I have no magic solutions, Diana. Other than each person should apply themselves in whatever manner best suits them. I write about it, as you do, to build awareness. I don't have a very big following but at least that's something.
I applaud your newsletter . Sadly it’s spot on . I cannot fathom as a human being on this earth how there are so many heads buried in the sand . I take informal checkins with people I know and encounter and the silence regarding the genocide in Gaza and the murderous behaviour of Israel as well as complicity of western nations like mine ( Canada) USA and all western leaders is soul crushing. I have searched for some kind of hope and feel the tragedy of inaction and apathy heartbreaking .
The student protests have lightened my spirit - but the overall pathetic inattention of the masses is hard to bear. I understand that greed, power, money seem to ( excuse the expression) trump all . That the military machine rules. Thank you for this writing of yours as at least it’s affirming that there remains people like yourself that care and speak up .
Thanks for this thoughtful comment Heather. The silence and lack of every day outrage is indeed crushing, though the student revolt is inspiring. Two things come to mind. One: compare the average liberal's reaction to Israel's invasion of Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Comparisons only go so far but I think the point is obvious. The level of irrational Russuphobic hatred was simply off the charts, and the propaganda was, according to Chomsky, like nothing he'd ever seen. All encouraged by elites.
Two: imagine if Israel's genocide was happening under Donald Trump's watch. There is a lot protests and agitation happening now by a very committed segment but if Trump were in charge, I think America would burn to the ground.
I think most Democrats are able to see that whatever Biden's obvious limits, he and the team he brings to his Administration would clearly be far superior to a new Trump term in every way, except possibly cheap entertainment value. But among the relatively few swing voters and discouraged Democrats, Biden's state of health could very well discourage turnout.
And the Biden team's pitch to Democrats is that the choice this year is democracy or no-longer-democracy. And that's plainly true and necessary to emphasize. In Sunday's French election, everyone from the center-right to the far left managed to cooperate enough to reject Le Pen's authoritarian, anti-democracy party. And they also did it by generating high turnout.
The challenge in the Presidential election this year is that Democracy vs. Authoritarianism has to be converted into specific issues, e.g., defending reproductive rights. Biden in the debate botched that about as badly as he could have.
And the Republicans like other rightwing populist parties in liiberal democracies don't *explicitly* reject democracy when they are trying to come to power. (I mean, unless they are "republic-not-a-democracy" Birchers!) Trump's false accusations of stolen elections and the crazy accusation that the Democrats are bringing 20 million Latino immigrants to the US illegally and registering them to vote lets him pose as the defender of democracy for the *true* People, i.e., white and Christian nationalist. The meta-stake of Democracy has to be translated into messages like: the Republicans are banning abortion and trying to ban birth control and are blocking pregnant women from getting emergency health care in life-or-death situations!
Also, if the entire democratic Constitutional system is at stake in the election - and it *really* is - that puts a premium on having the most effective feasible candidate heading the pro-democracy side. And it's true that (a much healthier) Biden actually did beat Truump in 2020. It's a tough situation for the Democrats to be in.
That linked video makes some very relevant points. Tax breaks for dubious Israeli organizations really are a public subsidy by the governments provided the tax breaks. Chomsky made a really good point in that Buckley debate about collective responsibility. Chomsky is the one I first remember reading who offered a meaningful critical insight from a left perspective on the US policy toward Israel.
New from The Lancet: "Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37 396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2 375 259, this would translate to 7·9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip."
Incredible, isn't it? I wish we could stop the genocide. What more do we need to do?!
I have no magic solutions, Diana. Other than each person should apply themselves in whatever manner best suits them. I write about it, as you do, to build awareness. I don't have a very big following but at least that's something.
That was more of a rhetorical question, and I ask it all the time. What will it take? (another rhetorical question.)
Rhetorical points taken :-)
I applaud your newsletter . Sadly it’s spot on . I cannot fathom as a human being on this earth how there are so many heads buried in the sand . I take informal checkins with people I know and encounter and the silence regarding the genocide in Gaza and the murderous behaviour of Israel as well as complicity of western nations like mine ( Canada) USA and all western leaders is soul crushing. I have searched for some kind of hope and feel the tragedy of inaction and apathy heartbreaking .
The student protests have lightened my spirit - but the overall pathetic inattention of the masses is hard to bear. I understand that greed, power, money seem to ( excuse the expression) trump all . That the military machine rules. Thank you for this writing of yours as at least it’s affirming that there remains people like yourself that care and speak up .
Thanks for this thoughtful comment Heather. The silence and lack of every day outrage is indeed crushing, though the student revolt is inspiring. Two things come to mind. One: compare the average liberal's reaction to Israel's invasion of Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Comparisons only go so far but I think the point is obvious. The level of irrational Russuphobic hatred was simply off the charts, and the propaganda was, according to Chomsky, like nothing he'd ever seen. All encouraged by elites.
Two: imagine if Israel's genocide was happening under Donald Trump's watch. There is a lot protests and agitation happening now by a very committed segment but if Trump were in charge, I think America would burn to the ground.
Nothing justifies this. Nothing. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/7/israel-war-on-gaza-live-hospitals-in-gaza-overwhelmed-by-israeli-strikes
I think most Democrats are able to see that whatever Biden's obvious limits, he and the team he brings to his Administration would clearly be far superior to a new Trump term in every way, except possibly cheap entertainment value. But among the relatively few swing voters and discouraged Democrats, Biden's state of health could very well discourage turnout.
And the Biden team's pitch to Democrats is that the choice this year is democracy or no-longer-democracy. And that's plainly true and necessary to emphasize. In Sunday's French election, everyone from the center-right to the far left managed to cooperate enough to reject Le Pen's authoritarian, anti-democracy party. And they also did it by generating high turnout.
The challenge in the Presidential election this year is that Democracy vs. Authoritarianism has to be converted into specific issues, e.g., defending reproductive rights. Biden in the debate botched that about as badly as he could have.
And the Republicans like other rightwing populist parties in liiberal democracies don't *explicitly* reject democracy when they are trying to come to power. (I mean, unless they are "republic-not-a-democracy" Birchers!) Trump's false accusations of stolen elections and the crazy accusation that the Democrats are bringing 20 million Latino immigrants to the US illegally and registering them to vote lets him pose as the defender of democracy for the *true* People, i.e., white and Christian nationalist. The meta-stake of Democracy has to be translated into messages like: the Republicans are banning abortion and trying to ban birth control and are blocking pregnant women from getting emergency health care in life-or-death situations!
Also, if the entire democratic Constitutional system is at stake in the election - and it *really* is - that puts a premium on having the most effective feasible candidate heading the pro-democracy side. And it's true that (a much healthier) Biden actually did beat Truump in 2020. It's a tough situation for the Democrats to be in.
That linked video makes some very relevant points. Tax breaks for dubious Israeli organizations really are a public subsidy by the governments provided the tax breaks. Chomsky made a really good point in that Buckley debate about collective responsibility. Chomsky is the one I first remember reading who offered a meaningful critical insight from a left perspective on the US policy toward Israel.
New from The Lancet: "Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37 396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2 375 259, this would translate to 7·9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip."
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext