How Much Is A Child’s Life Worth?

How Much Is A Child’s Life Worth?

by C.A. Matthews

 

Editor’s Note: On January 17, 2024, the Toledo (Ohio) City Council once again tabled voting on a Ceasefire in Gaza Resolution. More than one hundred days into the incessant bombing and bulldozing of Gaza, and the Toledo City Council (TCC) can’t make up its mind whether it wants to denounce the genocide of the Palestinians or not.

What’s the deal? After an intense email campaign flooded all twelve of the TCC members’ inboxes, the vote on the ceasefire resolution has been put off for a later time. We’ve been told this tabling of the motion (by its original proposer) has been done “in hope of persuading the hold-outs” to vote in favor of it. With many cities in the US, including an inconsequential metropolis located 40 miles north of Toledo called “Detroit”, passing resolutions condemning the genocide and calling for solidarity with the Palestinian people, what (or rather who) on earth could be causing a half-dozen plus Toledo City Council Members to lean toward the side of backing the genocidal Israeli government?

Our organizers for this email campaign have told us to continue politely emailing and calling these TCC members for the next two weeks until the tabled resolution comes up again for a vote, but I’ve had it. My patience is gone with those who think a genocide is “no big deal” or that “there’s two sides to every issue.” Sorry, but no. When it comes to genocide, there isn’t a “pro” side unless you’re an outright sociopath. I wrote a polite and fact-filled email earlier in the week, but apparently it didn’t touch the naysayers’ hearts, or whatever they have instead of an organ of empathy.

I can’t trust myself to write another “polite email” (or ten) again, so I’ve decided to write my email into a blog post instead. This letter would be what I would send to the Toledo City Council Members if I could, but I won’t send it and jeopardize this resolution’s chance of passing just to vent my frustration. At least I’ll have a few things off my chest, which might help me refrain from spitting in their faces the next time I see any of them in person. Here goes...

Dear Council Member:

You may not remember my email from this past week among the many hundreds of emails on this topic that flooded your inbox, so allow me to jog your memory.

I’m an immigration advocate, writer/editor, and mother. In my line of work, I’ve seen up close how devastating ethnic cleansing can be for an individual, the same kind that is happening currently to the Palestinians in Gaza. I can empathize with just how terrifying it is not to be able to help your friends and family who are stuck in the middle of the IDF carpet bombing. One small demonstration of support by the Toledo City Council by passing this ceasefire resolution could go a long way in showing the local Palestinian/Arab American community that the city truly cares about them and their families.

 All you as a Council Member have to do is vote yes on the Ceasefire in Gaza Resolution that was proposed. Why is this simple, yet compassionate, act so difficult for you to understand? Your silence speaks volumes. 

It was brought to my attention that a former Council Member has been causing you some confusion. I must say that I am confused by his actions, too, as he no longer lives in the city, but rather he lives in a small, mostly white, affluent suburb located to the northwest of Toledo. Why Toledo City Council allows persons who live outside the city limits to tell them what to do and how to vote on a resolution was a mystery to me until I learned more about this individual.

Mr. Smith* apparently has a lot of rich, powerful friends in the county. I see now how he controls your votes. Although he currently lives in another city, he still thinks he and his gang can tell the Toledo City Council what to do. As we all know, Toledo is no longer as affluent as it once was and is no longer mostly white, either. Mr. Smith in his earlier remarks espoused a Zionist political philosophy, one that is known for its racism against all people of color, Palestinians in particular. It seems probable Mr. Smith doesn’t support a ceasefire because he wants the genocide to continue until all Gazans are dead and the next phase of driving out any remaining Palestinians in the West Bank can begin. Perhaps he is hoping that a similar ethnic cleansing operation could make Toledo “mostly white” again one day? Who knows what lurks in Zionists' hearts?

