Cause Célèbre

These past few weeks have found me incredulous due to the surreal events of the present, as well as those of the perceptible future. As the world around us ordinary human beings spins out of control, I see more frustration; anger; vindictiveness; hatred; racism and extremism. Moreover, so many of us are being unable to understand, absorb, or process what is happening to our culture, to our politics, to our human relationships and to our common values. Do we wonder then why there are killers and mass shooters running around in our midst, such as the horrific massacre of innocent victims praying at a synagogue in Pittsburgh? Beam me up, Scotty! Beam me up!

Additionally, the recent spate of pipe bombs sent to prominent people and establishments was just one more surreal event! And, the MSM hyperventilating and pointing the finger at the President – not that he is at all blameless – with all the Arrogance, Feigned Indignation and Hypocrisy they could muster was nothing short of bizarre when they have been a Prime Factor in fuelling the frenzy! And then they have the temerity to deny it? Not an ounce of Professional Pride or Integrity! Shameless!

Since 9/11 there seems to have been a slow and steady erosion of Democratic Values, Civility and Human Rights as basic criteria for managing our world. We have succeeded in totally ignoring the Geneva Conventions; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and even the American Constitution – let alone Emily Post’s Manners – while reexamining and mis-explaining all those and other universal codes and rules that, at least on paper and in diplomatic corridors, had been established norms. Not so, it seems. Have Right and Wrong become so obfuscated that we don’t know the difference between them anymore?

For me, the grotesque and barbaric Khashoggi assassination was just one more utterly incomprehensible act that we have been witnessing in the US, as well as in the world. However, was this the first ever murder of a journalist? According to the Committee to Protect Journalists there have been 44 journalists killed in 2018, and according to Reporters Without Borders there have been 47. Criticism of the media is acceptable and necessary, but killing journalists is criminal and totally unacceptable. (Check The Intercept link at the bottom of this article to realize what an unjust world we are living in regarding this subject.) Yet, while the brutal Khashoggi killing was horrendous, what is happening in Yemen and in Gaza is even more atrocious, although the world is not having convulsions about either of those. This leads one to wonder what Propaganda and Hidden Agendas create a cause célèbre, such as Khashoggi? According to Wikipedia: It has been noted that the public attention given to a particular case or event can obscure the facts rather than clarify them. As one observer states, “The true story of many a cause célèbre is never made manifest in the evidence given or in the advocates’ orations, but might be recovered from these old papers when the dust of ages has rendered them immune from scandal.” And how true is that?!

Enter President Donald Trump, who, while he certainly did not cause all the upheavals going on in our world, managed to bubble them up to the surface and, by many of his explosive words and bullying actions, encouraged a global authoritarianism and radicalism that is becoming more draconian in some corners of the world, as well as in many aspects of our country. Stoking our worst fears and attributes, from both the Left and the Right and all across our Planet, is a very dangerous political game that cannot end well. Trump has also, inadvertently as it is, succeeded in exposing the lies and hypocrisy of politics and politicking by articulating that Financial Gain (as with Saudi Arabia’s arm sales) takes precedence over Values. Seriously? France and England followed suit. Money Talks, Integrity Walks! In doing so they have stripped down the hypocritical “Democracy and Freedom” mantra that for decades they have been lying to people about as they assassinated their leaders, meddled in their affairs, occupied and bombed them. There is not even a semblance of propriety anymore as irresponsibility, lies and propaganda on every level seem to be taking more root. How can we deal with all this? Where does it all go?

Moreover, the shocking Khashoggi assassination, has legalized extrajudicial executions more than ever before, not that these have not been happening throughout time. However, they had been, at least hypocritically, generally condemned. No more, it seems. His appalling execution has proven that the world is in a scary free-fall. It seems that horrific decisions can be flippantly taken by any government or leader knowing that there are no serious consequences. Duterte, Erdogan, Aung San Suu Kyi, are just recent examples. All this, while across the world, environmental and political activists, and anyone threatening the corporate exploitation that is suffocating Justice and Human Rights are being executed. And, when any leader’s status quo is being challenged the protestors are silenced, jailed, or slain, with no repercussions, thus making the rule of law, morality and universally accepted norms appear frivolous, unjust and non-consequential. It seems that the fragile veneer of civility and legality that may have existed, however superficially, has now been totally buried! Ordinary people see, hear and witness global powers and influential politicians, corporate heads and corporations practicing unfettered Greed, Arrogance, Dominance and the Abrogation of Human Rights and are repulsed, terrified and bewildered.

In a few days, we have a Midterm Election taking place in these United States that is being hyped and portrayed as a Life and Death situation, which in no way – no way – it is. Neither the leadership of the Left, or that on the Right – fundamentally one and the same except for cosmetic differences – are even making an effort to resolve our fundamental problems for the sake of the country and its future. To the contrary, the tit-for-tat is becoming more venomous as the politicians fill their coffers and consolidate their powers at our expense! Unbelievable! To top it all an Orchestrated Migrant Caravan is creeping towards the US borders with the Left and the Right capitalizing on people’s misery with Kodak visuals to fuel passions on both sides. And citizens are either becoming more radical, or more apathetic, while some are being whipped up into an uncivilized frenzy – as we have been seeing recently – by both parties and the irresponsible MSM over Total Nonsense – Nonsense! – while the serious solvable issues remain undebated rationally. Quite unconscionable any way you dice it and splice it. Moreover, our wars and foreign adventures are no more even on the table. We may have forgotten them. The millions affected by them cannot. How could they?

All this churning nationally, and internationally, is making the “art of the deal” regarding the Palestinian/Israeli catastrophe, all the more worrisome. At this point, it does not bode well at all for the Palestinian people. All the indications are pointing to the fact that the Israeli Government has been given a big nod by the US Administration, with tacit approval by most of the NATO Powers and most Arab States, to pursue the peace that works in Israel’s interests, while totally disregarding Palestinian hopes, aspirations, human rights and legalities. The recent deliberate and extremist actions by the Israeli Government are nothing short of Evil. This is only culminating the seventy years of a criminal occupation and the numerous extrajudicial executions that Israel has been waging with impunity. I am not holding my breath any longer for the touted Middle East Peace Deal with its main Conspirators being Bibi, Jared and bin Salman, although on Wednesday, October 24 President Macron sent a message to the White House – the MSM didn’t tell you about that, did they? – urging the Administration to divulge their Middle East Peace Plan. If they don’t, then he is going to divulge his own version of the Two-State Solution. Should that happen, and no matter how viable his plan might be, who would like to bet that it will be vetoed down by the US/Israel Alliance? This is why I can only anticipate, derived from seeing all the recent actions on the ground, that “the art of the deal” is sounding more like the Kiss of Death for the Palestinian people, and it is very, very painful, extremely heart-breaking and so unconscionably unjust, to say the least.

Surreal? Unquestionably!

https://theintercept.com/2018/10/26/jamal-khashoggi-killing-tareq-ayoub/