34 years later, two black men arrested and accused in the murder of a white pregnant woman receive a formal and public apology

It was the case that damn-near ripped the city of Boston apart back in 1989.

34 years ago, Charles Stewart called 911 saying he and his wife were shot. His wife Carol Stewart, who was 7 months pregnant at the time died from her injuries. When investigators questioned him, he said a black man shot them during an attempted carjacking.

The lives of Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett were changed forever. Both were arrested as suspects for the murder of Carol Stewart. The court of public opinion in Boston was split largely along racial lines. Without evidence and despite alibis that placed both of them elsewhere at the time of the murder, most White locals assumed it was them simply because they were black and they were arrested. Most Black locals were understandably alarmed by the speed and force with which the men were arrested and charged despite airtight alibis that placed each of them elsewhere during the time of the incident.

As a reminder, this happened back in 1989. DNA Forensics wouldn’t start to become what it is now for at least another 5 to 7 years. Thankfully, neither man was convicted for the murder. When investigators realized the injuries Charles Stewart sustained were self-inflicted, he panicked and died by suicide by jumping off the Tobin Bridge. It was later discovered he didn’t want to be a father and she refused to have an abortion.

The bigger issue that was largely swept under the rug is the fact he claimed a black man did it his words were taken at face value. Charges against Swanson and Bennett were quickly dropped but the damage had already been done to both them and their families. The Stewart case was a black eye to the Boston Police Department as it confirmed long suspected racial biases. The timing really sucked because as youth and gang crime waves would grip the city for half of the 1990s. BPD had the difficult task of both dealing with that and rebuilding trust with Boston’s Black Community which is still is trying to do to this day.

“The mayor’s office, city officials and the Boston Police Department took actions that directly harmed these families and continue to impact the larger community, reopening a wound that has gone untended for decades,” Current Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said as part of her remarks. Although she didn’t say his name, she was referring to former mayor Ray Flynn who is still alive right now.

This formal apology should have come from him, not Michelle Wu. Many might say the late Tom Menino–mayor of Boston for 22 years–Marty Walsh or Kim Janey could have done this and you’re right to say that. The thing is, this happened during Ray Flynn’s time as Mayor and he IS still alive. He should have been there to look them and their families in the eye or recorded a video message in advance. The thought alone would’ve meant a lot.

Swanson was present to received the apology in person. Bennett, who still lives in Boston was not present but his family was there on his behalf. His family passed on a message from him to local media: he and Swanson should get financially compensated. Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Swanson said he would also like some kind of financial compensation, adding that he was currently broke. While Wu said she would commit to doing everything she can to help both men and their families, she would not rule in or out financial compensation.

I was 5 years old when that incident happened but there isn’t a single person in Boston who was over the age of four in 1989 who hasn’t at least heard of the Stewart Murder. For Black Bostonians, it was the exclaimation point of a very trying era of racial profiling in the city by BPD that continued for at least another decade and a half.

While everyone recognizes things are much better than they were when the Stewart Murder happened, the wounds that incident inflicted on Boston ran deep and festered for quite some time. More so given there was no acknowledgement from City Hall, BPD or City Officials of the injustice done to Swanson, Bennett and their families for 34 years.

Fortunately, both men were alive to personally receive this LONG overdue public acknowledgement and apology from all three. Their familes also recognize what they went through 34 years deeply impacted not just them but left a festering wound that only now can begin to heal. It starts with acknowledgement.

The Stewart Murder got a lot of media attention 34 years ago and in the three decades since in the form of movies, podcasts, interviews and TV Shows. It has been used in case studies at various Law Schools. The disappearance and murder of Lacey Peterson about 20 years ago brought back memories of that incident due to a few similarities though in that case her husband was charged and convicted.

As for weather or not Swanson and Bennett should be financially compensated, that’s a question for attorneys to look into. I do know all the docudramas and TV Shows about the case do not mention them specifically but their names will forever be linked to that case. It’s something for attorneys to look into like I said though.

 

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Ukraine’s President Zelensky makes a second wartime visit to the U.S. as the Kremlin celebrates the deadlock in Congress

Continuing where the previous article left off, military aid to Ukraine is the only thing keeping Russia out of Europe. Most don’t understand that but they will should Ukraine fall to Russia. If Russia succeeds in annexing Ukraine, this will set off a chain reaction around the world and in the U.S.

For one, China will go after Taiwan military and they will go hard. U.S. Intelligence admitted shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine that if China decided to take Taiwan militarily, they’d be able to take the island within 72 hours. The silver lining is China likely wouldn’t be able to hold the island indefinitely and more so once western allies blockaded it.

Second, I just told you about Venezuela making plans to invade Guyana in the previous article. They’ll likely time their invasion to happen when the U.S. is busy responding to China invading Taiwan. I forgot to say this in the previous article but Putin likely gave Venezuela certain assurances, among them being once they conquer Ukraine China will be too busy with Taiwan and the conflict in Israel to respond quickly enough.

Third, there’s the political situation in the U.S. I’ve spent the last almost four years talking about. Some far right politicians and talking heads are already working to spin Russia beating Ukraine as a “win” for America. They foolishly believe Russia will stop with Ukraine. They genuinely believe if they let Putin have Ukraine or up to half of Ukraine, that will prevent World War III. Europe thought that way about letting Hitler invade Austria in the 1930s. Guess what ending up happening: World War II that’s what happened.

All appeasing war mongers does is encourage them. You CANNOT show ANY weakness to autocrats and despots like Putin Xi Jinpi and to a lesser extent Trump. History has repeatedly made that clear. Most Americans regardless of politics know and understand that fact. The problem is we have Republican politicians and Far Right talking heads mostly on Right Wing Media platforms telling people the war would have ended a year ago if Biden pushed Zelensky to cede half of Ukraine to Russia. Yes, really.

Ukraine is buying the western world time at the very least. They’re actually doing much better than they’re letting on and this is why military aid needs to continue if not be ramped up. Zelensky is looking to retake Crimea and after Russia’s counterattack came up short, it’s become much clearer they could actually get that done by the 10 year anniversary of it getting annexed by Russia back in 2014.

All that said. Putin has clearly made the calculation if military aid to Ukraine from the U.S. can be stalled until next summer, the American public and media will be too busy focusing on election season to care what he does in Ukraine. If a Republican other than Trump becomes president, they’ll want conditions in exchange for military aid. If Trump gets back in the White House, he’ll stop all military aid to Ukraine and likely tell Xi he can have Taiwan among other things.

The next 4 to 7 months are sure to be very interesting to say the least.

 

 

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Venezuela announces sham voter referrandum approving the annexation part of Guyana

Yes, a failed state in South America with over 5 million refugees living in nearby countries and the biggest oil producer in the western hemisphere is legit making plans to invade neighboring Guyana for THEIR recently discovered oil deposits.

The Venezuelan government “suddenly” decided to revive a 125-year old territorial dispute from colonial times. That actually was settled over a century ago when Guyana was a British colony. In 2018, oil reserves were discovered in western Guyana as well as of the coast. Five years later, the Venezuelan government arbitrariliy decided it wants that oil and is stirring up nationalism to build domestic support for it.