I’m certain Mr. Smith couches his approval of the Israeli genocide in flowery terms, but the fancy verbiage doesn’t hide the cold hard facts: There are an estimated 100,000 human beings missing, maimed, or dead in Gaza, 12,000+ of them children. Over 700,000 are without food or drinkable water as of today. I’m assuming that you don’t personally feel that toddlers and newborns are “hardened terrorists” like most Zionists do. In that case, you’d agree with me that Palestinian children aren’t guilty of any “crimes” whatsoever. So, if Palestinian children are innocent of any crimes, why should they be punished—or in this case murdered by carpet bombing and the withholding of food and potable water—for actions in which they cannot be held responsible for in the first place?

Wouldn’t calling for a ceasefire to end the hostilities so both sides can sit around the negotiation table and work things out be a good thing to do for the sake of the children? Wouldn’t Toledo City Council backing a Ceasefire in Gaza Resolution help encourage public opinion to demand these negotiations begin and the killing stop? Wouldn’t it show how much Toledo stands in solidarity with innocent Palestinian children and civilians in general? Aren’t children’s health and safety worthy of your time and consideration, so much so that you’d vote yes on the ceasefire resolution today if you could?

To put it another way: How much is a child’s life worth to you, Council Member?

If you’re still siding with a wealthy, white suburbanite who wants the massacres to continue in Gaza, then you’re telling me and the world that you don’t really place much worth on the life of any child—a child of color in particular. A child of color who resides in either in Gaza or Toledo. Brown or Black lives aren’t worth a whole lot to you is what refusing to vote yes on the ceasefire resolution says to me. 

Essentially, you’ve placed a price tag of $0 on these children’s heads. Whether they live or die is of no importance to you. I personally find your callous disregard for the lives of children disgusting.

I’m sure Mr. Smith and his friends (who after all live in a very well-to-do suburb in the same county as the city of Toledo) can write some pretty big checks come election campaign time. I’m also certain that your county political party machine relishes those big fat checks. I'm sure your party leaders have warned you to never do anything that could drive away those big campaign donations on pain of political death, no doubt. So, even if you won’t answer the question, “How much is a child’s life worth?” you've given us all the answer.

 A child’s life isn’t worth your political career, obviously.

This can mean only one thing—your political career must be terminated so that children may live.

I know you’ll take exception to my reasoning, but what else have you given us to go on? A reasonable request to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire of the bombing of innocent civilians in Gaza is being ignored. There has to be something causing you as Council Member to not enthusiastically support saving children’s lives—any child’s life, no matter what color he/she is or where the child lives. And that something must have something to do with what Mr. Smith and his rich suburbanite friends have that you so desperately want—money. 

Rich people use money as a threat or an incentive to get what they want frequently. I’ll have to assume they’ve threatened that the big checks will stop dropping into your party's campaign war chests if you don’t do as you’re told and vote down the ceasefire resolution. To quote a few outspoken audience members at the last council meeting: “Spineless.” “Cowards.”

A child’s life (whatever his/her color) is of infinite worth in case you didn’t know. I don’t know if you’re a parent or grandparent or have never even held a baby in your arms in your life before, but know this: A child’s life is worth far more than any damn campaign contribution. Spineless cowards like you have put a price tag of $0 on their heads in order to stay in office. Proud of yourself? Putting your political career above the chance of standing in solidarity with others who wish to save innocents’ lives in Gaza. 

What a “neighborly” thing to do, Toledo! And we belong to the so-called “Welcoming City” organization, too. Ha ha ha!

You seem to forget, Council Member, that Palestinian Americans can and do vote and that Arab Americans/Muslim Americans make up a good percentage of voters in Lucas County. They're well paid professionals just like your friend Mr. Smith and his group, too. They will be writing big checks to your political opponents from now on. Your refusal to vote yes on the Ceasefire in Gaza Resolution will mean the end of your political career after all.  

Ironic, isn’t it? I can’t wait for the day when your cowardice catches up with you.

Sincerely yours,

A Fed-Up Voter For Peace & Justice

*Not his real name, but you probably know someone just like him.

