turn, intensifying the forest fires in Canada and elsewhere.

But we boiling frogs are happy to let our rulers take lobbyists’ money and pass legislation to allow BP, Chevron, Exxon and all the rest to drill for more oil. We’re not fighting back. We’re not hopping out of the pot, even though they’re slowly killing us.

Americans are acting as foolishly as those fatalistic frogs sitting in a pot of boiling water.

What’s wrong with us, America? Did our so-called “Founding Fathers” raise a bunch of wimps? A bunch of collaborators with corporatists? A bunch of Stockholm Syndrome sufferers?

On July the Fourth, this our supposed “Independence Day,” we act like we’re okay with not being...well, independent.

Americans seem to enjoy force-fed propaganda from our government's own version of the dystopian novel 1984’s Ministry of Truth. We’re good listening to and accepting outright lies as long as we’re comfortable in our hot water bath that isn’t quite boiling—yet.

Whenever a politician on a cable news network says, “The economy is doing great!” we take him at his word although we’re struggling to pay bills. Like good little boiling frogs we’ll even consider voting for the idiot! No push back, no demand for him to stop gaslighting us—we’ve convinced ourselves that the status quo always knows what’s best for us, even when it knows jack-shit.

And trust the evil sycophants of the mainstream media to chime in and give their stamp of approval to every half-ass thing our billionaire-bought-and-owned public officials try to pull over on us. Just watch them as they never question these fallacious statements:

“War is peace!” the warmongers claim as the bodies of soldiers and innocent civilians pile up.

“We had to cancel the election/primary in order to save democracy!” the politicians state because they can’t risk an upstart entering the race who could overturn their apple cart of lobbyist money.

“The US has the best medical care in the world!” (That money can buy, that is. Big Pharma lobbyists gave Biden $41 million in 2020 to run for office. Don’t worry—they gave Trump $21 million!)

“What homelessness? What horrible rents?” say the status quo sycophants who have never been hungry or without a bed to sleep in and would never be caught associating with poor Americans who have experienced such a perilous situation.

These quasi-journalists can’t wait to soft pedal their interviews with bigwig politicos and make brownie points with the establishment so they, too, can become a permanent part of that bourgeoisie class. And boiling frogs—I mean, Americans—just keep eating these lies up.

What is wrong with us? Didn’t our ancestors 247 years ago tell British soldiers to get the hell off their land and let them be their own bosses? Americans of today seem to want others to do all the thinking for them, even if it means others’ thinking is boiling us alive. We apparently give no thought to how silly or mentally-incompetent we appear to others, either.

Observing videos of the protests and riots in France this past week, I’m impressed at how much the French don’t act like Americans. They don’t act like boiling frogs (no offense intended) waiting to be eaten. A young man of Algerian descent was killed by police in a suburb of Paris on Tuesday, and the response was explosive before the end of the week. 

There are fires and protests in every major city in France. Cars burning. Mayor’s mansions burning. Town halls burning. Police stations burning—as well they should. Seventeen year old Nahel's cold-blooded murder by police was part of a well-established pattern. In recent times, French police have arrested and killed persons of color at an alarming percentage compared to the majority white populace. No one in leadership has addressed this terrible issue. Perhaps now they will.

Three years ago, Americans marched and shouted “Black lives matter!” for a couple of months after the death of George Floyd and then stopped. Why? There are just too many deaths to mourn and protest. After a while they all start to blur together, don’t they? We just send our thoughts and prayers now and get back to sitting in our pot-shaped hot tubs like good little frogs waiting for the water to boil. 

Americans don’t stand up for themselves against the corrupt system. We don't want to cause our corporate masters any problems it seems. We don't burn nearly as many things as the French do, or the Belgians, or the Dutch, or the Swiss, or the...

Banks are burning in France.

Can you imagine Americans actually striking back at the bastards at BlackStone who have made it impossible for them to buy a home? I can hear the excuses now:

“Nah, we’re fine with the real estate investment mavens sticking it to us. We’ll just live in our mother’s basement for a few more years until our bankruptcy clears. Hopefully we’ll be able to save up enough money to afford a down payment on a tiny apartment. That is, if we don’t experience a medical emergency that wipes out all our savings before then.”

