Bullets v. Ballots or...?

Day X is here…

This blog will post just before Julian Assange goes before the court in London for his extradition hearing on February 20-21. To keep up with the latest news on him, please tune in to the Indie News Network for updates: https://www.indiemediatoday.com/

An update on the Ceasefire in Gaza resolution that Toledo City Council has dragged its feet on for the past several months: It has finally passed! It passed “unanimously” (or at least the council members who were actually there all voted for it). This is a huge relief to all the people who have put so much time and energy into seeing it pass. 

It’s probably no coincidence the resolution's passage happened after Biden’s poll numbers took a huge dive because he couldn’t give the correct names of the presidents of Egypt and Mexico. The Democrats on council might have felt now was the time to divert away from their party’s stance on refusing to acknowledge that a genocide in Gaza is actually happening and that a ceasefire is necessary. Rest assured, politicians don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts without first checking in with local party leaders for their okay to vote yes. But a win is still a win, and it was well-deserved. Power to the People!

Now onto this week's topic. 

 

Bullets v. Ballots or...?

by C.A. Matthews

 

After the third online discussion on pretty much the same topic within a week, you start to notice a pattern: Folks are fed up.

The revolution isn’t happening quickly enough or at all. The same corrupt puppet-politicians are still in power. The workers are being oppressed by capitalist bosses who don’t give a damn about the harm they inflict upon their employees or the earth itself. Endless war is waged to line the pockets of Big Oil and MIC CEOs. Genocide is openly practiced and applauded by sycophantic politicos and celebrities alike. A human life is only worth whatever a billionaire says it is.

Gaza today

Get the picture?

What are we to do about it? There are two major schools of thought on this topic that can be summarized as follows: The revolution will come about through either 1) bullets or 2) ballots.

That’s it. It comes down to fighting our way out of this oppressive, corrupt system by using good ol’ fashioned firepower, that is, guns and ammo, or by using the power of the vote or ballot box.

Tempers have been strained these past four months watching innocent children and civilians being slaughtered in Gaza. Palestinian homes and refugees have been pulverized. Most Americans are heartsick and angry, totally at a lost as to how to stop the killing. If there’s anything positive to come from this horrendous loss of life, it’s that most Westerners don’t see their governments as the “good guys” any longer.

Eyes have been opened. They don’t like what they see. Those brainwashed into thinking they live in a “democracy” now know better. “Freedom and democracy” cannot be created though military strikes and conquests. Military excursions are just that—a use of deadly force to take what another country or people possess. If you want the land itself, you bomb the inhabitants into rubble or push them into someone else’s backyard. (In Gaza’s case, this means Egypt.)

“Freedom and democracy” are imaginary constructs used to manipulate Westerners into cooperating with their imaginary democratically elected governments. The so-called “major parties” in any Western country are about as genuine as a $3 bill. The partisans work for the same bosses everywhere, the billionaires (oligarchs), and not for their lowly constituents.

Sure, on occasion our elected officials might throw us a bone to get us off their backs. This happened this past week when the Toledo City Council finally passed a Ceasefire in Gaza resolution after three months of tortuous protests, intense email and phone call campaigns, and painful public statements made by individuals who have lost family members in the genocide. Not passing the ceasefire resolution could have very well spelled an end to the council members’ political careers at this point. Pro-Palestine protests have exposed politicians for the sociopaths they are, breaking the illusion of “freedom and democracy” and “justice for all” Americans supposedly enjoy.

We the People are “free” to live in the falsehood of a “democracy” that allows 60,000 Americans to die each year due to lack of health care. Westerners are “free” to live in a “democracy” that ethnically cleanses a whole population in order to steal their oil and land resources while allowing white settler colonialism to flourish. Or we are free to rise up and take out the puppet-politicians and the billionaires by use of force.

A lot of folks online think that force or the “bullet” is the only effective solution to bring about revolution. Obviously, the ballot has failed us—just look at the example of Toledo City Council. But I’m not convinced the bullet is anymore effective than the ballot. Consider this: Western governments have bombs and nuclear weapons and large organized military forces called “Armies”. We the ordinary people have nothing close to approximating their firepower, and we never will.

A bunch of angry citizens running around with shotguns and pistols will not be able to take out a professional military force using the latest in weaponry and tactics. Sorry, but it won’t work. We can’t do it because we will not lay aside our differences with our fellow citizens in order to organize and train sufficiently to be able to take on a professional army. Governments have endless bombs to drop on any uprising that occurs. Plus, they have friendly fellow governments to help out when they need it. Just look at how readily the US helps Israel in conducting its genocide against the Palestinians.