Related Articles and Interesting Links: 

Thousands of Babies Being Born Into 'Hell' in Gaza, Says UNICEF https://www.commondreams.org/news/women-babies-gaza

On Parenthood and Genocide https://inthesetimes.com/article/gaza-genocide-children-israel-palestine-mother 

Israel Forcing Palestinians to Starve “Just Miles From Trucks Filled With Food”   https://truthout.org/articles/israel-forcing-palestinians-to-starve-just-miles-from-trucks-filled-with-food/

Palestinian Women and Children Don’t Deserve to Die in Gaza. Neither Do Men. https://truthout.org/articles/palestinian-women-and-children-dont-deserve-to-die-in-gaza-neither-do-men/  

St. Louis’s Ceasefire Resolution Is a Testament to Black-Palestinian Solidarity  https://truthout.org/articles/st-louiss-ceasefire-resolution-is-a-testament-to-black-palestinian-solidarity/

‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 105: Israel destroys Gaza’s last university as Netanyahu doubles down on rejection of a Palestinian state https://mondoweiss.net/2024/01/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-105-israel-destroys-gazas-last-university-as-netanyahu-doubles-down-on-rejection-of-a-palestinian-state/

Israel’s war on Gaza live: No ‘deliberate’ war crimes by Israel, says US  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/19/israels-war-on-gaza-live-us-support-for-israel-ironclad-despite-rebuff

Palestinians welcome Chile and Mexico’s call for ICC probe into Gaza war https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/19/palestinians-welcome-chile-and-mexico-call-for-icc-probe-into-gaza-war

Israeli Military Chief Says Lebanon War Likely in Coming Months
https://news.antiwar.com/2024/01/18/israeli-military-chief-says-lebanon-war-likely-in-coming-months/

5 Radical Martin Luther King Quotes Fox News Would Hate
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/notthatkindofchristian/2024/01/5-radical-martin-luther-king-quotes-fox-news-would-hate

Senate Kills Sanders Resolution Requiring Biden to Report on Israeli Human Rights Conduct in Gaza https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-resolution-gaza

Western racism laid the foundations for Israel's genocide in Gaza https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/western-racism-laid-the-foundations

Has Israel Lost its Right to Exist? https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/has-israel-lost-its-right-to-exist

Patrick Lawrence: This Is Not Another ‘Phoney War’ https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/19/patrick-lawrence-this-is-not-another-phoney-war/

Biden, Israel’s accomplice in Gaza, pretends to be a bystander https://www.aaronmate.net/p/biden-israels-accomplice-in-gaza

How Israeli forces trapped and killed ravers at the Nova Festival
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/how-israeli-forces-trapped-and-killed-ravers-at-the-nova-festival

Switzerland says Israel President subject of criminal complaints at Davos  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240119-switzerland-says-israel-president-subject-of-criminal-complaints-at-davos/amp/

Technicality Could Sink Genocide Case v Israel https://consortiumnews.com/2024/01/17/technicality-could-sink-genocide-case-v-israel

Indonesia Files Lawsuit Against Israel At World Court https://popularresistance.org/indonesia-files-lawsuit-against-israel-at-world-court/

Cuba Proposes Non-Aligned Movement Support Urgent Dispatch Of Protection Mission To The Gaza Strip https://popularresistance.org/cuba-proposes-non-aligned-movement-support-urgent-dispatch-of-international-protection-mission-to-the-gaza-strip/

Can the US Please Stop Supporting Genocidal Nazis? https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/can-the-us-please-stop-supporting

The Biden Administration's Absurd Justification For Its Yemen War https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-biden-administrations-absurd

Ohio Pastor Charged for Opening Church to Homeless People in Freezing Weather https://www.commondreams.org/news/ohio-pastor

One year after the toxic train derailment, is East Palestine (Ohio) safe? Depends on whom you ask. https://grist.org/accountability/is-east-palestine-safe-depends-who-you-ask/

COVID-19 has killed more than 7 million people since 2020 https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/01/13/covid-19-has-killed-more-than-7-million-people-since-2020/

Global 1% own 43% of financial assets, 5 richest billionaires doubled wealth while 5 billion workers got poorer https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/01/18/billionaires-richest-doubled-wealth-poorer-oxfam/
 

Some videos well worth watching:

Palestine in 1920 https://youtu.be/QUCeQt8zg5o?si=juKUncu86IoJLr2-

Are We The Baddies? (A History of US Empire)
https://youtu.be/ooMCvGlbbc4?si=wdFvdUxzzsM7i0Bu

