Category: 2023

“Where is she? Where is Humanity? I’ve been looking for her and I can’t seem to find her!” Says my daughter.

Sorrowfully, I respond: “Humanity has been long gone along with Justice and all those qualities that we describe as ‘Good’. Without going too far back into History, just think WWII and the atrocious criminality of the Holocaust, think Vietnam, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, as well as Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Gaza for the Sixth Time and on and on and on!”

“And we believed that Good will prevail over Evil?”

“I am actually beginning to believe that half this world is likely Good, and half is likely Evil, and Evil seems to have been Overpowering the Good. I didn’t use to think so! I believed that Good was prevalent.”

Speaking of Good: there are thousands upon thousands of writers of all genres – novels, essays, articles, blogs etc. etc. – who are Honest, and who want to share either the Truth and the Facts, or their Experiences, Stories and Points of View. They sit in front of their computers doing their Research, wrapped in their feelings and sifting through the mounds of Information. Their job is Lonely, Exhausting, but Rewarding too! There are others who are Bought-And-Paid-For and whose objective is to disseminate Propaganda, Lies, and Misinformation. The US Corporate Media Hosts, Journalists and Reporters fall into this category. Their job is easy. They simply read the Talking Points they receive every morning and string those into words, sentences and blather that will Convince, Sway and Trigger the required Emotional Response in their audience. Common Good be damned! I have been aware of their Dishonest Tactics for a very long time. Nevertheless, I watched them, liked some of them, and, in fact, enjoyed some of their long-winded jabbering and false indignation. Some of their acting was actually fun to watch!

However, whether it is now that I am an aging woman who gets tears in her eyes over the slightest thing, and/or whether it is because I have witnessed so many Horrors in my lifetime that Corruption, Dishonesty, Complicity and Propaganda now offend me more than they ever did, I simply cannot listen to the US Corporate Media any more. I believe this feeling, which had been churning subliminally within me for long, was highlighted when Biden went to war with Russia using Ukraine as his Launching Pad. It seems that, again, Making Money is very okay for warmongering Biden, even if thousands are devastated in that depraved process! You need more proof than this article? I was more disgusted that no real context was ever given about any aspect of that misadventure, although there were many articles, opinions and facts written about the Truths of this Senseless War by very Respectable and Honest American Writers and Analysts. They were Never allowed on the Propaganda Channels that Political Leaders and their Minions, as well as Ordinary Americans were subjected to. Yet, even with that war raging, I still listened and watched, and even recorded some of my favorite talk shows. Now, with Netanyahu’s Cruel War intensifying in Gaza I have finally – finally – switched most of them Off, deleted the pre-set recordings and confined myself to the Principled Amy Goodman on Democracy Now; to the BBC which has been doing fairer reporting than others; and to Al-Jazeera for news updates, as well as C-Span’s Washington Journal, which is really terrific, and always shows both sides of an issue. I am also giving Ali Velshi, Ayman Mohyeldin and Mehdi Hasan of MSNBC another chance being that they were benched and muzzled after Gaza. Time will tell how “obedient” they have become to the State Department, Military Industrial Complex, AIPAC and their Bigoted Bosses, and whether I will continue to listen to them.

Stephen Sackur of the BBC’s HARDtalk program is much more Honest than the US Media Hosts when, for instance, he interviewed Representative Adam Smith, Democrat, House Committee on Armed Services and asked him (paraphrasing) that when he stated that Putin’s leveling of Mariupol in Ukraine was a War Crime would he say the same about Netanyahu’s leveling of Gaza? Perfect unanswered question that summarizes exactly all the Hypocrisy, Racism and Inequality!

Yet, unlike Political and Media figures there are still Moral, Ethical American Human Beings in this nation of ours be they Whistle Blowers, or Government Employees. Certainly, certainly Josh Paul, who resigned from his State Department post, is a terrific example! If you haven’t read about him in a Politico article and elsewhere, please do! Respect, and More! Moreover, there seems to be an upheaval amongst some  Staffers going on at the State Department, as well as amongst some EU employees regarding the Unconditional Support being given to Israel and its Propaganda Machine. There are also worldwide protests going on and demanding an end to the violence. Yes, indeed we can still find Integrity and Principles in this World!

