Israeli troops massacring unarmed civilians

Never mind my own few decades on the planet, being worth zilch, the 200,000, or so, years that humanity has been hanging around, is almost an irrelevance in the great scheme of things. Now, with that in mind, it really is sort of difficult to even want to spout off my tuppence worth on an absurd world that has hardly changed since Caligula elevated his horse to the senate, and really hasn’t changed at all since Martin Luther was equating reason with the devil.

2018, and down Palestine way soldiers from the oxymoronic “Jewish democracy” fire live rounds into civilians who are screaming out for help at being left without hope in a world which permits Zionism, a political entity, to steal their land and effectively imprison them. Now, not only does the international community acquiesce in these crimes, but it also invariably supports them, or at least effectively turns a blind eye to these poor souls being murdered when they protest against their lot.

The message comining from the fascist zionist state is crystal clear; protest is resistance and in the Iron Cage, there is to be no resistance. The international community, more or less, goes along with this and the purveyors of poppycock from the daily drivel tells us of  “clashes” along the Gaza border and even if unarmed civilians clashing with live bullets and apache helicopters leaves a lot to the imagination, that is what we are supposed to believe in this absurd world.  The Guardian writes:

“Gaza has had its bloodiest day in years after Israeli forces shot and killed 55 Palestinians and wounded at least 1,200 as tens of thousands protested along the frontier against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. “Tens of thousands protested along the frontier”;

“Shot and killed” and the daily drivel is even close to getting at the truth of what is happening, but once again it is the semantics. This is murder, this is a massacre, this is genocide taking shape. Furthermore, there is the old ruse and there are bits of the story that are missing. For those bits we have to turn to the alternative media and Craig Murray informs us that all of the demonstrators were unarmed “and the majority were well over a hundred yards from the border fence.”

Meanwhile, up in Jerusalem and across the pond in Washington the nonentities indulge in a smug exchange of mutual grinning and back slapping unaware that they too have about as much relevance in the great scheme of things as Caligula and his horse. Yes, human beings have been roaming the planet for a not very long time and maybe a few more thousand years down the road, the “Goeringesque” Trump types might also begin to understand what it is to be human. Not going to happen during my few decades on the planet, unfortunately.

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Hallelujah a new Royal Baby

“Hosanna, hossana” Kate has given birth to a baby boy and this trivia gets onto the front of Britain’s newspapers. Not surprising, considering the little lad’s grandfather will follow on his great granny’s footsteps as the unelected head of the Commonwealth. Easy enough to avoid this drivel, so there is no reason to be getting upset.

Nevertheless, one wonders, with ITV postponing this evening’s programmes to cover this insignificant dross from every conceivable, and inconceivable, angle, could the Windsor family force its way into our top one hundred absurdities that interfere with our heads? An irrelevant musing and it would be better concentrate not only on the myriad of hanger-ons and handmaidens who profit from this manure, but also the system that supports and is itself maintained by it.

Yes, hallelujah the Duchess of Cambridge is having another baby and it is important that all and sundry should know and, yes, care about it. Windrush slips down the ratings, Zionist troops shooting at demonstrators inside Gaza disappears completely from the news, the bananas Brexit seems to have taken a back seat. All is well in a just hunky-dory land where the blustering buffoon Boris sanctimoniously accuses the Syrian government of using chemical weapons against his own people, while not only failing to condemn Saudi for  killing men, women, and children in the Yemen, but also actively supporting it.

In the meantime, ITV still hasn’t returned to its daily programme with the commentator telling us that the birth of any child who is this close in the line of succession to the throne is very important. Yes, important to mom and dad, but really, should the news of any child’s birth be receiving media attention at the expense of those events outlined in the last paragraph? And, while bonkers Britain once again celebrates itself, when did babies killed by British bombs, British allies, British sanctions, British neglect, British exploitation, or British supported wars, manage to get ITV to suspend its evening programme? Seriously, if madness like this didn’t exist, you couldn’t make it up.