Sorry for the cold splash of water in the face, revolutionaries. In the bullet v. the ballot argument, we are not organized enough, and we are not on the same footing weapons-wise as the corrupt government we wish to do away with. But the ballot? It has problems, too. We just have to look at our elected officials and see how they do as their wealthy donors tell them to do. Billionaires rule.

Neither the bullet nor the ballot alone are able to bring about the revolution we seek. Could combining them be effective? Possibly if the government we wish to overthrow doesn’t have a professional military. We’re screwed if it does. Violence is never the answer.

The “major parties” only nominate candidates they’re assured will do the bidding of their billionaire donors. Voting under these circumstances isn’t the answer. It’s time to add another “B” to the bullet/ballot scenario of revolution: Brains.

We the People may be poor and lacking firepower, but we’re not stupid. Our corrupt governments run by puppets of the wealthy assume we’re mentally deficient because we’ve allowed their corrupt politicians to take power. But what the billionaires and their puppets don’t realize is how frustrated ordinary folks have become. They don’t seem to realize that desperate people are not afraid to try new tactics and learn new skills in order to survive and thrive.

Using our brains, we can bring about the revolution we desire.

The BDS Movement (Boycott, Divest, and Sanction) is one example of using brains and not bullets or ballots to make a point. We pressure the real power behind the politicians—the corporations—to stop doing business with people and countries we don’t like and want to see go away. McDonald’s has experienced huge losses because of the boycott of their restaurants worldwide by those who support the Palestinian cause.

We could kill off the military-industrial-Congressional-complex this way if we really worked hard at it. McDonald’s and other corporations stop doing business with Israel and wham! Israel is too broke to keep buying armaments from Western nations. The Israeli government is weakened and overthrown by those who want to end the genocide and bring about a true democracy in that part of the world.

Along with the BDS, the power of the strike could be wielded as a weapon of brains. Workers organized and striking could bring down major corporations and industries that have harmed our planet with their endless wars for oil and their insistence on building nuclear weapons. A nationwide General Strike or, even better, a Global General Strike is the power of the people on steroids. We’re talking millions or billions or human beings striking against corrupt governments everywhere on the globe at once. Yes, there is the risk of bullets—mostly coming from the weakened corporations-governments who want to terrify the workers back into the factories—but possibly if we’re organized enough to run a Global General Strike effectively, we can effectively organize militia units to protect our fellow workers on the picket lines.

Brains and ballots can be used effectively together when we organize ourselves to support candidates and issues that take out the corrupt government. One recent example in the US is the “Abandon Biden” movement. Arab Americans are not going to reward Genocide Joe Biden with their votes, and they’re not making any promises that they ever will support his party ever again. This organized method of creating a massive voting bloc can wake up the powers-that-be and prove to them that we’re not stupid. We’re not cooperating with their evil intentions, and we’re not afraid to deny them power.

If a General Strike and the BDS tactics are added to this massive voting bloc to take out the “major parties” in the US, then We the People could become stronger than any army in history. But we will need to be united on whom we will support in order to prevent Biden or his evil twin Trump from taking power again. My suggestion is to support a strong alternative party candidate who will have wide ballot access and is clearly on the people’s side. And there is one such individual who is currently rising in the polls that fits this definition: Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. (The Green Party US does not accept money from corporations or PACs.)

I know there are those who will still moan that the ballot box is ineffective—especially in the US where rigged voting machines are not unheard of—but give me a chance to explain this tactic further. By voting in large numbers for Jill Stein, Americans will be making a very strong message that we’ve caught onto the major parties’ crooked methods. We’re not playing along with them and their billionaire donors any longer. Throw in a General Strike or a series of wildcat strikes, BDS tactics, teach-ins, sit-ins, protests and other outpourings of anti-oligarchy sentiment, and we will have seriously messed with the minds of the powers-that-be. The use of our collective brain power will cause confusion and panic in the ranks of the elites and their puppet-politicians.

Mistakes will be made by our oppressors that We the People can take advantage of to our ultimate benefit. If the government resorts to rigging the election, we can up our strikes, protests and other tactics to expose their treachery. That's what independent media and journalism is for, helping the people tell their side of things. 

If the government resorts to violence, then we can return the same with a clear conscience that we didn’t instigate it. We are only protecting ourselves from tyranny. We are true patriots, and they are despots. Who would blame us for standing up to evil?

What have we got to lose by exposing the corrupt puppets and their billionaire donors in such a fashion? Propaganda is meant to keep the people in line. When we’re in control of making the headlines through indie media, then the propaganda narrative of Western governments will cease to exist and so will they. We will become the story.

