Three Strikes You're Out?

 

https://x.com/HossamShabat/status/1843743248680136963

I got up in the early morning hours of October 9 to find that three things had happened: Israeli troops had sealed off northern Gaza and begun slaughtering people there after bombing a flour warehouse in the one remaining bakery; the U.S.-Israel had bombed suburbs of Beirut with depleted uranium ordnance; and the U.S.-Israel had bombed residential areas of Damascus in Syria.

I will say U.S.-Israel from now on to acknowledge the fact that, for the purposes of WWIII, they are one and the same. Operating both nations as sock puppets so that Biden can pretend to feel things about Bibi's conduct of the war doesn't really fool anyone, though the talking heads of corporate media must pretend to believe. (Until they self-immolate like CBS worker Samuel Mena just did outside the White House.)

The first two overnight occurrences were the most troubling: Israeli soldiers shooting at children and their families in a concentration camp setting is not new but it is especially horrific after a solid year of forced marches and deliberate starvation in the Gaza strip, and in light of announced plans to “cleanse” northern Gaza of any Palestinian presence in order to turn it into a permanent Israeli military zone. As someone I can't find again on Twitter observed, the Zionists have now done everything the Nazis did to their ancestors except build gas chambers. No need to tattoo numbers on anybody’s arms these days; digital surveillance technology has taken care of that.

Sounds like enough atrocities, doesn't it? But wait, there's more.

Depleted uranium was used extensively by the U.S. in the illegal war on Iraq, so we already know of its horrors. Covering large areas with radioactive dust that will outlive all of us, causing miscarriages and horrific birth defects when pregnant women are exposed, and causing lots of kinds of cancer. 

Iraqi girl Farah after three operations to correct deformities caused by exposure to D.U. in utero

What have the humans of Lebanon done to deserve this treatment? The government of Lebanon allows the U.S. to operate a military base there, but Hezbollah arose and grew in strength in direct response to repeated violence inflicted by Israel on civilians. After witnessing the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres of a previous war with Israel, who can blame them?

https://x.com/malcolmx653459/status/1844050234474946560

Incinerating people in Damascus and burying them in rubble is the signature act of depravity we’ve come to expect since October 7, 2023. As horrific as the rest, and also a worrying sign that the U.S.-Israel is going for broke, expanding to a regional war that promises to drawn in not only powerhouse Iran but unvanquished Russia on Syria’s behalf. Iran gave up its nuclear weapon program in a diplomatic deal during the Obama administration; now comes news that it is seriously considering restarting that project. Who can blame them?

Russia of course has nukes including so called tactical nukes that are still vastly more powerful than the bombs the U.S. dropped on Japan in WWII. And both Russia and Iran have hypersonic weapons that are nearly impossible for the Iron Dome (or Iron Sieve as it’s now revealed to be) to intercept. The U.S.-Israel has nukes, too, of course and it's pretty clear that no act of war is too awful for them to contemplate. Is Tehran next?

Former arms inspector Scott Ritter thinks it could be, but also thinks that it will hasten rather than delay Israel's demise as a nation. 

now Israel is being bombarded on a near-daily basis by long-range drones, rockets, and missiles fired from Hezbollah, militias in Iraq, and the Houthi in Yemen. The Iranian ballistic missile attack of Oct. 1 vividly demonstrated to all Israelis the reality that there is no viable defense against these attacks. 

Moreover, if the Israel-Iran conflict continues to escalate (and Israel has promised a retaliation of immense proportions), Iran has indicated it will destroy Israel’s critical infrastructure — power plants, water desalinization plants, energy production and distribution centers — in short, Israel will cease being able to function as a modern nation state.

It's not a question of if but a question of when the empire that Zionists built will fall. But will its collapse precede Armageddon, or usher it in? 

If Ukraine Uses Depleted Uranium, Then It's Already A Nuclear War

Source: Medical Association for Prevention of War presentation on Depleted Uranium, 2006

My late friend Cecile Pineda wrote a powerful book arguing that nuclear war was already with us. 