South Park's take on Israeli propaganda: https://twitter.com/AdameMedia/status/1747953750403084674

Miko Peled interviews Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party candidate
https://youtu.be/rgIMHAJlPVM?si=x_hFcYMQjscVA0H8

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Blogspot isn't working as well as it once did (Is it blatant censorship? Who knows?!) so it's time to migrate to a better platform. Go to https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/ and click on one of the stories and subscribe at the link at the end of the article. You'll enjoy having each week's post automatically sent to your email box or reading it at the Substack site. Many thanks for your consideration.

Marching Toward Justice

https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-complicity-gaza

Marching Toward Justice

by C.A. Matthews

No justice. No peace!
Know justice. Know peace!

I wore an orange jumpsuit and a black hood over my head this past Thursday (January 11) for two hours. I, along with a couple dozen activists, marched around our county courthouse chanting the above chant as well as many others concerning justice, freedom, and for the end of unjust detention and torture. Ours and many other protests worldwide this week marked the twenty-second anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, an extrajudicial prison operated by the US military that has held hundreds of men, many without charge, for the past 22 years.

(I’m carrying the “Close Guantanamo” sign in this video https://www.facebook.com/reel/1434577297270587)

There are currently thirty souls still detained at Guantanamo, sixteen of whom were supposed to have been released many years ago, but they haven’t been because the US simply doesn’t release these individuals to go back to their homes and families. They are only released to other countries that are willing to lock them up again behind bars or keep a close eye on them. You’re not really being “freed” if you’re simply placed into another prison or detention set-up without a trial and without a chance to see your family again, are you?

There are many parallels between the detainees of Guantanamo and the detainees of the open-air concentration camp known as Gaza. You can learn a lot (I sure did) from the following webinars. I recommend you watch them and share the links with others. Together, we can pull down the walls of unjust detention and tear down the torture chambers that have been built with US taxpayer dollars and used to destroy others in our names.

From Guantánamo to Gaza: Resisting State Violence and Occupation https://www.youtube.com/live/X9A9xUKXUpY?si=OapW7b5gqocTxLib

From Guantánamo to Gaza: Where Do We Go From Here?
https://youtube.com/live/aPxHKEjmCuw

If you feel so moved, please donate to the Guantanamo Survivors’ Fund. If and when a detainee is finally released, he receives no help in making the transition from imprisonment to life outside. He's given no money, no housing, no clothing, and no medical help to deal with his trauma of both mind and body. Please give generously if you’re able and share the link with others.

No justice. No peace.

And since I’m sharing video links, here are some well worth a look. These are the testimonies given at the International Court of Justice at The Hague by legal representatives from the Republic of South Africa and from the state of Israel this past week. The case presented by South Africa is well argued and, without a doubt, revealing of the true natures of Israel's leaders. The South Africans very wisely didn’t state that “Israel is calling for a genocide”—they simply quoted Israeli officials who openly called for the “elimination” or “complete annihilation” of the Palestinian people or the “human animals” of Gaza as the Israeli Defense minister named them. Their own hideously racist words will damn them. 

Day 1 of SA v Israel on Genocide at World Court
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/01/10/watch-day-1-of-sa-v-israel-on-genocide-at-world-court/

22-Minute Speech Details Israeli Officials' Genocidal Statements at ICJ https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-genocidal-statements-2666930604

It doesn’t take much to convince the public that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people when Israeli leaders are openly declaring that it’s what they’re in fact doing. But will the judges rule that a “potential for genocide” is indeed happening in Gaza?

In a perfect world, a ruling would be announced right away, but it will probably be two or three weeks (or more) until the world hears back from the ICJ justices. It is a very biased and political court  from what I’ve learned. Judges from countries that have had similar charges made against them in the past might not want to judge Israel guilty of the same crime in fear it could come back and bite their country at some point. The ICJ in reality, however, has little to no "bite" and no way to hold countries accountable for their war crimes, alas. Politics trumps justice in this imperfect world.

No justice. No peace. 