Bullets v. Ballots doesn’t quite give us the credit we’re due. We the People have brains, too. If we organize and use them wisely, the future is ours.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Egypt Builds Walled Enclosure on Border as Israeli Offensive Looms https://archive.is/yswSj#selection-2175.0-2175.66

Ignore What Western Officials Say About Israel; Watch Their Actions Instead https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/ignore-what-western-officials-say

Washington’s End Game for Ukraine is a New “Charlie Wilson’s War” https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/washingtons-end-game-for-ukraine

John Pilger's 2002 documentary Palestine Is Still the Issue
https://youtu.be/P3kfb6SzTYE?si=vA6Q0gZTP7XL4mhf


Continuing To Support Israel At This Point Just Means You're A Garbage Human Being https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/continuing-to-support-israel-at-this

US Gives Israel Green Light to Kill Civilians in Rafah
https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/14/us-gives-israel-green-light-to-kill-civilians-in-rafah/


Frustrated by Netanyahu, Biden Is Under Pressure to Condemn Israeli Atrocities https://truthout.org/articles/frustrated-by-netanyahu-biden-is-under-pressure-to-condemn-israeli-atrocities/

South Africa lodges Urgent Complaint with Int’l Court of Justice over Israel’s Plan to Assault Rafah https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/complaint-justice-israels.html

Australian federal MPs, including PM Albanese, back vote calling on UK, US to free Julian Assange  https://www.firstpost.com/world/australian-federal-mps-including-pm-albanese-back-vote-calling-on-uk-us-to-free-julian-assange-13727162.html

Dunning Kruger America https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/dunning-kruger-america

Israel accidentally lied about data centre below UNRWA HQ https://normalislandnews.substack.com/p/israel-accidentally-lied-about-data


We Think This Dystopia Is Normal Like People In Abusive Relationships Think It's Normal https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/we-think-this-dystopia-is-normal

Crocodile Tears Over Navalny While Ignoring Assange https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/crocodile-tears-over-navalny-while

100 days and 75 years of Genocide  https://www.facebook.com/17841401579080873/videos/1614754079330246/?mibextid=0VwfS7

 ICJ Hearings to Examine 57 Years of Israeli Occupation of Palestine https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-occupation

We Can’t Watch Genocide and Do Nothing. Now Is the Time for Renewed BDS. https://truthout.org/articles/we-cant-watch-genocide-and-do-nothing-now-is-the-time-for-renewed-bds/


State Department Threatens Congress Over Censorship Programs https://www.racket.news/p/state-department-threatens-congress

How the US government began its decade-long campaign against the anti-pipeline movement https://grist.org/protest/keystone-pipeline-fbi-government-documents/

 Why you need to stop criticising Putin’s “Special Military Operation”https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/why-you-need-to-stop-criticising

 75% of all journalists killed across the world in 2023 were killed in Israeli war on Gaza, says CPJ https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/02/16/75-of-all-journalists-killed-across-the-world-in-2023-were-killed-in-israeli-war-on-gaza-says-cpj/

Julian Assange’s Final Appeal https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/assanges-final-appeal  

For Biden, ending Israel’s mass murder in Gaza is a ‘non-starter’ https://www.aaronmate.net/p/for-biden-ending-israels-mass-murder

200+ Unions Launch Network to Push for Gaza Cease-Fire https://www.commondreams.org/news/labor-unions-cease-fire

Local Papers Across the US Are Refusing to Cover the Movement for Ceasefire https://truthout.org/articles/local-papers-across-the-us-are-refusing-to-cover-the-movement-for-ceasefire/

You Only Need To Cage A Bird If It Knows That It Can Fly https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/you-only-need-to-cage-a-bird-if-it

 

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Blogspot/Blogger 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.

Free Assange. Free Palestine. Free Your Mind.

Free Assange. Free Palestine. Free Your Mind.

by C.A. Matthews

February 20, 2024 is a date that could very well live in infamy.

Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange could be extradited from the UK to the US on that date or the next day. He’d be transferred from Belmarsh, one hellhole of a prison to another similar lock-up across the Atlantic. Locked up ever deeper away from the prying eyes of the public and kept far away from the loving arms of his wife and children and his father and brother who have fought so hard for his release. And why? Simply for publishing the truth.

Why all the fuss over one journalist? It’s not like it’s the end of the world if he dies in prison, is it? In a way, it is. Julian Assange has become a world famous icon signifying free speech. He is the man who defied the corrupt system, the establishment or  status quo. He fearlessly published the Collateral Murder video demonstrating just how craven our rulers really are and how little they care about civilians killed in their endless wars for oil, wars they lied our way into in the first place.