Speaking to CBS News this week, Guyana’s president Ifraan Ali said he has asked the United Nations to mediate though Venezeuela refuses to recognize the UN Moderators. President Ali revealed while he is hoping this dispute can be resolved peacefully, he is preparing for an invasion from Venezuela. In the meantime, he is working ever diplomatic channel he can including both Cuba and the United States to keep South America peaceful.

This brings me back to the timing for all this. We already know for a fact Russia and Iran played a role in the timing of the attack that set off the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Putin wanted the conflict because he knew it would force the U.S. and the international community to focus on that instead of Ukraine. The timing of the Israel-Hamas conflict really sucked for Ukraine in particular as they were already fading from U.S. news media who were moving on to other things.

All that said. If Venezuela invades invades Guyana, the U.S. will have to get involved militarily. The reason is because of the chain reaction Venezuela would set off if it invades Guyana. Most of South America is backing Guyana though Brazil would likely want to stay neutral. The Brazilian government has friendly relations with Venezuela and that’s why.

I know people in Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina and Columbia who are have said to me if Venezuela invades Guyana, the Venezuelan refugees in their countries should be deported back to their homeland to make room for Guyanan refugees. Most of Latin America isn’t wasting any time publicly making it clear which nation they will support if Venezuela invades Guyana and not just moral support.

Most of Latin America is hosting a combined nearly 6 million Venezuelan refugees. They fled their homeland because despite leading the western hemisphere in oil production, the Venezuelan government has no idea what to do with the profits from that. They’re not using to to help the people. That much is obvious. Venezuela’s economy has collapsed crime is rampant. It’s not hard to understand why thousands of Venezuelans make the decision to leave their homeland every month. They don’t feel safe and they don’t see a future for themselves or their families in Venezuela.

The U.S. and other countries on both continents receiving Venezuelan Refugees have repeatedly sent envoys to Venezuela to try to address the root causes for people leaving. For whatever reason, the Venezuelan government doesn’t seem to care and is unwilling to make necessary changes. They’re already bleeding out thousands of refugees a month in peacetime. It’ll get MUCH worse if they try to invade Guyana. And everyone knows it.

As for why the U.S. would have to get involved militarily. The migrant crisis is the main reason why. While the severity has been overblown by the Republican Party for decades, it IS a fact Venuzuela has been bleeding out a few million refugees over the last 20 years now.

I mentioned earlier there are people in many Latin American and South American countries who view the Venezuelan refugees in their countries as a nuisance. If Venezuela invades Guyana, watch how fast all those countries act on political pressure to deport their Venezuelan refugees back to their home country. Most of those refugees sent back would likely be forcefully conscripted into the Venezuelan military. Basically, they’ll try to do the same thing Russia has been doing to try to replentish its military during the Ukraine conflict.

The difference is like I said before, Venezuela is a failed state and everyone in Latin America largely understands that fundamentally. The government will have a hard time forcefully conscripting its population. What’s most likely to happen is what’s been widely reported in Ukraine: Soldiers going rogue terrorizing local populations in Guyana including rape, looting, murder and other kinds of mayhem.

Unlike Russia, Venezuela will have a real difficult time bringing in mercenaries. That would require tons of money Venezuela would burn through VERY quickly. This is to say nothing of the U.S. and the UK likely likely setting up a naval blockade to keep Venezuela’s biggest and most powerful allies–Russia and China–from providing military aid. Cuba’s nearby but the U.S. already has a presence there.

All that said. This would be yet another distraction orchestrated by Russia and to a lesser extent China to keep the U.S.’ attention out of Ukraine. As things stand now, Russia’s Republican allies in Congess have succeeded in keeping more military aid from going to Ukraine. I’ll speak more to this in a separate post and the chain reaction Ukraine falling to Russia will set off.

 

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Developing Story: The Boston City Council is currently debating piloting a Universal Basic Income for low-income residents

Depending on how things go, Boston could soon become fourth city in Massachusetts to introduce Universal Basic Income (UBI). UBI is already being offered on a trial basis to select low-income residents in the cities of Lynn, Cambridge and Chelsea. It also being offered in almost two dozen other U.S. cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver and Pittsburgh with more looking into it as well. This is to say nothing of the U.S. state of Alaska paying all permanent residents regardless of income level $2,076 since 1980.

Many of you probably know the idea is the brainchild of Andrew Yang, a former Presidental Candidate and co-founder of The Forward Party. In fact it was his main platform when he ran for president in 2016. Yang proposed basically everyone in America receive at least $2,000 a month regardless of their current income or employment status. He reasoned this was necessary to reverse the income inequality so prevalent in America and lift millions out of poverty at the same time. What’s the catch? There would be none and they would not be told how to use it. It’s entirely up to them.

In places where it’s been piloted, UBI has been a resounding success with many cities now adopting it fully. Not just in Democratic strongholds either on that note. On that last point, conservative communities where it’s been piloted have really warmed up to UBI.

The overwhelming majority of people who received UBI used it to better themselves or their families. Being able to buy a car is very helpful for getting to work. Being able to buy a family computer is helpful. Having the money to pay the internet bill and buy groceries is VERY helpful. These are some of the top ways people who were surveyed said they’ve used the money they received via UBI.

UBI’s proven especially helpful for those who’ve been falling behind on rent or mortage and utility payments. Did you know the average rent in Boston is now almost $3,000 a month? I know it’s over $3,000 a month in San Francisco which by the way has recently become the face of America’s homelessness crisis. A crisis that is for sure going to get worse before it gets better no matter what anyone does.

What do conservatives think of UBI? Knowing the money for the pilot programs is largely sourced from donations and grants, they don’t have a problem with it. In fact most conservatives who were recently polled on UBI think it’s a good idea. Why? Because people are using the extra money from UBI to better themselves. They’re largely buying things or financing things that they actually need. Just like with those pandemic-era stimulus payments from a few years ago. It turns out they don’t hurt the economy but help it.

The business world likes it because it means most people now have cash to make large purchases but it a new car, TV or furniture set. America’s economy is consumer-driven. When the Pandemic shut down the world, many retailers large and small were wiped out. The stimulus payments were a way to encourage people to shop and help rejuvinate the economy.

The supply chain issues from the last two years are getting fixed and as a result we’re starting to see prices that ballooned due to inflation finally starting to come down. With UBI, people are able to finance things they might not have been able to otherwise. Not just consumer goods and services but college courses, a passport and plane tickets. $2,000 will cover the round trip airfare and hotelfare for two weeks in The Philippines on that note.

All that said and in closing. With everything going on in America these days, UBI will go a long way in lifting generations out of poverty. No longer will most Americans be living paycheck to paycheck at the least. For the first time in decades, most people will be able to reliably save money over a long period of time. You know, the same way past generations used to.

Most importantly for those who are low income–especially for those with kids–you’re no longer screwed over by a missed paycheck or some kind of emergency. I know people who lost everything in a fire so…yeah. Having some kind of “bad luck protection” is a pretty nice idea to say the least. Even if you become homeless due to a string of bad circumstances, $500 to $2,000 a month would be enough to cover a hotel room for a few days to a week a month on average.

I’m not saying UBI will make income inequality disappear. What it will do is help people lift themselves out of poverty. In other words, it’s an opportunity people are being given. Although I emphasized its importance for those who are low-income or in poverty up to now , EVERYONE regardless of their income status is eligable for UBI. Otherwise it wouldn’t be “Universal”.

 

 

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Technocratic ideologies threaten to quickly overpower Democracies at the first opportunity worldwide

 

Much was made about the rise of Big Tech over the last 30 years. Even more is rightfully being made about the effects Social Media is having on modern society all over the world. It can no longer be denied the internet and the more recent rise of social media have changed things.

In recent years we’ve seen Facebook become a haven for hate speech in secret Facebook groups. This is to say nothing of Facebook Marketplace becoming a popular place for stolen merchandise to be sold. Don’t even get me started on Elon Musk silencing voices he doesn’t like or agree with–even those who are paid subscribers–on Xitter.

The rise of Autocratic ideologues like Trump and DeSantis are bad enough but now we also have to deal with the reemergence of a long forgotten threat to Democracy from the 1930s: Technocracy. About 100 years ago, there was a great effort by some of America’s best educated to replace Democracy with a new type of government led by the country’s greatest minds. They basically used The Great Depression as reason enough to basically say “Democracy has run its course. In order to save this country, some drastic changes need to be made.”

Their efforts ultimately failed and stalled when people realized the short-term benefits were not worth the longterm drawbacks. This is to say nothing of the fact there was a massive education and economic disparity in America which meant mostly the elite would reap the benefits. Everyone else would be at the mercy of the Technocrats.

…Doesn’t this sound familiar to you? Yes, history is repeating itself.

Is there a cabal of tech leaders and/or tech engineers plotting to use A.I., Augmented Reality and/or Virtual Reality to control the world? No. The more likely scenario is someone develops tech they can’t control that becomes an existential threat to mankind and THAT would be a serious problem. This is why there needs to be guard rails in the form of government oversight at the very least.

I’ve mentioned this before but at the beginning of the year, many tech experts worldwide estimated A.I. at its current level has a 10% chance of leading the end of mankind. This past summer, that estimate rose to 18%. As of this month it’s around 24%. What caused the increase? The proliforation of A.I. software that can mimic a person’s voice with 99% accuracy readily available in the public domain.

Already there have been hundreds of reported attempted phone scams using this tech in just the U.S. What the scammers do is take a sample of a subject’s voice from social media and use A.I. software to copy and mimic it. They then call one of the subject’s family members–spoofing phone numbers is incredibly easy if you know what you’re doing on that note–saying they’re in trouble and need money now. This is where the scammer gives themselves away: They explicitly say “Don’t contact the authorities. Wire money or buy Gift Cards to be sent to this specified account”. Hang up and immediately contact your loved one to confirm they’re ok. ALWAYS do that first.

That aside. This is to say nothing of people with malicious intent making Deepfake videos involving politicians. It’s easy to laugh about a popular Deepfake in which Biden asks Kevin McCarthy for an order of chicken nuggets during the State of the Union Address. What’s no laughing matter is a string of Deepfake videos being shared in Far Right Telegram chatrooms with the express intent of deceiving unsuspecting audiences. This is also why some non-profit Think Tanks are pushing for anything A.I.-generated put in the public domain be required to have some kind of digital watermark so that people know it’s not real.

Believe it or not someone using new technology for nefarious purposes is actually the second-biggest threat. The biggest threat is and always will be someone developing technology that either can’t be controlled or gets out of control. THAT is the clear and present threat A.I. poses to mankind. At the same time, A.I. itself is not the problem. It’s a tool. Like any other tool, it can be used for good as well as evil. There needs to be safeguards in the form of regulations in place to minimize the risks of the latter.

That brings me to these three charts. While World War I ushered in the age of 2GW, the American Civil War (1861-1865) was the first to utilize it. 20 years after the end of World War I, Nazi Germany introduced the world to 3GW with the Blitzkrieg (Lightning War).

We entered 4GW–Guerilla Warfare–during the Cold War and for most of that period, it was how countries like Vietnam and Afghanistan were able to beat the United States and Russia despite being the huge military disadvantage. The U.S. and Russia insisted on using a combination of 2GW and 3GW tactics against Vietnam and Afghanistan. Vietnam was able to keep the U.S. bogged down for almost 20 years and the Taliban prettymuch did the same thing against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The Afghan-Soviet conflict is referred to as Russia’s Vietnam with good reason.

Although we didn’t know it at the time, the world basically entered 5GW with advent of the internet in the mid-1990s. It was being used nationally but on smaller scales in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea in particular. All four countries control the media.

In the case of China, the government controls and heavily monitors the internet. In fact China not only banned Twitter but have their own version called Weibo. Foreigners in China can apply to get a VPN to use the internet like the rest of the world but Chinese citizens are not allowed to the same privilages.

The world has gotten to know Russia’s Propaganda machine quite well since the conflict in Ukraine began to say the least. It’s pretty obvious by now that Russia is going to descend into anarchy sooner than later largely for that reason. Unlike China, Russia does not heavily monitor the internet for the Russian population. Most young people in Russia oppose the conflict in Ukraine and rightfully believer they are on the wrong side of history.

I know I’ve talked quite a bit about 5GW in recent years but one thing both China and Russia have that the United States doesn’t are digital fronts in foreign populations. Both countries as well as North Korea have invested HEAVILY into the development of digital armies for almost 20 years.

I’ve mentioned this before on this blog but it is a fact that Russia prettymuch endorses international fraud. They don’t care if hackers in their boarders target foreign governments directly as long as they don’t get caught and more obviously they don’t draw unwanted attention.

The Biden Administration sent a memo to Microsoft, Google, Apple and other U.S.-based tech companies earlier this year urging them to harden their defenses against cyber attacks and corporate theft from Chinese hacking rings backed by the Chinese government. This isn’t getting anywhere near as much attention in the media as it should be but it is a fact that the Chinese government endorses copyright theft of foreign companies–especially companies based in the U.S. On the other hand, Chinese companies operating overseas–including TikTok–are largely considered the eyes and ears of the Chinese government.

That brings me to Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality which I’ll end things with. Anyone familiar with the 2018 Sci-Fi movie Ready, Player One, any of The Matrix movies or the anime Sword Art Online (SAO) is very familiar with the VR technology utilized, allowing players to upload their consciousness into the virtual world. It is largely revered by many sci fi fans as the ultimate escape or a possible way to live forever once the technology is fully developed.

I’ll use Amazon Prime Video’s sci-fi show Upload as another example. In that show, humans have achieved a measure of immortality by uploading their consciousness and memories to a digital world. It’s a one-way trip to the digital afterlife but once you cross over, you’re prettymuch immortal. One of the biggest fantasies of many Technocrats is achieving a measure of immortality via technological advancements even if it means sacrificing your humanity in the process. THAT’S exactly why Technocracy as a concept is so dangerous. Even more so now.

People need to understand something about Technocracy as a government construct. Although it elements of Democracy on the surface, at the end of the day a chosen handful are the decision-makers for the country. They are not elected but are selected based on their expertise in certain fields. If you want to see what that looks like in a modernized country, look at China. For those who don’t know, yes it is a police state but not on the same scale as what goes on in North Korea. On the surface China is a Communist country but make no mistake many of the country’s brightest minds, businessmen and experts have some political power as well. More so when you consider companies based in China that operate in other countries are basically required by law to spy on foreign nationals for the Chinese government.

All that said and in closing. There are a lot of powerful people in the tech world who need to be kept as far away from having any political power as possible. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are just two of many such people.

 

 

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The media is rightfully starting to sound the alarm on new House Speaker Mike Johnson’s connections to the New Apostalic Reformation

I talked a lot about the New Apostalic Reformation (NAR) on this blog in recent years with good reason. Christian Nationalism is the biggest domestic threat to America and almost no one is publicly talking about it, let alone acknowledging it is a threat to Democracy.

Christian Fundamantalist movements have positioned people in key places at the Federal level to ensure regardless of who actually wins the 2024 :residental Election, a Democrat can’t be certified as the winner. The media isn’t talking about this–yet–and likely won’t until after the election.

 

I want to draw your attention to the flag largely out of frame outside of Speaker Johnson’s office in the first picture. You can see a clearer version of it in the second picture. The simple white flag with a single pine tree and the phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” or “Appeal to Heaven” actually dates back to the Revolutionary War. It was adopted by The First Continental Army led by General George Washington–later the first president of the U.S.–as a visual battlefield protest of the Church of England and by extension Theocracy as well as the idea of Divine Rule.

One of the oldest and most enduring myths championed by Evangelicals overall is America was founded as a Christian nation. That’s not true and this is made clear by 1/5th of the First Amendment which stresses the following:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

It’s worth noting The First Amendment starts that way and more is said about this than the other four things (Free Speech, Free Press, Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Petition). That’s because the founders wanted the strike a VERY hard balance. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamlton both pushed for the wording being like this specifically to protect people on both sides from having the levers of government weaponized against them. They would not have done this unless they sincerely believed someone would at least try otherwise.

When you take that into consideration, this leaves Christian Nationalist movements with no option other than to outright destroy the government and remake it to their liking. That’s exactly what’s going on as we speak with the current Republican Party.

By the way the Appeal to Heaven phrase is itself from a quote by the American philosopher John Locke. The quote is to the effect “When appealing to earthly power is not possible, all you can do is appeal to heaven.” I put the full text above but basically, the GOP has co-opted this idea cooked up by Christian National movements and the Sovereign Citizens movement to not recognize any government they don’t like or agree with.

…In other words they’re about anarchy, lawlessness and disorder.

The irony is the Bible actually does speak of a time to come in which some would seek to merge Church and State for the puroses of persecution. Such people would believe they’re doing what’s right or what’s best when they only want to weaponize the levers of government against others in the name of Christianity.

As I was writing this article, I caught wind of a grassroots organization called Christians Against Christian Nationalism. It wasd created in 2019–two years before the events of 1/6/2021–by a woman named Amanda Tyler. She was inspired by certain events during Trump’s time in office–most notably the incidents in Charlottesville, VA–to take a stand against these various Christian Nationalist movements working to take over the government at the local, state and federal levels.

I do think we are going to start to hear CACN in the media VERY soon. In an interview with TIME last December, correctly pointed out the roots these Christian Nationalist movements have with White Supremacy. Dominionsts like Mike Johnson are openly telling America and the world they are working to enact Minority Rule–Yes, they’re literally saying it THAT WAY–so that only “the chosen few” have all the power, rights and privilages.

This is also why Dominionists and their allies in the GOP have been working so hard to convince Christians in particular government assistance programs such as social security, SNAP/Food Stamps and Medicare/Medicaid, Universal Healthcare and Universal Basic Income are bad as well. Most evangelicals like to use 2 Thesselonians 3:10 to justify being opposed to not just these things but outright helping people in need unconditionally.

We’ve all heard this before or more often were told this by a preacher or some other faith leader at some point: “The Church is who people should be turning to for help people with these needs, not the government!” That’s true but the problem is it’s a fact Mega Churches are a uniquely American thing. We also know for a fact some pastors live in luxury at the expense of their congregations. This is of course to say nothing of hypocrites who demonize the LGBTQ+ Community or accuse Liberals of being Pedophiles who are then revealed to themselves have a digital stash of child porn or like to dress drag.

We also know many Christian Nationalist movements are working with White Nationalist movements and their mutual allies in the government to convince people in order for them to thrive, their neighbors must be in decline. When they say “Only lazy people who don’t want to work are on government assistance” they are WELL aware that there are many people who legit can’t work through no fault of their own either permanently or more commonly temporarily. Of course, they don’t dare say this to their audience because they need their audience to believe certain narratives about not government assistance but the people who receive those services.

History has already proven “Survival of the Fittest” is a bad ideology and even more so when religious ideologies are utilized to justify it as we are seeing in the U.S. right now. That brings me to Amanda Tyler’s final quote in her TIME interview: “To dismantle an ideology that’s so deeply seated will be a generational project but it’s one that’s urgent for our democracy and for the safety of the country.”

Like I noted earlier, the Bible does warn that there will come a time when some will seek to merge Church and State primarily for the purposes of pesecuting people. We are seeing the early stages of those efforts in plain sight which I have talked about quite a bit since at least 2019. The various Christian Nationalist Movements want to turn America into a Theocracy and they will likely succeed if nothing continues to be done.

The eyes of the world will be on the 2024 Presidental election. These could be the final 12 months of The American Experiment. That’s how serious things are at this point.

Mike Johnson being Speaker of the House ensures even if Biden wins the election, he will not be certified as the winner. Johnson recently made some comments to reinforce that: He affirmed during a press conference he puts his religious convictions before his duties as a an elected official and now Speaker of the House. That thinly veiled statement was meant for his fellow Dominionists to know “WE now control the House of Representatives”. I know I was talking about the 2024 presidental election but another government shutdown is also looming. We all saw how long it took for Johnson to become the new Speaker of the House so…yeah.

Now is the time for people to start preparing for harder times that will be coming for everyone in America who isn’t rich or living a privilaged life right now. A lot of the personal freedoms most Americans have  long taken for granted will continue to be stripped away not by laws, proclaimation or ordinances but by how we’ve chosen to treat each other. In fact it’s already started for some in this country. I would urge folks to start stocking up on supplies weather you live in a rural, suburban or urban area.

All that said. There is yet another faction that has identified itself as yet another threat to the American Democracy but I’ll save that for a separate post. You probably won’t be surprised by it though.

 

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Mike Johnson, architect of legal efforts to decertify the 2020 election becoming speaker is the ultimate failsafe to ensure Biden doesn’t win the 2024 Election

Conservatives have a 6-3 Super Majority in the Supreme Court and now they have a Speaker of the House who will ensure no Democrat is certified as the winner of the 2024 Presidental Election. The GOP is pulling out all the stops a full year in advance ensure this time, history does not repeat itself.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Biden, Dean Philips or a third party candidate. The only votes this Speaker of the House will certify are the votes for a GOP candidate even if that candidate lost both the Electoral College and Popular Vote counts. It won’t matter to Johnson. The media has finally started saying this but this Republican Party’s only concern is breaking the system of government and remaking it to their liking. By any means necessary. We are witnessing a bloodless coup before our eyes. That’s what the GOP is doing not just in Washington but at the State and Local levels.

This is also why Civil War is inevitable. The Democrats are not taking the threat as seriously as they should be as usual.  The GOP wants to rule, not govern. Johnson made it clear in his remarks after being sworn in his priority is turning America into an Autocratic Theocracy. He believes the GOP has the political capital to do it and that is also why I’m saying Civil War is inevitable.

I am not opposed to the idea of reimposing national standards on morality as long as there is a separation of Church and State. I don’t see that being possible anymore unfortunately. Evangelists are no longer trying to hide the fact they want to impose theology via the government. Based on what I’m seeing, they are going to get their wish sooner or later.

On that note and in closing. I planned to save this for a post sometime next year but I’ve made up my mind on something. Once I have the means and am financially stable, I plan to travel to a few countries. The world is watching what’s going on in America with great concern. The world needs to know and understand America is no longer The Promised Land most of the world regarded it as for 200 years.

I’ll be turning 40 next year and naturally I don’t plan to go to every single country out there. I’ve narrowed things down to Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, The Philippines, Panama, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Tanzania and Mexico as potential destinations. If not for the conflict in Ukraine I would’ve included it on my list of places to visit. Hopefully I can add it to my list sooner than later.

I have connections in some of those countries–as in I know people who live in some of those countries–so it makes the most sense for me to hand pick those countries to visit. I’m looking to start a trend. Americans need to educate the world on what life is really like in the U.S. Most especially those who are willing to risk their lives to travel to the U.S. People around the world need to know and understand the political situation in the U.S. Not just nationally but at the state and local levels too.

 

America lost its status as The Promised Land in the eyes of the world over the last 20 years, most especially during and since Trump’s time as president. It’s become a nation where identity politics are the most important thing to too many people. Being Christian. Being Athiest. Being LGBTQ+. Being Heterosexual/Straight. Being Conservative. Being Liberal. Living in a rural area. Living in an urban area.

Putting aside social, religious and political differances is no longer considered “acceptible” to almost half of Americans. As a reminder, Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House by his own party simply for working with the Democrats to buy a 45-day extension to a potential government shutdown. Said shutdown will likely happen in a few weeks and it will likely last more than the last one did. Why? Because both sides are going politicize it that’s why.

The last one happened right after the 2018 midterms and did not end until February 2019. Trump was cool with letting the government shutdown continue until someone told him he would be blamed for it. At the time, two regional conflicts were not happening elsewhere in the world. The stakes are MUCH higher but just like five years ago, the GOP doesn’t care what price they’ll have to pay as long as they “own the libs” first, create a ruling class second and make voting ceremonial third.

In private, most Republican politicians will tell you to your face they have to rig the system and publicly insist elections are rigged because they know more often than not, they can’t win an election fairly on policy. So, they make their campaign about identity politics and create narratives that claim Democrats worship demons, want to turn your kids Gay and worse to give a few examples. Keep in mind all of it is intentional to create an alternate reality in which “GOP = Good, Democrat = Evil”. Not just politicians but VOTERS and that’s the part that should scare everyone. That’s their intent among other things. To instill fear and intimindation in the populations they are specifically dehumanizing.

The only votes they want to count are the votes for their side. Period. THAT is why Civil War is inevitable. 1/6/2021 was nothing more than a dress rehearsal for next time. Next time is next November. We may be the final year of America as we know it. Even worse is most won’t realize it until it’s already too late.

It’s human nature to wait until things are underway to realize and recognize a problem in plain sight. That’s what foolish people do and I’m no fool. As a courtesy, I share my insights and observations through my blogs.

 

 

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Jordan and Egypt want the conflict to stay confined to Israel and Gaza the most and with good reason [Updated]

Jordan is without question the U.S. and Israel’s oldest and strongest ally in the Middle East but King Abdullah II is not afraid to stand up to the U.S. if need be. Born in Jordan, Abdullah lived in the UK for a while and is fluent in English as well as several other languages. The death of his father saw him return home to claim the throne and he has gone a long way to both modernize his homeland and import a lot of Western values. He played an integral role in helping the U.S. get Egypt to join his nation as allies of Israel almost 20 years ago as well.

All the said, King Abdullah spoke for not just Jordan and Egypt but the entire Arab world last week when Israel dropped leaflets telling Palestinians in Gaza to move south toward toward Egypt’s boarder. He said if Israel pushes Palestinians out of Gaza, that will be considered an escalation of Israel’s conflict with Hamas.

Both Abdullah and Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made it clear to both the U.S. and Israel they do not want any Palestinian refugees for two pretty understandable reasons:

 

1. Their countries would probably implode from the strain if they even tried to take in any more refugees. Both countries have already taken in millions of refugees each, most of them from Palestine and Syria. They have both been begging their neighbors to share the load and take in some refugees for a while now.
2. Gaza is Palestinian land and it is theirs by right. This is why Jordan and Egypt warned they will consider any attempt by Israel to displace Palestinians living there as an escalation. It’s the main reason why Egypt rarely opens their boarder crossing with Gaza. They don’t want Palestinians to leave their homeland.

All things considered, those conditions are more than fair. They don’t really care about Hamas and would be happy to see them wiped out. They’ll be watching Israel’s imminent ground invasion very closely. They know civilian casualties are unavoidable but they’ll be watching to see if Israel exercises enough restraint and doesn’t intentionally target the civilian population.

Biden went to Israel on Wednesday. During a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Biden pleaded with the Israeli Military to exercise restraint when they go into Gaza. The line that was impossible to ignore was when he referenced America’s reaction to 9/11. He said in part after that happened, America gave in to rage and made some mistakes it would pay for over the course of 20 years. I refer to Afghanistan specifically but I’m also talking about Iraq, Guantanamo and policies enacted domestically (The Patriot Act, etc.).

Before I continue, I’ll be blunt but read these next four sentances VERY carefully: On its own, Hamas is NOT an existential threat to Israel. Israel IS an existential threat to Hamas however. If Israel didn’t care about the political and military prices they’d likely have to pay, they could have EASILY wiped out Hamas and Palestine decades ago.

As a reminder, Israel does have its own nuclear arsenal. Israel has also been getting weapons, arms, tanks, planes and so on direct from the United States since its modern founding in 1948. The U.S. Military maintains a presence in the area primarily to act as a deterrent against Iran, Syria and Lebannon who have all made it clear want to wipe out Israel. They largely do not recognize Israel’s right to exist as a nation and view them as usurpers occupying Palestinian land.

Even many in countries that officially recognize Israel’s right to exist are angered by the Israeli Apartied in East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank where Palestinians are largely treated like animals. I am not saying this excuses what Hamas did two weeks ago or other countries threatening Israel militarily but like Nathan Thrall tried to explain to Michael Cohen on a recent episode of Mea Culpa, most of the world only has a narrow perspective.

While Jordan, Egypt and other nearby countries do recognize Israel’s right to exist as a nation, more important to them is Palestinians’ well-being. I mentioned this in the previous article but Israel has been rapidly building new settlements into the West Bank and East Jerusalem for the last few decades now. Palestinians are being pushed out as a result. Again, I’m not saying what Hamas did was “justified”. I know a lot of closet antisemites are though.

You know who’s been screaming the loudest for the Israeli Military to exercise restraint ever since this all started two weeks ago? Israelis and Jews living abroad. This point was under reported but the music festival Hamas hit was organized by Jews and Palestinians. They were trying to build public support for a two-state solution. Hamas didn’t care. They killed everyone regardless of if they were Jew or Muslim.

The eyes of the world are on Israel because when World War III starts depends on how they deal with Hamas and Gaza. No one is saying civilian casualties will be 100% avoidable in Gaza–Hamas wants to ensure there are mass civilian casualties on that note–but no one wants to see what we saw during the last conflict about 10 years ago. There were confirmed cases of pregnant Palestinians being deliberately targeted and shot by Israeli snipers (“One shot, Two kills”). That is a war crime.

Speaking of. Biden was apparently warned by Amnesty International, UNICEF and the U.N. Secretary General–the last one is in Egypt right now to personally oversee the delivery of emergency supplies to Gaza from the Egyptian side of the boarder–his comment about backing Israel no matter what could implicate him and the U.S. in potential war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel during this conflict. That’s how serious things are now. As a reminder, Israel’s military firepower came from the U.S. so that would be true. It’s also true Biden begged the IDF to exercise restraint. Weather they will or not remains to be seen though.

Getting back to Jordan and Egpyt. If Israel can keep civilian casualties to a minimum, Egypt will feel better about sending more aid into Gaza and Jordan will feel better about telling Lebannon to back off. I also mentioned this in the previous article but Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries do host Hamas officials. Most of the Arab world was ready to turn on Hamas before the hospital bombing incident.

Everyone in the Middle East assumed Israel did it despite proof of otherwise and this is why we’re back to the drawing board. If the Israeli military can keep civilian casualties to a minimum, that could help quickly lower the temperature.

I want to end with this because it needs to be addressed. I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter on Xitter in which some claim the IDF is going into Gaza with the belief all or most of the 200+ hostages are dead. Qatar brokered the release of two American hostages from Gaza early Sabbath morning local time. That was basically proof of life and also confirms more hostages are likely also still alive in Gaza.

I agree with those who’ve said Hamas wants something in return for releasing those two American hostages. Most likely they want Israel to stop its airstrikes on Gaza. They already said they will release all the hostages if Israel promises to stop its airstrikes. Meanwhile, they want to be free to keep firing rockets into Israel. If they were willing to not do that at least then maybe there’d be room for negotiation but no. They want Israel to give while they keep taking. Yet people wonder why they’re rightfully considered a terrorist organization.

Hamas proved to the world the only thing they care about is the wholesale slaughter of people who don’t share their values. Even their own people. Full stop. So, they need to be wiped out and likely will be sooner than later. Not just those in Gaza but likely those being sheltered by other countries.

 

Added 10/22/2023:

 

For decades, Jordan has been been the U.S.’ strongest Arab-majority ally in the Middle East. In the aftermath of the civilian death count in Gaza now passing 4,000, King Abdullah II is now demanding an immediate ceasefire from Israel. He took it a step further by repeating what the UN said about Biden’s declaration the U.S. will have Israel’s back no matter what: The U.S. will be considered an accessory to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli military on Gaza.

I mentioned this earlier but King Abdullah lived in the UK prior to becoming King of Jordan. He has a unique perspective to say the least. When he talks about foreign policy issues regarding Europe and the U.S. in particular, it means a lot more coming from him than others. He is largely regarded as a bridge between Western Nations and the Middle East.

That’s what makes his comments on the U.S. being complicit and and accessory to what Israel is doing in Gaza so such a big deal. I eluded to this earlier but Biden is clearly not willing to pay what’s likely to be a very high political cost in the Middle East Netanyahu is obviously trying to force the U.S. to pay for whatever the IDF does in Gaza. Mind you, Biden publicly said it for posterity but it had the intended effect in Israel.

The media largely said Biden “succeeded” in his trip to Israel. On the other hand they’re mostly saying Jordan, Egypt and Palestine cancelling their planned meeting with Biden in Jordan “was a mistake”. The media got it wrong on both counts. First, Biden’s comments clearly made things worse and is likely what provoked King Abdullah II to say what he said. Biden is working with Egypt’s president el-Sisi to get relief aid into Gaza by truck but what’s going in now is clearly not going to cut it.

Both el-Sisi and Abdullah are calling for the IDF to halt its planned ground invasion in favor of focusing on hostage negotiations with Qatar acting as a mediator. The fact that the ground invasion still has not happened yet tells me the IDF has likely found proof or evidence most of the hostages are in fact alive. There was online chatter about a week back that allegedly indicated the IDF believed most or all of the hostages were dead. Clearly that was not true.

Biden has been clear about the fact Israel has the right the defend itself and though he hoped going in person would help discourage high civilian casualty numbers, at this rate it will top 5,000 by the end of the month. As a reminder, most of the civilians being killed are women and children. It’s a real bad look and is a big reason why Biden is pushing to get a humanitarian corridor from Egypt to Gaza opened up.

No one is disputing the fact Hamas views the high civilian casualty rate as a positive for them. People across the Middle East have been enflamed, their anger directed at Israel and the U.S. Abdullah and el-Sisi also know this and it’s why they want Israel to stop its airstrikes on Gaza. Are they aware that will not stop Hamas from firing rockets into Israel? Yes but given Lebannon and Iran are clearly on the move, Jordan and Egypt are clearly worried they will not be able to muster local support for taking on Lebannon and Iran as well as expelling Hamas’ influence from their own countries.

Everyone involved directly and indirectly is WELL aware this isn’t just a kinetic war but an information war and on that note. As of Monday morning, the State Department announced they expect the conflict to escalate. It’s looking like Lebannon is preparing to open a second front along its boarder with Israel and it may be the real reason the IDF is delaying its long announced ground incursion into Gaza. Unlike Hamas, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group based in Lebannon is much better equipped and is battle-hardened from the Syrian Civil War. Israel knows if Hezbollah is gonna make their move, it will likely be shortly after the military forces they amassed outside of Gaza go in.

Israel has been moving military assets to the Northern Boarder and has so far evacuated over 20,000 people from boarder towns. The IDF is prepared to fight a 2-front war if need be and this is why Jordan acting as a hard check is so important for regional stability. Worst case scenario–and I do think this is the option King Abdullah is considering–Jordan decides to remove itself from the ongoing mediations and be neutral.