And now for our third story concerning the march toward justice this past week, The National March on Washington for Gaza (livestreamed in its entirety via BreakThrough News.)

 
“No country that supports genocide will ever flourish! ...Take a look at our irrational relationship with Israel!”-- Sh. Yasir Qadhi, a speaker at the March

“I don’t feel safe as a Palestinian.” – Anees, a Palestinian-American artist reading his poem in front of 400,000 people at the March

Biden, Biden you can’t hide! You’re supporting genocide!
Your silence is a license for Israeli violence!
We will free Palestine...within our lifetime!
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

I wish I could have attended the massive National March on Washington for Gaza this past weekend, but the march around the courthouse in the cold and damp earlier in the week was about all my old body could take for a while. The buses from our city heading toward DC were full, so I knew we would be well represented there.

Independent journalists broadcast live coverage on You Tube of all the rally speakers and the march to the White House to let “Genocide Joe” know that the majority of Americans want an end to the bombing of Gaza and a permanent ceasefire. BreakThrough News was the only media group that I could find online that followed all the events of the day. Once again, the American mainstream media purposefully ignored an anti-genocide/pro-Palestinian event in the nation’s capital in order to suppress its message and public knowledge of its large turn out.

Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!

 

Speakers expressed their disgust and sheer horror at how the Biden’s administration continues to ignore the plight of the Palestinians and send even more weapons to Israel. How anyone could ignore the mass murders of so many civilians (now estimated at 30,000+ lives lost with 12,000 of those deaths being children’s) brought forth stern commentary using straightforward terminology. Biden and Secretary of State Blinken were painted as despicable, morally bankrupt, and explicitly complicit in the genocide against the Palestinian people.

That the Democratic Party even entertains the notion that Biden is a viable candidate after this and similar American rallies over the past three months demonstrates that they’re not really serious about keeping the White House. Perhaps that’s the plan of the oligarchy after all—to pass off control of the Executive Branch to the Republicans as a distraction from what’s really happening in the world at the expense of the struggling classes. 

 

The oligarchs probably believe that most Americans can't tell there are no actual differences between the two establishment factions. We are easily fooled. But on-the-street interviews during the march to the White House give evidence to the fact that the protesters know they have a choice in the voting booth. Some expressed their support for the Green Party’s Jill Stein, one of the speakers at the pre-march rally.

Dr. Stein was in good form. Wearing shades of blue, the wind blowing through her silver-white hair, she boldly proclaimed to the crowd as she took the stage, “I see power! I see justice! I see democracy as far as the eye can see!” She ended with, “You have the power! Remember, we have the power to change history. Together we are unstoppable!” Jill is collecting names for a pledge demanding an end to the genocide at her campaign web site now: https://www.jillstein2024.com/pledgetostopgenocide

You can watch Jill Stein's speech here: https://youtu.be/ooUatY8IATc?si=UFqvmOq6kQEgh6gu 

The solidarity of the different groups of marchers was lovely to see. A young activist said of Joe Biden when asked why the president continued to send money and arms to Israel: “It’s not the eyes that are blind; it’s the heart that is blind.” “(Biden is) an excuse of a president,” another marcher told a reporter with BreakThrough News. “We are tired of being second class citizens in our own country.”

Very telling comments on this, the weekend of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. If Dr. King were alive today, no doubt he would have gone to DC and marched, proudly carrying a Palestinian flag.

“There’s no turning back,” said Liane, an activist with the Shut It Down For Palestine Coalition as she stood outside of the White House’s double-fence in the bitter cold after sunset. “Biden has lost legitimacy. No one running in either of the two parties has any legitimacy. Consciousness has been raised.”

Well said. It’s impressive how well-informed activists are and how they aren’t swallowing the pro-Zionist propaganda put out by the government. They're fighting back, speaking out, and naming names. They understand they have options, choices in the polling booth. Jill Stein, a strong pro-Palestine/anti-genocide candidate for the presidency, is one of them.

There is no justice and no peace yet for the beleaguered people of Palestine, but at least there is some hope on the horizon. And so we will continue marching on toward justice.

