JOHNSTONE

UNRWA is Hamas. The hospitals are Hamas. The ambulances are Hamas. The journalists are Hamas. The schools are Hamas. South Africa is Hamas. People tweeting unfavorable things about Israel are Hamas. Basically everyone Israel and its supporters want killed is Hamas.

Reading by Tim Foley.

What strange groceries that man is carrying

Odd shapes in two plastic bags

Dripping blood

They look like they weigh more than the world

Head bowed

Eyes screwed shut

Step after step, feet like lead

Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah

What are those strange groceries you carry, sir?

These are my children, he says through a clenched jaw

They have had a long and weary day

And it is time to put them to bed

His face is wet with tears

And his arms are shaking

He walks on

Heavy feet with a heavy burden

Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah

Oh Allah

_____________

Reading by Tim Foley.

Well, it finally happened. The scores of attacks on US troops in the middle east in response to Israel's US-backed atrocities in Gaza have resulted in American deaths, just as critics of US foreign policy have been saying would happen for months.

Reading by Tim Foley.

It's been so surreal watching empire managers issue solemn words in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day while enthusiastically facilitating a modern-day genocide in Gaza. Commemorating the Holocaust while cheerleading for the current holocaust is next-level dystopia.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Everyone's arguing about whether or not the ICJ's ruling is helpful, and I don't know enough one way or the other to be sure either way, but from where things stand right now it does seem unlikely to me that managers of the Israeli war machine would be getting this freaked out and whipping out their tired old "antisemitism" song and dance if there wasn't something of substance to it.

Reading by Tim Foley.

I haven't written much about Julian Assange lately because I've been so fixated on what's been happening in Gaza, but we should all be acutely aware that the 20th and 21st of February may be the WikiLeaks founder's final chance to avoid extradition to the United States to face persecution for the crime of good journalism.

Reading by Tim Foley.

The entire western liberal worldview is currently balanced on the ability to psychologically compartmentalize away from the mass atrocities in Gaza and what western governments are doing to perpetuate them.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Everyone says they want peace, but they mean different things by this. To an anti-imperialist, peace means the end of violence, oppression and exploitation. To a Zionist, peace means Palestinians lie down and accept their fate and neighboring nations cease disobeying Israel. To a supporter of the US empire, peace means all nations around the world submit to US unipolar hegemony. Many say they want peace when what they really want is tyranny.

Reading by Tim Foley.

Ever since the Biden administration began bombing Yemen, its official spinmeisters have been babbling about commerce and global container shipping to justify it. The unspoken premise behind this justification is that an active genocide should be permitted to continue with zero economic repercussions of any kind, for Israel or anyone else.

Reading by Tim Foley.

The Washington Post has an article out titled "As Houthis vow to fight on, U.S. prepares for sustained campaign," with "sustained campaign" being empire-speak for a new American war.

Reading by Tim Foley.