For pity’s sake, little froggies! Hop out of the pot before you boil and show some backbone!

https://stopcop.city/

Mercifully, not all Americans are afraid of their shadow. They do demonstrate courage. The brave protesters of Atlanta’s Cop City (Weelaunee Forest) aren’t acting like boiling frogs. They're in the streets and under the cops’ noses, making their point known. They won’t forget the senseless murder of Tortuguita, one of their own. And yes, the corporate-owned politicians (who have made millions of dollars off this Cop City scheme—don’t let them tell you otherwise) are instructing their bully boys in blue to arrest and charge the protesters with “domestic terrorism.”

Ha! What’s a charge of “domestic terrorism” to a warrior trying to save the planet from the “frog-boilers” of the police/military-industrial complex?

Americans have got to stop being such co-dependents before we cease to exist as a people. Face it—our government and its corporate henchmen don’t give a flying f*** about our collective health and well-being. They’re only in politics for the money. They figure they'll catch a ride on Bezos’ or Musk’s rocket later after they’ve completely destroyed the planet.

We’ve got to treat these villains like our ancestors treated the British soldiers on their soil: We fight them; we push back; we don’t take “no” for an answer. Take hints from the “domestic terrorists” at Cop City, the French, and others. It won’t be easy, but at least we will be choosing life over the slow boiling death these billionaire bastards have planned for us.

Happy Co-Dependence Day, America. Get yourselves out there and start acting like an American Revolutionary from 1776! Learn what true independence is all about. You know you want to, because now you realize you have to. There’s no excuse for us destroying our children’s future. It's time to free the frogs from the pot before it's too late.

Related Articles and Interesting Links: 

Sabby Sabs: MACRON'S FRANCE ON FIRE https://www.youtube.com/live/g8oNhXo2PhM 

Unbelievable Images of France Burning! https://youtu.be/2XV9MdrcNF8

‘Stop Cop City’ Week Of Action Day 5 https://popularresistance.org/stop-cop-city-week-of-action-day-5

Stop Cop City Week of Action Showed Movement’s Strength Amid Rampant Repression https://truthout.org/articles/stop-cop-city-week-of-action-showed-movements-strength-amid-rampant-repression

Mobilize the working class against French police murders and state repression! https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/01/mcrf-j01.html

Are Migrants Really Burning Down France? https://youtu.be/9p2HOVKvUIg 

Cities burn across France as cops assault protests against police murder of youth https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/06/30/ivwt-j30.html

As Movements Like Stop Cop City Gain Power, Police Treat Free Speech as a Crime  https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/29/as-movements-like-stop-cop-city-gain-power-police-treat-free-speech-as-a-crime/

FRANCE RIOTS: 40,000 Police Deployed by Macron, Cities on Fire
https://www.youtube.com/live/A8Brb73OpjE

France is at War with its own People https://councilestatemedia.substack.com/p/france-is-at-war-with-its-own-people

New Docs Link CIA to Medical Torture of Indigenous Children and Black Prisoners  https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/01/new-docs-link-cia-to-medical-torture-of-indigenous-children-and-black-prisoners/

UN Expert Demands Immediate Shutting Down of Guantanamo Prison, Apology to Inmates
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/06/27/un-expert-demands-immediate-shutting-down-of-guantanamo-prison-apology-to-inmates/

Mexico Refuses To Bow To US Sanction Threats
https://popularresistance.org/mexico-refuses-to-bow-to-us-sanction-threats/

PSOE-Podemos enforcement of EU “Let them drown” policy kills another 37 migrants in Spain
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/06/28/knlq-j28.html

Supreme Court Keeps Navajo Nation Waiting For Water
https://popularresistance.org/supreme-court-keeps-navajo-nation-waiting-for-water/

Breaking: Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action for Colleges
https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/29/breaking-supreme-court-ends-affirmative-action-for-colleges/

Systemic Racism and the US War Machine
https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/29/systemic-racism-and-the-us-war-machine/

US Supreme Court Strikes Down Student Debt Relief
https://popularresistance.org/us-supreme-court-strikes-down-student-debt-relief/

We can use stem cells to make embryos. How far should we go?
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/04/07/1071121/stem-cells-make-embryos-how-far-should-we-go/

The Latest Honest Government Ad: Labor (The Shit-Lite Party) https://youtu.be/fHB0vDhdM3c 

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

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Whatever This Is, It's Not A Democracy

 

Did Not Vote is a powerful majority. Why are their voices suppressed?