It can’t be overstated just how angry and vengeful Assange’s revelation of the truth has made the powers-that-be. Mere words cannot expressed how worried they are that Assange would do it again in a heartbeat if he could. He’d expose their bloodthirstiness over and over again to the public, and other journalists and publications would follow suit and, before you knew it, the whole world would be in the streets, demanding justice. The workers would be pulling these villains who rule us out of their mansions and dragging them from their luxury yachts and marching them off to the gulag or up the steps toward the guillotine.

Yeah, Julian Assange and what he stands for—freedom of expression—is that dangerous to the powers-that-be.

Actual journalism is not what our rulers want. It’s best to keep us working drudges in the dark, ignorant of the transgressions they commit regularly in our names in any number of military conflicts, proxy wars, or genocides worldwide. And so Assange must be held accountable for committing the crime of journalism—real journalism and not simply pumping out propaganda such as CNN and other mainstream media outlets are known for and even now are being exposed for doing so by their own staff.

Call your representative and senators today at (202) 244-3121 and tell them to sponsor H.Res. 934 to drop the charges and free Julian Assange. Freedom of speech cannot be allowed to die along with our hopes for democracy.

#FreeAssange

If Assange were free today, I’m certain he would be publishing stories to expose the genocidal machinations of the Netanyahu regime in Israel. He would expose the complicity of Biden and the US government in supplying arms to fuel the genocide in Gaza. No doubt about it. Assange implored us to learn all we could of what is being done in our names by our so-called elected officials. It shouldn’t have taken a court proceeding at the International Court of Justice at The Hague to determine Israel has “plausibly committed acts of genocide.” A free press should have yelled this fact out from day one.

In a world filled with journalists doing their jobs instead of doing what they are told to do by the CIA and corrupt governments, it would have been made more than obvious what the Zionist regime’s intentions toward the Palestinian people were from the start. The point would have been driven home repeatedly. Instead, independent publications and journalists that attempt to share the viewpoints of the Palestinians are forced to crowd fund to keep their operations working. They’re forced to fight for bandwidth and social platform space as the Ministry of Truth finds excuses to force them offline so its propaganda can continue to cloud the issues and confuse the public.

The vast majority of Americans actually believe that Israel is full of war criminals committing genocide against the Palestinians. The numbers rise in every poll in spite of all the US government propaganda and narrative spin by the mainstream media pundits. Amazing how the truth will come out even when evil minds work hard to keep it from being revealed! Without a free press, or a free online forum of ideas and independent journalists, the story that Palestinians are the victims of Israel's genocidal aggression instead of the other way around—that Israelis are eternal “victims of Arab terrorists”—would never have been able to reach the public's ears.

Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the freedom of independent journalists and publishers to cover all angles of a story are all important “weapons” in the struggle to protect the human rights of indigenous peoples everywhere. Without the world knowing what is going on in Gaza—an open air concentration camp under fire—would the world have overwhelmingly taken the side of the Palestinian cause?  The professional journalists and the citizens journalists alike who have lost their lives in this cause are to be admired and their names honored by all who value honesty.

To the slain journalists in Gaza who kept their eyes open so the world could see Israel’s crimes:  https://therealnews.com/a-tribute-to-our-slain-journalist-colleagues-in-gaza

RIP 6-year-old Hind Rajab and all the innocent children of Gaza slaughtered brutally by the US funded Israeli Defense Forces https://www.commondreams.org/news/hind-rajab

#FreePalestine

It’s hard to remain optimistic during times like these. True journalism is portrayed by the American regime as a crime punishable by life imprisonment. Being born a Palestinian in Gaza or the West Bank is seen as a crime punishable by death by the Israeli regime. Is there any light at the end of this tunnel full of doom and gloom?

Who knows? In the meantime we need to keep our spirits up and our minds focused on important tasks at hand. An online acquaintance mentioned how difficult it was repeating the same facts and stories to others in order to convince them of the truth of the genocide happening in Gaza. I agree. It is difficult. Very difficult.

I found myself without words earlier this week, unable to think clearly, feeling tired and foggy-brained just like our foggy morning air. I didn’t know what to write about for this week's post. And then I was encouraged by comrade activists to write a poem for a Palestine-inspired poetry read at a local coffee house.

Writing poetry helped to lift my mental fog. Just doing something different with words can help your mind reset and refocus. Instead of trying to hammer coherent sentences together, I focused on what I was feeling about what is happening in Gaza. A different style of writing cleared away the fog. I found I could write prose again after crafting a poem to share what has been hurting me deep in my heart. 

Here is a poem I wrote as I realized how my recent daily ritual was connected to the sorrow and shame I was feeling for those trapped in Gaza:

Dust From Gaza

The air quality index is higher than it's ever been
The particulate count is sky high
No fires burning in California or out west currently
Could this be dust from Gaza?