Related Articles and Interesting Links

The National March on Washington for Gaza, January 13, 2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/MCNrimImrH0?si=MAWHW7ZQfOj8XM4X

Chris Hedges: The Case for Genocide https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/12/chris-hedges-the-case-for-genocide/

Genocide is not a political problem. It is a moral one. We cannot, no matter what the cost, support those who commit or are accomplices to genocide. Genocide is the crime of all crimes. It is the purest expression of evil. We must stand unequivocally with Palestinians and the jurists from South Africa. We must demand justice. We must hold Biden accountable for the genocide in Gaza.

‘The Evidence of Genocide Is Not Only Chilling, It Is Also Overwhelming and Incontrovertible’
https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/12/the-evidence-of-genocide-is-not-only-chilling-it-is-also-overwhelming-and-incontrovertible/

What Israel Faces at The Hague
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/01/10/what-israel-faces-at-the-hague/

South Africa’s Impassioned Plea to Stop Israel’s Genocide https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/12/south-africas-impassioned-plea-to-stop-israels-genocide/

Your Man in the Hague (in a Good Way).
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/01/your-man-in-the-hague-in-a-good-way/

US and UK Bomb Yemen, Israel's Pathetic Defense at the International Court of Justice, and More
rumble.com/v46nujl-us-and-uk-bomb-yemen-israels-pathetic-defense-at-the-international-court-of.htm

Give to the Guantanamo Survivors Fund https://www.nogitmos.org/guantanamo-survivors-fund

An Ex-CIA Agent Looks Back at 22 Years of Torture at Guantánamo Bay https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/10/john-kiriakou-22-years-of-terror-at-guantanamo-bay/

Accountability and Legacy at Guantanamo: Some Progress, Still A Long Way to Go https://www.justsecurity.org/91156/accountability-and-legacy-at-guantanamo-some-progress-still-a-long-way-to-go/

Gaza crisis: another hospital facing dire shortages, warns WHO
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145332

 

Screams without proof: questions for NYT about shoddy ‘Hamas mass rape’ report https://thegrayzone.com/2024/01/10/questions-nyt-hamas-rape-report/

Pro-Palestinian household targeted with bomb in Sydney, Australia
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/01/10/sohf-j10.html

Westerners Have An Absolutely Psychotic View Of Airstrikes https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/westerners-have-an-absolutely-psychotic

Western Empire Bombs Yemen To Protect Israel's Genocide Operations In Gaza https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/western-empire-bombs-yemen-to-protect

US and UK launch war against Yemen https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/01/12/vgxz-j12.html

US and UK Bomb Dozens of Sites in Yemen https://news.antiwar.com/2024/01/11/us-and-uk-bomb-dozens-of-sites-in-yemen/

We Could Try Simply NOT Provoking A Wider War Via The Continued Destruction Of Gaza https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/we-could-try-simply-not-provoking

Biden Is Everything People Feared Trump Would Be
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/biden-is-everything-people-feared

If You've Just Started Paying Attention To US Foreign Policy
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/if-youve-just-started-paying-attention

We badly need the kind of critical reporting that WikiLeaks supplied on the crimes of the “war on terror”
https://www.stopwar.org.uk/article/why-gaza-reporting-shows-that-julian-assange-should-be-free/

Abby Martin Explains Why Israel Will Never Be The Same
https://rumble.com/v46mcbr-abby-martin-explains-why-israel-will-never-be-the-same.html 

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Blogspot isn't working as well as it once did (Is it blatant censorship? Who knows?!) so it's time to migrate to a better platform. Go to https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/ and click on one of the stories and subscribe at the link at the end of the article. You'll enjoy having each week's post automatically sent to your email box or reading it at the Substack site. Many thanks for your consideration.

#BoycottMickey (Boycotts Work)

 

#BoycottMickey

by C.A. Matthews 

From Mickey Mouse (Disney) to MickeyD’s (McDonald’s), Palestine will be free!