Douma “Chemical Attack” and a Timeless Media

The clip embedded above is from the original ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, series. The scene depicted was broadcast on the 31 December 1987, just one month before the series, which had started on 25 February 1980, was concluded. Decent British comedy, but “timeless”, as the commentary accompanying the clip states? Well, it might be better for the reader of this post to judge that.

Now, even if ‘Daily Mirror’ readers back in the day actually thought they should rule the country, although that is doubtful, it is extremely unlikely that they still believe this. Moreover, while the comments on ‘The Guardian’, ‘Financial Times’, ‘Times’, and, yes, ‘The Sun’ readership, who “don’t care who rules the country, as long as she has got big tits”, might still have some relevance, academic caution is more than advisable when saying that the ‘Daily Mail’ is read by the wives of those who run the country, while in the meantime ‘The Independent’ has also entered the fray.

It is, however, to the ‘Morning Star’, that attentions will be diverted. This is a paper which, because of its links to the Soviet Union and its affiliation with the pro-Moscow Communist Part of Great Britain (CPGB), might have been read by people who wanted another country to rule the country, but today, under the direction of the Sinologist, Ben Chacko, rather than seeking to verify and, if necessary uncover the origins  of the chemical attacks in Douma, the paper limits itself to an article which cautions the government “not to use attacks on civilians as justification for planning increased military intervention in Syria.”

That is not enough and our suspicions should be raised. Most recently, there is the Skripal poisoning scandal and, with even the mainstream daily drivel  admitting that the source of these attacks cannot be identified, the indications are that the attacks in Salisbury might have been a false flag. Then, of course, the latest “chemical attacks” themselves are hardly a novelty. For instance, there was Khan Shaykhunk where the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France, and Israel,  were quick to attribute the blame to Damascus. Is this meant to be taken seriously? the US, UK, Turkey, Saudi, France, and Zionist Israel are to be taken seriously when it comes to making accusations?

Furthermore, are Seymour M. Hersh’s credentials, when it comes to telling the truth, not far superior not only to the governments of those countries, but also to the hacks who populate the mainstream media? They are and it is worth looking at his musings on the chemical attacks that occurred in Ghouta on the 21 August 2013. Questions have to be asked and real journalism is necessary, or are we really going to believe what these disgusting hacks spout out at the behest of their masters?

With Donald Trump about to announce “major decisions” over the attack on Douma and Putin warning against any “provocation”, the stakes have never been higher. “‘Western media’ and mass deception” is not some sort of novelty, it is par for the course. However, it really is time to stop taking this nonsense seriously and content ourselves with a laugh at its expense. In that sense the media is indeed “timeless”; it was always good for a laugh, and not only when it was being referred to in television sketches, and I wonder if page three is still worth a look.

 

 

 

 

Source of Nerve Agent not Identified

Solace from the daily drivel is still being sought in what have become “longish” walks rather than long walks. The Bruno Preisendorfer book, which was mentioned in the last post, is about to reach its’ climax, as the last few pages, which inform the reader on death and burial in Luther’s day, are perused. The big questions become pertinent and even in a place where a world without a supreme deity was unthinkable, and where the dying clung onto their crucifixes, exiting the stage was very, very, scary for many, if not most.

Ahhh …. the “big questions” and still we persist in revisiting the moronic, meek, mundane, mainstream media. Still, that exercise is sometimes worthwhile, as it can inadvertently lead to us actually being told a truth of sorts and while the BBC no longer gives the whopping “Iraq like” fib spouted out by Theresa, Boris, and their cronies pride of place, the story that does take shape seems to confirm my own suspicions from a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, surprise, surprise, British scientists are unable to trace the novichok nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal and, while it would be better for all of us to focus on, what we perceive to be, the real existential questions, such as the big one referred to in the first paragraph of this post, these clowns are very often in the process of creating conditions whereby that big question might become very immediate, and very relevant, a little bit quicker than expected. Or, are the millions who have died because of the big “WMD” lie already forgotten?

Therefore, just a couple of points to finish. Yes, the “longish” walks and the chewing the cud on the nature of existence might be good for the soul, but really should the brownnosed, bootlicking, flunkies, who call themselves journalists not be held to account? After all, if they aren’t, the parasitical, sycophants, who govern us  might have us contemplating the big questions from our death beds a bit sooner than we expected. Moreover, isn’t it getting a bit difficult to even point to a free press as something that might distinguish us from, and make us morally superior to, Putin’s Russia, Xi Jingping’s China, or, indeed, any tinpot dictator.