Whatever This Is, It's Not A Democracy

by C.A. Matthews 

Some folks running for office can tell their story much better than I can, so here's one in the candidate's (Matthew Hoh) own tweets: 

When the Democratic Party decided to go to war to try to push a disabled Marine combat veteran off the ballot, they should have known: we’re not going to back down from a fight for our democracy.

We will stand up and fight this outrageous corruption.

— Matthew Hoh for Senate (@MatthewPHoh) June 30, 2022

"In recordings and eyewitness accounts provided to the Green Party and the media, Democratic Party operatives falsely claimed to be representing the Green Party and even the Board of Elections as they bombarded our petition signers with deceptive claims. (This video link shows what happened.) https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/nc-green-party-claims-harassment-amid-pressures-to-be-removed-from-ballot/

"The decision to deny our ballot line comes after a massive voter intimidation campaign from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee aided by the Elias Law Group, targeting NC residents to pressure them to request their names be removed from our petition. https://www.matthewhohforsenate.org/hoh-slams-democratic-partys-voter-intimidation-campaign/

"At the @NCSBE meeting, the @NorthCarolinaGP's lawyer Oliver Hall of @voterchoice asked if there was any evidence why the NCGP's 15,953 verified signatures should not be certified. SBOE Chair Damon Circosta, 1 of 3 Democrats on the 5-member board, refused to answer the question...

"When the NC Green Party's lawyer Oliver Hall repeated that his only question was if there was any reason not to certify the Green Party petition, given NCGP's 15,953 verified signatures well exceeded the requirement, Chairman Circosta demanded the Green Party’s lawyer be muted.

"After silencing Attorney Oliver Hall, the only representative of the Green Party allowed in the meeting except for observers, the NC State Board of Elections proceeded to vote 3-2 against certifying the Greens’ ballot access petition, with all 3 Democrats voting No. 

 "Please watch yesterday's hearing where we were denied party certification by the NC State Board of Elections in a brazenly partisan manner. Most disturbing, among several concerns to me, was the lack of due process.  (This video starts where the vote to deny party certification begins.)  https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/State_Board_Meeting_Docs/2022-06-30/State%20Board%20of%20Elections%20Meeting-20220630%201300-1.mp4

 "Allegations that the Green Party committed fraud in the signature-collection process have come primarily from the ELIAS LAW GROUP, a FIRM THAT SERVES AS GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (DSCC)."

Watch some of the videos above (and below in the related links) and you'll get more of a feel at just how coordinated this effort at preventing the Green Party from having a senatorial candidate on the NC ballot is. Denying qualified candidates from having their names on the ballot without due process--under the cloud of possible illegal electioneering tactics by the DSCC's law firm--isn't what most honest Americans would expect living in a "democracy."  In case the NC State Board of Elections has forgotten what the word democracy means:

Free elections? The rule of the people is honored? The majority of Americans belong to the party called "Did Not Vote." Using bullying tactics via text, telephone calling, and actual door knocking by Democratic Party operatives to get NC voters to remove their names from Matthew Hoh's senate petition doesn't sound fair, does it? And yet, this unfair behavior is allowed because those currently in power in North Carolina (a.k.a. the Democrats)--who are backed by plenty of money from very powerful, very wealthy people (a.k.a the oligarchs)--want it to happen.

Competition during a very contested election year cannot be allowed by the Dems. In their opinion, the voters do not deserve to have choices at the polls. To quote our Australian friends from The Juice Media, makers of Honest Government Ads, the voters are expected to choose candidates from the "Shit Party" or from the "Shit Lite Party." And then voters are expected to shut up and put up with the whole stinky mess that voting for a "lesser evil" candidate causes.

You can see why the NC Democrats have gone to such extremes to keep Matthew off the ballot. Just by listening to him in the videos you can tell how intelligent and compassionate he is. He has served several tours of duty as a Marine and worked in the US State Department. He seems the ideal candidate--energetic, smart, experienced in government, and a true patriot. So, what's wrong with him? He won't take corporate money and lobbyists' dollars like the duopoly candidates do. He wants to represent the people--not Wall Street.

And the oligarchs can't have that, can they?

So, why won't the Dems even allow Matthew Hoh's name on the ballot for US senate as a Green Party candidate? Just let his name be on the ballot... Well, the biggest problem with that is the Democrats would have to campaign against him. And what bad things could they actually say about Matthew? Not much.