I’m just back from a cold—but very effective—protest for Peace in Palestine. We marched several blocks along a heavily trafficked city street to an Interstate highway crossing where the most intrepid activists among us hung a large banner over the side of the bridge for a couple of hours. The remainder of us held our picket signs and chanted at that very busy (and noisy) intersection at the highway entrance. I was amazed at the positive response we received from the public. I was very heartened by the physical and spiritual toughness of my fellow protesters marching and chanting under such frigid and damp conditions, too.

Protesting is a big challenge for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere in the winter months. How do we continue to send the message to our elected officials that we demand a permanent ceasefire and that we want Israel out of Gaza now without doing peace demos and marches in below freezing temperatures? Activists are a creative lot, and we know there are other ways of making our voices heard that don’t involve standing around in the cold. One of the oldest and most effective protest methods is the boycott. This week’s guest blog, by our resident historian Coast Watcher, gives us a brief history of the boycott.

So, what businesses should we as North Americans currently focus our boycott on to help the cause of the Palestinian people? The “big three” that are feeling the pain of Pro-Palestine consumers boycotting their products are McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the Disney Company. It’s not too hard for those of us standing on the side of Palestine to avoid giving them our business. Who really needs fast food, overpriced coffee and insipid entertainment?

“Misinformation” about McDonald’s support for Israel is having a “meaningful impact” on its sales in the Middle East, the fast food restaurant’s chief executive has said according to an article in the Telegraph. It’s not really “misinformation” that McDonald’s openly supplied food to the Israeli Defense Forces after they launched their genocidal campaign in Gaza. This action has angered many in mostly Muslim countries where their restaurants have been forced to shut down. Is it any wonder that a worldwide boycott of McDonald’s restaurants is hurting their bottom line? They’re learning the hard way that being pro-genocide isn’t good for business.

I was amazed that even trade publications have made note of the effectiveness of Pro-Palestinian/anti-genocide boycotts. From The Drum:

Gauging appetite for boycotts among the crowds at a pro-Palestine protest organized by If Not Now, Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles, and the Arab-American Civic Council, The Drum heard from 33-year-old Palestinian-American activist Zainab about why she is no longer buying pro-Israel brands. “I am a Palestinian; my grandparents were expelled in the 1948 Nakba, so I have grown up seeing the oppression. I not only stand for Palestinians; I stand for all humanity. I stand for Black Lives Matter, I stood against the wall suppressing Mexican rights, and I do not stand for the killing in Sudan or Congo. I am not going to stop protesting, whether it is monetarily against brands and companies or going out in the streets every weekend.”

--from  As activists boycott pro-Israel brands, what should marketers do next?  

Yeah, even marketers know that being linked to Israel is the kiss of death for capitalists. We must keep up the pressure by spreading the names of these pro-Israeli businesses to boycott in all our social media posts and through good old-fashioned word of mouth.

By December 2023, pro-Israeli Starbucks losses stood at $11 billion during the last quarter. Starbucks had already been under a lot of pressure financially due to its closing stores where unions were forming and employee strikes for better working conditions, so the further boycotting of their products will really send a message that when Starbucks hurts one of us—or one people such as the Palestinians—it will feel our pain in its CEO’s pocketbook. Besides, in blindfolded taste tests most coffee drinkers say they prefer other less expensive brands of coffee. So, do yourself and your wallet a favor—boycott Starbucks and learn how to brew your own coffee instead.

The Disney Company acts amazed as to why their donations to Israel along with their producing an upcoming Marvel movie featuring an apartheid-loving Israeli superhero would be upsetting to so many people worldwide. From their own publication, Inside the Magic:

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement leads the most prominent pro-Palestine boycotts. They recommend consumer boycotts of companies like Sodastream and HP but suggest “pressure” on bigger corporations that are harder to avoid– like Disney.

Still, many former fans feel boycotting...Walt Disney World Resort is the right thing to do. Former Disney cast member and TikTok creator Helen Jane (@helenjp1313) shifted her content because The Walt Disney Company donated to Israel. She recommends a Disney Parks boycott....Weeks ago, Disneyland Resort thousands protested at the theme park in support of Palestine.