As I wrote in my eulogy for Cecile, Devil's Tango: How I Learned the Fukushima Step by Step (Wings Press, 2013) argued a thesis that acted as a tsunami demolishing my lifelong dread of nuclear war. It's not that I don't still dread it (and notice it creeping closer with each passing day), it's that I followed Cecile's carefully reasoned argument that nuclear holocaust is already here. Constant pollution from radiation leaks, accidents, and deliberate use of ordnance composed with depleted uranium already have global cancer rates and birth defects skyrocketing. Continuing to build nuclear weapon systems without any meaningful plans for containing the waste is collective suicide. 

On March 22, China and Russia issued a joint statement of their intention to avoid the use of nuclear weapons.

Within days, Great Britain announced it will ship DU ammunition to Ukraine for use in the proxy war against Russia. Meanwhile, research physicist Chris Busby published data showing elevated levels of uranium in the atmosphere over the British isles. That's a fact, and his hypothesis about causation is that DU is already present in munitions used by Ukraine.

The British government's announcement has had several consequences.

☢️ Some commenters wondered if the plan to irradiate Ukraine's prime agricultural land would sit well with big corporate players like Monsanto that have been buying up real estate there.

☢️ Russia announced it plans to move nuclear weapons into Belarus this summer. (Naturally the U.S. and NATO nations are crying foul without acknowledging that they already have nuclear weapons in position in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye if not Poland, too.)

☢️ More attention was paid to data on the long term effects in Serbia of being bombed with DU munitions by NATO during the Clinton administration e.g. "5,500 out of every 100,000 Serbs suffer from some kind of carcinoma, a rate nearly three times the global average."

☢️ Same for data on the use of DU by the U.S. and NATO in Iraq, especially concentrated in the area of Fallujah. Clusters of birth defects occurred early there attributed to DU, and these persist. 

The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) condemned the UK decision to send depleted uranium shells to Ukraine and elaborated thus:

A byproduct of the nuclear enriching process used to make nuclear fuel or nuclear weapons, DU emits three quarters of the radioactivity of natural uranium and shares many of its risks and dangers. It is used in armour piercing rounds as it is heavy and can easily penetrate steel. However on impact, toxic or radioactive dust can be released and subsequently inhaled. 

DU shells were used extensively by the US and British in Iraq in 1991 and 2003, as well as in the Balkans during the 1990s.

It is thought that the extensive use of these shells is responsible for the sharp rise in the incidence rate of some cancers like breast cancer or lymphoma in the areas they were used. Other illnesses linked to DU include kidney failure, nervous system disorders, lung disease and reproductive problems. However, a lack of reliable data on exposure to DU means no large-scale study on its true impact exists. 

DU sidesteps frying its targets to a crisp. In other words, the thermo part of thermonuclear is absent. And that is a good thing.

My friend Fang used to protest during the Iraq war using a sign that said D.U. = war crime. I used to tease him about what passing motorists made of his message, guessing that they read D.U. as the Homer Simpson exclamation, "Duh!"

Maybe I was underestimating how informed the general public is, but after watching highlights of the congressional hearings about Tik Tok this week I don't think so. 

To end this grim post on a lightly humorous note (and the promise to do another geography quiz post soon):

Crenshaw: [Chinese citizens] must cooperate with Chinese intelligence whenever they are called upon, and if they are called upon they're bound to secrecy. That would include you.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: I'm Singaporean. pic.twitter.com/YXICSoIY4c

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) March 24, 2023

Link to tweet if embedded video does not work for you: https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1639087482380910594

Democrats In Maine Ashamed Of Supporting Obama's Wars

In the most Orwellian of protest venues, outside the Portland Expo center October 30, where President Obama was scheduled to make a campaign appearance for a fellow Democrat. Staffers constantly exhorted those in line to keep their cell phones turned on, and a large screen tv erected in sight of the queue played a series of ads attacking Gov. Paul LePage so loudly it drowned out normal conversation.

When I referenced the propaganda stream a 20-something Democratic staffer attempted to straighten me out about the (false) dichotomy of corporate party politics saying, "You're on their side. They are the good guys." This is what passes for political discussion in our age.

Twenty-five of us stood for a couple of hours engaging with the crowd. Friend Bruce Gagnon brought a message about the folly of making our state economy so dependent on military contracting and spending more than 50% of the federal discretionary budget each year on the Pentagon. He called out to those in line about these problems and asked, "What does it say about the soul of our nation?" One decorated veteran told Bruce, "I fought so you would be free to say that." Bruce noted that he, himself, is a veteran -- a Veteran for Peace, that is.