Consider this: How bad would it look for the Democrats to say disparaging things and make spurious claims in commercials and printed materials against a disabled veteran? A veteran who served his country and was wounded in the process… It would be pretty low behavior even by the dirty Dems' standards, the same party who openly screwed over Bernie Sanders in their 2016 and 2020 primaries.

Whatever this voting system we've got in this country is, it sure ain't a democracy.   

We The People who believe in democracy and fair play shouldn't allow stunts like this to happen. No political faction should be able to prevent third party or independent candidates from being on the ballot. Support Matthew's cause to get his case heard in time for him to appear on the NC ballot so voters there have a choice of one decent candidate for senate. Support the Green Party US so they can easily get their candidates on ballots everywhere.

Who knows? These types of shenanigans might be happening currently in your state, too. Why would you want voters stuck choosing between the two "lesser evil" choices? How will We The People ever hope to change the corrupt status quo and make the world a better place if we're stuck choosing between "Shit" and "Shit Lite" candidates? It's time to flush the dirty duopoly tactics down the drain forever!

Related Articles and Videos Links:

Blatantly Partisan: NC Green Part Candidate Slams State Dems For Denying Ballot Petition https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/07/01/blatantly-partisan-nc-green-party-candidate-slams-state-dems-denying-ballot-petition

Hoh Slams Democratic Party's Voter Intimidation Campaign https://www.matthewhohforsenate.org/hoh-slams-democratic-partys-voter-intimidation-campaign/

Dems Illegally Kick 3rd Party Off Ballot in North Carolina (video)  https://youtu.be/sn1nQCEr5JU

Matthew Hoh Joins JB (A very thorough video interview. JB asks some very good questions, and Matthew opens up on a variety of topics.)  https://youtu.be/kVmpl3OndEg

Court Concedes DNC Had The Right to Rig Primaries Against Sanders https://observer.com/2017/08/court-admits-dnc-and-debbie-wasserman-schulz-rigged-primaries-against-sanders/ 

What Would a Real Opposition Party of the People Do? https://scheerpost.com/2022/07/04/what-would-a-real-opposition-party-of-the-people-do/

Matthew Hoh for US Senate  https://www.matthewhohforsenate.org

Ballot Access Fund--North Carolina Green Party https://www.ncgreenparty.org/ballot-access-fund  

Seen on Twitter:

Either we live in:

1. A democracy where citizens can run and vote for candidates under whatever political party we want.

or

2. An oligarchy where 2 corporate controlled parties who can literally pick their nominees in a smoke filled back room dictate who can run for office.

— The Progressive Michigander (@Progress_Mich) July 1, 2022

Democrats just fought harder to kick a Green party candidate off the ballot than they’ve ever fought against Republicans. They make speech after speech about saving democracy as they’re actively destroying it by suppressing the people from having better choices at the ballot box.

— Ryan Knight ☭ (@ProudSocialist) July 1, 2022

What's being done to @MatthewPHoh, in North Carolina is a shameful act by the "Democratic" Party to deny the people of a candidate they will probably want to vote for... when Dems should be working on #ReproductiveRights.

If you want to help... please RT.https://t.co/DauEEfWnhl

— JustinBGreen (@JustinBGreen1) July 2, 2022

Democrats vs the Right: There’s nothing we can do, the parliamentarian said so!

Democrats vs the Left: We will do whatever it takes to destroy you. https://t.co/fUAWPPsyLs

— Matthew Hoh for Senate (@MatthewPHoh) July 3, 2022

Democrats are mistaken if they think kicking third parties off the ballot will help them win. There are a growing number of us who will not vote for a party whose sole purpose is to keep us trapped in this corrupt duopoly because it’s made them and their corporate donors rich.

— Ryan Knight ☭ (@ProudSocialist) July 2, 2022

😂

Once people see what the Democratic Party really is, it can never be unseen. https://t.co/E2G6ZSlIqW

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 2, 2022

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Thank you.

 

Would You Have Lunch With This Guy?

 

Would You Have Lunch With This Guy*?

by C.A. Matthews

*(The word "guy" here is being used in a Midwestern dialect way of indicating a neutral gender. It applies to all genders, as in the typical parent's statement: "What are you guys doing in there? Starting a world war?" "They/their/theirs" are also being used to indicate a singular pronoun in this article in a non-gender specific manner.)

Some voters agonize over their choices on the ballot. Others simply allow others to do all the thinking and choosing for them. Most lie somewhere in between, and this time out the agonizing seems to have edged out the other mindless method. This is a good and healthy move in the right direction, in my opinion. I'll explain why.