Russian chemical attack on the United Kingdom …. and the band played, believe it if you like

Solace, or escapism, from the daily drivel is being sought in long walks, a perusal of medieval history in the form of Bruno Preisendörfer’s, ‘Als unser Deutsch erfunden wurde’ and the occasional visit to the local fitness centre. Unfortunately, in our digital age, it is invariably difficult to avoid the deluge of misinformation, that seems intent on drowning our abilities to cognitively process and objectively view the real story behind the hype.

Do we really care that Rex Tillerson failed to thank Trump in his departure speech, even if the blatantly rogue nature of the United States under this particular President’s watch, which is sort of epitomized by his “promoting two officials condemned by human rights groups for endorsing or overseeing torture,” should be of some concern? Still, the good old US of A has been using hyperbole, hypocrisy, and hype, and, of course, bullying, torture, regime change, and mass murder for quite some time now and that has to be the point. The purveyors of propaganda in the West, have been lying murdering, hypocrites for a long, long, time and while we certainly shouldn’t believe that the Russians, the Chinese, or the Iranians, will offer some sort of alternative that is morally acceptable, we should at least be aware that the West has long since lost the moral high ground, even if it is doubtful that it ever really had it.

And so to  the United Kingdom, where fake news, false flags, and unsubstantiated drivel, have been par for the course from time immemorial. Time to forget the Brexit for a day, or two, or maybe even three, because there has been a Russian chemical attack on Blighty. That’s right, a former double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter have been hospitalised after a nerve agent attack in Salisbury.  Well, what else could mighty Blighty do but issue an ultimatum demanding that the Russians explain how a Soviet-era nerve toxin was used in the attack? And now that the ultimatum has been ignored, expel 23 diplomats.  It might even seem plausible, if it were not for a couple of things.

Russia didn’t reject the ultimatum out of hand, but rather said that it would not comply with Theresa May’s demand until the Russian government had been given samples of the nerve agent. Now, if the British had done that and Craig Murray’s assertion that not only does Moscow not have a monopoly on the novichok group of nerve agents, but that there are also a number of other more likely suspects than a kremlin, which can hardly have a motive for such an attack, was to bear fruit, the shit really could hit the fan. Yes,methinks the quite ridiculous motley crew in Westminster would really be in an even bigger bit of a pickle than they are in at the moment.

So what do they do? Well, they reject Russia’s request and they turn on the hype, hyperbole, hypocrisy, and hysteria that normally accompanies Britannia’s contrived actions and one week after the attack the residents of Salisbury are being told to wash their clothes. Could they not have been told this six days ago? It really does beggar belief. Or does it? After all, what can we expect from clowns who are pointing the finger at Moscow, despite the fact that the police investigation is ongoing and still nobody is providing any evidence that it was Russia. Well, there might lie the reason for the Tories failing to return any of the money they have received from rich Russians and, no doubt, when they finally concoct some nonsense to support their accusations, the mainstream media and the British establishment will crucify anyone who makes this point.

Of course, that last point is moot and it would be better to concentrate on the facts and, even if it is not exactly clear what the fact are, a recent article in today’s ‘Guardian’, which is based on Craig Murray’s analysis is certainly worth a read. Indeed, having read that article, it might just be that the conclusion reached would be similiar to the one reached by Mr Murray who says, that while he is not ruling out that it could have been Russia, he fails to see the motive for such an action and he wants to see the evidence.

Academic caution is, perhaps, advised, but don’t expect any real proof and certainly not before this spat moves to the next level.  Dangerous stuff and following on the heels of  Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, coming firmly down in Britain’s side, Berlin, Paris, and Washington have now come out in support of their ally. Where this latest exercise in subterfuge, this exceedingly silly and dangerous sham, might lead, is difficult to determine at this stage. However, it would be more than welcome if the mainstream media were to generally follow the example of that one article in the Guardian and ask some basic questions. These questions might include, but not be limited to, who had the motive and the opportunity to perpetrate this attack?