I breathe in the air full of particulates and cough and groan
Where has all the oxygen gone?
Has it been burned up in thousands of fires caused by Israeli bombing?
Could this be caused by dust from Gaza?

It is said that matter is neither created nor destroyed
That we are breathing in air that was once breathed out by pharaohs and kings
That every speck of soot clinging to our car windows isn't original
Could these gray motes be dust from Gaza?

Every morning I check the air quality index
Every day since October the number has been in the moderate to unhealthy range
Once a day I take my asthma medication and think--
Am I breathing in dust from Gaza?

What air do Gazans breathe in?
What air do Zionists breathe in?
Are we all not breathing in the same air?
Why are Americans allowing the IDF to disintegrate an entire people, turning them to dust?
For our penance this Ash Wednesday we should be covered in dust from Gaza

Yeah, I know it's not going to win me any poetry contests, but writing this poem helped me come to terms with the frustration, the sadness, and the anger I’m feeling. I think writing poetry inspired by Palestine helped others at the poetry read deal a little bit with their overwhelming emotions, too.

No matter what fate awaits us, we must free our minds and remain vigilant to keep them free. We are living witnesses to the events happening here in our communities and over there in Gaza. We owe it to ourselves and posterity to never forget, to never let them forget, to never let genocide happen ever again—to anyone, anywhere.

#FreeYourMind (And don't be afraid tell the world what you're seeing and feeling. Your viewpoints are valid and needed. History will cherish them.)

 

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Free Julian Assange! February 10, 2024 https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/free-julian-assange-february-10-2024/comments

Free Julian Assange! February 9, 2024 https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/free-julian-assange-february-9-2024

The Wizard (for Julian) https://youtu.be/xh5-CtGmE3A?si=xhMSNRMsnAnoQjjL

Assange: The Truth They've Been Hiding from You https://youtu.be/c l8XIr5vxhM?si=G3FwmJA1cFs-pV-0 

Israel assaults Rafah, where one million Gaza refugees are sheltering with nowhere to go https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/02/07/rzhz-f07.html

Missing 6-Year-Old Gaza Girl Hind Rajab Found Dead With Massacred Family & Rescue Workers https://www.commondreams.org/news/hind-rajab

UN agency says aid shipment blocked in Israeli port https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-agency-says-aid-shipment-blocked-israeli-port-2024-02-11/

Why De-Funding UNRWA is Another Crime of Genocide
https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/why-de-funding-unrwa-is-another-crime

International Coalition To Stop Genocide In Palestine Demands Full Funding Of UNRWA https://popularresistance.org/international-coalition-to-stop-genocide-in-palestine-demands-full-funding-of-unrwa/

Netanyahu Rejects Hamas Counter Offer for Hostage Deal, Insists on ‘Total Victory’ https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/07/netanyahu-rejects-hamas-counter-offer-for-hostage-deal-insists-on-total-victory/

US Blocks Yemen-Saudi Peace Deal https://news.antiwar.com/2024/02/06/us-blocks-yemen-peace-deal/

Jewish Students Across 15 Campuses Plan “Shabbat for Ceasefire” Gathering  https://truthout.org/articles/jewish-students-across-15-campuses-plan-shabbat-for-ceasefire-gathering/

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture urges UK government to halt imminent extradition of Julian Assange https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/un-special-rapporteur-torture-urges-uk-government-halt-imminent-extradition

The Western Press Are Just Printing Straight Up Nazi Propaganda About Middle Easterners Now https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-western-press-are-just-printing

Study Finds Media Giants New York Times, CNN, and Fox News Pushing for US War in Yemen https://www.mintpressnews.com/new-study-shows-media-pushing-us-war-yemen/286754/

New York Times’ Friedman Hits New Low With Animalization of Arabs and Iranians https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/06/new-york-times-friedman-hits-new-low-with-animalization-of-arabs-and-iranians/

CNN’s Israel bias has been laid bare. But CNN is the norm, not the exception https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/cnn-israel-bias-laid-bare-norm-not-exception

CNN staff say network’s pro-Israel slant amounts to ‘journalistic malpractice’ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/04/cnn-staff-pro-israel-bias

CNN's CEO Is Making Staff Churn Out Israel Propaganda https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/cnns-ceo-is-making-staff-churn-out

Pregnant Palestinians Are Trapped as Israel Assaults Southern Gaza   https://truthout.org/articles/pregnant-palestinians-are-trapped-as-israel-assaults-southern-gaza/

Let Them Eat Dirt https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/let-them-eat-dirt  https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/08/chris-hedges-let-them-eat-dirt/

Pushing Gazans Into Rafah And Then Attacking Rafah, Killing UNRWA Funding Without Evidence https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/pushing-gazans-into-rafah-and-then

The Palestinian Human Rights Cause Must Mature Beyond the Extreme Left https://www.leefang.com/p/the-palestinian-human-rights-cause

The Biden-Schumer Plan to Kill More Ukrainians https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-biden-schumer-plan-to-kill-more-ukrainians

The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL

Putin debunks Tucker Carlson's warmongering anti-China propaganda, mocks his CIA ties https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/putin-tucker-carlson-china-cia
 
Women and People of Color Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/06/women-and-people-of-color-bear-the-brunt-of-medical-misdiagnosis/

China is ‘world’s sole manufacturing superpower’, with 35% of global output https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/01/31/china-world-manufacturing-superpower-production/

A Dementia Patient Is President Because It Doesn't Matter Who The President Is https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/a-dementia-patient-is-president-because

Israel Weaponizes Sympathy And Victimhood https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-weaponizes-sympathy-and-victimhood

"In The War Of Propaganda, It Is Very Difficult To Defeat The United States" https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/in-the-war-of-propaganda-it-is-very   

Robert Kraft’s $7 Million Super Bowl Ad Fuels Controversy Over Israel’s Actions in Gaza https://truthout.org/video/robert-krafts-7-million-super-bowl-ad-fuels-controversy-over-israels-actions-in-gaza/

 

Subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack today! Blogspot/Blogger 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.

Thirty Pieces of Blood-Stained Silver

 

Thirty Pieces of Blood-Stained Silver

by C.A. Matthews

 

If I could regain those two hours I’d gladly take them back and do something useful with them, like clean out my cat’s litter box. But there’s no time machine invented yet that can return those wasted minutes of our lives, so we simply have to live and learn from them.

 

You may ask what is worse than cleaning out my cat’s stinky litter box. I’ll warn you first to hold your nose. It was an event quite odorous. In fact, it stunk to high heavens. Since it involves untrustworthy politicians, that revelation should come as no real surprise to those who are wise to the ways of politics. You’re use to dealing with foul individuals who, by comparison, make mucking out a horse barn a genuine pleasure.

If you go back a couple of weeks and re-read my plaintive cry to the Toledo City Council (TCC) to pass a ceasefire in Gaza resolution (How Much Is A Child’s Life Worth?), you’ll get a feel of what the mood was like when I and a hundred or so fellow activists showed up at the city council meeting on January 31 in anticipation of better news on the matter. I don’t think any of us expected this level of betrayal and sheer heartlessness that awaited us. Many of us had journeyed the day previous to the Tower of Sauron—I mean, One Government Center—a foreboding white skyscraper in downtown Toledo, to give short statements to the council in support of a vote on the ceasefire resolution that had been tabled two weeks previously.

Trusting that our statements of January 30 would be given proper consideration by our elected representatives, we thought we’d be making our case for the ceasefire resolution before most of the council members. To our chagrin, only three council members (and possibly a fourth who snuck in very late in the proceedings to grab something off her place on the dais and then escaped) were actually present. Still, we were making our statements for the record and being video-recorded so that the “absent members” would have a chance to listen to what we said at their leisure.

We were told to return the next day (January 31) for a city council meeting where the ceasefire measure could be untabled and voted upon. At the very least it was implied that a more productive discussion would take place on the matter so the public could understand what the hold up was among the twelve city council members. It’s not like council hadn’t had time to consider the ceasefire resolution before—it was first introduced in November 2023. Think of how many thousands of people have been murdered in Gaza by IDF forces in the three months following its introduction, some of whom were relatives of Toledo area residents.

Toledo, Ohio, has one of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans in the US, so it’s no secret that many Toledo voters aren’t at all happy with their city council members right now. And who can blame them? All they are asking for is a yes vote on a ceasefire in Gaza resolution that numerous other cities in the US have already passed. They want to know if their elected representatives care about them and their extended families, care enough to give them a simple yes vote on the proposed ceasefire resolution.

But it was not meant to be. Our trust in the fairness and compassion of our elected officials was misplaced.