As many comedians have said in recent times: "Americans are routinely given the choice between Shit Sandwich #1 and Shit Sandwich #2 in their elections. Which one do you really wanna eat?"

Ugh. I wouldn't want to eat any sandwich with that as its filler. Would you?

Which leads me to presenting this simple way of making those agonizing voting decisions--I call it the "Would You Have Lunch With This Guy?" method of making up your mind. This method works equally well for deciding who you'd like to date, who you might want to eventually marry, or which person to pick to be on your work or school project. It goes as follows:

Close your eyes and picture a person/candidate you're interested in voting for (dating/working with) sitting across from you at lunch. It can be lunch at your favorite coffee shop, bistro, or your own kitchen table--wherever you feel the most comfortable. The lunch has been provided, so no stress there. The interruptions have been minimized and there's no outside interference allowed. You have this person's undivided attention, and they are ready to answer all your questions truthfully and without guile.  Ask them your questions and make note of their responses and then thank them for lunch and let them mentally depart.

Got it? Okay, open your eyes now and do some thorough research on the answers this person/candidate has given you. For political candidates, don't just go with one or two casual sources--and don't just go with the candidate's propaganda sources (i.e., their campaign staff and the mainstream media). Check out some good independent reporting resources such as The Real News Network,  The Grayzone, The Rational National, or The Humanist Report. In your mind's eye, did this candidate answer the same or differently than what has been documented about their policy positions in these publications/podcasts?

If the candidate answered differently in the past from what you imagined they'd tell you over lunch, do you think you might have "put words in their mouth" hoping they would come off better than they appear to be in reality? Did you really want them to be a decent human being, but the evidence isn't quite there? It's okay if you've caught yourself trying to make this guy a better person--less of a bore, less of a player, less of plagiarizer, less of a liar, cheater or blamer. It's a natural habit most of us have, trying to make others into something better than they really are so we can congratulate ourselves for being smart enough to vote for (or date/marry/work with) them. But, in the long run, you have to admit that it's not a wise move to let our habits guide us in these important decisions.

I assume that most realize putting words or ideals into a political candidate's mouth isn't going to serve us or our fellow citizens very well down the road. The candidate won't be able to live up to our lofty goals, and so we're bound to be disappointed. It probably okay to be disappointed if all we wished for is for our Town Hall to be painted purple, and the candidate ended up having it painted beige instead.  But if you desperately wished that a chosen candidate wouldn't start a senseless war to appropriate the oil, lithium, rare earth minerals or other resources from another country, and the guy goes right ahead and does that (because it makes Big Business and the Military-Industrial Complex happy and profitable), then that's a different story. Lives are at stake and lives--especially innocent ones--could be lost in starting a war or allowing violent conflict to ensue. These lost lives might include some of your loved ones.

Another thing to keep in mind is that once you've chosen a candidate (or slept with your date) you can't take it back. Uh-uh, it doesn't work that way. Remember the old adage: "Once they've got the milk for free, why would they buy the cow?" For political candidates this means that once the guy has gotten what they wanted out of you (you've cast your ballot for them) there's no reason for them to do anything else for you ever again. You have no leverage if you've given any candidate what they wanted (a vote or sex) for free. You cannot force them to change their mind or ways at this point.

Giving away your vote unwisely can prove problematic in many ways. Say you desperately want a particular candidate to modify their position on universal health care because you and your family are without any kind of health coverage. Why would a candidate give you and yours Medicare For All if the guy openly states they're going to veto any M4A bill that comes across their desk after they take office? Take the guy at their word--if they hate the idea of Medicare For All now, they won't support it later. You best bet is to move on and check out other candidates and vote for one whose platform matches your need for health care.

And don't be afraid to ask yourself this: Is this the guy I want to have lunch with in the first place? Be honest with yourself. Don't let others do your thinking for you. It's not their lives at stake here--it's yours. If you find another political candidate who answers your questions over "lunch" and in the media in a manner you agree with, perhaps this is the guy you should vote for and not your first pick. (Hint: There is a presidential candidate who supports Medicare For All and for ending of all wars for oil/resources. You can write this guy's name in if he's been blocked from your ballot, too. You're always free to think outside the "box" of the status quo. Don't be afraid to exercise your freedom!)