By doing that an alternative hypothesis might emerge, but that certainly wouldn’t be in the interests of a pseudo journalistic clique whose sole raison d’être lies in supporting the hype, hyperbole, and hypocrisy, of their masters.  Anyway time for some fresh air, followed by a cup of coffee, and a few pages of Bruno Preisendörfer’s, ‘Als unser Deutsch erfunden wurde’ and it really is difficult to take the nonsense coming out of little England seriously.

Piñera and a new bout of smash-and-grab

The New York Times’ description of Chile as a “deeply polarized nation” would reflect my own experience of a country, which desperately needs at least some of the social and economic changes the socialist president, Michelle Bachelet, wanted to implement at the beginning of her presidency, even if those reforms were not only always going to be limited, but also ultimately failed.

However, it is with Sebastián Piñera’s victory in last months run-off against Alejandro Guillier for the presidency that the lid has been put on any real reforms for the next four years. Of course, why this is so is all too easy to see when we look at just one of the intended reforms, namely, a private pension system which sees workers paying into for-profit funds that do not ensure them a dignified old age.

In other words, working people have to give part of their earnings to private companies who then literally steal from them and for these really “clever”  people private pensions is only one of the many avenues for raking in money in neo-liberal Chile. Yes, now they have “their” president and, as I was told in countless conversations, a man who is good for the country, because he understands business. Of course, not that anybody really wanted to discuss how he made his money,

Of course, accumulating wealth through selling off your country’s resources, through rents and usury , or by getting half of the population up to their eyeballs in debt because of basic services such as health care and education, is not unique to Chile and it is all succinctly summed up in a recent article in the UK’s ‘Socialist Worker’ which states that according to Oxfam, “the world’s richest 1 percent grabbed £4 out of every £5 of new wealth created in the world last year.” Yes, “grab” just about hits the nail on the head and get ready for Sebastián Piñera’ and his mates indulging in a new bout of smash-and-grab.

 

 

Norman Finkelstein and red lines for the American Jewish Community

Almost five years ago this blog covered Norman Finkelstein’s original attack on the ‘Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’ and came to the conclusion that it is for the Palestinians to decide whether to accept what is essentially a soft Zionist solution. Moreover, that particular article refuted Dr Finkelstein’s argument that the Palestinians have no alternative other than to accept Israel’s existence, which, by implication means Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, within the pre-67 borders, because ‘de jure’ Israel exists as a state.

Of course, that is hardly convincing when at the same time he asks us to ignore UN General Assembly resolution 194 and fall in line with “what the public is ready to accept. ” With historical Palestine in the process of disappearing completely from the map more than a little scepticism is advisable when confronted with “realism” of this sort and all the more so when, some five years after his final coming out as a soft Zionist, Dr Finkelstein goes on at great length to inform us that American Jews are increasingly against the occupation, but Israel’s existence is a red line.  Again, we are talking about Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. Five years ago it was all about “what the public is ready to accept” and today it is about what the Jewish community in America is ready to accept.

This narrative is as much about the American Jewish community as it is about some muslim boogeyman. In 1948 an ethnic cleansing of one people by another people began and that ethnic cleansing is still ongoing today. How we in the world community come to terms with that is one matter, how the Palestinians deal with it is another. It might very well be that they will opt for a two state solution based on the pre-1967 borders and in doing so they might need people like Dr Finkelstein to negotiate with. However, it is, at the end of the day, really about what they are ready to accept and not about what some undefinable “public”, or indeed the American Jewish community, are willing to accept.

Finally, it is with a heavy heart that this article is written. Respect for Dr Finkelstein, who has exposed many of the myths behind the state of Israel for the poppycock that they are, while simultaneously revealing many of the injustices suffered by the Palestinians, remains. However, those injustices are symptomatic of an ongoing ethnic cleansing, which began in 1948 and when it comes to any negotiations the least the Palestinians can expect is that General Assembly Resolution 198 and the right to return is addressed. After all, Dr Finkelstein, the law is the law.