I don’t know about you, but I can think of much better places to go on vacation besides the soulless, overly commercialized fakeness of Disney World. Visiting pristine mountains and beaches come to mind. And can we live without watching the latest Marvel motion picture? Yes, we can. Boycotting the Marvel movie, along with protesting any theaters that dare show it, will definitely get the message across that pro-genocide supporters' products aren’t wanted in decent society.

So, tell your friends today to avoid or keep avoiding these brands and the brands listed at BDSMovement.net. Why? Because boycotts work.

Boycotts Work

by Coast Watcher

Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan recently complained that sales figures for the coffee store giant had plummeted following the boycott of their products due to the chain’s support for Israeli genocide. For many who’ve always advocated the use of boycotts to punish businesses for their social infractions this is proof that the tactic works.

The origin of the term stems from Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott, a retired British army officer. In 1873 he became manager for the County Mayo, Ireland, estates of absentee landlord the Earl of Erne. Absentee landlords were the bane of the rural Irish people. They reaped vast profits from their estates throughout Ireland, often without even setting foot there.

In 1879 bad harvests threatened another famine like that of 1845-49. A Land League formed to prevent it occurring. The League told Boycott to reduce rents by 25% to help the rural people weather the situation. In response Boycott attempted to serve eviction notices, which was historically a typical act of the landed class of the time. Previously there had been little that could be done to stop such measures, but late nineteenth century Ireland had learned a thing or two.

President of the Land League, Charles Stewart Parnell, urged tenants faced with Boycott’s and other landlords’ eviction demands to avoid any communication with those who refused to lower rents. Boycott himself was the primary target for the measure, and it worked. Scab laborers guarded by the military and even the soldiers themselves were employed to harvest crops. The situation led to questions in the British Parliament, leading to a Land Act of 1881 that instituted fair-rent tribunals.

Boycott remained agent for the Earl of Erne until 1886 when he took new employment in the county of Suffolk, England. Parnell of course went on to become a major player in Irish political affairs until his death in October 1891.

Ever since that time the tactic of boycotting has been used effectively by people who have few other resources of reprisal against authority. By showing their displeasure at their governments’ and businesses’ impositions, the ordinary public can hurt them where it really counts—their bottom line. So it is happening with Starbucks and other businesses that back or support the genocidal Zionist regime in any way, shape or form.

Boycotts work. 

Bio: Coast Watcher believes in putting your money where your morals are...Or at least not spending your money at businesses that support a country openly committing a genocide like Israel is doing. If a business is okay with murdering children, how can you trust them to not put cancer-causing chemicals in your coffee or Big Mac?

Related Articles and Interesting Links

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US Admonishes Israeli Officials For Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud About Ethnic Cleansing https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/us-admonishes-israeli-officials-for

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I Don't Care What Religion The Genocidal Child Murderers Are
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/i-dont-care-what-religion-the-genocidal

‘I Cannot Be Quietly Complicit’: Biden Official Resigns Over Gaza Assault https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/04/i-cannot-be-quietly-complicit-biden-official-resigns-over-gaza-assault/


Biden Ukraine Statement Highlights Hypocrisy on Gaza
https://www.commondreams.org/news/biden-gaza

Blinken Again Bypasses US Congress To Send Munitions To Israel https://popularresistance.org/blinken-again-bypasses-us-congress-to-send-munitions-to-israel/

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TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/torture-at-abu-ghraib

In the World’s Wealthiest Country, Housing Should Be a Human Right and a Community Builder https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/02/in-the-worlds-wealthiest-country-housing-should-be-a-human-right-and-a-community-builder/

From Prison, Assange Expresses Regret That WikiLeaks Can No Longer Expose War Crimes https://thedissenter.org/assange-regrets-wikileaks-can-no-longer-expose-war-crimes/

Ricky Gervais was right about the Satanic paedophile ring https://normalislandnews.substack.com/p/ricky-gervais-was-right-about-the

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Seen on Twitter/X:

 

Folks, it is way past time that Israel is completely isolated from the civilized community of nations. A total boycott of Israel, sports events, economic trade, cultural exchanges - total!! Like the apartheid South African govt, they have forfeited all claims to legitimacy.

— Ajamu Baraka (@ajamubaraka) January 8, 2024

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