Netanyahu stated at the beginning of this horrid war: “I will change the map of the Middle East.” Who the hell does he think he is? Striding the world lawlessly and yanking the chains of every Political Leader across the damn Planet? What is “this evil hold” that the Israeli Government has over all of them that they acquiesce to this nauseating and unjust extent? How can they stand by at this relentless and criminal Collective Punishment? How do they sleep at night while totally Complicit in this atrocity? Biden, as I have said, and will repeat, is Done! Done! Was he really Echoing the Israeli Propaganda Machine as he cast aspersions and quibbled on the Palestinian Health Ministry numbers of Dead? Really? Hypocritical  and so Insensitive. Would Five Thousand Dead be okay, Biden? More believable? Acceptable? Biden and his Entire Administration are Disgusting! So are the EU countries and NATO! Pathetic Colonist Hypocrites, Racists and Bullies! They are arrogant, corrupt, despicable, and I believe that the world has had enough of their bullying and warmongering!

Heartbreaking Sorrow, Despair, Guilty Helplessness, and, yes, Rage? Not even Close to how I feel! Not!

“Where is She Humanity? I looked for her and can’t find her,” says my daughter.

“Israel, Biden, the EU and NATO have warped and massacred her! It’s The Pits Of Humanity!”

After my last post I was pondering what I was going to write about for this post, then I thought of Kathy, who is a lovely woman with whom I had lunch recently. Tearing up almost throughout our meal, she said: I am feeling so Overwhelmed these days! The reason for her feelings is that she has been for several months taking care of her husband who had developed dementia, and had hip surgery shortly after that needing care 24/7. Moreover, he had fallen the week before we met and she couldn’t lift him up so she had to call the ambulance. Over and above everything else she was distraught that she had to do that. I totally understood as I had to call on my son-in-law and grandson on two occasions when my husband, then getting weaker, also fell. I, too, had felt Overwhelmed frequently during the entire eight years that he was on dialysis. That constant feeling of being Overwhelmed has many Negative Consequences such as being Unhappy and feeling as if Drowning. Over and above that: managing medications, doctor’s appointments, diet, bath time etc. and, yes, all of it is Overwhelming! This made me want to write about this “Overwhelmed” feeling, and so I emailed some of my close wonderful older friends to find out whether their circumstances always, sometimes, or never made them feel Overwhelmed. Here is some of what they said:

“I don’t have the luxury of feeling Overwhelmed as I take care of my sick  husband 24/7. It has become a way of life for me.”

“Some days just thinking of making the bed is Overwhelming! Also, putting things off and then having to catch up with my chores, the unpaid bills, and unanswered emails!”

“I order my groceries on line, and my bills and accounts are being managed by my wonderful children. Before they stepped in it was certainly Overwhelming!”

“A status change is Overwhelming. Going from working to retirement is quite an adjustment! Managing chores, accounts, social activities, cooking, buying anything online is so stressful when all of the these were once a breeze!”

“Keeping my schedule of doctor’s appointments is Overwhelming! Too many body parts now need attention!”

“Checking my To-Do list for the week is Overwhelming, although the list has mundane items: clean the bathroom, change the sheets and do the wash, make a doctor’s appointment, pick up my medicines and groceries, etc. Nothing of consequence, yet it can sometimes feel Overwhelming!”

Phew! I was so relieved and grateful to read their answers, because I was thinking that maybe I was the only one who feels Overwhelmed on certain days!

I was planning on continuing with my fun post when the News broke about Gaza, and had me glued in front of the Idiot Box! So as I write this my heart is laden with grief, and I am Overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions once the bloody hell again! Fuck!

