The empire strikes back
The Weekly #13
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Hello everyone,
Two things are historically evident and they are both occurring right now. One, that as a criminal regime’s grip on power wanes, it becomes increasingly violent, and two, that when a capitalist system feels threatened, it will unleash fascism to stop a more just world from forming.
In the case of Israel, these two developments are inextricably linked and they are playing out throughout the broad and deep sphere of Israeli influence, especially in the Western heartlands of the United States of AmeriKKKa, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The level of violence, force, and suppression of democracy this week has been astonishing. We are witnessing the empire striking back at the resistance.
The Palestinian people, the protesting students across the world, the millions of protestors the world over, the brave pro-Palestine Jewish people being revoltingly labelled “self-hating Jew”: we, collectively, all of us, are the resistance. The imperial troika of Western governments, big business, and the mainstream media are, collectively, the empire. Israel is the death star.
The US government launches assault on the first amendment with new gag law
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the so-called “Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023” this week to expand the definition of antisemitism, with 320 voting yea and 91 voting nay. The definition that will become law once it goes through the Senate for approval and Genociden then signs it will interpret the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, which is very long and includes the following:
Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.
Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
If I were American, I would be protected by the first amendment. My view is that this is a dangerous law designed to intimidate protestors, especially students, that threatens the first amendment, but, ultimately, will not stand up in courts of law, because of the first amendment protection of the right to assembly and of the right to free speech, despite how the legislative and executive branches of government, and the police, attempt to make a mockery of it.
In response to the ludicrous statements above from the IHRA “definition”:
1. Israel is obviously a racist endeavour. It is an ethno-supremacist regime, in which a Jewish person born in Brooklyn, London, Melbourne, Madrid, Paris, or anywhere else really, is entitled to full Israeli citizenship while a Palestinian born in the West Bank must pass through one of 63 checkpoint barriers merely to set foot in “Israel” and that is only with a special permit. Calling Israel what it is is not an attack on “Jewish self-determination.” The concept of “self-determination” made intentionally nebulous by bad actors like Israel and the US government does not and cannot justify the subjugation and occupation of an entire people.
Israel is a zionist state that uses Judaism as an excuse to justify any atrocity. It is Israel itself that is anti-semitic. Zionism is anti-semitic.
Zionist forefather Theodore Herzl was atheist, war criminal and first Israeli prime minister Ben Gurion was atheist, and current war criminal prime minister Benzion Netanyahu is secular. 45% of Israeli Jews over the age of 20 are either secular or non-religious.
Speaking specifically about the West Bank, Human Rights Watch, which is obviously run by Hamas, said, “By making it harder for people to spend time in the West Bank, Israel is taking yet another step toward turning the West Bank into another Gaza, where two million Palestinians have lived virtually sealed off from the outside world for over 15 years.”
2. The Nazis genocided Jewish people. The zionists are currently genociding the Palestinian people. The only people saying it is not a genocide are the government goons who represent the military-industrial complex enabling and arming it, and Israel. Shocker.
3. The Israeli and US governments repeatedly justify their current genocide by invoking the Holocaust. Among the many times when Netanyahu has done it, he said recently, “On the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I again pledge as Prime Minister of Israel - Never Again. Israel will continue to defend itself against Hamas, a genocidal terror organization.” Here is your reminder that Israel helped create Hamas in order to divide Palestinians and prevent a Palestinian state.
Boeing murdered a second whistleblower
Boeing stock rises 7.6% after second whistleblower dies
Joshua Dean warned about manufacturing defects at Boeing in their 737 Max airplanes, before he was fired in 2023. He was 45 years of age when he died of an apparent sudden illness on April 30. Mr Dean had filed a complaint with the US Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line.” Mr Dean worked at Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier to Boeing.
His death follows on from the passing of John Barnett in March, another former Boeing employee. According to the mainstream media, Barnett shot himself.
Mr Dean said, “It is known at Spirit that if you make too much noise and cause too much trouble, you will be moved. It doesn’t mean you completely disregard stuff, but they don’t want you to find everything and write it up.”
In 2022 Netflix documentary, “Downfall: the Case Against Boeing”, Mr Barnett said, “Every time I'd raise my hand and say, 'hey we got a problem here', they would attack the messenger and... and ignore the message.”
After the death of Mr Dean this week, Boeing stock rose from 167.01 on May 1 to close the week at 179.85 on Friday 3 May, a 7.6% total rise.
In addition to manufacturing dodgy commercial planes that launch hundreds of humans through the air at over 500 miles an hour and seven miles above ground, Boeing is one of the world’s foremost weapons manufacturers, with the US government supplying the company with billions upon billions of tax dollars in US military contracts. Numerous elected US politicians, from both major political parties, are investors in Boeing.
Netanyahu gets the US government to lobby against his arrest
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the equivalent of the International Court of Justice for trying individuals, whereas the latter tries states. This week, it came to light that the ICC has been heavily rumoured to be readying the issuance of international arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other “leaders” within the Israeli murder machine. In response, Netanyahu has pressured the US government to lobby against this development. As usual, when Israel says jump, the US government says, “Shalom master, how high this time?” Here’s your friendly reminder that Joe Biden received over $4 million from the pro-Israel lobby as senator, the most in history of any senator.