Another important area to consider whenever making a life-changing decision is long-term compatibility. You'll have to live with the results of your decision, and you'll want to make it a strong and lasting one to be proud of. So, would you have lunch with a guy who would do things you don't approve of for ethical or moral reasons? If not, then why would you vote for (date/marry/work with) this candidate?

If you can't even picture yourself sitting alone in a room with this guy long enough to have a casual business lunch, it should set off the warning bells in your brain right there. Is there a "creep factor" about this candidate? Do they have a history of sexual assault or physical/verbal/psychological abuse? Do they make you feel uneasy?

Be honest here: If you can't picture yourself having lunch with a person, then why would you feel comfortable having them represent you in government or potentially walk down the aisle with you or work with you to get ahead at work/school? Why would you want to link your destiny with theirs?

I hope these tips help you at the voting booth or while marking your absentee ballot (or deciding who to go on a date with or work with). If only more people were brutally honest with themselves and refused to fall for empty campaign rhetoric and the manipulations of others with decidedly different agendas, what a happier world it would be. We might even all enjoy a free lunch together sometime.

Bon appetit!

***

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons has reached the 50-state ratification threshold for entry into force. Its signatories have demonstrated their commitment to the elimination of the most dangerous weapons ever created, and their belief in the power of committed organizers working with international institutions to forge a path toward a safer, more peaceful world.

Beyond the Bomb recognizes that our fight is the same fight, our goal the same urgent, deeply consequential goal, and we applaud their achievements.

As more nations of the world add their voices to the chorus demanding the elimination of nuclear weapons, however, we recognize that it is the nuclear-armed countries — none of whom have signed the Treaty, and many of whom have publicly rebuked it — that must take the first steps down the path to zero. As long as these countries believe that nuclear weapons are essential for their security, no amount of external pressure will shake their commitment to maintaining their arsenals. But, as more and more people around the world take up the cause of delegitimizing these arsenals, we must hold nuclear-armed nations to account. The case must be made that not only are these weapons profoundly immoral and unacceptable, they are an urgent existential threat to national and human security.

As one of many in the fight to eliminate nuclear weapons and prevent nuclear use, Beyond the Bomb remains committed to working with the US public and policy makers to drive toward No First Use – a critical, trust building policy declaring that the US will not start a nuclear war. We believe a global norm of No First Use will facilitate the phased, verifiable elimination of all nuclear weapons and that the US is in a unique position to lead the way among nuclear-armed nations.

Disarmament is as ambitious a goal as it is an essential step to securing humanity’s future. Today, we celebrate the achievements of others in this fight and reinforce our commitment to the difficult work that lies ahead.

In solidarity,
Cecili and the Beyond the Bomb team

*** 

From JVP Action:

I saw the news that Elan Carr, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, was pressuring the State Department to slander trusted human rights organizations like Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International as antisemitic because of their work for Palestinian rights.

Make no mistake: this maneuver has nothing to do with Jewish safety. It’s straight out of Trump’s playbook – Carr is attempting to wield accusations of antisemitism as a weapon to undermine Palestinian activism for the administration’s political gain.

Help us send a message to Carr: drop this baseless and harmful claim, and focus on real antisemitism.

Put simply, Trump’s appointee is failing at his job. Rather than monitor and work to dismantle antisemitism worldwide, Carr is devoting his time and energy to attacking international human rights groups, falsely redefining antisemitism as support for Palestinian rights, and attempting to silence criticism of the state of Israel. 

If it wasn’t clear enough that Carr is focusing on the wrong things, the State Department’s virtual conference on antisemitism yesterday did not once address the machinery of white nationalist antisemitism and murderous violence against Jews.

We need to hold this administration accountable. Tell Elan Carr to stop these unfounded attacks and focus instead on dismantling real threats to Jewish safety. Human rights are too important. Palestinian lives are too important.

Carr’s definition of antisemitism is deeply flawed and collapses the Israeli government with the Jewish people. His argument hinges on the idea that alleged or perceived support for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions is antisemitic. This line of reasoning crops up time and time again, and we see it for the dangerous lie that it is. Every day, our community fights antisemitism and advocates for Palestinian rights, including through our support for BDS – it’s not only possible, but necessary. 

Please add your name now and share with others in your community who, like you, are committed to Palestinian rights and to dismantling antisemitism, alongside all forms of oppression.

Onwards,  

Rabbi Alissa Wise
Deputy Director

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We the People have the power!

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