The stench of partisan politics has gassed out all hope that Toledo will ever become a city to pass a ceasefire resolution in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Toledo City Council smells as fragrant as a cow barn after a particularly nasty infection has swept through the herd, giving the cows all explosive bouts of diarrhea. And if you’ve ever walked through a cow barn when the herd is feeling well and taken in a big breath of air then… I don’t have to describe to you how much worse that stench is when they’re sick.

by Mark Taylor -- deMOCKracy.Ink

The first stinky warning sign of betrayal we should have smelled at the January 31 council meeting was the return of its “absent members”. I found it notable that none of the African American council members had been in attendance the day before when the public was allowed to give their statements, and it’s probably even more notable that all of the absent council members, Black or White, are Democrats. The connection between that neoliberal party and the organization run by Mr. Smith* (not his real name), mentioned in my article two weeks ago, cannot be underestimated. The writing of large checks for politicians’ campaign war chests is a great motivator and predictor of their behavior. These council members’ conduct prove no exception to that rule.

After several photo ops and some cursory council business, the comment section of the meeting began. The proposer of the ceasefire resolution did not untable the measure for a vote. Instead, he gave an impassioned speech in its defense and pleaded with his fellow council members to consider the tremendous lost of life in Gaza and the family members of Palestinians living in the city. The audience took to its feet as one and gave him a rousing standing ovation for his remarks.

And that was the end of discussion for the ceasefire resolution.  

The two other members who had attended the statement-giving meeting made some brief mentions of the citizens who gave statements, but that was it. One of these two made a negative comment about how a certain “red line” had been crossed in the public statement giving. It seems you cannot tell a Toledo City Council member to imagine what it would be like to lose all his loved ones when a bomb is dropped on their home. Mentioning such an everyday occurrence in Gaza just isn’t polite conversation, and he was thoroughly miffed. To quote famous neoliberal AOC: “Your words are violence! (And you need to be censored.)”

The majority “absent members” made zero comments about the public statements. Apparently they had neither the time nor the desire to watch the video or read the transcript. Instead, they spoke on inconsequential matters in their allotted time, mostly of a personal nature that made no sense whatsoever. They drone on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on… You get the picture? When the clock turned six pm. there came a rushed, “No more comments? Council adjourned!” from the council president and a loud gavel knock. They all stood at once and rushed toward the council members’ exit behind the dais.

We were told to attend the second city council meeting because we would hear more about what the hold up was on the voting for the ceasefire resolution. Of course since what was promised didn’t happen, the shitty behavior of the majority of members didn’t sit too well with the audience. Chants of “Shame on you!” began almost immediately. “We will remember in November!” could be heard as well. Obviously the small number of “yes votes” on council must have decided not to untable the ceasefire resolution (once again) because they feared the power to vote the resolution down of the “absent members” along with Mr. “I’m-scared-of-women-wearing-head-scarves-telling-me-to-imagine-what-it’s-like-lose-all-your-family-to-an-Israeli-bomb”. Once again the Arab American population of Toledo has been betrayed by their elected officials, left out in the cold and with little comfort.

The stinkiest aspect of all this isn’t simply that a good portion of Toledo City Council is on the take to Zionists who write big checks to fill their campaign war chests. (You can see just how easily TCC members can be bribed in this article. There’s a pattern here.) No, it’s much stinkier than that. It’s the fact that human beings—especially little children—are dying under horrific circumstances in Gaza and elsewhere in the Occupied Territories right now, and these “faithful party members” of the so-called “Democratic” Party will spit in the eye of their constituents and refuse to even allow a vote on a symbolic ceasefire resolution.

These “absent of empathy” council members can’t even bring themselves to acknowledge that there’s a ceasefire resolution on the table. They can’t even acknowledge the suffering of their constituents who are concerned about their loved ones’ health and safety in Gaza. They won’t even listen to the public statements—particularly those made by their Arab American constituents. They can’t wait to rush out the door to get away from the jeers and the vocal condemnations they received because of their cowardice.

Can you think of any more shittier behavior than that? Can you imagine the betrayal you’d feel if you had voted for these council members in hopes that they’d actually represent you?

In my life, I’ve walked through a cow barn, a horse barn, a pig farm and a chicken house, and I’ve changed millions of baby diapers and I’ve emptied my cat’s litter box at least a thousand times—and even I can’t think of anything smellier, more disgusting, or more foul than these Toledo City Council Members’ behavior toward their constituents in regards to this ceasefire in Gaza resolution.

by Mark Taylor -- deMOCKracy.Ink

The Democrats are so hung up at pleasing “Butcher Biden” in Washington DC that even your local Dems—the ones you might actually see in a grocery store checkout line or attend church with—don’t acknowledge there’s a genocide going on in Gaza. You’d think they’d act somewhat more conciliatory toward Arab American voters in Toledo after the ICJ’s recent ruling of a “plausible genocide”, but they can’t even bring themselves to get off their high horses to acknowledge their Arab American constituents actually exist and have lost loved ones to Israeli bombing.

What should we make of all this shittiness expressed toward us by neoliberals in office?

For certain, now isn’t the time to back down on the protests, the emails, the phone calls, the letters to the editor, and the rambling blogs (like this one). Now is the time to continue exposing the stinky bastards in office and reveal their crappy attitudes to the world. If you feel so moved, please write an email to the members of the Toledo City Council and tell them what you think about their behavior recently. Two of them have since “moved up” into cushy city government jobs, but they were on council long enough and knew what their constituents expected of them. They chose to ignored their Arab American constituents and their suffering family members in Palestine.

Now is the time to muck out the proverbial stable, dump the nasty litter box of politicians, and toss them all into the compost pile of history. Now is the time to support alternative party candidates who will treat all citizens equally and with compassion.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss—all for a mere thirty pieces of silver. Our neoliberal electeds would sell us all out for a mere fraction of that price, eagerly grabbing at the blood-stained silver coins without hesitation. It’s time we nailed them to a cross and make sure they never rise again.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links 

How Much Is A Child's Life Worth? https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/how-much-is-a-childs-life-worth 

Three former Toledo City councilmembers sentenced for taking bribes for votes https://www.13abc.com/2023/09/05/former-toledo-councilmembers-sentenced-bribery-extortion-convictions/

 

As Palestinians Continue to Die, the History of Their Betrayal by the “Free World” Tells Us Why https://scheerpost.com/2024/02/02/as-palestinians-continue-to-die-the-history-of-their-betrayal-by-the-free-world-tells-us-why/

As Civilians Starve in Gaza, Israelis Block Humanitarian Aid Convoy for Third Day https://www.commondreams.org/news/kerem-shalom-crossing-protests

US and UK also committing genocide crimes in Gaza: Former UN official https://therealnews.com/us-and-uk-also-committing-genocide-crimes-in-gaza-former-un-official

US Is Underwriting Israel’s Crimes — Americans Can No Longer Claim Ignorance https://truthout.org/articles/us-is-underwriting-israels-crimes-americans-can-no-longer-claim-ignorance/

Far-right organizations aid White House in bogus antisemitism investigations of universities https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/01/29/ucbv-j29.html

Democrats Are Demented Genocidal War Sluts
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/democrats-are-demented-genocidal

Five Things Liberals Say To Avoid Taking A Real Position On Gaza
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/five-things-liberals-say-to-avoid

Israel Bombed Belgian Aid Office in Gaza After Nation Refused to Halt UNRWA Funding https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-belgium-unrwa

We're expected to believe a UN aid agency is worse than the IDF
https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/were-expected-to-believe-a-un-aid

 

The Gaza Method https://tarikcyrilamar.substack.com/p/the-gaza-method

Israeli Army Admits Running Unauthorized Graphic Gaza Influence Op  https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-02-04/ty-article/.premium/israeli-army-its-admits-staff-was-behind-graphic-gaza-telegram-channel/0000018d-70b4-dd6e-a98d-f4b6a9c00000?v=1707098253275

Biden sacrifices American troops, and Mideast security, for US-Israeli hegemony https://www.aaronmate.net/p/unlocked-biden-sacrifices-american  

 

The West: Guilty of Genocide https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/the-west-guilty-of-genocide

Inside The Israel Lobby’s New $90 Million War Chest
https://www.levernews.com/inside-the-israel-lobbys-new-90-million-war-chest/

Biden Says The US "Does Not Seek Conflict In The Middle East" While Actively Dropping Bombs There https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/biden-says-the-us-does-not-seek-conflict

 

UAW members vote on resolution calling leadership to rescind Biden endorsement https://prismreports.org/2024/02/01/uaw-union-rescind-biden-endorsement/

After Historic Strike, UAW Bureaucrats Sit By as Stellantis Lays Off Hundreds of Workers https://www.leftvoice.org/after-historic-strike-uaw-bureaucrats-sit-by-as-stellantis-lays-off-hundreds-of-workers/
 

Climate change has killed 4 million people since 2000 — and that’s an underestimate https://grist.org/health/climate-change-has-killed-4-million-people-since-2000-and-thats-an-underestimate/

It’s Not ‘Inflation’ — We’re Just Getting Ripped Off. Here’s Proof. https://otherwords.org/its-not-inflation-were-just-getting-ripped-off-heres-proof/ 

 

Decisions 2024 (Interviews with Jill Stein and Cornel West)
https://www.youtube.com/live/E4DTv0e-B-k?si=18BZc3Vubfg6W32M

Sabby Sabs: Kamala Bans Muslims From Vegas Event (clip)
https://youtu.be/wFNH6YHKu40?si=MRBfN_t2-MFa9y-z
 

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