US House speaker Mike Johnson called the looming arrest warrants “disgraceful”. The pro-Israel lobby gave Mike Johnson $95,000 after he advanced an extra $14 billion for Israel as part of the $95 billion “aid” package to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan through Congress last month. The US government has vowed to retaliate against the court if it proceeds with the arrest warrant issuance while Israel has said that it will retaliate by punishing the Palestinian Authority. Here’s your friendly reminder that the US calls itself “the land of the free” while Israel calls itself “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Student protests spread worldwide. Empire gets violent
The Columbia University student camp protest spread like wildfire across the United States, to more than 40 universities in total. Empire goon, senator Tom Cotton, who thinks people from Singapore are Chinese – they all look the same eh Tommy? – called the student protests, which include enormous amounts of Jewish people, “little Gazas.” Genocide Joe said that “dissent must never lead to disorder.” Precisely, Mr President, which is why the violent mobs of police and zionist thugs must be brought to heel.
The US student protests have gone global, including right here in Dublin. I went by Trinity University here today, where an encampment is in full swing on the university grounds. In response, the university has blocked access to toilets and today prevented people from supporting the students on campus by closing and locking the massive front wood doors, which are typically wide open all day long. It’s the first time that I have ever seen the doors closed.
If you’re not aware, the Trinity University grounds are in the city centre and they are open to the public. They are also a huge tourist attraction, as Trinity is home to the Book of Kells and the Long Room.
Trinity has not taken kindly to protests more broadly, including Palestine protests, by fining its student union €214,000. In response, the union has said that it will not be paying, calling it an attempt at intimidation.
The global student protests have rattled the empire so much that the US president, a rake of senators, and Netanyahu, have all spoken out on them, all condemning peaceful protest, instead outright lying that they are antisemitic. Little Zionist bitch Rishi Sunak also jumped on the false antisemitism bandwagon too. Of course, there is not even one recorded instance of anti-Jewish sentiment coming from university campuses anywhere but, apparently, they are raging cesspits of anti-Jewish hatred. Does anyone actually believe these imperial goons at all any more, apart from the Daily Express-reading and CNN-watching Karens of the world?
This is why the UK is slavishly obsequious to Israel
The British government released a policy paper in 2023 that it calls the Roadmap for UK-Israel Bilateral Relations.
This is the paper’s “vision” – I warn you, perhaps prepare a bucket to vomit into…
“The bilateral relationship has never been stronger. Our 2 countries complement each other’s strengths. As freedom-loving, innovative and thriving democracies, Israel and the UK are proud of our deep and historic partnership. We are firm friends and natural allies.”
It goes on to say, “Tackling the disproportionate focus on Israel in the UN and other international bodies…The UK and Israel will work together to tackle the singling out of Israel in the Human Rights Council as well as in other international bodies. In this context, the UK and Israel disagree with the use of the term ‘apartheid’ with regard to Israel.”
Wait, it gets even better…”The UK reaffirms its objection to Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns….UK is committed to ending any such campaigns by public bodies, including through legislation.”
In this document, the Tory government – and Starmer’s Labour will be just as pathetically servile – say bare-faced how they will take action, including passing legislation, to fight the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and British citizens who protest Israeli crimes against humanity. It would be so astounding if it weren’t wide out in the open now just how deep Israel’s claws have sunk into Western governments. This is all in the service for another “country.”
Calling people who said that Israel wielded astonishing control over many countries around the world doesn’t seem so conspiratorial now, does it?
Why I abandoned plans to apply for a master’s at UCD
I have been very serious about studying a master’s degree in journalism. I considered University College Dublin (UCD) as the frontrunner institution. The university, the faculty, and the course all have an excellent international reputation. Since I graduated in 2007 in government, politics and philosophy, I always felt that I would one day go back and study a master’s. UCD seemed perfect. Trinity for all its prestige, doesn’t do a master’s in journalism. What’s that about? But anyway, guess what is at the centre of the course? CNN.
Yes, CNN, the propaganda outlet passing off as a news network. This network’s blatant pro-Israel, pro genocide, pro-war, pro-military-industrial complex is something that I simply cannot tolerate. Its coverage is absolutely abhorrent, especially from their chief warmonger and troll, Dana Bash.
CNN has a deep relationship with UCD and it is all over the master’s programme. Frankly anyway, doing a journalism master’s is not something that I need to do professionally. It is something that I want to do, or wanted to anyway – now I’m not sure with the way universities worldwide are responding to students’ right to free speech and the right to assemble, as well as the revelations of the intertwined relationships between war, higher education institutions, and media.
Shame on the universities worldwide for their complicity with Israel and the United States’ genocide, for their deep relationship with the military-industrial complex, and for the danger that they are putting students in right now, in the face of police brutality and violent zionist mobs.
I also resent them for how their enabling, supporting, and defending the evils of Western imperialism detrimentally impacts those of with us a conscience, who refuse to participate, at the expense of career progress and a sense of personal and professional achievement.
Never despair
Never despair,
If it weren’t difficult, we wouldn’t choose to be here,
If it were all just like heaven,
What could we possibly learn?
Visualise yourself wrapped in a blinding light,
Breathe in deep and out,
Become remarkably present,
Lean in to the pain,
Go to it, take it by the hand,
And into the warmest embrace,
And say, “I see you,”
And let it go.
This weekend newsletter is made possible by patrons here on SubStack via paid subscription, on Instagram via subscription, and via Buy Me a Coffee. Thank you for your ongoing support.