What Jordan does, Egypt will likely do too and you can imagine the chain reaction that would set off. Lebannon, Syria and Iran would see that as a green light to escalate things with Israel. That’s when things get REAL dangerous. I’ll stop there but what is clear is regardless of how this ends, Netanyahu’s political career is likely going to end once the fighting ends weather he wants it to or not. I’m sure he know that too. It’ll be a question of how much damage he’ll do on his way down and out at this point.

 

 

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Whoever bet the Israel-Hamas Conflict would be what triggered WWIII might be cashing in real soon

 

All I can really say is at this point, it feels like the inevitable is being delayed.

NATO fought hard and largely succeeded in keeping China and Belarus out of Ukraine in the early days of that conflict. It helped China didn’t want to openly commit to Ukraine militarily and Belarusian opposition groups succeeded to keeping their military from being gang-pressed into the conflict despite Putin’s best efforts.

The Israel-Hamas Conflict is a different story. Faith leaders from the three religions represented in the region–Christianity, Judaism and Islam–have all separately said for years if the conflict between  Israel and Palestine ever expanded beyond those territories, we’ve entered World War III.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese and Iranian governments claimed the outrage and anger towards Israel and the U.S. in their countries so great, they would not be able to stop violent clashes. That’s funny coming fron Iran given they violently and swiftly suppressed peaceful protests last year. No, they WANT war with Israel. There is political capital for that domestically as well as in Lebannon and Syria.

 

 

That brings me to the emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), an alliance of countries that on paper claims to want to build a world order that doesn’t involve the United States and Western Europe. The member countries insist their alliance is based on mutual economic, trade and technological prosperity and is not a military alliance. I intentionally phrased it that way given Brazil and South Africa, which are both longtime allies of the U.S. and are also Democracies are core members of BRICS.

Personally, I do think India and South Africa in particular are trying to have it both ways. I would’ve said the same about Brazil before their leadership change last year. From what I’ve been able to find out online, new president of Brazil wants out of BRICS and wants to normalize their country’s relations with the U.S. as well.

India’s Narendra Modi has working to position himself as a political buffer between the U.S. and Europe opposite Russia, China and Southeast Asia in particular. So, he has a vested political interest in being a part of BRICS to make india look as neutral as possible on the global stage. I’m sure he also got assurances India’s longtime rival Pakistan would not be admitted as well.

BRICS recently expanded and added six new countries to their alliance, five of them in the Middle East: Iran, United Arab Emerates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Argentina. They probably wanted Venezuela but the country being a failed state is likely why they settled with Argentina. Argentina’s addition also adds credability to the belief Brazil is expected to leave BRICS as well.

Ethiopia being admitted to BRICS is pretty weird given Russia’s war against Ukraine stopped critical grain imports from going to Ethiopia. My guess is some kind of backroom deal was struck for that to happen. It’s not really a secret while most Middle Eastern countries don’t want war with the U.S. and Europe, they want the U.S. and Europe out of their business. So, it makes the most sense for those countries to join BRICS and I’m sure more countries in the region will follow suit. I look at Oman, Yemen, Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Somalia and Syria in particular. I left out Turkey since it’s a NATO member nation on that note.

Since I already went there, here’s a few other countries BRICS might look to add to their ranks in the near future:

 

• North Korea
• Sudan
• Cuba
• Nigeria
• Indonesia
• Nicaragua
• Haiti
• Sierra Leone
• Myanmar
• Malaysia

With most of these countries, Russia and China will assert it will be about finding paths to prosperity that doesn’t involve the U.S. They would also want to expand their reach and ability to act as a check militarily against key U.S. allies near where all these countries are located. Most notably in the Pacific opposite Japan, South Korea and The Philippines.

Russia and China also have separate vested interests in plundering the African continent to finance their activities elsewhere. The political dysfunction in most African countries is largely why they’ve largely focused on propping up despots in exchange for money.

BRICS wants a presence as close to the U.S. as possible for surveilance purposes. Recruiting Nicaragua would allow Russia and China to have assets a stone’s throw away from the U.S. in plain sight. More so with the political instability going on in the U.S. right now.

 

 

Speaking of. At this point it might be safe to say Congress will not reopen in time to avoid a government shutdown next month. The Far Right in Congress and their allies need the government to stop. It’s the real reason why they quickly moved to vote to remove now former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Cutting the a deal with the Democrats was merely the pretext.

America is coming across at the seams at all levels and it’s becoming even harder to ignore that. I don’t just mean politically but economically, spiritually, socially and structurally. Again, this is as intended but those within the U.S. and their foreign allies who want to see the American Democracy end.

It’s looking more and more likely armed conflict is coming within America sooner than later. As of this writing, President Biden plans to make a primetime address to America–and the world–to explain why aid to not just Israel but Ukraine needs to continue. Biden announced on his flight back from Israel he is going to request a $100 Billion Aid package. Most of it will go to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel though funding for a boarder wall–which the far right in the GOP demanded since 2018–is included. I’ll put it like this: I’ll be very shocked if it gets ANY GOP support in either house of Congress. I’ll be shocked if Progressive Dems support the package as-is.

Even if this plan to temporarily grant the temporary speaker additional power to reopen the House of Representatives works, Jim Jordan–an unapologetic election denier who is confirmed to have assisted in the planning of the Capitol attack on 1/6/2021–has indicated he is not giving up on trying to become Speaker of the House. Like I said before, the Far Right wants to break the government so they can rebuild it to their liking. A few media outlets are finally starting to say this on that note.

 

 

A few hours before Biden spoke from the Oval Office, the State Department issued an unprecedented global Travel Advisory for all Americans either currently abroad or planning to soon travel abroad. The Travel Advisory was issued the day after the hospital bombing incident in Gaza. This is in addition to the State Department telling Americans in Lebannon in particular to leave that country now.

It doesn’t get any clearer than that. People from the U.S. and Western Europe are soon going to get hunted down. Lebannon, Syria and Iran are all whipping up their people for a killing frenzy to say the least. U.S. Military forces in Iraq, Syria and off the coast of Israel have reportedly been targeted by foreign adversaries in the region. Clearly a regional conflict is unavoidable at this point. Iran in particular is now openly trying to provoke the U.S. Military.

The problem for America is like I said, not only will we likely need to soon commit militarily to the Middle East but we will also be dealing with violence primarily against Jews and Muslims in our own boarders. I’ve seen some of the rhetoric online myself it’s disgusting and frightening but not surprising. Those planning to butcher innocent people in America are likely deciding who and where in their area to hit right now. They don’t need to go in groups. One is enough.

I promise you, once images of dead Muslims in America start popping up on the news, that’s it. Every American or Westerner in the Middle East is fair game. They won’t care what losses they take. They will not accept anything less than the extermination of every westerner they see and the slaughter of everyone in Israel along with anyone who tries to stop them. Not saying everyone in the Middle East will do that but the governments of Iran, Lebannon and Syria in particular are riding on that outcome to justify pushing for it for decades.