It was one of the most interesting protests I've attended because of the interaction with the party faithful and the simply curious. I had a spool of pink ribbon with the message "President Obama: keep your promises for peace! Codepink.org" and I walked the length of the line asking who would like a ribbon. About 100 people took one.

Many reached for a ribbon after hearing me say, "Do you think it is ok to drop a bomb because it says Democrat on it? Are Democratic bombs falling on children in Syria and Iraq better than Republican bombs?" People's body language said these questions made them uncomfortable. Sometimes I added, "I don't believe you think bombing civilians is ok." Their shamed faces told the tale.

Children especially wanted a ribbon. Not all parents allowed them to take one, but some families were in harmony.

One Portland family including mom in a wheelchair were happy that we had brought extra signs.

There was a lone Tea Party protester when I first got there. She probably has a different reason than I do for not wanting the Maine National Guard sent to Africa.

There were two tv news crews there who filmed our signs and interviewed protesters. But their editors must have killed the stories when they got back to the station because coverage of our presence and our messages is nowhere to be found.

Bringing some authentic news to the people is what motivates me to drive two hours and stand around getting cold after I've worked all day. One guy in line said about Obama and peace, "He was doing great until ISIS." I said Obama has drone bombed Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, and I hoped he could find some sources of information for himself besides corporate news.

Most squirm inducing message? That the U.S. is preparing to use depleted uranium weapons in Syria and Iraq. This seemed to be new information for most of our listeners. I guess all the election reporting kind of drowns out news of nuclear warfare being waged in our name, with our tax dollars. As intended.

Thanks to our friends from Peace Action Maine who showed up with their banner. It was also neat to meet some newcomers to Portland who enthusiastically helped us hold signs and banners."I didn't know how to support peace because I just moved to Portland from Georgia," a young man named Matt told me. "A friend told me about this event and so I just came down." Matt spent quite a long time talking to Tim who had driven up from New Hampshire to join us. Both were interviewed by a t.v. news crew, but I guess you won't get a chance to hear their voices.

REVISED Nov. 1: Apparently I was wrong, and I am delighted to say so. Bruce Gagnon's interview did turn up on WGME's 6pm t.v. newscast.

SYSTEM SUCKS: Pictures That Are Worth 1,000 Words

Occupy Oakland silkscreen image, not sure which artist(s) to credit

An Iraqi boy in an orphanage drew his mother and slept in her arms.

Image credit: imgur, via James Hobbs' facebook page.

Source: Occupy Maine facebook event for May 1, 2012 General Strike

Jeju Island, South Korea, where the Samsung Corporation is being paid to pour concrete over the UN Heritage Site coral reefs in order to make a port to dock Aegis nuclear weapons equipped destroyers built in Bath, Maine, USA. (In case you were wondering what the sign in the first image -- SYSTEM SUCKS -- was talking about.)

Birth defects in Fallujah after use of depleted uranium weapons by US military in 2004. Source: http://truth-reason-liberty.blogspot.com/2010/07/more-suffering-for-people-of-fallujah.html

From Michael Kelly today in Business Insider The US Poured So Many Toxic Weapons On Fallujah In 2004 That Residents Still Pay The Price:

The study, released by the Switzerland-based International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, shows that in the years following Operation Phantom Fury there has been a 4-fold increase in all cancer, including a 12-fold increases in childhood cancer in those aged 0-14.

Lights Around Portland on 9/11

Second stop of the Care-a-Van to Bring Our War $$ Home: Portland, Maine where organizer Grace Braley held an event on the evening of 9/11 ranging people around the bay with points of light. As we arrived, so did the Fukushima peace walkers on their way to Boston. So first we greeted people from the country that the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on. Then Mansour and Jane arrived; Mansour is from Libya, where NATO and the U.S. dropped bombs made with depleted uranium.

All of us spread out along the edge of the bay waiting for 7:45pm when we would turn on our love lights for fifteen minutes. Here Mark stands with Michael Cutting, one of those who was around the kitchen table in Sally Breen's house when the BOW$H slogan originated.

We saw Markos Miller, our favorite candidate for mayor of Portland, plus a lot of other peaceniks as we hiked the mile to our designated spot near Interstate-295. Along the way my sister in PINK Pat Taub explained why she was joining in on behalf of her young grandchildren.