. . . a brutal attack by Hamas on the Israeli-Gaza border had occurred, and the thousands of rockets that Overwhelmed Israel’s Iron Dome causing appalling and horrifying death and destruction to so many was as Stunning as it was Barbaric! Equally Barbaric was the unsurprising – actually, quite expected – Israeli Government’s Overwhelming and Savage response. Is there Anyone but the Delusional who thought that this was the beginning of a pathway to the Liberation of the Palestinian People from a brutal and inhumane Israeli occupation? Let me be clear: is the choice for the Palestinian People an Immoral, Inhumane, Illegal Israeli Occupation and Subjugation? Or, is it an Immoral, Authoritarian, Undemocratic, Ruthless Iran-like regime? Neither of these two options would be my choice! Neither! Having said that, I totally and fully understand how frustrated, angry, despairing and hopeless the Palestinian People are after eighty years of incarcerations, demolitions, annexations, expropriation of lands and property, provocations and an Israeli narrative that has dehumanized them, skewed the historic facts, and spread myths and propaganda – which have gone into warp speed since that fateful Saturday. Yes, the attack was definitely a traumatic experience for the Israeli People, however, sadly, trauma has become part of the inherited Palestinian psyche passed on from one generation to the next. So, while I am against ALL Violence and Wars, I totally understand how all that would energize feelings of revenge and violence. I am desolate and infuriated also! But, Context is Important, for Nothing happens in a Vacuum, and we should remind the World that the Jews in Hitler’s Concentration Camps were so furious at what Hitler was doing that some of them became radicalized and that was how the Stern and Irgun Gangs were born – designated as Terrorists by the British Colonists at the time – who then fled to Palestine and took out their Rage on Innocent – Innocent! – Palestinians whom they Terrorized, Expelled from their Homes and Villages, Murdered, Raped and who had Nothing – Nothing! – to do with causing the Holocaust! Yes, Fury can engender Radicalization in many Humans be they Israelis, or Palestinians!

Moreover, let us be Clear and Honest about the Facts that I am sure you already know: Netanyahu was Warned by the Egyptian Authorities that there was an Attack in the making by Hamas on his borders. He Chose to disregard the warnings. Did he really? Or, that by allowing things to happen it was an opportune moment in which to distract from his legal issues, from his judicial reforms and the ensuing protests by making Gaza and its Civilian Population a Scapegoat once again for his conundrum? And, if Hizbollah enters the fray it might give the evil, corrupt and conniving Netanyahu the chance to realize his Dream of going after Iran! This is an article by Marwan Bishara. His opinion is echoed by reporters and journalists in the Middle East. Should that Terribly Grim Scenario occur it will be an Overwhelming  Disaster for All of us!

As to the Ground War, and aside from the savage bombing of Gaza, Israel has made sure to target and kill Palestinian Journalists, to cut off electricity, no internet, no phones and, therefore, No Witnesses to the bloody revenge that Israel is surely exacting, while all the Colonists unite in support of Netanyahu and the most Indulged Country on the Planet in an atrocious display of Hypocrisy, Inhumanity and Racism that lays to waste the Geneva Conventions and the UN Declaration of Human Rights! That Blinken can stand next to Bibi and evoke his Holocaust experiences is absolutely allowed! However, for Palestinians to evoke the Nakba and all the ensuing horrific events perpetrated upon them is “About-ism!” Where, oh Where is Justice?

As for the US bought and paid for Corporate Media? Forget the Racist, Hypocritical Schmucks! They are Disgusting! Freedom of the Press and Integrity my ass!

I realize, as do many of my friends, that our whole world is in a distressed state of affairs. It is Overwhelmed with worldwide Lawlessness by many Governments – including our own, unless we choose to conveniently forget Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya etc. – Political and Economic Instability, Climate Challenges, Immigration and Migration Issues, abundance of Arms and Drugs, widespread Injustice and Inequality and on and on and on. This is causing stressful feelings on young and old alike. It is quite disconcerting and dangerous for all of us, and there are no Wise, Responsible Political Leaders that I can see who can navigate these treacherous waters and evade the Many Catastrophes that I see coming our way! Yes, it is Very, Very Overwhelming and Alas not at all the subject that I was anticipating to write about today by shocking events that overtook my initial fun idea!

Let me end by declaring that I will Never, Ever Cast My Vote for the Pathetic Hypocrisy and Warmongering of Joe Biden! Never! Ever! He is Done! Finito! Khalas!