…These are some really, REALLY dangerous times to say the least.

 

 

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The White House announces President Biden will be going to Israel after the first confirmed homicide in the U.S. related to the Conflict

For the second time in 8 months, President Biden is going to a war zone. In February, Biden went to Ukraine. This time he’s going to Israel. The difference is the White House is announcing it in advance. They’d only do that if they’ve already taken care of the necessary Security Protocols.

When it was announced a second aircraft carrier fleet was going to the region, I put Biden going there soon as the likely reason why. Otherwise, one fleet would have been enough for posturing. Hours before Biden going to Israel was announced, an Israeli Defence Force (IDF) official plainly stated if the U.S. wants them to delay their planned ground incursion any further, Biden would have to come to Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is already in the region likely told Israeli officials and officials from neighboring countries President Biden would be coming soon. Egyptian and Palestinian heads of state are in Jordan right now meeting with Jordanian and U.S. officials to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The U.S. wants Egypt to open its boarder crossing with Gaza while Palestinians want a humanitarian corridor between Gaza and the West Bank opened up.

It’s worth noting Hamas’ top leadership–I mean the governing body–isn’t in Gaza. They’re in Qatar. Meaning even after Israel wipes out their military power in Gaza, as an organization they will continue to exist. They govern from Qatar mainly because they know that if they stayed in Gaza, the Israelis would’ve taken them out a while ago.

Pressure needs to be put on Qatar to deport them. Hamas’ top leadership should be allowed no safe haven anywhere in the Middle East. I mean I get it, Qatar is basically the Middle East’s Switzerland politically. When there’s a problem in the region, almost always acts as the mediating party. The other Middle Eastern country that’s also played the role of mediator for regional issues is course the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).

Neither of these countries have an Extradition Treaty with the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia or China from what I remember. Meaning if you’re wanted in one of those five countries and you seek assylum in Qatar or the U.A.E, you’re basically safe if they decide to let you in. They’ll listen to foreign governments if a wanted criminal is in their country but they’re not inclined to do what’s asked of them.

I’ll save the rest of the geography lesson for another time.

 

 

As I was writing this on Tuesday, the Gaza hospital bombing happened. The actual number is disputed by both sides but it’s believed at least 250 people were killed when artillery fire hit a hospital many Palestinians were using to shelter in place. Unsurprisingly, most of the Middle East and half the world blames Israel despite the evidence clearly pointing to Palestinian militants being responsible.

You can see in the first picture above the main parking lot took the brunt of the damage. It’s VERY unlikely the death toll is as high as 500 which Hamas claims. Honestly–and no disrespect intended–but cooler heads needs to prevail here. The second picture backs up the first. I know the media is focusing on Bothsidesism as usual but the only party to blame for this and the conflict as a whole is Hamas. No one else.

It’s hard to argue against the fact if Israel was responsible, not only would the hospital have been completely destroyed but most likely so would have surrounding buildings. The hospital itself was largely undamaged. This is to say nothing of a phone conversation intercepted by Israel in which two Palestinian fighters state it couldn’t have been the IDF. That’s proof enough Israel didn’t cause that tragedy.

Just as Biden was leaving the U.S. for Israel, news broke the second phase of his trip to the region was cancelled in direct response to the hospital bombing incident. Biden was going to travel to Jordan after going to Israel to meet with the heads of state from Jordan, Egypt and Palestine. The summit was cancelled in the aftermath of the hospital bombing incident for a day of mourning. During his first public appearance in Israel, Biden announced to the world based on a preliminary assessment by the U.S. Military, “the other team”–in reference to Hamas and its allies in Gaza–were responsible for what happened.

Biden has the unenviable task of speaking to people who support one side or the other not just in the region but around the world. People are digging in even more but I’ll speak more to that in a bit.

Before I move on to the next topic, I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on Russia and China’s reactions of Israel-Hamas Conflict. As expected, Russia launched a major offensive in Ukraine right after the world’s focus shifted to the situation in Israel. Republicans already let the world know they want to stop helping Ukraine months ago. China is largely trying to be on both sides. On the one hand they condemned what Hamas did last weekend. On the other hand, they want to appease their allies in Iran and Syria by saying Israel is being excessive.

 

 

The murder of 6 year old Wadea Al-Fayoume was horrible but not a surprise if you were paying attention to the news lately. Sadly, he and his mother–who survived–are likely just the first of more Muslim and Jewish victims of hate-fueled violence against Palestinian Americans, Muslim and Jews in the U.S.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) joined forces with American Muslims Palestine (AMP) to denounce this incident as the act of terrorism it was. Well before 9/11, America openly condoned terrorism against minorities. Expect more such incidents to happen sooner than later. Emotions are high on all sides and it’s simply unavoidable at this point.

 

I neglected to comment on this until now mostly because I wanted and needed to learn more about this topic before I did.

One thing I’ve heard and seen Pro-Palestine supporters say over and over is “Hamas wouldn’t have done what they did last weekend if Israel didn’t occupy the West Bank and turned Gaza into the world’s largest open air prison.” The problem with that “reasoning” is since its formation decades ago, Hamas has made destroying the Israeli government and killing all Jews its primary mandate. Period.

For all the rest of the Muslim world supports Palestine, what Hamas did brought back memories of ISIS’ campaign of terror. Iran, Lebannon and Syria aside, none of the major players in the Middle East is trying to hide how DONE they are with Hamas. ISIS opened the eyes to the Muslim world of how dangerous religious extremism really is: Eventually, they turn on their own people. Most didn’t mind Al Qaeda and the Taliban but ISIS opened the eyes of a lot of people in the Muslim world to the dangers of religious extremism.

…It’s a lesson the Christian world is also clearly going to need to learn soon enough but I won’t digress.

That aside. It is true that Israel has been building Jewish settlements like crazy in The West Bank over the last two decades. Almost a third of that territory is now inhabited by Israelis. Honestly, I think a combined government where Israelis and Palestinians share power might be the only viable option. It’ll piss off Christian Fundamentalists but it’s one I think most Jews and Muslims would accept and want to maintain.

Most Muslims would probably welcome the idea as it would mean they would have a much easier time visiting the Dome of the Rock in Israel during pilgrammages. Saudi Arabia would like endorse this power sharing plan as it would ensure Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank can live on equal terms with the Israelis and bring stability to the region.

The biggest reason most Palestinians in the West Bank are tolerating the new Israeli settlements is the new infrastucture and commerce that the Israelis are bringing with them. If there is a power-sharing agreement between both sides–likely in Jerusalem–it would also indirectly place Israel under Jordan and Egypt’s protection. That would make Lebannon, Syria and Iran pariahs if they dared to Israel-Palestine (or Palestine-Israel if you prefer).

Jordan and Egypt would defend the unified government militarily if Lebannon, Syria or Iran threatened the peace and the U.S. would no longer need to maintain a large military presence in that region which most of the Middle East has wanted for decades.

Like I said before, there are definitely ways to make things work. Things will just take time is all.

 

 

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