A highway worker ignored Mark climbing on the sign post next to southbound I-295, but at least one passing motorist honked in greeting.

As twilight gave way to night we could see points of light along the shore stretching in both directions. A bicyclist passed us holding his light aloft. Back at the parking area we saw our friend El-Fadel Arbab, who was a lost boy of Sudan that found his calling traveling around speaking to young people about raising their voices against genocide. He will be at UMaine Presque Isle this week speaking to about 1,000 young people in total.

We're all in this together, people. Either we bring the light, or the forces of darkness will close over all of us.

War wasting funds, lives, environment

Draw-a-Thon II interview with Kenny Cole, artist whose drone show "The Hellfire Story" at SPACE Gallery in Portland hosted the 'Thon. Here he talks about preaching beyond the choir.

Here in Maine we are preparing for an organizing meeting to check in about what the Bring Our War $$ Home campaign has been up to lately, and to make our plans for the future. The recent Maine Peace Walk with Veterans for Peace and Buddhist monks and nuns in the lead got press throughout the state (links here, here, here and here!) and helped spread the cost of war message far and wide before ending at the Draw-a-Thon on Veterans Day.

Revelations are coming thick and fast from WikiLeaks' trove of U.S. diplomatic cables; it will be impossible to digest all the information in time for tomorrow. So many wasted funds could provide a useful focus: Karzai administration corruption, "aid" to the empire's many client states, and taxpayer funded State Dept. providing intel for private corporation Blackwater (name hidden, unlike your private parts if you decide to fly home for the holidays).

Activist Tom Sturtevant had a great idea recently about focusing on the Blue Angels' colossal waste of fuel, funds, and immense carbon footprint. How are we still affording stuff like this? Let the unemployed eat jet fuel! We will discuss this at the meeting also.

Before the meeting many of us will stand with the annual weekly advent vigil at Bath Iron Works. BIW is the largest employer in the state and one place where it is believed workers put depleted uranium weapons on Aegis destroyers. Is this any way to make a living?

This Sunday evening there is a good informational program on D.U. that Codepink organizer Beth Adams has put together with help from her friends. That event is Dec 5 in Portland, Maine 7:15-9:15pm at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Church, 80 Sherman St., Portland, ME. 

fmi (413)-522-7505

A Community Discussion and Action Ideas will follow. Identical programs will be presented in Hartford on December 4^th and Portland, Maine on December 5^th. The program is jointly sponsored by: The American Friends Service Committee of Western Massachusetts, Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, The Alliance for Peace and Justice, Western Massachusetts Code Pink and the Nuclear –free Future Coalition of Western Massachusetts, and more!

D.U. = WAR CRIME

I once had to protest an administrator in my old school district who was gung-ho to hang a flag of our state, sent from Iraq by a National Guards-mom whose daughter had been a student of ours.

The principal was going to hang it proudly in the gym because as she explained, "It had flown over Fallujah!" She had already read aloud a letter from soldier mom to her kid at graduation the previous spring. (The use of high school graduation ceremonies for recruiting purposes is a topic I will leave for another day.)

As the U.S. prepares to "exit" Iraq at the end of this month, leaving behind only 50,000 troops and the largest embassy compound ever built (fortifed, natch) I am reflecting on the battle of Fallujah. Some years have passed since my country used my tax dollars to bombard the city with weapons of mass destruction. Many of the WMD's were made of depleted uranium; because it is a very dense material, D.U. is used to make missile points that will penetrate strongly. Then the explosion turns the D.U. to fine dust that becomes part of the local environment for a very long time.

One of my stalwart fellow vigilers held a sign for years that said: D.U. = war crime. We used to tease him by saying that those driving by us on the bridge probably thought it said "Duh" because no one knew what D.U. meant.

The children that have been born in Fallujah since the U.S. attacked know what D.U. means, because they are living with birth defects caused by radioactivity levels that scientists who studied the situation describe as "worse than Hiroshima." Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005-2009 was published here in June. The little girl pictured above was lucky to be born with deformed feet rather than a misplaced eye or nose -- I guess. Wonder what will happen if she tries to have children of her own someday?

Nuclear Detonation Timeline "1945-1998"
A horrible, strangely beautiful rendering of historical data
by Isao Hashimoto (www.ctbto.org/specials/1945-1998-by-isao-hashimoto/)